A.N: I would like to thank the following reviewers…

Elven-Script: I am so sorry for not having updated for so long! And I am grateful that you have not given up on me! Thank you!

Valinor's Twilight: Please continue on with your story! I am looking forward to enjoying it! Thank you for your kind words! I am grateful.

KellseyKisaragi: Hope you didn't hurt yourself! Thanks for the review!

Uptowngirl48: Thanks for the review again! Hope this one's just as good!

Now that all is settled, let the story begin!

Disclaimer:

Oh! How I wish I owned Haldir! But misfortunes aplenty! I don't! So, please trouble me no more – ye black robed lords of the court! Phew…on with the story, folks!

Thoughts or dreams are in Italics

- Anarya of Lorien

CRYSTAL DREAMS


Chapter – 26 (Slow revelations)

Galadriel's Point of view:

I looked at Haldir as he stood in front of me. He resembled an elfling being summoned for questioning. I smiled. It was time he knew. If another incident was to happen, I did not know if they would be able to handle it.

"Please sit down, Haldir." He nodded tensely as he sat on one of the chairs in front of us.

"These things that we shall tell you now might shock you, Haldir. But I would ask you to be patient. Whatever queries you might have can be answered after we are through explaining." He nodded his head as he breathed out anxiously. I smiled as I turned to one of my hand maidens who brought the thing I sought.

The filigree of the Niphredil shined in the light of the room.

"Isn't this…"

"Yes, it is. It is indeed a thing of great power for it was forged in Doriath under the supervision of Melian herself. The full length of the powers it possesses is still a mystery." He was looking at the filigree with a mixture of awe and confusion.

"Did you not find this with Anya the day she was found?" he mutely nodded his head. I smiled as I took the filigree from the tray where it lay.

"Mayhap its actual purpose was to bring her here." I looked up to find him staring that the filigree.

Do you still love Laurelin?

He looked startled at this. "I have always loved her."

I smiled. I had my March Warden where I wanted him.

"Is that why Anya bears your child?" he flushed as he lowered his eyes to the ground.

"I am not here to chastise you for things that cannot be undone. But I must ask you this – how do you see Anya?" he looked at me bemused.

"I am afraid I do not-" I looked at Haldir a little sternly. He fell silent. He knew perfectly well what I meant.

"Can you picture Anya in the lieu of Laurelin?" he shook his head at this.

"That is something I cannot do." Hmm…this was strange. He was indeed feeling something for Anya and he still loved Laurelin.

"Do you know what happens to elves who die in battle or of a broken heart?" he looked at me with an unwavering gaze. I gazed back at him.

"Do they not go and bid their time in the halls of Mandos?" he asked gently. I nodded.

"And…I still live by that hope that one day I shall meet Laurelin…she would be waiting for me and if I were to fall for…"

"Is that why you deny Anya?" he looked at me incredulously.

"My lady, with all due respects, it has been Anya who has refused so blatantly to come with me. I, on the other hand have tried my hardest to try and put some sense into her." I smiled. He was right there. But then…she was facing trials that were her own to face.

"What if I told you Laurelin is amidst us." I said softly. He looked at me surprised.

"But she died…she-" I sighed as I turned to Celeborn who spoke,

"A wait in Mandos is not an easy thing to do, my child." His voice was soft and kind. I smiled as I turned to look at Haldir. I then turned to the maid and asked her to bring a goblet of wine. He would need it by the end of this discussion.

"The ones in waiting do not know for how long they shall wait and…there are some who are still in Mandos though they died during the times before the two trees were destroyed." He looked at Celeborn as though he was seeing a wraith.

"Does that mean…Laurelin…" he stammered.

"But Laurelin shall and has not stayed that long in Mandos." I quickly interjected. He looked at me surprised as the servant girl brought the goblet filled with wine. He took the wine with a word of gratitude.

"Where is she, my lady? In Valinor?" he asked as he sipped at the wine. I smiled as I shook my head. The time had come.

"She is right here. She is amidst us and in a form no elf has ever taken before, after release from Mandos." He was listening to me attentively. His hands that held the goblet were white.

"Haldir…Laurelin is Anya." I whispered slowly. I watched him stare at me as though I was a creature he had hitherto never seen and downed the entire goblet in one go. He was rudely shocked. This was a thing I had anticipated before.


Haldir's Point of view:

"Haldir…Laurelin is Anya."

I felt the world go oblivious for a minute as the Lady said those words… My Laurelin was Anya? The one who carried my child? Was she Laurelin? I blinked into the empty goblet that I had in my hand. This was impossible. I looked up to find the lady gaze at me with a look that suggested understanding.

"But that is impossible. Anya cannot be Laurelin." She closed her eyes as a sad smile played on her lips.

"And that was my thoughts at one time. But unfortunately it is true. The Valar have attested to it, themselves." She said silently. But how!

"The will of the great Eru cannot be gainsaid. It was he who had decreed immortality for the Quendi and the gift of mortality for the Atani… yet…the will of an elf to be with the ones she loved…it is indeed queer."

"Did Laurelin do the impossible? Did she move-" she smiled as she shook her head.

"She did not move Namo. No. none can do that – be he the Ainur, an elf, a man or any other creature that Eru created."

Then I was confused…

"She is here as Anya…a person different from Laurelin in every aspect. She is an Atani now…for the time she has to stay away from Mandos, she has to bid in the body that is susceptible to the ills of the world. A small price to pay for spending a lifetime with you, Haldir. Laurelin chose this life. So that she could be with you sooner." I felt the words ring in the relative silence that reigned around us.

"Then…will she…"

"She shall die as the Atani do. But her soul is that of the Quendi. She cannot leave the world until the end of it all." I nodded my head as I felt confusion settle all around me.

"Does she know-"

The Lady cut in. "No." she looked at the filigree as she sighed.

"She does not know…yet. Haldir…you have to tell her." I nodded my head. She was Laurelin? I was surprised! Yet…somewhere deep in my heart, it felt right…as though this was how it ought to be.

"I presume she is there in the gathering. There will come a time when she shall realize her true identity herself. So now go." I smiled as I got up from where I sat and bowing before the Noble ones, turned to leave the place.

"A word of caution, Haldir." I stopped abruptly and turned to face the Lady. She was looking at me with a gaze that seemed to see right through me as she always did when she was reading minds.

"She shall dwell in the form of an Atani only for that amount of time she was allocated to remain in Mandos. If her time is already over…she will die. And if she is to die now, your child…" she left the sentence incomplete. I felt my heart thud at the mere thought of that. I knew what she meant and nodded my head curtly.

"If…if she dies…"

The lady sighs as she shook her head…

"I do not know what shall happen to her…if her fate shall be that of the Atani to leave Eä or if she shall go back to the Halls of Waiting." She said simply. I felt the world warp at this…so…this wasn't really the best arrangement…was it? The lady smiled,

Mayhap not or mayhap so. None know how the mind of Eru works, Haldir. But be strong. It might be that she shall return to Mandos and then you shall be reunited again. Have hope.

I smiled slightly as I nodded my head. I had to have hope…for Laurelin and for our child.


Anya's Point of view:

I felt relieved. But then…why had the lady taken Haldir away? Was it to reprimand him for the way he had hurt me the other day or was it perhaps for something to do with the border duty? I did not know. In the meantime, I smiled happily as I listened to Olwen chatting away to glory about Orophin. My smile waned a little when I saw Haldir approach the glade where the party was going on. Oh dear! I turned to look for Séregon who, I was dismayed to find glaring at the approaching Haldir. But then something else caught my eye…Ithilwen…she was staring at Séregon. The way her eyes rested on my friend seemed to suggest something different. I gasped a little as I comprehended the meaning of her gaze. This was wondrous news. I felt someone tug at my sleeve and I looked down to find Síladiel smile at me. I smiled back as I bent down beside the little girl.

"What is it?" I asked gently. She pointed towards Séregon who was now talking with Ithilwen. By the docile way in which my friend answered his queries, it made me smile even more. This was indeed surprising. I walked towards Séregon and stood there beside my friend Ithilwen.

"How do you find the company of our dearest Ithil, Séregon?" he smiled as he turned to look at me, his eyes gentle and kind.

"Interesting! She seems to know a lot about the woods around here. I feel humbled." Ithilwen blushed as she shook her head gently. She was attired in a simple silver and blue robe and it struck me how beautiful she looked then. Having seen her mostly in uniforms, I had forgotten the fact that Ithilwen was a demure maiden beneath all the tenacity she possessed.

"I am glad to hear that, Séregon." I stated happily. Séregon looked at me surprised. I smiled in reply.

"Mayhap you can show Séregon around the forests a little! You know…the glades and streams? She knows all the glades of this wood." She smiled as she blushed profusely.

"I am not that skilled. I daresay you shall find the March Warden a better guide." I mentally screamed at Ithilwen. Séregon's countenance had turned from gentle to stony in a matter of seconds.

"Indeed! But I would prefer your company, Lady Ithilwen." He said simply. Then again…maybe it was a good idea. I smiled at my friend as I nodded my head.

"Then it is decided. And you're in luck for my charming friend is not free often. But she is free for the next full week. Aren't you, Ithil?" she smiled as she nodded. Séregon now turned to Ithil who looked beautiful, her long hair left free and her blue eyes shining.

"Then mayhap you can accompany me tomorrow?" she nodded her head as she smiled again. The fact that Síladiel was also close to Ithil made it easier for this relationship to blossom further. This could at least lessen the burden of guilt I carried within my heart. Then…I felt as though the world had spun leaving me behind. I clutched onto Ithilwen who turned to look at me anxiously.

"Are you alright, Anya?" she asked softly only for me to hear. I clasped my head as I nodded silently. Séregon was about to turn when I smiled at them and turned to leave…trying to put up a good show of health. And true enough I felt much better once I had lost the crowd…the night sky calming me down.

"Anya…"

I turned around astounded to find Haldir stand there, his hands resting against the huge trunk of a mallorn as he looked at me.

I glared at him as he walked towards him. There was no Séregon around, I reminded myself and I doubted if the Lady would aid me another time.

"I need to talk to you." He said, something different in his voice…the softness I had never felt before. Though my first reaction had been to shout and storm off, I felt the urge to sit down somewhere. Something was wrong. He pointed towards a bench that was there around the mallorn. I sighed as I sat down and looked up to find Haldir pacing the ground in front of me. I smiled a little as I watched him…he was anxious…why was that? I wondered. After a few moments of silence,

"What was it that you wanted to talk about, March Warden?" I asked my voice soft and low. He looked up at me and did the unimaginable. He smiled at me as he sat down beside me…taking my hand in his. I looked at all that he did with a surprised and shocked gaze. What was wrong with him?

"I am sorry for having said such terrible things to you… the other day…I am sure you did not fall down on purpose." He laughed though I found nothing funny.

"So, the lady has been lecturing the high and mighty March Warden has she? Finally seeing the real picture, huh Haldir?" I asked sarcastically. Now was his cue to get angry and start shouting. But instead of screaming his head off at me, he sighed as he caressed my hand softly and turned to look at me.

"Believe me, Anya. I am." I felt winded as he said that. I felt queer and uncomfortable. Any situation I had imagined with Haldir had been a scene where we tore at each other. Not where we were listening to each other patiently. What was wrong with him? He smiled as he took my hand to his lips and kissed them. I gasped as I withdrew my hand hastily. This elf had finally lost it.

"Anya…I have come to know of certain things-" I lowered my eyes as I cut in –

"If it is about Séregon then you-"

"-it is about you. About…us." There was something in the way he said it that made me look up at him. He was looking at me with a gaze that clearly spelt understanding. What had the lady said to him?

"I know that you turned Séregon down for the sake of the child…"

"It was merely for the child. Not for you. I still don't have any intention of coming to live with you, March Warden." There was a tinge of annoyance in his eyes as he looked at me.

So the monster was still there! Wasn't it?

"But I have certain things to tell you…to make you understand…" I sighed as I got up slowly from where I sat.

"I am a bit tired, March Warden." I walked away from him back towards the glade. Perhaps I could get Ithilwen to drop me at the talan.

"It concerns the reason you came here." I stopped dead on my tracks. I turned around to find Haldir staring at me with earnestness.

"About me being here?" I asked him with a little quiver in my voice. He merely nodded. I closed my eyes as I turned around and walked back to the bench from where I had got up. I sat down and turned to face the March Warden who smiled at me and sat down beside him. The way he looked at me was a little different from the stern march Warden's glare which seemed to remind me how unwanted the child within me and I were to him. But now…

"Anya…I believe you know Laurelin?" he asked, his voice thick and constrained. I nodded. Laurelin was his wife who had died long ago…and I also knew I was connected to her in a way I could not explain.

"She died in an Orc ambush. Am I not right, March Warden?" I asked. He nodded and lowered his gaze to the forest floor.

"Do you know what happens to elves who die such seeming deaths?" I nodded my head. Ithilwen had mentioned that though elves were immortal, they could be killed in battle or could die of a broken heart.

"Don't they go to some place called Mandos? Where they wait for their time to come back into the Undying Lands?" I asked as though answering the questions put forward by a professor. He nodded again affirming me.

"My wife…Laurelin…she-"

"Isn't she in Mandos?" I asked. He turned to look at him. His eyes looked soft as he moved a little closer to me, his hand resting on top of mine that lay on the bench. I looked down at his gesture and then at him…

"She is not in Mandos. Neither is she in the Undying Lands." He said in a whisper as he moved closer to me. I backed away a little.

"Then where is she?" I asked in a whisper myself. He smiled a little as he cupped my face gently. Now he was seriously spooking me out.

"She is here. Right here…in front of me." I looked at the March Warden in shock as he moved closer. My eyes widened as he placed his lips on mine…kissing me. I could feel him move a little to face me properly as he placed his hands on my hair, drawing me closer. I broke away from the kiss to stare at the elf in front of me with shocked eyes. He was smiling at me gently.

"You are Laurelin." He said. I looked at him with shock as he moved closer again.

"No." I pushed him away as I got up hastily. He was startled by this action for he looked at me, his quick reflex dulled for a moment before he rose to stop me. But I had moved back and was about to turn around when I felt his hand around my wrist gently pulling me back.

"Anya, please listen. What I say is true. I heard this from the Lady myself. You are the reincarnation of Laurelin in a way." I turned around to face him. His eyes shone in earnest as he stood there, his hands around my wrist.

"Laurelin was an elf from what I heard. And elves do not reincarnate as mortal men. Or do they?" I asked him sarcastically. He remained silently. Then he spoke for I did not move from where I stood…some force persuading me to stay. I felt like the discussion was far from over.

"I do not know what to say…but…you are Laurelin…I don't know how to make you understand. Anya…this was meant to happen." For any outsider, this conversation would have sounded like he was trying to woo me. But I, having seen the Haldir before, felt confused and angry. This was ridiculous. I wrenched my hand from his grasp and surprisingly he wasn't being very aggressive as he usually was.

"I need to go Haldir." I said in a low voice. He stared at me…his eyes actually pleading…I closed my eyes as I felt tears gather in my eyes.

"I need time." I said truthfully. I opened my eyes to find him standing there, his eyes seeing right through me…then…he nodded. I smiled as I bowed a little and turned around to leave for the glade.

But I had not moved two steps when I felt pain like never before. I clutched my abdomen as I sank to the ground. I could feel him shout my name and then kneel beside me, his arms around me as I felt my abdomen clench painfully.

I was in labour.


Author's Notes:

There it is, folks! The reason why she's here! I don't know if the Valar would let an elf leave Mandos…but I personally feel that Love does have power greater than that of the Valar. And Laurelin was truly in love with Haldir. She was impatient enough not to wait for her return from Mandos like the other elves. And since Mandos would not be moved to pity another time, she is here under some constrains. The nature of these constrains shall reveal themselves in the chapters to come. And the part that Julius Benedik (the dude who is actually Irmo? Remember him?) shall play will also be pivotal. So you guys out there! Do read and do review!

And another piece of dreaded news! My semester exams are coming up and so; my next chapter shall be a little late! Sorry!

So Patience my precioussss, and don't forget to review!

- Anarya of Lorien.