Chapter 11:
The satisfying thud of the arrow wedging itself into its target made my heart leap in joy.
"Did I hit it?" I asked, failing to suppress my excitement as I squinted across the field, trying to figure out where the arrow had gone.
"Yes," Haldir said from over my shoulder and I grinned wide. "You hit the correct tree, at least."
"Shoot," I said, my spirits falling a little in realisation that I still had not been able to sink an arrow into the target. Resting a hand on my shoulder, Haldir gave it a pat, reassuring me.
"Do not fret. It will take time. Come, let us go and retrieve your arrows, and then we should make our way back for dinner."
Slinging my practice bow over my shoulder, I jogged a couple steps to catch up with Haldir and we strode across the field. The target was only about 20 metres away, but I was still having an extremely hard time steadying my hand enough to hit the target. This was a lot easier in gym class. I huffed in frustration as we arrived at the target and began to search for the many arrows that had been fired past the trees.
"Do not let your aim frustrate you," Haldir spoke encouragingly as he yanked an arrow from the ground beyond the target. "You have a strong arm, for you are more than able to make the distance. Many of your arrows are wedged in the trees. Only one did not travel fast enough to pierce the bark." I listened attentively as I plucked yet another arrow from a tree behind the intended target tree.
I had woken at the crack of dawn, eager to begin my archery lessons and see my friend for the first time in three weeks. Haldir had acquired a simple bow and a quiver full of arrows for me to practice with, and we had made our way to the practice range quickly, for Haldir had been able to sense my anticipation. It was now nearing noon, and my patience was waning. As hard as I was trying to remind myself that it would take a lot of time and hard work to be as good as I hoped to become, I had been envisioned this morning's sessions going better than it had. Sighing, I pulled the last of my arrows from the trees and tucked it into the quiver fastened on my back.
"You have worked hard today. Try not to be so hard on yourself, these things take time and practice," Haldir offered me a smile of encouragement as he handed me the arrows that he had collected from the woods.
"Yeah, lots of time and practice," I muttered, tucking the arrows into my quiver, before glancing back towards Haldir and offering him a smile. "Don't worry though, I might not look like I'm enjoying myself, but I really am having fun." As bad as I was at archery, I had to admit that drawing back the bowstring and feeling the sheer power as I released an arrow was quite a thrill. Even if said arrow failed to hit its intended target, it was still a rush.
Over the next few weeks, I feel once again into a new routine. I had begun to get used to rising with the sun, and was out of bed at the crack of dawn each morning for my run. After weeks of steady exercise, I had worked up to four laps every morning, pushing myself until my legs and my lungs could take no more. After heading back up to my quarters for a warm bath to shake the chill of the autumn air, it was down for breakfast. The rest of my mornings I spent at the archery range, sometimes without Haldir's guidance when he was busy with other matters. After lunch came my self-defence lessons, though these had become less and less frequent as my skills improved. Haldir had recently deemed my skills satisfactory and we now met to simply keep them sharp. The rest of my days were spent mostly at the stables with Hérion, helping to take care of the horses, and occasionally even assisting with their training. I didn't get to help out a whole lot with that, since I had no clue how to prepare a horse for a battle, but I did manage to persuade Hérion to let me get some of the young horses used to carrying weight on their backs, and teaching them some simple voice commands.
It was on the first day of Rhîw when my hard work at the archery range finally paid off. I could barely believe my eyes as I heard the unmistakable sound of the arrow embedding itself into the wooden target. Unable to contain my excitement, I jogged across the grass and stopped in front of the tree, a huge grin plastered on my face. Sure enough, there was my arrow, sticking out from the outermost ring of the target.
"I hit the target, I hit the target, not just the tree-ee," I sang quietly to myself as I did a little dance in the grass before the tree. Deciding to leave it there for Haldir to see, I collected the other arrows that I had already shot and popped them back into my quiver before running back to where I had left my bow.
Eager to see how long I could make my luck last, I picked up my bow and drew another arrow. I quickly nocked it and raised my arms up, staring down the shaft at the centre of the target. Double-checking my stance, I took a deep breath to steady myself and loosened my fingers, holding my breath until I heard the arrow sink into the wood. I hit it again! I was sure of it. I fired off the rest of my arrows, trying to push myself to not be so slow about it, but at the same time making sure that I took the time to aim straight. As soon as the last arrow leapt from my bowstring, I was off across the field.
I could hardly believe my eyes as I neared the tree. There, at the centre of the target, was one of my arrows, its white feathers ruffling slightly in the cool breeze. Around it were several other arrows, planted firmly in the other rings of the target. I didn't care at all that the other arrows had either missed the target, or the tree completely. I had gotten a bullseye!
"No way!" I squealed, unable to contain my excitement. Once I had stopped dancing around in glee, I stood, dumbfounded, wondering what to do now. I couldn't bring myself to pull them out. Where's modern technology when you need it? Oh what I would have done for a camera. Hell, even my lame little cell phone camera would have been enough for me. Unable to bring myself to remove the arrows, I decided that I needed to show Haldir.
"He'd never believe me," I chuckled to myself, picking up my failed shots before making my way back towards the city to find my friend.
Thankfully, he wasn't too difficult to find. As luck would have it, I came across him on my way through the market. Clasping his hand firmly, I practically dragged him back through the woods, refusing to tell him what I was so excited about until we broke into the clearing. I continued to run across the grass, my mouth beginning to hurt from the huge grin that I was wearing. Haldir was laughing now, having figured out the source of my glee.
"Look! I hit the target!" I sang victoriously as we neared the treeline, letting go of his hand to point to the arrow at the centre of the target.
"I can see that," Haldir replied, giving me a congratulatory pat on the back. "And with a fine shot, at that," he added, advancing to examine the arrows. "You are learning quicker than I had expected."
"I am?" I laughed, thinking he must have been joking. It had taken me three weeks to even hit the target. Chances were pretty good that the bullseye had resulted purely from some combination of luck the slight breeze that was wafting through the clearing. I was met with a simple nod from Haldir, and raised an eyebrow sceptically. "It was probably just a lucky shot."
"Perhaps," he nodded again, turning to face me with a teasing smile. "Or perhaps you have taken my instructions to heart and have finally put the pieces together." I had nothing to say in reply to that, and for a moment I wondered if I really could be improving, finally.
"Where do you think I should go from here?"
Haldir paused now, studying me for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Come, shoot for me again. Let us see if your theory is, in fact, true." I swallowed hard at his suggestion, suddenly not liking the idea of having to shoot with him watching. But I nodded my head in agreement and, after plucking the arrows from the target, followed the Marchwarden.
I was soon standing in my usual spot, bow in my left hand, staring across the field at the target which now seemed miles away. With a short glance in Haldir's direction, I drew an arrow and nocked it quickly before taking a deep breath to calm the butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't sure why it suddenly seemed so imperative that I get a good shot. Haldir had stood by my side and watched me miss countless times, but I guess the fact that I had just shot a bullseye was making me feel pressured to have another good round.
Staring down the shaft of the arrow, I focused my sights on the middle of the target at the other end of the range. Double-checking my stance, I steadied myself, feeling slightly unnerved that Haldir had taken on the role of silent observer as opposed to encouraging teacher. Blinking twice, I shifted my thoughts back towards the target, putting my full concentration into staring at the tiny circle at the centre. Am I in the right spot? The target seemed closer all of a sudden, but Haldir hadn't said anything about it. No, I'm in the right spot, I'm sure of it. I suddenly realised that I had already been aiming at the target for way too long, and with one final breath to clear my mind, I released the arrow. It landed with a satisfying thud in the second innermost ring of the target.
I wanted to dance for joy, but I opted to reach for another one of my arrows instead. If I could pull at least a few more decent shots out of this quiver, then I could maybe have a little celebration. One good shot's not enough to prove yourself, Christa. I nocked my second arrow and refused to let my thoughts sway to how easy it seemed to aim at the middle of the target compared to earlier. Instead, I quickly steadied myself and let the arrow fly, watching in near disbelief as it hit the same ring as the first arrow. That's no bullseye, but holy crap! I hit the target again! I continued like this, not allowing myself another moment to think about my score, or about my friend watching over my shoulder. I just let loose arrow after arrow, watching as every single one of them hit some part of the target, snaking steadily closer and closer to the centre. Finally, I pulled the last arrow from my quiver and took my aim, releasing it quickly, pushing myself to not take so much time to steady myself.
Please be on the target, please be on the target. I opened my eyes and stared in disbelief across the field. Even from where I stood, I could see clear as day that my final shot had sunk itself deeply into the centre of the target. I had done it again!
I felt myself swell up with pride as I gaped openly at my shots. I couldn't believe that I hadn't missed a single shot, let alone that I had managed to shoot my second bullseye of the day! Suddenly remembering the silent elf who stood behind me, I turned to him, careful to hide my ecstasy. As happy as I was with my score, I wasn't exactly sure what Haldir had been expecting from me. I was relieved to see that he was smiling widely, obviously quite surprised. There might have even been some pride hiding somewhere in his face, but I wasn't sure. Still, his facial expression was positive enough that I couldn't help but drop my mask and beam across at him.
"Well, mellon, I do not think it possible to achieve so much by mere chance," Haldir spoke up, turning his head. I followed his gaze towards the trees and grinned even wider. I had no words of reply, so I simply giggled in giddy excitement. I stared at my arrows, not even caring about how strange it was to be able to suddenly see them like I was standing 20 feet closer. I was too ecstatic to care about anything except that I had managed to impress my friend.
Haldir turned back to face me then, looking at me intently. Taking a step closer, he lifted a hand and placed it gently under my chin. Confused by this sudden gesture, my grin faltered and I furrowed my brows slightly in confusion as he looked into my eyes.
"You can see the target," he said simply, his gaze never leaving my eyes.
"Uh… Yeah. Of course I can," I retorted, not sure what to make of his examination. Haldir chuckled at this and I managed to relax slightly, realising that whatever he was going on about, it must not be too terrible or anything.
"You can see it better, as if it is closer to you."
I nodded simply, now understanding where the conversation was going. I dropped my gaze to the ground, not really interested in pursuing the topic, but Haldir pressed his fingers gently against under my chin and I lifted my eyes back up to meet his.
"Your senses will continue to improve," Haldir said, his tone gentle now that he realised that he was treading on thin ice.
"I'd rather not talk about it, Haldir," I replied, my voice faltering slightly. Haldir, however, did not drop his gaze. Instead, his eyes softened, imploring me to open myself up to him. Sighing, I felt my shoulders sag, suddenly feeling like the weight of my changing body had become too much to keep contained.
"Being able to see the target, it's new. It only just happened to me now," I said after taking a moment to gather my thoughts. Haldir nodded slowly, his gaze not leaving mine.
"I thought this. Your hesitation before you released your first arrow was plain to me."
I was only vaguely aware of the silence that fell between us, my thoughts focused on all of the changes that had suddenly surfaced to the top of my mind again. I had been doing so well, even enjoying some of my new elvish attributes. But with each new development, I felt the anxiety creeping its way back into my head, filling me with thoughts of dread.
"Mellon nin?"
I was brought back to the present as Haldir moved his hand from my chin to my cheek, cupping it softly in his palm. His gesture brought me comfort, and I closed my eyes as I felt the dam holding back my emotions begin to crack. Leaning in towards him, I wrapped my arms around his torso and nestled my face into his chest, letting the tears fall freely. I had no words to explain what I was feeling now. Haldir only hesitated for a moment before returning the gesture, pulling me closer and putting one hand behind my head, holding me tightly.
For over a month, I had managed to push aside the fear of never returning home. As much as I missed my parents, my home, and the simplicities of modern-living, I had finally come to accept that I was going to be in Middle Earth for longer than I had originally been hoping for. It had crept into my thoughts at night that there might possibly be a reason for my coming at such a pivotal moment in the history of Arda. As much as I had tried to deny it, there was little arguing that it seemed peculiar that I should arrive so soon before the beginning of the War of the Ring. The thought had scared me at first, for I really didn't want to be in a war. But Lothlorien now seemed like a safehaven for me, and I felt it impossible that any evil would ever penetrate the golden boughts of the forest.
Now that I was bawling into Haldir's chest, I felt small and defeated. As I tried to choke back the sobs, I forced every thought from my brain and focused on the earthly sweet smell of his cloak. After a while, the sobs subsided and I slowly wiggled one of my hands free to wipe my cheek. Haldir quickly took over from me, moving my hand aside and using his thumb to gently brush away the tears. As his thumb trailed on my cheek, he smiled slightly, and I found myself smiling as well, my cheeks warm at his touch.
"I'm sorry," I laughed slightly, still shaky from my outburst.
"There is no need to apologize. I understand that you are dealing with a lot right now," Haldir replied lightly. I felt the warmth in my cheeks spread as his eyes searched my own. There was something hidden in those eyes, deep inside, but I couldn't seem to find it. We stood like this for a moment, or faces just inches apart, before my gaze faltered. A shy smile crept its way onto my lips as Haldir dropped his hand, and he broke the silence before I could open my mouth. "I depart for the border again tomorrow."
"I know," I replied, shaking off the strange moment, and bowed my head slightly before willing myself not to feel down again. "I'll keep practicing," I added quickly, managing a smile as I lifted my head back up to look at my friend.
"Excellent," Haldir nodded, smiling also."Experiment with your distances. Each day, I would like you to shoot at a longer distance. When you feel that you are shooting proficiently at that distance, back up some more. I will be interested in seeing how far you can shoot from when I return in three weeks."
I nodded, grateful to have new instructions from Haldir. It was amazing how quickly Haldir had reverted back to the Marchwarden that he was after whatever had just happened a moment before. What had happened? Deciding not to dwell on it, I added it to the list of things that were rushing through my mind that I did not wish to think about. My newly advanced eyesight was at the front of my mind. As I had done with each previous change, I would have to learn to embrace this development. Swallowing hard, I turned to follow Haldir as we went to collect my arrows. And I better get used to it, because I doubt that this will be the last one.
Farther and farther back on the range I moved each day. By the one week mark I had nearly doubled my shooting range, and several times I had even been joined by a pair of young Galadhrim guards who had only started their archery training. By the second day of shooting at the same distance as them, I was besting them. I hit a bump at that point though. The two guards had soon nursed their broken egos as I found that I could back up no farther without shooting wide of the target. It took me nearly a week to gain any ground from that point, and even then I only moved about ten feet total over two days.
At the two week mark, I called it quits as the sun was starting to set, the last of the rays of light filtering through the golden boughs. I had been shooting since dawn, only now satisfied with my efforts. Jogging to the other end of the range, I quickly retrieved my arrows from the target before tucking them into my quiver and turning on my heel to leave. It had been an insanely long day, and my stomach was not at all happy with me. I could feel it rumbling as I wrapped my cloak tightly around myself and made my way towards the dining hall. The tips of my ears had become numb in the cold, even though the winters back home where far colder than anything I had been subject to in Lothlorien. Wrapping my hands around them, I quickly padded my way through the city.
The dining hall was busy as usual, the space alive with friendly chit chat and the smells of warm food. I ate quickly, eager to get myself back up to my flet for a warm bath. Wolfing down my bowl of vegetable stew, I cleaned up my dishes and was on my way once again, bounding up the many stairs. When I had finally reached my flet, I shed my gear and immediately lit the fire in the bathroom to boil the water for my bath. As soon as the water was hot, I stripped down and let myself melt into the tub, leaning back against the wooden frame.
I stayed in the bath for a long time, nearly falling asleep as the hot water eased my sore muscles and calmed my busy mind. I soon felt myself drifting off and willed myself to wash up before the water lost its heat, but couldn't bring myself to do so. I started awake what seemed like a moment later, but it was obvious from the lukewarm water that I had been asleep for quite some time. Thankful that I had left the fire lit, I sat up and reached for the soap to begin washing myself up. Reaching my face, my brow furrowed as I realised that my ears were still numb. Maybe numb wasn't the right word… Tingly. Strangely, there was no pain. Just an irritatingly itchy tingly feeling at the tips. Resisting the urge to scratch, I quickly cleaned myself up and pulled myself out from the water, wrapping myself in a towel.
Too tired to bother with my hair, I quickly changed into my sleeping gown and crawled into bed. Under the thick, warm covers, I closed my eyes and smiled, the troubles of my earlier mind forgotten as I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling slightly disoriented. It was unusual for me to wake up at such an hour, as I was normally a really sound sleeper. Blinking, I rolled over and closed my eyes, trying to go back to sleep. Just as I began to feel the first signs of drowsiness again, another sensation crept its way into my mind. My ears were hot. Like, they felt like they were burning. Man, I must have gotten a wicked sunburn on the archery range yesterday. Slowly, I moved a hand up to feel my ear, my fingers trailing along from my earlobe up to the tip of my ear. I froze, instantly feeling all feeling of drowsiness leave my body.
Scrambling suddenly, I sat up in bed, groping my ears with either hand.
"I'm dreaming," I whispered to myself in the dark, knowing full well that I was lying to myself.
There, beneath my very fingers, I could feel plain as day the pointed tips of my ears, cool to the touch despite the intense burning sensation. I began to grip my ears so tightly that I felt like screaming. There was no way that they were real. They're fake! That was obviously a lie, and I bit my lip, biting back the pain. I felt the blood rush to my head as I fell sideways, out cold from shock.
The sound of the birds signing in the morning made my head swim. Reluctantly prying open my eyes, I stared at the wooden floor panels beneath my gaze. Confused, I pulled myself up into a sitting position, rubbing my throbbing temples. Then I remembered my ears.
Hesitantly, I lowered my hands, slowly sliding them along my hair until they stopped at the tips of my ears. The significantly pointed tips. Of my own ears. I had no idea how to react to this new development. Surprisingly, crying didn't even pop into my mind. I didn't feel the need to cry, to freak out. I simply sat on my bed, holding my ears, staring at the wall on the other side of the room.
I had no idea how long I sat there, unmoving, but eventually I realised that I needed to do something. Clambering out of bed, I raced into the bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Brushing aside the tangled mess of hair, I turned my head to the side and stared at my ear out of the corner of my eye. Sure enough, there it was, so alien to me. There was no mistaking what was happening to me anymore. I was becoming an elf.
Oh man, guys. I am so, so, sorry for the wait for this chapter! I just finished up with my first week of university, along with moving into an apartment the weeken before. I had the first half of this chapter written up two weeks ago, but since then, I haven't had a single moment of writing time! But finally, here we are! If all goes well, I will be getting right to work on the next chapter tomorrow, and it won't take too long to have it finished and posted as well. So thank you so much for your patience! You have all been amazing readers, and I encourage you all to leave me a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter!
We're almost to the arrival of the Fellowship! Who's excited? I know that I sure am! I hope that you are all still enjoying this story as much as I am!
-Eru