Hello and welcome back to the fic To Be Forever Faithful. A big thanks goes out to those of you who gave me Mary-Sue definitions. I plan on doing this fic exactly how I want to; don't worry. Curiosity was just getting the better of me. Thanks again. Enjoy this new chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or anything associated with Tolkien Enterprises.

ooOoo

To Be Forever Faithful

By: Ponytail Goddess

Chapter 3: A Restless Mind

Belegwen silently descended the smooth, black marble steps into the corridor which contained the bath. She could hear jovial merriment coming from the line of wardens who were waiting for their turns. However, as she entered the room and got into line, all the wardens became eerily quiet and many sets of eyes landed upon her. Not saying a word, she gently sat down on a bench to wait for her turn.

She hated how everything became awkward in her presence. Why could they not continue what they were doing without noticing her arrival? Why could they not ignore her? After all, she had done nothing wrong. Being ignored would be much better than the reaction she got from them now.

Mentally, Belegwen felt frustrated and tired. After working for an entire fortnight on the fences, she was utterly exhausted. The passing of Curudae was weighing down on her heavily and she knew the only cure would be to get some rest. The silence of the room lent itself well to her tiredness and she started to fade into reverie as she waited.

"Pst," she heard a voice say. The voice sounded distant as she slowly came out of her dream, suddenly aware that someone was shaking her shoulder gently. Belegwen's eyes snapped out of reverie and she came face to face with a warden she had not met before.

The ellon smiled at her and said, "It is your turn."

Belegwen's eyes quickly shot around the room. The fifteen elves who had been in it when she entered had all left and now the room was surprisingly empty.

"Oh... Thank you," she told him, feeling a bit self-conscious that she had fallen asleep while waiting for the bath.

Gingerly, she clutched her belongings and entered the door to the bath after the remaining warden left the room. "Falling asleep while waiting for the bath," she thought to herself as she shut the door behind her, "How embarrassing."

Her footsteps were silent as she brought her soap to the edge of the bath. Her robe slid off her body easily and she stepped down the stairs and into the water without making a sound. Slowly, she dunked her head into the water and came back up. She could hear the water droplets making the softest of noises as they rolled off her and back into the pool.

Her mind started to think about the surprising offer Commander Haldir had spoken to her about earlier. "Second in command," she thought to herself, then sighed and wrinkled her nose slightly. "It sounds like a wonderful honor, but I do not understand why has he chosen me."

Belegwen did not feel as though she had done anything above and beyond the call of duty that would result in her deserving such a prestigious title. In fact, the only things she could think of that separated her from many of the other wardens were her gender, her swordsmanship skills, and her knowledge of the common tongue. However, she knew there were others who could surely do the job just as well, if not better than herself. "So, why me?"

Not being able to come up with an intelligent answer, she tried to think about other topics. Other than feeling sadness for Curudae and his family though, she found it nearly impossible to think of much else. "Second in command. I wonder what my parents would have thought of all this."

A small smile snuck onto her face as she tried to mentally picture her parents again. She knew they would not have approved, the same as every other ellon and elleth in the city. According to them, ellyth were to marry elves, raise elflings, and find their passion within the arts and other noble, non-dangerous flights of fancy within the city. They were most certainly not supposed to put their immortal lives on the line to fight for the protection of their land. That was supposed to be a job for ellyn and ellyn only.

She looked into the mirrors which covered almost all of the bath's white marble walls. Yes, there were times when she occasionally envied elleths and the very carefree lives they appeared to lead. Belegwen had never truly felt as though she fit in with them, at least, not since she was an elfling. She did not desire to concern herself with acquiring the hand of the perfect ellon, dabbling in the arts, or learning the skills of healing.

No, Belegwen did not feel as though she fit in with them in any capacity, not even in their shared beauty and femininity. In fact, now she felt there was little to no chance of beauty at all; her body carried with it a small sampling of little reminders from her many skirmishes: scars. The largest was from an orc sword and extended diagonally across her right shoulder blade. She cringed as she remembered the pain which had resulted from the blow to her back.

Belegwen had been advised and encouraged to retire from being a warden after receiving that blow. Many of the city officials and wardens she worked alongside had thought that since she had experienced real pain, she would want to 'stop playing around at the fences' and be an elleth again.

How incredibly wrong they were.

As a warden, Belegwen could fight for the freedom of her land. She could protect the Lord and Lady of Lorien, two elves that she regarded with the utmost respect. Most importantly though, she could protect the helpless and prevent tragedies, such as the one that had befallen her own family.

She would never stop. Belegwen was passionate about protecting people and being a warden was the only job she could imagine herself doing.

Tired, but clean, she slowly slipped out of the water and grabbed her towel, drying herself off slowly. There was no need to rush because there was nobody else waiting in line. "Perhaps I should go last more often," she thought to herself as she wiped the last of the clear beads of water from her body.

Carefully tying her clean robe securely, Belegwen rolled her soiled clothing items into a ball and sent them down the laundry chute. Grabbing up the remainder of her possessions, she exited the bath soundlessly. A soft lament lingered in her mind and her lips hummed it quietly as she walked and thought sadly of Curudae's fate.

In no particular hurry, Belegwen ascended the stairs that led to her room. There were some loud, animated voices coming from one of the occupied rooms. She listened in as she passed it by and frowned as she heard the last bit of a lewd tale concerning an Edain barkeep who had been 'extra friendly' with her favors.

This was followed by a carol of laughter which upset Belegwen. "Ellyn..." She thought with exasperation as she continued her ascension in silence. Belegwen was sometimes appalled by the behavior of some wardens she worked around, especially by those who were long-term bachelors. They tended to recant a lot of exaggerated stories, some insisting they had charmed many Edain women and had their way with them. Perhaps some of them did when they traveled outside of Lothlorien's borders.

Belegwen did not know if it was the truth or simple exaggerations. If it was true, it was not honorable for them to take women to bed though, as it was not the Eldarin way of life. Elves were expected to marry amongst themselves and remain monogamous to a single elleth for their entire immortal lives. From what she had heard from married couples, most loved each other deeply and would not want it any other way.

Anyhow, there were always a few ellyn who would recite these tales when bored, making parts of them up to outdo others. It was rather obnoxious, but Belegwen found she could not complain. She already had a hard enough time fitting in and did not desire to cause trouble. Belegwen knew she must live up to her name's meaning. She would indeed be a 'mighty maiden' and carry on through thick and thin. Feeling strong, she chose to ignore the despicable things being said within the room.

Eventually, she passed the Marchwarden's room. A tiny smile touched the corners of her mouth. He was tolerable. Well, at least he did not whisper about her or give her sideways glances the way some wardens did. No, he held his position with honor and seemed rather respectable.

When Belegwen finally reached her room and opened the door, a soft blue light brightened magically as she entered. She dropped her belongings unceremoniously next to her armor rack, quickly put away the armor she had worn earlier, and immediately tucked herself into her bed. Once she was settled in, the light dimmed again, quickly becoming as small as a star in the distance.

She turned to her side so she could watch everything through the part of her room that opened to an outdoor terrace. From where she laid, she had a nice view of the silvery treetops and the starry sky. She gazed at it until sleep finally claimed her over, refreshing her for the long day that was up ahead.

ooOoo

Edited by P.G. on 5/14/20.

Well, did you like it? Please review. Thanks. It might be a while before I update, since school starts back in tomorrow. I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK! But I have to, unfortunately. With finals coming up, I'd say it could be a week before I find time to update. Sorry! Well, have a great day!

-P.G.