Galadriel's Mirror

Title: Galadriel's Mirror
First story in the Child of Prophecy Series
Author: Haldirsbaby/Balrog
Fandom: LOTR
Type: FCHET
Characters: OFC/Haldir, Elves From Middle Earth
Rating: PG
Genres: Romance/Adventure/Supernatural/Mystery
Disclaimer: I do not any of the Tolkien characters, just borrowed them for a while. All OCs are mine. No monetary gain is being received. Strictly for enjoyment.
Timeline: AU-4th Age and Present
Setting: Lothlorien-Earth Modern day

Hal took her hand and felt the tingles. She was his soul mate. ‘But how can this be? She’s mortal,’ he thought. Hal brought her to the other car and the five of them pilled into it. He made sure that she sat across from her with his two brothers on either side of her. Lee sat beside him.

As the car pulled forward, silence reigned inside the back. Ana had a good view of the house when the car pulled down the long driveway. It had been her home since she arrived and now she would be going to another for a while. It brought sadness to her heart.

Orion took her hand in his and she looked at him. Orion nodded his head.

Ana felt reassured at the gesture that Orion had in his eyes. She calmed down a little bit.

“You’ll be alright, Ana. We’re only going on a holiday. You’ll be back before you know it.” Orion smiled at her.

Ana looked at the other members in the car and saw the nods. This relieved her tension somewhat. Ana thought she would never see the place again. Somewhere in her heart, she knew.

“So who’s going to protect me from the animals of the forest when we get there?” Ana asked.

Hal piped up. “We all will. Besides we can’t have you running all over the place down there without any protection.”

“And why not? It’s not as if there is any danger there in the woods.” Ana wouldn’t know what to expect when they arrived.

“No, no danger but Randal could get lost. He has little experience in the woods.” Hal gazed at his brother with laughter in his eyes.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Randal asked. “I was raised in the woods.” He didn’t think when he made that statement. His eyes fell on his brother again.

“What, by a pack of wolves?” Hal joked. He wanted to try to lighten the mood.

“Why, yes, of course. You and Orion did a wonderful job of raising me. I turned out quite well, don’t you think Ana?”

“I don’t know. I only met you guys four days ago. I have no opinion yet. So, Hal, did you raise your brothers by yourself, without any help?” Ana was now curious about the brothers.

“Oh, I had plenty of help. Where we grew up there was always someone around to give us a lending hand. When I went out to work, all the neighbors took care of Orion and Randal until I got back. Then when they no longer needed help, they came to work for me at the…factory where I became a guard.” Hal stumbled over his words hoping Ana hadn’t caught it.

Nevertheless, Ana heard the stumble and wondered what it was that he was going to say. From the day she met these four young men, she felt something odd about them.

“So, Lee, did you work with Hal and his brothers at the factory?” Ana was trying to find out if these four had spent their lives together.

“No,” Lee abruptly said. He was startled out of his reverie when asked the question. He was remembering his own family when Hal started talking about his. He missed them terribly. “I was raised by my father. He was a mighty man before…” A sad look came over his face when he talked about his father. His father was everything to him.

“I’m sorry, Lee. I didn’t want to bring up sad feelings for you.” Ana felt terrible.

“No, don’t be sorry Ana. My father died many years ago. I just still miss him when I talk about him.” Lee put his head down and played with his fingers in his lap. He didn’t want to look at anyone right now.

Silence took over the back seats as the car made its way to the airport.

“Besides,” Hal continued. “We couldn’t leave this young whelp behind. He’s as much family as you are Ana.” He nudged Lee in the ribs with his elbow.

Lee’s head snapped back up. “Whelp, who are you calling whelp? Do I look like a dog to you?” Lee stared right at Hal. Lee saw the laughter in Hal’s eyes. If they were going to be together for a while then they would have to learn to live together.

“Yes, you young whelp. Must have been those same wolves that raise my brothers.” Hal chuckled at his own statement.

“I’ll have you know that my family was not wolves, they were el…” Lee stopped himself when he felt a boot hit his foot. He looked across at Orion and Orion stared back. Lee was not one person for jokes, not when it came to his family. When he said his statement, he forgot who was in the car. Then he looked at Ana. He wanted to tell someone other than his friends.

“They were what, Lee?” Ana asked. She knew that Lee wanted to say something else but stopped.

“They were wonderful people.” Lee was silent for a while. Soon, he would see his father again. It was a gut feeling and these feelings got him through some rough times in his life.

“I was kidding, Lee. I know you love and miss your family, just as we all do. Just look at Ana. Brian told me about her background.” Hal gestured to Ana with at nod of his head.

“Yes, look at me. I never had a family. The only family I knew was the one at the Orphanage and then Uncle Gary coming to adopt me when I was a teenager. I didn’t know if someone was going to love me like the nuns did but when Uncle Gary saw me, he knew then that I was the child he wanted. He said that I was the right age. That he was too old to raise a child and a child my age would be perfect. I came to love Uncle Gary like family. He’s the only family I got right now.” Ana felt a tear move down her face. She never knew her mother and father. Ana was all alone in this world. She brushed the tear away with the back of her hand.

“Thank you, Ana. I guess my life is not so different from yours.” Lee smiled at her. “I guess we’re all family now. You wouldn’t want us as brothers would you? We can be a handful at times.”

“I guess it wouldn’t be so bad. Besides, I always wanted brothers. Even if they are as mismatched as you four.” Ana was trying to lighten the mood again. Not all this sadness was good for anyone.

“What do you mean ‘mismatched’? We all have blond hair and fair. We could pass for brothers.” Orion was being mischievous.

“Yes, but two of you have long noses like Pinocchio. Besides, he was a wooden boy. If you guys lied, you’re nose wouldn’t grow like his.” Ana started to laugh at her own joke.

The four others in the car didn’t know who Pinocchio was. They were never children in this time and age.

“We can’t lie,” Hal said. “My nose is not stuck out. I like my nose.” Hal’s hand went to his nose to see if was long.

Ana laughed so hard when Hal felt his nose that she had tears coming out of her eyes.

“Now I know,” Orion stated. “It’s a children’s story. When he lied, his nose would grow. I remember reading about him when I read stories to children at the children’s home.”

“You worked in a children’s home, Orion?” Ana asked.

“Yes I did. I volunteered three days a week at a shelter many years ago. I helped when I wasn’t working as a guard. I love children.”

“You’re still a child, brother,” Randal said. “You have never grown up.”

“That’s the way I like it. I never want to grow up. Now I sound like Peter Pan. He stayed a boy forever in Neverland.” Orion was remembering the childhood stories he read to the children. These stories always made him happy.

“Yes, but if you seen the movie, he eventually grew up and had a family of his own. But he was the biggest kid I ever saw.” Ana remembered the movie well. It had become one of her favorites. “And you have grown up, Orion. But inside you can be the child whenever you want.”

“That’s what I would like. A family of my own. With children and grandchildren. A big happy family.” Orion stared off into nothing wishing it would come true.

“And what do we look like, chopped liver?” Hall asked. He was trying to show is funny side to Ana. Keeping the mood light was he lot in life.

“No, but you could be fed to that pack of wolves we talked about earlier.” Randal stated and broke out into laughter. Suddenly everyone started to laugh. It was great to laugh.

Suddenly the car came to a halt. The door opened up and a hand entered.

Ana turned to see the hand and knew it was for her. She took hold of the hand and proceeded out of the car. Brian held her hand.

“Thank you Brian,” Ana said.

“Well did the five of you get acquainted?” Brian asked.

“Yes we did. This pack of wolves in sheep’s clothing will do just fine for guards.” Ana looked at the four who got out of the car. Suddenly a fit of giggles started and no one could stop.

“I guess I missed something.” Brian looked around at the other guards and raised his eyebrows.

“We were talking about growing up and never wanting to leave our childhood behind. Besides, I like them.” Ana looked to the four guards and her eyes were on Hal a little longer. She wanted to get to know this one a little more. It was almost as if she had known him all her life when he touched her hand before they got into the car. She smiled at Hal. Ana turned and walked towards Uncle Gary to give him a hug. ‘Yes, this is going to be a holiday to remember,’ she thought.

All the men including Ana saw the plane that would take them to the retreat. As they made their way onto the plane, they all took their seats.

“First we will have something to eat and then get some sleep.” Gary buckled his seatbelt and looked across at Ana. “My dear, there is a bed in the back of the plane for you. When we arrive in the morning, we will be at the retreat. I have a runway not far from the house.”

“And where is everyone else going to sleep?” Ana asked. She always thought of someone else’s comfort over her own.

“These seats recline back to everyone’s comfort. They are a bed in themselves.” Brian used a button on the arms of his chair and pushed. His chair reclined back with a footrest popping out behind his calves. A pillow inflated under his head giving him comfort.

“You think of everything, Uncle Gary. Thanks.” Ana knew that the men would be all right.