Chapter 1
“Rúmil,
come down from there this instant!” Rúmil’s
long-suffering father called up to where his son was perched
on a high branch.
“No!”
Rúmil yelled petulantly. He pouted and turned away from
his Ada’s glare.
Velond
ran his hand through his hair. He was loath to yell at Rúmil,
but the Elfling was truly trying his patience.
It was
all down to the new addition to the family, Orophin. Though
Rúmil already had an older brother, Haldir was six hundred
years his senior and had already had a talan and a life of his
own when Rúmil had been born. As a result, there had
never been any competition between the two.
But now,
with the arrival of Orophin, Rúmil had a rival for his
parents’ affections.
It didn’t
help that it had been a difficult birth. Orophin was unusually
large for a baby and the birth had left Rúmil’s
mother very weak. She would survive, but needed much rest. This,
quite naturally, was being spent in bed, holding her new baby
in her arms for much of the time.
Rúmil,
with the logic of the very young, had decided that this meant
his parents liked his new brother better than him and had abruptly
turned from a sweet Elfling into a miniature Orc.
“Rúmil,
this is your last warning! Come down or I shall come and get
you!” Velond felt out of his depth; Haldir had been a
quiet child and he had never had to deal with a tantrum such
as this before. But then, Haldir had never been jealous.
“Shan’t!”
Rúmil cried and climbed up higher into the tree, almost
disappearing from view. Velond sighed. Rúmil was very
agile for his age, a true talent even amongst the elves of Lórien.
Usually it was something that made Velond proud, but right now
he was cursing it. It would not be easy to catch the Elfling.
With a shake of his head, Velond leapt into the tree, in pursuit
of his errant son.
He wished
now that they’d waited until Rúmil was older to
have another child. But the time had felt right and Rúmil
had always been so sweet-natured that they had not expected
these troubles. “How did he change so fast?” Velond
thought as he raced along the branches.
To his
extreme annoyance, Rúmil was nowhere to be seen.
“Rúmil?” he called out, but got no reply.
Honestly, how could his fifteen-year-old son outwit him? He’d
been a Galadhel for more than two millennia - it was humiliating!
“Problems,
Ada?” said a voice behind him. Velond turned to face Haldir,
who was balanced on the branch of the previous tree.
“Your
brother has run off – again,” he said, his irritation
clear in his voice.
Haldir
smiled and placed his hand on his father’s shoulder. “Go
home, Ada, leave Rúmil to me! I will find him and have
him home for tea, I promise!”
Velond
didn’t like the idea of walking away from his son, but
he was having no luck and getting angry was not helping. Haldir
was his eldest and had always been responsible; maybe he would
be more successful. “Very well,” he sighed. “Good
luck, my son - you will need it!” Then Velond left, leaving
Rúmil in the hands of his older brother.
Haldir
had a pretty good idea where Rúmil had gone. There was
a hollow in the very top of one of the oldest mallorn trees,
just about Elfling-sized. He’d hidden there himself on
occasion, though he’d outgrown it now. Rúmil would
have the luxury of that space for longer - he’d discovered
it younger and was a little small for his age. Unless he had
a growth spurt, he would be able to enjoy that secret place
for a few years yet.
He leapt
into the branches, easily jumping higher and higher, until he
could almost poke his head out from the tops of the golden leaves.
It had been centuries since he had last been here, but he still
remembered the way, changed only slightly by the passing of
time.
He ducked
under a tall branch, and then stepped to the side. Over and
under some of the ancient trees’ intertwined branches
he went, until he came to the centre of one of the oldest trees
in Lórien. Two branches down brought him to a thick covering
of ivy. Smiling, he pushed it aside, to reveal a small hollow.
Not an empty hollow however, for it contained the hunched up
form of his little brother.
“Rúmil...”
The Elfling
looked up, his eyes widening in horror as he saw his big brother.
“Haldir!
I didn’t do it!” he cried, shoving himself backwards
against the tree trunk, shocked at having his hiding place uncovered.
"Do
what?" Haldir asked, not sure exactly what Rúmil
had done.
"Whatever
Ada said I did!" came the defensive reply.
Haldir
laughed, settling himself on the branch outside the hollow.
"Rúmil,
no one is mad at you. I just want to talk to you!"
"Ada
is mad," the Elfling insisted.
"He
is just worried, Rúmil," Haldir tried to explain.
"You keep running off."
To this
Rúmil did not reply, but simply pouted and turned away
from his older brother. Small fingers played with the frayed
laces on his tunic as he hoped Haldir would not ask him again.
Haldir, however, was not giving up so easily.
"Rúmil?"
he pressed. "Why do you keep running away? You are making
Nana and Ada very sad."
"Am
not!" The venom in Rúmil's voice shocked Haldir;
his brother, at least up until Orophin's birth had been quiet
and good-natured. "They don't care!"
Edging
closer, he tried to calm the troubled child, his concern clear
on his face. Rúmil however, did not seem to notice it.
"Why
on Arda would you think that?" he asked. "They care
very much for you!" His brother’s behaviour was beginning
to seriously worry him.
"They
don't!" Rúmil yelled at him. "They've got Ovo...
Oro... Ofin! They don't want me now! Nana and Ada are always
with him and not me! I hate him!" He would have got to
his feet, had the small hole allowed it, and Haldir could see
the anger and rejection in the young one's eyes.
“Rúmil!”
Haldir was horrified. “That is wicked! Do not say such
things about him! He is your brother!”
“I
hate him!” Rúmil yelled again. “And you don’t
care about me either!” With unexpected speed, Rúmil
shot out of the hole and was away into the trees again, his
tiny body vanishing into the golden leaves.
Letting
out a curse highly unsuitable for the ears of an Elfling, Haldir
gave chase. His long legs allowed him to get Rúmil within
sight, but try as he might, he could not catch up any more than
his father had been able to.
Growling
under his breath, Haldir tried to determine which route Rúmil
was going to take. Maybe he could find a shorter way and get
in front of him. Following Rúmil’s path as best
he could, he quickly determined where his little brother was
going. He smiled; it shouldn’t be too hard to get ahead
of him. Rúmil may be fast, but Haldir knew the Golden
Wood far better. Climbing higher into the trees, he let Rúmil
think he had escaped as he took the quicker path, all the while
getting ahead of the Elfling.
At last
he stopped and peered down through the trees. He smiled; he
could see Rúmil coming, slowing a little as he perceived
his apparent success. When Rúmil was within reach he
jumped down, reaching out for his brother’s arm.
Rúmil
shrieked as Haldir appeared in front of him, really believing
he had given his brother the slip. Panicked, he stepped back,
trying to keep out of reach. However, in his haste he failed
to look where he was going and his feet met only air. With a
scream of pure terror, he plummeted towards the ground.
END
CHAPTER ONE
