Welcome back to TBFF! I'm so glad you're here! A big thank you goes out to hrtiu, MoonlightArrow, Arwan, mystarlight, PrettyRecklessLaura, and virgo-valentina for reviewing the last chapter! Thanks to all of my readers for coming back time and time again to read my story. I love knowing that people are enjoying it.
I did not want to leave everyone wondering about what happened after that nasty cliffhanger for a long period of time, so I've managed to push out one last fast update. This way, I can leave the story in a more satisfying spot for a little while, until I next have time to update (which was what I had intended to do originally). Enjoy this surprise chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Lord of the Rings or Tolkien Enterprises.
ooOoo
To Be Forever Faithful
By: Ponytail Goddess
Chapter 49: Hope
If Belegwen had not been pregnant, it would have been a miss.
Rumil had watched in horror as Erthalion approached her faster than he or Heledhril could have hoped to intercept. Moments later, he had stabbed Belegwen in the one place where she was most vulnerable, right where her armor hung dangerously open due to her growing elfling.
Belegwen had instantaneously heeded Heledhril's warning cry and jumped away from the incoming sword. However, she had clearly underestimated her current girth and was impaled by the point of his sword, much to the collective shock and terror of all the elves that surrounded her.
While Rumil was also aware that Heledhril had not only stabbed, but also somehow obliterated Erthalion, he only had eyes for his sister in this moment. He ran towards her as she fell to the ground, dragging with her the corpse of the massive uruk-hai she impaled through the neck with Nimrodel. Rumil watched as the beast came to rest atop her upon his arrival. Though it took a great deal of effort, Rumil used all of his strength to push the carcass off her, yanking her bloody sword out of its filthy remains in the process.
"Belegwen! Belegwen!" He shouted after uncovering her, shaking her to try and garner some sort of response from her frighteningly unmoving figure. Her large eyes immediately turned to his and he saw that her lip was quivering as she gasped for air. Indeed, she was still alive!
The frozen look of trepidation on her face told him that she might be in shock. Trying not to panic, Rumil glanced down her body and saw that much of her armored bodice was smeared and dripping with the uruk-hai's dark blue blood. He needed to see the damage her body had sustained though and so he carefully lifted her up into his arms before pulling up the unlatched armor to see what had been done.
Erthalion's sword was still inside of her and had pierced through the very top of her stomach from one side to the other. It was a shallow wound though, a near miss, and Rumil could see movement happening from within her as the skin beneath the sword rippled repeatedly. The elfling was somehow still alive and moving, at least for now. Blood and some other fluid was gushing from the wound though and Rumil knew that Belegwen needed immediate medical attention.
He had to get her to Linedhel and fast.
Without warning her first, Rumil carefully pulled Erthalion's sword out of her with one swift, backwards motion. Belegwen yelped and jumped in response, then laid on the ground moaning, her hands gripping at her stomach as if it was her lifeline. The bleeding had now increased and Rumil could see the thick red liquid leaking out from beneath her fingertips.
There was no time to waste; Rumil could already hear more orcs approaching them quickly. "We must make haste! Can you walk if I help you? I do not think I can carry you and fight off the orcs at the same time!" Rumil said quickly as he stood up, scanning the room to gauge how much time they had before he would have to start fighting again.
"I will try," she muttered as she grabbed up her sword and reached up to grasp his extended arm. Wasting no time, Rumil pulled her to her feet, being as careful as he could while trying to move fast. Belegwen groaned as he tugged her arm tightly over his shoulder and held her bent over form around the waist as firmly as he could. He did his best to avoid putting pressure onto her wound. His sword hand was free and he held his weapon at the ready as orcs once again started to run towards the elves.
Rumil was able to get beside Gilhoth and Heledhril just as the next wave of orcs started to congregate around them. Immediately, they were engaged in battle once more. Swords flashed in the torchlight as Gilhoth and Rumil fought as hard as they could to pass through the horde.
Rumil was only able to glance briefly at Heledhril, who Gilhoth was seemingly dragging behind him at this point. The elf was as pale as a sheet and his eyes looked blank, as if his mind had just stopped. They really needed his help, but Rumil could tell that he could no longer be counted on.
It was just him and Gilhoth at this point. Luckily, it seemed Gilhoth had finally hit his stride and was putting up a stronger fight than he had been earlier in the evening. Having now almost died several times, he seemed to have somehow found his confidence.
Rumil figured Belegwen was to thank for that. Though the other soldiers had given up on him quickly, Belegwen had insisted on going to find him and had done what she could to instruct and assist him. Now he seemed more self-assured in his actions and was fighting with all his ability to try and help them reach safety.
Gasping in fear as he suddenly felt Belegwen move beside him, Rumil's eyes flashed over her only to find that she was stabbing an orc that had been approaching him from the side. Even in her injured state, Belegwen apparently could not be held down. Rumil knew she was aware of how dire their situation was and felt relieved that she could help them, even if it was just a little bit.
Having finally made it out of the entryway, Rumil overheard Gilhoth's voice shouting. He took command of the elves fighting further ahead of them by calling out, "Fall back to the great hall! Pair up and fight together to get through the crowd!"
His whistle command rang out clearly through the air and the remaining elves obeyed at once. Orcs were still hissing and clawing at them, but Rumil and Gilhoth were making slow and steady progress through the hoard. Together they slashed, parried, kicked, and punched to create a pathway through the violent cretins. Blue blood splashed from their swords as they left a pile of destruction in their wake.
Rumil could hardly think straight, both from fear and exhaustion. He had been fighting for hours at this point and had been nicked and pummeled several times during the course of the battle. For his nephew's sake though, he knew he had to get Belegwen to Linedhel. Perhaps something could still be done to help the elfling… The hope of his brother's youngling surviving gave him the encouragement he needed to press onward through the horde.
After several more minutes of increased effort, Rumil found himself shocked beyond all comprehension as he caught sight of the doors that led to the great hall. There were several men and elves fighting orcs in front of the door. Upon their arrival, they guided them through the chaos and into the massive, vaulted room.
He stopped, but only for a moment, to catch his breath before he sheathed his dripping sword. He watched as Gilhoth dropped Heledhril's unresponsive body to the ground, also gasping for air as tried to wipe the blue blood off his face with his hand. It smeared across his face and dripped off his chin as he closed his eyes and winced in pain.
Rumil then turned to Belegwen, who met his eyes once again. She was in much worse shape now, panting heavily and leaving a trail of her own red blood dripping behind her as she hobbled along beside him. She was leaning heavily into his arm and was struggling to stay upright. "Rumil," she moaned, "The elfling is moving so much! I think he might be coming now, but it is too soon!"
Rumil felt his blood go cold and automatically feared the worst, but tried his best not to panic for his sister's sake. He touched her cheek gently and replied, "Everything will be okay gwathel. Let us get you to Linedhel."
Making haste, Rumil swept his arm under Belegwen's legs and held her up against his chest with ease. He started running towards the entrance to the caves, ignoring the looks he was receiving from the other elves and men around him.
ooOoo
"Linedhel! Linedhel!" Belegwen heard Rumil shouting as he ran down the long, darkened stairway leading to the caves. She knew Rumil was not meaning to, but the speed in which he was taking the stairs was jostling her around and making her feel a lot worse. Feeling dizzy and disoriented, Belegwen closed her eyes and leaned her head against the bloody breastplate of Rumil's armor.
When she could manage to think straight, her thoughts would stray to Haldir. She had told him she would stay out of the battle and then she went anyway, acknowledging openly that her duty was supposed to come before everything else. Now it seemed as if she might pay the ultimate price for it though—with the life of her little ellon.
The elfling was still alive for now; Belegwen could feel him kicking and moving all around within her more than she ever had before. The elfling was sitting much lower in her stomach than he previously was though and she suspected that it meant he was about to come out. It was not the right time for him to leave her womb though. Gestation for the elves was supposed to last a year and Belegwen knew the elfling had only been within her for eight or nine months now. It was much too soon and she still feared the elfling might have been mangled from Erthalion's attack.
"What have I done?! I am so sorry Haldir… So sorry!" She thought to herself as she felt Rumil jump off the stairs and start to run towards the familiar dim light of the caves.
Would Haldir ever forgive her if she lost his son? Belegwen shivered at the thought.
"Please hear me, Eru Iluvatar. Even if it means sacrificing my own life, please let the elfling live." She whispered almost incoherently as she felt herself being lowered onto the cold stone floor of the caves. "Do not let Haldir's little ion die. Please." She begged soundlessly as she looked to the sky.
"Belegwen, can you hear me?" A voice came from beside her. She moved her head to the right and saw Linedhel's concerned grey eyes shining down upon her. Belegwen could feel him squeezing her hand as she looked up at him and nodded, shivering a bit as brutal pain pulsed through her midsection where she had been stabbed.
"Can you feel the elfling moving still?" He asked her, his eyes very serious and stern, just as they were when she first met him. It then dawned on Belegwen that Linedhel probably was not a stern elf by choice; he had just witnessed too many horrible things in his life, much like herself, and chose to deal with it by closing himself off emotionally.
Belegwen nodded to answer his question, then murmured in a course, low voice, "I think… I think he is going to come out soon."
Linedhel cursed softly and began his inspection of her. She felt him remove the armor from her midsection, which was followed by several more curses. "Esgalamon, bring me a pail of warm water, a couple of blankets, the healing salve, my set of clamps, a needle, and some thread! Rumil, help me remove the rest of her armor."
She laid there completely still while she felt the two of them removing all of her armor. All she could concentrate on was the horrible throbbing of her middle and the look of disdain she pictured Haldir giving her when he found out what she had done.
"He is dead," She reminded herself mentally, though it did not seem to help lessen her guilty conscience. Belegwen felt certain that Haldir would hate her for what she had done and continued to fret over it. "He is dead and you have killed his one and only son, you foolish elleth!"
"Belegwen," she heard a voice murmur, which ripped her away from her self-depreciating thoughts. A warm wet cloth was softly moving around on her face and momentarily, she came back to reality to see Rumil's worried blue eyes shining above her. She listened as he tried to reassure her, saying, "Everything is going to be okay gwathel. Linedhel will take good care of you; I promise."
How desperately Belegwen wanted to believe Rumil! However, her thoughts continued spiraling downward into a dark hopeless place, the likes of which she could not escape. The black thoughts took her captive and she could not tear herself away from their iron grasp. Oh, how she longed for a path away from the pain!
How easy it would be now to simply let go and follow Haldir to the Halls of Mandos, she thought to herself idly after recriminating herself repeatedly over the choice she had made. Belegwen closed her eyes and felt herself once again start to fade away…
The sea's waves were lapping gently against her ears as she felt herself arrive somewhere new. She could feel her wet hair matting against her face and shoulders as the bubbly white tops of small waves rushed all around her. The water rubbed repeatedly against her body as she stared at the almost darkened sky above her, shining with the first few stars of night. So very chilly it was as it caressed in between her fingers, then washed back down her legs. Her leggings and undershirt were both completely soaked and clinging tightly to her body, making her shiver as a frigid wind blew over her.
She could hear two elves calling her name repeatedly in the distance, but she could not see them. All she could see was how the blue melted into indigo and then was lined with the deepest of violets in the dusk sky above her. The salty smell of the seawater filled her mind with a peace she had not known since she was but an elfling. She sighed at the beauty of it all as she felt her body start to float away from the shore and into the welcoming waters.
A flash of glistening white light startled her and she blinked, then looked to her right and gasped.
"Ada!"
Indeed it was Belegond, there in the flesh. His lean, strong form was dressed in the grey tunic that completed the warden's uniform and he looked precisely as she remembered him. His chest-length silver hair was pulled back with several tiny warrior braids on the sides of his head and one thick braid held back the top section of his hair. His gentle blue eyes, which were identical to her own, held her stare as she floated in the water next to him. He was standing up in the sea and looking down at her. The water's gentle waves sloshed around his waist.
"My darling little Belegwen…" he said quietly, a sad smile unfurling slowly on his face. "How I have missed you."
Belegwen was stunned to see him and stared at him with a look of shock and awe before she was finally able to choke out a few whispered words. "I have missed you too… ada."
She shuddered from the cold water, but suddenly felt warmth fill her body as his hand came to rest upon her shoulder, stopping her from floating any further into the sea. She closed her eyes and took a moment to appreciate the comfort of her adar's gentle touch once more. Belegwen felt very tired and confused about what was happening as their eyes met once more underneath the starlit sky.
Somehow she gathered up the strength to ask him the most pressing question on her mind. "Why are you here ada? I do not understand."
He broke away from her gaze and stared out into the distance for a long while before answering. His hand tightened briefly on her shoulder, then relaxed, along with the tension in his countenance.
When he did finally speak, his voice was filled with emotion and came out no louder than a whisper. "I have waited so long to see you, dearest iel of mine. My heart is so full in this moment, and yet… I am here to send you back."
Pain was evident in his eyes as he looked back down at her floating form. "It pains me to see you this way Belegwen. The great hope that has lingered within you all these years, that which endured throughout your many trials and hardships, has now been lost. You have allowed yourself to fade away, as if it is gone forever! Do you not see it though? It lingers beside you, just a hairsbreadth from your fingertips, ready to be grasped once again."
Belegwen was not sure if what he was saying was unclear or if she was just too tired to comprehend it, but it was making little sense to her. Her adar seemed to be aware of it though and quickly clarified. "There is still hope for you Belegwen. All you must do is reach out and take hold of it once more, my love."
"But ada… I have killed my own ion by taking him to battle! He was all that was left of my hervenn…" She sobbed, her tears feeling cold on her warm cheeks. "He was all I had left and now he is gone!"
Bending down to her ear, he whispered, "All is not yet lost, iel of mine. If you turn back now, you will find out what awaits you there." Before he stood back up, he gently kissed her forehead, lingering a few seconds to savor the moment. A single tear from his eye landed on Belegwen's cheek and mingled with her own. "Swim back Belegwen, for you are needed by many in fair Lothlorien. One lovely day in the future, we shall be together once more in Valinor. You will then understand why I sent you back."
Suddenly desiring her world once more, Belegwen cried out as her adar let go of her shoulder. Her body once again felt freezing cold as she lost contact with his touch. Shivering fiercely, she slowly flipped onto her stomach in the water and forced herself to swim weakly back to shore. She panted as she crawled feebly back onto the sandbar before rolling over and collapsing into the wet sand. Once again, she stared at the sky and the few stars that adorned it.
"Ada, will I ever live up to your name?" She asked faintly as the glistening stars started to fade from her vision.
"Worry not, my darling Belegwen," his voice reassured her as it faded from her ears, "You already have."
All of a sudden, a sharp scent entered Belegwen's nose and made her gasp and sneeze repeatedly. Belegwen inhaled deeply and her eyes Immediately caught sight of a small vial of smelling salts moving away from her nose. She felt herself grimace as the pain of her affliction washed back over her.
Rumil's anxious face was hovering directly above her own and she heard him speaking to someone distantly. "…awake …looking at me…"
"Belegwen… Belegwen, can you hear me?" She heard more closely as she saw Linedhel lean his head over her body, his hands appearing to be busily sewing something back together… her middle. He was sewing her sword wound back together.
When he asked her the same question again, Belegwen tried to answer, but found that her mouth was too dry to do so. She nodded lightly instead, meeting Linedhel's worried eyes with her own.
"Thank the Valar! Now tell me, is the elfling still moving within you?" He asked, his hand moving calmly and steadily over her middle. When she concentrated, she could feel the pinprick of his tiny needle as he carefully sewed her up. To answer his question, she closed her eyes and tried to figure out if she could still feel the ellon moving or not.
She felt nothing and shook her head. The little ellon was no longer moving inside of her. A pang of fear shot through her as she realized what that might mean. All the while, she became aware of the heavy pressure that was steadily growing between her legs. It felt like the elfling was poised to leave her body, but her stubborn voice would not allow the words to come out.
Belegwen coughed as she tried to speak until Rumil held a small ladle of water up to her mouth. She greedily drank it, then coughed a few more times before she could finally manage to put a string of words together. "Linedhel… The elfling, I think he is about to come out…" She croaked out.
"Rhiach." She heard him mutter, then awkwardly tried to balance several metal gadgets in his hand which was already holding the needle and thread. She felt his other hand start to press firmly against her stomach in several spots, as if to get a feel for where the elfling was. She heard him curse again and then watched as he gave Rumil a pointed look.
"Oh, surely you are not serious..." Rumil started, shaking his head at the healer as if he had grown a second head. "I cannot do that!"
"I am not just sewing her skin right now, but also her womb. This is a very delicate process and I cannot set it down and leave it unfinished at this point. The elfling is coming now and you must catch him." Linedhel said resolutely.
"No! It is inappropriate! I cannot look at… at that! She is my sister!" Rumil said, stumbling over his words as his face filled with alarm.
Belegwen looked down at him in disbelief. Apparently even Rumil, an elf who had seemingly no notion of physical boundaries with others, had a line that could not be crossed. This was it. Belegwen was not exactly too keen about Rumil seeing that either, but it was an emergency! She knew Esgalamon was the only other option and there was no way she was going to let that judgmental elf be the one to catch her elfling!
"Please Rumil," she begged in a low voice, making eye contact with her frightened brother. "Haldir is not here and I trust you. I… I want it to be you. Please."
Rumil was shaking his head in bewilderment as he made his way out of her vision. "Haldir will never forgive me for this…" She heard him mutter to himself as she felt his shaky fingers carefully lifting up the blanket that covered her lower half. Cold air surrounded her suddenly and awakened her senses as she heard Rumil moan in horror and then curse by her feet.
"Linedhel, something is happening!" Rumil practically squealed, his voice higher than she had ever heard it. Belegwen felt the healer shuffle around again and lean towards him to see what he was looking at. "Is this what it is supposed to look like?!"
"Yes, that is normal. That is the elfling's head; she is crowning." The healer said in a soothing voice, probably now realizing that he was taxing Rumil beyond what he could withstand. "Take a deep breath Rumil and try to relax. All you have to do is catch him. Make sure you support the elfling's head and neck when he comes out."
Rumil was down there hyperventilating though. Belegwen could hear him breathing heavily and cursing repeatedly under his breath. She had not known Rumil was squeamish. She felt sorry about asking him to help at this point, but she said nothing since there was no other option.
Belegwen felt Linedhel sewing her up faster now and groaned as she felt the sword wounds throbbing with pain. Linedhel's eyes were on her immediately and he bent down to speak with her. "I am trying to hurry so I can help him Belegwen. From what I can see though, it looks as though you could push the elfling out at any point now. You may go ahead and try if you would like."
"But… I do not know how." She whispered, then moaned as another wave of pain from her wound permiated through her body. Elvish childbirth in and of itself was a painless affair, much different from the toiling labor mortal women had to go through. Still, between the fact that Belegwen's body had not been fully prepared to do this today and the stab wound Erthalion had inflicted on her, Belegwen was definitely in pain.
"I do not know if I can do this Linedhel," she admitted softly, starting to feel scared. "I am not strong enough!" She whimpered. As she started to feel the darkness close around her once again, her adar's words rang through her mind…
"There is still hope for you Belegwen. All you must do is reach out and take hold of it once more, my love."
Suddenly she felt a hand squeezing her own. Linedhel was leaning close to her face and looking her in the eyes with sincerity and concern. "You can do this Belegwen! Do you not understand? Eru Iluvatar himself created your body with this very purpose in mind, to bring life into this world. Long have the ellyth of this world completed this task and so will you. Even if your mind does not know what to do, your body does. Concentrate and listen to your body's cues and in no time the elfling will be born."
"What if he is injured or…or-"
Linedhel squeezed her hand tightly once more and said, "We do not know yet, so do not assume the worst. Instead, you must hope for the best."
"You can do this Belegwen. Send my sweet nephew straight into my arms." She heard Rumil chime in unsteadily. Though he was still uncomfortable with the situation, Belegwen could tell that he was trying to be brave for her. If he could do it, so could she!
Belegwen took several deep and slow breaths and tried to ignore the pain emanating from her middle. Instead, she focused on the growing pressure between her legs. She tried to relax her midsection as much as she could. She soon realized that a few muscles down there were actively flexing and trying to guide the elfling out. Clenching her face and biting her lip, Belegwen tried to push and help them along. Judging by the yelp she heard from Rumil, it must have worked.
Indeed, she felt his warm fingers grasping at something slippery coming from within her. "The head is halfway out gwathel!" Rumil called to her, his high voice shaking with nervousness. "Keep going!"
Belegwen pushed again and vaguely heard Rumil gasp. "Linedhel… Linedhel!"
"Just a minute, I am almost done! Keep a hold of his head and neck Rumil!" Linedhel chided calmly. Belegwen glanced up at him and indeed, it looked as though he was finishing up her stitching and tying it into place, working much faster than she had seen him work before.
Despite the pain that surrounded her wound and the harsh pressure below, Belegwen continued to push as often as her body allowed. She could feel the elfling slowly moving out of her with each of her motions and the pressure finally started to subside.
"Help me Linedhel! He is out! I have him!" She heard Rumil exclaim. Linedhel crawled out of her sightline and there was a long silence that scared Belegwen as she waited to find out what had happened to Haldir's ion.
"He breathes," she finally heard Linedhel gasp in amazement. "He is very small, but he appears to be unhurt! Belegwen, it is a miracle!"
Belegwen released the breath she had not realized she was holding and looked to the sky to thank Eru Iluvatar for this act of mercy and love. Somehow the elfling had survived her horrendous choice. She was blessed to have Haldir's son after all!
Her head fell backwards to the ground, only to be lifted up by Rumil's strong arms a moment later. He pushed her armored bodice underneath her upper backso that she was propped up into a reclined sitting position. Kissing her temple, he looked at her with a mix of awe and wonder as he struggled to catch his breath. "You have done it Belegwen! He is beautiful!"
"Thank you," she whispered as she felt a tear roll down her cheek while she held Rumil's gaze. "Thank you for catching him. I am sorry you had to see that, uh… that side of me."
Rumil flushed red with embarrassment, but then grabbed her up and held her close, her head resting against his armored shoulder as he carefully rubbed her upper back. "Anything for you gwathel…" He whispered into her ear as he rocked her nervously, still shaking from his own anxiety. "Anything for you."
Belegwen closed her eyes as a memory from Caras Galadhon passed through her mind after she heard Rumil's words…
"Anything for you," Haldir said as he crawled back into bed with her and allowed her to settle into the crook of his muscular arm for the night. She had fallen asleep in his warm arms for the first time that night, staring at the stars through the skylight of her room as she listened to Haldir's even breaths while he slept peacefully beside her.
Suddenly she could not stop her hot tears from falling. Moving carefully to try not to disturb her throbbing middle, Belegwen wrapped her arms tightly around Rumil's neck and sobbed silently. As if sensing what was happening, she felt Rumil tighten his grip on her. His hands and body started shaking as well and Belegwen knew that he was right there with her.
The one elf who was supposed to be here to share in this moment was not.
Haldir should have been there. Haldir should have gotten a chance to catch the elfling as she had pushed him out of herself. Haldir should have been the first one to hold his tiny newborn son.
Her son would not get to know his adar though.
The permanence of the situation really sank in for the second time that night and Belegwen shattered into pieces while Rumil held onto her for dear life. They had both counted on Haldir's presence and were lost knowing that he would not be part of their lives anymore.
Belegwen did not know how long they held each other crying, but she finally pulled away from Rumil and wiped her eyes when she saw Linedhel approaching them. He looked solemnly at the pair as he knelt down with a bundle wrapped in a brown blanket. He said nothing as he carefully handed the elfling over to Belegwen, guiding her hand to support his head and neck reflexively. Once he was resting securely in her arms, she immediately opened up the blanket to gaze down at the tiny ellon's form.
He was quite small—about the length of her forearm. The little one was perfect though, somehow completely unmarred by Erthalion's sword. He had all of his fingers and toes and the most beautiful blue eyes…
Haldir's eyes.
"Thank you Linedhel." She whispered as she looked at the youngling in awe. "I can scarcely believe he is here!"
The three gazed at the elfling in silence for several moments, then Linedhel said, "We will need to keep our eyes carefully trained on this young one. He seems well enough, but he is a very early arrival. I will check in with you every hour until we are certain that he is eating, crying, and excreting properly. Once he can prove to do all of those things, I think it will be safe to say that he will be alright."
"Yes, of course," Belegwen agreed, still entranced with the tiny form in her arms. She traced over his arms and fingers, very much in awe of what she and Haldir had created together. So entranced she was with the little one that she did not even notice when Linedhel got up to leave.
Eventually she looked up at Rumil and asked him, "Do you think he is strong enough to survive?"
He smiled down at her confidently and replied, "He is the son of two marchwardens and is already a veteran of war before he is even a day old." He ran a soft finger down the side of the elfling's face, then continued, "Already, I see that he has the strength and determination of his naneth. He will make it through; there is no doubt in my mind of this."
Belegwen smiled at him, then drew the youngling even closer to her body, gazing at his face with the automatic, unfathomable love of a naneth. She had been so scared about this in the past, not knowing what to expect when becoming a naneth. However, now that the little ellon had arrived, Belegwen felt at peace knowing that a part of her husband would live on through the tiny being she was cuddling in her arms.
"Have you thought of a name for him?" Rumil asked quietly. "Will you use part of Haldir's name, as tradition dictates?"
"Oh yes, I have already named him in my head." She answered gently. "Your nephew's name is Halendil."
"Halendil?" Rumil repeated, a tear coming to his eye. Belegwen's eyes widened as she saw how emotional the name had made him. Rumil whispered his next words to her with absolute sincerity.
"It is perfect Belegwen. Perfect indeed."
ooOoo
*Halendil roughly translates out to mean "hidden devotion." Rumil says the name is perfect because it not only uses part of Haldir's name, as is custom for a first born ellon in my story, but also because the phrase "hidden devotion" honors the tale of the secret love Haldir harbored for Belegwen for more than 3,000 years.
**The memory that cues Belegwen's tears for Haldir is from Chapter 25: Stay.
Whew, we've pretty much made it through the battle! Are you relieved now? I know I am! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of my story. I'd love to hear from you.
While I probably will not be able to continue with my regular updates, as I previously said, I promise I am not abandoning ship right now! We're probably less than 10 chapters away from the end and I intend to finish this time around!
I'll do my best to update soon!
-P.G.