Strange Allies

~~~

A/N:
Naira – indeed, it is horrible at times! Y’all think just ‘cause he’s sexy it makes up for his horribleness – uh, no! And he can be quite intimidating (as you know from reading my other piece). He’s not really “jealous” more like possessive (“what’s mine is MINE, dammit!”) I guess someone in the family had to be sweet and nice ‘cause Mr. Wicked certainly isn’t! LOL! Legolas is a doll. And to think he’s younger than Haldir. What’s up with THAT?

Michelle – Awww, I’m glad to hear that it touched you. (I think it made him a little choked up, too). That Legolas is maturing a bit, isn’t he? Believe me, if anyone is suffering because of Mr. Wicked’s fate, it’s ME. LOL! I get the impression that your naughty mind is imagining all sorts of wicked ways to make Haldir “feel better” while he’s bed ridden. Heeee! Go on with your bad self!

Elena Terry – Thank you! It was all him. Every last bit of it. Tortured me to near death that Wicked One did making sure it was “just right” and “hawt” enough for him. He’ll be pleased to hear you found it arousing!

~~~

Annowe waited until Haldir slipped back into unconsciousness before fully examining his wound as thoroughly as she wished. He had suffered a great deal of blood loss and would probably be immobilized for a good week at least. Someone – probably the ranger, she guessed – had cauterized the wound to stop the bleeding and she shuddered at the seared flesh.

A few stray tears fell and she wiped them away and cleared her throat. He would heal in time. Perhaps after a few thousand years there would be no scar left. She hoped so. The thought of his beautiful body being permanently scarred saddened her.

Quietly, she slipped out of the room to search for the bandages, herbs and clean water she knew she would need to speed his healing. She would not leave Helm’s Deep without out him and yet she was desperate to meet up with Legolas again. Haldir had assured her he was safe with the ranger and had given her the extraordinary news that the wizard had returned as well. That eased her mind somewhat – Legolas with a white wizard. But she still wanted to keep an eye on him herself!

Part of her felt a pang of guilt at not helping the shield maidens care for the other wounded but her first concern was Haldir. Once he was taken care of she would do what she could for the others.

Out of curiosity she went to take a closer look at the battlefield and the collapsed wall. It was just as she had seen in her vision and she trembled at the sight. Fortunately, after the battle most of the bodies had been burned so the only reminders of the carnage were the broken weapons and armor that littered the area as well as the lingering smell of blood and death that would permeate the ground for many years to come.

Keeping her eyes open for anything that may be of value in the future to them, Annowe picked her way carefully around the area but could find nothing. She would have to search the fortress for weapons and armor for the two of them when they were ready to leave.

Sighing heavily at the heartache of it all, she made her way back behind the walls and began searching the outlying buildings for herbs, a container could hold a fair amount of water, scraps of fabric to use as bandages and anything else she could scrounge up that might be of use.

She searched until the sun set and she could no longer see then quickly made her way back to Haldir, holding her precious finds close to her. He would soon need his bandage changed and something to eat if he were awake.

Haldir awoke in the darkness and thought for a moment he might be dead but the pain in his shoulder reminded him he was very much alive. He groaned.

“Annowe?” He whispered in the dark. There was no answer. He grunted.

He hated this. Hated it worse than death. He hated to be completely helpless and dependent upon someone else for his care. Even after the wolf attack he could still walk and swing his sword. But now – it was painful for him to even shift around. He was as helpless as a newborn babe and it disgusted him. Where was that infernal naiad, anyway? He grumbled to himself. He wanted her here with him, healing him so they could leave quickly. He did not like these humans.

“Annowe?” He called again more urgently.

Soft footsteps sounded outside the door. A warm glow appeared and grew brighter as he strained to see who it was but the angle of the door prevented it. Then the light grew dim and he exhaled dejectedly thinking it was just a shield maiden passing.

“Haldir? Are you awake?” Annowe asked softly not wishing to disturb him. She kept her tunic partway covering the lantern so the light would not be too bright.

“Yes,” he answered, relaxing slightly at the sound of her voice.

The light became much brighter and he squinted for a moment as she moved forward to place it on a nearby table.

“Good,” she said and leaned over the table, opening her arms to release the small bounty of items she had gleaned.

“What do you have?” He asked curiously. It seemed to him like she had been gone a very long time and he had wondered what she had been doing.

“I went in search of some things I thought we might need,” she said over her shoulder to him as she began organizing the items searching for the herbs she needed. “Fortunately, someone had the foresight to well stock the herbarium.”

“And I found a bucket that is large enough to be used for washing if you’d like. Of course, you can only put one body part in it at a time . . .” She turned slightly to smile at him encouragingly as she began to crush the herbs in a small cup. “But the herbs and the water are good and there are plenty of clean bandages.”

He watched her as she moved closer to him preparing to change his dressing. Did she pity him? He wondered. He could not bear it if she did. Slowly he turned slightly on his side so she could dress the area. He was glad he did not have to see the concern in her eyes. How he wished it were desire there again instead of sympathy. He sighed dejectedly.

Carefully, she removed the old bandage and examined the wound. “This will hurt,” she murmured.

“Yes, I know,” he said. “Seems we’ve done this before.”

Annowe smiled at this. Indeed, it was as if they were back on the plain again. Only this time much had changed between them.

Haldir gritted his teeth as her fingers gently wiped off the dressing and probed his flesh. Fortunately, he was not conscious when the ranger had cauterized the wound but it had hurt like Mordor when he awoke. Legolas had assured him it was the only way to stop the bleeding it had been so severe. He was alive and that was all that mattered, wasn’t it?

“Hmmm,” Annowe murmured, biting her lip as her fingers continued to gently stroke his skin.

“I don’t want to know how this happened,” she said softly after a few moments. “But whatever it was you are one lucky creature.”

“I don’t feel so lucky,” Haldir grumbled darkly.

“You wouldn’t,” she chuckled as she began to gently apply the fresh salve to him. He shivered slightly at her touch but did not reply.

She remained silent as she continued to spread the salve over his wound then carefully secured the bandage in place.

“Stay there,” she ordered, tapping his arm and he could hear her rummaging around on the table.

He could not turn his head to look at her but soon felt her small hands gently smoothing his hair out behind him. He closed his eyes.

“Annowe, please don’t,” he murmured.

“Don’t what? This hair is a tangled mess and it needs to be combed out,” she said brusquely as she began carefully removing his braids. She knew he would hate her for “babying” him but she was compelled to try to ease his pain in any way possible. And his hair did need a good combing. She couldn’t believe that Legolas hadn’t done it for him.

“You don’t need to do this for me,” he frowned. He could not bear this much longer.

She sighed deeply then leaned over him. “Well, maybe I need to do it for me,” she said gently before playfully nipping the tip of his ear.

One steely gray eye studied her unsure if she were simply humoring him or if perhaps she was telling the truth. He reluctantly gave in to her.

“Very well,” he sighed and closed his eyes again. She seemed determined to add insult to injury he was certain of it.

Wordlessly she returned to her task, tenderly combing his hair as he slowly began to relax. The rhythmic motion soothed him and Annowe’s thoughts began to drift as she watched the broken comb pull through his luminous hair. Soon the pain subsided and a peaceful sleep crept over him like a thief.

~~~

When Haldir awoke, the pain in his shoulder was slightly less than before and he was grateful. The lantern had grown dimmer but still cast a warm glow over the room, mingling with the streaks of sunlight that crept in from the hall. Slowly, he turned his head to locate Annowe. The last thing he remembered before sleep overtook him was her combing his hair.

He finally spotted her, curled up in the far corner of the room sleeping peacefully on the floor and covered by an old blanket. He closed his eyes and grunted in disgust at himself and his condition. If only he had listened to her and understood her warning none of this would have happened!

Gritting his teeth in determination, he willed himself to sit up. He was not going to lie there helpless any longer! It was disgraceful! He was The March Warden not some weak elfling or delicate elleth!

Using his good arm, he painfully pushed himself up into a sitting position. His head swam slightly and he took several deep breaths to steady himself as the pain washed over him.

The sound of him stirring immediately awoke Annowe and she rushed to his side, fearing he might try to stand up and hurt himself even worse.

“What are you doing? Are you mad? You’ll hurt yourself even more! Lie back down!” She blustered, gripping his good arm fearfully.

“No,” he breathed. “I will not lie about helpless any longer.”

“Haldir!” She fairly shouted at him. “You’ll make it worse if you get up!”

“I’m not getting up,” he murmured. “I am merely sitting up to make room for you.”

Annowe scowled menacingly at him. “What are you talking about? I am perfectly fine,” she frowned.

“I allowed you to comb my hair to make you feel better. Now lie here beside me and rest. It will make me feel better,” his tone brokered no argument.

She stared at him in amazement then grunted. He was more like her than she cared to admit.

“As you wish,” she said quietly. “It will be a tight fit. Do not hurt yourself. I can always find another bed somewhere else if it bothers you to see me sleep on the floor.”

“No,” he murmured, slowly positioning him self comfortably on his good side. Once he was settled he motioned for her to lie down and move closer to him.

She frowned. She did not like the idea of lying with him for fear that she might hurt him or he might hurt himself as they slept. If he re-opened his wound it would delay their departure that much longer and she was determined to get to Edoras and meet up with Legolas as soon as possible.

“Come, little one,” he beckoned. Reluctantly she obeyed, lying down next to him and felt his hand slide over her hip as the warmth from his body enveloped her. He sighed contentedly. He was in pain but it would soon pass and having her firm bottom pressing against his pelvis with her soft hair against his cheek was better than any medicine he could think of.

He closed his eyes and sighed as she made herself comfortable against him. She was here with him now, safe in his arms. But he knew that could not last. Slowly, he let his hand slide over side, tracing the outline of her waist and hips. How much longer did they have together? He smoothed her hair back from her neck and leaned slightly forward to smell her. He moaned softly as a flood of memories came back to him and his body began to awaken in desire but he did not fight it. There was no need to anymore. He smiled at his arousal, pleased to realize that he wasn’t completely incapacitated.

Gradually, he felt her begin to relax and she snuggled closer to him as she began to drift into sleep. He listened to her breathing and stroked her thigh wondering when he should tell her that he had heard the call to go into the West. He closed his eyes. He did not want to leave her but it must be. He had avoided his fate on the battlements and now it was time for him to return home. His time in middle earth was done.

~~~