Chapter 13

"Just a little ways further, Holly." Haldir said encouragingly, looking back at her. Holly stopped dead in her tracks and glared up at him,

"You keep saying that but it's never true!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exhaustion. "I'm starting to question your honour, Marchwarden."

She said it with a wink and he knew she was jesting. He rolled his eyes at her, "Your mortal upbringing has failed you, mellon nin." he replied with a smirk, "This hill should be easy for one of the Eldar."

If possible, Holly's glare grew sharper, "You said this would be a little hike, a nice walk, to a nice hill. You did NOT say this would be a exhausting trek, a grueling journey, to a MOUNTAIN!" she shrieked. Haldir only laughed harder and reached out his hand to her,

"Come on, it is not as bad as that. Truly, we are nearly there!" he said, pulling her up the steep rock she struggled on. "We must hurry, the sun will be setting soon. I would not want you to miss it!"

"I swear to all that is holy, Haldir, if you tell me to hurry one more time I will have your thumbs for earrings." she grumbled under her breath, not nearly quiet enough to go unnoticed by Haldir's sharp hearing. He only raised his eyebrows in slight surprise and pulled her a little further into the dense wood. Holly stopped for a moment to catch her breath and Haldir walked on ahead.

Perhaps she was being a little dramatic. Now that she had had a moment to catch her breath, it did not seem so bad. In fact, it had been quite pleasant until Haldir had informed her that they would have to walk up to Cerin Amroth. Their path had grown steeper and steeper until she felt that she was actually climbing and not walking at all. Still, that part had been mercifully brief, and she did not see any further incline ahead of her. She had lost sight of Haldir as he disappeared before her into the trees, his green-grey cloak blending seamlessly into the foliage of the Golden Wood. Holly quieted her breathing and let her ears find his presence. This was something Nestarion had been teaching her, to use her fëa and her elven senses. The Eldar could sense each other, and in the encouraging embrace of Lothlórien, her senses could be heightened.

Holly pushed onward, gently brushing the boughs and branches of the mellyrn away from her path, clearing her view. She could see warm, fiery sunlight stream between the leaves and she knew she was walking in the right direction. As she pushed the last obstructive bough away, her breath hitched involuntarily.

She had found Haldir. His silver hair looked like molten fire in the warm, golden glow of sunset. He stood tall and broad on the top of the hill, overlooking the tall treetops of Lothlórien. She could not see his face, for his back was to her, but she could feel the emotion radiating off him as he admired the sublime, majestic beauty of Lórien. Holly looked past him to the spectacular view before her: the sunset cast a deep, orange light upon all she saw. The normally ethereal, grey and golden forest was alight with fire and warm sun. Sensing her quiet presence behind him, he turned to her with a humble smile, so unlike him, and ushered her forward.

"Is it not magnificent?" he asked her, his voice sounding very far away. At a loss for words, Holly only nodded silently beside him. The power of the sight before her was not lost on her, and she felt it in her young soul. Its beauty threatened to bring tears to her eyes, and though she wanted to look away, she could not. Despite her best efforts, two twin tears rolled down her cheeks and she made no move to brush them away. Haldir looked to her again and smiled, "Did I not say I would show you the very best of Lórien?"

His words broke her from her reverential silence and she wiped the tears away with her sleeve, smiling bashfully, "Sorry, I don't know what's come over me. It's beautiful, truly,"

Haldir turned away from the view now and looked at her seriously, "Do not be ashamed, it is natural for elves to be so moved by the majesty of nature. It calls to our fëa, you could not help it if you tried."

Holly nodded in thanks and sat down on the bare rock of the hilltop. Moments later, Haldir followed suit and pulled open his bag again, offering her some bread and dried fruit. Holly took it thankfully and ate in silence, watching the sun creep further below the horizon until it disappeared below. The once fiery glow had calmed and turned to the shadowy embers of dusk. They talked little as they ate, only offering each other food and drink. Holly enjoyed the way they sat there easily, without the need for chattering conversation.

Suddenly Haldir lay back on the rock and stretched his legs out in front of him, resting his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Holly was frozen in place. To say he looked good in this position would have been the understatement of the century. His long legs were at advantage at this angle, accentuating his lean figure. His hands were clasped together, pulling the material of his tunic tight around his arms. Holly could not help but admire the curvature of his muscles. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and feel him, but knew she would not. He did not want this, he had almost said as much. She, too, wanted to be friends! But why, God, why, did he have to be so tempting?!

Holly felt her cheeks grow warm and began to fidget with the hem of her tunic. Haldir cracked an eye open and looked at her curiously. All of a sudden, his arm flew out from behind his head and yanked her down onto the ground by the sleeve of her shirt,

"You need to relax." he said, pushing her shoulders down, so she was laying beside him, facing the sky. He then moved away from her as quickly as he came, closed his eyes again and replaced his arm behind his head.

Holly felt anything but relaxed. She took a deep breath and calmed her beating heart. Nothing is going to happen! She mentally reminded herself, forcing any impure thoughts out of her head. She brought her legs out from underneath her and let them stretch out on the cooling stone. She matched Haldir's position and put her hands behind her head, but she did not close her eyes. She stared up at the sky and marveled at how different it was from Earth.

"You are not relaxing," Haldir said dryly, with feigned annoyance in his words. Holly sighed but turned her head and smiled at him,

"How can I relax where there is so much to admire?" she asked, then immediately blushed furiously. Haldir laughed,

"I have never seen an elleth blush before. Your ways are so foreign to me. Fear not, Holly. I am not so conceited as to think you made reference to my glorious self." he said arrogantly, but the comment was playful and Holly laughed.

"You are too humble, Haldir. Do you not know what a gift from the Valar you are, how the ellith of Lórien follow you like lost puppies? How they admire and love you?" she exclaimed dramatically, waving her arms about her, landing one across her face, "You beauty is too much to bare- leave me!"

Haldir let out a hearty guffaw, sat up and and thwacked her with his discarded cloak. It fell straight onto her face and she sputtered the materiel out of her mouth, "That was not very nice!"

"I do not appreciate being mocked! I am a respected ellon of the Golden Wood, Marchwarden of the Galadhrim and I-"

"Am the most arrogant, egotistical, conceited elf ever to walk to paths of Lothlórien!" Holly finished for him, throwing his cloak back at him, landing it over his head. Haldir drew his hand up and pulled the cloak off his face and Holly burst into peals of laughter, sitting up slowly.

As he pulled the cloak off his head, his hair came with it, flying into his face in a disheveled mess. Suddenly he did not seem so untouchable and unreal to her. Haldir pouted and quickly attempted to smooth his mussed hair. "Oh, give it up, it's a total mess now." Holly said with a laugh.

Haldir contemplated her words momentarily and felt his crooked braids and tugged at the hairs that had come loose. With a sigh, he pulled the leather ties out of his hair and let the silver locks fall down onto his shoulders and into his face. He ran a hand through them, pushing them away from his eyes and frowned at her, "Look what you've done! Are you proud of yourself?"

"Immensely!" she replied, getting to her feet. Feeling carefree and happy in that moment, she spun around in a circle, letting her long cloak billow around her. She laughed happily and stared up at the stars, "I love these stars. They are so clear and bright, so different from where I came from!"

Haldir stood, as well, and began clearing their things. He looked at her, twirling about under the starlight and felt happy, "You are become more elven with each passing day, soon we will have you composing poems to Eärendil and singing songs to Elbereth."

Holly stopped her twirling and stood still, dizzily. "I love songs. Do you have many?"

Haldir hoisted his pack onto his back, "Yes, the elves love to sing. Perhaps, one day, if you are lucky, I will sing for you. I have been told I have a pleasant voice."

Holly snickered, "Of course you have."

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Haldir asked indignantly.

"Nothing, nothing, it's just that you seem to be good at everything, at least according to yourself." she quipped, risking a look at his face. His expression was that of insult, but his eyes sparkled playfully.

"Ai, you are impossible. There is nothing I can say that you will not twist and use against me!"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. You give as good as you get and you know it." she answered, pushing her way through the trees and climbing down the hill that had given her such trouble before. Haldir shook his head and followed her down, albeit with a lot more grace and dexterity. Twice he shot out and arm to steady her careless movements and prevent injury. She may appear more elven, but she still lacked the careful poise of the Eldar. It did not bother him, however, and he found he enjoyed her unpredictability, even if it was often to his detriment.

Haldir watched Holly as she walked. She seemed to remember the way well enough. She stopped every once in a while to look up at the stars, to admire the silver light of the moon on the grey leaves of the mellyrn. Haldir could not help but feel his heart swell with pride at the sight of her, enraptured with the forest he loved so much. Her face was alight; he could see the stars sparkle in her eyes as she touched the grey bark of the trees and stopped to run her fingers through the soft grass in a small clearing. She was clearly in awe of her natural surroundings, and Haldir could not help but feel that for the first time since her arrival, he had actually made some progress in making her feel at home here. Lady Galadriel would be pleased with him.

He thought about his initial annoyance at having been saddled with her. Truly, he had thought the entire thing a burden at first. Now, he had been decidedly swayed by Holly's spirit. She had proven herself useful, interesting, friendly, and easy company. He was happy to count her amongst his friends. He laughed lightly to himself as she twirled about in the clearing, long hair billowing out behind her, raven and glinting of silver in the dusky light. She smiled at him and reached a hand out to him,

"Come on, let's go back. It's getting very late and we have a long way to go." she said with a sad smile. He took her outstretched hand and allowed her to pull him deeper into the forest, away from Cerin Amroth.

It was nearly dawn when they returned to the city. Holly was loathe to let the night end. Her elven constitution allowed her to remain awake for many hours, but she had to admit that her energy was beginning to wane. They had walked many miles that day, and for nearly twenty-four hours. She was sorely looking forward to her bed, but the day had been wonderful and she could not hide her glee as Haldir walked her to her talan, not far from his own.

"Oh, yes, bed. Bed!" she exclaimed as they walked up the steps, stretching her arms out in the direction of her talan in longing. Haldir chuckled,

"You prefer the company of your bed over me?" he asked jokingly. Holly laughed at him,

"At the moment, yes. Or..." she trailed off, suddenly smirking and giving him a wink, "Why not both?"

Haldir stopped in his tracks and a ripple of confusion moved across his eyes. What?! He thought. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by Holly's raucous laughter,

"Oh, Haldir. Your face! You should have seen it!" she was nearly doubled over in laughter, clutching her sides, "Don't worry, Haldir. We agreed – too much wine and too much dancing."

Haldir laughed dryly, "Be careful, Ercassiel, two can play at that game."

Holly scrunched up her nose, "Ew, don't call me that. It's a terrible name." Haldir looked genuinely surprised,

"You do not like it?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged, "It's very long. Besides, my parents named me Holly, not Ercassiel. It feels strange to accept the name given to me by my birth parents."

Haldir nodded, "Still, you are elf-kind. Should you not have an elven name?" Holly shrugged again,

"I don't know? Should I? What's wrong with 'Holly'?" she asked. Haldir shook his head, his loose silver-blonde hair moving in front of his eyes. He brushed it away quickly,

"Nothing, it is a nice name. But perhaps not as fitting for your elven self. You are Holly, and yet, you are something else as well. It is not uncommon for elves to take on several names in their lifetime."

"And do you have any name other than Haldir?" she asked. He shook his head with a smile,

"Nay, I am only 'Haldir'." he answered, taking her lightly by the arm and guiding her up the stairs.

"Then, for now, I will be only 'Holly'." she answered with a nod of finality.

"Very well, mellon nin." they approached her door and Holly turned to face him. She put her hand on his shoulder and look up at his face, not as serious as she had always remembered it to be. Haldir had shown a different side today, and she was appreciative of this.

"Hannon le, Haldir." she said quietly, as if suddenly realising that it was nearly dawn, and the first rays of sunlight were creeping over the horizon. "I had a wonderful time today. The forest—it's so beautiful. Thank you for showing it to me. I feel I understand Lothlórien better now. I feel as though I can...be at home here."

Haldir bowed his head to her politely, "It was nothing. I am glad you enjoyed it." He was touched by her words, and pleased that she felt that way. He was proud of the Golden Wood, he had hoped that his love of Lórien had shown.

"Good night...or good morning. Well, goodbye!" she said, rather awkwardly. Haldir chuckled and took her hand in his, squeezing it lightly,

"Goodbye, Holly. Until next we meet!" he said, releasing her hand. With a final grin, he turned on his heel and walked swiftly back down the steps. Holly waved him goodbye as he walked down the path and to his own talan. When he was out of sight, she opened the door and crawled peacefully to bed.

As Haldir approached his own talan, not moments later, he felt a brush at his mind, and he could sense a deep feeling of pleasure and happiness, "Well done, Marchwarden." spoke the voice of the Lady Galadriel in his mind. Haldir stopped and looked to the sky, his hand over his heart. He bowed his head lightly, mentally communicating his thanks to the Lady.

Holly woke a few hours later feeling surprisingly rested. Above all things, she felt that the greatest gift bestowed upon the elves by Eru Illuvatar had been the gift of time. Not only were the elves immortal, but they seemed to require less sleep than humans, and often functioned happily on only a couple hours' rest. Holly's legs ached, however, from the vigorous walking of the previous day.

I think a nice, relaxing bath is in order.

With that thought, she collected her bathing things and walked over to Eruana and Orophin's house. Holly and the golden-haired elleth had gotten into the habit of going to the springs together, sometimes with other ellyth, sometimes alone. She would see if Eruana fancied a swim before heading over to the springs herself.

She selected a soft, flowing white gown and her silver slippers, packed her basket of bathing things, and set off toward her friend's talan. It was a bright, beautiful morning. As usual, Holly was enjoying her walk, but this time she reminisced the events of the previous day. What a lovely day it had been! She realised that she had dearly missed her hikes, finding new views and beautiful places, hidden in the world. She felt suddenly giddy at the idea of being able to discover a whole new world's worth of spectacular views and scenery.

"Good morning, Ercassiel!" a clear voice rang, like a bell, from behind her. Holly turned to find Lady Galadriel standing outside her great, overflowing garden, selecting blooms from among her plethora of varied flowers. Holly addressed the Lady in Sindarin,

"Good morning, my lady. How are you today?" she asked politely, bowing her head. The elves did not bow deeply or curtsy. They bowed their head in politeness, or placed their hands over their heart in reverence of their lords and ladies, of which there were admittedly few remaining on Middle-Earth.

"I trust you had an enjoyable day with the Marchwarden, yesterday. How did you find Cerin Amroth?" she asked, smiling graciously at the young elleth. Holly beamed,

"It was beautiful. I cannot..." she began, then switched to Common, "I'm sorry, I do not know the words in Sindarin to adequately describe the beauty of Cerin Amroth. I am so glad to have seen it."

Galadriel smiled at her and rested an elegant hand on Holly's shoulder, "I am glad of it. There are many fine sights in Lórien for you to enjoy, and elsewhere in Middle-Earth."

"I look forward to seeing them." Holly responded, sensing that this was not the reason for Galadriel's speaking to her.

"Ercassiel, Nestarion tells me you are progressing well in your studies in healing. Are you enjoying your work?"

"Oh, yes, very much. It is just similar enough to what I did back home that I find it comforting, and just different enough to challenge me."

Galadriel smiled at her manner, the child was very self-reflective in her young age. "That is well. You know that Lord Elrond, my son-in-law, is counted among the most talented of healers in Arda. Would it interest you to someday travel to Imladris and learn from him?"

Holly nodded but frowned slightly, "Is there not much more I can learn from Nestarion? It is my understanding that he also a great healer?"

"Oh, yes. Nestarion, himself, studied under Elrond. He is very talented, and very learned. I consider all the inhabitants of the Golden Wood to be of value, but Nestarion has proven his worth to us all time again. No, there is much you may yet learn from him, I ask only because I thought it may interest you to learn of your parentage."

Holly felt her heart rise up to her throat. Of all the things she had managed to get used to about her sudden appearance in Middle-Earth, the prospect of meeting people who had known her parents was not one of them. She had always known that she and Heather were adopted, but yet she had never sought out any information regarding her birth parents. Her parents were her parents, she never questioned that. "I...I don't know, my lady. There has already been so much to take in, so much to do. I finally feel as though I can be comfortable here, I don't know if I am ready to confront that just yet."

Galadriel's smile widened, "Of course, child. I would not push you. I am happy you feel you may have a life here, this was my intent for you. Still, our past is as much a part of us as our future, as our present. There is difficult and strife from each direction, but still they converge to make us who we are. Do not fear your past."

Holly smiled sadly, "I will consider it, my lady. I would love to visit other parts of Middle-Earth. Perhaps one day, an opportunity will present itself. Until then, I will not seek it out."

"Very well, Ercassiel. I can see that you will not be persuaded. I believe, however," she said, her placid smile growing mischievous, and making Holly very suspicious of the powerful Elf-Queen,
"that such an opportunity may come looking for you sooner than you think. The Valar work in mysterious ways, and they seem to enjoy thrusting you into your past."

Holly laughed lightly, "Indeed."

Galadriel's eyes sparkled with mirth, "I shall leave you to your bath, Ercassiel. Think on my words carefully. In the mean time, know that I am pleased with your progress here. Remember, all inhabitants of Lórien are of value."

Holly bowed her head at the Lady and laid her hand over her heart in goodbye. Galadriel returned to her flowers and Holly continued down toward Eruana's talan in search of her companion, perplexed and amused by the Lady's thinly-veiled machinations. Just what does Lady Galadriel have in store for me? She wondered, shaking her head as she walked.

A/N: Just a quick update :) Nothing major here, but a few hints. I'd like some feedback, if possible!

1) How do we feel about Holly going to Rivendell?

2) Do we want to see more of Heather, and see what she is doing? Or are we happy knowing that she is happy on Earth, living her life?

3) How are we feeling about Holly and Haldir's relationship? I'm sensing that they're not quite ready for something romantic yet. Perhaps they need a little more conflict, what do you think?

Thank you for reading :)