Not One Of You
By FlamingRebirth
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings.
"Speaking in Elfish."
*Galadriel speaking mentally to Haldir*
Chapter Two: Am I One of You?
"You have done well, young one." Glorfindel stated as he stood back and analysed Haldir's position. He had come a long way since a year ago. The elves trained him to move faster and strike harder. He felt a lot stronger as well and more confident, he walked with purpose. Glorfindel and Celeborn had after a few months permitted him to join a patrol with his brothers. It had done him much good. His brothers taught him the necessity of stealth and silence; he had learnt and done so well they had decided to have him become part of the patrol.
His training still continued, since he had many years to make up compared to the other elves that were trained when they were young. Celeborn and Glorfindel were finding it harder and harder to spot any faults but they still pushed him to his limits and kept him in top form. He was skilled in archery but he excelled in sword fighting and hand to hand combat. He was slowly but surely making a name for himself in the elfin community and had already made many allies.
But as much as he enjoyed having brothers and living in such a beautiful city, with such beautiful people, he missed home and his mother. He prayed daily for a way to return home. He knew his mother would be worried sick, terrified for her son. She probably thought he was dead like all those people that disappeared. If she followed his path to investigate would she have found the magic that bought him here? Would she have realised what had happened? But that bought up an even more important question. If she knew all about this world and his brothers why did she not tell him? Why did she leave him believing those kids words about him being a freak when she knew he was an elf? Why?
"Focus, Haldir." Celeborn scorned, bringing Haldir from his thoughts. "Now is not the time to lose yourself to you thoughts, young one. An enemy could have taken the opportunity to strike you down for that precious moment."
"Forgive me." Haldir replied in almost fluent elfish, he had mastered it only recently and he still struggled with some words, but Galadriel and the others now demanded he spoke it constantly to become used to it, which meant they spoke in elfish constantly as well, forcing him to listen to and speak the language. "I will not allow it to happen again." Celeborn nodded.
"It is not us that need to forgive; it is not us in danger from your distraction. If this was a real fight it would have cost you greatly child." Glorfindel replied.
"May I ask you a question?" Haldir asked.
"You may."
"Why do you refer to me as child or young one, when I am neither?"
The two elves glanced at each other and then chuckled in amusement. "But you are a child Haldir, you are little more than twenty summers, you have yet to reach your hundredth summer."
"Hundredth!" Haldir repeated in shock.
"You did not know?" Celeborn asked curiously.
"My mother never even told me of my brothers, or my elfin heritage." Haldir confessed.
"What? How can this be? What reason would she have to hide such things?" Glorfindel asked Celeborn in shock.
"I do not know and we cannot ask her." Celeborn replied, before turning to Haldir. "You are young, a mere child to most elves in this city and as such you are an extremely treasured member of our people. Why you mother tried to hide such secrets is not something I can answer, but be assured of this, young one and child are words of affection and care, we use them not to upset you." Haldir nodded. He had never felt offended more annoyed. But now he understood why they called him what they did.
"May we ask you a question, child?" Glorfindel asked. Haldir nodded. "When you first arrived you said being different was bad. What did you mean?"
Haldir froze, he had not expected that question, but perhaps he should have. "Where I come from only man exists. Elves are considered imaginary and legends. I was bullied by man for being different." He explained quietly.
"You lived in a well full of just men? No elves?" Glorfindel questioned, trying to confirm what he heard as truth.
"Yes, just humans and they dislike anything different. Including each other." Haldir explained. "My mother taught me to grow my hair and cover my ears, they stopped bullying me about my ears but then they bullied me about my hair and flawless face."
"Humans, they're so judgemental." Glorfindel scowled, angrily. "What else happened my child?"
"They judged me because I liked to learn." Haldir confessed, "They disliked me for my looks, my ears and my eagerness to learn." He explained very quietly, he felt much discomfort of confessing his weakness in front of the two warrior elves, when he dared look at their faces anger and disgust was written clear as day on their porcelain faces.
"Damn, those humans. What heartless creature judges one because of their eagerness to learn? That is pure cruelty!" Glorfindel suddenly snarled. "This is why humans are untrustworthy, Lord Celeborn. They outcast and bullied one of our own just for his desire to learn. That cannot be forgiven!"
"Yes, that may be true, but the humans he lived with are not the humans of this world Glorfindel. We cannot judge the humans of this world because of another world's race of humans." Celeborn answered diplomatically but Haldir could see his anger written plain as day. He turned towards Haldir and smiled gently. "You need not fear judgement here my child. We treasure all our children and love for all our children to share a desire to learn." He stated softly. "There will be no hatred here." Haldir nodded as Celeborn embraced him, Haldir found himself feeling like a child in their fathers embrace, it left a warm feeling it the pit of his stomach that made him smile softly.
"Your brothers and comrades will be ready to patrol soon. Perhaps we should adjourn your lesson for a later time." Glorfindel stated softly. Haldir glanced up into the sky and noticed how late it truly was, the bright sky was now turning a beautiful, dusky orange with hints of red, the trees were darkening, and the canopy now looked very similar to a cage, encasing the word below away from the brightness of the sky. To Haldir, it felt more like a loving embrace; the canopy held much of the cold winds back and kept the warmth of the glowing city in.
"Yes, we will be patrolling soon." Haldir replied. "My brothers will most likely be looking for me soon." He confessed with a light blush. All the elves seemed to be unofficial guardians, watching over him like hawks. He felt as if he was little more than a toddler taking his first steps in front of hundreds of witnesses. Initially he felt nothing more than embarrassment, but he eventually became amused and very grateful for the protection they offered. He felt incredibly comforted by the warmth that all elves greeted him with, the elves were eager to talk and listen. Haldir had also learnt much from many of the elves including crafts and self-care. One particular lady elf who he believed was called Gwen if he recalled correctly. She taught him about food preparation and cleaning his clothes in a nearby stream. She soon became a mother figure to him, she taught him about elfin society in a way he could truly understand and went on to teach him how to repair his clothes.
Another elf that had been extremely generous with his knowledge and caring nature was an elf who called himself Malion. He was part of Haldir's patrol and when Haldir had first joined, he took the young elf under his wing, as it were, and taught him everything he knew about camping and travelling in the wilderness.
"Well then it's best if we go bathe before they show up." Glorfindel stated bringing Haldir back to the present. He led them to the pool they always bathed in. They cooled down and relaxed before finally emerging a little while later and dressing. "Now young one, go and collect your weapons and prepare for the nights patrol. We will see you in the morrow."
"See you in the morrow." Haldir replied politely before racing back to his brothers and his tree-flat. He quickly negotiated the glowing staircase avoiding any elves that happened to be travelling up or down at the same time. The ease of which he negotiated the pathway clearly showed that he had memorised the route. He even went so far as to leap to large branches and make his way higher without having to walk. When he had first begun to do this, many elves were wary and amused. They eventually relaxed when they realised he was good at travelling the tree-tops and now they chuckled in amusement at his antics. He quickly reach the platform that lay in front of their tree-flat and pulled himself up. He barely glanced the glowing, white walls; he was very used to them by now. Instead he let himself into the building and entered his room to change into more suitable attire. He dressed in darker tones so that he would fade quickly into the darkness of the sky and canopy. He pulled his quiver over his head and under one arm, so it lay against his back. He then slipped the bow over his head as well so that the strong string lay against his chest. Once they were in place, he strapped his sword onto his left hip and secured his daggers against his lower back, where they would be covered by his cloak.
With this done he slipped out and travelled down the glowing pathway, he met his brothers who were coming from the large dining hall; no doubt they had just had dinner. The two greeted him warmly, falling into step beside him. The rest of the patrol was already there, Malion greeted him warmly before turning to the gathered elves. "The lady speaks of the elves of Rivendell. They have arrived to speak to her and her husband." He stated. "Haldir, Orophin and I will greet the elves the rest of you will remain in the canopy and watch for danger. Any questions?" When not one of the elves spoke, he nodded in approval and led them up into the tree canopy. The elves followed silently, making little to no sound. They moved with such speed and silence that Haldir wondered if other elves and humans thought them to be blessed with the speed and silence of the wind. They arrived quickly to the travelling elves that appeared oblivious to their arrival. Malion dropped down and greeted the elves. Haldir and his brother landed on either side of the older elf.
"Elrohir, Elladan let me introduce Orophin and his brother Haldir."
"Well met." The two elves stated simultaneously. Haldir swallowed nervously at the dark stares of the two elves. The two elves smirked identical smirks, glancing at each other with raised eyebrows. Haldir found himself in a difficult situation, he could not tell which twin was which, and both had pale skin, dark hair and eyes. Their skin was unblemished but they moved with skill and Haldir quickly recognised the skilled movements of an experienced swordsman. The elves grinned and approached slowly. "And may I assume that this beauty is Haldir, the new elf that we have heard tales of?" One twin asked curiously.
"You may." Malion answered. "Now, would you kindly follow me to see your grandmother and grandfather?"
"Of course, dear friend. I hope that Haldir will be joining us?" Haldir blushed slightly as the elves leered, shifting from one foot to another in discomfort.
"He is one of your escorts. I must ask you desist with your behaviour, I don't like seeing my elves in discomfort Elladan, Elrohir."
"We apologise sincerely, beautiful, we meant not to cause you discomfort." One of the elves stated bowing alongside his brother. Haldir sighed, much to their amusement. "Please, let us not hold this party up any further."
Malion chuckled and began leading the band of elves back to Lothlorien. Haldir glanced his brother out of the corner of his eye. The older elf was frowning at Elladan and Elrohir, his eyes daring them to try anything. The twins smirked, leering at Haldir who felt his face darken in embarrassment. In response Orophin glared harder, much to the twin's obvious amusement. Malion glanced over his shoulder with a small smirk amused at the scene evolving behind him. Haldir bit back a sarcastic comment, he could ill-afford to alienate the Lord and Lady's grandsons. The twins continued to stare, regardless of the glares that Orophin directed at them. Haldir continued to act oblivious, focusing on his objective which was to escort the flirtatious twins to their grandparents and then leave for their patrol as quickly as possible.
As they walked into the glowing city, one of the twins plucked up the courage to speak. "Beautiful." Haldir ignored them effortlessly. "Haldir?" The elf asked, Haldir glanced back and raised an eyebrow. "Will we see you later?"
"I've very much doubt so. I am currently on patrol." Haldir excused himself much to Malion's amusement.
The twins chuckled. "What about after patrol or in the morrow?" They asked.
"I have obligations to fulfil."
"Such as?"
"I meet Lady Galadriel every morning and train with Glorfindel and Celeborn for much of the day afterwards." He stated. "And then my evenings are taken up by patrol." He added, covering the majority of the day.
The twins frowned. "Let us hope that our paths may cross again soon." One stated with a leer and Haldir got the impression that they wanted more than that. He found himself glad his days were always fully booked or he may have found himself in the beds of the two elves. Instead of answering he turned his attention back to the stage that Celeborn and Galadriel greeted the visitors of Lothlorien. The two elves stood, practically glowing from the lights of the city and their own ethereal beauty, the smiles warmed the elves that saw them and the twins eagerly raced to embrace their grandparents. "Grandfather, Grandmother, it gladdens us to see you well!"
"It gladdens us also my children. What brings you to our fair city my children?" Galadriel warmly.
"We were eager to visit our grandparents, but we were intercepted by a creature of beauty."
"Oh? And what beauty if this that you speak of?" Galadriel asked, but she already knew the answer. Haldir shifted under her stare, blushing slightly.
"Hair so fair, I think it is gold, eyes so blue they put the sea to shame and a body so delicate and soft that I wish to run my hands over that glowing skin to feel it for myself." One twin replied.
"Now my children you must not be so eccentric, the elf of which you speak is only new to this world and such words do nothing more than cause him discomfort." Galadriel warned. She turned to the patrol party. "You may leave to continue your duties, thank you kindly for bring our grandchildren and their party to us safely."
"It was an honour, my lady and lordship." Malion stated bowing, the rest of the patrol bowed as well before following Malion back into the canopy. Haldir frowned at the amused stares of the other elves, but felt slightly relieved as Rumil and Orophin angrily bickered between each other, obviously angry at the twin's attention on their younger brother. Malion turned back and hushed them. "Remain focused young ones." He ordered before turning his attention back on the forest floor. Two elves split from their party and began destroying the signs that the twins and their band of elves had ever journeyed through the forest. The followed the trail until they reached the edge of the forest and all tracks had been hidden and erased. Malion praised the two elves and then led the way back into the forest.
They negotiated the tree tops with ease, bouncing from tree to tree. Watching the ground carefully until they came across a small group of deer. Malion signalled for the elves to split, he pointed to Haldir and Rumil, signalling for them to join him before telling the others to go and collect more food. The elves quickly leapt silently to the branches above and vanished in the canopy leaving Haldir, Rumil and Malion alone. Malion signalled for Rumil to head to the opposite side. Haldir moved over to the right, watching the deer quietly as Malion moved into place. The elder elf watched carefully until the saw a lame deer, he pointed to that particular one and Haldir glanced carefully at it, before approving, it had enough meat on it to keep the clan going and whilst it was lame, it was looking surprisingly healthy, but a lame animal wouldn't last long. The elves were going to do it a favour. Haldir glanced cautiously around and finally spotted an old female, he signalled that the doe was his to both the elves who nodded agreeably. Rumil spotted another healthy looking deer that looked a little worse for wear but otherwise was healthy. Once their targets were picked the elves pulled their bows off their shoulders and carefully notched their arrows taking aim. They waited silently for the perfect moment to strike. They had to time it right, so that all three let fly at the same moment because when one of the deer died the rest would flee. It took a slight while, but finally the three spotted perfect head and neck shots. They let the arrows fly and they hit with surgical precision. The deer fell without a sound startling the rest of the herd who instantly fled in fear.
"Well done, young ones. Perfect shots." Malion commended as he placed his arrow back over his shoulder. "Let's go collect our prey and see if our arrows were damaged in the process." Haldir nodded in agreement, moving to climb down the tree. He hoped his arrow wasn't too badly damaged, he did not yet know how to make an arrow himself and the elves taught him only to make arrows if he could not salvage his last arrows. They climbed down silently before landing on the soft ground. The elves walked over and claimed their prey. Haldir approached his deer and analysed the arrow. His arrow had struck the throat of the deer, instantly killing her. He said a silent prayer thanking her for her sacrifice and telling her that her death would feed the many. Then he silently focused on the arrow, he hoped it hadn't been jammed in the bone. With gentle, nimble hands he gripped the arrow and carefully moved the arrow trying to get a feel for the pressure inside. He smiled softly, it appeared he was fortunate the arrow hadn't struck any bone. Carefully he tugged the arrow out. It was slow going because he had to be extremely careful not to damage the arrow head of shaft. Finally he tugged it out and quickly cleaned it but he made a note to properly clean it later before placing it back in his quiver. With that done he turned to the body before him and picked it up, he place it over his shoulders so it sat on the back of his head with its two legs in each of his hands.
They walked back to Lothlorien aware that the other elves were following and covering their tracks although they could not see them. The elves only appeared once they were in Lothlorien; they each held a collection of herbs and birds. The citizens greeted them warmly and praised them on their well caught prey. It took a short while but they soon found themselves in a room at the back of the dining room. This was the room where they collected the meat, on one side was large woven baskets used to collect the bones. Before the bones were disposed the elves could go through them and collect those they deemed useful whilst the meat was cooked and prepared for the elves food. The patrol laid down their catches, but helped themselves to a part of the animal as a reward. Haldir quickly and efficiently collected the skin of the deer and a few of its rib bones before leaving his catch in the care of the cooks, who thanked him, kindly. Haldir sighed, accepting the thanks but he personally found himself very relieved that the patrol did not need to hunt regularly, It may be necessary but it pulled his heart strings when he had to fire at another living creature. He would never enjoy it like those pleasure hunters back in his old world.
Malion finally dismissed the patrol commending them for their good work, before disappearing himself. With a soft sigh, Haldir joined his two brothers and together they strolled into the dining building. The two elves stood protectively on either side of Haldir, causing Haldir to smile at their behaviour.
They walked in and quickly took a seat helping themselves to the food already on the table. "Why hello beautiful what a good thing it was that we decided to visit the dining hall this evening." Haldir froze his mouth on the rim of his cup. His two brothers glared at the twins as they took their seats across from them. Haldir swallowed at their hard stares, before turning his head away and drinking his drink with a dry throat. The elves around them stared with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Please tell us how your patrol went this fine evening?"
"It was well." Rumil replied politely. "We were able to collect fresh food for the morrow's meals."
"This is good news." One twin replied.
"Yes it is." Rumil replied, agreeably. "It was a fine catch, this night we found healthy animals who would eventually have fallen ill, by hunting them we have not only prevented their suffering but have also fed our people. It was a good night."
"Indeed. It was fortunate that you came across them when you did for you no doubt would have needed to hunt healthy animals that could have gone on to breed."
"Indeed." Orophin replied, softly. Any death is looked upon sadly, but unfortunately some deaths were needed for the survival of many.
"And is the forest safe this night?"
"The forest is safe, no orc or any creature or person of evil has dared enter Lothlorien for many life-times." Orophin replied.
"Then Lothlorien is of good fortune, then."
"Yes, no trouble has befallen us yet."
"Then this Is indeed good news." One of the twins stated thoughtfully. "Did this lovely beauty hunt alongside you?"
"Haldir," Rumil emphasized his name, "is one of our best." Haldir blushed at his brother's praise. "It is indeed he who took down a full grown deer with one shot to the throat. His aim is precise. He has done well since joining us little more than a year ago."
"A year!"
"Yes a year ago. Before that he lived among men." Orophin replied.
The twins turned to him in great interest. "Haldir, tell us more. How is it that you lived among men for so long? We knew so little, we heard you were new but to join the elves so recently! Your skill at speaking our words and living among us is such that we believe you to have been among the elves for many years!"
"I arrived little more than a year ago and absorbed everything I was taught." Haldir replied, uncomfortable with the twins focused on him so intently. "I lived among men because that was all I knew."
"He did not even know that we, the elves and his brothers existed until he appeared in the forest that night, a year ago." Rumil added.
The twins turned with a frown. "Please forgive us; we were not aware of your history so we behaved too hasty. We will withhold our interest until the time that you are ready to receive it." They stated seriously and sincerely. Haldir found himself at a loss. The elves were being completely truthful and serious for once and he was not sure how to receive it. What did they mean? That they would still be interested and would wait to flirt with him again? He was not sure but if he understood correctly that was what they meant. Haldir accepted their apology politely and the twins said no more, instead they talked deeply about the joys of the Lothlorien forest and their home in Rivendell.
That night found him wondering about the twins, whilst he was unsure of their attentions; they seemed to be truly sincere in their desire to learn about him. They talked about their desire to join him when he was practicing his bow and their hopes to teach him to ride. He had decided to withhold the fact he had experience with horses, simply because they spoke with such love and joy when they spoke of their elven horses. Haldir found himself eager to see these horses and perhaps ride, but yet at the same time he only desired his mare, Ishtar. When they had finally decided to call it a night the twins were still eagerly speaking of their horses, their home and their adventures. Haldir was fascinated by the tales, especially the enchanted water which the twins said with the proper call in elfin would take out any threat to Rivendell, perhaps one day he may visit Rivendell for himself and learn for truth for himself about the tales the twins sowed.
The next morning found him sitting with Lady Galadriel with two new guests. "My child, I have taken much thought about your education, all your teacher agree that you have learnt all we can teach." Galadriel began, smiling proudly at Haldir. "I believe that whilst you have learnt all we can teach you, there is still much you can learn. I have taken a long time to consider the options and I believe the rest of your education is better spent at Rivendell. That is if you wish to learn more or you can remain here and continue your duties."
"I desire to learn all I can, my lady." Haldir replied. The lady nodded obviously aware of Haldir's answer before he had even decided to reveal it.
"Then, my child, you may have my blessing to join my grandchildren on their journey home." Lady Galadriel stated with a small smile.
"Thank you, my lady." Haldir replied politely.
"It is my pleasure. Now that we have sorted that out let us continue with our lessons. You have come far and are now able to speak almost fluently to all elves but let us learn to speak it with the easiness of a natural speaker. Whilst you speak fluently you still find trouble making the right sounds when you speak. This will correct over time, no doubt but let us see if we can hasten the process." Haldir nodded at Lady Galadriels statement in agreement. "I have asked my grandsons to join us today so that they may aid us, in your learning."
"Okay, my lady." Haldir replied.
"Very well, let us begin with the alphabet once more. Elladan my child would you kindly say each letter of the alphabet. As he does so, I wish for you to try and copy the sounds as closely as possible and then we'll have Elrohir do the same and have you copy him. This way by copying them, I hope you can get more natural sounds. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my lady."
"Very well, let us begin." Galadriel signalled for Elladan to begin, the elf started slowly and Haldir copied as closely as he could, it soon became clear that why he could speak the language some of the letters he found difficult to get the right pronunciation. They sat like this for a few hours, each twin stating the alphabet with Haldir copying until he was finally able to get the accent without much thought, it wasn't perfect but speaking the language for almost a year made it easier to get as close to it as possible.
"Well done, Haldir." The three elves praised him, much to his pride and embarrassment. Lady Galadriel chuckled. "I believe Glorfindel still wishes to see you; perhaps you would permit for the twins to join you."
"I would not mind but perhaps Glorfindel may find their presence distracting." Haldir replied. "But I do not know for I am not Glorfindel."
"Indeed, then allow us to join you and find out from Glorfindel himself." One of the twins stated. Haldir nodded agreeably and led the twins to the training area where Glorfindel and Celeborn waited. "Is it alright if we join you grandfather?" One twin asked.
"You may. The more the merrier." Celeborn replied. The training went smoothly, having the twins as extra help, alongside his brothers when they arrived meant he learnt new tricks and skills. The twins were furious and skilled fighters, Haldir found himself re-evaluating what he had first thought. Yes they were flirtatious pranksters but they were also serious when they needed to be and skilled in a battle. Unfortunately when they had finished training, they all left to bathe in the pool and Haldir found himself with-holding a blush at the thought of sharing the water with so many other elves. He still remembered the baths and showers he had alone back in his own world and now he was struggling to become accustomed to sharing the water with others. Fortunately the bath was over quickly as his brothers and he had to report to Malion for patrol duty.
The further away from the pool and the twins, the more he felt relaxed. The twins had really knocked him off centre, he had been so focused on getting into the way of elfin life and finding away home he had not given much thought to true friendships and love interests. To have someone express their interests so obviously to him was a shock and a discomfort. And when the twins left for Rivendell he would be travelling with them. Could he really travel with the two elves that had knocked him off kilter? But he knew he needed this, he needed to learn of the world and find some way of returning home.
When the three of them arrived to the patrol group Malion immediately split them into two, telling the other group of elves that included Rumil and Orophin to search the west of the forest whilst they checked the east. Haldir easily slipped into the 'zone' following Malion with ease, he remembered the lesson that taught him to focus on his mission and his environment, so he absorbed every sound and sight looking for the slightest movement. They travelled quickly for many hours before something caught the corner of their eyes, the elves tensed and in seconds everyone had their bows ready and an arrow notched ready to fly. The elves relaxed however as a small group of wild horses trotted underneath them before disappearing into the forest. Haldir let out a silent breath, relaxing his body slightly but still kept his body ready for a fight. Malion allowed the elves to relax slightly before continuing on. Haldir followed moving with agility over the canopy, he stopped as he noticed something and whistled bring the elves attention to him. He signalled to the canopy floor as he watched movement hidden within the shadows. Malion landed beside him and watched the shadows with sharp eyes. The elves readied their bows and arrows, but lowered them in relief as a small scout group of Lothlorien elves stepped into the open, clearly heading back to the glowing city. Malion signalled for them to follow and clear the evidence that the elves had been there. Only once the elves were safely in Lothlorien with their tracks covered and erased did Malion finally lead them back to the canopy. The rest of the patrol was peaceful and the elves were unworried by the lack of activity because evil did not come near the sacred forest thanks to Lady Galadriel and her ring, Nenya. The patrol reunited and said their good nights and blessings for a good morrow before separating back to their abodes safe in the knowledge that the forest was untouched this night.
The following days passed with little mishap, the training went smoothly, with Haldir easily keeping up and fighting with even the most experienced fighters. Lady Galadriel was pleased with his accent and deemed that she had no more to teach him. The patrols went smoothly, since no true danger was present. They spent much of that time watching, waiting, hunting and protecting the city by escorting visitors and citizens, covering and erasing their tracks as they travelled. It was almost second nature to Haldir now, as he walked silently behind an oblivious group of elves he found himself absentmindedly erasing their footsteps by disturbing the ground with his foot or covering them with debris. He also took his place among the patrol with ease, he was always to the right, since he favoured his left that meant the angle would be of more comfort to him and easier for him to strike.
The day to leave with the twins and their band of elves arrived quickly, Haldir collected what he would need for the journey. The first thing he grabbed was one spare set of clothes, his phone and keys, then his weapons. Once they were secured, with his daggers hidden under his cloak, against his lower back he walked down to meet the Rivendell elves. His brothers wished him a good journey and regretted not being able to join him, the twins promised to take care of him with such serious expressions that Haldir found himself worried for the journey. Fortunately Glorfindel had also agreed to journey with them, so Haldir was not alone. Once all farewells were said the band walked out of the city and into the forest. Haldir did not see them or hear them but he knew the patrol was either behind them or above their heads, erasing the trail they would be leaving behind.
They walked for many hours, easily leaving the forest within a few of the hours. Even though the forest was massive, the elves moved with such efficiency and speed that they were able to clear many miles within a few hours. It had surprised Haldir to no end when he had first learnt this, living with humans all his life his pace had adapted to their speed it had taken the elves many months to teach him to move more quickly. Now however he easily kept pace with the twins who led the band into the open.
The open was a completely different environment to what he was used to. With much wider spaces, larger animals were abundant, he saw wild horses and deer, he had even seen animals he did not recognised like a giant hyena, at least three or four times larger than the ones he had seen on the nature programmes he had liked to watch. The elves steered well clear of the animal and Haldir followed suit. The hyena growled but did not attack, instead it disappeared into the treeline.
Finally as darkness began to fall the twins decided to stop. They found a small alcove cut into a sheer stone drop. The large mountain shielded them from the harshness of the wind and would most likely protect them from the worst of the rain. It had good hiding places, escape routes and good views, for perfect arrow shots. Once all three boxes were ticked the twins ordered a few of the elves to find fire wood, whilst they would hunt. Glorfindel asked them what they wished for Haldir and he to do, but the elves just asked them to guard the place whilst insuring there were no unwanted visitors such as venomous creatures and insects. Haldir nodded simultaneously with Glorfindel and instantly began to read the ground for any hints of tracks. By the time the Rivendell elves had returned Haldir and Glorfindel had found three snakes, six large spiders and a scorpion. The two elves carried them with great care to a place further away and released them. With the job done they had returned and watched carefully for the slightest signs of movement.
The Rivendell elves thanked them for their work before proceeding to set up a camp fire. The twins worked with the doe they had caught, readying a meal for the elves whilst Haldir climbed the side of the mountain to a small ledge high above the camp where he could watch for any approaching travellers, animals and danger. He sat there for some time, his hawk-like eyes easily peering into the darkness that was slowly falling upon them. Eventually a Rivendell elf climbed to his spot and told him that he should rest. Haldir nodded and easily made his way down to the gathered elves. After helping himself to the stew the elves had cooked, he pulled off his cloak and folded it into a small pillow, he laid his bow and quiver against the stone wall and kept his daggers and sword close by his pillow, ready if danger appeared during the night. With this done he laid down, worrying very little about the cold since the fire was close and hot enough to keep him warm and allowed himself to drift to sleep.
Haldir rose himself with little difficultly and immediately relit the fire for the still sleeping elves around him. Only Glorfindel was awake at present, leaning against the alcove wall sharpening an arrow tip with his knife. He nodded in gratitude before focusing on what he was doing. Haldir glanced around the gathered elves easily noticing one twin missing. He glanced up and sighed in relief as he saw the missing elf sitting above them on the small ledge, clearly on look-out duty. Haldir smiled before turning his attention to the rest of the elves. He sighed in quiet relief when he saw their eyes open, none of them had been harmed in the night or their eyes would have closed during sleep. Open eyes whilst they slept meant healthy elves, that had also been a surprise to Haldir when he had learnt that and he had been even more surprised when he was told that even he slept with his eyes open.
Dawn was fast approaching, ebony black had slowly turned to dark purple then dark blue until red and oranges slipped into the dark tones and began lighting up the sky for the new day. The darkness slowly, almost reluctantly released the world it had encased but it held determinedly to the shapes in the landscape created long shadows on the ground. The elves slowly began to rise as the sun gently roused them from their slumber, informing them with warmth that they darkness was fading and releasing its hold on them and their world. Haldir smiled and secured his weapons and cloak back into place as the elves stretched and re-equipped themselves for the long journey ahead. After eating some fruit and some of the left-over meat, which they had quickly cooked over the flames, they put out the camp fire and moved on.
It took almost a week, but they finally came across a large river. The Rivendell elves simply walked across it, Haldir and Glorfindel followed their lead. They made their way through the forest and gradually the most beautiful sight greeted them. It was a palace built into and onto a mountain. The walls were mostly white, like marble and the forms towered over the landscape below. They walked towards the main building at a quick space and Haldir found himself in awe of the scale of the building, due to its size it looked closer than it truly was. Eventually after a few hours walk they entered a courtyard, the ground had hardly any growth and looked to be regularly trampled, which made Haldir assume this was the main entrance and exit to the palace. A serious looking elf walked down the steps. His facial expression made Haldir think this man always frowned. Unlike the other elves he had met this one did indeed appear to be slightly more aged before his elfin side had paused his aging, perhaps the elf had stopped aging at forty or fifty?
"Ada!" The twins called racing to greet the aged elf. Haldir paused this elf was their father? He looked completely different to the twins, they looked like true elves with fair skin, long flowing hair and nimble bodies. The man had the long hair of an elf but his hair was brown and his eyes were of similar colour, not quite reaching the intensity his sons had and his face was slightly blemished by the wrinkles caused by constantly frowning and what appeared to be a mole of some sort. "We have arrived with two guests, Ada. May we introduce Glorfindel and the new elf, Haldir."
The old elf frowned and signalled for them to approach, which Glorfindel and Haldir did. He walked down the steps and glanced at Haldir closely. "Welcome Haldir and Glorfindel of Lothlorien. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He asked curiously, his voice was deep and very powerful, Haldir knew then that whilst this elf may be experienced with weapons, his greatest weapon was with his voice, he was no doubt a politician of some sort.
"My Lord Elrond, we have come here today to ask for your hospitality and your kindness. Haldir here has only recently joined us and we have taught him much. Now we wish for him to travel and learn more of his new world. Will you permit this, my Lord?" Glorfindel asked, bowing slightly.
"So this is the newcomer that arrived from the strange place?" Glorfindel nodded. Elrond frowned. "All the visitors have been man, where is it this elf came from? Every man we've met had known not of our existence."
"He hid what he is from the cruel judgement of man." Glorfindel explained. "Would you kindly help him become accustomed to this world?"
"If you, the Lord and Lady have taught him then there is not much to teach. But I will welcome him into the halls of Rivendell." Elrond answered. "Come, let us continue this conversation in a place of privacy, perhaps my office." Elrond turned to the gathered elves. "I will adjourn to my office with Elladan, Elrohir, Glorfindel and Haldir, the rest of you may return to your quarters and rest for the morrow." The elves bowed in gratitude and filtered from the courtyard as Lord Elrond led the into the building.
Haldir glanced around in wonder of the décor. The walls were mostly white but there were also creams and browns, the walls were decorated with tapestries and paintings. There were a few tables with decorative ornaments on them but mostly they held flowers. The closer the got to Lord Elrond's office the more protective the area got, they walked through several doors with two guards positioned at each. The guard elves barely glanced at them focused on their duties, but they did bow as Lord Elrond strolled through. Elrond signalled that the elves following him were welcome and they left the gathered elves be.
Elrond strolled into the room and walked over to a large, dark wood desk. Haldir would have said oak but he did not know what they called the trees in this world so he dared not to guess what the dark desk was made from. The old elf signalled for Glorfindel and him to sit down, which they did with no complaint. One of the twins sat at the edge of his father's desk whilst the other leant against a wall. "I hope you forgive me, Haldir but I must ask you tell me everything. I wish to know who you are exactly and how you come to be in our world."
Haldir flushed, he didn't really want to tell them anything, but Lord Elrond's face clearly showed him that he wouldn't appreciate not hearing Haldir's story. "What do you want to know?"
"As much as you can tell me, why was an elf in a world that so far appears to be elf-less."
"My mother can answer that better than me, but since she is not here I can only tell you what I have learned from the other elves." Elrond nodded in silent agreement. "Apparently my mother was one of the humans taken from their world and brought here. The elves took her in and she fell in love with an elf who I assume to be my father. I assume she had two boys before she had me, but before I was born or when I was young she somehow found her way to the human world."
"Wait, she found her way back?" Elrond asked in confusion. "That has been unheard of."
"Yet that is apparently what happened." Haldir replied. "But I do not know the true story. All I know is somehow she had intercourse with an elf and had me, whether I was born before she was taken or as she was taken I cannot be sure. All I know is that I was raised in a world full of humans."
Elrond hummed, "We know that this magic is a connection between our worlds, but perhaps by taking your mother back it was attempting to close itself? But then that leaves a problem if you're a half-elf alongside your brothers it brings me to question if that is what the magic is truly trying to do. Would it have taken your brother too or perhaps it is taking the humans back and leaving the half-elves behind. Tell me more. I wish to know more of your world."
Haldir frowned slightly. "I am unsure how to tell you of my world, because I do not know how to explain it in terms that you would understand. But Lady Galadriel once said that the people who live in my world, live among magic but we do not acknowledge it as magic."
"Magic?"
"I fear I cannot explain, once I would have shown you an object I have on my person which I deem of great value but it is little more than an object now and does not possess the magic that I wish to show you."
"May I see this object anyway, child?" Elrond saw Haldir frown. "I promise not to take this object of great value, I only wish to get a sense of your world." Haldir nodded hesitantly and handed over his phone. Elrond glanced at it with great interest. "The material is hard, yet flexible and warm, yet cold. It is a strange feeling. I wonder what those lumps on it are. They seem to be flexible. Are those white marks your written language? What is this shiny surface?"
Haldir chuckled at the Lord's enthusiasm. "The flexible lumps are called buttons and when their pressed the white marks make the self-same mark appear on the shiny surface."
"So you press the written word to write the written word?" The lord asked in confusion.
Haldir chuckled in amusement. "It is a lot more complicated than that, but unfortunately it is not something I can easily explain. You see those written words are the alphabet, they don't spell a word but when pressed in a certain order they do create a word."
"Why would you need to write written word on a thing like this when you can write by hand or talk to the person?"
"Humans on my world are so widespread there are few places of wilderness left and even those few places are slowly being destroyed because their growing population. Because humans are so wide spread across the whole world, it is difficult to travel and speak to the people we wish to speak to. This object would have allowed me to quickly contact someone on the other side of the world within seconds."
"The other side of the world? How?"
"I cannot explain that." Haldir replied, much to the Lord's obvious disappointment. "All I can tell you is that the world is so crowded with humans that they had design faster ways to communicate to match the increasing population and this is the result."
"Tell them why you hid your ears." Glorfindel added.
"You hid what you were, why?"
"Humans are so wide spread but they are filled with such hate. They hate homosexuals, they hate religious people and they hate things they do not understand. I once came across a religious man that thought that because his friend was masturbating to porn meant he was possessed by a demon."
"Porn?"
"Images of naked people, mostly women." Haldir replied. "They hate each people who look different with such a passion that I, with my pointed ears, pure skin, long blonde hair and desire to learn made me a perfect target. They verbally abused me and as a result I took to hiding my ears and I stayed away from them."
"Ah child, no wonder you were so out of sorts when you arrived." Glorfindel stated. He turned to Lord Elrond. "He did not even know how to move as an elf he walked as a human and could not even fight until we taught him. I thought it was fortunate he had come to us when he did."
"Indeed. What have you taught him?"
"We taught him the elfin language and how to fight. He became a valued member of the Lothlorien patrol. However we feel that whilst we've taught him all we can, we believe there is still much for him to learn. That is if you are willing to teach him."
"I am. In the morrow I will take all four of you down to the courtyard and see for myself what you have learned. My sons can teach you how to ride and I will teach you the history of our people and our world. For now however you shall rest. You've had a long journey and need to become accustomed to a new place." Lord Elrond stated gently. "Come, I will lead you to your new quarters." With that said Elrond stood and lead them back out of the office. "Do not fear that you need to learn the passage ways immediately, Haldir. I will send an escort to your room this evening to take you to the dining hall."
"Thank you, Lord Elrond." Haldir replied politely.
"There is no need to apologise, young one it would be rudeness in my part to leave you without an escort when you do not know the hallways in which you walk." Lord Elrond replied sincerely. Haldir smiled, he was learning to like the elf. He was stern but he was also a perfect gentleman for his guests. The elf led them around several corridors and up several staircases before he finally pulled to a stop. "This room will be for your Glorfindel and the next shall be for you Haldir." The elf opened the door for Haldir to enter his quarters, which the young elf did. He glanced around cautiously and smiled. It was indeed a beautiful, a lot larger than his room back at Lothlorien. There was a welcome mat at his feet. There was a dark oak writing desk against the wall to his left with a small doorway hidden in the corner. On the right side was the most beautiful sight, the hard brick floor rose up into a platform and on top of the platform sat a kingside bed. On the floor were fur mats to protect the person sleeping on the bed from getting cold feet from the stone floor. "I hope this is to your liking?"
"It is perfect, thank you Lord Elrond."
"It is my pleasure. I will leave you to settle and see you at dinner." The Lord dismissed himself leaving Haldir alone in the exquisite room. It was fit for a king. He strolled over to the bed and removed his pack from his back; pulling out his spare clothes he opened the bedside table drawer and placed his clothes inside. He pulled off his cloak and lay that on the edge of the bed and sighed, relaxing for the first time since they had left for Rivendell. He walked over to the writing desk interested in what it held; he opened one of the drawers and cocked his head at the quills and ink pots. The second drawer held some strange paper but Haldir was sure it was not called paper in this world. He wondered why they included this desk inside their guest chambers; perhaps they had political visitors as well?
He glanced curiously at the other door which he assumed to be a bathroom of some kind. When he entered he found that it was indeed a bathroom, there was a beautiful bath-tub sat in the centre of the room, sitting on a large rug of some kind, it was empty at the moment and Haldir found himself unsure about how it worked. There was also a familiar seat and bowl of water in a smaller room off to the left side of the room.
He wandered back out and approached the bed again. He sat on the edge of the bed and gasped in please surprised and he sunk into the soft materials. He smiled and removed his weapons and boots. He had a little while before it was time to dine and he was eager to sleep on this beautiful bed. With his decision made, he climbed in and relaxed into the warm material. He felt surrounded by warm, clouds and soon he was lulled to sleep by the soft caress of the sheets and quilts.
"Sir?" Haldir immediately sat up his hand reaching for his dagger as he faced the elf that he disturbed him. The young elf flushed as he was confronted with an anxious Haldir. His light blue eyes staring warily at the blade pointed towards him. Haldir absentmindedly noticed the long brown hair and rich fabrics draped around him. Even servants were treated well! He returned his attention to the elf as the elf nervously spoke. "Forgive me, I am Thorn. I was sent to escort you to the dining hall. If you wish I will tell the Lord you were unable to make it."
Haldir frowned, out of sorts for a short moment, before he remembered where he was. "No, no, I will go down to the dining hall. You should have knocked, I could have hurt you."
"I did not sir, when you did not answer after three tries I was worried something may have happened, you did not awake at first but I soon realised it was because you were sleeping."
"I apologise I am normally a light sleeper."
"There is nothing to apologise for sir. You've had a long journey and needed the rest. If you wish it I will inform the Lord that you wish to miss this evening's dinner."
"No, it is fine. I am hungry anyway." Haldir replied as he pulled his boots on and placed his weapons back into before pulling his cloak back on. "Would you kindly escort me to the dining hall?"
"Of course, sir." Thorn replied. The young elf lead him through the maze of hallways, Haldir tried to memorise the pathway and all the objects and tapestries in the hopes of remembering the direction he would need to take to return to his room. Haldir heard a sound from a distance, he could not place it for a moment but as Thorn and him got closer he could hear the familiar vibrations of voices, there was a rather large gathering and Haldir immediately realised that it was the dining hall where all the elves and their guests have gathered for the evening meal. The elf lead him down two grand staircases and around several corridors before they finally came upon a large oak door, the door was slightly ajar, no doubt having been accidently left open by either an elf leaving or arriving for the meal. Thorn led him through the door and guided him up to the main table where Lord Elrond, a female elf, the twins and Glorfindel waited chatting amongst themselves. Haldir blinked at the vast amount of elves gathered, it was amazing how little you saw of the elves until gatherings such as this. The noise was very loud as elves caught up with each other and chatted happily amongst themselves. Haldir felt much discomfort being in a huge, crowded and noisy place such as this and was tempted to leave. Unfortunately they had already arrived at the main table. Glorfindel patted a spare seat whilst thanking Thorn for bringing Haldir to him.
"It's okay, Haldir. Just relax and eat." Glorfindel whispered, smiling encouragingly. The Lothlorien elves had soon learnt his dislike for crowds when he had avoided the dining hall for many days and not reported for duty for many nights. His brothers had rushed to Galadriel when he had become ill from stress and anxiety. The lady had counselled him for many months until he was able to eat comfortably in the crowded dining hall, but it still caused him much discomfort. Haldir nodded his response to Glorfindel's statement whilst quietly focusing on the food in front of him as he listened to the twins argue with who he eventually worked out was Arwen, their sister.
Dinner pass with relative ease, other than the fact the dining hall was tightly packed and the elves were chatting simultaneously to each other creating a loud environment. Haldir was very relieved when Lord Elrond himself escorted him back to his room. The Lord bid fair well and told him he'd see Haldir in the morning. When the Lord vanished round the corner, Haldir entered his room shutting and locking the door behind him before staring longingly at the bed. He quickly strolled over pulling his cloak; he laid it at the end of his bed and then removed his daggers. He slipped his daggers beneath his pillow and placed his sword, bow and quiver against the wall nearby to him by the head of the bed. With everything within easy reach he pulled of his boots and climbed into the comfortable bedding. Once he was in its soft embrace sleep came easy to him.
When he awoke the next morning, he had had a good night and felt ready enough for the gruelling day ahead. He had no doubt that the Lord Elrond and the twins would push him to his limits to see how much he had truly learnt. He sighed quietly, not sure if he was prepared for a long day of training, but he pulled himself to his feet anyway. He walked towards the bath room intending to head to the hidden wash room, but instead he came across the servant Thorn pouring fresh, hot water into the bathtub. The elf blinked at Haldir standing in the doorway. "Ah! Forgive me, sir. I was just filling out a fresh bath for you sir before I awoke you, but alas you woke yourself."
"It is of no matter, my friend. It is actually a rather welcome sight." Haldir confessed as he stepped in the room.
"Do you wish for me to remain and aid you?" Thorn asked as rushed around Haldir trying to make everything perfect.
"No, I am quite fine, thank you." Haldir replied. Thorn nodded, handing Haldir a few large clothes obviously meant to be towels. Haldir placed them by the bath tub before heading back into his bed chamber and collecting his spare clothes. Once he placed them safely on a table set against the wall. He strolled into the wash room and relieved himself before returning to the bath, he cautiously tested the water to make sure it was still hot and sighed in relief as it turned out it was. He easily stripped and slipped into the water, breathing a small sigh of relief at the comforting warmth of the water. He closed his eyes and just for that short moment imagines himself at home with his mother and riding Ishtar through the green fields and dark, pleasant forests. For just this short moment the water was magic and the dreams he disillusioned himself with were real. But alas, when he opened his eyes, his dreams would shatter and the overwhelming feel of despair filled him at the sight of the medieval environment of which he was now the centre of.
With a deep, sorrowful breath he sat up straighter and cleaned himself quickly and efficiently, stubbornly forbidding himself to dream, just for the illusions to be cruelly shattered when he opened his eyes. Once he was finished, he forcefully rose from the rapidly cooling water and stepped out, wrapping himself in one of the soft towels. He sighed again as he stared at the stone walls, he was driving himself crazy with such thoughts and dreams of going home. He knew he was going home, he would find away but until then such thoughts only hurt. He had to focus on learning and surviving.
With his mind set he finally dried himself off and pulled on his fresh set of clothes. Haldir walked out of the room and strolled over to the bed. He pulled his daggers out from under the pillow and stared quietly at the dangerous weapons in his hands. He wondered to himself if he would need to take a life on his journey to return home. He could not even imagine such a choice but the elves spoke as if it was to happen. Would his desire to return home turn him into a murderer?
"Sir." Haldir flinched at how close the voice was; he turned and met Thorn's eyes with his own sad ones. The elf looked confused at the look. "Would you like me to take your clothes to be washed whilst I clean out your bath?"
"Yes, please."
"Sir, forgive me for speaking out of turn but when I see you staring so sadly at the daggers, I wonder what it is that upsets you. Perhaps if you spoke of what saddens you, it will not bring you down so. I am a good listener and I will not speak of what you have told me."
Haldir froze and then gently smiled at the elf. "No, I am fine, my friend. I am just in deep thought. I apologise for worrying you with such trivial matters."
"They are not trivial if they upset you so, but I will not pry, sir." Thorn stated quietly with a small smile before wandering into the bath chamber. He emerged with Haldir's old clothes, placing them on the desk to take with him when he left.
Haldir was not quite sure how to react from such compassion from a complete stranger. He wanted to take offence but he found himself more concerned about the fact his feelings showed. He couldn't bring the elves attention to himself. He would have to be more careful about when he decided to reminisce or think, especially since Thorn being a servant designated to him, welcomed himself in without Haldir's permission. He sighed quietly and put the daggers into place before doing the same with his sword. He pulled on his cloak and secured his quiver and bow over his shoulder before turning to face Thorn. "Thorn, do you know when Lord Elrond will be arriving to escort me to the courtyard I heard him speak of at our last meeting?"
"The courtyard? Ah, you must speak of the training courtyard. I believe that Lord Elrond will most likely be here before breakfast, if not I will escort you to the food hall if that is what you wish."
"I will wait to see when Lord Elrond appears." Haldir replied.
"Very well sir, I will wait until you've actually left with Lord Elrond before I continue my duties."
"You don't need to."
"I am happy to sir."
"Thank you." Haldir replied in shock, he was amazed that this elf who he hardly knew had chosen to stay just to keep him from being alone or perhaps Lord Elrond had ordered the elf to keep an eye on him. With a small sigh, he nodded and sat at the edge of the unmade bed.
A few moments later a firm knock on the wooden door echoed through the room, Thorn opened the door and immediately bowed to the elf. "Welcome Lord Elrond."
"Thank you, Thorn." Lord Elrond replied before focusing on Haldir. "Are you ready?"
"I am."
"Then let us head down for breakfast and then we will head to the training courtyard." Lord Elrond stated as he stepped back through the door, he turned to check Haldir was following before strolling purposefully down the hallways. "So, Haldir. Glorfindel speaks highly of your skill with a blade and bow but I wish to hear from you, what you have learned. Will you tell me?"
Haldir nodded in agreement. "I have learnt much since I arrived in Lothlorien, my Lord. Lady Galadriel taught me how to speak elfin and Lord Celeborn and Glorfindel taught me fighting techniques and self-defence. I remember many lessons where I was trained to the brink of exhaustion and lectured on the techniques I should use if I was in a real battle."
"I look forward to seeing the skills you have gained by such training. Glorfindel is a particularly a skilled fighter." Lord Elrond stated. "But let us leave this talk for later." He stated as he opened the door for the dining hall. Haldir entered at Lord Elrond's wish and relaxed at the sight of a half empty hall. He took a seat at the main table besides his tutor, Glorfindel who smiled as he continued his conversation with one of the twins, but of course Haldir was still not able to tell who was Elladan or Elrohir. The twins greeted him with soft smiles, pushing a small bowl filled with fruits towards him. Haldir nodded politely taking a couple of pieces of fruit with a small smile. He helped himself to a few more and a few slices of bread, but ate no more as he had not the stomach for it. Glorfindel and the twins noticed with a frown but did not speak of it as they finally pushed away from the table and left the dining hall.
Haldir followed at a sedate pace, walking beside Lord Elrond as the twins walked rapidly ahead of them with Glorfindel following them at a slower pace but he was still much faster than Haldir and Lord Elrond.
The courtyard was a rather nice area. It was a large field, with more than enough space for at least a hundred elves to train. Other than the trees surrounding the training courtyard and the archery targets sat at one end, there was little else other than a beautiful green field. Glorfindel wandered to the centre of the field and fisted his hands, setting himself into a fighting stance. His hard blue eyes stayed resolutely on Haldir. Haldir nodded at the challenge and readied himself. Both warriors nodded in respect before moving rapidly into action. Glorfindel immediately went into the attack, forcing Haldir to defend himself, avoiding the strikes rapidly. He hardly felt himself touch the ground as he moved like the wind to strike when he had the perfect opportunity and avoiding when he didn't. He danced around his opponent, ducking, jumping and diving until he finally kicked Glorfindel's feet from under him and immediately straddled the elf and securing his hand around the elves throat. The elf chuckled and conceded. Haldir jumped back with a perfectly executed backflip, landing outside of Glorfindel's striking range. The two elves nodded and stepped back away from each other.
"Well done, you have very good manoeuvrability." Lord Elrond commended. "Now let's see you with a blade."
Glorfindel nodded in agreement pulling out his daggers. Haldir followed swinging his daggers into position. The two elves bowed before charging each other. Blades clashed and slid against them with force as they attempted to strike but were blocked. Distorted lights twinkled between them as they ducked and dived, neither of them getting the upper hand. Haldir ducked and rolled out of the way, kicking and slashing in defence. Glorfindel tried to get multiple strikes but Haldir skilfully blocked and then with surprising accuracy Haldir struck Glorfindel's blade by the handle forcing the elf to release the blade, his other blade blocked Glorfindel's strike with his last blade but his foot easily slipped around the elf's ankle kicking it out from under him. The elf fell but managed to pull his blade back and rolled safely away but he called out that he conceded. Haldir agreed and after Glorfindel had sheathed his blades, did he sheathe his.
"Again, that was a surprising show of skill." Lord Elrond complimented. "And now let us see your skill with the bow. Try to get dead centre on the targets."
Haldir pulled his bow from his shoulder and took an arrow from his quiver. He placed the arrow in the centre of the bow and held the feathered end just behind the taut string. He pulled it back and focused on the centre of the target. With a slow breath he released the arrow and watched it fly to the target. It hit the dead centre of the target with ease. He then focused on the last two and pulled two arrows out. He angled them just right, after analysing how fast they would move and in which direction. With a few small breathes he pulled the string taut and let the arrows fly. The hit in the dead centre mark, slightly off angle with the centre.
"Amazing accuracy." One of the twins muttered.
"I am not sure what it is you wish for us to teach, he has skill with a bow, daggers, hand-to-hand combat and I very much doubt that sword is for show. The only thing I can offer is the history of this world and its races. My sons can teach you how to ride a horse."
"I would be eager to learn whatever you have to teach me, my Lord." Haldir answered, quietly.
Lord Elrond glanced at Haldir in consideration before nodding his agreement. "Very well, I will teach you our history and my sons will teach you about our horses and how to ride. In fact this morning is a perfect opportunity for you to be acquainted with the horses, they are being bought back in from pasture and I am sure you will find a horse of which you can bond with."
Haldir frowned at that word. 'Bond' the only horse he was bonded to was Ishtar, but if he was truly stuck in this strange new world, he knew he would need a horse. He nodded agreeably to Lord Elrond's suggestion and followed the twins down the hillside. A large white building sat nestled in between a large orchard and more of these beautiful fields. Even from afar the building was a symbol of elegance and beauty, Haldir doubted that it was the stable, yet the familiar sight of bay and black coloured horses and their keepers was hard to miss. Even the horses were treated like kings! He could well believe the many stories told about the generosities of the elves for he himself could see it clear as day!
As they got closer, Haldir felt his heart grow fonder at the animals before him. They danced on their hooves, thin, yet muscular and nimble legs shivered with energy. Their bodies whilst full and round were also streamline and beautiful! Their heads were fine, with eyes that expressed delightful curiosity and intelligence, their small, soft noses sniffed and nibbled the elves that were nearby or handling them, eagerly greeting and interacting with their two legged friends. Their size was astounding as well because from a far they looked small and dainty but up close Haldir certainly felt the power that danced beneath their skin.
Haldir glanced around the horses at awe about how gentle they were to the elves and the other horses around them. Dark, intelligent eyes met his and the two beings stared at each other. Haldir was not sure what was happening. He merely meant to glance at the elves and the horses yet he felt inexplicably drawn to this one creature. The animal watched with curious, yet intrigued eyes. Its pale white nose moving forward as it sniffed the air. Its grey hooves took smaller steps closer until it was not far from him. It whinnied, raising its three toned legs and waving them in a sort of dance. Haldir watched in quiet amazement as the stallion, literally chose him.
It was a beautiful specimen, its body was a dark bay, which darkened into a black down its legs and finally into white above its grey hooves. Its face was bay also but once more it darkened to black. Its white facial mark started as a small star which thinned to a line before widening out and engulfing its muzzle. The horse reared one again and swung its head flicking its black mane and tail. It was now with in touching distance and Haldir cautiously stroked its muzzle, it waffled in pleasure eagerly sniffing its new partner.
"It seems this stallion has chosen you." One of the twins stated quietly, obviously nervous about breaking the special moment between a new horse and rider. "What will you name him?"
"Doesn't he have a name?"
"We give them temporary names until they bond with their rider. This one's name is Breeze because he moved like the wind and avoided coming in when we called. But he is for you to name now."
"I'm not sure." Haldir replied, overwhelmed by how complete he felt. He could literally feel the warmth from this horse as it stared at him with trust, its delicate muzzle in his hands. "Would I be able to name him later?"
"Yes of course, young one." Glorfindel replied placing a gentle hand on Haldir's shoulder. "Come, how about we put 'Breeze' inside for a little while and come back in a little while. Elladan and Elrohir can teach you about the horses and tack until you're ready to deal with your stallion." With that said, one of the twins slipped a halter around the horses head and lead him away to the stable. Haldir found himself herded by the remaining twin and his tutor to a small room at the back of the stable.
Glorfindel handed him a cup of water which he took gratefully. With a small, quiet sigh he drank and wondered what he should do. Could he abandon this world now he was bonded to a horse? What about Ishtar, should he abandon her for this stallion? Should he abandon mother for this stallion?
What should he do?
A/N:
Wow, chapter two has really pushed me on, I've written 21 pages which is about 12000 words. I want to say thank you to Kelral Orlyana for asking some good questions which I hope I've answered in this chapter and I also want to say a special thank you to Ask-Stories who has been an amazing supporter for me and my story. Thanks guys!
That religious man that hated his friend 'jacking off' to porn was actually a true experience, he even 'exorcised' his friend of that evil. Yes, he thought his friend was possessed by a devil because he liked to have fun with porn. Crazy.
I made a lot of names through this chapter that are NOT real elven names, I made them ALL up. As for Haldir's new horse name, well I thought I'd give you a chance to name him. I so far have been suggested amigo or amigose.
Name suggestions and reviews go right here
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