Title & Chapter Number: The Sundering 12/25
Author(s): - Author's Index
Fandom: Middle Earth
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: LOTR characters are not mine and I write only for non-monetary reasons.
Warnings: None
Betas: Julie
Cast: Haldir, Orophin, Rumil, other character's I have created
Timeline: Future AU
Spoilers: None
Summary: The world is reborn and Haldir returns to Middle Earth from Valinor.
Notes: none
~ 12 ~
Haldir strode effortlessly alongside the carts as his gaze traveled the length of the column of villagers ahead of him. Two weeks they had traveled slowly across the desert heading northwest toward Lothlórien. The sands bogged down the carts, causing them to move more slowly than usual, but he'd been surprised at how efficiently they had packed and readied themselves to move. Animals were brought from somewhere and pulled the heavier carts laden with belongings. He shifted the bow on his back, useless still with the bowstring gone. He shook his head. He would not be able to replace it until they returned to Lothlórien. It had been many years since he had broken a bowstring.
Rumil walked further ahead of him, with Indirion in tow, her face beaming as she talked incessantly to him. Haldir grinned, wondering if his youngest brother had tired of the girl's chatter, but he seemed genuinely interested in her thoughts. They were progressing well on her Elvish and Haldir was impressed with the young girl's quick grasp of his dialect.
Andarion hurried along the column and Haldir paused, waiting for him to reach him. "Master Haldir," he gasped as he caught up with him. "We should pause for the evening. The sun will set soon." Haldir squinted at the sun, knowing they could have traveled several more hours.
"If that is what you wish, my lord." Haldir nodded as Andarion beamed and turned to hurry back down the column. Rumil paused, looking back with a frown and waving Indirion on.
"If we keep up this pace, it will be another age before we reach Lothlórien." Rumil sighed, staring at the villagers as they drove the wagons together for the night.
"I do not like this pace," Haldir agreed. "I have felt an uneasiness growing in my mind for several days now. I fear the news of Rorik's death has been heard and we are being followed." He turned to look back the way they had come. "Our path is clear to any who choose to follow." He looked up into the bright sun. "We have gone far without any of the sandstorms that rule here, but I fear our luck will not hold much longer." His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the front of the column. Raven led the way using her compass. She had spoken only a few words to him the past two weeks and he grew pensive, wondering if he had been wrong to kiss her.
Rumil coughed, and Haldir glanced at him in time to see his grin. "Your thoughts wander, Haldir. It is not often I find myself speaking to you and you are not listening." He laughed at Haldir's frown.
Absorbed in her thoughts, Raven sat in front of the small lantern, hugging her knees as she stared intently into the small flame that flickered in its chamber. The chill breeze of the night air ruffled her hair, and the flame flickered wildly for a moment, mirroring the thoughts that cascaded through her mind. She had avoided Haldir for days now, speaking only when she must, but taking the effort to avoid him if she could.
She stared at the wavering flame and her heart wavered inside her. How foolish she was to think she could interest someone like Haldir. He must have kissed her out of pity, she thought. She cringed away from the lantern and rested her head on her knees. She should never have let him near her. She laughed at herself even as she sighed.
She was like a moth to the flame, hovering near the brightness, unable to leave but afraid to come closer or be burned. She wrapped her arms around her as the wind picked up, cutting through the thin material of her tunic. She should rise to find her blankets, but she didn't want to move.
The flame flickered wildly again as another gust picked up sand, and Raven blinked as the sand gritted in her eyes. Rubbing them she froze, staring at the flame as it continued to dance wildly in the lantern. Apprehension tore through her as she leaped to her feet, already running toward the caravan, hearing the shouts of the other villagers as the wind began to roar.
Haldir pushed Indirion toward Rumil as the wind began to howl, hoping the carts were lashed soundly enough to withstand the storm that was rapidly approaching. He ran quickly along the caravan as villagers ran for cover, searching for Raven. Orophin ran up to him as Sareth burst from within the carts. Haldir grabbed him, tossing him into Orophin's arms.
"Where is Raven?" Sareth cried as the wind whipped around them, his eyes wide with terror.
Haldir scowled as he shoved Orophin underneath a cart, twisting in the darkness as the clouds scuttled ahead of the storm. The stars winked out, darkening the sky as he scanned the rows of carts in front of him. The wind began to keen, whistling through the caravan, the snapping of canvas and the groan of metal growling its fury as the wind howled around him, the sand blasting him as the storm grew in its anger.
He spun as he heard a cry from behind him and turned to see Raven struggling against the wind. She wore no cloak and she sank to the sand as the wind pushed her back. Her hair whipped wildly about her head as he ran to her, the wind almost knocking him over by the time he reached her. She hid her face in his chest, the biting sands blinding her as he pulled her against him. Squinting against the wind he knew they could not return to the safety of the carts so he pulled her to her feet, running with the wind into the hollow of a low hill. She stumbled, her eyes wide with terror as he turned to her.
Haldir pulled her back to her feet, dragging her the rest of the way to the bottom of the hill as the wall of sand smashed into the caravan behind them. He sank down onto the sand, dragging Raven with him. She fought him violently, the terror of the storms overwhelming her. He rolled over her, covering her with his body as the sand screamed over them. He pulled the hood of his cloak over their heads, unable to do more as he heard metal panels groaning in the wind. Pieces of wood and fabric shredded in the fury of the storm, and Haldir grunted as the wind blew the sand over him, its weight pressing him against Raven as she shuddered beneath him.
Raven was gasping for breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she still struggled faintly. Holding the edges of his hood he tightened his arms on either side of her head, speaking to her in Elvish as she squeezed her eyes shut, lost in the terror of the storm in her mind.
He growled in frustration as his soothing words had no effect, and she continued to struggle in the throes of her terror. Haldir twisted slightly, freeing his hand to grip her chin, forcing her to remain still. He shouted her name over the roar of the wind and finally she gasped, opening her eyes, unable to see him in the darkness as he could see her. She pulled her arms from where he had pinned them and gripped the front of his tunic. The wind whistled its fury over them as she trembled, sliding her arms around his neck. He relaxed, feeling the sand shifting as it half buried them against the hill.
Raven tightened her grip around Haldir's neck, pulling him tightly against her. The terror of the storm lessened in her mind as she realized fully who was pressed so tightly against her. She sighed in relief as she rested her head against his chest, hearing the slow beat of his heart as they lay together, smelling the warm tangy scent of him as she burrowed tightly against him.
She heard him sigh as he became aware of the sensations that were beginning to flare along his skin. Twisting her fingers in the silky hair behind his neck she smiled into the warm fabric of his tunic as she heard him groan into her hair.
"Desist, Raven. You do not know what you do," he growled. She grinned into his shirt.
She slid her fingers through his hair as she felt him tense, a tremor running down the length of him as he inhaled, reaching back to trap her fingers as they began to trace the lines of his neck. Tucking one wayward hand against his chest, he tried to shift slightly but stopped due to his concern that the sand above them would cave in on them. Raven coiled his hair around the fingers of her free hand as she drew it toward her, but he shifted his arm that held the cloak, trapping it. She could not see him in the darkness of their confines, but when he released her arm, she slid it back around his neck. He sighed again as she rested it lightly against the warm skin there.
"Haldir?" she said as she rested her forehead against his chest, her fingers still trapped where he gripped them tightly.
"Mmmm?" he said into her hair.
She smiled. "You're squeezing my fingers." She felt him relax his grip, but he did not release them.
"Do I make you uncomfortable?" she asked.
She felt him tense. "I think you know fully well what you are doing to me at this moment," he growled as she absently rubbed the back of his neck. Small tremors ran down the muscles of his back, and it took all of his concentration to control the tide of sensations that flooded him.
"The storm is very bad," she said simply, sucking in a shaky breath as he grunted. Her fingers had made their way along the back of his tunic and were tracing the line of the fabric. "I am afraid."
"Be at peace, lirimaer," he murmured as she closed her eyes. "I will not let it hurt you."
Raven sighed, resting her head against his chest. She ran her fingers along the folds of his tunic as she smiled, feeling the fear finally recede. "Haldir?" she said again as he grasped her fingers where they slid along the muscles of his arms. "What will you do when you return home?"
Haldir gritted his teeth as her touches sent wildfires racing along his nerve endings. "Take a bath." He shut his eyes, trying to ignore the hand that slid along the side of his head. Her fingers brushed up against skin of his neck, tracing the line of his jaw. She laughed and traced her fingers over his lips, then jerked them back when he bit them gently.
"You are playing with fire, Raven. I am not made of stone," he whispered as she smiled again.
Raven shivered as his weight settled over her, feeling the long length of his body pushing her into the sand. His breath warmed her cheek as he lowered his head toward her, and she flinched as his teeth nipped her ear.
"Do you intend to continue this game, lirimaer?" he asked as she felt his hair slide over his shoulder onto her chest.
Raven closed her eyes, fighting the urge to continue with her teasing; suddenly knowing it was a dangerous game. She felt the tension of his body as he pressed against her. He shifted and she gasped as his fingers slid underneath the side of her tunic, moving past her hip to brush against the bare skin of her side.
She held her breath as his hand slid higher, his fingers sliding higher, trailing along the line of her ribs, causing her muscles to quiver in response. She could feel the smoothness of his fingers and the strength of them as he brushed them over her skin. The wind ruffled the cloak above them as she began to tremble.
"You have to breathe, Raven." He chuckled as she took a deep breath. "You knew what you were doing to me. It is only fair I return the gestures, do you not think?"
She tried to ignore the pressure of his fingers on her skin as he slid the palm of his hand along the flat planes of her belly, then trailed his fingers along the waistline of her leggings, sending fluttering twinges of flame licking at her skin.
"Perhaps it was unwise of me, Haldir?" she squeaked. She heard him laugh low in his chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting him to touch her, but not sure how far he would take this.
"Perhaps." He agreed as his lips brushed the line of her jaw. He shifted closer, pressing his arousal against her. He closed his eyes, curling his fingers around her hip, feeling her tremble at his touch. She had clenched her hands in the front of his tunic and her breathing was coming in small sharp gasps. He knew he should stop, as he was tormenting himself as much as Raven, but it had been so long since he had felt these sensations flooding his senses. He smiled as he slid his hand up over her ribs again, feeling her gasp as he hand cupped her breast. The warmth of her skin under his fingers made the fires in his blood rage, and he groaned as his body throbbed in response. Gathering the last remnants of his control, he slid his hand out from her tunic, reaching up to brush back his hair with a shaking hand.
Raven took a deep quivering breath as he released her, feeling the coiled tension in his body as he sighed. She cursed the darkness, unable to see his expression.
Haldir slid his hand along her neck. "I fear you have brought to life something that has been hidden for a long while, Raven. I dare not touch you further or I will lose what control I still have remaining." He groaned as he rested his head on her shoulder for a moment.
Raven trembled when he lifted his head, cupping her cheek, sighing when he kissed her gently, his lips brushing hers. She could feel him trembling suddenly and his kiss deepened, as he slid his hand behind her neck. Then he broke away from her with a groan of frustration, and rose, pushing the heavy weight of the sand above him away. He stood unsteadily for a moment, pulling Raven to her feet. She stared at him in the light of the stars, as he straightened, his eyes glittering in the starlight like small gray diamonds.
"We must return, Raven. Before I lose all my control."
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