HANDS
Author: coulduseprozac or simon22cat depending on my mood
Rating: R; please pay attention to the warnings
Genre: Crossover BtVS/LoTR; Het Romance
Pairing: Willow/Haldir
Warnings: MENTION OF ATTEMPTED NON-CON
Summary: Someone has wandering hands
Time: BtVS: after season 7; LoTR: The Third Age roughly 200 years after the capture of Celebrian making it about 300 years before the Ring War
Feed Back: Always welcomed
Spoilers: Season 7 BtVS
Disclaimer: All things from the BtVS belong to the Joss Whedon dynasty. All things from LoTR belong to the great J. R. R. Tolkien. No profit is made from this venture. I own nothing except any OC's that might result of this. Most of this was written in the bathtub. So if it's a little soggy, my bad.
Beta: Wasn't that one of those little bitty VCR type things from the 80's?
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Chapter Ten
Somewhere Safe
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The trees whispered amongst themselves, uneasy at what was happening in their woods. The evil ones had penetrated deep into the forest. The trees did not like them for the orcs brought fire and axes with them and had no problem using either one on the mallorn trees. But this time they brought someone else with them. There was a stranger in the forest and they were not Elvish or orc but one of Man. And they were injured and needed help. The mallorn trees told this tale to the Elves searching under their branches, urging them on.
Haldir listening to the forest soon found the red haired woman. She lay on her side with her back facing him, dirty long hair spread out behind her. The edge of her shirt had risen up showing the scrapes and red marks that marred her pale skin. Rumil and Orophin were a few paces behind Haldir as he reached the woman.
He knelt down beside her as his brothers arrived. Turning her over, a low moaned came from her parted lips.
"Sweet Elbereth, what have they done to you?" escaped from Rumil's lips as his brother turned the small woman over. The bite marks on her exposed skin drew his attention, the sight sickened him. "Brother she needs a healer."
"I know," replied Haldir as he straightened her clothing before picking her up. "But I would rather not travel through the woods with a wounded woman with the possibility of orcs still running free. Tomorrow will be soon enough. I am taking her to the watchtower by the stream." Settling her in his arms he strode towards the small stream that was near by.
The mallorn trees swayed gently in the breeze, letting it be known that the ancient ones had found the child of Man.
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The first thing Willow was aware of as she returned from the land of the unconsciousness was that she felt like she was floating...and someone was carrying her? She cracked open one eye and quickly shut it. 'Okay, I go from tall, dark and ugly to tall, glowy, and...pointy ears?' Why did she hurt? Then it came rushing back to her like a tidal wave. The fear. The pain. The humiliation. Willow did not know if this person had the same thing planned for her as Gorast did, but she was determined not to stick around and find out.
The first hint that Haldir had of the woman being awake was when she began to weakly struggle in his arms. Looking down, a pair of green eyes stared up at him, green eyes surrounded by bruises. His anger and disgust with the orcs caused him to tightened his grip on the woman. She let out a small whimper at the feel of his arms tightening around her.
"Peace my lady. I mean no harm to you." Haldir reassured the woman in his arms.
"Willow." She whispered. "My name is Willow."
"Suilad, Willow. I am Haldir."
"Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere safe."
The first sign of kindness since she arrived in this awful place made tears spring to her eyes. Finally she might be safe, Willow thought to herself as the tall one carried her through the forest. The tears turned into heart-wrenching sobs as they continued their journey.
He did not know what to do. Haldir was never any use around crying females; they always made him feel uneasy and useless. He would almost always wind up barking at them like they was a new warden and that only made the tears increase. Haldir would stomp away, leaving a sobbing female standing there with a puzzled expression on her face while she tried to figure out what she had done to incur the wrath of the Marchwarden. Many a sobbing she-elf had learned the hard way to stay away from Haldir until they got their emotions under control.
Haldir felt that she would rest easier if she were sleeping therefore saving him from having to 'take care of a crying female'. Stopping, he set her on her feet and lowered a hand to help with the sleep spell. She raised her hand to block his movement and gasped in pain as she shifted on her twisted ankle.
"I hate this place. What are you doing?" Willow asked, the words rushing out as she tried to regain her balance.
Haldir just raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her.
"Tis only to help you to sleep while we travel to our destination. To rest easier."
"That's all? Sleep only?"
"Aye, my lady. It will make it easier for you."
'And me.' Haldir thought to himself
"Willow, my name is Willow." At the nod of acceptance from her companion she continued. "You promise to wake me when we get there?"
Again Haldir nodded.
"Alright but only till we get there."
Haldir lowered his hand and covered her eyes. Low murmuring accompanied by the warmth coming from his hand helped to nudge Willow into a sleep. It did not take much to put her under; the abuse she had suffered at the hands of the orcs had pushed an already exhausted body beyond its limits.
Haldir swung her relaxing form up into his arms and continued to the watchtower. A whisper so low that he almost did not hear it came from the woman in his arms.
"What are you? Why are...," yawn, " your ears are pointed?"
"I am an Elf, my lady. That is the reason my ears are 'pointed'."
A quiet snore was the only response.
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Orophin and Rumil had gone ahead to ready everything for their arrival. Orophin had taken material from the talan and started a warm fire by the stream. Rumil made ready a sleeping pallet for the woman. There were always supplies on hand at the talan for use of the next Elf that was assigned there. But at this moment the watchtower was not being used, most of the Galadhrim force having been re-assigned to another part of the woods; as the orcish forces had not been very prevalent in this area for sometime.
"Orophin, did you see her stomach? He used his teeth on her."
"I know brother. I saw it too."
"What terror the lady must have gone through at the hands of those foul creatures."
"Willow. Her name is Willow." Haldir said as he stepped from the shadows. "We need to bathe her before seeing to her wounds."
"Willow?" Orophin asked.
"Aye, Willow. She awoke on the way here."
Lying her on one of the blankets, Haldir sat back on his heels and stared at Willow for a minute, his lips tightening into a frown. Her clothing was beyond repair since it was covered in blood, both hers and that of the orc.
"Orophin find something to dress her in. Her clothing will have to be burned when I am finished with her."
Orophin went and looked for something to put on Willow. Pulling out a extra tunic from Rumil's pack he shook it out to remove any wrinkles. He figured with Rumil being the smallest of the three his tunic would fit her better. Even as the shorter of the three, Rumil would still tower over the woman if she stood upright.
Handing his brother the gray cloth. "Here, Haldir. I found one of Rumil's tunics, it should be a better fit."
Haldir only nodded his thanks. Staring at the blacked hair of the young woman, Haldir fanned it around her head to keep it out of the way. Her face was painful testimonial to all the time she spent in the company of the orcs. Dried blood was crusted around her nose and dark colored bruises covered almost every inch of her face. But the worst ones were in the shape of a large hand. Like the one on her neck. Lightly running his fingers over the ugly mark, each finger of the hand was clearly defined in startling detail. Haldir wondered at the pain this must have caused such a delicate looking woman.
He sat her up to pull her shirt off of her, there were more hand shaped bruises on each of her arms. It looked like she had been forcibly dragged wherever she went. Sliding the shirt off her arms, he laid her back down, careful of the tender flesh of her back.
"Rumil get me a blanket to cover her with."
Sitting aside the blanket, Haldir took out his knife. Sliding the tip of it underneath her bra, he cut the lacy contraption off of her. Haldir noticed another hand shaped bruise on her breast before he lowered the blanket over her chest. He tried to ignore the boot shaped mark on her side. Exactly the size of an orc foot, the bruising radiated away from it, covering most of her abdomen and wrapping around to her back. Gingerly he felt her ribs and could feel the bone under his hand move. He did not think they were broken; more then likely just cracked.
The numerous bite marks that trailed up and down her stomach all looked nasty. Some where shallow, while others went much deeper, each clearly showing a set of teeth. All were red and inflamed, no doubt infected. Orcs were filthy creatures. In battle they often covered their weapons in a very potent poison that killed in a matter of hours. They lived in the worst conditions and the mud and muck of their living arrangements usually made their teeth and fingernails just as a deadly weapon as their swords. One never knew if or when the infection might set in, sometimes luck would be on their side and sometimes not. Haldir had known many a Ranger that had succumbed to the aftereffects of being on the receiving end of a orc bite. Orophin, his own brother, had at one time been very ill after being scratched by one of those creatures. Thankfully he was not one of Man, a weaker race, for if it had not been for him being a Elf, Orophin would probably now be in the Halls of Mandos awaiting rebirth.
Fingering the strange material of her pants, Haldir tried to figure the best way to remove them. A button had at one time closed the stiff material, but it was long gone. He ran a finger over the broken metal teeth of the clasps on her pants. He wished he had not. His finger came away sticky, leaving no doubt in his mind as to what it was.
"Yrch! Pin thoer!"
Wiping his finger on the grass, Haldir looked up at his brothers, the disgust clear on his face. He truly hoped that this was the extent of the orc's trespass against Willow.
"Did he...?" was asked by a concerned Rumil.
"Rape her? Nay, I believe not brother. I do not think he had time to finish what he started." Haldir replied
Rumil nodded his head in agreement, hoping that Haldir was correct. He was not sure about the race of Man but an Elf that had been raped would not be long among the living. Their grief would overcome them and the will to live would flee and the Elf would fade.
Haldir rolled Willow over and tugged on the back of the strange trousers before rolling her back over and doing the same with the front. He slid them down over her hips, revealing a white lacy undergarment with small bunches of flowers dotting the garment. A low ragged moan escaped from Willow's lips as she felt the cool evening breeze on her flesh, goose bumps dancing across her skin.
Rumil tugged off her shoes and socks, careful of her swollen ankle. Her ankle was nothing but a nasty bruise. Black in color and twice the normal size, he felt carefully, checking for any broken bones. Satisfied that nothing was broken, he gently lowered her foot back down to the blanket.
"Rumil help with her leggings. I want to get her in the water before the sleep spell wears off."
"Sleep spell? What did you do Haldir?"
"She was crying after she woke."
"Crying? Enough said." Rumil could not but help to laugh as he answered Haldir, knowing his brother's intolerance with crying females.
"Very funny. Are you finished?"
Wiping the mirthful expression off of his face, Rumil helped Haldir to finish pulling off her pants.
"This is a strange material. I wonder what it is." Rumil said as he fingered the denim.
"I care not brother. Burn them along with the rest of her clothing." Haldir took his knife and cut the undergarment off of her, exposing the cinnamon colored hair of her pubic area. He was surprised at the amount of hair on the woman's body, having never been this intimate with a daughter of Man. A she-elfs body was almost completely hairless, smooth to the touch. Rumil went to the fire and tossed in the soiled garments, watching as they burned. He turned as Haldir covered Willow completely up with the blanket.
Haldir straightend before he picked Willow off of the ground. He carried her to the small stream that flowed by the watchtower, happily bubbling as it flowed through the forest. He handed Willow off to Orophin before he stripped off his outer gray tunic that was followed quickly by the black under tunic. After he had stripped down to his leggings, Haldir pulled off his boots and sat them aside. Taking Willow from Orophin, he walked out into the deep running stream. The cold water came up to his chest as he shifted Willow to one arm and caught the soap and cloth his brother threw at him.
Rumil joined him in the water after stripping down to his leggings. His long silvery blond hair floated in the water behind him as he walked out to Haldir. Reaching his older brother, he supported Willow's head as she floated in the water, keeping her head above the water. Haldir lathered up the cloth and ran it over her face. There was very little pale skin visible before he washed the dirt and blood off. After her face was rinsed the bruises stood out more in the moonlight.
"Filthy creatures! I would like to find them and kill them again!" Rumil exclaimed.
"Peace Rumil. You are no help to me or to her like that."
"But Haldir..."
"I know the anger you feel. I feel the same but towards myself. If I had listened to you when you wanted to ride out after her maybe some of this could have been prevented."
"Haldir you could not have known. I know that now."
The two worked in silence as they washed the dirt and filth from her body and hair. Haldir took Willow from Rumil and held her close to his body so Rumil could wash her back. He could feel the heat radiating off her body as Rumil cleaned the small scrapes on her back.
"Haldir lift her a little higher."
Haldir complied, lifting her out of the water, exposing her backside to his brother. At Rumil's indrawn breath, he ask what was wrong.
"Fingernail marks. Some of them look deep."
Haldir craned his head to get a better look at Willow's hindquarters. Half moon marks were sprinkled across the skin of her bottom. These too looked inflamed and sore. Haldir could not miss the large hand-shaped bruise that stretched across both buttocks.
"Finish up. We need to get her out of the water before she gets too cold."
Rumil took Willow from his brother and stretched her out in the water again holding her head above the water as Haldir continued to bath her. He started to sing a lullaby that his naneth used to sing when he was a small elfling. The quiet melody floated across the water, speaking of a more simpler and peaceful time. His voice broke when Haldir had reached the woman's most private area.
Bruising ranged up and down both of her legs, a testament to the force the orc had used on Willow. The skin was red and angry looking between her legs, reaching all the way up to her pubic area. He shuddered when he saw the painful bruising she suffered to her woman's mound.
"Continue singing." Haldir told his youngest brother, hoping to take his mind off of what he saw.
Rumil continued to sing as Haldir finished with Willow. He followed his brother out of the water and back up onto the bank. Taking a blanket from Orophin, Rumil wrapped it around the shivering woman. Haldir sat on a log near the fire, drying Willow off. He pulled the blanket from her and reached for the jar of healing salve at his feet. Dipping his fingers in the sticky, pungent ointment, Haldir spread it over her numerous cuts and scrapes, paying close attention to the bite marks on her stomach.
Taking a strip of cloth from one of his kinsman, Haldir wrapped her ribs, in case the ribs were broken. He laid one hand over the area and muttered a few words, sending a healing energy to the area. He did the same with her swollen ankle. Haldir did not have the healing ability of a true healer but he could do well enough for small battlefield injuries. Placing a hand over the juncture of her thighs, he sent more healing energy to her body, hoping that the bruises will cause her less pain when she wakes. He covered her with Rumil's tunic and laid her shivering form down in the soft nest of blankets by the fire. Haldir changed into dry leggings and a clean tunic before lying down beside her, intent on holding her until a little warmth seeped back into her cold body. He never intended to fall asleep with her but between the pervious battle and all of the energy he expended while he used the healing spell had drained him.
Rumil and Orophin moved off when they saw their brothers eyes get glassy as he slipped into reverie, dreaming of a red headed woman.
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The sky had warmed to a rosy color when something woke Haldir from his Elven sleep. The woman at his side was gone. He raised his head, searching for her. Rumil and Orophin were nowhere in sight, having gone up to the trees to guard the two as they slept. He spotted the redhead limping towards the stream.
"Where are you going?" Haldir asked as he came up behind her.
She gave a startle squeak before she turned. Willow turned to fast and lost her balance, falling towards the ground once more. This time someone caught her before she could bounce across the ground.
Haldir looked down at the woman he held in his arms. The rising sun reflected off of the tears caught in her eyelashes, creating small rainbows of light. He rolled his eyes and asked again where she was going.
"To the water. I need to wash."
"You were bathed last night."
"I can still feel him crawling on my skin. Please help me." the last few words came out in a broken whisper as Willow started to cry.
"Shh, Willow." He picked the crying woman up and headed towards the water. "All will be well."
The morning sounds of the forest was the only sounds heard as Haldir helped Willow to bath for a second time.
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A/N:
Pin thoer-Abominable ones
naneth-mother