An Elfling's Tale
by TariElfLady
A tale of Haldir's youth
Chapter 1
Parting the leaves ever so gently, so as to blend with the soft breeze
drifting through them, a pair of bright blue eyes peered through,
watching the scene evolving below. The Children of Ilúvatar were
chasing brightly colored butterflies through a meadow covered in the
soft grasses freshly awakened from the cold winter. There were children
of all sizes and ages. In front ran a girl child who appeared to be
about his age, which was only five years. Quite young he was for an
Elf. Not so for a girl child. He knew their life span was short, unlike
Elves who were for the most part, immortal. The children were having
such a good time racing through the grass, the softness of it caressing
their bare feet. Try as they might, no one could catch the fluttering
creatures. The sweet sound of their laughter filled the air, as they
ran from one end of the meadow to the other, intent in their pursuit of
the delicate creatures. No one except the girl was able to capture one.
She ran way ahead of the rest, her golden hair streaming behind. She
turned, and began running towards the tree he was hiding in, cradling
the butterfly gently in her hands so she could show it to her friends.
It was then that he saw her face. Not only was her hair the color of
his, but, she also had the same bright blue eyes. Something tugged at
his heart. “I feel as though I know her. How can that be? I have never
seen any of the race of men before”, he thought to himself as a look of
confusion covered his face.
He heard a light movement behind him, a mere whisper of air. “Oh,
no,” he thought to himself. “I am in trouble now.” Someone was climbing
up the tree to where he was hiding. So quietly, that only another Elf
would have been able to hear him.
“Haldir!” an angry voice whispered in his ear. “What are you doing
up here? You know you are not supposed to wander off by yourself. Lord
Elrond will be most unhappy with you. Come down, NOW,” he said through
clenched teeth, as he began to climb back down.
“Yes, Lord Glorfindel,” he said as he began scurrying down the tree also.
As soon as he neared the bottom of the tree, he felt an arm go
around his waist, pull him off, and not too gently, plop him onto the
back of a horse.
“You will ride with me from now on,” said Glorfindel. “That way I
can keep an eye on you. You are much too inquisitive. After all the
trouble you have gotten into already, I thought you would have learned.
Since you have not, I am afraid I will have to be a little stricter
with you. You know there are plans for you when you are fully-grown.
Why can you not just behave for a while and learn from us. We have much
to teach you.”
“I am sorry. I will try harder…... I really will. It is just that I
have never been out of Rivendell before, and there is so much to see. I
cannott seem to help myself. I want to see everything.”
“Lord Glorfindel, I saw children playing in the meadow. There was a
little girl with them. She could run like the wind. Even the larger
children could not catch her. She stopped beneath the tree I was in. I
saw her face. She has eyes the color of mine and her hair was like mine
also. I feel as if I know her. How can that be? I have never seen any
men before. Who is she?”
“It is not for me to tell you about the girl child. You will have
to ask Lord Elrond when we return to Rivendell. He is the only one who
can answer your question. I know, Haldir. This is all new and exciting,
but you really must stay with us. There are roving bands of Orcs all
around us. The trees sometimes hide nasty spiders. Until you learn to
tell from the air and the trees when danger is near, you must stay
close to us. I cannot let anything happen to you. Not only would Lord
Elrond be angry, but also the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn.”
That being said, Glorfindel jumped up behind Haldir, and signaled to the others to move on. They had a lot of ground to cover.
