Set in Stone - Haldir's Story -

Chapter 23 - Dol Guldur's Revenge

"You cannot reach that far?" – Daëra shook her head, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe this was happening, it couldn't be; she had such a terrible feeling... A feeling that he would die. – "Can you not try to reach it? Or Celeborn?" – Galadriel crossed her arms and walked over to the window. "You know it is not as easy as that, child. Just as you would be unable to use my ring, I will not be able to do any good with yours." Slowly, the Lady turned back around, but looked at the ceiling. "Your powers would increase, if you decided to become an elf..." – Daëra wiped her cheeks, yet it did not last long. "I can't... I mean, it cannot be." – Galadriel frowned. "Why not, I do wonder. Perhaps you should dare a look into my mirror." – Daëra realised she was sitting on the floor of the flet, but she didn't remember when she had fallen to her knees.

"It couldn't change anything. The Valar..." – "The Valar? What about the Valar?" The Lady's sounded stern and surprised at the same time. – "In a dream they told me I was going to be like my mother. That means human." – The Lady's lips opened slightly, as if she suddenly understood something. "You should have told me sooner." – At that, Daëra had almost laughed bitterly. "I thought you knew. You know everyone's thoughts. Everything." – "You are misinformed. I see things; I hear things – yet never everything. Had you told me sooner, I could have told you that – had the Valar meant that you would be human like your mother - they would have said so. Yet they said you were going to be like your mother: so what was your mother like?" She paused for a second, returning Daëra's stunned look with a gentle one. "I will tell you, sweet Daëra: your mother was a crosser of borders, a walker between the realms of the humans and elves; she went a path few had ever taken before. She came from the humans. And went to the elves."

"So when I woke up... and saw you... that was no vision? It was really you?" – Daëra smiled. "In a way, yes. It took me some minutes after you had been struck down before I had sorted out my new powers and could start to heal you and everyone I could get my hands on. But I could only put so much distance between me and you – or the ring, that is – before the connection would break. I couldn't help much. I wouldn't even call it healing – it was rather a 'keeping alive'. I had hoped I would be able to do more." – Haldir reached out and stroked her hair back behind her now slightly pointed ear. He still couldn't quite grasp what had happened. – "I feared I would cause more trouble than do good, since I believe I appeared ghost-like to everyone, a flickering image that sent heat and pain through them when it touched them. They weren't prepared. They didn't believe their eyes. I couldn't talk in that shape, yet fortunately, I was able to convince most of the ones I could get close to that I was trying to help." – Haldir slowly shook his head. "You... you should not have made a decision in such a rush and because of other people." He couldn't quite believe he was saying this, since it felt as if all his dreams had suddenly come true, yet he wouldn't be able to bear if she was unhappy. Although he felt he could make her happy, if she would just let him.

Daëra could see it all going on behind his eyes: what he wanted fought with what he thought must be best for her. She felt her skin heat up where the fingers of his right hand were still touching her cheek. She didn't know whether he would ever be able to properly use his left hand again, after getting burnt and having had all sinews and muscles of his forearm severed. Everything had been so weird and she didn't quite know how to explain it to him. "You know I had thought... I had thought I had my mind made up and was just waiting for the right moment to do it and I was... Yet when I realised I couldn't reach as far as Helm's Deep it was the first time I was actually contemplating becoming an elf. I had never really considered it before, I think. In a way, it had never been an option. Yet then I looked into Galadriel's mirror and saw that by waiting so long I would not fit into the human world, they would be suspicious of me. And then suddenly... I don't know; it just happened... that my mind was made up, for real this time. I knew because I didn't feel torn anymore, for the first time in many, many years. I knew this was right." Daëra pulled up the elven pendant that was hanging around her neck on a silvery chain. She still hadn't gotten used to the thought that this was now hers, until the end of time. Haldir touched it with his fingertips. "How does it feel?" he asked quietly. Daëra opened her mouth and closed it again. Then finally she managed to say: "It is such a relief. I do not have to pretend anymore. And Náre – I do not have to take it off at night at all, it doesn't burn me anymore. If you knew what it can do... You know, when you arrived, you were almost gone... But Náre, I felt it worked with me, I wasn't scared of getting burnt or losing control." She hesitated. "I still cannot say whether the Valar are influencing our fates and whether they love us or not. But I was blind and now I can see."