Chapter 3

Elrohir's face fell. This was not a good sign. "We need to get you to Ada quickly. I don't..." he trailed off as she stumbled to her feet and stood rooted to the spot. He could see that she was afraid to move in this new darkness. Reaching out and putting a hand to her shoulder, the Elf lent her his strength and support as he guided his friend over roots and around trees back to the Last Homely House.

By the time they reached the doors, Selinde was frantic, and leaning almost completely on Elrohir. Kaolith had lasted all of twenty minutes before she had bid Tanad to stay put and rest, and bolted out the door after Elrohir. Such as it was, she was bounding down the stairs when the two dragged themselves in, and she watched worriedly as Elrohir placed his charge in a chair, speaking to her softly in Elvish, and then rushed past the human, not noticing her, to find Elrond.

Quietly, Kaolith walked down the stairs, and stopped directly in front of her friend, waiting there quietly for an explanation. Time dragged on, and the child became more afraid as the she-Elf continued to ignore her.

"Selinde? Are you mad at me?" she was startled when she saw her friend jump. She had been practicing her silence in the Halls and in their home when she was sequestered there, and the family of friends commented seriously that she was almost as quiet as an Elf now.

"I'm sorry Kao, I didn't see you there." Selinde thought this would be funny if she wasn't so scared. "It's just my headaches again." Figuring Kao would stand there and worry, Selinde laughed. "Go back and entertain Tanad. Elrohir went to get Lord Elrond. I will let you know what they say."

Kao just looked at her friend for a minute. She knew something was wrong and Selinde wasn't telling her everything, but she decided to let it go for the moment. Something Selinde would continue to hear about for years.

"Ok, but if it is serious, I want to know immediately."

"Fine," Selinde forced herself to laugh this time. "You will be the first to know."

Kao passed Elrohir and Lord Elrond on her way back to Tanad's room. Elrohir gave her a quizzical look, but continued back to Selinde without saying anything. Kao returned to entertain her young friend.

Selinde heard both the Elves coming, and looked in what she thought was their general direction. They stopped within arms reach of her.

"Don't just stand there," Selinde was letting her fear provoke her irritation.

"Oh, Selinde," Elrohir sighed. "Don't tell me you lied to her." His eyes turned to the stairs before it once again hit him that she couldn't see this.

"I didn't lie to her," the Elf tried to explain her reasoning. "I just didn't tell her everything."

The two Elven males looked at each other, knowing this could only get worse. Especially after Kao found out.

"Bring her to my study, Elrohir," the Elf Lord told his son. "I will get a few things and meet you there."

He guided his friend to the study and helped her sit down. He was just going to start lecturing her again when his father joined them.

The Elf Lord got a chair and placed it directly in front of the she-Elf and sat down. "I want you to be honest with me Selinde." His tone of voice left no room for argument. "How long have the headaches been going on, and is this the first time you have lost your vision?"

Knowing that she could not lie to the Elf in front of her, Selinde closed her eyes out of habit and responded, "Since we brought Kao to you when she..." she stopped, wondering if Tanad was in the room. She remembered vividly what had happened in the first hours after they had entered the House, and without her sight, the memories were visualizing in front of her.

When Kaolith had woken at the moment they had reached Lord Elrond, she had shown the healer what was wrong immediately. Knowing that there was no poison in her system, and remembering the last time he had seen the child, he immediately ushered the group to the closest guest room and set to work. There was little he could do for the bites and scratches that covered most of her now frail body. Leaving his sons to this task, he had literally run from the room towards the study.

Coming back hours later, rubbing the pain from his neck and temples, the Elf still had no idea what was ailing the child, and simply drugged her to ease her sleep, and the minds of her worried friends. He was sitting with her hours later when she awoke, afraid and tensed at her surroundings. Stepping forward to ease Kaolith, he watched as she backed up and almost fell off the bed before Selinde had caught her.

"Who is that, Selinde? Where are we? What happened? Did Strider and Legolas leave yet?"

"Selinde, Selinde what's wrong?" Elrohir broke her from her reverie, and she turned to him.

"I have been getting these headaches since we got here, and..."

The two Elves looked at her in shock. They were expecting a response and soon remembered the reason why they weren't getting one.

"Your looking at me funny, aren't you?" She started to get self-conscious. "Really, they weren't bad at first, only every three or four months. I was also so caught up with Kao, that I didn't really pay much attention."

She paused waiting to see if she would get a response and really disliked the sensation of not being able to read facial features. When neither of those she was talking to responded, she plunged ahead.

"It wasn't until Kao was fully healed again that they were happening every day. And I, well, I didn't want to worry anyone."

She knew this was lame and when she heard the Elven Lord grunt; she knew he felt the same way.

"And your sight, young one? When was the first time that happened?"

"Last night I guess." She paused for a moment. "When I was walking Kao home, my eyes got blurry. I thought it was just because I was tired."

As she sat there staring into nothing, tears started streaking down her face.

"What do you think, Ada?" Elrohir's worry could be heard in his voice.

"I don't know," his Ada responded. "I have never seen an Elf have these kinds of problems. Maybe I should contact Mithrandir....."

Elrond did not get to finish his statement because the female in front of him started laughing.

"Elrohir, Lord Elrond, it's coming back. My sight, it's coming back."

"That's good," the Elven Lord said this, but was not convinced. For how long he thought to himself.

Kaolith tiptoed back up the stairs to Tanad's room. She had seen the looks on the healers' faces, and knew that something more serious than a headache must be plaguing her best friend. She had gotten to the door just in time for Elrond to mention Mithrandir. She had only met Gandalf once, but that was still fuzzy in her mind, as he had been sent for when Elrond was at a loss with her own illness.

Bolting in and back out of Tanad's room, she ran up another flight of stairs, and with barely a knock, burst into Strider's room where he was pouring over a book. "Kao, what's wrong?" he could see the anger and fear in her eyes.

"It's Selinde and her stupid headaches. They...they...they made her go blind. She lied to me, Strider, and I didn't see through it. She kept it from me. Stupid Elf, doesn't she know better yet? Why'd she lie, Strider? It's not fair, I tell her stuff, and after all of the past two years, you'd think we'd be close enough that she could tell me when she was in trouble or something. Stupid proud Elf."

She looked at the man who she had rescued before, and knew that the bond between them was more than just friends, more like siblings, as all the young Elves and humans were in the House. She knew because of this bond that her companions would always be there, and would listen to her rants. Not seemingly mad enough at the she-Elf that she called sister, Kaolith turned and kicked Strider's bedpost, promptly beginning to jump up and down, holding her toes with her good arm. Then she fell over.

"You look like Selinde does, little one, come here. Calm down before Ada has to tend to any more of your injuries." He picked up the girl, and sat her down on his bed, holding her close until her anger abated. He knew it would be moot when she saw Selinde, but none wanted to rile her up more than they had to, just in case...

Elrond and Elrohir could see the relief spread across Selinde's face.

"Could we not tell Kaolith about this for now?" Selinde asked. "I really don't want to worry her."

Elrohir gasped in surprise. "And what happens when you and she are out on an adventure, or just hanging around your house, and it happens again? Don't you think she should be prepared?"

"Can't you just figure out what is wrong with me and be done with it?" She was practically pleading now. "If she ever finds out I was less then honest with her. Well I don't want to think what might happen."

Lord Elrond interrupted the two young Elves. "I will contact Mithrandir and get his advice before we can know anything for sure. And I agree with my son, you better tell Kaolith."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Enter." Lord Elrond ordered.

"My Lord, dinner will be ready soon. Is the young human going to be joining you at the table?" Erestor didn't ask about the females, for they were frequently there and were always planned for.

"Yes, Erestor." Lord Elrond smiled. "He will probably enjoy leaving his room and we could surely use the distraction."

Erestor left to inform the young human and the three Elves talked for just awhile more. As they entered the dinner hall, Selinde took one look at Kaolith and knew the young human knew.

"So can you see me now?" The anger that all could see in Kaolith's eyes was barely held at bay in the words she spit at Selinde. Aragorn had entered directly behind the older of the children, and placed a hand warningly on her shoulder. The dinner hall was not the place for this conversation, as he was sure that Tanad would be following them in soon.

Nodding to the Ranger behind her, Kaolith took a deep breath and took her place at the table, traditionally next to Selinde and Aragorn. Sensing the tension as they entered, the twins shifted their normal spots to separate the two feuding females.

All through the first part of dinner, the Elves caught the glances of betrayal that were shot at the she-Elf, and held their breaths each time, wondering when Tanad would notice.

It didn't take him very long. "Kao, whassa matta?" he asked with his mouth full. "Did Selinde play a joke on you?" His innocence had not changed since they had left him in Gueydan, and it was that quip that broke the silence between the two.

"If it was a joke, it was a very mean one Tan, one she knows better than anyone not to do."

"I didn't mean anything by it, thel nin, I just didn't want to...it wasn't a joke."

"You know better, prissy Elf, you know that...you...you...I...I can't stay here anymore, excuse me, Lord Elrond, I apologize." With that, and a nod from the adult, she pushed back from the table and ran off, a very significant hobble that would have made her gait a source of amusement, if those at the table were not caught in deathly silence.

Aragorn caught the look from his father, and ran off after the child.

Selinde dropped her head into her hands. "Well, that went well." As she looked up she caught Elrohir's face. "Yeah, I know, I know. I should have told her."

With those words, Selinde got up to follow after the two Rangers. "Excuse me also Lord Elrond."

She only made it as far as the door before she stopped dead in her tracks. Those at the table watched in surprise as the she-Elf stood there and sobbed. Unable to control the racking torment raging through her, she was only able to gasp out two words. "Elrohir, help!"

He briefly glanced at his father before he went to Selinde's side. "Father, I think maybe they should both stay here until this can be solved."

"What needs to be solved?" A new voice said.

Elrohir looked up into the eyes of the one person who could help Selinde.

"Mithrandir! I don't know how you always manage to show up when you are needed, but I am surely glad to see you."

He didn't wait for an answer as he led the grief-stricken Elf to 'her' guest room.

"Seems that you have some trouble here, Lord Elrond." Mithrandir smiled at the Elf Lord.

Excusing himself from the table, Elrond led the wizard to his study to explain.

To the Reviewers:

TC – Aww TC, it wasn't that bad, was it?  Ok, so maybe it was a bad thing to blind her, but it'll get fixed soon, I promise *tries to look innocent* More?  You're still asking for more? Hmmm…well, you'll hafta make do with this chapter for now…

Cathy -  Hehehehe…you gotta stop giving us these ideas Cathy, who knows what will come of them…on second thought, keep em coming, then we can blame you for them…lol…And I don't know what you're talking about, we are never evasive when it comes to explaining things…hmmm…guess you'll hafta wait then…

Karine -  Aww, you didn't like our cliffie, Karine?  Maybe you should rethink DotH then, and wonder where we get it from…or is it vice versa?  Who knows, anyway, here's chappie three, and I don't think the cliffie was that bad…

Christine – Hey, thanks.  There are 20 chapters in this story.  Glad you liked the twins vs Selinde interaction…who knows where that's headed, so far in the plotline, it's just a friends/sibling like ship, I think…dunno, it's been awhile since we wrote it…anyway…and just so you know, the third will NOT be out until the end of August, beginning of September, that I'm sure of…

Sparx­ – 'S ok, sparx, we know you won't forget again…or else…lol, j/k, but glad you are enjoying it so far…