Orophin watched the forests of Lothlorien closely, looking for any sign of movement. His keen eyes saw a rider in the distance. The rider was clad in a hooded black cloak and rode upon a powerful black horse. Who is this? he wondered suspiciously. A servant of the enemy? If so, they will regret ever entering these woods!
"Rumil, a rider approaches," he warned his brother.
The brothers waited until the rider neared, then approached, bows drawn. The rider halted in front of them.
"Who are you, and what is your business in Lothlorien?" Orophin demanded.
"I am Lady Elyndiriel of Rivendell," the woman said. "I come with a message for the March Warden."
Orophin and Rumil studied the woman for a moment, and slowly lowered their bows. Though they did not know the woman's intentions concerning their brother, they did not think that she was a danger to him. They would not let her be a danger to him, for they would keep her under guard until instructed otherwise.
"Come with me," Orophin said.
The woman dismounted and Rumil took her horse's reins. "I will take care of him," he told her.
Alexa nodded and followed Orophin deeper into the forest, Rumil following closely behind. After a time, they stopped and Haldir appeared before them. Alexa's heart began to pound as she looked at Haldir. How she had missed him. But now that he was before her once again, surprising warmth came over her and made her smile.
"Haldir," Orophin said. "This is Lady Elyndiriel of Rivendell. She has come with a message for you."
Haldir nodded and motioned for his brothers to depart. Rumil started to protest, for he was concerned for his brother, but Haldir held up his hand for silence.
"I will be fine. Return to your posts."
Orophin gave a slight nod to the woman and he and an annoyed Rumil departed.
Haldir looked at the hooded woman, his heart pounding. What is her message? She has come from Rivendell, so it must be of Alexa. He was somewhat nervous, for he had not heard from Alexa since she had left Lothlorien; but, conversely, he was glad to receive any news of her.
"What message have you, my lady?" he asked.
"This," the woman said and removed her hood.
Haldir barely had time to recognize Alexa before she was in his arms, kissing him. He drew back after a moment and stared at her. He touched her face, and stared at her with a mixture of surprise and wonder.
"Oh, my," he said, trying to get his breath.
She smiled at him. "Hello, Haldir. I hope my message pleased you."
"Very much," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair. She was wearing it loose, and he thought she looked lovely. "Why did you not send word ahead?" he asked.
"And miss the look of surprise on your face? Never," she replied, grinning.
He smiled and studied her. She seemed different somehow. He could not determine why, but then it struck him. The hardness was gone. Oh, the fire and stubbornness remained, but the hardness in her eyes was gone. She seemed more at peace. He smiled into her eyes.
"You seem different. Your eyes do not carry the hardness they once did. What has caused this change? What happened in Rivendell?"
She smiled shyly and looked upward. Haldir looked up and saw his brothers and the other members of the Galadhrim grinning down at them. Haldir scowled at them, but they only grinned more.
"Let's go somewhere private and talk," he said loudly.
She grinned and he took her hand. They walked on into Lorien until they reached a bench overlooking a lovely fountain. They sat down, and Haldir gazed into her eyes.
"Tell me what happened in Rivendell, Alexa."
She looked at him. "I found my father, Haldir."
His heart pounded. "And what happened?"
She lowered her head. "I tried to kill him."
Oh, no. "Did you succeed?"
She looked at him. "No. Thankfully, Lord Elrond ended the fight before it got to that point."
"Who is your father, Alexa?"
"Lord Glorfindel."
He stared at her, stunned. Lord Glorfindel! "Lord Glorfindel?" he asked, still in shock.
"Yes. I learned many things while in Rivendell, including my Elven name, 'Elyndiriel'."
"Elyndiriel. A beautiful name," Haldir said, smiling gently. "It suits you."
She glanced at him shyly. "Thanks."
"Tell me what happened, Alexa. How did you find out that Lord Glorfindel was your father?" Haldir asked.
She took a deep breath and began to tell him of what had happened in Rivendell. She told him about her father and the dark day that her mother died. She told him of Nenthalion, and how her father had killed him for what he had done to them. She then shared with him the story of how she had begun to trust her father.
She smiled slightly. "We have spent a great amount of time getting to know each other." She sighed. "It is strange, yet wonderful, to have a father, Haldir."
Haldir touched her face. "I am glad that you found your father, and that he was not the one who sold you." He smiled slightly. "I spoke with Lady Galadriel, and when I realized what you were intending to do, she had to order me not to come after you. I knew you could be killed for even attempting it, and I just could not bear the thought of anything happening to you."
Alexa could feel the heat rise into her face at his confession. He was going to come after me. He wanted to protect me. She smiled at him, deeply touched. "Thank you for worrying about me, Haldir."
He returned her smile. "Of course, it was not hard to do at all."
She laughed. He looked at her, his heart pounding. He knew he had to tell her what was in his heart, whether she returned his feelings or not. He took a deep breath and began.
"Alexa," he said softly. "I have to tell you something."
She looked at him. He looked terribly nervous. "What is it, Haldir?" she asked, concerned.
"I…," he stammered.
"What?" she asked gently.
"I love you." He saw the surprise cross her face. He knew he had to continue, before his courage failed him. "I know you might not feel the same…."
"Haldir…."
"And that is all right…," he continued as if he had not heard her.
"Haldir…."
"I just wanted you to know how I felt."
"Haldir!"
He blinked and looked at her, as if just realizing that she was speaking.
"Haldir, how can I tell you that I love you too if you will not let me speak!"
His eyes widened. "What did you say?"
She smiled. "I love you, Haldir. It took me awhile before I could admit it to myself, that I really did love you, but I do." She shook her head. "I did not even think I was capable of it, but you proved me wrong, Haldir."
He touched her hair, a huge smile on his face. "I never knew that three little words could bring me so much joy."
"Nor did I, Haldir." She gave him a wry smile. "So, are you going to kiss me now or not?"
He smiled. "Yes, I am."
And he did just that. They remained in each other's embrace for a long while. He still could not believe that this special elleth loved him, but she did. And he loved her. He wanted to hold and kiss her forever. And that was exactly what he planned to do.
FinAuthor's Note: Well, this is the end of this story. Sniff. Keep an eye out for the sequel, for I promise it will be up soon. A special thanks to my beta, Aly, for all of her help. You rock girl! Thanks to everyone for all of your reviews! You guys have been great!