Living Next Door to Haldir

Dave, for the most part was a happy Elf.  True, he was not as well known as some of the others like Legolas or Elrond, nor was he as high up the ranks as Haldir and his brothers.  But he had survived Helm’s Deep – and that counted for a lot.  Still, he was a background Elf and despite his successes at staying alive (Helm’s Deep had not been his first battle); the hubbub surrounding the movies eventually died down and Dave resigned himself to a life of mediocrity.  He used his savings to buy himself a cottage in an out of the way village.  He joined the parish council and was very big in the local Neighbourhood Watch scheme – the turnout was always biggest when he hosted the meetings, he presumed it was something to do with his plentiful supply of lembas.  Dave was also running a modest honey farm, his Elvish skills proving to be very useful when keeping bees.  Yes, Dave was happy with his lot.  Until his new neighbour moved in…

Thranduil’s van was emptied and the boxes sat, neatly piled in Haldir’s spare bedroom.  Haldir felt emotional.  The day was bittersweet.  On the one hand he was thrilled to have moved out of the flat he shared with his brothers into his new home but at the same time he was sad at leaving his brothers, particularly since they were so upset with him.  After his bombshell last night, Rumil had refused to speak to him and Orophin just looked at him in a mixture of shock, horror and utter despair.  Neither had offered to help him move, they had not even emerged from their bedroom to say goodbye to him.  Still, here he was standing on the threshold of his new home having finally struck out on his own.  He had never lived alone before.  He had spent nights alone, but never for more than a couple of weeks.  He felt an almost child-like excitement as he walked into the cottage.

Although the cottage was in the heart of the village, it was set apart from the others.  A long driveway lead from the cottage down to the main road.  The foot of the driveway was flanked by large oak trees.  Various shrubs and bushes lined the fence at the edge of the garden and the lawn was lush.  But despite it’s relative seclusion and privacy, Haldir’s moving in had not gone unnoticed.  Various curtains twitched when Haldir drove the white Transit van through the village.  Haldir’s closest neighbours did not even try to conceal their interest, coming out of their front doors to peer and gape and gossip with each other.  There was little that the folks of the village enjoyed more than gossip, and Haldir was the biggest thing to have hit the village recently.

Dave pottered around in his shed.  Dave’s shed was enormous, filled with tools, gardening implements and beekeeping equipment.  On this particular morning, he was preparing to harvest some honey to sell at the local shop.  Dave did not need to wear protective clothing – his ability to radiate calm easily transferred to the bees.  He took up his jugs and headed off to the hives.  He had just opened the front of the first hive when he heard a loud “Coo-ee!  Mr Nierion!”.  Dave looked up to see Mrs Granger bustling up the path.  Dave stood up, pushed a long strand of dark hair behind his ear and smiled.  “Hello Mrs Granger.  What can I do for you?”  The elderly woman finally reached him and stood before him, puffing and panting.  “Have you heard about our incomer?”  She wheezed.  Dave gave her a puzzled look.  “The one who’s moved into Rose Cottage?”  Dave shook his head.  “I’m sorry Mrs Granger, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Mrs Granger patted his arm in a motherly fashion.  “You spend too much time with those bees – you don’t have a clue what’s going on in the village.  There’s a new tenant at Rose Cottage.  A tall fellow, good looking by all accounts.  Mrs Purvis says he’s one of, you know…”  Mrs Granger leaned in close to Dave and whispered, “One of your lot.”  She smiled knowingly.  When Dave had first moved to the village, there had been a lot of raised eyebrows and whispered comments.  He was unusual, to say the least.  People had, of course heard of folks like him, but never thought one would come to live in their village.  As the villagers got to know him, however they realised that although he wasn’t the same as them, he wasn’t all that different either and Dave grew to not only be accepted as one of them, but became a valued and respected member of the community.  Mrs Granger flashed a smile at Dave.  “He’s an Elf!”

Haldir awoke in his new bed.  The sun streamed in through the window and outside he could hear the chirruping of birds.  The only sounds he ever heard in his old flat were the toots of horns, the rumble of lorries and the squabbling of his brothers as they argued over the bathroom.  It was virtually silent here, in the village.  Haldir stretched languidly and kicked off the covers.  As much as he would like to stay in bed and enjoy the morning, he had stuff to do.  Firstly, he needed to visit the village shop after all, there was no food in the cottage and he was hungry.  He made his way to his bathroom and turned on the shower.  It spluttered into life and water began to trickle out of the head.  It was brown.  Haldir decided to forgo a shower and got dressed.  Once dressed, he located his keys and headed out the front door, eager to discover the delights that the village held.

Dave sat in his conservatory, nursing a cup of tea.  Another Elf in the village.  This was interesting news.  Dave wondered who it was.  Was it someone he knew?  Mrs Granger’s description of ‘tall, blonde and good looking’ could apply to almost any Elf.  His curiosity began to get the better of him.  Dave had to find out more about this mysterious Elf.  He grabbed his keys, put on his boots and headed out to the hub of all gossip – the village shop.

Haldir walked along the road admiring the pristine gardens and pretty cottages.  He passed a few people along the way and smiled openly and pleasantly at them.  He received a few smiles in return, but mostly he got curious and interested looks.  A small girl walking with her mother gaped, open-mouthed up at the tall Elf.  Haldir chuckled and waved down at her.  She glanced at her mother then turned back to Haldir.  “My name is Daisy.  What’s yours?”  “My name’s Haldir.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daisy.  I’ve just moved into the village – do you live here?”  Daisy nodded.  Her mother stuck her hand out.  “My name’s Cassie.  Have you just moved into Rose Cottage, then?”  Haldir nodded and shook her hand.  “It’s a pretty cottage, isn’t it?”  Daisy asked.  “Yes, it’s very pretty.  I’m sure I’ll be very happy there.”  “Come on, Daisy.  We’d better get home.  It was nice to meet you, Haldir.  Welcome to our village.”  Daisy had one more question for Haldir.  “Do you have any children?”  “No, I’m sorry.  I don’t.”  Daisy gave him a disappointed look.  Cassie shrugged apologetically and took Daisy’s hand to lead her away.  Haldir watched the pair walk up the road, grinning as Daisy turned around to give him one last wave.

“Have you heard?”  Mr Potter, the shopkeeper asked Dave.  “We have a new villager!”  “Yes, I had heard.  Have you met him yet?”  Dave asked.  Mr Potter shook his head.  “Not yet, but no doubt he’ll be in here soon.  Unless he’s one of those supermarket types.”  The village shop had been in Mr Potter’s family for three generations.  Dave regularly sold his honey at the shop and had become good friends with Mr Potter and his wife.  If anyone could be relied upon for information rather than gossip, it was Mr Potter.  Unfortunately, on this particular occasion, Dave was too early for information.  Instead, he passed the time of day with Mr Potter, idly chatting about his bees and the state of the nation in general.  The gentle ringing of the shop bell brought them both back to reality.

Haldir found the shop easily – there was only the one.  He crossed the road, walked up to the shop and opened the door.  The bell jangled as he walked over the threshold.  There were two figures stood chatting at the counter.  One, Haldir guessed was the shopkeeper.  The other…Haldir gasped. 

The Elves stared at each other, both open-mouthed and shocked.  They spoke simultaneously.  “You!?”

TBC…