Daughter of Mirkwood [Lord of the Rings | Haldir]

Chapter 8

Unveiling

Thanks to her extensive knowledge of healer's lore, Aeslin soon carved out a place for herself as a prominent healer in Caras Galadhon. Many came to her for healing and advice, and she gave it without compunction. She grew into herself in Lorien, and her strength and power grew with her until she came to be nearly as renowned as Lord Elrond within the City of Trees. She was granted her own private flet near The Lord and Lady of Lorien's, and periodically Arwen would come to stay with her.

Her friendship with her mentor's daughter never waned, though the healer never again accompanied Arwen to Cerin Amroth after that first occasion. She had no desire to remind herself of what she couldn't have by gazing at Mirkwood from afar. Still, she often wandered under the cover of the trees with her friend, rejoicing that she was not alone. Even after realizing how close she was to home, she did not grow discontented. The Golden Wood saw to that. She was happy among the mallorn-trees, and it felt like home in a way Rivendell never quite had. In many ways even, she barely missed Imladris; it was only the people within it she yearned to see again.

***

It was long time before she saw Haldir or his brothers again, and when she eventually did, meetings were few and far between, with little time for conversation. Over time, though, she had come to know Orophin's wife, Lostariel. Often the two of them would sit together, reading and talking. Periodically Rumil's wife, Melima, and their young son Veryan, would accompany Lostariel, but more often than not it was just the two of them, especially when Orophin was on rotation at the borders of Lorien.

It was late in the day, and Aeslin was walking alone through the gardens on the northern side of the City, taking advantage of the solitude to gather a few samples of medicinal herbs for her flet. The Forest was quiet around her, the only sounds being that of the wind through the leaves and the whispers of forest. It was peaceful and relaxing among the pungent plant-life around her. It wasn't until the sun began to set that she felt any inclination to return to her quarters, and even then, the coolness of the night was pleasant.

Satisfied with her gathering of plant materials, she soon made her way back to the centre of the city, only to be delayed by a sudden flux of elves streaming down the main path through the city. Among them was Lostariel, her face pinched with concern. Aeslin's curiosity eventually got the better of her, and she followed the crowd to the City's entrance.

As it was, it was lucky that she had done so. Coming through the gate was a sizable group of Lorien's border guards, several of them wounded. Her healer's instincts coming to the fore, Aeslin rushed forward, coming to rest beside the nearest of the wounded. He was young, and badly hurt with a deep gash across his temple and a gaping, ragged slash on his leg. Around her were cries of concern, fear and anger. From the far side of the court, she could hear Celeborn arriving, demanding to know what was happening. Aeslin however, was already moving from elf to elf, assessing injuries and beginning to direct the other healers that were appearing. One by one, injuries were tended to. Thankfully, most weren't terribly severe; the only exceptions were the young elf Aeslin had looked at first and another, older elf with a deep sword-slash across his belly.

It was to this elf that Aeslin was tending. Though she was one of the younger healers within Caras Galadhon, her extensive training under Elrond and her own natural talent made her one of the strongest healers around. So it was that the most seriously wounded elf fell under her care. She was in the process of directing his transport to her flet when Haldir came to stand beside her, Rumil and Orophin both close behind. A moment later Lostariel joined them as well, briefly embracing Orophin in relief.

"What happened here?" Aeslin turned her pale eyes to the Marchwarden, taking in his anxious features in a single glance.

"A large party of Orcs out of Moria threatened to breach our borders. For that travesty, they now lay dead, but not before causing the injury you see here." He looked down at the elf now being lifted from the ground. Rumil and Orophin jumped forward to help, each taking hold to carry the wounded elf from the City's entrance. Haldir's face was troubled. Aeslin reached out, laying a gentle hand on his arm before following her patient.