Author's Note: Hey...sorry this has been so late in getting posted! There's been a lot happening here lately...my best friend's husband left her about a month ago and she tried to kill herself. She's doing a lot better now though...I sincerely hope he never comes back. Worthless piece of crap that he is anyway...lol!!!
But enough of that! Here's the next chapter...hope you all like. It's kind of a behind the scenes look at what might have happened before the elves of Lorien joined Theoden and Aragorn at Helm's Deep.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own character...anyone know where I can buy Haldir??? :p
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER THIRTY
She awoke all at once, a scream almost escaping from behind her clenched teeth. Even awake, she could still see her enemy's horrifying face, could feel the bite of the arrow as it slammed into her leg. But knowing that it was a dream didn't make the pain any easier to bear, and her leg and shoulder ached terribly.
Sitting up in bed, she became momentarily confused as she wondered where she was, but as memories came flooding back she remembered that she had been on her way back to Lorien after being injured. And she recalled as well that she hadn't been the only one that was injured.
Thankful that someone had dressed her in a lightweight gown, she tossed the covers aside and slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed, holding in a grimace of pain. For a moment she sat there waiting for the throbbing to subside, suddenly looking up when she saw someone walk through the entrance. "Orophin!" she exclaimed as she saw the second of Haldir's two brothers. "It's good to see you! Where have you been hiding while I've been here?"
"I am afraid a ranger's duty never ceases, my lady," he replied with a smile. "I have been out defending our beloved land while Haldir has been passing away the time here with you," he added, unable to pass up the chance to tease her a little.
She shot him a stern glare that clearly said that he should know better than to say that about Haldir. "Speaking of him, where is he?" she asked.
"Doing his duty as well, I'm afraid," he answered. "He sent me here to watch over you since he couldn't, which I'm thankful he did. You should not be out of bed so soon."
She waved off his remark. "I must see Boromir, Orophin," she insisted. "I need to know how he's doing." Even as she spoke she was already sliding off the bed, sucking in a sharp breath when her weight came down on her leg.
"Stubborn woman," he muttered under his breath. "I suppose since you're so adamant about going I can help walk you there. And I have to say I admire your devotion to this warrior from Gondor. Haldir has told me that the both of you are very close."
"Haldir has a talent for understatement," she pointed out.
Orophin chuckled softly. "That he does. Nevertheless, he was quite upset when he learned what had happened."
"Why...because I choose to fight against Sauron's evil? I would rather fight than sit by and just let the rest of the world suffer," she stated as she leaned on him for support.
His expression became somber. "It does appear that way doesn't it? Imladris has been emptied from what I hear...even the Lady Arwen has left."
She nodded her head slowly in sadness. Aragorn had told her about his wish for her to leave, and she had seen how it had broken his heart...and now for him to have to fight on alone. She knew that if Boromir had died, there would be nothing left for her to fight for. He was her heart and soul, and there was no way that she would ever give him up so easily. Orophin's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"There was talk for a time that eventually those in Lorien would leave as well...but we have fought the evil of Sauron ourselves for centuries. I do not think we will give it up so easily."
"Let's hope not," she replied. "Men cannot fight against this tide alone I think."
By the time she had finished speaking, they had arrived where Boromir was being kept, and she stopped at the entrance as she looked upon the form lying in the bed. This was not her beloved...the man she remembered was strong and full of life, and he was not supposed to be lying there pale and seemingly shrunken. Beads of sweat lined his forehead, and as she sat down on a nearby chair, Orophin picked up a folded square of cloth to blot it off with.
"His fever has broken...that's a good sign," he said. "When you both arrived, his body was fighting off a very high fever. Thanks to Aragorn, you fared better, but for this one...his healing will take some time."
Visibly shaken, she reached out to run her thumb across his cheek as tears welled in her eyes. "Boromir, why did you have to be so stubborn?" she whispered in a shaky voice. But she managed to control herself, although she wanted more than anything to be able to see him healed.
The elf cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "If I may be excused, Lord Celeborn has called together a meeting between Haldir, Rumil, and I that I must attend."
She shook herself free from her melancholy long enough to grace him with a genuine smile. "Of course, by all means don't keep him waiting," she teased half-heartedly. "I thank you for helping me, Orophin."
"You're most welcome, Elena," he replied before leaving.
Turning her gaze back towards her beloved, she knew that if she had to, she would stay here for as long as it took for him to get healed. There was no way that she was going to let him go through this alone. "Boromir, I know you can hear me," she whispered. "You've got to pull out of this, and I know that you will. You are strong. You have defeated so many orcs, and this will be nothing for you to defeat. I love you so much, and I need you here with me. I need your strength, my love," she whispered as tears fell from her eyes. "Just think...you could be out there with Aragorn looking for Merry and Pippin. I know they miss you too...so you have to hurry back, my love. Hurry back."
Haldir was waiting patiently along with everyone else by the time his brother arrived, and he had to wonder what had taken him so long when normally he was very punctual. "What kept you?" he asked him when Orophin drew near.
"Elena has awoken, and as you said she would, she immediately wanted to see Boromir," he replied with a smile. "I helped her there where she remains even now. The Gondorian's fever has broken, and hopefully this means he will pull through."
Haldir sighed heavily. "Let us hope so...for her sake. I do not wish to see her heart broken." Then he said no more as the Lord and Lady of Lorien began to speak. It never seemed to amaze him that everytime he saw the Lady she seemed more at peace...but today she seemed clearly troubled, and that was never a good sign.
"We have called you three here to ask something of you," Celeborn began. "We know that in centuries past, we have called upon you to defend Lorien from Sauron's evil. Now we are asking that you go outside these borders and fight an even greater evil."
Haldir saw his brothers calmly await their orders, an observation that made him proud of them. It was unheard of for elves to fight beyond their borders. For centuries they have only concerned themselves with the surrounding area, but judging from the graveness of the situation, it appeared that this was considerably further away.
"As you know, Sauron and Saruman have joined forces. Saruman has been building an army beneath Isengard for years now, and very soon that army will be set forth to attack and destroy all in its path. We believe that his first target will be Rohan, specifically Helm's Deep. Legend has it to be an impenetrable fortress, and he will no doubt attack it just to prove that he can bring it down. And in these dangerous times, the people will seek shelter there. We ask that you travel there to join in the fight for Middle Earth...for if Saruman emerges victorious, then there is nothing out there that will be able to stop him from destroying everything else."
"Will you do this for us?" Galadriel implored them.
The brothers looked solemnly at each other for a moment, not because they were undecided, but because they all knew that this would possibly be the last time they would ever see the beauty of Lorien. "We will, Lord and Lady," Haldir answered.
A ghost of a smile stretched across her timeless features. "Lorien is fortunate to have three such devoted guardians, and it grieves me to send you away. You have one day to gather all that you need...time is precious."
The three of them bowed before her before leaving to gather their things, their moods somber as they knew that many of them that accompanied them would not be coming back. As for Haldir, there was one stop he planned to make before doing anything else, and it was ironic to him that he would be leaving her here this time instead of the other way around. He hoped that she would not insist on coming along, being she was injured, but he knew that she would. It was just the type of person she was.
Well...think it's believable??? Thanks for reading!!!
But enough of that! Here's the next chapter...hope you all like. It's kind of a behind the scenes look at what might have happened before the elves of Lorien joined Theoden and Aragorn at Helm's Deep.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own character...anyone know where I can buy Haldir??? :p
Rhovanion's Child by Shelly
CHAPTER THIRTY
She awoke all at once, a scream almost escaping from behind her clenched teeth. Even awake, she could still see her enemy's horrifying face, could feel the bite of the arrow as it slammed into her leg. But knowing that it was a dream didn't make the pain any easier to bear, and her leg and shoulder ached terribly.
Sitting up in bed, she became momentarily confused as she wondered where she was, but as memories came flooding back she remembered that she had been on her way back to Lorien after being injured. And she recalled as well that she hadn't been the only one that was injured.
Thankful that someone had dressed her in a lightweight gown, she tossed the covers aside and slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed, holding in a grimace of pain. For a moment she sat there waiting for the throbbing to subside, suddenly looking up when she saw someone walk through the entrance. "Orophin!" she exclaimed as she saw the second of Haldir's two brothers. "It's good to see you! Where have you been hiding while I've been here?"
"I am afraid a ranger's duty never ceases, my lady," he replied with a smile. "I have been out defending our beloved land while Haldir has been passing away the time here with you," he added, unable to pass up the chance to tease her a little.
She shot him a stern glare that clearly said that he should know better than to say that about Haldir. "Speaking of him, where is he?" she asked.
"Doing his duty as well, I'm afraid," he answered. "He sent me here to watch over you since he couldn't, which I'm thankful he did. You should not be out of bed so soon."
She waved off his remark. "I must see Boromir, Orophin," she insisted. "I need to know how he's doing." Even as she spoke she was already sliding off the bed, sucking in a sharp breath when her weight came down on her leg.
"Stubborn woman," he muttered under his breath. "I suppose since you're so adamant about going I can help walk you there. And I have to say I admire your devotion to this warrior from Gondor. Haldir has told me that the both of you are very close."
"Haldir has a talent for understatement," she pointed out.
Orophin chuckled softly. "That he does. Nevertheless, he was quite upset when he learned what had happened."
"Why...because I choose to fight against Sauron's evil? I would rather fight than sit by and just let the rest of the world suffer," she stated as she leaned on him for support.
His expression became somber. "It does appear that way doesn't it? Imladris has been emptied from what I hear...even the Lady Arwen has left."
She nodded her head slowly in sadness. Aragorn had told her about his wish for her to leave, and she had seen how it had broken his heart...and now for him to have to fight on alone. She knew that if Boromir had died, there would be nothing left for her to fight for. He was her heart and soul, and there was no way that she would ever give him up so easily. Orophin's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"There was talk for a time that eventually those in Lorien would leave as well...but we have fought the evil of Sauron ourselves for centuries. I do not think we will give it up so easily."
"Let's hope not," she replied. "Men cannot fight against this tide alone I think."
By the time she had finished speaking, they had arrived where Boromir was being kept, and she stopped at the entrance as she looked upon the form lying in the bed. This was not her beloved...the man she remembered was strong and full of life, and he was not supposed to be lying there pale and seemingly shrunken. Beads of sweat lined his forehead, and as she sat down on a nearby chair, Orophin picked up a folded square of cloth to blot it off with.
"His fever has broken...that's a good sign," he said. "When you both arrived, his body was fighting off a very high fever. Thanks to Aragorn, you fared better, but for this one...his healing will take some time."
Visibly shaken, she reached out to run her thumb across his cheek as tears welled in her eyes. "Boromir, why did you have to be so stubborn?" she whispered in a shaky voice. But she managed to control herself, although she wanted more than anything to be able to see him healed.
The elf cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "If I may be excused, Lord Celeborn has called together a meeting between Haldir, Rumil, and I that I must attend."
She shook herself free from her melancholy long enough to grace him with a genuine smile. "Of course, by all means don't keep him waiting," she teased half-heartedly. "I thank you for helping me, Orophin."
"You're most welcome, Elena," he replied before leaving.
Turning her gaze back towards her beloved, she knew that if she had to, she would stay here for as long as it took for him to get healed. There was no way that she was going to let him go through this alone. "Boromir, I know you can hear me," she whispered. "You've got to pull out of this, and I know that you will. You are strong. You have defeated so many orcs, and this will be nothing for you to defeat. I love you so much, and I need you here with me. I need your strength, my love," she whispered as tears fell from her eyes. "Just think...you could be out there with Aragorn looking for Merry and Pippin. I know they miss you too...so you have to hurry back, my love. Hurry back."
Haldir was waiting patiently along with everyone else by the time his brother arrived, and he had to wonder what had taken him so long when normally he was very punctual. "What kept you?" he asked him when Orophin drew near.
"Elena has awoken, and as you said she would, she immediately wanted to see Boromir," he replied with a smile. "I helped her there where she remains even now. The Gondorian's fever has broken, and hopefully this means he will pull through."
Haldir sighed heavily. "Let us hope so...for her sake. I do not wish to see her heart broken." Then he said no more as the Lord and Lady of Lorien began to speak. It never seemed to amaze him that everytime he saw the Lady she seemed more at peace...but today she seemed clearly troubled, and that was never a good sign.
"We have called you three here to ask something of you," Celeborn began. "We know that in centuries past, we have called upon you to defend Lorien from Sauron's evil. Now we are asking that you go outside these borders and fight an even greater evil."
Haldir saw his brothers calmly await their orders, an observation that made him proud of them. It was unheard of for elves to fight beyond their borders. For centuries they have only concerned themselves with the surrounding area, but judging from the graveness of the situation, it appeared that this was considerably further away.
"As you know, Sauron and Saruman have joined forces. Saruman has been building an army beneath Isengard for years now, and very soon that army will be set forth to attack and destroy all in its path. We believe that his first target will be Rohan, specifically Helm's Deep. Legend has it to be an impenetrable fortress, and he will no doubt attack it just to prove that he can bring it down. And in these dangerous times, the people will seek shelter there. We ask that you travel there to join in the fight for Middle Earth...for if Saruman emerges victorious, then there is nothing out there that will be able to stop him from destroying everything else."
"Will you do this for us?" Galadriel implored them.
The brothers looked solemnly at each other for a moment, not because they were undecided, but because they all knew that this would possibly be the last time they would ever see the beauty of Lorien. "We will, Lord and Lady," Haldir answered.
A ghost of a smile stretched across her timeless features. "Lorien is fortunate to have three such devoted guardians, and it grieves me to send you away. You have one day to gather all that you need...time is precious."
The three of them bowed before her before leaving to gather their things, their moods somber as they knew that many of them that accompanied them would not be coming back. As for Haldir, there was one stop he planned to make before doing anything else, and it was ironic to him that he would be leaving her here this time instead of the other way around. He hoped that she would not insist on coming along, being she was injured, but he knew that she would. It was just the type of person she was.
Well...think it's believable??? Thanks for reading!!!