Author's Note: Here is the next chapter! Let me know what you guys think of it. Or if there is any questions, comments or suggestions! I'm always open.

I also wanted to take a moment to thank my commenters:

- Emzy2k11 & FluentInBullshit – Thank you for your comments. Hopefully you like this next one.

- Aistacaniel – Thank you for your kind words! It always makes me happy when a die-hard fan loves my original characters as well as the preexisting ones. I had hoped to do Haldir justice because I find him to be an intriguing character and there is so many directions someone could take him. As for the Fellowship, we've seen Legolas and there is a chance some of the others could pop up. We'll have to wait and see!

- Mika – I love rambling! Please ramble on, lol. I'm so glad you like Aisling and think she fits well into Middle-Earth, that is something I was really hoping to achieve. As for Aisling's abilities and her father's history, we will be seeing more of that soon! Hopefully, it will answer some of your questions. If not, let me know and I will try to clarify. I haven't delved too deeply into those things for the moment and you will see why. Oh, and I love Aislir! Who knew they would get a ship name! That makes me so excited.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to The Lord of the Rings. I own my own original characters and ideas... but I am just playing with Tolkien's genius.


PART SEVEN

Aisling sighed with a shake of her head as she adjusted the basket on her arm. Bending down, she plucked up whole bunches of white flowers and their leaves, stashing them away. She glanced over her shoulder at Haldir as he hobbled along behind her.

Nothing short of threatening to tie him back to the bed was going to deter Haldir from going with her. Even with the threat, he was determined to accompany her. Aisling knew he wanted to get out of the house, to see more of the countryside. But allowing him to travel even fifteen minutes from the house, seemed too far for her taste.

After a while, he settled himself into the grass, watching her as she filled her basket.

"What is all this for?" he asked as she set the basket down before settling down beside him. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist.

She pointed to the various greenery as she explained. "The white and yellow ones are for the tea you like so much, and the greens are athelas or kingsfoil, which I'm sure you're familiar with. These are my favorite though." She took a wide green leaf and crushing it between her fingers brought it up to his nose.

Haldir sniffed hesitantly for a moment, not really knowing what to expect. But the scent was pleasant and clean though strong.

"What is it?" he asked as she popped the leaf into her mouth and started to chew on it.

She offered one to him and he caught it with his teeth. Aisling watched him expectantly as he began to chew on it and she could see his face light up.

"Mint. It's great for calming an upset stomach or when made into a paste for smoothing sore muscles. I'm sure after this little expedition, you will be needing it. I haven't been able to find it for a while. So, I'm very happy I have."

"Why don't you take some back with us, to plant in your garden. Then you can have it always."

She carefully spit out the leaf before giving him a big smile. "I like the way you think, Marchwarden."

Aisling lightly kissed him on the cheek before rising to find the plant again and dig a small piece of it up.

Since the day of Rumil's departure, they hadn't talked anymore about what transpired between them. There was no more talk of leaving, either alone or together. In fact, it had taken almost three whole days before Aisling could even bare to try talking to him again aside from the required inquiries of the day. Haldir had been patient with her in those days, not pressing any more than he should. Holding her hand when he could, but he didn't question her further about her feelings, nor did he offer anymore of his own.

She couldn't believe that she had told him she loved him. Her father would have been so disappointed. The first rule he ever taught her about healing was to not become too attached. And how more attached than in love could one get? She hated herself for it. Suddenly how vulnerable it made her feel.

If the kiss Haldir had given her after her disclosure meant anything, it meant that he felt the same way. But he didn't put it into words. And that made Aisling doubt herself, doubt her feelings and her growing attachment to him. He had said he wanted her with him, but what did that mean for them? Him still a very wounded warrior, whose military calling was still in question and her. Sometimes more human than elf and a self-imposed recluse, who hadn't known any kind of serious company in a century and a half.

Aisling carefully placed her little plant in her basket as she couldn't help but wonder if her growing admiration for Haldir was simply out of convivence. That he was present, no doubt attractive and appeared to enjoy her company as much as she enjoyed his. She wondered what would happen if she did leave with him, returned to his forest, if he would be the same.

A cry followed by a rather loud thud, startled Aisling out of her disturbing thoughts. She dropped her basket and dashed over to Haldir's side, where he laid on his side grasping his right ankle.

"What did you do?" she demanded as she yanked off his boot. Her fingers probing around his ankle, until she hit the spot that made him scream.

"Can you not push on it?"

She tilted her head to one side and regarded him with a blank expression. "Oh yes, because I can just tell what's wrong with out examining it. Now, one more time, what… did… you… do?"

"Nothing! I swear it."

"Because your ankle chose to twist itself."

Haldir hissed through his teeth as she pressed the place that hurt the most.

"I was trying to get up, like we practiced. I must had stepped in a hole or on some uneven ground because the next thing I knew it was bending sideways and I was falling."

Aisling surveyed the ground around him and found there was no hole nearby. Despite it only being a couple of minutes, his ankle was already swelling to twice its normal size.

"Nothing's broken, but you definitely crunched something. Don't move," she ordered before jumping to her feet. She retrieved her basket and brought it over. She took a handful of the athelas and balling it up tightly, handed it to him. "Chew. It will help with the pain at least temporarily. Though, I have to say I'm quite surprised it hurts you at all."

"Why?" he asked as he chewed on the weeds.

She didn't immediately respond, helping him to sit back down and stretched out his other leg. She pulled the boot off his left foot and took his ankle in her hand. She turned and rolled it this way and that, never taking her eyes from his face waiting for any sign that he had feeling in it. He just sent her a questioning look. She took his right again and tried to manipulate it, despite the swelling and it made him groan softly.

"Huh," she muttered as she stared at his feet.

Haldir watched her as she tapped her fingers against her chin with a contemplative look. He seemed to forget about the throbbing in his ankle as he wondered what she was thinking. What this pain meant for the future of his legs.

After several long moments, Aisling took his left leg and bent it at the knee, laying his foot down flat on the ground. As soon as she took her hands away though, the leg fell right back down to the ground. This was not a new exercise for him. She did this almost twice a day to see if there was any chance he had regain any control over his knees. So far, nothing.

She did the same with the right, bending the knee and keeping the foot flat. Before he realized that one of her hands moved, she pinched the back of his thigh, hard. Haldir yelped in surprise and their eyes immediately connected, wide and unbelieving. He almost wanted to pinch himself again just to make sure.

She removed her hands and the knee stayed bent, at least for a couple of second before it too flopped back down.

Aisling couldn't help the smile that slowly spread across her face. Her hands went to his swollen ankle again. She muttered the elvish words low under her breath as her touch grew warm and the pain slowly started to dissipate. Once it was all gone she sat back on her heels.

"Bend your knee," she whispered.

"I can't," he replied.

"Yes, you can. Just focus."

Haldir frowned hard as he stared down at his legs. He willed his knee to move but it didn't so much as twitch.

"This is ridiculous. I can't feel it. How am I supposed to move it?"

She didn't say anything, she just looked up at him with those bright green eyes, so open and trusting. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, trying to will himself to relax enough to make this work. He focused on the muscles in his thigh, feeling them twitch and tighten.

Aisling gave out a small squeal of excitement and it was enough to force Haldir's eyes open again. He stared down at his bent knee as if not believing it. He lowered it back to the ground and then back up again.

He laughed despite himself.

"Can you feel it?" she asked as he kept moving his leg.

"Honestly, no. I don't know how its moving, but it does." His voice was breathy and surprised.

She reached over and pinched his thigh again.

"Ow! Can you stop doing that?"

"No," she replied before moving down to the back of his knee, pinching there hard.

"What is the point of this?"

She moved down to his calf and finally there he did not finch.

"I had to see how much you can feel. It might feel numb to you, but when provoked you can feel pain in your thigh and your knee. It's a good thing really," she said moving her hand up to his thigh again.

This time he caught her wrist in his hand. "Not again."

"Let's try something," she remarked moving over to his left side. She wrapped her arm around her waist and encourage him to lay his arm over her shoulders. "I want you to place your foot flat on the ground, using your thigh and your knee to push yourself up. If at any point you feel like your knee is going to give out, just fall. I'll catch you, I don't want you to blow it out. Use your walking stick on the right side to help keep you balanced."

Haldir nodded, grabbing his stick and situating it under his right arm. Aisling helped him to his foot and together they slow rose from the grass. Haldir's knee straightening and his thigh quivering from the excursion.

But he stood. For the first time in over three months, Haldir managed to stand. And mostly on his own.

He readjusted his walking stick to make sure he didn't topple over and Aisling kept a firm grip on his waist.

"You did it!"

He pulled her closer by the shoulders, peppering her face with light kisses.

"I don't think I have felt this accomplished since the day they named me Marchwarden."

"It is the first of many steps for you, Haldir. I knew you could do it."

"Your trust in me has been unwavering and I could not have done it without your support."

Aisling shrugged even as she smiled. He gently ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. "If you hadn't been foolish enough to twist your ankle, we never would have known yet."

"At least something good came from it. Shall we be heading back?"

Aisling nodded. She made sure he was stable enough before stepping away. She retrieved his other stick and her basket. Very slowly, they made their way back to her cottage. Haldir relied on his leg more heavily as he traveled back and could feel the fatigue settling into his bones a lot faster than he would have like.

As soon as he was inside the door, he collapsed down on the bed, his one arm hanging over the side as he groaned.

"I feel like I've been dragged through Mordor and back," Haldir muttered into his pillow, clutching it close.

Aisling chuckled with a shake of her head as she set her basket down on the table. She stoked the small fire in the hearth before filling the kettle from the bucket of water in the corner. She set it on the fire before returned to Haldir's side.

She tucked a few loose strands of silver hair behind his pointed ear.

"You are still recovering. You cannot expect all your strength to return at once, just because you wish it to be so."

"I know," he sighed, peaking out at her. "Sometimes it's hard to accept that I'm not the person I was before the battle."

"War changes everyone and everything. Be grateful for what you have because it could always be so much worse."

"When did you become so wise?"

Aisling felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "It was something my father always used to say to make me feel better."

"Your father was a wise man. You miss him."

"More than you can know. When you sail across the sea, you will see your parents again. Mine will not be there waiting for me, even if I am allowed to cross."

He reached out and took her hand. "You are still an elf."

"Half-elf," she corrected. "And sometimes more human than I would like to admit."

"Lord Elrond of Imladris is considered half-elven as are his children and they were given a choice. Do you think are you not afforded the same consideration?"

Aisling tried to pull her hand away but his grip would not relent. Instead, she gazed out the window at the setting sun. She swallowed hard on the lump forming in her throat.

"I don't know. My father didn't either. I stopped aging at twenty-five, half the time it takes for an elf to fully come to maturity. And I have remained that way since."

"How old are you now?" Haldir knew the question was improper but he had to ask.

"Three hundred and twelve, if I remember correctly. I stopped keeping track after a while." She turned her eyes back to Haldir, whose threatened to take over his entire face. "What?"

"Three hundred?" he gaped.

"And twelve," she added. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You are still so young."

Aisling snorted. "Try telling that to the men in the village, who think I'm a witch. Their elders who tell stories of their grandparents and their grandparents grandparents who knew my father and my mother, who has been dead for over two hundred and fifty years."

"Is that why they fear you? Because to them you should be long dead?"

"Something of the sort. My father and I being the only elves they have really ever encountered. He always told me that I had been blessed with the grace of the Eldar, otherwise I wouldn't be able to heal as I do. But I never quite believed him."

"You should."

"Why?"

"Because I can sense it in you. I can feel it. Your mother might have been of the race of men, but you are definitely an elf. You might carry some of your mother's kindred's features or habits, but deep inside you beats the heart of an elf."

She stared at him blankly, not quite wanting to believe her ears.

"But…" she started, however nothing else seemed to want to come out.

The loud sudden banging on the front door made them both jump. Haldir immediately pushing himself up on the bed so he wasn't laying down.

"Please, we are in need of assistance!" A voice on the other side shouted.

Haldir and Aisling stared at each other for a moment, neither moving. They recognized that voice.

Aisling jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open with a bang. She stared at the blonde elf on the other side.

"Your highness!" she gasped, meeting the warm blue eyes of Legolas.

"We need your help," he panted as he sprinted back to his horse.

Aisling followed him with her eyes, catching sight of a dwarf with a black arrow through his shoulder finally falling from the horse, crashing to the ground.

TO BE CONTINUED….