"Easy Elrohir," Elladan said to his brother as he eased him down to lay against a tree. His twin was holding his shoulder close to him as he settled down and moaned a bit. They were hunting a small group of orcs but they got overwhelmed as the orcs got reinforcements. They managed to escape but both of them feared that they were going to be hunted down by the party.

"I think we have a few moments, stay still. I'll remove the arrow," Elladan said to Elrohir who gave a slow blink in reply. Elladan took a breath and looked at the arrow checking the wound first just as his father taught him. He wrapped a cloth around the shaft and gave a quick tug. Elrohir held in his gasp of pain as Elladan applied pressure onto the wound. He winced and used his free hand to grasp his brother's arm and hold it. 

"We'll be fine, once I get the bleeding stopped we'll get moving and find a good place to stop for the night," Elladan said. 

"Right," Elrohir replied a bit uneasily. His eyes then widened and he tackled his brother as another arrow shot from the trees and hit where they just where. Elrohir rolled off his brother allowing him to sit up and see one of the orcs that attacked them. Elladan glared daggers and drew his sword as he stood up. He was ready to slay this foul creature, he charged forward managed to dodge the attack of another arrow. As the orc fumbled to notch another arrow he cut it down where it stood. Yet, he froze as he looked up there where another group of orcs there. 

He looked quickly back at his twin who was slowly sitting back up and pulling out a small dagger. He turned back to the other orcs and moved into a defensive position. However, before he moved a cloaked figure dropped down from the trees right in the middle of the orcs. Two swords gleamed in their hands as they instantly danced across the ground cutting down the enemy. The orcs did not stand a sliver of a chance against this one opponent. Within moments all the orcs standing there were laying on the ground. Their blood staining the freshly fallen snow. The warrior slid their swords into their scabbards and started to walk away. 

"Wait!" Elladan called causing them to pause for a moment. "My brother and I need help, he was shot by one of those arrows and I need a spot where I could heal him. Is your camp near here? Can you help us?" 

They stood there silently before turning walking right past Elladan and over to Elrohir. They dropped down in front of him and checked the bleeding wound, all the while remaining quiet. They stood up and picked up the orcish arrow and looked it over carefully. "Poisoned." They finally said. "Your skills and supplies are not enough. Come." They then headed into the trees before they had a chance to say a word. Elladan helped his brother up and started leading him after their savior. Who's voice was slightly raspy, low, and cold but feminine. 

 "Can we trust them?" Elrohir asked as they moved.  

"We don't have much of a choice. Besides, they are right. Orcs normally poison their weapons." He replied with bitterness in his voice at the end of the sentence. Elrohir gave a bit of a nod and leaned into his brother as they moved along. They walked through the frozen treelines and over a frozen lake. Then into a deeper grove of trees which right at the end of in a large clearing sat a small cabin. 

The brothers followed as she walked up to it and over to a man who was gathering wood from a small area in front of the house. He looked up and raised an eyebrow as he saw the group. "Well, look you are still alive. How are you nín mellon?" 

"Orcish arrow," She said pointing over her shoulder at Elrohir. She then headed inside without another word. He just stood there for a moment before he said, "Gee, I am fine Hessa. It's good to see you too, I haven't been doing much. I just got back a few months ago, seems you are well."

He then looked over at the two brothers and gave a sigh. "Alright. Follow me inside, I am Narndir." He said as he led them up the stairs and into the main room of his home. The room contained the livingroom and the kitchen. There was two doors in a small hallway on either side of the hall. He brought them down the hall and brought them into one of the rooms. 

"Sorry about Hessa she's not very social and isn't good at explaining things." He said to the two as he brought them into the room. "Lay him there," He said as he pointed to the bed in the side of the room. 

Elladan nodded and laid Elrohir down on the bed. "My father is Elrond, he taught me a lot so I can help my brother," Elladan said. 

"No offense to your father, I am sure he has taught you well but it's not enough time to learn everything you have to know." He replied as he grabbed a few things from the table which was covered in herbs and jars with liquid. He then went over to Elrohir who started to moan as the poison started to get to him. 

"Easy there," he said as he knelt down by Elrohir and Elladan. "Help sit him up a bit and have him drink this." 

"Alright," He said as he took the small cup from him. He sat Elrohir up and helped him drink the liquid that had what looked like a few herbs in it. Elrohir coughed after he swallowed and made a face. "What is that stuff?" He asked. 

"It's a mixture of different liquids and smashed herbs and a few spices. It's been so long and I just operated without thinking about preparing these things. So I can't begin to say what's in them now," Narndir said. 

The twins chuckled as Elrohir laid back down and relaxed. Narndir smiled and looked at the wound and started to clean and bandage it. He put some herbs on the wounds onto the open part of the skin. He wrapped then a clean bandage around the wound. "There you go, it'll take me a few hours but I can make the proper medicine for the poison." He said. 

"Thank you," Elladan said as he watched his twin relax more and start to fall asleep. He looked back at Narndir who was at the table moving things around and working calmly with not a care. His father was always tense and focused when preparing medicine but this guy was as calm as anything. 

"Narndir?" Elladan asked. 

"Yes?" He asked as he continued to work. 

"You are very calm while doing this and I do not want to be rude but how are you so calm?" Elladan asked. 

"I have been doing this for a long time," Narndir replied.

"So has my father," Elladan replied. 

"Yes, he is a good healer but no offense I have done this for a lot longer." He said. "A whole lot longer." 

"Really?" Elladan asked. "How old are you?" 

"Me? Way too old," He answered with a laugh. "Let's just say I saw part of the beginning and at the way I am going I'll see the very end." 

"The beginning?" Elladan asked. "What do you mean?" 

"Oh. I was good friends with Imin, Tata, and Enel." He said pausing to turn and look at him. He chuckled as he saw Elladan's eyes widen. 

"You mean the very first elves?!" Elladan asked in shock. 

"I told you I was too old. Yet, yes I knew the first elves," Narndir replied with a smirk. He turned back to his work as Elladan turned back to look over Elrohir. His twin had fallen asleep so he had not heard the story that Narndir told him Yet, he was going to tell him all about it later. 

"Okay. I have to let this sit for a while before I finish this," Narndir said as he cut into Elladan's thinking. "You should rest up too and if you get hungry please help yourself to anything you can find." 

"Oh. Thank you but I am fine," Elladan said. 

"Alright. Need anything just ask," He said as he cleaned his hands and walked out. Elladan nodded and turned back to his brother. 

~~~

In the other room, Narndir knelt down by Hessa and said, "Alright. Where is your wound?" 

"I am fine," She replied shortly pulling the cloak closer around herself. Her white hair hiding half her face. Narndir sighed and rolled his eyes, "Come on Hes I need to look over your wound. I know you have one I can hear you hissing more than normal." 

"Just a small cut on my arm," She said adjusting the cloak for him to see. "It's nothing." 

Narndir looked over her arm and said, "Yeah...but I still want to get a bandage on it." 

She made no reply as he took out a bandage and wrapped it around her arm. Once he finished he sat back and smiled. "Looks like you still have a bit of that heart, you helped those boys." He said. 

"They needed it. I leave them with you now," She said standing up. 

"Going to hunt more orcs?" He asked. 

"Those creatures do not deserve to live," She replied coldly. 

"You need to rest sometime when has the last time you stopped?" Narndir asked. "I haven't seen you for ages and now that I do you drop an two elves on me. I help them gladly but I also want to help you. So come on Ilmaiel, stay here for just a few days and rest." 

"My name is Hessa. Do not say that name again," She said coldly. 

"Fine. Hessa, just sit down and rest for a bit." Narndir said standing up and put a hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and looked away from him to the floor. 

"Alright. Three days," She said. 

"Good," Nerndir said as he had her sit back down. He gave her a nod and walked back to the kitchen. As he started to cook Hessa leaned back against the wall. Her hair still over her face as she looked over to the far wall. As she stared at the wall her emotions softened a bit as she sat there. Her memories drifted back to a softer time when her world wasn't so cold. She almost smiled as she remembered an old life. 

~~~

Elrohir woke up as he got a pat on his shoulder and when he opened his eyes. Nerndir stood there holding a steaming cup. "Here. It'll help the poison leave your system." He said. 

"Oh. Thank you," Elrohir said as he took the cup and took a sip. 

"I added some honey to help with the taste," He said. 

"Yeah. It tastes much better, my father uses that trick," Elrohir replied. 

"It's a trick that all healers use. Now if you don't mind, I have a question for you." Nerndir said. 

"Yes? What is it?" He asked. 

"Why were you out in these woods all alone?" Nerndir asked. 

"We were hunting orcs," Elrohir replied a bit bitterly. Nerndir nodded and leaned back against the table. He looked at the bitterness in his eye and looked over Elladan who was curled up asleep by the bed his twin was in. 

"They took someone close to you?" He then asked gently. 

"Yeah...how did you know?" Elrohir asked.

"I know that look very well," Nerndir replied with a soft look. 

"My brother told me that you are pretty old," He said. 

"That's right," Nerndir said with a light laugh with a smile. "I am pretty old, look, that anger will hurt you in the long run. The anger will hurt you more then you realize. You need to breathe and relax." 

"You did not see what they did to my mother!" Elrohir answered angrily. 

"I saw a lot more then you realize," He said. "Death and torture. It's not new to me or to the warrior in the other room. I have said this speech to many times then I care to count but if you let anger and bitterness control your life. You will find yourself lost to it, you can chase down those orcs to keep others safe. Yet, if you just do for revenge you will get yourself killed." 

"He's right," Hessa said who appeared at the door. "I am a hypocrite for saying this but you should listen to him." 

"I can't let go for what they did to her," Elrohir said. 

Hessa looked at Nerndir and sighed she stepped up and moved the hair from her face and Elrohir's eyes widened. The eye there was a golden color, the sclera was black and the skin around there was deformed and discolored. It was a strange contrast to see half her face normal and the other half looking like it belonged to an orc. "I know what they do. I know how those miserable creatures came to be,"  She said her voice icy cold. 

"Orcs were creatures that Morgoth made, he captured elves and tortured them. Forming them into those creatures. She escaped before it became full, so if anyone knows about hating them it's her." Nerndir said. 

"I have sworn myself to hunt down the orcs and destroy every last one. I have been killing them for ages and life isn't good but it's the life I live. I recommend that you listen to him, his advice has made things easier for me." She said. "So, take his advice. He has some good ones at times. Now. I have to go...I wish you well." 

"Bye Ilmaiel," Nerndir said. Hessa winced and glared at him before she turned and left the room. He just smiled and said, "I'll be seeing her around. So, you should be better in about a few days. So, rest up and think about what I said." 

"Alright...what happened is a lot to take in but...thank you." He said. "Also, if Hessa is still here, tell her I said thank you." 

"Of course, now rest up," Nerndir said as he left the room. Once in the main room, he walked to here Hessa was gathering her stuff up. 

"He wanted me to thank you." He said. 

"I heard," She said. "It's been a long time since someone thanked me." 

"It also has been a while since someone told you how lovely you still look." He said. 

"Lovely?" She scoffed. She moved her hair and gestured to her face. "How is this pretty?" 

"Come on, Ilmaiel, you are and will always be just as your name says. A daughter of starlight." He said. 

"Yet, my name is Hessa, which means dead and withered." She replied. 

Nerndir moved her hair away and put his hand on the side of her face. "You still look like starlight to me." He said. 

She moved her hand up and moved his hand away. "Thank you but not yet but thank you. I still have some orcs to hunt down around here. Yet, when I am done I will visite you. I forgot how nice it was to have a friend." 

"Yeah. See you around Hessa," He said. 

She just gave a nod and headed out of the house. Nerndir smiled as he closed the door and chuckled. Funny how a seemingly unrelated thing will help that that warrior become calmer. He just chuckled and shook his head as he sat down. Yes, amazing how helping others you often find that you also rescue yourself.