Thanks for all the faves and alerts! :D I want to apologize for the horendeous last chapter, 3am editing probably isn't the smartest idea...
The only sound that alerted the two Lorien brother to any form of disturbance near their healing brethren was a small almost inaudible gasp. Both brothers turned in unison to watch a young woman drop to the floor in the most unceremonious way. Still they rushed from their distraction and picked the young woman up from the floor. Her strange black tunic was sticky with blood and a great deal of it had already begun to pool on the floor at their feet. Carefully they laid her on a table across from their brother and called for their healer, Lothlinel.
"Whats happened?" She asked quickly removing the tunic from the young woman. For decency's sake Orophin and Rumil turned away.
"We know not, we left Haldir for a brief time and when we were returning she fell." Rumil said patiently.
"Was this woman on the battlefield?" Asked the healer incredulously. Her wounds were deep and unforgiving... and familiar. Perplexed the healer quickly stitched together her wounds and wrapped her snugly in white cotton bandages.
"She was not," Said Aragorn who had recently joined them. "I sent to the caves myself, what happened here?"
"We were wondering the same, Aragorn." Orophin said in a slight undertone. Lothlinel worked while the three other men discussed the strange woman. Her arm was particularly bad, but nothing he couldn't fix, it would take her several days, but it would be in fine working order. Her back was another task. There was no infection it it, no dirt, nothing to suggest she had been in battle at all. An odd occurrence indeed, she thought to herself as she covered her with a blanket. Lost in the peculiarity of the situation, Lothlinel made her way down the tables checking her other patients. When she came to Haldir she stopped, a sudden realization overcame her. The girls wounds were identical to his. Without hesitation she ripped the bandages from his back.
"What are you doing?" Asked Orophin entirely alarmed at the healers rough handling of his brother. Laughing, Lothlinel, showed the brothers and Aragorn the broad back of the Elven warrior. The only evidence of his wounds was a thin white line that traveled down his spine.
Rumil muttered an elvish prayer under his breath as they all stared in wonder.
"The human woman saved your brothers life," Lothlinel said bluntly. "He would have perished from the poison of the Uruk blade, your lucky she chose him."
"What?" Rumil and Orophin raised identical quizzical brows at the healer.
"Her wounds are your brothers wounds," Lothlinel said slowly covering the Marchwarden with a blanket.
"How?" Asked Aragorn who had been in silent observation the entire time.
"That is a question for her, not me," Lothlinel said mysteriously before turning to Rumil and Orophin. "You owe her your brothers life."
Haldir felt as though he were floating in water wearing full body armor. He wasn't able to move, not a finger, not a toe. He could feel the warmth of sunlight on his face but could not open his eyes to behold the sight. Sounds were strangely muted, shifting together like voices on the wind. Quickly memories of the battle for Helms Deep flickered across his subconscious and he understood his lethargy. But where was his pain? He recalled vividly having his back cleaved and his arm scored by the crude Uruk blades, yet felt completely comfortable.
Painfully slowly he regained the motion of first his fingers then his arms, legs, and feet. Finally, after what seemed like a eternity Haldir was finally able to open his heavy eyelids. The room was dark, shadowed by flickering torches in equine figured sconces. As he moved to sit up his brothers accosted him from out of the blue.
"Would you insufferable gnats get off me?" He growled pushing his brothers away and sitting up completely. He quickly took stock of his surroundings his eyes lingering curiously on the slumbering human across from him. "What's happened?"
"You fell during battle," Orophin began.
"We thought you were lost brother," injected Rumil.
"I am far from it if you hadn't noticed Rumil," Haldir snapped pushing himself off the hard wooden table. "I remember being wounded, did by some miracle Lothlinel become more skilled a healer or have the humans gained a knowledge of healing that surpasses ours?"
"The latter is closer to the truth," said Orophin quietly. Rumil had stepped away from his brothers and was muttering an elvish prayer over the human woman.
"What do you mean?"
"She healed you brother," Rumil said with a pleasant smile. "She saved your life."
"And endangered her's in the process," concluded Orophin looking grim. Haldir gave them both looks of confusion. Had they lost their minds?
"She took your wounds into herself. She now fights the battle that you began" Haldir stood quietly for several moments, his brow furrowed in deep concentration as he looked at the pale and sickly looking human. With a finite and stubborn look he tore his gaze away and squared his shoulders.
"We leave for Lothlorien at dawn," He said coldly pushing past his brothers.
"Where are you going?" Asked Orophin with a raised brow.
"To find a tunic," Haldir stated coldly. As he neared the end of the row of tables an irritating pain sprung to life in his chest. Belligerently he continued through the hall the pain growing into a fire with every step he took. Finally he allowed himself to stop and lean against one of the abandoned tables.
"Haldir, what is it?" Asked Rumil coming to his brothers side. The Marchwarden could not speak for the pain and Orophin was employed to help Rumil haul him back to his table.
"Stop," He insisted as they neared the tables. "I am well now."
"Haldir you should rest," Rumil said in concern.
"I will rest when I am dead, Rumil," Haldir said taking a step backwards in the other direction. As soon as reached the end of the table to pain rose again, dull and flickering but noticeable. Hesitating he took a step back in the direction of his brothers instantly the pain vanished. He took another step forward and the subtle feeling of calmness washed over him. His brothers cast strange looks towards him as he took yet another step forward and another, slowly inching his way forward. When he came to stand next to the woman who had healed him the feeling of complete tranquility was almost overwhelming. He took a step closer to her and the feeling peaked. He cocked his head to the side, perplexed by the odd sensation and its connection to this woman. A human no less.
"Are you well brother?" Asked Orophin.
"Fine," He said, the question bringing him back to his senses. "Who is this woman?"
"We don't know," Replied Rumil. "Aragorn met her before the battle, she has lost her memory, not even she knows who she is." Haldir pondered at this for sometime, slowly edging away from her. The task was a tedious one, all he wished to do was stay in the contentment that consumed him when he was near her.
"Gather what is left of our battalion, fix litters for the wounded, we shall still leave for Lorien at dawn." He said when he was finally aware enough to give commands.
"Haldr, you speak foolishly, you are in no state to travel the distance!" Orophin hissed his eyes darkening with pent up anger at his stubborn brother.
"I will be fine Orophin," Haldir said in the same deadly tone. "As long as do not stray too far from the human."
"What madness has befallen you?" Orophin asked his thin brow arched elegantly.
"No madness has befallen me. The farther away I get from the human the more painful the flame in my chest." Both Orophin and Rumil stared at Haldir in brief concern, they knew he was not jesting for he was far too mannered for that. Irritated with his brothers inept ability to fathom his predicament he sent them on their way to ready the battalion.
