Gliriel lay back with her hands behind her head as a makeshift cushion as
she stared at the stars overhead. She had much to think about: at first she
plotted only her next joke on the Marchwarden, but her mind turned
increasingly to the decision at hand. Her family was gone, and the elves
were about to leave. She knew she would have to come to a conclusion now,
tonight, as soon as possible. This type of thinking was hard for her as her
young mind had trouble imagining thirty years, much less one thousand.
If she were truly an elf, which she had almost no doubt of now, that would mean she would have an eternity to appreciate or condemn herself to loneliness. If, a thousand years from now, when the elves are almost completely gone, would she regret staying here? Her thoughts changed to "what if I go with him?" This type of thinking was hard for her as her young mind had trouble imagining thirty years, much less one thousand.
Gliriel hadn't realized that she had thought "him" instead of "them," rather her attention was brought away from the stars and round, golden moon when someone called her name. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked around to see who it was.
"May I join you?" The same male voice called from the ground. Gliriel had climbed the single tree on the plains of Dunland and yet was surprised that anyone had found her. Not that she didn't want to be found, she just wanted to be alone, by herself, away from the three Lórien Wardens for a time, who were not leaving her alone.
She sighed. 'Well, it looks as if I didn't get my wish for time alone,' she thought after she called down to Haldir and told him yes. "But I reserve the right to kick you out if you act up." She smirked as he pulled himself up through the branches.
"Fine, fine, I reserve the right of a fair warning though - your feet are painful."
"No promises."
Her gazed returned to the sky as he settled down next to her on the little floor of her tree house.
"The moon is beautiful tonight."
"Yes, very." Gliriel glanced to her right to find Haldir looking at her, not the moon. "Why do I get the feeling that you didn't come here to talk about a glowing white ball?"
There was a pregnant silence and Gliriel looked back at the sky.
"I couldn't find you, but I should have expected you to hide in the mallorn." Haldir stated finally, though his words were followed by another silence.
"What did you call it?" Gliriel glanced sidelong at him.
Haldir repeated the name and then tilted his head back to look at the stars.
"Oh."
They sat there, caught as any and every elf has been at one time or another, staring at the pinpricks of light in the dark blanket of sky. "My father planted this tree the year I was born." Gliriel whispered hoarsely and Haldir waited to see if she would say anything else. "I used to come up here with Gunth, my oldest brother, and we would stargaze, just as you and I are now. Sometimes, my sister Mala would come up here too, but it was usually past her bedtime." Gliriel smiled and tried to force back tears, but sniffled and gulped. "She would. she would try to name the stars." The she-elf pushed herself backwards until her back was resting on the trunk of the tree. She looked down at her dainty hands, tinted green by moonlight shining through the leaves of the trees.
Haldir, knowing what words were to follow, broke in when Gliriel opened her mouth to speak again. "Our people, the Galadhrim live in tree houses, similar to this, built in the mellryn trees. some are hundreds of feet high, and thousands of years old."
Gliriel continued as if she had not heard him. "Mother, a woman from Rohan, always wondered how I could spend so much time up here. Her feet never left the ground unless she had a horse beneath her. Not just any horse either, it had to be one from Rohan." She shook her head slightly to either side. "I remember many of the discussions we had, and some of the ones she had with Father, on this subject. They weren't really discussions though, it was a one sided conversation between Mother and herself, with us as an audience. But she always marveled at how quickly I could climb up here.. I never thought it much of a feat, but-"
"You have always felt more at home in the tree than in that box she called a house." Haldir finished for her. Though at first insulted that he had proclaimed her home a box, Gliriel agreed that it sometimes felt that way. The tree house felt like it gave more freedom of movement, and that it wasn't as confining as having four solid walls surrounding you. Gliriel's thoughts returned to her impending decision. Haldir sensed it, and wanted to help, if he could.
"Elrond and his people live near a waterfalls, having built their house on the rocks where the annoying roar of the water is ever-present."
"You've been there, I take it?"
"Once, and then only for a few agonizing days."
"Then how did the House of Elrond fare in your high and mighty opinion, Marchwarden?" Gliriel inquired with mock innocence. She smiled in the darkness, though he could not see her. "Besides agonizing."
Haldir's anger wanted to flare suddenly, but he found he couldn't get angry with her like he used to. "I found that I could not eradicate the sound of the Bruinen from my mind for many a year afterwards. No wonder that it is called Loud Water. I should go insane if I were forced to stay there longer than a few days. Alas, I miss the beauty of the Golden wood all the more.."
"Thank you, Marchwarden. I will take your account into consideration." Gliriel replied, speaking with a similar tone of formality that Haldir usually reserved for speaking to the Lord and Lady. She softened as she spoke again, though. "If it is excusable, I believe that I would like to stay here tonight, as it will be my final night in Dunland, no matter what I choose."
Haldir nodded stiffly, but was relieved that he would not have to camp on the ground for a third night. "Can I - "
"Expect my answer in the morning?" Gliriel finished for him. "Yes," she assured quietly. "You can."
Haldir placed a reluctant hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Gliriel." The Lothlórien Marchwarden stood up and walked to the edge of the flet. He jumped off, and landed with a loud thud on the ground.
"I'm fine. nothing's wrong." He called embarrassedly up to a chuckling Gliriel. He walked away cursing to himself; wondering why he had fallen..
After he had gone, Gliriel stood up and stretched before opening a trap door in the corner of the floor. She unfurled the rope ladder and climbed down, just as Gunther would have done not a week before.
If she were truly an elf, which she had almost no doubt of now, that would mean she would have an eternity to appreciate or condemn herself to loneliness. If, a thousand years from now, when the elves are almost completely gone, would she regret staying here? Her thoughts changed to "what if I go with him?" This type of thinking was hard for her as her young mind had trouble imagining thirty years, much less one thousand.
Gliriel hadn't realized that she had thought "him" instead of "them," rather her attention was brought away from the stars and round, golden moon when someone called her name. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked around to see who it was.
"May I join you?" The same male voice called from the ground. Gliriel had climbed the single tree on the plains of Dunland and yet was surprised that anyone had found her. Not that she didn't want to be found, she just wanted to be alone, by herself, away from the three Lórien Wardens for a time, who were not leaving her alone.
She sighed. 'Well, it looks as if I didn't get my wish for time alone,' she thought after she called down to Haldir and told him yes. "But I reserve the right to kick you out if you act up." She smirked as he pulled himself up through the branches.
"Fine, fine, I reserve the right of a fair warning though - your feet are painful."
"No promises."
Her gazed returned to the sky as he settled down next to her on the little floor of her tree house.
"The moon is beautiful tonight."
"Yes, very." Gliriel glanced to her right to find Haldir looking at her, not the moon. "Why do I get the feeling that you didn't come here to talk about a glowing white ball?"
There was a pregnant silence and Gliriel looked back at the sky.
"I couldn't find you, but I should have expected you to hide in the mallorn." Haldir stated finally, though his words were followed by another silence.
"What did you call it?" Gliriel glanced sidelong at him.
Haldir repeated the name and then tilted his head back to look at the stars.
"Oh."
They sat there, caught as any and every elf has been at one time or another, staring at the pinpricks of light in the dark blanket of sky. "My father planted this tree the year I was born." Gliriel whispered hoarsely and Haldir waited to see if she would say anything else. "I used to come up here with Gunth, my oldest brother, and we would stargaze, just as you and I are now. Sometimes, my sister Mala would come up here too, but it was usually past her bedtime." Gliriel smiled and tried to force back tears, but sniffled and gulped. "She would. she would try to name the stars." The she-elf pushed herself backwards until her back was resting on the trunk of the tree. She looked down at her dainty hands, tinted green by moonlight shining through the leaves of the trees.
Haldir, knowing what words were to follow, broke in when Gliriel opened her mouth to speak again. "Our people, the Galadhrim live in tree houses, similar to this, built in the mellryn trees. some are hundreds of feet high, and thousands of years old."
Gliriel continued as if she had not heard him. "Mother, a woman from Rohan, always wondered how I could spend so much time up here. Her feet never left the ground unless she had a horse beneath her. Not just any horse either, it had to be one from Rohan." She shook her head slightly to either side. "I remember many of the discussions we had, and some of the ones she had with Father, on this subject. They weren't really discussions though, it was a one sided conversation between Mother and herself, with us as an audience. But she always marveled at how quickly I could climb up here.. I never thought it much of a feat, but-"
"You have always felt more at home in the tree than in that box she called a house." Haldir finished for her. Though at first insulted that he had proclaimed her home a box, Gliriel agreed that it sometimes felt that way. The tree house felt like it gave more freedom of movement, and that it wasn't as confining as having four solid walls surrounding you. Gliriel's thoughts returned to her impending decision. Haldir sensed it, and wanted to help, if he could.
"Elrond and his people live near a waterfalls, having built their house on the rocks where the annoying roar of the water is ever-present."
"You've been there, I take it?"
"Once, and then only for a few agonizing days."
"Then how did the House of Elrond fare in your high and mighty opinion, Marchwarden?" Gliriel inquired with mock innocence. She smiled in the darkness, though he could not see her. "Besides agonizing."
Haldir's anger wanted to flare suddenly, but he found he couldn't get angry with her like he used to. "I found that I could not eradicate the sound of the Bruinen from my mind for many a year afterwards. No wonder that it is called Loud Water. I should go insane if I were forced to stay there longer than a few days. Alas, I miss the beauty of the Golden wood all the more.."
"Thank you, Marchwarden. I will take your account into consideration." Gliriel replied, speaking with a similar tone of formality that Haldir usually reserved for speaking to the Lord and Lady. She softened as she spoke again, though. "If it is excusable, I believe that I would like to stay here tonight, as it will be my final night in Dunland, no matter what I choose."
Haldir nodded stiffly, but was relieved that he would not have to camp on the ground for a third night. "Can I - "
"Expect my answer in the morning?" Gliriel finished for him. "Yes," she assured quietly. "You can."
Haldir placed a reluctant hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Gliriel." The Lothlórien Marchwarden stood up and walked to the edge of the flet. He jumped off, and landed with a loud thud on the ground.
"I'm fine. nothing's wrong." He called embarrassedly up to a chuckling Gliriel. He walked away cursing to himself; wondering why he had fallen..
After he had gone, Gliriel stood up and stretched before opening a trap door in the corner of the floor. She unfurled the rope ladder and climbed down, just as Gunther would have done not a week before.