Those You Love
Brotherly Advice
By Celebrian
Haldir walked quickly through Lorien, trying to get away from Lutheriel's flet as quickly as he could. He was so furious with himself that he let these emotions get to him. "What do I care?! I don't care if she has a lover. It's not like I wanted her anyways..." He tried to lie to himself, but it wasn't working. For the first time in his life he thought something good was going to happen to him. "I don't need love..." He told himself again. Haldir walked began to walk slowly after he got out of the gardens. The night was still early but the sky didn't appear to be as beautiful as it was before. The stars didn't have that violet twinkle to them and the moon was dull and lifeless. Haldir sighed, "A perfect night for the mood I'm in..." He thought as he began to climb up one of the mellryn trees. Maybe if he just sat up here for awhile and rested, he could sort these new feelings out.
Haldir leaned his head back on the tree and shut his eyes. He hoped he'd be able to forget all about the last couple of hours. "I probably won't see her again. I'll keep myself distant and that way I'll have no chance into running into her. Except I need to get those texts I promised her...I'll have someone else do it..." He decided.
It was more than a couple of hours, when Haldir hear someone walking on the ground below him. Haldir moved slightly from his perch in the tree and peered down at the ground.
"Haldir?" A voice called in a hushed whisper. "Are you out here someplace?"
It was his brother Orophin.
Haldir debated whether or not he'd let his brother know that he was right above him. Slowly, he pulled out one of his arrows from his quiver and fitted it to his bow. He decided he'd give his little brother a scare. Haldir smiled wickedly to himself and aimed it near his brother's head. Haldir released his fingers from the string and the arrow shot through the air and just missed Orophin's head by a mere inch. Haldir stifled his laughter and watched his brother practically jump out of his skin.
Orophin's face went pale as he turned around and saw the white-feathered arrow sticking into a tree. His eyes wide with fear. "...who's there?...." He said quietly, putting his hand on his knife, ready to defend himself if he needed to.
Haldir couldn't contain his laughter any longer. "You should have seen your face!" Haldir said as he poked his head out from the tree and waved to his brother. "Some sentry you are!" He laughed.
Orophin's pale face turned red with anger. "I should have figured! What are you doing up there Haldir?"
Haldir furrowed his eyebrows. "How did you know how to come looking for me here anyhow?" He asked without answering Orophin's question.
"I've been looking for you all over the place. I went to your flet and saw that you weren't home and I know usually on nights like this you like to sit and think...I guess I just guessed you'd be here...I am your brother after all..." Orophin explained as he looked up at Haldir in the pale moonlight. "Can I come up?"
Haldir nodded. "If you must." He replied, not sounding overly thrilled at the idea. He scooted back on the branch and waited for his brother to climb up.
Orophin sat on the branch next to Haldir and nodded. "Nice view..." He said looking around.
Haldir arched his eyebrow. "So...." He asked. "Why did you need to see me?"
"I wanted to see how your watch went." Orophin smiled. "I was going to ask RĂºmil but I didn't want to bother him and his wife."
"You think I like to be bothered?" Haldir asked snottily.
"Well...no. But I wanted to ask someone." Orophin said pulling a leaf off the tree and studying it closely. "So what are the Prince and Princess like?" He finally asked.
"I don't know...I barely talked to them. They seemed to act how a prince and princess should act." Haldir bluntly said
"I heard you had dinner with them. I bet that was pretty exciting." Haldir's brother smiled.
Haldir rolled his eyes. "About as exciting as having my hair braided..." He said drolly.
"And I heard that you escorted Princess Lutheriel to her flet..." Orophin added with a grin.
"Where are you getting your information from!?" Haldir snapped. His brother knew a little too much to his liking.
Orophin cringed. He was just having a bit of fun, he didn't mean to make Haldir snap. "I asked the Lady and she said that you escorted the Princess. Sorry..."
Haldir growled to himself. "I just escorted her...nothing else." He looked at his younger sibling and narrowed his eyes. He turned his head back and leaned it back on the trunk of the tree. "Go away Orophin...." He thought to himself. He thought about Lutheriel and how pretty she was. She beautiful smile and her icy blue eyes. Haldir smiled.
"Haldir? Is that a smile I see?" Orophin laughed, looking closely at his face.
Haldir stopped. "No..."
"Don't lie. What are you smiling about?" Orophin asked wondering what in Middle-earth could get his brother to smile. "Do tell?"
Haldir wanted to tell Orophin about his feelings for the Princess but how could he even bring that subject up? He would surely be laughed at. "Nothing."
"You have to tell. I promise I won't tell another soul." Orophin asked eagerly.
"It's nothing. Just forget about it." He paused and sighed deeply. "Fine. If you must know...."
"Yeah? If I must know? Yes!" Orophin said as he came closer to Haldir. "What is it? What has made you smile?"
"Don't you laugh and don't you dare tell another soul." Haldir glared.
"Promise."
"I...have..." Haldir took a deep breath. "feelings for Princess Lutheriel." He said quietly.
Silence.
Orophin sat there staring at his brother, for the longest time. "Did I hear that correctly? The March Warden of the Galadrim...has a love interest?" He paused. "And a Princess too! When you go for something, you like to go all out don't you, Hal?"
Haldir wished he could have taken the last few minutes of his life back. But surprisingly Orophin didn't laugh and he seemed generally happy for him. "So...you're not laughing? And you believe me?" He asked.
Orophin chuckled. "Well it's about time you found someone. So did you confess your undying love to her?"
"I just met her!" Haldir said a little shocked that his brother asked that. "I just think she's...beautiful. She has a kind heart too. There is a problem though..."
"What's that?" Orophin asked.
Haldir felt that stabbing pain in his chest again. "She has someone already."
"Ah yes..." Orophin said nodding his head. "There is always a catch. My advice to you then, is to let her go. Getting involved with someone who has a mate already is the worst possible thing you can do. Open your eyes up and look at the other beauties of Lorien. There are plenty of them." He said with a smile.
"I can't believe I just told you all of that.." Haldir muttered, feeling like an idiot.
"I'm glad you did, brother." Orophin said with a genuine smile. "You got some good advice out of it and I got to help my older brother. Just listen to what I have said though." Orophin looked up at the sky and then back to Haldir. "I better get going now. Have a good night, Haldir." He said as he climbed down the tree and strode off in the other direction.
Haldir watched his brother go. "Let her go? How can I possibly do that? I doubt I will ever feel the same about anyone else." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I must forget about her. She won't be here very long anyways. And what on earth would a Princess want with a March Warden? She needs a Prince and that I am not...."
Haldir tried not to think about her for the rest of the night but every time he thought of something else Lutheriel's face or voice would pop into his mind. He tried fighting it for awhile but soon gave in. And like as always when someone tried to give him advice, he pushed it to the side, pretending like he did not hear it. He knew what he was going to do, but he just had to figure out how to go about doing it.
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Author's Notes: That's the end of Chapter Seven. I hoped you enjoyed seeing Haldir starting to open up a little bit and showing that he isn't all just arrogance. As always......... Please review!!! I love to hear what my readers have to say!
