An Interlude

Dúvainiel was running through the massive mallorn trees of the Golden Wood. Her long brown hair flowed behind her as she dodged in and out, laughing as she ran.

"There she is, Rumil!" she heard Orophin's voice.

She hid behind a smaller tree and looked up. The branch was low enough, so she jumped as high as she could and grabbed on, and then pulled herself up, ripping her dress a little as she stepped on the skirt. She climbed higher, until the green leaves mostly hid her, and then laid on the branch and looked down at the forest floor. She could just make out the top of a blond head between the leaves as someone stopped under the tree.

"Where did she go?" Rumil's voice drifted to her ears.

"Dúvainiel?" Orophin called.

"Dúvainiel come on, this isn't funny," Rumil said seriously. "Haldir is going to kill us if we don't find her."

The brothers had been elfling-sitting, a charge Haldir rarely trusted them with. Today, however, Lady Galadriel had called for Haldir, and he had had no other choice but to leave his baby sister in the care of their brothers.

Dúvainiel giggled again, and Rumil jerked his head upwards. She became silent and still, and watched as her brothers whispered to each other briefly, and then left her line of sight.

"I guess she ran away," Orophin said sadly.

"Yes, I guess so," Rumil agreed. "And I was finally starting to like having her around."

Dúvainiel frowned at her brothers' words. She listened carefully as their footsteps got further away.

"Poor Haldir. I believe he was quite fond of her."

Dúvainiel pulled herself into a crouching position, then began to climb down the tree. When she got to the final branch, she stopped to listen once more for her brothers. Hearing nothing, she jumped to the ground.

"Got you!" Rumil said as he jumped out from behind the tree and grabbed Dúvainiel's arm.

"Rumil, that's not funny!" Dúvainiel cried. "You scared me!"

"How do you think we felt when you ran off like that and hid from us?" Orophin asked.

"I was only playing with you. I was going to come home," the little elleth replied.

"Of course you were. While we were out looking for you, you were going to return home and wait for Haldir to get home, and then get us into trouble."

Dúvainiel crossed her arms at her chest, "No I wasn't." She looked from Rumil to Orophin and back again, but could tell neither of them believed her. They were both too used to her mischievous ways.

"Come on," Orophin said. "If we hurry, we can get back before Haldir."

The three siblings sprinted through the forest, back to their home, racing to see who would get there first. Orophin came crashing through the door first.

"I win!" he cried.

"Ooof!" came a sound from Rumil, who ran into Orophin, who had stopped just inside the door. Dúvainiel then crashed into Rumil, causing Orophin to lose his balance and the three of them fell to the floor.

"No fair, you're older!" she laughed. Dúvainiel looked up and saw Haldir sitting at the table, looking at the mass of his siblings with an expression of disdain. "Haldir, you're home!" The little elfling picked herself off her other brothers, and ran over to her eldest sibling, whom she looked at as though the sun and the moon rose and set on. She threw herself into his lap and hugged him tightly.

"Just where have you been?" Haldir asked the group. Rumil and Orophin had picked themselves up off the floor, and looked at Haldir sheepishly. Haldir in turn, looked at Dúvainiel. "What did you do?" he asked her.

Dúvainiel shrugged her shoulders and looked innocently at Haldir, then at Orophin and Rumil. "We were just playing hide and seek," she said as she looked back at Haldir.

Haldir gently pushed his baby sister off his lap and stood up.

"Thank you for watching her," he said, addressing Rumil and Orophin. They needed no further dismissal from their brother, and both breathed a sigh of relief as they turned and fled the talan.

Dúvainiel giggled as she watched the siblings make their escape, then she looked at Haldir, who was looking at her skeptically.

"You're quite a mess, young lady," he told her, caressing a spot of dirt on her cheek. "And you've torn another dress!"

Dúvainiel looked down at the torn skirt. "Well, if you wouldn't make me wear them, then I wouldn't tear them, Haldir," she tried to reason.

"Dúvainiel," he said after a sigh. "I've been to see the Lady." He walked over to the water basin and pulled a cloth off the shelf next to it. He dipped it in the water and returned to his sister, where he began cleaning the smudges off her cheeks. "Your days as a carefree wild elfling are over, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean, Haldir?" she asked, her brown eyes wide.

"Your education is about to begin. The Lady, and other elleths, will soon begin to teach you the lessons you will need as you become an adult, Little One."

She scrunched her nose up at the thought.

"Now, now, don't be that way. You're going to be learning new things along side other elleths your age, like Bara and Gwenel."

She knew now what lessons he was speaking of. All those feminine things, like sewing and cooking and such.

"But Haldir, I don't want to," she put her lip into a pout that usually worked on him.

"I'm sorry, Little One. It's time for you to become a Lady, like Nana."

"But you promised to teach me how to use a bow!" she cried.

"And I will," he insisted. "But 'lady lessons' come first."

Dúvainiel scrunched her nose again, and Haldir laughed. He ruffled the hair on top of her head. "Poor Little One," he said. "I don't envy you."

"I don't want to be a stupid lady. I want to be a warrior like you!"

"I'm sorry, Little One. Young elleths aren't warriors," he told her. "It's an ellon's job to protect his family."

Dúvainiel rolled her eyes. "I can too," she insisted. "I want to be like you, and Rumil and Orophin!" Tears now formed, and spilled down her cheeks. "It's not fair!" she wailed.

"But I already told you I would teach you how to use a bow," he tried to reason with her.

Still wailing, he could hardly understand her next sentence, "But that's not the same!"

"Don't you want to be like Nana?" he asked.

She shook her head furiously, and he began to get frustrated with her stubbornness. "Well I'm sorry," he said, "but you have no choice. You're going to become a Lady."

Dúvainiel balled her fists and jerked her arms, "I hate you! You're always so mean to me!" She stomped past him and into her room, and slammed the door. She threw herself on her bed and wailed into her pillow, until she calmed down to a sob, and finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

Some time later, she woke up and her eyes focused on a feminine face. Her head was laying on a lap and someone was running fingers through her hair.

"Do you feel better, Dúvainiel?" Galadriel asked.

Dúvainiel sat up and looked away from the Lady.

"My Lady," she said softly.

"I'm going to tell you a secret, Dúvainiel."

The younger elleth looked at the older one with interest.

"Some day," she whispered secretively, "you will be a great warrior."

"I will?" Dúvainiel smiled. "How?"

The Lady smiled serenely. "You will also be a great Lady," she said.

Dúvainiel's brows furrowed in confusion. Could she be a warrior and a Lady at the same time?

"I've informed Haldir," Galadriel said, "that in your spare time, you should be taught the ways of an elf warrior. You will learn archery, swordplay, and horseback riding, as well as healing, which you will also learn from me. As head strong as you are, I doubt any of us could keep you from it anyways."

"Orophin says I'm stubborn like Haldir," Dúvainiel said with a slight grin.

"Yes, and also your father," the Lady of the Wood replied. She put a hand under Dúvainiel's chin. "But you look just like your mother."

A sadness swept across both of them, and Galadriel patted Dúvainiel's hand.

"I will see you tomorrow morning," she said as she stood up and glided out of the room.

Dúvainiel got up from the bed and left the room to search for Haldir. He was in the main room, shutting the door after the Lady.

"Haldir?" Dúvainiel started, as she looked at the floor. "I'm sorry."

"I accept your apology, Little One."

She looked up to see him looking at her with amusement. She walked over to him, and hugged him tightly.

"You're my favorite brother, Haldir," she said as she squeezed him around the waist. "I don't hate you."

"I know you don't," he murmured, running his fingers through her tangled hair.

"I love you," she said, still squeezing. "We'll always be together, just you and me."

He laughed at her words as he pulled away, "You'll change your mind some day. When an ellon comes along and catches your eye, you'll leave your old brother behind and have a life and family of your own."

"Never," she grinned at him.

"Never is a long time, Little One." She rolled her eyes playfully. "Now come eat. Let's talk about your little adventure this afternoon with Rumil and Orophin."

Six months later, Dúvainiel had already learned many things about being a Lady and many things about being a warrior. She could sew a straight stitch, she could bake lembas, and most importantly to her, she could hold a bow correctly.

Today, however, was the most exciting day for her so far, because she was going to get to wear leggings and learn to ride a horse.

She was up before the sun, and before any of her brothers. She changed out of her night clothes and into the new riding clothes Haldir had given her the night before. She could barely eat breakfast because she was so excited. Finally it was time, and the four of them headed down to the stables. Haldir had picked out a nice bay mare for Dúvainiel, and he patiently taught her how to put on the saddle and tack.

For the next few hours, Haldir made her walk around the forest, leading her horse, Sirdail by the reins.

"Haldir?" she asked for probably the hundredth time. "When can I get on her?"

All three of her brothers were mounted and riding alongside her as she walked.

"All right," Haldir finally said. He stopped his horse and got off, then held the reins of Sirdail as Dúvainiel mounted. He handed her the reins. "Don't move. Don't do anything yet. Let her get used to you."

He got back up on his horse and looked at Dúvainiel. "Okay, now don't jerk the reins. Gently nudge her sides with your heels and get her walking."

Dúvainiel did exactly as she was told, and the mare began walking. She grinned at Haldir, who smiled back.

"You are doing very well," Haldir said with a tone of pride in his voice.

"Thank you," she replied.

"All right," he now instructed, "give her another little nudge and see if you can get her to trot. Only trot."

Again, Dúvainiel did as she was told, and began to bounce slightly in the saddle as Sirdail trotted along.

"Look!" Dúvainiel cried, "I'm doing it!"

The loudness of her voice seemed to spook Sirdail, who suddenly jumped slightly. Dúvainiel grabbed the reins harder and the horse reared. As she came down, Dúvainiel's legs hit the sides of the mare, and she bolted.

Dúvainiel screamed in surprise. The horse showed no signs of slowing, even as her rider pulled desperately at the reins. They darted in and out of trees, and finally, the horse made a swift direction change, and Dúvainiel lost her balance. She heard a sickening crunch as her leg hit a tree, and she landed on the forest floor with an "oof".

Stars seemed to whirl in her eyes as the pain in her leg was excruciating.

"Dúvainiel!" she heard Orophin call.

Suddenly, Haldir was kneeling beside her.

"Hold on," he said, as he picked her up off the ground.

She closed her eyes, and blacked out from the pain.

TBC