Chapter 6:

Does Time Really Heal All Things

Kat bite her lower lip, amused at this current situation. Though she had the ability to keep her face neutral, she made no attempt at hiding her amusement.

What was tickling her funny bone wasn't Reggie trying to run from a group of elleths, who were trying to scrub the darkness from his skin. It wasn't Ty, who had instigated a drinking game and was currently on his fifteenth mug (Kat figured that the alcohol here was greatly diluted, considering fifteen cans of beer in her world would have rendered Ty comatose at the very least) and was still on his feet, while one of the elves had passed out and splayed on the ground unceremoniously nearby. It wasn't Newt, who had elves of the miniature size poking and wrestling him to the ground in fits of giggles. And it wasn't Wally, who blushed as red as her hair every time he so much as made eye contact with any of the females.

No, her amusement stemmed from the figure before her – Haldir. Stretched out on the ground with a tree supporting him. Glaring daggers at her.

Kat had grown guilty after their S.I.N.G. episode and wanted to correct any damages – any medical damages, that is. But Kat had a suspicion that this elf would not let her anywhere near him after their encounter. Luckily, she was a thinking woman and – like any other woman – knew how to manipulate the situation. It was all a matter of what one could not deny, what one cannot ignore, what one cannot resist. Haldir, like her, was a soldier. And no soldier could ignore an order from a commanding officer – or Lady of Light, in this case. And Galadriel, also being a nurturing and authoritative female, had agreed to command Haldir into her care.

Haldir growled once more. Not in pain, as she had given him analgesics (pain killers) before she started setting the bones and constructing a make-shift cast, but from his obvious dislike of the mortal.

"I'm beginning to think you're part Orc for all your growling," Kat said as she added another layer to the cast.

"And how would you know that?" he snapped. "Do you personally know any Orcs?"

Kat looked up from the cast to his face. "My, my, you certainly have a temper. I'm beginning to wonder if you have need of anger management sessions."

"What?!"

"Or perhaps you just have an antisocial personality disorder. You seem violent enough for that."

"Violent?! I'm not the one who broke my foot!"

"And I'm not the one who chased after me, waving a sword in the air, screaming 'You're dead'. I'm not the one who put a blade up to my throat, prepared to take my life."

Haldir growled again and mumbled something in Quenya.

Kat chuckled as she finished the cast. "This will have to stay on for a few weeks. In the meantime, I would advise against putting weight on it. Every now and then, check the pulses here." She grabbed Haldir's hand and placed it on the dorsalis pedis pulse. "Check with the healers periodically. Notify with them if you feel your foot go numb, the blood isn't circulating to the toes, or you can't feel the pulse. Don't put anything under the cast. Don't get it wet. Don't take it off for at least two weeks."

"Or else?"

"Or else 1) the blood in your foot could be cut off and the foot will end up needing to be amputated 2) if you put something under the cast, the object will put pressure on the skin and the skin will eventually breakdown and you'll get a skin ulcer 3) if the cast becomes wet, it will become soft and break off and 4) taking the cast off prematurely will hinder the bones from healing properly and you'll end up limping for the rest of eternity."

Haldir stopped growling and cast his eyes to the ground.

-Good. At least that shut him up.-

"Would somebody get these girls off of me?! I'm freakin' clean already!"

***

Kat ran her fingers through her wet hair, squeezing out any water. There hadn't been enough water for a full bath, but she had used what she could to wipe herself down in private. Thankfully, one of the ellyth insisted on washing all the squad's extra clothes (it was required to carry one extra set of ACUs, a pair of socks, and undergarments), so she had clean clothes to put on after she had finished wiping herself down, praying under her breath that no one of the male species (especially those with unnaturally keen sight) was watching.

It would be one thing if she saw one of them naked – she was medical. She was supposed to know a male's anatomy. It would be another if they saw her. There was little thing called testosterone. Besides, it was a well known fact that all males had two separate brains (one located between their legs).

Kat was well rested from her first full night of sleep in more than a week. She knew she was tired, considering she did not wake up before the sun, but at daybreak. She would have made the suggestion to Rich of the squad helping in guard duty, but as elves didn't need much sleep and had highly superior senses the squad would more of a liability than an asset while on duty.

Finished dressing, Kat reached for her camelbak and chugged down on the water that the elves had provided. She would be able to fill the camelbak before she left. In the meantime, she could hydrate herself to her heart's desire (especially since if the body became dehydrated enough, the body would pull water from other places, like lungs or cardiac muscles for example).

Kat, dressed to the hilt and literally dressed to kill, made her way to her pack and checked her equipment in her aid bag. It wasn't that she expected an emergency any time soon; just that it had been drilled into by sergeants and instructors to always check her equipment periodically just to be on the safe side. And Kat believed firmly in Murphy's Law.

"Humph!" said a voice that was pleasing to the ears, but sandpaper to her nerves.

Kat jumped slightly then looked up with the surprise skillfully masked. Haldir towered over her, glaring (per norm) but there was something else in his gaze… something as if he were accusing her of some lie or plot that he had just discovered.

Kat retained her welcome (but ghostly) smile all the same. "Marchwarden," she greeted. "What do I owe this honor?" She may not have gotten along with him, but right now he had a look in his eye that could kill and Kat first wanted to know her crime before he attempted to try, sentence, and execute her. If that meant keeping a civil tongue, then so be it.

The daggers in his eyes grew sharper as a chilling smirk appeared. "It had occurred to me, Lady Katherine –"

"Wylde."

"…That though we have camped together, you know of us, but we know nothing of you."

/Bum, bum, bummmmm… Certain death! Ooooooooooh./

True, this wasn't a labyrinth, but the line just jumped into her mind. He just had to ask about the one taboo subject of every Mary-Sue! He just had to ask about the squad's past, which would lead to how they got here and how they could possibly travel between worlds. -Eegacks! Did I just call myself a Mary-Sue! Kill me now!-

Kat shrugged, leaving her answer simple, "We're soldiers who got separated from a drill exercise and are trying to find a way back home."

He sneered. "And where, exactly, is home? Any kingdom I know of, any kingdom that carries this currency?" he asked, throwing a coin at her.

Kat barely caught it in time. She looked down in her hands -Oh, freakin' eggnog!- One of backup measures Kat habitually acquired was to always carry two quarters in case she needed to make a phone call. Somehow, Haldir had found them.

"Where are you from," he growled. "When are you from?"

Kat's eyebrows knitted. -What made him ask about time? "Please clarify."

"The dates on the coins!" he shouted.

-Oh.- The dates. -Oh!- The dates! They must be a far time off before or after this point. That was why Haldir was making such ado. If Kat had to guess, she would have given about two hundred years leeway (1980 – 2200 third age); the year the squad had landed in must have been outside the ranges if Haldir was so suspicious. Kat gave an understanding smile. "Tell me, Marchwarden, what do you know of a race of Halflings called Hobbits?"

"Firstly, what are Hobbits? Secondly, don't change the subject!"

Kat retained a motherly smile. "As for what Hobbits are, you will learn in time. And as for the subject… Hobbits keep their own record of time, a reckoning to be exact. How they keep their years are not how the elves keep them. To the dwarves, the years started when they awoke. To some, time began with the coming of the sun. To others, it began at the foundation of a settlement or a kingdom. Don't be too swift to jump to conclusions," Kat concluded.

Haldir did not like the answer, but had no choice but to concede and limp away, still suspicious and angry, but without any base reason to take it out on her now that she had easily disarmed his verbal weapons. Damn the girl! She had gotten the better hand three times already in less than two days!

Kat smirked, holding back the chuckle at Haldir's receding form. With the many things they had in common, it was a pity that they hadn't gotten off on the right foot (or left foot, in Haldir's case). -My pride and his prejudice! Jane Austin, here I come.-

Kat continued chuckling as she finished her inventory.

***

Newt looked over his shoulder again, looking over the other four, for the sixth time during this farewell briefing. Call it a father's habit; always keeping an eye on the children.

Celeborn and Galadriel stood side by side before the squad. Haldir sat on his mount (Kat gave Galadriel instructions to allow him to use his foot as little as possible) behind the lord and lady, still suspicious, but his glare only a mockery of before. A few other elves who Kat had never officially met stood around and watched as the squad gave their thanks and salutations.

Kat remained silent as Celeborn gave directions to the quickest route out of the forest and Galadriel said some comforting words that made no sense to Kat at all. She looked up at the Marchwarden, who was still staring at her. She cocked her eyebrow and decided not depart as enemies; she allowed the ends of her mouth to curve upward briefly in a smile, then returned to her blank face.

Haldir watched the squad from atop of his stallion, a bit peeved that once again the mortal girl had been able to gain the last word. But now, faced with the fact that these unusual mortals were leaving, Haldir (for some reason known only to the Valar) found that he felt he was going to miss them – at least the girl. It wasn't everyday one met a young mortal girl who could not only take away the Marchwarden of Lothlorien's sword, but also win verbal spars, stand up to the Lady of Light, and travel with warriors. But all, the same, he would not be grieved if he never saw any of these strange warriors ever again. Scratch that – he didn't even want to ever meet with them or their descendants for however long Haldir resided upon Middle-Earth.

"Thank you so much, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, for your help," said Newt. "If you are in ever in need…"

"Thank you for the offer," Galadriel said. "But I do not foresee us meeting again."

Haldir smirked. Whether or not it was what the Lady had meant, Haldir had just heard the elf queen telling them she wanted no further contact. Haldir knew full well that this interpretation wasn't what she meant, but he did interpret that way. And he would not go against his Lady's command – or his interpretation of such.

"Contrary to popular belief, nothing is written in the stars – or in mirrors," said Kat. "We may yet meet again, but then again, we may not."

Galadriel smiled. "You are a rarity, Lady Katherine –"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, IT'S WYLDE!" Kat threw her hands up in the air in the gesture of frustration.

The elves – except Haldir, who just scowled – chuckled at Kat's outbreak.

"The world would do well to have more of you," Celeborn said.

Kat shook her head. "Not possible. If there were two of me, the one would seek the other out and we would fight till one died and we would be stuck with one as the world was originally."

"I didn't know you had a violent streak in ya, Wylde," said Ty.

"Don't tell me you lost your visual and hearing acuity while a certain Marchwarden and I had that scuffle."

Ty shrugged, while Reggie was hiding a secret smile.

"Thank you again, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel," Newt said. "What is the saying… May the grace of the Valar overshadow and protect you."

"And you."

With that, Newt turned and nodded to his squad. Automatically falling into positions and step, the squad made southwest, as per Celeborn's instructions. Wally, though still limping slightly, had adequate rest and was now able to keep up with the group without struggling. Kat glanced towards him every now and again, ready to call to Newt if she saw any signs of exhaustion.

And so they continued for the rest of the afternoon.

***

A pair of ice blue eyes watched as the group of mortals marched towards the boarder. How odd they were… all dressed identically and moving as a unit, not in a line, but in distorted version of a wedge.

One thing was sure, these mortals wanted to leave.

His eyes started to sparkle as thoughts of how they would bring him and his companions some amusement.

-This is going to be fun.-

With one last look, he snickered and snuck off to find his friends, who were most likely finishing his father's personal wines, which they had stolen.

At least, with playing with these mortals, his father wouldn't be lecturing him again how he should be helping his people, not trying to take advantage of anything with two legs and in a dress or getting drunk with his friends or 'causing chaos and mayhem among the innocent subjects.' Come to think of it, he doubted his father would even hear about this group of mortals.

As he rode off, he wondered how loud these mortals could scream.