Thank you soooo much to all my reviewers, past, present or future (hint,
hint:)
Chihiro- No, Danali is not suicidal, at least not anymore. She simply views death in a different light..she's been around it so long. I think anyone raised in the type of childhood she was would want to die too.
Gershwin- You get hugs from all three of the brothers. Multiple ones. You've reviewed every single chapter I've posted, and are so encouraging and insightful. I send many fuzzies in your direction. (I would send you an Elf, but they're hard to fit in boxes.) Merci beaucoup!
Disclaimer: Rumil, Haldir and Orophin live in my closet. ....Ok, ok, fine, I don't own any Elves. If I did, do you think I'd be writing in my spare time? Heh, heh...
Secrets
He was leaning against a railing overlooking a main thoroughfare far below as Danali climbed to the spacious platform and stood. He was humming a golden melody that sang of the memories of trees and the forgotten worlds long before the dreamswirls were born. Long strands of silver flowed from his head to end below his shoulders and grace the shimmering robes which continued down to his feet. He did not turn to look at her for a few moments, but continued to gaze out over his beloved city with a mysterious smile on his lips.
Danali stood uncertainly at the top of the stairs, her hands hanging limp at her sides and her eyes wide in the presence of this magnificent Elf. All other thoughts faded effortlessly from her mind; she was confident that she was standing before an angel. Her feet shuffled irresistibly towards him, and he turned his head smoothly to stare straight into her eyes.
****
Haldir was bored. He was fidgeting and playing absently with his empty belt where his knives were kept, and his feet were tapping the ground nervously, first one, then the other. He didn't notice his actions, in fact, until Orophin stomped none too lightly on a foot and made a face. Haldir grimaced, sat back, and tried to concentrate on what the maiden was saying, but found his eyes wandering to pick out patterns in the bark on the mallorn towering before them. He though he saw Orophin make another face at him, but he wasn't sure, so he absorbed himself in the rapturous intricacies of tree bark.
He and Orophin had enlisted the aid of Gelien in order to learn about living with Women. Or, in their case, a Woman. Girl. Whatever. At any rate, it had been Orophin's idea to try and figure out what to do when three bachelors and a strange girl with an identity crisis were thrown together in a small flet and forced to coexist. Haldir hadn't thought it was that necessary, but his brother ended up dragging him along for the ride anyway. And now, here he was, seeing deranged rabbits chasing three-eyed foxes into the sky in the bark of a tree.
Perhaps he was going mad. Now there was a thought. He envisioned himself sprinting up a hillside decked out in niphredil, laughing maniacally with leaves stuck strategically throughout his hair. Then he thought about it some more. Then he decided to stop.
Both maiden and brother jumped when Haldir suddenly blurted, " Can women make Elves go mad?"
Gelien stopped lecturing abruptly and half-glared at the Marchwarden, but her glance couldn't hold a candle to the look on Orophin's face as he mentally threw knives at his brother.
It took Haldir a few moments. Then his eyes swept around the little circle they were sitting in, then dropped guiltily, then darted apologetically to Orophin's face with a tiny smile that suggested a shrug of the shoulders as well. He lifted his hands in surrender toward Gelien and beckoned for her to go on as he bowed his head in acknowledgment of his masculine ignorance. Satisfied, the she-Elf continued to expand on the many subtle moods of those of the female persuasion, and Haldir spotted four deer with freakishly long tongues flying over a volcano. Amazing stuff, tree bark.
Finally, the class was adjourned and Haldir stood to the side stretching while Orophin thanked Gelien. He thought he heard his youngest brother invite the girl to dinner, but wasn't sure. At any rate, the two spent a little longer than usual saying their goodbyes, and Haldir had to drag the smitten Elf away from Gelien to go home.
"I think you were listening about as much as I was," Haldir murmured as his brother trotted up beside him.
Orophin flushed slightly. "Well, at least I didn't pretend to be the expert on all matters feminine. 'Do women make Elves go mad?' What was that?"
Haldir shrugged, flushing as well. "Just a question. One must make sure to cover everything, no matter how far out the idea might be."
Orophin lifted an eyebrow. "Oh. Right." A smile crept onto his features. "Did you see the way Gelien was looking at me?" The smile stretched up to his ears as he turned his head toward the path. "She can't resist me."
It was all Haldir could do to suppress the hysterical laughing fit that threatened to break loose at any moment. It was all he could do to keep a straight face, for that matter. A wicked light glinted in his eyes.
"Oh, yes, Orophin. I'm sure she dreams of you, and spends every waking hour thinking of her sweet, handsome guard, and when she gathers wildflowers she calls out your name and weeps because she has not told you of her undying love for you." He stopped suddenly and shaded his eyes with his hand as if looking afar. "Hark! Is that her, running toward us with the wind in her hair and a bunch of flowers in her arms, waving to you with pure adoration burning in her eyes? Go to her, brother! She waits for you!" Haldir managed one more exaggerated arm sweep before being tackled by a fiercely blushing Orophin. He pulled himself out of an armhold and gazed across the clearing. "Oh, wait, never mind, it's just a handmaiden running from a swarm of bees. Sorry, Orophin." This time he suffered a swift kick in the shin before nimbly twisting away.
Orophin disentangled himself from a pile of leaves, his face still crimson- colored. "No need to be sarcastic," he snapped. He glared at Haldir, who was still chuckling and shaking his head, and continued walking on the leaf- strewn path. He sped up ahead of his brother and raised his face to the warm afternoon sun, the gold rays mirroring themselves in his fine hair. "As a matter of fact, I happen to know that there is a maiden of the court who appears to have her eye on a certain Marchwarden."
Now it was Haldir's turn to blush. "Eilinel and I are merely friends."
Orophin smiled sweetly. "Oh? Then I suppose taking them down to the river and singing them to sleep on your shoulder is what you do with all your friends." He skipped further ahead and refused to look behind him, but he knew Haldir was there already. He hummed softly and stared at a nearby leaf as his rather concerned brother approached his side.
"And how do you 'happen' to know this?"
Orophin shrugged in his maddening way. "Oh, you know. A little bird told me." His bell-like laugh mingled with the warm breeze as he spun away before his brother could catch him. Haldir rolled his eyes disgustedly and made a mental note to watch out for spies next time he took Eilinel anywhere.
Orophin picked up a leaf from the ground and played with it while he waited for Haldir to catch up. "I wonder how Rumil and Dani are getting on," he mused.
****
Danali drowned in clear pools of silver, achingly beautiful wells of ancient pride and sorrow filled with time. She couldn't look away. She couldn't breathe. She stared back into those wells and, without uttering a word, told the story of her heart.
****
Rumil sprinted back toward the flet, his long hair streaming behind him and mingling with the shafts of his arrows as he dodged trees and branches. The brisk air complemented the cold sensation in his stomach, a product of the sheer panic he was currently experiencing.
He was going to die. He knew this for a fact. Quite simply put, Haldir was going to kill him, or at least maim him beyond recognition. Yes, he was a dead Elf.
'Oh well,' he thought detachedly. 'At least I'll get to see Mother again.'
Then a feeble glint of hope sprung in his chest, and one part of his brain said, 'Perhaps she's simply gone back home, and they're all waiting for me, and we'll all have a big laugh about this over dinner.'
Then he suddenly tripped over a root and fell flat on his face right in front of Orophin's startled feet, and another part of his brain said, 'Damn.'
****
He raised a hand and outstretched it to her, beckoning her to come closer. His eyes continued to rivet Danali, and she stepped forward as if in a trance, her intelligent gaze sorting him out as she walked to the small bench he was gesturing from. She sat, and felt all her burdens lift and fly away as the mysterious Elf finally spoke in a light, soothing voice.
"Hello, Danali. I am so glad to meet you."
****
"She what?"
Rumil didn't say a word as his older brother sank heavily to a boulder in exasperation. Haldir massaged his temple with a thumb and forefinger, and sighed.
"I don't have time for this, Rumil. You fell asleep?"
Rumil exchanged an uneasy glance with Orophin and shrugged. "I was tired."
Haldir lifted his head and glared at Rumil.
"Look, I must return to the border tomorrow-"
"I know, and I'll find her!"
Haldir placed his hands on his knees and stood.
"See that you do."
Rumil turned away and began mentally preparing a search plan, but was interrupted by Haldir, who had a strange look on his face.
"Go look in the court first. I have a feeling you shall find her there."
****
Celeborn folded his hands in his lap and gazed at the girl beside him for a long time. She eventually dropped her eyes, unable to hold his unwavering stare. Finally, he spoke once more.
"Of all the paths you could have taken, and the one you chose led you to us." He gently lifted Danali's chin, and she stared into the same penetrating eyes. "Nothing in this world happens by chance, Danali. Do you believe that?"
Danali's eyes became pleading, unsure. "The road ended here. I cannot see it anymore." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I do not know where to go. It's all ended."
Celeborn's firm voice cut through her despair. "The journey has only begun, child." He turned his head to look out over the city, and Danali did the same.
"It is not the end, it is the beginning."
****
Aww, I wish Haldir could sing me to sleep on his shoulder. *sighs* Actually, I'm sure a lot of those of the female persuasion do too. Among other things. * grins wickedly * Betcha didn't know Haldir had a girlfriend, by the way. ;p He's the private type, ya know.
Chihiro- No, Danali is not suicidal, at least not anymore. She simply views death in a different light..she's been around it so long. I think anyone raised in the type of childhood she was would want to die too.
Gershwin- You get hugs from all three of the brothers. Multiple ones. You've reviewed every single chapter I've posted, and are so encouraging and insightful. I send many fuzzies in your direction. (I would send you an Elf, but they're hard to fit in boxes.) Merci beaucoup!
Disclaimer: Rumil, Haldir and Orophin live in my closet. ....Ok, ok, fine, I don't own any Elves. If I did, do you think I'd be writing in my spare time? Heh, heh...
Secrets
He was leaning against a railing overlooking a main thoroughfare far below as Danali climbed to the spacious platform and stood. He was humming a golden melody that sang of the memories of trees and the forgotten worlds long before the dreamswirls were born. Long strands of silver flowed from his head to end below his shoulders and grace the shimmering robes which continued down to his feet. He did not turn to look at her for a few moments, but continued to gaze out over his beloved city with a mysterious smile on his lips.
Danali stood uncertainly at the top of the stairs, her hands hanging limp at her sides and her eyes wide in the presence of this magnificent Elf. All other thoughts faded effortlessly from her mind; she was confident that she was standing before an angel. Her feet shuffled irresistibly towards him, and he turned his head smoothly to stare straight into her eyes.
****
Haldir was bored. He was fidgeting and playing absently with his empty belt where his knives were kept, and his feet were tapping the ground nervously, first one, then the other. He didn't notice his actions, in fact, until Orophin stomped none too lightly on a foot and made a face. Haldir grimaced, sat back, and tried to concentrate on what the maiden was saying, but found his eyes wandering to pick out patterns in the bark on the mallorn towering before them. He though he saw Orophin make another face at him, but he wasn't sure, so he absorbed himself in the rapturous intricacies of tree bark.
He and Orophin had enlisted the aid of Gelien in order to learn about living with Women. Or, in their case, a Woman. Girl. Whatever. At any rate, it had been Orophin's idea to try and figure out what to do when three bachelors and a strange girl with an identity crisis were thrown together in a small flet and forced to coexist. Haldir hadn't thought it was that necessary, but his brother ended up dragging him along for the ride anyway. And now, here he was, seeing deranged rabbits chasing three-eyed foxes into the sky in the bark of a tree.
Perhaps he was going mad. Now there was a thought. He envisioned himself sprinting up a hillside decked out in niphredil, laughing maniacally with leaves stuck strategically throughout his hair. Then he thought about it some more. Then he decided to stop.
Both maiden and brother jumped when Haldir suddenly blurted, " Can women make Elves go mad?"
Gelien stopped lecturing abruptly and half-glared at the Marchwarden, but her glance couldn't hold a candle to the look on Orophin's face as he mentally threw knives at his brother.
It took Haldir a few moments. Then his eyes swept around the little circle they were sitting in, then dropped guiltily, then darted apologetically to Orophin's face with a tiny smile that suggested a shrug of the shoulders as well. He lifted his hands in surrender toward Gelien and beckoned for her to go on as he bowed his head in acknowledgment of his masculine ignorance. Satisfied, the she-Elf continued to expand on the many subtle moods of those of the female persuasion, and Haldir spotted four deer with freakishly long tongues flying over a volcano. Amazing stuff, tree bark.
Finally, the class was adjourned and Haldir stood to the side stretching while Orophin thanked Gelien. He thought he heard his youngest brother invite the girl to dinner, but wasn't sure. At any rate, the two spent a little longer than usual saying their goodbyes, and Haldir had to drag the smitten Elf away from Gelien to go home.
"I think you were listening about as much as I was," Haldir murmured as his brother trotted up beside him.
Orophin flushed slightly. "Well, at least I didn't pretend to be the expert on all matters feminine. 'Do women make Elves go mad?' What was that?"
Haldir shrugged, flushing as well. "Just a question. One must make sure to cover everything, no matter how far out the idea might be."
Orophin lifted an eyebrow. "Oh. Right." A smile crept onto his features. "Did you see the way Gelien was looking at me?" The smile stretched up to his ears as he turned his head toward the path. "She can't resist me."
It was all Haldir could do to suppress the hysterical laughing fit that threatened to break loose at any moment. It was all he could do to keep a straight face, for that matter. A wicked light glinted in his eyes.
"Oh, yes, Orophin. I'm sure she dreams of you, and spends every waking hour thinking of her sweet, handsome guard, and when she gathers wildflowers she calls out your name and weeps because she has not told you of her undying love for you." He stopped suddenly and shaded his eyes with his hand as if looking afar. "Hark! Is that her, running toward us with the wind in her hair and a bunch of flowers in her arms, waving to you with pure adoration burning in her eyes? Go to her, brother! She waits for you!" Haldir managed one more exaggerated arm sweep before being tackled by a fiercely blushing Orophin. He pulled himself out of an armhold and gazed across the clearing. "Oh, wait, never mind, it's just a handmaiden running from a swarm of bees. Sorry, Orophin." This time he suffered a swift kick in the shin before nimbly twisting away.
Orophin disentangled himself from a pile of leaves, his face still crimson- colored. "No need to be sarcastic," he snapped. He glared at Haldir, who was still chuckling and shaking his head, and continued walking on the leaf- strewn path. He sped up ahead of his brother and raised his face to the warm afternoon sun, the gold rays mirroring themselves in his fine hair. "As a matter of fact, I happen to know that there is a maiden of the court who appears to have her eye on a certain Marchwarden."
Now it was Haldir's turn to blush. "Eilinel and I are merely friends."
Orophin smiled sweetly. "Oh? Then I suppose taking them down to the river and singing them to sleep on your shoulder is what you do with all your friends." He skipped further ahead and refused to look behind him, but he knew Haldir was there already. He hummed softly and stared at a nearby leaf as his rather concerned brother approached his side.
"And how do you 'happen' to know this?"
Orophin shrugged in his maddening way. "Oh, you know. A little bird told me." His bell-like laugh mingled with the warm breeze as he spun away before his brother could catch him. Haldir rolled his eyes disgustedly and made a mental note to watch out for spies next time he took Eilinel anywhere.
Orophin picked up a leaf from the ground and played with it while he waited for Haldir to catch up. "I wonder how Rumil and Dani are getting on," he mused.
****
Danali drowned in clear pools of silver, achingly beautiful wells of ancient pride and sorrow filled with time. She couldn't look away. She couldn't breathe. She stared back into those wells and, without uttering a word, told the story of her heart.
****
Rumil sprinted back toward the flet, his long hair streaming behind him and mingling with the shafts of his arrows as he dodged trees and branches. The brisk air complemented the cold sensation in his stomach, a product of the sheer panic he was currently experiencing.
He was going to die. He knew this for a fact. Quite simply put, Haldir was going to kill him, or at least maim him beyond recognition. Yes, he was a dead Elf.
'Oh well,' he thought detachedly. 'At least I'll get to see Mother again.'
Then a feeble glint of hope sprung in his chest, and one part of his brain said, 'Perhaps she's simply gone back home, and they're all waiting for me, and we'll all have a big laugh about this over dinner.'
Then he suddenly tripped over a root and fell flat on his face right in front of Orophin's startled feet, and another part of his brain said, 'Damn.'
****
He raised a hand and outstretched it to her, beckoning her to come closer. His eyes continued to rivet Danali, and she stepped forward as if in a trance, her intelligent gaze sorting him out as she walked to the small bench he was gesturing from. She sat, and felt all her burdens lift and fly away as the mysterious Elf finally spoke in a light, soothing voice.
"Hello, Danali. I am so glad to meet you."
****
"She what?"
Rumil didn't say a word as his older brother sank heavily to a boulder in exasperation. Haldir massaged his temple with a thumb and forefinger, and sighed.
"I don't have time for this, Rumil. You fell asleep?"
Rumil exchanged an uneasy glance with Orophin and shrugged. "I was tired."
Haldir lifted his head and glared at Rumil.
"Look, I must return to the border tomorrow-"
"I know, and I'll find her!"
Haldir placed his hands on his knees and stood.
"See that you do."
Rumil turned away and began mentally preparing a search plan, but was interrupted by Haldir, who had a strange look on his face.
"Go look in the court first. I have a feeling you shall find her there."
****
Celeborn folded his hands in his lap and gazed at the girl beside him for a long time. She eventually dropped her eyes, unable to hold his unwavering stare. Finally, he spoke once more.
"Of all the paths you could have taken, and the one you chose led you to us." He gently lifted Danali's chin, and she stared into the same penetrating eyes. "Nothing in this world happens by chance, Danali. Do you believe that?"
Danali's eyes became pleading, unsure. "The road ended here. I cannot see it anymore." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I do not know where to go. It's all ended."
Celeborn's firm voice cut through her despair. "The journey has only begun, child." He turned his head to look out over the city, and Danali did the same.
"It is not the end, it is the beginning."
****
Aww, I wish Haldir could sing me to sleep on his shoulder. *sighs* Actually, I'm sure a lot of those of the female persuasion do too. Among other things. * grins wickedly * Betcha didn't know Haldir had a girlfriend, by the way. ;p He's the private type, ya know.
