The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Imagines

C'est ça, l'amour pt. 2 -Haldir

You hurried inside your room. The lock clicked and you pressed your back against the door, your hands over your chest as you tried to calm down.

Why on earth were you being like this? They have only been here for more than a week. He should not have this kind of effect on you. He was a guest, a marchwarden, a stranger. The ellon was someone you barely knew, barely understood. And you even had no intention of wanting to befriend him nor talk to him in any way.

You did try to avoid Haldir as best as you could, but he seemed to know where you went and where he could find you (you had no idea it was because of Legolas that Haldir knew). And every time he met you he had something to give. They weren't beautiful jewelry nor precious stones nor handmade things that would have taken a lot of time to finish. But they warmed your heart and your cheeks.

For some reason you had kept everything he had given to you. As you stood there by the door, you saw the flowers you had placed in a vase and remembered every moment he handed you one.

"What is this for, my lord?" you had asked as he handed you a beautiful flower with petals in a lovely shade of red.

"I was taking a walk in the forests when I saw this flower. It reminded me of you," he had answered, his face breaking out of its usual stoic demeanor to show you fondness and admiration. Even though they were only subtle gestures, to you it was as if they were shouting out loud his feelings.

You took the flower gingerly and regarded it with curious eyes. "This reminded you of me?"

With a nod, Haldir had then explained, "It reminded me of the blush on your cheeks."

Every flower he brought, he had an answer as to why it reminded him of you. Haldir even brought four-leaf clovers and even leaves that had fallen from the trees. Everything he saw in the forest reminded you of him and all of his reasons remained in your mind and heart.

Beside the vase were the journal and set of quills he had given you the other day. When you asked what it was for, Haldir said something that made your heart sing.

"I have noticed how your hands were almost always stained with ink. Even your apron and your skirt had ink on them. You also spend a lot of time in the library reading countless books."

Haldir then had delicately taken your hands in his and traced his fingers over your palm. Ink danced across and under and over your hands and fingers. To others it looked dirty and it was something that needed to be washed off immediately. But to you they meant the stories you had written down on paper and the beautiful world you have created in your mind. It wasn't only you who could see that as well—Haldir adored every stroke and smudge.

What nearly made your heart burst from all the affection and attention you were receiving was when you opened the journal and saw a love letter written in beautiful handwriting in an envelope tucked in between the pages.

Haldir was known to be quite serious as Legolas and others who have observed Haldir from afar told you. His smiles were limited and only when there was a need to be polite would he pull off one. His brighter and more genuine smiles were rarer and only those close to Haldir or only things who could bring inexplicable emotions of love and friendship and awe have the chance to see his lips pull upwards.

But most of those from Mirkwood who had seen Haldir but do not know him or have never spoken to him (and only heard about how Haldir was) kept telling you that they almost did not want to believe that he was indeed serious and stoic.

For every time you were around or every time someone talked about you, his eyes would grow brighter.

You had no problems in believing how serious he could be and how fond his expression could get. The last time you had seen him smile was when you first met and since then he had not smiled as wide as he did. When he would walk up to you, he only offers the smallest of smiles. He would often avert his gaze and immediately leave after giving you a gift (although it wouldn't be long before he comes back to give you another one).