I was rereading over my last chapter, after I had posted it, and realized a HUGE mistake. I offered two spellings of Orthorien, one had an extra o in it. Sorry for the mixup, hope you enjoy the chapter. Please read and review!


Disclaimer: Same old, same old. I don't own it, never have, never will.

-------------------------------------------------------------Chapter Sixteen--------------------------------------------------------------------


The next few days passed uneventfully. Orthorien managed to stay out of the sight of both Anira and Haldir, whom he had developed a particular grudge for. He knew she wouldcome to her sensessometime, she had to. They had had such good times together.

He sauntered along the path, not meeting eye contact with any elves he happened to pass. He looked up once to glance at an elf hurrying past him, only because of his resemblance to Haldir. They had the same facial features, though slightly different. This elf's eyes held a different spark to them, a roguish gleam held to them.

Eventually he wound up back at the guest quarters he had been graciously given, and sulked there for the remainder of the day.


Haldir blocked another poorly aimed swing, his opponent looked utterly spent. Odd how that always seemed to happen when they were fighting him. He stopped the parry of blades to give the elf some pointers, and looked up to see someone watching him. Anira sat with a smile on her face beneath the shade of a drooping mallorn. Her hair fluttered a little at the mild breeze that swept through the forest.

He looked back to the elf and dismissed him, then walked over to where she sat and seated himself next to her.

"What brings you here?" He asked, leaning against the sturdy trunk next to her.

"I came to see you, of course," she said. He looked at her disbelievingly and cocked an eyebrow. "Fine, I was bored." She gave hima glare and looked up at the gray and blue sky, dark and ominous clouds moving fast above them.

"What will you do if it begins to rain?" She said.

"We will stop the training, and return to the talans," he answered. As if on cue, drops of rain began to fall. He stood up carefully, and offered a hand to pull her up. She waited under the sheltering tree while he gathered his weapons. Linking his arm with hers, they ran back to his talan. Not even halfway there, the rain started to pour mercilessly and drench them. By the time they had made it up the stairs and into his flet, their hair and clothes were dripping and soaked.

"You look lovely," he said, trying not to get the floor saturated with his wet hair. She cursed herself for being too far away to slap him.

"I should say the same to you, my brave March warden," she answered sarcastically. He passed her a dry cloak to put around herself for the shivering and for the fact that the sodden clothes were quite...revealing.

"Thank you," she said, and truly meant it. He nodded and offered to let her change first. She accepted, with reluctance, and moved to her room to pull out a sleek blue dress. He walked out onto the shielded part of the balcony, under the canopy, and looked out over the forest.

Quickly pulling off the sopping wet garment, she wrung out her waist length golden hair with a drying cloth. After brushing it through, she slipped into the replacement article of clothing.

"Your turn," she said, walking out of the bath room. She dropped the wet towels in a pile near his door. He moved past her carrying a dry pair of leggings. Anira resumed his former place out on the canopied balcony to admire Lorien. The golden leaved trees had miniscule water droplets roving across them, leaving them to fall down to the forest floor. She ran a hand down the silver bark on the great mallorn that helped house the talan, feeling its bumpy patterns.

Looking down below, she saw a few elves were still running for cover. The rain had not relented, and poured down hard, making pattering sounds on the roof above. She felt bare arms slide around her waist, startling her for a moment. Haldir laid his head on her damp hair, pulling her closer. Turning around a bit, she could see he did not have a tunic on him.

"Enjoying the sights are you?" He said, his words voicing many meanings. She blushed and ardently went back to looking out over the city. He smiled despite her discomfort, and consoled her with a light kiss to her temple.

"When do you think it will stop?" She asked, beginning to feel light and airy for some odd reason. She supposed it was because of him, and the fact that she hadn't been kissed by him for several days, though one could not call that a real kiss.

"I cannot tell, but from the looks of it we will most likely be stuck here for a long time. Together. Alone," he said.

"Don't even think of it," she said playfully.

"Think of what? My dear maid, you misunderstand me."

"Oh? I think I understand you quite well."

Finding no answer for this, he substituted dialogue by turning her around and passionately kissing her. His lips ravaged hers and she found herself falling, mentally speaking. One of his hands remained possessively on her waist, the other slid up to her neck to pull her closer to himself. Anira felt herself being gently pushed backwards against that same silvery trunk she had been admiring earlier. Upon reaching it, he moved his hands to either side of her head, pressed against the trunk. Their fervor and enthusiasm ran unchecked, each trying to outdo the other in dominance. She decided to let him win after a long fight and he grinned triumphantly against her lips when he knew she had.

They pulled away for air, both panting heavily. She leaned forward and rested her head on his chest, he wrapped his arms around her.

"That was entertaining," he said, breaking the silence. She looked up at him, her chin now resting on his chest.

"What to do?" She asked lazily.

"I do need some new arrows..." he started.

"You are hopeless," she said as she helped him get the supplies out.


The next day the rain had subsided. Haldir was gone even before the first light shone. She moped around the talan at noon, having finished her duties earlier in the morning. At long last, she pulled a cloak on and went for a walk, needing to be out of the dreary house.

The air had a chill to it, everything was still damp from the showers the day before. A thought came to her mind of something she had not done in a while. Riding.

Walking into the neat stables of Lorien, shemoved along the rows of stalls with curious eyes. Borrowing a high-strung mare with a colored coat, she tacked up and headed for the secluded trails behind the fenced enclosures and arenas. The horse trotted nervously along the empty path, shying at fallen leaves and short gusts of wind.

"Shh, silly girl. What are you afraid of?" She tried to soothe the horse, who answered with an uneasy snort. Her attempts to keep the pace at a walk were useless. Looking ahead, she saw that the path had gotten wider. Its smooth ground looked for a perfect place to let the mare give off some energy. She eased her into a slow canter, which turned to a gallop.

Anira leaned down, the horse's mane whipping in her face as her own golden locks flew back and streamed out behind her. She savored the feeling of flying as the mare's hooves hit the ground with an even beat, going unbelievably fast. After what seemed like an hour, the mare showed signs of tiring, so Anira slowed her to a smooth trot, transitioning to a walk moments later.

The canopy of trees above them shielded the little sunlight that was there in the first place. Nature surrounded them, sounds and sights overflowed their senses. They approached a small, clear pond slightly off the trail. She reined the horse in, directing her towards the water source. Anira dismounted as the horse began to take gulps of fresh water, pausing to look at the trees every so often. She sat up againstone and observed the borrowed animal quietly.


Haldir led a group of several soon to be soldiers out into the forest. He and Orophin were assigned the task of taking them out to become better acquainted with the outer border areas, and the different sections. They were also training on how to not get lost, and basic survival skills. He led them along the smoothed trail, pointing out things along the way. His mount, a large, dark brown gelding, was surefooted and easy going.

He sensed a person ahead at the small pool they were impending upon. He stopped the group and and urged his horse forward.


Anira's head snapped up at the sound of another, an intruder, a stranger. She walked as calmly as she could to the mare, trying not show her anxiety. The horse caught on anyways, and resumed her edgy disposition same as before. Stroking the mare's dampened neck to alleviate the disaster waiting to happen, she glanced furiously around her, trying to find the source of the noise.

A snapped branch. Her horse bolted immediately, knocking her down into the waters below her. Panicking, she stood up sputtering to see a very shocked, but concerned, Haldir dismounting at the egde of the pond.

"Well, what have we here? A maiden in need of assistance?" He asked, coming towards her.

"It's all your fault, but I do suppose I am fairly fortunate that it was you who scared my horse off and not some random ellon from the city," she said with a relieved sigh.

"I will take you back to city. Orophin can continue with the group," he said assuringly. He lifted her up effortlessly by her waist and set her in the saddle. He handed her his dry cloak as she began to shiver and mounted behind her. The warmth of Haldir's body radiated off of him as he reached around her to handle the reins. She leaned into him and when he was sure there was no one looking, he kissed her briefly. The kiss may have been short, but it was sweet nonetheless.

He came within sight of the group again, gaining curious stares from them. He explained the situation to Orophin before setting off at a moderate gallop.


Reviews! Thank you to anyone who has reviewed so far, you keep me and this story alive! I hope you liked this one, it was written because of a certain muse that has been haunting me for weeks. Short, yes, but the next one will be way longer, with some competition between Orthorien and Haldir. Please leave a review, anonymous or signed, it doesn't matter.

-ElfLuver13