Alexa had not awakened in two days, and her fever steadily increased with each passing hour. Haldir knew it was time to take her to Lorien. He made a litter for her, and attached it to her horse, in a way that the litter would be on a slight incline and drag behind the animal. He then laid the blankets on the litter to make it softer for her. He walked over to Alexa, and gently lifted her into his arms. As he carried her to the litter, she roused.
“What? What are you doing?” she asked weakly.
“Your fever worsens by the hour, Alexa,” he told her as he set her on the litter. “I am taking you to Lothlorien, for I can do no more to help you.”
“No! I do not want to go there!”
“Lothlorien is your only chance. I must take you there.”
“No! Leave me behind. I will take care of myself.”
“You stubborn elleth! I will not leave you here to die!” he said angrily. “If you are well enough to take care of yourself, get up and walk away.”
Her blue eyes flashed. “All right then!” Gritting her teeth, she tried to push herself into a sitting position. The pain in her abdomen screamed at her to stop, but she continued to push herself until she could move no further. Falling back, she passed out from the pain.
Haldir knelt down to check her wound. He was so worried about her, but at the moment he wanted to throttle her! ~She is the most impossible elleth I have ever met!~ he muttered to himself. ~She would rather be left here to die, than to be taken to her own people, who are her only hope of survival. Why will she not let me aid her?~ He removed the bandage, and noticed that the skin around the wound was discolored, and the wound itself was festering. He knew that only could mean one thing: infection. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Despite all of his efforts, the wound had worsened. He put a fresh bandage on the wound and covered her with the blanket. Grabbing both horses’ reins, he began walking. He was taking her to Lorien whether she liked it or not.
* * *
The journey was a difficult one. Haldir took them along smooth roads, but he still had to stop several times a day to change Alexa’s bandages and give her water. Her condition seemed to worsen with each mile, and he knew that she was running out of time. He traveled with as much speed as possible, but he was still unsure if he would get her to Lorien in time to save her, and that thought sickened him. Every time he looked at her deathly pale face, his worry grew. The thought of losing her was unbearable. He looked at her and sighed. She seemed so young and vulnerable sometimes that it made him ignore her coldness, and made him try to do whatever he could to ease her pain. He wanted her to realize that he was only trying to help her, and that he did not want anything in return. He wanted her to see him as someone that she could trust.
* * *
Dreams of the past haunted Alexa as she slept. She dreamed of Alora, her adoptive mother, often.
* * *
“You are worthless, Alexa!” Dargon screamed as he struck her, sending her reeling to the floor. Putting a trembling hand to her bleeding lip, she scrambled to her feet.
“Your own kind did not even want you,” Dargon hissed. “Your own father sold you to me for twenty pieces of gold! He said you were nothing but a mistake, and he wanted nothing more to do with you!” He laughed coldly. “Looks like he was right. Get out of my sight!”
She ran from the great hall and into the kitchen. Alora grabbed her arm as she ran by. “Alexa? What is wrong? What has happened?” Alexa turned and Alora grimaced as she saw Alexa’s swollen, bleeding lip. “Did Dargon do that to you?” ~That monster.~ Alexa nodded. “Come over here and sit down,” Alora said, guiding her over to a stool in the corner. “You sit here, dear heart, and I am going to find something for your lip,” Alora told her.
Alexa sat and watched Alora as she searched the kitchen. Alora was a small, thin woman of forty, with her long, black hair graying at the roots. Her face was hardened and the beauty of her youth was gone, but to Alexa, she was the most beautiful woman in all of Middle Earth. Alora grabbed a rag from the counter and handed it to Alexa. Alexa winced as she pressed it to her bleeding lip. Her mind was reeling from what Dargon had said.
“What is troubling you, child?” Alora asked.
Alexa immediately told her of what Dargon had said, for she loved and trusted Alora and sought her wisdom. “Is it true, Alora? Did my father really sell me to him and say all those things?”
Alora looked at her sadly. “I was there the night he brought you here. A tall, dark-haired Elf he was, an air of malice about him. He told Dargon that you were his child, and that he wanted nothing more to do with you. Dargon gave him a bag of gold, and I have never seen him since.” She saw the tears in the girl’s eyes. Reaching out, she tipped Alexa’s chin and looked into her eyes. “Then Dargon gave you to me to care for. And you, my darling, are the most precious gift I have ever received.”
“Oh, Alora,” she said brokenly.
Alora reached out and held Alexa tightly, letting the girl cry. She loved this girl more than anything, even more than her own life. After she had lost her own daughter in childbirth many years ago, she was never able to bear another child because of the complications resulting from that pregnancy. Because of this, her husband had deemed her worthless to him, and gave her to Dargon to pay off the debt that he owed him. She had thought that she would never again have anyone to love or have anyone who would love her, until the day that Alexa was given to her. She smiled. Although Alexa was not a child of her flesh, she was the daughter of her heart. She gently kissed Alexa’s forehead. “You will always be my little girl,” Alora told her. “Always.”
* * *
The dream then changed, reminding her of one of the darkest days of her life. The day started out as beautiful with the sun shining brightly. It was a day that most would believe impossible of having any darkness in it. However, Alexa could not ignore the horrible sense of foreboding that gripped her soul.
Alexa looked around the dining room and shuddered. She hated Dargon’s home, for it was so large and cold inside. Even the radiant sun could not penetrate this place. The rooms were enormous, and the ceilings were so high that it made even the largest person feel small and insignificant.
“Come here, you little wench! Bring me that tray of meat,” Dargon commanded her. Alexa grabbed the tray and rushed it over to him. Setting it before him, she stepped back. Dargon glared at her as she moved away. She began to tremble, for she knew that look all too well.
“You are too slow!” An evil smile crossed his face. “Maybe a good beating will quicken your pace.” He raised his whip and brought it down hard against her back. She cried out in pain and tried to scramble away. Grabbing her by the hair, he spun her around and struck her hard against the face. She fell to the ground, and he began unleashing his fury upon her, all the while calling her a worthless Elf. Dargon despised Elves. If only she was a human instead of an Elf, maybe he would not beat her so. She cried out in pain as the whip once again tore her flesh.
“Stop it!” a voice screamed from the doorway. Dargon spun around and saw Alora standing in the doorway.
“You dare challenge me, Alora?”
“Leave her alone, Dargon! She has done nothing wrong!”
“No, Alora,” Alexa said weakly, trying to get up. “Do not get involved in this.”
But it was too late. Dargon had already unsheathed his sword. He had no tolerance for insubordination, and the price of it was high. “Your service is finished, Alora! I have no more use for you.”
“No!” Alexa screamed as Dargon stabbed her. Kicking Alora back, Dargon freed his sword and left the room. Alexa ran over and cradled Alora in her arms. She placed her hand over Alora’s wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. The blood flowed out of Alora like a river, a fatal river that could not be stopped.
“Hold on,” Alexa said desperately. “I will go find help.”
“No, my child,” she rasped weakly. She seemed to grow paler as she continued. “It is too late. I am dying and nothing can change that.”
“Why, Alora? Why did you intervene?” Alexa asked brokenly, tears streaming down her face. How could she live without Alora? How would she survive without her? She held Alora’s ice-cold hand against her face.
“I could not let him beat you anymore. I could not stand by and let him hurt you again.”
“I would have been all right. I always am.”
“Nevertheless, you are my child, and I had to protect you.”
“Shhh. Do not speak anymore. Save your strength. I am going to go find help.” She began to rise, but Alora took her hand and forced her to stay still.
“No. There is not much time.” Reaching into her apron pocket, she removed a broken, silver medallion and handed it to Alexa. Alexa stared at it in confusion.
“What is this?”
“This was around your neck when Dargon gave you to me. I kept it so that he would not take it from you.” She reached up and touched Alexa’s cheek. “I love you, Alexa. I will always be with you.”
“Alora, do not leave me. Please.” Alora’s hand slid from her cheek, and she closed her eyes. Alexa felt Alora’s body go limp in her arms. She held Alora close and sobbed. Looking up, she saw a knife left carelessly on the table. Setting Alora down gently, she went to the table and picked up the knife. She stared at it, and felt something within her change. Hate consumed her, and she began to shake with rage. She would make him pay for what he had done.
* * *
Haldir heard Alexa call out in her sleep. Leaning down, he touched her shoulder. “Alexa? Alexa, it is Haldir. Are you all right?”
Alexa awakened abruptly. She was breathing heavily. “What? What happened?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“You were calling out for someone in your sleep. ‘Alora’ was the name.”
“Alora? She has been dead for many years. She….” Alexa stopped. Why was she telling him anything?
“Please continue, Alexa.”
“No. I do not want to talk about it.”
Haldir sighed. “Very well, my lady. Will you try and eat something?” She nodded. He ladled her some broth into a bowl and brought it over to her. Alexa reached out, determined to feed herself, but she was too weak to hold the bowl. It fell, the broth spilling on the ground. She put a hand to her head.
“I am sorry,” she said, wanting to scream. She felt so helpless, and she hated it.
“It is all right,” he told her with a gentle smile. He ladled out another bowl and fed it to her. She took a bite, but drew back, overcome by nausea. Holding up her hand, she looked at him. “No more. I cannot eat,” she said weakly.
Haldir picked up the waterskin and helped her drink. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes. She was not accustomed to receiving such kind treatment from a man, and an Elf besides. “Just rest,” he said. “We will travel more tomorrow.” Nodding, she relaxed, and drifted back into nothingness.
Haldir sat and watched her as she rested, his emotions in turmoil. He did not know what to make of her. She baffled him. Sometimes she was cold and hard as stone, her walls like those of an impenetrable fortress; yet at other times, she was incredibly vulnerable, like a lost and hurting child. And that stubbornness! Sometimes it was so incredibly frustrating, and at other times, completely adorable. He sighed and shook his head. How was it possible to want to throttle her one moment and want to kiss her the next? He pushed the thoughts away. She had made it perfectly clear that she did not trust him and that she disliked him. But maybe her feelings were changing…. He stopped himself. ~No, I am not even going to allow myself to think of such things.~ He picked up his bow and looked at the sky. Dawn would be coming in a few hours.
