Thranduil (Haldir) / Reader - Part 5
That was it. If Haldir thought that you were going to beg, he was wrong. You did not beg and the only time you had begged for something had been when you had basically crawled into Mirkwood after your brother had taken you out to the wasteland to die. Then it had been a matter of life and death, now it was not. Sure, your heart was pretty much broken although you were not certain if Haldir had ended the courtship or not but you had once made a promise to yourself that you would never fade away or end your own life for someone else… and you would not beg. Besides it was not like Haldir was any better; he had promised you to love you no matter what, he had agreed to wait until you would be ready to tell him the story of your life but he had pretty much broken his word and now acting like you had been lying to him about everything. The fact was that you had never lied to him about anything else than whether you were someone important or not… and even that was debatable since you were not a ruler anymore.
You stood up and brushed leafs as well as the dirt off your dress. You wiped your cheeks, took a deep breath and left the forest. You wanted to get back home as soon as possible because even though you had decided to stay strong and not to give Galadriel the pleasure of seeing you heartbroken, it was easier said than done since every place you passed reminded you of the sweet moments that you had shared with Haldir; the places where you had embraced or kissed… where you had told him the first time that you loved him and all the places where he had promised to love you no matter what…. Yes, the promise that he had now broken so effortlessly.
It made you angry that Haldir had stated that one could expect certain things from you because you were a half-elf; that it was to be expected that you would betray him and you did not even know what pure… true… real… love meant. Sure your parents had not led by an example but maybe you wanted something different because you had seen what a relationship that was loveless and did not work did to people, what kind of destruction followed and how lives got ruined because selfishness of others. You had witnessed it all and therefore you would have never made the same mistakes yourself… but Haldir had not given you a chance to explain or defend yourself, he had just assumed that since your father had had an affair with a maid, it automatically meant that you did not know what love meant.
Maybe Haldir did not know what love meant. Maybe Haldir was so deep in his own sense of superiority and perfection that he did not understand that even so called lower beings learned from their mistakes and from the mistakes of others. Perhaps it was the same than when the elves said that hundred years was a mere blink of an eye and therefore they thought that the time that you had ruled your home realm did not really matter. However they were ignoring entirely the fact that you had ruled mortals and during your rule even the smallest children had grown up, gotten children of their own and died… so even though for the elves one century was basically nothing, for the mortals it was a lifetime and in your opinion to provide a happy, prosperous and peaceful lifetime for your people was a big accomplishment. Sure it would have been great if your rule had lasted longer… but it was life and life did not always go the way you would have wanted.
Perhaps Galadriel was right; maybe you were a mortal in an immortal body and it meant that your place was not in Valinor. There were so many things about the elves that you couldn’t understand, especially because everyone always talked about the elves like they never made mistakes or did anything wrong… even by an accident. Maybe you were a mortal by your spirit because you saw the mortal life as a precious thing and you did not expect people to be perfect, as long as they grew and learned. Yes, life among mortals was about growth and one’s development as a living being but the elves… they seemed to pretty much stay the same because they were practically born perfect.
You knew that you were probably wrong and sure, the elves grew too… but nevertheless you felt that Valinor was not the place where you belonged. It was possible that the Doomsman of Valar had made a mistake when he had let you out from the Halls of Mandos. However he had and now that you had reincarnated, tried to live among the elves for a year and even though it had looked like it had been going very well, it had eventually gone to shit and therefore you now felt that you had to leave. You had to leave Valinor and build a life for yourself somewhere else, in a place where your background wouldn’t eventually come to haunt you.
You stormed into your house and asked your maid to bring you a map of Valinor. You didn’t even know if Valinor was just the name of the elven city where you now lived or was Valinor an island or… a continent… which would mean that you could just move from a city to another. You knew that if you had been brought up by the elves you would surely know this among many things but since you were not, you had to find out. The maid ran into the library-room of your house and after a couple of minutes of searching she returned into the sitting room with an old, big book that looked very heavy and fragile. She put the book on the table and quickly found you the map of the known world. You walked to the table and asked the maid to point out your current location.
- Right here, my lady. she said and pointed at eastern shore, right by the mountains that sheltered the elven continent in the east, reaching all the way from the north to south.
- Are there other cities? you asked curiously.
- Yes, inland. the maid answered. You commented “Good” with a barely audible tone and sat down because you felt slightly dizzy. You could feel your entire body shivering or even shaking as you thought about leaving and you had to sit down so you wouldn’t faint. Your maid ran into the kitchen and brought you a glass of cold water because you looked pale and even nauseous.
- Why are you asking, my lady? she asked with a slightly hesitant tone as she handed you the glass.
- I am leaving. you stated with as firm tone as you could but you failed to sound as assertive as you had hoped to.
- Leaving? Where? the maid exclaimed with a surprised and deeply confused tone. She had never heard that someone had wanted to… leave! Besides, in her opinion the elven city where you were living was the best place to live; it was right by the sea, sheltered by the mountains and she loved the fact that anyone who sailed to Valinor, or otherwise entered it, had to pass through the city. It meant that there were always new people to meet and news to hear.
- Somewhere… elsewhere… anywhere! you groaned and stood up.
- Very well, my lady. I did not mean to upset you. she said and bowed her head down apologetically.
- Well, even if that had been your intention, you would have been late. you commented and sighed as you walked to the window to stare out at the strolling elves.
- What happened? the maid asked with a cautious voice. She was well aware of the quarrel between you and Lady Galadriel as well as the reasons behind it because she had been the only person you had been able to talk about anything rather openly. Your maid knew about you and Haldir, she knew about your past and she knew that you had been trying to change Galadriel’s opinion about the union between you and Haldir so she would allow it. You chuckled and your chuckle changed into somewhat hysterical, yet bitter laughter which then almost turned into hopeless sobbing, but you managed to stop yourself before it went that far.
- How did the meeting with Galadriel go? she asked after you had stopped laughing. You stared out without saying a word and the maid decided to ask “Did the Lady give you her blessing like you assumed?” You rubbed your arms and turned to look at your maid after a moment of uninterrupted silence.
- No, she did not. you replied and then continued with an emotionless tone “But now I at least know why Galadriel despises me”. The maid inhaled sharply and stated immediately
- I’m sure she doesn’t-
- She does and I will never get her blessing. you replied and leaned to the windowpane. You explained the whole thing to your maid; what you had said and what Galadriel had said, how you had finally found out why the Lady opposed the relationship between you and Haldir and just as you had feared, it had nothing to do with anyone’s lineage. Your maid listened to you silently and after you had finished, she was speechless and therefore unable to comment.
- And that’s not all. you said with a tone that had a deep undertone of sadness unlike before. You told your maid that you had talked with Haldir, who had talked with Galadriel and the Lady had told him everything and maybe even more than that; most likely Galadriel had left out everything that could have defended your side of the story and probably she had colored some details as well because you were pretty sure that her only goal had been to cause a breakup since, according to her again, Haldir was too good for you. She had not said it but it had been easy to read between the lines.
- But that is not true! Haldir is so lucky to have you! the maid exclaimed.
She had many times witnessed you returning from Galadriel’s palace completely exhausted because you had tried to reason with the Lady and then listened to you crying your eyes out afterwards due to the desperation that defending your relationship alone without any effect was causing. It had been pretty much eating you alive. Besides you had never been anything but courteous and kind towards your maid, which meant that you had a good heart despite the mistakes you had once made. You did not comment anything because there was nothing to say, really. After a moment of silence you told the maid pretty much everything what you had said to Haldir and what Haldir had said to you during the argument which had then ended in a breakup… even though neither of you had said the words “it is over”. You had just stated that there was nothing else to say and Haldir had agreed with you. The maid inhaled slowly and then suddenly stated
- Surely you told Haldir that the reason why you had kept your identity hidden was because Galadriel-
- No. you said and sighed.
- But why not? the maid asked and continued by stating that if she had been in your situation, she would have told Haldir everything that Galadriel had done, every detail, no matter how unflattering.
- Galadriel is Haldir’s queen. He has pledged loyalty to her and therefore I do not think that it would have made any difference. you spoke with a sad, yet calm tone.
- You cannot know that for sure, my lady. the maid stated stubbornly.
- Maybe not, but it seems that Haldir rather believes Galadriel than me, so what is there left to say? you commented and walked into your bedroom, took a bag out from the closet and put it on your bed. You started to go through your clothes and selected a couple of your favorites and picked up an outfit to wait for a later moment; something practical, a plain dress and an overcoat that had tightly fitting sleeves into which you would change after finishing the packing. You talked with your maid while packing your bag and then dropped your head as you inhaled slowly, held your breath and exhaled just as slowly.
- I do not expect you to follow me. you stated and turned to look at the maid who was standing in the doorway of your bedroom.
- Thank you, my lady. she said and bowed a little.
- I know you love this city. you commented and closed the bag.
- What shall I tell to people if they ask where you are? she asked with a hesitant tone.
- I don’t know. you replied and after a small pause you lifted the bag and stated “I don’t really care” with an emotionless tone. It was plainly obvious to your maid that you were exhausted and too restless to care what anyone else thought about your actions and therefore it did not really matter what your maid told them.
- What should I tell to Haldir? she asked. You were just changing your clothes and stopped immediately, almost like you had frozen completely still all of a sudden, when you heard your maid mentioning Haldir.
- You can… you began and then stopped to think what would be your last word to the man you loved. It was difficult to come up with things to say, not because there had been many, but because you felt like everything that could have been said, had been said already. You took a deep breath and then said “You can tell Haldir that I love him.” You continued changing your clothes and then stopped again.
- Please tell him also that I never meant to hurt him. you stated and then whispered “Yes, that’s it” to yourself with a barely audible tone. The maid said “Very well, my lady” and left the room. She walked into the kitchen and prepared you a small basket of fruits and lembas to eat during the journey to another elven city. She also filled a bottle of water for you as well and put it into the basket.
After changing your clothes you took your bag and walked to the entrance hall. The maid brought you the small basket and said her farewells with tears in her eyes even though she tried her best to keep her exterior cool. You smiled at her and nodded as a sign that you were equally touched by the goodbyes and after wishing her all the best you walked out from the house. You had decided not to look over your shoulder at your home and you managed to fight against the urge to look back until you had found the road that led out from the elven city. There, at the outer gate of the city, you stopped for a moment and took a final glance over your shoulder and then continued walking forward.
Soon it became dark but you decided to walk slowly through the night. The ground was pretty flat and covered with hay and grass so it was very easy to walk on. You came across some elves that you did not know and you started slowly feel a bit lighter. It was funny and odd how there had been a time when you had wanted everyone to know your name… once, a long time ago… and now… now you were deeply grateful when the elves whose paths crossed with yours did not recognize you and only few of them actually stopped you to ask you where you were headed.
You stopped a couple of times to rest and to eat an apple or two but since you were not in a hurry, you kept strolling forward and enjoying the warm wind on your face. The wind was blowing from the distant mountains and making the large plain more pleasant to cross because the summer sun was shining from a clear sky and without the wind it would have been too hot to walk long distances… even for a half-elf. On the evening of the second day you decided to find a place to rest because you needed to sleep. The previous night you had walked forward while counting the stars and singing old songs of your home realm to keep you company.
You found a couple of trees and stopped to spend the night under them. You stared at the stars twinkling somewhere far above and tried to recall all the constellations that your father had taught you as well as the old stories that he had told you. The truth was that you did not know whether you were going to return to the elven city after walking around a bit or was this it; your great escape, an adventure that would lead you somewhere else entirely. You just knew that you needed some time alone and space to think your next move. Now that you were staring at the vast emptiness you admitted to yourself that you probably should have thought about this a bit more; you had acted on impulse but you were too proud to turn back now. With these thoughts you fell asleep as the wind rustled the grass all around you.
The sound of elves talking to each other woke you up. The sun was rather high up already and when you opened your eyes you were greeted by the familiar sight of the city gate; you were sitting right outside the city wall, at the place where you had taken the last glance at the elven city. You stood up immediately and rubbed your eyes to make sure that you were not dreaming. “What is this?” you gasped when the guards of the elven city wished you good morning. You took your bag as well as the basket and basically ran towards the horizon along the road that you had already walked once before.
You walked forward across the huge grassy plain but every time you camped somewhere and fell asleep, you always woke up at the same place; at the back gate of the elven city where the guards wished you good morning the same way… every time. You decided to change your path a little, walk along the grassy field and ignore the road but the results were always the same; no matter where you tried to go, you always returned to the gate when you woke up. The day always began the same way and your basket was always filled with lembas and apples and your water bottle was always full as well, just like your journey had never even begun.
After repeating this almost ten times you decided that you would sail away instead and therefore you sneaked through the city during the night to the shore of the sea where you had seen a rowing boat some time ago. You found the boat in the very place where you had remembered it to be and pushed it into the sea. This time you decided not to look back, in case that had been the thing that had cursed you in the first place, and after basically throwing your things into the small boat, you pushed the boat forward with the oar and when the water became too deep to reach the seafloor with the oar, you started to row instead. The night was calm and you were able to keep a rather nice pace. You stopped sometimes to stare at the stars, to admire the vast emptiness that surrounded you.
You kept rowing forward, away from Valinor, using the stars as your map and then the next day you saw land in the horizon. You whooped victoriously as the land got closer and closer by every passing hour but when you had gotten close enough to see any details, you realized that you were rowing towards Valinor. You turned your small boat around immediately and started to row away from the land. It was completely possible that you had made a mistake while navigating but after you had gone through the same thing almost five of times, you came to a conclusion that you were either losing your mind or you were simply unable to leave Valinor.
You decided to take a nap, just to close your eyes for a moment because the gentle rocking of the waves was making you so tired, besides you had been rowing back and forth for so many days already that you had already lost count. You put the oars on the floor, right by the side of the elven boat so you wouldn’t lay on them, placed your bag on the floor as well to use it as your pillow and lay down, closed your eyes and after barely an hour you recoiled from your nap when the boat suddenly stopped rocking; it had floated ashore and when you opened your eyes and sat up you noticed that you were back at the place where the boat had been before you had taken it.
- You cannot keep me here! you screamed at the skies and jumped out from the boat to push it to the sea again. You repeated this a couple of times, always returning to the shore after dozing off even for a minute or sailing so far out the sea that you lost the sight of the horizon, only to find Valinor on the other side of the sea… in every direction and every repetition made you even more determined that you wouldn’t give up and go home. You screamed, groaned and even cursed Valar, or whoever was responsible for such childish games, for dooming you to repeat the same thing over and over again because you were not going to give up. Oh no! If the deity thought that she or he force you to stay in the elven city, she or he was greatly mistaken!
You rowed the boat to the open sea, made sure that there was no land in any direction; not in the north, not in the south, not in the east and especially not in the west and sat down to calm yourself. You were tired but this time you wouldn’t let yourself fall asleep because you knew what happened then. You watched the sun setting into the west and the sky turning darker slowly. It was a calm night, the sky was clear from clouds and soon filled with stars that covered the entire sky. The boat kept rocking in the gentle waves and suddenly you noticed the lights of the elven city in the horizon again. You stood up and screamed, grabbed the first thing that you reached, the oar, and threw it overboard as your anger boiled over.
- Stupid… so stupid! you scolded yourself when you realized that the waves were now going to carry you back to Valinor and there was nothing you could have done… not with only one oar at least.
You saw the wooden oar floating right next to the boat and reached to get it but just as your fingertips touched it, it floated further away from the boat. You remembered that you had been told that the elven boats never capsized and therefore you dared to reach out more boldly. You stood up, took off your overcoat so you wouldn’t get the sleeve wet, supported yourself to the side of the boat and extended your arm to reach out to get the oar that was slowly floating away from the boat. Suddenly the boat capsized and you fell into the sea. You kept sinking into the clear water, your dress floating everywhere around you and preventing you from seeing which way was up and which way was down.
There was darkness everywhere. The water was cool but not cold and after a moment of light panic you managed to collect the hem of your dress and see the bubbles of air escaping upwards. You did not know what would happen if you died now; would you just return to the Halls of Mandos and everything would just start from the beginning or would you stop existing altogether? Whatever it was, you had no interest to find out and therefore you started kicking and fought your way to the surface. However just as you were about to reach it, you hit your head to the boat that was floating right above you. You lost your consciousness immediately and sank down into the darkness.
The sound of seagulls mixed with the steady sound of waves rushing ashore woke you up. You were laying on your stomach on the beach, feeling the sand with your fingers as your feet got regularly washed by the waves. You could taste saltwater in your mouth and your eyes hurt when you opened them. It was daytime, noon perhaps, and the sun was warming up your back as you lay on your stomach on the sand. You couldn’t make any sense from the sounds, nothing else but the constant sound of waves and the seagulls, but the longer you were awake, the more you started to hear; someone shouting, someone running closer on the sand…
- (Y/N)! you heard someone, a man, calling with a familiar voice. You were too tired to push yourself up so you just stayed there, laying on the beach, with your hair all over your face and your cheek pressed against the warm sand.
- Are you hurt? the man asked as he knelt beside you and turned you around. You squinted your eyes as the sun hit them because the bright light was hurting them and blinding you.
- Dear (Y/N)! My love? the man said and finally you recognized his voice.
- Haldir? you asked with a soft whisper because you were not sure if you had just imagined everything. Haldir quickly examined you for injuries and then lifted you up effortlessly. He carried you off the beach and took you into his house which was located quite near.
He had been on the beach thinking and scolding himself because he had gotten so offended by the things that Galadriel had told him about you that he had refused to see your side of the story. The truth was that when you had left your house, the maid had soon left too and stormed to Haldir’s house to tell him your side of the whole thing. She had told him that you would have told him who you were if Galadriel had not opposed the union, especially because she had been saying that Haldir was a commoner and therefore the relationship would never be accepted. The maid had also told Haldir that you had tirelessly tried to convince Galadriel and fought to get her blessing but she had not given it to you. After this Haldir had stated that he had to talk with you and make amends but the maid had told him that you had left and most likely were not coming back.
Haldir had then left his house and walked to the beach where he had spent the night, watching the stars and trying to come up with a plan how he could get you back. The morning had arrived and just before the noon he had decided that he was not going to get anything resolved by sitting alone. This was when he had noticed someone laying on the beach, wearing a simple yet strangely familiar dress. Haldir had shouted at you but there had been no answer so he had ran closer and turned you around to see that you were not injured or… even worse; dead.
You gained full consciousness by the time when Haldir reached his home but despite of being fully conscious, you still felt… unreal and not really aware of what was real and what was not. Your head was hurting and the world felt like you had been still rocking in the waves. You could hear the waves and seagulls when you let your mind drift away but every once in a while you snapped back to reality when Haldir spoke to you. He lay you down on his couch and sat on the edge to trace the delicate features of your face. He also brushed your bare arms and crossed his fingers with yours to assure you that he was not going to leave you again. He spoke to you softly as you got more aware of your surroundings and finally managed to ask
- Where am I?
- You are home. Haldir said and smiled at you. You sighed and tried to sit up but every time you raised your head from the sofa pillows, you felt like your world had been just rocking with waves.
- What were you doing on the beach? he asked with a confused tone.
- I tried to get away. you replied with a hoarse voice. Haldir called his servant and asked him to bring you some water. You looked pale and exhausted… almost like you had been out on the sea for many days but it made no sense because he had talked with you just yesterday… or the day before, he was not sure because he had been so worried that he would never see you again and therefore his usually-so-sharp mind was now filled with haze and doubt. The servant brought the glass that was filled with cold water and Haldir helped you to sit up and to drink. Haldir took the glass and put it on the floor as soon as you had emptied it and then he returned to caress your face again. He had been worried that he would never see you again and therefore the sight of you was the answer to his prayers… and to have you there, close and within his reach, was even more than that; it was a dream come true.
- Your maid told me everything. Haldir stated softly after many minutes of silence. “Will you forgive me?” he asked with an apologetic and shy tone. You were silent for a moment because talking hurt your throat and just as you were about to reply, Haldir suddenly leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss on your forehead.
- I am truly sorry that I let my pride to prevent me from seeing the truth. he spoke softly against your forehead. He kept begging for forgiveness and telling you that he had been wrong, even though he was not sure whether you were really listening to him or not. You seemed absent… mentally somewhere else… but he still kept talking because he hoped that there was a part of you that heard him. Haldir brushed softly your hair that was all tangled, wet and partially dirty from seaweed and sand and after removing the strands of sea-plants from your hair he placed his hand on your bare shoulder.
- You’re cold, my lady! Haldir exclaimed and stood up. You shifted your gaze from your bare toes to Haldir and sighed because it was still challenging to make sense of everything; what was real and what was not, no matter that you were fully awake and you could see Haldir… hell, you had been able to feel his touch when he had placed his hand on your shoulder and pressed his lips against your forehead.
Haldir lifted you up from the couch like you had weighed nothing more than a feather and carried you into his bedroom. He asked you if you were able to stand and after you had nodded he lowered you down to stand on the wooden floor of his bedroom, just by the bed. He pulled the covers off half-way for you and rearranged the pillows so the bed would be comfortable to sleep in his bed. You stared at Haldir silently as he made the preparations and then smiled wearily when he turned to look at you. He placed his hands on your upper arms and sighed with a shocked expression as he tried to make you feel warmer by rubbing your arms.
- Your clothes are wet. he stated with a firm tone. “You’ll never get warmer if you’ll wear that dress” he continued and stepped instantly behind you to loosen the lacing of your dress. He brushed your hair gently on your other shoulder to expose your neck and your upper back so he could open the knot that was keeping the lacing from loosening on its own.
- May I? he asked but this time his voice was shy and he actually sounded nervous. “Yes” you answered and closed your eyes as you focused your mind on the feeling of the dress loosening and Haldir’s fingers occasionally brushing the skin of your back even though he tried to avoid it. When he had opened the lacing, he placed his hands on the thin straps that had held the dress up, slid them off your shoulders and with some extra help the dress fell onto the floor right at your ankles. Your undergarments were soaked as well and after asking for permission Haldir helped you to undress them as well. He was very precise and strict; he did not let his gaze wander on your naked body and he was very cautious not to touch you unnecessarily.
You turned to look at Haldir who was standing in front of you in his simple tunic and black trousers, cloak and leather booths. You had missed his blue eyes, his kind features and the loving spark in his eyes and therefore you placed your hands on his neck and guided him closer to kiss you. He was warm, calm and you had missed him so much, more than you had dared to even admit to yourself. You did not know how long it had been but it felt like you had been gone for ages and ages and it had been a half of an eternity since you had kissed him.
Haldir leaned closer and pressed his lips against yours. He could taste the sea salt on your lips and when he placed his hand on your cheek he could feel the few remaining grains of sand on your skin, reminding him about the way he had found you today. He wrapped his other arm around you and pulled you closer as his lips explored yours and tried to convince you that he loved you with every cell of his body and every spark of his spirit. You let yourself get lost into the sweet embrace, completely disregarding the hallucinations of the waves still rocking you. You were home and nothing else mattered anymore. You knew soon enough everything would get back to normal and you would surely get used to being on dry land again.
Haldir kept kissing you modestly at first and then he dared to kiss you more passionately. He nibbled your lower lip and then deepened the kiss, letting it grow hungrier and intensify. His hand caressed the sensitive skin of your neck as his other hand kept you near so you would get a generous share of his body heat. You moved your hands from his neck to his shoulders and felt his strong, well-defined muscles through his tunic and finally wrapped your arms around him to get as close as you possibly could.
- Oh, you’re shivering, my love. Haldir gasped when he felt your skin getting covered by Goosebumps and your lips gently shaking against his.
- Lay down. he said and after pressing one more kiss on your lips he stepped back and let you lay down on his bed. Haldir tucked you in and sat on the edge to brush your arm softly with his fingertips. You were still shivering and therefore Haldir suddenly took off his boots, cloak as well as his tunic and lay down next to you. You had already fallen asleep and rolled on your side so Haldir got very close and wrapped his arm around you. This way your back would press firmly against his chest and you would surely feel safe and cherished like this. However mostly he hoped that you would get warm faster like this and after staying awake for an hour and making sure that you were alright, Haldir let himself drift away as well.
You slept well until the next day and woke up early in the morning. You were laying on your back and Haldir was laying next to you on his side, facing you. He had woken up already and you could feel him running his fingers on your stomach, sometimes visiting your sides and even wandering higher to brush your collarbones and the sensitive skin of your upper chest. When he noticed that you had woken up, he moved to trace your face with the tip of his index finger and after caressing every inch of your delicate, mesmerizingly gorgeous features he leaned closer and pressed his lips on yours.
Haldir kissed you sweetly and brushed his nose against yours playfully a couple of times which made you chuckle. He teased you a little by making you think that he was about to kiss you when he actually pulled back and then smirked against your lips when you sighed for disappointment. You however were not in the mood for games because you just wanted to kiss the man that you loved very deeply, to feel his lips exploring yours and even his tongue driving your imagination wild as he would slip it into your mouth and encage you into such passionate kiss that would make your head spin and therefore you wrapped your arms around him and welcomed him on you again, skin on skin, his chest pressed firmly against yours. He felt so strong and warm, safe and soft, all that at the same time and you wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever; his body close to yours, your lips kissing his and your spirits connected, tangled together for the rest of your lives.
The kiss continued, subsiding and intensifying and subsiding again, almost like endless waves in the eternal ocean that surrounded Valinor. Both of you lost the track of time completely as your embrace changed into soft moans, gasps and words of love until you and Haldir were as close to one and other as two persons could possibly be. Every kiss, touch and loving stare was part of something greater than either of you had ever even dreamed about; from this moment on you belonged to him and he belonged to you and there was nothing that could keep you apart.
Now Haldir knew who you had been and most importantly; he knew the person that you now were. He also knew that you were capable of such deep and pure love that would defy time and therefore it would last forever. He did not care what Galadriel thought and he decided that if the Lady wouldn’t accept the union between you and him, he would runaway with you to some other elven city or even build a house with you by the sea where you could stare at the stars, the sunsets, the waves… just you and he… and he would embrace you like this… and in any way you let him to until time ran out from the world and everything turned back into stardust.