Hidden Paths

Chapter 3

Gilraen climbed quickly the stairs to the Lord and the Lady's talan.  They required her presence there as soon as possible.  She was worried. What had happened?  When she saw that there was also Rumil, she smiled at him, silently thanking him for his presence, that would assure her a little strength.

Smiling back, he stared at her for a brief moment before turning to face the Lord and the Lady, waiting. That shared glance was enough to confirm Galadriel's thoughts: it was time. Time for them both to face their fate and deal with their feelings, and what a better opportunity to sort things out than a trip to a faraway land, just the two of them?

"A long journey awaits you," she began, "You'll leave soon, for Gondor. It is an high honour we decided to grant you, for you will represent our woodland realm at King Elessar's wedding."

Gilraen looked at the Lady with wide eyes, surprised.  It was a high honour, indeed.  Lord Celeborn smiled. He could feel the turmoil of emotions in the maiden's heart.  “I can sense that you feel inadequate, but you aren't, my child. You are an honoured warden and I can feel it,” he smiled at her.

“Thank you, my Lord,” she answered, smiling back, and bowing her head. “When should we leave?”

“Tomorrow. At dawn. We will give you some presents for the Lady Arwen and for Elessar.  And you'll take your mearas, so you'll move swiftly," and with that words, Celeborn watched them.

“As you wish, my Lord. I'll travel with Hartha” she answered.  It was a long time before she left the Lothlorien's borders, and she was a little concerned about this journey.  Hartha was a gift from the Lady and he could compete also with a rohirrim horse.  No one could beat him. 

Rumil bowed his head before turning to leave, and took her hand as they stepped down the stairs.  "Are you nervous?" he suddenly inquired, flashing her a half smile and a curious look.

“Just a little bit. It' s been a while since I've leaved Lorien last time,” she smiled back, wondering how could he simply look at her and understand what was she thinking.  “But I'm really happy that you'll come with me. I'll feel a lot more safe with you”

"It'll be alright," Rumil said softly, " You don't have to worry at all, and in fact I'm sure that we'll have quite a good time in Gondor. That is an important marriage for the whole kingdom, I bet they'll be all pretty elated," he chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

She chuckled, and then she said: “Let's hurry, we have to prepare everything, dawn will arrive too soon.”

"Your wish is my command, my lady," he grinned, "We'll rush home to arrange everything, as you wish, but you must promise me that afterwards we'll have a quiet walk alongside the river, for I'd very much like to spend this last evening in Lorien with you."

“I'd like it, too,” she whispered, giving him a light kiss on his cheek, and then taking his hand and guiding him toward their talans.  “I'll wait for you,” she smiled at him, out of the door of her talan.

Returning the smile, Rumil bowed playfully before climbing up the stairs to reach his room.

It was maybe an hour later when he knocked at her door. A bright smile lit his features at her sight, and he bowed his head reverently while handing her a delicate white flower.

“Thank you! It's beautiful!” she smiled, brushing the flower on his nose, and then on his lips, softly, oh so softly, and then she put it near the delicate point of her ear.  “So, my Lord. Where do you want to go tonight?”

"We could take a walk to our favourite secluded spot near the river," he replied, smiling, and took hold of her arm. "After that, I don't know. Maybe we could have something to eat at my place, mh?"

“It sounds good. Let's go, I'd love to see the moon shining into the water, I think it's something wonderful,” she smiled back, walking quietly at his side.  They didn't talk a lot; there was no need of spoken words between them.  Often, she turned her head in order to look at him and smile.  Everything seemed so perfectly right at that moment.

They sat together on the slightly damp grass on the riverbank, talking quietly and smiling at each other just as they were used to, leaving the rest of the world behind. It all seemed so perfect, almost dreamlike, that they both forgot about the dinner and anything else: it was quite late that night when they went back to their talans and Rumil looked at the moon, already overhead, chuckling quietly.  "We should have taken something to eat with us," he said, smiling. "I fear it's a little late for a romantic dinner."

Smiling back, she took hold of his hand and let him enter.  Then she closed her eyes, concentrating hard on the spell, whispering ancient words, twisting her hands.  Suddenly there was a flash of light and on the table appeared some food.  She had inherited her power from her mother. She could do some spells, and heal with the touch of her hands. Orophin and Haldir had these  powers, too. But Rumil inherited from his father his telepathic capacities, and he could sense the danger, and he was also able to read the other's mind, just as Galadriel.  She almost never used her powers, because it left her tired, and so she had to sit on a chair, her face pale.

"Are you alright?" he whispered worriedly, kneeling in front of her and taking her hand. He stared at her for a while, affectionately squeezing and caressing the delicate hand, a concerned expression in the depths of his eyes.

“I'm fine, don't worry about me,” she whispered after a while.  She was used to the weakness after the spell, and she recovered really quickly.  “Would you mind lighting some candles?”

He nodded, getting on his feet, and placed a light kiss on her forehead before taking care of the lighting business. Then he sat at the small table, looking intently at her. The flickering glow of the candles played across her features, tinging with gold the dark fall of her hair and reflecting into her already luminous eyes. He smiled almost involuntarily at the sight.  "You are beautiful."

Smiling shyly, she could only manage to say “ You are beautiful. Not me…”  And with that, she served him a plate of food, and took hold of one of the potatoes, taking it near his mouth.  “Are you hungry?”

"I'm not just hungry.. I'm starving!" Rumil chuckled before taking a mouthful of the potato, never leaving her eyes. It was just too perfect to be true. And in that right moment he was probably the happiest Elf in the whole Lorien woodland.

“Oh, well, let's eat it while it's hot,” she chuckled, noticing the faint glow in his eyes.  What she would give to read his mind at that moment!  She would really like to know what this particular elf thought about her, if he was feeling in love as her, if she was special to him.

In the meantime Rumil had stopped eating. He was staring at her, trying hard to disguise his amusement.  "Curious, are we?" he inquired, grinning mischievously and leaning slightly towards her over the small wooden table.

“Rumil!” she said, trying to seem as angry as possible.  “You shouldn't read my mind! It's not fair, even if I know you always did it with the hundred of maidens you bedded!”  At the mention of his past, she couldn't help but feel incredibly jealous, and she constructed the mental wall she usually did to close her mind to the other elves.

"Don't fret, 'tis not my fault," he tried to justify himself, reaching for her hand. "I just.. ehr.. stumbled upon your thoughts. It happens."  They both knew he was lying, but he had hoped to extort her at least a smile. It didn't work, though.  "Come on, give me just a little smile, little one. You're not mad at me, are you?"

“No, I'm not mad at you, even if you're a wicked elf,” she smiled back, taking his hand and entwining their fingers.  “It's just that I don't like you to read my mind…and I don't want to create my wall every time I'm with you…”

"You're absolutely right. I did it on purpose, and I'm sorry," he whispered regretfully, while looking at their entwined fingers. Then he met her gaze and smiled wickedly, arching an eyebrow. "I swear that next time I will at least warn you before doing it again."

“Oh, well I think you'll never change, Rumil!” she chuckled, bowing her head.  They continued the dinner, laughing and having a lot of fun, until she sighed and watched out of the window.  “We should get some rest. The dawn is approaching.”

"Can… can I stay here with you then? I'll behave," he asked hesitantly, daring a quick glance at her.

Blushing lightly, she just nodded, and then she walked towards the bed, taking off her boots, but not removing her clothes.

Rumil let his garments on as well, and sat on the edge of the bed to slip off his boots. Then he looked at her and laid down, smiling.  "So... goodnight, little one."

“Rest well,” she smiled back, closing her eyes.

Gilraen woke up early in the morning, and noticed with a smile that Rumil was still sleeping.She gave him a light kiss on his forehead and whispered her good morning on his ear.

When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was Gilraen's face, only mere inches away from his. He smiled sleepily, and instinctively extended his hand to caress her cheek, all the while looking intently into her eyes. The urge to kiss her was almost unbearable, and he struggled to muster all his self-control and not just claim right away those inviting, rosy lips, kissing her until the end of the world and beyond.

She kissed him again and then she packed her few belongings, eating a little piece of lembas, and then handing it to Rumil.  “We have to go to the lady, and take her presents for Arwen and Elessar.”

He merely nodded, and looked longingly at her lips one last time before he got on his feet and stretched sinuously, darting a quick glance at the window.  "We'd better hurry. The sun is rising," he said, nibbling at his lembas.

“You should at least take your things,” said a voice from the doorframe.  There stood Orophin, smiling wickedly.  “You have spent the whole night together?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

“We just slept,” answered Gilraen. “Listen, Orophin, we are in hurry. Will you come with us to the Lady?”

“Sure, I would like to talk to my brother about last night,” he chucked, walking toward his Lord's flet.

"Oh, Valar." moaned Rumil, rolling his eyes.  "There is nothing to talk about. Nothing happened. And even if it did, I won't certainly talk about it with you." he chuckled, "You're way too gossipy to be trustworthy, dear brother."

“I'm not gossipy!” retorted an offended Orophin.

“You are not gossipy, Orophin, but nothing happened. And that's the truth,” smiled Gilraen.

“Oh, well. Here we are. I'll ask you again when you'll come back to Lorien,” she told Orophin, and after that he bowed his head.  Gil watched the Lady Galadriel approaching, and she bowed her head, too.

"We are ready to leave," announced Rumil. Galadriel nodded and looked intensely into his eyes for a while, a hint of a smile curving her lips. She was holding a small, finely carved wooden box, and she handed it to Gilraen when she moved to stand in front of her. Again she lingered, staring at the depths of her eyes.

Galadriel's voice was harmonious and gentle.  Gilraen wasn't sure she understood her words clearly.  These are dangerous times. He is here for you. He will help you. You will help him. This is as it should be.

The Lady recoiled and shifted her gaze to her spouse, nodding almost imperceptibly.

Lord Celeborn handed a galadhrim bow and a quiver to Rumil, his present for Elessar.  Rumil's one was similar to this, but his was far more strong and lethal.  She had seen it just one time, her friend was too jealous of his bow, and she had noticed Sindarin writing carved into the far ends of the wood.  Listen to my laughter as I slay you. Death to the foes of the elves. He was a great warrior, indeed.   Instinctively, she turned to him and smiled, never leaving his eyes.  To such a display of affection, Celeborn looked amusedly at his wife, then said his goodbye to the couple.

Gilraen and Rumil rode all day long, and had to stop in the evening because the horses were tired.  They set a fire and she sat down, smiling at him.  “Today I was thinking to your bow, and the writing in Sindarin. Before to know you I always thought you weren't a skilled warrior. But in those years I saw you training a lot, and I think that you only try to hide your strength under your merry ways.”

"Oh no, I'm not trying to hide anything," he replied with a smirk and a shrug.  "I could do better than this, as a warrior. One can always improve and I'm most definitely willing to do it, but nonetheless I don't want to take life too seriously. I want to enjoy every single moment of it, and…" there he stopped, smiling almost shyly. He then met her gaze, frowning slightly as if in deep concentration, staring deeply into her eyes.  And I hope to share mine with you.

She smiled back, frowning.  As she had many times before, she wondered what was running through his head at that moment.  “I think you're right. There are many people that only think to duty, as Ellin, and Haldir. They were always at work, and never had time to relax, to enjoy, or to find a life-mate. And see what the Valar did…they took their lives…”

Rumil nodded, then bowed his head with a sigh. "I sometimes think I'm the one who should have died, and not him," he confessed without looking at her, his voice barely more audible than a whisper. "I'm not really of any use here, but he was. Could I turn back time I would tell him how much I've loved and respected him, how much his presence has always meant to me…thousands of years I've spent with him, my beloved brother, and yet I didn't have the time to tell him a lot of things. Kind of funny, isn't it?" with those words he swallowed the lump in his throat, fighting back the tears, and forced himself to smile. A bitter, strained smile. A smile full of regret.

That it was.  Without thinking, she took hold of his hand, gently kissing the palm, and brought it to her heart.  “I need you. My heart belongs to you, so don't ever tell you are of no use,” she whispered, before to close her eyes and tentatively caress his lips with hers.

He closed his eyes, cupping her face with both hands, and a single tear ran down his cheek. He didn't really know why he was crying. Maybe for the unbearable grief brought by his brother's passing. Maybe just for the indescribable tenderness of the moment. All he knew was that he needed her too, and that he loved her. Beyond any reason.

She felt his sweet lips, the fresh scent of his skin, and caressed tenderly his long hair, unbraiding his tresses.  “I love you…I've loved you since the first time we met,” she whispered at his ear, a smile curving her lips when she realised he was slightly trembling under her touch.

"I love you too," he murmured embracing her tight, his eyes still closed and a contented smile on his lips.

She gave him little sweet kisses on his cheeks before to touch his lips with her finger.

Just a second later, she began to kiss him tenderly, trying to express all of her love with just this simple act.

He responded to the sweetest kiss he'd ever experienced by caressing her cheeks, all the while holding her tight against his chest, almost overcome with joy.  "Tell me it's not a dream…" he whispered, leaving her lips just to claim them with renewed passion just a moment later.

“You are a dream” she whispered. “ My dream. I'm afraid that when I'll wake up tomorrow everything will be as if this never happened…”

"Don't say that," he replied, looking intensely into her eyes. "Don't even think about such a thing… I only wish to be with you, Gil…I will never leave you, I swear to the Valar. Trust me, I beg of you…"

Smiling back, she slowly kissed him again, spreading soothing caresses on his back.  Some minutes later the two were sleeping embraced with a content smile on their lips.

The morning after, Gil and Rumil woke up at dawn, they took their horses and headed towards Minas Tirith.  The sun was already high overhead when Rumil suddenly halted his mount and looked at her, with a concerned expression written on his features.  "Something's in the air," he said, "This path isn't safe, Gil. I can feel danger drawing near."

“I can feel it, too,” she nodded, and suddenly dismounted her horse, hiding it in the trees.

In a swift move, she climbed a tree and silently stood there for some time, scanning the path.  And then she saw them.  Sauron was gone, but there were still evil forces in Middle Earth, they weren't strong, but they could be dangerous for little villages and peasants.  She climbed down, and walked towards Rumil.  “It's a small group of Uruk-hai,” she told him in a whisper. “Five of them. I think we should climb the threes and use our bows, I'm sure they can feel our presence, too.”

"We can't leave the horses unguarded," he replied shaking his head, "Should something happen to them, we could not go on. You climb up into a tree; I will stay down here and look after them." When he saw that Gilraen was about to reply, he cut her short with a swift gesture of his hand. "Just go."

“Please…pay attention,” she said, with a pleading tone, before to climb on the tree and prepare her bow and arrows.  When she saw the Uruk approaching, she put the arrow on the bow, pulling back on the cord. The enemy smelled the air, and she froze when they started to yell madly toward the bushes where Rumil was hidden.  They knew.  She calmed herself, and using that self control that Haldir taught her, she aimed to the first Uruk, trying to distract them.  The arrow went straight in between the eyes of one of the creatures.  They started to indicate the tree, and to aim at her, even though she was well hidden between the leaves.

In the meantime Rumil, still sheltered by the bush, had wielded his bow and was aiming at one of the Uruks. A second later the foul creature was collapsing on the leafy ground, but then something unexpected happened. One of them aimed at the bushes with his crossbow, though he couldn't actually see Rumil, and started to throw an arrow after another. The Elf didn't allow himself to let out a single sound even when one of the black arrows pierced his left shoulder, but somehow managed to bring down the Uruk-hai just to fall backwards an heartbeat later, clutching at his wounded arm with clenched teeth.

Gilraen jumped down and started to cry out loud, thinking that the elf she loved had died.

She killed the others with some fast movements, without giving them the time to understand what was happening.  Putting down her bow, she ran in the direction in which she has seen Rumil last time.

His eyes were closed, and it was clear that he was in pain.  She could see the blood on his clothes, and she knelt against his limp body.  “Let me heal you,” she whispered, putting a sleep spell on him, to ensure her some time to heal the wound properly.  Then she gently removed his tunic and put her hands on his shoulder, closing her eyes and concentrating hard, whispering in an ancient language.  When she had finished, she was exhausted, and she fell on the ground, unable to stand up.  She had passed almost all of her life force to him.

When Rumil opened his eyes the sun was setting behind the hills. Without moving he gingerly reached for his shoulder, and was quite surprised to realize that it seemed to be as good as new. And then he saw Gilraen, lying senseless beside him. Panic.  "Gil!" he called out, gently shaking her, "Oh Valar!"  Her eyes remained closed, but she could see straight through her eyelids.  A river of brilliant, flashing lights streamed passed.  She heard a curious rushing sound, like soft wind whispering through a waterfall of pearls.  She gazed around, fascinated by the spinning lights, the small eddies of gold and silver, the sparkle of sun and stars dancing gleefully in ever-shifting threads, shimmering like mithril under a full moon.  Far below, she could see her body, lying on the ground with closed eyes.

And then she saw him.  Ellin.  Come tiruamin. It's not time.  She reached for his hand and she could feel Ellin's sweet, familiar scent filling her head, the slide of his silken hair soft against her arm.  His smile warmed and reassured her.  Light has more power that darkness. He loves you, and you must come back to him.  Fëa to fëa, hroa to hroa, you are bound to each other.  With that he was gone, one last smile to say his goodbye and she opened her eyes, hissing softly for her blinding headache.

Rumil was staring at her, his bright eyes glimmering with unshed tears. He silently moved a strand of dark hair from her forehead, locking gazes, and sighed deeply with relief. "You scared me to death," he murmured with a low, trembling voice, "What happened?"

“I used almost all my life force to heal your shoulder, and then I fell to the ground. It was as if I was floating outside of my body, I was like the air. I saw Ellin. He helped me to come back. He told me we are bound to each other, Fëa to fëa, hroa to hroa” she told him, taking his hand in hers, and smiling tiredly.

At those words Rumil draw her closer to hold her tight, and his eyes fluttered shut.   "I can't live without you," he whispered, "It's good to have you back, little one."
“I love you."  That was the only thing she could manage to say.