Through the Window

Chapter Fourteen

Haldir lay Niamh down upon the bed of elven silks as she lay silent and still, her breath coming slowly, though, so he knew that she slept soundly. He lay his hand upon her sweet-young face and kissed her lightly upon her brow. Then, lifting her legs over the sheets, he lay her beneath-them and covered her fully so that she was not naked before him, for he had no clothes to give to her at the moment.

He rose and went to the window where there was set a silver basin of moonlit water. He carried the basin to Niamh’s bedside, for though he thought that he should wait to treat her wounds a bit until she awoke, he could not bear to look upon her all covered in dirt and her pretty face soiled as it was.

“A’ maelamin.” He sighed with a faint smile as he dipped his hand into the silvery water and spread it along her brow. The dirt washed away at his touch and revealed many bruises he had not seen before. In his mind he cursed the faerie, but he did not speak aloud, for he feared that Niamh would awake all of a sudden and hear him speaking foully.

Why would an evil so great as the faerie lord wish to posses something so pure and good as a harmless young maiden? Why would he bother to seek after her...company? Perhaps it was the faerie’s wish to merely steal away what made her pure, but then, perhaps it was that he loved her.

Haldir shuddered at this thought and he furrowed his brow as his mind was lost in thought of he evil faerie. He wished to slay him, to be forever rid of his evil presence, but this the young elf could not do, for the faerie would not die. The creature could be slain by no weapon any elf possessed.

Haldir sighed in merry remembrance of the arrows-he had left within the faerie’s back, and he knew that it would be long before the evil creature could regain strength. Then, the elves would merely capture him once more and---..... wait a moment! Had not some unknown darkness removed the elven bindings from the faerie? Had not he been released once before? If the elves were to capture him once more, then their efforts would surely be in vain, for surely the same fool who had released him before would return to once more commit the duty in the same.

Would never his evil be gone from Lothlorien the fair? Haldir sighed and lay his hand to rest upon Niamh’s belly. The faerie would never leave the Golden Wood lest he had beside him Niamh, fair maiden pure.

Haldir thought no more of this as his heart began to fall in greif, for to love a woman who bore such a burden as the evil faerie would be trying. Well, not o much to simply love her, but to keep her as well. The faerie would never again have this lovely maiden that was so very good.

“Lle naa amin... lle naa amin mela.” Th eyoung elf sighed as he lay a soft kiss upon Niamh’s pale white shoulder. She was cold still and it would seem that indeed she were dead, had not breathing risen within her chest to lower and raise it. She slept still, or so Haldir thought. “Poikaer, Lirimaer.”

But then, as Haldir lowered his lips to kiss her own in tender greeting, he heard her voice come to him softly and quietly so that he could hear her only just. As she spoke, she raised her hand to his cheek: “Tell to me what you have said... for I cannot speak the elvish tongue.” and she suffered a small laugh to escape her lips.

Haldir smiled. “A! Lle uuma kain!” He exclaimed and took her hand into his own, holding it to his bossom. He was silent for a moment as with his right hand he stroked her cheeks and with his soft lips he lay kisses upon her brow. Niamh kissed her hand and lay it upon his cheek.

The elf smiled and kissed her hand where her kiss had lain. “I had told unto you as you slept...” He fell silent for a moment and his eyes were grave as he continued thus: “you are mine... you are my love... pure one, lovely one.”

And he lay her hands upon her belly as he dipped his own into the basin of water. Niamh smiled, but what she spoke thereafter shocked Haldir.
“I am yours, for you are my love. And who would take me from you?”

Haldir turned to her with shock. Did she not remember the faerie lord Donnaghue and what pain he had caused her? Haldir took her hand and raised it so that she might look upon it. There upon it were may bruises and wounds she did not recall. She furrowed her brow and raised her arm to look upon it. It differed little from her hand and she wondered as to how she had begotten such wounds.

Still deeply in thought, she made to rise to her knees and look upon her feet and legs, but she was thrown down to her pillow once more by an unimaginable pain that surged through her side. As she looked, Haldir looked as well, and when she turned onto her left side so that he might view the better what it was that had caused her such pain, he saw there upon her soft flesh a great wound that had been pulled and stressed greatly in her struggle with Celeborn and with the faerie lord. But it did not bleed, and, in fact, it looked as if it were healing of its own accord, for it was not festered and already some had hardened.

Haldir sighed in relief as he began to wash what dirt there was upon the wound and when it was cleaned, he turned Niamh to face him once more.
He saw that her eyes were wide in what seemed to be a sudden realization of what had occurred only a short time before.

“H-Haldir...!” She gasped as she rose to her knees, despite the burning pain that surged through her body, “Oh, Haldir! What has become of me?” and she looked frantically about her, a terror that seemed to be madness burning in her eyes as she looked to the windows all and searched the trees there.

“Where is he?!” She cried, tears streaming over her cheeks as she remembered the faerie lord Donnaghue. “Where is he?!Haldir! Where is he, Haldir?!”

She sprang to her feet and leapt from the bed, though she was naked and dirty, and ran to the corner where there were no windows and where the shadows, she prayed,would hide her from eyes that did not watch her. Haldir followed after her, seeing that madness had overtaken her... and he did not think it surprising it did so.

Niamh fought him away when he wrapped his arms about her,laying his head upon her shoulder all for to comfort her. The girl seemed to have gone mad as she kicked and screamed for release, though Haldir would not give it until she calmed herself.

He whispered sweet words in her ear and begged for her to silence, stroking her cheek as gently as he could whilst she struggled in his arms. It seemed that she did not even know him as she fought away from him; it seemed as though she did not know that he wished to aid her in her plight. She finally pulled away from him and as she ran across the flet, Haldir followed after her. He did not know what pain the faerie had exactly brought upon her, and this she knew as she fell to the ground and frantically began to wipe between her-legs, though she knew that it was far to late for such things to be of avail.

Haldir stopped and watched as she wept and wiped her thighs with maddened speed and vigor. The lf was puzzled for a moment, but then he realized what had been brought upon her and he was horrified. He quickly ran to her, and, oddly, she did not fight him away. She allowed him to wrap his arms about her and lift her into his arms, whispering to her words of comfort and of love as she trembled in his arms.

Within, Haldir was tormented, but upon is face there rested a small smile that he hoped was comforting as she gazed upon him with tears in her eyes. He wondered as to why he faerie would wish to bring such pain upon such a sweet young maiden, who was so very innocent and pure.

As Haldir lay the weeping girl upon the bed and covered her form with the elven sheets, he cursed the faerie beneath his breath while he stroked the terrified girl’s brow.

“Oh, what as he done to you, Niamh?” He sighed heavily as he lay his head down upon her breast and listened there to her heart that beat within. She did not answer, but she sobbed and lay her hand amid his golden tresses, lovingly stroking his pointed ears.

She lifted his head and she found his gaze, though there was great sorrow there and it nearly made her weep greater than she had before. Niamh tilted her head and as he gazed upon her, she removed her hands form his cheeks and lifted them up before his eyes.

“Do you see my hands?” She asked of him tenderly and wiped away her tears that fell, only to bring her hands before him once more. “You ask what the faerie lord has done to me... well, these hands are all that I can give to you when we are wed. That is what he has done. Taken from me my gift to you...I would to have given you my--”

But Haldir held his fingers to her lips to silence her and shook his head slowly. She was so very lovely in the falling moonlight that so gracefully danced upon her. Her fiery locks fell about her and entwined about her pale skin and over her fingers, for it was so long, and her eyes as green as the very Emerald Isle from whence she had come shone out upon him as his eyes travled over her briefly. He sighed and brushed the hair form her face as he said:

“Do not grieve, melamin, for you have stolen my heart. It matters not what you give unto me... your hands are lovely and gentle, I would have them over anything other!” He brought her palm to his lips and kissed it softly as she sighed and wiped tears from her eyes.

She smiled and laughed slightly, holding her arms out to him. He did not take them, but instead he lay her head down upon-the pillow and bid her rest, for her wounds still were fresh and he said that he must heal them before she became infected, for he knew how easy it would be for a mortal to catch fever and perish.

Niamh closed her eyes and drifted into sleep, but before she did so, she said few, simple words that echoed within Haldir’s ears and made him happy: “Let us wed not upon the fortnight, but upon the morrow.”

And then she was lost within her dreams and said nothing more. Haldir sighed and smiled, his smile brightening as he thought upon her words, and though he said nothing for fear of waking her, he bowed his head and lay his hand over his heart, thinking it a wise thing to accept her proposal, for she was weary and the elf wished to wait no longer before she would be his own and he her own...

TO BE CONTINUED!!!!......