Hello everyone,

thank you so much for all the well wishes. I am doing alright, but am taking it easy until I consult with the surgeon on Wednesday. On an up note, the extra couch time has given me ample opportunity to write, so here is the next part. Thanks again to everyone who has stuck with this story so far. Your continued interest and kind words have been heartening and humbling.

As always, I want to give a special shout-out to my reviewers on the last chapter. durinsdaughter2469btw, Blue1258, leelee202, Cricklewood16, theladylibra, leward1992, Rogue's Queen, SmallLittleCagedBird, and FriendlyNeighborhoodHufflepuff. Your comments truly brightened my week.

Anyhoo, I suppose I should stop rambling now. I hope you are all having a good weekend.

Kindest regards,

CygnusRift


CHAPTER XXIV

SUNDERED SOULS

It was nearing midday, and they were filing along the Anduin.

It was a silent march, the two of them keeping pace with one another, but at a slight distance. They were trying to proceed in much the same fashion as before, as though nothing had changed. Except everything was different. A strange mood had settled between them. Everything seemed off-balance somehow. They had yet to speak of it. They had yet to speak at all.

Presently, Annalyn and Haldir were walking along a quiet stretch of forest. The ground was soft and level, covered in a blue-green carpet of clovers. The frost had stolen much of their vibrancy, Annalyn noted, but they had yet to wither completely.

The surrounding oak trees were old but strong, with airy spaces between them. Their large limbs stretched up and out. The branches arched overhead, their tips touching the ends of neighbouring trees, forming a natural roof through which they could see the sky. To their right, just visible beyond the trees, the Anduin eddied and flowed, too wide and too deep to cross.

At any other time, Annalyn might have appreciated the scenery. But as things now stood, she could only manage an impassive stare. Like the eddying current of the river, her thoughts kept circling back to earlier that morning, to Haldir and the sadness she had perceived in his eyes. It puzzled her still, as did his sudden retreat.

But then again, had she not done the same?

Last night, almost as soon as the kiss had ended, Annalyn had left him where he stood, her mind racing to make sense of her sudden impulse. As confused as she had been, however, the thought of actually distancing herself from him had never crossed her mind.

Whatever else he might be to her, Haldir was a treasured friend. The last thing she wanted was to ruin things between them. Mayhap I already have.

Hoping to lift some of the heaviness from her heart, she looked skyward for a moment, but the weight remained. Her gaze straying to the left and slightly ahead of her, she pondered her companion as he marched, and couldn't help the pang in her chest at seeing how detached he seemed.

To be sure, Haldir's countenance had changed, as if he had built a wall around himself. It confused and saddened her. But more than that, it hurt and made her wonder.

Unable to wrap her mind around any of it, Annalyn decided to clear her head by walking nearer to the river's edge. The sandy bank was mostly smooth. Tiny pebbles shifted beneath her boots.

By early-afternoon, the river had widened considerably. So much so that one might mistake it for a long lake. The wind blew freely here, but the open air was not enough to quell her jumbled thoughts. Growing weary of their continued silence, Annalyn pondered what to do. She wanted to speak to Haldir, to broach the subject they had avoided all day. But what would she say to him?

As she grappled with the answer, she had to ask herself, what if he was wrestling with the same confusion she was? What if he was sorting through his thoughts even now? What if, like her, he only needed time?

Not knowing how to feel, Annalyn swept a gaze on the passing scenery, noted that the river was narrowing again. An hour later, it was still tapering. Walking onward, her eyes gravitated to Haldir. At first, his gait and demeanour were unchanged, but then he came to a sudden stop, his stare directed at something up ahead.

Annalyn halted. "What is it?" she asked.

In liew of answering, Haldir cautioned silence by bringing a finger to his mouth.

Was someone, or something, lurking nearby? Alarmed, Annalyn followed his line of sight. It was rather far, but a dark line could be seen just over the water. A bridge? How strange. According to Haldir, there were no bridges over the Anduin.

"Psst!" Haldir's whisper netted her attention again. With a nudge of his head, he urged her to join him in the relative cover of the trees.

Setting the day's turmoil aside, Annalyn did as he asked. As the two stalked ahead to investigate, creeping from one oak tree to the next so as not to be seen, gentle banks gave way to a narrowing channel of rock through which the water churned and flowed.

Once they had found a discreet vantage point, Annalyn and Haldir crouched to survey the Anduin.

Pinched between tall sections of rock, the mighty river had gathered considerable strength, its waters loud and frightful. As for the line they had seen, it was not a bridge, but rather a lofty beech tree that had falled over the gap, spanning its width.

Annalyn glanced at Haldir. "What do you think. Could we use it to get across?"

He seemed unsure. "That tree was felled. We do not know by whom, or when it was cut."

"You think it might be Orcs?"

"We cannot rule it out."

Annalyn swallowed hard, and scanned the area. "I see nothing."

Haldir offered no reply. Instead, his keen elven eyes scanned their surroundings, his ears listening for any and all sounds that might be out of place.

Annalyn looked and listened, too. For what seemed like ages. Honestly, it was starting to get tedious. "There is no one out there."

"Do you see that cliff face?" Haldir pointed to a spot across the river, where a jagged wall of stone loomed over the current. Its surface was curved and uneven, with dark fissures here and there. "There is a large cleft near the top, partly hidden by those vines." With a subtle sweeping motion, he indicated what appeared to be a lip in the rock. "You see there? All along that face? A rock shelf leads directly to it."

Annalyn frowned in concern, but countered. "It is daylight. If there are Orcs in there, it is the perfect time to cross. If we hasten, we can hide or confuse our trail and be well away from here before nightfall."

When Haldir failed to move, she shifted to face him. "Was it not you who said that the eastern banks are more perilous than the western side? That the lands east of Lothlórien are waste?"

"I did. Just…" Haldir breathed through flaring nostrils. "Grant me a moment to think."

"Well, you can remain here if you wish." Annalyn ignored his widening gaze, and rose. "I am going to see."

Honestly, it felt good to be defiant, to expell the day's pent up emotions by doing what she wanted, regardless of what he thought. One might have said she was being reckless, but Annalyn did not agree.

Yes, Orcs unnerved and frightened her, but this tree could be a blessing. With any luck, it might even shave some time off of their journey. As for the potential dangers, if Orcs were indeed hiding nearby, the sun was much too bright for them at the moment.

"Wait." By the exasperated tone of his voice, she knew Haldir had relented. He would follow.

The closer they got to the river, the more Annalyn could feel its strength.

Unless her ears were cheating her, a waterfall lay somewhere beyond their line of sight—a suspicion that ultimately proved correct. What's more, the tree had fallen quite near to the drop. Once they had reached the beech tree, Haldir crouched beside it, his knuckles rapping against the trunk. "The bole appears solid," he told her. "Rot has yet to set in."

Now that she was standing next to it, Annalyn could not look away from the raging torrent. As eager as she was to cross, fear roiled in her gut. Her determination was stronger though. She had faced and lived through worse. She could do this. "We should do it, then. We should cross. You said it yourself, the Orcs are amassing for war. The sooner you reach Lothlórien, the better it will be, no?"

Haldir studied the opposing rockface for a moment. Then, with a grim look upon his face, he met her eyes, and concurred with a nod.

"Very well then," she said. Steeling herself for the crossing, Annalyn neared the tree, and was about to climb onto it when Haldir stopped her.

"Wait. I have rope."

Taking heart at that, she waited while he rummaged through his pack, producing a slender length of grey rope. After tying it to the sturdiest tree he could find, Haldir wrapped the other end around his hand, looping it over and over again, reminding her of the day she and her kin had crossed the Silverlode. Once the line was taut, he proceeded along the fallen tree, unfurling the rope as he went. Sure-footed or no, Annalyn fretted for Haldir, couldn't help it. If the tree shifted or if he somehow lost his footing—

He will make it across, she told herself, and he did.

Once he was standing on the other side, Annalyn went to take a step, but stopped when Haldir motioned for her to remain where she was.

What's he doing? They should have been hastening to leave here. Instead, Haldir proceeded along the rockface, hand on the hilt of his sword as he moved toward the cleft.

Fearful and anxious, Annalyn watched as he inched his way forward, his blade drawn and at the ready. Haldir was almost there. Only when he had peered around the bend, and deemed it safe, did she allow herself to breathe.

No Orcs. Good.

Once he had retraced his steps, and was waiting for her on the other side, Annalyn squared her shoulders. My turn.

"There are branches on this side. Take heed when you step over them," Haldir called out as she stepped onto the fallen tree, her hand reaching for the rope which he had secured at shoulder level.

Swallowing a lump of fear, Annalyn ventured forth, doing her best to ignore the raging torrent below. The roaring soon envelopped her, the rumble discernible through the soles of her boots. A fine spray filled the air, dampening her hair and chilling her skin.

For the first few steps, Annalyn kept her eyes on the other side of the river. But then, even knowing it was unwise, she glanced down and immediately wished she hadn't. The foaming waters churned even as they fell over the rock face, toward the gaping maw of the pool below.

Hesitating, Annalyn drew a steadying breath, but kept on going. One step, another, then one more. Her balance wavered a little. She paused to right herself, tightening her grip on the rope.

Despite all that had happened today, and the remoteness that had settled between them, Annalyn was glad to see that Haldir was keeping a careful watch on her. For the first time since early that morning, he actually met her eyes.

The nod he gave was one of encouragement, but it also conveyed that he would join her if she asked. She wouldn't though. Not now. Annalyn wanted to do this. She needed to do this. She resumed the crossing.

When her boots finally touched upon rock, Annalyn heaved an audible sigh of relief. Leaning forward with her hands on her knees, she sought to steady her racing pulse while Haldir went about untying the rope. A mere tug was all it took. As he coiled the length of it over his arm, Haldir started marching along the edge of the sunlit forest.

Her gaze trailing after him, Annalyn followed.


"Here." Haldir spoke quietly as he approached, making her look up.

His arms were laden with the firewood he had just gathered, his tall frame silhouetted by the dying light of the sun. Stooping to set his burden down, he looked beyond the glade in which they had made camp, and scanned the river flowing nearby.

"It would be prudent to refill the waterskin ere we depart," he advised, rising. Having followed the Anduin all day, they meant to leave it behind tomorrow, cutting a straight line toward Lothlórien. "The valley ahead is crossed by several streams," he continued, "But the one nearest to us lies a day's march away."

"How long until we reach the Golden Wood?" Annalyn inquired from where she knelt, by the small pile of kindling she had arranged. To be honest, it felt strange conversing with him thusly. Except for the crossing, this was the most he had spoken all day.

"Ten days," was his reply. "Nine if we make haste." Though he tried to conceal it, Annalyn saw the tension in his posture, the way he averted his gaze. Shifting uncomfortably, Haldir promptly excused himself, saying he was going to circle around one more time.

While tempted to stop him, she chose not to, at least for the time being.

Just a few hours ago, Annalyn had made a promise to herself. Unwilling to leave things as they were, she would speak to him. Tonight.

Reaching for her pack, her thoughts turned to what she might say to him. Alas, despite her best efforts, the words had not fully formed in her mind.

This day had been a veritable whirlwind. Annalyn couldn't remember the last time she had felt such a wide and confusing range of emotions. All throughout the afternoon, she had found herself constantly reassessing her own feelings, and the reasons behind her sudden desire to kiss him.

Grief and weariness had been part of it, she knew. As was gratitude. But she had begun to suspect a deeper truth, one that went beyond a simple desire for solace. Annalyn sensed it in her heart, in the way it quickened whenever he happened to glance in her direction. In the hurt and disappointment she felt whenever he turned away.

As a wayward lock of hair tickled the side of her face, Annalyn thought of their journey, and all they had been through. She and Haldir had tread a long and difficult road together. They were still walking. And somewhere along the way, without realising it, something had begun to change—at least for my part.

As far as self-discoveries went, it was most startling and unforeseen. Nevertheless, it changed nothing.

It was one kiss. Nothing more. So what if her feelings had changed a little? So what if Haldir appealed to her? With all that had happened over this past year and a half, Annalyn had already learned her lesson, had no intention of deepening her relationship—not with Haldir, not with anyone. And judging by the way he had walled himself in, her companion was not interested in pursuing her either.

Yet a strained distance now separated them. It pained her.

Annalyn looked up. Daylight was fading. She had a fire to light. Setting her musings aside, she fetched her uncle's tinderbox and kindled the flames. When they finally took root, spreading warmth across her face and outstretched palms, she glanced up and saw that Haldir had completed his patrol.

Instead of joining her, however, he busied himself by seeking a few more deadfalls. Having gathered more than enough to last the night, he then made for a nearby oak tree. Climbing onto one of the lower limbs, he settled upon it and began inspecting his arrows one at a time.

Now or never. Her stomach in knots, Annalyn left the warmth of the fire, and approached the oak tree. When she grasped the lowermost branch, her boots scraping against the bark as she climbed, Haldir frowned in concern and began to rise.

"No, please. Stay. I am coming up." Annalyn told him, and saw his reluctant nod. He sat back down.

For good or for ill, she would make an end to these uncomfortable bouts of silence, even if she had to climb a tree to do so. Determined though she was, Annalyn was rather glad he had chosen one of the lower perches. It had been long since she had climbed thusly. And she had never much cared for heights.

Sensing his questioning gaze on her, Annalyn made her way up until she had reached the limb in question. As he made room for her, she lowered herself carefully, and sat next to him with her legs dangling toward the east. Facing the other way, his face tinged with the early evening light, Haldir looked sidelong at her, but yielded the conversation to her.

"Well then," she started simply, gently, for her aim was not to confront, but to understand. "Shall we speak of this? Or shall we keep to ourselves all the way to Lothlórien?"

Haldir made no reply, instead looked to the western horizon. It wasn't a dismissal, however. Rather, she sensed that he was merely struggling to choose his words.

Uncertain of how to proceed, Annalyn considered him for a moment. She had thought to begin by asking why he seemed so distant, instead she chose another route. "I see it you know, the sadness in your eyes."

At this, he frowned a little—not angrily, no, but as an emotional shield. Haldir might have been a mystery to her in many ways, but this she knew; discussing his feelings was not something that came naturally or easily to him.

She went on, "I only wish to understand—"

"We have grown too close, Annalyn," he stated suddenly, without looking at her. He let out a breath, and hung his head.

Now it was her turn to look away. As she sat there, trying to digest his words, Haldir spoke once more. "I had not intended…" The sentence trailed.

"What?" Annalyn prodded at length, for she truly wanted to know. Eyes returning to his profile, she asked again, her voice scarcely more than a breath. "What did you not intend?" Kissing me in turn? Becoming my friend? These additional questions burned on the tip of her tongue, but Annalyn could not bring herself to ask, fearing the answer—especially if it was the latter. For their friendship meant a great deal to her, more than he could possibly know.

Haldir seemed weary, more so than she had ever seen him. Straightening his back, he dragged a hand over his face. When he spoke, the words were so low, Annalyn only caught the end of it. "…so incredibly complicated."

At last, Haldir met her eyes, and she saw it again, that same sorrowful look. Her chest growing heavy, Annalyn saw his gaze fall to her mouth. For a moment she was reminded of the way he had looked in the aftermath of that kiss, when he had lingered in her proximity, his hand framing the side of her face. It had stirred her heart at the time. Now it only added to her confusion.

But then, it sparked a realisation. He is conflicted. Annalyn blinked, and in that instant, everything seemed to coalesce in her mind, changing her perception. Of course

Annalyn's heart clenched. She averted her gaze. In order to conceal what she was feeling, she summoned a faint smile, but her cheeks flushed anyway. "Why did you not say anything?"

When he frowned in confusion, she explained, "You should have told me that there is someone waiting for you back in Caras Galadhon." The thought had never even occurred to her before now. It made sense though. Haldir was quite beautiful after all. He was also brave and strong. Guarded and stubborn, yes, but kind. Surely, he would have caught someone's eye by now. Had she known, she never would have…

Puzzlement briefly crossed his face. When he grasped her meaning, Haldir tensed a little. "Nay," he said, somewhat discomfited—or was he embarrassed? "You misunderstand. There is no one." His voice lowered a notch. "At least, not for a long time."

The way he said it, the heaviness in the words…

Clearly there was a story there, and as she studied his profile, Annalyn couldn't help but wonder what it was. Unrequited love? An ill-fated love? A knot formed in her stomach. Where is she now? Did she pass? Or had their sundering come by less tragic circumstances? A mutual decision to part ways perhaps. Hoping it was the latter, Annalyn wondered what had become of her. A part of her wanted to ask, yet intuition warned her not to. Not now. Not yet.

Setting the mystery aside, she focused instead on the problem at hand. Haldir had been so incredibly distant today, closed off. Why?

As night gathered around them, Annalyn shifted sideways, until her back met the bole of the tree. Facing him, she then rested her head against the bark, and shrugged, saying, "Enlighten me then." Direct but delicate words. "You have barely spoken all day, barely even looked at me. There must be a reason."

A soft murmurous wind arose. As it swirled past, Annalyn ignored the sudden chill. She waited.

"There is."


So here was chapter 24. I know that things have been frustratingly awkward between Haldir and Annalyn, so I wish to thank you for hanging in there. Also, I know I'm bad for writing cliffhangers, but at least they are going to talk now ;-) The next part will be in Haldir POV.