Title & Chapter Number: Nestadren Faer 4/?
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:
It was after midnight before Haldir felt things were set straight enough for him to leave the caverns for the night. He was tired and dirty and could think of nothing better at that moment than a bath. He stopped at the kitchens and asked for some hot water to be brought to his room. There were a few people still there, looking tired as well and he thanked them many times for all their help.
He crept into the room and went to the bed were Mereniel lay. She was sleeping on her side with her arms around Déodred. The sight of them made him frown; he was worried Mereniel might form a bond to the child. Perhaps tomorrow he would ask around to see if anyone would be willing to take care of the child, starting with Éorelm.
A tap came at the door and he quickly answered it. The servants brought in the buckets of water and left. Haldir went into the washroom and removed his clothes. The air in the room was cool, causing gooseflesh to pop up on his bare skin. He raised his arms over his head and stretched his tired muscles. His back was still sore from the wound, but the wound on his arm had healed well; only a red line remained from where the sword had pierced him. Haldir tested the water and stepped into the deep tub, submerging his entire body under the warm water. He lathered his long, blonde hair with a bar of soap and submerged himself again to rinse it out.
Mereniel awoke with a start. She thought she heard a noise but looked around the dark room and didn't see anything unusual. Déodred was sleeping in her arms. She smiled and curled back up with him and closed her eyes. This time she did hear a noise and it was coming from the washroom. She slid her arm from underneath Déodred and got out of the bed. Standing in the doorway of the washroom, she looked around and saw nothing except some clothing piled on the floor. She went to pick them up when Haldir suddenly sat up in the tub.
Mereniel gasped loudly, startled. "What are you doing?" Haldir asked.
"I... I heard a noise. I... I did not realize you were in here. I'm sorry." She began to back away towards the doorway, blushing profusely. The sight of Haldir wet in the tub with his hair clinging to his shoulders and chest made her heart pound so hard she was afraid his elven ears would hear it.
"Wait, I wish to talk to you." Haldir pointed to a chair a few feet from the tub. He pulled himself upright and leaned back against the wall of the tub, pulling his wet hair behind his head. He was still angry with her for risking her health to come down to the caverns, but he also felt a bit mischievous. He rested his arms on either side of the tub and flexed his muscles. When Mereniel's mouth dropped open he knew he had achieved the effect he had wanted. "Sit down."
The thought of being close to him while he was naked in the tub made the blood rush through her veins. Unable to stop herself, she watched as he sat up in the tub, the tiny droplets of water gliding off his tanned skin. She didn't realize her mouth was open until it was too late; he had seen her staring. Mereniel forced herself to sit down and she sighed; she knew what was coming by the stern look on his face.
"Why did you go to the caverns today? You couldn't stand up on your own two feet this morning but still you were foolish enough to risk your health to go there?"
"I don't know why I went," Mereniel said quietly. "I felt drawn there."
"Well, it was a foolish decision," Haldir chided. Mereniel's back stiffened at his chastising tone. "You were to stay in bed and rest. As part of my regiment I expect you to follow my orders."
Mereniel jumped to her feet and stood over him. "Your orders? I can take care of myself! I do not need you to tell me to stay in bed!"
"Obviously you do, since you do not have the intellect to take care of yourself," Haldir said through clenched teeth.
Mereniel clenched her teeth. "You have no idea what I am going through! For me to lie in bed and try to rest is torture!" Tears sprang to her eyes but she desperately tried to fight them off. She did not want to let this haughty elf see her cry and look weak. Mereniel turned away from him in an effort to compose herself. "The Valar have given to me the gift to heal, but with the gift comes a curse. I can tell you without examining someone what their injury or sickness is because I feel it as well. I do not truly feel it, it is more like I sense it and it can be overpowering at times." A lump was rising in her throat making it difficult for her to speak. Why was she letting him get to her? "Now try to imagine all those people suffering in the caverns and what it must be doing to me!" She felt hot tears spill down her cheek. "Being helpless to heal them is... is..." Mereniel's voice broke and she quickly left the room.
Mereniel wiped her eyes, angry with herself for letting her emotions get the best of her in front of Haldir once again. She climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up to her neck. Déodred was still sleeping soundly. Mereniel brushed the hair away from his face and stroked his cheek; she felt the same being done to her.
She rolled over to find Haldir leaning over the bed wrapped in a towel. His damp skin glistened in the moonlight coming through the window, sending shivers down her spine. The light and shadow fell beautifully on him, defining the shape of his muscular arms and chest. "I am sorry, Mereniel. I was not aware of the suffering you endured." Haldir caressed her cheek before going to the table at the other side of the bed where he picked up a clean pair of leggings and a tunic. He pulled them on, went back to the bed, and grabbed one of the pillows. He stretched out on the couch that was across the room from Mereniel. "We will talk at some point tomorrow. Maer môr, Mereniel."
"Maer môr, Haldir." Mereniel reached up and touched her cheek where Haldir's fingers had been, her skin still tingling from his touch. She suddenly felt cold and pulled Déodred close and wrapped the blankets tight around them. A breeze was picking up outside, coming from the south and it chilled her to the bone.
Haldir felt it, too. He wrapped his arms around his chest and shuddered. He felt bad for chastising Mereniel for her actions and had decided to sleep on the couch so as not to aggravate her any more that night. But now as the wind picked up outside he was regretting his decision. He looked across the room at the bed and saw movement under the covers, longing to be lying next to Mereniel and sharing her warmth. He smiled to himself as he thought about the shocked look on her face when he emerged from under the water. Through the darkness of the room he could see her face turn red with her embarrassment.
The wind grew louder and colder. It sounded as if a storm was approaching, but the hair standing up on the nape of Haldir's neck told a different story. He heard what sounded like thunder and felt the room vibrating around them. Haldir sprang from the couch and crossed the room to the window. Mereniel sat up in the bed, also sensing something was wrong. "What is it?" she asked, seeing Haldir silhouetted against the window. The room grew dark as the wind howled outside.
Haldir looked out across the Deeping Coomb towards the trees. A wall of darkness, blacker than the darkest night, was moving over the trees. Haldir watched, wide-eyed, as it engulfed the trees until none could be seen. It continued on to the mounds of orc corpses and engulfed them as well. His sharp hearing picked up the sound of voices coming from the mist, whispers in a language he could not understand, something ancient. He turned to find Mereniel standing next to him, her hands clenching the windowsill, eyes wide and staring at the darkness. She was shivering violently so Haldir put his arm around her to keep her warm.
Mereniel had never seen anything like this. The black mist rose as high as the Deeping Wall and nothing could be seen through it. Mereniel's blood ran cold in her veins as the sound of many voices came to her ears. She vaguely felt Haldir's arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her close. She felt the floor tremble as the sound of earth and rock being moved came from inside the darkness beyond the Deeping Wall.
"Come, this is not meant for our eyes to see," Haldir said prying Mereniel away from the window. He led her back to the bed and tucked her in.
"It is so cold," Mereniel said, her body still shaking. Haldir climbed into the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She pulled Déodred close and snuggled into the warmth of Haldir's embrace. They lay there for several hours listening to the voices and the sound of moving earth outside.
A few hours before daybreak the wind died down and the voices died away. Mereniel listened to Haldir's breathing behind her and rolled onto her back; he was asleep. She tucked his braid behind his ear and brushed her fingers over his cheek. Haldir opened his eyes and looked into Mereniel's eyes, a smile spreading across his face. He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, pulling her tight into his arms. Mereniel smiled and let herself drift to sleep in Haldir's warm embrace, the memory of his lips touching her skin invading her dreams.
The next morning Haldir awoke with Déodred sitting on his chest. The boy was touching Haldir's ear, running his small finger up the edge to the point. "Why do you have pointy ears?" he asked.
"Because I am an elf," Haldir replied with a smile. He watched as Déodred touched his own ear.
"How come I don't have points?" the boy asked with the most serious expression.
"You are a man-child. Men don't have points. You have small, rounded ears." Haldir reached up and traced the edge of Déodred's ear with the tip of his finger. He looked over at Mereniel and saw that she had been watching the exchange.
"But I want to be an elf too!" Déodred cried. "I want to shoot arrows at all the bad orcs and have a sword like yours."
"Perhaps when you are older someone will teach you how to use a bow," Haldir said, ruffling Déodred's hair.
"Will you teach me?" Déodred asked with a smile.
Haldir didn't know who to answer the child. He felt sadness in his heart, knowing that the boy had no father to teach him the skills needed to survive in Arda. He smiled at Déodred and lifted him off his chest, tossing him into the air and catching the giggling boy. "It is time to get up," he said to Mereniel, throwing back the covers. Haldir stood and stretched the sleep from his muscles. "How do you feel this morning?" he asked Mereniel.
"I feel much better today," she said. "In fact, I think a hot bath after some breakfast is in order."
"I will go to the kitchens and have some food and water sent up for you and Déodred. I will be down in the caverns for most of the day and I do not expect to see you down there," he said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He put on his boots and ran his fingers through his hair as he went to look out the window at the rising sun. Startled, he turned around. "Mereniel, come here."
Mereniel went to the window and stood next to Haldir, looking out over the Deeping Coomb. All the trees were gone, as well as all the mounds of orc corpses. All the grass had turned brown and looked as though it had been trampled by hundreds of oliphaunts. A huge pit had been dug during the night and covered with rocks. "Do you suppose the orcs are in there?" Mereniel asked.
Haldir continued to stare out over the mound and didn't answer. "Stay away from it if you go out today," he said, turning to face her. "Something evil lies under that mound. I will be back later in the day." He gave her a smile and left Mereniel standing by the window.
Glancing one more time at the mound, Mereniel turned with a shiver to return her attention to Déodred. She found him looking at Haldir's weapons that were standing in the corner of the room. She put her hands on the boy's shoulders giving them a gentle squeeze. "You can look at them, but don't touch."
Déodred's eyes gleamed as he looked at Haldir's sword. "When I grow up, I want to be a warrior like you and Haldir."
Mereniel crouched down next to Déodred and put her arm around him and hugged him tight. "With all hope, there will be no need for warriors when you are grown," Mereniel said, kissing him on the forehead.
~*~*~*~
Maer môr = goodnight
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