Chapter 2 – A Wizard in Lothlorien

Haldir carefully kept his expression blank as he helped to haul the unconscious body out of the river. It was a human, in unfamiliar dress, and he didn't like that it had floated so close to Caras Galadhon before it had been spotted. He heard the healer come pelting up the path, Caladwen skidding to a stop almost on his heels.

"Sweet Elbereth!" She stared at the body for a long moment before frowning deeply, kneeling next to it, and checking to see if it was still alive. "He's alive," she said aloud, gesturing for Haldir to come closer. "Carry him to my talon, Haldir. I need the herbs and tools there to heal him."

The Marchwarden suppressed the urge to growl, and heaved the body over one shoulder, ignoring Caladwen's glare. It was lighter than he expected, and easy to carry up to the healer's talon.

"Put him on the cot there, Haldir, before you run off to tell Galadriel about him washing up from the river." Caladwen vanished into her still room, her voice muffled by the door. "And if you see Megilwen along the way, send her here. My apprentice may well make herself useful."

She came out with a bowl of mixed dried herbs as he walked up the stairs to the next level, letting out an exasperated sound at how he had simply dumped the body on the cot. Haldir ignored her, making his way through the elven city towards Galadriel and Celeborn's talon.

What news do you bring to us, Haldir? Galadriel's voice echoed in his skull as he approached the talon.

A human was floating on the river. Caladwen is attending to it in her talon, as it was still alive when we pulled it from the river.

Still alive? A moment later, Galadriel descended the stairs to where he waited. "Caladwen was certain she could heal the human?"

Haldir nodded, escorting Galadriel as they walked towards the healer's talon. "She was certain it would be fine."

"Then I would like to meet this strange human." Galadriel looked intrigued, and Haldir fought the rising feeling of disgust for the human in Caladwen's care.

"Not all humans are so worthless as you often assume they are, Haldir." He glanced at her, meeting solemn blue eyes. "Some are your equal, and worthy of the same respect you give to me."

Haldir flushed and nodded stiffly, carefully reining in his thoughts and emotions as he escorted Galadriel to the healer's talon.


Caladwen looked up from cleaning the clotted blood from the back of the young man's skull to see her apprentice in the entry of the talon. "Ah, Megilwen. Take the herbs in the mortar on the table and crush them. They'll need to be used on the wound once it's clean."

"Yes, Caladwen." The younger elf gave the patient a curious look as she pulled the ceramic mortar and pestle to her, carefully beginning to crush the dried herbs it contained. "Is he a human?"

Caladwen chuckled softly. "Yes, Megilwen. And at the moment, he is our patient. What he is does not matter so much as what are his injuries."

"But you've told me, many times, that the speaking races each react differently to the herbs we use to heal."

"Individually and as a race, yes. But the principles of treating injuries are the same regardless. And those are?" She raised an eyebrow, testing her apprentice's memory.

"Assess the injuries, clean open wounds and flush deeper ones, identify the appropriate treatment, and apply the treatment. Observe the patient for adverse reactions, for infection, or for fever." Megilwen looked down into the bowl of the mortar to judge the consistency of the herbs she was working with. "Do you want these as a powder, or do I add water to make a paste?"

"Powder for a wound, Megilwen." Caladwen trimmed the hair around the wound so it wouldn't get into it, and cause an infection. "Come over here and help me strip him down, so we can ensure there are no other injuries other than the head wound."

Megilwen blushed, but came over, taking the sodden cloak first, and hanging it over a rack in the sun that streamed in from the balcony's doorway to dry. The healer watched her expression, and shook her head, a frown on her face.

"You can't let yourself be shy around the nude body, Megilwen. A healer can't afford to be squeamish about anything." Caladwen pulled the shirt off the young man, directing Megilwen to pull the thin pants from his legs. "You are going to be seeing a wide variety of people, elf, human, and dwarf, in their small clothes or less as a healer. And you can't be uncomfortable around them, or they are going to notice, and you won't be able to do your job effectively."

Megilwen flushed a deeper red, and hung the other clothing off the rack as well, turning back in time to catch the trousers Caladwen tossed towards her. The healer deftly toweled the young man dry, and moved him to the dry cot.

"Sprinkle that herbal powder heavily over the wound on the back of his skull, then wrap the bandages." Caladwen instructed, keeping a careful eye on her apprentice as Megilwen did as she was told.

Caladwen. Galadriel announced her presence to the healer as she climbed the stairs to the talon. How is your patient?

Caladwen waited until the lady was in the talon before replying. "Other than the head wound, he appears to be fine. I have a tea steeping that should help to wake him up, once Megilwen is finished with wrapping the wound."

Galadriel nodded, watching the young elf. "She is doing well?"

"Better than I anticipated." Caladwen shrugged. "She still has far to go." She moved towards the table, checking the contents of a mug, and nodding to herself. She strained the tea into another mug, and handed it to Megilwen when she came over. "Make sure all of it goes down, then clean up the tools before you leave."

Caladwen moved back over to where Galadriel stood, and glanced at Haldir, who was watching the human with a slight curl to his upper lip. You wish to do something, lady. That involves my patient.

It was still difficult for the healer to read Galadriel's moods and intentions, but her irritation at the Marchwarden was more visible than she expected to see.

Galadriel smiled slightly. Yes. He still has things he must learn, and I cannot teach him directly.

The healer nodded. "The patient will need constant observation for a few days, especially in the first full day, to make sure that he doesn't suffer any ill effects from the concussion he is likely to have. And I have my usual rounds, and Megilwen's lessons to attend to, Lady Galadriel. I cannot watch him myself."

"Of course," Galadriel murmured, as Haldir stiffened beside her. "Haldir, you do not have the border watch for another month." She turned her head to look at the Marchwarden's carefully blank expression. "You can keep an eye on Caladwen's young patient until then."


Haldir nodded, though he wanted to argue for Galadriel to appoint someone else to the task. Anyone else. "Yes, Lady Galadriel."

"And I expect you to find him someplace to reside while he is in Caras Galadhon." She smiled at him, her eyes warm with amusement at his expense. "Someplace where you can keep an eye on him, so he will not get into trouble."

He nodded again, gritting his teeth. Caladwen, on the far side of Galadriel, smirked, as amused as the Lady by his discomfort.

"Then you'd best find someplace soon, Haldir. He should be waking up in an hour or so, and then I will need him moved from my talon so that I have room for patients that need a healer's direct care should they be brought to me."

Haldir suppressed the urge to sigh, and merely inclined his head. "I will do as you request, Healer Caladwen."

He knew that an hour was not enough time to make sure that a guest talon was ready. Which meant he would have to, at least temporarily, house the human in his talon. Not something he looked forward to. As he was certain Caladwen and Galadriel were both aware.

"I can send Megilwen to fetch you when he wakes up, if you'd rather, Haldir. Though it may be better for you to be here when he wakes up, so we don't have to wait for you to return before moving him elsewhere." Caladwen was watching him, and he wondered if she was trying to wear his patience thin. Or if it was merely his imagination.

Haldir sat next to the opening that led out to the talon's balcony, which was unusual in that it had a rail along the edge. He purposely kept as far away from the human as possible. He wanted nothing to do with it beyond what Galadriel had commanded. "I will wait."


Draco opened his eyes, blinking at the bright sunlight that streamed in through a window nearby. He was in an unfamiliar room, and he could see trees outside of a kind that he hadn't seen anywhere before. And his cloak was spread over a rack to dry like some Muggle's! He growled, struggling to sit up, his grey eyes narrowed into slits.

A callused hand slid under his shoulder, helping him into an upright position, though when he tried to stand, it kept him from getting to his feet. Draco looked up into a woman's face that appeared to be ageless. Or, at least, he couldn't put an age to it.

"Don't try to stand up quite yet, youngling. You won't do your head any good." The woman's voice was musical, and her tone light. "A nasty knock to the back of your head, and I'd wager you'd have a nasty headache as well, if you hadn't had a mug of willow-bark tea already."

She reached a hand up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind a pointed ear, and Draco stared. "What is it, youngling?" she asked with a frown on her face.

Draco lay back down on the bed, closing his eyes tightly, and crossing his arms over his chest. "This is not real This is a dream. I'm not seeing any of this."

There was a chuckle from the woman. "I'm no dream, youngling, I can assure you of that. And neither was that knot on the back of your head when Haldir brought you here."

Draco's eyes snapped open, and he nearly choked. "Who?" He stared at the woman, his jaw dropping. "No. Middle Earth is nothing more than a figment of some old doddering wizard. Couldn't even keep it well enough to himself, either."

There was a snort from somewhere near his feet. "The human has obviously lost any wits he may have had." The voice was cold and arrogant, a sneer audible to Draco.

He pushed himself back up, glaring at the man with pointed ears who sat near a doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. Draco's jaw clenched, and he wished he had his wand in hand. He'd curse the smirk right off the stranger's face! Witless, indeed! Never.

The pointed-eared man…

Elf, Draco's mind interjected

The elf stood, looking down at Draco through cool grey eyes. "The sooner you get yourself dressed, the sooner you may eat, human."

"My name, you insolent prat, is Draco Malfoy." Draco lifted his chin, his arrogance drawn about him like a cloak. No figment of the imagination was going to order him around, or insult him, with impunity. He was a Malfoy, by Merlin!

"I don't care what your name is, human." The elf's lip curled. "Caladwen, the healer, has said you may not remain in her talon, so you had best get your clothing on. Unless you wish to leave in nothing more than your skin?" He raised a blond brow in question, a smirk hovering on the corners of his mouth.

Draco's eyes widened, then narrowed again, his face going pale with anger. "You wouldn't dare."

He missed seeing Caladwen's mouth twitch, and wasn't ready when the elf took two long strides over, and hauled him out of the bed by the scruff of the neck, catching the fine hairs there in the process. Draco yelped, and struggled, trying to get away, as he was dragged from the talon.

"Caladwen, if you would send Megilwen with the brat's clothing when she has a free moment, I'm sure it would appreciate them."

There was a snicker from behind them. "Of course, Haldir. I might not be able to spare her until evening, though."

Draco yelped, and struggled harder, twisting out of Haldir's grasp and diving back inside, grabbing his pajamas and cloak, wrapping the still damp wool around him, his face scarlet. He strode back out with his chin tilted up, and his most haughty expression on his face. "You may lead the way to the accommodations you have arranged for me."

And then, someone is going to pay for this sick joke. Dearly.


Haldir rolled his eyes at the human's comment, wondering how badly Caladwen would hurt him if he dropped him off the balcony outside her talon. Probably more than it would be worth to see him screaming like an infant when he broke his leg.

"This way. Watch your step," he added with a sneer. He moved rapidly along the balconies and bridges that connected the talons of the city, and up the two flights of stairs that led to the level his talon was on. He could hear the human behind him grumbling about the city being like some place called Hogwarts.

"Hmm." The human looked around the talon, his gaze assessing. Haldir growled as the human stepped around the screen that divided the space. "This will do. Even if it i…"

Haldir pulled him away from his private space. "You will sleep out here, human. On the floor." Haldir indicated the floor nearest the entrance. "You may request a blanket, but you will not be taking mine."

"Excuse me?" Draco looked at him, his eyes wide with mock-surprise. "I thought I heard you say I was to sleep on the floor?"

"Precisely, human."


Author's Note: Points to review button. Review. Gives readers puppy-dog eyes.
Thank you to Hogwarts Hag for beta-reading my work. Thank you to those who have reviewed so far - Gilraen Aclamense, The Lady of Light, and Lady Melisande Grey.
And the Review Question, for those who wish to do this...
Would Draco attempt to find a way home, or will he start looking for a way to get a place and power of his own in Middle Earth?