The Heart of an Elf

The Heart of an Elf

Chapter 3

The Opening Ceremony of the Fall Festival was as magnificent as always! The guests were seated at long tables, which ran parallel to the walls, opening the room up to the rising cheers and laughter of the celebration. The royal table had a unique U-shape, so the guests could face each other and they would not have to lean over each other to carry on a conversation with someone at the end of the table.
Lord Elrond sat at the head, with Galadriel, Celeborn, Elladan, Arwen, and Elrohir on his right; Haldir, Legolas, Glorfindel, Aragorn and Erestor on his left.
The night progressed slowly and little bit uncomfortably for Haldir. He could feel the Peredhil’s stolen glances at him through dinner, and was keenly aware of the intimate gestures between Legolas and Glorfindel when he glanced at his right. The Marchwarden half-heartedly ate his food, wishing that he could be sitting by his brothers and warriors instead. The galadhrim noticed the curious gazes of numerous elves when he took his seat by Elrond at the beginning of the feast; he felt like some kind of exotic creature, caged for the amusement of carefree onlookers.
Finally the last course of the meal, the dessert, was served. Sweet delicacies were brought to the tables and the Lord of Imladris signaled to the elven musicians to play dance tunes, which indicated for all the guests, that the dinner was over and everyone was free to mingle and dance ‘till the wee hours of the dawn.
“Care for a dance?” asked Glorfindel reaching for Legolas’ hand and the prince nodded his golden head, accepting the offered limb with a smile.
Haldir could not help but stare at the pair as they made their way to the center of the dance floor. He had to admit that both elves looked magnificent together. Glorfindel wore a light brown silk tunic this night, with golden flowers embroidered in the soft material, stating his title as the High Lord of the House of the Golden Flower of Gondolin. His leggings were the shade of spun gold and clung tightly to his legs, accenting his long, muscled calves that were slipped into moss colored, soft boots to finish his attire. The seneschal’s sun kissed long locks were braided at his temple to leave his delicately pointed ears uncovered, in custom with his Noldor heritage. He moved gracefully as he took the Mirkwood prince in his arms and Legolas eased his light form into that embrace with a familiar move. It was obvious to the galadhrim that the two elves cared for each other very much.
Haldir felt a light touch on his shoulder and when he turned, his eyes found Elrond’s questioning gaze on him. “Are you enjoying yourself tonight, my friend?” asked the Peredhil.
“ It’s a lovely evening my lord. I’m not accustomed to such a feast as this, but maybe I will find my party mood as the night wears on,” answered the Marchwarden truthfully.
“ I can understand your uneasiness, Haldir. You have 3000 years of absence from this house. I would like to see you to enjoy your stay in Imladris,” said Elrond with a warm tone in his voice.
“Ai, do not worry about me, my lord. I’ll go and find my brothers. I’m sure that they could give me some pointers on how to indulge myself in the finest things that Imladris has to offer,” replied the galadhrim, standing up from his seat with a respectful bow.
Elrond watched as Haldir walked in the direction of his brother’s’ table, and his eyes were filled with longing and sadness. The elven lord forced his eyes away from the galadhrim and turned, feeling Galadriel steady gaze upon him.
“ Give him time, Elrond. The hurt is still too deep in Haldir’s heart; he will come to you when the time is right,” offered the Lady of the Golden Wood. The Peredhil nodded his head in an understanding gesture and a faint smile appeared in the corners of his mouth.
Haldir slowly moved through the hall searching for his brothers in the crowd. He caught sight of Orophin standing by the wall with a cup of wine in his hand, watching the dancers. As the Marchwarden neared to his younger sibling, he noticed that Orophin’s eyes following one particular elf, and his face was flushed with a thoughtful expression. Haldir turned to follow his brother’s gaze to find that lucky elf who had caught Orophin’s attention. The galadhrim almost dropped his wine, when his eyes found the elf in question. Glorfindel twirled around with Legolas on the last tune of the music and placed a soft kiss on the prince’s brow.
Haldir’s heart painfully convulsed in his chest, “ Oro has feelings for the seneschal who’s clearly bound to another!”
Haldir quickly moved behind a pillar nearby, making sure that Orophin did not see him. His mind raced like a hurricane. “ I have to find Rumil, he must know what’s going on!”
As that thought entered his mind, Haldir swiftly walked to the table where his brother’s had been eating not long ago, and his eyes roamed over the guests, looking for his other sibling. The next moment he caught sight of Rumil, dancing with a fair maiden from Mirkwood. The Marchwarden made his way toward the pair with an intense gaze.
Rumil smiled at the young elf maiden in his arms, but a sudden hot feeling on his nape made him look up. He saw Haldir approaching with a deadly stare flaming in his eyes. Rumil’s blood ran cold in an instant. He knew that something serious had happened, and he slightly dropped his head signaling to his brother that at the end of this dance he would seek him out. The older galadhrim glanced toward the exit indicating that he would be outside and waiting for him, then disappeared from view.
Haldir could feel that a helpless rage was building up inside him as he exited the dining hall. His palms curled into a painful grip as he strolled out to the garden. “ Orophin deserves to be happy, how could the Valar put such a burden as an unreturned love in my little brother’s heart!” thought Haldir. He tried to control the urge to scream his anger into the night; his body was trembling with the force of the restrained reaction.
The music halted inside the hall and the galadhrim walked to the fountain in the center of the garden, waiting for Rumil’s arrival. A few minutes later, he could hear light footsteps from behind the rose bushes, and he was just about to call out, when a familiar sound hit his ears.
“ I see that you still dance just as gracefully as when I first held you in my arms pen-neth,” said the voice that belonged to Glorfindel. “Ai, and you kiss just as sweetly as when I held you in my arms our first night,” answered Legolas. The pair was partially hidden by the flowers, but Haldir could see that Glorfindel leaned towards the prince to capture his mouth for a kiss. Legolas put his arms around the seneschal, his fingers slipped through the silky hair of the Elda, pulling him closer as he opened his lips to invite the balrog slayer’s tongue into his mouth. Haldir was transfixed at the sight of the two elves in their intimate embrace and something stirred inside of him with a sharp tingle. He could not look away as the couple shared that passionate kiss and Legolas began to moan with the intensity of it. Glorfindel slid his palms down Legolas’ back and cupped the prince’s firm bottom in his hands, grinding his pelvis wantonly to Legolas’ groin.
Haldir felt heat pouring through his veins at the erotic display in front of his eyes, and he did not know what to do. Any moment and Rumil would be coming to look for him. And there was the danger that the pair would see him when they disengaged from their embrace at the sound of someone’s approach. The Marchwarden slowly dropped on his knees without a sound and crawled around the fountain like a toddler. As soon as he reached the area behind it, he quickly pushed himself up from the ground and, with the stealth of a ghost, disappeared on the path that led to the river.
Rumil was almost running, when he turned on the path to the fountain. He knew that Haldir was not the patient type, especially when something was amiss. He was delayed by Erestor, who invited him for a cup of wine at the royal table. Rumil had to make a silly excuse, saying that a young maiden was waiting for him in the garden and he didn’t want to disappoint the lady by waiting too long in vain. The galadhrim had almost reached his destination when he saw Glorfindel and Legolas walking hand in hand from the same direction in which he was headed.
“ You’re in such a haste tonight, mellon,” Legolas greeted Rumil with a smile, “Is it an elf or an elf maiden this time who awaits you in this balmy night?” he asked with a wink.
“An elf. And he will be very grumpy and he will think that I was just fooling with him if I don’t get there soon,” answered Rumil with a grin.
“ In that case, please do not let us delay you, my friend. But tomorrow morning I will call upon you to tell me about your new lover!” said the prince, and stepped out of Rumil’s way with another wink.
The guardian forced a smile on his face and with a quick bow of his head, left the couple behind.
Haldir was sitting on a rock and watched as the moonlight danced on the waves of the water. His mind replayed the intimate scene from the garden, and the Marchwarden felt a deep shame rise from the pit of his stomach. “ I cannot believe this; my little brother is in pain, and what did I do? I watched his heart’s desire passionately kissing in the dark, in secret, and got aroused by it like an elfling!” But he could not help feeling the heat pouring to his groin as the memory of that passionate kiss returned. The most alarming thing was that he felt a little jealousy towards the seneschal. To see the Mirkwood prince in such abandon in the elven lord’s arms made Haldir’s chest tight. He wished to be the one receiving those sensual kisses and moans from Thranduil’s heir. The prince managed to stir up something deep inside Haldir, a feeling that was buried so long ago. He couldn’t put his finger on what was it yet, but the silver haired elf was aware of the change inside himself.
The sound of fast moving elven steps broke through Haldir ‘s inner turmoil. As the Marchwarden looked up, he saw Rumil approaching at full speed with a concerned look in his eyes.
“I’m sorry to be late, Haldir, but Lord Erestor insisted that I have a cup of wine with him. I politely declined and came as fast as I could,” said the younger Galadhel. Haldir nodded and stepped in front of his brother; his eyes bored into Rumil’s blue orbs.
“How long have you known? How long since our little brother suffers the pain of hopeless love for someone who is bound to another, Rumil? How could you keep something like this from me?” asked Haldir, barely containing himself from shouting. Rumil’s face went white as a fresh snow. He could see that Haldir was in rage, and his eyes were sparkling with fury that threatened to break free any second.
“Forgive me, my brother! I promised Orophin that I would keep his secret ‘til he is ready to talk to you about it himself. And there are things that you’re not aware, Haldir,” answered Rumil.
“Then, by all means enlighten me, gwador, before I do something that I’ll regret!” replied the Marchwarden with an icy tone.
Rumil took a deep breath. He was glad that Haldir didn’t strangle him just yet and was willing to listen.
“Glorfindel is the prince’s mentor and one of his closest friend. When Legolas came to Imladris to be educated by Lord Elrond, he was only 500 years old and already an exceptional archer. The seneschal took the prince under his wings and they became very close. It was still a huge surprise when it became obvious that they started to share their bed. Lord Glorfindel never let anyone get close to him since his return from Mandos’ Halls and the young prince was the first who was able to melt the ice around the seneschal’s heart. Legolas told me once, that he loves Glorfindel dearly, but they’re not in love. There will be no binding between them in the traditional way, but their friendship runs deep, and they care for each other very much. Time to time they still share a bed as lovers do, as long as neither of them finds true love. Yes, Orophin is indeed in love with Glorfindel more than five centuries now. But he has hope, Haldir! If it weren’t possible our little brother would have faded away a long time ago. The problem is, that Oro is too patient. Every time, when he finally decided to pursue the seneschal, someone else caught Glorfindel’s attention or he choused to be comforted by Legolas,” explained Rumil.
“You’re telling me, that Orophin has waited over five centuries now for an opening to charm Glorfindel?” asked Haldir with a raised eyebrow, somewhat calmed. Rumil shook his shoulder with a helpless gesture.
” You know very well that Oro is just like Naneth. Quiet and patient, “ answered the younger brother.
Haldir looked at Rumil for a long moment in total silence. His mind tried to process all the information that his brother provided. “ I wager, that Legolas has no idea about this either,” said Haldir, not really waiting for confirmation. “ No, he does not. Orophin made sure of that. No one knows except me and you,” said Rumil.
The older Galadhel relaxed his stare and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“ I know that you have always looked after Oro when I wasn’t around. Please, forgive me for my harsh words, gwador,” apologized Haldir.
“ I have no hard feelings, Haldir. You’re my brother and I know that you just concerned about Orophin’s welfare,” said Rumil returning the gesture.
“Ai, I am concerned when it comes to my brothers! I do not wish to see either of you in pain,” said Haldir. “The matters of the heart can cause more damage than any weapon forged or made in this world. The wounds of a flesh will heal without a scar, but the wounds of the heart will bleed and ache as long as it’s beating or finally breaks,” answered Haldir.
Rumil watched his brother’s face as he spoke. For a moment Haldir’s eyes showed deep sadness and hurt that made his younger brother’s heart bleed. Rumil knew that his brother carried unseen scars from the past, but he never spoke of it.

“Maybe, one day, Haldir will smile again with joy and true happiness,” thought Rumil. It had been almost three millennia since the Marchwarden of Lothlorien let any light in his heart. “Maybe, this trip could bring something good for him. I know that he is lonely, but he never lets anyone ease that loneliness. I cannot even recall the last time he shared his bed with another. I would gladly give my life to see him happy again.”
“Your thoughts are far from here, gwador. Is there anything else that I must be aware of?” asked Haldir, bringing Rumil out of his musings. “Yes, there is one more thing. Tomorrow morning, prince Legolas will call upon us for our annual ride to the Silver Waterfall. We camp out for a day to share stories of the past hundred years. I wish that you would come with us,” said Rumil.
Haldir shook his head. ”I don’t want to break the tradition by tagging along uninvited.”
“You’re not uninvited, I just asked you to come and I’m sure that Legolas wouldn’t mind your company. Please, gwador, it will mean a lot to me!” pleaded Rumil.
The older galadhrim hesitated for a moment, and then gave in with a nod.
“I’ll go with you, but for now I think it’s best that we return to the palace. I’m sure that our absence did not go unnoticed,” said Haldir.
The brothers followed the trail back to garden silently, deep in their own thoughts.
The music floated through the air from the ballroom as they stepped into the hall. Haldir’s eyes caught the sight of the Mirkwood prince. Legolas was dancing with Orophin and both elves were smiling like some carefree elflings. The sight took Haldir’s breath away. When the pair turned around, Legolas’ eyes wandered trough the hall and his gaze locked on Haldir’s face for a few seconds. The Marchwarden’s heart skipped a beat. His mind instantly replayed the scene that took place in the garden earlier and his blood speed up with a sudden lust. At that moment the music stopped and Orophin and the prince made their way towards the two Galadhrim brothers.
“I was looking for you two,” said Orophin. “We’re just enjoyed the beauty of the garden for a while,” answered Rumil.
“I’ve been told, that the best dancer in this family is you Haldir, but I did not see you on the dance floor yet,” said Legolas turning to the elf in question. “May I have the pleasure of the next dance?” asked the prince with a soft smile.
“My brother gives me too much credit. I have not danced for centuries. If you’ll forgive me for stepping on your toes at every turn, I’ll be honored to dance with you my lord,” said Haldir with a bow.
The musicians had just begun to play a nice slow tune and Haldir took Legolas’ left hand to lead him to the dance floor. The prince let the Marchwarden lead by easing himself into his arms. Haldir felt the room start tospin around him. His skin was burning where his body had contact with the younger elf. It was like holding liquid fire in his arms. Legolas smelled like the forest in summer night and his blue eyes bored into Haldir’s midnight blue gaze. The Galadhel suddenly find it hard to breathe; his blood was boiling in his veins. Haldir knew that he should look away from the prince’s eyes to gain control of himself, but when he did, his gaze fell upon those rose petal soft lips. Those lips had ravaged Glorfindel’s lips not an hour ago! Haldir felt his loins tighten and his arousal painfully straining against his breeches. In sheer panic he dragged his eyes from there, back to Legolas’ eyes, only to almost freeze in mid step. The young prince’s eyes were smoldering. Legolas moved a little bit closer to the Galadhel so their bodies touched even more.
“I have to admit, that indeed you’re a very good dancer, Haldir. You are dancing with such passion and spirit that is a rare gift,” said the younger elf.
Haldir forced himself to concentrate on the music and it took him lots of effort to answer calmly to the prince. “You’re too kind, my lord. I have a very good partner this time and that makes me follow a good example,“ replied the silver haired elf.
Legolas shook his head. “You give yourself too little credit, Haldir, and please call me Legolas. I can feel your heartbeat through your body and your eyes are sparkling with passion. I used to think that I’m the only one who feels that deeply about music and dancing. I’m glad that I find my match for this passion. It will be an honor if you grant me the last dance of this evening,” answered Legolas.
Haldir felt the sharp stab of shame. “The prince thinks that the music made my heart race and my eyes sparkle with passion. Oh, sweet Elbereth! I don’t deserve to be even near to such a noble and good-hearted person. I’ll be lucky to survive this dance without embarrassing myself, but how could I refuse his request without insulting him?”
“I was planning to retire before the last dance, Legolas and I’m sure, that many elves are waiting to have a chance for a dance with you,” said Haldir.
Legolas slightly nodded his golden head.
“Forgive me, Haldir, I should have realized that you had a long day and you have responsibilities to attend to,” replied the prince.
The Lorien elf instantly regretted his careless words.
“I didn’t mean to insult you, Legolas. Please, accept my sincere apology for my unacceptable behavior. I guess, being away from social events for so long made me forget how to behave properly,” apologized Haldir.
“Yes, I do have responsibilities as the guardian of the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood, but before I leave I would very much like to dance with you Legolas if you still wish it,” added the Marchwarden.
“ There is nothing to apologize for Haldir and I would very much like to share the last dance with you,” said the Sinda.
The music played out the final chords of the tune and both elves bowed at the end.

“Thank you for the dance, Legolas. It was a privilege,” said Haldir while escorting the prince back to the royal table.
“It is I, who owes thanks for the pleasure of dancing with such a talented dancer. I’m looking forward to the next one,” replied the younger elf. Haldir bowed again and turned around to walk back to his brothers.
Legolas’ gaze followed the galadhrim with a thoughtful expression. “It’s strange, but I could’ve sworn that Haldir was nervous. Maybe he felt the same mysterious connection between us just as I did. When he closed his arms around me and we started to dance I felt my heartbeat speed up to match his own. It was if the whole world seized to exist but he and I. That was magical. Even arousing. Every fiber in my body still hums with this sensual feeling. I don’t know what it is, but Haldir evokes something deep inside me, that I had never felt before.”
“I see, that you have managed to charm my guardian, Legolas” came Galadriel’s voice from across the table. “It’s been centuries since Haldir graced the dance floor, and it’s warming my heart to see him enjoying himself again,” said the Lady of the Golden Wood.
“I don’t know about charming him, my lady, but I’m glad that he decided to come to the festival. I wish to know more about the famous Marchwarden of your realm. May I ask you, my lady to tell me about him?” inquired the young prince.
Galadriel looked into Legolas’ eyes for a long moment, like she was searching for something. Finally she nodded her head. “Very well, I will tell you a few things about Haldir. Come to our quarters on the day after tomorrow around lunch time,” told the prince.” Thank you, my lady,” said Legolas bowing his head in respect.
Lord Elrond was trying to listen to a conversation between Glorfindel and Erestor with no success. When he saw Haldir entering the hall with his brother just a few minutes ago, his focus slipped. He watched as the galadhrim led the young prince of Mirkwood to the dance floor. The pair looked absolutely magnificent! They swayed to the tune in perfect harmony and it seemed that a faint glow floated around them. The elf-lord’s heart ached with a painful sorrow and jealousy. How he wished that he could be the one in Haldir’s arms! He forced his eyes away from the sight and his gaze wandered to Glorfindel’s face. The seneschal’s eyes stared at the dance floor. For a moment Elrond could’ve sworn that he saw sorrow in Glorfindel’s eyes.

To be continue...