Title & Chapter Number: Guarded 3/?
Author(s): - Author's Index
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Rating: PG-13 (Will be rated higher in later chapters)
Disclaimer: J.R.R Tolkien and his heirs own Lord of the Rings and the characters he created. I have made no profit from this story.
Warnings: Het fic
Betas: Fianna & Julie
Cast: Haldir/OFC, Orophin, Rúmil, Galadriel, Celeborn, Aragorn, Elrond, Elrohir, Elladan, Arwen
Timeline: Pre-Fellowship to Fourth Age, 3001- 100
Spoilers: Haldir doesn't die.
Summary: Haldir of Lórien has protected the borders of Lothlórien and those of his heart for three thousand years with the utmost vigilance. Indil has learned from bitter experience to protect herself, but also to live as thought the sun will never rise again. Can he remain so well guarded against one who is determined to claim him for herself?
Notes: I loved Haldir when I read the Fellowship of the Ring and I thought that his death in the movie was unjust. This Haldir is a blend of the book and movie character and hopefully it works. There is a listing at the end of this chapter of Sindarin words and phrases.
Chapter Three: Darkness Falls
The ancient and timeless Queens and Kings from afar, They were proud and clothed in the rays of the moon, Ever do the Eldar sing of the Valar under sun and star, Sad and beautiful to behold is the tune.
Indil hummed the old song beneath her breath as she made her way out of the barn. She could still smell the heavy scent of animal dung mixed with the cloying fragrance of sweet straw. The wood bucket she held was heavy with milk from the cows that she and her mother would churn before they turned in for the evening.
Soft laughter touched her ears and the little girl stood quietly for a moment beside the door. Curiosity itched along her nerves as she heard soft noises that were unusual. Indil pressed her eye to the crack between the door and casement. A shaft of bright firelight made her pupil contract painfully before her sight adjusted and she frowned at what she saw.
Her father was sitting at the table with her mother in his lap and they were kissing each other like she had never seen before. The couple's arms were entwined around one another as they embraced in a way that made Indil's face flush. She quickly pulled back and set the pail beside the door so that it would not overturn if her father came outside.
A small grin lit up her face as she gathered her skirts in her hands and quietly eased along the path that led to the river. Every step away from the house seemed like a step closer toward paradise if such a thing were possible. She loved the wild and everything it contained. Indil frowned; she missed Adarion and Belegorn fiercely. Her brothers were camping in Gladden Fields as they awaited messengers from Thranduil.
Falathar had been made to go to bed earlier as punishment for taking the wooden sword Haldir had given him and slapping her across the back with it. Although Indil had not been seriously hurt, her father had been so angry his face had turned a purplish color.
Indil swallowed at the memory and shoved it away to think of something more pleasant.
The elf, Haldir, popped into her mind as she carefully descended the gentle sloping hill that led to the knoll she favored. It had been two weeks since he had visited her family and Indil found that she missed his presence more every time that he left. Sitting, she swiftly pulled off her woolen socks and leather sandals before wiggling her toes in the grass.
The thick blades of vegetation felt soft and just a little wet with the coming dew. Indil took a long deep breath and smiled as her lungs filled with air that was sweet with the scent of new grass and the lushness of the river below. A feeling of happiness and contentment washed over her as she laid back against the ground. The stars overhead seemed brighter as they shone like white and silver gems against the dark velvet of the heavens.
Haldir entered her mind again and the little girl frowned. A heavy blush colored her cheeks as she remembered him jesting that he had finally heard her voice. He had heard her speak many times, but never directly to him. She dared not too; he seemed so lordly and powerful and very different from her father and brothers and even Aragorn. There was something about the Elf that made her feel funny... like he could see inside of her. The thought embarrassed her, but she did not know why.
She held her hands out above her and giggled at the thought of trying to reach the stars. They looked so close that she wondered sometimes if she tried hard enough maybe one day she would touch one. A sense of sadness washed over her so abruptly that Indil sat up with tears shining in her eyes.
The knowledge came to her, unbidden, that she would never touch a star... that she was forbidden from touching anything so beautiful. It was as though there was a tiny, separate voice in her mind that wanted to torment her.
Indil stood and wiped the tears from her eyes that threatened to spill down her cheeks.
That was when she saw it.
Darkness, but not just nightfall, no, it was deeper than the darkest black and it was moving of its own accord from the north. Down in the far pastures, Indil could see the light from many torches running in a long line with the dark shape floating above in the air.
The sound of pounding footsteps echoed through the night and she could feel the rumble of movement under her feet. Indil's heart began to pound in her chest with unexplained terror and she felt as though she was unable to move.
A group of pheasant burst from the nearby bushes in palpable terror and Indil's eyes finally made out the figures emerging from the gloom - Orcs. They were huge and twisted wearing black armor over their dull black skins with cruel yellow eyes and gnashing teeth in twisted mouths.
All thought fled from Indil's mind save one; if she did not move then she would be seen against the moonlit sky. Quickly, she dropped to the ground and crawled to the edge of the knoll. The river was gurgling far below and she could see thick clumps of reeds along the bank. The sound of stomping feet was now headed her way and Indil let herself roll down the steep embankment.
Bramble and half-exposed roots tore into her tender flesh and the little girl bit into her lip to keep from crying out. She shielded her face with her hands and gasped as she hit a large rock. Pain exploded in her ribs as she finally came to a stop in the thick mud at the base of the knoll. Terror prompted her to move despite the horrific throbbing in her side. Slowly, she pulled herself through the muck until the soaring, graceful reeds surrounded her. They swayed in the breeze regally all around and she could hear their song as she sank up to her hips in the cool water.
Indil saw a tall, grotesque-looking Orc standing high on the hill looking down in her direction. His eerie yellow eyes flashed like lightning bugs in the gloom. She trembled in both fear and the chill from the water, but she was unable to move as she prayed that the creature would leave.
It seemed for a moment as though she heard the flapping of great wings far above her and for a moment the light of the stars themselves were extinguished. Then, the Orc turned with a savage shout toward the farm and the shadow was gone.
Indil felt hot tears pool in her eyes and she clapped her small hands over her ears as she heard her father's shout.
~*~*~*~
"Oloriel!" Saelben cried as he drew his sword from the sheath resting on his hip. The first lesson he had learned as a boy had been to carry his weapons close at all times. "Take Falathar and get out of the house!"
His grey eyes narrowed as he took in the long line of Orcs streaming from the north meadow toward the farm. He knew that they had only moments and he cursed the fact that his sons were awaiting messengers in Gladden Fields.
The door creaked behind him and he turned to see his wife's sweet face filled with terror as she held six year-old Falathar against her breast. She had turned bone white and kept the half-slumbering child from seeing the disgusting creatures making their way closer.
She swallowed thickly as she met her husband's numb expression. "Where is Indil?"
"I know not," Saelben answered brusquely. He pointed his sword toward the southwest. "I could not find her. We have not the time to spare looking or saddling a horse - go!" He urged harshly. "Flee towards Lórien and hide if you can find a good place. Do not look back no matter what you hear."
Oloriel took a faltering step in the direction her husband pointed in. "Saelben..."
He frowned deeply and his face softened for a moment before hardening again. "I love thee, Oloriel, and I always will. Now fly and preserve yourself!"
Tears ran down her face as she turned and began to run with as much speed as she could gather. It was difficult with a small child wrapped in her arms, but she had always been gifted with swiftness of foot. The night felt as though it were closing around her as she crested the first rise.
"Mortal..."
The hissing, sibilant voice made Saelben turn with hate upon his face. There were more Orcs than he had first thought and their leader was larger than the rest with orange-red eyes and a muscular physique that promised the fight for life and death would be difficult.
Saelben calmed the fear in his heart. He was a Dúnadan as was his family and they were some of the last of that great people. Slowly, he raised his sword so that it rested over his heart and ran straight upwards. He spoke no words as he took the first step toward what he knew to be his doom.
The Orc Captain laughed and took a bag from a nearby foot soldier. With a great flourish, he sent two objects flying toward the mortal man approaching. A wide, callous grin exposed his twisted, rotting teeth as the mortal's expression changed from grim determination to pure horror.
"Nooo!" Saelben screamed as he looked down upon the severed heads of his two sons.
Adarion and Belegorn stared up at him with empty grey eyes full of resignation and fear.
He glared at the creature across from him before rushing headlong into the first group with a cry of defiance and hate bursting from his lips. Metal gleamed, dull and ugly, in the starlight as Saelben and the Orc traded blows that rang out loud and clear.
Each parried the thrust and sweeping moves made by the other. All too soon muscles ached and strained as sweat poured forth from each of them. Back and forth the two circled one another as they fought to gain an opening that would lend them victory.
Time no longer seemed to hold any meaning to Saelben as he fought to keep his opponents from advancing past him. All that mattered was saving his wife and his last child. He was certain that his daughter was as dead as his two sons...
With a grunt, he sliced off the arm of an Orc trying to slide behind him. Black blood splashed his face and he fought the revulsion in his gut as he whirled and cleanly chopped the head from another Orc. Still another he dispatched with a savage jab to the gut that made a terrible ripping sound and sent the creature's innards spilling to the ground.
Saelben pulled back and counted twelve dead Orcs at his feet and several more wounded.
A beating sound echoed through the air and despite his best instincts, he looked up.
There was a monster wreathed in black riding what appeared to his eyes as a small black dragon. Saelben could not tear his eyes away no matter how desperately he wished to do so. The creature, a Nazgûl, pointed at him with a high-pitched screech and he felt his heart shrivel within his breast.
Saelben grunted in pain as a broadsword was shoved through his chest with a powerful thrust. The world wavered before his eyes as yet another blade stabbed through his back. He blinked as though sleepy and felt himself go numb from the waist down.
His knees gave out and he landed with a hoarse cry upon them.
Another sword cut through him at the gut like a knife through butter and thick blood spilled from between his lips. Red coursed down his chin and rolled down his throat where it stained his dark ivory tunic scarlet.
The blades were suddenly withdrawn and Saelben fell to the earth below as though boneless.
He could not move and very slowly he lost the ability to see until his world was drawn down into two very tiny, but radiant tunnels of light that exploded into one. The breath left his body in a shallow rattle and it was over.
Saelben passed away from the world in bitterness and regret.
~*~*~*~
The morning light was pale through the mist rising from the Anduin like the souls of the departed.
Indil quaked as she crawled through the mud while pushing past the thick reeds clogging the shoreline. It took every ounce of strength left in her body to pull herself up onto the solid bank just above her. The pain in her side made her grit her teeth until she thought they might shatter from the pressure.
The journey to the gentle slope nearby seemed to take an eternity.
She was soaked and caked in a thick layer of mud that was drying to her quickly in the warming morning air. She knelt and pushed her hair back from her face before spitting dirt from between her lips. Terror was still her constant companion as she struggled to stand.
The urge to cry out for her parents was strangled by a greater fear that the Orcs were still nearby. Shaking, with her side throbbing angrily, Indil forced herself up the knoll. She clung to the earth for the only protection she had; remaining unseen.
Every movement was like jamming a red-hot poker between her ribs.
It was only when she reached the high ground that she smelled the smoke and something more...
The stench was like nothing that she had ever experienced before. She gagged and drew her hands up over her mouth and nose to keep from retching. Stumbling forward with stones cutting into her feet, Indil continued along. Her eyes began to tear up from the acrid, stinging of the smoke as it rose from the skeletal remains of her former home.
The cottage was mere blackened bones of what once was and the barn was entirely razed to the ground.
A great fear coursed through the little girl as she walked with a halting gait. A trail of thick black liquid was spilled along the ground as far as the eye could see. It covered the grass like pungent slime and she gasped in horror as her feet sank into it.
Sticky and slightly warm, the gummy substance was congealed like her mother's jams.
Tears flowed down her dirty, muddy cheeks and dripped off her chin as she picked her way along the smelly, slippery path. There was great fear in her heart as she noticed dark shapes on the ground up ahead through her watery eyes.
It wasn't until she reached them that she realized exactly what littered the ground.
Orc bodies.
They were sliced open and in some cases sliced apart. Arms lay paces away from their rightful owners and the ground was covered with more than just mere blood. Indil realized in horror exactly what she was standing in and she began to cry in earnest as she tried to sidestep piles of slimy blubber that would bake in the noonday sun. Most of the dead Orcs lay face down in the blood covering the once pristine pasture.
To Indil, it seemed as though the bodies were small islands in a sea of blackness.
A splash of red caught her eye and Indil made her way carefully toward it. She held her aching side as she stepped gingerly around two severed heads that were face down in the muck. What she saw next made the girl freeze where she stood.
Her beloved father, Saelben, lay face up covered in crimson splotches that she knew to be his blood. His grey eyes were wide and staring lifelessly at the faint pinkish-gold sunrise painting the sky from the east. He appeared weary and in pain; every line in his face was etched more deeply than Indil had ever seen before.
He lay with his sword just beyond his outstretched fingers and a look of utter hopelessness on his countenance.
"Ada!" Indil screamed from where she stood. "Please get up."
There was no movement, his chest did not rise and fall, nor did his eyes blink in recognition at her pleading cry. No birds sang in the nearby underbrush as they often did in the morning and even the wind was still. It was within that moment that she knew that her father was dead.
Memories assailed her of playing hide and seek in the barn with him, of being lifted up on his shoulders as they walked to the river, and of his warm voice telling her stories of the High Elves from long ago.
Indil stood motionless with tears slowly burning their way down her face. "Ada?" She whispered before falling as silent as he.
~*~*~*~
Minuial was fading from the dark of night to the pasty type of morning that was much more common during the winter. The Elves could feel and sense the sun in the east before Anor ever rose over the horizon. A quiet song was chanted in Silvan between the Elves as they continued their march over the flat meadowland toward the deep sapphire of the Anduin.
Haldir did not join in the chant as his eyes scoured the lands ahead for any sign of trouble. He had sensed nothing but unease and darkness for days now and he was greatly weary in both body and spirit. No song or sacred chant would soothe him until he had reached the lands of his friend.
He knew that the Dúnedain, Halbarad and Dorlas, were struggling to keep up, but he refused to slow his pace for fear of arriving too late to aid his friends. Though few mortals over the long years of his life had touched his heart, this small family had done so.
Far in the distance, Haldir made out the faint haze of smoke drifting upward from where he knew Saelben's home should be. Stopping, he motioned to a fellow Elf and jerked his chin toward the smoke. "Tell me what you see, Thoron."
Thoron was younger than he by several centuries, but one of Galadriel's favorite guards. The lanky, silver-haired Elf stepped beside him and frowned deeply as his eyes rested ahead. "I see the work of Orcs, I fear. Do you smell the foul air blowing in from the north?"
"I do," Haldir replied softly. "And I fear that the scent is of decay."
Thoron nodded and gazed over at his leader with troubled blue eyes. "Agreed, Haldir. What would you have us do?"
The March Warden did not come by his duties lightly. He had fought in the Last Alliance of Men and Elves against Sauron and weathered countless battles and skirmishes while abroad on business for the Lord and Lady. His mind turned over the possibilities before he spoke. "Take five of the others with you and skirt down by the river. Meet me at the farmstead and come toward me if I do not arrive there. See that you take no undo risk, mellon."
"It will be as you say," Thoron answered as he laid his hand over his heart.
As though by magic, Thoron and his chosen people disappeared into the deeper foliage to the left with naught but a ripple of grey amongst the leaves.
Haldir turned and caught the attention of the others, including the mortal men. "I believe that we have come too late for Saelben, but there is still hope to find his wife and children. Fan out across the meadows and search carefully for them. I doubt that they would leave themselves out in the open to be easily discovered."
Turning his attention ahead, he began to run as swiftly as his legs would carry him. His great bow jiggled against his back a little, but he did not bother wasting precious time in attempting to reposition it. He moved with feline grace and speed across the open land with little effort on his part.
The Elves were blessed with great fortitude and athletic prowess; he kept himself in prime condition as did all the Galadhrim wardens and so it sapped little of his energy as he raced toward Saelben's home.
In the field ahead two figures lay prone upon the ground and he ground his teeth in anger as he continued to run. The wind began to pick up and he could smell death wafting toward him from the bodies. His eyes revealed a sight so gruesome that he stopped abruptly and stared down in shock.
Oloriel lay face up with her wool skirts pushed over her naked hips and her legs spread in a lewd display. Thick purple bruises covered her throat in the shape of large hands and her eyes were wide with horror. Her slack mouth was open as though she had been gasping for air while the life was choked from her. Large bruises covered her naked thighs and her hands were tied together over her head with the tattered remains of her undergarments.
Haldir blinked once and tore his eyes from her to the little boy lying only a few yards away.
Falathar was face down in a position that clearly indicated he had tried to flee with a black dagger protruding from his left shoulder blade.
The gorge rose in Haldir's throat and he quickly turned from the sight. Tears burned his eyes and he swallowed thickly to keep from embarrassing himself. Taking a deep breath, he turned and fell to one knee beside the dead woman. With gentle hands, he pulled down her skirts to cover her decently.
There was no word for rape in the Sindarin or Silvan tongues, but in Westron and Rohirric there were several. He knew of course that Orcs and dishonorable men committed such barbarisms, but he had never seen it with his own eyes before. The thought of taking a woman against her will was so repulsive to his people that they would sooner sunder the male organs from their bodies than do such a thing. Elves died rather than allow the shameful act to be forced upon them.
"Îdh, Brennil," he breathed softly as he reached down and tenderly closed her staring eyes. "Go to the halls of your forefathers and heal for you have suffered a grievous injustice."
A shadow fell over him. "Damned Orcs!" Halbarad rasped indignantly. "We shall find them and rip them limb from limb."
Haldir rose swiftly to his feet and cocked his head. "The Orcs who did this are long gone and have fled to Dol Guldur if I am correct. There will be no revenge on this day no matter how we all desire it." Without sparing the man another glance, he turned to regard the group of Elves behind him. Their fair faces were filled with grief upon seeing the slain mother and child. Gesturing to the bodies, Haldir spoke in a quiet, commanding voice. "Three of you must stay behind and burn the bodies. Do not bury them for the enemy will know we have passed but they will be puzzled by chancing upon burned remains."
Dorlas licked his lips and his green eyes flitted nervously between the Elves, now speaking together in their own language, before he stepped forward. "To burn them is a sacrilege - they must be buried in stone cairns."
"Have you not listened to my words?" Haldir demanded darkly as he turned with fire burning in the depths of his eyes. "You are safe from Orcs under the sun, but they will come across the Anduin when the sky darkens into night once more. My people, who still live, are my first priority and I will not risk having the Orcs detect us by trifling with dead bodies. Orcs burn their own, but men and Elves do not. This will confuse them and that is to our advantage."
Halbarad began to speak, but Haldir waved his hand in disgust and began to stalk toward the lower meadows rolling toward the destroyed farm.
"Aye!" Dorlas shouted behind him. "I hear your words you smug tree-lover!"
Haldir paused for but a moment before he continued moving.
~*~*~*~
Long before the odor of rotting flesh met his nose, Haldir could see the mangled bodies strewn across the field like stones in a black brook. He felt his heart begin to stir as he made out one small form standing as straight as a young sapling.
Running as fast as he could, Haldir soon stood above the mud-caked figure with hope lighting up his deep grey eyes. He removed his bow and let it fall to the ground carelessly as he knelt in the gore before the still child. "Can you hear me, Indil?"
The little girl blinked, but remained silent with her eyes fixed on the body of her father.
Haldir snapped his fingers directly before the child's face hoping for a response. Instead, she continued to stare over his shoulder. He let his eyes travel over her and a great swell of pity moved his heart. She was covered from head to foot in dirt and thick grime and smelled like she had been rolling around in a dung pile.
It had been many years since he had attempted to reach a mortal using the healing powers of his people. The effort sometimes went awry and caused more damage than good, but he felt there was little choice in the matter.
Settling his hands upon either side of her face, Haldir turned her head so that she met his gaze. Their eyes locked and he began to speak in the softest of voices. "Indil, lasto beth nîn, tolo dan nan galad."
Indil's grey-blue eyes widened a bit and her pupils dilated, but she remained silent as stone.
He felt a moment of panic within him as he pressed forward. "Indil," he commanded in a deep voice. "Lasto beth nîn, tolo dan nan galad!"
Tears rolled down her plump cheeks as she started as though woken from a dream. "Nín Ada!" She cried out in Sindarin as she shivered and lost control over her bladder. The little girl wept until her throat was raw as her eyes stayed locked with those of the Elf before her. "I want Nana!"
Haldir smoothed her filthy hair away from her face. He was sick at heart and felt tears burning behind the lids of his own eyes. He willed himself to remain steady for her sake as he spoke. "Your mother is dead, Indil, I am truly sorry." Silence swirled around them before he found the ability to continue. "I need to get you cleaned up. Come with me, tithen aras."
Indil stared at his hand for a moment as she chewed on her bottom lip. Finally she slipped her small hand into his and allowed him to pick her up. She clung to his neck and rested her cheek against his shoulder as he walked slowly away from the carnage.
Elves seemed to appear from nowhere and he ordered them to burn the bodies.
Ciryon, one of Orophin's childhood friends, drew close. "The boy still lives, but he must receive aid from the Lady or he will succumb to his wounds."
Haldir released a breath of relief. "Thank the Valar! We will begin moving again once the fires are lit and the little one is clean."
"As you wish," Ciryon replied softly before moving away to follow orders.
"Spare me your inner tunic," Haldir requested of a nearby Elf. Once the other stripped and removed the garment, he nodded. "You have my thanks."
Not stopping, he found a small, clear brook and set the child down beside it. He laid out the tunic and removed the sash he wore about his waist. Carefully, he put it on top of the grey material before stepping away. "I need you to bathe and to be quick about it, Indil. We must be on the move before the sun crosses the sky. Can you do that?"
She sniffled and nodded. "Aye, but my side aches."
"I will see to it after you have cleaned yourself," he pointed to a large stone nearby. "You will find me there once you are finished."
Haldir settled on the sun-baked rock with his back turned on the child. He wanted her to at least have her privacy to bathe; for the return trip to Lothlórien would allow her precious little private time to even see to the most basic needs.
He also did not want her to see the single tear that ran down his cheek.
~*~*~*~
ada - daddy
minuial - the period near dawn when the stars fade
Îdh, Brennil - rest, lady
lasto beth nîn, tolo dan nan galad - hear my voice, come back to the light
nín - my
nana - mommy
tithen aras - little deer~*~*~*~
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