A Meeting of Equals
Disclaimer: (and even my disclaimer is pinched from someone else!) © Glimmershiefer "Characters belong to Tolkien, and if we could harness the energy of him spinning in his grave, we wouldn't have to worry about OPEC decreasing oil production" This is more book-verse than movie-verse – except that Haldir is most definitely played by Mr Craig Parker - right down to the gray eyes and muscles.
CHAPTER ONE
Tala was tired. Or weary rather, elves weren't supposed to feel tired. She had ridden non-stop from Rivendell as Lord Elrond had ordered and now had been travelling for several days. The Lord of Rivendell had given her an urgent message to be delivered only to the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien, and she had received an additional task from the Lady Arwen.
She had travelled south from Rivendell, past Caradhras, through the pass called the Redhorn Gate and down the valley she knew as Nanduhirion, which the Dwarves called the Dimrill Dale.
As her horse came to the summit of the small mound, she brightened and felt the weariness subside. There across the plain were the beginnings of the Golden Wood of Lothlorien. Dusk had begun to darken the bright sunlight of the day and she would be glad to reach the shelter of the forest before night fell, she had been lucky on several occasions to avoid bands of orcs roaming the land.
"Look, Nahar, we're almost there." Her horse whinnied in response. Tala paused to push her raven hair away from her face and, repositioning her bow over her shoulders, urged Nahar forward, encouraging him with her heels pressed into his white flank.
She entered the edges of the forest and immediately felt more at ease. She was nearing the end of her urgent journey, and soon would be able to discharge her task and return to Rivendell.
The forest was silent and surprisingly still, no breeze seemed to move the trees and the late sunlight filtered down through lush green leaves, dappling the ground. The trees were tall with broad trunks and Tala guided the horse onto a path, weaving between them, which led deeper into the forest. Tala put her hand up to her cheek, already thinking of her arrival in the city. She should get cleaned up, she supposed, before appearing before the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim. The long, hard journey had taken a toll on her appearance and she frowned at the mud splatters on the hem of her blue riding coat and boots.
She smiled, thinking of the absurd tales of men, who said that elves never got dirty. It was true that they disliked being so, but on a long journey there was nothing that could be done.
Tala's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a faint shuffle of leaves and she brought Nahar to a sharp halt, glancing around uneasily. Suddenly, soundlessly, three elves, dressed in shadowy gray, appeared from the trees, arrows notched in bows, all aimed in her direction.
These were elves of the Galadhrim – evident from their fine features and the white blonde hair worn long and braided. Tala sat completely still, keeping absolute control over the stallion, who rolled one eye at her.
An elf, dressed slightly more finely than the other two, approached and spoke, his silver eyes examining her coldly. His clear voice matched the look in his eyes. His hair glinted gold in the light.
"Declare yourself. What is your business here within the borders of Lothlorien?"
Nahar shuffled slightly at the commanding tone and she bent forward to whisper reassuring into his ear, before responding.
"I have come with an urgent message for the Lord and Lady of this land from Lord Elrond of Rivendell. I have been instructed that it is for them alone."
The elf did not appear to be convinced at her explanation and he showed no sign of ordering his guard to move the aim of their arrows away from her.
"We were not informed of this." His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
He indicated that she should dismount and she complied, swinging down from her saddle with grace and holding Nahar close to her by the bridle.
Tala shrugged, deciding to behave as coldly as other elf. Despite the mud and her untidy hair, she held herself straight, not allowing herself to show any weariness.
"I have no control of that." She said haughtily, chin in the air. "Do I look like an orc spy?"
The blond elf circled her arrogantly, examining her.
She fumed silently, but kept looking straight ahead, fixing her dark eyes on the broad trunk of a mallorn tree in the distance.
The closeness of him was somehow disturbing to her - he was so entirely masculine, the cloth of his cloak draped perfectly over hard muscle; as he prowled around her, her skin tingled and she imagined she almost felt his breath on her neck.
He stepped back a few paces and stood for a moment, staring at her, and seemed finally to have made a decision. He turned to the guards and motioned for them to lower their bows.
"I am the March Warden of Lorien." He announced.
Tala lowered her head in a traditional greeting. "Mae govannen, March Warden. I am Eruna'antale, one of the ladies of the household of the Umdomiel."
The March Warden smirked disbelievingly. "And the Lord Elrond sent you with an urgent message? Had he run out of warriors?"
The other elves sniggered and Tala blushed fiercely, hating the elf for his quick judgement of her.
In response to a silent order, one of the other elves approached and silently removed her sword from the horse's saddle and took her bow.
"If this is how you treat visitors from Rivendell, March Warden, it is no wonder you get so few." Tala said between clenched teeth, glaring.
The trials of the journey had affected her more than she first thought and she blinked back a few angry tears.
The Warden noticed the glint in her brown eyes and his stern expression softened slightly. "Apologies, lady. You understand we must be vigilant at such times. I am responsible for the safety of the borders of this land and we have been tracking orcs to the North for some days now."
He nodded to the elf who had taken her weapons and said "Few are permitted to set foot in the Naith of Lorien but, as you have a message from Lord Elrond, Rumil will take you into the city and will bring you before the Lord and Lady. But you cannot leave until dawn. He is needed here to guard the borders during the time of darkness."
"And my sword and bow?"
He had become cold and distant again. "You will have those returned to you when the Lord and Lady think fit." He turned away and did not speak to her again. After having a whispered conversation with the elf called Rumil, which even her elven ears could not hear, he led the other elf back into the forest.
Rumil approached her and without a word indicated that she should follow him.
After attempting to make general conversation with the silent elf and getting no response, she gave up. Tala assumed that the Warden's orders had included his not speaking to her. She was angry at the arrogant way she had been treated. Of course she understood that he needed to be careful but there was no way she could have been mistaken for anything but that which she was. She was a lady of Rivendell, one of Arwen Evenstar's court.
Tala hoped that she would never see the elf again or she may say something which she would regret. Her temper had always been passionate and during the latter years had worked hard to try and control it, but on this occasion she thought it might be more than she could deal with.
Despite her anger Tala did not remount her horse but kept pace with her escort on foot, leading the stallion by the bridle. She could not help but look around in awe at the huge trees which made up the Golden Wood – larger even then those surrounding Elrond's house at Rivendell. The foliage was lush and green and the forest floor soft underfoot. She longed to ask her guide for details of the plants and flowers which she saw along the way but kept silent, merely admiring their beauty.
The late sunlight had almost faded when Rumil showed her where she could tether Nahar for the night in a clearing and then led her to the bottom of a silken ladder leading to an elven shelter - a flet - high in the tree.
He spoke. "You can stay here this night. We will return later once the border is secure." And with that he disappeared abruptly through the trees.
Tala pursed her lips in dismay – she hated sleeping in trees and disliked heights in general ever since a childhood accident when she had fallen from a tree and been badly injured, it had been touch and go for a while as to when she would be able to walk again. She had avoided heights ever since.
Tala stood and looked at the delicate ladder for a few minutes before taking a deep breath. She was not about to display any weakness to these elves. She pushed her fear to the back of her mind and took hold of the ladder.
"Right." She said firmly to herself. "I'm going to do this. If they return and find me sleeping on the ground then they will think me foolish." She admitted to herself that it would also be a safer place to sleep.
She managed the climb with the few possessions she required from her saddle bag but was immensely relieved when she finally reached the platform of the flet. She lay her cloak out on the boards as far away from the opening as possible and settled down on the rather bare wood to try and get some sleep, but the thought of the height she was at made her too uncomfortable. The boards felt flimsy to her though she knew they were not.
Her mind was also taken up with thoughts of the way she had been treated by the arrogant March Warden. She recalled how his piercing eyes had examined her thoroughly and seemed to find her wanting. She sighed and thought of her comfortable room, now empty in Rivendell, and started to calculate the days until she could return.
88888888888
Haldir led Orophin back into the trees.
He had noticed the glint of tears in elleth's dark eyes and had guessed they were from anger rather than upset. He liked that; she had spirit and yet had not given in to her frustration.
He pondered on the message she had brought from Rivendell. It had been many months since they had heard from that place. And to send a lady of the Umdomiel's household, Haldir puzzled, perhaps she had also brought some private message from the Evenstar for her grandmother.
She had seemed well equipped to defend herself from her haughty stance and well-used bow. He had not needed to have treated her quite so abruptly but she had given as good as she got. He wondered how she would take to the orders he had given to Rumil not to speak to her. Not well, he guessed and smiled slightly, but once Lord Celeborn knew she was in Lorien then his duty to oversee her would be discharged.
His thoughts strayed for a moment to the way her ice-blue coat had shown up her fair skin and raven-dark hair. Her eyes had been so dark and deep they could have swallowed him whole. Were all ladies at Rivendell as fair as the Evenstar, he pondered?
At that moment, an elf of the patrol ran up to report a sighting of yrchs and he did not think of her again.
Disclaimer: (and even my disclaimer is pinched from someone else!) © Glimmershiefer "Characters belong to Tolkien, and if we could harness the energy of him spinning in his grave, we wouldn't have to worry about OPEC decreasing oil production" This is more book-verse than movie-verse – except that Haldir is most definitely played by Mr Craig Parker - right down to the gray eyes and muscles.
CHAPTER ONE
Tala was tired. Or weary rather, elves weren't supposed to feel tired. She had ridden non-stop from Rivendell as Lord Elrond had ordered and now had been travelling for several days. The Lord of Rivendell had given her an urgent message to be delivered only to the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien, and she had received an additional task from the Lady Arwen.
She had travelled south from Rivendell, past Caradhras, through the pass called the Redhorn Gate and down the valley she knew as Nanduhirion, which the Dwarves called the Dimrill Dale.
As her horse came to the summit of the small mound, she brightened and felt the weariness subside. There across the plain were the beginnings of the Golden Wood of Lothlorien. Dusk had begun to darken the bright sunlight of the day and she would be glad to reach the shelter of the forest before night fell, she had been lucky on several occasions to avoid bands of orcs roaming the land.
"Look, Nahar, we're almost there." Her horse whinnied in response. Tala paused to push her raven hair away from her face and, repositioning her bow over her shoulders, urged Nahar forward, encouraging him with her heels pressed into his white flank.
She entered the edges of the forest and immediately felt more at ease. She was nearing the end of her urgent journey, and soon would be able to discharge her task and return to Rivendell.
The forest was silent and surprisingly still, no breeze seemed to move the trees and the late sunlight filtered down through lush green leaves, dappling the ground. The trees were tall with broad trunks and Tala guided the horse onto a path, weaving between them, which led deeper into the forest. Tala put her hand up to her cheek, already thinking of her arrival in the city. She should get cleaned up, she supposed, before appearing before the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim. The long, hard journey had taken a toll on her appearance and she frowned at the mud splatters on the hem of her blue riding coat and boots.
She smiled, thinking of the absurd tales of men, who said that elves never got dirty. It was true that they disliked being so, but on a long journey there was nothing that could be done.
Tala's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a faint shuffle of leaves and she brought Nahar to a sharp halt, glancing around uneasily. Suddenly, soundlessly, three elves, dressed in shadowy gray, appeared from the trees, arrows notched in bows, all aimed in her direction.
These were elves of the Galadhrim – evident from their fine features and the white blonde hair worn long and braided. Tala sat completely still, keeping absolute control over the stallion, who rolled one eye at her.
An elf, dressed slightly more finely than the other two, approached and spoke, his silver eyes examining her coldly. His clear voice matched the look in his eyes. His hair glinted gold in the light.
"Declare yourself. What is your business here within the borders of Lothlorien?"
Nahar shuffled slightly at the commanding tone and she bent forward to whisper reassuring into his ear, before responding.
"I have come with an urgent message for the Lord and Lady of this land from Lord Elrond of Rivendell. I have been instructed that it is for them alone."
The elf did not appear to be convinced at her explanation and he showed no sign of ordering his guard to move the aim of their arrows away from her.
"We were not informed of this." His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
He indicated that she should dismount and she complied, swinging down from her saddle with grace and holding Nahar close to her by the bridle.
Tala shrugged, deciding to behave as coldly as other elf. Despite the mud and her untidy hair, she held herself straight, not allowing herself to show any weariness.
"I have no control of that." She said haughtily, chin in the air. "Do I look like an orc spy?"
The blond elf circled her arrogantly, examining her.
She fumed silently, but kept looking straight ahead, fixing her dark eyes on the broad trunk of a mallorn tree in the distance.
The closeness of him was somehow disturbing to her - he was so entirely masculine, the cloth of his cloak draped perfectly over hard muscle; as he prowled around her, her skin tingled and she imagined she almost felt his breath on her neck.
He stepped back a few paces and stood for a moment, staring at her, and seemed finally to have made a decision. He turned to the guards and motioned for them to lower their bows.
"I am the March Warden of Lorien." He announced.
Tala lowered her head in a traditional greeting. "Mae govannen, March Warden. I am Eruna'antale, one of the ladies of the household of the Umdomiel."
The March Warden smirked disbelievingly. "And the Lord Elrond sent you with an urgent message? Had he run out of warriors?"
The other elves sniggered and Tala blushed fiercely, hating the elf for his quick judgement of her.
In response to a silent order, one of the other elves approached and silently removed her sword from the horse's saddle and took her bow.
"If this is how you treat visitors from Rivendell, March Warden, it is no wonder you get so few." Tala said between clenched teeth, glaring.
The trials of the journey had affected her more than she first thought and she blinked back a few angry tears.
The Warden noticed the glint in her brown eyes and his stern expression softened slightly. "Apologies, lady. You understand we must be vigilant at such times. I am responsible for the safety of the borders of this land and we have been tracking orcs to the North for some days now."
He nodded to the elf who had taken her weapons and said "Few are permitted to set foot in the Naith of Lorien but, as you have a message from Lord Elrond, Rumil will take you into the city and will bring you before the Lord and Lady. But you cannot leave until dawn. He is needed here to guard the borders during the time of darkness."
"And my sword and bow?"
He had become cold and distant again. "You will have those returned to you when the Lord and Lady think fit." He turned away and did not speak to her again. After having a whispered conversation with the elf called Rumil, which even her elven ears could not hear, he led the other elf back into the forest.
Rumil approached her and without a word indicated that she should follow him.
After attempting to make general conversation with the silent elf and getting no response, she gave up. Tala assumed that the Warden's orders had included his not speaking to her. She was angry at the arrogant way she had been treated. Of course she understood that he needed to be careful but there was no way she could have been mistaken for anything but that which she was. She was a lady of Rivendell, one of Arwen Evenstar's court.
Tala hoped that she would never see the elf again or she may say something which she would regret. Her temper had always been passionate and during the latter years had worked hard to try and control it, but on this occasion she thought it might be more than she could deal with.
Despite her anger Tala did not remount her horse but kept pace with her escort on foot, leading the stallion by the bridle. She could not help but look around in awe at the huge trees which made up the Golden Wood – larger even then those surrounding Elrond's house at Rivendell. The foliage was lush and green and the forest floor soft underfoot. She longed to ask her guide for details of the plants and flowers which she saw along the way but kept silent, merely admiring their beauty.
The late sunlight had almost faded when Rumil showed her where she could tether Nahar for the night in a clearing and then led her to the bottom of a silken ladder leading to an elven shelter - a flet - high in the tree.
He spoke. "You can stay here this night. We will return later once the border is secure." And with that he disappeared abruptly through the trees.
Tala pursed her lips in dismay – she hated sleeping in trees and disliked heights in general ever since a childhood accident when she had fallen from a tree and been badly injured, it had been touch and go for a while as to when she would be able to walk again. She had avoided heights ever since.
Tala stood and looked at the delicate ladder for a few minutes before taking a deep breath. She was not about to display any weakness to these elves. She pushed her fear to the back of her mind and took hold of the ladder.
"Right." She said firmly to herself. "I'm going to do this. If they return and find me sleeping on the ground then they will think me foolish." She admitted to herself that it would also be a safer place to sleep.
She managed the climb with the few possessions she required from her saddle bag but was immensely relieved when she finally reached the platform of the flet. She lay her cloak out on the boards as far away from the opening as possible and settled down on the rather bare wood to try and get some sleep, but the thought of the height she was at made her too uncomfortable. The boards felt flimsy to her though she knew they were not.
Her mind was also taken up with thoughts of the way she had been treated by the arrogant March Warden. She recalled how his piercing eyes had examined her thoroughly and seemed to find her wanting. She sighed and thought of her comfortable room, now empty in Rivendell, and started to calculate the days until she could return.
88888888888
Haldir led Orophin back into the trees.
He had noticed the glint of tears in elleth's dark eyes and had guessed they were from anger rather than upset. He liked that; she had spirit and yet had not given in to her frustration.
He pondered on the message she had brought from Rivendell. It had been many months since they had heard from that place. And to send a lady of the Umdomiel's household, Haldir puzzled, perhaps she had also brought some private message from the Evenstar for her grandmother.
She had seemed well equipped to defend herself from her haughty stance and well-used bow. He had not needed to have treated her quite so abruptly but she had given as good as she got. He wondered how she would take to the orders he had given to Rumil not to speak to her. Not well, he guessed and smiled slightly, but once Lord Celeborn knew she was in Lorien then his duty to oversee her would be discharged.
His thoughts strayed for a moment to the way her ice-blue coat had shown up her fair skin and raven-dark hair. Her eyes had been so dark and deep they could have swallowed him whole. Were all ladies at Rivendell as fair as the Evenstar, he pondered?
At that moment, an elf of the patrol ran up to report a sighting of yrchs and he did not think of her again.