Disclaimer: I don't own them. -pouts-

A/N: Sorry for the wait! School and friends take up quite a bit of my time. Well, for all of you who are reading this: REVIEW! You don't have to be a member, so come out from hiding in the shadows and make me happy by reviewing!

Chapter 4- Questions

Legolas stood up from his kneeling position, wiping his tear-streaked face. Without a word, the wood elf walked away so he could be alone.

Éowyn began to follow after Legolas in hopes of offering him a bit of friendly comfort, though she knew not what she could say to help. However, Aragorn stopped her from going.

"He needs to be alone," the ranger replied. Éowyn felt she could argue with Aragorn no longer, so she obeyed his wish.

"My Lord," she began, following him as he walked back to the fortress, "those elves, why did they come? Yes they were needed, but who sent them? My uncle did not send word for their aid, so who did?"

Aragorn turned to face Éowyn. "Lord Elrond of Rivendell knew that the people of Rohan would need help, so he told the Lady of the Wood, and she sent them."

"Lord Elrond?" Éowyn repeated, frowning in confusion. "How did Lord Elrond know that we at Helm's Deep would need help? He is in Rivendell!"

"As Haldir, the leader of the elves that came to this battle, said, 'I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell: An alliance once existed between elves and men. We come to honor that allegiance.' Lord Elrond fought alongside with many elves and men in the great battle long ago, and he called upon the Lady of the Wood to send those elves because even though we are of a different race, if we unite together, we will be victorious in the end," Aragorn looked at Éowyn, and seeing that she was still slightly confused, he continued talking.

"Lord Elrond was my father, and he knew of the task that we, the Fellowship, were burdened with. He knew that we were going to fight at Helm's Deep, so he sent word to Lothlórien."

"How can Lord Elrond be your father?" inquired Éowyn. "He is an elf-lord, and you are a ranger from the North, a mortal man."

Aragorn then turned back towards the fortress and called over his shoulder, "Come with me." He then led Éowyn to a place where she could ask him all the questions she wanted.

The two humans walked up to the second level of the fortress to a place where they could view everything and talk about anything. On the way up, Aragorn and Éowyn crossed paths with Gimli.

"Aragorn, Lady Éowyn, have either of you seen Legolas since the battle ended? I have yet to tell him how many Uruks I felled to my ax," the Dwarf said, fingering his prized weapon.

"Yes, we have seen him, Gimli," answered Aragorn, "he is down on the fields, grieving for his kin."

"Poor laddie. Well, how does he fare physically?" Gimli asked eagerly.

"He has two broken ribs, but he will be fine," replied Aragorn.

"That blasted Elf," blurted Gimli. "He can't be in a mere battle without getting injured!" Gimli then sighed and walked down the flight of stairs to find his pointy-eared friend.

As the Dwarf strutted down the steps, both Aragorn and Éowyn heard Gimli muttering about things like, "Stupid Elf... never listens... ax is better than bow...". The two humans smiled and continued to the second level.

"This will do," said Aragorn as he sat down next to the stone wall that overlooked the fortress, the battlefield, and the plains of Rohan.

Éowyn did not sit down, but walked over and leaned on the wall to look down at the battlefield.

"There was so much death in this battle," she whispered. "I cannot wait until this is all over, and Middle-earth will be free from the Dark Lord's evil."

Aragorn pulled out his pipe and began smoking. "What makes you think the people of Middle-earth will defeat all of Sauron's forces?"

"Because you said that Lord Elrond said that if we unite together, we will be victorious in the end," Éowyn turned to face Aragorn. "Do you not have any hope?"

"Of course I do," stated Aragorn, letting a puff of smoke escape his lips. "That is what my elven name is, Estel."

"Estel?" Éowyn repeated with a little difficulty. "So Estel means 'hope'?"

"Yes," answered Aragorn. "Everyone in Rivendell called me by that name when I was a child."

"You lived in Rivendell?" inquired Éowyn, amazement in her voice.

"When my father died, my mother brought me to Rivendell. Lord Elrond raised me as one of his own."

"Who was your father?" asked Éowyn. She was beginning to like this tale.

Aragorn paused, not sure if he wanted Éowyn to know about him being the heir to the throne of Gondor. Well, she will find out someday soon, whether I become king or not, he thought. "My father was Arathorn."

"Arathorn?" Éowyn recognized the name, but she couldn't place it. Then it dawned on her. "You are Aragorn, Son of Arathorn; Isildur's heir. You are the rightful King of Gondor!" She exclaimed. Aragorn nodded slightly in response.

Éowyn suddenly bowed in respect, but Aragorn quickly pulled her up. "No Éowyn, you should treat me no different. I am not king yet," he said, meeting her gaze. "But even if I do become king, my friends should treat me no different."

"As you wish," replied Éowyn, standing back up. She then looked back down at the battlefield, her eyes catching sight of Gimli. When she saw the dwarf had spotted his elf-friend, she laughed at the sight; Gimli was running towards Legolas with all the speed he could muster. But when Legolas saw the dwarf charging towards him, he backed away, afraid that Gimli would not be able to stop himself. Aragorn, too, walked over and looked down at his comrades and smiled.

"How long have those two been friends?" asked Éowyn, smiling at the sight below her. Gimli had managed to stop himself a few feet short of running into Legolas, and then Éowyn could hear the dwarf's loud rambling and bragging.

"When we first set out from Rivendell, the two would bicker at each other because of their different races and their pasts," began Aragorn. "And they still bicker, but it is in a friendly manner now, a sort of game."

"So what made them forget their differences?" inquired Éowyn, glancing at Aragorn.

"They started getting friendlier in Moria, of all places," chuckled Aragorn. "I think it was because Legolas was not in his cheerful mood, being separated from the beauty of nature, so Gimli took advantage of the situation by making himself feel superior to Legolas."

Just then, Théoden King approached Aragorn.

"Forgive me for interrupting," he began, facing Aragorn and glancing at his niece, "but we need you in the healing wing."

"I will be there shortly," replied Aragorn, as Théoden turned and headed for the healing wing.

"There are so many things I have wondered about elves," sighed Éowyn. "Will you tell me more about them later?"

"As soon as I have time," answered Aragorn. "But perhaps you could ask Legolas to answer your many questions. He could answer them better than I," he added as he walked away.

Éowyn turned and looked back down to Legolas and Gimli. The two were chatting happily but Legolas looked a little sad. Either he is still saddened about the elves from Lothlórien, she thought, or he has killed less uruks than Gimli. Éowyn smiled to herself and walked away.

Well, what did ya think? This chapter may not be very good. Heck, to you this story may not be very good, but let me know what you think! Sorry it's been a while since I've last updated, but I had a three day weekend, so I spent time with friends and family. Please review, and if you review, I will give you a BIG imaginary hug! REVIEW!

Arodiel