Title: A Rose Not Yet Withered
Pairing: None
Rating: PG13
Genre: Angst / Mystery
WARNING: Violence
Beta: None
Cast: Haldir, Orophin, Rúmil, Celeborn, Galadriel, OCs
Disclaimer: I own no-one from The Lord Of The Rings. All the characters and place names displayed belong to JRR Tolkien except Daealia and Glorendil who are from my own imagination and are the only ones I lay claim to. I do not intend to, nor am I making any financial gain from the writing of this story.
Feedback: Yes please! We "aspiring" authors thrive on the stuff.
Timeline: A.U. Not following movie-verse.
Summary: When news of a massacre reaches Lorien, time begins to run against the Galadhrim. Soon, even their trust for their own kin, is lost in a tangled web of lies, deceit and murder….
Spoilers: None
Chapter 6
The Light Of Dawn. The Grief Of Morn'
Orophin lay sobbing on his bed, curled up in a ball and that is how Glorendil found him hours later. He came by Orophin's room on his way to his own and stopped short when he heard muffled sobs coming from inside. He raised his hand and rapped softly on the wood. The sobbing stopped abruptly.
"Orophin?" he whispered "It's me. What's wrong?"
"I-I'm fine, Glorendil. Go away, I'm fine." Orophin's voice was thick with suppressed emotion and it was obvious.
"No you're not. Orophin, let me in please. There must be something I can do to help."
"You can't do anything, no one can. What's done is done and I just hope that it isn't the worst."
"The worst what?" urged Glorendil.
Footsteps sounded from inside and Glorendil moved away from the door just as it opened and what he saw made his heart jolt in pain. Orophin's face was terribly pale and tear-streaked, his grey eyes glittered with salt water and anger. Glorendil saw the glint of malice reflected in Orophin's eyes and he was stunned.
"Why do you gaze upon me so?" he said, sounding hurt.
"I gaze upon you in the manner you deserve, if my suspicions are true."
"Suspic - Orophin, what in Elbereth's name are you talking about?"
Orophin opened the door further. "You had better come in." he replied, a note of resignation in his voice.
As soon as the door was closed, Glorendil began his attack.
"Now. Would you mind giving me a hint as to what troubles you so?"
Orophin whipped round from the door to face the other elf. His fists were clenched as though in an attempt to stop himself from lunging at Glorendil. His once chalk-white face now burned crimson his anger.
"You have tricked me in every way possible. You tell me falsehoods and yet I believed them because they were told by you, and yet still I hold your friendship close. But what troubles me, Glorendil has nothing to do with my grief. Nay, what troubles me is what will become of Haldir's grief."
Glorendil stood silent for a moment; frozen in shock, his face contorted into a mixture of anger and pain.
"Why do you speak such words to me?" he said "I have never told you falsehoods, nor have I ever deceived you. Orophin, why do you use words so harsh in tone and meaning, to one who has only ever offered you friendship?"
"You say you have never told me falsehoods?" questioned Orophin "Tell me then, where lies the blade of Fiwyn? Where lies the sword of my mother?" he hissed, his voice laced with confusion.
"Now you twist my words. I have never told you falsehoods only kept from you information which I deemed to be unimportant. The blade of Fiwyn lies still and will remain so for evermore. You never wanted it, you wished it gone therefore why do you question me and accuse me of such wrongs as falsehood?" replied Glorendil.
"I accuse you, because I know the truth. Glorendil, the blade has returned."
Glorendil's jaw tightened when he heard these words and his whole torso stiffened.
"How can this be?"
"It came in the arms of Elendir, the captain of the Galadhrim scout guard. They went out on a scout the day the elleth went missing. However, I hear tell that she did not venture with them nor did they see any sight of her."
At this Glorendil's face darkened and his eyebrows knitted.
"What are you suggesting?"
"Not 'suggesting' as you call it, more of 'inquiring'. Glorendil, I have to know, what happened to Daealia?"
Upon hearing this revelation, Glorendil lost all control.
"I knew it!" he raged "You don't trust me. You never have done. You stand there and blatantly accuse me of committing a crime so terrible as murder?"
"Nay. Not murder, Glorendil. I know you would never be capable of that"
"But you don't truly know what I am capable of, Orophin, do you?" He strode forward and with immense strength he pinned the younger elf against the door. His long, elegant fingers had Orophin's shoulders in an iron tight grip and they showed no signs of relenting.
"You see what you have driven me to?" he hissed in Orophin's ear "You see what has become of us? Of our friendship?"
Orophin's grey eyes gazed upwards in shock and fear into Glorendil's pale blue ones, glittering with hatred and malice.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"You forced me into it, Orophin" Glorendil's mouth twitched upwards into a slight sneer. "Never forget what you have done to me. I valued you and I was foolish to believe you valued me too. You have torn my trust for you, Orophin and all it took was that one accusation."
Orophin's eyes widened and a crystal tear trickled down his cheek.
"Forgive me, my friend. I meant not for it to seem that way."
"Indeed? I wish to believe you, Orophin. But sadly I cannot let myself be preyed upon again."
"W-What do you mean?" stammered Orophin.
Glorendil reached down at his belt and pulled a small dagger out of it's sheath. He lifted it up and stroked the base of Orophin's neck with the point.
"You see" he whispered "I have had far too much evil happen to me in my life and I cannot let it happen again. Besides, no one shall miss the one I choose to be rid of. They will forget him, in time and life shall carry on, much as it has done this past age."
"Please" whimpered Orophin "Don't do this to me!" Tears began to flood freely down his cheeks and he bowed his head. "Gohenonin."
Glorendil stepped away, releasing Orophin from his grasp. Orophin stood for a moment staring at Glorendil. Wanting to move to him and comfort him, but something was preventing him from doing so. A thrill of foreboding rushed up Orophin's spine as Glorendil raised the dagger again.
"Orophin" he sighed "Whoever said I wanted to kill you?"
Orophin realisation of the situation kicked in a second too late as Glorendil drove the blade into his chest and fell to the ground. Blood spread steadily from the wound, staining his grey garments a poisonous scarlet. Orophin rushed to Glorendil's side, tears flooding down his face and splashing to the floor. His heart was hammering against his chest and his breathing came in quick, short gasps. He wasted no time.
Glorendil had already lost a significant amount of blood and no time could afford to be wasted. Picking up Glorendil's body, Orophin staggered out of the room as fast as his legs could go. They were already under immense strain from supporting something twice what they were used to.
He reached the healer's quarters in only a few minutes but to Orophin, it had seemed like hours. Luckily, the healer asked as little questions as possible and tended quickly and efficiently to Glorendil's wound.
"Will he be alright?" asked Orophin from the seat next to Glorendil's bed.
"It is difficult to tell at this stage. The wound is quite deep." she replied "But I hold out hope for him, I have witnessed others come through worse in my time" She turned and left the room. Orophin trailed a finger down Glorendil's cheek as fresh, new tears made their appearance. They landed silently on Glorendil's bedcover that surrounded his unconscious form leaving tiny puddles of sadness and grief wherever they fell.
Elvish Translations
Gohenonin = Forgive me