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I watch the brown horse disappear at full speed into the woods. I know unelman will find his way back without me. He knows very well that there is the best stand and food at rivendell.
I try to take hilde up in my arms as gently as possible but still he winces when I lift him, without regaining consciousness.
His horse has come to my side and nuzzles the pockets of my cloak in search of something edible.
'Listen ,' I tell him (Note : I assume hilde's horse is male. It's too embarrassing to check even while I'm alone.) 'We have to get haldir back to rivendell because he's injured. So you better let both of us mount. I need to hold him so he won't just fall off again.'
The horse is neighing indignantly but doesn't rear when I mount after lifting hilde on it. It prances for a while and snorts disapprovingly but then it seems to actually understand that this might be important and sets off at a nice gallop, not too fast, so that I can keep the limp figure of haldir, the guardian of lorien in check.
Oh my, I'm going to be so damned late for my date that it isn't even worth going there after this. I have to get hilde to the healer and take a shower after I splashed around in the mud to help hilde to get on his horse and out on new clothes, too. It's going to take an eternity before I'd me actually fit to let glorfindel lay eyes on me.
While the horse is still carrying us towards rivendell I look at hilde, who is warm but still like a wet bag in my arms. He seems pale, very pale, even his usually lipsticky looking lips are white as chalk. I feel his neck for a pulse and find a very, very weak one fluttering under my fingertips like a dying butterfly. Darn it ! Again and again !
Why do these things happen to me ? Why not anybody else ? I don't want to have this beautiful elf dying in my arms.
I look at his shoulder. There is still blood seeping through his clothing and I don't have anything to stop the flow. My cloak is too thick, my pants muddy and my shirt too valuable of a fabric to be ripping if I tried to make a bandage out of it. And it all would take too much time.
I catch myself at the thought that I care what happens to hilde. Even though we barely know. I met him only once during the quest of the ring and some times after that but on those occasions we rarely spoke a word to each other.
'Don't worry, haldir, I'll take you to a place where someone can help you.'
I called him haldir. Without thinking anything bad about him or being ironical and calling him with his whole title.
His eyelids flutter and he looks at me, his eyes hazy. 'Legolas ?'
'It's okay. You're going to be fine. We are very close to rivendell already.'
'Where am I ?'
'On your horse, in my arms, on the way to the healer's house.'
'Oh, good ,' he whispers before passing out again.
And really, the horse already starts descending into the valley of rivendell.
'To the healer's halls ,' I command and it takes a sharp turning. I nearly let go of haldir but cling to him as good as I can to keep as both from falling or let me be the one to fall. What is it to me to fall off a horse if he's the one who needs to get to the healer so badly.
Eventually I manage to stay on the horse with a lifeless haldir in my arms until we are skidding to a stop in front of the healer's halls. One of the oldest healers in rivendell is already hurrying out of the building and towards me.
'What happened ?', he asks quickly, glancing at haldir's wound.
'I don't know ,' I reply truthfully. 'I found him in the woods while I was riding out.'
'He needs treatment fast. Would you help me carrying him in ?'
'I can do that ,' I volunteered. 'You just go and prepare everything.'
'As you wish .'
I can see him vanishing in the halls blurredly through sheets of ice-cold rain and lift hilde gently of his horse that stars trotting away in general direction of the stable.
I try to get haldir in as fast as possible, but the way is strewn with stones and all kinds of other trash like branches. I don't stumble but it takes me longer than anything until I'm finally inside the healer's halls and can put haldir down in one of the wards.
'What is wrong with him ,' I half-yell the second the healer has started examining the elf who is still as white as bleached parchment.
'He lost a lot of blood. And it looks as though he caught pneumonia, too.'
'But . but I thought elves can't get sick.'
'He's weak. His self-healing powers barely exist . He couldn't fend the disease of anymore.'
'But he's going to be fine ?', I ask, dreading the answer, while the healer is dressing the wound at the shoulder and finally stems the flow of blood.
'To be honest, I don't know ,' the old elf says. He looks at me with piercing grey eyes. 'I can't do more than give him a remedy and put him to bed. If he's too weak to make it I'm afraid .'
'He won't die, will he ?!?!?'
'I can't say .'
'Is there something can do for him ?'
'There would be something. But I'm not sure you would agree. You would have to stay in here for a day or two, too.'
'What is it ?'
'Well, I told you he lost a lot of blood and it would be easier if you'd .'
'Give him some of mine ?', my voice sounds horrified.
'Donate blood, yes.'
Eew. 'Would he survive if I did ?'
'I can't say. It would be easier for him but he might still not make it. I don't know how long he was out there seeping blood away.'
'Okay. I'll do it.' I'm late for my date anyway, it doesn't matter anymore how much it's going to be.
The next half an hour is dreadful enough. Some old healer is prying around in my arm for a big enough vein to draw some blood. Eeew again . I can't look at blood. I'm passing out if I do. It's disgusting to feel the blood drain out of me. I'm feeling dizzy and as if I'm going to puke really soon.
'Is it over soon ?', I ask with some effort.
'It's already over .'
'Really ?' I take a good look at my arm. Blood. I'm passing out .
It's nice and dark for a time. Then an irresistible urge to puke wakes me and the next thing I actually realize me doing is hanging over the bedside throwing up. Right. This is so embarrassing I actually don't want you to know but anyway.
'Oh, you are awake ,' a voice says from somewhere next to me. I know at once that it's not the person I met in the dark. The voice is all soft and nice and note a bit cracked. The comment is dumb, but thanks for letting me know you noticed.
I straighten up and look at a still slightly blurred version of glorfindel on my bedside.
'Glorfindel !'
'I was about to be angry with you skipping our date ,' he says sternly.
'I know. I'm sorry.'
Glorfindel's sinister expression changes to a proud smile. 'But then I heard that you just saved the life of one of the guardians of lorien.
'Haldir ,' I mumble. 'His name is haldir.'
'Oh. How do you know ?'
'We met before. During the ring-quest.'
'I see. I'm happy that you seem to be fine. I just wanted to check, you know.'
'Okay. I'm feeling fine. Just a bit tired.'
'That's normal. I'll send someone to clean up in here so that you two can catch some sleep, hm ?'
I turned my head towards the window and discovered another bed with haldir in it. I nod quietly and fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow.
In the middle of the night I suddenly wake, again, because of the feeling that I want to throw up. I sit bold upright in my bed when it gets so bed that I can't lay still. No moonlight is seeping in through the windows. It's pitch dark and my heart is racing, while I still feel sick. I slowly start to feel better when my heartbeat comes down to a fairly normal rate.
'You don't seem to sleep well tonight, legolas, prince of mirkwood ,' a voice says. 'You've been tossing and turning since I woke.'
'Haldir ?', I ask.
'Yes. It's me. Again, that is.'
'How are you ?'
'Felt better but the pneumonia is gone. That stuff the healer gave me must have been great.'
'Good to hear.'
'Prince Legolas, I . I guess I have to say thank you for the things you did tonight.'
'You don't have to if you don't want to ,' I say defiantly.
'I want to. This is just so awkward to say.'
'Well, thank you for your advice last night.'
'You're welcome.'
'Then thank you for saving my life.'
'I would do it again.'
'I wouldn't have been alive if you hadn't .', his voice trails off. 'You know ?'
'It okay. I nearly left you out there because I had a date with glorfindel.'
'Really ? Why didn't you ?'
'I couldn't . You might have died. What is a date with glorfindel in comparison to your life ?'
I can sense he is smiling even though I don't see it.
'What happened in the woods ?', I ask .
'I can't really remember. I was riding and suddenly there was something ripping my shoulder. I thought it was a scratch but I passed out before I knew better.'
'I suppose it was a branch then .'
'Must have been.'
'I'm tired but I'm feeling like puking all the time.'
'You need to drink something . You lost so much blood.'
I hear him get up and walk about the room. Then he sits down on my bedside and hands a huge mug over to me.
'Go on ,' he presses me and I take a few sips. To my surprise it's not a long time until I feel better.
'Thank you.'
'It's okay. I thought you couldn't see in the dark.'
'I can't .'
'That's why I got the juice for you. Drink it and go to sleep. You'll need it.'
'You, too.'
'No. Don't worry about me. I'm feeling still cold even under my comforters and everything.'
'Sleep in my bed then. I'm warm.'
'No, no. Glorfindel wouldn't want that. He would take it the wrong way .'
'No, he won't. Let me worry about him.'
'No. It would just end up in trouble.'
'My trouble. Come on.'
'But I won't be able to sleep. I will keep you awake.'
'No, you won't.'
And after this long discussion he finally crawls in my bed, lying close to me to get some of my warmth.
'You love glorfindel ?', he asks.
'Yes. He's gorgeous, don't you think ?'
'No.'
'Why not ?'
'I just don't know. Are you angry with me ?'
'No. can't everybody like him. I would like to have him all for myself.'
'I won't try to compete with you, don't think that,' he says. 'And now sleep.'
I try to do what he says but rather take to playing with his silver hair. And after two minutes I was playing around with those tresses, haldir is fast asleep by my side. Right, he wouldn't sleep at all.
I look at him and compare him to glorfindel. I usually compare everything to glorfindel because glorfindel is the best thing I know. Haldir is very different from Glorfindel. Haldir's eyes huge and amber, glorfindel's are blue like mine, haldir's hair is silver, glorfindel's golden like mine. Haldir is cool and youthful without being immature, fulfills his duties without being perfect. Glorfindel is perfect.
Haldir would be great as my best friend. Fact is, I can talk to him even more than my brain tells me is sensible to and he seems to like me. With glorfindel and haldir I could have a partner and best friend. I just gotta see it works out.
I watch the brown horse disappear at full speed into the woods. I know unelman will find his way back without me. He knows very well that there is the best stand and food at rivendell.
I try to take hilde up in my arms as gently as possible but still he winces when I lift him, without regaining consciousness.
His horse has come to my side and nuzzles the pockets of my cloak in search of something edible.
'Listen ,' I tell him (Note : I assume hilde's horse is male. It's too embarrassing to check even while I'm alone.) 'We have to get haldir back to rivendell because he's injured. So you better let both of us mount. I need to hold him so he won't just fall off again.'
The horse is neighing indignantly but doesn't rear when I mount after lifting hilde on it. It prances for a while and snorts disapprovingly but then it seems to actually understand that this might be important and sets off at a nice gallop, not too fast, so that I can keep the limp figure of haldir, the guardian of lorien in check.
Oh my, I'm going to be so damned late for my date that it isn't even worth going there after this. I have to get hilde to the healer and take a shower after I splashed around in the mud to help hilde to get on his horse and out on new clothes, too. It's going to take an eternity before I'd me actually fit to let glorfindel lay eyes on me.
While the horse is still carrying us towards rivendell I look at hilde, who is warm but still like a wet bag in my arms. He seems pale, very pale, even his usually lipsticky looking lips are white as chalk. I feel his neck for a pulse and find a very, very weak one fluttering under my fingertips like a dying butterfly. Darn it ! Again and again !
Why do these things happen to me ? Why not anybody else ? I don't want to have this beautiful elf dying in my arms.
I look at his shoulder. There is still blood seeping through his clothing and I don't have anything to stop the flow. My cloak is too thick, my pants muddy and my shirt too valuable of a fabric to be ripping if I tried to make a bandage out of it. And it all would take too much time.
I catch myself at the thought that I care what happens to hilde. Even though we barely know. I met him only once during the quest of the ring and some times after that but on those occasions we rarely spoke a word to each other.
'Don't worry, haldir, I'll take you to a place where someone can help you.'
I called him haldir. Without thinking anything bad about him or being ironical and calling him with his whole title.
His eyelids flutter and he looks at me, his eyes hazy. 'Legolas ?'
'It's okay. You're going to be fine. We are very close to rivendell already.'
'Where am I ?'
'On your horse, in my arms, on the way to the healer's house.'
'Oh, good ,' he whispers before passing out again.
And really, the horse already starts descending into the valley of rivendell.
'To the healer's halls ,' I command and it takes a sharp turning. I nearly let go of haldir but cling to him as good as I can to keep as both from falling or let me be the one to fall. What is it to me to fall off a horse if he's the one who needs to get to the healer so badly.
Eventually I manage to stay on the horse with a lifeless haldir in my arms until we are skidding to a stop in front of the healer's halls. One of the oldest healers in rivendell is already hurrying out of the building and towards me.
'What happened ?', he asks quickly, glancing at haldir's wound.
'I don't know ,' I reply truthfully. 'I found him in the woods while I was riding out.'
'He needs treatment fast. Would you help me carrying him in ?'
'I can do that ,' I volunteered. 'You just go and prepare everything.'
'As you wish .'
I can see him vanishing in the halls blurredly through sheets of ice-cold rain and lift hilde gently of his horse that stars trotting away in general direction of the stable.
I try to get haldir in as fast as possible, but the way is strewn with stones and all kinds of other trash like branches. I don't stumble but it takes me longer than anything until I'm finally inside the healer's halls and can put haldir down in one of the wards.
'What is wrong with him ,' I half-yell the second the healer has started examining the elf who is still as white as bleached parchment.
'He lost a lot of blood. And it looks as though he caught pneumonia, too.'
'But . but I thought elves can't get sick.'
'He's weak. His self-healing powers barely exist . He couldn't fend the disease of anymore.'
'But he's going to be fine ?', I ask, dreading the answer, while the healer is dressing the wound at the shoulder and finally stems the flow of blood.
'To be honest, I don't know ,' the old elf says. He looks at me with piercing grey eyes. 'I can't do more than give him a remedy and put him to bed. If he's too weak to make it I'm afraid .'
'He won't die, will he ?!?!?'
'I can't say .'
'Is there something can do for him ?'
'There would be something. But I'm not sure you would agree. You would have to stay in here for a day or two, too.'
'What is it ?'
'Well, I told you he lost a lot of blood and it would be easier if you'd .'
'Give him some of mine ?', my voice sounds horrified.
'Donate blood, yes.'
Eew. 'Would he survive if I did ?'
'I can't say. It would be easier for him but he might still not make it. I don't know how long he was out there seeping blood away.'
'Okay. I'll do it.' I'm late for my date anyway, it doesn't matter anymore how much it's going to be.
The next half an hour is dreadful enough. Some old healer is prying around in my arm for a big enough vein to draw some blood. Eeew again . I can't look at blood. I'm passing out if I do. It's disgusting to feel the blood drain out of me. I'm feeling dizzy and as if I'm going to puke really soon.
'Is it over soon ?', I ask with some effort.
'It's already over .'
'Really ?' I take a good look at my arm. Blood. I'm passing out .
It's nice and dark for a time. Then an irresistible urge to puke wakes me and the next thing I actually realize me doing is hanging over the bedside throwing up. Right. This is so embarrassing I actually don't want you to know but anyway.
'Oh, you are awake ,' a voice says from somewhere next to me. I know at once that it's not the person I met in the dark. The voice is all soft and nice and note a bit cracked. The comment is dumb, but thanks for letting me know you noticed.
I straighten up and look at a still slightly blurred version of glorfindel on my bedside.
'Glorfindel !'
'I was about to be angry with you skipping our date ,' he says sternly.
'I know. I'm sorry.'
Glorfindel's sinister expression changes to a proud smile. 'But then I heard that you just saved the life of one of the guardians of lorien.
'Haldir ,' I mumble. 'His name is haldir.'
'Oh. How do you know ?'
'We met before. During the ring-quest.'
'I see. I'm happy that you seem to be fine. I just wanted to check, you know.'
'Okay. I'm feeling fine. Just a bit tired.'
'That's normal. I'll send someone to clean up in here so that you two can catch some sleep, hm ?'
I turned my head towards the window and discovered another bed with haldir in it. I nod quietly and fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow.
In the middle of the night I suddenly wake, again, because of the feeling that I want to throw up. I sit bold upright in my bed when it gets so bed that I can't lay still. No moonlight is seeping in through the windows. It's pitch dark and my heart is racing, while I still feel sick. I slowly start to feel better when my heartbeat comes down to a fairly normal rate.
'You don't seem to sleep well tonight, legolas, prince of mirkwood ,' a voice says. 'You've been tossing and turning since I woke.'
'Haldir ?', I ask.
'Yes. It's me. Again, that is.'
'How are you ?'
'Felt better but the pneumonia is gone. That stuff the healer gave me must have been great.'
'Good to hear.'
'Prince Legolas, I . I guess I have to say thank you for the things you did tonight.'
'You don't have to if you don't want to ,' I say defiantly.
'I want to. This is just so awkward to say.'
'Well, thank you for your advice last night.'
'You're welcome.'
'Then thank you for saving my life.'
'I would do it again.'
'I wouldn't have been alive if you hadn't .', his voice trails off. 'You know ?'
'It okay. I nearly left you out there because I had a date with glorfindel.'
'Really ? Why didn't you ?'
'I couldn't . You might have died. What is a date with glorfindel in comparison to your life ?'
I can sense he is smiling even though I don't see it.
'What happened in the woods ?', I ask .
'I can't really remember. I was riding and suddenly there was something ripping my shoulder. I thought it was a scratch but I passed out before I knew better.'
'I suppose it was a branch then .'
'Must have been.'
'I'm tired but I'm feeling like puking all the time.'
'You need to drink something . You lost so much blood.'
I hear him get up and walk about the room. Then he sits down on my bedside and hands a huge mug over to me.
'Go on ,' he presses me and I take a few sips. To my surprise it's not a long time until I feel better.
'Thank you.'
'It's okay. I thought you couldn't see in the dark.'
'I can't .'
'That's why I got the juice for you. Drink it and go to sleep. You'll need it.'
'You, too.'
'No. Don't worry about me. I'm feeling still cold even under my comforters and everything.'
'Sleep in my bed then. I'm warm.'
'No, no. Glorfindel wouldn't want that. He would take it the wrong way .'
'No, he won't. Let me worry about him.'
'No. It would just end up in trouble.'
'My trouble. Come on.'
'But I won't be able to sleep. I will keep you awake.'
'No, you won't.'
And after this long discussion he finally crawls in my bed, lying close to me to get some of my warmth.
'You love glorfindel ?', he asks.
'Yes. He's gorgeous, don't you think ?'
'No.'
'Why not ?'
'I just don't know. Are you angry with me ?'
'No. can't everybody like him. I would like to have him all for myself.'
'I won't try to compete with you, don't think that,' he says. 'And now sleep.'
I try to do what he says but rather take to playing with his silver hair. And after two minutes I was playing around with those tresses, haldir is fast asleep by my side. Right, he wouldn't sleep at all.
I look at him and compare him to glorfindel. I usually compare everything to glorfindel because glorfindel is the best thing I know. Haldir is very different from Glorfindel. Haldir's eyes huge and amber, glorfindel's are blue like mine, haldir's hair is silver, glorfindel's golden like mine. Haldir is cool and youthful without being immature, fulfills his duties without being perfect. Glorfindel is perfect.
Haldir would be great as my best friend. Fact is, I can talk to him even more than my brain tells me is sensible to and he seems to like me. With glorfindel and haldir I could have a partner and best friend. I just gotta see it works out.
