Chapter 9 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9



In the weeks that past after Haldir's death, not much was seen of the young elf-girl who once seemed to be everywhere at once. Sometimes glimpses could be caught of her, studying with Galadriel, running through the woods or in the stables with her horse. Whenever she was seen, she kept quiet and to herself, preferring her own company to others. But most of the time, she was nowhere to be seen by any, save one.

Findiel now never left Gilthoniel's side. She counted on him for support as he was with her when Haldir died and he had seen her at her best and her worst. Together, in a much-unused hall hidden in the maze of Lothlorien, they spent most of their time training. Gilthoniel insisted that she be train in the arts of warfare, so, if ever it was needed, she could be called to help in times of peril. She knew much already, as she had picked up skills from her brothers whilst they trained, but Findiel was a master at the art and taught Gilthoniel in her spare time.

Occasionally, however, Gilthoniel would look around her with bored eyes. She had grown up in Lorien, and knew all its secrets, and now she lusted for the world unknown to her. Long had she begged Aragorn to take her with him when he disappeared for months on end, and now was her chance. Nothing ever happen where she was and her mind was made up.

It was a hot afternoon during the summer and Gilthoniel was training with Findiel. He had first seen her as a student, now she was a worthy opponent. She had learnt how to read his every move and could swipe underneath his defense with ease.

They stood at opposite ends of the hall, still and silent. They listened to the sound of each others breathing, to see who would begin the fight. Gilthoniel quickened her breathing, as if she was about to lunged. Findiel took the bait and swung around to face her, to see she was still facing the other way, breathing steadily. Findiel lunged towards her but she heard his heavy footsteps on the wooden floorboards and turned to face him, parrying his oncoming attack. She swung her sword and they backed away, their eyes never leaving each other.

Gilthoniel raised her sword in front of her face and smiled. Findiel might think he is in charge, she thought, but I have more skill. She turned and walked away in slow, long treads, then stopped sharply, turning back around to face him.

He smirked, thinking of this as an invitation to attack, and ran full pelt across the room. Gilthoniel threw her sword up in the air, her eyes fixed on Findiel, listening to the sound of the sword. She put one step forward and caught the sword behind her with her right hand then brought it swinging out in front of her.

Findiel skidded to a halt, stopping short of the deadly blade. One more step, and the point of the sword would have pierced his throat. He looked angrily into Gilthoniel's eyes, knowing she was mocking him. He could knock her sword out of the way and attack, but that left her sword unguarded and she could dive to the right, or to the left, and cut at him. Or he could give up?

Gilthoniel laughed inside, knowing she'd won. It was clear in Findiel's eyes she had beaten him. She was doing that a lot more often nowadays.

Findiel breathed out deeply and stepped back. He turned and walked away. Gilthoniel crept up silently and put her hand over his mouth, her blade at his neck.

`Best out of three!' She whispered in his ear, then pushed him forward hard, making him fall to the floor, dropping his sword. He picked it up and stood up, enraged at being caught off guard, to see her smiling in a knowing way. She turned and he was about to attack when she looked over her shoulder and called over to him. `Only this time, we shall do it blindfolded!'

He stared, flabbergast, as she produced two blindfolds from the corner of the room where her bows and arrows where. She threw one to Findiel and tied the other around her own eyes.

`Pick a spot in the room where you want to start,' She said calmly. `Make sure you cannot see anything, otherwise you will be cheating and automatically the loser.'

Findiel laughed. He would place himself in a corner, as far away from where she stood now as possible. Then he would hear her approach and could attack.

`First blood spilt from the torso.' Gilthoniel said, making her way to the center of the hall. She knew what he would do, she could now read him like a book, and could tell he would place himself in the farthest corner. As she walked, she explained the rules, to drown out the sound of her steps. `No peeking! Use whatever moves you can. No other weapons are allowed. If you are cut on the anywhere on your torso, you must say so immediately, even if the wound isn't deep. Remember, we want blood, not scratches. And if you cheat, you will suffer!'

He knew she was joking, but he was still a little scared. There had been many rumors about Gilthoniel, some that she possessed magic powers, others she enslaved men by her beauty and they became so in love with her, they would do anything for her. It was said that Legolas had once loved her as much, and had been driven mad by his love. Of course the bit about him going mad wasn't true, Findiel had seen Legolas recently and he was just the same as always. But he couldn't bear the thought of Legolas with Gilthoniel. As he thought about it, an image flashed in his mind. It was of Gilthoniel, the day she had heard the news of her brother's death. She looked frail and vulnerable, but beautiful at the same time. He remembered that feeling he had felt that day, the way he longed for her.

The feeling welled up inside him now and he felt the urge to take off his blindfold to see her, as if he would never see her again. But he couldn't because he was still in the game.

Maybe, he thought to himself, maybe I can sneak a peek, just for a second. He lifted his hand to his eyes, then stopped. No, he thought. I can't cheat on Gilthoniel, partly because I wouldn't get away with it.

He was still musing when her voice filled the room again. `Begin!' she shouted. She turned and faced in the opposite direction and lifted her sword in front of her face again.

There was silence. Neither of them moved a muscle. The only sound was their steady breathing. Whilst Findiel fought to keep his breathing steady, for Gilthoniel it came naturally. Slowly, she took one step backwards.

Findiel heard this movement and sprang. He stopped behind Gilthoniel, having lost her. She had stopped moving and stood deadly still, waiting for him.

As she changed her grip on her sword, he heard the movement of her robes and attacked. His sword sliced across her left shoulder and down her back, ripping her robes. Along her back, though neither of them could see it, was a long scratch. It wasn't deep enough to spill blood, so Gilthoniel was still in the game. She ran forward and stood on the opposite side of the room. She threw her sword again but this time she threw it backwards. She turned and followed it down the hall, first running. She sprang lightly onto one foot then began a cartwheel, which itself turned into a backwards somersault. She then jump high when she was a foot ahead of Findiel and, narrowly avoiding his sword, leapt over him. She landed deftly behind him and caught her sword as it fell. As Findiel wheeled round to face her, she turned on the tips of her toes and sliced her sword level with his stomach, brushing his skin.

Findiel put his hand to the place that her sword had touched him and felt the slow pulse of his blood trickling through the scratch. He pulled off his blindfold and looked at his wound. It was nothing serious, but it was still bleeding. He looked at Gilthoniel, who was stood still in front of him, with her blindfold still on.

`You won,' he gasped, amazed that she had beaten him.

`Not quite.' Gilthoniel turned slowly and stood with her back to him so he could see what she meant.

The scratch he had given her had opened as she vaulted over him. Her robes, red themselves, were now stain with blood. She looked back over her shoulder and pulled off her blindfold and examined her handiwork.

`Hmm, your's isn't that bad.' She laughed looking at his wound. `Is mine bad?'

He smirked. `Don't worry, you'll live.'

She laughed and went to pick up her bow and arrow. `Enough for today! Now, we must change. For we are having dinner with Galadriel and cannot turn up like this!'

Gilthoniel laughed again and returned to her room. She cleaned and bandaged her wound then went to find a dress. She picked out a pink one, which came down low over her shoulders, with long trailing sleeves. She put it on and whirled around. Elendil, the she-wolf, looked up from her place on Gilthoniel's bed. After studying the girl's image, she rested her head on her paws and contented herself to watch her mistress.

Gilthoniel looked at her reflection in the mirror, sighing deeply. She wished that Legolas did not still love her; last time they had met he seemed unwilling to let her go. She had tried everything, but she couldn't make him stop loving her, and she couldn't force herself to love him in return.

Gilthoniel sat on a chair and hugged her knees. Elendil bounded off the bed and trotted over to her. Gilthoniel scratched her ears, then got up and went to her bedside table.

Out of the little draw on her bedside table she took a necklace. It was a pink orchid pendant on a fine silver chin. She put it around her neck and looked at her reflection. She looked like the same girl she had always been, tall, slim, elegant, with jet-black hair, dark purple eyes and graceful features. But she didn't feel her age at all. Not long ago her brothers and her had celebrated her 17th birthday. She could hardly believe she was only 17. She had been forced to do so much growing up in the past months.

She tore her eyes away from her stranger of a reflection and let them wander to her fighting robes. They were tattered, bloody and torn. She picked them up in disgust then threw them in a sack in the corner. Inside were so many other clothes that had been ruined in her fights with Findiel. Somehow, she never seemed to come back from a fight with him with all her clothes in one piece.

I will have to make some new ones, she sighed, then put on her dinner shoes. They were made from a golden material with a hard dark gold sole. At the toe they curved upwards and they fitted perfectly around her delicate feet.

Satisfied about her appearance she ran down to the hall she would be having dinner with Galadriel in. She arrived to see hundreds of people milling around. She dodged past as many as possible and waved away the others who wanted to tell her how beautiful she was. She eventually made it to where Galadriel was standing and stood next to her.

`Gilthoniel, something special is going to happen tonight and I want you to understand, it is all for you.' Galadriel whispered to her.

`Excuse me?' Gilthoniel said startled but Galadriel moved away and Gilthoniel was left standing on her own.

But not for long. The next time she looked up she could see so many young elves wishing she would dance with them. She ignored them and became all too aware that many eyes were upon her. Pretending that she wanted some fresh air, she went out onto the balcony to be alone.

She looked out into the forest, wishing she were elsewhere. Nothing ever happen in Lothlorien, as she knew already. All her friends were far away, doing things that she was forbidden to do. When Galadriel had asked Gilthoniel to succeed her, Gilthoniel didn't realize that this would take away her freedom.

She sighed and lifted her face into the wind. It lapped against her face and cooled her down. She breathed in deeply and was about to turn and leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She looked around, and there stood Legolas. Gilthoniel turned round to face him and glare angrily at him.

`What are you doing here?' She hissed.

`Well, I missed you. I haven't seen you for a long time.' He smiled down at her. Her hair flicked up and covered her face but he lifted a hand to smooth it back. `Gilthoniel, do you love me?'

Gilthoniel looked away from him, desperate for someone to come to help her. But there was no one, so she was forced to face him. `What do you think?'

`I hope you do, but I really don't know. All I know is one minute you did love me, the next you ran away from me. What did I do to make you so upset?' Legolas took her hands in his, pleading with her. Gilthoniel wrenched them from him and walked away.

`There is someone else, isn't there?' Legolas leaned on the railing that ran around the balcony. `Tell me if there is.'

Gilthoniel looked back at him, then looked down at her feet. How could she tell him this?

`Gilthoniel, please.' He turned to face her again, holding her gaze. `Just tell me, please.'

Gilthoniel swallowed and turned away from him. `Yes, there is someone.' She muttered quietly, but not so quietly that he could not hear her.

`Who is he?' Legolas tried to remain calm but fury took hold of him. He lunged forward and seized Gilthoniel by the shoulders. He spun her round to face him and shook her. `Who is he?' He yelled at her.

She looked away from him, determined not to say anything. He stared at her in astonishment, then let go of one of her shoulders with one hand and slapped her fully on the side of her face.

Gilthoniel said nothing, only stared at him, her eyes full of fury. He let her go and staggered backwards. `I'm sorry, Gilthoniel.' He stammered. `I am so sorry, please, forgive me.'

Gilthoniel rubbed her cheek with one hand. It felt sore and hot. She just stared at him with accusing eyes, then turned to go. Before she disappeared back into the hall, she turned and spoke to him, one last time.

`Legolas, you are right; I did love you once, or thought I did, but only for a brief moment. After that, I felt nothing. I now have the right to love whoever I want and you do not need to know who. And Legolas, do not come back here expecting love or forgiveness, because you will not get it.'

With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd.

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