Forbidden Conquest (Galadriel X Halbrand)

Chapter 3

Galadriel's Pov

I strolled through the gardens, twirling Nenya around my finger. My hair was wavy and draping down my shoulders, I rarely allowed it down, as it was not practical for battling orcs. Long, green silk flowed across my body, a delicate and regal dress, that had golden embroidery and beads positioned in intricate patterns. I came to a small, stone fountain, positioned in the center of the grounds, the clear and pristine water trickled down the edges, and positioned itself in the basin below. I stared at myself, I had delicate features, my skin was soft and I looked youthful and almost perfect. But my eyes gave it away. They were harsh and bitter with war, ancient from the millenia I have seen, dark with the killer I had become. Elves are fair creatures of the light, I was not. I still had the voice that called me to darkness, to evil, to him. And I knew that would only grow if I did not confront it.

I rushed to the stables and climbed upon my horse. We dashed through the City, passing no one that my elf eyes could see. We came to the armoury and I dressed myself in my armour, it had been cleaned and now stood shining alongside others. I gripped my sword and mounted my saddle. I spoke softly into his ear, "Nor (Run)." We rode on, through the paved, white streets, until we made it out into the fields, my loose hair billowing in the wind behind me. On, we rode, through the mountains to Lorien, it was a long journey to the Southlands, and I wished to see all my kin, incase I did not return.

We galloped along treacherous paths and through many ledges and caves, each as magnificent as the last. The view of both Lorien and Eregion was beautiful, two glistening elven settlements standing side by side, the land of the Gods, come to Middle-Earth. We reached the woods of Lorien and I dismounted, leading him by the reigns on foot. We trudged slowly along the path, it was nearly nightfall, as we had set out so late in the day. The tall, looming trees stood above me, peering down on me, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, we were being watched. "Haldir!" I called out, "Reveal yourself!" Crack. I spun round, hearing the noise, my hands now clenching Titan's reigns. A small breeze came from behind me, allowing my dress to be slightly shift on my flesh. I whipped round and sure enough, standing there, was Haldir.

"Lady Galadriel," he said, a light hearted tone to his voice, "It is so wonderful to see you again, what does Lorien owe the pleasure?"
"I am in need of supplies and accommodation for this night, then I will be on my way."
"Of course, but may I ask what the purpose is of your expedition?"
"It is that of a personal matter, and a confrontation I must face to proceed with my duties."
"I see," he said, obviously intruiged, "Well, Lorien will always be available to aid you my Lady, temporary housing and supplies shall be acquired right away."
"Thank you." I was lead to a small, white room, decorated with intricate glass patterns and a view, staring out into the forest of Lorien, sparks of light glistening all around, not harsh, but dazzling. In my room was a large, snowy bed, and a cabinet with mirrors placed atop. Each was a different size and were all oval-shaped, with a silver lining round, I opened the drawers to find brushes and ribbons, beaded to appear as snowdrops hanging on a line of string. On the bed lay a shining, pearly dress, as white as the clouds in winter and as delicate as a rose petal. It was hung by two thin straps and to the side was an ice blue robe, that trailed down to the floor. I removed my armour and placed it on a stand in the corner of the room. I slipped off my dress and placed the new one on myself, I threw the robe over the top and strolled gracefully down the steps to attend the feast that had been thrown in my honour.

"So," Haldir asked, "Where have you been my Lady, what tales have you to tell. We hear little of the voyages of men and dwarves, but you seem to hear many. Tell us one to satisfy our solitude." A tale of men or dwarves, I shall tell the tale of Elrond and Durin, as he recalled to me when he returned from Khazad-dûm. "Durin and Elrond have been friends for many years, but as we elven kin age not in a short span of twenty years, it may seem a blink of an eye to us, whereas to others it may be a lifetime. As you all well know, the light of the Eldar was fading, and we believed the dwarves may have had a means to stopping it... Elrond allowed Durin to win to gain his trust... he learned of mithril... they began to mine, Durin's father found out... we forged it with pure gold and silver... we saved the light." By the time my story was over, much time had passed and Haldir seemed content. "We have also hear of your efforts to discover and vanquish Sauron, if he even is still alive."

My heart sunk in my chest, this was not a topic of conversation I wanted to dwell on. "Sadly, I found nothing after my many years of searching, merely rock and rubble." I lied.
"I see," said Haldir, again not convinced by my words, "There truly are none like you my Lady." The time had flown past and it was now late, the feast was coming to a conclusion and I stood up to leave the table, before a firm hand grabbed my wrist. "What is it you are truly planning on doing Galadriel?" Haldir said in a hushed voice.
"I have told you my intentions, whether or not you deem them truthful is another matter," I snarled.
"And what if I do not."
"Then you fool yourself."
"Do not lie to me Galadriel," he hissed. I pulled my hand from his firm grip not breaking eye contact as I spoke, "Goodnight Haldir," as I made my way to my room. I stepped in through the door and removed my shoes, my toes slid across the wooden floor, dancing from each panel to the next. I sat on my bed and removed my clothing, so I was in nothing but my undergarments, the dress strewn on the cabinet untidily, and buried myself under the covers, before drifting into a deep sleep.

I dreamt that night, I dreamt of him. We were in the halls of Númenor, where we had been, just after our first meeting with the Queen. He stood opposite me, his green eyes staring into mine, he was still dressed in the rags he wore when we first met. "So,'" he eventually spoke, "We finally speak to each other again. It may only be a dream, but yet it is something."
"What are you doing here?" I hissed.
"I am only here because you called me, I would not be here if I were not in your mind. You still remember it, our kiss, you may try to resent it, but you did not pull away." That was true, I did not pull away, "Because you did not want to, you enjoyed it, you hated yourself for it, but you found pleasure in my company."
"You do not know what I think!"
"Oh, I think I do. I am merely a materialisation of a thought, a feeling deep inside of you, I am you and I am me. You make me real because you are the only thing you can think about. I infect your mind with emotion. You are mine, my Queen."

1337 words
I honestly loved writing this chapter, I hope you are all enjoying reading, and this is now nearly at 300 reads, at the time of writing and #2 on the Halbrand hash tag so thank you so much for the support. So I honestly can't thank you enough.