Chapter 8:

I sat before the vanity in my bathroom, staring at myself in the mirror as Raina buzzed about me like a bee, fiddling with my hair. I felt like I had been sitting in this chair for hours, and quite probably had. The third and final day of the Enderi had arrived, and Raina had interrupted my quiet reading session early in the afternoon, shocked to find me still covered in dried mud and sweat from my practice with Haldir earlier that morning. After several failed attempts to assure her that I had myself covered for preparing, she had hurried off to prepare my bath. I swear if I had not given in when I did, she would have stripped me down and shoved me into the bath tub herself. After promising to be quick but thorough, and insisting that she go and get ready herself, she left me to bathe.

Though some small part of me had hoped that she had left me to get ready in peace, no sooner had I dried myself off and pulled on my undergarments had she reappeared in my flet, bearing a bundle of soft, pale green silk. Resisting the urge to wrinkle my nose at the garment, I allowed her to dress me and tie up the corset back, before looking into the mirror. To my surprise, the dress actually wasn't half bad. By elvish standards, I'm sure it must have been beautiful, but it sure wasn't something I would have picked out for myself. As Raina laced up the ribbons, I realised just how much weight I had lost during my time here. My breasts had shrunk several cup sizes, I was sure of it. Not that I really cared anymore. The changes had been coming at me from every angle lately, and despite my fears of my changing body, I had been forcing myself to do my best to ignore them. My main focus now was finding a way to get back home.

I had been meaning to speak with Lady Galadriel since the day I had been released from the Healing wards, but between my self-defence and Sindarin lessons, helping Hérion out with chores at the barn, and Galadriel's own busy schedule, I had not found the time to meet with her.

"I think that it is fine the way that it is, Raina," I smiled kindly at the elf maiden who was frantically trying to figure out the best way to braid up a small section of my hair that was dangling off centered at the back of my head. Raina said nothing in reply, her face set hard with concentration. I sighed but kept smiling, not wanting her to know that I was tired of being fussed over. After several more minutes, she had the hair braided and pinned up with the various other braids. She had left the majority of my hair loose, which suited me just fine. I had always felt weird with my hair up off my neck.

"Is this style to your liking, Christa?" Raina met my eyes in the mirror, a twinge of worry in her gaze. I laughed lightly.

"Yes, thank you, Raina. I never would have been able to do anything this lovely on my own," I replied, smiling. Not like I needed anything this complex in the first place, but hey, it is pretty great looking.

Raina smiled, relieved, before excusing herself to go and prepare back at her own flet. Staring back at my reflection, I wished that I had some makeup. I felt weird to be off to such a fancy event with a naked face. Although my pale complexion had become significantly fairer with the disappearance of my scars, I still felt like my eyes could have used some mascara and eyeliner. Oh well.

Taking a deep breath, I rose from the hard stool and felt my butt tingle as the blood rushed back into it. I glanced out through my window as I stood in my bedroom, remarking that it was nearly sundown. Not entirely sure when the feast was supposed to start, I shrugged my shoulders and decided that waiting until nightfall seemed like a good bet. Not wanting to spend any more time sitting since I figured I would be doing a fair amount of that later on in the evening, I paced around my room, getting used to the long draping fabric of the dress. Unlike the other dresses that I had gotten fairly used to wearing, this one was composed of several skirts, as well as long hanging sleeves. A sheer, lacy material was layered over top of the primary green silk skirt, and with each step I found myself having to lift up the skirts so as not to step on them. Thank God no one wears heels here, at least. The slippers were the best part of my outfit. Very much like ballet flats, they were hands down the most comfortable pair of slippers I had been given thus far. Though I yearned for my leather boots, I knew there was no way I would be able to get away with wearing those to the feast.

As I giggled at the thought, a soft knock sounded on my door and I strode over to it as quickly as I could without falling over. Pulling open the door, I found Haldir, dressed to the nines in a silvery blue tunic. Raising my brows, I nodded my head in approval.

"Looking good, Marchwarden," I joked as he reached up to rub the back of his neck, somewhat awkwardly. Okay, fine I'll stop. The last rays of the sun turned his silver hair to a golden hue, and I noticed that it was not braided with its usual pair of braids behind his ears. I took a moment to truly look at my friend. Why couldn't the boys back home look as good as you? I thought with an internal chuckle.

Dropping his arm back to his side, he smiled at me. "You look quite lovely yourself, Christa."

Biting my lip slightly, I felt the colour rise to my cheeks. "Thank you, Haldir," I said with a slight laugh. I hadn't been expecting such serious a comment from my friend, but took it with a grain of salt. Elves, so polite and all.

Without a moment's hesitation, Haldir offered me his arm and I took it, tucking myself up close to keep myself from getting a chill. Though the days were still not too bad, the nights had suddenly started to become colder over the past week. As we started making our way down the stairs towards the Hall, I could already hear the voices of many elves and the soft sound of music. Deciding that I was going to do my best to enjoy the night, I shoved every ounce of my pessimism to the back of my mind.

By the time we had reached the Hall, I was doing my best not to shiver. Though the dress had sleeves, they were very thin and did little to ward off the chilly night air. I was grateful for the warmth of the hall as we stepped through the doors. Immediately I was bombarded by the delicious smells of food, the sight of several hundred elves, and the sounds of chatter blending in with the music. Raising my eyebrows in awe, Haldir led me past many crowded tables, nearly all the way to the front of the room. We came to a stop at a table that was occupied by many familiar faces, including Rúmil and Orophin. For each male elf, there was an elleth seated beside him. As Haldir pulled out a chair for me and I sat down, I couldn't help but be reminded of senior prom. I had been asked by a quiet boy in my grade, and the night had been awkward to say the least. Now Haldir sat down in the seat beside me and I felt my stomach flip nervously. This isn't a date, don't be silly.

"Christa, you look wonderful!" Rúmil addressed me from across the table. I grinned and thanked him. He quickly introduced me to the elleth at his side, Valadhiel, and we exchanged greetings before I repeated the process with Orophin. He had at his side an elleth who he had been friends with for most of his life, Nellethiel. Both of the ellith had stunning golden blond hair and fair faces, as I had grown accustomed to seeing over the past two months.

"My name is Christa," I said once I had learned the names of the new additions to the group. "I'm sure you've already heard much about me, but I assure you, I'm not really all that strange," I said with an awkward chuckle.

"She lies, Christa is quite unusual. It is not every day the elves of Lothlórien get to meet a mortal, especially a woman," Haldir joked. I caught myself and smiled, biting my tongue to keep myself from saying anything inappropriate as I ran through all of the things I could have retorted with.

The chatter continued on for several minutes, until every seat in the Hall was filled. As the chatter started to die down in anticipation for the address from the Lord and Lady, I looked around the room, taking in the sheer number of elves that had gathered in the Hall. For the first time, I noticed that the Hall had a balcony that ran along the four walls, and those too were packed full. Turning my eye towards the stage that was not so far from where we sat, I watched as Galadriel and Celeborn walked across the platform and stood in the middle.

"Good evening, and welcome to the Feast of the Enderi," Celeborn started as the crowed hushed before them. Both he and Galadriel smiled as the elves in attendance held the respectful silence before the Lady of Light spoke.

"May all who have gathered here this evening enjoy the splendor of this year's harvest," Galadriel opened her arms to gesture to the large crowd before her, before she bowed her head and turned along with her husband to take their seats at the head of the hall.

And just like that, the festivities had begun. Almost immediately, elves were floating across the floor, their arms laden with food. I widened my eyes as I watched the servers dance between the tables and was even more impressed when I caught sight of the food that was quickly brought to our table. As I waited for those seated around me to serve themselves, I mouth began to water as I surveyed the selection before me. Laid out before me were pastries and breads of every sort, cheese plates, and salads of fruits and vegetables. I also noticed several Never in my life had I seen so much food piled on one table before, let alone so many different kinds of food! As the rest of the tables received their food, the soft sound of a harp reached my ears. My stomach growled, and I was glad that the elves in the room had once again picked up their gentle chatter. Not that it probably helped, seeing as they could hear practically everything, but if any of them did hear it, they made no mention of it.

Finally, the last of the food must have arrived, for my company began to eat. Eagerly, I reached forward and took one of everything before me, until my plate was full. I probably looked like a huge pig, but whatever. No way was I going to pass up the opportunity to eat so much delicious food. As I took a bite out of a jam-filled pastry, I looked around for a drink. Seeing none, I tapped Haldir on the shoulder.

"Um, is there anything to drink?"

Without answering me, he looked over my shoulder and raised his hand slightly. Almost instantly, an elf appeared at my side and filled me up a glass before handing it to me. I took it and thanked the ellon, peering into the glass as he hurried off to attend to someone else.

"Is this wine?" I asked tentatively as I sniffed the contents of the glass. Yep. Definitely wine. Haldir seemed to notice my expression and disregarded my question.

"The finest white wine in Middle Earth," he said proudly. "Have you not tasted it before?" He asked as I turned to glance at him. I shook my head. He didn't need to say anymore, for the look on his face convinced me to take a sip.

I had never tried white wine before. Red wine I had tasted once on my mother's birthday, though I had never asked exactly what kind of wine it was. I had finished the glass, but had sworn to stay away from wine from there on in. As I took a sip of the pale liquid, I was instantly relieved to find it had quite a sweet, fruity taste to it. Placing it down in front of me, I nodded in approval and Haldir grinned. By the time I had finished my plate of food, I had finished my glass of wine and was flagging down a refill.

"I must warn you, it is quite strong. You may want to pay close attention to how much you consume," Haldir spoke as he watched the server fill my glass. I turned to him and smiled, tilting my head to the side in a questioning manner.

"I can handle the alcohol, Haldir. You don't need to worry about me."

Shrugging his shoulders, Haldir sighed, a slight grin showing on his lips as he resumed his conversation with the elves beside him.

Though I had collected another plate full of food, I only got about a quarter of the way through it before my stomach started to complain. Realising that my stomach must have shrunk while living in Lothlórien, I set down my fork and finished my glass of wine. As I sipped, Rúmil pushed his chair back silently and stood up, offering Valadhiel his hand. Taking it, the pair made their way across the room towards where a large number of other guests had gathered. Watching them, I noticed that there was a large area that had been left clear of tables and chairs, where couples had started to dance to the music. As Orophin rose with Nellethiel, I smiled and watched them go. So far, I was rather pleased with how the evening was turning out. Delicious food, beautiful music… And good alcohol! I thought as I lifted my hand for another refill.

"Christa?" I turned as Haldir rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes?" I questioned, grinning. I knew what he was going to say to me. He was going to have to learn that he couldn't baby me just because I was however thousand years younger than him.

"May I have this dance?" Haldir questioned, a twinkle in his eyes. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. That was not what I was expecting at all. Really though, I probably should have seen it coming. Pretty much everyone else who had been sitting at the table with us had already made their way to the dance floor, and it would have been weird for my friend not to ask me.

"Of course!" I said with a grin, taking his hand as he rose from his chair. We made our way to the open floor, weaving in between the elves who were standing to watch the happy couples. With anyone else, I would have been nervous. But as my best friend led the way into the middle of the crowded floor, I laughed, feeling far more carefree than I had in years. It wasn't until we went to take each other's hands that I figured I had better spill the beans.

"I should probably let you know that I don't know how to dance. Like… At all," I laughed, feeling only slightly embarrassed. If it weren't for the idea of being watched by hundreds of eyes, I wouldn't have minded messing up at all.

"That shouldn't be a problem, just follow my lead and you will be just fine," Haldir said. Easier said than done. I didn't have a chance to complain before he led me into the dance.

Unable to keep myself from staring at my toes, I danced the whole first song focusing on not stepping on Haldir's feet, or tripping myself up. The dress didn't help either, since I had neither of my hands free to keep it from getting tangled up between my legs. Sparing a quick glance around me, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the grace of all of the elves around me. As the song came to an end, I looked up at Haldir and laughed, ashamed.

"It would help if you did not watch your feet," Haldir suggested as the minstrels started to play the next song. Taking his advice, I did my best to concentrate on anywhere but my feet, but every couple of seconds, I would find myself unable to keep from glancing down. I nearly tripped as I struggled to figure out how the elves around me where so good at dancing, but Haldir held his arm taught and somehow managed to mask my slip-up.

"Look at me," he said simply, in a commanding tone of voice that I had not heard since my arrival. Unable to ignore his request, I looked up and met his gaze, expecting him to be frustrated with me, but instead I found him smiling encouragingly. For whatever reason, I felt myself blush as I made eye contact with him. He led me through the rest of the dance as I slowly adjusted to holding his gaze. To my surprise, Haldir's advice had worked. I was far from an excellent dancer, but I had managed not to fall on my face.

At the end of the dance, I was starting to feel kind of warm from the crowded room. As the minstrels paused before starting up with a new melody, I smiled up at Haldir and gently released my hands from his.

"I'll be right back, I could use some air," I tried not to sound awkward as I offered my friend a quick smile before I made my way off of the dance floor.

"I think I need another drink," I muttered to myself as I strode across the room. I quickly was able to get another glass of wine, which I wrapped my fingers around tightly as I left the Hall.

The cool night air hit me hard as soon as I was through the doors. It was either this or overheat from whatever had been going on between me and Haldir on the dance floor. That was… Weird. I found myself strolling through the gardens that neighboured the Hall, my mind wandering over the night so far. I knew that I couldn't stay out here forever, so after a couple of minutes, I made my way back inside. Finishing my drink in one last swig, I stared at the empty glass. Was that my fourth drink already? Or only three? Shrugging, I had it refilled once more and sipped on it as I made my way back across the room, looking for Haldir.

As well as I had gotten to know my friend, it was pretty damn hard to find him amongst the sea of blonde hair. I hoped that he was on the lookout for my return as well, since I was among the minority, being brunette. Raising the glass to my lips I nearly choked on my drink as I felt someone touch my forearm from behind. Spinning around as I coughed a couple of times, I was glad to see Haldir.

"Ah! There you are," I smiled fondly, noticing his questioning glance towards my glass.

"How many glasses have you had?"

I hesitated, unsure. "Four," I said, guessing. I was pretty sure that this was my fifth, but I wasn't about to tell him that. My friend looked at me skeptically.

"And you're feeling all right?"

I lowered my glass and stood still for a moment before nodding my head. Now that I had had a bit of fresh air, I was feeling just fine. Which was more than a little odd, especially given what Haldir had told me earlier about the wine being strong. In all honesty, I was starting to feel a bit disappointed. How much do I have to drink to get buzzed? Maybe it was just some weird elvish thing, and didn't affect me because I was a human? Oh well. I jumped suddenly as another hand tapped lightly on my shoulder. Turning my head, I was surprised to see Rúmil come up beside me.

"Would you care to dance, Lady Christa?" He asked politely, and I chuckled at his use of the word "lady". Accepting his offer with a wide smile, I turned to Haldir as his younger brother led me back across the room to the dance floor. He gave me a smile, but not before I caught him giving Rúmil a look. Turning back around, I couldn't help but feel like there was something going on that I was missing. Shrugging it off, I turned back to the ellon before me as we took each other's hands and began to dance. Keeping Haldir's advice at the back of my mind, I focused my attention on anything but my feet.

"Are you enjoying the night, Christa?" Rúmil broke the silence, looking down at me with a gentle smile. He was so different from his brothers, and it was a welcome change to be in the company of someone so laid back and quiet. As much as I loved Haldir's forward mannerisms, it was nice to take a step back and just have fun. For some reason, I hadn't been able to shake the feeling that Haldir was acting strange lately, and it had been at the back of my mind since waking up in the healing ward.

"Yes, actually I'm having a great time," I grinned. Okay, it wasn't the whole truth, but the night was turning out better than I had originally anticipated. Rúmil gave me a knowing look, but his smile remained.

"I do believe that my brother has begun to fancy you," he stated after a short moment of silence. At this I started, looking up at him in surprise.

"Haldir? I doubt that, we're just friends."

Rúmil's smile grew now, his eyes twinkling mischievously. I began to blush furiously. Thinking back over the past week, I remembered my friend's strange behaviour when I had been injured. Had he really been that worried about me? Blinking hard as I took in Rúmil's words, I thought about how he had complimented me when he had arrived at my door, and how intense his gaze had been during our dance earlier. Butterflies danced in my stomach, though I quickly decided that I did not want them there. No. I'm going home, I can't be messing around with stuff like that.

"Besides, Rúmil, I'm a mortal," I added after a moment of deliberation. He shrugged.

"Love is a strange thing. Relationships between an elf and a mortal are not unheard of, though I will agree that they have only been seen on a couple of occasions." He leaned in closer now as the song came to an end, and whispered in my ear. "I can see it in his eyes, Christa. He cares deeply for you." Pulling away again, he loosened his grip on my hands and raised one hand to kiss it lightly. "Thank you for this dance." With a small bow and a wink, he was off before I could say anything in objection.

Deciding that it was probably best to not let Haldir know of what Rúmil had told me, I quickly turned to leave the dance floor and nearly tripped as I was pulled sideways. Stopping for a moment, I shook my head lightly before continuing across the room. Oh sure, now the alcohol decides to kick in. As I left the dance floor, I accidentally bumped into an elleth with my right elbow. Embarrassed, I turned away quickly before she could see who had run into her.

"Christa!" my name hit my ears, clear as day, though the rest of the voices around me had been reduced to a steady buzz in my ears. Damn that alcohol is hitting me hard all of a sudden. Turning in the direction on the voice, I tried not to squint as I searched for the caller. "Mellon, how are you enjoying the feast?" Raina had suddenly materialised before me, and I realised in relief that it had been her that I had bumped into.

"It's great! Great music, great food… great alcohol," I smiled as I felt the room begin to sway again. Raina chuckled lightly, before introducing me to the ellith that were gathered around her. I smiled and nodded at each of their names, though I had soon forgotten them. My head had begun to swim, my thoughts shrouded by a thick fog.

"It's great to meet all of you. I'm Christa. I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to find Haldir," I spoke quickly, lapsing into English halfway through my sentence. I didn't see the puzzled looks of amusement on their faces as I spun around to search for my friend.

Weaving in and out of the different coloured figures around me, I made my way back to the table where we had been sitting. Frowning when I saw it empty, I stopped and put my hands on my hips, wondering where he could have gone.

"Christa, I was beginning to wonder where you had run off to," Haldir's familiar voice caught my attention and I turned on my heels, causing my head to spin. I grin split my features.

"Haldir! There you are!" I rushed forward, an idea popping into my mind. I grabbed onto one of his hands as I strode past him, nearly tripping on my dress. "Come on, let's dance!" I pulled him through the crowd, once again weaving between the elves all the way back to the dance floor. The music had changed as the night progressed, from the slow, romantic melodies to more upbeat tunes. Finally, music I want to dance to!

Haldir did not question me as I dragged him into the middle of the floor. Grasping his other hand, I began to hop up and down, bobbing my head from side to side. Looking back on it now, I'm sure I must have been quite the sight to behold. And poor Haldir… I would not blame him if he had told me that I had embarrassed him. I was quickly told to stop, and despite the fact that he was being dead serious about it, Haldir couldn't hold back his amused grin. After looking up at him in anticipation, Haldir instructed to follow his lead once again.

Taking both of my hands in his own, he pulled me into the dance, guiding me through the simple set of motions. Spinning me around in a circle, we laughed at my inability to keep up with the steps. Despite the fact that everything around me was a blur, and I couldn't make out most of what Haldir was saying to me, I was so glad that I had decided to drink so much. Even if it probably was just a bit too much.

After several dances, I pulled up in the middle of one of the songs and held up one of my hands in exhaustion. "I'm beat," I said in English before chuckling. Haldir raised an eyebrow at my strange words, but didn't bother to question me as he could guess what they meant.

"Let's go and have a rest, then," he replied gently, taking my hand and leading me back to our table. I followed him about halfway before stopping in the crowd, suddenly feeling as though I was going to topple over. Sensing this, Haldir quickly put an arm around my waist and held me up as my knees buckled. I quickly regained my balance, but my eyes suddenly felt heavy. "On second thought, how about we get you back to your room."

I shook my head defiantly, pouting. "I'm having too much fun to leave!" I whined, not caring that I sounded like a small child. As I crossed my arms in front of my chest in objection, I heard Haldir sigh.

"Christa-," he started but stopped when I huffed. I could feel the drowsiness slowly seeping into my system, my eyelids growing heavier by the minute, but I really didn't want to leave the feast yet. There was so much more fun to be had! I was about to do my best to escape back to the dance floor when I felt Haldir's arms wrap around my torso. Before I could object, I had been scooped up into his arms and was being carried bridal-style across the Hall towards the doors.

"You're exhausted, mellon nîn." Haldir said gently as he traversed the room. Though I initially thought about attempting to break free of his hold, my body finally caught up with my mind and I admitted to myself that I was, in fact, spent. Letting my eyes close, I found myself snuggling up against Haldir's chest to keep myself warm as the cold night air hit me. The walk up to my flet felt like mere seconds and I soon found myself tucked in beneath the warm blankets of my bed.

"Sleep well, Christa," Haldir whispered as he bent down and gently placed a kiss on my temple. The soft sound of his footsteps mixed with the distant melodies of the feast were the last thing on my mind as I drifted off to sleep.

Phew. I feel like this chapter took forever to write! Nevertheless, I think it was one of my favourites to work on so far. I really struggled with introducing Haldir's feelings for Christa, I hope that I did an okay job. I hope that you all enjoyed reading it! Please don't forget to drop me a review and let me know what you thought of it! Constructive criticism is welcome, as are suggestions (though the major plot is already set, I am always on the lookout for ways to better it!).

Thanks for reading!

-Eru