Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OC's and the plot, everything else belongs to Tolkien and those who currently own the rights to his work.
Chapter 20-Misunderstandings
Third Age 2700
"Mae govannen, lovely one." Rumil smiled down at the elleth, who sat perched on a mossy rock. She raised a delicate hand to her face, shielding her eyes from the midday sun. He stepped to the side, allowing her to see his face unhindered by Anor's blinding rays.
"Oh," Eruanna cried in surprise. She rose quickly to her feet, abandoning her drawings and turned her surprised attention to the ellon before her. "What are you doing here?" Eruanna had not seen a soul since she and Marilla abandoned the busier paths of Caras Galadhon. She was caught completely off guard by Rumil's sudden appearance.
Rumil smiled brightly, "I said I hoped to see you again, did I not?"
Eruanna's eyes swept over the secluded lake. They were nearly an hour's stroll to the center of town and in the opposite direction of the border where the two of them first met. "And you just happened to be passing by?"
Rumil followed her gaze as it wandered across the open expanse, "Not exactly… I've been looking for you."
This confession made Eruanna uneasy. Why would anyone be searching for her, and more importantly, how did he find her? Eruanna was always careful about covering her tracks, but perhaps she'd become lax since her arrival in the Golden Wood. Did he track her here? "How…how did you find me?" Suspicion was clear in her voice and eyes.
"Perhaps my fëa sensed you were near…" Rumil offered with a playful smile. He could not withhold his laughter as Eruanna's eyebrow lifted in a clear expression of disbelief. He shrugged, conceding the unlikelihood of such an event taking place, "or, I might have stopped by your talan and asked Lord Erestor where I could find you."
"Erestor told you where I was?" she questioned, warily. Eruanna herself hadn't known exactly where she was going this morning and found it unlikely that Erestor had been able to direct the warden to her location.
"He didn't know, exactly," Rumil paused a moment before continuing. "He said you were visiting a lake with a waterfall and this is the most spectacular one I could think of." He gestured over towards the falls and breathed in the fresh scent of the mist. He and his brothers spent many a day in this spot in their youth and he favored it still.
Marilla told her this was the most beautiful waterfall in the entire realm. If that was so, it wouldn't be too difficult for someone to guess where she might be spending the day. "And if I wasn't here?" She asked suddenly, wondering at the ellon's strange determination to seek her out.
Rumil answered without hesitation. "Then I would have kept looking for you." Of course he'd keep searching. He'd waited weeks to see her again.
Eruanna was unnerved by the warden's prompt response. Why would anyone spend so much time looking for her? "Why would you do that?"
"Why?" Rumil repeated, a bit unsure of the direction this conversation was going. He felt like he was being interrogated by Haldir after a mishap on the fences. He had hoped Eruanna would be pleased to see him. He thought he'd seen interest reflected in her eyes, that day on the border. Does she play with me, or was I mistaken? He answered her question somewhat hesitantly, not wishing to reveal too much of his feelings should Eruanna not return them. "I wanted to see you," he paused, choosing his words carefully, "and I thought, perhaps, you might like to see me. I only just returned from the borders." That very morning, in fact... he'd bathed and changed out of his uniform before hurrying to Eruanna's talan.
Rumil silently pondered the past several weeks. They'd seemed interminable. His mind had drifted far from Lórien's borders after the departure of Lady Arwen's party and it displeased Orophin greatly. "I think my brother was glad to be rid of me," he added, laughing quietly to himself.
"The Marchwarden?" Eruanna was confused. She'd seen Lord Haldir almost every day since he'd brought her to Caras Galadhon.
Rumil shook his head. "No, not Haldir, my brother Orophin, he is the second oldest. He says I am no good on patrol when distracted." That was something of an understatement. Orophin had been quite annoyed by his lack of concentration.
"What is the matter with you brother?" Orophin kicked Rumil lightly in his side. He'd walked right up to his brother as he sat at his post and Rumil barely even noticed his arrival. "You've been distracted ever since Lady Arwen's party arrived."
"It's nothing." Rumil replied a bit too quickly.
"Nothing," Orophin huffed, his expression clearly one of disbelief. "This nothing would not happen to have a name, would she?"
Rumil wasn't the only one who'd seen how lovely Lady Undomiel looked, even in her travel clothes. Orophin could gaze upon her all day and night and never grow weary of her.
"A name?" Rumil gave his brother a confused look.
"Come now…who do you think you're talking to… Haldir?" Orophin plopped down at his brother's side.
"Be nice." Rumil chided.
"I'm always nice." Orophin gave his brother a sly smile causing both ellyn a fit of laughter. "Come Rumil, I will not think less of you for dwelling on the Evenstar. Her light does not fade quickly from one's mind."
"Lady Arwen?" It took a moment for Rumil to realize his brother's mistake. "The Lady is as lovely as ever she was, but I do not think of her."
Confusion flashed across Orophin's face. He'd been certain Lady Arwen's arrival was the cause of his brother's distractedness. Orophin's concern for Rumil deepened suddenly; he hoped it was not something dire that plagued his brother's thoughts. "Oh, I simply thought…then what is it that has captured your attention, dear brother?"
"Lady Eruanna," Rumil exhaled deeply.
"Eruanna?" Orophin's voice rose in surprise. "Lady Arwen's charge?"
"Aye," Rumil could not keep his thoughts from straying to the elleth even thought he'd been in her presence for mere moments. The instant he laid eyes on her, standing on tip-toe, struggling to reach her bag, Rumil was overcome by a strange emotion. He carried no conscious memory of moving to her side…he'd merely appeared there somehow and found himself offering her aid. His feet moved without his direction as if they knew better than his mind what his heart desired. She was perfect. Even in the shadow of the Evenstar, of Luthien reborn, Rumil's eyes could see only Eruanna and his heart had never beheld anything so beautiful.
Orophin watched the change in his brother's demeanor, his unfocused eyes staring out into the distance. Orophin was no stranger to the symptoms his brother was displaying, symptoms of the only malady to which the Firstborn fell victim. Orophin prayed that what his brother was experiencing was mere infatuation and that it would pass quickly. It was not that Orophin thought ill of the peredhel, on the contrary, he'd been friends with the sons of Elrond for many years. No, it was not his opinion Orophin was concerned with. He may not have noticed his younger brother's interest in the elleth, but he'd marked well enough his older brother's reaction to her arrival, subtle though it was. "Haldir will not be pleased," Orophin stated darkly.
Rumil's attention returned abruptly to his brother. "What mean you?"
Orophin shook his head sadly, "You, my dear brother, were too busy eying the elleth to notice how Haldir looked at her."
"And how was that?" Concern could be heard in Rumil's voice. Rumil respected his oldest brother's opinion on most things, but he also knew that Haldir was the least trusting ellyn he'd ever known. It was part of the reason why he made such an excellent Marchwarden. It was also the character trait that made him appear cold and detached to those who did not know him well. It was the one trait that he and Haldir did not share. Surely Haldir does not believe the elleth to be a threat.
The worry that clouded Rumil's eyes was not missed by Orophin. Perhaps he'd been wrong to mention Haldir. "Never mind," he said dismissively, "it matters not." Orophin made to stand but was halted by a firm hand on his arm.
Rumil held his brother in place, unwilling to let the matter drop so easily. "Tell me."
Orophin let out an apprehensive sigh. He had no wish to burden Rumil with thoughts of their older brother, but the grip on his arm told him he wouldn't be released until the younger's question was answered. "He was not happy. You know how he feels about outsiders, Rumil, even our own kin."
Rumil nodded absently. "I know." His mind dredged up the many conversations he'd had with his brother about the peoples of Middle Earth. Unlike most Lórien elves, Haldir often traveled abroad to gather news from neighboring lands. Haldir told him many terrible tales of the things he'd witnessed in mortal realms and Rumil knew that those experiences colored Haldir's perception of all who passed near to their borders. Rumil shook his head slightly, unwilling to believe his brother could think ill of Lady Eruanna.
Orophin frowned. He'd been told all of his life that he talked too much. Looking now into his brother's troubled eyes; he wished he'd learned to hold his tongue. "I should not have told you this."
Rumil stared hard into the darkness. "He cannot believe that she poses a threat to Lothlórien."
Orophin wished he could agree with his younger brother. It had been nearly two weeks since Haldir escorted Lady Arwen and her company to Caras Galadhon and he'd not yet returned to his post. "He has not yet returned to the borders," Orophin replied quietly. He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and offered him a comforting squeeze before standing gracefully and returning to his post in a neighboring tree.
"Distracted?" Eruanna questioned.
Rumil's attention was brought back to the present, the memory of his conversation with Orophin fading quickly. "I told you I've been thinking about you." Rumil studied the elleth's expression carefully. He glanced around the glade, taking in the beauty of the falls. Rumil stepped forward, offering Eruanna his hand. "Will you walk with me?"
"I…no." Eruanna withdrew from his outstretched hand, keeping a safe distance between them.
"No?" Rumil could not keep his disappointment from reaching his eyes.
Eruanna's eyes swept the lakeshore in search of Marilla. "My friend, she's coming back." A small tremor shook her voice but went ignored or unnoticed by the ellon at her side.
"We can try to find her if you like." Rumil suggested hopefully, offering her his hand once more.
Eruanna shook her head, retreating further from the warden's proffered arm. "I told her I would wait here." Eruanna tried to stay calm as the ellon continued to advance on her. There is no reason to worry; I told him I do not wish to walk with him. He will go away and Marilla will return soon.
Rumil's disappointment turned to concern as he watched the color drain from Eruanna's face. She seemed to have grown ill before his eyes. "Is something wrong, my Lady? You look unwell." Rumil took another step closer.
"I'm fine."
Eruanna replied a bit too quickly and Rumil was not convinced. "You are not fine. You are ill. I can take you to the healers." He reached out to touch the elleth's cheek.
Eruanna stepped away from the ellon before his hand could made contact with her face. It was happening all over again. She was backed into a corner by a strange ellon and there was no way out… but this time Eruanna was not helpless. Years of training under the Balrog Slayer paid off in a precisely executed blow.
Rumil cried out in surprise as the elleth struck him squarely in the face. He backed away from her quickly, clutching his now broken and bloody nose. He looked up at her in confusion just in time to see his brother emerge from the wood, an expression of cold fury on his face.
"I knew it!" Haldir roared as he closed in on the elleth whose hands were stained with his brother's blood. He grabbed her by her upper arms and slammed her against a tree.
"Haldir! Don't!" Rumil cried out between choked breaths as warm liquid dripped down his throat.
"I knew you could not be trusted." Haldir hissed at the elleth, deaf to his brother's plea.
Rumil grabbed his brother about the chest, attempting to break his hold on Eruanna. "Haldir! Brother!" Rumil shouted in Haldir's ear. "Stop this! It was my fault. I should not have." With one powerful jerk Rumil ripped his brother away from Eruanna, causing the elleth to crumple to the ground.
Eruanna didn't have time to react to the charging ellon; she was still reeling from the blow she'd landed on the warden. She sunk to the forest floor in shock, her eyes fixed on her bloodstained hands.
A shrill cry pulled Eruanna's eyes away from them for the first time.
"Eruanna!" Marilla rushed to her companion and dropped quickly to her side. She'd returned to the falls to find her friend curled up at the base of a tree. Her gaze took in the scene, she saw the blood on Eruanna's hands, Rumil's broken nose and the Marchwarden in a rage- his brother restraining him.
"What is going on?" Marilla shouted. "You!" she pointed an accusing finger at the Marchwarden. Marilla knew his temper well and she'd seen his suspicious eyes following Eruanna when the two of them roamed the city together. She knew he was somehow to blame for all of this.
Haldir's anger vanished at the sight of the delicate handmaiden's accusing finger pointed squarely at his chest.
"You! You filthy orch! Get out of here. Get out!" Marilla yelled, closing in on the ellon.
Haldir backed away from Marilla as the elleth advanced on him. His eyes moved nervously between the blond elleth and the dark one curled up at the base of a nearby tree.
Rumil stepped forward between his brother and the handmaiden. He raised his hands in a placative gesture, "Marilla please." He glanced past her shoulder at Lady Eruanna whose eyes were brimming with tears. Rumil pleaded silently with Marilla to cease her raving in favor of tending to her companion.
Marilla turned back to Eruanna, and seeing the state she was in, forgot Haldir and dropped to her knees at the elleth's side and wrapped her arms around the smaller elleth.
Rumil stepped forward hesitantly. "I will retrieve Lord Erestor, he is in his talan," he offered. Rumil wanted to help, but he didn't think Marilla would allow him to sit with Eruanna while she searched for Lord Erestor.
Marilla nodded her assent, her arms still wrapped tightly around her friend's shoulders.
Rumil spun on his heels and ran swiftly past his brother, who stood frozen in place at the edge of the tree line. Rumil ran as fast as his feet would carry him. He had no idea why things had gone so terribly wrong. He'd merely wished to speak to the elleth, walk with her along the riverbank... His broken nose throbbed painfully but the pain was nothing compared to the ache in his heart. He ran harder, hoping Lord Erestor had not yet left his talan.
Rumil reached the top of the stair nearly out of breath and to his great fortune, Lord Erestor sat reading on the porch; he looked up at the sudden intrusion.
"Warden?" Erestor straightened at the sight of the disheveled and bloodied ellon. "What happened? Did you not find Eruanna?"
Rumil shook his head fiercely, his voice uneven. "Lord Erestor. You must come."
Panic reached the old counselor's eyes as he stood. "Eruanna? Is she alright? Has there been an attack?" Erestor grilled the younger ellon.
Rumil shook his head. "No, no attack my Lord."
"What happened?"
Erestor's voice was like stone and it shook Rumil to his core. As a warden, he'd received more commands than he cared to count and knew an order when he heard one. He would not lie to the Lord, but did not know how to explain what happened. "I don't know what happened, my Lord. I merely asked the Lady if she would take a walk with me and she… she hit me. Haldir saw and he overreacted."
Erestor needed no further explanation; his only concern was for the state of his child. "Take me to her. Now!"
Rumil took off down the stair without another word, knowing that Lord Erestor was close on his heels. Rumil was surprised at how easily the old counselor kept pace given his age and sedentary station.
They arrived at the falls in less than thirty minutes.
Erestor dropped to his knees where Marilla and Eruanna sat together. He lifted his hands to her face and rested his forehead against hers. "My child, what happened?"
Eruanna's voice trembled slightly, "I didn't mean to…," she held up her hands, still stained with the warden's blood.
Erestor clasped his child's hands in his, "Hush now, it's alright. Marilla and I will take you home." He took Eruanna by her arms and helped her to her feet.
Rumil watched Lord Erestor carefully…the way he comforted Eruanna and the easy way she accepted his comfort made it obvious: there was great love between them. For a moment Rumil felt a twinge of jealousy but he knew in his heart there was no need, for it was not the love between ellon and elleth that he beheld but the love between parent and child.
Rumil only wished that he could understand what he'd done to cause Eruanna such distress and he prayed this disastrous encounter was not beyond repair. Marilla and Lord Erestor stood on either side of the elleth, offering her the support. Rumil moved aside as they passed.
Erestor turned to the warden and gave him a sharp look. "I think you should have a healer look at that nose, warden."
Rumil raised a hand to his now swollen face; he'd forgotten his own injuries in his concern for Eruanna. He watched Lord Erestor lead Eruanna back to the city. How was he to make this right? Rumil stood motionless for a long time in the shadow of the falls. A long time later he turned back towards the city and headed for the healer's talan, planning his apology along the way.