Leaving Haldir's World

Leaving Haldir’s World
By Sinda

Chapter Three – A New World

Haldir and Rúmil looked around the small apartment, observing every detail. They wandered around the living room, looking without touching.

“You live here?” Haldir asked, frowning. Both women nodded.

Elda gave them a short tour of the two-bedroom apartment and the elves seemed especially intrigued by the kitchen. Sensing this, Elda showed them what the different appliances were and how some of them operated. Both elves jumped when they heard the garbage disposal and she warned them not to ever put anything into it that they valued, including their body parts. The microwave oven seemed to catch Rúmil’s attention and he opened and closed the door a few times, just to hear the bell. Haldir rolled his eyes, walking over to the sink once more to try and see how the moving water worked. He opened the cupboard under the sink and asked Elda about the pipes. She explained the plumbing as well as possible, but he had more questions than she could answer.

“We can look it up on the internet later,” she promised him, smiling.

“What is the internet?” he asked.

“Oh, boy,” she said. “I’m not sure where to even start to explain that one.”

Felicity walked out of her bedroom now, dressed in a long T-shirt. Both elves’ eyes opened wide at the sight of her bare legs and they wondered what had happened to her leggings. Disappearing into the kitchen, she returned with four beers, which she proceeded to pass out to the others before popping the top on her own. Haldir and Rúmil imitated her movements, opening their own cans. Cautiously, Haldir smelled the liquid first, while Rúmil took a big sip and coughed.

Felicity laughed, “It’ll grow on you.”

Haldir frowned again, “How do we prevent that?”

“No, she means that you will grow accustomed to the taste,” Elda explained.

Rúmil smiled at her and touched her face, “I could grow accustomed to you.”

Elda smiled wryly at the elf. “That may be, but you’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight, regardless.”

“Not necessarily,” Felicity said, batting her eyelashes. “I’ve got a big bed.”

Rúmil smiled at her. “Thank you for the offer, but the couch will do just fine,” he turned to Elda and added, “for now.”

Surprised, Haldir spoke to his brother in Elvish. “Rúmil, do my ears deceive me or did you just turn down a chance to join with this woman tonight?”

Rúmil laughed. “Do not sound so shocked, my dear brother. Maybe I am finally learning from your situation with Elisabeth that it is not always good to take what is too readily offered. Sometimes the best things are worth waiting for.”

“A wise choice, Rúmil,” Haldir told him. “I would have made the same decision.” He smiled at Elda.

Felicity looked at Haldir, a question in her eyes, “What about you? I’ll make you the same offer.”

Haldir raised an eyebrow, “I am bound to Elisabeth and will have no other. I shall sleep on the floor.”

Felicity chugged her beer and went to her room, alone and not happy about it. Elda, on the other hand, found herself respecting the elves for turning her roommate down. Most of the guys she brought home did not do so and Elda had spent many lonely nights listening to the sounds coming from the next bedroom. Not that Elda didn’t have the same opportunities but she was a bit more particular about whom she allowed into her bed, or her life, for that matter. Digging through a closet, she brought the elves blankets and pillows before excusing herself for the night.

“Thank you for allowing us to stay here tonight,” Haldir told her. “We shall leave at dawn.”

Elda stopped and considered that for a moment. “If you are planning on going out in public, you may need to do something about your appearance. You will want to be able to blend in better. I think that I’ll take the day off work tomorrow and help you. Please don’t leave the apartment without me.”

“We will not,” Haldir promised, wrapping himself in his blanket.

“Thank you, Elda,” Rúmil smiled. Elda returned his smile and thought that she could get accustomed to him, too.

~~~~~~~~~

Elisabeth lay on the damp ground, shivering. It had been warm enough earlier in the day, but now that it was dark the temperature had dropped quite a bit. She wondered how it was that Rowland slept so easily, but maybe he was used to it. The man was a bounty hunter and a guide and she knew that he spent much of his time traveling because of his duties. It was likely that he slept on the ground more often than not.

She missed her nice soft bed in the talan and she missed having Haldir holding her close while they slept, curled up together. She hoped that he was all right, wherever he was. The bindings on her wrists and ankles were very uncomfortable and since she could not sleep, Elisabeth worked at them until she was free. Standing, she looked around and realized that she had no idea where to go. As much as she did not want to stay with Rowland, she was more afraid right now to be alone. He had not yet made any advances towards her, so she hoped that she could trust him for a while until she could find Haldir. She would attempt to make an agreement with the man and if he did not cooperate, she would leave and try to find her way back alone. She lay back down on the grass and tried once more to sleep.

~~~~~~~~

Haldir lay on the carpeted floor, his blanket tossed aside. He did not understand how anybody could live in a box like this, with the air stale and no night sounds to lull one to sleep. Closing his eyes, he pictured himself and Elisabeth together in their talan, the smells of the trees and fresh air drifting through. He missed her terribly and he feared what Rowland would do to her. The man was unstable. Haldir tossed and turned, but sleep evaded him.

~~~~~~~~~

Elisabeth managed to drift off to sleep in the early hours of the morning, only to be awakened by a loud sound coming from the road. Startled, she sat up, her heart beating rapidly. It sounded as though someone were playing a long note on a trumpet. Eventually, the sound stopped and Elisabeth glanced over to see Rowland sitting nearby, watching her.

“Why did you not leave?” he asked her, the discarded bindings in his hands.

“I was hoping that we could come to an understanding. I do not know where to go and do not particularly wish to be alone in this world,” she admitted. “You have not touched me yet so I have some hope that you will not do so.”

“I want you, Elisabeth. I have wanted you since I first met you, yet I waited, hoping that we would wed when we got to Rohan,” he looked angry.

“Rowland, I understand that it did not turn out the way you had hoped, but I am bound to Haldir now and I love him with all of my heart. I have no desire for anybody else,” she told him.

He looked away for a moment before answering. “I will not take you against your will. I took you away from Lórien to punish you as well as to earn a hefty reward. I was completely within my rights as a bounty hunter to do so, you know, since it was Lord Denethor himself who offered the reward. You are a criminal and I planned to return you to face your punishment.”

“Do you even know why Lord Denethor has offered this reward?” she asked.

“No, he was very tight-lipped about it,” Rowland admitted.

“He was beating a child to death and I stopped him by distracting him. I insulted the man,” she explained.

Rowland looked into her eyes and saw the truth. He sighed. “Elisabeth, my true desire is to make you want me as much as I want you and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.”

“You may try all you want, Rowland, but it will change nothing. I will stay true to Haldir,” she warned.

“We shall see,” he said, hoping that her dependence on him in this strange world would draw them closer. “In the meantime, I expect that we can work together to try and find our way back. I will return you to Haldir when we get to Lórien if you will promise to make him spare my life,” he told her, not having any great desire to return.

“It is a deal. What shall we do now?” she asked. “I want to go home.”

“We shall return to the woods where we entered this world and see if we can find our way back,” he agreed. “But if not, you may have to be satisfied with staying here with me.”

“Let us try it,” she said, praying that Haldir would be there when they arrived.

~~~~~~~~~

Haldir was already awake when the others got up. He stood at the window, looking out through a small opening in the curtains, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Did you sleep at all?” Elda asked the elf.

“No,” he admitted. “I could not. I fear for my mate.”

Rúmil rose and folded his blanket, setting it neatly on the couch. He smiled when he saw that Elda was glancing at his bare torso, trying to do it without him seeing.

Embarrassed that she’d been caught looking, Elda quickly tried to recover. “Clothes,” she said, looking at Rúmil’s slender but nicely toned body. “We need to find you both some suitable clothing. I think you are about the same size as my brother, so we can borrow something from him.” She turned to Haldir. “You might be a problem.”

“I can borrow something from one of my friends,” Felicity said, eying Haldir’s form as she walked out of her room. “I’ll make a couple of calls.”

“I’m going to run over to my brother’s house and see what I can find for you, Rúmil,” Elda told him. “Stay here and I’ll be right back.”

Felicity sat down on the couch and grabbed a shiny off-white object from the small table next to her and began to punch buttons. Haldir and Rúmil both listened to the tones it made.

“Hey it’s me,” she said.

Haldir looked at Rúmil. He didn’t know what she meant by the comment. Rúmil shrugged.

“I was wondering if you had some clothes I could borrow for a couple of days,” she said.

“You wish to borrow clothes from me?” Haldir asked, since she was looking right at him.

She covered the mouthpiece and whispered, “I’m on the phone.”

Haldir looked at Rúmil again, even more confused.

“That’ll be good,” she said, still looking at Haldir.

“What will be good?” he asked.

She covered the mouthpiece again, “Will you shut up while I’m on the phone?”

Haldir turned to Rúmil once more and saw that his brother was as confused as he was.

“O.K. I’ll be right over,” she said, replacing the object.

“What is that thing and what do you mean when you ask if I will shut up?” Haldir queried.

“It’s a phone. You know, you call people and talk to them. Shut up means to be quiet,” she added.

He raised an eyebrow. “I am the Marchwarden of Lothlórien. Nobody asks me to be quiet.”

“Sorry, honey,” she said, snapping a piece of gum. Both elves started at the sound.

She laughed. “I’m going to borrow some clothes for you and I’ll be right back.” Grabbing her purse, she ran out the door.

Haldir walked over and picked up the phone. He held it up to his ear as Felicity had done, but he heard nothing.

“She pushed something first and made those sounds,” Rúmil said.

Haldir pushed couple of buttons and listened again, but nothing happened. He sat the phone back down. “I do not like this world, Rúmil.”

~~~~~~~~~

Rowland and Elisabeth walked into the clearing and looked around. It was still fairly early and the dew had just begun to dry on the grass. Elisabeth held her breath as she stepped back into the spot where they had originally entered this world. Rowland held his breath, too. If she disappeared, he did not know if he would take a chance and follow her. No matter what she said, it was likely that Haldir would kill him on sight. He may be safer staying in this world, though he did not know what it had to offer him. Rowland knew that he was taking a risk by letting Elisabeth look for the door to their world, but he did not think that she would find it. There was no strange feel such as what they’d experienced in the Lothlórien glade. This portal from their world might very well just work one way. No, he was fairly confident that they would not be able to return and that Elisabeth would eventually turn to him. He was willing to take the risk and let her search.

They wandered the clearing for almost an hour before Elisabeth turned away, fighting back tears.

“It is no use,” she said. “There is no way to get back, is there?”

“I do not know, Elisabeth,” Rowland said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I fear that there is not or we would have heard about strangers from this place being in our world. Have you ever heard of such a thing?”

“No,” she admitted, knowing that he was probably right. “I wish I knew if Haldir had come through or not.”

“Elisabeth, we never saw him or heard him. Do you not think that if he had come through, we would have known it? Would he not be here now, searching for you in the one place that he would hope to find you?”

“He must have known not to follow us,” she admitted, choking back a sob. “I may never see him again.”

Rowland pulled her against his chest and held her while she cried.

~~~~~~~~~

Elda and Felicity returned at almost the same time, both carrying clothing. Elda handed a pair of jeans and a button up shirt to Rúmil who began to undress.

“Uh, hold on!” she told him, steering him towards the bathroom. “You can change in here.”

Smiling, Felicity handed a bag to Haldir with clothes that should fit him. “You can change in here.”

He raised an eyebrow.

Elda intervened, pointing him in the direction of her bedroom before pulling the door closed behind him.

“You’re no fun, Elda,” Felicity pouted.

“He is happily married and he’s worried about his wife. Give it up, Felicity.”

“What is this room?” Rúmil asked, opening the door. “You did not explain it yesterday.”

Elda thought he looked handsome in the tight fitting jeans and the shirt, though he had also looked just as wonderful in his tunic and leggings. She walked into the small room with him and explained the functions of the restroom facilities, trying to ignore how close he was.

“This is a sink, like the one in the kitchen,” she explained. “This is a shower and bathtub, for bathing.” She demonstrated how it worked. He was spellbound as he watched the water from the shower rain down.

Lifting the lid of the toilet, she hesitated, not sure exactly how to explain it.

“This is a toilet,” she said, “for…well…relieving yourself.”

He looked a little bit surprised.

“Then when you are done, you flush it, like this,” she pulled the handle and he jumped back.

“Can I try it?” he asked.

“Well, of course, but wait until I leave,” she said. She did her best to explain what the toilet paper was for and showed him the soap and towels. He seemed especially intrigued by the soap dispenser. He smiled at her as she moved past him to leave the room. Their bodies touched slightly as she tried to get around him and she found her throat suddenly tight. She pulled the door shut behind her and went into the living room where she heard the toilet flush. The sound of the water running in the sink came shortly after and soon Rúmil came back out, sitting next to Elda on the couch, then scooting even closer. He had just begun to tell her how beautiful her eyes were when the bedroom door opened and Haldir walked out. There was dead silence as all three other occupants of the room stared at him.

The elf was clad in skintight black leather.

“Oh, my God,” Felicity said, eyes almost bulging. “You are so hot!”

Elda had to agree, but since she was beginning to find herself more and more attracted to Rúmil, she kept her mouth shut.

“Yes, it is rather warm,” Haldir noted, frowning. “The garments are not very comfortable, either.”

“Felicity, they are supposed to blend in,” Elda reminded her roommate. “He is going to draw the attention of every woman that sees him; probably half of the men, too. He is not going to blend in.”

“But Elda,” Felicity insisted, smiling, “it was all I could get.”

“Right. Do I look like I was born yesterday?” she asked.

“No,” Rúmil answered, not understanding. “You would be an infant.”

“Never mind,” Elda sighed. “We’ll have to make do. You’ll have to take the braids out. They will draw attention.”

Haldir managed his hair without a problem, but Rúmil seemed to be having trouble, finally asking Elda for help. She got the braids out and brushed his hair, letting it run through her fingers a bit as she did so. He had wonderful hair.

“I’ve got to go to work,” Felicity said, still staring at Haldir. “I’ll see you guys later. Please don’t change your clothes before I get back.”

~~~~~~~~~

Elisabeth and Rowland spent almost an hour in the clearing before the first cop car pulled up. Grabbing Elisabeth’s hand, Rowland pulled her back into the woods and out of sight.

“Maybe we could talk to them,” she suggested.

“And say what, Elisabeth? That we are looking for a portal to another world? They would think we were daft. We need to get away from here and find something to eat. It wouldn’t hurt to get different garments, too.”

“And how will we do that?” she asked.

“I do not know,” he admitted, heading in a different direction this time. He did not want to go back to the busy road.

~~~~~~~~~

Elda turned to Haldir, “I’m guessing that you’ll want to go back to the park and see if your wife has shown up?”

“Yes, I think that would be the wisest course,” he nodded. “I am anxious to go as soon as possible.”

“Before we go, you must see this, Haldir,” Rúmil said, walking towards the bathroom. Elda shook her head and got her purse and keys as she heard Rúmil speaking rapidly to his brother in Elvish. She let them finish their little tour before getting them outside and locking the door behind them. They had wanted to bring their bows and arrows, but she had been able to persuade them not to do so. Though they both felt funny without their weapons, she assured them that it would be for the best.

This time, they took her pickup truck and it was a tight fit with the three of them in the front seat. Rúmil sat in the middle and didn’t seem to mind being so close, especially when she had to reach between his legs and shift gears. He put his arm across the back of her seat, which was very disconcerting while she drove. The elves had what seemed like hundreds of questions and she answered them as well as possible, but it was a challenge. This world was so new to them that it seemed like she couldn’t answer one question without prompting several more. When they drew close to the park, she glanced over and noticed that Rúmil had some of his hair tucked behind a pointed ear. She pulled the hair back and covered his ear.

“You will need to keep your ears hidden,” she reminded them. “Your pointy ears will draw more attention than anything.

“If I forget, will you do that again?” Rúmil smiled.

“Do what?” she asked, downshifting.

“Play with my ears,” he said.

“I was not playing with your ears, I was covering them,” she insisted, her cheeks turning pink.

She suddenly frowned and slowed the truck, “Oh, oh. That’s not good.”

Haldir looked out the window to see two cars that resembled the one they’d run from the previous night.

“The cops are here,” Elda said. “We can’t stop. I hope they don’t see you guys and recognize you.”

She drove past but it didn’t seem as though they had been noticed.

“Elda, these cops, are they wardens?” Haldir asked, tensing.

“Wardens,” she repeated. “Yes, I guess you could say so. They protect the people and property of this city.”

He nodded. “Why would they be here?”

“Either it’s because of last night or something else must have happened,” she shrugged. “Maybe they’re here in case you come back.”

“Or maybe Elisabeth and Rowland have shown up and there were problems. I need to find out,” he said, his voice tense.

“I can park the truck down the road if you want to sneak back and look,” Elda offered. “Do you think you can stay hidden in the woods?”

Haldir laughed, sharing a glance with Rúmil. “Oh, I think I can manage that.”

She parked and Haldir took off through the trees at a run. Now that he was gone, she noticed Rúmil’s proximity even more.

“You can move over if you want more room,” she told him, trying not to appear ill at ease.

“I do not want more room,” he told her, touching her face. “I am perfectly content to be right here, unless it bothers you.”

“It bothers me, but in a good way,” Elda said, heart rate accelerating.

“Good,” Rúmil said, turning her chin towards him and lowering his mouth to hers. His lips touched hers briefly before moving to her ear and down to her neck. Something in the back of Elda’s mind was trying to insist that she did not allow strange men…elves to kiss her before even having a first date, but she quickly squashed the thought. For the moment, all that mattered was the absolutely wonderful feelings that were coursing through her body. He focused his attention on her mouth once more and deepened the kiss this time. Elda found herself responding as she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer.

~~~~~~~~~


Rowland and Elisabeth walked for almost an hour before coming to a large clearing full of buildings. From the safety of the woods, they watched for a while and noticed that occasionally a person would leave one of the buildings and get into what had to be a wagon.

“How do they move without a horse to pull them?” he asked, amazed.

Elisabeth just shook her head.

After a while, Rowland pointed to a house where a woman was getting into one of the carts with a small child.

“Her husband already left the house about an hour ago, so it is probably empty now,” he looked over Elisabeth’s body briefly. “She is not quite as slim as you, but she may have some clothing that you can wear. The husband looked to be close to my size. Wait here.”

As soon as the car pulled away, Rowland slipped through the back yard and up to some sliding glass patio doors. It took him a moment to figure out how to open them, but soon he disappeared inside. Elisabeth waited nervously, listening behind her for footsteps at the same time she watched to see if the man or woman returned to the house. Within about a minute, Rowland stuck his head back out and motioned for Elisabeth to join him. She quickly made her way across the lawn and into the house, heart beating furiously at the fear of being caught.

Rowland led her to a room where he pointed out a closet and a couple of dressers.

“Pick something, quickly,” he advised her.

Elisabeth went to the closet and looked over the dresses, and was aghast to find that they were all very short, falling halfway down her thighs.

“I cannot wear something like this! It would be indecent!” she insisted.

“Elisabeth, it is what the women here wear. We’ve seen a few already. We may not have much time so choose something.”

She noticed that most of the dresses seemed too big for her slight frame, but found one that was made of a stretchable material. Grabbing it, she went into another room to change. When she finished she looked into the mirror and laughed. The dress clung to her body and she thought that she looked far more obscene than the prostitutes that Rowland had helped transport to Rohan. She walked back into the bedroom, but averted her eyes quickly as she realized Rowland was changing. When he was finished, she walked back to the closet to find something else.

She heard his sharp intake of breath and turned to see what was wrong, but found him staring at her.

“Do not be concerned,” she told him. “I do not plan on going outside in this garment. It is obscene. Maybe it is meant to be worn beneath something else.”

“I do not think so,” he told her, still staring. “I saw two other women dressed similarly. They did not look like you do, though. You need different shoes.” He found a pair in the closet that looked like what the other women were wearing.

Elisabeth slipped them on and found them slightly large, but thought that they would do.

Rowland could not keep his eyes off her body and that gave her more incentive to find something else to wear. She had just begun to look through the closet again when they heard a car pull into the driveway. Grabbing her hand, Rowland quickly led her back out the sliding glass door. Still carrying their own clothing and Elisabeth’s elven shoes, they moved back into the woods.

“I think we should leave our clothing and your shoes here for now. We can hide them,” Rowland stated. “I am concerned about my weapons, too, since none of the men I’ve seen seemed to be carrying any.”

“But would it be wise to walk about without your weapons?” Elisabeth asked, concerned.

“Wiser than drawing attention with them,” he told her. He dug a hole in the soft earth with his sword and buried their clothing along with his sword and scabbard. His knife he kept strapped to his side, but let the checkered flannel shirt cover it. When they were done, they moved out of the woods onto a sidewalk and began to walk towards the city center.

~~~~~~~~~~

Haldir moved silently through the woods until he got close to the clearing where they had first entered this world. He could see the two black and white cars, parked in opposite directions so that the two drivers could talk to each other through their open windows. His acute hearing allowed him to follow their conversation and he was able to learn that they were indeed looking for him. He had planned on spending the day here, in case Elisabeth showed up, but that would be impossible now. Rowland would probably keep her away from here anyway, but where would he take her? Haldir decided to do a quick search of the woods one more time before returning to the truck.

~~~~~~~~~

Rowland handed Elisabeth an apple he had grabbed from the house and she looked at it a moment before taking a bite.

“It is so shiny!” she said, running her thumb along the piece of fruit before smelling it. “There is something strange on it. Does is taste normal?”

“Tastes wonderful,” Rowland said, almost finished with his.

She bit into it tentatively and didn’t like the feel of whatever coated the apple. She ate it anyway and once she got past the peeling, the inside tasted normal. Maybe Rowland couldn’t tell the difference, but with her heightened elf senses, she certainly could.

The houses were closer together now and as they continued to walk, they came to an area that they concluded must be some sort of market. Following the smell of fresh baked pastries, they walked inside a small shop and cautiously approached the counter. The young man behind the counter gawked at Elisabeth, making her feel uncomfortable.

“What are these?” Rowland asked, pointing to the items behind the glass counter.

“Which ones?” the young man asked, his eyes not leaving Elisabeth.

“Any of them. What are they called?”

He glanced at Rowland. “Doughnuts?”

“Doughnuts,” Rowland repeated, pulling out a piece of silver. “May I purchase two of them?”

The kid glanced at the silver coin and looked back at Rowland, “Not with this.”

“This is silver,” Rowland informed him. “Why may I not use it?”

“Sorry buddy, you’ll have to go to the bank and get real money,” he said, eyes moving up and down Elisabeth’s body.

“Where is the bank?” Rowland asked. The kid was able to give him the directions without his eyes ever leaving Elisabeth’s body once. By the time they walked out the door, she was very upset.

“Rowland, there is something wrong with the way I am dressed. Did you see how he looked at me? I need to find something else.”

“There is nothing wrong with the way you are dressed,” he assured her. “It is just hard not to look at you. I do not blame him.”

She turned red and followed him silently down the street. When they came to the bank, they had to stand in line before it was their turn. Rowland put a couple of the pieces of silver on the counter and asked if he could trade it for common currency. The teller looked the coin over and finally called for a supervisor.

“Where is this from?” Rowland was asked.

“Gondor,” he replied.

“Gondor?” the man smiled. “Right, well, I can’t help you out, but if it’s real silver, you may be able to sell it at the coin shop on the corner.” Rowland thanked him and they walked out the door.

“Where’s Gondor?” the teller asked.

“In Middle Earth,” the supervisor answered, smiling. “From Lord of the Rings. It was a joke, I’m sure.”

~~~~~~~~~

Elda heard a sound escape her lips as Rúmil’s hand moved over her side and down her leg. She was wearing jeans and right now they felt about an inch thick. She wished she had worn shorts so that she could feel his hands on her legs better. He was breathing hard as he pushed his tongue between her lips, and for the first time in her life, Elda seriously began to consider having sex in her truck in broad daylight. Rúmil was incredible.

The door was suddenly flung open and Haldir jumped inside, agitated.

“Go!” he said, slamming the door. In a rustle of clothing and keys, Elda managed to get the truck started and took off down the road. Haldir watched out the back window as they flew down the street.

~~tbc~~