Title: The Marriage Ceremony
Author: fazy
Pairing: Haldir/ Elrond.
Rating: PG
Archive: Melethryn, ff,net LoM
Summary: Elrond and Haldir make the relationship official.
Genre: AU (somewhere in the 21st century)
Warnings: slash. (duh)

/ ... / stands for thought speak. But you guys already know that, dont you. ;D

Somehow they made it to the ceremony unscathed. Elrond had gotten himself dressed in his best (and original! Don't for get original!) Imladris robes, and once he was satisfied with his appearance, left the bedroom and swept down the steps that led to the main hall. There he found two of the three brothers leaning against a pillar while sharing a bag of chips. Two young girls ran past screaming in delight- Orophin's children, only to be chased down and have their crisp, pink dressed straightened down by his wife.

"Oro, Lin," Elrond said, nodding a greeting to his new in-laws. "Where's Rumil?"

"Oh, Ru can't make it," Haldir said airily, though Elrond could tell by the tightness of his lover's throat that Haldir was hurt. "He was never coming in the first place. He couldn't get leave from work."

"Yeah," Orophin joined in, sniggering. "He tried to sneak an MC today to get sick leave, but the flight in was overbooked and the next one comes in the day after tomorrow so he ended up back in the office again."

Haldir laughed. "Poor Ru. Nothing ever goes right for him, does it?"

And although Elrond was still slightly uncomfortable making small talk with the rest of Haldir's family, the mildness and insipidness of the chatter was almost pleasurable considering the circumstances. At least Orophin and his wife kept the two of them sane. At least it gave them something to do, some outlet to release their pent-up energy. It was better than being at each other's throats, at any rate.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a bit of a daze. There was a hazy recollection of being mobbed by a surprising number of well-wishers-- he never knew there were so many elves left that he had not made enemies with-- and a thoroughly embarrassing moment where he and Haldir shared a quick kiss which turned into a rather drawn out one, thoroughly forgetting the number of eyes that were fixed on them that day. They had broken away amidst the cheering of the crowed, and he thought he had caught a short glimpse of Gandalf making obscene hand gestures. And although he had expected Haldir to languish in the attention showered upon him, the blonde had surprisingly blushed scarlet and gazed modestly down, shuffling his feet and looking like he whished the ground would swallow him up.

What in the world had gotten into his lover today? Never in all his years had he seen the march warden so shy!

But there was something odd about Haldir, truly. He seemed so jittery of late, so unsure, so timid, so insecure, so unlike the hardened warrior Elrond knew him to be. Elrond spoke to him telepathically. /Hervenn, are you alright?/ he asked, concerned. Haldir's head snapped up. He looked almost… fearful. /You are not yourself, melethron,/ he said again.

/I know,/ Haldir replied: although the Lorien elf had absolutely no telepathic abilities, the two had spent so much time in each other's company that Elrond was now able to pick up any of Haldir's thoughts that were directed to him. All the blonde needed to do was to think them and the words would sound in his lover's head. /I don't know what's wrong. I suppose I'm just nervous. It just feels so odd. It's scary. All these people!/

/Hey, I thought you liked people. You love parties./

/Yes, so long as they're not held for me!!! I feel like everyone's gawking at me! It's so stressful! I hate it!/

/Well, that's the whole point, silly,/ Elrond grinned, and although Haldir smiled in return, he paled once more when Galadriel beckoned to them. Already the guests were starting to make their way to the terraced rose garden, a raised platform of earth encased by a ring of that special breed of rose symbolic of their relationship. Elrond had created the hybrid half by accident a few years before, and they had always thought of it as their special rose since then. They were to have their ceremony there, amidst the flowers they thought of as their own.

"It's time," he whispered hoarsely. Elrond nodded and reached out to help him up, but Haldir just sat staring blankly at the outstretched hand. "Aeron? I'm scared?" he said quietly.

"Well," Elrond licked his lips, psyching himself up, "I'm not." he said. Haldir looked at him searchingly.

"You sure?" he said worriedly.

"Yes," he said, nodded his head. He took a deep breath. "I've been wanting this for this for a long time. Yes," he said, nodding again. "I'm sure. Yes."

Haldir grinned trustfully. "Really?" he smiled.

"Really."

"Lets go."

Elrond laughed. "And it's about time too!" he chucked. Haldir looked around. They were the only ones left in the tent. "Come on."

Hurriedly, they made their way to the terrace where everyone was waiting, and from her place out front, Galadriel raised an eyebrow. /Really, you two,/ she chided teasingly in the privacy of their minds, and although Haldir winked conspiratorially at her, Elrond did not share their intimacy of long friendship. For him, she had always been the mother-in-law that he had failed by allowing Celebrian succumb to her injuries. And now, eons afterwards he was once again about to tie himself to another of her own. When Haldir had insisted on her being given a personal invite, Elrond had all but freaked out.

"What?!" he cried in disbelief, choking on his morning coffee. "We don't even like each other. We work for opposite sides of the political arena. She's my rival," he protested but Haldir had been adamant.

"She took us in, Elrond, my brothers and I. She cared for us, she gave us a place to stay. She looked out for us. She's not just my Lady -- and she deserves a personal invite based on that consideration alone-- she's also the closest thing I have to a guardian. She's practically my adoptive mother.

"Oh, great. As if it weren't awkward enough without bringing that in as well. Now what am I supposed to say to her? --'Er… hi ex-mom-in-law? Remember your daughter? The one that died because I wasn't careful enough? Guess what, I've gotten over her and I'm married again. Oh, and you do realize that would make you my mom-in-law squared, don't you? Incidentally, since there isn't anyone else, can you carry out the ceremony? You know, cos everyone else who can do it hates me to my guts?' -- No way, Haldir. She'll never buy it. Nuhuh, no way, no how. Forget it. It's not happening."

And Haldir had sipped his coffee very coolly and glared at him over the rim of the cup, before setting it down and dabbing the napkin to his lips. "She's Galadriel, Aeron," he said, his voice as hard and unbending as cold steel. "I owe her that much."

And that was that. How could Elrond argue with that? He had allowed himself to be dragged to tea and endure the humiliation as Haldir first joked and laughed with his nemesis, then brought up the matter of the invite, and then listen to them make plans for the occasion together.

And so now, today, she was standing before them in her white crystal dress reciting her designated lines while cheekily carrying on a private conversation with them in her head. Elrond shot her one of his patented death glares in a faint hope of shutting her up, but it only made her eyes sparkle all the brighter. Late for your own ceremony? I'd have thought better of you! she laughed in their minds. But she did stop after that. Playful as she was, the ceremony was too sacred to be made light of.

During a break between her Sindarin speech, she turned to the guests and beamed down at them. "We are here to witness the declaration of their commitment for each other," she said in English for the benefit of the handful who did not speak elvish. "It is not quite marriage in your conventional sense, for they already share that sacred bond. This is more a declaration of loyalty--"

"Yeah. Right. Slut." There was the sound of skeptical laughter, quickly cut short.

"--of love and of commitment for each other, that from now on…" although Galadriel simply glared sternly at the direction of the sound and carried on unfazed, the laughter had been like a slap to the face to Haldir, and her subsequent words were lost to him.

Slut.

Someone had called him that.

Slut.

Someone had doubted his ability to remain loyal.

Slut.

Someone had mocked him. Someone had laughed. Many had laughed. Even now, he could still feel the laughter ringing cruelly in his ears.

Slut.

Perhaps they were right. They were right. He truly was a slut, a horrible, dirty, disgusting slut. He was nothing but a slut, always was, always will be, he would never be more than a celebrated slut. The words echoed in his mind.

Slut

Slut

Slut

Slut!

He felt his breath grow faint. There was something weighing on his throat, cutting off his breathing air. His chest hurt.

Slut.

No, he wasn't! He wasn't! Not anymore! He'd given it up! He'd given it up!

SLUT.

He wasn't! He wasn't! Not anymore! He'd given it up! He'd given it up! He had, truly he had, he HAD! It had upset Elrond, and made Elrond unhappy, and he had given it up forever, he had promised he'd give it up forever, he had, he had!

He HAD!

Slut.

Haldir staggered backwards, his eyes wild and fearful. He did not hear Elrond calling his name in concern, or Galadriel reaching out to calm him down; all he saw in his mind was the mockery in people's faces as they bore down on him, all he heard was their scornful chants and wicked laughter. Gasping wildly, he broke free of Elrond's worried grasp and made a desperate dash towards the house.

To be continued...

jeng Jeng JENG!!!!

hey guys! sorry the update took so long! many apologies!!!! i lost most of the original chapter 5 during the virtual renovation, so i had to practically re-write the whole thing. i think it's better now though, so perhaps having half the file ('the rest of the afternoon passed in a bit of a daze' onwards) vanish on me was a good thing. originally there was quite a bit about Galadriel and Celeborn having a tempestuous relationship but it's been replaced with some Haldir drama, which is, i think, much more relevant to the story.

and i know i'm giving them a hard time. it gets better from here... promise...