Hi, welcome back my loyal readers! School has been keeping me very busy, but I'm here now, bringing you another chapter of angsty and tragic goodness…lol. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I only own Belegwen and a few other created characters. The rest is all Tolkiens…until I get enough money to hire some ninjas to steal it.

ooOoo

To Be Forever Faithful

By: Ponytail Goddess

Chapter 26: Blood Lust

The first rays of sun started to shine into Belegwen's talan, creeping into the room ever so slowly. Soon, they made their way to the top of the bed and slid across her beautiful face. Frowning, the elleth quickly rolled over, trying to maintain her state of sleep. However, the attempt failed as the warm sun heated up her face, causing her to focus her eyes and come out of reverie.

Blinking a few times, she sat up, clutching her cream-colored sheet over her chest. All of the memories of the previous night floated back into her head as she stared at a few lingering shadows that were on her terrace: Heledhril, the war, her argument with Haldir…

"He stayed," she whispered to herself, confirming her memories of the night before. She looked down at her wrinkled satin sheets, remembering every touch and kiss that had taken place during the previous night. "…but not the whole night." She said, finishing her statement after a long pause. She started to frown as she realized how disappointed she was.

Indeed, she had told him that he could leave once she was asleep, but secretly, she had really hoped he would stay. Belegwen had wanted to wake up and find him sleeping beside her, looking as bedraggled as she, wearing nothing but that intoxicating smile that he put on every once in a while, just for her.

She had really hoped he would still be there. Now, everything about the whole night seemed rather disheartening to think about. She had successfully convinced him to stay, but he had not really wanted to stay. And his promise…well, it was probably said in haste. "It meant nothing," She murmured while slowly getting up to grab her fresh uniform. "It never does." Slowly, she proceeded to get dressed as she wallowed in her thoughts of regret.

As she laced up her breeches, she noticed something out of place on her desk. After grabbing her undershirt and pulling it on, she walked over to investigate. There were books, but she had not placed them down there. On the top, there was a quickly scrawled note:

Marchwarden Belegwen,

I have worked out a schedule of training education. You are to teach Advanced Swordplay twice each afternoon, starting today. Use these books to help you guide your pupils' training. I might stop by to see your progress, it time allows. Be confident and teach them well.

Marchwarden Haldir

Advanced swordplay?

Today?!

Was he serious?! Belegwen had never taken Advanced Swordplay herself. How was she going to teach other wardens how to do it? How could she be confident when she was going to teach a class she knew little about to a group of wardens in a few mere hours?!

Belegwen quickly put a hand over her mouth, closed her eyes, and backed up until she hit the nearest wall, contemplating this new turn of events. First of all, she needed to stop panicking because it was not solving a thing. Secondly, she needed to use these next couple of hours to formulate a teaching plan. Once she had fully composed herself, she sat down at her desk and flipped the first book open.

Quickly, she started to read.

ooOoo

Rumil climbed the stairs up to his room slowly, having mixed feelings about the news his brother had given all of the wardens that morning. Right from the beginning of the announcement, Rumil had known something was amiss. It was highly uncommon for so many of the wardens to congregate in one area for a meeting. A thick tension had filled the air, as all involved knew this was unnatural.

Then, they found out they were going to war.

Every warden in the crowd had reacted differently. Some had looked fearful, while others flew into a fit of whispers. Some had looks of shock and disbelief written all over their faces while others simply denied it, though it was obvious they would not be able to keep that opinion for long. Rumil, however, had made a hasty exit. He found that in trying times, he simply needed to think by himself in order to make sense of things. It was his way of coping with what life dealt him.

When he finally got to the door leading to his room, he had every intention of swiftly entering and laying down on his sunny balcony to think things through, but instead found his attention drawn to a folded letter that was stuck between his doorframe and the wall. When Rumil looked around, he noticed that all of the warden's doors had similar items protruding from them as well. Quickly, Rumil snatched his up and entered his talan, happy to have finally made his escape from society.

Ungracefully, he tore open the seal and unfolded the letter as he flopped down on his bed, skimming it quickly. "Oh, how wonderful." He muttered, rolling his eyes and laying down on his bed with his arms splayed out dramatically.

Because of the up and coming war, all of the wardens in Lothlorien were being assigned classes to improve their skills before the battle. Now he had to go to an Advanced Swordplay class this afternoon. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Yes, under normal circumstances, Rumil would have loved to take a class to improve his skills, as they were occasionally offered, but this one would only serve to remind him of the war that he so desperately did not want to partake in!

"Bah!" He spat, carelessly throwing down the letter and moving to the balcony. Rumil laid down on the marble floor and stared up into the shiny, golden leaves that were illuminated by the sun. A feeling of foreboding passed through his body and he shivered, despite the heat of the sun.

"What is going to become of us?" He whispered.

ooOoo

Silently, Belegwen exited her room with her sword in hand. Her face was calm and collected, though she was anything but that on the inside. It was time. With a plan in her head and Nimrodel sheathed in her hand, she was as ready as she ever would be to teach her first class.

In her heart though, she was scared. More scared than she would be if she was entering a battle. She had never taught anything to anyone before, unless one counted the single sword lesson she had given to Heledhril a few days back. That had been one on one though, a situation Belegwen was much more comfortable with. This time, she would be teaching a sizeable group—she did not even know how many wardens were going to be there!

All of her dark thoughts were interrupted by a smiling warden who happened to be exiting his talan at the same time as was exiting hers. "Marchwarden Belegwen." Rumil said, regarding her with the slightest tilt of his head.

Belegwen smiled at his friendliness. Because she had cared for him on the fateful night that his brother had passed away after a border skirmish, Rumil and Belegwen had acquired an odd little friendship of sorts. Though they had not ever had a real conversation, there was a silent understanding between the two—a mutual care of some sort. Neither had taken steps to make it anything more though until now.

She gave him a genuine smile back. "Perhaps if I talk to him, I will not be so nervous." She thought as she slowly approached him. "Rumil." She said, regarding him as she approached him in the stairwell. "Where are you headed on this fine day?" She asked cautiously. She was not entirely certain of how he would react to her after all of the silence between them.

However, Belegwen quickly saw that she had no reason to feel self-conscious around Rumil, as he seemed quite pleased to be offered her company. He gave a small, light-hearted chuckle that had the slightest hint of sarcasm to it. "Indeed, despite learning of our involvement in the war, it is a fine day!" He said, making a bit of a joke out of it.

Belegwen smiled sadly at this. "My apologies Rumil. I learned of it last night and was not at the gathering this morning. I did not even think when I said that-"

"No, no…" He said, interrupting her apology, "There is no need to apologize. I know that you did not mean it that way. So, I take it by your apparel that you are heading out to the practice field? Are you required to go to the Advanced Swordplay class as well?"

"Indeed, I am." She replied, uncertain if she should reveal her role in the class or not.

"Oh good, I shall have at least one warden to chat with then as we all deal with one of Haldir's minions." He blathered on.

"Haldir's minions?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow much like Haldir, though it was unbeknownst to her.

"Oh yes," Rumil chuckled, "It is a term Orophin and I coined for any poor soul who has ever had to work in close-contact with my brother and put up with his-" Rumil then stopped suddenly, his eyes widening as he stared at her in shock over what he had said.

Apparently, he had gotten so caught up in the conversation that he had forgotten her position under Haldir. He blushed a bit and, looking rather embarrassed, immediately rebuked himself. "I fear that I have now said something much more foolish than you, Marchwarden. Do accept my apology. I fear there are times in which I have no tact whatsoever."

Quite amused by all of this, Belegwen put a comforting hand on Rumil's shoulder. "As you said before Rumil, there is no need. Indeed, I fear you are right: I am one of Haldir's minions and now, I do believe we are even, having each said something quite ridiculous to one another."

Seeing that she truly was not mad, Rumil bounced right back into being his happy go lucky self. "We are even, indeed. Speaking of Haldir and his minions, how is he treating you? I know he is difficult to work with at times and rather harsh when it comes to orders."

Belegwen nearly laughed at this. Harsh? More like brutal. "Well," she said, trying to find a way to phrase this properly without offending Rumil, "He is very domineering. It was quite trying at the beginning, but things have smoothed over a bit with the passage of time and I have become accustomed to his behavior. It is not that bad."

Rumil gave her a questioning glance as they trod together into the fenced off area of the practice field. "Not that bad? Not that bad?!" He said in a mocking tone, feigning alarm on his face. "Haldir has merely chopped my arm off during a strenuous sword practice, but do not worry! It is not that bad!" He said using a high-pitched ellyth voice, maintaining his fearful face as he performed a short melodrama in front of her.

Belegwen broke out in a fit of laughter over this. What a joyful and comical elf he was—not at all like Haldir, who was always so stern and serious! Rumil had an odd sense of humor, but Belegwen found that she was quite delighted with it. "Oh Rumil, you are too silly!" She declared, playfully swatting his arm.

"Oh, most certainly, dearest marchwarden! I am afraid that Orophin and Haldir took all of the good family genes like intelligence and tact and have left me with all of the foolhardiness and humor!" He said, laughing again with his loud and clear tenor voice.

"Oh Rumil," She said, shaking her head a bit, her voice now taking a more serious tone, "I know that is not true. Now, you must go and warm up before the lesson." She said, pointing to where several other wardens were stretching and engaging in a few practice bouts. "I will see you there momentarily."

"Yes Marchwarden," He said, saluting her with his fist against his chest to show respect, then proceeded to run off towards the gathered group of wardens, not noticing that she was smiling at him as he departed.

ooOoo

Under the golden mellyrn, near the edge of the practice field, Haldir had seen the whole scene with his brother play out before him and was now standing as still as a statue, in utter shock as anger boiled within him. Haldir was infuriated and appalled at what he had just saw: Belegwen, walking with his brother, chattering and laughing in the open as if it was quite normal. She seemed so at ease with him; it was unfair! It was unfair that it was Rumil and not him!

A small wave of sadness filled him and he turned away. Rumil had been flirting with her—he knew how his brother was, always charming any elleth who was willing to give him the time of day. He had a flare for it too, one that Haldir most certainly did not.

What if he tried to charm Belegwen and take her for his own? What if she decided Rumil was a much better pick than himself?

"No, no, no." Haldir thought, chastising himself for thinking of such folly. Rumil would not break the warden's rules. Though Rumil enjoyed joking around, Haldir knew his brother had always been a stickler for following rules and had carefully abided by all of the laws of Lothlorien without question. He would not break the rules for one simple elleth, would he?

Originally, Haldir had never planned on breaking the rules either, but he had. What would stop Rumil from doing so if he, a longtime marchwarden of these lands, was defiant enough to disregard the rules?

He shook his head at this in frustration. The rule had been put into place to protect Belegwen when she became a warden long ago. Lord Celeborn had insisted on its importance, as he desired to protect Belegwen from danger at all costs. After nearly three millennia of service though, was it really necessary?

Haldir cared deeply about Belegwen and the rule was getting in his way. He could not even smile at her in public for fear that somebody might assume something. As he had seen last night, she was starting to doubt his …well, whatever it was that he had for her… and now Rumil was closing in.

"I am behaving like a jealous fool." Haldir said under his breath, rather irritated at himself for letting an elleth affect him like this. He quickly headed out to the archery range in an attempt to straighten out his thoughts before he started teaching his Intermediate Knife Skills class.

Had he looked behind him though, perhaps he would have seen the abominable scene that was starting to unfold in Belegwen's class.

ooOoo

Belegwen did a double take, shocked at what one warden had dared to say to her in front of the class. "Excuse me?"

The ellon stood his ground on the green field though, looking angrily at her, not willing to stand down from his claim. "You heard me, Marchwarden," Erthalion said, leaning forward while saying her title with a sarcastic tone to his voice, "I asked why you are teaching this class. Silly elleth, you have never even taken this class before because you were in my Intermediate Swordsmanship class all those years ago and the advanced one has not been offered since-"

Heledhril grabbed the seething green-eyed elf by the shoulder and quickly turned him around to face him. "Erthalion, that is enough! You dishonor Marchwarden Belegwen with these words of yours!"

Erthalion pushed him away forcefully though and turned back to Belegwen. She could see that his anger was overtaking his good judgement at the moment, but she was uncertain of how to resolve the issue at hand.

"I dishonor her? It is she who dishonors us with her mediocre skills! I would like a demonstration of these 'so called' swordsmanship skills, for I am certain that I could best her with incredible ease!"

Belegwen's eyebrows both shot up at his statment as she put on her best 'Haldir look'—a face of pure haughtiness that only a marchwarden could pull off. She was determined to put Erthalion in his rightful place this time without demonstrating her fear. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought that Erthalion would be crazy enough to show his contempt towards her in a public place, in front of the other wardens who respected her. Here he was though, insulting her with fifteen other wardens in shock that he would act thusly towards her.

She could not let him get away with this—not in front of this group of wardens. She would no longer be looked up to if she did not take care of this problem efficiently. No, Belegwen had not come this far to lose it all. She knew what she had to do.

"You dare to challenge me, warden?" She said, trying her best to sound as stuffy as she could so that her fear would not be detected. "Very well then, we shall duel. I warn you though, you will not win." She said darkly, narrowing her eyes at the perpetrator.

"Ha! We shall see…" He spat, stepping forward out of the ranks of his peers. "Name the rules of this duel, Marchwarden Belegwen."

"We shall abide by the regular dueling rules. The only weapons that may be used in this battle are our bodies and our swords, no concealed knives or other weapons are allowed. Also, there is to be no public interference until the duel is completely over and one of us has asked for mercy. Is this understood?" She said, now walking beside him so that they had a considerable amount of room between the other wardens in the class and themselves.

"Understood." He said, giving Belegwen a little bow, as was the tradition at such an event. She gave a small bow in return to support the tradition as well, though she had no respect for the ellon who had challenged her. Belegwen did not know why this warden hated her so, but she was going to pay him back for bruising her wrists a few weeks ago. He should have never gotten away with that. It had only led him to believe that he could take further advantage of her!

Now, in the grassy clearing of the practice field, Belegwen unsheathed Nimrodel, the blade glittering dangerously as the sunlight hit the precious metal. She watched as Erthalion took out his own sword and gaged it to be a much heavier one than her own. No matter though, Belegwen knew she would win. She was undefeated and did not plan on letting this moron break her streak.

At the same moment, both of them quickly fell into a fighting stance, swords lifted and at the ready and heels slightly elevated for quick maneuvering. The dueling pair quickly made eye contact, his fiery green orbs delving into her confident blue ones as the match began.

Already, Belegwen could see his weakness. While she was loose and nimble, ready for his attack, he was quite tight and tense with the anger he harbored towards her. His bitterness would end up be his greatest flaw in this fight. In fact, Belegwen was certain that it would be his downfall. She wondered if he could even think coherently with all of the rage that was smoldering within him. Soon, she would find out.

"Your move." She stated softly, her body perfectly poised to receive an attack from him at any moment.

Belegwen did not have to wait long, for immediately after she had uttered those words, he drew up his sword and charged at her. He swung at her and she matched him, their swords gloriously clashing in midair. He held her there and she suddenly realized what his plan was: he was going to try and out her with brute strength.

As her small arms shook under the grievous pressure, she mentally chuckled. He could not win this way in a sword fight. In hand to hand combat, yes, most certainly he could, but not in a sword fight. He would tire quickly if he continued what he was doing.

However, he seemed to be getting the better of her now with his first blow. He continued to push her and she felt her knees tremble under the pressure. Suddenly, the pressure pushed her onto her knees and she knew it was time to get away. Biting her lip with exertion, she pulled Nimrodel off of his sword as fast as she could and rolled through the grass off to his left side, quickly jumping to her feet to parry his next blow. His swing was slow too, she noticed. Many of the wardens enjoyed showing off their strength by using heavier swords, but they simply did not suit everyone. Though Haldir could wield his with an easy grace, Belegwen had seen few others who could do the same.

Erthalion was not one of them.

There was a good chance that part of his problem was his pent up rage. He was not wielding the large sword well at all. He was slow and unbalanced. Being very agile and limber, Belegwen found that she could easily duck or jump out of the way to avoid his blows. This, naturally, seemed to anger him even more.

"Quit avoiding me! Come and fight me like a real warden!" He bellowed petulantly.

With an eyebrow cocked in amusement, Belegwen answered his request and came at him with a flawless offensive. He met several of her blows, but before long she had landed a decent scrape across his chest and had given his sword elbow a nasty smack with the flat edge of Nimrodel, which caused him to draw back in pain, grasping his elbow as he backed away.

"Give in now," she said quite seriously, "I do not wish to hurt you."

"Never!" He hissed, flexing his elbow a few times to test its strength, then came at her all over again, now swing his sword and his fist angrily. Not expecting his fist, which happened to be much faster than his sword, Belegwen fell to the ground after his hand connected with her cheekbone painfully. However, quick as lightning she rolled slightly backwards, then flipped herself back into a standing position, leaving Nimrodel on the ground just as Erthalion jerked his sword towards her again. Flattening her hands, she reached up and clapped them together, catching the sword in midair.

He was gripping the sword much too tightly. How very lucky. Performing a feat of strength all her own, Belegwen simultaneously pulled her left hand up as she jerked her right hand down and sent the hooligan and his sword twirling through the air to the right, both taking a hard landing on the grassy field.

The sword had been separated from its owner. Now was the time to end the duel. Belegwen quickly strode up to Erthalion and pressed her blade against his neck. "Do you surrender warden?"

He looked irate and refused to answer. She sighed and rolled her eyes, outraged by his behavior. "This is over." She stated, then turned from him to return to her class.

Not a moment after she turned from him though, a strong hand reached around her and grasped her neck much more tightly than anyone had ever done to her before. She felt her entire body being lifted off the ground by Erthalion's powerful hand and quickly brought her empty hand up to try and remove it, finding that her sword hand was being restrained by Erthalion's free hand.

She could not get it his hand off her neck! His grip was tight and despite all of her struggling, she could not seem to get away. Over her choking, she could hear a few of the wardens in her class yelling, but she could not make sense of it in the moment. Vaguely, she heard Erthalion shout something about breaking her neck, but she could not make heads or tails of what the others were saying.

Air! She needed air! It was all she could think of as she continued to try to kick and battle her way out of his terribly painful grasp. Then, success! She felt Erthalion's grip on her sword arm loosen and she swung it blindly at his head at her first chance. She felt the tip dig into something, but then cursed herself as she felt his grip tighten. The sword was then quickly pried from her hand.

Now, she brought her other hand up to her neck in desperation and tried to pull herself out of his grasp, but the likelihood of her success was growing smaller and smaller. She could no longer hear any sounds and her vision was starting to blur and her lungs burnt in a way that she had never imagined possible from the lack of air. There was also a certain cold numbness that was sifting through her body so slowly and invitingly… Oh, how good it would be to give into it and ride on the sea, the currents crashing around her...

"NO!" She screamed at herself mentally, half of her still fighting, still determined not to let it end this way. Nevertheless, coherent thought at this point was no longer possible. Belegwen was reeling in pain and dizziness and slowly her struggling was starting to cease.

"DO NOT GIVE IN! TRIP HIM WITH YOUR LEGS!" A loud male voice called to her within the confines of her mind. No longer able to question this thought, she simply went about making it happen as a last attempt to free herself. With what little strength she had left, she brought her legs back behind Erthalion's body and pushed them forward with as much power as her weakened state would allow.

It was enough. She felt him teeter and then fall, taking her with him to the ground. Oh, precious air! There it was! He had temporarily let go, but she quickly found that this was short-lived, as she could feel him reaching, trying to pull her back to him to finish the job.

As she looked away from him, she could see the blurry outline of a sword lying pretty close her. Belegwen extended her arm as far as she could, grasping a bit at the hilt, but was unable to grab the whole sword. He yanked her back again, but not before she had one last reach which resulted in her grasping the hilt!

Violently, she felt his hand resume its place on her neck with a new vigor, but she would take no more of this. Though she could tell by the horrible weight that she did not hold Nimrodel, it no longer mattered. Belegwen had gotten a few breaths of air along with a sword and that was all she needed to finish Erthalion off! With an abrupt turn of her body, she swung the flat side of the sword with all of the strength she had at Erthalion's head and hit him with a dead-on accuracy that could be matched by few.

Instantly, he let go and fell over, out cold from her strike. After landing on top of him, Belegwen hastily tried to get to her feet in an attempt to preserve what little dignity she had left in front of her class. However, this was not the right thing to do because her feet had not regained feeling yet. Strong arms caught her limp body though and pulled her to her feet and into another elf's arms. She clutched at this elf's tunic for dear life, afraid of falling back to the ground as a dizzy spell overtook her.

Air! There was finally air! She breathed in the sweet nectar as best as she could, as much as she could!

Thank the Valar! It was finally over!

ooOoo

Edited by P.G. on 05/25/20.

I almost left that as a cliffie, but decided it might be a tad bit too cruel. Anyways, what did you think? Good, bad, ugly? Feel free to tell me anything! Alright, and now dear friends, I will do some shameless advertising!

1. I have a newly finished Haldir fic out called My Brother's Keeper! Do check it out if you have not already. It's a two-part Haldir fic about the importance of family. Though it isn't a romance, I'm sure most Haldir fans would enjoy it!

2. A few weeks ago, I started a C2 group called Haldirmance! Do go and check it out! A few of my reviewers have asked for my Haldir het-romance fic recommendations and they are all contained right there, with more to come as I read more fics! Enjoy!

Have a lovely day all!

-P.G.