When Haldir arrived back in Lorien, his thoughts were once again consumed of Alexa. The battle on the borders had been fierce and violent, and the orcs had been more numerous than they had originally thought. Two of his wardens, his friends, were lost in the attack. In the end, they had been victorious and succeeded in slaughtering the orcs. He sighed. During the entire time, he had been constantly distracted because he was so worried about Alexa. Something was wrong. He could feel it. But what? He decided to go speak with Lady Galadriel about it. Perhaps, she could advise him. He began slowly walking up the stairs to the Lord and Lady’s dwelling. As he entered the hall, he encountered the wise eyes and gentle smile of Lady Galadriel.
“Good day, my Lady,” he greeted.
“Good day, Haldir.” She looked into his eyes and knew what his heart desired to know. “She is in Rivendell, Haldir. She arrived there safely.”
Relief flooded him, but then disappeared as quickly as it had come. “I am relieved to hear that she arrived safely, my Lady, but I still feel that she is in danger. Why did she journey to Rivendell?”
“She seeks her father, Haldir.”
He looked at her in surprise. “Her father? But why? She…” He stopped. ~Hates him.~ His breath left him as he stared at Galadriel. Her look confirmed his fears: Alexa was going to try to kill her father. “No! She could be killed for even attempting it!” The very thought of any harm coming to Alexa made his blood run cold. He had to protect her! He left the room quickly, heading for the stables, but stopped when he heard Lady Galadriel’s voice speaking to his mind.
“I know your heart, Haldir. You cannot go after her. You cannot save her this time. Only she can do that. I believe, in my heart, that she will not kill her father; else I would not have sent her to Rivendell. You must have faith in her, Haldir. She has changed since you first met her. You helped her speak of her past. Now she must face it. Have faith in her now, Haldir.”
He sighed. He knew she was right. He must have faith in the elleth he loved. Faith that she would not kill her father; not for her father’s sake, but for her own. He returned to the trees, and continued to guard Lorien, his heart praying unceasingly for Alexa.
* * *
Alexa watched Glorfindel closely over the next several days, learning his every movement. She secretly followed him to his home one evening, and studied the house and surrounding grounds. The house was made of fine marble and had three levels. It was large and spacious, and looked like it belonged to someone of great authority and power. The gardens were lavish as well, possessing many flowering trees and an elaborate fountain. She shook her head in disgust. ~A rich and powerful father. Just like Dargon.~
She thoroughly examined the exterior of the house and determined that the easiest way to slip in undetected would be to climb up to the second floor balcony and enter the house through there. She yearned to spill his blood and, in so doing, somehow bring to right the darkness of her past. She sat in her room and tried to calm her racing heart. ~Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night it will all be finished, one way or another.~
* * *
The following evening, Alexa crept silently to Glorfindel’s home and climbed up to the second floor balcony. She made no sound as she landed on the marble balcony floor. She removed the dagger from her boot and silently entered the house. The house was dimly lit, and shadows were everywhere. Walking slowly, she grasped her dagger tightly, watching for any sign of movement. A small flicker of doubt entered her mind. Could she kill him? She angrily pushed the thought away. ~After all he has done to me, he deserves to die!~ She turned sharply as Glorfindel moved from the shadows, his sword drawn. His eyes glittered angrily in the dim light, and his mouth was set in a firm line. A slight nervousness began to settle over her, but she paid it no heed. If she could kill Dargon, she could kill him. A new feeling of malicious excitement ran through her as she eyed his sword. She tucked her dagger into her boot and quickly drew her own sword.
~So it is to be a fight, eh? All the better.~
“Lord Elrond told me that my life was in danger, but I never expected the cause of it to be you,” he said angrily, his eyes narrowing. “Why?”
She glared at him, hatred burning in her eyes. ~How dare he show anger towards me! I am the only one who has the right to be angry!~ “My life has been nothing but pain because of you!” she said acidly. “I am here to repay the debt I owe you!”
He could not keep the shock from his face. He had never seen her before a few days ago. What could she possibly mean? She lunged at him before he could ask. He blocked her blow, and returned with one of his own, which she steadily blocked. The fight intensified, both delivering and blocking blows. Glorfindel was surprised by her fighting style. She fought with the skill and speed of an Elf, yet there was an almost animalistic brutality in her fighting, that most Elves did not possess. He attacked and grazed her arm with his sword, leaving a gash in its place. She drew back slightly and glanced at her arm. She looked back up at him, an evil smile on her face, and attacked him once again. The fight raged on, each attacking the other, until everything suddenly changed. Alexa lunged at him, but as she did, her medallion slipped out of her shirt. Glorfindel froze when he saw it.
“Where did you get that?” he asked in shock. “It was my daughter’s.” How had this elleth come into possession of his daughter’s medallion? He had been searching for countless years, but had never found a trace of it, nor of his daughter. He blocked her as she lunged at him again.
“Yes, I know!” Alexa said coldly. “That is the reason I am here!” She glared at him in disgust. She was beyond angry now; rather, she was absolutely livid with rage. He had the gall to play the innocent with her! She scowled fiercely at him. She was not going to tolerate any more of his insolent cruelty. She attacked again, and he blocked her blow.
Glorfindel studied the elleth in open shock. Visions of his beloved wife, Elerrina, began to flash before him. He could see her face so clearly. He stared at Alexa, and saw in her face the same full mouth that his wife had had. He could also see his wife’s high cheekbones and delicate nose. He thought of the last time he had seen his baby daughter. He remembered every detail of his baby’s beautiful blue eyes. He looked at Alexa and saw those same blue eyes glaring fiercely back at him. He felt his heart stop as complete realization came upon him. ~How could I have not seen this before?~
“Elyndiriel,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion.
“What? I do not speak Elvish! Speak the Common Tongue!” She continued to attack him, but now he only blocked her blows. He no longer attacked her in return.
“Where have you been?” he asked, his eyes full of pain.
“You sold me into slavery! Have you forgotten?”
“Sold you! I would never have sold you. I loved you! I thought you were dead!”
“Oh, really. You did not sell me? Then I must have imagined all those years of pain and torture.”
He winced at her coldness. “No! I did not sell you! You meant everything to me! For all accounts, you were dead. But deep in my heart, I always hoped you were alive and would come home someday.”
“And here I am,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and hatred. She swung her sword at him again, but he merely blocked her blow and did not attack in return.
“You seek not to return my attacks?” she asked angrily.
“No. I will not harm you.”
She glared at him. “So be it then,” she said and attacked again. The fight continued on in this way, her attacking, him blocking, until a strong voice stopped them.
“That is enough,” the voice commanded. They both turned sharply as Lord Elrond appeared. Alexa held her breath, expecting a battalion of armed guards to come rushing in… but none came. She stared at Elrond. She did not understand these people. They were all completely mad!
“There will be no more fighting. I will not allow it to go any further,” Elrond said, his expression grim and full of authority.
She glanced at him sharply. Her eyes narrowed. ~Who does he think he is? This is my affair. I do not care if Glorfindel is a lord of his house; he still deserves to die for what he did to me.~ “I owe this Elf for what he has done to me,” she told Elrond coldly.
Elrond looked at her, his eyes full of pity and compassion. “He did not sell you, Alexa.”
“Oh, really. Well, who did then?” she asked sardonically.
“An enemy of your father’s. A dark-haired Elf named Nenthalion.”
Alexa saw Glorfindel’s eyes darken as Elrond spoke that name. She drew in a sharp breath as she felt her mind flash back to the vision of the Elf she had seen in Galadriel’s mirror. The dark-haired Elf. Suddenly, she could not breathe. She glanced between Elrond and Glorfindel in disbelief. Could it be true? Could Elrond be right? The image of the Elf in the mirror, an image that would be forever burned into her mind, appeared to her once again, and she knew that what Elrond had said was true. Her body went numb, and it was a moment before she could move again. A horrible sense of panic overcame her, and her heart began to pound heavily. She began to tremble, and knew that she had to leave this house… now. Her sword clanged onto the floor as she ran from the room. Glorfindel started after her, but Elrond stopped him.
“No, my friend. Give her time.”
Glorfindel bent down and picked up Alexa’s sword from the floor. He looked at Elrond, still reeling from shock. “Is that really her, Elrond? Is she truly my daughter?”
Elrond nodded. “Yes. Galadriel knew, and so she sent her here.”
Glorfindel was overcome with anger. “Why did you never foresee of this, Elrond? Why did you not know she was alive?”
Elrond looked at his friend, his heart sympathetic to his pain. “She was always surrounded by darkness, until she had an unlikely meeting with a Lothlorien Elf. Galadriel sent me word of her.”
“Then why did you not tell me when you received word of her?”
“Had I told you, the things I had foreseen would have turned out very differently. And not for the better, my friend.”
Glorfindel lowered his head. “I have to speak with her, Elrond.”
“Not yet, my friend. She is not ready to speak with you, for she still does not understand the truth. Allow me to go speak with her.”
Glorfindel nodded and watched Elrond leave the room. ~Elyndiriel, my beloved daughter, alive. I have prayed unceasingly for this moment since the day I lost her.~ He fell to his knees. Overcome by joy and pain, he wept. ~Elyndiriel.~
