The Fellowship had been walking for many hours. No one had spoken for almost the entire time; the grief temporarily rendering them speechless. Aragorn led the silent party, followed by everyone else; Aallieah was still bringing up the rear.
Over the past time Sam had been dropping back through the Fellowship. At last he fell into step with Aallieah. At first she didn't notice this at all; she was still wallowing in her grief. Finally she acknowledged a being was walking beside her and looked up from her feet.
Poor Sam had been walking for the past time only able to see out of one eye. He had noticed everyone was so immersed in his or her own grief that he didn't want to bother anyone with his injury. During the battle in Moria an orc had made a swipe to take off the hobbit's head. Luckily he had managed to duck in time and only suffered a superficial cut at his hairline, but it was still bleeding profusely. The blood had eventually seeped down his face and clotted over his left eye, leaving him temporarily blind in that eye. Over the time that they had been walking, Sam had lost a lot of blood. Because of this he was so weak it was amazing that he was still of his feet. Aallieah saw all of this and immediately stopped in her tracks.
"Sam!" She exclaimed. "When were you planning on asking for help?"
When she said this everyone turned around to see what she was talking about. As their eyes set on Sam's face there came a great outcry.
"Oh! What were you thinking?"
"Are you going to be alright?"
"Will you be able to prepare dinner?" asked a very terrified Pippin.
Aragorn finally reached the group, "I don't think it is as bad as we think it is. Someone find me some Athelas and boil some water. I need to clean this before it gets worse."
"Wait, Aragorn," Aallieah interrupted. "I can do this quicker than you, and it will heal immediately. But, I will need the water, I need to get this blood away from his eye before it causes any lasting damage."
As she was saying this she was unbraiding her hair. When her hair was finally unbraided she took out one of her daggers and cut a single hair from her head.
"Sam, come over here," she commanded.
Sam walked over until he was standing in front of Aallieah.
"Now kneel down and hold still, this should only barely sting. Just relax."
As he did as he was told, Aallieah wrapped her single hair around one of her fingers and knelt down in front of him. She held up the hair and gently ran it across the cut. Sam winced slightly, for it did hurt a little just as she said. When she brought the hair all of the way across the wound she muttered something, almost to herself.
"Doramai nurilei."
After she said that she blew softly on the wound and stood up and stepped back from Sam. As she stood his cut glowed a pale blue then became a very bright white. When the light finally disappeared the wound was no longer there; not even a scar.
"There, how does that feel?" Aallieah asked.
"I don't feel a thing. Is that bad?" Sam asked pensively.
Aallieah chuckled quietly, "Nay. That means I successfully completed my job. But, we now have to get that blood out of your eye. Do you need help or can you complete this task on your own?"
Sam smiled at her, "I think I shall be able to do that."
Pippin the piped up, "Aallieah, will Sam be able to cook?"
Everyone laughed heartily at this question.
"Of course he will!" Aallieah managed to sputter out. "Still your rumbling stomach and trouble your heart no longer; our cook has been never better!"
"Good, I was worried there for a moment."
"Now," Aallieah asked the rest of the Fellowship. "Does anyone have any other injuries I should tend to?"
Frodo then stepped forward, "My chest has been troubling me. But I don't know what is wrong with it, I have not had the chance to check it."
"Well, pull up your tunic and we shall behold what it is that has been causing you worry."
When he pulled it up, the Mithril coat showed fully. Frodo noticed that everyone was staring at it completely enthralled, he blushed a dark shade of red and started to explain. "Bilbo gave it to me before we left Rivendell."
"It is a terribly good thing that he did then," Aragorn stated.
Frodo nodded his agreement and continued to pull it over his head. As he pulled it over his head, Aallieah noticed a dark bruise covering his entire left side. It was where the cave troll's spear had connected with the Mithril coat.
"That doesn't look like anything that will cause any lasting harm, but just to be safe I shall heal it anyway," Aallieah told everyone. "Just kneel down like Sam did and it will be over in a moment's time."
She then completed the same ritual and uttered the same words as before, "Doramai nurilei."
As before the white light engulfed the wound and when it dispersed the wound was no longer there. Everyone turned to Aallieah, who was re-braiding her hair with deft fingers. Merry was the first to speak, "That was amazing but what do the words that you said mean?"
"Oh, those. Um, roughly translated I would say they mean, 'Powers of thine, do thy bidding.' That is the closest I can translate. The Faerian language is very difficult to translate."
"We must make it to Lothlorien before nightfall. We have to continue now," Aragorn told everyone.
Once again everyone gathered his or her belongings and began the long trek to the Golden Woods.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Soon they were within a mile distance from the woods that would be their haven for the night. Suddenly Aallieah gave a cry, when the Fellowship turned to see what was wrong she had her hand over her face, as if in defeat.
Seeing their puzzled looks through her fingers, she explained. "I cannot travel into those woods. The Faeries have not been able to travel into the area for thousands of years. When we still wondered the world free, the elves of the Golden Wood and the faeries were in a battle for land. They vowed that if either race set foot on each other's land they would be killed on sight. I wish to live, no matter what some think," saying this she looked pointedly at Boromir. "I am sorry for this inconvenience, I can always travel around and meet you on the other side."
"Nay we shall not be separated. We must think of a solution soon though; the sun drops ever farther to the horizon," Aragorn stated.
Everyone was deep in thought when suddenly Frodo spoke up, "What if you just wore your cloak to cover your wings with. Remember that if your wings are covered you look like a human, nothing more." After he said that he got a rather proud look on his face; he had solved their problem!
Aallieah shook her head, "Nay friend that won't work. I lost my cloak in the fray in Moria."
"What if one of the tall people, sorry Pip." Pippin had a rather dejected look on his face. He began again, "What if one of the tall people lent you a cloak? Then it would work."
After he said that Aallieah brightened considerably, "That is a perfect idea! It should work too, that is if the elves do not see through my disguise."
"Lady, I will protect you, I am friends with these elves," Aragorn assured her.
"I would too. They are my kinsmen, they will listen to me," Legolas told her.
"Thank you both. Now the question remains, who will lend me a cloak?"
Boromir then stepped forward, "I am very sorry about that comment in the Mines. I apologize thoroughly for that. As a way to repay you I will offer you my spare cloak." He bowed to her and held out the cloak.
"Thank you and I do forgive you for that remark. We were in the heat of battle. It makes no matter to me." With that Aallieah took the offered cloak and put it on. As she swung it around her shoulders everyone realized for the first time that this might not work as well as Frodo had planned. The cloak, when finally in position, hung all the way to the top of her toes. She could barely walk in it.
Aragorn shrugged, "That will have to do. Boromir is the shortest out of the three of us." He motioned to Legolas, Boromir and himself. "Can you walk at all in that?"
Aallieah took a few steps, "I can walk fine enough, and if I start to loose my balance my wings can always help a little."
"But I thought you said that you needed to have your cloak off to be able to use your wings?" Sam asked.
"I do to be able to lift off the ground. But when they are covered I can still flutter a little bit, just enough to be able to retain my balance."
"Oh, I see."
"I need to have someone walking behind me at all times. When I use my wings and they are covered, the cloak will move in and out with the movement of my wings. If the elves see that they will become very suspicious."
"I will try and keep that from view," Legolas stated. "I should stay in the back anyway, just in case." He was meaning with the orcs that could be following them; he would be the first to notice them if they were following.
"Alright, we should now continue," Aragorn said. "We need to make it to Lothlorien by nightfall."