Summary: A bit of miscommunication nearly ruins a happy reunion.
~~~
Haldir glanced up at the tree
that appeared to be talking to him. In reality, it was his brother,
Orophin. �Come down here if you wish to address me. You
are much too old for these games,� Haldir admonished.
Orophin sighed, took hold of
the branch, and dropped down beside his brother. �I hardly wish
to tell you at all now.�
�Just because you are a junior
member of the guard, Orophin, does not mean you must act in such a manner.
If you want to move through the ranks quickly as R�mil and I have,
then stop hiding in trees when you come to give news. Lady Galadriel
informed me of the last incident.�
�Oh?� Orophin grinned,
trying hard to look sheepish.
�Yes, how you suddenly decided
to inform them of the latest orc attack by crawling up the Great Mallorn
and onto their balcony. The tea stain on Lord Celeborn�s robes
from the jolt you gave the poor lady was quite difficult to remove.
If you do not wish to be put on notice, my brother, I suggest you leave
the jokes and jests for your free days.� Haldir�s words were
firm but kind. He placed his hand upon Orophin�s shoulder to
show he was not angry, but merely concerned. �Now, you had news
for me?�
�Aye. Your favorite
Peredhel lord is being escorted into Caras Galadhon as we speak.�
�Really? I had no idea he
was coming.� Haldir frowned, wondering why his lover had not
sent word of his arrival ahead of time. �Did he say why he was
here?�
�All he would say to us was
that he was here for some very important business.�
Haldir�s mood darkened slightly.
�Too important apparently to inform me that he would be here.
He probably plans to be in day-long meetings and take his meals with
the Lord and Lady.�
�Well, they are... er, were...
his in-laws... at one time... or something.�
�They still are, technically
speaking. The point is, he and I are together. I doubt he
is sleeping with the Lord or the Lady. I know for a fact he is
not currently with their daughter. He is with me. And as
such, he should have at least the courtesy to let me know he was coming.�
Haldir looked around the garden to be sure no one was listening.
�A fine way to treat me. I always inform him when I shall be
in Imladris, and plan for nothing but to be with him whilst I am there.
The least he could do was send a note so that I did not need to find
out from my brother.�
�Haldir, I am sorry, I assumed
you knew he would be here.�
As he shook his head, Haldir
wandered down the path away from the garden and into the woods.
�I am going for a walk.�
�Would you like me to-�
�Alone, thank you.�
Haldir disappeared into the dense cover of the forest.
Nearby, in another tree, an
Elf of Rivendell was perched where he had heard the entire conversation.
He had followed Orophin back, using the mellyrn for cover. Despite
the safety of the woods when both Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond were
present, Glorfindel felt it his duty to do a bit of independent scouting
of his own.
He traveled back again the
way he came, and rejoined the party that moved slowly toward the city.
Lord Elrond casually raised a brow at the golden Elf�s sudden appearance
on the white horse that walked alongside the Peredhel�s steed.
�Anything amiss, my friend?�
�Nothing for us to discuss
amid the company of others,� said Glorfindel softly. Elrond
frowned and slowed his horse. Glorfindel did the same, and the
rest of the party began to pass by them. One of the guards paused,
but he was waved on by Glorfindel, and continued with the rest.
Once the party was some distance away, Elrond implored his seneschal
with an inquiring look. �Your hidden hero has taken to the trees.
He is rather upset you did not let him know you were coming. I
was quite surprised to hear it myself; normally, even if you forget,
Erestor reminds you of such things.�
�I never forget Haldir,�
replied Elrond quickly, and perhaps a little harshly. �Why do
you think I came here?�
�For some sort of drab meeting
or dreary negotiation, I assumed.�
At this, Elrond smiled slightly.
�Then why did you say �yes� when I asked if you would be interested
in a short holiday in Lothl�rien?�
�I assumed �holiday�
was code for �drab meeting� or �dreary negotiation�,� Glorfindel
admitted. �I really must stop assuming.�
�I came on holiday.
I did not say anything to Haldir, for I wanted to surprise him.
He is always so kind when he comes to visit. With all the many
things he could be doing in Imladris, his chief desire is to be with
me. I cannot count the times he has offered to take the watch
as the guard-at-arms when there is something of importance happening
that I must be at, or the number of nights he sits with me until I have
finished my work. I wanted, for once, to be the one to follow
him around � though, I did work things out ahead of time with Galadriel
so that he would be given time off while I was here. No need for
me to spend the holiday chasing after someone who is hunting Orcs.�
�Oh.� Glorfindel
nodded.
�I suppose it best now to
try to find him before he hides himself so well in the forest that I
am unable to track him down.� Elrond nudged his horse forward,
and Glorfindel did the same with his mount.
The sky was dark by the time
the lord and his seneschal reached the heart of Caras Galadhon, but
it was less due to the coming of night and more so for the impending
storm. Glorfindel looked up at the clouds churning in the heavens
and offered his advice. �Perhaps you should wait until morning
to seek him out.�
�That would be a terrible
mistake. I am not about to let a little rain stop me.�
Elrond dismounted as Glorfindel pointed out where Haldir had disappeared.
�Please give my regards to Celeborn and Galadriel, but I have more
important business to attend to than to pay my respects to them at the
moment.� He removed his heavy riding cloak and draped it over
his horse�s saddle, handing the reigns up to Glorfindel before he
disappeared into the woods.
Despite the perplexity of the
maze created by the trees that encircled the city, Elrond had navigated
the forest a fair number of times on his own. He very much doubted
it was so much a case of him tracking down Haldir, as it was for the
warden to discover him wandering about, and hope that Haldir was either
angry enough or forgiving enough to confront him.
- - -
After stabling their horses,
Glorfindel proceeded to the Great Mallorn. His greetings to the
lord and lady brought Elrond�s apologies as well, earning a smirk
from Galadriel. Glorfindel shrugged slightly at this, but his
eyes shifted away from them and to the royal guard. It was then
that he furrowed his brow slightly upon catching the confused gaze of
another.
�If Lord Elrond is not here
to present himself, then I doubt the additional guardians are really
necessary at the moment. No offense is meant to you, of course,
Lord Glorfindel, but I have always been under the impression that you
are not in need of extra protections for your own self.� Galadriel�s
eyes twinkled somewhat mischievously.
�No, not really...� managed
Glorfindel, slipping another look to his right, lest his mind have been
deceived.
�In that case,� announced
Celeborn, �the additional guard is dismissed for the day.�
He added something about an invitation to dinner, which Glorfindel hastily
accepted before excusing himself to catch the befuddled guard who was
now moving away from the chamber.
�Haldir? Haldir?�
Glorfindel rolled his eyes and cursed. �Warden, have the decency
to slow down for a moment! I have been riding all day and have
no time for games.� When Glorfindel caught up to the other warrior,
he stopped with a sigh and spoke so no others could hear the conversation.
�You will find my lord yonder, in the direction opposite you are going.
He is seeking you in the forest.�
�What? And you let
him?� Haldir bit his lip, realizing his misconduct, and took
a step back saluting. �That is, sir, with all due respect, to
let him off by himself in the woods is akin to madness, for one charged
with his safety.�
�I thank you for calling
me stupid with less bitter words than you initially used.� Glorfindel
crossed his arms over his chest. �Might I remind you, warden,
that your companion was a great soldier before he founded Imladris,
and I will argue, still is. He can take care of himself in the woods,
with his bare hands if necessary.�
This Haldir did not dispute,
having sparred with Elrond on a number of occasions. It was actually
how they had begun their friendship, for Elrond came to Lothl�rien
to escape his grief, and Haldir had offered combat practice on the council
of Galadriel, to relieve Elrond�s sorrow. �What business does
he have in the forest, save to get himself lost?�
�Have you not guessed already?�
Glorfindel motioned around the great outdoor chamber used to receive
guests and take council. �I see no other dignitaries or negotiators
lounging about. If that is what you thought he came for, then
perhaps you would be rightly served by a cold bed tonight.�
The Elda turned and approached the lord and lady to walk with them to
the dining hall.
Thunder crashed not so very
far off, and Haldir changed his course in the direction that Glorfindel
had indicated. If he was lucky, he thought, he might reach him
before the rain began and save himself from the possibility of a Peredhel
with a cold for the next week.
- - -
Elrond found, to his dismay,
that he was now good and lost. �Any time you want to find me,
Haldir, is fine by me,� he muttered, leaning against a tree he had
passed a dozen times now. �Now would be good,� he called up
into the branches, just in case the warrior had been trailing him all
along.
Light crackled in the sky and
the angry thunder followed. On the outskirts of the city, some
of the trees had small flets built at a moderate height, but Elrond
saw none of these. Another flash of lightning stabbed the clouds,
threatening to tear them open. Elrond sighed, resigned to the
fact he would be drenched by the time he made it back to the Great Mallorn.
After selecting one of the
shorter trees with an adequate amount of foliage, Elrond sat down upon
the ground with his back to the trunk. His stomach growled with
disapproval at having wandered away from the city before eating or at
least finding some provisions. Then again, he had never had the
intention of staying in the woods for this long.
Errant drops began to fall,
sprinkling their ground with silvery dew. Elrond reached for his
cloak, to pull it closer, but then recalled having left it with his
horse. �Does it have to rain *now*?� questioned Elrond to
the heavens, and a streak of lightning followed by an enormous crash
of thunder seemed to bring forth a resounding �yes� from both Manw�
and Ulmo on this matter.
�Perhaps if you had told
me you were coming, you would not have found yourself in this predicament.�
Elrond looked up at where the
voice came from to see Haldir perched on a branch overhead, one knee
bent and the other leg dangling down. �If I had told you, it
would have ruined the surprise,� argued Elrond back.
Haldir blinked. �I
am a scout. I hate surprises. I loathe them. Surprises
are merely deceptions, which I cannot stand.�
�It was not done to deceive
you!� Elrond was standing now, looking for a way to get a good
hold on the trunk, but he saw none. �I thought it would please
you for me to come for no reason other than to see you.�
�It does,� Haldir said
carefully, keeping his smile in check. He wanted so terribly to
be angry with his lover, and yet, to watch Elrond circle the tree again
and again in confusion was amusing. He decided not to explain
just yet that he had climbed the next tree and leaped to this one.
�Still, you might have made me aware.�
�And if I had, something
unexpected would have happened and caused me to postpone or cancel.
I did not want to take the chance of getting your hopes up only to disappoint
you. This was the best way � surely you must understand that
now.�
Haldir pretended to ruminate
on the exchange, though in reality he had forgiven the Peredhel already.
�I suppose I can agree with that,� he said finally as the rain fell
harder.
�If you would be ever so
kind, then, to either come down here or aid me in joining you?�
As he untied a length of hithlain
from his belt, Haldir said, �I suppose next you shall ask me to share
my supper with you?�
�That goes without asking,�
Elrond informed him as one end of the rope dropped down to hang a few
feet from the ground. It was easy climbing for the Elf-lord, who
was still in prime shape despite those who assumed him to be delicate
and unfit beneath his flowing robes. Some knew how much of a disguise
the robes were; fewer still were aware of the firm, muscular body that
was hidden underneath the fabric. In his riding clothes, it was
easier to see he was as strong as the most of the members of the guard
that accompanied him.
They ate silently once Elrond
was situated beside Haldir on the branch. �I am happy you are
here,� Haldir admitted as they finished, in case Elrond had thought
otherwise. He leaned over after a slight hesitation and kissed
Elrond�s cheek.
�Surely you can do better
than that,� Elrond teased, initiating a second kiss himself.
As Elrond�s tongue teased
Haldir�s lips to gain entrance, he forgot where he was and leaned
a bit off balance. A tight grip on his shoulders saved him from
a fall. �Of course I can do better, but I want to get back home
without any broken bones.�
�I would suggest we travel
back to the city, where no doubt there is a soft bed awaiting us, but
that would lead to us getting wet. Then again,� added Elrond,
giving Haldir a sensual, sideways look he only gifted the Sinda with,
�it is not altogether dreadful to be thoroughly soaked to the skin,
if one has said soft bed awaiting them, and someone to share it with.�
�And, of course, a soft bed
is most pleasant after one has spent their energy traveling.�
�I assure you, I am far from
spent,� Elrond said with a smile.
�Then we must remedy that,
as soon as possible.� Any bitterness Haldir might have felt
earlier at being uninformed of Elrond�s plans was very soon washed
away as they climbed down from the tree and started back to the city.
They were drenched in mere minutes and frequently one stopped to shove
the other against a tree for a deep, intense kiss or something more
passionate.
When they reached the city
and were once again in the open, they were assaulted fully by the rain
but cared not. With no one around to see, Haldir grabbed hold
of Elrond�s hand and practically dragged him to the tree he lived
in, lest Elrond should perhaps forget which one it was.
The talan offered them better
comfort than the woods and protection from the rain. Clothing
was peeled off and hit the floor with a splooshy, slapping noise.
There was soon a pile of soppy garments, left to be wrung out later.
The pair was more interested in each in exploring each other at the
present time than they were with the impending laundry.
Haldir had hastily retrieved
a bath sheet that they were using to simultaneously dry one another
between kisses. At once Elrond laughed and tugged the cloth from
Haldir�s hands. �Never mind a little dampness. As soon
as we are dry, we shall sweat and soak the sheets once more. I
have missed you for far too long to worry about a little water.�
It seemed Haldir agreed, or
at least, the fact that he sat down upon the bed and beckoned Elrond
to him made it appear so. A steady rhythm beat down upon the roof
of Haldir�s home as they began to make love at the same tempo as the
raindrops. The pace of the rain quickened; they, too, sped up.
The thunder roared and rumbled; within the talan, they found release.
The End