The Lesson of Dangle and Dance

For two days Galadriel tried unsuccessfully to make some sense of the
strange events that had turned both her and the March Warden's life
upside-down. At the first available opportunity she had consulted
with the mirror, but vague images and snippets of incomprehensible
information clouded its slivered surface leaving her more confused
than when she had first begun. Whatever had altered their situation
had no foreseeable outcome in the near future and that in itself
worried the Queen for a visitor was soon to arrive within the Wood.
King Thranduil of Mirkwood had been persuaded by Haldir himself to
venture to Lorien and was due to arrive within a day. Poor Haldir
had been in a panic when Celeborn told him of the King's plan and it
had taken more than one pot of tea and a bath to keep him from
cracking completely.

Galadriel reached the clearing just in time to see a very agitated
Haldir practically wearing a furrow into the ground from his pacing.
Small bits of greening earth c to to the hem of his gown and the
queen shuddered the stain.

"What took you so long, " Haldir complained. Practically knocking
Galadriel over in his frantic state.

"I came as soon as I could" remarked the Elf Queen picking bits of
mud from Haldir's long sleeves. " March Wardening is a full-time
duty .. Especially keeping those brothers of yours in line."
Galadriel shifted her bow back onto her shoulder for the hundredth
time that day.

Do you know what I found in my bed this morning," she continued,
tilting her head to the side at the thought. " A fur spider! I have
NO idea why Rumil has this preoccupation with arachnids, but I am
seriously thinking of sending HIM to Mirkwood and Orophin....that
Elf......"

"Enough about my dysfunctional family already, I have worsobleoblems
than that," wailed Haldir slapping away Galadriel's picking fingers.
Wha What? Celeborn get the Hobbit costume out again? Galadriel chuckled
at the poor Elf's misfortune.

"Worse..." replied Haldir shifting himself uncomfortably in the
constricting gown.

"Clearly you have not seen Cel in hairy feet and a vest," chortled
Galadriel.

"And I pray to Mandos I never do," shuddered Haldir. " But
seriously," he continued, beginning to pace again. Galadriel quickly
bent and picked up the trailing gown.

"Thranduil has sent word that he will arrive on the morrow. Of all
the most inopportune, inconvenient, inappropriate times to visit."
Haldir continued stomp along his self made pathway leaving Galadriel
scrambling to keep up with him.

"Well, I understand that this is probably not he best time for a
Royal visit, but YOU did invite him on our behalf and well...."
Galadriel yanked hard on the tail end of the gown causing Haldir to
halt with a jerk.

"Haldir, you have managed to convince Celeborn and all of Lorien that
you are me, I cannot see how a stodgy old Mirkwood ancient could make
you so uneasy, " Galadriel brushed off her breeches and hoisted the
ever annoying bow back onto her back with a sigh.

"Clearly you have not met Thranduil, M" Lady," mocked Haldir blowing
a wisp of hair from his face with a frustrated huff.

"Well, it would seem to me that you are acquainted with Thranduil
much more intimately than I," mused Galadriel. "I would think there
no better Elf to welcome him to the Wood than you."

"Oh yes I do know him well...," muttered Haldir, pinching the bridge
of his nose tightly. " And that is precisely why I worry."
Haldir raised his hands and made a leering grabbing motion with his
fingers.

"Ahhhh.."snickered the Elf Queen, actually feeling quite glad for the
first time in days that she was not in her own shoes, " I am sure you
can handle it March Warden. I have every confidence....." Galadriel
watched Haldir's face flush with annoyance. " Just don't " dangle"
too much!"

With a grin the Elf Queen turned to make her way back towards the
talans. She wanted to get to the river to bathe before Haldir's
brothers, or worse, the Lorien Bod-Squad made her life more
complicated than it already was.

"And by the way," shouted Haldir, kicking the soiled dress from
beneath his feet with a growl. " I LOVE spiders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

In a whirl of cream and gold Haldir stomped back towards the city. He
had preparations to make and not a thing to wear.


With a sigh, Galadriel slipped beneath the refreshing cool of the
water's surface, temporarily leaving behind the grime and the cares
of the day. The sun was just beginning to slide, casting the river's
rippling surface in a golden light, and lost within the majick of its
mesmerizing sparkle, she floated on her back,oblivious to everything
but her weightless surrender.

A sharp slap to her midsection drew a screeching gasp from the Elf
Queen and set her flailing in the water to regain her balance. Within
seconds she was submerged beneath the surface only to rise sputtering
and coughing moments later. Disoriented, she whirled about, her wet
hair clinging like a mollusk to her face. The setting sun shadowed
her assailant slightly, but a flash of silvered hair and a familiar
mischevious grin left no doubt that Rumil had joined her in the water.

Instinctively Galadriel brought her hands to her breasnd dnd dipped
back below the surface, earning a rather raised eyebrow from
Haldir's cheeky brother.

"Well, you haven't got anything I haven't seen before brother...,"
chided Rumil, eyeing Haldir with obvious mischief. " But I must admit
you are looking quite alluring, lirimaer....." he continued, with a
grin.

Galadriel swallowed hard and began to back up but lost her balance in
her haste allowing Rumil all the opportunity he needed to pounce.

Suddenly the water closed over her head again as Rumil's firm but
slippery body wrestled with hers for supremacy. Panicked, Galadriel
fought back, easily outmaneuvering the smaller Galadrhim and
surfacing abruptly with a gasp for air. Putting a fair distance
between herself and the spirited Elf, she eyed him warily.

Rumil came up for air with a roar, and spying the look of unease on
Halds fas face, thought twice about initiating another game of keep
down. Instead he bowed roguishly to his elder brother and leapt
through the shallow water to attack an unsuspecting Orophin from
behind.

Relieved, Galadriel relaxed her defensive posture and pulled the
hair away from her face that had been obstructing her view. Not only
Rumil and Orophin had come to the river to bathe, but by the looks of
the number of virile naked bodies within the vicinity, so had most of
the Guard! The thought of exiting the water immediately came to
Galadriel as looked for an escape route, but she dismissed the idea
as it would mean not only would she be drawing attention, but
exposing herself in the process. It was best to perhaps wait this one
out.

As the sun continued to set, the play of shadow across the water
deepened, highlighting the glistening muscularity of the males who
tended to their bodies. Long tawny hair clung to warrior broad
shoulders as silver rivulets of moisture trickled to where flesh and
river met. None paid her any attention as Galadriel tilted her head
against the fading sunlight to better watch the impressive display.
Biceps flexed and extended in relaxed movent as powerful hands
caressed limbs weary from duty.

Despite the deepening cool of the evening, Galadriel felt flushed and
anchored to the silty river bottom quite engrossed in the rather
erotic vision. A delicious feeling of tightness spread through her
lower body and she jumped and gasped out loud as something rubbed and
bumped solidly against her abdomen. Upon seeing a pale shadow
undulating below the surface and thinking it to be an annoying fish,
she slapped hard at the intruder in an attempt to shooed it away.

" Aiya!!!!" Galadriel yelped as flashes of colorful light danced
behind her closed tightly closed eyes, the dull ache nowhrobhrobbing
misery. Grabbing the offended body part she held on tightly as her
head spun with pain.

" Gwador...what ever is wrong..." Rumil approached Haldir with
trepidation, warned by the twisted look of pain on his brother's face.

Galadriel's eyes flew open and darted to the source of her distress,
and before she could cover herself, Rumil had followed suit, his
finger tapping lightly against smirking lips.

"Now that has to hurt, " he exclaimed dryly, his sparkling eyes
reflecting amusement. " Just don't forget to breathe..." he
instructed before turning and wading towards land.

Orophin had already made his way to the bank and turned a concerned
look to Rumil as the younger Galadrhim made his way to shore.

"Is he all right?" Orophin squeezed out his hair and gave his brother
a hand up onto the embankment.

" River Spider,,,,,," clucked Rumil, with a wink to Orophin...." Big
One! "

TBC