DISCLAIMER:
I do not own, or have anything to do with Lord of the Rings and the story's related characters. The characters Taryn, Nefiáthiel, and Nefára belong to me, everyone else is property of J.R.R. Tolkien.
TRANSLATIONS / DEFINITIONS:
a'maelamin*sp?* = my beloved
mellyrn = Mallorn; huge trees that grow only in the forest of Lothlórien.
Mae govannen na Lórien = Welcome to Lórien.
Elbereth = The Queen of the Stars and spouse of Manwë the King of Arda, great among the Queens of the Valar. She set the stars in the sky, for which the Eldar of Middle-earth revered her, calling her by the name of Elbereth, meaning 'star-kindler'. www.glyphweb.com/arda/
Haldir O Lórien = Haldir from Lorien
Taryn walked through the woods of Lothlórien with the Lord of the Wood himself as her guide. And damn if he wasn't gorgeous. Galadriel must have heard Taryn's thoughts yet again, because she laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl gave a shy grin and kept on walking, watching the trees ahead of her with piqued interest and keeping a weary eye on the tangled roots of the Mellyrn trees that sprouted up at her booted feet.
It seemed that the Lord and Lady had immediately taken a liking to Taryn and, while she was still unconscious, had clothed her in the grey garb of the Lórien elves. Galadriel had provided her with one of the most beautiful gowns Taryn had ever seen earlier that morning, and she had donned it immediately and spun around the room with excitement, watching the skirt of the gray-silver silk dress flare around her. Across the front were embroidered a Celtic-looking design and secured across the front were tiny shining beads of silver. The dress fell a little past her ankles, and the back of it had a little bit of a train, about a foot's worth, that seemed to never get dirty despite the forest floor. Taryn chalked it up to Elvish craftsmanship.
Needless to say, Taryn was thankful. If she had remained in the clothing that she had been wearing when whoever it was had found her, she knew that questions would arise that she was not in the least prepared to answer. Taryn gazed back up at Celeborn, and his smiling face gazed down at her again. His silver hair blew with the slight breeze that laced the forest, and those blue eyes...oh the depths of them! Taryn had to look away from his face for fear of drowning in them. They held variations of blue: from light to dark and eveything in between.
"Where are you from, Taryn..if I may be permitted to inquire of such a thing?" Celeborn inquired, breaking the growing silence of the walk.
Taryn glanced at Galadriel, her eyes widening. She had no clue what to do here, let alone say to Celeborn.
'Tell him the truth, Taryn. I will assure him of it,' Galadriel's voice filtered through her head.
Taryn nodded slightly and sucked in a breath. How do you tell such a creature, let alone Celeborn, such a thing that might be construed as blasphemy? Surely he would understand, wouldn't he?
"I..," Taryn began somewhat courageously, trying to find her correct wording and failing miserably. "I came from Earth."
Celeborn laughed, and immediately Taryn felt a tidal wave of stupidity hit her. The Lord of Lothlórien came to a halt quickly and Taryn nearly fell over out of shock. Celeborn braced her with his hands, placing one on each of her shoulders and looked deep into her hazel eyes. "Taryn, we are in Earth. Middle-earth, but Earth nonetheless. Please, do not be afraid to speak the truth."
"But I do...I am...speaking truth..," she protested softly, averting her eyes to the near-black dirt that made up the fertile floor of the forest.
"Then why do you avoid my eyes, Taryn? Have you committed some hideous crime that you hide from us?" His eyes pleaded with the young girl to speak.
Taryn shook her head. "No."
"Borne witness to such an event?"
"No."
Celeborn had just opened his mouth to speak again when Galadriel laid her hand upon his shoulder.
"Let her speak, a'maelamin. She has much to say, and if she does not wish to say anything to us yet, then let her be silent. She will speak of her past when she is ready." Taryn's eyes came up to meet Galadriel's icy blue ones, and found them immensely comforting instead of searching. 'He will believe you, once you choose to tell him who you truly are, Taryn...just as I believe you.'
Taryn nodded, and found hersef willing to continue on their quest to locate her rescuer even more than earlier. She was determined to find out who this mystery elf was.
"May we continue, my Lord?" Taryn inquired as politely as possible, trying to edge his mind off of who she really was.
"Of course. Onward then, to the Northern borders of Caras Galadhon, where our Marchwardens are patrolling this very moment." Celeborn said uneasily, breaking the enveloping silence once again. Shortly after; however, the silence returned in full force and Taryn was afraid that she would go mad if any of them didn't start talking soon. Just as if on cue, Galadriel spoke.
"What is it like, Taryn?" Her deep voice echoed off of the giant Mallorn trees and found its was to the girl's ears.
"What is what like, my Lady?" Taryn inquired, curious as to what Galadriel was hinting at.
"Cle--Your home. What is it like there?" Galadriel's eye twinkled with something akin to mischief and Taryn had to smile as she noticed.
Taryn sighed. "Home...There is a Great Lake there, in between where I live and another country. It gets really cold in the wintertime, and in that season snow covers the ground like a white blanket..," Taryn paused a moment to take in the look on the Lord and Lady's faces which held nothing short of astonishment. "In the springtime it's so pretty. The air still has a chill to it, but it's beginning to get warmer. In the summer we swim in pools, which are man-made lakes, I suppose, and we wear shorts. It's quite comfortable there up until the humidity rises so high, you'd think it was one hundred degrees outside." Celeborn visibly winced, and Galadriel stifled a laugh.
"What are...'shorts'?" Galadriel inquired after she had conquered her laughter.
Taryn couldn't help but laugh herself. "Shorts are...short leggings that stop about mid-thigh, er, the ones I wear are anyway." Taryn blushed as Celeborn raised his head in amusement. She continued quietly, "Home is perfect...just like it is here. I love my home, and I love it here..."
Galadriel grinned triumphantly.
"Lothlórien and all of its people love you as well," she spoke softly, casting a sideways glance at her husband who half-nodded in affirmation.
Taryn watched Celeborn out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but notice that he seemed...distant and on-edge around her.
"My Lord," She began, testing her voice. "I have not come here to harm Lórien or any of its people. I love this forest. If I could, I would stay here forever...but I can't. To tell you the truth I have no clue how I came to be here, but I am here now...with no means that I know of to return home."
Celeborn nodded. "I thank you for trying to assure me, Taryn. The only assurance I need; however, is that of my wife, Galadriel, and she assures me that you are trustworthy. Henceforth, I shall trust you as she does." He looked down at Taryn and smiled. "Here we are."
Celeborn pulled to a stop and gathered Taryn in his arms. "Do not be frightened, Taryn. We must leave you now, but your Marchwarden will be down to greet you shortly." He left Taryn with a smile and a feather kiss on her forehead, and Galadriel did the same before glancing up into the thick leaves of the Mallorn trees.
Galadriel shot Taryn a wink, mischief dancing in her eyes as she did so before walking off. Suddenly, the leaves overhead rustled slightly and Taryn turned around to find herself face-to-face with another Elf with a slight twinkle in his dark blue eyes. He had long blonde hair, as did all of the Elves of Lothlórien, pulled back in the traditional style of the Elves with a braid on either side of his head, and a long fishbone braid down the back. He let a group of blonde locks fall just in front of each of his Elven ears, and the points of them just managed to stick out from behind the locks, giving his however disgruntled appearance a somehow regal look. He was glowing.
"Mae Govannen na Lórien, my Lady." He spoke, and then his gaze turned questioning. "Who are you, if I may inquire?" He spoke with sincerity and Taryn, although she didn't understand what he had just spoken saw the smile he was so desperately trying to hide, and couldn't help but smile herself.
"You may, My Lord. I am Taryn Moynihan. It is an honor to meet such a distinguished Elf as yourself, Marchwarden; and you are?"
"Haldir. Haldir O Lórien." He spoke with a flourish, and Taryn felt her knees go weak. This...this was Haldir? Was it possible? Her favorite Elf from the novels stood before her, and she had no clue what to say to him.
'By Elbereth,' she thought. 'Someone help me...'
Go to story...
Prologue - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
|
