A few weeks passed since she had had the encounter with Estorel. Although always courteous whenever they ran into each other, Estorel no longer watched the practices. Kari was saddened by this, but she was not sure why. She knew that her attraction was nothing more than physical. She liked the feeling of being held by him tightly, of his soft lips trailing down her throat, of his tongue in her mouth. But nothing beyond that.

She also knew that that her desire for physical gratification was not a reason to pursue a relationship with him. It would be unfair if he had an emotional attachment to her when she did not have one to him. And she could not pretend to have an emotional attachment to him. Just as Arwen, Kari could not settle to be with someone, even if he wanted to be with her - even if the one she wanted did not want her.

Kari was performing a routine checkup on Bilbo Baggins in the Healer's Hall early one morning. Because of Bilbo's abnormally long life, Lord Elrond wanted him to have regular check-ups to ensure that everything was alright. Kari and Bilbo talked happily about the affairs of Rivendell. Bilbo was quite the gossip and heard much Elvin drama because many elves did not pay him much heed because he was so small or they thought he did not understand Elvish. He would then relay these bits of gossip to Kari during their monthly check-ups. Although Kari was still an apprentice in the Healer's Hall, she was the most advanced apprentice after over five years of hard work, and she eagerly anticipated the day when she would become a true Healer. She was honored to have Bilbo in her care, given the fact that he was a close friend of Lord Elrond and a friend of hers.

"Master Healer! Master Healer!" someone shouted frantically.

"Arwen," Kari realized. "Fetch the Master Healer," Kari said urgently to one of the newer apprentices. The Master Healer had stepped out of the Healer's Hall, and Kari honestly did not know where he went. She quickly excused herself from Bilbo's company to see what was the matter.

Arwen came running into the Hall, her eyes wide with fear and frenzy. "Kari! Aragorn, Master Healer. Please! He's going to die!" What Arwen was saying was not making much sense to Kari. But it did not need to. Two elves brought Aragorn in and Kari understood.

Blood was everywhere - dripping off of Aragorn's body and onto the floor, in his hair, all over his face, his clothes. The smell was bordering on nauseating.

Kari froze. This couldn't be Aragorn. He was strong and noble and…dying? Aragorn moaned with pain. Kari gasped – he was still conscious. That broke her out of her trance.

"What happened?" Kari asked as she swiftly approached the bed the elves had laid Aragorn on.

"His return was late. So I went out to look for him. I found him like this. His horse was gone. I think the horse trampled him," Arwen said.

Kari took a knife and cut through Aragorn's clothing to see the damage to his chest. Kari swallowed as the bile crept up her throat, stinging it. Aragorn's chest was littered with deep, short cuts and bruises. But worse was that Kari knew he had severely broken some ribs. And if the water-like sound she was hearing every time Aragorn inhaled was any indication, he had punctured a lung in the process. And internal bleeding? Almost a certainty.

"What happened?" the Master Healer asked as he quickly approached the bed.

Kari moved out of the way so that the Master Healer could examine Aragorn. "Possibly trampled by a horse. At least three broken ribs, punctured left lung, probable internal bleeding, severe lacerations and bruising on the chest," Kari answered.

"How long has he been like this?" the Master Healer asked.

"He was supposed to come back last night. I went out today to look for him. I don't know when this happened," Arwen explained. She was crying now, her face so pale that Kari momentarily thought Arwen was going to faint.

The Master Healer frowned as he examined Aragorn. Judging by the dried blood on Aragorn's body and clothes, he had been lying there for a long time. Before the Master Healer spoke, Kari knew the prognosis. She knew what happened in times like this.

"We should try and make him comfortable," the Master Healer said quietly.

"Comfortable? Can you not help him?" Arwen asked frantically, her eyes shifting from the Master Healer to Kari.

Kari looked down. People do not survive such trauma after such a long time. There was too much internal bleeding. Fluid was filling up his lungs. It was a wonder that he was still somewhat conscious. How could Arwen expect them to save him?

"There has been too much damage," the Master Healer said.

Arwen practically collapsed on the floor, but Kari caught her around the waist quickly and gently set her down on the ground.

"I am sorry," Kari said.

"There is nothing?" Arwen asked.

Kari hesitated. She shouldn't do it. She shouldn't try. She hadn't done it since the horse, and that was years ago. She didn't know if it would work on a man. And his injuries were so much worse than the horses. She could get hurt, or…die. She didn't want to die. She knew she would eventually, but she didn't want to die now…

"Kari. Please, try something, anything. Please," Arwen asked, clutching Kari's hands and crying still. Arwen looked so lost. The glow around her was fading.

"I…"

"Please. This is Estel," Arwen whispered.

Kari gulped. So it was. This was the man who took a liking to her immediately. Who gave her presents from far off places after he retuned from his journeys. Who would wear those silly pants she sewed. Who taught her to fight with her body. Who loved her. Who was her family.

Kari nodded. "Yes, it is," she said quietly, getting off the floor and striding over to Aragorn's bed.

He was struggling to breathe. Kari's resolve hardened.

"Excuse me, Master," she said as she pushed by him so that she was right next to Aragorn.

"Kari, what do you think you are…"

Kari ignored the Master Healer and bent down so she could place her right hand on Aragorn's chest.

"Fight, Estel," Kari willed, as she looked into his unfocused eyes. She hoped this would work. The glow between her hand and Aragorn's chest appeared, and Kari did not pull away. She could feel all the energy being drained from her body and she gasped in pain. An indescribable pain that seemed to extend to infinity. Kari wasn't sure if she cried out, but she felt like she did. Through the haze of pain, she saw Aragorn's eyes focus on her, wide with shock. She smiled slightly.

He's fine, she thought.

Immediately after, she collapsed on top of him.

Legolas watched Lord Elrond approach the practice field and found it odd. Lord Elrond never watched the practices and Kari was not even here yet.

"Legolas. I come to inform you that Kari will not be coming to practice today. And most likely tomorrow as well," Lord Elrond said.

Legolas frowned. It was not like Kari to miss practice, and it was more unusual that Lord Elrond was telling such a small issue to him himself rather than sending a messenger.

"What is wrong?" Legolas asked.

"She is ill. She will recover, but she is quite tired and sleeping right now," Lord Elrond replied.

"May I go see her?"

"Not at the moment. Perhaps tomorrow."

Legolas frowned but nodded, trying to keep his anger in check. He was Kari's friend, he had a right to see her. But Lord Elrond was her guardian and Legolas was bound to respect Lord Elrond's wishes as much as he did not like them.

Kari woke to find Aragorn watching her.

"Hello," she said, her voice scratchy with fatigue.

"How do you feel?" Aragorn asked.

"As good as one can feel, I suppose," she answered. In truth, she still felt horrible. She could barely keep her eyes open. Her body still had some lingering aches and her head hurt too.

"Lord Elrond explained what you did," Aragorn said.

"I still do not know why or how I have this ability."

"You should not have used it on me," Aragorn said, his voice stern.

"And have you die?" Kari asked quietly.

"If I am meant to," Aragorn said rather fatalistically.

"We both know that nothing is certain. At some point, we must make choices. I made a choice."

"You make it sound so simple, jumping in to rescue people. But you are playing with your life," Aragorn responded.

"Had I simply jumped in, you would not have been in pain for so long. I hesitated!" Kari exclaimed, tears beginning to pour down her cheeks as she remembered her selfishness.

She had been reluctant to try to save Aragorn, her family, because she feared her death. Had the roles been reversed, Aragorn would not have hesitate so. Perhaps that difference made Aragorn noble and Kari cowardly.

Aragorn quickly got off of the chair to sit on her bed. He had thought she just rushed up to him wanting to heal him, completely ignoring the possible consequences. But it had been a choice she had thought through. He stroked her hair soothingly.

"I hesitated. I knew you were going to die and I hesitated. I was scared. I was selfish. I did not want to die," Kari explained as she continued to cry – a mixture of shame, relief, and exhaustion.

Aragorn frowned. "I do not blame you for your hesitation. It is not something to be ashamed of," he explained.

"How can you say that? You were suffering and I could only think about my well-being," Kari replied.

"If you were truly only thinking about your well-being, I would not be here now," Aragorn said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"I waited so long to decide to help you. I am sorry," she said, looking away from him.

"How can you apologize to me for saving me? We are not creatures that have no fears. We have a desire to live, to preserve ourselves. You were acting as anyone in your situation would. But you then acted with courage," Aragorn said.

Kari scoffed.

"Courage is not blindly going into a situation that can be life threatening. Courage is knowing that something bad can happen but you do it regardless because you choose to. You knew that there was the possibility that you would die saving me. Yet you choose to anyway. Do you not see your own bravery? Your selflessness?" Aragorn said.

"I do not feel so brave or selfless," Kari said, finally turning to look at Aragorn again.

Aragorn smiled. "That is simply because you are tired," he jested.

Kari laughed. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About eighteen hours," Aragorn replied.

"I missed practice."

"Legolas was told that you are sick," Aragorn said.

"He is not to know," Kari realized.

"Lord Elrond thinks the less people who know, the better. The Master Healer and Arwen know now. Lord Elrond feels that is enough. He is only trying to protect you. Not that Legolas is a threat," Aragorn said.

"I understand. Was Legolas upset?"

"About the missed practice, no. I believe he was quite distraught over not being allowed to visit you and see for himself that you are fine. At least, that is what I gather from the fact that he destroyed a bowstring by pulling it so violently," Aragorn said amusedly, giving Kari a knowing smile. Long did he see how she looked at Legolas with soft eyes but never said anything. It was not his place.

"That angry," she murmured.

A short silence followed before Aragorn asked, "Are you truly alright?"

Kari shrugged, her thought leaving Legolas. "I wanted to forget the fact that I had this ability. I could not handle the repercussions of it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized what a responsibility I have. If I am honest with myself, then I know I would feel obligated to heal everyone who needed to be healed. But that would cause chaos in my life, in Rivendell. I could be a commodity…"

"Which is why Lord Elrond wants to keep this quiet. Like you, he has seen the negative consequences that can arise from your ability. But much good can come from it too. You must decide how to approach this. But ignoring it is not a good way of handling the situation."

"Yes, ignoring it does not work. But how do I decide who to heal? I would be responsible for people's lives," Kari said.

"You are becoming a skilled traditional Healer. Most people can be healed using the methods you have been taught. My only advice is to trust your heart," Aragorn suggested.

"So much responsibility…"

"Yes. But you will manage well. You are a good person, you will choose the right path, whatever that may be," Aragorn said. He kissed her forehead. "Enough talk, you need more rest. We can talk about this more later."

"Thank you, Aragorn," she said. His confidence in her gave her confidence in herself.

"No, Kari. It is I who must thank you. You saved my life. I shall never forget," he whispered.

"You are my family," she replied, sleep beginning to overtake her as she closed her eyes.

"As you are mine," he whispered.

When Kari woke up again it was late afternoon of the next day. She saw that it was not Aragorn who watched over her now, but Arwen. The elf maiden looked troubled.

"I have yet to see someone looking happy as they sit there," Kari commented.

"It is a worrisome place to sit," Arwen replied, trying to smile weakly.

"There is nothing to worry about," Kari said.

"Your life."

"I am fine," Kari said, sitting up. "A bit hungry, but fine."

Arwen genuinely smiled and handed Kari some bread. Kari took a bit, instantly feeling better.

"Thank you," Kari said.

Arwen shook her head. "Thank you. He was going to die. I was going to lose him."

"Arwen, what happened? How did Aragorn get so hurt?" Kari asked, realizing her conversation with Aragorn had focused on herself rather than him.

"Do you remember he was supposed to meet some Rangers near Bree?"

Kari nodded. She had gone with him once to Bree. Although he did not allow her to talk to anyone at the pub except the Rangers, she had a good time. The Rangers, though intimidating, were rather nice to Kari and impressed with her skills in tracking and sword fighting. They had treated her with much respect and she returned the sentiment. It was also exciting to see how people lived outside of Rivendell and she realized how sheltered and comfortable her life was.

"He said he was riding back to Rivendell after the meeting. His horse began bucking, as though incredibly fearful of something. Aragorn sensed the darkness as well. The horse bucked so violently that he fell off and was trampled as the horse fled," Arwen explained.

"Darkness?"

"Something evil, we know not what," Arwen said.

"Why did it not kill Aragorn?" Kari asked.

Arwen shook her head. "There are many mysteries regarding this whole occurrence."

They say in silence for a while, both trying to figure out what the darkness was. Arwen had had a discussion with her father recently about a sense of foreboding she felt, and Lord Elrond had agreed that he had sensed it as well. However, that was the end of the conversation.

"But when I asked you to help, I did not mean for you to endanger your life. I feel so horrible for begging you to do something," Arwen said, changing the subject as she sat down on the bed.

"I would like to say that I would have done it regardless, but I cannot. I was so scared, I may have still been in shock had you said nothing. But I can tell you that I knew I could die."

"I did not want to lose him, but I cannot stand the thought of losing you too. And to lose one to save the other…" Arwen's cheeks were streaked with tears.

"It did not happen, Arwen. We are both fine," Kari said, holding Arwen's hands in hers.

Arwen smiled even though she was still tearing. "I have grown accustomed to having a sister, Kari. I do not intend to lose you so soon."

Kari smiled widely and hugged Arwen, laughing with delight. Arwen had never called Kari her sister before.