A/N: I cannot take ownership of any character created by the brilliant mind of Tolkien, only my OCs.

Three days later, and still Edwin did not wake, Mirawen spent all her time tending to him, food was brought to her, and she left the room only if she needed to. The warden could not convince the girl to leave even when her shifts were over. Tirelessly, she worked to ensure his leg wound did not fester, and she felt some relief on the second day when his fever broke.

Ioreth worried about Mirawen, though she did not recognize the boy, she knew he must have some meaning to her. Walking past the room, she saw that Mirawen had fallen asleep, her head rested on the bed near his waist. Ioreth entered the room, and covered the girl in a blanket, carefully so as not to wake her, she noticed that Mirawen held his hand in her own.

Sighing, she made to leave the room when she heard a cough, thinking it was Mirawen, she rushed to check on the girl. Ioreth heard another cough, and when Mirawen lay still, her head shot up to see that they boy had woken up, and was looking around the room.

Ioreth stood, walking to the table across the room, she poured the boy a glass of water, bringing it to him as he coughed once more. "Drink it slowly." She told him, and he took the glass with his free hand. "How do you feel?"

With a raspy voice he answered her, "I've seen better days…"

"Ioreth." She finished for him.

"Ioreth…" He repeated, he felt a weight against him and he looked down noticing a sea of red curls on the bed by his waist. "Mirawen…?" He thought to himself, shocked to see the friend he had lost many years ago.

He felt ashamed for the way he had left things with her, when he found out what she had done, he wanted to go to her, but his father had cautioned him not to. He had heard she'd become a healer, and he swallowed the lump in his throat when he noticed his hand in hers. Looking up at Ioreth he opened his mouth, though the old woman seemed to know what he was about to ask.

She answered, "She's not left your side in three days. She saw to it personally that your wounds did not become infected. You must mean a lot to her."

"We were good friends once… though the last time we spoke, I was cruel to her…" He said bowing his head in shame.

"Ahh." Ioreth said coming to a sudden realization, "You are Edwin." He looked surprised and she continued, "Yes, I know all about your secret rendezvous in the gardens, that girls tells me almost everything. She does not blame you for what was said… and it would seem she never stopped caring." She raised her eyebrow at him and nodded to their intertwined hands.

Mirawen stirred slightly, her hair slipping aside to uncover her face. His breath caught in his throat as he took in her appearance. The last time he saw her, was on her twelfth birthday, he noticed how her cheekbones were more defined, and her lips full, their rosy color contrasting nicely against her porcelain skin. She was no longer a girl; her eyes started to open slowly and his heart leapt when he was finally able to gaze into her emerald pools.

Mirawen had finished redressing his leg, when sleep finally overcame her. She had rinsed the salve off her hands and made to sit next to the bed. She brushed the hair out his face, and was glad to see some of his color returning. Taking hold of his hand, she lay her head down and allowed herself to rest.

She did not know how long she had been asleep when she came to, she was able to hear voices, causing her to wake. One sounding an awful lot like Ioreth, the other, a man's voice, deeper, unfamiliar and yet sounding so familiar at the same time. Slowly, she felt her eyelids open, and blinking she looked up to see a pair of deep brown eyes staring down at her. Realization hit her, and she sat up quickly eyes widening as she took in the site before her.

"I will leave you two to catch up, I am sure there is much to discuss." Ioreth smirked, and left the pair alone. Outside the room, Ioreth smiled to herself, and she held a hand to her heart, grateful that the boy had woken up, she knew Mirawen needed a friend.

She was breathtaking, he noted, as they stared at each other in silence for a few moments, neither of them sure what to say to the other. Mirawen felt a blush rise to her cheeks when she thought to herself how handsome he looked. Brushing that thought aside, she made to stand up, but Edwin held her hand firmly, keeping her in place.

"Mirawen…" He started to say, stroking her knuckles tenderly with his thumb, they held each other's gaze, and despite the dark circles under her eyes due to lack of sleep, to him, she still looked like an angel.

"Edwin… bless you, you're awake."

"I hear I have you to thank for that." He smiled at her, and she blushed. "Mirawen I…"

"Edwin, it is okay." She said to him, knowing where he was going with his words. "It was a long time ago."

He nodded, and frowning he said, "I wanted to see you… to tell you I knew what you did, to thank you, but…"

"I did to… want to see you. I wanted to apologize, I was selfish back then, it took me a long time to realize that. My father forbade me to see you, and I listened… I did not wish for any further consequences."

He squeezed her hand reassuringly, "You are a healer now."

"Yes." She chuckled at his directness, "...and you are a Ranger."

"I thought by now your father would have married you off and sent you away." He thought aloud, "I am glad he has not."

"Me too." She said smiling down at him, before a solemn look appeared on her face. "He does not think much of me these days… ever since…" she trailed off.

"I am sorry about your mother Mirawen. I… wished then I could be there for you, but… I was not given leave to return."

"I know." She said, then quickly changed the subject. "You must be hungry."

He nodded, "Starving."

She squeezed his hand and told him she would be back shortly, and she went to grab them both something to eat. He watched her leave the room with a smile on his face, though he lay heavy on the bed, he felt light as air. She returned a while later, with a bowl of soup and some bread for each of them. They dined, and spent the remainder of afternoon catching up, until Edwin eventually fell back asleep.

Mirawen spent the next several weeks visiting Edwin when she could, and they fell back into a natural rhythm despite their years apart. While he regained his strength she told him of her years training with Ioreth, and how she still managed to find time to practice her swordsmanship. He told her of his adventures in Ithilien, and of the many skirmishes he had found himself in, how he had fought beside her brother's many times. She shared her vision with him, and he encouraged her to go to her father with this idea. With all the troubles they faced in these times, they needed all the able bodies they could, and if they could save more lives… surely Lord Denethor would see the value in that.

They worked together on the proposal she would present to her father, bouncing ideas off of each other, she wrote them all down; this went on several more days until she felt it was perfect. She practiced what she would say in front of both Edwin and Ioreth, and they all decided she was ready. Mirawen first approached the Warden with her plan, and though hesitant at first, he agreed to help her convince her father, on the condition that they would also train several of the soldiers more advanced techniques as well.

A few more weeks went by, and Edwin was feeling stronger by the day. The warden decided upon checking over his wounds, that he was ready to be helped out of bed, to practice his walking again. He had taken a spear to his thigh, Mirawen had learned, and while the wounds on his upper body had healed, his leg took longer. The healers remained unsure as to whether he would regain full function of his leg, or if he would ever be able to walk on his own again. Mirawen, however, held hope; Edwin was strong, and she was sure with time, he would.

It took many days of practicing, taking just a couple of assisted steps several times a day; by the tenth day, Edwin was able to take steps on his own, and though he walked with a limp, the healers had high hopes it would get better over time. He was given a walking stick to aid him, and they had decided that Edwin was strong enough to attempt a longer walk outside of the Houses of Healing.

Two months Edwin had been back in her life, and she felt as if he had never left. She had always wondered what it would be like if they were to cross paths again, at first she had thought it would be awkward for both of them, but she was grateful that it was not. They were both older now, more mature, and Mirawen noticed that over the past eight and a half weeks, she felt warmer when he was near. She could feel her heart fluttering when he smiled at her, and when she wasn't with him, she longed to be.

Ioreth had noticed that Mirawen seemed happier in these grim days, the happiest she had seen her in a long time, and she had a suspicion it had something to do with a young Ranger named Edwin. Ioreth passed the news on to Mirawen that Edwin had been prescribed longer walks, and suggested that perhaps she be the one to accompany him. Mirawen smiled, and felt her cheeks go warm with blush at Ioreth's knowing look."She deserves a bit of happiness." The old woman thought to herself as she watched Mirawen enter the boy's room. When Mirawen entered the room, she felt that warm bubbly feeling rise up in her chest again, and she returned Edwin's smile.

"Mira, I was just thinking of you." Edwin said warmly, and she turned to hide her reddening cheeks from his gaze. "I thought you might like to accompany me for a walk in the gardens? Ioreth suggested I get out of the room."

"Funny…" Mirawen thought, "... it would seem she suggested the same to me."

"I would like that." She answered him with a shy smile.

He went to grab his walking stick, offering Mirawen his arm, and the two left the Houses of Healing at a slow pace heading towards the gardens. They walked side by side in a comfortable silence until they found themselves at the garden's edge, in front of familiar tree.

He looked at Mirawen and smiled down at her, "It has been many years since I've been back here." He stated.

She smiled up at the boy, now a man, who stood a head taller than her, and let go of his arm. Taking a few steps forward, Mirawen parted the leaves allowing Edwin to enter first.

"Hmm…" He mused as he took in the familiar sights. "Nothing seems to have changed… though it does appear as if our friend here has taken quite the beating." He gestured to the tree trunk before them, where many small pieces of bark were missing, and turned to face her with a smirk.

She let out a small laugh, "Guilty…" she admitted. "I have taken to throwing knives… it seems to be a good stress release for me."

He cocked his head to the side, admiring her handiwork and said, "I am surprised you managed to hit the tree at all, from what I remember your archery skills were severely lacking." She smacked his arm playfully and he feigned injury, yelping. "Hey that's my bad arm!"

"I've changed those bandages plenty of times to know which one's your good arm." She said smirking at him in a "You cannot fool me." kind of way.

He laughed and approached the tree, running his hand down the bark lightly, tracing the marks her knives left on its trunk. Without turning to her he asked, "Have you talked to your father yet?"

"No." She said, embarrassed to admit she was nervous to speak to him.

"Mira, your proposal is perfect, you have been practicing for weeks, what is holding you back?" He turned to face her then.

"Truth be told… I have not spoken to him much in these past years, and when I have… my brother's, or other members of the court are around… never… alone." She admitted.

He leaned his stick against the tree and limped towards her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, causing Mira to shiver as her skin became covered in goosebumps.

"You need not be afraid of him Mira. Lord Denethor is a strategist, and he will see your value, the value of your plan." His voice went softer, and she noticed his hand lingered on her face.

Their eyes met, and a warm feeling grew inside of her, as they stood there in silence for several moments. She noticed his brown eyes held an intensity as he stared down at her, and she wondered what was going on inside his mind. Suddenly, he took a step closer, and she could feel his warm breath on her face. Her heart was pounding so hard she felt it was trying to escape her chest. As their faces inched closer together, his fingers, calloused from years in the wilderness, lightly traced her jawline. Her breathing intensified, she had never felt this way before. His hand cupped her chin gently, and he brought his lips down to meet hers, closing the gap between them.

The kiss was soft, yet held so much emotion, and she returned his kiss eagerly, slightly parting her lips. The kiss lasted several seconds, but felt like an eternity, her lips tingling and feeling suddenly cold when their faces eventually parted. He stared down at her lovingly, letting out a wistful sigh.

"I have been wanting to do that for a while now." He admitted, and Mira blushed.

"I am glad you did." She said, resting her head against his shoulder, and she could not help but notice how perfectly she fit there.

They spent the rest of the afternoon sitting underneath the tree, chatting, and stealing kisses, before they decided it was time to head back when they noticed the sun beginning to set. Mirawen helped him to his feet, and he offered her his arm like before. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they ventured slowly back to the Healing Houses. The only sound between them came from his walking stick clicking against the stone floor beneath their feet. As they walked, she replayed their first kiss over and over in her head, smiling to herself.

They made it back to his room, and stood at the doorway for a moment. Smiling at each other, he raised her hand to his lips leaving a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"You know," He said breaking the silence, not letting go of her hand. "If I can take a spear to the leg and walk again… I think you can face your father."

She nodded, and said thoughtfully "Thank you. For believing in me."

"I've always believed in you Mira, you just need to believe in yourself sometimes too."

"Goodnight Edwin." And reluctantly, he let her hand go.

"Goodnight Mira." He looked both ways down the hall to make sure no one was nearby, he pulled her closer to him, and kissed her tenderly on the lips once more, letting his hand linger on the back of her head for a moment.

Ioreth poked her head out of the room she was in, her face hidden in the shadows and she watched their exchange. She smiled to herself as she watched them say their goodnights and seal it with a kiss, ducking back into the room as Mirawen walked by. "Ahh, young love." she thought to herself, vowing to protect it at all costs, knowing that despite his seeming lack of interest in his daughter, this was a union Lord Denethor would not approve of.

A/N: A little bit of a fluffy chapter,showcasing Mira's first love. How will Lord Denethor react when he finds out? And what will he think of his daughter's plan proposal? What will happen to Mira and Edwin? Until next time.

-Buttercup

**Inspo for Edwin is Ben Barnes ( a la Prince Caspian: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)**