Welcome back to TBFF! A special thanks goes out to Arwan, hrtiu, GuildedButterfly and mystarlight for their reviews on the last chapter. In honor of the review counter reaching 600, I am posting an extra chapter this week for your enjoyment! A thank you goes out to all of my readers for your time, compliments, and encouragement! I'm glad that so many people are enjoying the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Lord of the Rings or Tolkien Enterprises.
ooOoo
To Be Forever Faithful
By: Ponytail Goddess
Chapter 42: The Wall
Valtaur cleared his throat before he began to speak. "I have called the council together tonight because I have had a change of heart concerning the outcome of Marchwarden Belegwen's ruling from a few weeks ago. When last we met, I had agreed that we should appoint a different second in command to serve in the battle we will fight at Helm's Deep. However, now that I have heard the opinions of many, many wardens concerning the matter, my mind has been changed."
Haldir breathed a sigh of relief internally as he watched the council members begin to whisper amongst themselves. He had spent every night for the last week speaking with several prominent and well-liked Galadhrim wardens, convincing many to go and speak with Valtaur and Esgalamon about how Belegwen should be allowed to fight at the battle of Helm's Deep. He had hoped to sway the opinion of at least one of them so the vote would lean more heavily in Belegwen's favor, allowing her to receive the status of marchwarden once again.
It had been daunting, arguing with several elves about her leadership qualities and how deserving she was of the position. He had danced around many unpleasant questions as well, all related to the rumors about their relationship. Rather than address the rumors, he had stuck to the facts about her service and her track record as both a warden and a marchwarden, trying to keep his private relationship with her out of their conversations.
He had hoped to win Belegwen back her position, but also to unite the soldiers once again. Bragolith had been right about them taking sides; Haldir had listened in on several conversations the evening Bragolith had brought the problem to his attention and had discovered the soldiers were less united than they should have been. By getting Belegwen reinstated, Haldir hoped to show the soldiers they were indeed a team and that he wanted her by his side as an equal.
So far, his plan seemed to be working. Valtaur stared at him now, knowing full and well that Haldir had sent nearly 40 soldiers to speak with him about Belegwen over the last week and would have continued to do so if he had not called the council into session tonight. As he had suspected, Valtaur was annoyed by the distraction these conversations caused him and sought to end them after a few days by changing his mind before the council. It had been an easy and effective ploy on Haldir's part.
"It is the opinion of our Galadhrim soldiers that Belegwen should be the second in command during the battle at Helm's Deep. All who have come forward speak highly of her skills and respect her judgment as a marchwarden. She is also the only one trained enough to do this job if Haldir happens to fall. Though I do not think he will, I suppose it is better to be more prepared than less. Tonight I vote to reinstate Marchwarden Belegwen for the battle, then allow the lord and lady to make a final judgment on her misdeed when we return to Caras Galadhon." Valtaur declared, looking at all of the present council members for confirmation.
"I second Valtaur's recommendation." Bragoth said, immediately stepping beside him to show solidarity.
Eregdol shook his head and stepped to the opposite side of the semi-circle the elves in the council had formed. "I vote that we do not make an exception. The warden's code was broken by Belegwen and she should face the consequences of her actions, just as any other warden would be forced to do. If her trial is meant to be in Caras Galadhon, she must wait to do her job until she is proven innocent, as our laws dictate. There are others who can be second during the battle; many amongst us are just as skilled as she."
Everyone then watched Esgalamon, who moved next to Eregdol once again to cast his vote. "Though many have come forward to speak with me about Belegwen's merit, I still believe it is best for us to wait for a verdict from the lord and lady. I have watched Haldir and Belegwen when they are together and, as I suspected before, she has proven to be a distraction to him." Esgalamon said, meeting Haldir's eyes as he frowned at him.
"We need our marchwarden to be at his best when we have this battle, which is why I vote for Belegwen to sit out of the battle, as we previously decided." Esgalamon finished. Haldir stared at him for a long while, openly upset by his words.
Did Esgalamon really think he was distracted so easily or did he want Belegwen out of her powerful position, just as Eregdol did? As marchwarden, Haldir had trained over and over again to face danger without letting distractions bother him during emergencies. If nothing else, Esgalamon did not understand how rigorously he had prepared for a moment like this, nor did he understand what Haldir was capable of during the heat of battle.
All of the council members' eyes fell on Linedhel next. He was the last elf able to vote at the council meeting tonight, as Haldir had been part of the situation with Belegwen and thusly was not allowed to cast his own vote on the matter. It was obvious Linedhel would have preferred not to be the last vote on this controversial topic, as he looked very uncomfortable to have everyone's eyes on him, waiting for his verdict expectantly. He sighed and looked at the ground for a moment before raising his saddened face up to answer.
"I am sorry Haldir, but I too have changed my mind on this matter." He said slowly, making Haldir's heart drop to the floor in defeat.
Haldir had not expected Linedhel of all elves to go against what was best for Belegwen. He had been watching the two of them together over the last few weeks and had considered Linedhel to be an ally to Belegwen, if not a mentor of sorts. He had been respectful towards her and helpful, beginning to teach her the ways of healing, which could help her in the future when she returned to the fences in Lorien. Moreover, Haldir had felt joy flowing freely from Belegwen when Linedhel had told her stories about her adar.
Why would he not agree to help Belegwen get her position back? It made no sense.
Haldir glared at Linedhel as he strolled slowly over to Esgalamon and Eregdol's side of the semi-circle, casting his vote. "May I ask why you are voting this way?" Haldir asked tensely, upset that he had overlooked something important before enacting his plan.
That was when he saw it. For a brief moment, Linedhel glanced at Belegwen with a panicked look in his eyes before staring at the ground again. Whatever it was, Belegwen knew.
"Ignore that question. May I motion that we pause these proceedings for a few minutes before continuing?" Haldir asked as he eyed Belegwen calmly. Through their bond, he felt something within her falter under his gaze.
She definitely knew something about Linedhel and Haldir was determined to figure out what it was. After Eregdol approved the pause, he walked over to Belegwen, grabbed her by the arm and then ushered her far enough away that the council members would not be able to hear their conversation.
"Tell me why he votes that way." Haldir insisted, looking darkly into her eyes as he continued to hold her arm in his iron grip. "This should be an easy win to get you reinstated, yet it is not for some reason. What do you know that I do not?"
As he gazed into Belegwen's wary blue eyes, he saw a myriad of emotions pass over her face quickly before she answered. "I think he just wants to wait for the lord and lady's verdict, Haldir. He knows they will be more fair towards me than the council."
Haldir paused, looking deeply into Belegwen's anxiety-laden eyes. He felt mildly surprised and repulsed when he realized why she seemed so uneasy with him in this moment.
"You are lying to me. What is the truth?" He asked sternly, glaring down at her and pulling her closer to him, his grip on her tight and unwavering. "Do not lie again. I can feel it through our bond. Tell me now, why is Linedhel changing his vote? What are you hiding from me Belegwen?"
Annoyed by his manhandling, Belegwen glared right back at him and then yanked her arm out of his grasp, immediately folding it over her other arm, which was across her chest. She did not answer out loud, but instead made her distaste for his questioning well-known through their bond. Haldir gasped as he was overwhelmed by the immense amount of displeasure she felt towards him.
"I seek to help you Belegwen! Why will you not allow it? Are we not past the point of secrets now? Will you not trust me?" He questioned, frustrated to his very core with her lack of faith in him.
"You do not understand Haldir-" She started to reply before being interrupted.
"So help me to understand! Tell me the truth so I can help you win your position back! I am on your side Belegwen; can you not see it? You can tell me anything and I will not think less of you, but you must tell me! I cannot help you without the information I need!"
"I seek to help you Haldir. I am helping you by doing this-"
"No, you are not!" He argued loudly, feeling so irritated with her that he could have pulled his own hair out. "Elleth, you are impossible!" He exclaimed.
Knowing that he had lost control of himself, Haldir took a few breaths before he continued again. "Can you not see that your position is all but assured to be given back? I have done this for you because I want you to fight by my side! Is that not what you want as well?" He asked emotionally.
Exasperated, Haldir was almost ready to beg her to come back as his second at this point. While he had not realized it at first, the situation with the council had taken its toll on him as well and he needed to have the situation dealt with quickly and efficiently.
He needed her back as a marchwarden.
"Will you not convince Linedhel to change his mind so we can fight together as we did with the wargs?" He asked more quietly, regaining more control over himself with every passing second. Slowly, he reached his hand out and held it open for her to accept. "I want you by my side Belegwen. You have earned your position and it is where you belong."
He did not miss the look of desperation on her face as he laid his emotions and desires out before her. She wanted what he wanted too; he could feel it radiating off her from the confines of her mind. "I do want to fight by your side, but it is not meant to be Haldir. Not this time." She whispered, grabbing his hand and squeezing it briefly before letting go.
Instantly, he felt their bond's power pulse through his hand like a lightning bolt and he knew that she finally spoke the truth. Relieved that he had finally made some headway with her, Haldir stepped closer to her and watched her intently. "Why not?"
Belegwen squeezed her eyes closed to avoid his stare and whispered, "I cannot say. Please Haldir, do not force my hand. Let me keep my secret for your own protection." She begged him, which filled his heart with unease.
"I do not need protection Belegwen." He murmured. "I need you though, as my second and as so much more." He said, taking hold of her hand one more time and stroking it a few times with his other hand before releasing it again.
"Will you not tell me your secret?" He asked one last time, this time probing her mind with his own momentarily before he felt her block him out completely, placing a barrier between their interlocked minds. He watched as her saddened figure disappeared behind a tall stone wall within his mind's eye.
Though they had only been connected in this way for a couple of months, the separation hurt. In fact, it was nearly unbearable.
"No." She answered, clearly pained by her own stubborn decision. Haldir shook his head, expressing his displeasure as his fingers curled into a fist, which he leaned his forehead against. He did not feel sorry for her though, as she would have to learn to live with the choice she made tonight.
"Very well then. I will no longer try to have you reinstated, since that is not what you want. You have chosen the worst possible time to shirk your duty though. Now that we need you most, you choose to sit out?" He asked, pausing before painfully finishing his thought. "Where is the honor in that?"
Without giving her a chance to reply, Haldir turned and walked back to dismiss the council members. He did not look back to see the expression on her face as he left her behind.
ooOoo
"You need to tell him."
Belegwen flinched, nearly dropping Nimrodel in the process, but catching it quickly before the sword got away from her. She held her beloved sword gently between her two hands and bowed her head in shame, still hurting from the wall she had erected in her mind that separated her from Haldir.
She had not seen him or spoken to him since the council meeting. It had been nearly a week now, a week filled with a horrible emptiness. How quickly she had grown accustomed to his presence in her mind, to feeling many of the things he felt and seeing his dreams as they flowed through his mind during reverie.
Now that she had shut him out though, she had nothing of him but his son. Belegwen carried the elfling with diligence, following all of Linedhel's expectations for her pregnancy, but had stubbornly refused to tell Haldir. No, she thought there was too much at stake now for Haldir to be distracted by this too. Belegwen desperately needed Haldir to stay safe and had initially felt that her silence would help him.
However, she was no longer feeling as confidently about it as she had a week prior. Surely her avoidance of Haldir was also a distraction. Belegwen hated that Esgalamon's observation seemed to be correct; Belegwen was distracting to Haldir, no matter what she did.
Inwardly, she cursed herself because of it.
"I know," she whispered back to Linedhel, whom she sensed was standing a few paces behind her. "I thought I was helping him focus on his duty by keeping this from him, but I fear I have just made everything much worse."
"Go to him and make it right then," Linedhel urged her quietly. She felt his hand come to rest on her shoulder as she continued to argue with herself from the confines of her own mind. "Apologize and tell him the truth. It is not too late to make things right."
"I fear it is. He knows I lied to him and that I block access to our bond right now." She said quietly, stepping well away from Linedhel before slowly beginning to practice with her sword again, going through her motions more slowly than she had in centuries to ensure the elfling's safety. She focused on technique instead of speed for now, moving the sword with smooth motions and expert control.
Its familiarity brought her peace as nothing else could right now. Not even Linedhel.
"He thinks I am forsaking my duty." She whispered as the pain of that particular memory returned to her. Belegwen had tried to hard not to dwell on Haldir's last words to her, but they had burned her severely. Though she had expected things like that to be said by other wardens, Haldir had never said something so disrespectful about her before. It cut deeply that he did now.
Haldir's opinion mattered to her and now she had sullied it with her own stubbornness and secret keeping. What had she done? Had she ruined everything between them in her attempt to protect him?
What a fool she was indeed.
"He is wrong though," insisted Linedhel's voice once again, urging her once more to speak with Haldir. "When you tell him, he will understand. He will want you to sit the battle out once he knows. He would never expect you to fight this way; no one does."
Perhaps Linedhel was right. Perhaps telling Haldir would be the lesser distraction.
"Here, eat these while you are stopped." Linedhel said, holding out a small bowl of blackberries to her.
Sighing, Belegwen pushed Nimrodel into the soil and then sat down on the hilt, taking the bowl from Linedhel's hand reluctantly. Since Linedhel had found out she was too small for where she was in her pregnancy last week, he had been plying her with extra servings of food and had started measuring her middle every few days to track their progress.
Belegwen was not hungry, but still ate the berries with the hopes that it would do the elfling some good. She would have to trust Linedhel's judgment on this, as she had no idea what she needed to have a healthy pregnancy.
"I think you will have me bursting out of these robes within a few weeks," Belegwen joked as she handed the empty bowl back to Linedhel with a chuckle.
"That is the idea," he replied, touching her arm for a moment and looking at her with a small smile. "Do not forget to go and find Haldir tonight. You will feel better once you have told him." He reminded her, then turned and started to walk back towards the medical cart.
Picking up her sword once again, Belegwen went back to working on her technique as she had often done with her advanced sword class. They would practice motions slowly, until muscle memory was achieved and it became second nature. Once they were confident, Belegwen would have the wardens speed up their motions and then try them out in sparring matches with partners.
Since no one was around, Belegwen closed her eyes and pictured her adar, Belegond, standing in front of her, poised in a ready position with his sword. Belegwen had never gotten to spar or practice the sword with her adar; he had passed away before she was of an age to safely handle weapons. She liked to imagine what it would be like to battle him using his own techniques though.
She found herself thinking about him more and more as the days passed by, surely influenced by the influx of stories she heard about him from Linedhel. Belegond was now often on her mind and in her heart, bringing both joy and sorrow to her in a confusing mixture of emotions that were tied up within her, just begging to escape from her iron control over them.
Belegwen could not stop thinking about the very first story Linedhel had told her while she had hidden under his cart. Belegond had thought she would be like him and had named her after himself because of it. Belegwen could not help but wonder if she was living up to his name or not. Had she become like her adar?
Would he be proud to find out who she had become today?
Nearly overflowing with emotion, Belegwen left her eyes closed and started to slowly mimic the movements her adar modeled for her within her mind. Balance, grace, intellect, and a penchant for the unexpected had been most prominent parts of his sword training journal. Belegwen was great at harnessing all four of these qualities into her motions, slashing her sword on both high and low planes in front of her. She practiced using a natural smoothness of motion and planned ahead for her next move before it was necessary. She mimicked his movements as she pictured Belegond modeling them for her until her sword hit something hard with a loud crack.
Immediately, her eyes were wide open and she found herself staring at Heledhril, who was grinning at her as he held his own sword against Nimrodel in the air above their heads. Belegwen slowly slid Nimrodel off his sword, then pushed it into the dirt and leaned forward on it as Heledhril held his own sword in his two hands while staring at her.
"Marchwarden," he greeted her amiably, "May I join your training session?"
Belegwen chucked darkly to herself before answering. "There is no marchwarden here Heledhril. You should not be here since I have been disgraced. I do not want you to be guilty by association."
Heledhril shook his head and rolled his eyes at this, his straw-colored hair falling away from his shoulders as he moved. "You will always be a marchwarden to me, Belegwen. You are also not disgraced, but merely waylaid from your duty. Surely you would not deny me the opportunity to work with Caras Galadhon's premier swordsmanship teacher though. I do not think either of us can get in trouble from this anyway. You are not demanding it from me or ordering me around; I have requested it."
Weighing out the options, Belegwen decided that she did not have much to lose in continuing to teach Heledhril. After all, he had come to her, not vice versa. Plus, it would be nice to feel useful again, even if this was just for a short while.
"Very well then, I will teach you tonight. However, we will only work on technique. I will not be sparring because it draws too much unwanted attention to me at the moment." She said, firmly drawing a line for him about what she would and would not be willing to do tonight.
Belegwen then set about guiding Heledhril's dominant arm through a series of exercises, carefully describing the angles and motions she desired for him to mimic before she watched him practice them repeatedly, offering what advice she could to help him achieve the smoothest and most natural feeling motions. After working with Heledhril for an hour, she sent him away, left Nimrodel in the healing cart, and then quietly began to walk around the darkened camp alone, searching for Haldir.
ooOoo
Haldir sighed and rubbed his tired face with frustration. It had taken him three days to find a replacement for Belegwen as his second. Three days! He had asked nearly 15 different wardens before one had agreed. He was not at all thrilled with the situation, as Gilhoth, the first ellon to tell him yes, was not nearly as skilled or prepared as several of the other wardens he had asked beforehand.
All of them had turned him down though and he had to appoint someone.
His first choice had been Heledhril, though he had suspected the noble young ellon would say no. Indeed, Haldir was well aware that Belegwen had been privately tutoring him on swordsmanship and thusly, Heledhril found himself unable to take her place. Haldir frowned as he remembered the answer he had gotten to his query:
"Marchwarden, I am honored that you would consider me for such a high position, but I cannot take Marchwarden Belegwen's place. She is still most deserving of her position and it is being taken away from her unfairly. It would not be honorable to receive her title in this manner. I am sorry, but I must pass."
Haldir had gotten similar reactions from several other long-serving wardens. This was a consequence of his own making, as Belegwen had taught the advanced swordplay class, which contained several of the most highly qualified wardens. All who had Belegwen as their teacher held her in high esteem and were too honorable to take her position away from her.
To Haldir, this was both an exciting and annoying predicament to be in. All of his work with Belegwen to gain the allegiances of the wardens had worked, though it was now to his detriment as no one was willing to take up her mantle.
Even several elves he knew were not closely associated with Belegwen had refused the spot because they knew what Haldir was asking of them; he knew it was terribly unfair. Haldir hated that he had to find someone with no experience to potentially take over for him in the event of his untimely death at Helm's Deep.
If Haldir did die, the ellon who took up the position would be expected to perform as he had, but with no experience to back him up…
It was a suicide mission, if ever there was one.
Yet, one brave soul had finally stepped up to the challenge. Gilhoth was an older elf, one who had served as a warden for nearly 3,000 years at this point. While he was not particularly talented with weaponry or fighting, he could often see things other elves could not, was always reliable, and was respected by the other wardens. Most importantly, he was brave, almost to a fault, which made him a good candidate for the opening.
Haldir prayed to Eru Iluvatar that it would not come to that though. If the well being of the Lothlorien and Imladris elves fell into Gilhoth's hands, Haldir knew that outcome would not be good. Gilhoth would certainly rise to the occasion and try his best, of this Haldir had not doubt. He would not be prepared for the task in time though. Ever the realist, Haldir knew that no matter what he taught Gilhoth in the next week, he would not have enough experience to do the job well.
Only Belegwen had what it took at this point to successfully take his place during the battle, and Haldir would only consider her prepared minimally, having been trained for less than a year. She was only barely ready for such a thing.
Yet, for some reason, it would not be her.
Haldir cursed under his breath while he vigilantly scanned the tall grass for danger under the cover of the starlit heavens that seemed to span on and on, as far as the eye could see. Haldir was upset because he could not get Belegwen, who was now apparently his wife, out of his mind.
Oh, how infuriating she was at times! Haldir could not believe she had the gall to lie to him like that after all they had been through together. Why could she not trust him with the truth? Now she also blocked their bond with a wall, refusing to allow him to feel her presence within himself. He had quickly grown accustomed to her presence within his mind and felt ill at ease without the ever-present reassurance of her health and safety.
Haldir drew in a sharp inhale as his head turned quickly to the left. Some of the tall grasses near him rustled in the breeze, unnerving him and some of the soldiers who were near him. Their eyes were intently trained on the fields. All of them knew these would be ideal conditions for the enemy to sneak up unannounced.
Haldir was appeased to see so many soldiers who were alert and watching attentively tonight. They needed to stay safe, as they were only a week away from arriving at their destination. He would hate to come all this way, only to fall before reaching Helm's Deep.
Suddenly, he felt a slight inkling of something happening inside of his mind. As he took awareness within his mind's eye, Haldir felt discomfort and realized that something was changing behind the wall Belegwen had put up to separate them. It was the first thing he had felt from her in a week and whatever it was, it did not seem good.
Despite the wall, he could sense something was wrong with Belegwen; he could feel it all the way down to his bones. There was a nervous energy about her, as if something had been overlooked and forgotten… Something of importance.
Even the thick stone wall between them could not keep these intense feelings of hers at bay and that worried him. Haldir quickly turned away from his post and sped into the camp to find her, starting to run as he felt the mysterious problem grow in urgency.
ooOoo
Belegwen had felt his eyes on her before she had caught sight of him.
She had felt uncomfortable the other day when she had caught him staring at her, but Heledhril and Rumil had dragged him away before anything could come of the situation. For the first time in a long time though, Belegwen had started to cross the camp full of sleeping wardens on her own and had forgotten the risk it posed. Her mind was so focused on trying to find Haldir in the circle of guards that she had not realized what was happening until it was too late.
Erthalion was behind her now, following her, albeit at a distance. Still, Belegwen felt frightened because he was supposed to stay away from her, yet he no longer seemed very concerned about that. He was growing bolder with every passing day, having gone from staring at her from time to time to now following her across the camp.
Glancing over her shoulder, Belgwen could see that he was starting to gain ground. She started to walk faster, making a quick beeline towards the healer's cart with the hopes that Linedhel would be inside. Upon pulling back the curtain, she found it deserted. Cursing her luck, she started to walk towards another cart only to gasp when she felt a strong hand grab onto her wrist.
"Belegwen, I wish to speak with you," Erthalion said, gripping her wrist tightly. When she looked into his eyes, she immediately felt herself transported back to the woods by the training field within the confines of her mind. The memory of his threats invaded her mind once again.
"Well, here she is, the newest marchwarden of Lothlorien. The wardens have said many good things about you recently, but I think you have them all deceived." He said connivingly, then leaned in close to her ear and whispered to her with a dangerously low voice, "You do not appear to be at all brave or strong to me."
She felt a burst of fear within herself as she remembered how he had pushed her wrists painfully against the bark of a mallorn tree, bruising them with his use of excessive force.
"They hail you some sort of a hero, but I know better. You are no hero at all, just an elleth who wishes to be someone she is not!"
His breath had been hot and unwelcome against her cheek. She had tried so hard to get away from him that day, but was not physically strong enough. She could not even do anything about it when she had felt his lips dragging uncomfortably against her ear as he whispered threats to her; he was entirely too close to her body without her consent.
"You are a nobody and there is nothing of worth that you can offer the wardens. Nothing."
His words had stung her nearly as badly as her wrists did at that point.
"Stop it. Let go." She heard herself whimper in the back of her mind. She had been so weak, so unable to control the situation...
Mentally, Belegwen cursed herself for being unable to take control her circumstances as she should have. Instead, she was incapacitated and pitiful.
Then he had angrily pushed her whole body against the tree, shooting pain through her wrists, back, and head as they violently connected with the bark.
"They will realize how worthless you are soon though, mark my words."
Belegwen suddenly realized that she was frozen with fear, trapped in her memory of the abuse that had haunted her mind for months. She had to take control somehow! She could not let this happen to her again!
"Let go of me!" She exclaimed, twisting herself painfully to pull her arm away from his forceful grasp. Once successfully free of his grasp, she backed away from him quickly and called out, "Stay away from me! Leave now!"
He did not listen though, stepping towards her once again with his arm extended to grab her. Belegwen turned around to run away, only to come into contact with an elf that came running towards her from behind the cart. She shouted as she slammed into his armor-covered body forcefully, immediately falling backwards to the ground with a grunt.
Slightly dazed from sustaining such a powerful blow, Belegwen looked up to see the elf offering his hand to help her up. Immediately, she noticed how beautiful his hair was in the moonlight, as if sunlight was trapped within each and every strand. In her dizziness, she could tell his eyes looked familiar, if not worried about what had just happened. Shaking her head for a moment, Belegwen's vision finally came back into focus and she shivered as she clearly saw who had come to her assistance. Scared about what would happen next, she could barely bring herself to whisper his name out loud.
"Haldir."
ooOoo
What did you think of this chapter? Please review and let me know your thoughts; I enjoy hearing from you.
I have officially mapped out over 50 chapters of this fanfic so far! As I get closer to the end, this becomes easier and easier to write. I can see the finish line, but will also be sad when I finally reach it. I will try to post another chapter soon. Thanks for reading!
*Belegwen's memory of Erthalion at the end of this chapter comes from Chapter 21: Intimidation.
-P.G.