Chapter 11

Days had passed and Emdiril was glad that they had reached the outskirts of Lothlorien. Compared to the elves surrounding her she needed more rest and she was starting to struggle. All she wanted was a nice, comfortable bed and some well-deserved rest.

Occasionally her mind would wander to the elf she had left behind in Greenwood. Legolas had been so stubborn, he had not wanted her to leave him and he had shown his loyalty towards her, only to have it all taken away. A sigh escaped Emdiril's lips and she cast her glance downwards. The blank look in his eyes plagued her mind. She found herself wishing that her powers had not worked on him and that he would remember, but she knew better than that.

"Hiril vuin" a masculine voice caused Emdiril to look forward. Stood in front of them were two elves, guards of Lothlórien Emdiril assumed. They bowed their heads in respect at Galadriel and the group behind her, their long blond hair falling over their shoulders.

"Mae g'ovaennen!" the other elf said, he was a little shorter than the other.

"Orophin, Rúmil," Galadriel smiled at the two elves and nodded her head in recognition.

Orophin started murmuring but Emdiril felt too weary to attempt listening in for her use of magic had weakened her greatly. She noticed the shorter guard glance at her curiously occasionally. Truth be told, although she saw Galadriel and Celeborn as family she had never been to Lórien and had never met the Galadhrim. The redhead wondered whether the guard had heard about her and she shifted uncomfortably on her horse.

Arwen, whose horse was beside hers, nudged her in the arm and smirked down at the woman. "Looks like you have an admirer," she whispered lowly and Emdiril's eyes widened significantly, making the ellith chuckle.

"Arwen!" Emdiril sent her a glare before she shook her head. A smile crept upon her features though as she heard Arwen laugh louder, "You are unbelievable."

"My children," Galadriel's soothing voice sounded like singing to Emdiril's ears. Her green eyes found those of the wise elf and she smiled at her, "We shall now enter Lothlórien. Orophin and Rúmil will guide us. You may walk or you may continue on horseback." The blonde then turned back forward as Emdiril jumped of her horse, patting it's back. One of the guards offered to walk it for her and she nodded her head in appreciation.

The taller guard guided the way through the woods while the other elf walked with Arwen and Emdiril.

"Pedig edhellen? Im Rúmil," The guard rose an eyebrow at Emdiril, wondering if she understood what he had said. He was curious about her.

"Im Emdiril," she replied, nodding her head to confirm her knowledge of Elvish.

"Ne vedui! Orophin, I was right!" he called out to the other guard walking at the front of the group, who only shook his head in response. Emdiril watched on as Arwen's steps became quicker, leaving Emdiril and Rúmil to speak among themselves.

"Excuse me?" Emdiril asked softly, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion at the elf who was walking beside her. Rúmil noticed and a soft laugh escaped his lips before he placed a hand on his chest.

"Goheno nin," he started, his blue eyes finding her face, "Haldir has spoken about you a lot."

Emdiril felt her heart jump a beat at the mention of the Marchwarden's name and she opened her mouth to reply, only to shake her head in response. Haldir was too arrogant and too proud to speak of anyone but himself. She knew they had grown close in the past but she had not expected him to speak her name.

"I speak the truth. He says he met you on the journey to Greenwood," Rúmil explained further as the pair of them walked in perfect sync.

"He has, yes," the woman nodded her head as she glanced at the elf beside her, "How do you know of Haldir?" she asked, quirking a delicate brow.

"Haldir is brother to me and Orophin."

"Oh. My apologies." Emdiril scolded herself but the elf beside her merely laughed.

"Do not apologise. Haldir does not often speak of relatives, or anyone," he smiled at her reassuringly, "Pedathanc hi sui vellyn?"

"Yes, we may speak as friends now," Emdiril returned the elf's smile, Rúmil was friendly which she felt was refreshing.

"What else has Haldir said?" she asked as she crossed her arms across her chest to keep warm.

"Haldir tells me you are quite stubborn."

Emdiril laughed out loud and she rolled her eyes. Of course he would say something like that. Rúmil joined in laughing and the pair of them engaged in small talk as they walked.

It had started raining and Emdiril hugged her cloak tightly around her body as she looked around Caras Galadhon. She had to hold her hood in place for the city was built around the top huge trees and her green eyes sparkled with amazement. The woman had heard of Lothlórien's beauty, but seeing it for herself was truly mesmerizing. She had not even noticed Arwen and Galadriel climb off their horses and they soon started climbing an enormous staircase. Rúmil still walked beside her but had not spoken for a while, giving her time to get to know her new surroundings. Galadriel turned around as they stopped in front of another flight of stairs to smile at Arwen and Emdiril. Orophin left her side and stood next to his brother, waiting for the lady to dismiss them.

"My children," Galadriel started, looking at each of them for a split second before her head turned towards the staircase. Lord Celeborn was descending down the stairs and Emdiril fought the urge to laugh. Every elf she encountered had been so beautiful and Celeborn was just another example. Although she had grown up around elves, she occasionally still felt out of place. Celeborn stood next to Galadriel and Emdiril could have sworn that she had never seen such a beautiful pair.

"Mae g'ovannen. Rúmil, my child, show Emdiril to her domain. You may go back to your duties afterwards."

Everyone nodded their heads and went their separate ways with Emdiril following Rúmil through the maze of different flets. She felt amazed that she had her own but figured that each member of the family had one.

"Aye. This one is yours," Rúmil motioned his hand towards one of the flets and opened the door for her.

"Thank you," Emdiril smiled in appreciation as she scanned the interior briefly, before settling her eyes back on the elf, "You must now go back to the borders, yes?" Rúmil nodded in response as he returned her smile. "When will you be back?"

"I have two more nights at the border before I return."

"I see," Emdiril looked around at their surroundings and inwardly decided she would stroll through the city before resting, "until then."

"Na lû e-govaned 'wîn" Rúmil spoke before he nodded his head in respect and departed. The elf soon disappeared in the swarm of other elves who were hurrying towards their flets. The rain had increased and Emdiril looked up at the sky. Dark clouds hung low over the city and the rain fell heavily on her face. A small smile spread across her face for she felt the rain was refreshing and she took a deep breath of air. With a swift movement she closed the door to her flet and descended down the pathway for curiosity took over. Her green eyes scanned the many different flets as she walked and for once she felt at peace. Thoughts of Legolas had plagued her mind for many days and Emdiril felt as though she could finally take a breather and take joy in something.

As Emdiril rounded a corner she collided with a hard chest, making her fall backwards. Hurrying to get back on her feet, she avoided glancing at whoever it was, she felt too embarrassed.

"Apology accepted." An all too familiar voice rung in her ears and her eyes darted upward immediately. In front of her stood Haldir, his posture was full of authority and his face barely held any emotion. This was the Haldir she had first met. Arrogant, proud, annoying. He had not even taken the time to look at her properly and therefore had not recognised her.

"Aye. You really have not changed." she rolled her eyes as her hand moved upwards to remove her hood and was pleased to see the shock on the Marchwarden's face.

"Emdiril?" his voice had somehow softened and he quickly cleared his throat.

A smile tugged at the corners of Emdiril's lips as she folded her arms across her chest, tapping her foot on the floor. She stared at him with stern, hard eyes for she wanted to make him feel as uncomfortable as he would allow.

"I had not been expecting you here," Haldir stated as he regained his composure and returned her stare, "It's raining, aphado nin." His voice was filled with authority and it made Emdiril snort as she took quick steps to follow the elf in the opposite direction, back towards her flet. Part of her wanted to retaliate but she knew it was of no use. If she had to choose between exploring Lothlórien and speaking with Haldir she would choose the latter.

Haldir soon opened the door to her flet and for the first time she entered her new room, the Marchwarden following her in swiftly.

Emdiril took off her cloak and hung it over a chair in the corner before she turned to face the elf who looked her over. Her hair was damp now and her cheeks had turned red from the cold.

"Proud Emdiril could not stand a few days apart? And so followed me to my home?" Haldir tilted his head to the side as he smirked at the woman who shook her head in disbelief.

"Oh, dear Haldir. I am not the one speaking about you with my siblings. It's truly heart-warming," Emdiril feigned a smile and narrowed her eyes at the Marchwarden whose eyes widened for a split second before he laughed.

"You never fail to surprise me with your fiery responses," he said as he took a step forward to place a hand on her shoulder, "Welcome to Lothlórien."

Emdiril placed her hand over his and closed her eyes, taking in his familiarity. She felt so content and comforted around him but she did not understand why or how he had such an impact on her. She stared at the elf, his hair was also damp but still perfectly in place and his blue eyes held her gaze. Feeling her cheeks heat up she turned swiftly, not wanting him to see her in such state. She walked towards the bed in the centre of the flet and sat down on it, sighing in relief.

"What brings you here so soon?" he followed her and sat at the edge of the bed, careful not to trespass her personal space. Haldir's blue eyes found her face and he patiently waited for her answer.

"Thranduil wished for me to leave and so I did," she replied bluntly and she scoffed at herself, "I am sorry. It's a rather long story and that was the simplest way of explaining it."

"I see…" Haldir drifted off and Emdiril could tell that he did not understand like he claimed. He really did not understand how anyone would not want her presence around them. The woman was like a star, every time she smiled the room would light up and her presence managed to make people feel hopeful and happy. At least that was what she did for him.

"You may sit back. We are friends." Emdiril spoke softly as she laid down on her back. Her eyes were on the ceiling and she smiled as she felt Haldir move closer towards her to get himself comfortable. They stayed like this comfortably for what felt like hours, only occasionally engaging in conversation. Emdiril found this to be very special and it proved to her that the two of them had really grown closer in their time shared in Greenwood. They merely enjoyed each other's company and felt content. She glanced over at him for a split second, he had his eyes closed and his chest was rising and falling evenly. If he weren't an elf, she'd believe him to be asleep. She turned her head back towards the ceiling and closed her eyes as well, humming a familiar melody in content.

It was Haldir's turn to glance at her now, her voice having caught his undivided attention. He recognised the song as an Elvin one and simply stared at her, letting her humming carry him away. Emdiril looked so peaceful and innocent, she reminded him of a flower. The elf turned on his side as he continued to gaze at her, his head resting on a propped up arm. He had wanted so badly to reach out to her but he could not. Instead he simply enjoyed her presence and watched over her. His eyes scanned her features – the way her long eyelashes were perfectly curled, her plump, full red lips. His eyes carried on looking over her body and he noticed the single pendant between her collarbones and his eyebrows knitted together. Clenching his fists, he got up suddenly.

"Man ceril?" Emdiril shot up from her bed, confusion evident on her face. His face looked stone cold as he pressed his lips together in a thin line.

"Boe i 'waen," he spoke quickly, the tone of voice was lower than usual and Emdiril did not fail to notice his clenched fists. Instinctively she reached out to grab his hands for his actions worried her. She longed to know what was wrong and why he had to suddenly depart. Haldir simply stared down into her eyes before he glanced towards her chest for a second. When he looked back into her eyes they were filled with nothing but pain and Emdiril looked at him worriedly.

"Ollo vae," he nodded his head in respect before he pulled his hands away and left her flet without another word.

Emdiril still stood in place, her mind trying to process the recent events. Sighing, she decided against following him as he had made it clear he wished to be alone. The redhead changed into her nightgown and laid down to rest. Her hand grasped onto her pendant and her eyes widened in horror when it dawned on her – he knew.

Of course he knew. Hours Haldir had spent reading up on her home, her nature and most importantly her family. The Riverstones who passed on their necklaces to the person they loved. Haldir had spent enough time around her to know she had had both. Now she was in Lothlorien, she only had one. Emdiril sighed, closing her eyes in thought. She hadn't expected such a reaction of Haldir. Should a friend not be happy when the other finds love? Or was Emdiril perhaps more to the Marchwarden than he showed. Emdiril pondered whether she had just been blind to his love. It hurt her knowing he could be hurt. That she was the reason for his hurt. Sighing softly Emdiril picked up her cloak from her chair; it was time to explore Caras Galadhon after all.