"I love summer."
"I love summer more."
"I love summer most."
"I love--" Celebrían was halted from having to attempt something more than most. "Oh, that. That I love. Right there." Unconsciously she licked her lips as Elrond landed back on his feet after volleying the ball over the net. Orophin made a valiant attempt at hitting it as he jumped into the air, and Rúmil tried his best to save the game as he dove, sliding into the sand and unfortunately sending the ball bounding off toward the audience.
Ordinarily, Valarda would have participated in the sport, but when Elrond appeared that morning on the porch taking a mild interest in the activity on the beach, Celebrían rushed to where her brothers and Valarda were setting up the game net and begged the red head to sit out today. Elrond smiled and did not hesitate when Haldir waved him over as Valarda strolled off with Celebrían.
Picking up the ball as it rolled to her feet, Elodien glanced at her grandmother and said, "Odd as it sounds, I have to concur with you."
"Elodien!" hissed Valarda. "Eyes on the guys!"
Elodien quickly looked back to see Haldir taking a long drink from the wineskin that had been propped against the nearer pole of the net. A collective sigh resounded from all of the ladies. Moments later, Orophin tried to swipe the water from his brother, succeeding only in spilling some down the front of Haldir's shirt. His second attempt found them fighting over the wineskin, water splashing about.
"No, Rúmil! Bad!" Nenniach said as she watched her husband calm the two combatants. As soon as Rúmil's back was turned, Orophin, who had gained control of the wineskin, turned it upside down over his little brother's head. Clapping her hand over her mouth to keep her grin covered, eyes wide and feigning concern, she said, "Thank you, Orophin."
Valarda snorted and Celebrían bowed her head to laugh. Elodien nodded her approval to this, too. She looked at Haldir, who was standing and pointing at Rúmil, chuckling with Elrond as Orophin scuttled off grinning madly. Being the closest, Haldir was pounced by Rúmil and knocked to the ground.
"Oh, they're going to ruin their clothes if they keep this up," scolded Nenniach as she stood up.
"Excellent idea!" Valarda agreed slyly. "Naked elf watching. Tell my Orophin to take off his clothes while you're at it. He'll do it, too!"
Nenniach's jaw dropped, but she recovered quickly. "I am not asking for all of his clothes, only his tunic."
Standing Valarda said, "I bet I can get Orophin to take off more clothes with less words."
"I don't doubt it," laughed Nenniach as the pair walked off in the direction of the game. As they approached, the dark haired elleth put two fingers in her mouth and gave a shrill whistle, stopping the brawl that was about to begin had they not interrupted. As the elves scrambled to right themselves, Nenniach pointed at Rúmil's sand- stained tunic. "I'm here to take that before you ruin it."
Grumbling a bit, Rúmil pulled his tunic over his head and handed it to Nenniach as Valarda held out a hand to Orophin. "You, too," she said, adding, "And the pants."
"Why?" demanded Orophin, but he was already untying the string that held them up.
"Because I said so," Valarda kissed her husband after he had tossed his tunic and his pants over her arm.
Rúmil's brows were high above his eyes. "You wear red underwear?"
Orophin held up a hand. "Allow me to briefly explain myself." He struck a sensual pose and gave Valarda a pout, to which she smiled predatorily. "I look exceptional in red."
"Quite exceptional, you sexy thing," remarked Valarda.
Frowning, Rúmil pulled his leggings down and flung them in his own wife's direction. "I do well enough without fancy bright colors to lure my lady." He sauntered over to Nenniach, who hid her surprise well as he gripped her wrist and pulled her into his arms, crushing her against him as he sought out her lips with his.
"Oh, please, I can do much better." Orophin marched to Valarda, took hold of his clothes and threw them to the ground. She was in his embrace and then dipped low to the ground as he imitated a passionate kiss.
"Aiya, Elbereth!" Celebrían fanned herself with her hand as she watched her sister-in-law return. "I can so easily forget they are my brothers and just enjoy the view."
Elodien's mouth was gaping now, and Celebrían laughed. "He's disappointed, you know."
"Who?" asked Elodien casually, studying the fabric of her leggings.
"Who? Ha!" Celebrían shook her head. "The one you've been staring at."
"I'm not staring, I'm glancing," she defended.
"Ah, perhaps that is why he is disappointed."
"Is it? I mean-"
"He's been watching you, too. Wait, don't look!" But Celebrían's warning came too late, and Elodien caught Haldir's gaze for a moment before he looked away. "Mmm. Well, he probably assumes you know now."
"Know what?"
Celebrían slid off of the log onto the sand where Elodien sat. "He watches you. All of the time." Placing a hand on Elodien's head and stroking her hair, she said, "In the morning, in the afternoon. In the evening he watches you, follows your moves, tries to be near you. When you sleep, he listens for your nightmares, and calls me when you cry out."
"Why doesn't he come to me?" asked Elodien, her heart speeding. "His room is closer. When I was a child in Gondor when he lived there, he would sometimes come to comfort me at night."
"He does not think it proper, not now. He loved your mother very much, but he has confided in me that he believes he loves you now. It is a difficult transition for him. He does not dare make the initial move because he does not want you to think…" Celebrían sighed. "What do you think?"
"I think I might-I know I like him an awful lot. Just look at him, how can you not like him?"
Haldir was currently indulging his brothers in a game of keep away, which he was losing until Elrond stepped in and merely raised his arm to knock the ball down.
"Come on," insisted Celebrían. She stood up and took hold of Elodien's hands to help her up and then brushed the sand off of her granddaughter's tunic. They stepped in the direction of the elves, but stopped just as Nenniach and Valarda approached.
"Nine words," replied Nenniach, to which Valarda added, "We tied."
"We'll do better." Taking hold of Elodien's hand to keep her moving along, Celebrían shook her head as she came to Elrond and said, "Off with it, I'm not mending them later." With a smug smile she took hold of the fabric that tied his loosening shirt closed and pulled it slowly open. Sliding her hands up Elrond's chest through soft dark hair, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed his sweat soaked shirt down his back.
Quite blatantly, Celebrían forced her tongue between Elrond's lips and hooked her thumbs into the top of his leggings. Bending her knees as she pulled the pants down, she kissed a short path down Elrond's chest and then coaxed him to pull his feet out of his leggings. Completely aware of the game the wives were playing with their husbands, Elrond indulged his love and reached out to stroke her ears with a wicked smile. Slinging his pants and shirt over her shoulder she kept her eyes on Elrond and simply said, "Elodien?"
Dumbly, Elodien stepped up to Haldir and opened her mouth, but no words came out. She closed her mouth and swallowed and was about to try again, but her eyes darted to her grandparents who were kissing more passionately than she had even ever seen her parents kiss. Snickers from Orophin and Rúmil turned her head to look back again at Haldir, and she would have likely pardoned herself and gone back to the house or to where Nenniach and Valarda were sitting except that she suddenly felt something soft and warm pushed against her hand.
Blinking in surprise, her fingers closed around the shirt Haldir had just removed, and she held out her other hand to take the pants she was offered next. After she had arranged the clothing across one arm, her free hand was taken. Haldir lifted Elodien's hand to his lips and after softly placing a kiss on her palm, said, "Hannon le."
Able to do little more than nod, Elodien stumbled back a few steps before Celebrían came to her side and took her by the arm. The pair walked back to the other two ladies while the elves resumed their game on the beach.
"I can't believe it!" Valarda nudged Nenniach as the other two elleths approached. "Did Hirband Arabeleg just show a public display of affection? Intentionally?"
"Who?" Elodien cursed her lack of knowledge of the elvish languages. Life as a peredhel could be quite frustrating at times, and her inability to presently communicate with so many of the elves in Valinor was the most upsetting of all.
"Haldir. I call him Hirband Arabeleg, Orophin named him that," Valarda explained. "Hirband means he's the Captain, Arabeleg translates to something more of a Westron phrasing. Means 'high and mighty'."
"Oh." Elodien sat down with Haldir's clothes in her lap. "That's not meant in a nice way, is it?"
"Now it is. Sort of," said Valarda with a shrug. "I think he liked it. I think he still does, in all honesty. It's more accurate than his birth name."
"What does Haldir mean?" questioned Elodien as she began to fold the shirt in her lap.
"Tall watcher," said Valarda as Celebrían said, "Hidden hero."
"It's a matter of preference," Nenniach said with a laugh when Elodien did a double take between the others.
Neatly folding Haldir's pants and placing them atop his shirt, Elodien flipped the pile over and glanced up to see what was going on down the beach. The two teams had switched sides, and with Haldir and Elrond having their backs turned to the ladies as they concentrated on the game, Elodien boldly took hold of the sleeve from Haldir's shirt and lifted it slightly as she bent her head.
"Smells good, doesn't he?"
Elodien jumped slightly, having not noticed that Nenniach and Valarda had moved down from their log and were sitting on either side of her. "I don't… I wasn't…" Realizing she wasn't about to fool either of these ellith, she bowed her head and nodded it.
"He's unusually particular about being neat and clean. Comes from so many days spent in the muck and grime of the fences," said Valarda.
"I'm neat," responded Elodien, refolding the shirt on her lap.
"He's very emotional. Mood swings. He can change his entire outlook on something and his views of it. Like that." Nenniach snapped her fingers.
Elodien shrugged. "Mother said that father used to have a bit of a temper sometimes, but that he settled down once he married."
"Married…" mused Valarda, glancing around Elodien to Nenniach, and the peredhel cringed when she repeated what she had said in her head.
"I only meant-"
"If you are serious," Celebrían said as she placed a hand on Elodien's shoulder, "you must know now there are some who will fully support you, and there are some who absolutely will not."
Nenniach nodded solemnly. "It will be our jobs to convince that second group to join the first group."
"It will be your job to love him." Valarda paused. "And try to keep him out of trouble."
Blushing, Elodien said, "I think I might have the more enjoyable task."
"Debatable…" answered Valarda as she looked toward the beach, where whatever had happened was causing Haldir to run toward the surf with the ball under one arm while his brothers chased him. Elrond was making half an attempt to catch up to the group and assist Haldir, but gave up when he was fairly certain Rúmil was going to catch Haldir. Orophin, noticing he was no longer being chased, turned around and headed back around to get Elrond. The former elf lord's eyes were on Haldir and Rúmil, and he missed seeing Orophin until he was brought down into the surf.
"I keep meaning to ask," said Valarda, glancing around to Celebrían, "how far down does that hair on his chest go?" She nodded in Elrond's direction. "It's just a curiosity I've had. Does it just stop at his waist, or…?"
"It goes all the way down," grinned Celebrían. "It's very…" Her grin widened and she giggled. "It's another of those things I love."
"I see," nodded Valarda.
Waiting to see if anything more was to be said on that particular subject, Elodien asked, "The markings on Haldir's back… I recall seeing them a few times when I was a girl, but I did not know what they meant. I know it's a tree, but there's something else. It isn't something I have seen on any other elves."
"Ask Erestor if you can see his ankle," suggested Celebrían, "though his story, like Haldir's, is rather sad. From a distance, you think it to be a mallorn, but each of the leaves is the name of one of the soldiers he lost at the last battle he fought in. The lines of the trunk conceal the rest of the scars from his injury." Both Valarda and Nenniach had pained looks on their faces, so Celebrían stopped and said only, "I am sure he would tell you more if you asked."
Elodien was not so sure, not from the looks being exchanged by the other two ellith, and so returned to watching the elves on the beach.
Orophin stood up triumphantly, and smiled and winked in the direction of the ladies. Moments later, he was pulled back down as the elf below wrapped his arms around Orophin's legs and pulled him down. Meanwhile, Haldir came to the realization he was not going to outrun Rúmil, and so he held out the ball and kicked it away before Rúmil reached him. Wrapping his arms around Haldir's shoulders, Rúmil tipped him backwards into the waves.
The ellith watched the ball arch over the house, hit the roof, and bounce backwards into the gardens. "That's the end of that," Valarda said glumly as the elves in the water began to search for the ball.
"I'll go get it," said Elodien, setting the pile of clothes onto the log. She headed up the beach to go around the back of the house.
Out in the water, Haldir had been pushed back down into the tide again. This time, however, it was by his teammate. "Didn't you see which way you kicked it?"
"No!" Haldir crossed his arms where he sat and answered in a huff, "It might be back on its way to Middle earth, or it could be on the roof, or-"
"Let's ask my fan club." Orophin whistled and then shouted, "Val! Ball?"
Valarda waved her hand in the direction of the house, and then pantomimed the ball bouncing on the house and over it.
"There you are. Go get it," instructed Orophin, sitting down on the edge of the tide.
"Me?" Haldir stood and stomped out of the surf. "Sure, send me over to get it."
"You kicked it," Rúmil reminded him.
"You started it! You can't hit the ball more than once on your side without the other player hitting it in between!"
"Who cares, Halli?" Rúmil called to him as Haldir went off in search of the ball. "It's just a stupid game!"
"If it's just a stupid game, what am I wasting my time playing it for?" Haldir opted to go through the house to the side entrance to the garden despite the fact he was still dripping water here and there. He was fairly certain where he would find the ball, but he was not going to encircle the entire house to get to it. As he closed the side door behind him, he turned to find the ball was not quite where he expected it to be.
Elodien held the ball out to Haldir with both hands, nervously keeping it so close to herself that he had to step directly in front of her to retrieve it. When he did, Elodien quickly stepped up on her toes to kiss him. What was meant to be innocent was even more so as Haldir had unknowingly turned as he took the ball. He stopped his movement abruptly as he felt soft lips brush his cheek and turned back.
Feeling silly, stupid, and embarrassed, Elodien made to leave but Haldir took hold of her hand as the ball slipped from his. His opposite hand gently turned her face back to his. "You are very young to be doing that," he said.
Frowning slightly, Elodien wondered if perhaps her grandmother did not see what she thought she saw. "It was wrong of me to do such a thing. I am sorry."
"No, no, do not be sorry. That is not what I meant." Haldir bowed his head to collect his thoughts, finally looking at her once more. "You are kind and beautiful, but when I look at you, I see your mother in your eyes."
"Is that all that you see?" Elodien lifted the hand the held hers and kissed Haldir as he had her. "I see so much in your eyes. I see your pain and your suffering. I could be the one to alleviate your grief. I see you watch the little ones in their cribs and I know you wish you had one of your own. You give so much love, and take so little in return. I could be the one to hold you in the darkness. Let me be the one to love you." Again she kissed his hand and said, "Give me the chance to try. A chance to let you see more than the daughter of your lost love."
"I do see more. I see a beautiful and charming young elleth," said Haldir as he swept strands of brown and silver behind Elodien's ear. "I see my match in intelligence and wit, a fellow warrior and a peaceful soul." He took her face in both of his hands and said, "But there is more. I see curiosity, and I see caution. I see uncertainty and-" Haldir stopped and pulled back with his eyes wide and focused on her. Closing his mouth, he bent down quickly and picked up the ball and stood back up. He was biting his bottom lip and avoiding Elodien's eyes now. "Thank you for retrieving the ball for us." Hesitating slightly, he hurried away before Elodien could respond.
When Elodien finally came back to the front of the house, the elves were once again playing their game, however, Elrond and Haldir were now losing and both elves seemed frustrated. Celebrían looked up expectantly as Elodien sat down and straightened her tunic. "Well? How did it go back there?"
"How did what go?"
"How did what go? He couldn't have kicked the ball that far away," reasoned Valarda. "What happened? What was said?"
Nenniach laughed as Elodien blushed and looked skyward. "Forgive us, but life is slow here and this is greatly exciting."
"I… I don't really know what happened or what was…" Elodien paused and cringed as Haldir missed an easy shot at the ball. Elrond began to wave his arms at his teammate, but Haldir seemed to ignore him as he retrieved the ball. "Can we speak inside?" she asked Celebrían. "In private?" Celebrían nodded and led Elodien back to the house.
Shading her eyes, Valarda smirked as she watched Rúmil and Orophin do a little victory dance a few minutes later. "Ten to zero in favor of the team that never wins. I'd say whatever happened must have been very, very good."
