So sorry for the wait! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter - they made my day :-)
Irime's tears were spent, as was her hope. She cursed herself, and her twice-beloved brother. She had once been told that fate was a cruel and bitter companion, and now she finally understood the meaning those words. She wanted to go to him, to find the harbor in the midst of a raging storm. She wanted him to hold her, as he had always done when she had been frightened or lonely. Yet, she could not even bring herself to move from her place beside the river. The swirling silver waters seemed ironically peaceful in the cold night.
Irime startled when a soft hand lightly touched her shoulder. He was standing behind her, and she could see the stars glittering in his eyes when she finally turned to face him. Irime's breath came out as a shuddering sob as she collapsed into his arms, and he into her's. He brushed a strand of her dark hair from her face.
"You should have stayed with Legolas." He joked half-heartedly, his voice choked by unshed tears.
She laid her head on his chest and whispered, "No."
He did not push her away, instead he placed his hands on her shoulders and stepped back. "I should have known." He said. "You look so much like our mother."
Irime stirred suddenly, as if awakening, and pulled out of his arms. "Did Elrond tell you why he. . . ." She could not finish.
"No."
She looked up at his eyes, and hated him. Hated him for the pain he caused them both. Hated his ability to look over it and act as though nothing had changed. Hated him for being the child that was accepted and acknowledged. She hated him because it was so easy to love him.
"Irime?" He asked, concerned as she stared blankly at him. He cautiously took her hand in his larger one. "Irime?"
With a shudder and a cry of despair she yanked herself away and fled. She did not want him to see the tears streaming down her face. Her dress snagged on the brambles and she ran, but she ignored them. When she finally had distanced herself far enough away from him, Irime continued to wander. The paths which she had walked as a child were seen in a new light. They seemed different, strange. The darkness which had once been sanctuary now held unseen dangers.
She had to get away. Anywhere was better than Imladris. It held to many memories, and too much pain. Irime stumbled back to the city, weary and lovelorn. She saddled her horse and sped from the city. Lorien was only a week's ride away. It beckoned to her like a single flame of hope in a storm.
Little, though, did she expect the early winter which, when it finally touched the last Elven lands, gripped it with vengeance. First, light crystal flakes touched the ground, but it seemed only minutes before a great snowstorm had descended upon her. The ice cut at her face as she rode blind through the whiteness.
Her horse stumbled on a protruding root, and Irime fell to the ground. Her shoulder and head were jarred on the hard earth. Then the cold enveloped her and she felt no more. Elrohir . . . .
Orophin's horse sidestepped and snorted uneasily. The Elf leaned forward and patted the stallion's neck reassuringly. Trusting in his master, Losgil went forward, only to stop a few feet later. Orophin stood up in his stirrups and surveyed the forest around them. Even with his keen sight, he could see little. The dark shapes of trees loomed ahead of him, masked by the flurry. He was about to dismiss it as nothing when he caught sight of a dark lump beneath a tall oak. He quickly leapt off of his horse and cautiously walked over. He lightly grasped the hilt of his dagger. Upon seeing that it was a human form, as he had feared, Orophin ran the rest of the way. The figure lay curled up on its side, and he could see no sign of life.
Orophin lifted her head off of the snow, and gasped. What was an elf maid doing out in this horrid weather, alone? He could not help but bristle at the thought of her careless guard who had let this happen. Had they been ambushed? He quickly gathered her small form in his arms and managed to get them both onto Losgil.
"Friend may you be as a swift river! Go now!" He cried in Sindarin. With a great neigh, Losgil surged forward. Orophin's mind was racing with the pounding hooves of his steed. By her dark hair, she was one of the Noldor from Imladris. She was also obviously of rank, for her clothes, while torn, were of unusually good make.
Irime awoke early the next day, and was shocked to find herself high above the ground, in one of the telain of the Galadhrim. She struggled to sit up, but was pushed down by a gentle but firm hand.
"Daro, hiril nin." He said quietly in his own tongue. (Stop, my lady.) "U-norin im arth nelye firn." He reprimanded. (Had I not been riding in the area you would be dead.)
"Where am I?" She asked in the Common Tongue, for her Sindarin was choppy. Unfortunately, his speech in the Common Tongue was just as poor as her Sindarin.
Orophin sat back on his haunches and cursed himself. His older brother spoke the language of Men, why had he never bothered to learn it? "Forn Caras Galadhono." (North of Caras Galadhon) He said, more than slightly frustrated.
Irime could not help the small smile which crept to her lips. He was not as refined as the High Elves, and it was charming. Just as a puppy who chews valuable things is charming. "What is your name?"
He thought about the question for a moment. "Orophin."
"Nan Irime." Thankfully, she thought to herself, that meant the same thing in both languages.
He had the silver hair of the Lorien folk and sapphire eyes. He was taller than Elrohir, and of a slighter build. He also talked too fast. The though made her laugh. At his questioning glance, she just smiled.
Orophin shook his head and stood up. What a strange nesse. She appeared out of a snowstorm, and now she was laughing at him. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. His normal patrol of the borders had indeed proved unusual.
Author's Note: Just for everybody who hasn't read the books (gasp!) Orophin is Haldir's brother, I made him younger for simplicity's sake. The Elvish is all Sindarin and Losgil means Snow-star. That's about it . . . . so REVIEW! ;) you make me extremely happy when you do.