To Finally Belong

Chapter 12 – A New Strategy


Círa was thrashing in her sleep. She was dreaming again and this time the Orcs were back but they were chasing her. Lurtz lead the pack and he yelled for them to kill her because she had betrayed them all. She stumbled through the forest, hearing them draw closer as her legs began to grow heavy and stick to the ground. Now she could hear their grunting and heavy breathing as they began to circle her, her legs refusing to move another step. Strong arms closed around her and she knew that it was Lurtz and that he was going to kill her.

“Círa, you are safe,” a voice whispered into her ear. “You are with me.”

Still she struggled against the iron grip of the arms for a few moments until she finally understood that it was Haldir holding her and that she was indeed safe. She ceased her struggling at once, collapsing against him.

“Haldir?” she asked, wanting the reassurance.

“Yes, Círa, it was just a dream,” he stroked her hair and loosened his grip on her as her breathing slowed. She turned towards him now, wanting to see him and know that he was real.

“It was a terrible dream,” she said, telling him about it. He held her close as she relayed the details and at the end, a realization hit her. In the dream, she had seen Lurtz for the first time in a different light. She suddenly understood how grotesque it must be to them that she had physically joined with one of the enemy. It was as though her eyes had suddenly been opened and she was now allowed to see through elven eyes, rather than the Orc eyes she had used for so many years. Haldir seemed to have gotten over his disgust with her, but now she was a little disgusted with herself. Still, she had thought that she was making the right decision at the time, but to these elves she must look like the harlot that Tamor had accused her of being. Maybe he was right. Maybe that was all she was.

“Círa?” Haldir said, brushing hair away from her forehead. “What is bothering you?”

She wanted to tell him but could not do so without mentioning Tamor’s accusations. In the end she decided against it.

“It is nothing,” she said wrapping her arms around him tightly, wondering how he could stand to be with her.

~~~

It was the third day when Tamor came into contact with Círa once more. The elf and two other wardens, Rurik and Torval, had reached the end of their patrol area and were getting ready to turn back when they sensed a presence nearby. There was a small lake that marked the end of their area and the start of the next one and as they approached the lake, they saw the elleth rinsing her hair in the water. Tamor could not help but watch, even as the other two tried to convince him to leave.

“Haldir is probably nearby,” Torval said, nervously. “If it is true that she means something to him, he will not be happy about us being here.”

“Then go,” Tamor said, mesmerized by the sight. “I will be along shortly.”

“I do not think that is a good idea,” Rurik said, nervously. “You should come with us.”

Tamor thought it over for a moment before stepping reluctantly away before he got to see anything worthwhile.

“I think we should stay nearby to make sure that she is safe, at least,” Tamor tried, not knowing how much the others knew about his previous interactions with Círa.

“Perhaps that is not a bad idea,” Rurik agreed. “But we should not stay very close in case Haldir shows up or Círa leaves. I do not want them finding us too near.”

“She looks just like her mother,” Tamor finally said after they had walked what they perceived to be a safe distance away. “It is shocking.”

Rurik narrowed his eyes, remembering, “Were you not…interested in her mother?”

“Interested,” Tamor snorted. “We were going to bind ourselves together until she met…him.”

Rurik and Torval exchanged glances. They had both been alive at the time and did not recall it that way. Rurik seemed to remember Círa’s mother spurning Tamor’s advances. Maybe he had not been told the whole story, but something about the way Tamor was talking was giving him chills.

“And now her daughter has turned out to be a whore. I have a hard time remembering that she is not her mother, until I think about that. Her mother was gentle and pure. This elleth is harsh and tainted by the Uruk-hai,” Tamor almost spit the words.

Again, the other two elves exchanged a look. Tamor’s words had the ring of obsession to them. Rurik wondered if he should talk to Haldir about it, but Tamor was the senior member of their patrol group and that made it awkward. He knew that he had already been rather brazen just to insist that they leave when Tamor had wanted to stay. He would try talk to Torval when they were alone, later, and get the other elf’s opinion on the matter.

Tamor thought about Círa while the other two sat on nearby rocks and spoke quietly. His thoughts were much like Haldir’s had been in the beginning, when Círa had first joined them. He was torn between desiring Círa and being disgusted with her behavior. Now that Haldir had laid claim to her, Tamor knew that he could never have her so there was no point in desiring her. That left him with just the feelings of disgust and hatred for her. He also hated her for not being her mother and he wanted her gone so that she would not be a constant reminder to him. Every time he saw her it was like a fresh stab through his heart.

It was obvious to him now that he would not get her to leave by attacking her physically. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision when he had knocked her to the ground the previous day. It had bothered him to see her walking along with her head in the clouds, obviously thinking about Haldir when she should have been paying attention to her surroundings. When she had not attacked him immediately after hitting the ground, he had hoped he could scare her off by pushing her further. When he had shoved her, he found that he had grossly underestimated the elleth and when she had attacked, he had been forced to continue the fight. His anger had grown as the fight had progressed and when he had grabbed her neck, he had seriously considered killing her for a moment. When she had turned the tables on him, he had known a moment of sheer panic, absolutely certain that the elleth was going to tear his throat out. He had realized quickly enough that it was not the case, but the knowledge that she could have done it was staying his hand now. No, he thought he knew of a better way to deal with Círa. She was so naïve emotionally, so willing to believe what she was told, that he would be better off using that naïveté against her. He would have to soften his tone when he spoke to her or his words would just anger her, but he was relatively certain that this idea would work. It wasn’t long before he saw the elleth leave the lake. She caught sight of them immediately and came towards the three resting wardens.

“Why are you here?” she asked them, drying her long hair.

“We saw that you were alone and Tamor thought that we should make sure you were safe,” Torval said, standing.

“I had my weapons and would have sensed Orcs or Uruks had they been near. Why would you care anyway? You hate me,” she directed the accusation at Tamor.

“I feel badly about the way I have been treating you,” Tamor told her, also standing. “You did not deserve the things that I have done and I wish to apologize.”

She eyed him warily, not trusting him.

“Why do you feel bad now when you did not before?” she asked, not understanding.

“I have had more time to think about it,” he said, yet the words still did not ring true in her head. Taking her silence as an opening, the elf continued. “You see, Círa, my main concern is the safety of Caras Galadhon and those that live in the Golden Wood. I fear that you are distracting our Marchwarden and that places us all in danger, though I did not need to handle my concerns the way I did. There is also the issue of how Haldir will be perceived now that you are together.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, taking the bait.

“Well, since you have previously joined with an Uruk and now have a union with Haldir, he will lose favor with many.”

“Tamor…” Rurik started, frowning, but was silenced with a harsh look.

“I am sure that you do not understand the social principles of elves yet, but your union has undoubtedly already hurt Haldir in the eyes of others, especially Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. They expect their Marchwarden’s standards to be a little bit higher than others, not lower. It is my only concern. I have nothing against you personally.”

“We have not joined yet,” Círa told Tamor once she could get the words out, “so nobody should be judging him.”

“Well, that is good,” he seemed relieved. Tamor continued, using a kind voice to mask his evil words, “Maybe he still has a chance to redeem himself. Would you like us to escort you back?”

“No,” she said, quietly. “I need to be alone.”

“Tamor, really…” Rurik said, stepping forward.

“Not a word from you,” Tamor said coldly. “Stay out of this.”

They stood and watched as Círa walked away, head down as she considered the elf’s words.

When she was out of hearing range, Rurik whirled on his leader, unconcerned with the consequences.

“How could you be so cruel to her? You know that you are the only one that judges her for her past. Lady Galadriel has shown Círa nothing but kindness and concern! How could you lie to her like that, just to hurt her?”

“It was not intended to hurt her, though I am sure it did. It was intended to make her realize the harm she is doing so that she will leave. I hope that when Legolas leaves our realm that he will take the elleth with him. He seems fond of her,” Tamor said, rather distantly.

“Why should she leave, Tamor?” Torval asked. “This is her home. We are her people, whether you like it or not.”

“Because I cannot stand to look at her!” he said through clenched teeth. “Every day she is a reminder to me of the love that I lost. When her mother died, I was relieved because I no longer had to see her with another. Now she has come back to torture me all over again!”

“She…Tamor I think you are confusing the two in your mind. Círa is back, not her mother,” Rurik said quietly. “They are not the same.”

Rurik made eye contact with Torval and shook his head slightly. There was something very wrong with Tamor and they would discuss it when they were alone. Something had to be done.

~~~

The thought crossed Círa’s mind that Tamor was being untruthful with her, but that was probably wishful thinking on her part. What he had said made sense to her, especially after the new understanding she’d received from the dream. Orcs and Uruk-hai were the enemy and they were disgusting creatures, even though she had not seen Lurtz that way at the time. To be truthful, she still didn’t think of him as disgusting, though he could not compare in the slightest to Haldir. When she thought about Haldir, it made her relationship with Lurtz seem cheap and ugly. Haldir was perfect and the love she had for him was growing stronger by the day. No, what she had with Lurtz paled in comparison and Tamor was probably right, that the others saw it in a much dirtier and darker light than she did. It would be harmful to Haldir’s reputation in the Golden Wood if she joined with him, but was she strong enough to stop their relationship from progressing? She didn’t know.

“Círa?” her head snapped up at the sound of her name being spoken. Haldir stood directly in front of her and she had no idea how long he had been in her path. That was twice in the past few days that she had allowed herself to become distracted by her thoughts. If she was doing this, wasn’t it just as likely that Tamor’s words were true and Haldir was also being distracted? She would probably be doing the Marchwarden a great favor by ending their relationship right now, but after one look in those brilliant blue eyes, she was lost again. She moved into his arms as he held them out to her.

“Are you well, Círa? You appear to be upset,” he stated, stroking her hair as he held her to his chest. “Was there a problem?”

“No,” she replied, swallowing the lump in her throat. “No problem. I was simply thinking.”

“They must be serious thoughts,” he observed, tilting her chin up, “based on the look on your face.”

“Very serious thoughts,” she agreed truthfully. “I was just thinking about how wonderful you are.”

Haldir smiled at her words before slowly touching his lips to hers, then pulling back. Her heart was pounding just from the simple kiss and she told him that.

He looked into her eyes, the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile. “And what happens when I do this?” he asked, touching his lips to the spot just under her ear. She moaned in response. “Or this?” he said, lightly touching the inside of her ear with his tongue.

“That just makes my ear wet,” she told him, wiping it off.

He laughed, surprised. “You do not like that?”

“No,” she told him. “But I liked the first one very much.”

“I will have to remember that,” he told her. His face grew serious. “It would be wise for me not to do it until we are ready to join. When I hear you moan and cry out it makes me burn for you.”

He ran his hands through her hair and pulled her head against his shoulder. “Very soon,” he said, kissing her hair. He smiled at her now as though he had a secret.

“What are you thinking, Haldir?” she asked him, wondering about the smile. She had never seen him look at her this way.

He gently cupped her face in his hands. After gazing at her for a moment, he finally told her what he had been holding inside, “It was just the way you said it would be. I know now, Círa. I know that I love you.”

“You do?” she was surprised. When had this happened?

“When I was walking down the path just now, just the sight of you sent a jolt through my heart. It was like nothing I have ever felt before; it took my breath away. I do not think that a minute of the day passes without my thoughts being on you and the idea of not having you in my life is almost unbearable. I believe that means that I love you,” he told her, holding her eyes with his.

Círa let out a pent-up breath and hugged him tightly. “It is how I feel, too,” she told him. “You are all that matters to me, Haldir.”

It felt as though she were on fire as he engaged her in a deeper kiss, parting her teeth and exploring the inside of her mouth with his tongue. His admission was what she had been waiting for and whether they consummated their relationship right now on the floor of the forest or they waited a month did not matter as much as the words he had just said to her. He loved her.

Haldir pushed back, realizing how close they were to the next patrol area and knowing that it was too risky. Taking her hand, they walked back together, yet it seemed as though his eyes were on her almost constantly, a dreamy look to them. They stopped to sit together in a glade when they were close to the talans and well out of sight of anybody besides possibly Haldir’s brothers. They talked together for almost an hour, while Haldir sat behind Círa and held her. He lifted her hair now, kissing the back of her neck and drawing a gasp from her. Knowing that it would be smart to stop, still he continued to trail the little kisses around the side of her neck, eventually leaning her back against his arm as he turned them into big kisses beneath her chin. It was only a small step to lay her back on the ground now and he did so, debating the wisdom all the while.

There were no longer any barriers to hold him back. He knew that they loved each other and he had been giving her the romance that she deserved. True, they could continue that phase of their relationship for a while longer…or he could also take the next step now. They wanted each other and they loved each other, but the forest floor in broad daylight was probably neither the place nor the time to prove their love to one another. I would be important to this part correctly, too.

“Tonight, Círa,” he told her, unable to hold back the smile that lit up his face. “Tonight we will join together if it is what you wish.”

“It is what I want more than anything, Haldir,” she put her arms around his neck. “You know that.”

“I thought you might like the idea,” he said, teasing.

“Oh, did you now?” she asked sucking the tip of his ear into her mouth. “And how do you like this?”

“Círa,” he warned, “you might get more than you bargained for if you keep that up. Would you not rather be in our talan on the soft bedroll when we join?”

“It does not matter to me,” she assured him. “I find the ground soft enough and I am sure that I will not be concerned with comfort at the time.”

“Oh, but how do you want it to be?” he asked, smiling wickedly now. “Like this?” He was suddenly on top of her, moving into position as he kissed her deeply. “Or perhaps like this?” he flipped her on top and moved her so that she was straddling him. “I think I like this,” he told her, moving his hands up and down the front of her tunic.”

“I think that we shall have to try both,” she said, her breathing growing ragged.

“Maybe this,” he said, flipping her onto her knees and positioning himself behind her. He slowly moved against her as he whispered into her ear just exactly how he planned on making her scream out his name.

“Oh, yes, that one, too,” she agreed, wondering how many hours they had until night. Suddenly she looked over her shoulder at him, confused.

“Why would I scream your name?” she asked, serious.

He stopped what he was doing and laughed. How would he explain this?

He rolled her back over and lay between her legs once more, raising himself up on his elbows as he looked down upon her.

“Imagine that we are joined together right now and I will show you,” he smiled. Thrusting against her now he began to moan and pant, doing a wonderful imitation of what their actual joining would be like. She watched him, entranced, as he appeared to grow closer and closer to completion. “Oh, yes!” he said, panting some more as he held her eyes. Thrusting harder he closed his eyes and said, ‘Oh, Círa. Oh, yes. Ahhhh, ahhhh.” After several more seconds of this he finally threw his head back and yelled out, “Cira! Oh, yesssssss! Oh, Cira!”

Stopping suddenly, he smiled down at her again as though nothing had happened. “Did you like that?”

She was speechless at first; her eyes wide and mouth open. After a moment she blinked and asked him, “Is that what you will do? I liked it very much and I do not wish to wait another minute. Please take me now.”

He shook his head. This time he let his mouth slowly descend upon hers then pulled back after a soft kiss. Enjoying this new game, and wanting to have her turn, Círa now reached her head up and whispered into his ear. She told him exactly what she wanted him to do to her and how she wanted him to do it, rather bluntly. The smile slowly dropped off his face to be replaced by the strongest look of desire she had seen on him yet. Maybe they wouldn’t wait, after all, he thought.

He had crushed his mouth to hers in a searing kiss, when they both looked up suddenly. It was Orophin far-speaking and Uruk-hai had been spotted. Without a second thought, they both got up and begin to run. Haldir used his mind to pass the message on to the other wardens who would join them in battle.

~~~

Climbing up into the trees when they drew close to Haldir’s brothers, he and Círa quietly made their way to where Rúmil and Orophin were observing an approaching group of Uruk-hai. The creatures were still in the distance and might bypass the Golden Wood altogether, knowing that it was a dangerous place to be. Since the fall of Sauron, the creatures had been spotted much less frequently, as most had been destroyed. No longer did they have a master to answer to but instead those who had survived had joined into bands and roamed the countryside, marauding and killing at will. They were every bit as dangerous as they had been before, but now were simply without a leader and therefore more unpredictable.

Haldir spoke quietly to Círa, reminding her of the lessons she’d had and reiterating the techniques they used for fighting. They would fight from the limbs of the trees first, only dropping to the ground when it became necessary. Haldir turned now at the approach of Tamor, Rurik and Torval. Within moments, three more wardens approached from the opposite direction. It would take the others longer, but the Uruk were still in the distance.

Haldir turned to Círa and started to touch her cheek, but pulled his hand back, remembering that others were around. This was certainly not the time for the Marchwarden to be concerned with romance. Círa could not help but see Tamor’s reaction to the slip. The elf shook his head, slowly, as if to say, “I told you so.” Círa looked away, ashamed to be distracting the Marchwarden. Haldir needed to be concentrating on the upcoming battle, not on her, yet he didn’t seem to be able to tear his eyes from her. It was disconcerting.

By the time the Uruks reached the edge of the forest, several more elves had arrived and now they were spread out in the treetops. The idea was that as the Uruks drew closer, the elves would try to surround them and attack simultaneously. When it was obvious that the creatures would take a path that led into a small clearing, Haldir sent out a silent message and the elves began moving through the tree limbs to position themselves.

“You stay with me, Círa,” he whispered, knowing that she hadn’t yet developed the ability to communicate using far-speak yet. She nodded, trying to quell her nerves. It wasn’t fear of the Uruks or the upcoming battle that bothered her; it was the idea that she might once again have to face Uruks that she knew. She also hated the idea of seeing Haldir in danger.

As the Uruks entered the clearing, the leader stopped and sniffed the air before yelling a command to the others. Círa translated quietly for Haldir. The Uruk had smelled the elves and knew that they were probably hiding in the treetops. She continued translating any words she could pick up and was glad that she didn’t recognize any of the Uruks except one towards the back of the procession. His name was Argluk and she had never liked him. Lurtz had always been very protective when he had been around. This battle would not be as hard on her as the fighting at Helm’s Deep had been.

She whispered to Haldir again. The Uruks who had hovered on the edge of the forest were doing so because they expected a trap. He nodded. He needed to lure them in deeper before issuing the attack order. Rúmil was the fastest of all the wardens, so he would be used as bait, much as his brother hated the idea. Haldir sent Rúmil a message with his mind, giving him instructions. The Marchwarden held his breath as he watched his brother move away through the branches. He hated using the elf for bait, but Rúmil had played this game before and was good at it. It would work again. He motioned for Círa to remain silent as they watched Rúmil slip quietly down a distant tree.

The sound of quiet singing suddenly sounded from Rúmil’s direction as the elf appeared, coming towards them. He stopped, dead in his tracks, looking as surprised as he truly would have been at the sight of thirty Uruk-hai. Spinning on his heels, he began yelling as he ran, sounding as though he were sending out an alarm. Haldir shook his head and rolled his eyes at the sight of his brother crashing loudly through the forest, yelling and waving his arms. Sometimes the elf was a bit too dramatic. The Uruk took the bait and most of them gave chase, but the last two maintained their post by the edge of the forest. Frustrated, Haldir waited, hoping that they would enter the clearing so that he could give the attack order. With the two standing where they were, they could not be reached with arrows and it was best to leave none alive. If they happened to be a scouting party that was part of a larger group, Haldir did not want any scouts returning to the party with information. He knew that Rúmil should take to the trees when the Uruks drew near. The only problem was that Rúmil liked the game too well. Sometimes he tended to wait until the last second before pulling himself out of harm’s way and it might be up to Haldir to order the elf to safety. Right now, he could not pay attention to Rúmil and the Uruks who were still waiting at the edge of the forest. Haldir looked at Círa, thinking that she may have heard something that would indicate why the two were waiting.

“Círa I need to know…” his words were cut short as his face grew pale. “Rúmil,” he whispered the word then immediately sent the order to attack, telling Círa to stay as he took off through the trees.

She understood immediately that Rúmil was in trouble and that though grieved her heart. She had her bow and arrow but could not shoot well enough to take out the two Uruks by the edge of the clearing, as they stayed mostly behind the tree trunks. The other elves were now engaged in battle out of her sight, but that left these two that would get away if she didn’t do something. She would simply use her sword, she decided. Leaping down from the tree, she attacked the first one. What she had not expected was for Argluk to join in. When she had lived with the Orcs, the fights had always been one-on-one. Why had she been so stupid to think they would fight the same way in battle? She had made a foolish move, but it was too late to change her mind.

While she engaged the first Uruk with her sword, Argluk snuck up behind her. She whirled and jabbed, getting him in the side before twisting back and slicing at the other. She was fast and was able to fight this way, turning back and forth. Unfortunately, Argluk didn’t appear to be too badly hurt and now he just looked angry. Círa knew that angry Uruks were usually bad news. Ducking a heavy iron sword she came up to deftly slice the throat of the first Uruk before turning her attention back to Argluk. She wiped away some of the blood that had spattered across her face, as it impeded her vision when it mixed with her sweat and began to run down her forehead into her eyes. Stepping forward, ducking and dodging, she concentrated on her attack as the Uruk flung his sword wildly. She had not trained this one, and she was glad because he was not very good. A few more wild swings and she’d slip in with her sword and finish him.

Her plan was short-lived as two others returned and she sensed them behind her. She could not possibly get up into the trees with them so close, but if she could slip away, she could outrun them easily. Turning her attention, she now engaged both of them as Argluk stepped away to check his wound. She was surprised to suddenly hear one of the Uruks that she was fighting yell to Argluk in the Orc tongue. His order was to go warn the others while they took care of the …well she wasn’t going to translate that word. She doubted that there was an Elvish equivalent, but it was not very nice and she resented it. The wounded Uruk hurried away, leaving the forest, which confused her for a moment; she had expected him to go to where the others were battling the elves. This must meant that they were part of a larger band.

The two Uruks were moving closer, trapping Círa between them. She was not concerned because it was a stupid move. She waited until one of them swung extra hard before ducking and diving between them. The heavy sword plunged into the chest of the second Uruk. Stupid Uruk, Círa told herself. The blow probably wasn’t life threatening but it was bad enough to make somebody very angry. Before long, the two were engaged in a battle of their own, allowing Círa to slip away towards the others. The last time she looked back, she saw one of them fall, and the other appeared to be badly wounded as he staggered away. She’d keep an eye out for him, knowing that he could be coming after her. She considered moving back up into the trees, but since she would have to fight on the ground, it was better to stay there. She could keep her sword handy that way.

Killing two more Uruks before running into the rest of the elves, Círa was now covered almost head to toe in blood, though none of it was hers. When she came across Haldir, he didn’t realize that and reacted rather badly. She had never seen the elf so upset and it took ten minutes to calm him down and convince him that she was not harmed. During that time, the last few Uruks were taken out by the other wardens.

“This blood is from Uruk-hai that you killed?” Haldir asked.

“Yes. Is that not my job now?” she asked, not understanding why he was still upset.

“Yes, it is your job, Círa, but you were told to wait in the tree! I very specifically told you that we fight from the trees first and save the ground fighting for when it becomes necessary,” he was fuming.

“Well, it did become necessary!” she yelled. “I cannot shoot a bow well enough to hit the Uruks while they hid behind trees. Meeting them on foot was the only chance I had to get them and it worked! I killed three and wounded another. Two are back there busy killing each other, thanks to me, too! So quit yelling at me!” she told him.

“You are the one doing all the yelling!” he yelled. He grabbed her arm to lead her away from the others. He would not embarrass her by reprimanding her further in front of the others. As he pulled her past Tamor, the elf sent her another look. A horrible wave of guilt passed over her at what she saw on his face. Of course he had been right. She was only causing trouble here or Haldir wouldn’t need to be yelling at her now. By the time Haldir released her arm, her face was burning with shame. She had thought she was helping or she would not have done what she did. He turned on her now, furious.

“Círa! You could have been killed! You must obey me while you are on duty and I do not understand why you cannot get that through your head.”

“I am sorry!” she yelled. “I thought I was helping! Does it not matter that I killed three of them? I did not feel as though I had a choice, Haldir. When you said to wait, I did not think you meant to wait in the tree! What kind of a warden am I if I cannot fight with the rest of you?”

He hesitated at this. She was right. She was a warden and he could not tuck her safely away when the fighting started, just to protect her. He would have to learn to live with the fact that she would be in danger just like his brothers were, or he would have to get Lady Galadriel to take the job from Círa. No, he could not do that. It was what she truly wanted to do, whether he liked it or not.

He closed his mouth and nodded. “I was wrong to make you stay, but you were wrong to leave the tree. I panicked when I had heard Rúmil cry out and did not want to take the time to give you other orders. It was faster just to tell you to stay where you were and not have to worry about you.”

“Haldir, you cannot worry about me. It will affect the job you have to do,” she told him, anxiously.

“How can I not worry about you, Círa, when you mean so much to me?” he asked.

She did not know how to answer that. It was just like Tamor had said. “Is Rúmil hurt?” she asked, knowing that it could not be too bad or Haldir would not be wasting time with her now.

“Yes, but not terribly. A healer is with him now but I need to get him back to Caras Galadhon so that he can rest and heal faster. I would like you to come with me if I can find somebody to take my place with Orophin.”

She was about to agree but changed her mind for two reasons.

“Haldir, it is my duty to stay with Orophin. I heard the Uruk-hai speaking and there are more nearby. They sent the wounded one back to tell the others of the battle.”

“I will send more wardens this way. You can still go back with me,” he told her, eyes full of promise. “We have unfinished business to take care of tonight.”

“Haldir, how would that look to the others? Tamor already thinks I have this job because of special favors. How would it look if I went back with you?” she asked, trying to slow the rapid beat of her heart.

“Did he say this?” Haldir frowned.

Círa had forgotten that she hadn’t told Haldir the whole story. Her comment had not been thought through. She just knew that she needed some time alone to think this over.

“How long will it be until you are back?” she asked him, changing the subject.

“If everything goes well, I can be back in two days. If it does not go well, I will not return until I know that Rúmil will be safe.”

“Go. I will be here waiting for you when you return,” she told him, swallowing a lump in her throat.

He nodded, kissing her lightly. “Let us see how Rúmil fares,” he said, leading the way back to his brother.

When they found the elf, he looked pale, but one of the wardens who had some skills as a healer had done what he could to help the elf. The wound to his side was deep, but it seemed to be already showing signs of mending. He would live. A litter had been made and Haldir and another elf would pull Rúmil back in it. They moved him into it now and before Haldir left, he pulled Círa, Orophin and a few others aside.

“Orophin will be in charge while I am gone. I expect you to obey him as you would me,” he said to the group before turning towards Círa. “I expect you to obey him better than you would me!”

He addressed them all now, “I am shifting everybody over one patrol area for the first ten miles of the border then I will start spreading out the wardens to cover the gap. That means that Rurik, Tamor and Torval will move up to help Orophin and Círa while Rúmil and I are gone. I expect that there will be no problems from either of you.” He stared at Círa then at Tamor. “If I hear of any problems, for whatever reason, one or both of you will be suspended from duty. Stay away from each other. Círa, stay in the small talan at night. The rest of you can bunk together in the large talan.”

He dismissed the others and pulled the elleth aside once more. “I am serious Círa. Stay away from Tamor. I think he knows that I will not tolerate another incident but it would be best if you keep your distance. I have instructed Orophin to stay by your side, but I am assuming you would be most comfortable alone at night. If not, ask Orophin and I am sure he would stay with you.”

He looked around and saw that nobody was within site and he kissed her. “When I come back, I do not care what time of day it is, I plan on dragging you to the talan, tearing off your clothes and having my way with you.” His words held great promise and she allowed herself to smile at him, picturing what was in store for her when he returned. A very similar smile adorned his face.

“I love you, Círa,” he told her, kissing her again.

“I love you, too, Haldir,” she told him, knowing that it was true. She loved him more than anything.

“Orophin will go with you to the lake so that you can wash your uniform and bathe. You are covered with blood.” He wiped most of the Orc blood from her mouth and gave her another one of his knee-weakening kisses. “I will return to you as quickly as possible and we shall finish what we started,” he told her before disappearing into the trees.

~To Be Continued~