Chapter 4

Aragorn heard the sob coming from behind him, but knew that Selinde was in good hands with his father, brothers, and Legolas. His responsibility now was to his charge, the young Ranger that he had taken under his wing those years ago. Knowing that she had found a quiet spot in the gardens sometime during her 'captivity' where she could vent her anger on the air with her knife or sword without chancing injuring an unsuspecting passerby, he only hoped, knowing her shoulder was far from healed, that she had opted for some dagger work.

He was wrong, of course. The young Ranger had abandoned her sling at the edge of the clearing, and was working through different forms with a vengeance. Aragorn noticed that there were tears mixed with the already forming sweat, and wondered if these were from physical pain or mental. He watched as she wielded the one handed broadsword over her head, bringing it around and down in an arc that would cleave an Orcs head from its shoulders, before he stepped forward.

"Kao, you shouldn't be..." he stopped abruptly when the sword stopped mere inches from his nose. It was apparent that she was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even heard him. Staring her down, looking past the metal, he waited, knowing that she knew very well what she should and shouldn't be doing with a recently separated shoulder, and knowing that she didn't care.

No words passed between the two, and Kaolith bit her tongue inside her mouth to keep from lashing out at Strider without meaning to. *After all,* she thought, *he didn't lie to me, there's no need to get angry at him.*

"Mellon nin, if you want someone to be angry at, be angry at me, not Selinde, for she is going to need your help with this. I saw Gandalf on my way after you, and if he has managed to find himself reason to show up here, then you know..." he didn't need to finish the sentence.

"It's not fair, Strider, what right do we have to keep secrets from each other? Especially ones like that! There is something terribly wrong if an Elf is losing her sight, that's not normal is it?" The anger was still present, but concern was edging its way in, and Aragorn knew only too well that guilt would soon replace that.

************

Elrond closed the door behind them as they entered the study. The Elf Lord nodded at his old friend and offered him a drink. When they were both seated with their preferred beverage, Elrond spoke.

"Mithrandir, what brings you to Imladris?" He questioned the old wizard. "Unless you have some ability I'm not aware, and already know our troubles?"

Gandalf laughed. "Nay sir, I bring a message from the Lady Galadriel." He paused for the briefest moment. "Assuming young Selinde was the same one who was in Lothlorien a few years back, then our purposes might be the same."

Elrond nodded, urging the wizard to continue.

"When the young people who had been there left, Galadriel was pondering on the Elf from Bethune. Something about her falling out of a tree," Gandalf raised his eyebrow at this. "She said it brought back a memory from before you were even born."

Elrond chuckled. "It is nice to be reminded sometimes, that there are those older than me," he said.

"Yes, yes. I suppose it is." Gandalf laughed also. "She told me a tale from long ago. Apparently, there was a beautiful young Elf maiden who was preparing to mate with her husband to conceive a child. She was kidnapped and forced by a human, which resulted in conception. The Lady Galadriel informed me that this happening was so slim, that no one realized at first that she was carrying a half human child. When it was discovered, the couple pleaded to the Valar to make this child completely Elven. The Valar agreed, but warned them that if more generations came from this line, to beware of the tainted human blood that would run through all the descendants."

"That would explain a lot." Elrond mused for a moment. "Was that all she said?"

"She just thought that you should know of the possible family line. In case anything different happens, she said." Gandalf smiled at his friend. "I take it something different has happened?"

************

When Elrohir had risen from the table to help the she-Elf, Tanad was still staring at the door, dumbfounded. He didn't understand what was going on, but thought that somehow, the fight had been his fault. Jumping from the table, almost running into Legolas's chair, he too bolted from the room.

Sensing that the Maiar and Elrond wished to speak privately, the two remaining Elves chased after him, knowing that his body was still weak from the poisons. They found him huddling in a corner of the guest room he was occupying, normally Kaolith's, and shoving his things into his pack.

"Tanad, are you planning on leaving us so quickly? We thought you wanted to come see Mirkwood with us?" Elladan knew what the boy was thinking, and planned to deter his guilt before it could fester and they had to chase a runaway down through the woods of Imladris.

"I didn't mean to make them mad at each other. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I'm gonna go before I make things worse. I'm sorry Elladan, Legolas, I'll get out of your hair."

"Oh, Tan, that wasn't your fault at all. The two of them have some things to work out now, but it was going to happen either way. Please don't leave."

"You mean it?"

"Of course he does, young Tanad," Legolas interjected.

************

Elrond and Gandalf quietly entered Selinde's room. Elrohir was sitting with the distraught Elf on the bed and was gently rubbing her temples.

Gandalf watched the pair for a moment before speaking.

"Elrond has told me of your condition, would you mind if I ask you a few questions?" He pulled a chair up to the bed and waited.

"Hello Gandalf." She smiled at the wizard, for she was just starting to see a blurry shape of him appear before her eyes. "I will answer any question you wish to ask me."

He nodded, started to speak, and then paused. "Lord Elrond, I think it would be best if all the young ones were in the room." Elrond looked surprised, but waited for Gandalf to continue. "This way we will not have to repeat ourselves and might possibly clear the air between the two females." He laughed at the look on Selinde's face. "I also find that others sometimes know more about certain things then the person being asked."

"As you wish Gandalf." Elrohir was about to get up to do this, but Elrond motioned him to stay with his task.

The Elven Lord easily found his eldest son and Legolas. He explained what he wanted and said that they should probably bring the boy with them. He then went back to Selinde's room to wait for the others. Elladan followed with Tanad almost immediately and introduced him to Gandalf. Legolas and Aragorn were having a harder time with Kao. For they could all hear the young Ranger's complaints all the way down the hall.

Soon they were all seated or standing in the room and Elrond explained all that he knew, including the Lady Galadriel's tale. The others were shocked at the news of the headaches and blindness, and thoughtful of the tale. More than one of them thought, *That would explain a lot*.

Gandalf finally turned back to Selinde. "If this tale of Galadriel's is true, and you descend from human's also, then we should be able to figure this out fairly easily." He paused for effect, and then started again. "You said this all started, right after you got here with Kao. My guess would be that originally, the headaches were caused by stress. I would also venture to guess, that there is probably an allergy you have that has caused it to continue. If you were a mere human, this all would have manifested itself immediately, but since you are not, it has slowly progressed over these last two years."

Despite swearing to herself to be still, Kao was most surprised when she asked a question. "And what about the blindness that that stupid, silly, ridiculous Elf who should know better and got her best friend all upset about because she didn't trust her enough to tell her and trusted Elrohir instead ...." She would have kept going, had Strider not stopped her once again.

Gandalf laughed. "See Lord Elrond, I told you that would work." He then turned to Kao. "You feel better?" The young human nodded.

"The blindness is being caused by the headaches. Too much pressure in her head is starting to shut her vision down. It is quite reversible, if we can just pinpoint what she is allergic to. Any ideas?"

There was a lull in the room when even the humans could have heard a pin drop, and then they all started to speak at once.

"What about the berry juice that we have at breakfast? Or the bed sheets, she could be allergic to the material?" Elrohir put in, starting off the frenzy.

"How about the strawberries or the oranges that we always have hanging around? Or maybe she's allergic to the soap that stuff gets washed in?" Elladan was thinking, of course, much along the same lines as his twin.

"There's always the wine that you guys like so much, she could be allergic to that. Or the athelas, it gets used often enough here for her to be exposed to it." Kaolith stuck her tongue out before the she-Elf could react.

Legolas looked thoughtful before he spoke, adding to the pandemonium. "She likes the breads your cooks prepare, I've seen her eat that a lot, or maybe some smell in your home from a mold or something?"

Aragorn was wrinkling his nose, wondering how it was that Kaolith could dislike the wines and ales that the rest enjoyed. "What about that sarsaparilla stuff that Kao cooks up all the time, yeah I know you like it, but really, Kao? Or maybe she could be allergic to the dust, or something like that?"

Elrond watched as his sons and their friends listed off any of a number of things. Looking to Gandalf, he knew that none of these things were enough to cause such a reaction, as she didn't come in contact with them often enough.

Tanad sat calmly in a chair in the corner, staying out of the conversation altogether, watching the she-Elf's reaction.

Selinde blanched more and more with each item, becoming more and more annoyed as they listed everything she ate, knowing that every single thing hadn't been a novel item since she had come to Imladris.

Seeing her discomfort, Elrond put a stop to the din, calling for them to stop before they all made his patient's headache even worse. Ushering all but Elrohir and Kaolith out the door, he told them that they could continue the conversation in his study if they so wished.

"Kao, would you be a sweetie and..." Selinde looked up at her friend.

"Oh no you don't, don't you pull that one on me again. The last time you did that, Lord Elrond had to patch me up. I won't I tell you, not again. I won't, don't look at me that way. Fine, I'll go." The young Ranger took only a few steps before it hit her head on.

"The walnuts," she said rather quietly.

"What? Yes, I'd like some walnuts. You know how much I like them."

"Selinde...you'd never had them before you came here. You're eating them all the time, sending me up those damned trees to get them for you. Selinde, thel nin, you're allergic to the walnuts!" Kaolith found this incredibly funny.

"NOOOOOOO!"

To the Reviewers:

Wanabe - Hey Wannabe! How do we come up with it? That is a good question. I think that both Cube and I have experiences to draw upon. Experiences that we would not wish on anyone. So, it comes pretty natural to us. Which is kinda scary. Hope that answers it.

Karine - LOL Karine! I promise what is wrong is funny. But I suppose you won't believe me.

TC - TC! We are not evil. And are you really in a position to demand. LOL Stay tuned.

Cathy - Cathy, we just love your reviews. LOL Anyway, stay tuned for what happens. Some of it is funny. LOL