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, Thomas Haynes Bayly, Caroline Atherton Mason, or S.M. Grannis. Their lyrics are included in this fanfic and they are old enough to be considered public domain.
Gandalf007-So glad you liked the twist! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Pat-Thanks for reading! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!
Katia0203-Yeah, I'm not sure that Haldir fully thought his actions through this time. Arthur is indeed a very nice guy, so this news is probably not going to go over so well for him. You've definitely caught onto where I plan to go with this plotline! I'm glad the pronunciation helped-I wasn't sure if it was clear or not, so I'm glad you got it. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
To all my readers-Thanks for being here! I appreciate you for taking the time to read my work! Please enjoy Chapter 9!
ooOoo
Guardians of Arda
By Ponytail Goddess
Chapter 9: The Ruse
Duckie's heart skipped a beat as she looked up at Haldir's face, her eyes wide open upon hearing his declaration. Did he truly just say what she thought he said? Did he really think she would just marry him, a near stranger? Arthur looked just as stunned and stared at Haldir as if he had somehow grown a second head.
"Excuse me," he blurted out with a voice that sounded equally confused and upset, "Duckie, is this true? Have you already accepted a proposal from this…this Henry fellow?" Arthur asked slowly, using a voice full of indignation as his chocolate eyes met hers.
The tension between the three of them was palpable and Duckie was at a loss for words. Out of sheer shock, Duckie found herself suddenly taking a step away from Haldir, effectively eliminating the physical contact he had initiated by putting his hand at the base of her back. This detail was not lost on Arthur, who studied them as they awaited Duckie's answer.
Duckie looked up at Haldir with worried eyes, but his face did not show even a hint of his own emotions concerning the matter. "Dearest God, what do I do?" She thought to herself hurriedly as she looked back and forth between the tense men.
After a moment, she found herself remembering how the wind had advised her to trust Haldir when she first met him at the farmhouse. In fact, she had placed a significant amount of trust in him during the last 24 hours and no harm had come to her under his watch. No, under his guidance she had made it back to the settlement safely with young Willie in tow.
Duckie took in a deep, soothing breath and then made up her mind. Nature had never steered her wrong in the past. If the wind said he was trustworthy, then he surely was.
"Yes." She finally whispered, directing a small nod to Haldir before turning back to Arthur. "I have accepted a proposal from him."
The air prickled with energy all around her when she said it, as if it agreed with her proclamation. A light breeze blew around them, intermingling a few tendrils of her dark hair with Haldir's silver-blonde as the unlikely couple looked to Arthur for his reaction.
A flash of exasperation passed over his normally gentle-looking face, but it did not last long. Arthur took a second to calm himself and swiftly put his anger in check. He waited for the moment to pass before speaking with her again.
"Duckie, please explain to me what is going on here. First you say you want to be a teacher and then you say you're marrying him, a complete stranger? Is the thought of my loving you so terrible that you would literally do anything to get away from me?" He asked as he placed his freckled hand over his heart, all while maintaining a look of consternation on his face.
"I did not want to hurt your feelings," Duckie admitted quietly, taking a step towards him and gently placing her hand on his shoulder. It was the first believable excuse she had thought of and she planned to milk it for all it was worth. "I knew you left your schooling and traveled all this way to propose to me. I hoped to let you down easy."
"By marrying a complete stranger?" Arthur said, pulling his shoulder away from her touch and raising his voice. Duckie felt a deep sense of guilt as she looked into his affronted expression. His arms extended out towards Haldir as he argued, "Duckie, how can you go through with this?! You don't even know this man!"
"Henry is a not a stranger." Duckie explained, trying her best to stay calm in spite of the escalating situation. "He is my neighbor and owns the land next to Lewis' farm. We have spoken multiple times during the last week and I've… I've grown fond of him." She said, her cheeks flushing a bit at the implication. There was some truth to those words that Duckie had not fully accepted herself yet. Still, it seemed like Arthur might better accept the situation if he felt she was emotionally attached to him.
Duckie had no idea how Haldir would feel about hearing such words. Though she was already very embarrassed, she chanced a look over at him to see how he was reacting to her pronouncement.
If Haldir was at all bothered by her words, he did not show it. His face remained unchanged from before. However, when he saw that she was looking at him, he stepped beside her again and carefully took her hand into his own again. It signaled to Arthur the solidarity between them and he absolutely could not handle it.
"Duckie, that is not love—it is merely infatuation! Marriage requires a lifetime of commitment—what will you do when these temporary feelings you have for him pass?!" Arthur said, clutching the top of his head in exasperation as he tried to convince her. "What if he does not take care of you the way you deserve—the way I would!"
Quickly wiping away the tears that were gathering in her eyes as she hurt her friend, Duckie replied in an emotional voice, "Henry is a good man. I know you do not know him yet, but he will take care of me."
"Rest assured, I do care about Miss Hir and I am fully dedicated to keeping her safe and happy for the remainder of my life." Haldir interjected, jumping in to try and convince Arthur. "Surely you can see this is a smart and advantageous match for both of us. My cousins and I have enough manpower that we can surely run both the ranch and the farm simultaneously. We already live near one another and we can easily help her finish Lewis' harvest."
Arthur did not look fully convinced as he looked back and forth between the two of them with a judgmental expression on his face. Duckie could tell he was growing more and more agitated with the situation and tried to find the right words to help him accept her choice.
"Henry is a dear friend to me," Duckie finally said, interrupting the awkward silence had fallen between them. "He helped save Willie and I from Ralph Thomas and returned us to the settlement with haste."
"Am I not also a dear friend?" Arthur asked as he placed his own hand over his forehead, obviously offended by her words. "Duckie—we have known one another for five years now. Doesn't that mean something to you?"
When she did not reply, tears glistened in the corners of his eyes as he shook his head, turned, and stormed away from her, heading towards the small white church on the corner. He turned back after several strides and called out, "Your brother would not have approved of this and neither will my father!" He spun back around and jogged up to the church doors, entered the building with excessive force and slamming the double-doors shut behind him.
Duckie's eyes were still filled with shock when they met Haldir's grey orbs again. She struggled to find words for a moment, all while feeling sick to her stomach with guilt over what had happened between her and Arthur.
Taking several breaths to calm herself, Duckie suddenly found a new emotion surging up within her as she realized who had caused the interaction to fall into chaos. No longer able to mince words, she pulled her hand away from Haldir's and spoke her mind. "Are you insane?! What was that all about?! I barely even know you! We cannot get married!"
"You did not tell me you were in trouble and therefore you forced my hand! What was I supposed to do, stand there and let you accept that mortal's proposal?!" Haldir argued as he slapped one of his open hands atop the other, quickly growing angry at her sharp tone.
"I understand from your conversation with Mabel that you almost married a different mortal earlier this week!" He hissed, immediately lowering his voice when he realized he was attracting the attention of some townsfolk in the street. "Am I wrong?"
Duckie shook her head and then studied the dirt clods at the edge of the road for a moment before she spoke. "No, it is true—I was upset about my father's death and found myself in a bad situation. I could have gotten myself out of it though! I could have run away."
"Yet you did not." He whispered as he raised his silvery eyebrows. "Had you told me about this sooner, we could have come up with a plan to avoid this altogether. That wasn't an option though, so I did the best I could to come up with something on my own when I heard what was happening between the two of you. Dearest Valar, I only left you alone for 20 minutes and look at the massive mess you managed to get yourself into! Is there anywhere you can go by yourself without finding trouble?" He asked in an exasperated tone.
"I was still in control of the situation before you barged into it." Duckie retorted after rolling her eyes, angered by his attitude. "Now what are we supposed to do?! I am not going to marry you!" She said stubbornly, putting her foot down even as her heart did a little flip-flop in her chest at the very thought of marrying someone as handsome as Haldir.
She shook her head for a moment, wishing her body would stop betraying her. When she next looked at Haldir, she saw that he was annoyed too, with one hand moving slowly down the front of his face and then curving under the contour of his prominent chin.
"You do realize I am only proposing that we pretend to get married, do you not?" He asked calmly, effectively stopping the next argument that was about to spew out of Duckie's mouth. She paused for a moment and waited for him to elaborate.
"Much like how you and your father pretended to be brother and sister, we can pretend to be married in front of the mortals. Doing this would allow those townspeople who care about you to stop worrying so much and leave you alone. This, in turn, will buy us more uninterrupted time to search for your father."
Duckie blinked a few times and then felt her muscles start to relax now that she realized what Haldir was truly intending. That is, until she thought about the consequences of such a guise. Pretending to be married would involve doing things that married couples did in public, such as holding hands, hugging, and possibly even-
Oh my.
Her cheeks heated up at the very thought of having to kiss Haldir. Duckie had never kissed any male other than her father before, and that had only been on the cheek. She wasn't even certain of how to go about such a thing.
"I do not know if that is such a good idea." She blurted out inelegantly, the words tumbling rapidly out of her mouth as she felt her entire face blush with embarrassment. The ploy originally seemed easy enough, but she really doubted she had the confidence and acting abilities necessary to carry it out believably. "I don't think I can do this; it is too difficult."
She looked up at Haldir and saw that he was looking back down at her quizzically, as if he was trying to figure her out somehow. "Why do you think this will be difficult?"
"Haldir, I… I do not know the first thing about being married." She said, stumbling over her words again. "How can I be expected to play a role I do not understand?"
He smiled down at her with a look of understanding and brushed a loose piece of hair away from her face. "Oh, come now Dúcuivië, it will be easy enough. We will hold hands in public and speak as if we are very familiar with one another. A kiss here, a meaningful touch there… I guarantee it will become easier for us after a bit of practice."
Wait… practice?
Did he truly intend to practice with her?
Oh dear God.
Suddenly, she felt her face turn as white as a sheet. Her panic doubled because she realized what would actually have to occur between them for the town to buy into their ruse. "But Haldir… Father John will make us say the vows! He will give us a marriage license and we will actually be married!" She said weakly, placing a hand over her heart as if it would somehow slow its ever increasing pace.
Haldir shook his head and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Dúcuivië, you are overthinking this. Yes, we will have to say the vows, but they are the vows of mortals. We are not mortals; we are elves. These vows will mean nothing to me and should mean nothing to you as well. Elves must be bound in elven marriage for it to mean something. So yes, we will go through the motions and respect the customs of the mortals to appease them, but at the end of the day, we will not be bound together by their words."
"Truly?" She asked, still feeling uncomfortable with the idea.
"Truly." He said, giving her shoulders a small squeeze before letting them go. "I promise you Dúcuivië, I am not trying to coerce into anything untoward. We will simply put on a little show for the mortals until they are satisfied that you are safe; then we will immerse ourselves in the search for your father."
"Well… if you are certain we will not actually be united by these vows and that we will be able to play the parts…" She started, still feeling a bit uneasy about the whole thing.
"Unless you wish to marry the mortal, which I do not suggest, I believe it is the best course of action at this point in time." Haldir replied. "You may not know this, but I have been entrusted with the lives of all the elves who chose to stay in Arda and complete this mission. Seeing as you are Elrohir's daughter, I extend my protection to you by default. I hope I am able to demonstrate over time how pure my intentions are and earn your trust."
Duckie blinked a few times as his statement sank in. Haldir wanted her to trust him; was that a thing she could actually do? Thus far, she had only trusted him because she trusted nature's opinion of him, not because she actually planned on relying upon him on a regular basis.
Perhaps it was not such a bad idea though. After all, she did not have her father with her anymore. He had always served as her confidant and protector in the past, but now she had no one she could depend on for that sort of thing. It was not totally inconceivable that someone else might be able to hold such a spot within her heart.
Eventually, Duckie found herself nodding her head. "I hope for that too."
"Come, let's get you back to the farmhouse." He said, holding out his hand to her. Assuming this was the practice he had been talking about, Duckie tentatively took his hand and let him lead her down the settlement's street.
Things were returning to normal as they set out, with people beginning to walk through the street while going about their morning business. Veering out of the way of an oncoming wagon, the two quickly climbed the steps to the General Store and then started walking across the wooden verandas.
They slowed as they passed by the saloon, both staring down at the bloodstain on the deck. It looked as if it had been scrubbed, but a dark-colored mark remained where the last sheriff had met his fate. Duckie shivered a bit as she remembered what had happened there a day ago and morbidly asked Haldir, "Are you certain about being the sheriff here? It's an awfully dangerous job."
"It is only temporary." He reassured her, pulling her past the stain and continuing down the walkway with her in tow. "You need not worry about me. I am able to handle myself in perilous situations."
A couple of boys playing tag suddenly ran by them, shouting and laughing as they circled around a barrel and then jumped off the veranda and into the street. The pair watched the children as they crossed the road after a few moments, then noticed they were being watched by none other than Father John, who was standing on the other side of the street.
Feeling a bit awkward under his unfettered stare, Duckie lifted up her hand and waved at him, offering him a sympathetic smile. Judging by the rather serious look upon his face, Arthur had already found him and spoken to him about their plans. She watched as he looked both ways before crossing the street towards them, the sun reflecting off the bald spot above his greying hair.
"Duckie," he greeted her as she approached, "It is good to see that you are well. I have heard from numerous sources that we have this fine gentleman to thank for that."
"Henry Deere, sir." Haldir said, introducing himself as he held out a strong hand for the pastor to shake. It was well-received and soon the two were able to move past introductions.
"So, my son tells me that a lot has happened since I last saw you." Father John ventured, looking questioningly between the make-shift couple as a couple of women skirted by behind them. "He says you have become engaged. Is this true?"
Duckie's guilt immediately weighed heavily upon her chest once more and an apology immediately spilled from her lips. "It is true. I'm so sorry that Arthur came all this way for me to turn him down. I do wish he had stayed at school. It was never my intention to hurt him." She explained, her voice wavering as she remembered the wounded look in her friend's brown eyes.
If only she could undo the pain she caused him. After all he had done for her over the last five years, she knew she had scorned him with her words today. She desperately wished she could take the hurt away from him and undo the damage that was wrought between them earlier. She did not think their friendship would survive the strain of this and the thought of losing him was disconcerting.
"Arthur is quite upset. I had not realized his heart was set on being with you until last week, nor did I know how you would feel about it. He will get over this in time though. In fact, I know he already regrets how angry he became when he spoke with you earlier and I imagine he will be around to apologize when he feels ready to face you once again." He explained, frowning slightly at the mention of his son's broken heart.
"I had hoped to get a chance to speak with both of you when I heard about the engagement. Would you mind coming to speak with me about it for a bit? Will you come and spend a few moments with me at the church please?" He asked calmly.
"Certainly, we have a few minutes we can spare now." Haldir answered on their behalf. The couple followed the pastor back across the dirt road. Duckie noticed that the pastor's feet left large footprints in the dry dust on the ground, whereas the two elves' feet left no indentions behind. No one seemed to notice though as they hurried about getting the work of the day done.
Haldir smoothly wove her around small groups of people who had gathered in front of the stores, including a group of elderly men who were chatting outside the barbershop, a group of older women gossiping while washing clothing by a communal well, and a gaggle of ladies trying to keep the peace in the middle of the street as they herded a group of eight giggling, running children towards the schoolhouse, each with a primer and blackboard in hand. When a young girl dropped hers by Duckie's feet, she let go of Haldir's hand and scooped them up for the child, handing them back to her with a smile.
"Thank you miss!" The child chirped, grinning at Duckie with her two front teeth noticeably missing. Then, with a flip of her blonde braids and loosely hanging pink bonnet, she was back in the group with the others, shouting and playing tag as they headed to the small schoolhouse.
When she turned back, she found Haldir watching her intently and waiting for her right where she had left him. That sideways grin magically appeared on his face again as he extended his hand towards her once more. "Looking for trouble again, I presume?" He questioned with a wink of his eye, teasing her again, no doubt.
Duckie simply let out a small, embarrassed laugh under her breath and then took his hand again, much less tentatively this time around. While she did feel rather awkward around Haldir, she certainly could not deny that a warmth filled her when he held her hand and made her laugh. "Perhaps." She answered with a grin of her own.
"That is what I feared," he replied as his smile grew a bit larger, silently ascending the white stairs beside her. The moment was over though when the both arrived at the top and found Father John staring at them as he held one of the two brown double doors open for them, ushering them into the building with a swift motion of his sunburned hand.
"Come have a seat in the pew." He said, tapping on one in the back to indicate where they were directed to sit. The seats were made of sturdy, unembellished oak that was stained a dark color that matched the floorboards. Ten rows of pews were lined up on each side of a long aisle. They led to a small platform where Father John stood and preached every Sunday. Round-topped windows lined the left and right sides of the building, with one very special stained-glass window above the platform featuring the cross surrounded by several multicolored diamonds. The special window had taken a long time for the church to save up for and was one thing the settlement had taken pride in over the last two years.
She let go of Haldir's hand and went to sit down, putting an appropriate amount of room between the two of them before doing so, only to find Haldir filling that space with his body a moment later. He sat much closer to Duckie than she had anticipated. It was by sheer willpower alone that she was able to stay put rather than scoot away from him.
Father John stood behind the pew that was directly in front of them and was watching them very closely, his arms crossed over his chest as he studied them. He was silent for the longest time as the light from the stained glassed window cast a colorful shadow on the ground near them.
At last, he explained himself. "You know, the Lord works in mysterious ways. It was by happenstance that I left you out at Lewis' farm for much longer than anticipated and now this engagement has occurred. I assume it is by the Lord's hand, but I wish to be certain it is a good match, as I have not met Henry before today and I do not know him as well as I know the others in the settlement."
He turned his gaze to Duckie exclusively as he ventured, "My son thinks you have been pressured by Henry into making this decision. Is that so?"
Internally, Duckie panicked a bit. Arthur wasn't wrong, but she knew the situation would grow even messier if she admitted it to Father John. She closed her eyes for a moment and then tentatively opted for reaching her left hand out and awkwardly patting Haldir on the knee. "No, Arthur is mistaken. I have chosen to be with Henry of my own free will."
Her hand was trembling as she forced it to rest upon Haldir's knee. His larger hand suddenly rested upon her own, though whether it was to reassure her or cover up her shaking, Duckie did not know.
"Tell me then, what has influenced your decision?" The pastor asked, still staring intently at them with confused brown eyes. "You have only known Henry for a week. What makes you want to marry him above others?"
She heard the underlying question as well: why have you chosen him over Arthur? Duckie knew the answer to this question was important. She needed to make it count if the ploy was going to be believable. Quickly, she thought about what little she truly knew about Henry and tried to formulate an answer based on his character traits.
"Henry is kind and… well, he puts others before himself." She said, remembering how he had given up his bedroll and cloak out in the wilderness, not to mention allowing her and the child to use the more convenient dishes while he settled for eating out of a pan with a butter knife.
"Though he has a bit of a temper, he is humble enough to apologize when it is necessary." She continued, remembering how he had admitted when he treated her poorly earlier in the morning. Duckie really had been impressed by his actions in that moment because not every man was willing to let go of his pride in those sorts of circumstances.
"Moreover, I feel respected by him and… though I am young, he does not treat me like a child." She finished quietly. Duckie knew in her heart that she deserved to be called a child after how she had acted the previous night, but Henry had been kind enough to look past that. He had not called her a child when others had. "That is what I like best about him."
She felt Haldir's eyes burning into her as she said this, but she didn't dare turn to look at him at this time. Instead, she looked at Father John and was happy to see that his expression had softened a bit. She figured this meant her words had been convincing.
Father John's bushy grey eyebrows lifted up as he went to speak again. "So, there is affection between you then. Nothing untoward, I hope."
"Oh no sir, nothing inappropriate." Duckie immediately replied. "I simply think that Henry is handsome and he…he has a good heart."
"So, perhaps it is not love yet, but all the makings of love are present." Father John finished for her. "That is reassuring. Henry, I trust you have similar sentiments to Duckie then. Please tell me why you have chosen her over other women."
Upon taking a deep breath, she heard Henry launch into his explanation. "I must admit, proximity played a large roll when I first met her. She is my neighbor and I met her before all others in the area. There is great convenience to a match between us because our lands are side by side and my cousins and I would benefit from the addition of the farm. However, as I have spent time with Miss Hir this week, I have noticed her admirable qualities as well."
Duckie turned to look at Haldir, anticipating what he would say about her. Her heart beat a little faster at the thought of learning his opinion of her.
"Miss Hir is educated and resourceful. Her great strength of heart has been demonstrated, as she has been through a lot recently between the death of her brother and the ordeal with Ralph Thomas. Somehow, she has persevered through it all."
Duckie's heart flip-flopped within her chest upon hearing those words. It was uncommon for someone to say such kind things about her. Most of the time the people of the settlement could not move past speaking about her unusual looks, but like her, Haldir had chosen to speak directly about her character. He also seemed to be speaking from the heart.
"She is pleasant to talk to and enjoys discussing topics my cousins do not care for, such as culture." Haldir stated, making Duckie wonder what he meant by those words.
"Perhaps he is just making something up," she thought to herself as her heart sank a bit. She had spoken nothing but the truth about him, but it was possible that he might not know enough about her to give the answer he thought Father John was looking for.
"What is most impressive though is how she's handled herself in the last 24 hours." He continued. Duckie blinked a few times and looked down as she felt his eyes move to her. "While others hid, Miss Hir stood up for the child that Ralph Thomas was attacking, putting herself into danger on his behalf. She helped the child escape and cared for him in the absence of his parents. It was quite touching."
Haldir's hand gently caressed the top of hers, which was still resting upon his knee. She looked up and met his gaze and somehow, his grey eyes seemed more readable. Their depths spoke of honesty and openness…
He was telling the truth.
He admired her.
Tendrils of warmth unfurled in her heart as she smiled shyly up at Haldir. For a second, it was as if the whole world fell away and all that mattered was the moment shared between the couple.
"That sounds like the Duckie I know." Father John said with a chuckle, causing the pair to look back at him. "You think she will make a good mother then?"
Duckie felt her cheeks blush immediately, for the thought of becoming a mother with a near stranger like Henry was not something she had thought about at all. "Is he still a stranger though?" Her mind posed the unusual question as she had now learned his opinion of her. She did not know how to answer it though. For if Haldir was not a stranger to her, then what was he?
A friend?
A comrade?
Or perhaps something else?
"Yes, she would make a fine mother and a fine wife. She is the most beautiful woman I've encountered in the settlement and I cannot imagine wanting any other." He finished, his words sinking deeply into her, like dye on a fine fabric. Though Duckie was embarrassed, she savored Haldir's words, as no one had ever spoken thusly about her…
Not even her father.
"Well, I am impressed." Father John said, smiling at the two of them. "It is rare for two people to grow as close as you have in such a short time frame. Your words reassure me though and I now feel confident that you have chosen an appropriate course for yourselves. Take one more night to think it over and be certain, but if you still desire this tomorrow evening, return to the church and I will marry you."
Duckie's breathing stopped as his words washed over her. He had agreed—Father John had bought their guise and actually agreed! They were successful, just as Haldir had said they would be!
She did not know whether she should jump for joy or cry.
"Your support and approval are appreciated sir." Haldir said as he stood up and extended his hand to shake with the pastor. "We will return tomorrow night to see it done."
When he was done, Duckie stood as well nodded her thanks to Father John. Haldir then offered his arm to her. She looped her hand around his elbow comfortably and looked up at him to find out what he wanted to do next.
"It is as if you two were made for one another." Father John mused as he admired them. "He is even the right height for you, Duckie."
"Yes, yes he is." She said as she stared at him, confused by her inner workings. Haldir was everything she could have ever hoped for in a match, but this wasn't real. It was only a ruse.
"Shall we head back to the farm?" Haldir asked her gently, as if sensing her internal struggle.
Though her head was spinning with all the connotations of their interaction, she still managed to answer. "Yes, I think that would be for the best."
Haldir carefully escorted her to the double doors with Father John following at their heels. "It was good to meet you today Henry. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Oh, and don't forget to bring a couple of rings with you tomorrow for the wedding. Lewis might have left his somewhere in the cabin. If you can find them, you could use them. If those don't work, some simple bands can be purchased at the General Store."
Oh dear… Rings. Duckie had not even thought about needing something like that. This was going to be expensive.
How long until Haldir regretted his decision to become involved with this problem? The plot was becoming more and more complicated as the day progressed and they had only been pretending to be betrothed for an hour…
He was going to end up resenting her once all of this was said and done.
"That is already taken care of. I have some rings—heirlooms from my family." Haldir said as gave Duckie's arm a little squeeze, then bid Father John farewell. "Take care and we will see you tomorrow."
"Yes, we'll see you tomorrow." Duckie echoed and then nervously walked off clinging to Haldir's arm.
They weren't just walking down the stairs though. They were now both venturing far away from their comfort zones and into the unknown.
ooOoo
With Duckie's emotions running amuck and Haldir's plan firmly in place, things are starting to really pick up now. Please let me know what you think of my chapter. I was able to muster several chapters this week because I've had some extra time off, but it is likely that I will go back to my regular updating schedule (every 2-3 weeks) now that I'm going back to my job. I will be back though—stay tuned for more!
-P.G.