Chapter Seven

Beg

Aranel stared at the elf before her. "It cannot be!" She thought to herself.

Taking a step backwards in shock, Aranel began to shake her head in disbelief. "It cannot be...you were dead; how can you be here?" Hearing this, Haldir's greatest fear was finally realized. And as he reached out to her, Aranel stumbled, almost falling against the fountain. Turning, with tears in her eyes, she ran. Running as fast as she could, she ran back up the stairs that led out of the garden and down the hall, eventually coming to her room. Knowing that Haldir was coming after her, she quickly dashed into her room and locked the door. Sitting on her bed, she pulled her knees to her chest.

As Aranel started to run, Haldir chased after her; up the stairs, into the hall and down, only to see her run into her room and lock the door. Trying the knob as he pressed himself against the door, he found that he could not break the lock, nor open it with brute strength. As he gave up he sighed in dismay and ran his hand down the door.

"Aranel, laden en fen." He said as he pressed his ear against the door. "Law!" He heard her say; shaking his head he tried again. "Please, Aranel. Laden en fen." He said as he slid down and sat beside the door. "Im meleth le." He whispered as he pressed his hand to the door once more. Hearing Haldir's plea, Aranel couldn't help but start to cry, feeling a tug on her heart as he said every word.

It had been so long since she had heard his voice but Aranel remembered while he spoke, and she knew in her heart that it was indeed him. "How can you be alive?" She thought to herself as Haldir pleaded with her on the other side of the door. "Please meleth," he begged. As he spoke, all the emotions that had been quelled up inside of Aranel since the moment she saw him burst outward as she snapped back at Haldir.

"The Haldir that I love would not sit there on the floor begging to be let in the door like a dog! The Haldir that I love is strong and brave and does not beg for anything!" Hearing this, Haldir's eyes widened, for she spoke the truth. Right at this moment he was acting like a coward and that was something that Haldir the Marchwarden of Lothlorien was certainly not.

Rising from his spot on the floor, his face set in a hard expression; he backed up and kicked the door in with all his might. When he did this, the chair which Aranel had propped underneath the handle broke and flew across the room in pieces. As he burst in the room, Aranel gasped and backed herself up against the wall next to her bed.

But soon she found herself trapped between the wall and Haldir, who had drawn himself up to full height, and had a mixed expression of hurt, love, and anger on his face. Putting one arm on either side of her against the wall, Haldir leaned close to Aranel and found himself mere inches from her face.

"Don't you ever say that to me again Aranel. You may be the princess of Lothlorien, but you are still mine." And with that he quickly closed the distance between them and kissed her.

Aranel struggled against him for a moment before she realized that he was kissing her passionately but softly, holding her tightly but gently against his chest. As they broke apart, they looked into each other's eyes and Aranel whispered quietly, "Haldir." Smiling, he kissed her once again.

† † †

Elsewhere, the silver trumpets sounded as Faramir rode into the streets of Minas Tirith with his men, waiting for the moment that he would be reunited with his beloved elf. Little did he know that at this moment, she was in the arms of another falling onto her bed, locked in a warm embrace.