Elven Script: Okay! Here you go! :: Hands a huge Norwegian Ridgeback:: his name is Norbert. My! You two are a super team! ::Beams::
Haldir's Heart and Soul: Hehehe! Were you expecting that? No wait! Don't answer. Let it remain as it is.
Ariendar: Thanks for reviewing again! You guys make me happy! Hmmm… too bad Haldir is not going to be so happy about this…and then again, neither is Anya.
Anonymous: Yep! That's right! That is exactly what I am planning.
Lady Fae: Haldir flipping out? That is mildly putting it, don't you think?
Jiblade7: Thanks for the glowing review you gave me! And for also explaining the reason why you like the characters. Thanks a lot, my friend! I value you support with all my heart! And one of the reasons why I write this story is because there are people supporting me. This means every reviewer who has written a constructive criticism for this story. I love you people!
BP the cookie monster: Thank you. I know it hurts you, but I would seriously request you to read beyond the first chapter for a change and take in all the chapters and how the story goes before jumping into conclusions.
Sarobando: Hehehe… um…I guess you'll have to wait and watch. But mark this well! Lots and lots of drama ahead!
Crecy: I'm sorry! I am so very sorry! Here have this glass of water. I hope this chapter doesn't leave you with a cardiac arrest! Sorry again!
I have also uploaded a one-chapter Glorfindel fic, under the name, Dannen Aglar Fallen Glory. If my dear readers would be kind enough to check it out and tell me how it is, I would find that very 'very' helpful. And here are some reviewers I'd like to thank for their reviews for that fic:
Ariendar: thanks for your review again! How many times can a person say that! But every time I say that I feel happy. Hope you'd render the same support throughout. Thanks a lot!
Ellfine: Thanks for your review! It means a lot to me.
Radbooks: I read your bio and I give you my sincere wishes for the fulfillment of your dream. Thanks for the great review!
Ralinde: I am so honoured that people have faith in my writing. I shall definitely do that. You have given me a brilliant idea. Now all I need is a little time to formulate that idea.
Now that all is settled, let the story begin!
Oh! The disclaimer! Oopsie! Silly me!
Disclaimer:
I don't own! So no sue! Nice lawyers! Want cookie?
Thoughts or dreams are in Italics
- Anarya of Lorien
CRYSTAL DREAMS
Chapter – 15 (An unexpected visitor)
Anya's Point of view:
"What is it, milady?" I asked mildly surprised. The lady walked towards me as I stood up unsteadily. Had I expected her to do something, it was not that she would hug me tightly as though both happy and sad. I was surprised beyond thought.
"Anya, it gives me great pleasure to tell you this." She turned to look back at the healer, who stood there smiling at me with her hands clasped in front of her.
"My Lady, what is it?" I asked, dreading what she was to say, for what reason, I did not know.
"Your purpose of being a woman is nearing completion." The healer chimed. I turned to look at her baffled. Now what did that mean? The Lady smiled and gently took my hand and placed it over my stomach.
"Do you not feel anything?" she asked me in a gentle whisper. I shook my head as fear and confusion gathered in my heart.
"My dear, you have begotten a child." What? I wanted to scream. She smiled reading my thoughts.
"You are pregnant, Anya."
I woke up with a start. It was all a dream. A very bad nightmare. I sighed, relieved and got up only to find the Lady seated in a chair near the bed on which I lay.
"My child, what happened?" she asked me, her face anxious. I looked up at the healer who stood behind the Lady.
"You fainted, my child." She said, smiling slightly as though amused. So it wasn't a dream after all! I turned to the Lady.
"Am – am I p-pregnant?" I asked, dreading the answer that she would give me. Her eyes bore into mine, as her hand clasped mine tightly.
"You are, Anya." I gasped. No I was not. Just because I was sick for two days, it didn't mean I was pregnant! I was not! I moved back a little but the Lady held my hand tightly in hers.
"Anya, you must relax. You are surprised, I understand that! And it would not be an exaggeration if I add the word 'rudely'." She smiled a little.
I turned to look at her, my eyes slowly blurring from the tears that would now spill from my eyes. Her smile softened as she pulled me gently towards her and hugged. I cried unrestrained onto her shoulder.
"I understand! Please Anya! You should not exert yourself like this." She whispered into my ears, trying to soothe me and having a very good result at that. As I calmed down considerably, she turned to the healer.
"Are there any other ellith who are with child in this realm now?" the healer smiled and shook her head.
"None my lady." The Lady nodded her head and turned to me. she gently caught my chin and lifted my face as she smiled at me.
"Did you hear that, penneth? You are the only pregnant one in Lothlorien right about now." I nodded. It could be because the other women weren't foolish enough to get themselves raped! The Lady turned to me amused as though she had read my thoughts. I couldn't help it anymore. I smiled a little.
I walked slowly back to my talan. Okay! I was eighteen and pregnant. Way to go Anya! I laughed a little. I still couldn't believe the fact that here I was, with another soul growing inside me. I placed my hand over my stomach, which was still flat, thank you! Here was the fruit of his action. Here was the result of his mistake, I thought ruefully. Would the lady tell him? Most definitely! I sighed as I wondered if I was ready for another encounter with the elf who changed my life.
I slowly walked up the stairs of my talan. I felt like I needed a shoulder to lean upon. Too bad Ithilwen was not here. I laughed as I imagined her reaction.
"You with a child?" she would have screamed. I slowly pushed the door to find it open without a problem. Had I left it unlocked when I went for my duties this morning? I racked my brain as I stepped into the hall. It was hardly morning as the sun was merely starting her ascent from the eastern horizon, so the hall was pretty dark. But as I stepped into the hall, I heard a voice. The voice which I dreaded meeting for all these two months.
"Mae govannen, Anya." He said, his voice soft and deep. I turned around immediately to find him standing in the middle of the hall, his frame silhouetted in the semidarkness. He was smiling at me. I was sure! He took a step towards me when I panicked and backed away. Haldir was back.
Haldir's Point of view:
"Mae govannen, Anya." She turned to look at me as though she was seeing someone come back from one's grave. I smiled at her though I doubted if she would see that. This place was as dark as the pits of Dol Guldur. I walked slowly towards her but as I took one step towards her, she started to back away. It stopped me dead on my tracks.
"Anya?" I called out. Was she still afraid of me? She kept backing away from me until she stepped out of the hall and into the open space which seemed to be roofed by the boughs of the mallorn on which this talan was built.
She had changed. The human girl was still there but there was something else in her eyes. Some wisdom aided by sadness. I cringed a little at the thought that mayhap I was the reason for that sadness in her.
"Anya, why do you back away?" I asked her as gently as I could. She shook her head as she turned around and dropped onto a cushioned chair burying her head in her arms. Was she crying? Eru! Was it a bad decision to come here? I was panicking.
"Anya!" I walked slowly towards her. She lifted her head to look at me. She was not crying but she looked as though any moment she would start. I knelt before her.
"Where were you?" I asked her as I slowly placed my hand over her shoulder. She quickly removed herself from my grasp.
"Don't you dare touch me, March Warden!" venom dripped from her words that I back away a little.
"Did you come here to see how pathetic I was feeling? To see if I was alive at all?"
She got up all of a sudden and moved away towards the opposite corner of the terrace where there was an opening in the dense boughs of the mallorn where the birds flew in. There she stood, by the stone birdbath, with her head bowed down.
"Anya, I-" I had wanted to apologize. But if she was not going to give me a chance to say what I wanted to say, then how did she expect me to beg her for mercy?
"You need not speak. Why did you come here? Did the Lady tell you to do so?" she asked turning to look at me for the first time. Her beauty had transformed in a more feminine way from the last time I had seen her. Her hair had grown longer and she wore a grey robe that though was simple, seemed to bring out her feminity.
"As a matter of fact, Orophin told me." I said in a clipped tone. She looked at me with one raised eyebrow.
"Orophin? But how does-"
"Olwen is his betrothed, she told him." I interrupted knowing what she had wanted to ask. She smiled a little, but her smiled seethed with ice-cold frigidity.
"So you haven't been to see the Lady, then." She said simply. I shook my head. She moved away from the birdbath and walked towards me. When she was but a few inches away from me, she stopped.
"I would suggest you to go and meet Lady Galadriel, March Warden. There are certain things I am sure you would be delighted to hear." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. I was confused. What was it this time?
"What are you on about?" I asked, not minding to keep my voice soft. If she did not want me to apologize then, who was I to deny this 'lady' her request?
"Remember, that night March Warden? That night, when I had begged you to stop? That night when you had spoilt me completely?" I closed my eyes as guilt flooded my heart.
"Anya, I was drunk-" she interrupted me.
"Now, March Warden, there are certain things that return back to haunt us. And it gives me immense pleasure to tell you that not only have you succeeded in robbing me of my innocence but also have succeeded in giving me, at this age when I am barely an adult in my world, a child to cope up with!" she shrieked.
It took me a while to contemplate what she had just told me. Then it hit me. I was to become a father. The entire world seemed to spin out of control. Was I, Haldir, the esteemed March Warden of Lothlorien, the trusted warrior of The Lady Galadriel, going to father the child of a mortal? I turned to look at her staring at me with fury clearly burning in her gaze.
"You lie!" I whispered as I moved back a step away from this woman. She laughed as tears rushed forth from her eyes.
"I lie? Are you accusing me of deceit, March Warden? Is that what you are telling me?" she then rushed towards me and pushed me roughly towards the hall. I had not been expecting her to do so, so I fell down as she came towards me and walked by me without even giving me a hand to help myself up.
"Let me tell you March Warden, it does not please me to carry this child of your inside me. But since we cannot undergo an abortion in this place, and even if that was an option, I would not opt for it as it would be like punishing a soul who hardly committed any sin to suffer for what a louse his father is!"
I shook my head. This was all a big mistake! A very big mistake! I turned to see her stand there by the window with her head bent down and her shoulders shaking. Was she crying because of me? Oh Eru!
"Anya-"
The door opened widely flooding the room with light.
"Anya?" in stepped Olwen. She seemed surprised to see Anya stand there, crying and me, March Warden of Lothlorien standing there with no excuse to defend him.
"Oh. I am sorry, am I interrupting anything?" she looked sheepishly at Anya. Anya shook her head as she wiped her tears away and turned to greet her friend with a smile.
"No Olwen. It is nothing. Why don't you come inside?" Olwen smiled at her friend though she seemed less convinced. She then turned to look at me.
"Lord Haldir! It is a bit of a surprise seeing you here! But then again, it shortens my errand." I looked at her bemused. What errand? She seemed to understand what I was thinking for she smiled at me.
"Oh, the Lady wants to talk to you. I am ignorant as to why, but the matter seems to be important. I was to fetch Orophin who would convey it to you, but now since I have met you myself, I thought I shall inform you right away. And let me add that the Lady wishes to see you immediately!"
I nodded my head acknowledging her. I then turned to Anya, who looked at me with an indifferent stare.
"Then I hope I shall be seeing you again, Lady Anya." I bowed down.
"Do not hope much March Warden. I am happy as I am. I do not need your care." It stung me when she said that. But nevertheless I could say nothing back in the presence of Olwen who could just as well be unaware of the situation we both were placed in at the moment. I bowed down stiffly and said as briskly and cold as I could muster,
"I leave." She turned her head the other way as I left and I found myself having a sudden urge to slap her. I controlled my urge and let Olwen lead the way to the Lady's talan, though I knew the way. If I was going alone, then mayhap I shall retrace my steps back to the talan where the mother of my child now resided.
Galadriel's Point of view:
He was coming this way. I could see him walk slowly towards my talan from my window. I sighed as I thought of how to break the news to him. Haldir was an elf who respect many and who was in turn respected by many.
I waited. There was a knock on the door.
"Enter, Haldir." The door opened and in stepped Haldir. He smiled a little on seeing me, but there was some tension visible for those who could look deep into his face.
"Mae govannen, Hiril nin." He said bowing down before me. I smiled and nodded.
"Mae govannen, Haldir. Please! Sit down." I pointed the couch that was there and as soon as he had seated himself, I sat on a chair opposite to his. My March warden looked up from his clasped hands as I sat down. I smiled trying to make him feel more at home. I placed my hands on top of his. He looked down to my hands.
"Haldir, it has been so long since you have come to see me." I said trying to bring him into a more comfortable state of mind before breaking the news to him. He nodded.
"I was on duty in the Northern Border, my Lady." I nodded. As if I didn't know. I got up and walked towards the window from where I had seen him come.
"Haldir, I shall not take your time by enquiring of facts that both of us are aware you know." I turned around. He was listening to me very carefully. Good. I turned back and observed the people below my talan.
"I am sure you remember Anya." I could almost feel him tense behind me. I turned back to smile at him. He had not forgotten what had happened then.
"I must say, that it was not entirely you mistake, Haldir. You were not in your proper sense."
He sighed. I slowly walked towards him and sat beside him.
"Haldir, newer complications have arisen. She is-"
"Pregnant. I know." I stopped short. I turned to look at him. Surely he had not known!
"Haldir?" he turned to look up at me and then slowly lowered his eyes to the floor.
"I met Anya as soon as I came back from the Borders." He said in a low voice. It was my turn to tense now. I clasped his hands tightly in mine.
"And?" I urged him on. He turned to look at me.
"You see all. Then why do you ask me this?" his voice was almost pleading. I sighed as I closed my eyes. My hands released his from my hold.
"Haldir, you must realize that I am not a Vala. I am an elf, just like you. Mayhap I have ages of wisdom that you lack now. But I cannot pry into each and every soul's mind in this kingdom. It would be unkind. And moreover. This affair, you shall have to handle all by your own. I can assist the both of you only up to an extent. But after that, it shall be yours to decide."
He remained silent throughout my lecture. But as I placed my hand on his shoulder, he turned to look at me.
"She does not like carrying this child in her. I am afraid for the first time, Hiril nin." He said his eyes filled with anxiousness. I smiled as I shook my head.
"You shall never understand what goes on in a woman's heart; be her elf or mortal. It is a thing highly dangerous and mysterious. But remember this Haldir. She shall never hate the child that is part her in existence. The child is as much hers as the child is yours." He smiled a little.
It was time to move to more dangerous grounds.
"Then, Haldir. What do you plan to do with her?" he turned to look at me abruptly. He immediately lowered his gaze as though he had been thinking of the very same thing.
"I shall take her home with me. I intend to accept all responsibility for the child. But then the union of an elf and a mortal does not happen often. I don't even know if this was supposed to happen." I nodded.
"What happens, happens for the glory of Iluvatar. Always remember that. Now I advice you to go back to Anya and talk to her. remember not to lose your temper Haldir. No matter how much she taunts you, she carries your child within her." he nodded. He then stood up.
"Then I shall take leave now, Hiril nin." He bowed down once more. I smiled and embraced him tightly.
"You are like a son to me, Haldir. I shall always remember the day you and your brothers were brought under my care, immediately after Celebrían had left for Imladris. I want you to bear this in mind. I will always be there for you. Now go."
I smiled as he kissed me on the cheek. A habit of his from old, when he was an elfling. I sighed as I saw him leave my talan. I loved him. I loved him like I loved Celebrían. I loved him like my son.
End of chapter. Time to do you know what! Review away my hearties! Pleeeeeaaaase! :: Puppy-dog face ::
- Anarya of Lorien.
