WARNING: You cannot kill the author after you read this chapter.

Chapter 22- Confusion and Impending Melee

A month passed quickly in Lórien, especially with the warden trainees practicing long hours with their instructors and the instructors indulging themselves in a little female company while on reprieve from their duties. Indilisse had spent much of her time doing some more writing, delivering to the Lord and Lady her first completed manuscript. During other times, she visited with her mother. Vanima had picked up on the fact that her daughter was in love rather quickly, and they had discussed it profusely, Vanima swearing not tell Targon about it. Then there were the times that she and Narië would take a walk and discuss what was going on in their lives. Unfortunately, though, for Indilisse it grew very annoying to hear of the love shared between the handmaiden and Rúmil. Not that Indilisse was not happy for Narië, and would have normally loved to hear about it, but the fact that her own love life was rocky made Indilisse realize just how much she wanted that finality to a relationship.

Speaking of relationships... she had purposely stayed as far away from Haldir as she could manage. Of course, he would visit her after the day's work had been completed and they would also take a walk or visit the flet. Basically they would go anywhere that allowed for a certain amount of privacy, but still made it hard to do anything that they would regret later. Haldir seemed to enjoy the time they spent together, and she did most of the time as well, but it was slowly making her crazy with the mixed signals coming from him. One moment he could be this smoldering elf- one that she had to touch and grasp at his body, to which he usually liked very much. And other times he was aloof and seemed not to care for her in any way but friendly. And tonight seemed to be just one of those nights.

Indilisse sat across the field, at her father's table, sipping her wine continuously. It allowed for a better vantage point if it looked as if her eyes were focused on the pewter rim than directly at him. She would not allow him the satisfaction of knowing she so openly stared at him. Not after the way he had spoken to her earlier. Sure, she realized that he was in full-out March Warden mode so that meant a greater degree of arrogance from, but to quickly turn his attention away from her to another elf who had begged his attention without so much as a goodbye irked her beyond all belief. Maybe if he just got off of his high horse...

Visions of the ride they took to the grotto swept her mind. Why could he not be like that all the time? Caring and loving, confident and suave all wrapped into one male elf. The way he had touched her so reverently was more than any word could ever portray accurately his nature and how he treated her most of the time- that was when they were not around other people. He had slipped a few times in his longing glances and comments, receiving many curious comments and questions from others, to which he quickly supplied some egotistical statement. Then half of the time he seemed scared away from her. It enraged her so very much.

"Indilisse, mellon," came the soft voice from beside her.

Indilisse turned to find Elladan's soft blue eyes looking down at her. "Elladan."

"Could I ask a friend for a walk in the garden to talk?" Elladan extended his hand.

She took his hand, not even having to think about it. She followed him out of the celebration for the new wardens, past the lining of trees and they started for the gardens in complete silence. Once they were there, Elladan placed her arm in his and they walked slowly around the quiet pond. "Why do you need me to talk with, Elladan?"

"I value your opinion, Indilisse." Elladan looked down at her. "And I wished to have one last conversation with the elleth I am closest with, besides Arwen, before we leave for Imladris."

"Oh." Indilisse replied.

He smiled, "Something seems to be troubling you, lirimaer."

She sighed heavily, and looked up at him, debating whether or not she tell Elladan what was really on her mind. Knowing that he was still one of her most valued friends, she began, "It is a long story."

"Does it involve a March Warden?" Elladan asked.

"Does everyone know?!" Indilisse exclaimed.

"Nay, my sweet Indilisse." He chuckled, "Eruanne has told me many things."

"They must be slanted," she remarked, "She is friends with Nindë."

Elladan shook his head and smiled again, "She no longer remains friends with that elleth. Eruanne is different than they are, and she finally realized that maybe they were not the best friends."

Indilisse thought about this for a moment. It was true. Eruanne had seemed the most in touch with the real world out of the entire group, and was downright pleasant to speak with the few times they had a chance to the past month. "You must protect her, Elladan. If Nindë and Valaina find out of her change, they will forever be thorns in her side."

"They already were." Elladan replied, "But I do intend on keeping close watch on her."

She glanced quickly up at Elladan with large eyes, "She is going to Imladris with you?"

He nodded, "Aye, she is, but she has a cousin there that she wishes to see. But in that time, I wish to spend a great deal of my efforts wooing her."

Indilisse smiled and pulled Elladan into a long hug, "I wish you all the luck Elladan. You must keep me informed as to how things are going."

"I will, Indilisse." Elladan said, pulling away to look down at her, "But we have digressed from the original topic. Do you have feelings for the March Warden, Indilisse? If you do, you should tell him."

"I do not know, Elladan." Indilisse replied, and then let out an embarrassed chuckle, "This is quite odd to speak with you about this."

"I know, it is weird to speak with you about Eruanne." He smiled, "And what do you mean you do not know?"

She shrugged and pulled away from him, walking to a carved stone bench. Indilisse picked at her pale blue dress and waited until Elladan joined her to continue, "I know I care for him Elladan. I feel different things than I ever felt with you, I hate to be so blunt with it, but it is true."

He chuckled lightly and put an arm around her, "I would have it no other way than blunt, Indilisse. You know that."

"And yet, sometimes he just acts like he cannot be bothered with me." Indilisse continued, "I know he has feelings as well; I know it by the way he kisses me."

Elladan froze for a moment, Indilisse figured that the information of the actual extension of their relationship was a great shock to him. He recovered quickly, though, and sighed, "He is an honorable elf, Indilisse. He will make his intentions known soon enough... if he knows what is good for him."

She giggled, "Are you telling me that you would do him harm if he was not?"

"Most definitely when it concerns you." He said with a serious face. "And I am sure Grandmother and Grandfather would have something to say about it as well."

Indilisse nodded her head and sighed, "They would."

Elladan looked at her for a while and smiled, "You know, since I cannot have you, I am glad it is Haldir that you have chosen. He is the only one worthy of your love."

"Really?"

"Aye." He said, "The March Warden is the one elf I would wish to have by my side in every battle, except that of Elrohir."

Indilisse felt a calm come over her, Elladan's words seemingly making her feel better about the whole situation before her. She trusted Elladan more than anything in Arda, but she really did not need to hear his endorsement for her to know that Haldir was an amazing elf. "Thank you, Elladan."

"You are welcome, mellon." He replied, leaning down and placing a soft kiss upon her temple.

Nindë watched this interaction between Indilisse and Elladan, gasping to herself. She did not need to hear what they were saying to see the full intention of the kiss Elladan placed on her temple. Slowly, she smiled, and many thoughts came to her head. Indilisse was no better than herself, always reaching for the highest elf to bed. Maybe Indilisse was just using Haldir to get to Elladan again. To say that she had been delighted upon recently finding out that Indilisse and Elladan had a past, would have been a severe understatement. And it had been Eruanne who had told her too! Of course it did take some blackmailing and major prodding on Nindë's part to find out this information, but she had. What would Eruanne do if she saw this little interaction?

She turned back towards the path she had originally been on when she heard their talking. She had been very angry that she had not been invited to this celebration and Indilisse had. It allowed for that bewitching elleth to work her magic once more on Haldir when she was not around to counteract it. Nindë had not intended on running into the March Warden though. He was coming down the path from the stairs that led up to Indilisse's talan, looking around absently and not really paying attention himself. Haldir had visited her talan many nights, she had noticed.

Nindë smiled. Maybe she could get him to believe that Indilisse was in Elladan's arms. Nay, he would never believe her, especially since he knew of her reserves about Indilisse. She continued up the path, looking at the ground, waiting to see if Haldir said anything. Indeed, he did.

"Have you seen Indilisse by any chance, Nindë?" Haldir questioned, "And hopefully it will be the truth."

Nindë smiled sweetly, "I saw her leaving the celebration with Lord Elladan, Haldir."

"Oh?" He questioned lightly.

"Aye, they were walking arm in arm and laughing." Nindë replied. A little coloration of the story would hurt no one. "And then I saw them make their way into the garden."

Haldir looked at her for a long moment, "This is the truth?"

"I would not lie." Nindë said, "Besides, you can tell if I am or not."

He nodded his head, "True... So you say they went into the garden?"

"Yes." Nindë nodded, covering her mouth to block the slight smile playing on her lips. Haldir was a jealous lover, of that much she knew, and any amount of touching between Indilisse and Elladan, even though they said they were no longer together, would surely send him over the edge of envy.

"Thank you." Haldir said, walking towards the nearest entrance to the gardens. He stepped behind the first large shrub and was hidden from view.

Nindë stalked up as lightly as she could so as not to be detected by Haldir. Managing to get by him and to a decent viewing spot, Narië watched to see what happened. There in the shadows next to the far off bench, where Indilisse and Elladan were before, stood the couple now. The golden- haired elleth was pushed back against a large tree trunk, and Elladan was holding her sufficiently against it, her arms above her head. Elladan removed his hands, letting his fingers trace down the sides of her blue dress, darker in this light, to her thighs. The couples' ardent kissing grew even more so as his hands lowered even further and gathered the long fabric up in his hands enough to slip a hand beneath the dress.

Nindë's eyes bugged out of her head in pure delight. Haldir was seeing this as well! This was a slight deviation of the plans she had made a month earlier to hurt Indilisse, but this was even better. Indilisse had actually been the one to create the larger offense. Nindë's original idea in comparison to Indilisse was like Sauron to a miserly mouse.

A flash before her eyes alerted her to the fact that Haldir was storming out of the viewing area. She had never seen him move so briskly and with such an angry look upon his face. He looked as though he could spit fire and kill a whole band of orcs single-handedly. Nindë giggled happily and followed him out of the garden a little ways until she realized he was heading for his talan. Deciding it would be better to dig into his injuries from this night the following morning to make him see that every elleth was the same, Nindë turned back around on her heels for her talan. She knew she would hardly be able to sleep for the next day from the excitement of her self-appointed task of spreading the evil rumor.

Indilisse giggled to herself as she left the garden. Eruanne was a sweet elleth, and by the way she and Elladan had greeted each other in the garden, Indilisse was satisfied that Nindë and Valaina no longer held sway over her. It had been evident to Indilisse that she had only been a guise so that Elladan could escape without being noticed and Eruanne could meet him down here since she was not invited to the celebration.

She had turned back to look at them after walking a good ways, and smiled seeing Elladan pinning Eruanne against the tree and planting a passionate kiss upon her lips. Indilisse sighed, in the back of her mind wishing that Haldir showed the same fervor all the time. But then again, maybe he did not see her the same way Elladan saw Eruanne. She shook her head and went back for her talan, in need of a good rest before the following day when the preparations would be made for the departures from Lórien. It would be sad to see the twins go.

"There you are!" Narië exclaimed, "I thought you had vanished into thin air."

"Nay, I am here." Indilisse laughed, "What is it?"

"Nothing much, but Rúmil's begetting day is in a few days," Narië said. "Every time I mean to tell you, it slips my mind. I wish to have a small celebration for him at our talan... I am still warming up to saying that."

Indilisse sighed and nodded her head, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not that I can think of." Narië replied, and thought for a moment, "I just need your body there for the evening meal. And you do not need to bring a gift, as you gave us one for the binding."

"I would still like to bring him a gift." Indilisse said, "I will think of something, whether he likes the gift or not."

Narië laughed, "This should be an interesting day for him then."

They stopped in front of Indilisse's talan, and Indilisse smiled, "Join me for some wine before you have to disappear again and do your wifely duties?"

"I would like that, Indilisse. We never spend much time together any more." Narië said, following Indilisse into the talan and dropped down upon the nearest cushioned seat.

"Aye, I keep meaning to tell Rúmil that he should let you out of his bed once and a while." Indilisse joked, glancing sideways at Narië before walking to the kitchen and pouring two glasses of deep red wine.

"Even if you did tell him that, I do not think he would let me leave." Narië smiled over her goblet and took a long sip. "He is very persistent."

"Daro!" Indilisse exclaimed, trying to cover her ears. "I do not need to hear about Rúmil's appetite for... for copulation."

Narië giggled, "I will, for you, mellon nin."

"Thank you." Indilisse sighed again and rested her head back on the chaise she was lounging on.

"When do your parents leave for Valinor?" Narië questioned after some time.

Indilisse glanced at her, "In a few weeks. I will miss them sorely."

"Was it a big surprise when you found this out?" Narië asked.

"Aye, they sprang it on me all of a sudden." Indilisse nodded, "But they should go. They deserve to live in peace without the threat of great evil like here in Arda."

Narië smiled warmly, and reached out to pat Indilisse's hand, "It is hard to see them go, but you will see them again one day in Valinor. Then the rejoicing will be great. That is what I keep thinking of when I miss my parents. And now I will get to introduce them to Rúmil."

"But what if I never go?" Indilisse questioned, "What if there is a contingent of elves that stay behind in Lórien after the changing of the world?"

"If you are with Haldir, Indilisse, then you will most certainly go wherever he goes, and he will go wherever the Lady goes." Narië replied, "So you see, you will end up in the West one day."

Indilisse paused and looked at Narië with a stunned expression, "What did you say about Haldir?"

Narië's skin looked ashen and she bit her lip, "I should not have said anything. There I go running my mouth off again."

"What do you know?" Indilisse demanded. "Has Orophin told you my secret?"

The handmaiden nodded her head slightly, "Well, he told Rúmil and Rúmil told me. But I am going to be quiet now, so as not to indulge any more information."

Indilisse glared at her, "You know, if you were privy to any more information, it is your duty as an elleth and as my friend to tell me."

Narië laughed and stood up from her spot, walking to the door. "On this issue, I will let you find out for yourself."

"You cannot do this to me Narië!" Indilisse whined, "You cannot leave me like this!"

Narië smiled and opened the door. "Sleep well, my friend."

Indilisse listened to her descent of the stairs and let out an aggravated sigh. Now she had another thing to worry about.

--- Mellon- friend Mellon nin- my friend Daro- Stop! Or Halt!