Title & Chapter Number: Nestadren Faer 2/?
Author(s): - Author's Index
Website: Heather Lynn's Page
Fandom: Tolkien
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of J R R Tolkien, the Tolkien Estate and Tolkien Enterprises. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warnings: sex, warlike violence
Betas: Marta
Cast: Haldir/OFC
Timeline: It begins at the Battle of Helm's Deep
Spoilers: There will be RotK spoilers for those that have not read the book!!!
Summary: The elves are at Helm's Deep. Mereniel, a Rivendell elf warrior, is also a healer. Will she be able to heal Haldir and herself physically as well as spiritually?
Notes:
Mereniel stirred in the darkness. She felt comfortable, wrapped in warmth, safe. Warm air puffed across her cheek, bringing her out of her slumber. She felt the air move over her face again and turned to find Haldir’s face just mere inches from her own. His arm was around her chest holding her tight. His firm body was close to hers, making her heart leap into her throat.
His scent was warm and pleasing to her senses. Haldir’s eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and steady. She let her eyes wander over his face. He had dark lashes and arching eyebrows. His cheekbones were set high and his jaw was squared and firm. Her eyes continued to roam down his throat and neck, down to his broad, strong shoulders. His chest was bare and her eyes glanced further down to his narrowing waist. The blanket just covered his bare hip.
Mereniel sucked in her breath when she realized that the handsome elf lying next to her wore nothing. She looked back at his face to find Haldir staring back at her, his face expressionless. She felt the heat of her blush spread across her cheeks. Mereniel tried to wriggle out from under his arm but he only gripped her tighter.
“Go to sleep,” he said, closing his eyes. He relaxed his arm and once again Mereniel tried to squirm away. “Why must you be so stubborn?” Haldir muttered through clenched teeth. He pulled her tight against him, his fingers bruising her skin. She opened her mouth to protest when he whispered a sleeping spell into her ear, her words lost on her lips as she drifted into a deep sleep.
Mereniel opened her eyes to the morning sunlight coming through a window across the room. She was in the large bed alone. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if it had just been a dream. “Maer aur.” She looked across the room and saw Haldir sitting casually at a small table, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He was thumbing through a book and eating a piece of bread. “Did you sleep well?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the page he was reading.
She slowly sat up in the bed, the wound in her side painful. Mereniel looked at him through squinted eyes. “Fine and you?”
He picked up a plate off the table, sauntered over to the bed and sat down. He put the plate down on her lap and looked her over with a sly grin on his face. “I would have slept better if you didn’t toss and turn so much.”
Mereniel’s mouth dropped open. Haldir smiled and she shut her mouth. His eyes surveyed her once more. She looked down at what she had on. It was a nightgown made of thin muslin material, very tight and very revealing. She pulled the covers up over her chest. “I do not appreciate you putting a sleeping spell on me! Or the fact that you found yourself compelled to sleep in the same bed as me!”
“I wouldn’t call it compelled,” he said, matter-of-factly. “It just seemed a better idea than sleeping on the cold floor.” He sat on the bed with a smug look on his face, which Mereniel found irritating. “Since we slept together, I think a proper introduction is required. I am Haldir, March Warden of Lothlórien.”
“You are arrogant and I really don’t care who you are!”
Haldir raised an eyebrow and smiled, leaning closer to her. “If you didn’t care, Mereniel, then why did you heal me?” he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Not once, but twice?”
Mereniel bit her lip. The elf was infuriating. “I must have been delirious from my own injury! It can be the only explanation. I see no other reason I would waste my efforts on one so conceited.”
The smirk left Haldir’s face. “I am sorry to hear that.” He got up and walked back to the table and picked up the book and sat down and began to read. “Eat your meal. You need to regain your strength.”
Mereniel felt guilty for what she had said. Yet Haldir had a way of working on her nerves, even though they had just met. She put her plate to the side and pushed away the blanket. She grabbed a robe that was on the end of the bed and put it on. She swung her legs over the edge and tried to stand. Her legs felt weak but she desperately needed to relieve herself. “Where are you going?” Haldir asked from behind his book. She ignored him and pulled the robe tight around her.
A doorway across the room led into what appeared to be a washroom. She held onto the bed and took a step. Her legs wobbled under her weight, threatening to give out. She took another step clinging to the edge of the bed. Haldir slammed his book down on the table and stared at her hard. “Where are you going?” he demanded. She gave him a sideways glance and took another step. She fell hard to her knees on the rock floor. Haldir was at her side in an instant. “What do you think you are doing?” he said, bending down beside her. He grabbed her under the arm and tried to help her up but she shook her arm free. “Are you purposely trying to make me angry?” he asked.
“I do not need your help! I would rather crawl on my hands and knees before asking for your help!” Her eyes blazed into his. Mereniel didn’t know why he was having this effect on her, but she knew she couldn’t let him bully her. Haldir let his breath hiss from between his teeth. He picked her up and carried her across the room. “Put me down!” Mereniel demanded.
“This is where you were going?” He carried her into the washroom and stood her on her feet. “The chamber pot is over there! Call me when you are finished!” He stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. “Stubborn elleth!” Mereniel’s face was red from anger and embarrassment, but right now she only had one thing on her mind!
When she was finished, she made her way over to a washbasin, splashed the cool water on her face and glanced up at the looking glass on the wall. Her mouth fell open in horror as she gripped the edge of the table to hang on. She noticed she was white as a ghost when she looked at her hair. It stood on end all over her head. Tears ran down her cheeks and she bit her lip to hold back her sobs, but not before one slipped out. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the image in the glass.
She didn’t notice the knock on the door or when it opened. Haldir came up behind her and saw her in the reflection. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, taking her into his arms and he held her tight against his chest. Her tears soaked through his tunic. He felt horrible for how he had treated her; she had been through quite an ordeal in the past few days and his attitude only made things worse.
He picked her up and this time she did not protest. He put her back in the bed, pulled up the covers and held her. He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Your hair will grow again, Mereniel. Please do not cry.” To see this brave elleth shed tears tore at his heart. He ran his fingers through her hair to try to smooth it down but to no avail. Even her hair is stubborn, he thought, smiling to himself.
After a while Mereniel stopped crying. She leaned against the strong chest supporting her and listened to his heart beating. She sighed and closed her eyes remembering how she had felt last night when she woke in his arms, safe. She had the same feeling now. Haldir held a strange power over her emotions. One moment she wanted to strangle him and the next she wanted to be in his arms forever.
She had to take control of herself. She was a warrior, not some sappy, young elleth who let her emotions get away from her. She’d had her share of lovers over the past millennia. She was an experienced lover and could not allow herself to pine over this March Warden of Lórien.
She pulled herself away from Haldir’s chest and wiped her eyes. “I apologize for my behavior,” she said awkwardly. “I am tired and my head is a little foggy.”
Haldir let her go and suddenly she ached for the feel of his embrace. “Then I should let you rest.” He propped up the pillows behind her and helped her settle in. She winced in pain from her wound. “I will have to check your wound. Your bandages need to be changed.”
“I can take care of it,” Mereniel said.
Before she could say anything more, Haldir pulled back the blanket. “Take off your robe.”
“I said I would take care of it.” Haldir glared down at her, his eyes blazing with anger. She could see the muscles in his jaw tensing. Her heart jumped in her chest but she held his gaze, refusing to back down.
“Why must you be so difficult?” he growled through his teeth. “I am trying to help you!”
“I do not need your help. I am able to take care of myself.” She knew that to be untrue at the moment, terribly weakened from her wound, but she felt it necessary to keep distance between Haldir and herself. He could prove to be dangerous to her heart.
“Just like you took care of yourself up on the wall?” Haldir spat out. “I saved your backside from that Uruk who was about to skewer you through again! You would have bled to death if I didn’t help you then!”
“Just like you would be dead if I didn’t crawl over and heal your worthless hide!” Mereniel shot back.
Haldir’s face softened. “You did save my life, and my brother’s. And for that I shall be forever grateful and indebted to you. Now I am trying to return the favor. Will you please let me help you?” He looked deep into Mereniel’s eyes and almost took her breath away. Mereniel was feeling too tired to fight anymore. She sighed and took off the robe, feeling self-conscious about the tightness of the nightgown across her breasts. Haldir pulled up her nightgown and Mereniel stiffened. He noticed the blush on her cheeks. He pulled the blanket up to her waist before pulling up her nightgown any further.
Haldir pulled out his knife and slipped it under the bandages, cutting through them easily. He pulled them away and frowned. “You are healing slowly,” he said. He went into the washroom and returned with the washbasin and some towels. “Roll on your side.” She turned so that her back was to him. Haldir dipped a towel into the water and touched it to her skin, making her jump. “I am sorry. The water is a bit chill.”
He cleaned the wound and began applying a glaew. When Haldir’s fingers touched where the blade had gone in, Mereniel winced in pain. He laid his hand gently on it and closed his eyes. Mereniel felt the familiar tingling sensation and the pain was gone. But she also felt a sensation she did not expect or want. She felt as if she was quivering inside and her heart fluttered, the heat of her blush spreading across her cheeks once more. Haldir applied clean bandages and wrapped them around her waist. He fixed her nightgown and pulled the blanket over her and tucked her in.
“Thank you,” Mereniel said and smiled at him. She tried not to make eye contact.
He returned the smile and bowed to her. “You are welcome, my lady. Now try to eat and get some rest. I must go find my brothers.” He opened the door and turned back to her. “I will return later to check on you,” he said, closing the door behind him.
Mereniel sat up in bed with a huff. She was angry with herself over how she was acting. He is just another elf, she thought, knowing it to be a lie. Mereniel didn’t have the time or the need for this; she was a warrior. She took a bite of the cheese on her plate and sighed. She knew he was right about one thing: she was healing slowly. She had used too much of her own healing strength to see to Haldir’s needs. She would have to rest and take care of herself, which was something very difficult for her to do. Mereniel always had a tendency to put everyone else’s needs ahead of her own. She finished the food on her plate and slid beneath the blankets. She fell asleep quickly but unsettling dreams soon filled her mind. The cries of the wounded and their pain that she felt in the cavern haunted her dreams.
~*~*~*~
glaew = salve
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