Maladies and Remedies

Aisling hummed to herself as she made her way through the city of trees back towards her home from the market. It had been two months since the wedding and they had quickly settled into routine once their "honeymoon" had ended.

Though with the way things went just about every night when Haldir wasn't at the borders, she almost thought it had never actually ended.

But at the moment Haldir was on the borders, returning to his duty to protect the land and all that dwelled within it. This time he had taken both Rumil and Orophin with him, deeming Aisling more than capable of getting around and taking care of herself and the house on her own.

Her days were busy and full. Daella and Rumil had set their betrothal ceremony to take place shortly after they returned from this trip, so they needed to finish up Daella's dress and all the other arrangements. And well, keeping up a house without modern conveniences certainly took Aisling a lot longer without Haldir there to help. More than that, she found it harder to fall asleep without him next to her and was eager for him to get back home even though he had only been gone a few days.

And she was pretty sure she would have some big news for him when he returned.

Smiling to herself, Aisling glanced down at her belly and then back up at the city. She wasn't completely sure just how she was supposed to tell this early without a pregnancy test - which was why she hadn't even told Daella yet - but she was definitely late, and she was hardly ever late. There was a certain excitement that had come over her once she realized, making it hard to keep her suspicious to herself. She wasn't even sure if the healers would be able to tell this early or how they would tell at all until she started showing or exhibiting some of the more overt signs of pregnancy.

And well, she wanted Haldir to be the first person she told. He had just left when she started getting her suspicions.

"Two more weeks," she breathed to herself as she saw the tree that held their home come into sight. Two more weeks and then he would be back.

Her nights of late had been full of dreams about telling him. She had already gone through about 20 different scenarios at this point, and still wasn't sure just which she wanted to go with. Hell, she had even taken up knitting, working on a soft blanket at night before bed. Or just wandering around the second floor, wondering just which room would make a good nursery. Liam and Tiernan would be thrilled.

Aisling then came to a sudden stop, her smile falling away. Right, they couldn't know. They were back in her world and she had no way to get back to them or to tell them. Tears started pricking at her eyes, and she had just reached up to brush them away when she felt a jolt of something. Turning, she looked through the trees, trying to make out what was happening in the coming twilight.

Surely something wasn't wrong. She hadn't felt as though Haldir was in any sort of danger since he left, though she tried not to use their connection that often, worried she would pick it up at just the wrong time when he was in the middle of a fight or something.

She started walking, picking up her pace as she moved through the trees towards whatever was causing her to have a slight bit of anxiety.

Finally, just on the edges of the city, she came to a stop and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Haldir walking with Orophin and Rumil at his sides, all three of them completely fine. He met her eyes and smiled softly, causing her to start running towards him.

"You're early," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly. "Why are you back early?"

"What's this, not eager to see your husband?" Orophin joked. Aisling glared playfully at him as she stepped back from Haldir. She then turned her eyes to him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Well, we have had some unexpected visitors that needed to be brought into the city," he replied, stepping to the side.

Aisling looked behind him and her eyes widened before a giant grin slid across her face. They looked a bit ragged and tired, but Aragorn and Legolas were leading a small group of people. With a laugh, she took off, first throwing her arms around Legolas.

"Holy shit! What are you doing here?" she shouted as she looked up into his familiar face. She wasn't even sure when she would get to see him again, so this was definitely a welcomed surprise. They hadn't received any word from him since arriving in Lorien despite sending letters to Mirkwood.

Though he smiled, there was something about him that carried an air of melancholy. She then looked to Aragorn, finding him the same, though it didn't stop her from walking over and hugging him too.

"We are here to seek rest and respite, for we are on a difficult journey," Legolas said.

Aisling then looked to the others in the group, finding four small boys staring at her with wide, curious eyes. There was then another short, bearded man and a taller man that she quickly surmised was human from his lack of pointed ears and just the gruffness about him.

"Wow. I leave and you go and adopt a bunch of kids," she said, looking at Legolas with a smile.

"Begging your pardon, ma'am, but we ain't no children. We're hobbits," one of the boys - nope, apparently they were really short men with extremely large bare feet - said, stepping towards her. Now that she was looking at them closely, she wondered just how she had confused them for kids in the first place. "I'm Samwise Gamgee."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Aisling apologized quickly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Legolas smirk slightly.

"I see that some things have not changed with you, though it would appear there is at least one change," he said, reaching out and taking her hand, peering down at the gold ring. Aisling flushed slightly as she looked back over her shoulder at Haldir, who was smiling softly at her.

"Yea… we have a lot to catch up on," she said, turning back to Legolas.

"I must escort them to see Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn," Haldir said. Aisling nodded and smiled.

"I'll walk with you there," she said.

The group began moving then, with Aisling falling into step between Legolas and Aragorn.

"When did you wed?" Legolas asked before she could bring up any of her own questions.

"Just two months ago," she replied. He gave her a look of surprise. "Yea, I know. Galadriel let us bump things up a bit. We sent a letter." His eyes then discreetly glanced down to her stomach. "Seriously, Legolas?"

"Forgive me, it is not so common that a wedding should happen so quickly," he replied. He then cast a cautious glance towards Haldir.

"Well, we're not a very common couple, are we?" she asked lightly.

"That you are not," Legolas said with a sigh and a sad smile.

Aisling took a moment to really study him. Though he didn't really look all that different from the last time she saw him, there was a sadness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. And he just looked… soul-weary. She glanced around at the others, noting that a few of the not-children-but-looked-kinda-like-children - what was it? Oh, yea - hobbits were crying.

What the hell had happened?

"Forgive us, we have forgotten our manners," Aragorn then said. "We have not introduced the rest of our company." He motioned towards the hobbits. "Outside of Sam, that is Merry, Pippin and Frodo."

"Nice to meet you," Aisling replied, turning to walk backwards and offering them a warm smile. "I'm Aisling. Haldir's wife."

"You don't look like an elf," a blonde one replied, his blue eyes wide. The other blonde one then shoved him slightly.

"Don't be rude, Pippin," he hissed.

"But she doesn't, Merry," the first shot back. He then looked at Aisling. "But still very lovely, my lady." Aisling chuckled.

"Well, I'm not an elf. I'm a human," she said matter-of-factly. She noticed the other man had a curious look on his face as he studied her.

"Just how is it you came to live in Lothlorien?" the slightly taller short man asked. "Forgive me, Gimli, son of Gloin."

"Dwarf," Legolas muttered softly from next to her. Aisling glanced at him and then back at Gimli.

"It's kind of a long story," she said. "But a pretty good one, I think. Maybe after you guys finish with Lady Galadriel I can tell you over some dinner. You all look tired and hungry."

"That would be most kind, Lady Aisling," the man said, bowing his head towards her, though the curious look remained. "I am Boromir, son of Denethor, the Steward of Gondor."

"Nice to meet you too," Aisling replied, not altogether sure how she felt about his close study of her.

"Fair warning, not everything she makes is edible," Orophin called out. Aisling spun around, glaring at him as he grinned back at her.

"For the love of god, Orophin, I haven't burnt anything in forever!"

"Ah yes, but the… what was it you called it… pizza? Yes, pizza. When you attempted that Rumil very nearly ate a mouthful of wet dough and uncooked meat," he said cheekily.

"It's called experimenting! And I finally figured it out, by the way," she said. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Legolas and Aragorn starting to look a bit brighter. Their smiles a bit more genuine than before.

Good. Even though she still didn't know what was going on, she was glad that she could cheer them up a bit.

The rest of the walk to the palace in the trees, she and Orophin kept up a steady stream of banter that had the weary travelers looking a bit less weary. Haldir would often glance at her, an appreciative smile on his face. But finally they reached Galadriel and Celeborn's home and Aisling walked up to Haldir's side.

"I must see them up, but I shall return home soon," he said after pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"I can get started on some food," she said. "They look like they've been running for their lives and could use something to eat." Haldir smiled down at her.

"You have such a kind heart. But I am sure that the Lord and Lady will provide them with whatever they need," he said.

"I still want to help," she pushed. Haldir studied her a moment and then nodded.

"I shall hurry back to aid you, and then we can take it to them together," he replied. Aisling grinned and kissed him again. She then turned to the others.

"See you in a bit!"

OOOO

Aisling turned and stepped out of the kitchen when she heard Haldir walk in. He looked tired, but as soon as he saw her, he smiled. Quickly pulling off his cloak and weapons, he then made his way to her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply.

"I have missed you," he whispered against her lips.

"Me too," she replied. She then stepped back. "What's going on, Hal?"

He sighed and pulled his arms from her, walking over to sit down at the table. He didn't look at her for a moment, which spiked a bit of worry in her. This couldn't be good.

"Mithrandir… he has passed on," he said, finally meeting her eyes. Aisling's eyes widened as she felt her heart falter. While she had barely known him - and he hadn't been able to help her at all - she was still upset that the wizard had died. He seemed like a nice person. A bit frustrating at times, but nice all the same.

"Oh god. What happened?" she asked, stepping over to kneel in front of him, taking his hands.

"Balrog," he replied. Aisling had no idea what that was, but from the look on his face, she decided it must be something horrible. "In the mines of Moria."

"What are they even doing?" she asked, her brow furrowed. Haldir refused to look at her, his mouth in a thin line. Immediately, Aisling knew he was keeping something from her. Had been keeping something from her. Something that seemed pretty big. "Okay… you better tell me everything now, Haldir."

He flinched slightly and she knew why. She rarely - if ever - called him by his full name nowadays. It was an immediate way to make sure he knew she was being serious.

"I did not keep this from you on my own accord. The Lady and Lord asked that I not speak of it just yet," he said. "Not until we knew more."

"But I'm your wife. We have no secrets. Or at least most of the time. What is going on? Is… is it that whole thing with the ring? The war?" she asked.

Haldir finally met her eyes and her stomach dropped slightly. He nodded.

"They have found it. Frodo - one of the hobbits - he bears it hence. They set out from Imladris and intend to take it to Mt. Doom in Mordor to destroy it," he said. "Mithrandir was part of their Fellowship but fell defending them in Moria from the balrog."

Aisling looked away, trying to wrap her mind around everything. In the many months she had been in Lorien, she had been able to learn more about Middle Earth's history and geography. She knew that Mordor was where Sauron had lived. But the ring had been found. And it was here in Lorien. But it was going to be destroyed. But Gandalf was dead. The first casualty of a trip that might likely have more. Legolas and Aragorn were on this trip - wait, they could die. And holy shit, there was some sort of dark demon lord thing that was looking for the ring and it was here. And her friends were on a journey to destroy it.

"Fuck," she uttered. She then shook her head and looked up at Haldir. "How long have you known this?"

He didn't respond at first, which didn't help. She frowned, a small spike of anger running through her.

"How. Long," she repeated.

"I was told just a week after our wedding that the ring had been found. But I did not know who would be in Fellowship nor that they were headed here," he said softly. "I was ordered to keep this information to myself but to increase the Galadhrim at the borders."

"But you could have told me something. Christ, the war is starting, isn't it? Everything you told me about before… it's happening. Now," Aisling said as she stood, her hand coming to rest on her stomach as she began pacing, her mind whirling.

Holy shit. She was going to be in a war. She wasn't sure if she could handle that. She barely made it out of the journey here alive and that was only a few orcs. What happened when a whole fucking army of them attacked? And if her suspicions were true, she no longer just had herself and Haldir to worry about.

"There is nothing for you to fear, Aisling," Haldir said. He stood and walked over, taking her arms in a firm but gentle grip. She looked up into his eyes. "Truthfully I did not wish for you to worry about something that may never breach our borders. Lorien is well guarded by both my Galadhrim and Lady Galadriel's magic."

"But what about the rest of Middle Earth?" she asked. "What about Legolas and Aragorn? Those little hobbit dudes? They are going to be out there. And Sauron is going to be looking for them. If the ring falls into the wrong hands, it doesn't matter where we are; we're all dead."

The couple stared at each other a few moments before Haldir pulled her into his arms. He took a long, deep breath.

"I will do my best to protect you. To make sure no harm comes to you. We must put our faith and trust in the Fellowship. That they will complete the task set for them and save us all," he said softly.

Aisling pulled out of his arms, running her fingers through her hair. How could he be so calm right now? Danger was here and he was telling her to trust that everything was going to be okay? Nothing was going to be okay.

How could she bring a child into a world that was on the brink of war? That very well could be in the throes of it by the time she gave birth?

"Ash…"

She looked back over at him, finally seeing a crack in his strong exterior. She could see the fear in his eyes. He knew just how dangerous the days to come could be. And he was desperate to keep her safe. To not lose her. Just as desperate as she was to not lose him.

"Sorry… this is just a lot to process. Gandalf is dead and… Legolas, Aragorn. This ring business," she said. She then somehow mustered up a smile, though she knew she wasn't fooling him. "We should get the food ready."

She then walked back into the kitchen. She knew this conversation wasn't over, but she needed to do something with her hands to distract herself until she could process it all. And well, she was fairly sure there was a group of hungry travelers who could use some cheering up right now.

OOOO

Haldir watched as Aisling walked up to Legolas and embraced him tightly, tears glistening in her eyes as she murmured something to him. He had led her to the pavilion where the Fellowship would rest, the two not speaking as they carried baskets of food. He knew that she was coming to terms with everything he had told her in her own way.

At least this time she had not had another fit. She seemed to be taking it well enough, though he knew that she would wish to speak on it more later. He could also feel that there was something more that upset her, something she was not sharing with him.

He sighed and continued to watch, knowing that the truth would come eventually.

"I suppose congratulations are in order," Aragorn said, quietly walking up to Haldir's side. The marchwarden turned to him and nodded, a slight smile that did not reach his eyes gracing his expression. "I am saddened that I was unable to attend."

"Do not think of it. I understand that you were otherwise detained. We sent a letter to Imladris but were unsure if you had received it," Haldir said, turning back to watch Aisling speak with Legolas as the dwarf walked up to them.

"Lady Galadriel has not determined a way home for her, then," Aragorn then said. Haldir glanced at him.

"No, but Aisling decided that regardless, she wished to stay with me," he replied. Aisling was now looking down at the four hobbits, smiling as she spoke to them and then laughing at something that Gimli had said.

Legolas had left the small group and was now walking towards Haldir and Aragorn.

"How long will you stay?" Haldir asked, looking to Aragorn.

"Perhaps a month. The hobbits, they need the rest," he replied. "They are not used to such long journeys."

"Aisling will be pleased. She has missed both you and the prince these last several months," Haldir said.

"I am gladdened to see her again, though I know it must have been difficult for her to stay," Legolas said, glancing over at her.

"She says she has made her peace, but I have my worries," Haldir said, now frowning slightly. "Especially now as darkness grows in Arda."

"But I thought there was no way for her to return," Aragorn said, his brow furrowed.

"There is not as of now, but Lady Galadriel is still searching," Haldir said.

"But… what if she discovers a way and Aisling chooses to use it? If she is to leave this world to return to her own and you must stay behind?" Legolas asked. Haldir's gaze remained on Aisling as she laughed at some story one of the hobbits had launched into.

"Then I will be grateful for the time I have had with her," he replied. "And do my utmost to keep her safe and happy until the day we are parted, whenever that may be."

The three men fell silent as they continued to watch Aisling's interaction with the hobbits and dwarf. The members of the Fellowship seemed in better spirits than when they had arrived, though the ordeal they had just been through still hung over them.

"A peculiar bride you have taken, marchwarden," Boromir said as he approached. Haldir tensed slightly. He had sensed that something was not well with the mortal man as they made their way into the city, though he could not quite place just what it was. "Human, though she speaks in such a way that I have never heard."

"It is because she is not of this world," Haldir said, his sharp eyes now fixed upon the steward's son, watching him closely. "I came upon her while traveling to Imladris many months ago and set out to help her return to her world."

Boromir looked to him, a small smile upon his face as his eyebrows rose.

"Yet, rather than return her, you kept her as a prize," he said. Haldir's frown deepened as Legolas turned to glare at Boromir.

"You would be wise to watch your words, Boromir," the prince said sternly. "Aisling is well beloved by not only Haldir, but myself and the Lady Galadriel as well."

"And highly regarded by Lord Elrond and his sons," Aragorn added, though his expression was more tempered. Boromir chuckled as he looked back to Aisling, seemingly unimpressed by the regards of elves.

Which only made Haldir more incensed.

"Perhaps I shall discover for myself just why this woman has become highly regarded by the elves," he said casually as he started towards her. Haldir started after him, but Legolas gripped his arm.

"Do not detain me," Haldir said, narrowing his eyes at the prince. Legolas only nodded his head towards Aisling, a concerned look on his face.

Haldir looked over as well, noticing that a grimace had come across her fair features as she gripped her stomach. The hobbits did not notice, still involved in their story, but she appeared to be in pain. He started towards her, completely forgetting about Boromir, but before he could reach her, she had offered a quick apology and shot off, running towards their home.

Haldir stood stunned a moment before he quickly made to follow her. Something was wrong, very wrong.

OOOO

Aisling wasn't sure how long she sat in the privy, staring at the cloth stained red with blood in her hands, tears silently falling down her cheeks. She still wasn't completely sure what this meant, other than she definitely wasn't having a baby. She had been wrong in her suspicions, it seemed.

It didn't lessen the pain, though - both emotionally and physically. She still felt like she had lost something. And her midsection was still cramping like a sonofabitch. Sometimes she seriously hated being a woman.

"Aisling," Haldir said softly through the door a third time. She looked up at it, realizing she couldn't stay locked in here all night.

She quickly cleaned herself up, then stood. Sighing, she dropped the bloody cloth into a basket of dirty linens and wiped her cheeks. She then took a deep breath and opened the door, finding an incredibly concerned Haldir standing there. His eyes scanned her up and down, searching for some sort of injury or ailment.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," she said softly.

"There is no need to apologize, Aisling. I only wish to know if there is something I can do. Are you in pain? Ill?" he asked, reaching up to feel her forehead. Aisling closed her eyes as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I, well… I started my period," she whispered. She then opened her eyes and found Haldir staring at her in a bit of confusion before the true meaning of her words dawned on him.

"You thought you were with child," he said.

"Yea, or… maybe I was and I… this is… a... It's actually common in my world. A lot of women my age have had trouble getting pregnant and all, so I'm not completely sure," she rambled. "Or maybe I wasn't… Yea, I probably wasn't. I mean, I probably shouldn't be so sad. I wasn't really pregnant. Just thought I was."

Haldir cut her off by gently pulling her into his arms. Aisling buried her face in his tunic as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Whether you were or you were not, you had thought a child was on the way. It is alright to grieve, Aisling," he said softly. "I know that I shall."

She allowed herself to really cry then, large tears pouring down her face as she whimpered, allowing Haldir to comfort her by rubbing her back and murmuring gentle words into her ear. Upon realizing she was still in physical pain, he gently lifted her up into his arms and walked her to their room. After placing her on the bed he then disappeared for a time.

Aisling stared at the terrace, grimacing here and there, but in general feeling altogether rotten as she continued to cry. After some time, Haldir finally returned, carrying the hot water skin that she always used when she had bad cramps. Placing it on her abdomen, he then sat on the bed next to her and reached up, smoothing her hair back from her face.

"If you wish, I can send for a healer," he said.

Aisling thought it over a bit and then shook her head. She wasn't sure if she wanted confirmation one way or the other right now. Though if she was having another one of her bad periods, she probably would need one. Already she had to find the healer a few times before to get something for the cramps.

"Not now. If I get worse, then yea. We can do that," she said. "I was going to tell you when you got back. I wanted to wait to tell you before anyone else."

Haldir smiled softly. God, he was going to be a great dad. The thought then made Aisling cry even more. Stupid period screwing with her emotions.

"There is plenty of time for us," Haldir said softly as he reached for her, once again holding her close to him.

"I know… but I wanted to give you a baby now," she whimpered. Haldir gently wiped away some of her tears with his thumb.

"When the time is right, the Valar will bless us with children," he said. "Perhaps now is not yet the time."

Aisling then remembered everything she had just learned. The ring. The Fellowship. The war.

Right. This really wasn't the best time for her to be pregnant. Okay, so maybe these Valar people knew a thing or two.

"Do you wish to talk of it more?" he asked. Aisling shook her head.

"Not now. Could you just... hold me for a bit longer?" she asked.

Rather than say anything, Haldir only laid back on the bed, keeping her safely in his arms. After some time, the tears finally stopped and Aisling found herself drifting off to sleep, feeling grateful that she had found him.

OOOO

UPDATE 1.22.2021 - So this is the updated version of this chapter, though I actually didn't really change a whole lot in the end...

OOOO

So… tada! I finished all the writing! Going to try and post as much as I can tonight, but still need to do some editing. Going to try and get it all up, but I'm a bit hungover and it took a lot to get the last chapter and a half written and finish the additions to the last chapter.

And sorry. I didn't mean for this chapter to be as dramatic as it is. Seriously, I hadn't planned for Aisling to think she was preggers, but then it just… happened… And makes for a pretty dramatic ride until the end of the story. Sorry! Hence why I'm trying to get all the chapters up in one go so you can power through to the happy ending.

SKiryu – Thanks so much! Yea, I did A LOT of research into things. Got a bit carried away, I think. Haha! I'm happy that you're enjoying it!

Ponytail Goddess – Well, things are about to happen… And yea, I love all of the banter. It's so easy to write with Orophon and Daella. ^_^

Oddity Empress – Unfortunately, no little Haldir… yet… That would be fun. Hmm… I shall consider this…

Pat (Guest) – Yep. Lots of incoming drama…

Thanks everyone for reading and following!