At sunrise, the four companions were all sitting around the morning fire with a cup of hot tea.
"Daelon, the canteens need to be filled. We will break camp and get the horses saddled," Aragorn said. Daelon drained the last of the liquid from her cup and handed it to him. Gathering their canteens, she headed for the stream.
"Shouldn't one of us go with her?" Legolas asked as he watched the ranger disappear into the trees.
"She will be fine. I doubt there are any more orc around after the fight we gave them last night," Aragorn said tying his bedroll to his saddle.
They continued to get their things packed away and tied to the saddles. The fire was cold. Daelon had not yet returned with the canteens.
"She should have been back with that water by now," Aragorn said, watching for any sign of her return.
"I will go see what keeps her," Legolas said.
Legolas found Daelon sitting near the edge of the stream. She was struggling to rub salve on her back. Legolas watched as she reached through the neck of her shirt when that did not work she tried from the bottom. He smiled and went to help her.
He stepped up beside her, leaned down, and picked up the salve.
"Let me help," he said. She jumped at his voice.
"You startled me," she said. She had been so caught up in what she was doing she had not heard his approach.
Legolas sat on the ground behind her.
"Lift up your shirt" he said. Daelon did as she was told. Once her back was exposed, Legolas gently applied the salve to the ugly morgul wounds. Daelon closed her eyes. Once again, the elf's touch combined with the salve, soothed the wounds.
"There you are," he said, rubbing a last bit of salve into her skin. She let her shirt tumble into place covering her back.
"Thank you," she said. Getting up, she grabbed her leather overlet and slipped it on. Legolas stood, then picked up the canteens. "Let me take those," Daelon said reaching to take the leather straps from him.
Their hands touched, Legolas still held tight. Daelon's eyes met his. For what seemed an eternity, they stared at one another. Then they found themselves leaning toward one another, their lips almost touching when...
Neither elf nor ranger heard Aragorn approach.
"What is taking you two so long?" Startled they scrambled away from each other. The canteens fell to the ground. One managed to roll down the bank and into the stream. Daelon slipped and fell into the stream grabbing for it. Legolas gave her a hand, pulling her to her feet and up onto the bank. She retrieved the canteens and they made their way up the rise to where Aragorn stood, laughing.
"That was very funny." A soaking wet, dripping, Daelon told Aragorn as she walked by him toward camp. Aragorn's smile did not cease as Legolas approached him. He turned to walk with the elf.
"Were you going to kiss her, or was she going to kiss you?" Aragorn asked his voice full of laughter.
When they reached camp, Gimli stood staring towards Daelon with a bewildered look on his face.
"What happened? The lass came back soaking wet and didn't say a word." Gimli looked to his friends. Aragorn was laughing and the elf looked too serious for the other's humor. Legolas had walked over to Daelon.
"She had a bit of an accident," Aragorn said.
"Well, tell me, what took so long? And what is so funny?" Gimli was now even more bewildered.
"Remember what you asked me last night?" Aragorn asked.
"About..." Gimli nodded his head toward Daelon and Legolas. Legolas stood with Daelon beside her horse. Aragorn, still smiling nodded. Gimli let out a guffaw.
Daelon set the canteens down beside the dead fire. She pulled the wet leather overlet off and tossed it over her saddle. Undoing the ties holding her bedroll, she searched for her cloak but could not find it.
"I do not believe it, I left my cloak behind." Daelon rolled the bedding back up, and then along with her wet overlet tied it to the saddle.
"Are you all right?" Legolas asked walking up to her.
"You do not think a little spill in a stream is going to hurt me do you?" Daelon returned his question with one of her own. Her dark eyes sparkle with laughter as she smiled at him. He smiled back almost laughing.
"Come on you two, let's go," Aragorn said. "Here this will keep you warm until your shirt dries." Aragorn tossed his cloak to Daelon.
"Thank you," Daelon said, catching the cloak. She picked up the canteens and handed one to each of them. They all mounted and rode out of the clearing, heading home to Minas Tirith.