Expected Journey

Chapter Three Short Hair

I woke up and it was dark. I felt a new bandage on my wound. I sat up to a fire as the three men stared at me. I was starting to miss other women for company...
"What I miss?" I said.
"Nothing. Go back to sleep," Aragorn said quietly. I sat cross legged.
"Don't think so."
"You need rest," he said.
"I'll rest when we find Merry and Pippin," I replied. Aragorn stood up.
"I'm going to scout ahead," he muttered as he left. I rolled my eyes.
"Does he ever sleep?" I retorted when he was out of earshot.
"You lost a lot of blood," Legolas said sternly. I frowned.
"I can't help that." Legolas then stood up and handed me a bowl of food. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what Aragorn had caught that night. I muttered thanks as I ate it.
"I'll go check on him," the elf said as he left me with Gimli.
"What's up with them?" I asked the dwarf. Gimli chuckled.
"Can't you tell they both like you?" He said as I almost dropped my bowl.
"Um," I said. He laughed.
"Which one do you like?" Gimli said as I grew quiet.
"It's complicated Gimli. Legolas is my bethrothed," I said.
"You know he's like 3000 years old right?" The dwarf said.
"Well, Aragorn is older than me too!" I said nervously. I sighed and put the bowl down.
"I miss Shire life."
"I have heard tales of the Shire from Balin," he said.
"I know he used to visit Bilbo, but I was too little to remember him," I said. I started to get homesick at the thought of Bilbo and the Shire... and I wondered what my father and siblings were doing right now. I heard footsteps and Aragorn had returned without Legolas. I raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry, Legolas is just scouting ahead. He can see better than me in the dark," Aragorn said as I felt relieved. Gimli then stood up.
"Well, Goodnight," he said as he walked away from the fire and into his bundle of blankets, leaving me with Aragorn. I wondered if that was on purpose... Aragorn walked closer to me and looked at my shoulder.
"I am sorry. I should have stopped sooner for you," he said as he took my hand. I squeezed his hand.
"It's alright. We may find Merry and Pippin now," I said with a small smile. Then the ranger pushed back a stray hair behind my ear.
"I like your hair short," he smiled. I knew I blushed.
"It doesn't make me look like a man?" I teased as he laughed.
"No. Your ears are pointed after all," he said as his fingers brushed the tip of one. My eyes lingered down to his lips as I soon found myself kissing them. We hadn't kissed since Rivendell, the Fellowship would have seen us otherwise. I felt his beard and raised my hand to part his hair from his face as the kiss deepened. I would have lingered longer but my ears heard someone coming. I broke us apart just in time, hoping he hadn't seen or heard us. Aragorn pulled apart quickly and stood a few feet from me.
"Your shoulder is better," he coughed.
"Yes," I nodded. Legolas looked at us.
"Good. I think we can reach the hobbits in a day or two if we hurry," Legolas said.
"Then we will hurry," I said. Legolas nodded his head.
"Get some rest, meleth nin," Legolas said to me as he turned back. I nodded and returned back to my blankets, hoping he hadn't heard us earlier...