Chapter 9
I have done it again! I'm not to tell my story yet, but it is hard to be silent about myself when so much is happening to me now. At least I have about a week to finish my tale, so I think that I will indulge myself and tell my story first, then maybe I can get back to the tale of my parents.
As I walked with the three Elven archers towards the city that hides deep in the forest, I notice the beauty of this place, and begin to understand why the Elves are so fiercely protective of it.
I also start to feel giddy again, and am glad when we stop by a river, although I am puzzled as to how the Elves plan to cross such a wild stream with no bridge. Normally, I would not hesitate to swim such a stream, but not today. To my relief I notice boats paddled by Elves approaching us. They pull to shore, and a lively argument broke out between the elves escorting me and those in the boats, clearly over me.
Finally, it was decided I could cross the river, in one of the boats, as long as Haldir and his brothers take responsibility for me. We crossed the river, and continued on foot, through groves of trees of unusual beauty and form. The short trip across the river temporarily revived me, but I soon started feeling ill and weak, and had to stop.
`Can we rest a moment,' I ask.
`Are you not well,' Rumil the elf walking beside me asked in Elvish.
`I am not an elf, I don't recover from wounds as quickly as you would, and yes I am not well, actually I feel quite ill', I answered, also in Elvish.
We halted, and I rested my head against a tree, unwilling to sit in case I could not stand again. To my intense surprise, one of the elves slid an arm about my shoulders, supporting me just as I felt I would fall.
I turned my head looking up at him. `Your wounds have affected you more than we thought, Lady Ranger', he said quietly. `If you will permit, I will assist you as we continue our journey; please tell me if you need to rest.'
`I thought elves don't like to touch mortals', I whisper, pain from my wounds making less tactful than I normally am.
`You are wrong, it is the other way around, mortals do not like to be touched by us. I am told that we make mortals feel uncomfortable because our body temperature is lower than that of mortals, we feel cold to a mortal's touch.'
`Oh' was all I could answer.
I was feeling a lot of pain, and unusually for me felt tears stinging my eyes, and rest my head on the elf's shoulder. He didn't object, in fact he pulled me closer to him, and asked softly, `you weep, is the pain that bad?'
`Yes', I answer. By now I had realised the elf holding me was Haldir, the same one who had threatened to shoot me. All his arrogance was gone, and he seemed very concerned now over my welfare.
`Dry your eyes; we do not have far to go. The healers of our city will treat you when we arrive, in the meantime I can relieve the pain a little for you if you will let me'.
I looked at him; he is tall for one not of Noldor blood, I guessed about 6 foot 4 in height, ash blonde hair, and strangely for an elf, hazel eyes. I nod in agreement, knowing what he wants to do, but not happy about it. I have no choice, the pain from my ribs is agonising.
Haldir slipped one hand under my shirt, till his hand covered my wound, I was uncomfortable about this because he had his hand ON my right breast as well. He didn't seem to mind, in fact I got the impression that just as a mortal male would have done, he seemed to like it. His other hand he laid on my head wound, and he started singing softly in Elvish. I felt the pain in both my wounds lessen, and the terrible giddiness recede as well.
`There you are, Lady,' he said after a few minutes, `do you feel better now'?
`Yes, thank you', I replied to him, `I do'. Abruptly I became aware again of his hand of his hand still on my breast and wriggled a little hoping he would remove it. Slowly he did so, a cheeky smile on his face. `You do not enjoy a man's touch,' he asked me.
Shocked, I looked at him. `I, um no it's not that, it's just I don't know you', I stammered in reply.
`I am sorry, I did not mean to embarrass you', he said. `You are a lovely woman, and I forgot myself for a moment.'
`Me!!, I'm a mortal, I know I don't compare to Elvish Ladies', I said now very surprised by this elf. I looked at him again, he seemed a perfectly normal elf to me, but clearly he was different from the average male elf, most of them took no notice of mortal women at all.
`Still', he said, still holding me close to him, `you are lovely, mortal or not, and I can see you are special, you are not just an average mortal, your eyes are like those of an elf'.
`Please, can we continue our journey', I ask him, feeling uncomfortable at being held so by a strange elf.
`Of course, lovely lady', he said, the cheeky look back on his face.
As promised, the journey to the elf city was not long; Haldir walked beside me, his arm around my shoulders, supporting me in case I felt ill again. We entered the city, which I realised consisted of houses in the trees. I felt weak at the thought of climbing one.
Haldir's brothers left us, taking the letters I carried to Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel; I was taken to the healers by Haldir, who had to my relief made no move to touch me intimately again although he certainly had opportunity to do so.
He gave me into the care of the healers, and took his leave of me. As he left, he quietly stated that he would be back to see how I got on. He kept his word, and while I remained in Lothlorien, he was a good companion, showing me around and generally being very nice.
Over the following years, I was often in Lorien, and once or twice I saw him in Rivendell too, when he escorted Lady Arwen home. I came to think of him as a good friend, in fact the closest friend I had.
I have done it again! I'm not to tell my story yet, but it is hard to be silent about myself when so much is happening to me now. At least I have about a week to finish my tale, so I think that I will indulge myself and tell my story first, then maybe I can get back to the tale of my parents.
As I walked with the three Elven archers towards the city that hides deep in the forest, I notice the beauty of this place, and begin to understand why the Elves are so fiercely protective of it.
I also start to feel giddy again, and am glad when we stop by a river, although I am puzzled as to how the Elves plan to cross such a wild stream with no bridge. Normally, I would not hesitate to swim such a stream, but not today. To my relief I notice boats paddled by Elves approaching us. They pull to shore, and a lively argument broke out between the elves escorting me and those in the boats, clearly over me.
Finally, it was decided I could cross the river, in one of the boats, as long as Haldir and his brothers take responsibility for me. We crossed the river, and continued on foot, through groves of trees of unusual beauty and form. The short trip across the river temporarily revived me, but I soon started feeling ill and weak, and had to stop.
`Can we rest a moment,' I ask.
`Are you not well,' Rumil the elf walking beside me asked in Elvish.
`I am not an elf, I don't recover from wounds as quickly as you would, and yes I am not well, actually I feel quite ill', I answered, also in Elvish.
We halted, and I rested my head against a tree, unwilling to sit in case I could not stand again. To my intense surprise, one of the elves slid an arm about my shoulders, supporting me just as I felt I would fall.
I turned my head looking up at him. `Your wounds have affected you more than we thought, Lady Ranger', he said quietly. `If you will permit, I will assist you as we continue our journey; please tell me if you need to rest.'
`I thought elves don't like to touch mortals', I whisper, pain from my wounds making less tactful than I normally am.
`You are wrong, it is the other way around, mortals do not like to be touched by us. I am told that we make mortals feel uncomfortable because our body temperature is lower than that of mortals, we feel cold to a mortal's touch.'
`Oh' was all I could answer.
I was feeling a lot of pain, and unusually for me felt tears stinging my eyes, and rest my head on the elf's shoulder. He didn't object, in fact he pulled me closer to him, and asked softly, `you weep, is the pain that bad?'
`Yes', I answer. By now I had realised the elf holding me was Haldir, the same one who had threatened to shoot me. All his arrogance was gone, and he seemed very concerned now over my welfare.
`Dry your eyes; we do not have far to go. The healers of our city will treat you when we arrive, in the meantime I can relieve the pain a little for you if you will let me'.
I looked at him; he is tall for one not of Noldor blood, I guessed about 6 foot 4 in height, ash blonde hair, and strangely for an elf, hazel eyes. I nod in agreement, knowing what he wants to do, but not happy about it. I have no choice, the pain from my ribs is agonising.
Haldir slipped one hand under my shirt, till his hand covered my wound, I was uncomfortable about this because he had his hand ON my right breast as well. He didn't seem to mind, in fact I got the impression that just as a mortal male would have done, he seemed to like it. His other hand he laid on my head wound, and he started singing softly in Elvish. I felt the pain in both my wounds lessen, and the terrible giddiness recede as well.
`There you are, Lady,' he said after a few minutes, `do you feel better now'?
`Yes, thank you', I replied to him, `I do'. Abruptly I became aware again of his hand of his hand still on my breast and wriggled a little hoping he would remove it. Slowly he did so, a cheeky smile on his face. `You do not enjoy a man's touch,' he asked me.
Shocked, I looked at him. `I, um no it's not that, it's just I don't know you', I stammered in reply.
`I am sorry, I did not mean to embarrass you', he said. `You are a lovely woman, and I forgot myself for a moment.'
`Me!!, I'm a mortal, I know I don't compare to Elvish Ladies', I said now very surprised by this elf. I looked at him again, he seemed a perfectly normal elf to me, but clearly he was different from the average male elf, most of them took no notice of mortal women at all.
`Still', he said, still holding me close to him, `you are lovely, mortal or not, and I can see you are special, you are not just an average mortal, your eyes are like those of an elf'.
`Please, can we continue our journey', I ask him, feeling uncomfortable at being held so by a strange elf.
`Of course, lovely lady', he said, the cheeky look back on his face.
As promised, the journey to the elf city was not long; Haldir walked beside me, his arm around my shoulders, supporting me in case I felt ill again. We entered the city, which I realised consisted of houses in the trees. I felt weak at the thought of climbing one.
Haldir's brothers left us, taking the letters I carried to Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel; I was taken to the healers by Haldir, who had to my relief made no move to touch me intimately again although he certainly had opportunity to do so.
He gave me into the care of the healers, and took his leave of me. As he left, he quietly stated that he would be back to see how I got on. He kept his word, and while I remained in Lothlorien, he was a good companion, showing me around and generally being very nice.
Over the following years, I was often in Lorien, and once or twice I saw him in Rivendell too, when he escorted Lady Arwen home. I came to think of him as a good friend, in fact the closest friend I had.