Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 1 for full disclaimers.
Diola lle, Elaine... I'm glad you're enjoying Orophin's role in his story. Thanks as always for the consistent reviews!
Chapter 14: Tears & Tempers
Months passed and Haldir watched his mate change. She took on that fabled "glow" that pregnancy supposedly brings, and Haldir found that expecting made Runevalas feel positively beautiful. Her increased appetite for intimacy surprised even him. Soon she craved certain foods, and as her middle swelled, those favorite foods changed, and her temper grew short.
One day, Haldir returned home to find Runevalas sobbing on their bed.
"Runevalas? What's wrong? Are you ill? Is it the baby?"
"I'm ugly," she wailed.
"Ugly?" Haldir was completely confounded.
"Look at me!" she shouted, displaying her very pregnant bulge. "I'm enormous. I must look like a cave troll! I'm not beautiful any more... You will never look at me like a lover again!"
For a minute Haldir was speechless. How could Runevalas even think that? "Love, that's not true..." he started to say.
"It is true!" she shouted. "You're lying to me!"
That was enough for Haldir. He was willing to put up with her tempers and her moods, but no one – not even his own mate – would be allowed to accuse him of lying. He grabbed Runevalas by the shoulders and pulled her a step closer to him. The sudden, unexpected movement startled her and she fell silent. Runevalas' eyes were wide and her cheeks were tear-stained. There were circles under her eyes; she hadn't been sleeping well as her pregnancy progressed.
"A'maelamin, lle naa vanima (My beloved, you are beautiful). You have never stopped being beautiful." He kissed her forehead. "I have never lied to you before, have I?"
"No... no." She sighed. "Oh, Haldir, forgive me. I speak without thinking..."
"Shhh." Haldir ran his hand down her hair.
"No." She shook her head and wiped the dampness from her cheeks. "I am so excited to have this baby, Haldir, but sometimes I do not know myself. I cry at the silliest things. At one moment I feel beautiful, even powerful, and the next I see nothing but a bloated and misshapen body."
"You will forget all this once the baby is born. It won't be too much longer and then your days will be filled with being an atara (mother)."
"You're right," she said with a small smile.
And may the Valar grant that it happens soon, he thought, I am at a loss as to what to do with you, Runevalas. Most times it matters not what I say to try to soothe you...
The next few weeks passed peacefully, and for that Haldir was thankful. He was due to leave on a patrol the following day and he and Runevalas were passing the afternoon in the company of Orophin and Rumil. Haldir looked at the three of them and smiled; he could not ask for a happier moment and soon there would be a baby, too. Unbidden, Maranwe floated through his memory. The thought was brushed lightly with sadness but there was no pain. I think you must be happy for me, feahoon, if Mandos allows those in his Hall to have knowledge of those left behind.
"No, I say it will be a boy," insisted Orophin. "Most definitely a boy."
Runevalas smiled at him. "That seems to be what most have said."
"What do you and Haldir think?" asked Rumil.
"Haldir keeps his thoughts to himself," Runevalas said, "which does not surprise me. Lady Galadriel, too, keeps her secrets and it makes me think that she does, indeed, know the sex of the child."
"In either case, I remain hopeful that the baby will look like you, Runevalas, and not like me," said Haldir.
"Say not such a terrible thing!" laughed Runevalas.
"Have you decided upon a name?" asked Rumil.
"Not exactly," said Haldir. "Runevalas and I have some very strong opinions about names."
"By the Valar!" mocked Orophin. "You? A strong opinion? Haldir, tell me it is not so!"
"Instead of wishing for whom the child will look like," said Rumil, "perhaps you should focus your prayers on the baby not inheriting a sense of humor such as Orophin's."
"How truly you speak," sighed Haldir. Orophin merely laughed.
"But to answer your question," said Runevalas, "we have reached an equitable compromise on names. If the child is a boy, then Haldir will have the honor of naming him. If the child is a girl, the honor falls to me."
"You must be eager to find out who will name the child," said Rumil.
"Oh, indeed!" Runevalas' voice was eager. "I am ready to hold this baby in my arms, and I think Haldir will be happy to not listen to my tears and tempers." She smiled at her mate and he smiled back; as frustrated as he'd been with her dramatic mood swings, Haldir had never once berated her for her moods.
"Then you will both merely be subject to the baby's tears and tempers," said Orophin, "on top of never having any sleep."
"Do not take too much joy in that prediction, brother mine," said Rumil. "You and I will end up being on patrol with Haldir when the infant has deprived him of his sleep."
Orophin paused. He'd dealt with Haldir when the Marchwarden hadn't slept well. None of the occasions had been pleasant. The sudden consternation on Orophin's face was worth the entire conversation, and Haldir laughed heartily.
A bit of a transition chapter... things will start to pick up in the next chapter, I promise. Please read/review and let me know what you think.