Through the Window

Chapter Eleven

Sorry if this chapter sucks, I just wanted to get it over with: )

Orophin stood before a hudled figure laying upon the floor, tied and bound and gagged, bound forever from any wrong doing. The faerie lord Donnaghue lay bound and beaten upon the floor, mumbling and groaning into the night to be released, though such a generous parlay would not be granted him.

The elves had beaten him roughly and he bled in many places, his flesh was bruised and scarred. Orophin grimaced at the sight of him and turned with a look of disgust to the elf who had brought such horrible pain to the faerie.

“You have done well,” He said, then he turned to the faerie, “for you, my good sir, should never have entered this wood. The girl, your burden who you had brought alongside you, has been a blessing in many ways, more than ever you would know, but you.... you have been naught but a thorn within my side. You have long deserved what it is that you have gotten.”

“Do not speak unto me so!” The faerie hissed, looking about him blindly throgh the elven silk that blinded him and through the cloth that gagged him, he laughed cruely, writhing his hands where they were bound as if he could free them. “I will do as I please. You cannot keep me here within this mere shred of a flet for long, elf! I bear within me a power that is greater than ever your own shall be!”

Orophin grinned with a wry smile and he shook his head mockingly. “You are a fool.” He said cooly, “To think that ever you shall escape us is folly on your part.” and he went to where the faerie lie gagged and bound.

The elf smirked and reached within the faerie’s robes, seaerching there for thelife of his youngest brother. When he found it, to his delight, he took and hid it within the silver sash about his waist. He knelt beside the faerie and whispered in his ear thus: “You will die by the hands of the elves. There is no one here to rescue your own life as I have done for the innocence of my brother.” And he rose to his feet. Then, turning quickly to walk away, he kicked the faerie harshly upon his side before he climbed down the ladder of the silver elven twine.

The other elves of the Galadhrim followed soon after and the ladder was pulled to the ground and wrapped in a bundle to be hidden within the bushes nearby. Orophin was lighthearted and a simle was on his lips as he studied the great Mallorn in which was hidden the faerie. No other would ever find him where he was bound and never would he escape. ONly when the elves brought him to the earth once more would he smell the sweet air, and only then would he be so very prone to reeking havoc as he was.

“He will remain there allways.” Orophin sighed and fingered the glass orb within his waist-sash, proudly turning it within his palm as he lifted it into veiw. “And my younger brother will live once more.”

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“What troubles you, my lord?” Galadriel spoke softy to her lord husband, beckoning for him to speak with her freely, thoug his mind would not permit him to do so, for he was greatly troubled. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but found he could not.

“What toubles you, my lord?” Galadriel asked of himonce more, but still he did not answer. Instead, he looked to her and though his mind was greatly troubled, he smiled and summoned her to sit upon his knee.

When she was near to him, he smiled greater and he felt that some heaviness was lifted from him. He sighed and at long last spoke to her in soft words: “I have nothing upon my mind, dear heart, and nothing upon my heart....” He paused and kissed her lightly upon her cheek, “....that concerns you. I do not wish for you to worry for me.”

Galadriel turned sharply in his lap and faced him with a look of sterness that only a wife could bear a husband and she said with a firm voice: “Aught concerns me, Celeborn, and aught must be told unto me! Do not confine yourslef to secrecy, love, all for the fear of my own well-being. I wish for you to speak with me.” She rose from her seat upon his knee and stood before him, proud and tall.

Celeborn lay his head in his hand and sighed deeply, as one who has drunk after a long draught. He looked to his lady wife and she saw that his eyes were wrought in grief. She tilted her head and reached forth for him to takeher hand.

“Galadriel,” He said in the stead of her comforting gesture, “I worry for the well-being of our most trusted and skilled soldier.”

Galadriel laughed and stood tall as she pulled her lord husband up from his seat to meet her. She wrapped her arms about his waist and lay her head upon his shoulder as she hummed lightly to her own self.

“Do not fear for him, my lord,” She said softly, “For he is wise and he will fare well, whatever choise he does make. My lord, why do you fret over him?”

Celeborn moved slightly away from her. “He has come to love a woman.” He said. “He has come to love the mortal girl, Niamh. She loves him as well, but they cannot love the other, for he is immortal and she is not so! Our finest warrior will lose his streangth to this woman--”

“Is that so wrong?” Galadriel said, her eyes questioning. Celeborn shook his head and pulled fully away from his lady wife as she eyed him with her keen sight and questioned him of his worries though she spoke nothing.

“His strength greatly shall weaken due to this woman and we shall lose our most precious warrior!” Celeborn said quickly, “Trouble grows in the land of Rohan, and it grows in Gondor. Souron is spreading his masses ever and ever further and we must retain all streangth as we are able or
we shall fall to his evil!”

“This is not so!” Galadriel said with a slight laugh, “My lord! You fear for the love of an elf and of a mortal woman? You are as foolish as a young elfling to fret over such things, Celeborn!” And she kissed him lightly upon his brow. Celeborn smiled and stroked her chin with his thumb, kissing his beloved there as she stood so very regal before him.

Galadriel moved away from him, thinking that she had done her part to comfort him, but it was not true, for as she made her way slowly to the door, she did not see as he sat heavily down once more, his brow deeply furrowed in thought.

Despite Galadriel’s efforts, he was troubled still. He would not lose his most brilliant, skilled, and mighty warrior to the hands of a young girl who was as frightened and timid as a rat in the clutches of a cat.

Celeborn sighed heavily and lay his head in his hand. What must he do to keep the protector of his realm his own? To kill the girl would be evil and merciless, for it was not that she did wrong while she was in the know of it, but it was that she did wrong and did not see her worng doing. She could not have Haldir the Marchwarden, Celeborn knew this, but he did not know how it was that he would take her from the marchwarden. To slay her... nay, to send her away he could not do without Haldir finding his actions to be true.

Haldir was keen and cunning, and if Celeborn were to slip Niamh away into the cruel night, then Haldir would surely find her once more and to bring her to the Golden Wood again would be his intent. She would tell to him that it had been Celeborn who had taken her from her beloved warrior, and then Haldir would leave Lorien to escape the vile wickedness of the ruler of the Golden Wood. Celeborn would not carry through with such a foolish plan as to take the girl away himself.

He bit his lip as he thought intently for a moment, thinking of the faerie and where he lay bound and gagged. Was it not he that brought Niamh to the Golden Wood? Aye, it had been, and so perhaps it could be he to take her away once more!

But Celeborn’s heart fell as he remembered how he had thought that he would never release Niamh to the foul faerie, and how he would keep her safe within Lothlorien until the faerie was slain. Oh fie! Was not the safety of his lands and people of far more importance that he life of one single mortal wench? Celeborn turned this thought over and over in his mind until his eyes grew weary of staring blankly into the darkness of his secluded chamber.

He could very well and very secretly release the faerie from his captivity and give the girl unto him. The faerie would then leave the wood and never be seen there again. Haldir would hunt him down, but find the girl gone allready! Celeborn smield grimly and nodded his head slowly as he came to resolution. He would sneak into the night and release the faerie to do his will unto the girl. He would take her away and never again would she be seen in Lorien!

Oh, but what of the concious of the elven lord as he pondered such foul
thoughts in his mind? It spoke not to him and it told him not to vanquish the thoughts he had. Celeborn had rid himself of his concious and now there was only the dark will of his mind at his side.

Celeborn rose to his feet and cloaked himself in the blackness of a long cloak so as not to be seen among the trees as he would pass through them. His smile faded quickly as he thought of what he would do, but he faltered not as he made his way to the door.

With no hesitatiion he went into Lothlorien the Golden Wood, walking amid its trees, all whom he passed seeing not their lord as he walked them by. He did not reside upon the innocence of the sweet young girl as the thought came into his mind. Clearly, his concious was gaining on him as went, and he despised it, for what he must do he thought was in the right. He would keep his lands safe, he would keep his greatest marchwarden his own and only his own. The girl could not take Haldir from the Galadhrim, she could not take their hope of safety from the growing masses of Souron and his evil forces. Saruman was near to the Golden Wood, and he, too, bore within his walls of ebony black an army that was growing, an army that would bear much grief and pain in its wake.

Elrond had little an army, Celeborn himself and Galadriel had an army and Haldir had an army of 200 soldiers. But the elven armies against the armies of Isengaurd and Mordor were futile in the resistance against evil. Haldir’s 200 soldiers would be in dire need if the destruction of the dark lord was to fall in hand. The elves could not suffer to lose streangth at all or they would surely be beaten by Saruman, or by the Dark Lord himself and then all hope would be lost; for little greater were the men and of barely a use were the selfish dwarves who remained within their halls of stone, seemigly unknowing of the troubles of the world above them.

If the elves were to play a part in the resistance of evil, then they could not suffer to lose armies.... Haldir was the only one who could lead his army into battle, for their tactics were secret and only known to Haldir and, well, his soldiers!

Celeborn would not have him taken from them all by some meaningless girl!

He drew nearer to his lady’s chamber and to the chambers of the hand maidens, a small grin escaped the corners of his lips as he peered within the window that was set before him. The hand maidesn slept and they did so peacefully, their silken canopy drifted over them. However, he did not see Niamh anywhere there.

He walked a bit further to the east and it was only then that he found the chamber in which Niamh slept so soundly. She slept amid a cluster of hand-maidens, sleeping as many elf maidens slept at the time, together and warm. Celeborn sighed,fearing that his task would be far more difficult if Niamh was in the middle of many young maidens who would scream for their lives if they were to find a strange man in their midsts.

Celeborn pulled his cloak over his face all the more as one maiden stirred and rose to her knees. She had not heard him persay, but she had heard some noise form out her window and now she rose to see as to what it was.

Her movements stirred the other hand maidens and Niamh with them so that now every maiden who had slpet now was awake and staring through their window as if they saw Celeborn standing there. He did not move, but remained still and breathless as the elf maidens continued to look.
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Niamh rose from her bed along with the handmaidens about her. They looked out of their window, and so, too, was directed Niamh’s vision. She saw nothing for a moment as she looked, but soon it would seem that from the shadows of the trees about them, a shadow that differed from the rest could be seen. Beside Niamh, the breath of a hand maiden hitched as she gasped and fell back, her eyes wide in fright. Niamh quickly looked to her, but then to the window once more as a faint noise was made out there and the shadow moved from its spot befor their window.

“It is an elf!” The elf maiden gasped. The others heard her words and imediately, the throng of young maidens was a clamour of screams and shrill cries for help. They rose to their feet and hid behind the silken canopy that was hung for their descrete protection against the eyes of the many curious elven lads who dared to pass the boundaries protecting the elven queen and her maidens from lads like themselves.

Niamh hid deep within the throng of weeping and sobbing hand maidens, her own fear beginning to overtake her as she heard whom so ever it was outside rattling the door to the elven flet. She cried out and fell to her knees with the other hand maidens as the door gave a mighty heave and was broken.

Niamh turned to the other maidens and, in fear for the peril of her companions, she beckoned them to escape through the small window there.They did so without hesitiation, for the strange elf who had bombarded upon the helpless amidens and herself stood tall and luminous before them, though he did not yet see how they escaped through the window.

“Hurry, now, go!” Niamh hissed as the maidens hestitated briefly, to look tot he dark figure. Niamh urged them through the window, thankful that one had been set there.

When they had all been ushered away, Niamh herself made to lift her body through the window, but she found that she could not fro a strong grasp was upon her foot. Below her in the trees the hand-maidens ran to their lady’s chamber to seek aid from her. Niamh whirled around to gaze upon her captor, and to her horror she saw there Celeborn, and he grinned darkly, his eyes shining with a dark light that Niamh feared and would to avoid, but she could pull her vision from them.

“Come, lady.” Celeborn hissed and pulled her harshly to him. She cried out by the sudden sharpness of his actions as he housted her over his shoulder, kicking and screaming out though she was.

“Silence!” Celeborn hissed quietly, and when he heard the girl would not silence her crying mouth, he struck her feircly over her jaw. Blood spurted forth form her lips and trailed down her neck as tears welled in her eyes. She fell silent, though, looking desperately about her as the elven lord carried her through her door and into the trees.

Surely the elves of the gaurd would see her being taken and they would come to her aid, but they did not. She looked about her as she was taken ever faerther away from her safety, her mind frantic with the panic that pervaded her all of a sudden. Her eyes were wide as the elven lord drew his cloak about them and they were hidden from all sight, for it was a magic cloak.

Niamh’s heart leapt to her throat as she heard Celeborn begin to murmer words she could not understand. They were sharp and in the elvish tongue, and he spat as he spoke as if he was enraged by something she had done to him.

“l-let me be..” Niamh whispered as she hung her head in pain, her jaw throbbing in anguish as she spoke. But the elf did not listen to her plea andonly continued to carry her to his destination. “Where are you taking me--”

Butsh ewas struck once more and thrownto the thr ground as she continued to speak,her voice louder than it had been before. She gasped as her breath was knocked from her ferociously form her fall. She coughed and writhed in pain; but, feeling her shoulders colapse beneath her weight upon them, she was forced to lay still and motionless, or she would suffer imense agony from any movement.

She looked to the elven lord with eyes filled with tears and he met her gaze, though by it he was not softened.

“Wench.” He said quietly, “that you should take from the Galadhrim our hope for life.” and he kicked her harshly in her side until she cried out in pain, what little breath that was left within her gone from her and so she gasped for her dear life.

Was the elf mad?! That he should accuse her of such a crime as to steal? She shook her head slowly as she gasped for breath and raised her hand in hopes for it to signal to him her surrender. It did not and he knelt, striking it away. She struggled to move away from him, but her shoulders and her hands were torn and broken and would not carry her away.


“My...lord...!” Niamh gasped as he touched her lightly upon her bossom. Her eyes grew firey as he trailed his fingers to her lips, bleeding though the were, and he smiled grimly.

“You are no longer a friend to the elven kind.” He said harshly, “You have taken from us Haldir, our hope for the life of our people. If we do not have him, girl, then we do not have his army and then, we will die. To great are the forces of evil now, we cannot suffer to lose aught... though it seems it is your intent to steal aught from us.”

“I have stolen nothing!” Niamh spat, but she was replied by a sharp blow to her cheek. She fell silent and spoke no more.

“You lie.” Celeborn said, “For is it not true that you have come to love Haldir? Eh? Your precious warrior?” and Niamh nodded her head slowly, fearing that if she did not, then she would be struck. Celeborn’s grim smile faded away from his fair face as she answered him. He rose to his full stature once more and reached down to her.

Wrenching her into the air by the hair of her head, he pulled her face to meet his own and the fury she saw in his eyes burned her soul as he glared upon her.

“I... have never...taken anything from your people!” Niamh wept, “I have never... stolen... from you!” and she pulled ferociously at the hands of the elven lord as he held her before him, in vain, wishing to rip him away from her.

Celeborn shook her violently in her attmepts and his smile was brought to him once more as he felt her fear, feeling her trembling beneath his grasp. He relished the feeling and barred his teeth in pleasure, though the girl wept in his grasp.

“Let me free...!” Niamh wept, but Celeborn would not relaese her.

“You, lady, will be given once more to he who has brought you here.” He hissed. “You will be the...heh...captive of the faerie lord Donnaghue, once more you shall be his, if only to save my lands from death. We cannot lose to you 200 soldiers only to your love of our elven commander.”