Through the Window

Chapter Twelve

( okay, I wil try to make this one not suck so bad! )

Haldir sat as quiet and dark amid the boughs of the Mallorn as a night’s shadow, watching the horizon of mingling trees far in the distance. Now was his time for guard duty and he could not deny it as he had done many times since Niamh’s coming. He wished for to sit with her now, to hold her in his arms, but he could not, and this was what irked him, thus making him cross.

With a sigh, he turned his head to the west and rose to his feet, for he heard the call of his elder brother’s elven horn as it rang out in the night, calling for council amid the marchwardens. Haldir had not yet spoken of his marriage with Niamh to his brother.... but then Orophin had not yet said as to weather or not he had retrieved his youngest brother’s life from the evil faerie’s grasp! Haldir smiled in hope for his brother young as he went quickly through the trees to where the horn had been blown.

When he reached his destination, he met Orophin, who leaned against the bark of the tree whereon they both stood. When he saw Haldir, he smiled and pulled from his sash a glassy orb that hovered from his palm as it held forth to view it.

“I have it.” He said unto Haldir and the young elf smiled broadly, sighing in relief, for he had forgotten his brother’s plight and he had felt evil for such a thing. “And the faerie lord Donnaghue?” Orophin continued as Haldir laughed for joy and leapt sprightly into a higher branch,
“He is bound and gagged and until we see it fit, he will never escape. For what evil can escape elven rope, brother? I ask you this, but it seems that you cannot answer, for indeed, no evil may do such a thing!” Haldir’s voice rose clear and merry, finishing his brother’s words with his own, for he knew that he elder brother Orophin would come through with what needed to be done.

Orophin smiled at his brothers mirth and nodded his head to answer Haldir’s proclamation. He, too, was greatly relieved that capturing and stealing from the faerie was an easier thing than he had thought.

He looked to Haldir as the young elf sat down upon the branch on which he stood. Orophin looked into his eyes as they turned to his own, for they felt Orophin’s eyes upon them.
Orophin saw a light shining there, in his brother’s eyes, that was so very strange and so well it differed from others he had seen that Orophin did not know to what cause of joy the light belonged to. He went nearer to his younger brother, looking upon him with keen, knowing eyes. Haldir thought this strange and looked away, glancing to Orophin only once more with an uneasy sigh.

“What is it that you see?” Haldir asked of the elder elf and he replied slowly,
“I see a light within your eyes.”
“A light as any elf will bear, for do not the stars shine in our eyes?” Haldir laughed now, his brother’s odd behavior a thing well worth any mirth he could suffer.
“No, no!” Orophin chuckled, turning Haldir’s face to meet his gaze as he studied his eyes yet again. “It differs from such a light.”

Orophin turned Haldir’s face every which way until the young elf grew weary of it and brushed his hand aside.

“Perhaps such a light as you see, brother,” Haldir said after a moment had passed, “is due to a lady fair that has said I may take her hand in marriage.”

Orophin’s eyes grew wide and for a brief moment his face was grim as he pondered his brother's words. He rose stepped away and looked upon his brother with shock as he fumbled in his mind for words, something which came not easily to elven kind.

“You.... will wed with her?” He gasped, some shock from his eyes gone as he spoke, though not all, “You will eternally bind with her?”

“Is this not what you wished for, brother?” Haldir asked, unknowing of why his brother was so very shocked as he was, “I will wed with the woman and we will dwell in peace and love for eternity.”

“Or until the end of her days.” Orophin said.

“Yes, Orophin,” Haldir replied as he looked away from his brother, “Until the end of her days. BUt then, when it is that she should die, then so shall I, weather from heart break... or by my own hand.”

Orophin laughed grimly upon these last words and shook his fair, golden head, “If you take your own life or if you perish of a heart thus broken, it will matter not. You spirit will go to a far different place when you leave this world. It will go to a haven where she cannot follow.”

“Perhaps the Valar will show some mercy.” Haldir said brightly, showing not that he had thought of this, that he had thought of it greatly and for long hours.

Orophin bowed his head and leaned once more against the tree. He had wished for this to happen, really he had, though now when it did so, he was oddly shocked and did not know if it was a wise thing his young brother should do.

“Celeborn will not approve.” He said. Haldir nodded his head and smiled mischievously.

“Then Celeborn will not know.” He said, “Perhaps the Lady of light would better understand our plight... she will know of our union, but the lord, as you said, I do know will not approve of our marriage. I will never to tell him, brother, and you must swear to me that you will say nothing of it as well.”

“Oh, I swear to such a thing!” Orophin laughed, the shock from his young brother’s decision gone from him totally now and so he smiled and embraced Haldir once more.

“I will forever keep the girl and your heart a secret.” He said quietly, “And no elf will ever know of it.”

Haldir returned his brothers embrace and when they had spoken fully of Niamh, then they each leaned against the bark of the silver Mallorn. Haldir thought of his lady love, and Orophin of Rumil, the youngest of the brothers who lay dying as they spoke idly of other things.

He fingered the glass orb of his brothers’ life and turned to Haldir. “We must go now, brother, “ He said, his voice harbouring a great sadness. “We must now halt our words of your lady and we must save our brother young, for he lies dying, as you know.”

Haldir nodded and together the two brothers went as swiftly as rain from the clouds, through the boughs of the trees. Few words were spoken before they had left and as they went few words were spoken, only prayers unto the Valar that their brother lived still... well, rather that his heart beat still, for he lived not when they bore his life in the form of a glassy orb within their fingertips.
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Niamh looked frantically about her as she was hoisted over the elven lord Celeborn’s shoulder once more. She looked about her through the trees, praying that she would see her lover come to her rescue, but she did not.

Blood fell from the corners of her mouth and, though she could not see nor feel it, it fell, as well, from her sides where the elven lord had so brutally beaten her. She was silent. She dared not to scream out her lovers’ name in hope that he might hear her, for then she would be struck. She wiped tears from her eyes and with the wetness of those tears upon her fingers, she wiped blood away from her mouth.

The trees about her were dark and forlorn now, or at least they seemed to her, for all beauty was gone from her eyes. How could this wood be beautiful when its ruler was so evil as this?

She whimpered in an attempt not to weep, but for this she was cruelly struck upon her legs with a lithe branch Celeborn had obtained a short while ago.

A sharp blow to her legs sent her lunging forward from his shoulders to the ground and she fell. Celeborn stopped abruptly and turned to look down upon her, his eyes dark and foreboding... that she should do such a thing as to fall, though it had not been her doing when it was he that had struck her with a fallen branch of a tree ( that was not a Mallorn, for elves would never pluck branches from the Mallorn ).


Celeborn took one quick step toward her, but she backed away, clutching her leg that she found bled in places where the branch had broken her skin.
He raised the long branch high over his head and let it fall swiftly from the air to Niamh’s soft flesh, and she cried out at the pain of it but was forced to silence herelf when he raised it once more to strike her again if she were to cry out one last time.

“P-pray, l-l-lord,” She choked, her voice trembling and quiet as she backed slowly away from the elven lord, slowly rising to her elbows and then to her knees. Celeborn saw her moving away and made a quick step to her that was quite sudden and it startled her, his quickness. She fell back and scurried away, pulling herself to her feet with the bark of a Mallorn that rose strong as if to defend her. “Pray, l-lord,” She continued, “Let m-me be! I w-w-ill l-l-leave--”

But Celeborn wished to hear no more of her stuttering words and so he rushed towards her with the branch raised high and made for to strike her, but she moved quickly from his way and hid behind the Mallorn that defended her.

She was quiet as she watched the elven lord look about for her, but to her dismay, it was a very short time before he found where she hid. She moved slowly into the brush as he circled the tree. She made no quick movements but hid herself with the leaves of the bushes as she silently crawled away.

When she could not hear him mumbling anymore, she rose to her feet and began to walk quickly, still fearful of any noise she should make with
her mortal’s feet. She did not know that all this time he watched her and
saw where she was. It was only that he acted, to fool her, to trick her, and he was successful, for she soon began to run, thinking that he could not see nor hear her.

Celeborn smiled and followed after her, as quiet as an elf could be, running to the east of her so that he ran along side of her nearly, though he was far from her and she could not see him. His legs were powerful and so he was a quicker runner, and soon he was ahead of the girl. He hid behind a tree and waited for her to cross his pass. Then, he would take her as his once more.

He smiled grimly as he heard her footsteps drawing nearer and he readied himself.
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Haldir stood at the side of Rumil’s bed as he lay silent and still beneath the silken sheets. Orophin stood opposite him and at his side were two young elleths with cloths in their hands and herbs in their mouths. They watched with great intent as Orophin leaned in to his youngest brother and pulled the sheets away from his form.

The elf winced at the sight he beheld and for a brief moment he glanced to Haldir with what the young elf saw to be disapproval. Haldir bent his head and lowered his eyes to the floor, for it was he who had bestowed upon Rumil the gaping wound. It was festered now and though the blood had ceased to flow due to the limited healing powers of the two elleth healing maidens, the wound had been stripped of its bandage and still was wet and foul to look upon.

“Let us pray that you have not slain him.” Orophin murmured, and though Haldir heard his words, he said nothing in reply, for he knew of what he had done. But it was not his wish to injure or slay his younger brother! He was rueful of Rumil’s state, but he had been possessed by-the evil of the faerie lord Donnaghue, and he wished for to slay Haldir and Niamh where they hid from him. Haldir had had no other choice but to wound Rumil and thus to wound and weaken the faerie.

Oropphin saw the remorse Haldir bore in his eyes, and the elder elf could not anger himself, for he knew that it had not been Haldir’s wish to injure or slay Rumil, and so he smiled and bid his brother raise his head.

Haldir would not look upon Orophin, but rested his vision upon Rumil’s wound and he furrowed his brow. He nodded his head and held forth his hand. “Give unto me the life of our brother and into him I shall give it thus.”

Orophin placed the glassy orb within Haldirs’ fingertips and the young Marcwarden laid it atop Rumil’s browthat was hot and wet with sweat. Haldir lay his hand over the orb and over Rumil’s brow.

Then, by some magic that was well and not evil, and was not Haldir’s nor Orophin’s own, the orb slowly began to melt into water, flowing over Rumil’s deathly features and onto his breast. Down into his festered wound it fell and the wound was healed before the eyes of those who watched.

At last the water became nothing, mere mist rising into the air to fade away into nothingness. A moment of silence passed over the five, the living and the nearly deceased.

Haldir’s gaze was steady and his eyes moved not from his brother’s deathly face as he said: “Live, brother, live.” And it would seem that his prayer was answered, for then, from the silence there arose a great cry from the distance that was heard over all of the Golden Wood. Rumil sat upright where he had lain, his eyes wide and his mout open as if to speak, though he could say nothing.

He sat still and silent, his mouth moving to words he could not say. He soon began to tremble, and when he did so, Haldir and Orophin quickly wen to him and laid him down once more, and bid the maidens look away, for it was a rather frightening sight.

“He lives!” Haldir laughed, though Orophin could not see his mirth, “See here brother, for he lives!” and he sighed in relief.

Orophin covered Rumil with the sheets, though he cast them away and struck Orophin fiercely upon his worried brow. Orophin fell to the ground and shook blood from his head as he stumbled to his feet, going to the bed side once more. Rumil made for to strike him once more as he reached forth to settle him, but Orophin was quick now and he bent away from the blow.

Orophin struggled to maintain his brother, but it was to no avail. Rumil was mad with fear and with some insanity his brothers could not name. haldir quickly bid the healing maidens leave, for they had opened their eyes and were wide-eyed with terror at the sight of the once noble and happy elf overcome with madness. Haldir led the elleths to the edge of the flet wherein they stood, but only just as they had fled from the base of the large mallorn, Orophin was cast as he were mere linen cloth over the floor and he struck the walls of the flet, making a great noise with the weight of his body as it landed.

Haldir rushed to his side and lifted him to his feet without a word, then going to Rumil, who, now that he had rid himself of the pests that were his brothers, lay quiet and still. Haldir crept slowly and silently to the edge of Rumil’s bed, making no din as he stepped upon the floor. Rumil’s eyes were open, and he gasped for breath as he lay, his eyes wide still.

“Rumil.” Haldir whispered, cautious of the elf’s balled fist, “Rumil,come to your own self once more.” and he reached forth and touched Rumil’s brow lightly with his fingertips. Rumil did not stir, but his eyes closed and his breathing slowed. It seemed that he had quieted and that he would no more burst into fits of madness.

Haldir turned to Orophin who leaned against the bark of the mallorn, clutching his side in pain. Orophin nodded and smiled. Haldir turned to Rumil once-more and found that his eyes were now open and that he was softened and quiet.

“Brother?” The young elf murmured, “Haldir? You live...!” and he smiled so very faintly that haldir could only just see before it faded-into a line of worry upon his face.

“And of the maiden, Haldir,” He said, louder now, “Niamh, does she live?” and he was relieved greatly when his elder brother smiled and nodded his head vigorously. Haldir leaned nearer to him and whispered: “I am to marry her.”

Rumil smiled and suffered a laugh as he reached to his brother and lay his hand upon his shoulder. “I am happy for you, brother,” He said, and lay his head down on the silken pillow, for he had lifted it to fully see Orophin and Haldir.

Rumil sighed and closed his eyes, the sweat that had collected upon his brow gone now and his face was peaceful. He slept and Haldir and orophin were happy that he lived. Haldir sighed and went to Orophin, standing beside him he said with a grin, “I have done well it seems!”

Orophin chuckled and replied with a laugh, “You act as if it was you who has done all? It was I who was struck and it was I who struggled. You--”

“Gave unto him his life once more?” Haldir smirked and stepped away, going to the edge of the flet. Kneeling, he climbed onto the silver ladder and with a final farewell to the sleeping Rumil and with no word to his disgruntled elder brother, he lowered himself to the ground.

Orophin ran to the edge of the flet and knelt as he called after the arrogant elf thus: “I will tell to our dear brother to strike you as well as he did unto me and perhaps then your arrogance will fall sundered!”

But when haldir said nothing to him and only waved his hand in the air to show his defiance, Orophin laughed and went to the side of sleeping Rumil to watch over him lest he should wake.