Silverhelm: A Tale of Two Enemies

Apparently, My Great-Grandmother Is A Dangerous Sorceress.

As night fell, we walked under the trees of the forest. My ribs throbbed with pain, but my burns seemed to be hurting less.

"Stay close, young hobbits!" Gimli was telling them. "They say a dangerous sorceress lives in these woods." I snorted a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Boromir asked, looking sidelong at me.

"That dangerous sorceress is my great-grandmother," I whispered back. He laughed.

"All who look upon her, fall under her spell, and are never seen again." As Gimli said this, I saw Frodo look around and knew he was hearing Galadriel's voice in his head. "Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily!" I sensed something and froze. Pulling out an arrow from my depleted quiver, I aimed it in the direction of the noise I had heard. "I have the eyes of a hawk and ears of a fox!" The dwarf was stopped in his tracks by a notched arrow appearing in front of his face. "Oh..."

"The dwarf breathes so loudly we could've shot him in the dark," the blond elf holding the arrow to Gimli's face said calmly.

"And you, Haldir, draw your bowstring so loudly I could've shot you through the eye without looking," I retorted, stepping out from behind Aragorn. True enough, my arrow was pointed straight at him. His was the sound I had sensed. He quickly moved his bow to point at me. The company looked on nervously as we glared at each other.

"Do you still fall in love with dwarves, Peredhel?" Haldir asked hostilely.

"Do you still shoot ten feet off from the target, Sindar?" I demanded in the same manner.

"That was once," he said, smiling and lowering his bow. "And that was a thousand years ago." It was, literally, but I always brought it up when talking to him. "What did you get yourself into this time? Soon you will be held together by only healing magic."

Haldir led us to a platform in a tree called a talan.

"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion ah Lyrasael Hadhonsell. (Welcome, Legolas son of Thranduil and Lyrasael daughter of Hadhon)," Haldir said.

"Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien. (Our Fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lorien)," I replied.

"A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le ammen." (Oh, Aragorn of the Dúnedain, you are known to us)," Haldir said, glancing at Aragorn. I smiled. I knew when Aragorn had traveled here last; it was then he had met Arwen. She had told me all about their meeting.

"Haldir," Aragorn acknowledged.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of Elves!" Gimli said. "Speak in words we can also understand!" Haldir looked sharply at the Dwarf.

"We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days," he said.

"And you know what this Dwarf says to that?" Gimli shot back. "Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!"

"Now that was not so courteous," I said, grabbing him by the shoulders. I looked apologetically at Haldir. When Gimli looked up at me in surprise, I smiled in return. Lord Elrond had taught me Dwarvish in the hope that it would come in handy in my journeys, and it did. In the quest to Erebor, I intercepted many a Khuzdul insult to me and fired one in return.

"You bring great evil with you," said Haldir, glancing at Frodo. Looking back at me and Aragorn, he said, "You can go no further." He walked away. Aragorn and I, the people in the Fellowship that knew him, followed him.

Out of earshot of the rest of the group, we angrily argued back and forth.

"Boe ammen veriad lîn. Andelu i ven! (We need your protection. The road is fell!)" Aragorn said. Haldir whispered back a denial.