Welcome back to TBFF! I'm so glad you are here to read more of my fic. Thank you to Arwan, mystarlight, Addy White, and PrettyRecklessLaura for reviewing the last chapter! I appreciate your continued support of my story. Without further ado, let's move into more TBFF!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Lord of the Rings or Tolkien Enterprises.
ooOoo
To Be Forever Faithful
By: Ponytail Goddess
Chapter 54: Awakenings
It was two days later that Belegwen approached the medical telain. A horse-drawn cart had been pulled into the avenue and was being carefully loaded with the limp bodies of soldiers who were being sent to the Grey Havens. There were a total of five soldiers who had faded significantly on the journey home and the lord and lady were making haste to send them to Valinor before their spirits passed into the Halls of Mandos.
The mood of the morning was sorrowful, as many family members were lingering around the cart to bid their loved ones an unexpected farewell. There were many tears on the faces of dejected elves unready to say goodbye to the ones they had spent several millennia alongside. The silence of the healers and the downcast look in their eyes told Belegwen of their personal frustration concerning the matter. To them, this was a failure. It hurt the healers to be unsuccessful in treating their patients.
Though she was uncertain of what she would say, Belegwen forced herself to approach the cart, looking for one elf in particular. All the way in the corner, he was not hard to find.
Sadness filled Belegwen as she looked upon Heledhril for the last time while she was on this side of the sea. He was clearly broken beyond repair. His straw-colored hair had lost its glossiness and his skin was dull and graying. His eyes looked distant, as if they had already set sail for Valinor days ago. Heledhril's body was limp and unmoving; he was starting to acquire a gaunt look that was obvious both on his face and body from having a lack of sustenance. The very sight of him made Belegwen draw in a slow, nervous breath as she looked upon him and recalled the horrible fate he had endured.
"Heledhril?" Belegwen questioned softly. She put her arm over the cart and set her hand gently upon his shoulder, trying to gain his attention. He did not move or even look at her. She frowned as an empty feeling started to eat away at the pit of her stomach. It was terrible to see him this way; guilt started to build up inside of Belegwen once more as she stared at what was left of her student and friend.
"Heledhril?" She asked, trying again. She gave his shoulder a small shake, looking at him while hoping to see some sort of reaction that would let her know he could hear her, but there was none. "It is Belegwen. I have come to see you off."
She squeezed his shoulder, but still received no reaction. She frowned, knowing the power of Nenya was probably the reason he had been able to respond to her on the journey home. Now that he had returned his precious cargo to Lady Galadriel, he seemed so distant and appeared to be unreachable. Belegwen decided to speak to him anyway, hoping perhaps he was still in there somewhere and could hear her.
Leaning over the smooth wooden edge of the cart, Belegwen got closer to Heledhril's pointed ear and started to speak quietly to him. "I do not feel as though a simple thank you is enough to honor what you have done for me meldir, but it is all I feel I can give you now. I will forever be in your debt for the sacrifice you made on my behalf. Not only did your power save me that night, but you have also indirectly saved both my son and Haldir. I cannot even begin to say how grateful I am to you for this gift Heledhril. You have my sincerest thanks."
Belegwen squeezed his shoulder once again, then took the book resting in her other hand and placed it underneath Heledhril's hand. It laid limply over the leather-bound work, pinning it to his torso loosely. "I am giving you this as a small token of my gratitude. It is my adar's journal, which details the techniques I was teaching you. I want you to have it now. When you are feeling more like yourself, I hope you will choose to study his notes and practice all the exercises he detailed within the pages." She said softly, running a finger over the familiar, worn out leather one last time.
"I have read this so many times, I now have it memorized. It is my hope that you will continue to learn Belegond's techniques in Valinor. Study and perfect them, for I shall challenge you to a duel when we next meet in the west. I will expect to have quite the battle with you meldir. In fact, I am already looking forward to it." She surmised, a small smile sneaking onto her face as she imagined the day when she would see him whole and healthy once more.
Belegwen blinked as she finished her daydream and looked back down at Heledhril. His hand was now clutching the book tightly, as if he knew what treasure he possessed. Her smile widened as she stared down at him.
He had heard her after all.
Unable to control her joy, Belegwen ran to the front of the cart and hopped inside. She knelt down beside Heledhril and embraced the deceptively lifeless elf for a moment before looking into his dull eyes once more. "Take care of yourself meldir. Get better soon and one day, we shall duel as we did in the past. Thank you again for the blessings you have given to me and my family with your sacrifice." She murmured as he stared up at her with a blank face. "What you have done for me will never be forgotten. Never."
Belegwen gave him a final pat on the hand and, after bowing low before him as a sign of respect, climbed carefully out of the cart. She watched as a few final items were loaded before the driver climbed into his seat, grabbing the reigns and giving them a flick to goad the small team of horses into motion.
Standing beside the friends and families of several soldiers, Belegwen watched as the cart drove into the forest, hopefully to save the lives of the precious elves within. None of the waving and crying elves left the area until the cart was completely out of sight.
ooOoo
It was at this time that Belegwen began to carry out the full duties of being a marchwarden in Caras Galadhon. Much to her astonishment, the lord and lady had been quick to work out the details of her continued duty to the forest, knowing she needed to function dually as a marchwarden and a naneth.
Tinuloth, one of ladies in waiting to Galadriel, was volunteered to be a nursemaid to Halendil during the day while Belegwen focused on running training exercises and classes for the wardens while they were stationed in the city. The lord and lady had both insisted she take at least two years off from border patrol. Her absence was to last until her son was weaned and able to be watched by a family member or friend for more than a few hours without needing her assistance for feeding.
It was decided that Gilhoth, as second in command, and Rumil, as an interim marchwarden, would take turns leading patrols on the borders and would report to Belegwen with news from the front. Belegwen was also put in charge of scheduling the patrols and seeing to the comings and goings of special guests in the golden wood. There was plenty to keep her busy during the day, but she was blessed to have every night free to spend with her little one and Haldir.
For the most part, Belegwen was gladdened the lord and lady had been willing to accommodate her as a marchwarden with an elfling. They had given her everything she needed to continue doing her job. Though she missed going to the borders, she found her skills were being utilized best in the city anyway, as she seemed to have a talent for teaching swordplay and knife skills to the wardens.
Every night, she took little Halendil into Eltirwen's healing talan to rest in his adar's arm, as it was the only way to get the little one to fall asleep at night. Halendil liked the routine and Belegwen thought it good for him to spend time with his adar, even if Haldir was unable to interact with him currently. Belegwen did not want Haldir to be a stranger to the youngling when he woke up, so she consistently placed his son in his arm every single night without fail.
However, this routine also brought her sadness, as she grew more and more lonely waiting for Haldir to wake from his healing sleep. He had slept for the entire two and a half month journey home to Lothlorien. Now it had been nearly two months since they had arrived back in Caras Galadhon and still, he slept on.
Haldir was starting to miss little Halendil's milestones and it distressed Belegwen that he was not awake to enjoy them with her. Already, the little one had grown larger, looking much more like the chubby-cheeked elflings Belegwen had been accustomed to seeing around the city long ago. The youngling could also now roll over, chatter using random syllables, and had recently been trying to clap his hands.
For the sake of her little one and the safety of the forest, Belegwen forced herself to carry on as if nothing was wrong. However, when she was alone she started to feel the darkness of loneliness creeping into her life, like a slow-acting poison that was steadily taking control of her life. The façade she put on to appear okay during her training sessions seemed to fool most elves, but not Rumil. He was too close to her and knew her all too well. He watched her carefully every day, suspecting what she already knew to be a fact…
She was fading.
When Belegwen looked in the mirror, she was starting to see a mere shadow of herself. Just as she previously had when Haldir abandoned her by serving multiple border tours in a row, Belegwen was starting to pale in the face while her hair lost its trademark shine and luster. She had not thought this would be possible, as she saw Haldir in person every night. She always made a point to touch him gently, caressing his hair and face lovingly while talking to him with a soft voice, so as not to disrupt the other patients who were being treated in the talan.
Haldir never seemed to hear her though and it ate away at her soul. Belegwen needed a response, needed to speak with him once more, needed to feel his comforting presence within her mind… She needed him to be both conscious and present.
At night, as she laid down in her own bed, Belegwen found herself haunted by the echoing sounds of waves resounding loudly in her ears. Fearful of leaving Halendil to face the world alone, she took staying awake all night, as she was worried she might not wake up again if she fell into reverie. The desire to float away became greater and greater with every passing day and soon, Belegwen was struggling to resist its temptation. There was only so long she could withstand its appealing call though.
One night, her exhaustion finally caught up with her. After nursing Halendil, she fell into a deep reverie in the rocking chair next to his cradle and did not wake up when he next started to cry.
ooOoo
"Rumil? Are you there?" A young voice called from outside his door after loudly rapping on the wooden barrier. Though it was early, Rumil quickly rolled out of bed and put on a pair of leggings before answering the door. Upon opening it, he found Linros there, poised to knock on his door again.
"Rumil, I was supposed to go and pick up Halendil and watch him for Belegwen this morning, but she is not answering her door. Do you know where I might look to find her at this early hour?" He asked, looking a bit confused. Rumil was too, as it was not like Belegwen to miss plans such as these. Throwing on an undershirt quickly, Rumil's bare feet led led him up the stairs to Belegwen's room. He stopped at her door, knocking loudly. When no one answered, he did not hesitate to burst in uninvited.
"Belegwen," He said, looking worriedly at her motionless form in the rocking chair next to the cradle. She had not bothered to get undressed from the previous day of training, which Rumil knew was not normal for her. "Belegwen." He said again, walking up to her and giving her a quick shake.
She did not move, nor wake.
"Belegwen?" He heard Linros questioning behind him with a generous helping of concern present in his voice. Rumil barely heard him though, frozen in fear for a moment as he realized what had happened.
"Belegwen?! Belegwen!" He exclaimed once again, shaking her much more aggressively this time to make sure there was no possible way she was just sleeping. Much to Rumil's consternation, she did not wake up. His heart started to pound faster and faster as he looked quickly between Belegwen and his nephew, who was whimpering softly in the cradle.
"Something is wrong. Linros, you take Halendil and I will take Belegwen. I will meet you at the healing telain. Do not run with the elfling." He commanded, then wasted no time grabbing up his sister and running down the stairway of the warden's halls. He panicked the entire way to the healing telain, running violently up the stairs leading to Eltirwen's talan.
"Eltirwen!" Rumil shouted, bursting through the door without bothering to knock. "Help!"
He heard the soft pattering of feet before he saw her appear. Tying up her robe, the dark-haired healer looked as if she had just rolled out of bed. "Rumil, what is it? What has happened?" She asked as she raced over, quickly looking for injuries on Belegwen.
"I found her like this in her room. She is unresponsive." He said as the healer looked her over carefully.
"She fades…" The healer quickly concluded as she inspected her dulled silver locks, meeting Rumil's eyes with her own astonished ones. "Why is she fading? She was doing so well just a few days ago!"
Rumil looked down at her, upset that he had not done anything to help her sooner. "I think it is Haldir. I think she misses him too greatly." He murmured, the worry in his voice clearly evident as he gently shifted Belegwen into a more comfortable position in his arms.
"Good grief, he will be the death of her yet! The apprentices are not here this early, so I will go and fetch Linedhel from next door. He will help me pull a second bed into Haldir's room and we will house them together. Perhaps being in his presence will help." Eltirwen said, though her voice lacked its usual confidence, which left Rumil feeling uncertain as to whether or not it would truly help.
Eltirwen left muttering something under her breath about the churlish marchwarden who always seemed to be at the center of a certain elleth's ailments. She then reappeared a few minutes later with Linedhel in tow, whom was also dressed in a robe and looked rumpled from his reverie.
After Linedhel helped Eltirwen move an extra bed into Haldir's room, Rumil carefully placed Belegwen onto it, arranging her limbs into a comfortable position and pushing a pillow beneath her unmoving head. Rumil then watched as Eltirwen put Belegwen's limp hand into Haldir's much larger one. Their beds had been scooted next to one another to allow for close contact between the two married elves. When Rumil looked up from his brother and his sister, he caught a worried look passing between the two healers.
"What is it?" Rumil asked nervously, looking back and forth between the two. "What is wrong?"
Eltirwen swallowed uneasily before replying. "Usually physical contact between two bonded elves is enough to bring a faded one back if he or she is not too far gone. Because Belegwen is not waking right away, I fear this problem has gone on for an extended time. I'm afraid this lowers her chances of recovery."
Rumil watched as Linedhel shook his silver-haired head; his eyes closed and a pain-filled look adorned his stern visage. "Belegwen has been so busy caring for her son and doing her job that she has neglected her own needs. If she had sought help for this sooner, we could have woken up Haldir from his healing sleep to be with her and soothe this ailment. Now I am uncertain if even that will help her. Belegwen can still come back from this, but it will be a challenge indeed."
As his heart sank deeply into his chest, Rumil felt the full weight of the situation resting heavily upon his shoulders. He said nothing until he saw Linros appear at the door hesitantly, carrying a Halendil's fussing little form tightly in his arms. "What of Halendil? How will he be fed while she is like this?"
"I will assist Belegwen in feeding Halendil for as long as her body is able to support the function." Eltirwen replied as she walked over to Linros and plucked the little one from his arms without hesitation. "If her body grows too weak to produce sustenance for him, we will have to search for a different solution."
Rumil frowned as he watched Eltirwen rock and gently bounce his nephew in a comfortable way, which spoke of her vast amount of experience with elflings. She was doing everything she could to try and calm the unhappy little ellon, who clearly needed his naneth.
What would happen to the elfling if Belegwen did not wake up?
Rumil slowly closed his eyes and internally shivered at the thought. Feeling chilled to the bone with fear over his nephew's fate, Rumil quickly walked around the conjoined beds until he was next to his brother. Leaning down, he whispered into his ear. "I know you need this healing sleep Haldir, but there is not much time left. Your bond with Belegwen is so great that she is fading without you, so you must wake up soon. She needs you brother; do not linger in the darkness any longer. Come to the light and bring your hervess back with you." He pleaded firmly, trying to impart how important this quest was to his brother's conscience.
"Haldir, I hope above all else that you can hear me." Rumil whispered to him as he tightly held Haldir's shoulder to try and convey the seriousness of the situation. "Please come back Haldir. Do not leave Belegwen to this untimely fate!"
ooOoo
On the other side of the wall, buried deep within his mind, Haldir's eyes flickered open as the meaning of Rumil's words registered through his mind. How long he had been sleeping, Haldir did not know, but apparently it had been long enough for his wife to give into despair.
Perhaps the wall had been a bad idea after all. Haldir had only sought to block Belegwen from having to feel the immense physical pain he was enduring from his injuries, but he knew all too well about the consequences of having a wall block their mental connection. However, he had only been forced to endure the traumatic event for a mere week. How long had Belegwen put up with his wall and the empty feeling that came along with it?
For those bonded elves who had the gift of a mental connection with their spouse, the closeness of their loved one became a lifeline for them. They started to depend on it to feel whole and normal. This was often part of the reason why one elf would fade if their husband or wife passed away—the lack of connection that was deeply ingrained in their life was suddenly gone and left them feeling empty, like a discarded shell.
Belegwen clearly needed him, but was he strong enough to go and fetch her back? Tentatively, Haldir stretched his arm out towards the wall. He felt the familiar twinge of pain in his back and grimaced as he ran his fingers over the bumpy stones that separated him from his wife. Concentrating on what he wanted to do, he focused on one stone with his eyes closed and when he opened them, the stone was gone.
His eyes peered through the hole he had created in his wall and then suddenly enlarged. Gone was the usual world of darkness on Belegwen's side of the wall. In its place was a beach that was all too familiar to at this point. "No…" He whispered as he finally caught sight of her.
Belegwen was all the way across the beach, floating lifelessly amid the darkened waves. The sea was not as calm as it had been previously and Haldir felt himself start to panic as a wave crashed over her small body, making her disappear from his view for a moment. A few seconds later, she floated to the surface again, her body bouncing limply as wave after wave rolled underneath her.
Haldir was scared she would disappear under the waves and never come back up. Immediately, the wall disappeared as he tried to stand. He limped several steps before crying out and falling to his knees. He resorted to crawling across the beach, the stabbing pain in his back becoming nearly unbearable as he maneuvered through the sand with what little speed he could muster.
"Come back!" He shouted after her, grabbing fistful after fistful of golden sand as he struggled to drag himself across the uneven terrain. "Belegwen!"
Haldir managed to get to his feet once more and stumbled into the water. He clenched his teeth as pain shot up and down his spine all over again. The water was cold and he found himself falling face first into its depths after staggering for a few more steps. His head popped out of the dark water and he gasped, looking through the wet, golden locks that were plastered over his face to see Belegwen was still several paces away from him. He crawled and walked as long as he could, then started to swim, growling with pain as he forced himself to continue on.
"Belegwen!" He cried out desperately. A wave submerged him into darkness briefly, then he emerged coughing as he swam hurriedly towards her. He stopped for a moment to push his hair out of his face, then continued to struggle through the water shakily until he reached her. With a strong hand, he grabbed her under the armpit just as another wave crashed over them. Though he could feel the waves trying to pull them both out to sea, Haldir fought valiantly against it with what little strength he had left. Holding her arm as tightly as he could, he swam forward slowly, panting with effort as he fought against the pull of the dark water.
Soon he was able to reach the ground once more and he slowly pulled her closer and closer to the beach, falling to his knees to crawl again once the water became too shallow to support him with ease. Resituating his arm roughly beneath her armpit so he had a better grip on her, Haldir cringed as struggled to drag her body up the beach towards safety.
When he appeared to have put a decent distance between his wife and the sea, Haldir collapsed in the sand next to Belegwen's still form. He closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath. He felt himself trembling from the burning pain that was radiating through his back and into his legs. His hair was clinging to his face, along with millions of sand granules from his difficult trek across the beach. Absently, he tried to brush some of it off as he forced himself onto his side so he could inspect Belegwen.
The first thing he noticed was that her blue eyes looked vacant as they stared up at the sky. She was unmoving, her skin appearing too pale even for her. As he reached for her, saw that her wet hair clung to her warden's uniform and was full of golden sand. He ran his fingers through it briefly, then gently took ahold of her head and leaned it towards him.
"Belegwen?" He whispered as he worried over her faded appearance. The feeling of their bond was still intact though and he felt the familiar tingling associated with it immediately rush through his fingers as he made contact with her icy, soaking wet skin.
After a few moments, he saw her blue eyes flash to life and she immediately started convulsing. She flipped over to her side and coughed up a bunch of water while he watched and silently breathed a sigh of relief. Wheezing loudly, Belegwen flipped onto her back when she had successfully removed the water from her lungs and stared at him with bewildered eyes. Haldir could feel her lungs burning through their bond, as well as her surprise at seeing him beside her. They spent their first few minutes together simply staring at one another and marveling at the fact that they were together again after such a long absence.
"Belegwen," He finally managed to say, breaking the silence lingering between them. He reached out towards her, cupping her sandy cheek in his hand and enjoying the feel of the bond pulsating through them. "Thank goodness you are here. I thought I was about to lose you when I had just gotten you back…" He confessed, his eyes tearing up with unfiltered despair at the very thought of losing her.
She watched him as he trailed his trembling finger gently down her cheek, over her chin, and then down her neck until it reached where her leaf pin was currently buckled at her collar. His hand then fell to the ground as he stared at her, trying to read the emotions that were quickly swirling through her head.
Haldir saw a tear run out of her eye and drip into the sand as she reached for his face to reacquire physical contact with him. He closed his eyes when her cold fingers made contact with the side of his face, pushing a damp golden hair clump to the side so she could see him better. "Is it really you Haldir?" She whispered as she stared into his eyes with a look of hope. "I did not think you would ever return to me."
He watched as she started to silently sob and quickly pulled her against his chest. He somehow managed to stifle a groan, as the effort hurt his injury. Haldir could not bear to see her this way though and tightly clutched her tiny body against his own, in spite of the pain it caused him. Leaning in towards her ear, he whispered, "You think I could bear to live without you, now that I have finally made you my own? Never, meleth… never."
Haldir stroked her hair as she sobbed and trembled against him. "You put up the wall and I could not feel you. You have been gone for so long hervenn... Forgive me for allowing my loneliness to consume me." She begged him, surely feeling how panicked he was on the inside. Indeed, his adrenaline was still pumping furiously from nearly losing her to the black waves of the sea.
"I only meant to protect you from the pain of my injuries hervess. I felt how it hurt you when you brought me back to life and I wished to shield you from my agonizing pain. I never meant to…" He said before trailing off, not wanting to say what had nearly happened out loud.
He shook his as he began to apologize to her. "I am sorry about the wall. I promise I will never make another one again hervess. To this oath I will stay true, just like the one I made to you the day we first joined our bodies together. I will love you forever Belegwen." He said with an unusual amount of warmth filling his voice as he felt his love for her flare up through their bond.
Without further ado, Haldir gently lifted her chin and began to kiss her softly. He relished the feeling of her body against him as his sandy lips caressed hers, setting his whole body alight with desire. Running his fingers down her chest and ribs, Haldir intended to grab her by the bottom and pull her even closer to him, but stopped as his fingers reached her stomach. Confused, he immediately pulled away from her and stared down her body, shocked and then suddenly frightened at this new discovery.
"Belegwen, where is the ellon? Has something happened?!" He asked frantically. Immediately, he was beside himself with worry, for the little ellon was no longer within her. "Sweet Valar, what has happened to him!"
"Haldir!" She cried out as his mind became troubled and full of grief for the little one he had dreamed of having for a few millennia. Belegwen clutched his head powerfully between her hands tightly and stopped him before he could say anything more. "Haldir, stop panicking! He is fine! I have birthed him and he is well!"
"You birthed him," he echoed, slowly allowing the words to sink into his terror-filled mind. "He is well?"
She nodded, still holding his head tightly. "He is well. He is now four months old and is the darling of Lothlorien."
"Four months? That is so long…" He murmured to himself. "I have missed much with him."
"You have held him every night since you came back to life." Belegwen assured him. "I have made sure of it. He is already so attached to you that he will not sleep without resting within the safety of his adar's arm every night."
Haldir stared at her as he took in her admission, his heart immediately swelling with love for the effort his wife had already put forth to ensure the elfling would know him, in spite of his predicament. "Thank you hervess. Let us awaken now so that I might see the elfling face to face." He said, leaning in to kiss her once more, savoring the sweet feeling of his lips brushing against hers and the thrumming of their bond's power at their every touch.
"Will you be awake in the outside world with me?" Belegwen questioned, now appearing to be having her turn to panic. "What if I wake up and you are not there?"
"I will be there Belegwen; I am ready now. Come, let us do this at the same time so we wake up together." Haldir said, trying to reassure her.
"You promise?" She asked uncertainly, hesitating out of fear. Hearing this, he knew in his heart that she could not bear to lose him ever again. Haldir could not blame her either, as she had almost faded into nothingness just minutes ago due to his absence.
"I promise." He said with sincerity. "I will never leave you again Belegwen. I will be with you when you wake up." He watched as she nodded slowly. He felt her run her hands languidly down his arms and then took his hands into her own.
"Let us go then." She finally agreed as she squeezed his cold hands tightly. With that said, they both closed their eyes simultaneously and concentrated; then they were gone.
Haldir slowly blinked as he felt himself regain consciousness in his physical body. Turning his head to the side where he felt her presence, he was met with her intent stare. Belegwen's blue eyes were filled with hope. He felt her squeeze his hand, her eyes never leaving his.
As healers bustled around the two of them, everything else seemed to fade away. All that was left were the blue eyes that held his without faltering and the feeling of love that surrounded them as their bond started to fully connect them together as they had been before the battle.
ooOoo
"Everyone out!" Belegwen heard the familiar voice of Eltirwen bellow as the interns buzzed around them, poking and prodding at both her and Haldir while they were engrossed with each other's eyes. "This is a case of mated spirits fading, so we need to give them some time to themselves before we do the checks! Out!"
As usual, her harsh voice left no room for argument and Belegwen could hear the whispers of the interns as they walked away from the bed and out of the room. However, at the moment she only had eyes for Haldir. He was looking at her, just as he was on the beach within her mind's eye. The intensity of his scrutiny was immense and nearly overwhelmed all of her senses. She studied his face, which spoke of both his love for her and the immeasurable amount of pain he was enduring, which she could feel herself through their bond.
Belegwen continued to feel taken aback by his very presence. He had slept for over four months now and his wall had blocked any feelings or thoughts he had from her mind's eye for all of that time. She had went from feeling empty and lonely to feeling whole once again. Wave after wave of his emotions crashed over her through their bond, mostly those of love and appreciation for her and the elfling he so desperately desired to meet.
Knowing what she needed to do, Belegwen called out to the bossy healer. "Eltirwen?"
Immediately the dark haired healer was at her side. "Do you need something before I go Belegwen? We are going to leave you both alone for a couple of hours so your bond can fully reestablish itself before we continue our health checks."
"Yes, I would like to have our elfling brought in here with us please." She requested, finally breaking her eye contact with Haldir to view the older elleth's response. "Will you bring him?"
Eltirwen smiled down at her warmly. "Of course, I will be right back with him. He is awake and playing with Tinuloth in the next room over." She then looked over at Haldir, who was also staring up at her with a ragged look on his face. "I will also bring a draught to help you endure the pain of your injuries, Marchwarden."
Belegwen listened as Eltirwen's feet took her out of the room momentarily. Gingerly, she tried to sit up, but struggled as her body still felt weak from fading. With a groan, she laid back down, too frail for the feat she had attempted.
As if sensing what had just happened, Eltirwen burst in with both the elfling and a draught in her hands, scolding Belegwen with her best chiding voice, "Do not be trying to leave bed right now. You are too feeble to be getting up and doing things. That goes for you too, Marchwarden!"
After setting Halendil down in the cradle next to their beds, Eltirwen quickly wound her way over to Haldir while she took the cork off a small vial, which she handed to him. Once Haldir drank it down, she opened a nearby closet and pulled a few extra pillows out, then proceeded to prop up both Belegwen and Haldir so they could sit up and hold Halendil comfortably.
With gentle hands, Belegwen watched as Eltirwen took Halendil into her arms and passed him off to her. He started chattering away happily, using syllables only he understood once he caught sight of his naneth. She smiled down at him tiredly and stroked his bald head tenderly.
With a wink to Haldir, Eltirwen said, "I do hope you are ready for some new excitement in your life Marchwarden!" After smirking at him for a moment, she left and closed the door behind her.
"Are you ready to meet your son hervenn?" Belegwen asked quietly as she started to turn towards Haldir, only to find that he was already leaning over to try and catch sight of the elfling from behind her shoulder. His face looked pained though from sitting in such an uncomfortable position. Quickly, Belegwen adjusted herself so that she was leaning towards Haldir to give him a full view of the little ellon. "Hervenn, let me introduce you to Halendil Haldirion. Halendil, this is your ada. He is well enough to meet you today, my sweetling!"
She watched as Haldir drew in a slow breath and studied the little one before him with wide eyes. Halendil stared back at him, perplexed that the elf who was normally unmoving was now watching him with vibrant, glistening eyes. Slowly, as if afraid he might injure the little one, Haldir gently touched his son's chubby cheek.
"Wow…" Was all he could manage to say at first, so entranced was he with the little set of blue eyes that were a perfect mirror image of his own. Belegwen watched as he caressed that little cheek lightly. A great feeling of love warmed her insides as she felt how pleased Haldir was with this tiny version of himself. Already, he loved Halendil as if he was one of the most important elves in his life.
"He is beautiful, is he not?" Belegwen questioned, though she received no answer from Haldir, who seemed to have been rendered completely speechless by the little one. Smiling at her son, Belegwen tickled the little one's belly as she liked to do, earning her a few giggles and a big elfling smile. Belegwen looked over at Haldir again and saw he was smiling widely in return as he inspected the tiniest of hands with his own large finger. Suddenly, the tiny fingers reached out and latched onto his finger, causing him to gasp and then marvel at the grip of his son. Belegwen chuckled a bit as Halendil tried to move Haldir's finger to his lips, only to have his ada pull it away before it reached his wet mouth. "Would you like to hold him?"
"Yes," he whispered, then carefully held out his arms, never taking his eyes off Halendil. Belegwen carefully handed Halendil to Haldir, who seemed to know how to hold an elfling well enough. He held the little one carefully, as if he was a priceless treasure. The look on Haldir's face was one of love and amazement as he gazed upon his son's face. Halendil stared back for a little while, then started to call out syllables to Haldir while taking one of his golden locks into his little hand and holding onto it with a tight grip.
"I am your ada," Haldir finally whispered to the little one, who smiled with glee and chattered to him in his elfling language a bit more. Haldir smiled back and tried out the youngling's name. "Halendil… You have named him after me."
Belegwen smiled and caressed Haldir's cheek, earning her a quick peck on the lips before his gaze returned to his son. "It is Lothlorien tradition. I hoped you would like it."
"I do," he replied, repositioning the elfling in his arms as he squirmed around. "You are right; he does look a lot like me. He has my facial features, but he laughs just like you."
"He does," Belegwen agreed, leaning against Haldir's shoulder gently so she could watch the two interact with one another. For nearly an hour, Haldir held his son and spoke with him, telling him about their lives in Lothlorien and the many things he would see and do when he was a bit older.
After a while, the elfling became fussy and Belegwen took him back to feed him. Haldir watched the event attentively, seemingly happy with the way she was caring for his son. The little one promptly fell asleep after his meal and Belegwen carefully lowered him into the cradle next to the bed before turning over and curling up next to Haldir.
Immediately, he pushed his arm under her body and pulled her close to him. Belegwen could tell the draught Eltirwen had given him had dulled his pain a bit, but she knew he was still hurting greatly underneath his stoic façade.
"Here, let me try to alleviate some of your pain." Belegwen said, then placed her hand on his bare back carefully and concentrated her spirit's power towards his wound. The familiar heat of a healing touch radiated through her hand and into his body, looping back through her hand and filling her own body with a tingling warmth as well.
She held onto him and healed him until she could no longer bear the intense circular passage of power between them. When Belegwen finally let go, the power blaring between them stopped and she fell down on the bed, feeling tired yet surprisingly more steady with her motions than before.
"Thank you," Haldir whispered as he got comfortable next to her and looked at her with a small smile. "That helped us both. My body is aching less now and you have removed some of the signs of fading from yourself. Look, your hair has reacquired its shine." He said, holding up a shiny tendril of her hair between them. Indeed, the locks that were previously a dull grey had redefined color and were shining like the finest silver once more.
Haldir pulled her back against him and Belegwen gently rested her head against his shoulder as he held her warm body firmly against his own. Once he situated his head so he could see her, he said, "Thank you for the precious gift you have given me in Halendil; he is absolutely perfect in every way. What a blessing it is to finally be an adar as I had always hoped I would."
"Thank you for giving me such a wonderful son." Belegwen replied softly, tracing the line between his pectorals idly as she spoke, enjoying the tingling feeling of their bond rising up into her fingertips. "I never thought I would get to be both a warden and a naneth, but now I am and I have you to thank for it." She murmured gratefully.
"I love you." He whispered with his lips rubbing softly against her forehead. He spoke slowly now, growing more and more tired by the minute from the exertion of holding his son. "You are a strong marchwarden and a sweet, loving naneth. I love that you are both."
Belegwen smiled as she too started to doze off in his comforting, familiar embrace. "I am glad Haldir. Thank you for loving me as I am. I could not ask for a better hervenn."
Finally reunited, the two slept together peacefully for several hours without interruption. By the time they woke up again, Belegwen had fully recovered from her fade and was able to take up her marchwarden duties again.
ooOoo
Today's chapter is a fine example of how the best-laid plans do not always work out. This chapter has been planned out for over a month now, but somehow it turned out completely differently than I had planned! Sometimes the characters just have minds of their own, I guess.
Reviews always bring a smile to my face. I'd love to hear from you.
-P.G.
