Hello and welcome back to the fic To Be Forever Faithful. I'm sorry that I haven't updated recently. As much as I enjoy writing fanfics, I do like to read them as well. As of late I have been reading quite a few. Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay. Oh yes, and I must thank everyone who offers me advise as well. I did not know that elves slept with their eyes open. Thanks. Any other helpful comments are welcome because I am most certainly not an expert yet. Enjoy this new chapter!

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

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To Be Forever Faithful

By: Ponytail Goddess

Chapter 5: Training is Initiated

Time seemed to stop as the Marchwarden exited the cafeteria. Belegwen wished she could disappear. Several elves were staring at her, having heard every word exchanged between the Marchwarden and his brother. Silence filled the room and the tension was like a thick mist that was floating around her. She could feel her cheeks burning with humiliation.

Abruptly, she stood up and exited the room quickly, not bothering to finish her meal. Belegwen was well aware of the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. She did not let them though and kept a straight face. She knew she had to; her life as a warden depended upon it.

Belegwen eventually stepped off the main pathway and into the forest. Once she felt like she had distanced herself from the rest of the world, she made her way over to a golden mallorn and sat beneath it. She shut her eyes and allowed the sun's rays to hit her face gently, being shaded from their full effect by the tree's leaves.

"I will not cry... I will not cry..." She thought to herself over and over again and soon, the tears subsided from her eyes, remaining unshed. When she finally opened her eyes, they were filled to the brim with a new determination and pride.

Yes, she could be second in command. She would be, after she perfected her skills and received the necessary training. She would prove to all the wardens that she was worthy. A smile touched the edges of her lips ever so slightly as she got to her feet. She decided to leave for the training grounds early so she would not disappoint Haldir again.

Once she was back on the path, she started to head slowly in the correct direction while enjoying her surroundings. The trees of Lothlorien were gorgeous with their shining leaves of gold. Belegwen inhaled the clean, crisp air as she went on her way.

Suddenly she stopped because something was poking her in the stomach. She gazed down to see that one of her armor buckles had come undone. "Stupid armor," she thought to herself as she buckled it up again. Belegwen would be happy when this week was over and she could go back to her normal outfit. She understood why the Marchwarden had them do it though. It helped the wardens become accustomed to wearing it, just in case a situation arose in which they would be required to.

However, it agitated many of the wardens because it was not very practical for the border patrols. None of the wardens particularly enjoyed wearing it around the city or on the training grounds either. It was a burden, and like everyone else, Belegwen could not wait to rid herself of it.

"Only three more days of this," Belegwen muttered to herself as she walked into the training grounds. She looked at her surroundings. There were several ellyn shooting arrows at targets, both solitary and moving ones. A few were practicing swordplay with partners, taking care to avoid unnecessary injuries. A bit further away was a group of fairly young ellyn, each one of the four looking like they were not of age yet. Soon, Belegwen imagined, they would be eligible to become wardens. It appeared they were starting their training for it early. The ellyn were all standing in a wide semicircle, listening to their teacher, who just so happened to be the Marchwarden himself.

Haldir's eyes locked onto hers for an instant, then went back to his pupils who were clumsily working on an archer's stance with beginner's bows. Slowly, Belegwen took her bow from her shoulder and walked up to a target a bit farther from where the other wardens practiced. She did not care to hear anyone's whispers at the moment and wanted to get a brief practice in before she began her lesson with Haldir.

Taking an arrow out of her quiver, she aimed for the farthest target, all the way at the other side of the field. Long distance shots came easily to Belegwen, but would serve as a nice warm up. A second later she fired, her arrow flying straight and true. It hit dead center, as usual. Mere seconds later her bow was loaded again and Belegwen was aiming for the same target. She released the second arrow and watched as her first arrow was quartered, the wood being split down the center. Belegwen now truly smiled, satisfied with her handiwork.

"That was a decent enough shot, although this range is clearly too easy for you and you have also destroyed a perfectly good arrow for no reason." A harsh voice stated from behind her. Belegwen flinched and whipped around to face Marchwarden Haldir. Her eyes looked at his hard face, questioning his reasoning.

"What point is there in practicing something you have already perfected? It is a waste of your time and efforts, a pointless affair. Instead, let us move over here for a more unique experience." Haldir said, pointing to a grassy clearing at the far side of the range. Belegwen followed him quickly as he walked purposefully over to their destination.

When he stopped, she looked around and was uncertain of what the exercise would be. She could see no targets anywhere amid the tall grass and was confused. When he did not jump into a set of instructions, Belegwen asked him, "What do you wish for me to aim at?"

"Patience; you are getting ahead of yourself. You and I are about to play a little training game I call 'Elves and Orcs.' You will be the elf and I will be the orc." Haldir stated with an eerie smile, while Belegwen's face began to morph from anticipation to dread. This did not sound pleasant to her at all. "I have hidden three small targets, each the size of an apple, in this area. Your job will be to sneak through the grass without me knowing of your whereabouts and shoot the three targets when I am not looking."

Belegwen blinked in disbelief as he continued with his expectations. "You will have to stay low to the ground and move around the field without disturbing the grass. If I see movement in the grass or any part of you, I will attempt to shoot you with one of these rubber-tipped arrows." Haldir stated, pulling one of the special arrows out of his quiver for her to see.

"You are going to try and shoot me?" Belegwen reiterated with disbelief, shocked at what was about to happen on the training field.

"Yes, but do not fear these arrows. They will hurt a little if they hit you, but they will not penetrate your skin or cause any lasting damage, especially not with your armor." He stated cooly, but still Belegwen was not convinced of the merit of this exercise.

As if sensing what she was thinking, the Marchwarden glared at her. "Do not question my expertise. I know what I am doing, whereas you do not. Now, I will turn my back and count to ten. When I reach ten, you should be somewhere in the grass and may begin looking for the targets. Remember, move slowly and only move when appropriate or you will find out precisely what it feels like to be hit with a blunt arrow. I will not go easy on you, so be aware of your surroundings at all times."

Belegwen wanted to object, but he gave her no time to, immediately turning and starting his count. Belegwen found herself hastening into the grass, quickly hiding herself amid the tall blades as best she could and then froze as he made it to 'ten.' Immediately, Haldir turned around and started scanning the field for any signs of movement.

At this point, Belegwen realized this was going to prove to be a long day indeed.

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Erthalion angrily stormed towards the bath in his robe, annoyed with just about everything that had happened during the day. Long had he waited to be promoted to Marchwarden, only to find out that Belegwen was going to be promoted instead of himself.

Belegwen.

"She is not even supposed to be a warden," He muttered to himself as he forcefully pushed his way through the door that led into the hallway outside the bath. The door slammed up against the wall, interrupting a few chatting wardens who were awaiting their turns for the bath.

Ignoring all of the concerned looks he was receiving, Erthalion sat down on the bench and moped, his frustration showing visibly for all to see. The wardens beside him fell silent, their usual jests having ceased upon his arrival. After a few moments, he felt a firm hand upon his shoulder. He looked up to see who had dared to confront him while he was in this state.

It was well-known amongst many of the wardens that Erthalion was only half-elven and often struggled with anger. There was a side of him, distinctly Edain, that burned passionately within him in a way that many elves did not understand. Sometimes he struggled to understand it as well. He had chosen an immortal, elven life for himself, yet he could not seem to escape the traits of mortal man that lingered deeply within him. He had fought to contain his anger for millennia now, but still it boiled up within him like an bubbling pot, filled to the brim and ready to overflow at any moment. He desperately wanted to control it, but found that even after all of this time, he still did not know how.

"What is wrong Erthalion? What brings such rage to your heart?" A soft male voice asked, speaking quietly so that only his ears could hear the query.

It was Heledhril, one of his closest friends and confidants. He was one of the few elves who was willing to confront him at a moment like this and had grown accustomed to his occasional bouts of rage.

What Erthalion did not understand was why Heledhril was not upset about the news as well. Did he not realize that he could have had Belegwen's position as well? Could he not know they had both been cheated from what was rightfully supposed to go to one of them?

Erthalion sighed, not wanting to upset his friend with the details of his mental controversy. "If you do not already know, then it is not of any importance." He muttered almost inaudibly.

Then, as the door to the bath opened, he entered in quickly, ignoring the fact that he was supposed to be last in line. He wanted to avoid further questions from Heledhril and this was the only way he knew how. None of the present elves said or did anything to prevent him from doing so, not wishing to mess with his already-troubled mind.

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Edited by P.G. on 05/15/20.

Well, there's another completed chapter. Please review. Thanks. I hope you enjoyed it. I will try to update soon, though I cannot guarantee it. Have a good day!

-P.G.