The moon rose high over the tops of the silver trees, casting its pale light over the land of Lothlórien. The smooth bark shone under its gentle caress and the leaves emitted a golden glow. Haldir walked amongst the familiar paths of these woods and marveled, as he had done other times in the past, at the beauty and splendor of his native land. No other place he had seen could match the subtle grace and sense of peace that dwelled here. Yet now, the calm was disturbed by a threat that lingered just at the edge of his perception. That day he and his brothers had led the fellowship to an audience with the Lord and the Lady, never suspecting that the news they bore were so grievous. He had learned of the danger that encroached upon all of Middle Earth on his forays abroad, but he had not known that such a great menace lived so close. The knowledge that Mithrandir, with all his wisdom and kind heart, had left this world was no easier to bear.
A set of voices interrupted Haldir's thoughts. He looked towards the sound and discovered that during his ponderings his steps had wandered towards the sleeping grounds of the fellowship. He turned to go but one voice, or rather what it said, stopped his feet mid pace.
"Well, have a care! I do not feel too sure of this Elvish Lady and her purposes."
Shocked, he rapidly turned his head and eagerly sought for the one who had spoken. In his indignation, he barely registered the words that Aragorn spoke in rebuke and in defense of the Lady. Who dared to speak in such and insinuating and disrespectful manner of the noble Lady Galadriel? He saw it was one of the men, the one from Gondor; Boromir he believed was his name. Such a grave insult, especially coming from a foreigner, he could not tolerate. He resolved to settle this matter with the man latter in the night, when the others rested, by force if necessary. He turned away and retired to his talan for the time being.
The night wore on and little by little the populace, along with their guests, laid themselves down to sleep, save for a few. One of these was Boromir. He did not feel comfortable in this strange city of the elves; the distrust he had expressed earlier still lingered in his heart, and despite the weariness of the day he felt restless. He sat leaning against one of the tall mallorn trees near to the fellowship camp, his thoughts on the journey that lay ahead, when he spotted a grey-clad figure coming in his direction. The blonde elf, who he recognized as Haldir, the one who alongside his brother had led them to Caras Galadhon, stopped a few paces from him.
"Boromir of Gondor," said Haldir, his voice stern. "I would like to speak with you."
Though his words and demeanor were calm the tone made Boromir uneasy. Perplexed as to what the elf might want with him, he stood and cautiously approached him.
"And of what do you wish to speak?"
"It involves certain opinions that you have voiced while your stay here that I believe concern me. But such matters should not be discussed in the open. Come, I will lead us somewhere more private."
But Boromir eyed the sword that sat on Haldir's hip warily and hesitated.
"Why should I trust you not to attack me while we are alone? You carry your weapon ready by your side even though orcs would not dare to come this far."
A faintly amused smile that bordered on a sneer tugged at the corners of Haldir's lips.
"And why should I trust you anymore than you trust me? But perhaps in our mutual distrust of each other we may find some safety. You may bring your own weapon if you wish. In fact, you may need it before the night is done."
With these words he turned and began to walk away, his bearing clearly showing that he expected Boromir to follow. Boromir quickly hefted his scabbard and wrapped the belt around his waist. He went after the retreating form cautiously, wondering what exactly the elf was referring to. He did not recall saying much of importance in Haldir's presence; perhaps he had spied. The notion gave rise to his earlier suspicions as well as his anger. The elf's intentions did not mean well for him, of this he was certain.
Haldir felt the man's piercing gaze on his back but refused to show any reaction to acknowledge it. His stance remained proud and unworried, every step sure and confident, nothing betraying the anger that brewed under his skin. He led them to a secluded glade, not so distant as to fully extinguish the mournful elven voices but enough to provide the solitude that he desired.
Stopping, Haldir turned to face Boromir, who stood tensely a few feet away, his hands ready at his sides to reach for his sword should he need it.
Haldir commenced the exchange. "Here we may talk freely without disturbances."
"You have yet to tell me what it is you wish to speak about."
"Yes." The grim expression returned to his face. "I know little of the ways of men though I have traveled among you, but among my kind it is not customary for a guest to insult his host." He paused for a moment, allowing Boromir time to recollect the instance he spoke of. "I clearly heard you earlier tonight say harsh words against the Lady Galadriel."
Boromir remembered what he said earlier in the supposed privacy of their camp and saw his suspicions justified.
"You heard me? But how could you have, only the members of the Company were there when I spoke them, or at least they were the only ones who were seen. You were spying on us, were you not?"
He moved a few steps closer to Haldir, the tension in his body evident, but the elf did not budge or even flinch at the accusation. In an even voice he answered his claims.
"I did not spy. My hearing you was merely accidental, yet that does not change what you said. You have gravely insulted the Lady and this land which has given you shelter. I would not have let you pass our borders had I known your thoughts were such."
"It was not my choice to come here. If it were up to me we would have taken a different path. I am not obligated to feel well disposed for a land I would rather not tread on, or for its people. Particularly not if I don't like the way in which I am treated."
"The way have been treated?" Haldir was shocked at the man's brazenness. "We have treated you well, better than strangers usually are in these dark times. You have no reason to speak about ill treatment."
"What about invading people's minds without permission, then putting all sorts of fanciful ideas into it. And to what purpose? If she were such a gracious host she would do well not to tempt her guests with false promises."
Boromir's tone grew more insolent with every word he spoke. Haldir could not conceal his resentment at the insinuating accusations that this impudent man dared to bring up against the Lady of the Galadhrim. His eyes flared with indignation and his hands itched to take hold of his weapon so he could punish him for his grievous offense.
"You insult her yet again," he said, his voice heavy with barely contained fury. "This I will not tolerate. The trust of the elves of Lorién is not given freely and I will not have someone who so boldly disrespects the Lady walking unimpeded in our land. Clearly we trusted to quickly in other's judgment when we allowed you to cross the Celebrant."
"You doubt my trust? The men of Gondor are true to their word and are not swayed so easily."
While they spoke their bodies had gradually moved closer until they stood not even a foot from each other, muscles tensed awaiting the struggle that seemed inevitable, eyes burning brightly with uncontained ire that was barely suppressed in the words they spoke.
"You said I might need my weapon before the night was done," said Boromir. "That has proven true, for I am most eager to trade words for swords and by the art of my blade win my victory over you."
Haldir smiled with angered amusement.
"You sound awfully certain of yourself. But do not be too quick in underestimating your opponent, for an elf's combat is not to be taken lightly. No man has bested me yet."
"Tonight I will make sure that changes. And what shall we fight for, besides our wounded prides? A weregild I would have from you if I should win this match."
"And what manner of weregild would this be?"
"One worthy of my triumph, which I will decide upon later on, when we are finished."
"Very well. I shall also claim a prize should the win be mine."
With this they drew apart a few more feet from each other and unsheathed their swords. They stood, bodies tensed, weapons raised, eyes carefully observing their opponent's motions, waiting for the appropriate moment to attack. Boromir struck first, his sword glimmering in the starlight, but Haldir fended off his blow easily. Once begun, the flurry of motion continued unceasingly, silver hued metal clashing, the musical ringing of their blades resounding throughout the otherwise hushed land. The fervor of their heated words was echoed in their energetic movements as each sought to subdue the other. Boromir, though moving with much less grace than the elf, proved to be no inferior; their strength and skills as fighters were evenly matched and the struggle continued until sweat covered their skin and their breaths grew heavy.
In a rare show of weariness, Boromir seemed to let his guard down for just a moment. Heartened, Haldir allowed confidence to overthrow caution for an instant, a failure that cost him dearly, for Boromir quickly dropped his feint and pressed his advantage. In a deft move too rapid for even the elf's keen eyes to perceive clearly, Boromir struck Haldir's sword from his surprised fingers and placed his own sharp blade against the tender skin of the other's throat. Disbelief flashed across Haldir's eyes, accompanied soon by anger, directed both at himself for falling for such a simple trap, and the man who now stood smugly in front of him.
"Well, it appears that your record has been broken," said Boromir, his breath heavy. "The combat of a man of Gondor isn't easily dismissed either. You have lost this time."
"I will not deny it," Haldir responded, his voice strained with displeasure, yet heedful of the blade that still rested on his neck. "You have won this match."
"And what of that which you owe me?"
"We agreed on a prize for the victor and I will not back out. What do you wish from me?"
At this Boromir slowly dragged his gaze over Haldir's body, which tensed further under the blatant scrutiny; then, looking into the elf's dark eyes, he answered.
"Yourself."
Site Info
We are the home of 1292 authors from among our 2552 members. There have been 2904 reviews written about our 3820 stories consisting of 10734 chapters and 29400445 words. A special welcome to our newest member, Rosamundeb.Categories
Skin Change
Donate
Help us keep one of the oldest running LotR archives available to all. Even the smallest donation helps!
Many thanks to our previous donors!
Many thanks to our previous donors!
The Library, elsewhere
Other projects
Clash of Wills by Guanin
Chapter end notes: Guanin
"What matters in this world is the process of creation. What kind of mystery is this that makes the simple wish of telling stories turn into a passion, that a human being would be willing to die for it; die of hunger, cold or whatever, just to do something that you can't see or touch and that, in the end, if you think about it, can't be used for anything?"
--Gabriel GarcÃÂa Marquez
