Disclaimer: I haven't managed to entice Haldir back into my clutches, but
he says that if I write a sequel, he'll consider it, so until then, only
Larien is mine.
Chapter 5
As they approached the outpost, they were aware of a band of orcs following them. Haldir paused at the foot of a tall, wide tree, as Larien made her way up into its branches. High above the ground was a hut nestled in between the leaves. It had three openings: one was the hole in its floor through which the two elves had entered, but that was easily blocked by a slat of wood fitting perfectly into the hole. The others were small slits in the opposite sides of the hut, large enough only for an elf to fire an arrow.
Larien peered through a slit, watching the attacking orcs, now much reduced, as they continued their attack on the Galadhrim wardens.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Now we have a problem," he answered. "If you had not disobeyed my orders and attracted their attention by shooting at them from an unsecured position, a large group of blood-thirsty orcs would not, at this moment, be positioned at the foot of this tree, trying to find a way of getting at us."
"You were not coming up with any better ideas," she answered roughly. "Your own brother lies fallen, victim to orc arrows, and still you continue with your ill-planned defence?" she scorned as she turned back to the slit.
"Have you any better ideas for our current predicament?" he asked, turning on her. She remained silent as he brushed past her to stare out of the slit. "The wardens have managed to regroup," he commented. "There is hope for them." Larien could see he was correct. The elves had managed to form an impenetrable wall and were felling more orcs than before. Soon, the orc attackers would have to retreat or be slaughtered.
Directly below them however, the band of orcs remained, discussing their plan of action and waiting for them to emerge from the outpost. There was no way either elf could shoot at them through the slit from that impossible angle.
"There is nothing we can do but await backup," Haldir sighed as he slid down to sit on the hut floor. Larien remained at the slit, frustrated at her helplessness.
"How did they get past our wardens?" she mused under her breath.
"They took advantage of our one weakness," Haldir replied as he heard her query. "Our defences are at their lowest during watch changes."
"Is there nothing we can do?" she pressed. "Can one of us not shoot through the entrance?"
"Learn not to be so impetuous," he scorned. "That would only be a weakness in our defence. They would be able to hit us better than we could them."
"So you're willing to sit here and do nothing?" she yelled as she paced up and down the small hut. "Waiting for someone to save us?"
"There is no other way!" he shouted as he grasped her arm and pulled her down to sit next to him. "Now stop pacing, you are making me dizzy." She hurriedly shuffled away to the opposite end of the hut. Although the hut was small, she could at least increase the distance slightly between them. There was a chilly silence between them, pierced only by the sound of the orcs below them and the distant sounds of battle. Larien unsheathed her knives and inspected them closely, flicking off a speck of dirt as she did so. She swung them experimentally a couple of times before sheathing them once more. She sighed softly.
"Do not worry unduly, we will not be here long," Haldir tried to reassure her. Larien ignored his comments. Instead, she stood her bow up between her outstretched legs and began fiddling with the bowstring.
"Larien," he started again after a long pause. Larien kept her head low as she inspected the bow yet again. "Last night," he continued hesitantly. Larien's heart jumped at the mention of the previous evening. "I must apologise for my behaviour." She maintained her silence as her heart sank. She had been hoping he felt more deeply for her than he had let on. She did not want an apology, for it would only mean he regretted the whole situation. "I should not have forced the situation on you," he continued, wondering at her silence.
"Do not worry about it," she finally told him as she shook the hair out of her face. "It was of no consequence." A hot flush crept up Haldir's face.
"No consequence? I forced a kiss without your consent, surely that angers you," he asked angrily. Larien blinked away the tear that was threatening to fall and looked him straight in the eye.
"I would be grateful if you would drop the subject, Haldir," she told him sternly. Haldir felt the anger creep up on him further.
"Then I must have been under the wrong impression when I thought I was your first," he stated bluntly. "I was right about my brothers' relationship with you. I take back my apology for it was obviously not necessary. You were clearly accustomed to the situation," he raged. "For years I have bitten back my jealousy at my brothers' relationship with you, and now it seems they went further than I ever imagined. No wonder my brothers take no mates when you give them all they need."
So lost was he in his rage that he did not see Larien rise and strike his face. It was not a maiden's strike for there was power behind it, a result of years of training with the wardens. His head was flung back, his hair whipping round in the air. He brought his head round again to find Larien standing over him, fury burning in her eyes the like of which he had never seen.
"You insult me, and what is worse, you insult my brothers," she hissed. In the blink of an eye he was standing in front of her, gripping her arms as he propelled her back into the wall of the hut with a thud.
"If they are your brothers, then by logic, I am your brother."
"You have never given me reason to call you brother," she spat. "Have I not asked, nay, begged you to join us when we were children, and still you refused?"
"So you want me as a brother now?" he retorted, still holding her in a vice- like grip. "That was not the impression you gave me last night." Larien struggled against him in frustration. No matter how many years she trained with the wardens, she would never be able to beat Haldir in a fight of sheer strength. She flicked out a foot and caught his leg in hers, making him stumble. Alas, she had not reckoned with his stubbornness, and as he fell, he pulled her down with him. Once again, she was a prisoner under Haldir's deceptively heavy, muscular body.
His breath came in short bursts as he held her underneath him. At once, the anger in his eyes seemed to subside as he watched her closely.
"Larien, why is it you always stoke my anger?" he asked her softly. "I could no more hurt you than I could my own brothers." He raised a hand to stroke her cheek, wiping her hair away from her face. His fingers strayed to the sensitive tip of her ear, and she shuddered as he traced a line along it.
"Haldir," she hesitated. "You were my first. Rúmil, Orophin and I have nothing more than a sibling relationship." Haldir's eyes dropped in sudden realisation.
"Forgive me, lady, for I allow my jealousy to take control of my actions. You have always been my undoing." Larien frowned in confusion. "Did you not realise?" he asked her as he noticed her incomprehension.
"Realise what?" she whispered.
"I have loved you ever since I first met you. My feelings only intensified as you matured into adulthood." Larien felt as if someone had squeezed her breath out of her body. She could not quite believe what she was hearing, but only hoped she would not wake up from this dream yet. She closed her eyes as his fingers played with her hair, stroking her ear gently and sending shivers of pleasure throughout her body. She could feel the warmth rise within her once again and his breath, warm on her face, as he leaned in to press his lips against hers, running his tongue lightly along her lips, requesting entry.
As she opened her eyes to look upon the face she had loved for so long, a movement at the window caught her attention. She swiftly pushed Haldir away from her and reached for her bow and arrow. She had no time to register the look on her love's face as the arrow flew past Haldir's ear and embedded itself in the centre of the orc's forehead. Haldir turned in astonishment to see a dead orc fall out of the tree. He turned back to her, his face white with shock.
"You could have warned me, Larien. I thought you had taken offence and wanted me dead," he whispered with a tremor in his voice. Larien smiled.
"How could I take offence at the one I have loved for so long," she replied as she reached over and stroked his face. "You are the only elf I have ever wanted, but I never thought you would feel the same way about me."
She leaned over towards the slit and looked out. "I do not believe the others will try that stunt now that they have witnessed the fate of their colleague," she informed him with a wry grin as they resumed their tender kissing.
They lay together with arms around each other for a long while, lost in the moment as they enjoyed the feeling of each other's bodies, before they heard the sound of the approaching wardens.
"Haldir!" came a familiar voice. "Haldir, are you up there?" Haldir released Larien regretfully as he slowly rose.
"I am," he replied as he leaned out of the slit.
"Have you seen Larien?" he asked anxiously, just as she was brushing herself down.
"She is with me, yes," he replied as he ran his fingers through his tousled hair. "What news of Rúmil?" he asked Orophin as he descended the tree after Larien. "And the orcs?"
"The orcs retreated soon after you left, and Rúmil is found. He has been taken to the healers and they say he is not mortally wounded." Both Haldir and Larien released sighs of relief as they heard the news. "We heard that you both had been last seen heading towards the orcs and we feared the worst," he told them with a nervous grin as they made their way back towards Caras Galadhon. He glanced at Larien. "Have you been all right in Haldir's company?" he asked her in a whisper. Larien smiled back at him.
"Better than I ever expected," she replied. "In fact, something tells me we are going to get along much better than before." Orophin could only look on in surprise as Haldir wound an arm around Larien's waist, a contented smile on both their faces.
TBC . . .?
* * *
Morwen - Lol, yes, OK, I was being a little dramatic . . . blame my muse!
Fan81981 - Thanks for the review and the comments. I'd hate myself if I had made Larien frail of fragile!
corrina - Better than the earlier chapters? Thanks!
JadeGoddess - Do you approve of this ending?
padawan_jinx - *Blushes* First time I've gotten applause :oD I think elves must be even slower than human guys because it's taken Haldir how long now to realise his feelings?!?
Jenny - *Cowering in fear* Oh, my first death threat! I'm so proud! One thing that puzzles me, why is it that so many people love it when Haldir gets smacked silly?? I'll have to incorporate that into the sequel!
Tricia - You guessed right, hon! Inwë may have more of a main part in the sequel, if I get round to writing it. Oh, and of course, a lot more of Haldir's male pride, couldn't leave that out, could I?!
Lady of Legolas - Great reason as to why Haldir doesn't want Larien in the wardens. I tend to think it's a combination of macho pride and your reasoning. I'd love it to be jealousy, but somehow, I very much doubt it!
lausie - I had to get at least ONE cliffhanger in!
Well, that brings me to the end of this pretty simple fic. I never intended to post it. I only wrote it to see if I could write a romance, so I never expected this response. I suppose I'm going to have to try my hand at writing a sequel in that case! I'm not sure when I'll be posting it, so if anyone wants me to email them when I put it up, leave your email in your review and I'll let you know.
Once again, a HUUUUGE thank you to all my reviewers. You've made my week! :oD
Chapter 5
As they approached the outpost, they were aware of a band of orcs following them. Haldir paused at the foot of a tall, wide tree, as Larien made her way up into its branches. High above the ground was a hut nestled in between the leaves. It had three openings: one was the hole in its floor through which the two elves had entered, but that was easily blocked by a slat of wood fitting perfectly into the hole. The others were small slits in the opposite sides of the hut, large enough only for an elf to fire an arrow.
Larien peered through a slit, watching the attacking orcs, now much reduced, as they continued their attack on the Galadhrim wardens.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Now we have a problem," he answered. "If you had not disobeyed my orders and attracted their attention by shooting at them from an unsecured position, a large group of blood-thirsty orcs would not, at this moment, be positioned at the foot of this tree, trying to find a way of getting at us."
"You were not coming up with any better ideas," she answered roughly. "Your own brother lies fallen, victim to orc arrows, and still you continue with your ill-planned defence?" she scorned as she turned back to the slit.
"Have you any better ideas for our current predicament?" he asked, turning on her. She remained silent as he brushed past her to stare out of the slit. "The wardens have managed to regroup," he commented. "There is hope for them." Larien could see he was correct. The elves had managed to form an impenetrable wall and were felling more orcs than before. Soon, the orc attackers would have to retreat or be slaughtered.
Directly below them however, the band of orcs remained, discussing their plan of action and waiting for them to emerge from the outpost. There was no way either elf could shoot at them through the slit from that impossible angle.
"There is nothing we can do but await backup," Haldir sighed as he slid down to sit on the hut floor. Larien remained at the slit, frustrated at her helplessness.
"How did they get past our wardens?" she mused under her breath.
"They took advantage of our one weakness," Haldir replied as he heard her query. "Our defences are at their lowest during watch changes."
"Is there nothing we can do?" she pressed. "Can one of us not shoot through the entrance?"
"Learn not to be so impetuous," he scorned. "That would only be a weakness in our defence. They would be able to hit us better than we could them."
"So you're willing to sit here and do nothing?" she yelled as she paced up and down the small hut. "Waiting for someone to save us?"
"There is no other way!" he shouted as he grasped her arm and pulled her down to sit next to him. "Now stop pacing, you are making me dizzy." She hurriedly shuffled away to the opposite end of the hut. Although the hut was small, she could at least increase the distance slightly between them. There was a chilly silence between them, pierced only by the sound of the orcs below them and the distant sounds of battle. Larien unsheathed her knives and inspected them closely, flicking off a speck of dirt as she did so. She swung them experimentally a couple of times before sheathing them once more. She sighed softly.
"Do not worry unduly, we will not be here long," Haldir tried to reassure her. Larien ignored his comments. Instead, she stood her bow up between her outstretched legs and began fiddling with the bowstring.
"Larien," he started again after a long pause. Larien kept her head low as she inspected the bow yet again. "Last night," he continued hesitantly. Larien's heart jumped at the mention of the previous evening. "I must apologise for my behaviour." She maintained her silence as her heart sank. She had been hoping he felt more deeply for her than he had let on. She did not want an apology, for it would only mean he regretted the whole situation. "I should not have forced the situation on you," he continued, wondering at her silence.
"Do not worry about it," she finally told him as she shook the hair out of her face. "It was of no consequence." A hot flush crept up Haldir's face.
"No consequence? I forced a kiss without your consent, surely that angers you," he asked angrily. Larien blinked away the tear that was threatening to fall and looked him straight in the eye.
"I would be grateful if you would drop the subject, Haldir," she told him sternly. Haldir felt the anger creep up on him further.
"Then I must have been under the wrong impression when I thought I was your first," he stated bluntly. "I was right about my brothers' relationship with you. I take back my apology for it was obviously not necessary. You were clearly accustomed to the situation," he raged. "For years I have bitten back my jealousy at my brothers' relationship with you, and now it seems they went further than I ever imagined. No wonder my brothers take no mates when you give them all they need."
So lost was he in his rage that he did not see Larien rise and strike his face. It was not a maiden's strike for there was power behind it, a result of years of training with the wardens. His head was flung back, his hair whipping round in the air. He brought his head round again to find Larien standing over him, fury burning in her eyes the like of which he had never seen.
"You insult me, and what is worse, you insult my brothers," she hissed. In the blink of an eye he was standing in front of her, gripping her arms as he propelled her back into the wall of the hut with a thud.
"If they are your brothers, then by logic, I am your brother."
"You have never given me reason to call you brother," she spat. "Have I not asked, nay, begged you to join us when we were children, and still you refused?"
"So you want me as a brother now?" he retorted, still holding her in a vice- like grip. "That was not the impression you gave me last night." Larien struggled against him in frustration. No matter how many years she trained with the wardens, she would never be able to beat Haldir in a fight of sheer strength. She flicked out a foot and caught his leg in hers, making him stumble. Alas, she had not reckoned with his stubbornness, and as he fell, he pulled her down with him. Once again, she was a prisoner under Haldir's deceptively heavy, muscular body.
His breath came in short bursts as he held her underneath him. At once, the anger in his eyes seemed to subside as he watched her closely.
"Larien, why is it you always stoke my anger?" he asked her softly. "I could no more hurt you than I could my own brothers." He raised a hand to stroke her cheek, wiping her hair away from her face. His fingers strayed to the sensitive tip of her ear, and she shuddered as he traced a line along it.
"Haldir," she hesitated. "You were my first. Rúmil, Orophin and I have nothing more than a sibling relationship." Haldir's eyes dropped in sudden realisation.
"Forgive me, lady, for I allow my jealousy to take control of my actions. You have always been my undoing." Larien frowned in confusion. "Did you not realise?" he asked her as he noticed her incomprehension.
"Realise what?" she whispered.
"I have loved you ever since I first met you. My feelings only intensified as you matured into adulthood." Larien felt as if someone had squeezed her breath out of her body. She could not quite believe what she was hearing, but only hoped she would not wake up from this dream yet. She closed her eyes as his fingers played with her hair, stroking her ear gently and sending shivers of pleasure throughout her body. She could feel the warmth rise within her once again and his breath, warm on her face, as he leaned in to press his lips against hers, running his tongue lightly along her lips, requesting entry.
As she opened her eyes to look upon the face she had loved for so long, a movement at the window caught her attention. She swiftly pushed Haldir away from her and reached for her bow and arrow. She had no time to register the look on her love's face as the arrow flew past Haldir's ear and embedded itself in the centre of the orc's forehead. Haldir turned in astonishment to see a dead orc fall out of the tree. He turned back to her, his face white with shock.
"You could have warned me, Larien. I thought you had taken offence and wanted me dead," he whispered with a tremor in his voice. Larien smiled.
"How could I take offence at the one I have loved for so long," she replied as she reached over and stroked his face. "You are the only elf I have ever wanted, but I never thought you would feel the same way about me."
She leaned over towards the slit and looked out. "I do not believe the others will try that stunt now that they have witnessed the fate of their colleague," she informed him with a wry grin as they resumed their tender kissing.
They lay together with arms around each other for a long while, lost in the moment as they enjoyed the feeling of each other's bodies, before they heard the sound of the approaching wardens.
"Haldir!" came a familiar voice. "Haldir, are you up there?" Haldir released Larien regretfully as he slowly rose.
"I am," he replied as he leaned out of the slit.
"Have you seen Larien?" he asked anxiously, just as she was brushing herself down.
"She is with me, yes," he replied as he ran his fingers through his tousled hair. "What news of Rúmil?" he asked Orophin as he descended the tree after Larien. "And the orcs?"
"The orcs retreated soon after you left, and Rúmil is found. He has been taken to the healers and they say he is not mortally wounded." Both Haldir and Larien released sighs of relief as they heard the news. "We heard that you both had been last seen heading towards the orcs and we feared the worst," he told them with a nervous grin as they made their way back towards Caras Galadhon. He glanced at Larien. "Have you been all right in Haldir's company?" he asked her in a whisper. Larien smiled back at him.
"Better than I ever expected," she replied. "In fact, something tells me we are going to get along much better than before." Orophin could only look on in surprise as Haldir wound an arm around Larien's waist, a contented smile on both their faces.
TBC . . .?
* * *
Morwen - Lol, yes, OK, I was being a little dramatic . . . blame my muse!
Fan81981 - Thanks for the review and the comments. I'd hate myself if I had made Larien frail of fragile!
corrina - Better than the earlier chapters? Thanks!
JadeGoddess - Do you approve of this ending?
padawan_jinx - *Blushes* First time I've gotten applause :oD I think elves must be even slower than human guys because it's taken Haldir how long now to realise his feelings?!?
Jenny - *Cowering in fear* Oh, my first death threat! I'm so proud! One thing that puzzles me, why is it that so many people love it when Haldir gets smacked silly?? I'll have to incorporate that into the sequel!
Tricia - You guessed right, hon! Inwë may have more of a main part in the sequel, if I get round to writing it. Oh, and of course, a lot more of Haldir's male pride, couldn't leave that out, could I?!
Lady of Legolas - Great reason as to why Haldir doesn't want Larien in the wardens. I tend to think it's a combination of macho pride and your reasoning. I'd love it to be jealousy, but somehow, I very much doubt it!
lausie - I had to get at least ONE cliffhanger in!
Well, that brings me to the end of this pretty simple fic. I never intended to post it. I only wrote it to see if I could write a romance, so I never expected this response. I suppose I'm going to have to try my hand at writing a sequel in that case! I'm not sure when I'll be posting it, so if anyone wants me to email them when I put it up, leave your email in your review and I'll let you know.
Once again, a HUUUUGE thank you to all my reviewers. You've made my week! :oD