Chapter 27
Darkness arrives.
Little did I see how my actions had hurt my wife. She did not speak to me unless she had to and the answers were always short and without joy or care in her voice. I knew her silvan blood was of fire, but little did I know how bad it would be.
She did not spend time with me except for the war council and preparations. But she did with my little sister Arwen and it seemed like they bonded and I was glad she had someone to talk to. Even Idril talked less to me than she did before. She clearly disagreed with my actions on the day we left for Amon Sûl. My brothers did not seem happy with me either, but at least they talked to me.
"What you did sister was foolish at best…" Elladan said when they both caught me not following their scolding. "SISTER" both cried at me.
"What ohh yes I agree" was all I could say.
"You do not care of what we say or are at best deep in thought" Elrohir spoke.
"She is brother. It seems our dear older sister might think of what she did to dear Tauriel." It was not in a tease or smirk way. But rather of a caring brother.
"I only wanted to protect her… I never wanted to hurt her" I said looking out over the valley from the vantage point where we sat. Far could we see and I knew what was coming. Riders had reported that a battle was imminent on the border between Arthedain and Rhudaur and that forces was marching south too. Just as Mithrandir had said.
"You never did, but she is. How could you be so foolish. She is silvan, Not a weak human or a scholar of our kin" Elladan then bluntly informed me. "Has she not proven herself in the yard? Or when you two were attacked long ago by the goblin scouts?" he re informed me.
"She has…" I said lowly.
"So why did you make such a foolish choice sister. She is your mate, not some lowly elf warrior wanting to go on their first patrol. She was a silvan ranger if you don't remember."
At that I got the idea of what they wanted to say.
"Yes yes I know what you to say, I was a fool and hurt my wife. I am trying to find ways to correct my mistake. All you two do is to scold me like a little elfling and I should remind you two I am older than you both. So mind your manners" I could feel my irritancy over my brothers even thought they were not wrong.
"We are sorry sister. But you deserve to hear it… battle is close to come and you two are needed to defend the valley… do not go into battle before you have made up…" They said and looked at me with worried eyes.
None of us had heard it but Arwen had walked up the long stair to us and she carried two cups of Ada's best wine. We had felt it, but during their scolding of me none of us had truly paid attention to it. After all we felt the elves down in Imladris well too.
"Elwen, Elladan, Elrohir," She said with a smile on her very beautiful face. She was the best of Ada and Nana and none could dispute it.
"Arwen," I said, bowed my head to her, and made space for her as she handed me the cup of wine.
Elladan and Elrohir just gave her a look. The twins greeted her too, before they started their drama show of the two wine cups.
"What of us? We would also like some wine!" Elladan said
"You only care for your older sister, never your dare big brothers," Elrohir said ever as dramatically.
I was about to speak, but Arwen was quicker than me.
"It is not that I do not care my brothers. But you two are not hurting as our sister and from my walk up to her I could hear you two offer no support to her. Only to that of sweet Tauriel. Do you not think you two would have done the same to protect those you love?"
It was a good question for they like her were all alone in the world except for each other and family. None of them had felt the bonding of marriage or love.
"Is it so wrong we take Tauriels side?" Elladan responded first. "you know as we all do she is a capable warrior and Elwen's equal if not better" Elrohir added.
"That is beside the point, Elwen is hurting as well. So leave us, she needs her sister and not her scolding brothers" Arwen responded with a bite in her voice.
The twins looked at each other for a moment and nodded.
"Fine, we will leave you two alone. Maybe you can speak sense into our very old big sister." Elladan said with a bite of his own in his voice and left before Elrohir.
"It is not that we don't love you as much as Tauriel Elwen. But you hurt her you know. We hate seeing you both in pain" A kiss he then gave me on my forehead, just below my circlet, and rushed after Elladan.
"They are not wrong, you did hurt her Elwen," Arwen said and sipped her cup of wine.
"I know sister," I said and put the cup down. "I know I hurt her and I want to make it better again, but how? She won't even talk to me more than we must. Ada even tried to make us stand by the same side of the map while we planned our defenses… but she moved off as soon as we were done" I stopped myself as I felt a tear come down my cheek.
"Ohh Elwen," my sister said and hugged me.
"What can I do Arwen? How can I get my wife back?" I said desperately.
"Fight for her. I have not seen you even try to do so. What elleth want her love to not stand and come back from redemption after doing a blunder?" she said while holding me. "You remember how Ada pleaded with Nana several times when it came to dress fittings and meetings with the ladies?" she said and waited for my response.
"I do," I said simply holding her.
"So why are you not pleading or doing something to earn her forgiveness?" Of this my sister was right. I had not done what I should and it was time I started.
"Do you know where she is?" I asked carefully before letting my sister go.
"I think she is in the library reading. She told me so she would be if I wanted to come for a cup of tea" Arwen said and smiled at me as we released the hug. "She loves you as you love her. We all know so. But Elwen. Do not try to be her ellethsitter. She is a grown Elf and she knows what she does. Do not baby her." Arwen said with a stern look on her young face. She did have Ada's wisdom.
"I think I know of what to do," I said and got up.
"Elwen," she said quickly.
"yes?" I responded.
"Your wine?" she teased and looked at me.
"Later sister. I have a wife to win back" I said and set off running towards the stairs.
"That is my big sister" I heard Arwen say to herself staying behind.
At that moment I was truly happy I was no elleth for dresses as my sister was. For I would never be able to run this fast in them. I almost ran several servants over and even Erestor. Crying back to all of them my apologies I reached my and Tauriels bedroom to find it empty. Not shocking due to the time of the day, but I went and got my knives and Tauriels before I set out again almost running over Estelwen when she came with our washed clothes.
"MY LADY" she cried in shock.
"Please forgive me, I need to win back my wife" and I were out the door. Now running back down the hall and down the stairs. Back underneath the way I had come and out the door down another hall and still, servants had to jump out of the way as I passed them. Just before the Library I slowed down and made sure my hair was as it should. My coat was well and I walked in to see a beautiful redhead silvan elf sitting with her book on Noldorin customs in her lap and a cup of tea standing beside her.
"Tauriel!" I said happily and she looked up at me and sent me a stare.
"I know I was a fool and I want to make my excuses. Please listen to me." I said.
She just closed her book, stood up, and was to leave when I tossed the knives onto the table.
"Fight me!" I said to get her attention again.
"I will not fight you Elwen," she said calmly and collected.
"Why not? Do we not train together and fight?" I asked with a questionable tone to my voice.
"We did. But I fear my skills are too poor to be able to defend myself against a Noldorin princess…" she said and started to turn away. At that point, I felt my blood start to boil and I hurried over to her grabbing her hand and turning her towards me.
"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" Tauriel said in such a feral and angry tone I had never heard it before.
"I WILL TOUCH MY WIFE" I cried back at her. Thankfully we were alone in the room and none did enter even if someone could be outside. The stare she sent me as I did not let go was of sadness and anger, yet she stopped fighting me to pull her hand back.
"Tauriel please listen to me" I pleaded. "I love you so much and I will not risk you, even after talking to Ada that what I saw might have happened before we met I was scared. I cannot stand the thought of living in Arda without you. Even if I could go to the halls of Mandos myself to be with you I don't…" I cut myself off. "Just the thought of seeing you hurt in any way… even as I see you hurt now breaks my heart… I can't Tauriel I can't live like this. Please yell at me, hit me more. Do what you must, but please I beg you…" I felt tears down my cheeks as I looked into her beautiful green eyes.
"Take your knives" she said coldly and I let her got, carefully watching her so she wouldn't slip away as she had done so many times over the last week. I slowly reached for them and she for hers.
"Come" was all she got herself to say to me and followed her. She was angry and hurt as I was, but she walked with me now for the first time in all too long. She did look at me as we walked through the house and out, down the hill and toward the training yard. A few warriors of Ada's company was there to train when we walked in and they bowed to us before my silvan wife gave them a short command.
"Leave us" and they did rather quickly after bowing to us. I guess our situation was known to all in Imladris at this moment. I laid my knives on the table and pulled them as she did. I turned towards her and all I could see was her quick movements and thankfully I blocked her just in time.
Her cries were fierce and her strikes hard and precise. We both blocked, dodged the others strikes and held nothing back. Thankfully this were just the training blades version of our real weapons, but still being hit would hurt badly if not cause injury.
"FIGHT BACK" she cried out of nowhere. "FIGHT ME!".
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" I cried as she had never gone this hard or reckless against me. No answer came as we traded strikes with blade, feet and fists. It seemed nothing was off the table. Hard strikes was swapped out for quick and light strikes, yet they had to be blocked and I did and attacked her back. The ground was dry and dust flew around us. Several elves came to watch us and some tried to speak up after a while, yet we heard none of it.
She managed to trip me so I fell and still came at me. I blocked and got away trying to attack her as I was getting up, but she jumped away. Next to get in a hit was me and it sent her to the ground as I swung around and let her have a kick in the cheek. It went so hard and so far that more and more elves came to see what was going on and yet none dared to truly speak up….
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE VALAR IS GOING ON HERE" we heard and we both stopped. Blood came out of both our noses. We both had marks on our faces after punches, kicks, blade tips ripping our skins. Our clothes dirty, our hair messy as we had been fighting a long time before Ada was made aware of what was happening.
Ada stood there looking at us. Angry as he was we did not speak at first and he raised his voice again.
"SPEAK!" he yelled angry.
I tried to say something but Tauriel was faster and threw her training blades to the ground and walked over to me quickly. "YOU LEFT ME!" her face sad and tears came down her cheeks. "ELWEN YOU LEFT ME!" she cried out again standing in front of me. That was when I lost it, my training blades dropped to the ground too and my dirty hands gripped her cheeks. "I DID… and I am so sorry for it, I knew it was wrong from the moment I saw Idril's face as we left."
We did not notice, but several warrior elves cleared out the area and only Ada stayed.
"How could you!" she begged and grabbed into me as well. "HOW COULD YOU!" she repeated herself louder.
"I should never have done so. I promised myself to you Tauriel and I did not live up to it. Please may you find it in your heart to forgive me!"
"You swore Elwen it would be us. Always us. Never you or me" she cried and held onto me harder.
"It is us, Tauriel, it is us. Until the ending of the world. I was a fool. A big fool. I felt lost without you. My fea cried as we rode and all I wanted was to get home to you…"
"Elwen… never do that again. Swear to me…! I have lost too many of my family to be left like that, I do not want it to ever happen again. Respect me enough to talk to me my wife!"
Her pleading stung hard in me and grabbed her hard in my hands and pulled her close.
"I swear my wife, I respect and love you more day by day and I will make up for every single day of our lives. I swear so Tauriel. Please don't hate me anymore!"
"I never hated you Elwen. You just hurt me… so bad… I am to be at your side. Good, bad and horrible days. Never when you choose so for me. It is my choice to be your wife, your mate, your best friend, your everything. So do not make choices for me!"
At that point, I could not wait any longer and I pulled her in hard and kissed her. The kiss was so full of need and lust. Blood mixed with dirt. But it was such a good kiss. Finally, she kissed me again and I savored it. Her taste. Her smell. Her everything was now with me again. As soon as the kiss ended and our lips left each other we said in unison "I love you so" and our arms were locked around each other.
Ada then walked over to us and put his hands on both of our shoulders.
"You two with me now" he was clearly not happy, but we followed him.
"Clean up the yard and bring the blades to me after," he said to the warriors left and they bowed saying simply. "Yes Lord Elrond"
We both tried to speak to Ada, but neither got the words out and we simply followed him as we held each other's hands. We got so many stares from servants and others when they saw our state and we could do little but to walk past them as quickly as we could.
After a few more steps we saw Estelwen walk in front of Ada.
"Estelwen, may you bring my daughter and her wife some fresh clothes to the health wing? and send for my wife."
"Yes my lord," she said in a curious tone before she saw us and her jaw dropped. "My ladies," she said simply as we walked past her, neither of us responding.
Not long after we arrived and we both got a firm "sit down" Command.
"Never before have I seen two lovers in such a state. You must remember you are not elleths anymore either. You are ladies. Captains of this valley. Leaders of our people!"
"We know Ada…" I started to speak, but he cut me off.
"I am not done Elwen. I do expect better of you two. You are not as young as Arwen and the twins!" he stated firmly and got some water and started to wash my face to get a view of the injuries under the dirt.
"I would have expected this of the twins. Not you two!" He was not happy and it stung when he washed the dirt off me. He then looked over to one of the elleths working there.
"Iondes, may you bring me some wound salve and add some extra Athalas in it," he said with a smile.
"Yes, my lord," she said and moved off.
"If nothing else are you two well with each other again?" Turning from Lord to Ada.
"We are" Tauriel said and gripped my hand.
"Yes Ada, but I have not made up for it still. Tauriel deserves better and I aim to do so" I said and gripped her hand back hard.
That was when Nana walked in and saw us on the table sitting beside each other all bloody and dirty.
"Tauriel! Elwen!" she cried and came over.
"What is the meaning of this! I knew you two were in a disagreement, but here I hear you two fighting to the death in the training ground!" she cried out.
"We did not Nana!" I said and she put up a finger for me to not speak.
"I am not done Elwen. I did expect much better of you two. You two know what is coming and we need you both healthy and able. You are not young anymore and I expect you to act like the elleths you are!" she said firmly. Ada simply nodded to all she said.
"If you two fall out for such a reason again talk to each other. Do not try to kill the other. That is not love!" she continued. "That is foolishness and I won't have it! Nay you two are better than this and your love is stronger than so!"
Nana kept at it for a long time as she helped clean our wounds and Estelwen came with clothes. Not clothes we expected, but weapons and armor. Ada gave her a stare and behind her and the other servants Lindir walked in.
"My lord, ladies. The iron crown is advancing from the north and west!"
Tauriel and I looked at each other and jumped off the table and waved for the servant elleths to help us dress into armor and Nana aided too.
"Tell us more Lindir please," I asked.
"Battalions of black Numenorian to the north and what seem as orcs and weaker goblins to the west. Both the roads out of the valley are blocked. If they know where we are is not known, but they know the general area clearly"
"Elladan and Elrohir?" Ada asked simply.
"Gone to the western border my lord as well as lord Glorfindel and his company."
"Good. Very good. I will send word to Lothlorien and the greenwood" he said and was about to leave the room before he stopped. "Elwen, Tauriel. I can count on you two to hold the northern border?" he asked not with doubt, but for confirmation.
"We will hold it my lord," Tauriel said proudly. "We will Ada," I said and smiled at him with my head poking out from behind the blinds.
"Good I will join you two when I can," he said and rushed out.
"Lindir is our company summoned?" Tauriel asked.
"Yes, my lady, and the reserves of the border guard."
"well done." We both said in unison.
Our finer everyday pants, corsets, and tunics were removed for those of war. Dark blue underclothes and a tunic with purple mixed in it. Our golden-looking armor over it, breastplate, leggings, vambraces, and such. Dark blue and purple capes and our swords, knives, and bows were handed to us.
"Be careful my sweets. Look after each other and take no risks!" Nana said.
"We will not Nana," I said with Tauriel adding "Of course not my lady" A smile on her face as we kissed each other and went out the door with Nana following. Our elves mounting horses and grabbing weapons and banners. Idril came over rushed as she was, but smiling seeing me and Tauriel holding hands again.
"We are ready my ladies!" she said proudly.
We turned to Nana to see Arwen by her side.
"Sister, you have made up?" she asked looking at me.
"We have. Or gone far in doing so" Tauriel responded.
"Good, look after each other and may the Valar protect you both!" she said and kissed our cheeks.
"Thank you sister" I said with Tauriel adding "Thank you sister by marriage"
Nana looked as a Nana would with her children going to war.
"I have bid Farwell to my sons and now one of my daughters. As I said to them I say to you. Return daughter and daughter by marriage! May the Valar protect you both!"
We both hugged her hard and smiled to them both.
"Thank you Nana, we will return. We will return.!" I said firmly as I moved so Tauriel could hug her too. "Yes my lady we will return!" she said firmly and kissed her cheek.
We then mounted our horses and turned towards our elves.
"Elves of the Imladrisim. One of many dark hours have come." I cried out with Tauriel taking over. "For our home, our families and may the Valar be with us all this day." As I took over again. "Forth, against the darkness light will always be at victory! Heah!" and so we set out to the northern defenses.