To Finally Belong

Chapter 13 – Life and Death

Círa did not go to say goodbye as Haldir and Rúmil left with the other warden for Caras Galadhon. Rúmil had fallen asleep as soon as they placed him into the litter, the effect of a sleeping spell, and he would never know that she was not there to wish him well. Círa wanted badly to go to them, to be near Haldir again and see him for a few moments longer, but she did not. She could not bid him farewell in front of the others without exposing her feelings for him and it might be equally difficult for Haldir to tell her goodbye. Reluctantly, she returned to her talan to find soap and bathing supplies. Digging through a wooden chest, she found what she sought and also some older clothes that were apparently kept around as spares. She grabbed some leggings and a tunic as well as some bathing cloths to take with her and then waited on a rock for Orophin to return. When he came back, they went straightaway to the lake.

“Nothing stinks quite as badly as Orc blood,” he told her, making a face as he looked over his own bloodied uniform.

“Orophin, can I ask you something?” she queried as they walked along.

“Of course, Círa,” he said, glancing at her.

“Is it true that Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel expect more from Haldir; that they want his standards to be higher than those of others?” she carefully formed the question, trying to make it sound casual.

“Yes, they expect a lot from Haldir, probably more than their other wardens,” he answered, looking at her curiously. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” she said, trying to remain upbeat. Of course they expected more from him. Why had she bothered to ask? If she joined with him, she would contaminate him because she, herself, was tainted by her past.

“Círa, I want you to know that I offered to go back with Rúmil so that Haldir could stay with you. He would have let me go instead except he felt personally responsible for what happened to Rúmil,” the elf added. “I know how much you mean to him now and it was difficult for him to leave you.”

Though it had been said in innocence, the words were a blow straight to her heart. Haldir felt personally responsible because he was busy worrying about Círa rather than protecting his brother. If she had not been present today, Haldir would have gone after Rúmil and the elf would not have been hurt. Again, Tamor appeared to have been right. All this time she had thought that the elf had a personal grudge against her and now it was becoming apparent to her that his motives had been altruistic; that he was truly concerned about how her presence was affecting the Marchwarden. Haldir would be gone for almost two days and that would give her time to make her decision and act upon it, if necessary. If she left, it would have to be soon because once Haldir returned, she would not be able to tear herself away from him.

Orophin and Círa arrived at the lake and bathed out of sight of one another, washing their uniforms and changing into spare tunics and leggings. Círa’s were a bit large and hung on her, but she rolled up the ankles and sleeves. At least they were comfortable, being old and well worn. They carried their wet uniforms back to the talans and hung them in the trees to dry while the other three wardens took a turn at the lake. Most everybody had at least some Uruk blood on them.

After hanging up their uniforms, Orophin and Círa sat together, eating some roasted rabbit that he had shot. They talked, but she found her mind drifting, wondering if she could do what was necessary. She knew now that she needed to leave and she had to do it before Haldir returned. If he was truly in love with her, and it certainly appeared that way, then he would never allow her to go if he knew she was doing it for him. He had the right to know why she was going, but not until after it was too late for him to do anything about it. She briefly thought about telling Orophin of her plan and asking him to pass the message on to his brother, but she suspected that the elf would try to stop her. Even it was in Haldir’s best interest for her to be gone, Orophin would feel that the decision should be left up to his brother. No, he would certainly not cooperate. Tamor was the only one that she knew of that would help her because he wanted her gone. She would talk to him about it and enlist his help if only she could get him alone.

Her chance came sooner than she ever would have believed. When the three wardens returned, Rurik came first and quickly spoke to Orophin before the others arrived. Orophin waited until Tamor and Torval were both present before asking Rurik to join him for a moment, making it look like it was his idea and not Rurik’s.

The moment they left, Círa asked Torval if he could please let her speak with Tamor in private. Torval looked unsure until Tamor turned and ordered him to go. He promised not to lay a hand on the elleth and reluctantly, Torval walked away.

Círa turned to Tamor and spoke quietly. “I am going to leave,” she told him, struggling with the words. “You were right and I know now that I am keeping Haldir from doing his job. Rúmil would not have been hurt today if I had not distracted Haldir.”

“I am sorry, Círa, but it is true. I heard Haldir discussing it with some others,” Tamor lied. “He said that he had been distracted at the time, but he did not say who it was that distracted him.”

“If that were the only part that I was worried about, I would simply quit being a warden,” she said quietly, “but I cannot stand to see Haldir disgraced by a relationship with me and for that reason I must leave. Orophin verified what you said today, that Haldir is expected to have higher standards than others and I finally understand how terrible my past is. I never saw it that way before, but now I am so ashamed that I can hardly look at myself and I will not allow Haldir to be dishonored that way. I will leave tonight so that I am long gone before he returns.”

Tamor looked confused, “To Caras Galadhon? You will likely pass Haldir on the way.”

“No, why would I go back there? I will set off for another realm. I wish to ask your advice on where to go.”

“I meant that you should go back with Legolas when he leaves,” Tamor said, frowning. He wanted her gone, but he did not want her to come to harm. “He can take you to Mirkwood or Imladris.”

“No, you do not understand,” she told him. “I need to go right away or it will be too late. I am not strong enough to leave while Haldir is here and if I wait until he returns…believe me, it will be too late.”

Tamor thought he understood what she was saying and it angered him further. She was to join with the Marchwarden soon and then it would be too late. The sympathy he had begun to feel for the elleth dissipated almost at once. Quickly, he gave her instructions on how to get to Imladris, knowing that she would have to cross the mountains to get to Rivendell, but she was more likely to make it to that realm safely, because of the spiders and other horrors in Mirkwood. As far as he knew, Lord Elrond was still in residence and would undoubtedly take her in. He gave her several pieces of Lembas bread from his pack, to make sure she had enough to get her to Imladris then he wished her well.

“Please tell Haldir that I left and tell him why, but do not tell him where I went. I do not want him to come after me. It would be even worse if my departure caused him more problems that my presence has,” Círa said, trying to keep her voice from quavering.

“I will do that,” Tamor said. “What you are doing is a very selfless act, Círa. It is for the good of Lothlórien and I commend your actions.”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Leaving Haldir would be the hardest thing she had ever done.

~~~

When the two elves returned, Círa thought that Orophin seemed quieter than usual but that thought was soon replaced by the other things on her mind. At the moment, she was more concerned about the decision she had made and the logistics of carrying out her plan. It would have to be done at night so that Orophin would not notice that she was gone right away. Tomorrow might be too late, which meant that she needed to go tonight. She hated the idea of leaving but she didn’t feel as though she had a choice. As soon as the others retired for the night, Círa would leave the Golden Wood. Her pockets now held Lembas bread and she had a water skin in her talan. Besides her weapons, there was nothing else she would need. She would wear the old clothes she had on and leave the uniform behind.

She waited until the others prepared to go to their talan before she also excused herself for the night. When Orophin asked if she would like him to walk her to the small talan, she told him no, wanting to leave as soon as possible. Forcing a smile, she wished him a good night before going to the small talan and retrieving the water bladder. Ten minutes later, she slipped away silently into the night.

~~~

Orophin was finding it difficult to be in the talan with Tamor now that Rurik had told him about the cruel things that the elf had said to Círa. He had wanted to talk to her about it, but he would wait until they were alone. Hopefully, nothing else would happen before Haldir returned; he hated being in charge. Going straight to his bedroll, he tried to sleep, hoping it would give him a chance to calm down because right now he was furious with the other elf.

~~~

Círa walked through the dark woods. She thought about running, putting as much space as possible between herself and Haldir, but did not really see what the point would be. There was no rush to get to Imladris because nothing mattered to her anymore. Perhaps once she got away, the hurt would begin to mellow with time, but right now it was almost unbearable. After three hours of walking, she decided to curl up in her old ragged cloak in the forest to sleep for a while. Still not completely comfortable with being in the trees, Círa found a spot on the ground that seemed sheltered enough. It would be safe since she would sleep lightly and wake if she sensed Orcs or Uruks nearby. She knew that there were other threats that she might have to contend with as well, but sleeping with dangers around was nothing new to Círa. She would continue this pattern until she reached Imladris and safety. Hopefully, Tamor was right and Lord Elrond would welcome her into his home. If not, if he also thought she was disgusting and did not want her around, she would just walk somewhere else, maybe to a man village somewhere. It really did not matter to her.

~~~

Círa dreamed of Haldir and woke with a smile on her face. The smile disappeared quickly as she realized that she was not wrapped in his arms but was alone in the forest. Haldir was now just another good memory in her past, like her parents, but at least these memories were something she would have to hold onto when times got bad. And they would get bad. She was alone again.

She found a small stream and bathed as well as possible before starting out once more. The trip to Rivendell would be treacherous, she knew, but it was the best choice. She would face a long, arduous climb through the mountains, but fighting the rugged terrain might keep her mind occupied. It would be the long, lonely flat stretches that would give her far too much time to think about Haldir and what could have been. Maybe it would have been best if the Orcs had killed her two hundred years ago. She had endured a torturous life with them only to finally be freed and given this small taste of happiness before it was all taken away again. Her past would continue to haunt her, too, in Imladris or wherever she ended up. She would never find an elf that was willing to bind himself to an elleth with such a tainted past. It didn’t matter anyway, since Haldir was the only one she wanted. Sighing, she continued walking. She hoped that Haldir wouldn’t be upset with her, but in reality he might actually be relieved that she had solved his problem. The others would be thankful as well though they had been too polite to say so. It was only Tamor who had been bold enough to tell her the truth.

At lunchtime Círa stopped and had a small piece of Lembas bread, which she washed down with water from a nearby stream. She sat for a while and thought about Haldir, just to torture herself, she guessed. When she rose to continue her journey, she stopped suddenly, having caught the scent of Orcs. No, not Orcs; it was daytime so they must be Uruk-hai since the Orcs only traveled in the dark. Climbing the nearest tree, she hid in the branches, hoping they would pass by without noticing her.

~~~

Orophin knew that something was wrong when Círa didn’t show up at her post in the morning. Usually she was an early riser and often the first one up. He made his way to her talan and his fears were intensified when he found it empty. There was no way of knowing whether she had spent the night in it or not. Gathering the others together, he questioned them and Tamor told him immediately that the elleth had left and did not want anybody coming after her.

“Because you convinced her to leave!” Orophin yelled at the elf.

“I only told her the truth, that her union with Haldir would harm him in the eyes of others. I also told her that she was distracting him and it is true,” Tamor said, defiantly.

Orophin lunged for the other elf, but Torval and Rurik held him back. “No,” Rurik said. “Let Haldir handle it when he returns. He should be back tonight.”

Orophin thought once again how he hated to be in charge. He’d like nothing more than to beat Tamor senseless right now.

“Where, exactly, did she go?” Orophin asked, trying to stay calm. Haldir would be devastated and would want to find the elleth as soon as possible.

“She mentioned both Mirkwood and Rivendell, so it is hard to say,” Tamor said evasively. “She did say that she did not want anyone coming after her. She was very specific about that.”

“How do we even know that she left, Tamor?” Orophin asked. “How do we know that she did not come to harm at your hands? You already attacked her once.”

“If I had left the talan during the night, you would have known. She made her own decision and I think that it was a wise one. Haldir can now get back to doing his job.”

“Círa has not interfered with Haldir’s job for even a moment!” Orophin stated. “And nobody but you blames Círa for her past. My brother will be most unhappy when he returns.”

And by then, she will be long gone, Tamor thought.

~~~

Círa dared not move an inch. She had foolishly been traveling on a well-used path and when the Uruk-hai came to the spot where she had been sitting, they smelled her and stopped. They were gathered not twenty feet away from her now, trying to determine whether there were elves nearby. When the wind changed, they lost her scent and soon lost interest, too. Círa saw Argluk among the group as well as a few others that she recognized and even one that she had trained. This one was good with a sword. What bothered her most was how many there were, maybe a hundred or more. Trying not to move and give herself away, she listened carefully as they spoke and planned. They seemed to have a good idea how many elves protected the border of Lothlórien now and though their entire scouting group had been wiped out except for Argluk and one other, they still felt satisfied that they could win a battle and force their way into Caras Galadhon. Círa was anxious. Not only was she gone from her post, but so were Haldir and Rúmil. That put them three wardens short against the large band of Uruk-hai. She also knew that the guard along the fences was weak in at least one spot. The Uruks were going to attack hard and fast and Círa wondered if Orophin would be able to handle a battle this big in Haldir’s absence. She felt certain that elf lives would be lost and she knew that she had to do something, but what? All she could do was to warn the elves. She had to get back to Lothlórien before the Uruks attacked.

With the utmost caution, Círa began to make her way through the treetops away from the Uruks. Though most of the other elves could move effortlessly though trees, it took some work on Círa’s part. She had the same natural abilities that they all did, but she had spent most of the last two hundred years on the ground, rather than honing her climbing skills. A couple of times, she made noises when she slipped and at one point the wind obviously shifted, enabling the Uruk-hai to pick up her scent, again. She froze as she watched them looking around, trying to catch sight of her. They had spread out now, and that was worse since she now had Uruks completely surrounding her. Hopefully, she could outrun them though she wasn’t certain. She realized that they had found her the minute it happened because the Uruk that was directly below her slowly turned his head up and looked directly at her. Had she made a sound? Did it matter? When she heard him growl out the warning, she had to move.

Swiftly now, she made her way through the treetops with the Uruks below shouting commands. She was making progress, but they were shooting their crossbows at her now. When she was almost out of danger, one of the bolts came too close and sliced through the flesh on her ribs. It was not a terrible wound, but when she dodged the bolt she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Rolling and coming up on her feet, she stopped to quickly cut a throat or two before putting on a burst of speed. Most were behind her now, but up ahead two Uruks stepped out from behind trees, blocking her path. She looked behind her and knew that it was hopeless in that direction. Going forward was her only chance. Hoping to catch the two off guard, she ran at them full force. At the last second she leapt at one and caught him in the chest with her feet while slicing the throat of the other. She didn’t take the first one down, but knocked him off balance momentarily. He was faster than she had imagined and he swung out with his heavy iron sword. The pain of the metal ripping through her flesh was bad, but it was the bone breaking that almost finished her. The Uruk-hai swords were very heavy and the weapon had easily broken the bone between her wrist and elbow. Dizziness threatened to overwhelm her as the pain was almost unbearable, but she did not stop. It would mean certain death and the Uruks would not kill her quickly.

Somehow, she managed to stay ahead, occasionally dodging a bolt fired from one of the massive crossbows. Before long, she began to wear down and knew that she needed to stop and take care of her arm. At the rate that the wound was bleeding, she would probably die of blood loss before too long if she didn’t do something. Taking a chance, she found a place where the trees were dense and veered sharply away from the path she’d been following. From the sounds of it, her ploy had worked and the Uruk-hai continued on past her, not noticing that their prey had disappeared. It would not last long, but she hoped it would be long enough to tend her wounds.

Ripping the whole left arm of her tunic off, Círa almost gagged when she saw the bone sticking through the skin. No wonder it had hurt so badly to run. She had no idea what to do to fix it, but she thought if she could put it back together and bind it, maybe she could run again. She tried to put the bone back in place and not only did it not work but the pain was so intense that she was afraid to try it again. She let her thoughts dwell on what would happen to the elves if she didn’t get back to warn them, and that gave her the strength to try again. After the wave of dizziness passed, she thought about Haldir and he gave her the strength for the third try. That time it worked. It felt as though the bone was back where it belonged. She tore off her other sleeve, which was no easy task since she had to use her right hand to grip the material on the same shoulder to tear it loose. Wrapping one sleeve around the wound to stop the bleeding, she placed three sticks along the length of her arm, from the elbow to the wrist. She used the second sleeve to tie around the sticks, hoping to immobilize her arm.

Time to go, she thought. It would not take the Uruk-hai long to figure out that they had lost her and then they would return. Hopefully, their search for her would give her some time, allowing her a head start to Lothlórien. She cut a path through the woods and was eventually able to make her way around the band of Uruks. Once she got ahead, she ran as fast as she could, praying that she would make it in time.

~~~

Haldir was also running, anxious to get back to his duties and even more eager to get back to Círa. He had thought of nothing else once he was assured that Rúmil would recover soon. He had warned his brother that they would have a chat about his “techniques” for being bait, when he returned. Rúmil had had the good grace to smile sheepishly. It wouldn’t be the first time they had the discussion and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

As Haldir drew closer to the talan, his heart began to pound. He knew that he should go check in with Orophin first, but he just had to see Círa. He couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms. There were other things that he couldn’t wait to do, but first he would just hold her and tell her again how much he loved her. It was incredible how much he had missed her in the short time that he had been gone. If there had been a shred of doubt in his mind as to whether or not he loved her before, it was long gone. When he drew near to the talan, he sensed that she was not there and he made his way to find Orophin. Since it was still light out, it was possible that they were still on patrol.

~~~

Orophin sat on a rock with his head in his hands. He honestly didn’t know what to do. His duties came first and especially with the recent Uruk activity, he didn’t dare leave to look for Círa. On the other hand, the further away she got, the harder it would be to follow her trail, if there was a trail. He looked up when he sensed his brother’s presence. He did not want to be the one to quell the happy look on Haldir’s face, but it was his duty.

“How is our brother, the Uruk-bait?” Orophin asked.

“He will be fine. When I left he had two elleths hovering over him, attending to his every need,” Haldir rolled his eyes. “It may slow his recovery time, I fear.”

Taking a deep breath, Orophin stood and faced his brother. “Haldir, Círa is gone.”

“Gone,” he repeated, not understanding.

“She left,” Orophin explained. “It was probably sometime during the night.”

“Why would she leave?” Haldir asked, completely stunned. It made no sense to him.

“Apparently Tamor has convinced her that she is distracting you from your duties,” Orophin said. “And to make it worse, he also has led her to believe that your reputation will be destroyed by her tainted past.”

Haldir closed his eyes and dropped his head, shaking it slowly. He listened as Orophin repeated the whole story that Rurik had told him. When his brother was done talking, Haldir raised his head and opened his eyes.

“Where is Tamor?” he asked quietly.

“Haldir…” Orophin started.

“Because when I get my hands on him, I am going to kill him,” Haldir said, face expressionless.

“I thought you might, in fact I had very similar thoughts. To keep you out of trouble, I had him trade posts with another warden and I am not going to tell you who it is until you calm down.”

“It will be a simple matter to find out,” Haldir said, sending out a message with his mind to call the wardens in his patrol area together.

Orophin put a hand on his brother’s arm. “Haldir, forget Tamor. It is Círa we need to worry about.”

Haldir turned to look at his brother with haunted eyes. “There is nothing I can do right now. We have been under attack and we know that there is a larger band out there. I cannot leave my post to go search for Círa. You know that.”

“But you can send for reinforcements and when they arrive, we can go after her,” Orophin told him.

“I plan to do that, but it will take at least a day, even if I send a message to Lady Galadriel right now,” he said.

“Send it, Haldir,” Orophin said. “We need to find her. She is all alone out there.”

He nodded, “I know that, Orophin. I can think of nothing else.” He closed his eyes and concentrated. It took a lot of effort for him to send a message over such a distance but he did it and received an answer from Lady Galadriel. She would have more elves on their way at once. Help would be here within a day and then Haldir and Orophin could go after Círa.

“Now, I am going to go kill Tamor,” Haldir said as the other wardens walked up. Glancing at the newcomer, he thought he knew exactly who Tamor had replaced.

“Uh, Haldir, I shifted the wardens around a little so that you would not figure it out,” Orophin said. “Sorry, but killing Tamor right now is going to do nothing but cause you problems.”

“It would make me feel much better. It would keep me busy too, since I am sure I could drag it out for a full day,” Haldir said through gritted teeth. “Where do you think she went?”

Orophin shook his head. “Tamor said she mentioned Mirkwood and Rivendell.”

“I wonder if he knows more than he is saying,” Haldir mused. “I could beat it out of him and it would serve two purposes. Even if he does not know the answer, I would feel better.”

“She will be fine, Haldir,” Orophin tried to reassure his brother. “If I have ever met an elleth that could take care of herself, it is Círa.”

“But Orophin, not only are there Orcs and Uruks, but wildcats and wargs. There are humans who would take advantage of Círa…”

“And I pity the human, Orc or warg that comes across Círa,” Orophin told his brother, earning a smile. “She can take care of herself. Do not worry when there is nothing that you can do.”

Haldir stared into the distance. “We were going to join together tonight,” he told his brother quietly, so that the others could not hear.

Orophin gave his brother a very strange look. “Again, you mean?”

“No, it would have been the first time,” Haldir said solemnly.

“Um, Haldir, if you did not already join with Círa, can you tell me why you were screaming her name in ecstasy yesterday?”

Haldir looked at Orophin, uncomprehending for a moment, then an embarrassed smile crept over his face. “Oh, that.”

Orophin waited.

“I was simply trying to explain to her…” Haldir’s face was bright red. “Well, why she would scream my name out. So I showed her an example.”

“I do not even want to know what prompted that discussion,” Orophin said.

“No, you do not,” Haldir agreed, though the smile was still on his face. “I love her, Orophin,” he told his brother.

“Rúmil and I knew that before you did,” Orophin stated.

Haldir looked at his brother, surprised.

~~~

Círa had to stop and rest. She had been running for hours and there had been no sign of the Uruks, so she hoped that they were far behind her. She didn’t dare sleep, but then she didn’t need to, though the Uruks would. Instead, she would rest as well as she could, considering the fact that her arm was broken and she had two fairly deep wounds. Haldir would probably be back by now, she guessed, and she would have to deal with the Marchwarden in person. She squeezed her eyes shut at the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Would he understand and let her leave again after the battle or would he be upset with her and not even speak to her? Maybe she could warn one of the other wardens about the Uruks and slip away without having to see Haldir. No, she would not leave them alone to fight the upcoming battle. Though she might only have one good arm, she would use it as long as possible. Just a little more rest and she would get moving again.

~~~

Círa’s eyes flew open. Uruk-hai! Why hadn’t she sensed them sooner? She got up and stumbled groggily, trying to run in hopes that she would gain some distance before they found her. Undoubtedly, it was because her body was healing that she had slept. The injuries had drained her and while elves normally could do without sleep, it was different when their bodies were trying to heal. Her arm throbbed mercilessly now and the cut on her ribs had torn open again, allowing the blood to flow once more. Having no idea exactly how close the Uruk-hai were, she pushed herself but she did not feel that she was gaining any ground. Sensing them not far behind her, she knew that they were in a hurry and she was in their path.

The sky became lighter suddenly and it was not just because the sun was rising, but also because the trees were disappearing. This was the long open stretch she remembered from yesterday. She would be vulnerable now, but she had no choice so she kept moving. She was about three quarters of the way across the large clearing when she heard them behind her. They were coming so fast! She risked looking back and saw them. They saw her, too and were putting on speed. Trying to remember how close she was to the Golden Wood, she thought that it could not be far now. She gritted her teeth against the pain and prayed that she would make it in time to warn the elves. When she looked back again, she was relieved to see that there were only twenty or so Uruks within sight behind her, meaning there was still hope. She ran as hard as her legs would propel her forward and ignored the numbing pain.

~~~

Haldir’s head snapped up at the same time Orophin’s did; Uruk-hai. He sent out the message to the others and ran for the border to scout it out.

~~~

Círa was exhausted and her legs were beginning to give out on her. Some of the Uruks had fallen back but there were still three that were very close behind her. It would only be a matter of moments before they reached her. She briefly wondered why they hadn’t used the crossbows yet, but she suspected it was because they wanted to take her alive. It would be much more fun for them that way. She would cut her own throat if it came to that. Reaching back, she reassured herself that her knives were handy. She could only use one, but that was all she would need to do the job.

She saw the Golden Wood ahead of her now, but it was too late. There was no way she could make it. I am sorry I failed you, Haldir, she thought. I tried my hardest. Deciding to go out fighting, she stopped dead in her tracks and whirled on the Uruk that was only yards behind her. With her broken arm tucked against her ribs, she held her sword in her right hand and screamed at him in the Orc tongue, challenging him.

~~~

Haldir looked from the trees and watched as the Uruks began to trickle into the large clearing. He sent another message out, urging all of the wardens to hurry. This could turn out to be a very large band. He guessed that there were at least fifty now and more on the way. Wardens were arriving by the minute and they would have enough to fight this group off if the others arrived in time. Haldir suddenly noticed that something did not seem right. In front of the larger group were a few scattered Uruks running ahead, which was unusual in itself since they were making no attempt to stay with the others. It was the figure in the very front that caught his eye. It was too small to be an Uruk, too thin and…blonde. The blood rushed from his face at the same moment he received the message from Círa, apologizing for failing him.

“It is Círa!” he said to Orophin as the elleth spun around to face her adversaries. Yelling for those present to follow him, he rushed forward, knowing that he could never reach her in time.

~~~

“Come on!” Círa yelled at the monster in the Orc tongue. He was huge, even bigger than Lurtz, and this was the one that she had trained on the sword. How was she ever going to battle him with one arm? She needed both arms to wield her sword proficiently and the Uruk was not as stupid as some of the others, either. He knew Círa and was being very cautious. He circled her waiting for others to arrive as backup but she would not allow that. She attacked, using the broken left hand as little as possible as she swung at him. He was so tall. Waiting until he took a swing, she sidestepped the weapon and jumped up, giving her some extra height. Swinging her sword straight across when her arm was level with his neck, she gouged him deeply enough to make it a fatal wound. He felt bad that he would not die quickly, she thought as she heard him gurgling, but she could not help it. Her swing had lacked the necessary force to make a clean kill. She watched him fall to his knees and clutch at his throat. Turning, she ran with the sword in her hand. She would need it again momentarily.

~~~

Haldir ran as fast as he could, Orophin and Rurik at his side. Torval and several others, including Tamor were only yards behind. Haldir had seen Tamor, but was not in the least concerned with him at the moment. The only thing that mattered was getting to Círa before she was killed. As soon as they were within range of their bows, they could take some of the creatures out.

~~~

Círa heard the Uruk swing his sword and she turned and ducked at the same time, feeling the whoosh of his blade as it slashed over her head. Thrusting her own weapon up below his ribcage and into his heart, she wasted a good five seconds standing on him to give her the leverage she needed to pull the sword out with a single hand. It was a valuable five seconds because now she was forced to engage yet another of the warriors. This one was small, but fast. He got her in the shoulder even as she plunged her sword through his heart. Screaming in pain as she pulled her sword from his body, she turned to run, but staggered and fell. This time, she could not roll to her feet, but had to push herself up. There were more of them coming now; too many. She ran, stumbling as she moved forward. In the distance now, she saw the elves and realized that they were running into the clearing.

‘No!’ Her mind screamed. ‘Do not do this for me!’ This was not the fighting technique they preferred and she knew it. Her mind was becoming hazy but she still knew that the elves liked to fight from the trees first. They would all be in danger and it would be her fault again.

‘Hold on, Círa!’ Haldir’s voice said in her head.

‘No,’ she told him. ‘Go back. You cannot risk the lives of your wardens for me.’

‘We can still use bows,’ he assured her. ‘Be ready.’

‘It is too late, Haldir,’ she told him. ‘Just know that I love you.’

‘Círa!’ he yelled at her with his mind. ‘You are a warrior! Act like one now!’

She laughed to herself. He was right. If this was her time to go, she would die as a warrior, not as prey to these beasts. She whirled around again and lunged, catching another Uruk completely off guard. She did not kill him with the stroke and had to approach his prone figure to cut his throat. When she stepped too close, he grabbed her ankle in a crushing grip, causing her to shriek in fury as she drew the sword across his neck. She had to peel his fingers from her leg to free herself and by now she was surrounded. Within seconds, she had been knocked to the ground, a large foot on her chest, holding her down. She would die now, but she would die well. She held the eyes of her executioner as he brought the sword back for blow that would end her life. Two hundred years ago, she had cheated death and earned herself a few weeks of happiness for her trouble, but now she knew that it had been worth all the pain and suffering she had endured.

‘I love you Haldir,’ she said in her mind and calmly waited for the blow to fall.

~~~

“Now! Shoot now!” the Marchwarden yelled, aiming his own bow. They were so far away, but at least Círa was on the ground and not blocking their shots. Orophin and Haldir released their arrows at the same moment and reloaded instantly, running closer. Haldir was vaguely aware of arrows flying past his head and of other wardens running forward for better shots. He watched as the Uruk reached his powerful arms back for the death blow.

~~~

“Beg!” the Uruk told her, calling her that name again, the one she would not translate. “Beg for your life.”

“Never,” she told him, using a few choice Orc words of her own. He didn’t seem to care for what she had called him because now he reached his arms back, fury in his eyes. It was best this way, she knew. Otherwise he might do it slowly and that would be worse. She waited for death as the blow began to fall, but suddenly the Uruk faltered, two arrows hitting him in the neck simultaneously. He dropped the heavy sword; right onto Círa, unfortunately. She gritted her teeth as she tossed the weapon aside. When the Uruk fell, she was free to get up again, though she was having trouble doing so. It took her three tries to make it into an upright position. Staggering to the nearest Uruk, she did her best to engage him in battle, but she could no longer fight. Her right arm was weakened from the blow to her shoulder and her legs were giving out as well. She jumped aside as he sliced at her, but she was not fast enough. He got her good arm, causing her to drop her sword. Stepping backwards, she dodged his weapon and suddenly the elves were there. It was Tamor who made it to her first, finishing off the Uruk who had wounded her. Turning briefly, he met Círa’s eyes.

“Círa, I am so sorry. This is my fault,” he said, anguish in his eyes as he looked over her bloodied body. She was not sure why he thought that it was his fault, but she reached down to pick up her sword. She caught sight of Haldir, still using his bow along with Orophin, taking out as many of the Uruks as they could.

“Haldir, there are more!” she yelled to him. This was only about half of the group. He nodded, eyes on her briefly before turning and taking out two more of the creatures. Slowly, he made his way over to her.

“Círa, you are hurt!” he said, concerned when he saw the large amount of blood on her body. He knew that it was not Uruk blood. She lifted her sword and found that she could not grasp the handle.

“Yes, but it is nothing life-threatening,” she smiled faintly. If she didn’t bleed to death, that was. There was no point in mentioning that to Haldir. It would just distract him. Speaking of distractions, she heard the whir of a blade and ducked, but could not get back up into a standing position. Pushing herself backwards, she finally rolled onto her knees, able to stand once more. Círa couldn’t help but notice Tamor standing nearby, watching, yet doing nothing. Haldir turned and took out the enemy warrior as Tamor continued to stand, staring blankly at Círa.

“Tamor, kill something!” Círa yelled at him, not understanding why he did not move. Then he called her by her mother’s name. Even as she was ducking to give Haldir a clear shot, she turned to look at Tamor. He never stood a chance. An Uruk had approached him from behind and though she yelled to warn him, as did others, he never moved. Nobody had a clear shot. Círa saw the sword swing down and she watched the elf fall. A split second later, the Uruk also fell, dead from one of Haldir’s arrows. Turning, the Marchwarden dispatched another Uruk that was approaching Círa. Haldir and Círa ran to Tamor, reaching him at the same time.

The elf was alive, but he would not last long. Reaching a hand up to Círa, Tamor once again called her by her mother’s name. She exchanged a glance with Haldir, before kneeling down next to the wounded elf.

Haldir turned and retrieved some arrows, continuing to take out more Uruk-hai. Right now, he should be by Tamor’s side, but he could not do it, knowing what the warden had done. Since Círa was wounded, Haldir would just as soon have her tend to the dying elf, rather than try to fight in her injured condition. He would stay nearby and protect her with his life, if necessary.

“Círa, how many all together?” he asked her.

“Maybe a hundred,” she replied. She watched Tamor silently as his eyes closed and he slipped away into death. A range of emotions suddenly ran through her as she took his hands and folded them across his chest. Forcing herself back into a standing position, she moved towards Haldir now.

“He is gone,” she told the Marchwarden. Haldir just nodded.

“Stay by me, Círa. You cannot fight now,” he observed, just beginning to realize the true extent of her injuries.

“No, I cannot use either arm well,” she admitted. “But I can retrieve arrows.”

She began to pull out any arrows that she could, giving them to the elves that seemed to need them the most. It worked out well, because now all the Uruks in the clearing were dead and it was only those who were just approaching that needed to be taken out. That would be handled with arrows. Soon, the Uruk-hai caught on and quit entering the clearing. They were stupid, but not so stupid that they couldn’t learn. When it was obvious that the enemy had retreated, Haldir called the elves together, instructing that Tamor’s body was to be brought back with them to the Golden Wood. If the remaining Uruk-hai had the nerve to attack again, the elves would be ready. He turned to look around and was relieved to see that no other elf had fallen.

Haldir carefully pulled Círa to his chest now and kissed her, not caring who saw them at the moment.

“Can you walk, Círa?” he asked, his eyes looking more closely at her wounds.

“Of course I can walk,” she replied, just before everything went gray.

~To Be Continued~