Title & Chapter Number: Nestadren Faer 8/?
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 & Char
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:
"What is it?" Orophin asked Haldir. A light breeze had picked up coming from the south.
Haldir sat silent upon his mount, scanning the gloomy, rocky landscape from where they came. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, indicating that something was wrong. A light breeze blew and he smelled the air. "We are being followed. We need to circle up. Position the ones that can fight to the outside of the circle. Send out a scout." Haldir rode back to Mereniel and Déodred. "Stay in the middle of the circle, Mereniel." He glanced at the sleeping form of Déodred wrapped in her cloak; Haldir's mouth was a thin line of worry. He gave Mereniel a nod and rode back to Orophin.
"What is it, Rúmil?" Mereniel asked.
"Can you not smell them?" Rúmil replied, grinding his teeth. Mereniel inhaled deeply; there was no mistaking the foul odor. "Orcs are tracking us! Take the boy to the center of the circle, quickly!"
They picked up their pace and continued heading north. Haldir wanted to put as much distance as possible between the enemy and them. Many of the elves were still recovering their wounds from Helm's Deep and would not be able to fight for long. Haldir looked for cover, but all that was around them was grass and rocks. A low rock cliff was to the right of them; if needed they could put it to their backs so they couldn't approach from behind.
Mereniel watched Haldir study their surroundings. He sat high and proud on his mount, the leader he was born to be. A shout came from the scout riding fast from behind. "Wargs and riders coming fast! Just over that hill! About seventy, Haldir!"
Haldir looked towards the hill and saw the first of the wargs and their riders coming over the summit. He looked back to the wall to their right. Just ahead there was a small, protected area where large rocks jutted out on either side. "Follow me!" They put the horses in the back along the wall, the wounded in the middle with the ones most able to fight surrounding the front. The howling sounds were almost upon them. Haldir glanced back to make sure that Mereniel and Déodred were safe in the back. With only twenty able elves, how long would they be safe?
Minutes later, they faced the snarling wave of evil. Mereniel shot arrows while Déodred clung to her leg. Haldir stood in the front line with his brothers, shooting their arrows with speed and efficiency. They took down many of the wargs before they got too close. Swords were drawn and the air was filled with the clanging of metal on metal. Sparks flew through the air along with blood, gore and shrieks of agony. Mereniel continued shooting her arrows until it became too difficult not to hit elves in the chaos.
She pulled her sword and pushed Déodred behind her, backing him up against the cold hardness of the rock. Déodred squeaked and she felt him being pulled from her leg. "No!" she shouted in fury as she turned. She saw that two orcs had snuck in behind the horses and were dragging Déodred away from her. The one closest to her attacked, his scimitar just hitting her arm. Not noticing any pain, she sliced the arm off of the orc and as he screamed at her, she cut his feet out from under him. She held her sword up in front of her, ever alert of the movements of the orc that had her foster-son.
"Back off she-elf or the child dies!" he snarled through green teeth at her. The orc pulled a dagger from his belt and held it to Déodred's throat. He bent over next to Déodred's ear. "A human? He will make a tasty morsel!" he snickered, spraying spittle on the side of Déodred's face.
Mereniel's heart felt like it would leap out of her chest. The orc had backed itself into a corner, his knife pressing into the skin of Déodred's throat. A small trickle of blood ran down into his shirt. "Ouch!" Déodred cried. "It's hurting me!"
"Stay still, little one!" Mereniel called to him. "Let go of him, you cowardly beast!" Anger rose in Mereniel like she had never felt before. Her hands squeezed the hilt of her sword till her knuckles turned white. She studied the orc for any faults where it might slip and she could pounce on it. Its nasty tongue shot out of its mouth and licked Déodred's cheek. Mereniel's face went white with raging fury. The orc stood and bellowed a crackled laugh through his crooked teeth. Suddenly Mereniel heard a thwap! followed by gurgling sounds from the orc. An arrow had been shot into its putrid mouth, pinning it to the rock wall behind it.
Mereniel scooped up Déodred in her arms. She turned to see where the arrow had come from; Haldir was running to them. "Are you hurt?"
"Déodred has a cut on his neck," Mereniel responded, quickly looking Haldir over for any wounds.
Haldir lifted Déodred's chin to survey the wound. He wiped the blood away with his cloak and saw that it was a slight cut. "I'm alright," Déodred sniffled, trying hard to be brave. "I feel something wet and yucky on my back."
Haldir looked at the back of his shirt. It was soaked with blood. He lifted his shirt worriedly and examined Déodred's back, but only saw a few small scratches. "I do not think that it is your blood," Haldir said. He looked at Mereniel's sleeve and saw that it was also bloody and ripped. "It is your blood, Mereniel." Haldir took Déodred and set him down. He ripped Mereniel's sleeve open to expose a gaping wound on her forearm, which was still bleeding heavily. Haldir used his healing abilities to stop the bleeding. He reached down and grabbed the hem of his cloak and began tearing off a strip.
"What are you doing?" Mereniel gasped.
"It's only a cloak," Haldir said, smiling. He tore off a long piece and gingerly began wrapping it around her arm. "We must hurry. We need to get as much distance between this place and ourselves. More orcs will come. I will tend to your wound tonight when we stop to rest." He carefully tied it off and used his cloak to wipe away the blood from her hand, gently caressing her wrist and fingers.
Mereniel watched his work with a slight smile on her face. She knew she could heal the wound herself easily but took great pleasure in having Haldir tend to it. Haldir never failed to surprise her. One minute he could be so arrogant and cold-hearted and the next be tender and sweet. The sound of Déodred crying brought her out of her thoughts. "What is it, Déodred?"
Déodred rubbed his eyes with balled fists. "He is dead!" he sobbed.
Mereniel looked around at the group of elves. Several had started piling the orc corpses for burning while others took care of the minor wounds of a few elves. She didn't see any that were dead. "Who is dead, child?"
"King Théoden! His horsy fell on him! An ugly flying worm with a black ghost on its back attacked him!" he cried loudly.
Mereniel crouched down and hugged Déodred to her, giving Haldir a questioning glance. "Sweetheart, how do you know this?"
"I just saw it!" Déodred cried.
The elves set fire to the pile of orcs and quickly rode off to put as much distance from the horrid fumes and themselves. The smoke and stink would attract unwanted visitors. Rumor spread among the elves of what Déodred had seen. They rode in silence, with Haldir once again leading them, all with their thoughts on the fallen king and the fate of Men.
Orophin and Rúmil rode next to Mereniel and Déodred. "How is the boy?" Orophin asked.
Mereniel looked down at the bundle in her arms. "He is sleeping now."
"Do you think it is true, about King Théoden?" Rúmil asked.
"Haldir heard from the healer, Éorelm, that his mother was a seer. She was murdered because of her foresight into the future. It is possible that Déodred inherited his mother's ability," Mereniel said, stroking Déodred's head. "No one would take care of him after his father died because of it. Men are superstitious and foolish!"
"Déodred is fortunate to have you to raise him!" Orophin said. "We are orphans, too. In fact, Rúmil was younger than Déodred when we lost our parents in an orc attack. Haldir raised us with the help of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn."
"And we were quite the handful!" Rúmil chuckled.
Mereniel closed her eyes, remembering what she had said to Haldir the night before. Can you try to have a little compassion for him? Think about how he is feeling; he is scared. How would you feel if you had just lost the only remaining family you had? If only she had known! No wonder Haldir stormed out of their room.
They rode for several more hours until they came to a grassy plain. "We will stop here for the night," Haldir announced. "We must give the horses some rest."
Mereniel was extremely thankful to stop. Her backside and thighs were sore from being on the horse all day and her arm was aching fiercely. Déodred had become restless from riding all day. Mereniel lowered him to the ground and then dismounted. Déodred took off to try to catch up with Orophin and Rúmil who were searching for a soft spot to set up their bedrolls.
Mereniel felt the reins being taken from her hand; it was Haldir. "How is your arm?" he asked.
"It will be all right," she said. She walked beside him as he led the horse over to where the elves were tethering together for the night. "Haldir, I want to apologize to you…for last night."
"It is I who should apologize, Mereniel," Haldir said, stopping to face her. "I acted horribly last night, to you and Déodred. You are right, I should be more understanding towards the boy's loss."
Mereniel bit her lip. "Your brothers told me how you lost your parents when you were so young." She saw Haldir stiffen at the mention of his parents.
"What did they tell you?" Haldir asked, looking at the ground and kicking at a rock lodged in the soil. He felt fingers grasping his hand. He looked up into Mereniel's eyes, which stole his heart: they were full of concern for him.
"They told me your parents were killed by orcs," she said, not breaking eye contact. Her fingers gently caressed the back of Haldir's hand.
"Well, that is only half true," he said. He looked back at the rock so that she would not see the deep sorrow in his eyes. "My adar was slain by orcs while defending the borders of Lórien. My naneth succumbed to grief shortly after."
"I am sorry, Haldir," said Mereniel, wrapping her arms around him. She stroked her hands over his well-muscled back. Haldir closed his eyes, his arms hanging loosely at his sides. "It must have been very difficult for you, being so young and having two brothers to care for."
Haldir relaxed and hugged her tight against his chest. "Thank you, Mereniel," he whispered in her ear.
They stood there holding each other for a long moment, some of the other elves staring and smiling. The elves under Haldir's command always thought of him as cold and indifferent; to see their captain like this surprised them.
Mereniel nuzzled against Haldir's neck and placed a tender kiss under his ear. Haldir sighed, not wanting the moment to end. He opened his eyes and noticed the others watching them. "I think we should tie up your horse and see to your arm." He took her hand and led her towards the horses, stopping to talk to his brothers. "Would you mind keeping an eye on Déodred? I need some time with Mereniel to clean up her wound."
"Sure, brother," Orophin said with a sly grin on his face, looking over at Rúmil, who had the same grin. "Take your time."
Haldir gave his brothers a look that wiped the grins off their faces. "We won't be long," Haldir said, leading the Mereniel and her horse off.
"What a shame!" Rúmil laughed after Haldir was out of earshot.
~*~*~*~
Adar = father
Naneth = mother~ Next Chapter ~
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