Daughter of Mirkwood [Lord of the Rings | Haldir]

Chapter 10

Secrets and Understandings

As she suspected, though the next several months were hard, they passed by quickly. Before she knew it, the time came for Haldir to return from the borders of the wood. It was early evening, and Aeslin was reading in her flet. Her patience was waning though, and every few minutes she would rise, slip outside to see if she could see him ascending the stairs, before scolding herself and going back inside to wait only to repeat the pattern several minutes later.

Eventually, she rose and, upon reaching the edge of her flet and looking toward the City's entrance, neglected to return inside. Instead, she sat on the bench outside the door, waiting in the dimming light. The lights of Lorien soon lit up the night and Aeslin found her mind wandering.

Movement on the stairs soon caught her attention, and as she stood, the very elf she had been waiting for appeared on the landing. A smile springing to her face, she rushed forward, catching him by surprise. No sooner had she reached his arms than he was enfolding her in his embrace.

The rest of the evening was passed in recounting their time apart. Haldir told of the teasing he had endured, a twinkle in his eye telling her he hadn't really minded all that much. Apparently Orophin especially was unrelenting, reminding his older brother repeatedly that is was deserved. After all, Haldir had once supposedly given Orophin a hard time after a particularly tender farewell to Lostariel. Aeslin laughed long and hard at that, easily picturing Orophin mimicking Haldir's grim manner. Haldir had not been quite so amused, but even he had to own that it was funny.

Aeslin's recounts were not quite as interesting. Very little had really happened since Haldir's departure. She told him of the satisfied, almost smug look on Galadriel's face as well as Arwen's excitement, when they discovered Aeslin and Haldir's troth. There was not much to say after that, and eventually, Aeslin looked up to see Haldir's eyes had drifted shut. Content to stay next to him, she laid her head on his shoulder, eventually drifting off herself.

***

As planned, a couple days after Haldir's return, they set out for Rivendell. This time both Rumil and Orophin accompanied them. They travelled swiftly, passing quickly over the territories north of Lothlorien. Thankfully, their journey through the Mountains was a great deal less exciting than Aeslin's previous experience, and neither Goblins nor Orcs appeared to hinder their journey. Before long, they came upon a familiar sight. In the distance stood Imladris, standing amid its protective wreath of cliffs and waterfalls. The entrance was just as she last remembered it, as was the courtyard, complete with some of the dearest of her friends.

There, ready to welcome her back, was Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir. The instant she caught sight of them, a smile bloomed on her face. She was patient, though, and waited until she drew closer to dismount. By this time, Elrohir had come forward, standing at Aeslin's knee and prepared to help her down. Once her feet touched the ground, she pulled her adoptive brother into a hug.

"I have missed you, brother of my heart." Elrohir laughed.

"I should hope so, my sweet elfling." He teased, drawing a laugh from the healer, "It has been entirely too dull here without you."

"And entirely too noisy! Elrohir only goes about now, lamenting that he has no one to tease!" Elladan had appeared beside them, interjecting loudly, causing them all to burst out laughing.

"Do not fear, Elladan, I have missed you too," Aeslin laughed as the second brother also welcomed her with a hug. As soon as he released her, they turned back to Elrond, who stood patiently waiting to be remembered, an indulgent smile on his face. As the brothers guided her toward her former mentor, Aeslin was compelled to look over her shoulder, making sure Haldir wasn't far behind. The three Lorien brothers had dismounted, and were waiting politely for the reunion to run its course. Haldir bore a faint smile on his face, but he still looked wary. Aeslin could tell that he was delighted to see her so happy, but she also had the sense that he was still battling fears that what they had was too good to be true. She gave him reassuring smile of her own before turning to be welcomed by Elrond.