“I’m sorry,” the attendant told me. “You cannot enter.”

I sighed impatiently; trying to keep my temper but failing miserably, and I pushed the attendant out of my way and opened the door.

The healer looked at me, slightly cross as I stormed into the room, but then he went back to setting broken bones.

With a soft tread, I walked to the other side of the bed, sitting gently down upon it.

I took his whole hand in mine and smiled as I pushed his unruly silver hair out of his face. “Looks like you did a number on your arm, Haldir.”

His head rolled over so that he could look at me. His midnight gaze was cloudy and unfocused telling me that he was drugged and was not feeling the pain. “I guess I did,” his lilting voice slurred. “’M sorry.”

I laughed quietly, playfully tugging on one of his new braids. “Nothing to be sorry for, a’mael. It was an accident, and those do happen to everyone. You did not know the trail would give way, even under your slight weight. I am glad that you just got away with a few scraps and a broken arm and wrist. It could have been worse, you know.”

He shook his head, swallowing before he spoke. “No, this is bad enough.” He closed his eyes, his good hand tightening upon my own.  “Rúmil and Orophin… are they in good health?”

I chuckled as I slid closer, bringing his hand into my lap as I brushed the backs of my fingers against his cheek. “They are fine. It was only you who took the tumble.”

He sighed through his nose. “Good.”

“Even drugged you protect them like lions, from me and even from Galadriel.”

One sleepy eye opened. “That is because we have only each other.” It closed again, and he sighed.

My hand continued to stroke his warm cheek as I watched the healer slip the last of the bones into place before tightly binding them.

“He will need a sling for his arm, and I will not put it on him. "

I laughed at that. “Haldir is not as vicious as you believe him to be, healer.”

“He is unruly and does not behave,” he groused.

“Because he is young and does not like to be pushed around.” I laughed again. “And he does not have to be unruly… I can be unruly for him.”

The healer glowered at me. “You always were a pain as well. It’s no wonder he would take after that.”

I narrowed my eyes at that statement. “What do you mean by that, healer?”

He shrugged and rose, packing away his bandages and ointments. “He follows you everywhere, Vendea. It’s no surprise that he would act like you as well.”

“He has no family save for Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel, and myself. Of course he is going to follow one of us, if not all three.”

The healer huffed. “And those two brothers of his are abominations as well. The fact that they curl up together to sleep does not strike you as strange?”

My back went straight and I felt my lips tighten into a thin line. “His only family is his brothers. Allow them to do what they wish. They are brothers not different elves, healer, and I think it would be best if you held your tongue around me.”

With that, I turned my face away from him, focusing all my attention upon my charge.

My fingers gently stroked the new braids in his hair, and I smiled in pride. He was still getting used to braiding his hair every morning, getting used to where and how to plait them. Sometimes I helped him as he studied my hands and how they worked his hair. Most times, though, I would simply watch him from afar as he became a weaver.

They were new, as he had earned the right this past winter, and they looked quite becoming upon his face. His features were taking on a more adult cast as well as the rest of his body.

It seemed as if overnight, I had failed to notice him growing taller until he almost towered over me. Now his brother Orophin did tower over me, and Rúmil was the smaller of the two, more delicate in features. However Haldir had the correct height for me, somewhere between his two brothers.

The Lady of the Wood tells me that I must look into her mirror some day; that there are things which I would like to see, for all possibilities lead to one conclusion, she said.

I am afraid to see what my future holds.

I turned over his larger hand within my own, feeling the strong and slender bones underneath his skin. I let my fingertips trail across the veins you could see.

His fingers flexed in my grasp, and I stilled, not wishing to wake him.

“Why did you stop?” His voice was rough with the sleeping draught.

“I did not want to wake you…”

“It… feels nice. I… do not mind…” His fingers flexed in my grasp again.

I loosened one hand from his grasp and gently pushed aside a wayward strand that had falling into his face.

“Would you like some water?” I let my fingertips gently run across his cheek.

His lips pulled into a frown. “No thank you…”

My hand stroked his cheek. “Is the sleeping draught not setting well?”

“No,” he sighed before he opened one of his eyes to look at me. “Are you going to stay?”

I smiled at him, my hand finally settling upon his neck.  “If you wish for me to stay, although your brothers will likely come in and bother you.”

He smiled softly. “I do not mind.”

My thumb gently caressed his neck as I nodded. “Then I shall stay here.” I moved to slip into the chair beside his bed when I felt his hand tighten on my wrist. I turned my head, my jade eyes looking quizzically at him.

“Stay here… please…” he whispered softly, his delicately pale cheeks flushed.

I felt my eyebrows rise in surprise. “You wish for me to stay here?”

He looked at me; a blush plainly sat on his face, and he gave a weak smile. “No. Down here beside me.”

I felt my cheeks flush at his evading words, and I nodded, my mouth too dry to speak. I let go of his hand to pull off my boots and placed them on the floor. With a shy glance at him, I slipped into the bed beside him.

Instantly, he curled on his right side, his broken arm and wrist resting against my hip as we both enfolded the other in our arms. He buried his face into my gold hair that pooled at my shoulder as he snuggled closer, placing his face against my throat.

My left hand was underneath his head, gently cradling him closer, while the other I let run hesitantly over the smooth muscles of his back and arm.

His right hand curled around my back to snag one of my braids and gave a gentle tug.

I could not help it and I laughed, my fingers gently twining in his hair as I brushed a soft kiss against his crown.

“Even as a child you used to tug my braids.”

“Perhaps because I like to do so… to see you laugh…”

Holding him close, I chuckled. “I always liked to hold you.” I craned my face so that I could see his, and saw his fluttering lashes. “Sleep, Haldir, and I will allow you to sleep until you wake up naturally.”

I felt his head nod slightly before he sighed, going limp in my arms. I looked back into his face again, noticing that his eyes had turned vacant, and I smiled, brushing a kiss across his brow.

My arms tightened around him before we ended up hopelessly tangled in each other’s arms