Disrupting Haldir's World

Chapter 4 – To the Rescue

It was growing dark when a sentinel ran into camp and began speaking to Haldir in rapid Elvish. After a short conversation, the March Warden turned towards the others and addressed them in the common tongue.

“Uruk-hai were spotted near the border, but for some reason they have turned around and left, moving into the nearby forest. I do not know why they would show themselves then leave again, but they will be back and we must be ready. Rúmil, will you pass the message on to Orophin?”

Rúmil nodded, moving towards the talan.

Kate turned to Aggie, pale, “Please tell me that Rúmil didn’t understand that.”

“He certainly seemed to,” Aggie said, cringing as Rúmil winked at them on his way past. He found his brother in the bedroom, lying on his back as Judith rode him hard, both of them drenched in sweat.

“The Uruk-hai have been spotted and we need to be ready for an attack tonight,” Rúmil said in the common tongue.

“I am ready,” Orophin replied, never losing his rhythm.

~~~~~~~~~

“You look so tired, don’t you want to sleep?” Kate asked Haldir as she came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. “I could rub your back if it would help.”

“I do not need your kind of help,” Haldir informed her, pushing her hands away. “I need to go find Elisabeth.”

It hit him suddenly that the only place she was familiar with would be his talan at the lake. That was where he would start, he decided, heading off in that direction. When he arrived, he saw no sign of Elisabeth and realizing that the ladder had been left up in the talan, he doubted that she was up there. He moved into the forest and searched until well past dark with no luck. Hopefully the night would draw her back to camp. Sighing, he climbed up, putting the ladder down in case she showed up at the lake instead of at the camp. He lay down on his bed and when he smelled Elisabeth’s scent, it almost drove him mad. He wanted her there with him, now. Maybe she had been right and they should take advantage of the short time that they would have together, rather than fight their feelings for each other. He fell asleep with this thought still running through his head and dreamed of his dark-haired beauty.

~~~~~~~~~

Elisabeth hurt all over. Her head and back hurt from hitting the tree and her face hurt where the Uruk-hai had slapped her. Now, on top of everything else, her ribs felt bruised from the incessant jostling as they ran through the woods. The pain she felt now was nothing compared to what she suspected was coming. Since she no longer had a knife to allow her the easy way out, she would have no choice but to suffer through whatever the Uruk-hai chose to do to her.

It seemed like forever before they finally came to a stop, though she knew that they had not gone all that far. Elisabeth was roughly tossed onto the ground, hitting her already injured back once more. She rolled onto her side, hoping it would be less painful than her back but it didn’t matter once her captor kicked her in the ribs. Everything hurt equally now.

The Uruk-hai began to cut up a deer that one of them had killed and Elisabeth was appalled to see them begin to tear at the chunks of raw flesh. She wondered if she could possibly escape while they were busy ripping at the meat, but when she tried to inch away, the big Uruk-hai was back, holding her down with his foot and knocking the wind from her.

“Don’t…you…move,” he said, growling at her.

They never offered any of the meat to her and she was glad. Although she was hungry, the idea of eating the raw venison was more than her stomach could handle after being bounced and jostled across the forest. Trying to remain inconspicuous now, she lay on the ground and feigned sleep, though she knew by the way they were staring at her that they were all very aware of her presence.

One of them approached her eventually, after finishing the piece of meat he was eating.

“Who gets her first?” he asked, leering as he wiped his bloody hands on his clothing.

Elisabeth closed her eyes and tried to picture Haldir to take her mind off of what was going to happen next.

~~~~~~~~~

Haldir’s eyes opened and he was instantly awake. He had thought that he had felt her presence, but Elisabeth had not come to his talan and it was now the middle of the night. He had only slept for a few hours, but it was all that he had needed. With haste, he made his way back to the camp, sure that she would be there, only to find that almost everybody was still asleep. Orophin and Edgar were taking a turn on watch now and Haldir asked them about Elisabeth but neither of them had seen her yet. Dread filled Haldir’s heart as he realized that she must be lost in the deep woods somewhere; he had been so sure that she would be back by now. He would have to wait until morning to search for her because even with his acute vision, he would not find her in the dark. He sat by the fire and willed the morning to arrive.

~~~~~~~~~

“Nobody gets her, yet!” was the answer; one Elisabeth had not expected. “We would probably kill her and we need to keep her alive to draw the others out. You can have your turn after we finish off the others.”

Relieved beyond belief that she was being spared for now, Elisabeth was upset at the same time that they were going to use her as bait. If she hadn’t run off as she had done, this never would have happened and now the deaths of the others may soon be upon her head. She thought about Haldir and tried to keep his image in her mind so that she wouldn’t have to think about the other horrors that filled her head. She prayed that he and the others would survive this, even if she did not. Sleep eluded her, and each time she opened her eyes she found the Uruk-hai guards watching her hungrily. It was frightening and she knew that she would not be allowed to slip away from them during the night, even if she managed to get her bonds off. Their eyes never left her.

~~~~~~~~~

At first light, Haldir once again approached his wardens to see if there was any news. He was told that there was not, but as he started to walk away, something in the clearing caught his eyes. There was an object glittering as the sun hit it just right. Curious, he walked over towards the spot and as he approached it, his heart began to drum. He had to dig the knife out of the ground, where the weight of an Uruk-hai foot had almost buried it but even before he picked it up, he knew it was Elisabeth’s. He closed his eyes as a memory played across his mind. He saw her raise the hem of her dress far enough to check the knife that was strapped onto her ankle and knew that it was the same knife that he now held. She had either been taken away by the Uruk-hai or had at least headed in the same direction before they had. Either way, it did not bode well for her. He called his wardens together again. For Elisabeth’s sake, they would have to strike the Uruk-hai first, rather than wait to be attacked.

Running back into the camp, Haldir woke the others and informed them of the situation. “We must strike at once,” he told the two men and his brothers. Orophin and Rúmil both nodded their assent, but Edgar frowned.

“It is one thing to defend ourselves, but I will not risk my life by attacking a band of Uruk-hai, all for one woman who may or may not even be with them. I have five other women to worry about,” he said.

Haldir turned towards Rowland, “And you? Will you help?”

“I think it is suicide. I agree with Edgar,” Rowland said at last. “We should wait here for them to attack as you had already planned. You aren’t thinking straight right now, Haldir.”

~~~~~~~~~

The Uruk-hai warrior had grabbed Elizabeth by the hair and was pulling her to her feet. She bit back the scream of pain and she saw him laugh as he now lifted her onto her toes.

“Scream!” he said, putting his face close to hers. “We need you to make noise, lots of noise.”

Now she understood. This would draw the elves and men to her defense. If they hadn’t already figured out that she had been captured, they would certainly come to her aid when they heard her scream. She would not do it, could not lead them into the trap, even if it meant her own death. He pulled harder and she drew blood, biting her lip to keep the sound back.

“No? You refuse to cooperate? I’ll bet I can change your mind,” he said, bending her finger back. She began to cry as the pain overwhelmed her, but still she refused to scream. When she heard the finger snap, a rush of nausea threatened as the pain roared through her arm. Still she remained silent.

“You’ve got nine more and I’ll break them all,” he warned, his mouth emitting a foul odor in her direction.

“It will not matter,” she insisted, gritting her teeth.

He stopped for a moment and thought as he watched her.

“Maybe not, but I think I know another way to make you scream,” he sneered and licked her face. “Oh, yes, I know how to make you scream.”

~~~~~~~~~

Haldir turned to his brothers. “I will do this alone if I need to. If you think that I am being unreasonable, feel free to stay behind. I will tell the others the same.”

“We shall stand by you, Haldir,” Rúmil said angrily. “Who knows what is happening to Elisabeth right now while we waste our time here.”

“Probably nothing,” Rowland insisted. “She’s undoubtedly hiding out in the woods to teach you a lesson and we’ll be risking our necks for nothing! You have no proof whatsoever that she is in any danger.”

The scream that rang throughout the forest was loud and feminine. “Is that enough proof?” Haldir shouted, already running for the border.

He began yelling instructions as soon as he entered the clearing and the elves quickly moved through the woods towards the area where the scream had originated. Haldir was surprised to see Rowland show up though he was not shocked that Edgar had chosen to stay behind.

“I have sent two scouts ahead, through the trees. We shall stay in the woods and be ready to strike as soon as we find out exactly where they are,” he explained to Rowland. Haldir tried to keep his mind clear, thinking of this battle as he would any other, yet thoughts of Elisabeth and what might be happening to her kept intruding, distracting him. For her sake, he had to remain level headed.

~~~~~~~~~

Elisabeth slowly opened her eyes to see the Uruk-hai above her as she lay on the ground, bleeding. The pain was almost unbearable and she closed her eyes again, wanting to sink back into oblivion. He wouldn’t allow her to slip away into her mind, though. He pulled her back into a sitting position and he once again grabbed her bloodied hand, laying it on the stump. She began to cry, not wanting to go through it again.

“No, no, please don’t,” she said as he pulled out the huge knife for the second time. She glanced down to see the severed pinky finger and her hand covered with blood. Moving the knife to the next finger over, he laughed when he pressed down with the blade again. Elisabeth couldn’t help but scream again as she welcomed the darkness.

~~~~~~~~~

Haldir closed his eyes when he heard the second scream. They were close now, but it might not matter. Seconds later, he saw the scouts moving back towards him through the tree branches and soon they dropped onto the ground beside him. He was given the information he needed and they now all silently made their way through the trees. Another hundred yards and there would be an Uruk-hai sentinel on the right. Haldir sent two elves ahead to dispatch him. Two more were sent to take care of the one that was a little further ahead on the left. They would have to time it right, but the elves knew what they were doing. Pulling others aside, Haldir gave them their orders and another four were sent forth. Within ten minutes, they had moved to within a hundred yards of the Uruk-hai camp and all ten of the sentinels had been taken out. That was when another scream issued forth, much closer now, and Haldir had to steel himself against the sound, pushing it out of his mind. He could not help her if he was not focused. The Uruk-hai would be taken by surprise, but the trick would be to get Elisabeth out of there before the guard killed her. Once the Uruk-hai realized that their bait had been taken, she would no longer be necessary and Haldir feared that they would kill her immediately. The rescue must be carried out precisely, according to plan.

Rúmil and two other elves moved up into the tree branches and carefully made their way to a position above Elisabeth where they waited for a signal. Looking down at the clearing, Rúmil saw the Uruk-hai pull Elisabeth’s limp form into a sitting position and lay her hand on a stump. To his horror, he caught a glimpse of what had to be three fingers lying near her mutilated hand. Her head lolled back and the Uruk-hai slapped her, trying to get her to wake up. The next slap brought her fully conscious and when her hand was forced down once again, she struggled, begging for him not to do it. Hearing her desperate sobs, it took all of Rúmil’s willpower not to jump down immediately and try to rescue her, though he would be outnumbered forty-to-one. The distraction had to happen soon. Elisabeth was running out of fingers.

The Uruk placed the knife on her index finger now and once again laughed as he pressed down, severing the digit. Elisabeth screamed again and Rúmil had to look away, sickened. He smelled the flesh burn as the Uruk stuck a burning stick against the hand to cauterize the wound. Their plan wouldn’t work well if Elisabeth bled to death too quickly. A shrill whistle was sounded through the forest now and most of the band began moving away from the clearing where they had been gathered though the big guard stayed, keeping his knife handy. When they gave him the word, he might have to kill the girl, though he hoped that he would get to rut with her first. Right now she lay on the ground unconscious and seeing this, he stood and stepped away from her, hoping to find out what was happening.

Dropping to the ground, Rúmil immediately put an arrow through the Uruk’s neck before the guard could take two steps. Grabbing Elisabeth, he lifted her to a second elf that in turn passed her to a third. Hastily, Rúmil also grabbed the severed fingers and stuffed them into his tunic before returning to the treetops where they now carried Elisabeth, passing her from one to another over the wider gaps. Once he felt that she was safely away, Rúmil whistled loudly, sending his own signal back to his brother.

~~~~~~~~~

Haldir waited until he saw the Uruk-hai searching through the woods for them. The elves had allowed a few glimpses of themselves, hoping to draw out their foes before disappearing behind trees. They would show themselves again when it was time. Finally, Haldir heard Rúmil’s signal and knew that Elisabeth was safe. He gave the order and they attacked with a fury.

~~~~~~~~~

Edgar paced back and forth in the talan as he waited with the women. They had put out the fire on the ground and pulled up the ladder after climbing back up onto the talan. He hoped that if the Uruk-hai were victorious, they wouldn’t find the horses and carts, since it was the only way that he and the women would get out of here. Aggie and Cecilia were arguing again and it was grating on his nerves.

“Shut up!” he told them as he continued pacing. The two women were silent for a moment, but then Judith started in.

“I wish they would hurry and get back,” the woman said. “I am growing weary of sitting in this tree. We can go once they kill the rest of the band, can’t we, Edgar?”

“Yes, of course,” Edgar said, peevishly. “We are already behind schedule and each day we delay our arrival at the festival is a day that I will be losing money.”

“Think of it as a little vacation,” Cecilia said.

“Think of yourself going hungry if you don’t pull in enough money before we return to Gondor,” Edgar replied, silencing the woman.

“I wonder why she was screaming,” Faye said, quiet until now.

“I’ll bet you’d scream, too if you had one of those Uruk-hai requesting your services,” Aggie said, eliciting a few laughs.

“Do you think that’s what is happening?” Kate asked, her eyes big.

“Probably,” Aggie replied, bored.

“I hope not,” Faye said, shuddering as she thought about it.

“She deserves it for keeping that handsome elf all to herself,” Judith added, earning a frown from Faye.

It was another half hour before they heard movement below. Remaining quiet, they waited anxiously to see who would enter the clearing below the talan. Relieved when they saw elves, the ladder was lowered at once.

Edgar climbed down, the women following closely behind.

“Well, is it over?” the man asked impatiently.

The elves simply looked at him disdainfully, having already identified him as a coward. Haldir approached next, carrying Elisabeth, whose hand was wrapped and bloody. His normally expressionless face now showed concern as he whispered words of encouragement to her.

“Get the horses and carts ready, now,” he instructed Edgar, his words terse.

“Good, so we can finally leave,” the man said, relieved.

“Not yet. We need the carts to get Elisabeth and Rowland to Lady Galadriel for help. They are both wounded,” Haldir clarified his request.

Rowland entered the clearing next, supported by an elf. The man looked pale as he clutched his bleeding side, but he seemed to be functioning well despite the wound. Edgar quickly got the horses ready, but was irritated about the change in plans. Depending on where this Lady Galadriel was, the little side trip could put them even further behind schedule. He voiced this concern to Haldir as he brought the first cart around.

Gently handing Elisabeth to Orophin, Haldir grabbed Edgar by the front of his tunic, eyes blazing as he lifted him from the ground.

“Listen to me,” the elf said, teeth clenched. “My first priority is getting help for our wounded. My second priority is getting rid of you and your women. Is that clear?”

Edgar only nodded, afraid to upset the elf warrior further. Orophin was asked to drive the second cart after they got Rowland loaded into the back while Haldir carried Elisabeth onto the front seat and held her on his lap. Haldir asked Rúmil to sit with Edgar, just because he didn’t trust the man.

“Go,” the Marchwarden said, getting them moving. He tried his best to keep Elisabeth comfortable as they rode along but he could see her grimace when they went over bumps. He knew that her back was injured and her hand must hurt terribly but what bothered him the most was that she wouldn’t speak to him and almost seemed not to know he was there. He was concerned about what the Uruk-hai had done to her.

“Elisabeth, I am so sorry,” he whispered into her ear. She only stared past him. “Will you not forgive me?”

She finally seemed to come out of her stupor, as she slowly turned her head towards him, confused. “Forgive you for what? This was my fault and you rescued me. What is there to forgive, Haldir?”

“I knew that the Uruk-hai were nearby. I should have searched until I found you, rather than wait for you to come back…”

“No, you would have walked into their trap unprepared,” she said slowly, fighting shock.

“Elisabeth, did they…do anything else to you?” he asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Understanding, she shook her head. “No, they were saving that for later. Thank you for coming after me.”

He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, letting his lips linger for a moment. She reached up to touch his face and when the bandaged hand touched his cheek, they both looked at it. Elisabeth eyed the mutilated hand with something akin to disgust and pulled it away, closing her eyes.

“I am sorry, I forgot,” she told him.

“You forgot what?” he asked, not understanding her reaction.

“I forgot about my fingers. It feels as though they are still there. I did not mean to touch you with that hand,” she said quietly.

Haldir thought he understood now. He carefully lifted the bandaged hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. “I am not bothered by your touch, Elisabeth. This hand is just as much a part of you as your other hand.”

“I will be hideous when it heals. Children will fear me and people will look at me with disgust. You will not want me to touch you.”

“Your touch would never bother me, though I imagine that you will be safely in Rohan when it is done healing,” he reminded her.

Their eyes met and he saw pain wash over hers, mirroring his own feelings. He did not want her to leave.

“Elisabeth, I need to explain what you saw yesterday,” he told her, remembering at last why she had fled him in the first place.

“You do not need to explain,” she told him, looking away. “You took what was offered. I suppose most men…or elves…would have done the same. Kate is very alluring.”

“I did not take what was offered,” he said, explaining what had happened. She finally looked at him, but her face showed doubt.

“It is true,” Orophin added, from the driver’s seat. “The women were laughing about it later.”

Haldir’s face grew hard. “The sooner they are gone, the better.”

“You will probably be very glad to be rid of us all,” Elisabeth said, trying to smile.

“No, I will miss you, Elisabeth,” he said, stroking her cheek. He wanted to ask her to stay with him, but he couldn’t. He was the Marchwarden of Lothlórien and he spent much of his time on the northern border of their land, living in his talan by the lake. That was no place for somebody like Elisabeth. She should live in a city in a fine home with beautiful gowns and a husband that would care for her. He had nothing to offer her. More importantly, he knew that he could not watch her age and die while he lived on through eternity without her. It was best if she went to Rohan and found a human husband, though the idea made his heart heavy. When he looked back down, he saw that she was sleeping and he gently kissed her forehead.

Haldir glanced back to see how Rowland was faring on the bumpy ride. The man lay stretched out across the back of the cart, his head cradled in Kate’s lap, while Faye also fawned over him. His wound would heal and in the meantime he seemed to be enjoying the attention he was now receiving. Haldir felt another stab of pain as he realized that soon this man, who had already shown his feelings for Elisabeth, would be leaving with her for Rohan. Though Elisabeth had said that she was not interested in Rowland, Haldir could not help but wonder if she would change her mind. It would be difficult for her to be alone in a strange kingdom and she might find herself drawn to him simply because he was not a stranger. Haldir hoped that if it happened, the man would treat her well. In the meantime, while she was still here, she would be his, he decided. They would not have long together, but they would make the most of it.

~~tbc~~