Welcome back to GOA! I'm so glad you're hear to read my story!
LH Wordsmith-Thanks for your kind words! I wanted to write something a little unusual this time around, but I am still trying to stay as canon as possible. Thanks for acknowledging my efforts. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Katia0203-You've caught onto my shenanigans! I'm glad you enjoyed the action of the last chapter. Action sequences are one of my favorite things to write-so much fun! Thanks for continuing to support my writing.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or anything associated with Tolkien Enterprises. I also do not own any music by Stephen Foster or Thomas Haynes Bayly. Their lyrics are included in this fanfic and they are old enough to be considered public domain.
ooOoo
Guardians of Arda
By Ponytail Goddess
Chapter 6: Uncle Elladan's Tale
Duckie's heart stopped for a moment as she saw her father for the first time in over a month.
"Father!" She cried out, immediately running into his arms and holding him tightly under the bright light of the full moon. He received her normally enough, but it was only a matter of seconds before Duckie realized her mistake.
Her father had worn the same cologne, Caswell no. 6, every day of his life. The man she was hugging smelled of cologne too—one Duckie did not recognize. Elroy consistently cradled her head against his shoulder for a moment when he held her and then always stroked her hair as she settled into his embrace. It had been a habit of her fathers for as long as Duckie could remember.
The man she was hugging did neither of those things. In fact, he was holding her very gently and timidly, as if he was uncertain of whether or not such an action was acceptable.
Shocked that she had been fooled by his identical visage, Duckie backed away from the stranger nearly as quickly as she had approached him. Her hazel eyes were huge and her hands covered her nose and mouth in shock as she stared at the man who was, without a doubt, her father's twin.
The pain of the misunderstanding slammed into her with the force of a rolling boulder. Her chest tightened and she gasped for air. A stabbing pain of betrayal overwhelmed her entire being and sent her reeling into despair.
Duckie had tried to work through the pain of her father's death as best she could over the past month. She had done what little she could to stay strong throughout this mysterious time of loss. However, seeing an identical replica of him before her eyes made the deep aching of her heart return all over again just as forcefully as it had arrived when she first heard the news.
Uncontrollable tears flooded her bright eyes as she backed up even further, her whole body going cold and then numb in the process. The low voice that finally escaped from her mouth was so racked with agony that it was unrecognizable as her own.
"You're not my father."
The mangled words somehow escaped from her lips as her hands trembled with anxiety above her mouth. She shook her head in disbelief and somehow choked out the words, "I'm so sorry." Not knowing what to do now that she was overwrought by emotion, Duckie found herself turning away and fleeing the campsite without another word.
Vaguely, she registered several voices calling after her, but she did not pay them any heed. Her father's doppelganger was over there, but it was not her father.
Didn't they know how desperately she needed her father?
He was gone.
Dead.
Deceased.
Horrible images of him injured and worse were conjured in her mind as her feet moved faster and faster, as if she could somehow outrun his fate. Her imagination ran wild and free, completely out of her control as she sought to escape from the pain.
Even though she knew the forest was filled with evil, it still seemed like a better option than the campsite. Duckie knew if she made it into the forest, she could disappear into the darkness and deal with her feelings without receiving condemning looks from the strangers. Her feet fled with fervor as she spotted a large section of brush just beyond the trees that would be a perfect place to hide.
She had not been anticipating the speed of her fellow elves though. A gentle tug on her arm turned her body sideways and alerted her to the fact that she was being followed. She turned back to see Orophin's worried expression as he exclaimed, "Duckie, come back! Please do not run away from us! We mean you no harm!"
Her feet missed a step as she tried to turn back towards the forest. The setback only cost her a few seconds, but it was enough time for Haldir to run in front of her, effectively blocking her pathway and forcing her to stop. "Do not reenter the forest! I forbid it, Miss Hir!" He commanded, his authoritative voice leaving no room for argument.
"Please, just give me a moment to myself!" She exclaimed, giving up and falling to her knees. Her head bowed down in defeat and her raven hair became a curtain that shielded her face from the world as her pent-up sorrow poured out of her. "I do not wish for you to see me this way."
"Please," she sobbed when she did not hear the elves leave. Eventually she heard one of them leave, but the other stood stubbornly beside her broken form. She could see Haldir's legs as she peeked through her dark tendrils of hair.
After several minutes had passed, Duckie had managed to finally calm herself, though she felt numb and hopeless inside. Feeling embarrassed about the display she had put on in front of these strangers, she swiftly wiped her eyes and stood up. Unable to meet Haldir's gaze, she apologized quietly while staring at the ground.
"I am sorry I ran away from you. It was unkind and impolite of me. Please accept my apology." She murmured in a low-sounding voice that was imbued with heartache.
When he did not answer immediately, Duckie tentatively glanced up and found his deep, unfathomable grey eyes staring down it her, glistening in the moonlight. Haldir's expression was guarded and she could not tell precisely what he thought of her as his eyes delved into the depths of her own.
Finally, he replied. "You have experienced great hurt in your short lifetime. Come, tell us your story so that we might know what happened to Elrohir in our absence."
"Very well." She said, giving in and taking the arm he offered her. They walked slowly back through the knee-high grasses towards the small camp they had made at the forest's edge. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment over the scene she had created in her grief. She kept her head down in shame, even once they had returned to camp.
Haldir stopped when they were standing in front of the moss-covered log she had sat on previously. She let go of his arm and sat down, studying the variety of tall grasses and wildflowers below her feet with keen interest. What must these elves think of her for acting so frightfully? Would they respect her now that she had made a complete fool of herself?
A moment later, Haldir sat down next to her on the log, leaving enough space between them for someone else to sit there if they desired. Though she could feel his eyes studying her underneath the moonlight, Duckie said nothing to him in her state of discouragement and kept her eyes trained on the ground.
Soon a second figure stood before her and lingered for a moment before she heard the all-too-familiar voice of the doppelganger. "May I sit here child?" He asked with hesitation in his voice.
Duckie nodded, though inwardly she felt a second stab of pain upon hearing the world 'child' in reference to herself. "I suppose I deserve such a moniker after my actions." She thought to herself as saw her uncle sit next to her, much closer to her on the log than Haldir. Still, it stung a little to be thought of in such a way when she had tried to act mature, especially in her father's absence.
When she finally chanced a quick glance up at him though, she saw there was only kindness in his eyes.
"I am sorry Duckie. My name is Elladan and I should have identified myself much sooner as your uncle-" He started to explain until Duckie held up her hand to indicate he should stop.
"No, the fault is mine." She said, feeling even worse about herself as she realized how badly she hurt his feelings by reacting in such a manner. "Truly, I do not want you to think I am displeased to meet you. I have longed to be introduced to other members of my family for a long time now. I believe I am blessed by this opportunity to meet you now."
When her quick explanation was finally finished, she stumbled through the last part of what she wished to convey, "I just… For a moment… I had hope. I thought you were my father and that he had somehow made it back to me." She murmured mournfully.
A warm hand settled on top of her own. This gesture was small, but Duckie found it reassuring and finally allowed herself to really examine her father's twin.
He was an exact replica of her father, with grey eyes that were the exact same shape and size as she was familiar with and beautiful ebony locks of hair that matched her own. The look in his eyes was sympathetic as he met her gaze. "Tell me, what has happened to Elrohir?"
"You have not yet heard what they say in the settlement?" She asked quietly, her voice growing higher in pitch as it filled with emotion at the prospect of talking about her father's fate.
"No, we have not been to the nearby settlement yet. What are the men saying about him?" He pried patiently, though Duckie could tell that this subject was weighing upon him too.
"They say… They say… he is dead." She choked out. Somehow saying it out loud was much more difficult than thinking about it.
It made it seem more real and lasting.
"They did not find a body, but they have made a marker for him in the church cemetery." She surmised softly, tears welling up in her eyes as she whispered her condolences to her uncle.
"I'm so sorry."
She watched as he closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the information she had passed along to him and digesting it slowly. When he opened them though, his eyes were bright and surprisingly filled with hope. "Do not be sorry child. I know you have known your father your whole life, but I have known him much longer. I do not know what you may or may not know about us twins, or even if your father decided to speak of me to you." He began, his melodic voice matching her father's voice perfectly, right down to his tonal inflections. Duckie watched her uncle carefully with rapt attention, her hazel eyes wide with intrigue as she carefully monitored the expression on his face.
"However, I can tell you this. Before these last 50 years, I have never been separated from your father at all. We have always been together, from the day we took our first breath, right up until the time of your birth. I have spent thousands of years with him and we are connected to one another in many inexplicable ways." He explained evenly, placing one of his hands on top of hers in a comforting manner while drawing his other hand atop his heart.
"It is hard to explain, but I feel his presence… right here." He said, patting his chest for emphasis. His eyes glistened as he squeezed her hand before saying confidently, "Duckie, your father… he is not dead."
Duckie's breath caught in her throat as she heard this. Time seemed to stop for a moment as she let this new information wash over her like the tide coming in from the ocean.
"He is alive, my niece." She heard Elladan say emotionally as tears sparkled in his eyes. "He is alive."
Which one of them he was trying to convince of this information, Duckie could not be certain. However, her heart felt lighter upon hearing this, as if a large weight had been lifted from her. She took a couple of deep breaths to still calm herself.
The peace in her heart did not last long as she saw Elladan turn and look up at the moon with an indecipherable expression on his face. "Something is wrong though." He whispered as his eyes grew distant. "A darkness, unlike anything I have ever felt lies upon him. I do not understand it, though I can tell he has been through a terrible ordeal."
He turned once again to Duckie, his eyes full of panic and firmly demanded, "We must find him as soon as possible. What do you know of this, Duckie? Where did he go when you last saw him?"
Duckie reiterated the tale of her father's job with the Pony Express and how he had not returned one day as he always had. She described how several men from the settlement had retraced the path he took and had retrieved his horse and mochila full of mail. She also described how they found his ornate dagger in a different location and followed a blood trail leading into the forest.
Her father had not been found at the end of it.
As she drew herself further through the story, Duckie noticed that more and more of the elves at the campsite seemed to be listening. The end of the story was met with whispers amongst their ranks. Orophin and Rúmil at once pulled out a homemade map of the area and immediately confirmed with her the location of the trail her father had taken, all while Elladan's eyes studied the map in silence as he contemplated her words.
While the two brothers spoke furtively in the mysterious elven language beside them, Duckie found herself asking her uncle about something that was still unclear to her. "Elladan, perhaps you could clarify for me a few missing pieces of this story. If you have been traveling together for all of this time, why was my father separated from your group?"
Duckie's eyes shot around the campfire as a loud gasp rang out and a hush fell over the camp. She watched as all eyes, including those of her uncle, suddenly rested upon Haldir.
An unrelenting darkness fell upon Haldir's handsome face as he stared back at Elladan for a few moments. He looked incredibly frustrated when he finally decreed, "Too much has been kept from her already and she is bound to find out at some point. You might as well tell her of my follies now."
Elladan closed his eyes and inclined his head for a moment. When it had passed, he stood up and motioned for her to follow him. Feeling the palpable tension in the air, Duckie followed him in silence, uncomfortable with how the situation had played out. When the campfire and the other elves were well behind them, Elladan stopped at last and faced her with a very serious expression. The music of chirping crickets played softly through the air as the two faced one another.
"What just happened over there?" Duckie asked him quietly, looking over her shoulder to see if the far away figures were watching them. None of them were, though Haldir was sitting on the log and appeared to have his head bowed down in shame. "What did Haldir mean by 'his follies?' What has happened between him and my father?"
Her uncle sighed, then looked at her with sadness playing in his steel-colored eyes. "Unfortunately, there is a long history of arguments between your father and Haldir. They have often not seen eye-to-eye on important matters and it has been an area of contention in our group for many centuries. Your father was always a free thinker, spouting out every creative thought he ever had, even those that were unpopular or had little merit. He loved having a dialogue about the race of men and often was undecided when discussing their important issues of the day."
"To Haldir though, answers are mostly straightforward and obvious, cut and dry. He had little patience for Elrohir's proclivities and the two often clashed with one another. In most instances, Elrohir had always bowed down to Haldir's will, as he is our group's leader and the eldest in our midst. Amongst the elves, this is the way things are done. However, Elrohir had a couple of opinions he would not back down from in the end and it led to irreconcilable differences between the two of them." He explained quietly, with a sad and distant look in his eyes.
Duckie found her heart sinking into sorrow as well because it seemed as though the separation could have been prevented. How much more would she know about her own people if only she had been raised amongst them, rather than on her own with only her father as a guide? Not that she regretted being raised by her father, but having discovered her education about her own heritage was lacking, Duckie now wished she knew more so that she would fit in amongst her own people.
She noticed her uncle's voice was oddly strained as he continued to speak, as if it was painful to him to even think about what had occurred. "Everything seemed to come to a head when tensions started forming between the British and the colonists, leading up to the beginning of the Revolutionary War."
"Elrohir wanted to side with the patriots, as he has always taken a strong stance against injustice. Haldir, on the other hand, said we were not going to take sides in a fight amongst the men. He said it was not part of our mission and that we needed to stay out of the conflict for our own safety, so that we would be ready and easily available when we were truly needed."
Elladan met her eyes as he finished and Duckie nodded at him in reply. She then found herself asking, "Did you agree with him? Did you side with my father on the matter?"
A quick sigh passed from his lips and he smiled for a moment before replying, "No, I am not the sort of elf who would question the actions of my leader. Though we are identical in looks, my thoughts are often different than your fathers. I am more logical and tactful, whereas your father is creative and very empathetic. These differences make us a good team when we work together, as our opinions often complement one another and help us to function better."
Duckie smiled at him and gently set her hand upon his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "My uncle—I think you are empathetic too."
Upon hearing this, he smiled warmly back at her and said, "And you are kind as a warm summer's day. Elrohir has raised you well."
She smiled, her face lighting up with joy at the compliment he had bestowed upon her. It was truly a joy for her to finally feel a connection with another member of her family, after wishing to meet some for so long.
When she let go of his shoulder and the moment was over, Elladan returned to the tale he was spinning. "Elrohir took Haldir's response to not become involved very poorly and often spoke as if he suspected Haldir was a loyalist, which was a terrible insult amongst the men of America in those days. In this matter, Elrohir did not back down from his view and the two argued about it constantly."
"Elrohir maintained that we would have to eventually choose a side and he was right—we did. Haldir chose for us to be patriots, not over the issue of injustice, but because it seemed like the patriots might have the upper hand in the battle. You see, he wanted us to be able to live on this continent for a long time before moving on. If we chose the losing side, it was likely we would have to leave."
"Your father wanted us to fight in the war against the British, but Haldir vehemently said no. He maintained his position of us needing to stay out of it, but Elrohir felt strongly for the plight of the patriots and wanted more. The two argued more and more."
"It was during this time that Elrohir took to walking in the forest at night. It helped him to straighten out his thoughts after words became heated between the two of them. This is what led him to meeting your mother." He said, his grey eyes shining metallically in the moonlight as he looked back at her.
It appeared that these arguments had somehow led to her father falling in love. Without them, it sounded unlikely that she would have even been born. While Duckie was growing more and more frustrated with the situation, she could not deny that she was happy she had been created, even if bad circumstances had led up to it.
Her mind started to wander, thinking of her father and her mother who was possibly still alive after all. She only stopped when her uncle cleared his throat, apparently realizing she wasn't paying attention to the story. She murmured her apologies and he continued again.
"Elrohir kept it from all but me for a time, as he knew his relationship would further anger Haldir. We had promised Lady Galadriel, one of the leaders of the Galadhrim elves who also happens to be your great grandmother, that we would not wed during our mission. It goes against the prophecy we are bound to concerning the end of the world."
"As with any prophecy though, it can be interpreted in many ways. Some of us believe we are simply not allowed to wed mortals and others, such as Haldir, believe we are not to wed at all." He explained with his hands moving avidly in front of him as he spoke.
"Haldir always errs on the side of caution, but Elrohir—Elrohir likes to take chances at times. He's always said that 'In the end, we only regret-"
"The chances we don't take." Duckie said, finishing the quote with her uncle in tandem, as she recalled her father's infamous words with fondness. She was filled with joy once again as she saw how well her uncle knew her father. "You are right, he often said that and tried to live by those words."
Well, at least in some ways he had, Duckie thought to herself. It seemed that when matters concerned her and her safety though, he had been more like Haldir, erring on the side of caution. Considering how little she knew about her own race and taking care of herself, it would seem that Elrohir had taken no chances with her whatsoever.
"Yes, yes he did." Elladan said, surprising her out of her own morbid thoughts by taking her hands in his own. Once there, she did find his touch rather reassuring as his soft, warm hands clasped her own to show his support. "Hopefully not to his own detriment. I do so fear for him Duckie, as he often takes chances I would not take."
His grey eyes grew wistful and appeared to be searching for answers within her own. Answers she did not have. Duckie trembled with fear for a moment and felt a tear run down her face. She reminded herself of how convinced he was that her father was still alive as he as continued his tale.
"The final straw for Elrohir came in the form of a vision. He dreamed that we needed to move out west, that our destiny and battle was going to be out here. While visions are not a common occurrence amongst the elves, they are also not unheard of. Elrohir had never had any visions before and he went on and on about it for days. He thought perhaps he had finally received his special gifting, the one each of us was promised when we agreed to stay in Arda and perform this duty." He explained. While Duckie didn't fully understand, she kept listening, hoping for more answers.
"Elrohir had been so argumentative with Haldir though… When he brought the vision to Haldir's attention, our leader did not believe him. The two of them said many horrible things to one another that night—horrible and personal types of things you cannot take back once they out in the open." He said, tears welling up in his eyes. Elladan quickly blinked them away, but his tone of voice gave away how emotional the situation was for him.
"It was a painful night for us all, as our group that had been together for so long was suddenly broken. Elrohir desperately believed in his dream and at the end of the night, he chose to start moving west without us. He left us one evening in secret, with the intention of never returning."
"I have only seen him once since then—a year after he left, he sent me a letter telling me about how your mother had brought you to him. He told me where he was and I was able to slip away one night to visit him and meet you. Oh Duckie, you should have seen how his eyes glowed with pride every time he looked at your lovely face. He had never anticipated being a father, but I could tell he was loving every minute of it." He said, smiling through his sadness as he reminisced on that pleasant memory.
"You held me as a child." Duckie murmured, ridiculously pleased to know that another family member had known her when she was small.
"Yes, but just the once. Elrohir was frequently moving so that mortals did not catch on to the oddities of your heritage. It would have been all too easy for them to find out that you were different than their children, particularly in your youngest years. Elflings develop skills at a different rate than mortal children. Your father protected you in the best way he knew how—by moving constantly so no one would catch on."
"What happened to all of you when Elrohir left?" Duckie asked timidly, almost afraid of the answer she might receive. She was very confused about Haldir at this point, as he had been very helpful to her and seemed to be well thought of by her uncle. Why had her father argued so much with him? Why were they unable to get along?
"Why has it taken so long for you to come after us?" She asked, feeling a bit empty inside as she dwelled on her empty wish of wanting to grow up amongst her own people. It was useless at this point in time, as she was already grown, but Duckie hoped to at least understand why she had been denied it.
"Under Haldir's command, we stayed in the east for a long time after the argument. After a decade or so, a foul whisper could be heard whispering in the air. The language was one we had not heard in several millennia; the dark tongue of Mordor, a vernacular so evil that it sends tremors down the spines of all who hear it." He said, his voice sounding pressed and thin suddenly. "It was a sign the evil we had waited for had returned."
"Who is it you are waiting for?" Duckie whispered, her heart racing as she was afraid of her uncle's answer.
"He is called the Black Foe of the World, the Elder King…" He said in a low tone as his penetrating eyes met her own. He finally uttered his name out loud.
"Morgoth."
The lanky strands of grass and nearby forest of trees seemed to tremble at the very mentioning of his foul name. Duckie grew tense upon feeling their discomfort, as she knew the plants would not panic for no reason.
"He is the one the hooded figure spoke of tonight in the forest!" Duckie exclaimed, putting two and two together in her mind.
"Yes, one in the same. He is the origin of all that is evil in the world and has been locked away for several millennia, but it was long ago predicted that he would break free and rise again at the end of time." He declared. "I fear that time has come. Many clues have pointed towards his return, including the mysterious being we encountered tonight. Dark times lie ahead of us Duckie, very dark times." He muttered worriedly.
"We need to find my father before things get worse." Duckie concluded and Elladan nodded in return. "If he has visions about what will happen, we need to know about them so we can fight back."
Elladan immediately agreed. "Indeed. I know Haldir has long regretted what happened between the two of them and has tried to contact him to apologize, but your father has refused his attempts at reconciliation." Duckie nodded in return, now realizing what was in the letter she found from 'Henry Deere' back at the cabin.
"Thus, we came looking for you. We nearly found you where you last lived, but Elrohir must have caught on, as he moved you far away and has not written me a letter since then. He knew we were coming for you, but he is stubborn like Haldir and has been avoiding us. Now I fear what has become of him."
Seeing the utter sadness on his face, Duckie took her uncle's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You have already given me greater hope in this last hour than I have felt in the entirety of the last month. If what you have said earlier is true, we will indeed see him once again." She said, trying her best to reassure him.
"You bless me tonight, my niece." He replied, squeezing her hand back as his eyes twinkled in the moonlight. "Having you with me is like having part of my brother here. I have only known you for an hour now, but I already see so much of him in you. On my honor Duckie, I promise to take care of you in his stead, to the best of my ability, until he is found—and I will stop at nothing to find him."
Duckie nodded, feeling a bit emotional again at Elladan's proclamation. "Thank you," she said, tears welling up in her eyes as she reached over to embrace him underneath the star-laden heavens. This time she found a warm welcome, as if she had been hugging him for years. "Thank you, Uncle Elladan."
"You are welcome, my dearest Duckie. Now come, let us go rejoin the others. I am certain we will be sending out a search party for your father before the end of the night."
Side by side, they treaded silently back through the tall grass and approached the fire. As they approached, they overheard a much different conversation occurring. "He knew where we all were, though we were well-hidden within the trees." Orophin said pointedly, clearly trying to make some sort of argument about the hooded figure they had met in the forest.
"It was bold of him to invite us to join his side, without knowing us. It suggests that something very dark is afoot. The Dark Foe of the World must already have great confidence in his actions, no matter what he hopes to achieve. I do not like the way this is looking Haldir." Rúmil said, adding to the tense conversation.
Haldir's eyes met her own as she stopped near the fire. The flickering of the golden flames illuminated his pale face as he calmly asked her about the figure. "What do you know of this stranger, Miss Hir? Have you encountered him before?"
"I have never seen him before," she started, meeting his glowing grey eyes as a short wave of fear passed through her, "There was something malicious about him though, of this I am certain, for even the forest seemed aware of his dark intentions. It was very disconcerting."
Haldir's face hardened at her words. All fell silent around them, with the exception of the occasional crackling of the fire and the creature noises that reverberated from the dark expanse of the forest.
"We will need to look into this stranger, but the matter of Elrohir's whereabouts is currently more pressing. Elladan, you will lead our group along the path Elrohir was taking and try to track him down in the forest. I expect you to leave within the hour. I will take the child and Miss Hir back to the settlement and will listen for any hints of foul play. I will also see if I can garner any information concerning the hooded man from earlier. I will then rejoin you in the forest to help with the hunt." He said with finality. Many of the elves nodded or vocally acquiesced to his plan, then several of them immediately set about packing up their belongings.
Duckie watched with amazement as her uncle stowed what few things he had with him into an interesting looking bag that was meant to be carried upon one's back. "Where did you get this?" She asked quietly as she watched him close it up with a drawstring and then fold the top over it neatly. "It is much nicer than the bindles most travelers use."
"It is called a rucksack. It is of elven make, for our race has long traveled on extensive journeys by foot and by horse. It is much easier to carry than the bags men make and is strong enough to hold quite a bit of weight." He said as he tied his small green bedroll to the top of the bag.
"It seems there are many things the elves have made or done that I do not know about." She said with a sigh of disappointment. "I would very much like to learn more about our people. I feel as though I am one of you, but know nothing about you."
"And I would be happy to teach you, my dearest Duckie," Elladan said, flashing her a quick smile before slinging his rucksack gracefully over his shoulders and onto his back. It slid into place very naturally, as if he had repeated that same motion thousands of times. "When I return from this journey, I will be happy to tell you anything and everything you wish to know about us."
Duckie nodded, both happy with his proclamation and sad because she was losing her uncle just as suddenly as she found him. "You will be safe, won't you?" She asked, her brow furrowing a bit with worry as she remembered how her father had left and then, without warning, never returned.
"Of course. I will also do everything in my power to find your father and bring him home to you." He promised, then smiled at her reassuringly and used his long pointer finger to lightly tap the bottom of her chin as she felt discouraged. "Chin up, little Duck. All will work out in the end, I promise."
She nodded, though no words found their way to her lips as she emotionally listened to him give a whistle command to the other elves of the group. With a flick of his hand, he ran into the forest and the remainder of elves hastened to follow him. They were immediately engulfed in the black shadows of the forest. Loneliness crept into Duckie's heart once more, as she found herself already missing her newly beloved uncle.
How long she stood there in silence, Duckie did not know, but she was caught by surprise when Haldir's voice rang out clearly behind her. "Miss Hir?"
A gasp flew from her lips and she twirled around to find him right behind her. She had not heard him approach and was started by his tall figure, and even taller shadow, looming close to her underneath the crisp, white light of the moon. "Yes Haldir—I mean, Henry?" She asked, uncertain as to whether or not he would approve of her using his elven name.
"You may call me Haldir in the present company, if you wish." He replied, as if sensing her thoughts. "In town and in front of the child though, you must call me Henry."
Her head gracefully inclined in agreement as she said his name again. "Haldir then."
He smiled upon hearing it, with one side of his lips curling up as she had now grown accustomed to seeing. As always though, it was short-lived. As the elf in front of her studied her face, he seemed to grow terribly serious and perhaps even a bit uncertain, though he hid it well. An awkward silence reigned between the two of them.
After a while, he bluntly said, "I suppose you think poorly of me, now that you know what has happened between your father and myself."
Duckie's eyebrows rose in surprise upon hearing this from him. Was it possible that this handsome elf was worried about her opinion of him? She barely even knew him.
While Duckie was a bit frustrated with him after hearing her uncle's story, she found a bit of empathy for the elf. After all, he had somehow managed to save her life twice within the span of a week. "I do not think poorly of you Haldir. Your actions towards me have been noble enough. I would, however, seek to better understand why such words were exchanged between the two of you."
"That is fair enough. I will tell you about it when we are no longer in the presence of the child, as it is not a story he needs to overhear." He said and then turned to his side and gestured for her to follow him. Curious as to where he was taking her, Duckie followed, her feet silently passing through the knee-high grasses with ease. "I do hope you will reserve your judgement of me until after you have heard my side of the story."
When he glanced back at Duckie, she nodded, as she figured she still had much to learn about the situation and the dynamic between these immortals. Satisfied with her answer, he nodded back to her and then pointed downward to a spot in the grass where a large greyish-brown cloak had been laid on the ground beside her satchel. It was doubled over very intentionally, as if it was meant to be used as a coverlet.
"I thought perhaps you might like to rest for the night. I have given the child my bedroll, but I do have a long cloak that has functioned quite nicely as a blanket in the past. You may take your rest for now and I will keep watch until dawn." He said as he bent down and pulled the satchel to the top of the cloak, as if it was meant to be her pillow. Duckie smiled as he gave the satchel a pat and then stood back up.
"Thank you Haldir—this is a kind gesture. I fear my thoughts are still racing from all that has happened today, but I will try to rest." She replied as she sat down by the cloak and ran her long fingers down the material. It was surprisingly soft, yet it had some weight to it, as if it was made to protect one from the elements. Her fingers stopped at the beginning of the hood, intrigued by the beautiful leaf pin that adorned its collar. The green stone within the intricate silver frame shimmered in an otherworldly fashion. It looked unlike any piece of jewelry she had ever seen in the world of men.
Duckie looked up once again, only to see that Haldir had silently left her with her makeshift bed in favor of sitting on the log in front of the fire. She studied his stern face for a moment as he looked contemplatively into the flames. A few embers flew around him as the fire crackled, but he was as still and silent as the nearby trees.
Indeed, he was an enigma. Every time he let a bit of his personality come out, he seemed to hastily shut it away. Duckie did not fully understand what ill-will was harbored between him and her father, but she fully intended to find out directly from the source when she next was able.
As she settled into the cloak, she found herself immediately inundated with Haldir's scent. It was not a cologne she smelled as she pulled the edge of the cloak up to her face. No, she thought as she admired how the soft material felt as it caressed her chin, he seemed to smell like the forest. She could smell the scent of a fresh breeze, paired with the distinct perfume of a variety of plants.
"Stay," the stagnant air seemed to whisper as she stared up into the plumes of deep blue and black that adorned the sky, along with a smattering of stars that twinkled like the finest white gemstones from on high. Duckie suddenly felt very small as she contemplated the swirling heavens that were laid out before her eyes.
Everything was changing, just as nature had told her it would. While she had spent her day amongst strangers, Duckie somehow found herself feeling particularly safe, as if she was in the exact place she was meant to be after all of this time.
Perhaps meeting the elves was the 'destiny' she had been hearing so much about over the last few days…
With this in mind, she slowly found herself drifting off into sleep, just barely aware of the comfortable way the blades of grass were embracing her legs and arms as she found her slumber.
ooOoo
I'd love to hear what you think of the story if you feel so inclined. Thanks again for reading-I'll be back with more soon!
-P.G.