Haldir enjoyed traveling through the forest alone. Every third and fourth week was his to use as he pleased, and he often spent it trekking through uncharted parts of Lothlorien, or in nearby Fangorn. It was because of the trees. He would camp beneath their boughs or sleep in their branches, and listen to their stories.

It was while on one of these excursions that his life changed in a most unexpected way. While being told the story of Nimrodel’s escape from Lothlorien, an event that occurred when he was just a child, he heard some of the trees begin to whisper to one another. It was just after the mention of Mithrellas that the soft tree-chatter began. As Haldir already knew the story, he strained his ears, listening not to Treebeard, but to the others who were speaking.

“Is she the one who lives in the hidden glen by the stream of the bluebells?”

“Yes, yes, hooooom, with her daughter. She still speaks of going west, but she fears leaving the safety of the forest. She hides in the day, and walks the forest by night.”

“Why did she not go back to Laurelindorinan?”

“Hooooom, she nearly did, many times. She thought she might be sent back, sent back, sent back to her husband. She ran away from him with her daughter.”

“I thought her daughter was here.”

“She is, hoooooom, here by the glen by the bluebell stream.”

The discussion stopped, and Haldir looked up. “Excuse me, Treebeard, I—“

“Haahoooooom-harrarrraooommm... Haahoooooom-harrarrraooommm...”

Haldir smiled, and carefully ducked beneath the hanging leaves from his slumbering host. He knew of only one stream with bluebells, and hoped that there was only one such place in Fangorn.

The moonlight led him well through the sleeping woods, bringing him closer and closer to the stream. He had never seen a glen near to it before, but then, it was apparently hidden, and he had never been looking for a glen near the stream before. Searching for it now, he found it not by looking for the glen itself, but by spying a thin stream of smoke in the air. This led him to a small cabin built of rocks and fallen branches, with a chimney that happily puffed little wisps of smoke into the night.

Instead of a door, there was a ragged cloth hanging across the entryway. Haldir carefully lifted it to the side and peered in.

There were two beds that looked more like nests of pine needles, one on either side of the single room which housed a table made of a fallen log, and two stools that looked to be old tree stumps. The fireplace was the most impressive of the items in the little house, made of stone and burning with a dull light.

Haldir noticed that one of the piles of pine needles began to stir, and he lifted the curtain up higher to allow more of the dim light in. An Elvenmaid blinked, and looked directly at him. “Nana?!” she called out, looking to the other side of the room. She was shocked to see no one else there. “Where is she? What did you do to her?”

“Nothing. The trees told me she wanders at night,” Haldir answered, always believing honesty to be the best way to handle a situation.

He was scrutinized by the elleth, whom he noted did not look very tall, nor was she overly slender or delicate as most she-elves were. It was obvious to him then, that this was a Peredhel.

“Are you a Man?” she asked with some trepidation.

Haldir shook his head, and showed her his ears as he pushed back his silvery-blond hair. “I am an Elf, same as you.”

Looking at him in awe, she stood, revealing that she was naked beneath the cover of the pine boughs. A cough covered Haldir’s sharp intake of breath, and he unconsciously licked his lips and hoped that Mithrellas would not return too soon.

“Are you a dream?” wondered the maiden as she approached him.

Shaking his head, Haldir replied, “I am as real as you.”

Reaching out to him, the Peredhel touched his arm. “Nana said that there were no other Elves left. That all of them were gone.”

“I can assure you that there are many Elves, some living closer than you might think.” Upon seeing the hurt look on the maid’s face, Haldir hastily added, “Your Nana was just protecting you, most likely. She probably did not want to have the same thing happen to you that happened to her.”

“You know what happened to her? How that terrible man promised to help her, and how he took advantages, and how he turned my brother against her?”

“Well... I am missing many of the details, but I have a general idea. For instance, your name is Gilmith, I believe.”

“That is correct, but my mother calls me Silmë. I like the name Gilmith, though.”

“Then I shall call you Gilmith, and you may call me Haldir.”

“Tell me something, Haldir. Is it true that once two Elves make love, they are wed?”

A nod. “Aye. Not only in the eyes of the Valar, but in their own hearts and souls, they feel the bond.”

Gilmith’s hand moved to touch Haldir’s chest as he said this, and his breathing increased in speed. “Do you have a wife, Haldir?”

“Not yet.”

Gilmith’s grey eyes looked pleadingly at him, glimmering with hope. “It cannot be chance that we have met in this way.”

“M’lady, if you are suggesting what I believe you are—“

“Haldir, you do not understand!” Gilmith grasped hold of one of his hands with both of hers, so innocent she was that she did not know realize how her appearance and actions were affecting him. “My Nana, she told me that there were no others. I desired to see others of my own kind for so long, but I was told there was no way. If she came back and found you here, I know she would forbid me to come with you to see them.”

“She could come as well,” replied Haldir. “Besides, you are an adult; you are allowed to make those decisions on your own.”

“But you do not understand—I just...” Breaking down, she clung to him and sobbed. “I do not want to live here anymore. I want to be with others, like you. My mother is so sad, and I feel so terrible, but it seems there is nothing I can do! She wants only to go to the West, but she will not for my sake. She fears if I ever was seen by a Man, I would be taken away and so she hid me here—I do not know why she lied to me about Elves, but the trees would whisper to me that hope was not lost, and, and...”

Haldir held Gilmith and soothed her by rubbing her bare back and offering gentle words. He carried her back to her nest and whispered a sleeping spell, then tucked her in. Exiting the home, he sat down at the doorway and waited for Mithrellas to return.

It did not take long before she arrived, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw the warden at the door. Before she could speak, he stood and bowed. “I am Haldir of the Galadhrim. Do not worry about your daughter’s wellbeing; she is safe and asleep and a maiden yet. I do worry about her, however, for other reasons. It seems she is under the impression that the Elves are all dead or sailed.”

Mithrellas kept her distance, pacing like a wounded animal. “What else was I to tell her? If she knew there were others, she might have wandered, and she might have run into a Man. I could not take that chance.”

“I understand that. However, in a matter of a few minutes, she practically threw herself into my arms and begged me to bond with her.”

Mood darkening, Mithrellas placed her hands on her hips and squared her shoulders. “Why should I believe such an outlandish story?”

“First, it makes more sense to believe an ellon sitting outside of your house watching guard than it does to believe one who is found in your daughter’s bed.” Haldir leaned against the doorway. “Second, I have no reason to lie. What do I have to gain if I am being untruthful? Your daughter is very beautiful, and obviously very dear to you. But she is young, and much too young to consider making the journey to Valinor. If you were to go West, you would want to know she was safe and being taken care of. I can guarantee that I will do all within my power to keep her safe and happy.”

“Is this your way of asking for my permission?” Mithrellas finally asked.

Haldir nodded. “I am not of a mind to be dishonorable; however, as your daughter pointed out, this hardly seems a chance meeting.”

After taking a few minutes to think things over, Mithrellas turned away from Haldir and the house. “I am going for another walk, west, along the bank.” She looked over her shoulder and said, “Take care of my baby girl, Haldir of the Galadhrim.”

Bowing again, Haldir waited until Mithrellas was out of sight before entering the little cabin again. Gilmith was still asleep, and he removed his clothing and placed it on the nearest stump chair. Haldir found his hands were shaking as he knelt beside the nest bed and looked down upon the lovely peredhel. He brushed aside her silvery hair to better get a glimpse of her face, smiling at how peaceful and angelic she looked in slumber.

Quietly he crawled beside her, spooning up behind the Peredhel. The rest of the night he spent watching over her, holding her tight in his arms as she slept. In the morning as the sun rose, Gilmith awoke and turned over onto her other side. “You were not just a dream,” she said sleepily.

Shaking his head, Haldir gently kissed Gilmith’s forehead. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Better than I ever have.”

Haldir untangled the silver strands that had gone astray during the night as Gilmith traced her fingers across his face and down his chest. “Did my Nana return?”

“Yes,” said Haldir. “But she has gone again. She also has given her blessing to us.”

Gilmith blushed furiously. “You... you asked her about... about... that?!”

“I had to ask permission of some sort. She is your mother; it is only proper. And, she did say yes.”

“Then I suppose...well, I suppose it is alright then.” Gilmith snuggled closer. “Since she gave her permission...” Those grey eyes looked pleadingly into Haldir’s again, and this time the warden could not resist.

He initiated the first kiss, but Gilmith learned quickly. Haldir licked her lips, and she moaned as his tongue delved into her mouth. His hands moved rapidly over her skin, touching every inch of her body, and she returned the favor, boldly exploring everything.

It fascinated Haldir how much he fascinated her. She would interrupt as he began to suckle her breast and ask what some part of the anatomy on him was called, or stop him from kissing her shoulder to question whether it was healthy that said muscle was growing to such an enormous size.

Despite being anxious to join with her, Haldir took the time to excite her with his mouth first. She climaxed with her legs quivering and her hands fisted in his hair, crying out in ecstasy as he hungrily drank his fill. She begged for more, and he granted her wish.

Nervously he prepared for the gush of blood and terrified whimpers or screams he had always been told accompanied such an event. Peredhel ladies, he realized, were a bit heartier than their Full-elven counterparts. Gilmith grunted as he broke past the barrier of her maidenhood, but soon was coaxing Haldir to move.

All around, there was peace. The sound of the stream was coupled with the singing of birds, and the sunlight was shaded by the overhanging branches of the trees. Haldir taught Gilmith the sacred prayers to be said after their first coupling, and once finished, they loved again.

“My mother is not coming back, is she?” asked Gilmith late in the afternoon as they laid together on the boughs of pine, skin glistening with sweat from their sweet love making.

“No,” said Haldir, holding his wife close to him. “Do not worry, baby girl. I will protect you now.”