Hunters' Moon

Chapter Seven:

It seemed that Tilliel had taken up with Lindir once again, as Haldir caught glimpses of them that afternoon on his way to the practice field. After a communal bath where he joked half-heartedly with some of the warriors who had sparred together, or who had practiced target shooting with their bows, Haldir returned to the talan for the dinner that was Orophin's turn to cook.

Orophin was much better at preparing a meal than Rúmil, but that was not saying much. Still, Haldir wolfed down his supper as if it were as tasty as the poached fish served often at Lord Celeborn's table. Immediately after he finished, he donned his cloak and picked up his bow and quiver.

"Yes, again," He answered the question before his brothers could ask, "Night hunting, and I go alone."

Rúmil and Orophin only nodded then hurriedly put on their cloaks as soon as he was gone. At different talans throughout the city, others grabbed grey cloaks and hurriedly threw them over shoulders, pulling up hoods to hide their hair and faces. These grey clad ghosts did not wish to miss the exit of two tall elves from Haldir's talan, and as Rúmil and Orophin silently tracked Haldir, others silently tracked the two brothers.

The hunter's moon was full and bright, its face hovering close to the horizon and its beams shining with a silvery light on a couple as they kissed in a secret glade. Tilliel had assured Lindir that none would enter this faraway locale and they could leave off where they had been interrupted so many times before. She was especially lovely in a gown of green, and even Haldir, from his perch in a nearby tree, could see why Lindir was so smitten.

Rúmil and Orophin, as usual unbeknownst to Haldir, climbed silently into a different tree and settled in to wait. Rúmil was ever ready to slip away quickly in order to rescue his brother from a night of heartbreak. But there was one slight problem. Orophin's funds had quickly run out, so this night, Rúmil would have to do some fast and sweet talking to entice another couple to this faraway place. But, he was quite prepared to do so, and Rúmil was well known for his silvery tongue.

While Haldir watched Tilliel and Lindir, and Rúmil and Orophin watched Haldir, shadowy grey figures silently climbed into other trees around the glade. Three, including Claurech, settled in a golden Mallorn opposite the glade from Haldir, while two others found a perch in an oak to Orophin and Rúmil's right. The remaining four sat on various branches in a venerable old Mallorn, hidden from view by dark green foliage, on the glade's eastern side. If anyone were to wonder, they would be surprised to find that all warriors from a particular northern border unit now kept silent watch on a secluded glade at the edge of Caras Galadhon.

Tilliel had teased and played with Lindir all that afternoon when they had met, and tonight, Lindir was determined to assuage the raging fires that were already coursing through his veins. Tonight, there should be no interruption and Lindir was resolute and bound to claim his prize. Tilliel's dress was lovely, but was not of the same diaphanous material as had been her raiment of the nights before. Instead, it was made of a thick and heavy, but sensuous fabric, one that did not show, but still accented her slight figure. But as lovely as the fabric felt, it was what was inside it that interested Lindir and he could not wait to remove the garment and see it lying on the ground.

Haldir knew his luck would soon run out. The chance of Tilliel and Lindir being stopped from their pursuit of pleasure this time would be remote indeed. Haldir sighed. He should just go back home and drown his sorrow in a bottle, but Lindir would be leaving in a few short days, and if the only glimpse he could have of his love was in the arms of another, then he would have to be satisfied with that. But oh, how his heart ached at the thought.

All watched as Lindir made his move and Tilliel responded. Lindir kissed lips as red as cherries, ran his fingers through strands of silver hair entwined with gold. His tongue sought to mark a throat of pearly white and the pink hued tops of swelling breasts. As his hands fumbled with the heavy laces of her thick and flowing gown, Lindir's was not the only breath that caught, as others waited in suspense to see the assets hidden underneath.

Haldir's face looked stricken, Rúmil's and Orophin's were pale, but the faces of the others hidden in the treetops carried looks of mirth and glee and silent laughter. All except for one of the four on the eastern side, who looked on in astonishment at the maid in Lindir's arms. Rúmil was about to climb from his perch and try to rescue the situation, when his eyes caught a movement in a tree not far from his. He poked Orophin in the side and pointed with his finger at a figure in a grey cloak that looked vaguely familiar. Orophin's eyes widened in surprise and he looked around the glade and frowned. Then he placed a finger to his lips and held Rumil's arm. He pointed down at Tilliel and Lindir. "You may as well stay here, Rumil," he whispered, "you would be too late to stop it anyway, and there is nothing we can do either about this other state of affairs."

On the ground, Tilliel's hands now were busy also, deftly undoing ties on Lindir's tunic, and her nimble fingers soon uncovered that which Haldir so desired. A muscled chest of finest porcelain was bared to Ithil's rays and it seemed the hunters' moon even smiled in appreciation. Haldir's heart went pitter patter, Tilliel's did too, and Lindir's beat like orc drums at the thought of what was to come.

Finally, the many laces of Tilliel's dress were loosened and grasping the edges of the front of the garment, Lindir slowly slid it from her shoulders, down her chest unto her waist. The bright white linen of her chemise was the only fabric now between the warmth of her skin and the tips of Lindir's fingers and his questing tongue and lips.

Twelve males of varying height and temperament, perched in leafy bowers, all leaned slightly forward to obtain a closer view. For Haldir, as much as he liked seeing a woman's lovely figure, Lindir was the only object upon which his eyes cared to feast. The others were not interested in such manly features, and kept their eyes on the pink ribbon that decorated Tilliel's chemise. Lindir pulled Tilliel to him and kissed her then placed butterfly kisses from her chin, down her throat, to the edge of the thin white fabric with the pale pink ribbon that just barely covered her now heaving breasts.

Tilliel's head fell backward, her long hair trailing on the ground, and her eyes closed in her pleasure, while she moaned softly her desires. Telling the white haired minstrel what she wanted him to do and Lindir's breath quickened at her seductive, sensuous, softly spoken words. Her hands touched his shoulders, ran down across his chest, and settled at the waistband of his fine, green velvet leggings.

Lindir audibly groaned, and his head moved up to kiss Tilliel's lips once more. It was then that he began to untie the ribbon of her undergarment, exposing to all eyes her cleavage but not yet, the hidden prize. Haldir at this moment held thoughts that were not pleasing for the silver-headed vixen that had captured Lindir in her spell. Again, the leaves on the branch whereupon he sat, trembled and quivered as his anger built within him.

Eyes moved from Haldir back and forth to the hands of Lindir and the expression on the faces of the grey cloaked elves kept changing. First, would appear a leering grin, and then a smile of mirth until finally all hidden held their breath as Lindir's fingers moved again. Slowly, he slid one strap of the chemise off one pearly shoulder and then…

In his eagerness to see more of what was happening, one of the four in the great tree scooted forward and leaned a bit too much upon his branch. Suddenly into the quiet of the night, which had before held only moans and whispers, there came a loud…

thud…

and Lindir watched in amazement as a large grey shape suddenly lay upon the ground, fallen from the boughs of one of the great Mallorns.

Tilliel turned to see what had happened just in time to see a hood uncover shining silver hair, as a sheepish warrior rose from the prone position he had been in only a few short moments before.

Quickly, Lindir tried to pull up Tilliel's heavy dress, to cover what no other should see except for him. His cheeks were red as apples to be caught in such a manner, and he could only think of poor Tilliel's distress in being so discovered. But quite to his surprise, Tilliel slapped away his hands, for she saw what Lindir had not yet, more grey cloaks up in the trees. Jumping to her feet more quickly than a fox, the she-elf stomped over to the old and stately Mallorn, and with her hands upon her hips, began to scream and carry-on.

"How dare you!" She yelled at the branches of the tree. "How dare you spy on me like that! She screamed out the names of two elves that Lindir did not know and then her eyes opened wide in astonishment and suddenly narrowed in almost unconstrained anger.

"Lastad! (1) My own brother, hiding in a tree and watching me with my lover, I should have known you were behind all this!"

In her anger at her sibling, Tilliel never noticed the other guardians that sat for a moment like stone in the surrounding trees. Nor did she notice as three, including Claurech, shortly afterward, quickly but quietly climbed down and snuck away, leaving those who had been discovered and Haldir and his brothers the only spies remaining in the glade.

Tilliel kept ranting at her brother and his friends while Lindir grabbed the blanket and tried to wrap it around her shoulders. Breaking off from her tirade, Tilliel whirled around and faced Lindir.

"I thought you were pretty and shy, with a voice like a nightingale, but you are not worth all this trouble! Here I have spent the last few days chasing after a silly elf that will just go back to Imladris. When all along, I was hoping Erynion (2) would ask me to the dance. And I found out today, he asked Erunesta (3)! All my attempts to make him jealous failed. You are of no use to me. Just…go away, Lindir. I do not wish to see you anymore!"

At this, Tilliel turned back to her brother and fumed and pouted until finally, her brother who did not think all that happened quite as funny as the others, grasped her arm and pulled her out of the clearing. They could hear him yelling at her and her at him for long moments after they had gone.

The guardians in their cloaks, looked sheepishly at Lindir and muttering apologies under their breath, also began to leave.

Lindir was left alone, or so he thought, his mind reeling with the hateful words that Tilliel had said. Shouted at him in front of elves he had never even met; elves that he would have to sing in front of at the suddenly looming dance. Hurt, shocked, and almost in tears, Lindir grabbed his tunic and ran out of the glade, deeper into the woods.

Haldir had watched the scene play out before him with the same astonishment as the others, and so had Rúmil and Orophin. While the two in the tree behind Haldir had a good laugh over what had happened, glad for their brother's sake, they could only imagine the relief Haldir must be feeling now. Once glance at their elder brother showed this to be true, for his shoulders were shaking with laughter.

Rúmil, who had struggled all throughout to keep a hand over his mouth, suddenly allowed a peal of laughter to slip out, and Haldir, still sitting in the tree in front of him, heard it. Rúmil and Orophin froze as Haldir slowly turned around, knowing they were about to receive not only a lecture, but also a tongue lashing.

But when Haldir finally faced them, they were in for another shock, for tears were in Haldir's eyes and their tracks traced wet patterns down his cheeks. Their brother had not been shaking with laughter, but sobs, crying for the shame and hurt he had inadvertently brought on the gentle elf that he loved.

It was not a chastising that Rúmil and Orophin received from Haldir, but a look of disbelief that such behaviour could have come from his brothers. For Haldir knew who was truly at the bottom of the spying. The elves that had hidden in the trees, all of them had been seen by Haldir, at least after the first one fell. And he knew them, for they served under him on the northern borders, they were all in his unit. He turned tear-filled eyes to his brothers and spoke only a few words.

"I have hurt him badly, I must go after him."

With that, Haldir jumped from the tree and hurried after Lindir. Rúmil and Orophin, not left with a chance to explain, climbed from their perch and walked mournfully back to their talan.

Haldir ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to find Lindir, he had to tell him what this was really all about. Why had he hid from the elf to begin with? Oh, as much as he wanted to blame Rúmil and Orophin, all this mess was the fault of only one elf…himself. Haldir willed himself to run faster, using senses honed in his centuries as a guardian to try and determine where Lindir had gone. He had just managed to find Lindir's trail, when something or someone grasped him by the collar, turned him around, and then his world filled with pain as a large fist crashed into his face!

To be continued

Sindarin words and phrases used in this chapter

1. Lastad – name meaning to listen, one who listens. Lasta to listen (verb) Ambar Eldaron le Monde des Elfes (World of Elves) French translation by Milly.

2. Erynion – name meaning son of wood, woodsman. Eryn wood; ion son Ambar Eldaron le Monde des Elfes (World of Elves) French translation by Milly.

3. Erunesta – name meaning to heal, bring life, a healer. Eru waste, desert; nesta (verb) to heal Ambar Eldaron le Monde des Elfes (World of Elves) French translation by Milly.