The next morning, for some reason, I woke up feeling warm and contented.
Still half asleep, I realized that Haldir must have put a blanket over me
some time in the night, because there was a fuzzy woolen feeling on my
neck.
That warm feeling I was talking about was especially concentrated on my left hip, where my hand was; my head was resting on my right, or so I thought. I didn't feel any weight on that hand, and my fingers were at an odd angle on my hip that should have been painful. which it wasn't. I squeezed something - a third hand, possibly - in my left, and pinched what felt like an ear with my right. I didn't feel the expected pain so I pinched harder.
I gasped as my sleepy brain realized that I didn't and couldn't have three hands. My eyes flung open to see a cute face inches from mine. Haldir looked like he was awake, his eyes were open. Only then I realized that most elves slept with their eyes open. thankfully.
Did I say cute?
No. I didn't say cute. I know I didn't say cute. Right? I didn't say cute.
I gasped again; petrified of us being this close, but then I realized that he was still sleeping. And there was something even better: Mister Manly Elf was mumbling.
Getting over the initial shock of laying this near to Haldir, a mischievous grin crossed my innocent face (innocent? Ha.). What was he saying?
"Meril. not there." he laughed impishly and muttered something indiscernible. "No. not again. no. (something unclear). oh. dear. (something indescribably gross)." GRUNT.
It was all I could do to keep from laughing, and I'm sure he could have gone on, but I didn't think I could handle it. nor could he from the moans and groans he was making.
Talk about a "sound sleeper."
I moved my hand from his and gave him a sharp slap to the cheek, simply to wake him up. Haldir's eyes unclouded and his hand flew off my hip and tightly caught my wrist. His eyes widened as he saw my grinning face staring back at him.
He flung himself backwards and was standing before I even realized he had moved. Haldir turned and stared at the wall of the tent with his arms crossed in front of him and bouncing nervously from one foot to the other.
I stood up and dusted myself off, almost guiltily watching Haldir's anxiety unfold. It felt good to have leverage over him, but it felt bad to see him feel that way. I could sense his nervousness. his worry that he could have hurt me in ways that I couldn't imagine, but I felt something there that I couldn't interpret. I had to say something and when I was about to open my mouth, he whirled around and asked me if I felt different.
Half understanding what he meant, I shook my head and looked into his plainly worried eyes. I shook off the urge to put my hand on his arm and he started pacing, the small space of the tent making that hard. Obviously not believing me, he again asked if I felt different.
I told him that we hadn't done any of what he thought and I assured him that I wouldn't lie about something so serious like that.
He stopped pacing to look at me, and I caught a relieved smile appear on his arrogant lips. He soon hid it, but not before I saw it.
"So you lie about other things?"
I laughed and nodded, his smile momentarily returning. "Only about minor things." I replied. Only then did I realize that we were not speaking with our mouths, but with our minds.
How was this possible? My brothers and sister can't do this.
"They are not elves."
For some reason, this echoed through my mind longer than any other thought my entire life. The word "they" seemed almost exclusive, as if I were so different from them, but still the same blood flowed in our veins. What I just realized now was more horrible just hearing and seeing better than them, it was the fact that they would grow old and die while I would look similar to what I did now for eternity. that was if I was an elf. That wasn't possible. It just couldn't be.
"Come. Gliriel. The Lady would like to see you." Haldir spoke verbally this time, shocking me momentarily with the intensity of sound. He reached out for my arm; though with more gentleness and less emotional detachment did he hold my elbow this time. Leading me back towards the Lord and Lady's tent, consequentially in the same direction as my home, Haldir explained a bit of recent events, as we had heard nothing in our little house on the plains of deserted Dunland. From what he said, I was starting to grasp that the Lords and Lady were important people. and old. Older than I would ever hope to become. Of course, one hundred years seemed like the whole of time to anyone at the age of eighteen.
Haldir opened the tent flap and shoved me in, this time not following. Seeing the Lady and Lords in front of me, I bowed courteously, wondering why and not knowing the exact method as to how.
"Good morning, Gliriel. I trust you slept well?" Galadriel questioned kindly, looking into my eyes. I again felt the "open-book" experience and knew that Galadriel (if not Celeborn and Elrond) comprehended my and Haldir's little "encounter." There was a small smile dancing on the Lady's lips and her eyes shone with a strange brightness that was not there the night before.
I gulped, but nodded. Celeborn welcomingly invited me to sit at the small breakfast table and eat with them. Just realizing that I was very hungry (I hadn't eaten since dinner two days ago), I accepted the invitation.
That warm feeling I was talking about was especially concentrated on my left hip, where my hand was; my head was resting on my right, or so I thought. I didn't feel any weight on that hand, and my fingers were at an odd angle on my hip that should have been painful. which it wasn't. I squeezed something - a third hand, possibly - in my left, and pinched what felt like an ear with my right. I didn't feel the expected pain so I pinched harder.
I gasped as my sleepy brain realized that I didn't and couldn't have three hands. My eyes flung open to see a cute face inches from mine. Haldir looked like he was awake, his eyes were open. Only then I realized that most elves slept with their eyes open. thankfully.
Did I say cute?
No. I didn't say cute. I know I didn't say cute. Right? I didn't say cute.
I gasped again; petrified of us being this close, but then I realized that he was still sleeping. And there was something even better: Mister Manly Elf was mumbling.
Getting over the initial shock of laying this near to Haldir, a mischievous grin crossed my innocent face (innocent? Ha.). What was he saying?
"Meril. not there." he laughed impishly and muttered something indiscernible. "No. not again. no. (something unclear). oh. dear. (something indescribably gross)." GRUNT.
It was all I could do to keep from laughing, and I'm sure he could have gone on, but I didn't think I could handle it. nor could he from the moans and groans he was making.
Talk about a "sound sleeper."
I moved my hand from his and gave him a sharp slap to the cheek, simply to wake him up. Haldir's eyes unclouded and his hand flew off my hip and tightly caught my wrist. His eyes widened as he saw my grinning face staring back at him.
He flung himself backwards and was standing before I even realized he had moved. Haldir turned and stared at the wall of the tent with his arms crossed in front of him and bouncing nervously from one foot to the other.
I stood up and dusted myself off, almost guiltily watching Haldir's anxiety unfold. It felt good to have leverage over him, but it felt bad to see him feel that way. I could sense his nervousness. his worry that he could have hurt me in ways that I couldn't imagine, but I felt something there that I couldn't interpret. I had to say something and when I was about to open my mouth, he whirled around and asked me if I felt different.
Half understanding what he meant, I shook my head and looked into his plainly worried eyes. I shook off the urge to put my hand on his arm and he started pacing, the small space of the tent making that hard. Obviously not believing me, he again asked if I felt different.
I told him that we hadn't done any of what he thought and I assured him that I wouldn't lie about something so serious like that.
He stopped pacing to look at me, and I caught a relieved smile appear on his arrogant lips. He soon hid it, but not before I saw it.
"So you lie about other things?"
I laughed and nodded, his smile momentarily returning. "Only about minor things." I replied. Only then did I realize that we were not speaking with our mouths, but with our minds.
How was this possible? My brothers and sister can't do this.
"They are not elves."
For some reason, this echoed through my mind longer than any other thought my entire life. The word "they" seemed almost exclusive, as if I were so different from them, but still the same blood flowed in our veins. What I just realized now was more horrible just hearing and seeing better than them, it was the fact that they would grow old and die while I would look similar to what I did now for eternity. that was if I was an elf. That wasn't possible. It just couldn't be.
"Come. Gliriel. The Lady would like to see you." Haldir spoke verbally this time, shocking me momentarily with the intensity of sound. He reached out for my arm; though with more gentleness and less emotional detachment did he hold my elbow this time. Leading me back towards the Lord and Lady's tent, consequentially in the same direction as my home, Haldir explained a bit of recent events, as we had heard nothing in our little house on the plains of deserted Dunland. From what he said, I was starting to grasp that the Lords and Lady were important people. and old. Older than I would ever hope to become. Of course, one hundred years seemed like the whole of time to anyone at the age of eighteen.
Haldir opened the tent flap and shoved me in, this time not following. Seeing the Lady and Lords in front of me, I bowed courteously, wondering why and not knowing the exact method as to how.
"Good morning, Gliriel. I trust you slept well?" Galadriel questioned kindly, looking into my eyes. I again felt the "open-book" experience and knew that Galadriel (if not Celeborn and Elrond) comprehended my and Haldir's little "encounter." There was a small smile dancing on the Lady's lips and her eyes shone with a strange brightness that was not there the night before.
I gulped, but nodded. Celeborn welcomingly invited me to sit at the small breakfast table and eat with them. Just realizing that I was very hungry (I hadn't eaten since dinner two days ago), I accepted the invitation.