The Game of Love: Strike
By Khylaren
Chapter 5Despite Laurel's amiable relationship with Asfaloth, she never took to riding. She'd been taught to ride during her nearly two years in Imladris, but for the most part, she'd remained nothing more than a white knuckled, grim-faced passenger, relieved when her time on horseback came to an end.
It was a mystery to Glorfindel, who had been the one responsible for teaching Laurel the basics of riding. Elves had a natural affinity with all living creatures, and Laurel's relationship with Asfaloth proved without a doubt that she shared that affinity with her kindred. However, when it came to actually riding, she was hopeless and her explanation that it was 'because the horses were so tall' did not really help. It was an irrational fear, as far as he was concerned, but there was little he could do beyond instructing her as best he could.
Therefore, the ride to Lothlórien was not without its difficulties.
Glorfindel had selected the most docile and gentlest of palfrey's for Laurel. Gwaloth was also the shortest of all the mares in Imladris' stable. Laurel had done fine initially, and seemed to warm to Gwaloth, petting her and talking to her as easily as she did Asfaloth. Until it was time to mount her.
Gwaloth, being sensitive to her rider's tense mood, immediately became antsy, tossing her head, shifting from foot to foot, her cream-colored ears flicking back and forth uncertainly. Still, Laurel was willing to ride, and as their trip progressed, she seemed to relax a little.
Until they reached Lórien, that is.
They had just reached the border when Glorfindel heard a frightened scream, and a cream-colored streak darted past him in a flurry of pounding hooves as Laurel clung precariously to Gwaloth's back. Elladan and Elrohir were already moving out, attempting to catch the runaway mare before Laurel fell. They reached her moments too late.
The guardians of Lothlórien's border, seeing a horse galloping towards them, obviously out of control, had taken matters into their own hands. Glorfindel distinctly heard one of them shout "Daro!" at Gwaloth. The mare, long trained to heed such commands, especially when shouted in such an authoritative manner, skidded to an abrupt halt. Laurel, unprepared for such a sudden maneuver, was pitched from her back like a sack of flour, and fell in an ungraceful heap of skirts and slippers at the marchwarden's feet.
Laurel's ears rang, her hip and backside aching from the sudden impact on the hard ground. Her dress, to her mortification, had slid upward during her impromptu dismount, and she was aware she was exposing most of her legs to a rapidly growing audience. She managed to push the dress back down, her face burning with humiliation as she struggled to rise. A hand grasped hers and pulled her unceremoniously to her feet.
"Are you injured?" a male voice asked courteously.
"Just my pride," she said, embarrassed beyond belief. She spent several moments brushing dried leaves and grass bits from her skirt to avoid looking up. Only when she heard Elladan and Elrohir's voices did she finally give in to the inevitable and lifted her head.
The elf who had assisted her looked her over in a perfunctory manner, as if verifying with his own eyes that she was, indeed, uninjured, before turning his attention to Elladan and Elrohir.
"Mae Govannen, my Lords," he said, inclining his head respectfully and touching his heart.
They greeted him warmly, before turning their attention to Laurel and her wayward horse.
"What happened?" Elladan asked, holding the now-docile Gwaloth by her bridle.
"You seemed to be doing better, earlier," Elrohir added, frowning at her.
Laurel flushed and looked away. "There was a bee that would not leave me alone. It kept flying around my head, so I swatted at it. Gwaloth spooked when I started waving my arms." Her humiliation was now complete. Not only had she embarrassed herself in front of the Lórien elves within seconds of arriving at the border, but now they would think she was a fool as well.
By the time she had finished, Glorfindel, Arwen, and the other escorts had arrived. To her chagrin, and continual embarrassment, she had to repeat her story to them as well, all the while the handful of guardians dressed in gray waited patiently. Glorfindel managed not to laugh, but she could see the strain of holding it back in his eyes. Arwen looked concerned, but Niním and Merelind seemed to find something very interesting in the grass at their feet and would not look at her. Laurel noted the open grins on the twin's faces with a sinking feeling. There would be no end to their teasing.
She wished a convenient hole would open up and swallow her. Alas, not so much as a crack appeared at her feet.
Their escort to Caras Galadhon would consist of three of the guardians who had met them at the border, and Laurel was introduced briefly to them. Their names were Haldir, Rúmil, and Orophin, though the introductions went so quickly she didn't have time to figure out who was who. Glorfindel was satisfied that all was well, having delivered his charges safely to the border of the Golden Wood, and said his farewells before tugging Laurel off to the side.
"I think you better say your farewells to Asfaloth now," he said gravely, though his eyes glinted with good-natured humor. "Otherwise I will be explaining to my grumpy horse why you have not brought him any treats from Lord Elrond's garden."
Laurel petted Asfaloth's neck and the stallion turned, nudging her hand until she scratched his soft nose. "Does everyone in Imladris know I sneak Asfaloth treats?" she asked.
"No," Glorfindel replied. "No one else save Lord Elrond knows, and you can trust him not to reveal your secret."
She hugged Asfaloth's neck. "Who am I going to spill all my woes to now?" she murmured, inhaling his horsey scent. She felt Glorfindel's hand on her shoulder and turned, releasing Asfaloth reluctantly.
"Perhaps," Glorfindel said carefully, "You will find someone in Lórien who will listen without judgment."
She nodded, and on impulse, embraced him swiftly. "Thank you, Glorfindel."
He returned her hug with one arm, smiling. "You are welcome, Laurel."
She watched Glorfindel ride away on Asfaloth, the other escorts from Imladris riding behind him, and sighed. Gwaloth and the other horses were taken and led away by several of the Galadhrim, leaving them to complete their journey to Caras Galadhon on foot. She swallowed her trepidation at meeting so many new elves and hoped that she wouldn't end up being known as "the elleth who fell off her horse".
"It will be all right," Arwen said softly, for her ears alone. "You will be fine."
Laurel offered her a faint smile. "How did you know what I was thinking?"
Arwen laughed quietly. "Your face hides nothing, Laurel. It was easy to guess."
Filing that away for future reference, Laurel followed behind Arwen as the three Galadhrim led them deeper into the Golden Wood, Niním and Merelind following alongside her.
It was three days walk to the great city that was the heart of Elvendom on Arda, home of the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood. In those three days, Laurel managed to learn to distinguish their three escorts and match their names to their faces.
The serious one with the lightest gray eyes was Haldir, and apparently, he was the Captain of the Wardens of Lothlórien. Though he seldom laughed out loud, she did see him smiling sometimes, usually at something one of the twins had to say.
Orophin's eyes were darker gray, and he laughed more often than Haldir, though he could be deadly serious when he was focused on something. He often walked behind the party, taking rear guard, and Laurel didn't really get much opportunity to speak with him.
In contrast, Rúmil had blue eyes the color of cornflowers, and a light, infectious laugh. He seemed rarely serious, though it was obvious he was good at his job and that he took his duties seriously. He most often walked just in front of Arwen, and would occasionally drop back to flirt shamelessly with all of the females of the group before darting ahead to scout the terrain for trouble.
The first day of walking, Laurel was lost simply looking at the trees. Their size eclipsed anything she'd ever seen. Not even the ancient California redwoods came close to the girth of the mallorn trees. And the colors amazed her; gold leaves and silver bark, deep green moss clinging to the trunks and lower branches. She'd read all about the great mellyrn, but seeing them was something else entirely.
The effect hadn't lessened any by the time they reached Caras Galadhon. In fact, in was amplified ten-fold, and Laurel knew she must have looked silly standing there at the top of the hill, simply gaping, but she couldn't help it. She didn't realize that Haldir had stopped beside her until he spoke.
"It still affects me like that on occasion," he told her simply. "There is no place on Arda more beautiful to me." With that, he continued on ahead, catching up to Elladan and Elrohir with swift, ground-eating strides.
Surprised that he had spoken to her, she watched him walk ahead, until Arwen tugged lightly on her arm as she passed. "Come, Laurel. You do not want to be last, do you?"
Laurel saw that Niním and Merelind had already passed them, so she fell in step beside Arwen, her eyes fixed on the lovely sight ahead of her. She was only peripherally aware of Orophin walking behind them.
"Are you and your brothers staying in the city for a while?" Arwen asked, looking back at Orophin.
The guardian nodded, giving her a smile. "Aye. 'Tis the end of our watch, and we are glad of it. We do not go back for another fortnight."
Arwen laughed. "My brothers will be happy to hear it. No one in Imladris will wager in cards against them, and they have been eager to have someone to play with again."
Orophin chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, they will not find us so easy to beat, this time," he said, grinning. "We have been playing since their last stay, and I believe we have improved greatly."
"What sort of things do you wager?" Laurel asked curiously, knowing that Elves didn't bother with currency.
He handed her one of his arrows, fletched with white feathers. She took it from him gingerly, turning it carefully in her hands and examining it. "You wager arrows?"
Orophin inclined his head slightly. "I am rather well known for my fletching," he said.
"What about the others?" Laurel handed his arrow back, being mindful of the tip.
He took it from her and placed it in his quiver. "Sometimes it is a task, like repairing and cleaning weapons, or it can be a skill, like my fletching or Rúmil's carving." He showed her the scabbard of his belt-knife, and she admired the pattern etched deeply in the stiff leather. "Haldir's skill," he explained with brotherly pride. "His designs are best."
They climbed the wide, winding stairs that spiraled around the trunk of an enormous mallorn, stairs that led to the very tops of the trees. Everywhere she looked she saw more trees with spiraling stairs, lit with glittering lamps that looked like thousands of fireflies ringing the trunks.
"There are no bees this high up," Elrohir whispered to her as he passed her.
She scowled at the back of his head, wishing she could come up with a good retort that would silence both Elrohir's and Elladan's teasing. They had been merciless the entire three days of their journey deeper into Lothlórien, and it was beginning to wear on her nerves. It was difficult enough trying to make a good impression on strangers without having them constantly remind everyone of her less-than-graceful entry into their realm.
Thankfully, their three escorts did not seem inclined to join the twins in their teasing of Laurel, and she was grateful for that. Haldir in particular seemed to find no humor in the situation. Rúmil and Orophin had smiled at first, but their expressions became less amused as the comments and jokes at her expense wore on.
Arwen caught the look on Laurel's face and frowned, knowing well that it was one of her brothers that had put it there. The elleth said nothing, but Laurel could see the look in her eyes; it boded ill for Elladan and Elrohir.
"I can't believe I was even tempted to sleep with him," Laurel muttered softly, earning a swift and confused look from Rúmil. She gave him a smile, which he returned with a wink.
They reached the top and stepped out onto a wide, wooden platform. Haldir, Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen took places at the bottom of a short flight of steps, and Laurel found herself standing between Orophin and Rúmil, Niním and Merelind on either side of them. Laurel looked up, her eyes widening slightly as two elves slowly descended the steps.
Lord Celeborn, for it had to be him, was as fair as Lord Elrond was dark. Waist length silver hair was crowned with a gleaming circlet shaped in the delicate pattern of leaves. His robes were a soft blue that flowed gracefully with each step. His eyes were the color of a clear summer sky, and held the wisdom of ages. His face was kindly, and though it wore a serious expression, looked as if it were far more used to smiling and laughter.
Where Celeborn was silver, Galadriel was gold, from her long golden hair to the glow of her skin. Her eyes were a deeper shade of blue, like the blue of an unflawed sapphire. Like Celeborn, her eyes held the wisdom of years beyond measure, and her face was gentle in appearance.
Elladan and Elrohir stepped forward as one to greet their grandmother, placing kisses on opposite cheeks, making her smile.
"I trust you are well and have not been into mischief?" Galadriel asked with a small, knowing smile.
"Always, Iaurnana," they replied, and Laurel stifled a laugh, because it was obvious that this was something she asked them frequently, their answer sounded so well-rehearsed.
Celeborn greeted them next. "I am glad to see you again," he said warmly. "Your visits are always welcome."
It was not the type of family reunion that Laurel was used to seeing, the kind with hugging, kissing, tears and laughter. It was quite reserved in comparison, but Laurel suspected that a more emotional display would probably take place the moment everyone else was gone.
Merelind and Niním needed no introduction, having accompanied Arwen on visits before, so only Laurel was introduced to the Lord and Lady. She greeted them, grateful for Erestor's insistence that she learn matters of protocol when meeting high-ranking elves.
"How do you find our realm thus far?" Celeborn asked kindly.
"It is beautiful," Laurel answered truthfully. "I am anxious to see more of it."
Galadriel smiled, pleased with her answer. "I am certain you are weary from your traveling. A place has been prepared for your stay," she said, directing her gaze at Laurel, Niním and Merelind. "Go now and take your rest."
Eros smiled smugly, rubbing his hands together. Without directly influencing Laurel, he'd managed to achieve what he wanted. They were both in the same place, and already had they'd had somewhat favorable contact with each other. The Valar would have no issue with any of his actions so far, he was certain of it.
Now all that remained was to see if events played out as he wished. If not, well, there were ways of making things happen that would not get him into too much trouble with the Valar. A little risk was worth the results, and besides, life was just so much more interesting when there was the added hint of danger.
Immortality could be so tedious otherwise.