Strange Allies

~~~

The two naiads made quick time to the Greyflood where they had left Haldir. Having one of her sisters – especially one as close to her as Armea – had given Annowe a burst of strength and hope.

As they headed south, Armea had obliged her older sister by telling her of Haldir’s exploits and how reluctant he had been with them. Annowe seemed secretly pleased at that disclosure but tried not to make it so obvious. Hearing of him made her remember how much she had to lose if anything happened to him.

It was bittersweet to hear Armea tell of his luminous hair, his strong arms and his breathtaking kiss. But she needed to hear it. She needed to hear every detail of him and made Armea repeat certain parts so she could fully picture him in her mind.

Haldir had demanded she return quickly and Annowe was more than happy to obey. She had completed her quest and did not wish to be separated from him a moment longer. It seemed to her as if the longer she were parted from him, the larger the hollow feeling inside of her grew.

It was almost as if he had taken a living piece of her and until she could bond with him again, the hole it left inside of her would get larger and larger until it consumed her with emptiness.

Armea’s face grew anxious as her pace slowed. The others should be here.

Annowe frowned. They should be able to sense their sisters. They were close enough, weren’t they? With all of her fretting for Haldir, she may have been too distracted to tell exactly where the naiads had been when she left.

Nervously, she glanced at her sister and immediately knew the answer by the expression on Armea’s face. They were not here. They had gone.

“’Mea,” Annowe said tightly. “Where are they?”

The younger naiad shook her head. “I do not know. They were here, I swear it!” She answered, looking desperately around. She recognized the rock formations that Haldir had lounged on.

“Are you certain?” Annowe demanded, her panic rising with her voice. “Where did they go? Are you certain this is the place?”

“Yes, I am certain,” her sister answered. “Calm yourself, Annowe. They cannot have gone far. Let us continue south. We should meet up with them.”

Annowe nodded, her throat and heart constricting so tightly it was difficult to breathe. Where was he? Had her sisters taken him out to sea? If so, why? Perhaps that was the hollow feeling – he had broken their bond with one of them and she was being consumed by it.

A terrified gasp escaped her and she stopped suddenly causing Armea to turn sharply and bump into her.

“What is it?” Armea asked seeing her expression.

Annowe clutched her heart as the color drained from her face. Anxiously, her younger sister grabbed her about the shoulders to keep her from being swept away by the swift current.

“Are you ill?” Armea breathed urgently.

“I think I may be dying,” Annowe admitted softly.

Armea’s eyes grew horrified. “No! You cannot die! You cannot be dying! What makes you say this,” she demanded.

“I feel like I am withering away on the inside,” Annowe replied softly. “Like a tree when it dies sometimes. The outside looks fine but one day it just topples over and you can see that it was completely hollow on the inside. That is how I feel. Like there is this big emptiness inside of me that keeps growing.”

Armea did not answer but nodded in understanding. She had seen many a tree in the great Fangorn Forest die this way.

“‘Mea, I think I am dying without Haldir,” Annowe finished in a tight whisper.

Silently Armea wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly.

“I do not think you are dying,” Armea soothed finally. “I do not see it in you nor do I sense it. It only seems that way to you because you love Haldir so completely.”

Annowe looked hopeful. She wanted to believe it but the emptiness was so dark and cold inside of her. If he had gone . . .

“But I will die without him!” She said emphatically. She knew that as sure as she knew the sun would rise on the morrow. He had taken too much of her when they had bonded and if she could not be with him she would not survive.

She silently cursed him for even existing and cursed herself for letting him worm his way into her very being.

“Then we do not have much time!” Armea reminded her, pulling away and dragging Annowe behind her. “They have to be in the river somewhere. We will just keep going until we find them. And find them we will!”

“Yes,” Annowe realized finally swimming on her own. “They must be in the water and we will find them!”

~~**~~

Haldir would wait as long as his strength held out and then he would leave. He must leave.

When they had arrived at the Havens, he sent the other two naiads away but Vadra would not leave, insisting that she must stay with him until the boat arrived. She had left him to his own brooding thoughts for the most part, understanding his torment yet unable to help comfort him.

He wondered absently if perhaps the boat had already come and gone, leaving him behind. Certainly they would know when he was called. They could not wait eternally for him to arrive at the Havens. It did not matter. Valinor without Annowe would not be the same.

His troubled gaze searched the distant horizon again. After a few moments he closed his eyes and clinched his fist in frustration. Why didn’t she come to him? Had she abandoned him after all?

Ah! The agony of speculation! When his restless heart grew quiet he could almost imagine that he felt her calling to him, searching for him but he was not certain. It was so very faint. Perhaps it was just his imagination after all.

He had so desperately wanted her to come to him! How he wanted her to be with him but she had failed to return from Lorien quickly enough and his heart had grown sick of all wanton lust.

Now that he had met his match in her he did not wish to have another. It was pointless. No one could share what they had together – why did she not see that? It was torturous to him to be parted from her!

“Annowe,” he murmured to the distant horizon.

Suddenly a flash of insight struck him. Most naiads had the gift (or curse as Annowe called it) of foresight. Perhaps Vadra might be able to tell him of her wayward sister.

Did he want to know if she had abandoned him for Legolas? He almost flinched at the thought. There were times when not knowing was a blessing, he realized. Was this one of those times? If he knew for certain that she would not come for him, what would his choice be? He was already at the Havens. Would that make leaving any easier? He sighed heavily.

“Vadra,” he asked slowly. “Can you tell me where Annowe is?”

Vadra cocked her head and eyed him curiously. “No. I cannot tell you where she is exactly. I might be able to call to her and if she is near enough she will answer,” she replied.

He considered this for several moments. If they were at least two days ahead of her he doubted if Annowe would be close enough to hear her sister. He must rephrase the question.

“I need to know if she is – if she,” he paused. He could not believe he was asking such a question! He was the proud and noble March Warden of Lorien! And yet his pride had been too cold a comfort to him while Annowe had been gone.

Curse it all! He needed to know!

“Is she coming for me?” He asked softly.

Instead of mocking him as he half expected her to do, Vadra glanced at him then fixed her gaze over his right shoulder. He could see her eyes grow distant and he waited patiently for her to answer. She seemed lost in a daze for a while and he briefly wondered if perhaps she had fallen asleep on her feet.

Suddenly she began to speak in a low voice and he drew closer to listen.

“Yes, she is coming. She is frightened and tired,” Vadra murmured.

Haldir closed his eyes and sighed as the weight lifted from his shoulders.

If she did come for him, would she be angry that he had left her? He did not care. As long as she came he did not care how angry or upset she would be with him. Certainly he did not wish to face her wrath nor her look that could freeze Mount Doom but to see that look again he would gladly battle a balrog.

“The end is near,” she breathed and Haldir’s eyes snapped open. A shiver ran up his spine.

“The end of what?” He asked urgently.

“The dark lord gathers his forces and the allies of men stand to face them,” her dreamy voice was as steady as her unblinking gaze.

Haldir felt a cold dread settle over him. His brothers were still in Lorien. Would they be safe?

“Lorien?” He asked hoarsely.

Vadra blinked several times and shook her head as she left her reverie.

“Vadra,” Haldir said trying to keep his voice steady. “What of Lorien? Are my brothers safe?”

The naiad hesitated. “Haldir, you are to go to Valinor. That is what must be,” she said firmly.

He scowled. “That is not an answer. What of Lorien?” He demanded, his temper rising. “Tell me of Lorien!”

Still Vadra hesitated. If she told him what she had seen she knew he would leave and yet if she did not he would badger her incessantly. She sighed.

“There is nothing you can do,” she shrugged. “All of the pieces are in place. Only one thing can stop it now.”

Haldir felt his heart plunge to his feet. He could not leave! He was needed here! His beloved Lorien would be laid waste by the hated minions of evil! He could not simply walk away from his duty!

“Only The Ring matters now,” Vadra reminded him softly. “Only The Ring.”

~~~