Authors' Note: Here is my fifth chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews again. They have really encouraged me to continue this story. In the next chapter, you will see more into Haldir and his flaws. One of you gave me a great idea, which was to make him vain. I think I will definitely use that. Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tolkien's work.

Chapter 5 Fallen But Not Defeated

            Haldir and Minyoiel broke apart when they heard Figwit gasp. His eyes had rolled back into his head and the young elf collapsed in a heap. Both elves were at first taken aback, for their well trained ears had missed the sound of his entry. But Haldir finally stood and cautiously walked over to him.

            "Who is this?" he glanced up at his fiancée with a rather accusatory look upon his face.

            "I do not know, love. I think he is one of Elrond's young councilors," she said as she went to kneel beside Figwit as well. "They introduced me to him when I first arrived. What was his name? Figwig? Fitwit? Oh, I can not recall."

            "Well, what is he doing here?" Haldir still seemed slightly suspicious at the fact that another male elf had wandered so freely into Minyoiel's chambers.

            "How should I know? I've only met him once. But….oh," she suddenly cut off as she remembered the day in the library. "No, he was in the library as well. He dropped his book and I picked it up for him. He seemed slightly strange."

            "What do you mean when you say strange?" the March Warden was still concerned.

            "It must have been the heat," she responded. "But other than that I have not seen him. Unless…" Her memory once again trailed back to the other morning. "I did have the sense that someone was following me before." Haldir snapped his head back up.

            "He has been stalking you?"

            "I am not sure. It could have been anyone."

            "What is this?" Haldir removed a piece of parchment clutched in his hand. After a few minutes of silent reading, his eyes became full of anger and he crumpled the paper in his hand. "It's a love poem," the March Warden said softly.

            "A what?" Minyoiel's shrill voice pierced the quiet air. "Haldir I know nothing of this elf. A love poem? I tell you truthfully, I did not know of that." The elf looked up into the blue eyes of his fiancée and saw that she spoke truth.

            "Well, it seems that he is quite smitten with you then," he managed to smile back at her. The maiden just sighed deeply.

            "I truly had no idea."

            "I know, I know," Haldir reached forward and embraced her. "What do you think we should do with him?"

            "Bring him to the houses of healing dearest," she patted his arm gently. "We do not want him to die. You know how touchy these Imladris elves can be about things like this."

            Indeed the healers of Imladris were stunned when they saw the March Warden carrying the advisor Figwit over his shoulder. The younger elf seemed to have succumbed to the heat and was now unconscious. At first, they were wary of his condition. Had Haldir caused his present state? But after a few minutes of examining him, it appeared to them that he had in fact fainted from the sun. His bearer swiftly left the room after he had dropped off his charge and as he was walking along the halls, near ran into another elf hurrying in the opposite direction.

            "Will you not watch where you are going?" he glowered at the male. Lindir jumped back with a gasp.

            "March Warden, sir please excuse me," the librarian attempted to collect himself. "But, mayhap you can help me." He swallowed hard before asking this next question. "I am looking for a friend of mine. His name is Figwit and he has long brown hair and brown eyes. Have you seen him by any chance?" A smile spread across Haldir's face. Lindir cringed inside when he saw this.

            "Ah, yes I have seen your friend," he titled his head to indicate the houses of healing. "He is in there." With that, the March Warden strode off with an arrogant smirk. His work here was done. The librarian, on the other hand, was in a panic. After his meeting with Glorfindel, he had decided that he could not keep the truth from poor Figwit. But now what was he to do? That horrid Haldir had probably beaten him to a bloody pulp. Taking a deep breath, Lindir gently pushed the door to the healers' room, open.

            When he first awoke, Figwit was very surprised by his surroundings. Upon his head rested a cold cloth and all of his heavy outer robes had been removed. But what surprised him the most was the fact that Lindir was sitting tensely beside him.

            "Oh Figwit!" he exclaimed. "Please forgive me! I should have told you that the maiden was engaged to Haldir. I never dreamt that he would show up here in Imladris!"

            "Engaged?" Figwit felt his heart sink as he recalled the reason for his fainting. "She's engaged?"

            "Yes, dear lad. I am so sorry," Lindir truly looked sincere. Maybe it had taken the thought of the younger elf getting a lesson from the March Warden to change his heart.

            "Well, I won't let that stop me!" the advisor sat up in determination and was then scolded by one of the healers to lie back down. "I'll just have to try harder to win her favor."

            "But Figwit!" the other elf was in shock. "Do you not know of Haldir, the March Warden of Lorien? He is one of the fiercest fighters in all the elven realms.  He is also extremely protective of his bride to be. And please do not forget the fact that Minyoiel is quite a cold, arrogant elf like her fiancé. You would never capture her heart. You might as well quit now before you get hurt!"

            "Yet she could come to fancy me Lindir!" the young elf was adamant, "with your help and the aide of others. You could teach me to compose love poetry and mayhap someone could teach me how to fight. And the Lady Arwen was always kind to me. She could instruct me in the ways of ellith. If I keep trying, mayhap Minyoiel will see what a wonderful elf I am. I have heard that maidens love nothing more than persistence. They don't like it when you give up on them to easily. You must keep following them and annoying them until they give you a chance."  Lindir was shaking his head slowly with a grim look set upon his face.

            "You truly do need to speak to Arwen about the ways of ellith," he said with a sigh. "For I believe you have been misinformed."

            "But will you help me then?" the elf looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

            "I could do no such thing…." But Figwit would not let him finish.

            "You owe it to me Lindir, after how you tricked me into believing Minyoiel to be single!" The librarian was at a total loss for words. Finally he nodded his head slowly.

            "Oh thank you mellon nin!" the other exclaimed. "You will not regret this!" Lindir, on the other hand, looked very doubtful about that.

Ellith: female elves

Mellon Nin: My friend