No Chance Meeting
Talk of the elf and the low man's arrival in Númenor had been rampant. For days, the citizens of Armenelos only spoke of this event. It had gotten to the point that where every time you overheard the chatter during your daily errands, your eyes rolled back so far inside your head you thought you might be blinded. If you'd heard one conversation about this famous duo, you had heard them all. "Why are they here?" "How long are they staying?" "Where are they staying?" "How can Queen Regent Miriel allow this?"
It was true that you were one of the faithful, a person who still believed in a friendship with the elves and had not become darkened with jealousy over their endless lives. But it was not the first time you had seen an elf, so you really didn't understand what all the fuss was about. However, it was rather curious, Galadriel, Commander of the Northern Armies, travelling with a low man. Halbrand was his name apparently. You wondered what circumstances brought and kept them together. It was all very curious indeed. But it wasn't something that was going to interrupt your day and stop you from getting your chores done.
Your father had sent you on a job to the blacksmiths this day, as he had some tools that needed fixing. It was the last on your long list of errands, and it seems by the time you had gotten to it, most of the blacksmiths had closed. However, as fate would have it, there was still one smith open for business. You entered, announcing your presence. "Hello? Is anyone still working? The entrance wasn't shut so I thought I'd try my luck." Nothing. Only silence. "Hello?" The silence continued for a few moments, and right as you turned to leave in defeat, something stopped you in your tracks. "I'm not sure I have time enough for what you're after." spoke a voice from the shadow. Stepping into the light that seeped through the entrance, a slightly dishevelled yet handsome man with shaggy-esque longish hair and attentive eyes greeted you.
"Oh please, could you at least take a look? My father will have my head if I don't return these restored." After a knowing glance he said, "That would not be my problem, miss. Perhaps you need to keep time better." His attitude made you a little frustrated, but he was correct so you did not argue the point. "Just take a look. I can pay you well, smith, money is no issue." You held out to him the box of tools. Pulling them out one by one for inspection, the smith eyed each of them carefully, assessing what needed doing. He took his time with this, making you think he must be good, otherwise he'd be rushing to get you out of his establishment. "I can do these three for you now, but the rest... come back tomorrow after first light."
"But-"
"Your father will have to make do for a few more hours."
You nodded, accepting the smiths terms. "Thank you, good sir."
"Call me, Halbrand." Halbrand. You thought. The LOW MAN!
You had avoided all the gossip until now, and had truly wanted nothing to do with it. But now that you realised who you were in the company of... suddenly you couldn't wait to scream it from the top of Meneltarma itself. "Pleasure to meet you, Halbrand." You tell him your name and he replies in kind.
"Feel free to take a seat, if you are happy to wait until I'm done." he offered. You silently agreed, and sat close by, watching him work. For a low man from the Southlands, he was quite good at the task at hand. You found yourself completely transfixed by him as he proceeded to amend the metals back to their working form. Occasionally Halbrand caught you staring, and you felt your cheeks blush, your eyes averting his intense gaze. Each time you glanced back, his face bore a small grin. He seemed to like you. And this made your heart skip a beat.
"Can I ask you about... um..."
"The she-elf?" He spoke, finishing your sentence. "Are you one of the faithful?"
"I am. Truly. I have heard tell of the wonder that is Lady Galadriel. Is everything they say about her true, Halbrand?"
He paused for a moment, considering his answer. "I wouldn't say that, some of the men of this island do not speak very well of her."
"I know. It is awful. I don't really understand why they hate her so, why must they have trouble accepting their mortal fates?"
"Because they are mortal. They wish to live for ages upon ages, like the elves. They should be excited by what is to come upon death. The elves will never leave Arda. For men, death takes them elsewhere." You were so enthralled by him, hanging on his every word. Halbrand knew how to hold attention. "But to answer what your question truly meant, yes, Galadriel is simply remarkable. And I owe her my life." He spoke about her with such reverence and awe. You truly hoped you'd get the chance to meet her.
"Can I ask why you are both here? Is everything alright? Should we worry?" Halbrand turned his glance away from you, sighed, and continued his work. "Tell me about yourself. I want to hear your story." His eyes darted back up at you, his interest keen not just in you, but in praying you don't push your questions any further. "There's not much of a story really. I was born here, I've not left the island that much in my years upon the world. I would love to explore Middle-earth some more one day. But I do love Númenor, we are exceptionally lucky here."
"Indeed you are. What of your family? Your father sounds a piece of work."
You sighed, giving away that truth. "Aye, he is. But he's practically all I've got. Mother died giving birth to my youngest brother... and those boys are never around these days. It's just me and Father now. I... I only had twelve years with her... I would give anything for twelve more minutes." you spoke, as tears suddenly began to fall.
Halbrand immediately ceased his work and came over to you. "I'm sorry," you apologised, slightly embarrassed by your showing of emotion to a man you had only just met. "I don't know what came over me."
"Love." he offered, wiping your cheek with a piece of cloth from his pocket. One of his fingertips grazed your skin as he pulled it away. The unexpected touch had an effect on you. "Love perseveres when all else fades." Halbrand mused wisely.
You chuckled through your tears. "Are you a blacksmith or something else entirely, Halbrand?"
"Perhaps I am both." he spoke cheekily, raising a finger to his lips requesting your silence. You laughed again and he smiled at you before heading back to your father's tools. "What is your favourite thing you've created?" you asked earnestly, trying to endear yourself to him further. He chuckled and said, "I do not think I have created it yet. My best work is still to come." Something about this sentence, the way he said it... stirred something within you. You found yourself thinking of him, wishing he would come back to your side, and touch you again, with purpose.
"Here we are." he announced his job complete, and you rose to meet him at his station. The three tools he had amended looked brand new, as if never touched by any hands, nor struck any objects or materials. Truly extraordinary.
"Thank you so much. What do I owe-"
"You can pay me at dawn when you return for the rest. Now forgive me, but I must retire." he spoke, almost disappointed for some reason, but you didn't know why. He gestured for the door, which you, also disappointingly, headed towards. "See you at first light, Halbrand."
"Thank you for your company, my lady."
My lady! Your heart skipped numerous beats it felt like. You somehow kept it together and gave him a slight nod and smile before turning and making your exit. As you headed up the road back home, you were practically skipping with glee. What you didn't know, was that Halbrand was watching your every step.
You barely slept that night. At first because of your father's frustrations over the lack of all his tools being repaired. You explained to him all would be complete by the next sunset but he did not care. A slap to the face told you that much. The ache in your cheek kept you conscious out of fear, but eventually it dissolved into desire, as you thought of Halbrand, how close he was to you as he wiped your tears away. The fact he never removed his gaze from yours, how his eyes only spoke of concern for you. The all too brief contact of his skin against your skin. The same spot your father made contact of his own. Forcing yourself to focus only on Halbrand, after a while, you fell asleep with a smile.
You were awoken by the beginnings of the new day creeping in your window, beams of golden light cascading towards you. Your smile returned, or had it never left, as you knew the first thing you would be doing this morning. You dressed quickly, grabbed the tool box, and glided straight past your father who lay sleeping still in his clothes, his flask of mead poured out onto the floor.
Within minutes, you were approaching Halbrand's place of work. As you reached the entrance, you found the door still locked. Your stomach dropped. Doubting your memory, you relived his words over and over again, even though you were right. "...come back tomorrow after first light... you can pay me at dawn..."
Where was he? The thought had little time to permeate your brain before you felt a hand take your own, pulling you into the side street next to the workshop. Before you had time to even breathe, you had been pushed up against the stone wall, with a tender hand on your cheek, and soft lips crashing into your own. He broke away soon thereafter to catch his own breath, and then you saw who your seducer was. It was Halbrand. Upon this realisation, you then kissed him, pulling his body flush against yours. It was passionate, desperate, and insane.
The tool box dropped to the ground, the loud crash breaking the two of you out of your lustful daze. Halbrand rested his forehead against your own, as you both gasped for air. "My lady." he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. You smiled wide at him before he kissed you again. However this kiss was more gentle, slower, letting you both savour every moment of it. When it eventually ended, his voice entered the air. "You know, I probably could have amended all of those tools last night actually."
"And why didn't you?"
"Because I wanted to be certain I would see you again."