A word from the author :
Yes, it has been a while, a really long while since I have updated. Life has been trying lately and today, I found the strength and courage to finish this chapter. I will try to write more and not let this lapse for years again. Please do tell me what you think. Thanks again!
Chapter 14
The Delay
It had been four days since the departure of the wardens from Lorien. Lothestel sat silently in her room, watching the sun set on the fourth day of her parting with Haldir. She missed him dearly, and he was on her mind all the time. The Princess of Mirkwood worried about her husband's safety whilst travelling. Yes, he was skilled but no one truly knows what Eru has planned. Her gaze lingered to the bed they shared four nights ago. A blush crept into her cheeks as she remembered all the intimate details of their joining. In truth, Haldir was tender and gentle. He took care of her needs and her pleasures before seeking his own.
Lothestel sighed. Her heart was not calm these few days. Nothing she did was fruitful. She tried knitting, only to abandon the shawl half way. The Marchwarden's wife did nothing but wander aimlessly in their talan, counting the hours until her husband returns. The orange sun had now fallen behind the horizon and Lorien turned a beautiful, golden colour. Lothestel smiled as she looked out the window to the vast forest in front of her. Truly, Lorien's beauty had no equal, but Mirkwood will always be her home.
A firm knock on the door stirred the princess from her daydream. Lothestel glanced at the door. "Who is it?"
"It is I, sister, Orophin." Came the deep, male voice from behind the door.
Lothestel stood up, straightening her dress. It was the first time Orophin had come to visit and she was a little nervous at the notion of meeting her brother in law. "One moment, brother. I shall be with you."
The princess crossed the sitting room with haste to invite her brother in law into the talan. "Orophin! What a pleasant surprise! Please, do come in."
Orophin smiled at her newly found sister. "Thank you, Your Highness. I hope my visit offers no intrusion on your day."
Lothestel closed the door behind her a little too hard. She was surprised at the way Orophin addressed her. "I hardly think calling me 'your highness' is appropriate, Fin. I am, after all, your sister in law. Lothestel suits me very well."
A soft blush crept over Orophin's cheeks. "Yes, Lothestel it is. How are you, sister dearest?"
Lothestel lead Orophin to the living room and showed him the seat. "Please, have a seat. I am doing quite well, thank you. Though, I do miss Haldir very much. Oh, can I offer you some refreshments, brother?"
Orophin waved his hand. "No, thank you. I cannot stay long. I have to head out to the borders tonight to foresee the patrols since Rumil and Haldir are away, but I wanted to come see how you are doing. I hope you have everything you need? If you find yourself running short on supplies, please don't hesitate to send for me. I will take you to the markets myself."
"Thank you, but I think I have all I need here. Moreover, my dear friend, Nyonna, is still here in Lorien. I am planning to see the markets with her soon. How long will you be away at the borders, Fin?" asked Lothestel to the warden.
Haldir's youngest brother took a moment to do some calculations in his head. "I will be gone for three, maybe four days, at the very least. I will not be away long. I am in charge of the Lord's and Lady's safety. It was Haldir's duty to oversee that, but with him away, the responsibilities fall on me. It is time to take my leave. I leave for the borders after sundown. It is mere moments away. I bid you farewell and Lothestel, if you need my help for anything, remember, you can always call for me."
Lothestel smiled. "Yes, I will remember that. Thank you once again, Fin."
The Mirkwood Princess looked on until his brother in law was no longer visible at the end of the path. Lothestel appreciated the gesture very much. Fin's visit made her feel a little at ease about staying in the talan all alone, but there was still a deep-seated knot in the middle of her stomach. Her heart started pounding all of a sudden. Lothestel clutched her bosom, and felt the steady drum beneath her dress. She looked up into the sky and offered a silent prayer. "Eru, keep him safe..."
It had been almost half a day of riding without reprieve. The sun was starting to drop lower on the horizon and Haldir sat astride his steed a few paces behind his eager younger brother, Rumil. Truly, this was to be his first ever mission well outside Lorien's borders. The young elf was looking to prove himself worthy of more responsibilities, and Haldir admired that. But sometimes, Rumil's eagerness to please caused more trouble than necessary. As Haldir watched on, he was reminded of his earlier days as one of the wardens. Perhaps this was how he looked, wide-eyed and eager to please. A low chuckle escaped his lips, making his riding companion, Argalad, raise a very pointed eyebrow. "Pray tell Marchwarden, what is so amusing?"
Haldir shook his head, trying to stifle his laughter. "Nay, I just remembered the days I began my training as a warden. Perhaps I looked just like Rumil, eager to please and naive. That was the reason for my amusement."
"We started training at almost the precise moment together. You were eager, yes, but naive you were not. You had the skills and the intuition of a warrior. You were ahead of all of us by years, my friend," Argalad recalled the days of his training, alongside Haldir.
Haldir laughed in earnest this time. "Intuition? Truthfully, my friend, I had no idea what I was doing half the time when we were training. I think the humans call it dumb luck!"
"Aye, luck it was that saved your hide a multitude of times! You look well, Haldir. I see that marriage has suited you well," Argalad patted Haldir on his back.
A broad smile graced the Marchwarden's face. "Aye, it has. I never thought it would. I count the days until I return to my wife."
Argalad nodded, but his agreement stopped abruptly when Rumil galloped his horse closer to his brother. "Haldir, according to the map, we are a day and a half away from the villages. I think we should at least camp here for the night. The horses need to be fed."
"Very well. Go ahead and take two wardens with you. Find a place for us to rest and tend to the animals. Argalad, take six wardens with you and scout the surrounding areas. We do not want any surprise attacks on our company." Haldir gave his command and the other wardens followed.
After almost an hour of thorough scouting, Rumil and Argalad returned. Rumil nudged his horse forward and reached his brother. "We found a nice, little spot up by the river. The horses will have access to the water and there is also a secluded enclave for us to shield ourselves. What say you?"
Haldir raised his hand to Rumil and nodded towards Argalad. "Any sign of trouble?"
"Nay, the surrounding areas are clear. No signs of anyone near us. I suspect the nearest village would be the one we are headed to," Argalad relayed his report.
Haldir then turned once again towards his brother. "Rumil, just a word of advice. Always ask your scouts about the surroundings before settling on a place to rest. Safety first, rest later. Now, lead the way so we may tend to our animals."
Rumil nodded his head and nudged his horse forward into a trot. Haldir shook his head and as Argalad nudged his horse beside Haldir's faithful steed, he looked at his companion and mouthed. "I told you Rumil was eager."
Both of the elves sniggered their amusement and rode on towards the clearing.
Lothestel peered out the window and saw the sun was slowly dipping down the horizon. "Oh, dear," she thought, "if I don't hurry, the market will close down for the day." The Princess of Mirkwood grabbed her cloak and quickly made her way towards Nyonna's talan. They met up earlier in the day and Lothestel's best friend had agreed to accompany her to the market. Lothestel walked briskly, as fast as her legs would allow her to reach Nyonna's talan at the agreed time.
As she turned around the corner, she saw Legolas standing with Nyonna atop the talan's deck. Lothestel was about to call out to her brother when she saw him lower his face and kissed her best friend. Her eyes widened and she quickly covered her mouth to stifle the sound of the surprised gasp. The princess just stood there, frozen in her steps as she watched the passionate exchange. It wasn't until Nyonna raised her head that she caught her best friend staring at the two of them. "Lothestel..."
Legolas whirred around so fast, his hair flew in a golden curtain around his face. The look of surprise etched on his features, which then softened to a look of resignation. Lothestel visibly saw him take a deep breath before calling out to her. "Lothestel, lovely sister. Won't you join us?"
Lothestel's gaze went from Legolas' face to Nyonna's as she watched her best friend turned red from embarrassment. The princess took a deep breath and made her way to the deck. She had a feeling this had been going on for some time and perhaps today, her brother would explain to her what was going on between him and her best friend. As Lothestel reached the deck, Nyonna rushed to her side and ushered her into her talan. "Come in, Lothestel. It seems we have some explaining to do..."
Legolas followed the two females into the talan and took a seat directly in front the both of them. Lothestel sat silently, waiting for either Legolas or Nyonna to start the conversation. But when the silence was getting unbearable with no hope of Legolas or Nyonna breaking it, the princess spoke. "I came by to ask Nyonna to go to the market with me."
"I see. I'm sorry..."
"Yes, I haven't forgotten..."
Both Nyonna and Legolas spoke at the same time, Lothestel couldn't stop the laughter that was bubbling inside her. Without so much as a ladylike giggle, the princess snorted her laughter. "Oh, Eru! Look at the both of you. You're acting as if mother and father caught you two sharing a bed!"
The nervous glances between Legolas and Nyonna didn't go unnoticed by the princess. Lothestel's eyes widened even more in surprise. "Eru! You didn't! It has gone that far? Legolas! What were you thinking?"
"Well, you don't really think about this matter. You just do-"
Before Legolas could finish the sentence, Nyonna took it upon herself to give him a hard nudge. Realizing he was about to say something embarrassing, the Prince of Mirkwood tried for a better explanation. "I was going to tell mother and father, but that day, we lost Gollon…"
Nyonna nodded and gently slipped her hand into Legolas' palm. "Yes, we had planned to tell everyone and ask for permission to marry. But Eru had other plans for us, it seems. In my heart, we are already bonded, Lothestel, for there will not be another for me."
"Or me. Nyonna is not just a passing fancy, dear sister. I love her, and if gods are willing, I plan to make her my wife soon." A weak smile formed on Legolas' lips, and he gently squeezed the delicate hand in his palm.
Nyonna was quiet. The love they have for each other was clear as night and day. But what was holding them back now? "I understand that, but what the delay still? I mean, mother and father are here. You could tell them, and be betrothed to one another. Then when you do return to Mirkwood, you can have the binding ceremony there."
Legolas was silent for a moment. With a great sigh, he looked pointedly at Lothestel. "Do you approve of our relationship?"
"Why, yes! What not to approve? You have chosen a wonderful elleth to be your wife and future Queen of Mirkwood, and my best friend has chosen a good ellon to be her husband. I'm thrilled and happy for the both of you." Lothestel rose from her chair and knelt before her brother and future sister in law.
Smiling fully now, the silver-haired elf spoke. "I'm gladdened! I shall seek an audience with mother and father tonight. Thank you, my sister."
Nyonna gave her best friend a tight hug and whispered in her ear. "Thank you, thank you so very much."
The three of them then went on their way to the market, hearts filled with hope and happiness. Watching Legolas and Nyonna together, made the pain of being apart from Haldir even worse. Missing her husband terribly, and regretting each of the time they spent bickering and when they were at odds with each other, she looked to the setting sun and whispered a prayer. "Eru, keep him safe for me. You took him from me whole and happy, return him to me the same. "
The setting sun set the forest ablaze, the light bouncing off the rippling water. Haldir and Argalad sat by the river, deep in conversation. Once in a while Haldir would look over his shoulder to his brother, Rumil, who was sitting with the other wardens. The evening was calm, and yet, Haldir felt unsettled.
Recognizing the expression on his captain's face, Argalad grew wary. "What is it, Haldir?"
"I'm not sure. I feel as if we're being watched. The hairs on my neck won't settle down," Haldir spoke in a hushed voice, trying not to worry the others.
Argalad reached for his sword. Never before had the Marchwarden's intuition proved wrong. "What see you? The trees are so close together, it is hard for me to see anything."
Haldir didn't respond; his eyes were occupied with something moving just out of his view. His long fingers grasped the hilt of his trusty sword, ever vigilant. A high pitched yell broke the still air of their surroundings, and suddenly, dozens of men surrounded the small group of wardens, bearing axes and hammers. "Halt! You are on our lands! Make yourselves known!"
A voice rang through the crowd, but neither Haldir nor Argalad could make out who was the owner of the booming voice. "Peace! I am Haldir of Lorien, sent by the Lady Galadriel and the Lord Celeborn to offer our assistance to the villages attacked by orcs and goblins. Extend the same courtesy and identify yourself to us."
From the group surrounding them, out came a man with broad shoulders, wielding an axe. "I am Ivan, son of Lord Phell, and you are on our lands. We received your emissary days earlier and we were expecting you, but not from this route."
Haldir's brows furrowed, "What do you mean not from this route?"
The young man settled his axe by his leg on the ground. "My Lord Haldir, this is the south gate of our village. Friends usually visit us from our north gate, and not from behind. We assumed you were bandits in league with the orcs and goblins."
"The south gate? How is this possible, Haldir?" Argalad looked unto the Marchwarden, caution growing in his eyes.
Haldir's steely gaze towards Rumil was hard to ignore. "I have no inkling, my dear friend. Perhaps my brother could shed a light. He is, after all, the navigator. We shall get to the bottom of this mystery later, but my lord, take us to your father for we have much to discuss and I have much to convey from my Lord and my Lady."
Ivan nodded and signalled to his men to let the wardens pass into their village. Haldir rode past the gates with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong, and yet he had no idea what it could be or what it had been…
As the party from Lorien entered the gates of the village, they could see the destruction that ravaged the settlement. Houses were burned down, the great hall had a hole on its side and many of the crops and livestock were dug up and stolen. The smell of burning wood overpowered the air and soon, even the staunch wardens were coughing.
Haldir stepped down from his steed and followed Ivan into one of the dwellings at the centre of the village. Upon stepping inside, he could see a number of wounded men laid down by the fire, being tended by a healer who seemed rather overwhelmed. Haldir and his wardens stood by the door, awaiting the signal from Ivan who walked in and addressed an older man, who was busy cleaning the wounds of a young boy. The older man, whom Haldir presumed was Lord Phell, soaked his bloodied hands into a bowl of water before walking towards the entrance.
A smile formed on Lord Phell's wearied face. "Welcome to Browning Village of the Brown Lands. I am Phell son of Hilon, Lord of Browning. I thank you for your visit. I had hoped that the High Elves would bestow upon us the help that we so desperately need."
Lord Phell extended his arm and Haldir linked his own with. "Greetings, Lord Phell. I am Haldir, Marchwarden of Lorien. I was sent by Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn to offer our assistance in helping the villagers. Our wardens are at your disposal, my lord. Forgive the confusion. We were told that we arrived at South Undeep as opposed to North Undeep."
Lord Phell nodded. "Yes, we were alerted by our scouts that a band of cloaked warriors were at our southern borders. Naturally, we were concerned. But I am glad that is all now sorted."
Argalad walked forward. "Forgive the intrusion, my lord, but I'm afraid it is not. We had intended to arrive at North Undeep, but it seems we might have taken the wrong route and ended up farther than we had anticipated. If it is not too much trouble, perhaps with your permission, we could compare maps? Mayhap we had taken a wrong turn here and there and lost our way."
Rumil shifted uncomfortably behind the two wardens. This definitely did not bode well for his first outing as a navigator. He watched as Argalad walked away with Ivan, presumably to procure the map. He wasted no time and approached his brother. "Haldir, I did not navigate poorly. I followed the map as it was drawn."
Haldir turned to face his brother. "I know. Hence my worry…"
Rumil didn't quite understand what his brother was proposing. "What do you mean, brother? Are you saying that we were given a faulty map? To what end? We were only delayed by two days. The orcs and goblins attacked this settlement long before those two days we lost."
Haldir nodded absentmindedly, trying to piece together what little information he had. "Keen observation, brother dear. Indeed, to what end? Who would gain what with the time we lost? To what end…"
….
Lothestel woke up early in the morning, hoping that today would be the day her husband returned. She dressed in her simplest gown and made her way to the markets, in hopes that there would be wonderful arrays of meats and cheeses that she could buy to prepare for Haldir's return. The princess made her way to the markets, humming to herself. She never thought it possible, but she was happy. Nay, she was deliriously happy.
After stopping by a few stalls and getting her fill of supplies, Lothestel began her walk back, only to have her way blocked by Elwen. "My, my, busy bee… Playing house, I see?"
The elleth tiptoed, trying to eye the things in Lothestel's basket. The princess ignored the other elleth and rounded the corner to continue her journey home. Before she could take more than five steps, Elwen's voice rang out, "Too bad you don't have what Haldir loves to eat the most…"
Lothestel froze in her steps. She turned to face Elwen, inquisitively raising her brow. "What do you mean?"
"Tsk… tsk… tsk… A wife, but no notion on what her husband likes. How truly pathetic… Now I know I would've made a better suited mate for Haldir. How can you not know that Haldir's favourite thing is an exotic tasting fruit, growing under the Mellyrn trees by the borders? Perhaps he never told you how he would venture to the western border to pick the fruits? I wonder… what other things has he hidden from you?" Elwen circled the princess, her words poison to Lothestel's ears.
Looking at how the Princess of Mirkwood's expression changed, Elwen knew her arrow had found her mark. Laughing seductively, she twirled the princess' hair around her fingers. "I gather he really hasn't told you everything… Maybe I can tell you what he likes to do when you bed him…"
Lothestel pulled away and walked as fast as she could. Hot tears were forming in her eyes and she did not want to give the witch the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Once she was back in the safety of her talan, her tears broke in earnest. Trying her best to not let the words of the snake wash over her, the princess walked into the kitchen to put her supplies away. No matter what she did, Elwen's words rang inside her head, his favourite thing, fruit by the western border.
Smashing her basket down, Lothestel huffed out loud. "I know my husband! If he wants his favourite food, he'll get his favourite food, even if it is the last thing I do!" Grabbing her cloak from the mantel, Lothestel carried an empty basket with her as she made her way towards the forest.
Standing at the bottom of the path, Elwen smiled. "Good bye, princess…"
…..
Orophin stood atop the platform high on the Mellyrn trees. His patrol had to be extended for the Marchwarden was delayed for some reason. He was not one to complain, but it had been an unusual occurrence. Haldir was known to be notoriously punctual with travel time. Perhaps the situation at the village was dire than they had expected.
The young warden gazed out into the horizon. The sun was still high in the sky. It was late afternoon, and the warm sunshine was welcomed after the stormy night they had. He walked closer to the railings and looked down. The other wardens were seen patrolling the path, and all seemed quiet. As he raised his gaze towards the far end of the border, something caught his eyes – an elleth, peering through the growth.
His gaze sharpened, "Who in the Valar is that? And why is she out here?" Just then a gust of wind blew towards the elleth and her hood fell from her head. Orophin was surprised to see his sister in law, creeping between the trees. "By Eru, what is she doing her?"
Orophin began climbing down the platform. He needed to tell Lothestel to return home, the borders weren't safe now. Just as he was making his way down, a sudden blaring of the sirens made him look up. The wardens on the platform yelled to him, "Fin! A small band of orcs spotted!"
Looking out to where he last saw her, Orophin felt the shock resonate in his body, "Lothestel…"
Without thinking twice, the young warden signalled two of his companions to make their way to where he last saw his sister in law. As they were running towards the far end of the border, a high-pitched scream filled the air. Feeling his heart quickened, Orophin shouted, "Lothestel! Where are you?"
Another high-pitched scream rang out followed by a series of growls and grunts. "Help me! No! No!"
Breaking into a run, Orophin and his companions made their way towards the sound of distress. As soon as they broke through the clearing, he could see a band of orcs running away from the border, with Lothestel in tow. "NO! Lothestel!"
The three of them pursued the band of orcs, and as they closed in, the vile creatures decided to attack. "You five, kill the wardens! The rest, fall back to our lair. Bring the she-elf!"
One hideous orc swung Lothestel over his shoulder and made a run for it. Orophin looked at the horror in her eyes. "Lothestel! No!"
The five orcs charged at the three of them with deformed swords and decaying axes. Orophin tried to break free and follow Lothestel, but they were outnumbered. One of the wardens whistled for reinforcements, but before the signal could follow through, one of the orc swung his axe right into the warden's back.
Orophin looked in horror as his companion crumpled onto the ground. Feeling anger bubbling inside him, he whistled once more and charged with his trusty sword. He swung his blade high, slicing through armour and flesh. He could still hear Lothestel's screams, but they were fading fast. Orophin lunged at his opponent, but a sudden groan to his right made him aware that another of his companion had been struck. "Eru! Where are the reinforcements?!"
Distracted by the chaos surrounding him, Orophin lost track of one orc who then swung his sword and sliced open the warden's arm. Orophin yelled out in pain and fell to the ground. The orc advanced, holding his sword high, ready to finish the job. Before the sword could come down, an arrow pierced the orc's skull, right between the eyes.
Orophin turned and saw a group of wardens rushing towards him, killing the rest of the orcs. One of them hurried to his side, helping Orophin to stand. Looking towards the now empty trail, he spoke in a low, ominous voice, "We need to send a raven to Haldir. NOW!"
….
Argalad walked to the Marchwarden, who was staring intently at the fire that was burning fiercely in front of him. "Haldir, I have taken a look at both of the maps. The map that was given to us had us take new routes, circling around Brown Lands so that we arrive at South Undeep. I don't understand - this was the map handed to us by Beinion. He is the royal cartographer…"
Haldir took a deep breath. "This confuses me immensely, Argalad, I will not lie, but I cannot yet see the purpose of this delay. By Eru, I fear something is amiss."
Argalad clapped the Marchwarden's shoulder. "Fear not, my friend. All will be revealed by Eru's time. We should sleep; we have a lot to carry out tomorrow before we leave for Lorien."
Haldir nodded and retreated to his tent. Feeling uneasy about the mysterious map, he took of his tunic and settled into the makeshift bed. His thoughts drifted to that of his wife, and the night they spent together. An easy smile formed on his lips as he drifted to sleep.
It was pitch black. He could not see anything in front of him. The air smelled dank and putrid, as if dead things reside in this foul place. His eyes tried to adjust to the darkness, but there was little they could do. Hoping to find some sort of clarity, he called out, "Anyone in here? Pray, answer me!"
The sounds of shackles rattling shook him. "Who is there? Show yourself lest you choose to be harmed!"
A small whimper followed by a moan greeted his treat. After a moment of silence, that voice called his name. "Haldir…"
He knew that voice… "Who is there?"
"Haldir… help me… please…"
"Lothestel?"
"Haldir… please… Hald…"
"Lothestel? LOTHESTEL!"
Haldir woke up drenched in sweat. The dream felt real, too real. He ran his hand over his face, shaken to the core. Just then the flap to his tent opened and revealed a distressed-looking Rumil. "What is it, Rumil?"
The young warden spoke, trepidation in his voice. "Haldir, come quick. We received a missive from Orophin. It is Lothestel…"
Fear bubbled inside him.
No… It can't be…