Thanks to all who have written to me with reviews and to those who have
reviewed here. It's nice
to know my writing is appreciated. ( belethil@winterchill.com
Disclaimer: Only Morna and Sycha are mine. The others are owned by the great and mighty
Tolkien.
"Sycha…will you not rest as well?" She stopped for a moment and Haldir walked quickly to catch
her. "I will rest with Morna….I'm quite spent from my ride….." She paused, and suddenly reached
up, caressing his neck lightly. "It is good to see you, Haldir. I had not told you that earlier….would
you….stay with me, please?" He nodded and walked with her to where Morna grazed, swinging
her great head in their direction as they approached. Sycha crooned to her, running a hand over
her nose, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead. Haldir absently rested a hand upon the mare.
"May I ask, Sycha, what you will do if this should not work….if this journey should also fail?"
Sycha did not answer for some time, and finally motioned for him to sit. He did so, and reached
up to her. She dropped down, curling up and laying her head upon his lap. He stroked her hair, as
he had many years earlier when he had escorted her from Lorien to Lindon. It had quickly
become a habit that when they had set down to camp, she would curl up next to him and put her
head in his lap. He would simply stroke her hair, singing softly to her. It had calmed her greatly
and had reinforced that there was indeed kindness in the dark world she had grown up in. He did
not sing now, though. "Haldir?" He pushed her deep red hair back from where it lay across her
face. "Hmm?" Her voice dropped and he leaned over to hear her. "I don't know…..I just don't. It
has been so many years, but there has always been some hope left in me. Elrond's sons gave
that to me in bringing me his letters, and it saved me. It saved me from my maddening sorrow. It
saved me from the depths that I had sunk into after I had reached Mirkwood. I tried to poison
myself many times, but I am not so easily ended……that and Thranduil and Legolas kept close
watch over me much of the time. I only succeeded in making myself violently ill much of the time.
Occasionally, I was able to drug myself into a deep sleep where I was gifted with dreams I would
not remember when I woke." She breathed a shuddering sigh, and lay silent for some time. Haldir
continued to stroke her hair softly, offering what little comfort he knew he could. He felt her
shudder after some time, and scowled to himself. He had seen love torn apart before, either
through death or circumstance, and the pain caused thereafter, but never a love so disturbingly
deep and as immortally painful as that between the woman who cried in his lap and the lord of
Rivendell. He had led Elrond's sons through the forests of Lorien the first time they had sought
out Sycha, and it was plain in their eyes that while they felt some of the pain that their father felt,
simply because he was their father, the desperation with which they sought for her spoke
volumes of what their father must feel. Haldir had sent them to Mirkwood in the end, for he knew
that was where she would be. His thoughts came back to present when she turned slightly, and
he realized she had fallen into a fitful sleep. Unfastening his cloak, he pulled it around and laid it
over her, laying back upon the grass himself and fading off into his own sleep.
"She is asleep, I would beg you to leave her be…." Sycha heard this whispered softly above her,
and lifted her head from the warmth of Haldir's lap. "Celeborn has bade that we join them for the
morning meal…..I came to fetch both of you…" She felt Haldir's hand protectively resting upon
her hair. She pulled herself up, and saw Aragorn on one knee next to her. "I am awake….maybe
not coherent, but I am awake." Haldir scowled slightly at her and rose, fastening his cloak. She
looked up groggily at the fair elf. "Might you be able to tend to Morna this morn?" Haldir smiled
softly and moved away to where the great mare grazed a bit of a distance away. Sycha rubbed at
her eyes and looked to where Aragorn regarded her with a rather undecided look. She folded her
legs before her and looked to the ground. "Do you trust me, Aragorn, heir of Gondor?" Aragorn
cocked his head then, and rose, offering her a hand and helping her to her feet. "I have much
trust in you, for I know you speak the truth. I have read what has been written of you in the books
of the elves, and Elrond has spoken at length of you. It has often seemed to ease the pain in his
heart to simply talk of you and remember you, and it has always touched me. He raised me in
Rivendell, and those who remember you have always spoken of you in a sort of hushed
reverence. I am well met to know you, Lady Sycha Mirrana of Rivendell." She cocked her head at
that. That he would name her of Rivendell was kind, for she fought never to associate herself with
her born land of Mordor, heir or not. She stepped forward and touched his cheek lightly. "Thank
you, Elessar…..your kindness is much welcome…..and words of Lord Elrond bring me much
comfort." She stepped back and smiled up at him graciously. Galadriel had called him that as
well, and he was suddenly taken back by her smile. He had often thought Elrond was simply
being woefully sentimental when he spoke of her beauty and her smile brightening her eyes, but
in truth, her smile was as though starlight had shone through the trees, lighting her deep green
eyes. The evening before, she had had many shadows pass over her face, her sadness and pain
clouding her features. She had seemed almost plain to him as he had watched her speak. But
something had lifted as he told her of Elrond's words of her. Something sparkled in her eyes and
he now understood what Elrond spoke of that he saw in her. Her smile faded and she sighed
softly. "Men have not been kind to me in my many years…..and though you have the kindness of
elves in you, it still means much……you will do the lands well when you are king." He did not
know how to even respond to that, and she moved past him, finding Haldir approaching with
Morna. She crooned softly to the mare and glanced back to Aragorn. "Please….go ahead and tell
Galadriel that I will be along shortly….I wish to speak with Haldir for a moment." Aragorn bowed
slightly and parted without question, leaving the fair elf to stare questioningly down at her. She
continued to stroke the mare's muzzle, speaking again in the language of the elves. "Haldir, I
mean to not join them straightaway." Haldir shrugged after a moment. "I'm not sure what you
mean, dear Sycha." She stepped back from Morna and fixed Haldir with a weary gaze. "I mean to
take Morna and circumvent Rohan and come the way I had come to Lorien in the beginning."
Haldir had begun to shake his head before she finished her words. "Dear Sycha, it is not wise for
you to even consider that. Immortal and powerful though you may be, there are still far many
dangers to await you were you to take those roads. It is not wise to begin with that you would
travel with the Fellowship to the roads of Mordor, but on your own you would surely be overtaken
by orcs or worse." She sighed after a moment and clasped Haldir's hands in her own. "Haldir,
were only that the same blood to flow through our veins, closer to a brother of mine you could
never be. You have been a light in my blinding darkness, moreso than any other save only for my
strong lord Elrond's sons……I draw my power from the forgotten purity of my mother and her
mother's mother Nienna. I have the lithe blood of the elves in my veins as well. The years have
bestowed upon me a firm power over the elements, and there are nether powers that are well
contained in those elements that I grasp power over as well. I may be one, but I know the dark
roads well." Haldir continued to shake his head and leaned over to her. "Sycha, please hear
reason….you may know the dark roads, but your lineage has failed you since before the last
alliance. You are cursed and the creatures of the dark know your scent well. You can be injured
and hurt, dearest, and you can fall into shadow the same as the great Gandalf has……" She
placed a soft kiss upon his cheek and smiled. "Then I shan't let that happen….I mean to return to
my lord Elrond strong and true." This still did not placate Haldir in the least. He gripped her arms
then, glaring into her eyes, seeing no give within her gaze. He finally pulled her forward,
embracing her. "Then, my chosen sister, I shall do no less than accompany you in your travels. If
for no other reason than to resolve my own conscience."
………
to know my writing is appreciated. ( belethil@winterchill.com
Disclaimer: Only Morna and Sycha are mine. The others are owned by the great and mighty
Tolkien.
"Sycha…will you not rest as well?" She stopped for a moment and Haldir walked quickly to catch
her. "I will rest with Morna….I'm quite spent from my ride….." She paused, and suddenly reached
up, caressing his neck lightly. "It is good to see you, Haldir. I had not told you that earlier….would
you….stay with me, please?" He nodded and walked with her to where Morna grazed, swinging
her great head in their direction as they approached. Sycha crooned to her, running a hand over
her nose, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead. Haldir absently rested a hand upon the mare.
"May I ask, Sycha, what you will do if this should not work….if this journey should also fail?"
Sycha did not answer for some time, and finally motioned for him to sit. He did so, and reached
up to her. She dropped down, curling up and laying her head upon his lap. He stroked her hair, as
he had many years earlier when he had escorted her from Lorien to Lindon. It had quickly
become a habit that when they had set down to camp, she would curl up next to him and put her
head in his lap. He would simply stroke her hair, singing softly to her. It had calmed her greatly
and had reinforced that there was indeed kindness in the dark world she had grown up in. He did
not sing now, though. "Haldir?" He pushed her deep red hair back from where it lay across her
face. "Hmm?" Her voice dropped and he leaned over to hear her. "I don't know…..I just don't. It
has been so many years, but there has always been some hope left in me. Elrond's sons gave
that to me in bringing me his letters, and it saved me. It saved me from my maddening sorrow. It
saved me from the depths that I had sunk into after I had reached Mirkwood. I tried to poison
myself many times, but I am not so easily ended……that and Thranduil and Legolas kept close
watch over me much of the time. I only succeeded in making myself violently ill much of the time.
Occasionally, I was able to drug myself into a deep sleep where I was gifted with dreams I would
not remember when I woke." She breathed a shuddering sigh, and lay silent for some time. Haldir
continued to stroke her hair softly, offering what little comfort he knew he could. He felt her
shudder after some time, and scowled to himself. He had seen love torn apart before, either
through death or circumstance, and the pain caused thereafter, but never a love so disturbingly
deep and as immortally painful as that between the woman who cried in his lap and the lord of
Rivendell. He had led Elrond's sons through the forests of Lorien the first time they had sought
out Sycha, and it was plain in their eyes that while they felt some of the pain that their father felt,
simply because he was their father, the desperation with which they sought for her spoke
volumes of what their father must feel. Haldir had sent them to Mirkwood in the end, for he knew
that was where she would be. His thoughts came back to present when she turned slightly, and
he realized she had fallen into a fitful sleep. Unfastening his cloak, he pulled it around and laid it
over her, laying back upon the grass himself and fading off into his own sleep.
"She is asleep, I would beg you to leave her be…." Sycha heard this whispered softly above her,
and lifted her head from the warmth of Haldir's lap. "Celeborn has bade that we join them for the
morning meal…..I came to fetch both of you…" She felt Haldir's hand protectively resting upon
her hair. She pulled herself up, and saw Aragorn on one knee next to her. "I am awake….maybe
not coherent, but I am awake." Haldir scowled slightly at her and rose, fastening his cloak. She
looked up groggily at the fair elf. "Might you be able to tend to Morna this morn?" Haldir smiled
softly and moved away to where the great mare grazed a bit of a distance away. Sycha rubbed at
her eyes and looked to where Aragorn regarded her with a rather undecided look. She folded her
legs before her and looked to the ground. "Do you trust me, Aragorn, heir of Gondor?" Aragorn
cocked his head then, and rose, offering her a hand and helping her to her feet. "I have much
trust in you, for I know you speak the truth. I have read what has been written of you in the books
of the elves, and Elrond has spoken at length of you. It has often seemed to ease the pain in his
heart to simply talk of you and remember you, and it has always touched me. He raised me in
Rivendell, and those who remember you have always spoken of you in a sort of hushed
reverence. I am well met to know you, Lady Sycha Mirrana of Rivendell." She cocked her head at
that. That he would name her of Rivendell was kind, for she fought never to associate herself with
her born land of Mordor, heir or not. She stepped forward and touched his cheek lightly. "Thank
you, Elessar…..your kindness is much welcome…..and words of Lord Elrond bring me much
comfort." She stepped back and smiled up at him graciously. Galadriel had called him that as
well, and he was suddenly taken back by her smile. He had often thought Elrond was simply
being woefully sentimental when he spoke of her beauty and her smile brightening her eyes, but
in truth, her smile was as though starlight had shone through the trees, lighting her deep green
eyes. The evening before, she had had many shadows pass over her face, her sadness and pain
clouding her features. She had seemed almost plain to him as he had watched her speak. But
something had lifted as he told her of Elrond's words of her. Something sparkled in her eyes and
he now understood what Elrond spoke of that he saw in her. Her smile faded and she sighed
softly. "Men have not been kind to me in my many years…..and though you have the kindness of
elves in you, it still means much……you will do the lands well when you are king." He did not
know how to even respond to that, and she moved past him, finding Haldir approaching with
Morna. She crooned softly to the mare and glanced back to Aragorn. "Please….go ahead and tell
Galadriel that I will be along shortly….I wish to speak with Haldir for a moment." Aragorn bowed
slightly and parted without question, leaving the fair elf to stare questioningly down at her. She
continued to stroke the mare's muzzle, speaking again in the language of the elves. "Haldir, I
mean to not join them straightaway." Haldir shrugged after a moment. "I'm not sure what you
mean, dear Sycha." She stepped back from Morna and fixed Haldir with a weary gaze. "I mean to
take Morna and circumvent Rohan and come the way I had come to Lorien in the beginning."
Haldir had begun to shake his head before she finished her words. "Dear Sycha, it is not wise for
you to even consider that. Immortal and powerful though you may be, there are still far many
dangers to await you were you to take those roads. It is not wise to begin with that you would
travel with the Fellowship to the roads of Mordor, but on your own you would surely be overtaken
by orcs or worse." She sighed after a moment and clasped Haldir's hands in her own. "Haldir,
were only that the same blood to flow through our veins, closer to a brother of mine you could
never be. You have been a light in my blinding darkness, moreso than any other save only for my
strong lord Elrond's sons……I draw my power from the forgotten purity of my mother and her
mother's mother Nienna. I have the lithe blood of the elves in my veins as well. The years have
bestowed upon me a firm power over the elements, and there are nether powers that are well
contained in those elements that I grasp power over as well. I may be one, but I know the dark
roads well." Haldir continued to shake his head and leaned over to her. "Sycha, please hear
reason….you may know the dark roads, but your lineage has failed you since before the last
alliance. You are cursed and the creatures of the dark know your scent well. You can be injured
and hurt, dearest, and you can fall into shadow the same as the great Gandalf has……" She
placed a soft kiss upon his cheek and smiled. "Then I shan't let that happen….I mean to return to
my lord Elrond strong and true." This still did not placate Haldir in the least. He gripped her arms
then, glaring into her eyes, seeing no give within her gaze. He finally pulled her forward,
embracing her. "Then, my chosen sister, I shall do no less than accompany you in your travels. If
for no other reason than to resolve my own conscience."
………