Author's Note: Here is my eighteenth chapter! I must thank you all again for your reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so glad you are all enjoying this story! I have decided to do the prequel of this story and I do hope it will be as successful as this one. I was also wondering if any of you have any suggestions on what the gender of the baby should be. I know that one of you suggested a boy, but I have not made up my mind fully yet, so let me know what you think. Thanks again for the great reviews! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Tolkien's work.
Chapter 18 Festivities
Morning birds twittered joyfully in the trees. I rolled over slowly, letting the sleep clear from my eyes. My memory of last night was still hazy. Hadn't something bad happened? I struggled to free my mind of dreams, feeling a dead weight lying in my chest, the evidence of a new worry. I moved over, the bed seemed somewhat light, the absence of my husband clearly showing. Suddenly the events of the previous evening flooded back to me. He had kissed her! I had sensed it. Then, what had had happened? Ah, that's right; I had shoved him out of the bed, condemning him to a night on the floor. I rose to my knees and crawled over to peer off the side of my bed. The space on the floor was empty. I swallowed, where had he gotten to? A sound coming from the main room alerted my attention.
"Elenwen, meleth nin?" a questioning voice rang through our home. It was Haldir, did I dare answer? His voice seemed slightly gravelly, as if his throat pained him. I stood slowly, moving cautiously out of the bedroom. It was a beautiful morning, the sun slanted through the leaves of the trees, painting the rooms with splotches of light. Haldir was standing upon our terrace, his long blond hair reflecting the sun's rays. The sky was a gentle blue, the same color as his serene eyes. The air was warm, but not stifling as the summer afternoon air tended to be, but sweet and lovable, just as he was. I felt my heart melting against my will. Haldir turned and smiled at me, a loving, kind smile that I had not received in so long. Dark circles lined his creaseless eyes and his face was rather pale, but all in all, he appeared just as handsome as the day I had first laid my sight upon him. It took all of my elven strength not to rush right into his arms and be comforted. I reminded myself of what he had done and I had to follow through with my convictions and inquire as to the nature of the kiss he had shared with Lintelin. Hopefully, he would remember it, for as of now his memory of me pushing him out of our bed seemed dim. He beckoned to me, bidding for me to join him.
"Come my dear," he whispered softly and extended his arm to pull me into his embrace. I smiled weakly and moved nearer to him, still fighting my inner war. "Did you sleep well?" he wrapped his arms around my shoulders tightly. "Oh, it is such beautiful morning," he added almost as a side note.
"Fine," I muttered. "I slept fine." He chuckled and kissed the top if my hair.
"I think I must have fallen out of bed last night," Haldir laughed quietly, "for when I awoke I was on the floor!" So he did not recall what had taken place. I sighed sadly, what was I to do now? Even if I did question him, he would not be able to answer me truthfully, for his memory lacked much. I would have to wait, like I had originally planned. Tonight seemed like an age away, instead of only a few mere hours. I bid myself to be patient and enjoy this time with him, for he was in such a loving mood. I shut my eyes tightly and rested my head against his chest. I would not fight him now, I was too tired to. Depending on how things went this evening and how he took the message of my song, these might be the last hours of happiness I would share with him and that saddened me to no end.
I scrutinized my appearance in a large hanging mirror. A silver circlet rested upon my blond hair, which I had scrubbed for hours to get the desired affect of a gentle sheen. I wore a loose, light blue dress that matched my eyes and rested lightly against my rotund abdomen. A small pendant rested upon my chest. It was a silver star, fashioned in the elven style, with many intricacies and curves. Haldir had given it to me, as a wedding present. It was a symbol of our love and fidelity to each other. Fidelity? Never before had this word meant so much to me as it did now. I heard footsteps behind me. Haldir came to stand by my side. He was wearing his best uniform with pride, for he despised dress robes and the Captain of the guard was expected to wear his uniform to show his rank. He had a small pendant resting upon his chest as well. It was the pendant I had given him, almost a twin of mine, but made for a male instead. I rested my hand against it, not meeting his eyes.
"You look beautiful," he whispered kindly into my ear. I nodded, not taking my eyes of the pendant. Silently I prayed to the Valar that he would remember its meaning.
The blanket of twilight had cast itself over our land. The night birds twittered softly, while the trickle of water and sweet ring of chimes rang through the warm air. He linked his arm with mine and smiled comfortingly down at me. I clutched my harp in my free hand, feeling a slight nervousness trickle down my spine like cold water. I had not performed in many years and I wondered if my voice was still as good as it used to be. The glade in which the festival was to take place was full of elves. The greeted us in turn, some bowing in respect to Haldir. Rumil and Orophin hastened over to us when the finally caught sight of our presence. I took comfort in them, my dear brothers-in-law, knowing I could always depend on them for aide. Many of the guard members approached Haldir, showing great reverence to their commander and greeting me with equal respect. I blushed unwillingly at their kind comments. I spotted Lintelin in the far corner and immediately dropped my gaze to ground. I did not want to attract her attention and draw her over to my husband. But I knew that before the night was over, I would unfortunately be forced to make her acquaintance once more. In the very back of glade, my eyes met the gaze of a pair of depthless blue eyes. Lady Galadriel smiled down at me. She was searching my mind, I could feel it. The Lady of the Wood sensed my discomfort and sadness.
"Elenwen!" she called softly and held out her hand. "Come here dear child, I wish to speak to you."
Meleth nin: My love
Author's Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger! I do truly apologize. Most of the time when I am writing a chapter, I do not intend to end it as one, but it just comes out that way. So sorry for that, but I do hope that you enjoyed it!