Beta by Wendwriter - thanks."You will look after him, won't you?" Faelwen pressed nervously for about the tenth time that afternoon, as she and Elladan walked down the stairs to the courtyard. The older twin smiled understandingly and nodded with a laugh.
"Of course we will!" he said. "Do not worry so much!"
"I cannot help but worry!" said Faelwen weakly. "He is human Elladan, and he thinks that he is invincible! I have lost count of the times I have had to heal him behind Ada's back because he's been trying some foolish prank! He never seems to consider the danger!"
"Hmm. I think he has taken after Elrohir and I rather more than Ada would have liked," grinned Elladan. "Remember, though, that Glorfindel is leading this patrol. He doesn't stand for any careless tomfoolery, and I don't think Estel would be foolish enough to try it with him. And besides that, you have taught him pretty much all you know about healing. That will stand him in good stead."
Elladan spoke the truth. Shortly after Faelwen and Haldir had begun courting; Estel, in an attempt to spend more time in his sister's company (to ensure she did not leave Imladris) had begged her to teach him the art of healing. In consequence, Estel now had almost ten years experience of studying and practicing herb lore and, though he would never have the special powers gifted to Faelwen, he showed exceptional talent as a healer. However, it still did not stop her from worrying.
"Anyway," continued Elladan airily. "Haldir will arrive tomorrow and you cannot pretend that you will not be glad to have him all to yourself for a while without Estel pleading to be shown some stunt with the bow."
"His opinion of Haldir has certainly changed from when he first discovered we were together," Faelwen admitted with a laugh. "But I suppose I will be glad of a little privacy. We are hoping to become betrothed soon. We are going to ask Ada's permission after we've talked about it some more." As she finished speaking, they came to the bottom of the stairs and walked through the arch to the courtyard. Standing by one of the statues, clad in mail and leather, were Elrohir and Estel.
Estel looked quite beside himself with excitement and pride. He had just turned seventeen and had been permitted to join one of the patrols for the first time. He was no longer a big-eyed little child; instead he had shot up to a height worthy of a Numenorean, and was slowly filling out with muscle. He was almost a man. Faelwen felt a lump come to her throat when she realized that they would soon lose him to his own people. She'd always known that the day would come when Estel would no longer need their guidance and now it loomed darkly in the near future – they had so little time left with him. But she would not spoil this special day for him! She forced herself to smile.
"How do I look?" asked Estel, beaming from ear to ear, while the twins watched on, amused, remembering their own first patrol.
"Like a true guard of Imladris." replied Faelwen. At that moment, Glorfindel strode into the courtyard, resplendent in his striking uniform and called to the patrol to make ready to leave. Immediately, there was a rush of chaos in the courtyard, with almost a score of elves rushing off towards the stables.
"Bye, Fae," said Estel cheerfully, hugging his sister tightly. "Please do not worry too much!"
"Be careful!" pleaded Faelwen, very conscious of the fact that Estel was now the same height as she was (she had always been a tad on the short side for an elf). "Listen to Glorfindel and the twins, and do not do anything reckless."
"I won't!" promised Estel with a grin. "Take care!" With that, he rushed after Glorfindel. Before she could say anything, Faelwen was engulfed in a double hug from the twins.
"Worry not, Faelwen. We shall look after him!" promised Elladan, kissing her forehead.
"We will make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid!" added Elrohir, doing likewise, before they both dashed off in the same direction as Estel had.
"And don't you two do anything stupid either!" Faelwen cried after them.
Haldir arrived as planned the next day, and as a result, Faelwen managed to forget some of her worries in her joy at seeing him again and having him all to herself. It had been just over a decade since they'd come together but their feelings had only grown stronger over time. The first day, they did not have much time together as Haldir had to recover from his journey and present the report to Elrond. But the day after, straight after breakfast, the two of them went off for a walk together with the intention of spending most of the day on their own.
"I'll bet Estel was a happy lad when they left," Haldir commented with a smile as the two of them strode hand-in-hand through the shade of the trees. "I remember my first patrol. Glorfindel will have his hands full."
"The twins have promised to keep any eye on him, and I am sure that he must know from experience not try Glorfindel's patience!" Faelwen replied. "I just hope the patrol don't meet any orcs."
"He'll be fine, melleth nin," said Haldir reassuringly, running a hand through her blond hair. "You worry too much." Faelwen laughed.
"Three words, Haldir," she said. "Pot. Kettle. Black. You know full well that you do the same when Orophin and Rumil are on patrol in Lothlorien."
"Fair point," conceded Haldir with a grin, as they stopped and sat down in the shade of the oak tree where they had shared their first kiss. "I suppose it is just the privilege of having a younger sibling."
Faelwen laughed again, conscious that this conversation was solely designed to take her mind off her worries, but very grateful that Haldir was making the attempt. She leaned her head against his, meeting his eyes as he ran his hand through her hair again. He flashed her an impish grin and pulled her closer, locking their lips together.
"Oh…I beg your pardon, my lady!"
Horrified, Faelwen and Haldir shot apart, both turning quite impressive shades of scarlet, though neither blushed as darkly as the embarrassed page who had interrupted him. He recovered himself quickly, however, remembering the urgency of his errand.
"Please, Lady Faelwen, you must come quickly!" he begged. "You are needed in the healing rooms!"
"What's the matter?" asked Faelwen, as she and Haldir got quickly to their feet.
"Lords Elladan and Elrohir have returned from the patrol with someone gravely wounded. They've asked if you could join them in the healing wards immediately."
"Valar, please tell me it's not Estel!" said Faelwen, going grey. She felt as though her heart had missed a beat.
"No, my lady, it isn't." replied the page, as all three of them began to run back to the house. "It is not an elf from Imladris. The elf was a member of a small group travelling throughout the wilds, I believe, and they were attacked by wargs. As soon as the patrol came upon them, they hurried to get him here."
"All right. I'll go straight up," said Faelwen, as they reached the house again. "I'll see you later on this afternoon, Haldir." And with that, she hurried off towards the healing rooms, wondering how seriously this nameless elf had been injured. She reached the healing wing and found both the twins waiting for her at the doors.
"Faelwen, thank the Valar they found you!" said Elladan fervently. "We couldn't find Ada – Melpomaen says that he went off with Erestor about an hour ago on horseback. If that elf does not get help soon, he will die! The healers are doing what they can but he needs you or Ada."
"Calm down," said Faelwen, steadily. "I will tend to him. You two go and wash – you're covered in blood. I'll do what I can." Thus instructed and reassured, the twins left and Faelwen proceeded through to the wards, where she found two of the anxious junior healers hovering around a bloodstained young elf.
"My lady!" Laurenien turned to her in a panic. "They could not find Lord Elrond. We have tried to stop the bleeding, but the cuts are so deep…"
"It's all right," Faelwen stopped his ramble calmly. "My father is not here, but I will see to his wounds myself. Can you make sure that there is plenty of hot water and some of the stronger healing herbs, please? I'll need to make sure there is no chance of the wounds becoming infected."
"Of course, my lady." Both young assistants hurried off to do as they were bid, thankful that there was no someone in control of the situation. Faelwen drew closer to the bed where the unconscious elf was struggling for breath. Poor young warrior, he couldn't be any older than she was herself, and his wounds were horrific. Evidently he had been mauled by one of the foul creatures – there were a series of deep, parallel scars across his abdomen, as well as various other smaller wounds. She swept his matted hair out of the
way so that she could get a decent look at his face.
This time her heart really did miss a beat…
Feredir! It was Feredir!
There was no question of being mistaken; Faelwen knew at once that it was her twin, even after more than seven centuries apart. She was simply looking at a masculine version of herself. But what had he been doing this close to Imladris? Was her blood family's home near the valley? She had been so young when she was taken away that she had never known where she had come from. Images of the past began to flash through her mind.
'Don't panic! Don't panic!' she told herself desperately. 'He needs your help, you can't panic! No one need know who he is. Just heal him and then stay away from the wards until he leaves! He'll never need to know you're here! He doesn't know you have changed your name!'
She was never able to remember afterwards how exactly she had healed him. She had worked mechanically, unconsciously; closing up his wounds, cleansing the scars and sending him into a deep healing sleep that would last for at least a day. With the unnatural healing energy she possessed, it did not take long – the smaller scars she could heal by touch alone, though the deep ones needed a little more work. Her mind and heart raced the whole time. She would not be able to come back in here after today, in case he recognized her. Not that Feredir had ever been anything but loving towards her before...but while she had spent the last few centuries with Elladan and Elrohir; Feredir had spent them with her blood brothers – what if he had become like them? It was best that she never knew!
When she had done all she could for him and was satisfied that he would make a full recovery, Faelwen left the healing rooms, extremely flustered. She would have to go to her room or something…she couldn't go near Haldir or the twins. They would know at once that something was the matter and would get it out of her in the end. Her clothes were stained with her twin's blood. She would have to change anyway. Yes, she would go to her room!
In the meantime, out in the courtyard, the rest of Glorfindel's patrol had also returned, bringing with them the small party of which Feredir had been a member. It consisted of five other elves, clad in travel-stained cloaks of dark green.
"Do not be overly concerned," Saeros, Glorfindel's lieutenant, was telling the leader of the party. "Lord Elrond and Lady Faelwen are the two best healers in Middle Earth. If anyone can help your friend, they can."
At that moment, Saeros looked up to see Lady Faelwen come racing down the stairs of the healing wing. She stopped a moment at the bottom, but the moment that her eyes fell upon the patrol and their unexpected guests, she turned and bolted out of sight again, her face a deathly white.
"Who was that?" the elf asked Saeros, sounding awestruck.
"That, my friend, is the Lady Faelwen that I just mentioned." said Saeros with a grin, wondering why Faelwen had looked so terrified and run off again in a hurry. "You are setting your sights rather high there, I'm afraid. Not only is she Lord Elrond's daughter, but she is beloved of Haldir Celebornion, Marchwarden of Lorien."
"No, no! You misunderstand me!" laughed the green-clad elf in reply, before his voice became slightly thoughtful. "She just…reminded me of someone, that's all."
Now dressed in a clean gown of deep red velvet, Faelwen was pacing her room like a caged animal. How could this be happening? Why was this happening? She's been so happy these last few years, now everything could change again! What was she going to do? Could she leave Imladris for a few days until everything was back to normal? No, that would never work! The twins and Haldir would insist on going with her, and anyway, Ada would want to know why she wanted to take some time away. Oh, what was she going to do?
A knock on the door almost made her jump out of her skin. "Who is it?" she called out warily, only dimly aware that sweat was breaking out on her forehead.
"It's me, Fae," called Estel's voice. "I came back with the rest of the patrol. I'm glad that you were able to heal that poor archer. Ada's back now and he's asking if you can come up to his study because he wants to talk to you about him."
"All right. I'm coming." said Faelwen, moving to unfasten her bedroom door, which she had locked and bolted as soon as she had arrived there earlier. A smiling Estel, looking rather confused, was waiting on the other side.
"You never lock your door, Fae!" he remarked, his eyebrows knotting together, but before he had time to say anything else, Faelwen was off down the corridor; proceeding at such a speed that he had to jog to keep up. Something was definitely wrong!
He tried to question his sister the whole way up to Elrond's study, but it was to no avail. She answered all his questions with vague un-Faelwen-like replies and would tell him no more than he had already found out from Ada and the twins. Estel was a little out of breath by the time they entered his father's study. The twins, Haldir and Glorfindel were already there, and the young human tried to communicate with his eyes and his facial expressions that there was something badly wrong with his sister.
"Good afternoon, iel-nin," said Elrond calmly, noticing that Faelwen fidgeted in great agitation from the moment he asked her to sit down. "Laurenien told me that you managed to heal our wounded guest while I was absent this afternoon. Did you have a difficult task? Were the wounds poisoned?"
"Poisoned? No…it was straightforward enough," replied Faelwen distractedly, tugging at the loose sleeve of her dress. "He's in a healing sleep. He'll be better soon."
"I'm glad to hear it," said Elrond, a little worried by his daughter's agitation. Had she been disturbed by so much bloodshed? "You made an excellent job of stitching the two deepest cuts. He is quite lucky – he very nearly had his stomach ripped out."
"They said that the wargs came from nowhere," said Elladan gravely. "They were caught unawares and it was the poor young one who bore the worst of that attack."
"At least he was able to receive help in time," replied Elrond. "In the meantime, I've told his companions that they are welcome to stay here until he is recovered and…"
"No!" Faelwen shouted in horror, while everyone looked at her in shock. "They can't!"
"Fae?" Estel had never seen his sister lose her composure this badly before, and he was slightly afraid.
"Why not, Faelwen?" asked Glorfindel, looking bewildered. He shared an anxious look with Elrond. Faelwen began pacing frantically, fidgeting more than ever.
"They can't stay here! You don't understand…they can't! How do you know that you can trust them?" she babbled in an unsteady voice.
"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Elladan gently. He had got to his feet and had caught hold of his sister; effectively stopping her from pacing. "Why wouldn't we trust them? I've never ever seen you be distrustful of anyone who has needed our help before!"
"You don't understand! You don't understand!" said Faelwen tearfully, shaking her head emphatically.
"What don't we understand? Faelwen, you're scaring me!" said Elladan, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting embrace. "You're shaking like a leaf! Surely they've done nothing to make you so frightened!"
"Nothing?" Faelwen buried her face in Elladan's shoulder with a guttural sob. "They're my brothers! They're my brothers!"