Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter One

Chapter 11: Forbidden

The room was dark and cool, the shades drawn and candles left untouched, and the air was charged like before a lightning storm. A figure sat in the corner, on a hard wooden chair, posture perfect even when there was no one there to see. Celeborn blinked quickly, waiting for his eyes to adjust and slowly the gray shadows began to take shape.

"Why do you not let in the light?" he asked, his voice sounding offensively loud in the deep silence of his bedroom. His bedroom, and yet he felt a stranger in it, as if he was an intruder.

Galadriel did not answer, just glanced at him, her gaze so sharp he felt like a child due for a scolding. She was so regal, so otherworldly, and just as he had countless times before, Celeborn wondered what was so different about her, what it was he could not fathom in her soul and why in Arda had someone so special chosen him?

Celeborn stepped purposefully across the room, kneeling before her. He took her hands from where they rested on the arms of her chair and pressed them between his. They were cold.

He stared at their joined hands, unable to meet her eyes as he said, "Why is it that sometimes when I look in your eyes I see a person I don't even know? Who is this creature of legend everyone else sees in you, when all I really want is the woman who used to walk with me to the hill and watch the deer until it got dark? The woman who cried with me the day our child was born, who used to rub my shoulders before we went to bed. Where does she go?"

"I cannot be your wife right now, I must be Lady Galadriel. Others are depending on me. They need my gift of sight."

Celeborn stood, pacing the room in frustration, "Why? So you can tell us to expect another attack? I don't exactly need clairvoyance to see that coming. Your sight only tells me things I already know." Celeborn, whose back was turned, did not see her wince at his biting words. "I should have sent you with Silraen, sent you to safety, for your visions tell us nothing a seasoned warrior couldn't deduce on his own."

"I can tell you Silraen still lives." Galadriel said, fighting for calm as Celeborn berated her. At this, he turned, his demeanor softening slightly. "Do you know where they are?"

"No," Galadriel answered, "All I know is that she and Haldir's children are still alive. I have seen only that."

Celeborn frowned, guilt flooding his heart. "You have sat here all this time, trying to see into the very essence of darkness, trying to help our fight, and I criticize you. Darling, I am sorry."

Galadriel smiled, finally rising and going to him. Celeborn watched her in adoration, seeing that finally his wife had returned to him, if only for a little while. He drew her into his arms and she rested her cheek against his chest.

"Even if we win this fight," she whispered shakily, "It will not be without grave losses. There are those in your army who will never be reunited with their families. There are those who travel with Silraen who will be widows and orphans before the summer."

"Who?" Celeborn asked, gripping her arms and setting her away from him, "Haldir? Will Haldir fall?"

Galadriel's face twisted, her eyes slipping shut, and she pressed against him again, "I do not know. It is still hazy."

Orophin could sense something was wrong in the way Silraen moved, the urgent twisting of her agile form as she swung through the branches toward him.

"A company of orcs nears us from the plains," she whispered on a chill voice, "Not large, maybe twenty."

"Have everyone take cover in the canopy and keep quiet," Orophin ordered, sounding for a moment very much like Haldir. "Maybe they will pass us by. Do they show any sign that they are coming for us?"

"No," Silraen said, "No—I don't think so. I think it's just by chance that they pass this way."

Orophin nodded shortly, "With any luck they will keep on their way and never know we are here."

Silraen met his eyes with the slightest nervousness, "Orophin, what if we—"

"Don't even say it, Silraen."

"There are only twenty, we could defeat them easily, I think. Surely they go to join another assault on Caras Galadhon. We can stop them here, so Haldir and the army have less to fight later. I cannot sit idly by and—"

Orophin's warning glare stopped her mid-sentence.

"And what would you do should things go badly for you? The army will not come charging to you rescue this time. You are to keep these people safe, now is not the time to take foolish risks. This is not your fight, Silraen."

"So, you are content to lay there and let them walk away?" Silraen asked, contempt tainting her voice.

"Compared to fighting, yes, I am very content to stay right here. I don't want to fight, no soldier really does."

"Then why do you do it?"

"Because my father did, because my brothers do. Because it is my duty. Not because I like it." He met her eyes, his green gaze holding her, inescapable, "Now, you have a duty, Silraen. Get these people to safety. That is all."

Silraen grunted in frustration, swinging away and leaving only the slightest fluttering of leaves to show she had ever been there.

Orophin leaned as far as he dared over the edge of the litter, watching as Silraen slapped the horses, sending them galloping to safety deeper in the forest. As she spread word to the scattered elves, they disappeared into the treetops, many wrapping the gray Lorien cloaks about them and becoming nearly invisible, even to Orophin's trained eyes.

The orcs were nearly across the plains by the time Silraen had her own family hidden in the branches. Linaya was curled against the trunk, wide-eyed and nearly shaking, Taurnan and Halnorel hiding within her cloak. Miradhel was in a higher branch, whispering to the baby and praying the child did not start wailing and give away their presence. Orophin was quite low in the branches, but there was no time to move him. Silraen scurried down to him, drawing her bow as the first crashing footsteps of the orcs could be heard.

"Don't shoot first," Orophin hissed, "They haven't smelled us yet."

Silraen said nothing, just gripped her bow so hard her fingernails bit into the wood. Her heart was beating a rapid, uneven rhythm, as if she had just sprinted up a hill. She stole a glance at Orophin, who was completely calm, looking not even for a moment at the orcs beneath them, instead studying her.

Silraen looked down, watching the noisy procession of orcs crash violently through the underbrush, some hacking aside branches with their primitive swords. They passed directly below the Lorien elves, and Silraen felt panic well in her heart. It cannot be chance. What are the odds they would choose this route? They are here for us. They will kill us. Surely they smell us...surely they see us...

The same frantic wonderings were still running through Silraen's mind many minutes after the heavy footsteps of the orc regiment had faded into the forest. It was not until she felt Orophin pry the bow from her hand that she finally dared to move. Her fingers were stiffened into a claw, her knees screaming with pain when she stood, trying to dispel the tension of their brush with disaster. Orophin's hand was warm as it took her own, and she sank down against him without another thought. His litter spun a little with the added weight, but he did not care, he just wrapped his arms around Silraen. "You did well. I thought for sure you were going to take a shot at them."

"See, I have some self-control," she replied, smiling against his neck. Speaking of self-control, Silraen resisted the urge to burrow deeper into Orophin's arms. He held her with surprising strength considering his injuries and Silraen drew in a deep breath of his scent. He even smelled healthier, like soil and sunshine and leaves.

Orophin saw Miradhel climbing down to them, and avoided the disapproving glare of his mother. His gaze strayed to the baby in her arms, a baby all agreed had Haldir's eyes. Orophin released Silraen, guilt turning to a knot in his stomach. He only meant to lend support to Silraen, that was all. But, with a frown, he admitted to himself that it was more than that. It had always been more than that.

Taurnan was tired. After the smelly orcs had nearly found them the night before, Mother had herded them all out of the trees and made them walk again. The entire night they had walked, in the opposite direction of the orcs in case they picked up the scent of elf further on and turned back. Taurnan stared at the dull gray horizon and knew it would be dawn soon.

How he wanted to rest, but he dared not complain to his mother. His grandmother and aunt had told him over and over not to trouble her, for she had to think and make sure they stayed on course.

But, Taurnan was hungry, cold and exhausted. Surely if his mother saw him so completely miserable, she would not have the heart to be cross with him for seeking her. With a whimper, Taurnan tore his hand from Linaya's grip and charged up the line, past elves equally as weary and cold.

"Mama!" he cried, collapsing against her side, "Mama, I can't walk anymore!"

Silraen smiled, "That's funny, because you seem to be able to run just fine."

Taurnan pouted and Silraen smiled indulgently down at him. She kneeled, putting an arm over his thin shoulders and pointing to a distant hilltop.

"You see that hill? We will camp on the far side of it. Do you think you can make it that far?"

"No," he said firmly.

Silraen narrowed her eyes at him, her tone conspiratorial as she said, "I'll tell you what...you can ride on the horse to the top of the hill, then will you get off and walk the rest of the way down?

The pout did not budge from his small wet lips as he reluctantly said, "All right."

"Good man," Silraen praised, putting her hands under Taurnan's arms and lifting him onto the horse. When he was settled among the sacks of lembas bread, she set off again. A chilly dawn spread over the plains and Silraen sighed. She was relieved that she had convinced her son to keep going, but she gazed at the hill with baleful eyes. With each step it seemed only to get further and further away. The brittle yellow grasses seemed to stretch on forever, never breaking, never ending, swallowing them up.

"Time to change your bandages."

Orophin looked down, reluctance written clearly on his face, and he quietly said, "They will keep another day, we can leave them."

"I should do this now, before I go on watch."

Orophin looked around at the rough camp being constructed in this small depression between three hills. Silraen had wisely ordered no fires, and elves sat propped up by their packs, moodily nibbling lembas. "If you go on watch, when will you sleep?"

Silraen's eyes tightened, and she paused for a moment in digging around in her pack. "Don't worry about me."

"Someone should."

Silraen just shook her head, crawling to Orophin's side and drawing his arm over her shoulders. She eased him off of the litter with a degree of awkwardness, helping him sit against a lone boulder. Orophin lifted his body up by his arms, trying to find a comfortable position and grunted as his broken leg was jarred. Silraen reached for him in alarm.

"I'm fine," he assured gruffly, but slid his hand up to where Silraen gripped his shoulder. He squeezed her hand for the briefest moment. Silraen gave him a warm grin, but there was a tiredness in her eyes, and always that lingering concern for him.

Silraen thought he would let the prior topic drop, but she was not so lucky. "You are going to have to learn to share these tasks, Silraen," Orophin urged, "You are going to have to trust everyone else to help you."

Silraen's face twisted in regret, "I know," she dropped to her knees and began to unlace the side of his pant leg, "It's not that I don't trust them...well, maybe it is that I don't trust them."

Orophin ducked his head, trying to catch her gaze, "You should give them all a chance, Silraen. Some of them might surprise you."

She nodded reluctantly, leaning in closer to study his wound. Orophin sat back and remained obediently still, watching Silraen closely, but braced himself as her hands touched his leg. It was not against the pain that he steeled himself, that he was growing used to. It was the soothing warmth of her skin, the slight roughness of her palms abrading him that he could barely stand. She didn't know, sitting there with her beautiful face pinched in concentration, she didn't know what she did to him.

"Has there been much soreness where the stitches are?" Silraen asked.

"A little," he replied softly. Silraen slipped her hand beneath his knee with such incredible gentleness, lifting his leg to unloop the bandage from around it. The edges of his wound were still an angry red, the jagged pieces of skin pulled together by thick black stitches. As always, her eyes darkened as she looked at it, feeling Orophin's pain along with him for a moment.

"It will scar badly, I fear."

"It's all right," Orophin said quietly, "As long as I'm walking again soon."

"Orophin, the skin hasn't even healed, it will be some time before your bones can carry you."

Orophin frowned deeply, and Silraen dredged up an encouraging smile, "But, you have me to carry you, and Lightning here," she motioned to the horse where he was crunching away at the rough grass, "Between the two of us, you many never need your legs again."

Orophin's green eyes twinkled, "Don't let me get too used to that. I may just let you serve me."

Silraen narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion, "You would, wouldn't you?"

She wrapped a fresh bandage around Orophin's thigh, smoothing the cloth with the utmost care. Orophin's frown returned. He was going to have to learn to change his own bandages very soon. Silraen's tender attention was far too distracting.

Orophin looked up, and standing beside the horse was Halnorel. She watched him with hooded eyes, her pale green skirt whipping around her legs in the breeze. Orophin tried to smile at her, but she continued to stare at him with cold and knowing eyes. She was only a child, but sometimes there was an aura about her of something ancient. Orophin glanced away, over the dreary morning, and wished she would stop looking at him like that.

Thank you so much to my reviewers: Puxinette, TigerLily, moonbunny77, and The Lady of Light!!!