Chapter 16

They needed to stop. They needed to stop right now.

"Haldir!" Holly called out ahead, where Haldir was trotting along on Bruidal. He did not look back at her but she heard him say,

"We do not stop again until nightfall."

Holly sighed, "No, Haldir- I need-" she was cut off abruptly,

"Nightfall!" he shouted back at her with finality. Holly frowned in disapproval. She tightened her grip on Ithiell's reins and pulled them back gently, bringing the pretty mare to a halt. This did not go unnoticed by Haldir, who did not stop Bruidal but finally looked back at Holly just as she had hopped off of Ithiell's back, her feet landing softly on the padded ground, "Why do you insist on disobeying me?"

Holly gave him a withering look and gently led Ithiell to the edge of their path and over to a large tree. Haldir was off of Bruidal now, and stalking toward her menacingly. He'd been grumpy all day. She'd guess that he was saddle-sore but she knew him to be a practised, experienced rider. She'd grown annoyed enough with his own annoyance that, frankly, she didn't care to ask why he was in such a foul mood. Holly looped Ithiell's reins around the branch of the tree and took a quick look around, selecting her spot carefully. She eyed the forest and her gaze fell on a large bush about fifty feet away from them. She hopped in place to re-settle her bag on her back and began walking toward the bush.

"And just where do you think you are going?" Haldir demanded angrily from behind her, following her into the thickets. Holly spun around on her heel and levelled him with her best glare,

"To urinate. If you had bothered to ask the last three times I tried to stop you, you would have known." she responded icily, not bothering to assess his expression before continuing on her way to her chosen bush. She noted, however, that Haldir did not appear to be following her anymore.

When she had finished her business and found her way back to the path, Haldir was leaning against the tree she had tied Ithiell to. Ithiell was no longer tied to the tree branch and Haldir held her reins in his own hands, with Bruidal's. No longer in desperate need to relieve herself, Holly flashed him her prettiest, most artificial smile. "I drank a lot of water." she supplied, with a shrug. Haldir looked unamused but unaffected by her comment. He handed the reins back to her silently, and even held out his hand to help her mount Ithiell.

Holly took his hand. His grip was firm and his hand was warm against hers. She could feel the steadiness of the muscles in his arms as he effortlessly held up her weight while she hopped on Ithiell's back. When she had secured her position on the saddle, she looked back at Haldir, who gave her a silent nod, before slowly dropping her hand. Understanding the gesture for what it was, a small apology, Holly gave him a weak smile. She patted Ithiell on the neck, whispering words of endearment in the mare's ear as she waited for Haldir to remount Bruidal.

"Where are we stopping for the night?" she asked, attempting to ignite some sort of conversation between them. Haldir's mood seemed to have lightened a little, and he pulled Bruidal up beside Ithiell, gently kicking him into a slow trot. Holly followed,

"We ought to reach the juncture at which the Nimrodel meets the Celebrant by nightfall. It is an open space, we can camp there before making our way into the Misty Mountains tomorrow."

"Will it be cold in the Mountains? I would imagine so." she asked. Haldir shrugged a little,

"Yes, but not so much for an elf." he said. Holly smiled at him,

"I come from a cold country, anyway. Our winters are some of the coldest around."

Haldir seemed surprised at this information, "But you often complain that you are cold. In fact, I don't believe I have ever met an elf so averse to cooler temperatures."

Holly laughed and gave him a wry smile, "Yes, well, just because I'm used to the cold doesn't mean that I like it."

It was Haldir's turn to smile, "True enough. The mountains will be cold, but not so cold as that. It is still early in the season, though it might get rather cool at night."

So we can snuggle, Holly could not help but think. The thought had popped into her head completely by surprise and she couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Haldir gave her a funny look,

"What is it?" he asked, patting his hair lightly, looking for things that were, perhaps, stuck in his braids or for something on his face. His nervous expression only made Holly laugh more, and she was soon completely taken over by a fit of giggles and the odd unladylike snort. After a moment or two of laughter, she finally caught her breath,

"Hmmm oh, sorry! I don't know what came over me." she said with a sigh, a stray giggle finding its way out as she calmed herself. Haldir gave her a questioning look,

"Care to share what was so funny?" he asked, patting Bruidal on the neck absent-mindedly. Holly could only look at him for a moment before laughing again,

"No, I don't." she deadpanned. Haldir rolled his eyes and picked up Bruidal's pace slightly,

"Suit yourself!" he said, cocking his head forward, gesturing for her to follow his pace. Holly dug her heels into Ithiell's side gently and the mare responded by settling into a well-paced trot beside Bruidal.

Admittedly, Holly felt a lot more comfortable now that Haldir had seemingly abandoned his temporary bout of moodiness and determined that he was now capable of speaking to her. Curious, but not quite sure if she should poke the bear, she debated asking him a question,

"Haldir..." she began slowly, attempting to keep her voice as level as possible, "I know you don't really want to be here...I know that escorting me to Imladris bothers you...but...I can't help but feel that there is something else ailing you."

She wasn't looking at him now, but was eyeing the reins in her hands, wringing them together nervously. She was afraid of what he might answer, that he might say that her company appalled him. She kept her eyes down as she waited for his response, fully expecting some sort of angry outburst. But it did not come, and after a moment, she looked up at him questioningly. He was looking at her with a strange expression on his face, but it was not unkind.

Haldir remained silent for a moment, debating how best to answer the question. He knew that he had been surly and unhelpful thusfar – the recent incident with Holly stopping to...relieve herself...had made him aware of that fact. She deserved some sort of apology, he knew, but to tell her the whole truth was simply inconceivable at the moment. Truthfully, there were a lot of reasons why he would rather not be on this journey,

Your tempting presence, for one. He could not help but admire her as she sat atop Ithiell, hips moving back and forth on the horse's back, in time with the mare's gait. The way she had unraveled her braid earlier, letting her dark, flowing hair fall down her back and over her shoulder. He longed to reach out and push it away to reveal the smooth, pale skin of her neck. He had rarely seen her in breeches since her arrival in Lórien, and even then, her attire had been strange and foreign to him. But now – clad in the tight, soft, doeskin breeches of a warden of Lothlórien, he couldn't help but admire the way they hugged her every curve, leaving little to his imagination. Thankfully, his discomfort was well-hidden atop Bruidal, but no – he would not be informing her of all of this at the moment.

"I don't mind the journey, and I don't mind visiting Imladris, or your company," he half-lied, speaking slowly, choosing his words carefully, "But I have many responsibilities in Lothlórien. I worry for the state of our borders in my absence, and while I believe my wardens to be capable, I fear there will be injury and trouble while I am away. I do not like not being there to oversee them, to ensure their well-being."

It was not a lie – it was, in large part, the reason why he did not want to go traipsing to Imladris for several weeks. It was not the whole truth, however, but Haldir sensed that the whole truth may not be entirely welcome, at least not at the moment. He allowed his eyes to drift away from the path before him and over to her. She seemed contented by his answer, and was smiling softly to herself. He could not help but smile back.

"You were worried about this?" he asked, with an eyebrow raised. Holly shrugged slightly.

"A little bit. I know we don't always get along perfectly, but I did feel as though we were friends, and I didn't expect you to oppose this journey quite so much."

Haldir felt his heart constrict in his chest. She had been worried that he didn't enjoy her company. The thought nearly made him burst into laughter, for he knew the complete opposite to be true, but he also felt guilty in no small amount for having given her any cause for sadness. Rather than express these feelings, however, he opted to, as per the usual, diffuse the tension with humor, "You did feel as though we were friends? Are we no longer friends?"

Holly's face changed from slight embarrassment to pure shock, "No! I mean, I do, I do feel as though we're friends. We are friends, aren't we?", she asked hurriedly. Haldir smiled and chuckled,

"Yes, Holly. We are friends, fear not." he answered smiling at her as kindly as possible. Seemingly reassured but his words, Holly pulled Ithiell over closer to him and reached a hand out to rest on his arm. Before it landed there, however, Haldir caught it in his own and pulled her closer, bringing her hand up to his lips. With a slight smirk, he laid a quick kiss there, momentarily enjoying the feeling of her soft skin underneath his lips, "My apologies, my lady, if I have caused you any distress."

She knew it was a joke, she did. But she sat there frozen, save for Ithiell's movement beneath her, staring at his hand, holding hers, and his lips, touching her skin. He slowly lowered her hand and her skin felt positively alight with heat, as though he had left a burning fire where his lips had touched her. She tried desperately to think of something clever to say, some snarky retort, but her mind was completely, utterly blank. She only stared at him as he let her hand fall back down to her side, smirking arrogantly in that familiar way. Her insides were screaming at her to react, but she could not.

Suddenly his smirk shifted into a chuckle and he was laughing at her. His amusement enough to shake her from her immobile state, she yanked her hand up and let it rest in her lap, her other hand still securely holding Ithiell's reins. She rolled her eyes at him and huffed, "Oh, shut up."

Haldir only laughed harder and tapped his heels against Bruidal's sides, "Come! We must pick up our pace if we are to make camp. If not, we shall be riding through the night!

Bruidal's pace rose to a swift canter and Ithiell followed. Holly stared at the broad expanse of Haldir's back, her eyes drifting downward, toward powerful thighs gripping the horse, and long, muscular legs. She felt the heat growing in her cheeks and pressed the back of her hand to face to cool them. She allowed Ithiell to follow Haldir's steady pace.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

The next three days passed in a relative blur. They rode all day, stopped a few times for food and water, then rode some more. At night, they lit a small fire, spoke little and quickly retired from exhaustion. Late on the second day, Holly was able to see the tall, dark peaks of the Misty Mountains, slowly revealing themselves from behind the dense cloud. On the third day, they had entered the deep valleys of the mountain range and slept in a grotto, small and scooped out of the side of a rock wall. It had been cold and uncomfortable, but Haldir promised that if they kept their pace, they would come upon a cave often used by travelers on the fourth night.

It was on this fourth night that Holly realised how truly ill-equipped she was for long-distance, rugged travel. They had been walking the horses behind them all day, not wanting to put any extra weight on their backs over the rugged terrain. She was in a foul mood, muttering under her breath, cursing the grey stones that surrounded her from every side, kicking unsuspecting rocks and bits of rubble, and generally causing a ruckus. Her level of annoyance even rivaled Haldir's own black temper from several days before, and he let her know it,

"Is that necessary?" he asked, scowling at her. She met his face with an equally disdainful look, "We will not get there faster if you kick stones or curse every god known to elves, human, dwarves and yrch."

"I am so sick of these rocks. Rocks everywhere! Why can't there be trees, or rivers, or fields?" she asked, rhetorically, kicking at another stone. It rolled forward and smacked Haldir on the back of his foot. He turned back and gave her a withering look,

"Because we're in a mountain range." he answered dryly. "If we keep a good pace, we ought to cross the range in two more days."

"I miss the forest." she said, sadly, feeling somewhat like a pouty child. Somewhat to her surprise, Haldir did not chide her for her whining and complaining, but gave her a sympathetic look,

"I, as well." he said, "I admit I have little love for stone and mountains, I do not envy the elves of Imladris for their choice of location, though it is very beautiful."

"You can't smell the green here." Holly agreed, quickening her pace. She wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. She walked in front of Haldir and gave him a commiserative pat on the shoulder, "Let's hurry."

She tugged lightly on Ithiell's reins, bidding the animal to pick up the pace. Haldir followed, whispering to Bruidal in Sindarin, promising him apples and sweet hay as soon as they arrived at their destination. Bruidal, the intelligent beast that he was, yanked Haldir forward in a single step, moving them quickly down the rocky path.

They continued like this for another hour or two. Haldir looked up at the sky, and seeing that the sun was rapidly approaching the horizon, he began to keep an eye out for someplace for them to make camp. Haldir's manner had changed this day, Holly had noticed. He seemed far more on edge, more vigilant and cautious than even before. His expression was nearly always far-away, listening into the distance, listening for any signs of trouble. Holly felt safe with him – she knew him to be a fearsome warrior, surely being appointed Marchwarden of the Golden Wood required immeasurable skill in battle, but this did little to calm her nerves. After hours of watching him watching nothing, after hours of listening to him listen to nothing, she asked him if they were truly safe there in the mountains,

"We are no longer under the protection of the Lady Galadriel," he said seriously, "We have not heard word of orc attacks in this region of the mountains for some time, or the Lady would not have approved such a journey, but orcs and goblins are changeable, unpredictable, vile creatures."

Holly tensed up noticeably. He did not believe their passage was unsafe, but he did not feel comfortable enough to drop his guard. The air was growing cold and Holly wrung her hands together in front of her, partly from worry and partly from the dropping temperature. Haldir surveyed the distance carefully before his expression perked up noticeably, "Come, I think I have found it."

"Found what?" Holly asked, hopping over to him quickly, gently pulling Ithiell forward. He gave her a small smile and gestured forward,

"Shelter!" he exclaimed happily. Their path curved, then, rounding a sharp corner. As they came around the outcrop of rock, Holly saw what he had been referring to. There was a small opening there, just barely large enough for the horses to fit through. Hesitantly, she followed Haldir inside. With the horses blocking the entryway, the cave was impossibly dark, and even with her superior elven vision, she had a hard time making out the wet, glittering walls of the cave. Suddenly she felt a firm hand on her arm and pried her eyes away from her feet, where she had been watching her every step lest she keel over, taking Ithiell down with her.

She followed the hand up, seeing Haldir's arm and torso in front of her. His face was very closed to hers, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. With his other hand, he placed Bruidal's reins into hers and closed her hands around them, "Hold these, I will light a fire."

Holly stood there in the dark, the horses' reins in her hands, waiting for the welcoming glow of the fire. She heard the sound of Haldir striking the flint, and she saw merry little sparks flitter across the stone floor of the cave. After a long moment, a small fire had been kindled, and Haldir tossed some sticks and branches on it. He had tied two faggots of wood to Bruidal's back before they had exited the forest. He hoped they would have enough for the following two nights, but felt that they needed a little cheer this evening, as Holly was tiring and her strength waning on them. Holly watched the light, grey smoke billow up toward the ceiling and roll slowly out of the entrance of the cave, over her head. Haldir was back at her side, then, and had taken the reins from her hands. He guided the horses to the far corner of the cave and untied a large bag of crushed hay from Ithiell's side. He laid out some of the sweet grass on the stone floor, and the horses busied themselves with their dinner.

While he did this, Holly unfurled both of their bedrolls and laid them out by the edge of the fire. She laid Haldir's out on one side and her own on the other. She thought, temporarily, of laying them out side-by-side, but decided against it, not feeling bold enough to tempt fate tonight. Haldir unpacked some food and handed her a small piece of Lembas. Holly plopped herself down on her bedroll and stretched her legs out to the fire, relishing its warmth on her chilled feet. They sat there in silence for a moment, eating their Lembas and enjoying the growing warmth of the cave.

Now, all aglow, Holly could clearly make out its size. It was not much smaller than the sitting room of her talan back in Caras Galadhon, though its stony ceiling was very tall, and rapidly becoming obscured by the accumulating smoke. Still, the smoke continued to roll slowly out of the cave, but the air hung densely around them. The smell of burning wood was comforting to her and she felt truly cosy for the first time in days, "This is a very nice cave," she said simply, nodding her head and surveying their surroundings.

Haldir chuckled, bringing the Lembas down from his mouth, "I am glad my lady approves." he said, "It provides a nice respite, I must say, though it is a bit damp."

He touched the floor beneath him by way of example, and rubbed his fingers together, feeling the cold dampness of the floor beneath him. As he did this, Holly could feel the cold seep through her bedroll and and her breeches, making cold contact with her skin. "I think I'll have to sleep on my cloak," she mused.

"Then what will you use to cover yourself?" Haldir asked, clearly thinking her plan was poorly thought-out. Holly considered his question for a moment,

"A combination of the clothing I packed. Or nothing, we will see how cold it gets." she said.

"You will freeze." Haldir responded. Holly shrugged, and didn't respond. So much for chivalry, she thought, hoping that he would offer her his own cloak or something of the like. He did not, and so Holly said nothing.

It was not quite dark outside when they finished their Lembas, and instead of going immediately to sleep as they usually did, they settled into quiet conversation. For the last two nights, Haldir had been recounting stories of the mischief his brothers got up to as elflings, telling her tales of ink in their mother's tea, hiding Celeborn's favourite books, and generally tormenting the inhabitants of Lothlórien with their antics. Haldir, ever the responsible one, was always called upon to clean up after them and deal with aftermath of their pranks,

"I haven't yet told you about the time that they mixed miruvor into the wine served at a feast in honor of the delegation visiting from the Greenwood." he began, "You see, the combination of miruvor and Dorwinnion wine is highly potent."

Holly could only laugh. She was familiar with the potency of Dorwinnion wine, as well as the heart-warming effects of miruvor, and could only imagine the terrifyingly loosening properties of a combination of the two. Suddenly a gust of wind blew into the cave, sending a deep shiver throughout Holly's already tired body. It had not gone unnoticed by Haldir, who began rummaging through his bag, and pulled out a small, brown flask.

"Speaking of miruvor," he began slowly, untwisting the cap on the flask, "I had the foresight to bring a small flask of some with me, for just such an occasion."

Holly eyed the flask suspiciously. She craved its warming, comforting effects, but was wary of dropping her guard and accepting the intoxicating beverage. One small sip was enough to warm the entire body – several sips were enough to bring a fully-grown ellon to his knees. Haldir shook the flask temptingly in front of her, "I do not know about you, but I am feeling a chill."

Before she could stop herself, her hand jutted forward and snatched the flask from his hand. She brought it up to her lips and took the tiniest sip. Her body became alight with warmth. Her muscles felt loosened, no longer aching dully, a feeling she had grown accustomed to over the last few days. She let her eyes slip closed and smiled slowly to herself, savouring the sweet, fragrant, fruity taste of the drink. Reluctantly, she handed the flask back to Haldir, who them followed suit, taking a small sip himself. She watched his appearance soften considerably. The serious creases in his face replaced by a look of near-serenity (for, she knew he would not completely let his guard down while they rested there). He leaned back onto his elbows. Holly could not help but admire the way his tunic pulled against the taught muscles of his abdomen as he stretched out languidly. He reached out his arm again, offering her the flask. The words came out, as if of their own accord, her mouth loosened by the miruvor,

"No, thank you. I remember the last time I let you ply me with too much wine." she said without thinking. Haldir's expression darkened, but from what, she was not sure. She winced inwardly, kicking herself for having even brought it up. He was staring at her now, his eyes dark, the only light there reflecting off the glow of the fire. His eyes bore into hers, but she found that she could not break away from his gaze. She could not speak to cover her statement with some joke or jest, and neither did he make to break the silence. It felt as though her words hung in the air, like some unspoken secret that neither wished to confront. But she had spoken, and the words had been said. All of a sudden, he sat up, bringing his knees up to his chest, resting his elbows on them, the flask of miruvor still held limply in his hand. His eyes never left hers as he voiced the question he had been longing to ask her for months, the question that clouded every encounter they had, that fueled every bickering argument,

"Did you really have too much wine?"

"No," the words left her mouth as if of their own accord. Something flashed in Haldir's eyes, something dark. Holly could still not break their gaze, but she could feel her face burn with a heat not from the fire. He was appraising her now, she could sense it – gauging the veracity of her words, trying to sense her meaning. Even she could not explain her own meaning, but what she had said rang true, nonetheless. She had enjoyed every second of their kiss, and longed for it to be repeated. Still, she made no move, and after what felt like one very long moment, he averted his gaze and brought the flask of miruvor back to his lips. He took another small sip and proffered it back to her. She took it readily, needing a second wave of comfort to wash over her. She was not sure what significance was held in that question, but the air around them seemed to shift markedly, both decreasing the tension between them and replacing it with and entirely different kind.

He put the flask back in his pack silently. He shuffled his things around and Holly made to do the same. She laid her cloak down on top of her bedroll and lay down on top of it, resting her head on the soft, squishy fabric of her bag. She stared into the fire and slightly past it, watching Haldir do the same. Amidst the flickering flames, her eyes met his one last time. He gave her one of his slow, easy smiles, and shot her a quick wink before rolling over onto his back and letting his eyes glaze over in restful slumber. Heart pounding, Holly forced her eyes shut and squeezed them tightly, also rolling over onto her back.

The miruvor had had its desired effect, however, and despite her raging thoughts, Holly drifted into a restful sleep.

A/N: OK! So, things will probably start to heat up a little from this point on. I'm hoping the slow burn here is compelling enough to keep you reading, but I think you'll finally get a little of what you want in the coming chapters :) I just have a few quick thank-yous and comments to answer below. I would normally answer each one via PM, but I think some of these responses might be helpful to other people reading:

Tibblets – the story begins in the year 2701 of the third age, which is approximately 300 years before the War of the Ring and the events of the Lord of the Rings. As I've mentioned, this will not in any way be a 10th walker fic, and it will follow book-verse, so while (possibly, I have SO not thought that far ahead yet) the fellowship may encounter Holly in Lothlorien during their sojourn there, Haldir will not be going to Helm's Deep and dying there.

SincerelySin – thank you so so much for your constant reviews and feedback! It's really very encouraging :) I really appreciate it. Please keep reviewing and leaving me your comments!

April2016 – thank you for your kind review :)

AshleyLeigh – just wanted to say, my middle name is also Leigh, so that makes you rad, and that makes me rad, and that makes us Leighs super rad. :)

CynthosMoon – you know who you are, and you know I love you.