14: Decisions and Other Matters

(TINDOMIEL: warning. Legolas sympathisers may wish to look away now. I really don't have anything against him. I like Legolas, really. I just want to break his esteem.)

[I really ought to finish this fic soon]

The first thing I noticed as I entered the mess hall for breakfast was that Celeborn and Galadriel still hadn't made up over yesterdays little tiff, judging by the way Celeborn had to spend the night in the parlour, sleeping on a dining table.

No, wait, that was the SECOND thing. The first thing I noticed was that I was hungry.

I decided to approach him. He was snoring a little bit, which was disturbing because he never snored (I would know). And he'd slept with his eyes CLOSED. Both eyes, lids down. Creepy. He still hadn't woken up. I had gotten up early, so the hall was completely empty.

"My lord?"

A little stirring, and a small snort. I poked him in the ribs.

"My Lord? Celeborn?"

A little grunt, and then a "No . . . don't kick me there . . . Please, at least give me my aftershave? Alatariel?"

Then, sensing my presence, he woke up and sat up.

"Haldir." He nodded to me. I raised an indicating eyebrow. His hair was messy and looked like it hadn't been combed. He was wearing the same blue outfit he wore the day the before. I never knew a day without Green Queen could end like this.

"My lord? Did she not let you in then? You could have shared a room with someone else." I decided to get straight to the point. In Lorien, he knew all too well he could never keep secrets from me.

"Yes . . . well." He looked very uncomfortable indeed. "I have things to do. Is breakfast ready yet?"

"No, my lord. I'm the first up. Daylight has not even come yet. You really should get ready. We are leaving the city today."

"The men here are so lazy. Always waking after dawn. I'm going to have a talk with the Elfstone."

And saying so, he promptly left the hall without even a 'good morning'. Where the hell does the nobility learn their manners? The hall was completely deserted, as it was still early. I was the first down for breakfast (I could not stand a minute more of sharing a room with He Who Snores Loudly, a.k.a. Glindir).

Dawn was peeping through the curtains, and already, some elves were dressed and down for breakfast, only to be disappointed that the Gondorian chefs were still sleeping. Elves were much earlier wakers.

I sat down at one of the many small round breakfast tables scattered around the hall. Each was capable of seating half a dozen. I looked to the corridors leading up to the guest rooms, hoping that either Glindir or Nariel would come down, then people wouldn't think I was a loner all on my own, I'd have some company.

Whom should I meet first thing that day but Legolas Thranduillion? There he was, pacing down the hallway towards me. He was dressed in different robes from the day before, lilac ones, which didn't suit him.

I stood up to greet him, putting on an icky fake smile.

"Legolas! How did the meeting with Erestor go?" I said with as much sickly sweet cheer I could muster.

At first I thought he didn't see me. He glared silently and loathingly in my direction, eyes dark, before pacing towards me.

I widened my Icky Smile, but the next thing I felt was his hard fist colliding into my jaw. It caught me by surprise, I was unprepared, and fell forward on my face, onto the marble floor with a thud.

"You know very well how the meeting with Erestor went. How could you?" he spat down at me.

"I don't know what your talking about." I replied lazily, still on the floor "So, did it not work out?" He pushed me down with his foot. I guessed the meeting with Erestor did NOT go well.

~I wonder why~

"Erestor seemed to have got it into his head that I was proposing marriage. He seemed to know nothing of what you told me at the feast. He wouldn't even listen to me when I tried to explain, thinking that I was SHY."

"How strange." I yawned.

"And now he HAS got the location planned. MY HOME. Mirkwood, I mean, Greenwood, whatever. HE HAS THE WHOLE WEDDING ORGANISED!"

I inspected my fingernails in a bored fashion.

"I thought we had a truce!" I heard him bellow above me.

"YOU thought" I muttered darkly in reply, "I would die before I let you have the last word, Greenleaf."

And his suspicions were confirmed.

In anger, he dealt me another painful blow on my back; landing his elbow hard the spot below my shoulder near my spine; my old injury, the relic of Helm's Deep.

I cried out in pain, collapsing onto the floor. Something fell out of one of my pockets, and I recognised it to be the diamond ring I 'stole' off Arwen. I'd forgotten all about it. It rolled onto the floor before me, but he didn't notice. He hit me again, at the base of my neck, until I was flat out on the floor.

"HEY!" an angry voice cried out behind me, a woman's voice.

His shadow left me for a moment and confronted the speaker. Then I realised it was Nariel. I felt her slender arms help me onto my feet, and I picked up the ring, but she wasn't paying me much attention. She was glaring icily at Legolas. I wisely backed out to watch from afar.

"What in Arda do you think you're doing?!" She snarled at him. He shrunk back for a moment, stunned, though her full height only reached his shoulder.

"It does not concern you, daughter of ERESTOR." He bit back, spitting out the last word, as if coming to his senses.

Her eyes flared at him, and if I were a good friend, I would advise Legolas to back out right about now, because things could get ugly . . . for him.

"It concerns me very much." She said in a tone of forced calm, "I have just witnessed you launch an unprovoked attack upon a helpless friend of mine."

She breathed the word 'friend' out quietly, as if she wasn't sure that was the right word. But she wasn't finished.

" . . . And I have also heard that you have been toying with my sister's affections. You asked for her hand in marriage, did you not?"

"NO!!!" he pleaded, fear starting to creep into his face. He too had sensed that premonition, messing with Her was not something to be reckoned with.

"DO YOU DENY IT?!" she roared at him. The few elves waiting nearby in the corridors evaporated.

At the thought of marriage I looked down at the diamond ring I had almost forgotten about. There it was, sparkling beautifully in my hand, glistening like the rose dawn. It reminded me of Helm's Deep: when I thought I was going to die, I saw the Dawn, shining across the horizon with all its beauty. And I lived.

I looked up again at Nariel, who had just boxed the Prince around the head. His hand went to his ear immediately, and was about to retaliate when she kicked him hard in his shin. He yelped and held his knee with both hands, bouncing around on one foot. She was standing up for me, but also to exact a personal revenge.

I looked down at the ring again, sparkling like the Sunstar. So beautiful, so enticing.

Looking back up, Nariel had the son of Thranduil sprawled on the floor, moaning in pain.

I looked at the beautiful ring, then Nariel (who had just punched the Prince in the face again), then the ring, then Nariel.

Ring. Nariel. Ring. Nariel. Ring. Nariel.

Then I put the ring back into my pocket.

Legolas had crawled away in fear long ago, shielding his injured body parts while trying not to draw attention. His lilac robe had turned a muddy puce. I almost felt sorry for him. He was beaten by a girl half his size.

Nah.

Nariel came back up to me, wiping her hands onto her dress, which was a pretty shade of navy.

"Breakfast?" she said calmly to me, offering me her arm. A cook had appeared from the kitchen doorway, yawning openly. He set out a few buffet dishes.

I nodded, half terrified, half relieved. I took her arm and led her to a table for breakfast. She didn't look a bit taxed with all the beating. I wondered what it was like to REALLY anger her. I sighed a breath of relief that all I got from my last squabble was a black eye.

I didn't mind at all that a GIRL had just fought my battle for me. I was just relieved that she was fighting FOR me, and not against.

The Prince of Mirkwood may never be the same again. Glindir and Lamalas would see to that.

~*~

This was our last day in Gondor. And I had made up my mind.

"Elrond, I'm returning to Lothlorien." I told him as we rode out the northern gates of Minas Tirith with the congregations of Rivendell, Lothlorien, Ithilien, Gondor and Rohan. The pyre carrying King Theoden creaked behind us. We were all wearing formal finery for his funeral in Rohan; his body was to be finally laid in rest. For the return journey, I had a horse! Lavender, the white palfrey that used to be Galadriel's, Nariel was riding.

"But Haldir! You haven't even spent a full month in Imladris, and I though you HATED Lorien?"

"Not immediately. I will spend some more time in Rivendell. I've acquired many friends there. But I will have to return to the Wood sometime. It is my home. It's in my blood. I will always remember Rivendell. It is such a wonderful place, but there's no place like Home."

He gave me an odd look.

"You may do as you wish. I cannot restrain you. I hope you've had fun in Rivendell."

"Thank you, sire."

He gave a small smile. "But spend a LITTLE more time in Imladris, please. I know someone who really wants you to. Oh, yes she does!"

This was unlike anything of Elrond, and I didn't bother to ask more. Instead, I rode out and talked a little with Aragorn. He seemed happy. He had a whole kingdom, a title, and the girl of his dreams.

"Hey, my old friend! How do you fare?" he asked me as I approached him.

I gave a small chuckle.

"Better than you think." Legolas scowled behind us. He had cleverly disguised his bruises with lady's face powder and make-up before we left. Glindir told me.

"No more wounds I hope."

"Hoho, not on MY person." I said cheerily. The scowl behind us increased in size.

It was a lovely day. We rode past the Druadan forest and Aragorn said something about a present for some 'Ghan-Buri-something'. I wasn't paying attention.

It was a lovely day. Nariel was just a little way ahead.

And the diamond ring was still in my pocket.