"My lady!" Haldir smiled slyly as he snatched up her hand and placed a kiss there. His attitude around her had changed so much over those few days hence. Although he was still gracious to her, he was so much bolder than she was used to or was comfortable with. Arrogance seemed to be such an obvious personality trait, now more than ever.
Over the past few nights, Haldir had found that the lady Rhyiel had grown more and more on his mind. This troubled him a little less than perhaps it should have. She was not such an overwhelming figure as that of Galadriel, and did not command the same respect. What he did know though was that she had the most beautiful hair that he had ever seen, and the silvery quality of her voice was extraordinary. When he had walked with her several evenings ago, he realised how small she was (she was indeed, at least half a head shorter than he was), and how damnably beautiful she was, even those red-gold eyes of hers that could instil so much horror in him. Valar, he thought. She is more than beautiful… And he had found that his eyes were tracing over the over the bare line of her neck and shoulder, and found himself wondering what her skin tasted like, or felt like. She sparked a flame in him, and he wanted that flame to grow, to burn brighter. He wanted her. He longed to touch her again. He smiled to himself thoughtfully. She would be difficult to win over, he knew, but then what was a hunt with out the chase? His mind thrilled with the thought of capturing her.
Rhyiel sat down in a secluded glade, and shut her eyes wearily. She could feel his gaze on her, and it was unsettling. She almost wished that Galadriel had not acquitted Haldir from his regular duties to act as her aid. Truly she did need him to help her move about. Her long journey to Lorien had sapped so much of her stored energy that it would take her many months to recuperate. But she wished that it wasn't him as her aid. One of his distrusting brothers, maybe, but not him. Her sense of discomfort steadily grew as if there were a million pairs of eyes about her, and she made to move, but suddenly his hand was on her shoulder.
"Still yourself, my lady." He whispered to her, drawing an arrow on his bow and pacing silently around the glade. Apprehension filled her and she froze, not even daring to glance around her. "yrch…¹" a menacing growl escaped his lips and he narrowed his eyes, peering into the trees around him. She could hear and see movement between the trees and she shuddered with fright. There were so many around her and she was utterly defenceless.
"Haldir…" she whispered with a strained voice. "How many..?" He glanced back at her, his face set with grim countenance.
"Too many. They can see us. They could destroy us, if we are not careful."
"What are we going to do?"
"Begging your pardon, my lady, but I doubt that you can do anything, unless you have regained some of your energy." A feeling of overwhelming dejectedness came over her, and she could not help but sigh audibly. A dark look came from Haldir then, and without a word, he let loose several arrows before throwing her bodily into the tree she lent against before scaling it himself. Pandemonium ensued. Two dozen orcs swarmed out into the glade and milled around the base of the tree, knocking and pushing. Haldir shot down many of them, but then the familiar thump of an axe sounded at the base of the tree. He slung Rhyiel over his shoulder and leapt from the tree to the ground, just outside of the circle of orcs around the base. Quickly he climbed up into another tree before the orcs registered his movement. Cries of outrage came from the orcs and he placed Rhyiel down again, unleashing several more volleys of arrows. Rhyiel cried out in horror as she realised that Haldir had come to the last of his arrows. At least three of four orcs still prowled below, and they still had that axe.
"What now?" she whispered, and then cried out again as he jumped from the tree brandishing a sword and his last arrow. One orc's head went flying with a sweep of the sword, and the arrow impaled the throat of another before he had even touched the forest floor. The last two converged on him and he pounced on both of them, kicking one aside, as he slaughtered the other. He stepped towards the only remaining orc as it snivelled and groaned about the broken jaw Haldir had given it. Surprisingly, the orc sprung on him, and lashed out with its jagged claws and teeth. Haldir tried to kick the orc off him, but it clung to him with a fierce lust for his blood and gore. It wailed and screeched in pain and anger as it scratched and clawed at him, tearing into his clothes and skin. A howl of fury and agony came from Haldir, and he reached for the sword that he had lost. Gripping the sword tightly with his free hand, he kicked the orc off him and plunged the blade down under its collar bone and into its blackened heart. He pulled the sword from the dying orc, and climbed back into the tree where Rhyiel was trembling with fright. He picked her up, and leaping from the tree, sped her away from the glade filled with dead orqurim. Night fell, and he was forced to stop running for a while. His own strength and energy had been greatly depleted by the orc attack.
"Amin delotha yrch…²" he growled to himself. "Are you alright, my lady?" he said, glancing at her in her fragile state.
"Yes." She stared out into the inky darkness of the sky.
"Can I leave you for a moment, then? Will you be alright by yourself?" She glanced at him briefly, gazing over his shredded clothing and the blood stained skin beneath it all.
"As long as I am not being thrown into trees, or being chased by orcs." She said curtly.
"My lady, I never meant to throw you into that tree, and I do not think you suffered any bodily harm from it. At least, your physical features have not been marred at all by it, in any case." Walking away from her into the trees, he turned once more. "I could have left you there on the ground, my lady." He disappeared into the trees. Rhyiel suddenly felt very alone.
Little less than an hour later, the fire Haldir had built was beginning to burn low, and he hadn't returned. The shadows around her began to look more ominous. Haldir suddenly appeared through the trees again and a wave of relief washed over her. She flushed red when she realised that he was naked from the waist up and glanced away from him. She was irritated by her own reaction. As if her blushing countenance did not register to him, he folded his legs beneath him opposite her near to the fire and examined his shredded tunic. It wasn't as badly damaged as it looked, and he pulled a needle and a fine thread out from the inside of his boot. Silently and with much speed he stitched the greater tears in his tunic closed. Rhyiel watched him work with undivided interest. How nimble his hands were as they quickly moved the needle in and out of the fabric. When he was done, he shook out his shirt, and examined his handiwork. It wasn't perfect, of course, but it was good enough to hold it together, and look somewhat presentable at the same time. Rhyiel glanced away from him again. He hadn't put his tunic back on, and it was really starting to get to her.
"Are you not cold, Haldir?" she asked him. He looked at her slyly.
"No my lady, I am not. My tunic, as you might notice, is damp with river water, although it is clean of orc blood. I will not be able to put it on for a while, I do think." He laughed softly to himself. "Are you cold, my lady?" She shook her head. "You are shivering."
"I am..?"
"You are." While he had held her attention, she hadn't noticed her skin prickling with the cold as the fire burnt low. Before she realised it, he had crossed over to her and had put his arms around her.
"You are unusually warm, warrior!" She gasped at the sudden closeness. He laughed.
"I admit I am very warm, but you, my lady, are unusually cold!" She tried to move away from him, but he held her firmly in his grasp, and he was so warm… Instinctively, she pressed closer to the warmth of him, once she had stopped struggling. It was so comforting, and she felt so drained. Her eyelids grew heavy and although she did not want to, she fell into a deep sleep, trapped in his warm embrace. Haldir smiled to himself. Neither of them stirred until morning light crept over the Mellyrn³.
Her eyes flickered, and Haldir saw that Rhyiel was waking. Inhaling a sharp breath, she pushed away from him when she realised that she had been asleep in his arms. He smirked, bemused, and held her firmly in his grasp.
"Ah, so the lady awakes! You are safe, my lady, calm yourself, lest you exert all your energy in one burst." She settled herself for a moment.
"Haldir, let me go." She whispered quietly, gazing away from him.
"Of course, my lady." Gently, he let her free of his embrace, and she stood up carefully, dusting off her dress. Slipping his tunic over his head, he also stood up, stretching his limbs and pacing around the burnt out fire.
"Let us head back to Caras Galadhon."
"Of course, my Lady." Setting a quick pace, Rhyiel strode out in the direction of the Lorien heart.
"My Lady! You will tire yourself quickly if you keep at that pace!"
"Not for many hours, I may think."
"True enough, but I shall have to carry you when your energy is gone completely!" She stopped dead, and waited for him to catch up to her.
"I will walk slowly then. Save up my energy, shall I?"
"Well, I personally do not tire of carrying you, my lady, but I would not wish you to exhaust yourself in such a way."
"And I am sure that you can think of many other ways for me to exhaust myself." she commented dryly, although she almost wished she hadn't. A wicked smile crossed his face and she flushed red and started walking again, albeit slower this time. He laughed and caught up to her again, taking her arm. She flinched away from him.
"I do not bite, my Lady."
"I do not believe you, Haldir."
* * * * * * * * * *
¹ yrch - orcs
² Amin delotha yrch - I hate orcs
³ Mellyrn - Golden Trees
Over the past few nights, Haldir had found that the lady Rhyiel had grown more and more on his mind. This troubled him a little less than perhaps it should have. She was not such an overwhelming figure as that of Galadriel, and did not command the same respect. What he did know though was that she had the most beautiful hair that he had ever seen, and the silvery quality of her voice was extraordinary. When he had walked with her several evenings ago, he realised how small she was (she was indeed, at least half a head shorter than he was), and how damnably beautiful she was, even those red-gold eyes of hers that could instil so much horror in him. Valar, he thought. She is more than beautiful… And he had found that his eyes were tracing over the over the bare line of her neck and shoulder, and found himself wondering what her skin tasted like, or felt like. She sparked a flame in him, and he wanted that flame to grow, to burn brighter. He wanted her. He longed to touch her again. He smiled to himself thoughtfully. She would be difficult to win over, he knew, but then what was a hunt with out the chase? His mind thrilled with the thought of capturing her.
Rhyiel sat down in a secluded glade, and shut her eyes wearily. She could feel his gaze on her, and it was unsettling. She almost wished that Galadriel had not acquitted Haldir from his regular duties to act as her aid. Truly she did need him to help her move about. Her long journey to Lorien had sapped so much of her stored energy that it would take her many months to recuperate. But she wished that it wasn't him as her aid. One of his distrusting brothers, maybe, but not him. Her sense of discomfort steadily grew as if there were a million pairs of eyes about her, and she made to move, but suddenly his hand was on her shoulder.
"Still yourself, my lady." He whispered to her, drawing an arrow on his bow and pacing silently around the glade. Apprehension filled her and she froze, not even daring to glance around her. "yrch…¹" a menacing growl escaped his lips and he narrowed his eyes, peering into the trees around him. She could hear and see movement between the trees and she shuddered with fright. There were so many around her and she was utterly defenceless.
"Haldir…" she whispered with a strained voice. "How many..?" He glanced back at her, his face set with grim countenance.
"Too many. They can see us. They could destroy us, if we are not careful."
"What are we going to do?"
"Begging your pardon, my lady, but I doubt that you can do anything, unless you have regained some of your energy." A feeling of overwhelming dejectedness came over her, and she could not help but sigh audibly. A dark look came from Haldir then, and without a word, he let loose several arrows before throwing her bodily into the tree she lent against before scaling it himself. Pandemonium ensued. Two dozen orcs swarmed out into the glade and milled around the base of the tree, knocking and pushing. Haldir shot down many of them, but then the familiar thump of an axe sounded at the base of the tree. He slung Rhyiel over his shoulder and leapt from the tree to the ground, just outside of the circle of orcs around the base. Quickly he climbed up into another tree before the orcs registered his movement. Cries of outrage came from the orcs and he placed Rhyiel down again, unleashing several more volleys of arrows. Rhyiel cried out in horror as she realised that Haldir had come to the last of his arrows. At least three of four orcs still prowled below, and they still had that axe.
"What now?" she whispered, and then cried out again as he jumped from the tree brandishing a sword and his last arrow. One orc's head went flying with a sweep of the sword, and the arrow impaled the throat of another before he had even touched the forest floor. The last two converged on him and he pounced on both of them, kicking one aside, as he slaughtered the other. He stepped towards the only remaining orc as it snivelled and groaned about the broken jaw Haldir had given it. Surprisingly, the orc sprung on him, and lashed out with its jagged claws and teeth. Haldir tried to kick the orc off him, but it clung to him with a fierce lust for his blood and gore. It wailed and screeched in pain and anger as it scratched and clawed at him, tearing into his clothes and skin. A howl of fury and agony came from Haldir, and he reached for the sword that he had lost. Gripping the sword tightly with his free hand, he kicked the orc off him and plunged the blade down under its collar bone and into its blackened heart. He pulled the sword from the dying orc, and climbed back into the tree where Rhyiel was trembling with fright. He picked her up, and leaping from the tree, sped her away from the glade filled with dead orqurim. Night fell, and he was forced to stop running for a while. His own strength and energy had been greatly depleted by the orc attack.
"Amin delotha yrch…²" he growled to himself. "Are you alright, my lady?" he said, glancing at her in her fragile state.
"Yes." She stared out into the inky darkness of the sky.
"Can I leave you for a moment, then? Will you be alright by yourself?" She glanced at him briefly, gazing over his shredded clothing and the blood stained skin beneath it all.
"As long as I am not being thrown into trees, or being chased by orcs." She said curtly.
"My lady, I never meant to throw you into that tree, and I do not think you suffered any bodily harm from it. At least, your physical features have not been marred at all by it, in any case." Walking away from her into the trees, he turned once more. "I could have left you there on the ground, my lady." He disappeared into the trees. Rhyiel suddenly felt very alone.
Little less than an hour later, the fire Haldir had built was beginning to burn low, and he hadn't returned. The shadows around her began to look more ominous. Haldir suddenly appeared through the trees again and a wave of relief washed over her. She flushed red when she realised that he was naked from the waist up and glanced away from him. She was irritated by her own reaction. As if her blushing countenance did not register to him, he folded his legs beneath him opposite her near to the fire and examined his shredded tunic. It wasn't as badly damaged as it looked, and he pulled a needle and a fine thread out from the inside of his boot. Silently and with much speed he stitched the greater tears in his tunic closed. Rhyiel watched him work with undivided interest. How nimble his hands were as they quickly moved the needle in and out of the fabric. When he was done, he shook out his shirt, and examined his handiwork. It wasn't perfect, of course, but it was good enough to hold it together, and look somewhat presentable at the same time. Rhyiel glanced away from him again. He hadn't put his tunic back on, and it was really starting to get to her.
"Are you not cold, Haldir?" she asked him. He looked at her slyly.
"No my lady, I am not. My tunic, as you might notice, is damp with river water, although it is clean of orc blood. I will not be able to put it on for a while, I do think." He laughed softly to himself. "Are you cold, my lady?" She shook her head. "You are shivering."
"I am..?"
"You are." While he had held her attention, she hadn't noticed her skin prickling with the cold as the fire burnt low. Before she realised it, he had crossed over to her and had put his arms around her.
"You are unusually warm, warrior!" She gasped at the sudden closeness. He laughed.
"I admit I am very warm, but you, my lady, are unusually cold!" She tried to move away from him, but he held her firmly in his grasp, and he was so warm… Instinctively, she pressed closer to the warmth of him, once she had stopped struggling. It was so comforting, and she felt so drained. Her eyelids grew heavy and although she did not want to, she fell into a deep sleep, trapped in his warm embrace. Haldir smiled to himself. Neither of them stirred until morning light crept over the Mellyrn³.
Her eyes flickered, and Haldir saw that Rhyiel was waking. Inhaling a sharp breath, she pushed away from him when she realised that she had been asleep in his arms. He smirked, bemused, and held her firmly in his grasp.
"Ah, so the lady awakes! You are safe, my lady, calm yourself, lest you exert all your energy in one burst." She settled herself for a moment.
"Haldir, let me go." She whispered quietly, gazing away from him.
"Of course, my lady." Gently, he let her free of his embrace, and she stood up carefully, dusting off her dress. Slipping his tunic over his head, he also stood up, stretching his limbs and pacing around the burnt out fire.
"Let us head back to Caras Galadhon."
"Of course, my Lady." Setting a quick pace, Rhyiel strode out in the direction of the Lorien heart.
"My Lady! You will tire yourself quickly if you keep at that pace!"
"Not for many hours, I may think."
"True enough, but I shall have to carry you when your energy is gone completely!" She stopped dead, and waited for him to catch up to her.
"I will walk slowly then. Save up my energy, shall I?"
"Well, I personally do not tire of carrying you, my lady, but I would not wish you to exhaust yourself in such a way."
"And I am sure that you can think of many other ways for me to exhaust myself." she commented dryly, although she almost wished she hadn't. A wicked smile crossed his face and she flushed red and started walking again, albeit slower this time. He laughed and caught up to her again, taking her arm. She flinched away from him.
"I do not bite, my Lady."
"I do not believe you, Haldir."
* * * * * * * * * *
¹ yrch - orcs
² Amin delotha yrch - I hate orcs
³ Mellyrn - Golden Trees
