Thanks to all of my loyal readers for your patience! I really struggled with this chapter, but I think I've finally got a handle on what I want for the story now! Please enjoy the latest installment of GOA!
LH Wordsmith-He is so perfect in this chapter, isn't he? I've always thought the funny, teasing sort of men are best! Haldir does very much want to see her grow and become the elleth she was meant to be. I'll have to try and find some time to check out your fic! I'm flattered that I inspired you!
wynnathewarrior-Thanks for the compliments! Hopefully you'll find this update today and have a good read!
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, or anything associated with Tolkien Enterprises. I also do not own any music by Stephen Foster, Thomas Haynes Bayly, Caroline Atherton Mason, S.M. Grannis, or George Loder. Their lyrics are included in this fanfic and they are old enough to be considered public domain.
ooOoo
Guardians of Arda
By Ponytail Goddess
Chapter 13: One Bad Apple
The couple's pleasant evening with the Glenn family was coming to a close. Duckie watched Haldir gather his hat from the hook by the door as he extended his gratitude and some kind parting words to Old Roy and Chester. She saw him shake both of their hands vigorously and promised them that he and his bride-to-be would come and visit again soon. Duckie smiled at the camaraderie between the men, as they seemed to be parting ways as friends.
Duckie made sure to say her goodbyes too, hugging almost every child goodbye before receiving one last bear hug from Willie. "Thanks for all of your help Duckie! I will miss you! I hope you come and visit again soon!"
"Yes, I certainly will." She vowed with a smile, giving the boy a quick peck atop his red locks of hair before standing back up to her full height. He happily looked up her with a glowing visage, filled to the brim with approval. "I will look forward to having such wonderful company as yours again sometime soon!"
Mabel made sure to offer her one last reassurance to her too, as the pair walked to the door together since Haldir had already went outside to fetch the horse from the barn. "Whew—I could practically feel the heat coming off you both during that dance." She murmured quietly, fanning herself with her hands for effect. "If that kiss did not prove his feelings for you, then I don't know what will." She finished as she led Duckie out the front door with a knowing grin on her face.
The women found themselves surprisingly alone on the veranda outside. Without saying anything, Mabel squeezed Duckie's hand and nodded her silent approval of Henry, which made her loose blonde hairs fly every which way. Duckie met her excited eyes and nodded in solidarity, though in a much more reserved fashion.
"Don't be a stranger now; I've grown to enjoy your company. Come by anytime for a visit. There's always room for one more at the table, you hear?" She said, her open invitation making joy beam from Duckie, who was touched with the sentiment as Mabel squeezed her hand tightly once more. "I mean it. You're welcome anytime."
"You are also welcome to come by and visit us at the farmhouse! I would love to host you." Duckie replied, grabbing her into a meaningful embrace, which was instantaneously tightened by Mabel, whose strength was much greater than Duckie's own. Duckie simply smiled though, happy to receive positive attentions from the closest thing to a motherly figure she had ever experienced during her short 54 years of life.
"Indeed, I will take you up on that sometime—perhaps after the newness of the marriage has worn down." She whispered gleefully with a wink, making Duckie blush once more at her insinuations as she carefully turned around and stepped down the veranda stairs. The moonlight danced upon her braided raven hair as she waved back up to Mabel, who remained by the door to the homestead. "Go enjoy your handsome husband-to-be and I will see you soon!"
"Thank you again for the wonderful evening Mabel! Have a pleasant night!" She called as she turned around and waved to her once last time. "Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!" Mabel repeated loudly, smiling and waving at Duckie until she made it safely to the front of the barn where Haldir and Tulkas patiently awaited her. Haldir was turned towards his horse and stood petting his head as she approached.
Suddenly finding herself alone with Haldir, Duckie felt her heart start to flutter as she all at once remembered the soft, lingering touch of Haldir's lips on her hand and the soulful stare that had accompanied it. It had felt so real in the moment—as if it was not an act at all, but a true token of affection meant just for her. Furthermore, she had liked it more than she would care to admit. Being around Haldir seemed to have this effect on her. Even now, just thinking of it sent a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering through her stomach and a pleasant, tingly feeling across the back of her hand where his mouth had lingered on her skin.
However, she wasn't supposed to like it because it wasn't supposed to be real, just an act. It had felt real though, so now she found herself slowing her steps towards him and twisting her clasped hands unconsciously in front of her waist.
Duckie watched as Haldir whispered something warmly in Tulkas' ear while stroking the short mahogany hair on his elongated face. After a moment, he turned and looked at her with that handsome half smile of his, only for it to fall flat when he caught sight of her. He studied her quietly for a few moments before he spoke.
"I went too far, didn't I?" He questioned, then paused for a moment and stared at the ground, as if it might help him figure out what to say next. Upon taking a deep breath, he continued, "I am sorry if the kiss was too much. I thought it would show the mortals that I felt affection for you, but perhaps it was unnecessary. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Duckie silently berated herself for overthinking the situation. Haldir was a wonderful actor and that was all the moment had been—acting. He had played the mortals like Chester played his fiddle, making them believe what he wanted them to believe about their phony relationship. It had worked. In fact, it had worked so well that Duckie also believed it!
"No," she replied, shaking her head for acting so childish, "there was nothing wrong with what you did. I know Mabel and her girls found it very believable. I think you have thoroughly convinced the entire family of your feelings for me."
She chanced a glance over at him and saw that he looked confused, so more words tumbled out of her mouth as she tried to explain herself. "I just… this is hard for me. No man has ever… I mean, I am unused to such attentions." She murmured quietly, turning away from him to avoid looking at his face as she admitted this rather personal bit of information.
Haldir was good at reading between the lines though and arrived at the heart of the problem rapidly. "You have never been kissed before." She heard him deduce softly. "A pretty elleth like you? Not even once?"
Duckie shook her head no, her eyes glued to the matted down grass on the ground and the jumping movement of the grasshoppers beneath.
"Not even by that Arthur fellow who is sweet on you?" He asked with an obviously befuddled voice.
"Goodness no, he is the pastor's son! He is very modest and traditional!" Duckie exclaimed as her eyebrows raised up high in astonishment. With that outlandish thought out in the open now, she somehow found the courage to look at Haldir once more.
He must have seen the embarrassment written across her face though, as he replied, "There is nothing to be ashamed of Dúcuivië. In fact, if I was your father, I would be pleased to know that you weren't going around and kissing every mortal man who happened to fancy you."
While she was relieved at his unjudgmental acceptance of her admittance, she was still thoroughly embarrassed and did not know what to say in return. Haldir did not seem to have any good way to finish the conversation either and thus, chose to move on from it without another word.
"Come. Let's get you on Tulkas and back to the farmhouse for the evening."
"Other than my faux pas, did you enjoy the evening?" Haldir asked quietly as he gently boosted her up onto Tulkas' well-oiled leather saddle. Immediately, Duckie grabbed the pommel as she adjusted herself into as comfortable of a position as one could be in while trying to ride side saddle in a western seat meant for riding astride. Thankfully, her slender body lent itself fairly well to this position and she crossed her legs at the ankles once she was in a comfortable enough spot.
"Yes, I did." She replied shakily as Haldir pulled the reins back over Tulkas' head to lead him home. Audibly hearing the nervousness in her voice, she took a soothing breath as she reassured herself once again that Haldir was simply a very good actor and did not harbor any feelings towards her beyond friendship. She had let her emotions surrounding the kiss get away from her and she needed to calm down.
A moment later, she was able to continue the conversation, feeling much more like herself as he observed her once more. "Mabel was a delight to speak with, as were her children. The food was wonderful and the dancing, a joy."
Duckie suddenly got a shy look in her eyes as she met his steady gaze and gently complemented him. "You were a fine dance partner."
Haldir chuckled for a moment, appearing to be pleased with himself before replying, "You were quite good yourself. It was a pleasure to be dancing with an elleth for a change. You move along more smoothly than the mortal females do."
"Well, everything you did seemed to go smoothly tonight," she pondered out loud. "You were confident and made it look so easy to pretend to be in love with me while I, on the other hand, was quite awkward. How did you know what to do?"
"You did better than you think." He said, waving his hand over his shoulder as if to dismiss her assessment of herself while he led Tulkas down the path going through the cornfields that would lead them back to the forest. "You were a tad shy, but it came off as believable, given our circumstances."
Duckie was not convinced, but chose to leave the matter be. However, Haldir continued speaking after a lengthy pause of silence. He had a distant look upon his face as he gazed up at the stars. "If I am honest, I thought about my parents and how they interacted with one another as I was growing up. They were constantly laughing and jovial around one another, always touching in some way, as if they were a child's set of mittens, connected by a string."
She watched as a dreamy, far-off look entered Haldir's eyes as he reminisced about his days amongst his kin. He appeared to be in a happy daze as he continued to relate the pleasant memories to her beneath the navy and ebony swirled sky. Starlight and moonlight glistened off the bottom of his vibrant silver hair, the only part that was not covered by the shadow of his brimmed hat.
"There would be these shared glances between them—ones where it seemed like one of them knew what the other was thinking, even though they said nothing out loud. Then there was the look of love in their eyes! Their eyes were always lighting up, always sparkling when they looked at one another. Their love for one another was so obvious to everyone around them. It could not be hidden, even if they had tried." He explained, his voice wistfully dying off as he reminisced.
Without looking at her, his voice quieted as he finished. "They died long ago and have been greatly missed ever since."
"They sound as if they were wonderful. I'm sorry for your loss," Duckie said simply, not knowing what else to say. In the lingering silence between then, she grew mentally distant as she found herself lost in her thoughts about her own parents.
It was difficult to picture her father with anyone, as she had never seen him with a companion other than herself. However, there surely had to be some sort of history between him and her mother—some sort of chemistry that brought them close enough to one another to create a new immortal life. Duckie wondered if they were as carefree and in love as Haldir's parents had been. Had there been sparkling eyes and laughter between them too? Or perhaps something else equally beautiful?
While Duckie was saddened that she did not have such memories of her family to treasure within her mind as Haldir did, she could appreciate how his face lit up as he recalled his past. For one who missed his home as much as Duckie knew he did, the glow of warm memories was a welcome invitation to him and she did not want her own envious feelings to interrupt it.
They traveled a bit longer in silence under the blanket of darkness laden with bright stars. As they approached the forest, Duckie knew they would soon be dimmed out by the overreaching cover of the trees. As they approached them, Duckie's mind wandered over the events of her day and before she knew what she was saying, a couple of her burning questions escaped from her lips.
"You spoke of my aunt earlier. How did you know her? What was she like?"
Feeling a bit shocked that she had returned to this very personal conversation once again, Duckie quietly bit her bottom lip as she watched Haldir carefully for his reaction. She hoped she had not made a faux pas by asking, but she was very curious.
Haldir seemed to handle the topic well enough though, probably because he knew how much she wanted to learn about her family. "Your aunt was named Arwen, but was often referred to as 'Undómiel' because she was the evenstar of her people, the most beautiful elf of her time." He started, his voice growing low and introspective as he gazed ahead into the dark tree cover of the forest they were about to enter, visibly scoping it out for danger as they were engulfed in the unending blanket of night.
Immediately, Duckie searched the skies for what little starlight could be seen through the foliage, desperate for any bit of light she could find within the darkness. A shiver passed through her as she found she could see very little that laid ahead of her within the shaded area. She hung onto Haldir's every word, trying not to be frightened as they began the downhill descent to the creek.
"I knew Arwen from her journeys to Lothlórien, for she came along with your father's family every five years. Her parents often had duties that needed tended while they were there for their visit and the twins were often too busy completing training exercises with the wardens to watch over her when she was but an elfling. The nursemaid who came along with them during her first trip kept losing her in the woods, for she was unfamiliar with the pathways and bridges of Lothlórien and Arwen was already adept at running and climbing. She would get away from her caretaker and both would become lost in the city or the surrounding woods."
"The wardens were then sent to search the city to retrieve her. It was I who found her the first time and brought her back. I joked with her and then raced her all the way back to the Court of Celeborn. When she continued to go missing though, her parents sat her down to have a talk and it was discovered that she was hoping to interact with me again by running away, presumably because I had given her the kind of attention she wanted, the kind her family was unable to provide during the trip. Thus, it was arranged that I would be her guard of sorts while she remained in Lothlórien."
"Her guard?" Duckie questioned, now starting to pay more and more attention to the story as she gave less heed to the darkness. She was surprised by this new information. "Surely an elfling would not need that though, not within the well-guarded borders you spoke of earlier."
"No, truly she did not need that, but I am a willing servant of my lord and lady and I did not refuse when they requested this special service from me. It was a welcome reprieve from the arduous work I did at the borders. I enjoyed those days greatly, for Arwen was indeed a bright and shining star, a beacon full of energy and light within a world where I often only saw depravity and despair."
A day ago, Duckie could have hardly imagined Haldir in such a role, as she had only seen the side of him that was serious and duty-bound. However, now that she had seen Haldir smile and tease her, the picture of him entertaining a little elleth easily formed in her mind. The side of Haldir she had been privy to tonight was very likeable and she imagined a young elfling could effortlessly become attached to someone as lighthearted as him.
"I remember it as if it was yesterday," He recollected. Duckie caught a pensive look in his eye as moonlight momentarily caught the top of his head through a hole in the foliage. "We raced through the city over and over again, had tea parties, flew kites together… I taught her how to shoot her first bow and arrow and how to paddle in the lady's swan boat. I kept her from falling out of trees and treated her inevitable scrapes and bruises." He stated with a pause. "I had the pleasure of watching her grow up."
"You loved her." She murmured, staring down at him with questioning eyes that he did not meet.
"I did." He replied, "She was like a sister to me."
No wonder he had been so sad when speaking about her earlier. He had essentially been the caretaker of her aunt while she was in his city and Arwen had meant the world to him. Then she remembered his words from earlier as he had spoken of it…
"To watch an elf wither away into nothing and perish…"
"You watched her die, didn't you?" Duckie asked quietly. "After she married the mortal, you saw how it ended."
He said nothing in return and did not meet her eyes. His silence was enough of an answer for Duckie to know that she had stumbled upon the truth. An uncomfortable silence fell between them for a moment before Duckie felt an even more uncomfortable question escape from her lips before she could stop it.
"Is that why you dislike mortals? Because she was taken from you?"
Haldir came to a standstill, effectively stopping Tulkas in his tracks. Duckie fidgeted under the stress of their soured conversation. Now it was her turn to have gone too far and she had no idea how Haldir would react to such personal accusations. Finally, he shook his head and replied with a pinched tone, "So it's that obvious, is it? I am sorry to have brought my burden to your attention, as it is not yours to bear."
"I am sorry Haldir. Please forget I said that. It was unfair." The apologetic words poured out of her mouth, but it was too late to stop his tidal wave of held back emotions from breaking through their dam.
"Mortals…" He muttered under his breath with a tone of frustration. "It was not the man she married that caused the problem, but rather the thoughtless situation she was put in after his death. Had he known how she would suffer afterwards, perhaps he would have left her alone." He said, seemingly more to himself than to her as he studied the dark, matted down blades of grass beneath his feet.
He sighed, then continued with a tired sounding voice that seemed to carry the weight of the combined ages he had seen within it. "But that is how mortals are, Dúcuivië. Their time here is so short that they often do not think through the consequences of their actions. They act out of greed and selfishness, rarely taking the time to think of how it may affect others. They take and covet and kill when they wish, in a very thoughtless and unreasonable manner until there is no goodness left in the world—none at all." He said, his voice raising slightly in volume as he continued his tangent.
"And it only takes one bad apple," he said, holding up his pointer finger to her while quoting Benjamin Franklin's famous words that Duckie had heard repeatedly during her many years of schooling, "to spoil a barrel. One accusation can lead to the suffering or deaths of many. One malcontent person to upset the balance between good and evil. Once that snowball starts to roll down the hill, it grows until it has unstoppable force, rolling over anything or anyone who dares to stand in its way."
Duckie blinked in shock, uncertain of what to say to Haldir upon hearing this admission. Was he not here to protect these mortals and keep them safe? How could he have such a jaded opinion about those he was here to serve?
"That is not true, Haldir." She replied quietly. "There are still good people in this world; we saw them tonight. If it only takes one to ruin all, then this whole town would already be corrupted by the Thomas brothers, myself included-"
"And you very nearly were. Tell me Dúcuivië, what would have happened the night we met if I had not come when I did?" He asked, his eyes suddenly meeting hers with an intense gaze she had never seen from him before.
Duckie's jaw quivered a little as she remembered her first interaction with Ralph Thomas.
"There is nothing to worry about, my dear little liar. I'm just here for some money and I'll be on my way Of course, I can think of a few other fun ways we could pass the time if you don't." He crooned as he looked her up and down once more, his eyes lingering uncomfortably on her chest.
She trembled as she remembered the feeling of Ralph's body pressing unwelcomely against her own, trapping her against the table. The smell of his rotten breath was once again caught in her nose as she saw him lift his pistol, intending to smack her across the face with it…
What would have happened next? Duckie blinked as she felt a warm tear run down her face, then scrunched her eyes shut in pain. More tears followed because she knew that in one way, Haldir was right. She felt sick to her stomach just thinking about what might have happened if he had not shown up.
However, there was so much more to it than that, for before that one terrifying memory she had stored away dozens of pleasant ones: her and Margaret jumping for joy outside the schoolhouse because they had both aced a difficult math test, Arthur asking her to dance at the Fall Ball when everyone else was ignoring her, her and Margaret trying to toss wild raspberries into Arthur's mouth from five feet away, laughing as the fruits bounced off his nose and chin while he wildly tried to maneuver his mouth underneath them.
Her father stroking her hair and then kissing her forehead goodnight when she was younger, serenading her with his harp until she fell into a restful sleep.
Though she was sobbing, Duckie found that she could hold her tongue no longer. "There is still good in this world Haldir. If you cannot see it, then I feel sorry for you." She declared firmly, her voice sounding a bit higher than normal through the tears.
When she finally opened her eyes, she saw that Haldir's eyes had softened and a remorseful look rested upon his face. "Dúcuivië, I am sorry. I pray you never have to experience such things." He whispered with sympathy deeply etched into his visage.
She watched silently as his hand reached out to touch her cheek, but she did not want his comfort at this moment and quickly used her own hand to push his back downward. "Haldir, how can you feel this way about mortals when their lives have been entrusted to you?"
"I still care what happens to them. Truly, I do. I have just seen them betray one another too many times to put much faith in their efforts."
"You judge them all the same!" She exclaimed. "How is that fair?! Let each man and woman be in charge of their own destiny! Give each one a chance to prove their worth! At the very least they deserve that!"
"You do not understand—" He started to argue, stubbornness flashing in his eyes as he tried to defend himself.
"Yes, I do! They deserve—"
"Shh!" Haldir's head suddenly swiveled to the left. Duckie's attention turned in the same direction as he held his hand up between them as a signal to stop. At once, Duckie noticed how quiet the forest had gotten and the ill feeling that was lingering in the air was not dissimilar to when she had seen-
"Rhiach!" She heard his voice shout and her eyes enlarged as he jumped to the left, arm extended and used the trunk of a nearby tree to whirl around into a new spot as the eight-legged beast quickly descended from the sky by webbing attached to its spinnerets.
"RUN!" Shouted the wind, as it blew up under her forcefully.
"Drego! DREGO!" Haldir shouted as he whirled back around and launched himself on top of the spider, which screamed out shrilly in displeasure.
Tulkas loudly reared up for a moment in fear as he caught sight of the spider, but did not need to be told twice. Duckie screamed as he stood on his hind legs, grabbing onto his neck and mane to prevent herself from falling before he darted down the hill at a breakneck speed. She felt the loose reins hit her leg as they bulleted towards the creek, but did not dare reach down and grab them for fear of falling. Already, she felt the saddle horn digging uncomfortably into her side as she struggled to stay on the horse, her body slowly starting to slide downward on the well-oiled leather of the saddle.
She simultaneously heard and felt a large splash of water as Tulkas' legs thundered into the creek. Icy cold water dripped off the bottom of her dress as the horse fought to cross the waterway without Haldir's guidance. He continued to run, but lost his footing at one point and stumbled. Duckie found herself leaning heavily to the left as Tulkas tried to recover his footing. However, this was already the direction Duckie was slipping from earlier and she suddenly found that her tight grasp on Tulkas' soaked neck and mane was faltering. A moment later she screamed again as she lost her grip and fell into the creek with a loud splash.
A flash of pain shot through her knees and wrists as she landed heavily on the river rocks in about a foot of murky water that she could now taste in her mouth. "Tulkas!" She screamed as she struggled to get up and follow the horse, but he was already shooting up the other bank of the creek, determined to exit the water as quickly as possible. "Tulkas stop!"
Then she flinched, as she remembered how Haldir had spoken with him. "Sindarin," she whispered to herself as she forced her aching knees to hold up her weight as she stood up in the darkness. "The horse only responds to Sindarin." Quickly, her mind went over what few words she could remember from Haldir's lessons, but none seemed to be helpful in this situation.
Musty-smelling creek water dripped down her arms and legs as she forced herself to stumble across the uneven rocks beneath the water. It was too dark to see them beneath the tree cover and Duckie ended up falling two more times before she made it to the other side. She gasped as a couple of helpful vines grabbed at her wrists in the darkness, guiding her out of the water and back onto the matted grass of the pathway.
"Move!" They cried out repeatedly, "Do not let them take you as their dinner!"
Them. The vines had said 'them.'
There was more than one.
The sound of multiple gunshots rang out through the night, though in her panic, she could not distinguish what direction they came from. Half crawling and half running, she tried to ascend the hill as with limited success due to the constricting nature of her dress. It was heavily laden with water and her layers of petticoats were plastered uncomfortably against her legs, making it nearly impossible to move. After tripping repeatedly, Duckie cursed and pulled the heavy, wet layers up to her thighs and held them there as she started to run up the hill.
Branches pushed at her when she came too close to the edge of the forest, trying to help her stay on the path that was nearly invisible underneath the shadows of thick foliage above her. Her heart pounded with exertion as she made her way up the hill, only stopping when a rhythmic sound entered her ears. It was the galloping sound of a horse.
Tulkas.
He had come back for her. Vaguely, her mind remembered what Haldir had said about him earlier.
"Don't let him fool you; he likes to act as if he is indifferent at times, but he cares about others much more than he lets on."
A faithful steed indeed!
But how would she get back on? Haldir had helped her on and off each horse she had ridden thus far and she wasn't certain if she could get back up on her own, especially with no lantern. Perhaps she could simply use him to help guide her out of the forest instead?
The sudden feeling of gooseflesh on her arms told her that she could not though, as she could tell something was not right nearby. "RUN!" The wind blared at her once more as she stood there in a moment of indecision.
No less than ten seconds had passed before she heard the shriek of a second spider, descending from a nearby tree. A fragment of light caught the eight dark eyes of the beast and she saw its two hairy legs and a set of hungry jowls coming down the tree trunk, straight towards her. She looked once again at Tulkas, whose muscular brown body was barreling towards her from the top of the hill.
Her breath caught in her mouth for a moment and everything around her seemed to stop except for her thundering heart. Out of nowhere, she remembered Haldir's words:
"You have never seen a mortal do such a thing before, so you think you cannot. They are incapable of such things, but you are not."
"You only think you cannot do this because you have had the upbringing of a mortal. Elves can easily jump a much larger distance than I am asking of you now."
"Our bodies are light and well-suited to riding horses. We do not need help with balance as the mortals do."
"You're an elf, aren't you?"
"Aren't you?"
"I am." She finally realized as her eyeline flashed from the spider, to Tulkas, who was riding towards her at a breakneck speed. "I am an elf!" Without a second thought, she ran and leaped with all of her might towards the horse. Her arms extended towards his neck and she grabbed him easily.
Too easily, for she immediately realized she had put too much momentum into the jump and almost sailed right over the horse. Her arms held tightly to his neck though and her extra momentum looped her around his head and then right onto his back for a second time. A scream escaped her lips as the saddle horn dug painfully across her inner thigh as she awkwardly came to a stop with one leg over the horn and one leg dangling awkwardly next to one of the stirrups.
Her dangling foot rapidly found its way into the stirrup as she finagled her other leg back behind the horn where it belonged. A throbbing pain permeated her thigh, but she disregarded it as best she could while shouting to Tulkas one of the few Sindarin words she remembered. "Gwaem! Gwaem!"
The horse was fast to obey, circling around a copse of young trees off the path to get away from the spider. He did this smoothly, without her using the reins and immediately ran in the opposite direction before the hairy beast could grab ahold of either of them. Looking behind her, Duckie found that the spider did not put up much of a chase, stopping at the top of the hill as the horse rapidly put more and more distance between them.
A minute later, the sky opened up to the light of the stars and moon once again as they found their way out of the woods. They continued to ride hard between the two vegetable fields before Tulkas finally came to a thundering halt, right in front of the farmhouse.
"Thank you mellon." She murmured against his neck over and over again, burying her face in his mane momentarily and hoping the horse would understand her gratefulness despite her lack of elvish language skills.
For a few minutes, Duckie stayed frozen on top of Tulkas, concentrating on slowing her breathing as she stared at the woods for any sign that her foe might have followed her. There was no sign of the spider though, but she did watch as a figure ran from the forest and out into the open.
Haldir.
He ran quickly towards them and then stopped once he was next to her, appearing to be a bit out of breath and sporting a couple of new scratches, but otherwise no worse for wear. She watched as he gave her a quick up and down look, his eyes widening as he realized what kind of state she was in.
"Sweet Valar, what happened to you?" He gasped, sounding a bit shocked as he took in her wet and muddy skirts, as well as the scratches on her hands and wrists.
"What does it look like happened? I fell into the creek, obviously." She answered with a snarky tone, blood simmering in her veins as she remembered their quarrel from earlier. "Thankfully, your horse came back to get me, otherwise I would have become spider meat!"
Haldir blinked, visibly surprised by her angry tone, then replied, "There was a second one? I'm sorry, if I had known, I would have come to you right away. Truly, I am sorry for this whole situation. Had we not been busy bickering over such a serious matter, I would have sensed the danger much sooner. I should have known better than to let my guard down and for that, I am sorry."
These words did not seem to placate her though, but instead her blood heated even more, all the way up to her boiling point. "You are only apologizing for letting your guard down? Nothing more?" She asked, her voice laughing sardonically at his lack of awareness as to why she was upset. "That is a consolation prize at best."
She watched as Haldir's eyes narrowed with the reception of her angry words. "As for the other topic, I spoke the truth. I will not apologize for that. Come, let's get you down." He said, reaching up for her, only for her to push his hands away with her own.
"I do not want your help." She replied stubbornly, then found herself clumsily trying to dismount the horse from her astride position. Getting her leg back over the side with all of her wet skirts in tow was difficult, but Duckie seemed to be managing it well enough until she heard a loud ripping noise as she eased herself back down to the ground.
Duckie closed her eyes for a moment in frustration, then groaned quietly as she caught sight of part of her skirt hooked on the saddle horn with a new tear right down the seam. She mentally cursed her rotten luck. Of course this would happen, right in front of Haldir too!
Thankfully, he said nothing about her misfortune and allowed her to storm by him, arms crossed in anger as she made her way back to the farmhouse. While she could not hear his footsteps behind her, she felt his presence just a few steps behind her as she limped up the stairs and through the door, immediately searching out the oil lamps and matches to illuminate the room.
When she turned around from lighting the second lamp, she gasped as she found Haldir standing much more closely to her than she anticipated. "You are hurt." He stated quietly, his voice sounding apologetic as he began looking over her body more carefully now that there was light. "Why did you not say anything?"
"I told you, I do not want your help." She reiterated as firmly as she could manage, raising her chin up to him in defiance and standing her ground.
Haldir's eyes bulged open for a moment. She may as well have slapped him across the face for how stunned he appeared. He even stepped backwards with one foot, appearing shaken by her words.
"Dúcuivië, suffering in silence is silly and pointless-"
"As is your opinion of the mortals." She interjected darkly, folding her arms across her chest once more. "Each one deserves their chance to earn a good or bad reputation. They do not deserve to have one assigned to them due to the actions of others they have never even met."
"Valar!" He exclaimed, briefly raising his voice in frustration. "You sound just like your father right now!"
"So what if I do?!" She asked, amping herself up even more now that he was losing his temper too. "Don't you understand, Haldir? I have essentially grown up as a mortal! If you cannot trust them, you cannot trust me! If you cannot see any good in them, then there must not be any within me!" She cried out emotionally as she walked away from him yet again. "How can I trust someone who feels this way about the men and women he's sworn to protect?"
The air felt heavy between them as her painful words hung in the dead air of the room. Haldir's face was emotionless he stared at her, his grey eyes assessing her keenly.
"You can't." He finally said in a monotoned voice, then lowered his eyes to the floor. "An ngell nîn… goheno nin."
When he finally looked up, there was an edge of vulnerability to his face that she had not seen before, as well as a tinge of remorse that she had not been expecting. While she had no idea what he had said, his eyes seemed to speak for themselves, seemingly giving away the secret he wished to keep. He blinked and then a moment later, every trace of the look was gone.
"I need to go and help James with the investigation. We will need to resolve this in the morning when I return." He said with a blank face and a deadpan voice, then walked over to each window to check that they were firmly in place and locked. Haldir also examined the clasps that were used to board up the door and lock it from the inside.
Without turning from the door to look at her, he gave one last warning before leaving. "Lock the door and do not open it again until morning. Please do not leave the farmhouse for any reason. It is for your own safety."
She nodded, though he did not turn around to acknowledge it, nor did he wait for any vocal answer. A minute later, she heard the familiar clip-clop of Tulkas' hooves as he ran towards the settlement, leaving Duckie feeling bereft for the first time since she met him.
ooOoo
Rhiach—curses
Drego—flee
Gwaem—let's go
Mellon—friend
An ngell nîn… goheno nin—please… forgive me
Well, we all knew there would have to be trouble in paradise at some point, right? At least Haldir and Duckie have waited to argue about something truly worthy of their time, rather than something small and frivolous. Please let me know what you though! I'll try to be back soon with more!
-P.G.
