Chapter 18

Holly's smile grew wider as she saw trees on the horizon. She resisted the urge to kick Ithiell into a gallop lest Haldir chastise her for her recklessness later. Instead, she turned to look at the elf beside her and saw that he had also broken into a happy grin. It was growing dark and the sun was low on the horizon, shinning blindingly from the west. They had been riding all day, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly. In fact, they'd been riding for the last three days. They had made good time after the orc attack, making their way up the plains of Dunland, following the sound of the roaring Bruinen. Haldir had been telling her tales of Eregion, the ancient elven-home of the Noldorin elves. He told her of how Galadriel had settled there before crossing the Misty Mountains and founding Lothlórien.

"Do you know where we are?" Haldir asked her, a playful expression on his face. They were stopped underneath a tree in a small, wooded area. She would not call it a 'wood' per se, but it was wooded. The trees were all the same, densely packed with thick, dark green leaves. The trees themselves were not tall, nor broad like the mellyrn or even an oak tree. They were small and their trunks were wound around each other and knotted. They were entering a small grove of trees. At the centre of the grove was a worn dirt pit, likely used regularly for fires, surrounded by several stones and logs. No doubt a popular leisure spot, she thought.

"I haven't the foggiest idea, Haldir." she said indulgently, waiting for him to tell her where they were. Haldir looked positively delighted at the idea of getting to inform her of their whereabouts. He hopped off Bruidal's back and helped Holly down from Ithiell. As he unfastened his pack from Bruidal's saddle, he explained,

"We are in Eregion, or Hollin, as the mortals here call it now." he replied, not looking at her directly, but unpacking their lunch – lembas and dried fruit, yet again. Holly uncorked her waterskin and brought it to her lips, savouring the cool, sweet water they had collected from the banks of the Bruinen earlier that morning.

"And where, pray tell, is that? Why is this important?" she asked, handing him the open waterskin. He exchanged it from her ration of lunch and plopped himself down on the ground, not bothering with the boulders or logs. Holly followed suit and sat down beside him, crossing her legs.

"Eregion means 'Land of the Holly' in Sindarin. Did you not recognise the trees?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Holly resisted the urge to roll her eyes- even when being thoughtful he always managed to find a way of being arrogant.

"Why, no, Haldir. I had not noticed. I am regretfully poorly-versed in the appearance and location of every single species of plant and tree in Arda. I shall endeavour to improve." she responded sarcastically. Haldir snorted under his breath and took a small bit of Lembas. Holly chewed her dried apricots and looked around her. The grove was cheerful and pretty, a pleasant reprieve from the open plains. "It's very pretty. I like it here."

"Perhaps you were named for it? Do you know where your parents hailed from originally?" he asked. Holly shook her head,

"No, I only know that they departed from Rivendell. I do not even know if they were born in Middle-Earth or Valinor"

Haldir nodded, "I suppose you shall find out, if you wish you, when were arrive in Imladris."

Holly inclined her head silently, not responding. She was not entirely sure how much she really wanted to know about her origins, but sitting beneath the Holly trees she could not help but wonder if her parents had sat there. She envisioned two dark-haired elves, sitting beneath the boughs of the Holly trees, the elleth heavily pregnant. She saw them clearly in her mind, conversing in the evening air, speaking softly to one another, whispering quiet words in Sindarin or Quenya or she knew not what. She imagined her mother, beautiful and tall like Heather, gesturing to the trees around them, willing her husband to name their child 'Ercassiel' – Holly.

She shook her head slightly with a sigh. Haldir caught her eye, then, and gave her a questioning look,

"Where did you go?" he asked quietly. He felt suddenly unsure if bringing her there had been a good idea. She had seemed pleased at first, but now...sad, somehow. His eyes implored hers. She gave him a small smile,

"Daydreaming." she answered, "I imagined my parents here, naming me before I was born. Naming me after this grove."

"Perhaps they did." he said quietly, giving her a hopeful smile. She loved the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled like that. They were the only part of his face that gave away his many years. She could see the eons in his eyes, in their typical seriousness, in their hardness. But when he laughed or smiled, she could see nothing but mirth and even affection. She returned his smile,

"Thank you for taking me here, it's very cute." she said. Haldir laughed, pushing himself up from his reclined position to sit up, crossing his legs in a similar fashion to how Holly was sitting.

"Cute? I do not think that was the intention, but I am pleased that you like it." he responded. Holly wrinkled her nose,

"No, not cute like a baby animal or something like that...cute like...it was very thoughtful of you. I appreciate it. You're always showing me such wonderful things." she said, blushing slightly. Haldir returned her smile and bowed his head at her. His hair fell from behind his shoulders, a strand or two coming loose in front of his face.

Instinctively, Holly leaned in and reached out, tucking it behind his ear, her fingers lightly grazing the pointed tip of his ear as she moved the wayward strands. She felt Haldir stiffen beneath her touch and her hand froze, hovering behind his ear. He was staring her down now, his expression open and his eyes asking a million questions. She wanted to look away, to move her hand, but she didn't. Something in his eyes told her not to move. She didn't.

His hand was on her thigh, just above her knee. His other hand flew to her face and cupped her cheek, his thumb grazing her bottom lip as his fingers buried themselves in her hair. The hand that was frozen behind his ear was now at the back of his head, holding his face close to hers. Boldly, she brought her eyes to meet his and did not look away.

"Holly..." he mouthed, almost wordlessly, as if to say something to end their contact. Holly squeezed her eyes shut and let her forehead connect with his, their noses touching softly.

"Do it." she whispered against his lips. As the words formed, her lips grazed his and sparked with their touch. The words had barely escaped before she felt the soft press of Haldir's lips on hers. His mouth was warm and tasted of the sweet fruit and fresh water. Holly allowed her lips to part slightly, using the hand at the back of his head to deepen their kiss. As though encouraged by this, Haldir shift so that he was on his knees and drew her up with him, pressing her against his chest as the hand that was on her leg moved to roam her back, eliminating any empty space between them. Holly threw her other arm around his neck. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his tongue lick at her bottom lip, willing hers to meet it. His kiss was demanding but soft – firm but sweet.

This was nothing like the passion-filled kiss of that night at Elenalcar. This was not fuelled by wine or desire. It was not a heady embrace against the trunk of a mallorn tree, too fast and too real to handle. This was calculated, thoughtful – exploratory. They guaged each other's reactions, responded to each other's movements. They were leaning in an out, following each other to see where they would go. This was different and she felt it. Slightly out of breath, Holly finally pulled herself away, but only to rest her head underneath Haldir's chin, on hand on his chest and another still entwined in his hear. She could hear his heart beating a tattoo in his chest, sure this time that it was his, though she was sure hers pounded also.

Haldir's arms were still around her and neither spoke for a while. Holly rubbed small circles against the back of his neck. Haldir took her hand from his chest and pressed her fingertips to his lips. Holly could feel his hot breath against them and resisted the urge to pull his head back down for another round. Instead, she looked up at him,

"My knees hurt." she said simply, giving him a joking smile. He relaxed quickly, his deep, easy laugh filling her ears. He stood slowly, taking her hands and pulling her up with him. He did not let her go right away, but kissed the top of her head and held her close for a moment,

"This was not my intention in bringing you here," he said with a light laugh. Holly, suddenly fearful that once again, he had kissed her against his better judgment, made to pull away and apologise, but found herself pressed firmly against him, unable to move, "But...I must admit it was a pleasant surprise."

It was Holly's turn to laugh. She let out a small sigh of relief, "I've been wanting to do that since the last time we did that."

The admittance came easily to her now. Their months as friends and weeks as travelling companions had altered their relationship somewhat. Then, of course, there was the tongue-loosening (no pun intended) effects of a proper kiss. Haldir bent his head down and surprised her with another firm, but quick kiss to her mouth.

"Me too." he said with a rascal smile. Holly couldn't help but beam back up at him, enjoying the way his tone had changed to playful and his eyes began to sparkle. She wondered if she looked much the same to him in this new, but familiar light.

Holly breathed in the damp, mossy air of the forest.

Green. Green was the smell.

They had made it into the wood just as the sun was dipping below the horizon. She was glad for the comforting cover of the trees, their thick branches and dense foliage shielding them from view.

"Should we stop here?" she asked Haldir curiously. He shook his head,

"No, we may continue a little while longer until the light is gone. We are very close to Imladris now, we should arrive before nightfall tomorrow. These woods are closely guarded, we may even run into other elves before we reach the gates of the Rivendell." he responded, his expression finally easing after days of watchfulness. The orc attack was heavy on his mind, she could see it. He had not quite forgiven himself for what had happened, though Holly had told him a thousand times that it had not been his fault. He knew this, but he could not help but feel responsible. The sheer terror that had ripped through his soul at watching her writhe beneath that thing still clawed at his mind. He felt the fear of losing her in his fëa, in his heart. He looked over at her now, her face shadowed by the light of the setting sun, casting a pale glow on her skin. She had let her hair loose along her back, the way she knew he liked it. She was still clad in the weather-worn travelling clothes, her face streaked with light smudges of dirt, bits of twig and leaf in her hair. Somehow, despite how very elven she had grown, she still retained a distinctly human quality – a whirlwind wildness he could not put his finger on. He could not suppress the smile that grew on his lips,

"What?" she asked, gracing him with her own small smile. Haldir bowed his head and gave it a light, self-depricating shake,

"Nothing – I was only thinking of what a fool I was for dreading this journey." he said with a laugh.

"Perhaps you were being wise. I don't think this is what Lady Galadriel had in mind when she sent you with me." Holly chastised, but only in jest, knowing full well she was just as responsible as he, perhaps even more so. Haldir laughed harder and quirked one of his infamous eyebrows at her,

"No? I forget that you have not long been with us. This may well have been exactly what the Lady intended." he responded dryly. Holly said nothing but chewed at her bottom lip in thought as she nudged Ithiell forward to follow Bruidal. They walked a little longer in silence until the light was nearly entirely gone, slowly being replaced by the shimmering, silver light of the moon overhead. Haldir paused for a moment as though in thought, then dismounted his steed. Waiting for his nod, as was their habit, Holly then followed suit.

"This is as good a spot as any, I think." he said, collecting branches and twigs from the surrounding area to build a fire.

"We can have a fire tonight?" she asked eagerly. It had been growing colder and colder during the nights. Since the loss of her bedroll, she had returned Haldir's cloak to him as she used his bedroll at his insistence. Haldir nodded his head in affirmation,

"Yes, I think we can risk it. Like I said, it's quite safe here. We are withing the patrol borders of Lord Elrond's scouts. Besides, in the woods, we are more likely to hear our foe approaching." he continued to build the fire and Holly made to set out her bedroll and lay out his cloak. She was going to lay it out on the opposite end of the fire, but decided against it, and laid it out only two feet or so from her own. She smiled contentedly and sat down, pulling out the last of their rations and portioning it out to make a veritable feast for both of them, compared to how much they had been eating recently. Haldir finished the fire and was stoking it lightly with a long stick when he came to sit beside her.

Not close enough, Holly lamented to herself as she noticed that at this distance they could not touch, not even by accident. She wanted desperately to kiss him again, to initiate contact, but found herself suddenly bizarrely shy at the prospect.

"All this?" he asked cautiously, gesturing to the food before them. Holly nodded,

"You said we'd arrive tomorrow...I set aside a little for breakfast but other than that, I doubt we'll need all this. How do you fancy a proper binge?" she asked, her lips forming a wicked smile. Haldir let out a light chuckle,

"Well, in that case..." he began, then started to rummage in his pack, procuring the small, familiar, flask, "A little of this?"

This time Holly was not afraid or apprehensive. She took the flask eagerly and took a small sip before handing it back to him. The miruvor was sweet, floral, warm and delicious in her mouth. She let her eyelids flutter shut and she leaned back on her elbows, relishing the warmth that seemed to spread through her limbs. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at the moon, peeking through the leaves of the treetops above. She had missed this.

As she opened her eyes, she was no longer looking up at the treetops, but into deep, blue orbs. Her face broke into a grin and he smiled back at her, slowly. He inched his face closer and closer until he was hovering a hair's breadth above her, their noses touching lightly. She made no demands this time, but waited for him to move first. Noticing this, the corners of his mouth turned up lightly and he muttered, his lips lightly touching hers,

"Not so brazen this time, hmm?", he pressed his lips against hers lightly. She allowed her lips to part slightly, granting him entry. He deepened the kiss ever so slightly, bringing his hand up to graze her cheek. Holly sighed against his mouth as he pulled away.

"This must be inappropriate." she whispered jokingly.

"How many times must I tell you that elves are not so tightly-wound as mortals may think?" he asked, chiding her for her misconception. "Besides, I thought you said things were very different where you came from?"

Holly couldn't help but laugh, "Yes, well, where I come from there would be a good chance that we would just strip and do it in the woods right now."

Haldir nearly choked on his second sip of miruvor. Holly let out a muffled guffaw and slapped her hand over her mouth. Haldir recovered quickly, wiping the last drip of miruvor from his chin with the back of his hand,

"If you are game..." he began, but could not finish his thought as Holly had yanked off her boots and lobbed one at his head. Thankfully her aim was rather poor and he dodged it easily, but not before raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Such violence from such a lady."

Holly snorted, "Hardly a lady. I was entirely ordinary back home, I assure you."

"Not ordinary." Haldir said, with a soft expression. Holly returned the look and made herself comfortable on her bedroll. She was beginning to grow tired and the miruvor had had the desired effect of lulling her into a peaceful mood. Haldir made to lay down on his cloak but Holly threw out her arm and stopped him. He looked at her questioningly,

"We could share." she said simply. Haldir's face was unreadable so she continued, "It would be more comfortable...we don't have to do anything...just to sleep?"

She regretted the words instantly, not afraid that he would think her forward, just afraid that he would think it too fast. To her surprise, however, he picked up his cloak and shook it out over the fire, which crackled and spat as the small bits of leaves and branches were burned up. He lay down beside her and threw the cloak over him, raising his arm above his head so she could fit against his shoulder. Holly looked up at his face and smiled before snuggling into his chest. One arm snaked around her shoulders and rested on her arm while the other adjusted the cloak so they were both as covered as possible.

"Goodnight," she said. She felt Haldir drop a soft kiss on her forehead before leaning back against her pack, his breathing slowing to an easy pace,

"Goodnight." he responded in quiet Sindarin. Holly felt her eyes glaze over as she drifted into a deep, comfortable sleep.

When Holly woke, she was warm and curled up tightly in Haldir's cloak. The elf in question, however, was bustling about their camp, brushing the horses and packing their things.

"It's about time." he chastised, pulling the cloak off her quickly, letting out all the warmth and subsequently letting in all the cool, morning air. Holly grumbled,

"Jerk." she said, before stretching herself out like a cat. Her joints didn't seem to crack anymore, like they used to, not doubt an added benefit to her new immortal body. Haldir ignored her comment and offered her a piece of lembas. She took it and began munching quietly. They would arrive in Imladris today, he had said, definitely before nightfall if not earlier. Holly trusted Haldir's word, for her had made the journey countless times before and knew their path well. Holly imagined the baths, the soaps, the change of clothes that awaited her there and nearly whooped aloud with joy and anticipation. Haldir noticed her expression,

"What are you so cheerful about?" he asked. Holly grinned up at him from her bedroll. He gestured for her to get up and then he rolled it up, fastening it closed with the loops of leather that held it together.

"A bath! Clean clothes! Foods that vary! A real bed! I could go on." she said, patting Ithiell on the nose and wishing her a good morning. Haldir sighed,

"Yes. But we shall never get there if we do not leave. Come, check Ithiell and then we will be off." he said in his usual, day-time, no-nonsense way. This would have frustrated Holly months ago, but she was now quite used to Haldir's multiple personalities. It was clear that this morning he was in 'Marchwarden' mood, and gone was the playful, romantic Haldir from the night before. Still, each of his personalities had their merit, and Holly appreciated his directness. She, too, was eager to arrive, and wanted to get going as soon as possible.

"Off we go then!" she said, mounting Ithiell who also seemed to sense that there was a nice stable and piles and piles of fresh hay waiting for her at the end of the day. Haldir hopped gracefully onto Bruidal's back and the two set off, into the forest. They did not follow the path directly, but kept it within their sights. Haldir had insisted on this since the orc attack and he was not taking any chances. They would go less noticed if they stayed off the road, and besides, their presence would be known as soon as they approached the valley in which Rivendell lay. Haldir said they would be unlikely to make it very close to the valley without being noticed by their kindred who would undoubtedly be on patrol or guarding the Last Homely House from the treetops.

They travelled in companionable silence for most of the day. It was a sunny day, but the air felt cold and cool as they approached the mountain range. Holly had not noticed right away, but they had gained altitude over the last few days. The nights and morning had been quite cool and Holly had been very grateful for Haldir's warm presence the night before. They had not spoken of it since, but she could see that despite his apparent hurried mood, he was well-rested and much calmer than he had been in days.

They had not yet discussed what this was, what they were doing, or where it was going. Holly sensed that this conversation was forthcoming, but that it was meant for another time. Perhaps when they were comfortable in Imladris and less presently concerned with arriving safely. For the moment, Holly was content to enjoy stolen kisses and nighttime cuddles – the serious talk could wait for later.

The sun was high in the sky when she noticed Haldir smiling. She turned to him and he slowly raised a finger to his lips – quiet, it said. Holly gave him a questioning look but did not make a sound. Haldir did not move, but continued to guide Bruidal forward, motioning for Holly to do the same. Suddenly he spoke, loudly and clearly,

"Better luck next time, sons of Elrond!"

Holly stopped Ithiell in her tracks and looked around her as two elves seemed to drop from the sky and land softly in front of them. They were nearly identical in appearance – tall and broad like Haldir, but with long, dark hair, like her own. Their eyes were a pale, sparking grey and their smiles were wide as they laughed out loud. They were clad in grey-blue travelling clothes, dressed very much alike but not quite the same. One had black boots and a charcoal-coloured cloak, and the other had brown boots and light grey cloak. Otherwise, they were nearly impossible to tell apart. The black-booted one spoke first,

"Tell me, Marchwarden, how in Arda did you know we were there?"

Haldir hopped off of Bruidal and clasped each of the elves by the arm and yanked them into a friendly hug. They returned his embrace happily, patting him on the back, "Who else would leave two nearly identical sets of tracks, with nearly identical gaits?"

The brown-booted one spoke next, "That's impossible! That could have been anyone! How did you know it was us, don't lie!"

"No – it's true, I did not know that it was you, precisely. But this morning, while you probably still thought I was asleep, I heard one of you say, 'Let's hide his boots' and another say 'No, father would be cross'." Haldir responded. One of the twins punched the other in the arm,

"Why are you always so loud?" he demanded of his brother. The other shrugged,

"It seemed like a good opportunity." he said, pressing his lips together and raising his shoulders innocently, "I was going to do it until I noticed you were not alone."

Holly stirred from her observation of the three elves and smiled at the twins in front of her, "Hello..." she began quietly and then coughed lightly, finding her voice, "I'm Holly."

She brought her hand to her chest and bowed her head as was customary of the elves of Lórien. They returned the gesture and smiled at her,

"Welcome, Holly. We are Elladan and Elrohir, lords of Imladris. Lord Elrond is our father. We have been expecting you." said the brown-booted one.

"Which one of you is which?" she asked, trying to suss out the differences between them. It was Haldir who answered,

"You are speaking to Elladan. That-" he said, pointing at the other twin, "is Elrohir. It will likely take you some time to tell them apart, but thankfully they have long since grown out of dressing the same and pretending they are the other."

"You ruined the joke!" Elladan exclaimed. "Why would I want anyone to think I was Elrohir, at any rate. No matter. Father is expecting you. You can follow the path from here, we will escort you into the valley."

The other twin, Elrohir, rolled his eyes at his brother's remark, but smiled and took Ithiell's reigns, guiding the horse toward the path. Holly and Haldir followed, chatting idly with the twins as they made their way to Imladris.

A/N: Here is a new update for you :) Unfortunately the next chapter will have to wait a little while as I am going away on vacation for 2 and half weeks, and won't be able to write. Hopefully this gave you enough to go on for now – I know some of you had been waiting for this for a while :) I hope it was everything you expected it to be!

AshleyLeigh: yes, I'm not a huge fan of the heroine that can't fend for herself, but I'm also not a huge fan of the heroine that jumps into battle despite have zero skill and somehow slays 6 orcs. I tried to strike a balance, I wanted Holly to save herself, but in a way where she basically got lucky. I'm happy you enjoyed it :)

Tkhiroshi: Who knows what his plans are :) No doubt Haldir has a lot to do in Lothlórien, but maybe something will make him stay... ;)

Spriggan: I agree, she is gente :) But not useless! Her skills lie elsewhere than in battle, however. I don't think we will see Holly fight any orcs for a while :P

Thank you everyone who reviewed, followed, etc. See you in 2 weeks :)