Chapter 21- Escape on a tragic note
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Author's note: This is fairly long, so please be patient with me. For all you who are looking for more…romance… between Haldir and Élharma, don't be dishearted: some of the mushy stuff is coming soon!
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Early morning, at the castle of Edoras in Rohan. Inside the royal bedchamber,
"haldir…"
Someone is calling me.
"Haldir."
Uggg. My head hurts. I wish they would just go away….
"HALDIR."
Where am I? Why wont they leave me alone?
"HALDIR!!!"
Who is yelling at me?
"HALDIRANSWERMERIGHTNOW!!!"
Haldir opened his eyes. The sun was shining through the window. The light burned into his eyes and the room was spinning slightly. He closed his eyes.
"Yes?" He called, his voice gravelly and harsh, it echoed hollowly within his head..
"Come to the window." The voice called.
He recognized it as Cee's voice, and by the sound of it, she was angry.
"I cant, I am chained." He said, still groggy.
"Listen closely: Some of the men are going to come in as servants of the house to give you breakfast. They will be unable to speak to you, as the new queen is going to come with them. They are going to hide a skeleton key in the bread. Be sure not to swallow it! When you are alone, use the key to come out, we will be waiting for you." She instructed slowly, in a forced whisper.
"I have a problem with that plan: I cannot get my hand to my mouth." He replied.
"You will find a way. I have to go, there is a guard coming." She said.
He listened to her retreating footsteps before dazedly opening his eyes once again. The harshly searing effect lasted only a few minutes, and slowly the room stilled and the sunlight dimmed.
What happened last night?
He tried to remember. Something about Valinor, and heritage, and Lorien, and a numenorian surviving the fall… His head was jumbled, but he kept trying to catalogue the thoughts into some semblance of order.
There was a woman. A queen, yes! The new queen of Rohan. But no, not really. She had come in??? and??? He was so caught up in the thoughts that he did not hear the footsteps outside of the chambers, or even the latch of the door being lifted.
"Good morning, my decadent Galadrim!" Came the silken voice, "And how are we feeling this morn?"
He scowled, her voice held a certain ring that echoed within the walls of his skull, causing fireworks to go off in the back of his head.
She stepped in front of him, followed by two servers bearing food and drink.
"Awwwww, does our little elf have an itty bitty little hangover?" She said with a contemptuous pout. She turned to the servants, "I would say that he should! He downed enough wine last night to drown five grown men!"
They laughed.
"Are you hungry?" She asked with a smirk.
He nodded, not only because he really was hungry, but also because of Cee's advisory. Dialogue. Whatever. He was still having trouble thinking.
She turned to the servants, "Feed him."
They then proceeded to do so, with Vidalan watching. Bearing guileless expressions, the two manservants meticulously fed him first cheese, then gave him a drink of icy water, and last the bread.
On his first bite, he found nothing but bread, which he masticated and swallowed thankfully. On the second bite, though, his teeth came into contact with something small and metal. Using his tongue, he drew the key into his cheek, and then continued to finish the small roll.
"Good. Now: you: out." She said. The men bowed and left.
"Did you enjoy that?" She asked with a deceptively sweet tone.
He nodded, uncomfortable now that his memories of the previous night began rushing back into his head.
Her hands. Her lips. Talented lips. Her tongue. Also very talented.
The memories singed upon his mind, robbing him of both dignity and pride. She had reduced him to a pile of whimpering, begging hormones. Thankfully, though, he had not given her any of the information she had been seeking after.
"Do you remember?" She smiled wickedly
"Of course." He said haughtily
"I hope so." She replied. Her tongue flicked momentarily out of her mouth, wetting the full, rosebud lips as her eyes once again caressed his body.
There was a knock at the door. She ignored it for a minute, but it continued, insistently.
She frowned and yelled, "This had better be good!"
The voice behind the door was muffled, but the words were distinguishable, "Milady! Come quick! Some of the people of the riddermark are rioting in your courtyard! They are threatening to burn the castle!" The wooden door could not mute the urgency in his voice.
She rolled her eyes and replied, "Coming!"
Turning to Haldir, she ran a finger along his jaw- line, "And I was hoping to have so much more fun today!" She paused, fingering the tip of his ear with her skilled hands, " I will be back for you later, don't go anywhere."
She left, laughing at the irony of her own words.
He waited but a minute before muttering sarcastically, "Sure: I wont go anywhere. You would like to think so, your HIGHNESS!."
He only had one chance, so he judged the distance with a cautious eye.
Pulling against all of the chains, he could bring his hand within a foot of his mouth, but not close enough to touch it. He would have to spit it into his hand.
With fair surety, he spat the metal key at his hand.
.
.
.
A grin filled his face as he felt his fingers close around its reassuring weight.
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The door burst open, the heavy clang echoing through the oppressive room. The air was hot and thick, and it smelled of blood. In the dim, flickering firelight, Haldir and Cee could barely make out several mangled forms chained to the walls, and several were strapped to various contraptions in the middle of the room.
"Élahrma!" Haldir called, rushing to the nearest form.
"Lirahall! Élharma!" Cee cried, also approaching one of the shapes.
There was a moan from the opposite corner and movement, ever so slight. Haldir rushed towards it. Lirahall. The elf's eyes snapped open, and he regarded Haldir with uncertainty.
"Haldir?…"
Haldir quickly unlocked the elf's shackles, tugging and prodding Lirahall to rise from the floor and stand.
"Haldir. Thank the Valar." He struggled to sit up, "I am afraid that they have broken my legs. I cannot go with you."
"No, we will find a way. I will not leave you here, my brother." Haldir murmured, noticing that the elf's legs were, in fact, lying at fairly odd angles upon the hard, cold stonework. His heart felt heavy, weather it was from the oppressiveness of this chamber, or from the guilt at being spared of such tortures.
"Where is Élharma?" he asked quietly.
Lirahall pointed to a figure lying curled in the corner. "Be careful. Wake her up with your voice before you touch her."
Haldir raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
Lirahall cast his eyes upon the stone and his voice became choked, "They did things to her, Haldir. Bad things. They robbed her of sight, they whipped her, they branded her with red- hot blades. You should have heard her, Haldir! Her screams. They will haunt me through all of eternity. How I wish to kill that dungeon master." Here, the noble elf choked, unable to continue.
Haldir could not move. It was as if he had become suddenly frozen. His body would not respond, his mind went numb. They had done WHAT to his beloved? to his love? It made his stomach threaten to revolt, and his head went spinning again.
Forcing himself to move, he staggered in the general direction that Lirahall had pointed, towards that pitiful form lying curled on the stone floor.
About three feet from her, he stopped, his strength abandoning him once again. She was lying facing the wall, so her back was turned to him. Or what was left of a back. The flesh had been laid open innumerable times, flaying open her fair skin. the blood had dried, crusting the remnants of her silken shirt into the lacerations. Here and there, he could see the pale sheen of the white of her bones, bared to the elements. He felt bile begin to rise into his mouth. He looked at the floor, tears blurring his vision.
"Élharma…" He whispered hoarsely.
"Élharma, wake up."
She stirred, groaning faintly.
Cee, who had gone to get help, returned at this moment. With her were four men, bearing between them a roughly hewn litter. The men went to Lirahall and helped him onto the cot- like surface. Cee went and knelt beside Haldir. Seeing Élharma, she gasped and cried out.
This was enough to arouse the maiden from her unconscious state. She jerked from the floor, assuming a defensive position.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She yelled, her words slurring slightly.
Haldir perceived through his horrified mind the further maiming that had been inflicted upon her. Her hair was matted and filled with dirt, although it appeared to be still intact. It was her eyes that held his attention. Her eyelids were closed, but running in rivulets down her cheeks was not tears, but the crimson drip of blood.
"It is I. Haldir." He finally managed, forcing the words past the enormous lump that was lodged in his throat.
"Hal…Haldir?" She asked, slightly shocked. "Haldir?"
Cee took the key from him and unlocked Élharma's shackles, "And I, my dear. We have come to take you home."
Elharma put her hands out, feeling through the air until she found the front of Haldir's tunic. Once she became oriented as to his exact location, she shakily stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a sobbing, trembling embrace.
Being careful not to touch the bloodied area of her back, he stroked her head, whispering reassuring words into her ears.
The sounds of a battle echoed from the doorway. Haldir glanced nervously towards the hall outside, fully aware that their time was quickly running out.
"My love, can you manage to walk, or do I need to call a litter to carry you?" He said tenderly.
She smiled through the grime and blood smeared across her face, "My legs are functioning perfectly well. It is Lirahall who may need your assistance. I think they broke his legs."
It made his heart glad to hear the dry humor that lace in her voice, shining a bright light of hope into his mind.
"Then follow me. We have to get out of here now, or risk prolonging our stay." He said.
"As much as I am sure it disappoints you," She answered sarcastically, "I really don't think I want to linger here any longer."
He turned to the door and she stood behind him, her hands gripping his shoulders in an almost painfully secure grip.
It was in this way that they made their way up the stair. Once inside the great hall, he perceived the fighting figures. Those true to the riddermark, including Korodan, were engaging in hand-to-hand fighting against the southrons that had come into Rohan with Vidalan.
Haldir skirted the wall, hoping to leave peacefully and without notice. Lirahall and the men bearing him were just disappearing out of the door leading to the courtyard, and ultimately to their freedom.
He walked stealthily, hugging the wall, warning Élharma of any inconsistencies in the footing. The fighters barely took notice of the fleeing elves, so involved were they in the battle. Suddenly, just as Haldir was about to pass through the exit door, Vidalan cried out, "STOP THE ELVES! THEY ARE ESCAPING!"
All at once, about twenty southrons appeared from the recesses of the palace and rushed headlong towards Haldir.
"We have a problem." Haldir called to Élharma.
"Run! I can keep up!" She answered urgently.
He did so, quickly overtaking Lirahall and his companions. For a moment, he paused by the fallen elf.
"They are closing. Fast. I wish I had my bow, I could take them out in a matter of seconds!" Lirahall spat.
One of his bearers understood elfish and proceeded to produce a Rohirran bow and a quiver full of arrows. He handed it to Lirahall with a silent nod.
Unfortunately, the southron men were drawing close faster than any of them expected, and before Lirahall had enough time to kill them all. Suddenly, the rest of the southrons got the idea to return the fire. They quickly killed off all of the men of the riddermark, and Lirahall fell to the ground with a 'thump'
Haldir spun, dragging Élharma behind him, and rushed to his fallen comrade's side.
Lirahall, with tears in his eyes said, "Leave me! I will defend your back as long as I draw breath."
"NO! You are coming with us!" Haldir screamed frantically
"You know better than I do that if you were to carry me, they will be able to catch up to us and kill us. This is the only way!" Lirahall snarled viciously, shoving Haldir in the direction of the open plains, "GO NOW!"
Haldir, knowing with a blackened heart that Lirahall was correct, spun once again, this time towards freedom.
Just as he topped an adjacent hill, he heard Lirahall's voice, "Tomorrow in Valinor!"
Haldir glance over his shoulder, past Élharma, to see a southron's sword cleave the elf's head cleanly from his shoulders.
He felt Élahrma shudder and they began running, once again, across the plains of Rohan towards their home of Lothlorien.
They ran without pause through the rest of the day, never looking back towards the fallen cities of Rohan.
It was with the sundown that they encountered the Lorien entourage, of whom included the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn.
With heavy hearts, the elves made their way back to Lorien.
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Please, please, please review!
And let me know which of these stories, if either I should work on and post first
!. Prequal to Heartsong, Elharma as a toddler and her mother visit Elrond at Rivendell. Elharma is a troublemaker in this story, and it will be rated PG for some crude humor, and will be mostly humor/comedy
2. Sequal to Heartsong, Elharma and Haldir romance continues. Rated R for sexual content, Romance/adventure story