Chapter Two
Haldir sat in the chair, silent, not wanting to get into the argument. But, when Anariel said she hated her father, he spoke up.
"Anar! Don't say such things! You love your father!"
But, she ignored him, and with sadness and rage, she ran out of the room.
"I'm so sorry, Haldir. I did not think it would end up this way. All this was supposed to be was a test of her love for you. It was not supposed to make her hate me or you. I'm so sorry," Glorfindel sobbed. He slumped into the chair next to Haldir, put his head in his hands, and sobbed like a little child. Haldir reached across and laid his hands on Glorfindel's shoulders.
"Ssh. It's ok. I know it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to. But, that's ok. Look, I'll go talk to her and see if we can get this all fixed, and I'll come back in the morning, hopefully will Anariel," Haldir said, trying to comfort Glorfindel.
"Ok. But, please be sure to make her understand that I didn't want to do this, but I had to. Elrond, Celeborn, and Galadriel wouldn't stop pestering me, and they made me do this."
"Don't worry. I will," Haldir said, walking out of the door to go find Anariel.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Anariel was in her room, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. 'I can't believe my father could hate me that much! I hate being a princess!' As Anariel haphazardly shoved all of her tunics and leggings into a pack, Arwen walked into the room.
"Anar? What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Go away!" she snapped.
"Anar, there must be something wrong if your father is balling in his study, Haldir running around frantically searching for you, and you're crying and packing up all of your things! Now, tell me. Please, what's wrong?" Arwen stated with concern in her eyes.
"It's nothing that concerns you! Ok! So, leave me alone!" She slammed the pack onto the bed, closed the clasps, and swung I onto her back. Pushing past Arwen, she said, "I'm leaving and don't follow me."
Arwen looked up into the eyes of her best friend and knew she was truly going away. "Will you at least write to me? Just so I know that you're alive," Arwen asked, tears brimming her eyes.
"Yes, of course I will write to you. But, only to you, you can' tell whoever you want that I've written to you, but I will never tell you where I am. Unless you must, promise me this: you won't tell Haldir or anyone else that I am leaving."
"But, Anariel . . ."
"Promise me!"
"Ok. I promise I won't tell anyone. But, you must at least tell Haldir you're leaving. He loves you so much. It would break his heart to know that you left without saying goodbye. Will you talk to him?"
"No. Arwen, I can't. I know it would break his heart, but saying goodbye to him would break mine more that it has already."
"Write him a note then, and I'll hand it to him. And I won't read it or let anyone else do so."
"Fine. I'll write him a note." With tears in her eyes and a shaking hand, Anariel sat down at the desk and wrote a letter to Haldir. Then, once fully satisfied, she wrote a second one with much harsher words to her father. She put both of them into envelopes with names on them, sealed them, and handed them to Arwen.
"Namarie, nin mellon. Namarie,"* she said to Arwen, kissing her cheek in the customary elven way, and strode out of the room and into the night.
Many of the elves and guests of Lord Elrond's house were still singing and dancing in the Hall of Fire or too intoxicated to notice Anariel slip into the stables and ride off into the night with Asfaloth, her father's favorite horse.
About fifteen minutes after Anariel snuck out of Rivendell, Haldir walked into her room, hoping to find her. Instead, he found Arwen sitting on the bed staring into the dark, empty closet, with tears in her eyes.
"So, she is gone then. I should have known she would do this," Haldir said, a silent tear sliding down his cheek.
Arwen held out the not to Haldir. "She left this for you."
Haldir took the envelope and opened it. When he was finished, there were tears streaming from his eyes, and with a shaking voice, he said, "Now I know why she screamed like that at Glorfindel. But, why? Why didn't she stay just a bit longer?" He turned to Arwen, his eyes brimmed with tears.
"Because it was breaking her heart."
He sat down on the bed, still looking at Arwen with his sorrowful eyes. "I just wish I could have said goodbye." Haldir laid his head onto Arwen's shoulder and sobbed. Arwen put her arm around Haldir's shoulder, turned, and looked out the window.
"Goodbye, Anar. May the Valar protect you."
Out in the forest, Anariel, riding Asfaloth, turned and looked back towards Rivendell and nodded.
*Farewell, my friend. Farewell. [said by Anariel to Arwen]
Haldir sat in the chair, silent, not wanting to get into the argument. But, when Anariel said she hated her father, he spoke up.
"Anar! Don't say such things! You love your father!"
But, she ignored him, and with sadness and rage, she ran out of the room.
"I'm so sorry, Haldir. I did not think it would end up this way. All this was supposed to be was a test of her love for you. It was not supposed to make her hate me or you. I'm so sorry," Glorfindel sobbed. He slumped into the chair next to Haldir, put his head in his hands, and sobbed like a little child. Haldir reached across and laid his hands on Glorfindel's shoulders.
"Ssh. It's ok. I know it didn't turn out the way you wanted it to. But, that's ok. Look, I'll go talk to her and see if we can get this all fixed, and I'll come back in the morning, hopefully will Anariel," Haldir said, trying to comfort Glorfindel.
"Ok. But, please be sure to make her understand that I didn't want to do this, but I had to. Elrond, Celeborn, and Galadriel wouldn't stop pestering me, and they made me do this."
"Don't worry. I will," Haldir said, walking out of the door to go find Anariel.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Anariel was in her room, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. 'I can't believe my father could hate me that much! I hate being a princess!' As Anariel haphazardly shoved all of her tunics and leggings into a pack, Arwen walked into the room.
"Anar? What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Go away!" she snapped.
"Anar, there must be something wrong if your father is balling in his study, Haldir running around frantically searching for you, and you're crying and packing up all of your things! Now, tell me. Please, what's wrong?" Arwen stated with concern in her eyes.
"It's nothing that concerns you! Ok! So, leave me alone!" She slammed the pack onto the bed, closed the clasps, and swung I onto her back. Pushing past Arwen, she said, "I'm leaving and don't follow me."
Arwen looked up into the eyes of her best friend and knew she was truly going away. "Will you at least write to me? Just so I know that you're alive," Arwen asked, tears brimming her eyes.
"Yes, of course I will write to you. But, only to you, you can' tell whoever you want that I've written to you, but I will never tell you where I am. Unless you must, promise me this: you won't tell Haldir or anyone else that I am leaving."
"But, Anariel . . ."
"Promise me!"
"Ok. I promise I won't tell anyone. But, you must at least tell Haldir you're leaving. He loves you so much. It would break his heart to know that you left without saying goodbye. Will you talk to him?"
"No. Arwen, I can't. I know it would break his heart, but saying goodbye to him would break mine more that it has already."
"Write him a note then, and I'll hand it to him. And I won't read it or let anyone else do so."
"Fine. I'll write him a note." With tears in her eyes and a shaking hand, Anariel sat down at the desk and wrote a letter to Haldir. Then, once fully satisfied, she wrote a second one with much harsher words to her father. She put both of them into envelopes with names on them, sealed them, and handed them to Arwen.
"Namarie, nin mellon. Namarie,"* she said to Arwen, kissing her cheek in the customary elven way, and strode out of the room and into the night.
Many of the elves and guests of Lord Elrond's house were still singing and dancing in the Hall of Fire or too intoxicated to notice Anariel slip into the stables and ride off into the night with Asfaloth, her father's favorite horse.
About fifteen minutes after Anariel snuck out of Rivendell, Haldir walked into her room, hoping to find her. Instead, he found Arwen sitting on the bed staring into the dark, empty closet, with tears in her eyes.
"So, she is gone then. I should have known she would do this," Haldir said, a silent tear sliding down his cheek.
Arwen held out the not to Haldir. "She left this for you."
Haldir took the envelope and opened it. When he was finished, there were tears streaming from his eyes, and with a shaking voice, he said, "Now I know why she screamed like that at Glorfindel. But, why? Why didn't she stay just a bit longer?" He turned to Arwen, his eyes brimmed with tears.
"Because it was breaking her heart."
He sat down on the bed, still looking at Arwen with his sorrowful eyes. "I just wish I could have said goodbye." Haldir laid his head onto Arwen's shoulder and sobbed. Arwen put her arm around Haldir's shoulder, turned, and looked out the window.
"Goodbye, Anar. May the Valar protect you."
Out in the forest, Anariel, riding Asfaloth, turned and looked back towards Rivendell and nodded.
*Farewell, my friend. Farewell. [said by Anariel to Arwen]