Hey everyone, what's going on? I hope that everyone that is still tearing through the school years along with me had good semesters and kicked butt on all your finals. Lord knows I definitely kicked more butt than I was expecting too, which is a fantastical thing to report.

As always, I want to thank each and every one of you who reviewed and continued to review and keep me motivated to write for you guys. I greatly appreciate you all pushing me and bugging me for more chapters, it helps so much!

I also wanted to thank all of you for your well wishes and prayers for me, my family and my grandmother. I know we all experience death in our lives and that we must accept the fact that our loved ones will one day leave us; we all must admit, however, that it does not make their passing easier. All of your thoughts and words meant so much to me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.


§¤-Chapter 8: The Battle of the Hornburg-¤§

After the arrival of the elves, the four companions, the King and his guard, and their new allies moved to the central room of the keep to lay out their plan for battle. Kenzie sat nervously on the sidelines, watching as the men and elves plotted and re-plotted positions, disagreed on some areas, and heartily agreed on others. Time was precious and they all realized it, so the inner battles were few and quickly resolved to a solution that satisfied everyone.

Kenzie bit her lower lip and paced behind the table, stopping every few moments to strain and listen outside. It was so dark now that it would have been pointless to try and see anything from the keep, so she relied on her ears and her gut to help her keep tabs on what was happening outside. Her stomach was a bundle of twists and knots and she felt slightly faint. All in all, however, she wished the whole thing would hurry up and get done with.

As the party behind her began to finalize strategies, the keep became quiet with their almost calm conversations. Kenzie's brow knitted as she stopped her pacing and studied them. It unnerved her how quickly it was all happening and, yet, how it didn't seem to happen quickly enough for her patience. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to tear her eyes away and go back to her pacing.

She was worried. Very worried, that was obvious to everyone and she knew it. But something was not right and the fact that she could not put her finger on it scared her the most. The beginning of the battle was so very close, probably less than an hour away, and yet she could not unravel what it was that made her feel as if she were going to be sick.

Finally, the men and elves had established their plan and were ready to move their men into their places. They all looked up at one another and exchanged one last round of well wishes and grim looks of hope before they turned and filed out of the room. Kenzie slid behind Haldir and Legolas, staring at the older elf's back as they moved out of the inner fortress and began to make their way towards the outer wall.

The noise outside on the battlement was enormous, more so than she had prepared herself for; the sheer difference in level of sound between the keep and here startled Kenzie as she continued on behind Haldir. Men were shouting orders and calling for more reinforcements on their battlement, weapons were clattering together, and the footsteps of moving soldiers were thunderous. Her pace quickened in an effort to keep up with the elf as he strode quickly towards their mark and she felt her heart beat against her chest at a similar pace.

As the company moved by the Rohan soldiers lined up alongside the inner keep's battlement, Kenzie glanced at the faces of them all as she passed. Few were blank and hardened, ready to face the battle and hold their own in the coming storm. Most, however, were scared and confused and doing their best to hide it from those that surrounded them. The young witch licked her lips and found herself trying to do the same.

Haldir must have sensed that she was feeling frightened and overwhelmed because he turned and gave her a small, reassuring smile. She did her best to smile in return, but knew that she was putting forth a weak effort. He nodded then, seeming to understand that even though his effort was appreciated, it would really not help her any. Her heart began to pump faster as they headed out of the main keep and towards the deepening wall.

The company began to climb down the steep stairs slowly and silently, their feet making little noise at all as they continued their trek. Before they had even reached the bottom, Haldir began to issue out orders to his troops, his arm making wide arches as he directed them to where they would stand and battle Saruman's hordes. The smooth, warm flowing movement of his voice afforded her a little comfort, but one that did not last.

When Kenzie's feet finally did reach the ground, she felt someone take hold of her arm and pull her back around the end of the stairs. She knitted her brow in confusion as Legolas pulled her into the natural niche that the rock had created behind the base of the steps. They stayed silent as the rest of the elven soldiers and company quietly marched past and towards their positions.

When they were gone, Legolas took a small breath and gently took her hands in his, "Kenzie," he began softly, looking down at her, "I know that you are frightened and I know that there is something about this battle that does not feel right to you..."

He paused as a few more soldiers scurried down the steps almost silently to join the others on the battlement. Kenzie lowered her gaze as they waited for them to pass and found herself holding her breath. She didn't know what he was about to say to her exactly and it made her almost a little nervous.

Legolas watched the last soldier fade away before looking back to the young witch, his blue eyes filled with concern as they stared into her. He stepped nearer, moving her closer to the rock and their conversation away from any others that might pass. His hands came up and gently went around her upper arms as he looked away from her gaze. He then took another deep breath and his hands slowly started to move down her arms.

Kenzie found that she was still holding her breath as she watched him, his face blank and his eyes downcast. His hands continued down her forearms and then slowly slipped into her own, which were trembling.

"You do not have to stand with us on the outer battlement," he spoke so softly, she had to lean into him to hear him.

She didn't answer at first, allowing his words to sink in. She knew what he was asking her to do and also what he wasn't asking her to do. Kenzie swallowed and looked up to find him studying her again.

"I am not asking you to hide in the caves away from the battle," he started, his hands moving to start their journey back up her arms, "but you do not have to stand on the outer wall. You can lead over the causeway and protect the inner keep while Aragorn and I watch over the deepening wall."

Kenzie pursed her lips slowly, before forcing air into her lungs. She wouldn't deny that he was right; she was scared. But as she picked through what was going through her mind, she found that it really was not the battle that was terrifying her the most. The young witch stood before him, her head bent in thought as she seriously considered what he said.

After a few moments, she looked up and took a deep breath, opening her mouth before she could change her mind.

"I'm staying," she breathed, swallowing hard and keeping his gaze, "Not because I'm trying to prove anything, but because..."

She paused, trying to find the right words to express to him why, "Because it's not the battle that I'm truly scared of."

He searched her face, his eyebrows knitted as his eyes poured over every feature. Finally, his gaze softened and he stepped closer to her, closing what little space there was left between them. One hand slid towards the nape of her neck with a practiced ease and the other fell to her hip as her own hands rested on his waist.

Legolas pulled her towards him slowly, her eyes falling shut as he pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was soft and slow and almost painfully tender. It was neither aggressive nor filled will a fierce passion, but with hope and faith in her, in him, and in what they were about to do. After what felt close to a lifetime, he pulled back and looked at her for a moment before enveloping her in his arms tightly.

"I will look out for you," his whispered into her hair.

Her arms slid up his back and she grasped onto his armor as much as she could in an effort to pull him closer to her. She nodded in response, unable to speak to him.

"Do not be afraid to find me or call for me," he continued softly, his hold on her still tight as she nodded again.

He breathed in deeply and she did the same, the familiar smell that she always found around him filling her head. She pursed her lips tightly and fought back the tears that brimmed on the edge of her eyes.

"Remember to always watch your back and never let down your guard," he instructed, his voice still soft and tender.

This time she could not nod; only bite back the sob lurking in her throat.

"And, no matter what comes this night, remember that I love you," he finished, his voice still just a whisper in her hair.

Kenzie's voice caught in her throat, stuck behind the sob that she had fought so hard to push down. She swallowed with some difficultly, clutching the fabric of his tunic between her fingers, before she finally was able to speak, "I love you," she whispered, her face falling into his shoulder and burying itself there.

As they stood in one another's arms, it occurred to her that this would be the last time that they could find comfort in each other for too many hours to name. She clutched onto him as she listened to the Hornburg become still; as still as a graveyard. For a brief moment, she closed her eyes and didn't think of the battle or the nagging voice in her head or the sickening feeling in her gut.

For only a brief moment, she thought of only herself and Legolas and how, after this long, terrible night, she would be able to find herself in his arms again.

§¤--¤§

It was deathly silent, something that she had not expected. When the bright and numerous torches of the army finally came into view, it was as if time stopped for them all. A hush fell over the elves first as they planted their feet in their battle stances and no longer moved about. Then it moved up the battlement to the soldiers of Rohan; as all of the men's gazes moved out over the field and caught sight of what was moving towards them, they stopped all conversation and stared quietly.

Once they had all become silent, the thunderous sound of the marching finally reached their ears. Kenzie couldn't believe how fast they were moving; like one, mindless black hole, they swept across the terrain that she and the others crossed two days before. Kenzie pulled in a deep breath and took comfort in the sound of the air passing through her lips.

As the Urks moved closer, Gimli began to shift in his spot and as she looked over, she saw that he was straining to see up above the battlement. For several seconds, he twisted and turned in an attempt to try every possible stance he could to see their enemies, but never succeeded.

Finally, he scoffed loudly, looking towards Legolas, "You could have picked a better spot," he grumbled and for the first time in hours, Kenzie felt herself smile slightly.

It was after a few more minutes that she was able to barely pick out the silhouettes of Urks in the front of the line. Her fingers began to twitch and she clenched her palms in an effort to steady her nerves. She heard footsteps sound behind her and looked back to find Aragorn make his way up behind the three. Kenzie gave him a soft, reassuring smile which he returned before looking out towards the horde.

Gimli readjusted his hold on his axe and looked up at the Ranger, "Well, lad," he started, "whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night."

Kenzie shook her head, Way to be optimistic, she thought vaguely as lightening streaked across the inky, black sky and a rolling thunder followed.

Legolas looked back at his friend before he turned his gaze back out towards the Urks, "Your friends are with you, Aragorn," he said confidently, looking down at the dwarf briefly.

"Let's hope they last the night," Gimli retorted quietly, turning back to look at the wall.

Kenzie leaned forward and looked at the dwarf, shaking her head slightly again before she looked back to Aragorn and gave him her own look of confidence that they would last. The Ranger gave her a nod in return, patting Legolas' shoulder before turning back down the line of elves that surrounded them.

Once he was gone, the thunder and lightening echoed and flashed around them again. It was the last warning the skies gave before they opened up and let loose the curtain of rain down upon Helm's Deep. Kenzie let her eyes flutter shut as the rain drops began to patter and clink on the armor of the elves around her. At first, she shivered under the coldness of the water, but then she let it soak in and fill her, soothing away her building tension and untangling her nerves. She pursed her lips and reopened her eyes to find the large mass of Saruman stopped before the wall, waiting.

Aragorn began to yell out in elvish to the soldiers on the deepening wall; they were words that she couldn't understand, but ones of encouragement that she felt douse her fear more. There was a cry from the Urk captain that stood singled out on a large boulder situated in the field and the clattering of the Urks weapons as they became restless.

As time continued to pass and the rain fell heavily, Gimli began to jump up and down in a vain attempt to see what was going on. He was getting anxious for the attack and so was Legolas; Kenzie could feel it. The dwarf scoffed again and turned to the elf, "What's happening out there?!" he asked impatiently, continuing to jump up and down.

"Shall I describe it to you?" Legolas started, smirking as he turned towards his friend with the rain running down his face, "Or would you like me to find you a box?"

Gimli stopped his jumping and glared at the elf for a moment before laughing loudly at the joke. Kenzie couldn't help but let out a small laugh as well and looked to Legolas with a slight smile as the elf turned and smiled at her as well.

But the restless army that stood before them drew her back into the reality of the moment very quickly. She drew in a shaky breath and once again tried to keep her nerves calm as her eyes scanned over the mass. This was it; the battle of Helm's Deep was about to erupt right in front of her eyes.

The leader of the massive army gave out a low, loud gurgling howl that echoed through out the battle field obviously in an attempt to rally the Urks standing below and around him. They cried out in response, beginning to take their long spears and beat them fiercely to the ground. The rhythm they created started slow and began to build steadily; they were trying to scare them, Kenzie knew it, but she refused to let it happen.

As they continued to beat their spears and their armor, Kenzie looked down the line to see Aragorn pull his sword slowly. Once he did this, the Rohan archers up on the far, inner battlements notched arrows and pulled back their strings, taking shaky aims at the hordes below.

The rain continued to pour and the cries and beatings of the Urks only grew louder in response. Kenzie clenched her jaw and waited, praying that the front that she had built up would not fall. Then, suddenly, a soldier on top of the causeway lost his grip on his bow and let his arrow loose. The thin weapon flew true and struck one Urk directly in the neck. The young witch gasped as Aragorn called out to the elves, obviously to keep them steady. She watched as the Urk teetered and fell forward dead.

That was all the disgusting creatures needed to make the first move. As the Urks began to become angry at the action, the leader perched upon the rock called out the charge in his howling voice and Kenzie held her breath as she watched the wall of creatures rush towards the outer wall.

Once the mass began to run towards them, Aragorn called out an order to the elvish troops and Kenzie looked at Legolas out of the corner of her eye as the entire fleet of soldiers around her pulled arrows from their backs and quickly notched them onto their bows. As they waited for the order to fire, she heard Legolas speak in elvish in low tones to the soldiers around them. After a moment, Aragorn gave them the order to fire and Kenzie kept still as she felt the arrows rush past her face.

She watched as masses of the creatures fell under the elves' arrows and let her breath go in relief as they quickly pulled more and continued to fire into the mass, felling more that approached. It was as these elves continued to fire that Aragorn called to the remaining troops behind the wall to take aim. As the collective twang of bows sounded behind her, Kenzie felt as well as heard the rush of air as the arrows whipped over their heads and down into the Urks. Groups of the creatures fell at once, but as the young witch moved her gaze out across the plains she saw that there were far too many left to feel comfortable.

Still, she forced herself to remain calm even though thousands of Urks were rushing the wall and would be upon them at any moment. More arrows were fired but as the horde approached, they too began to fire arrows back and a few of the elves were hit, some falling over the edge of the battlement and into the mass below and back into the area behind the wall.

And then Kenzie watched as paths appeared in the orcs and large ladders were rushed forward. She heard Aragorn calling out and Gimli fidgeting excitedly. Her mind was in a whirlwind and she felt as if she didn't even have anytime to react. The ladders hit the side of the outer wall with Urks already upon them.

In a panic, she flicked her wrists and the Urk coming at her evaporated, the ladder he was perched on teetering and falling backward. Kenzie let out the breath that she was holding, but had no time to congratulate herself. Legolas quickly grabbed her and turned her as another Urk flew at them. The elf used his bow to push him back and looked back to her briefly, "You handle the ladders!" he called, "I shall take care of him."

"Ladders," Kenzie whispered, "Right." And with that, she flicked her wrists and smiled with success as it erupted in flames and fell backwards. Okay, she thought, this I can do. She then quickly raced down the length of the wall, drawing a knife as she slashed at Urks and knocked down ladders.

But it all seemed to no avail; they were coming back up as quickly as she was pushing them down. Still, Kenzie kept fighting and pushing the ladders away from the wall, the cries of elves and Urks echoing in her head as she moved down the wall back towards Legolas.

As she neared her original spot, sweating and out of breath, she spotted Gimli boldly standing on top of the battlement. He was keeping count of the number of Urks he was slashing from the two ladders on either side of him.

When Kenzie reached Legolas again, she rushed in front of him as she flicked her wrists and watched the ladder fall back. Trying to slow her breathing, she looked back to Legolas, whose face was streaked with dirt and possibly Urk blood, "Is he keeping count?" she asked over the chaos, turning and cutting down an Urk.

Legolas gave her a ghost of a smile, "Trying to beat an elf," he answered.

She shook her head and turned back down the wall, knocking down the ladders as she went. As she raced past the many battles between elves and Urks, her eyes moved out into the mass that pressed against the wall. She felt her stomach lurk and shook off the uneasiness as she made herself refocus on her task.

Suddenly, Kenzie barely heard Aragorn yelling over the noise and watched as many of the elves near her turned their bows towards the causeway. They all at once let loose their arrows, striking many of the Urks that were pushing their way towards the heavy, tall wooden doors that led into the keep.

Forgetting the ladders, Kenzie doubled back and pushed herself as fast as she could back towards the others. As she weaved in and around the mass on the wall, something out in the horde below caught her gaze. The young witch looked on in confusion as a lonely Urk raced towards the wall, a bright torch that resembled a giant sparkler clutched high above its head.

As she got closer, she spotted Aragorn, Gimli, and then Legolas. The Ranger was also looking down below, his gaze catching the same Urk that Kenzie had seen. He then looked towards Legolas, shouting to him in elvish and pointing down at the creature. Kenzie's heart fell and she ran faster as Legolas turned from his battle and aimed an arrow down at the Urk.

He let loose, but the arrow only lodged itself in the Urk's shoulder, barley fazing the creature. Aragorn was still yelling ferociously as Legolas quickly pulled another arrow and hastily took aim. He missed again, only hitting the other shoulder. The Urk staggered somewhat, but was close enough to the small opening in the wall to dive.

Kenzie was almost there, "Lego...!" she cried, but the rest drowned away in the massive explosion that followed. First, she felt the wall beneath her feet shake and then she was thrown from the battlement. She landed on the ground hard and barely heard the rocks and rubble bouncing around her as she tried to shield her body.

The young witch groaned and rolled over, feeling as if her head were going to split open from the pain now throbbing in her temples. Her head lolled to the side and she saw Aragorn lying next to her face down. She let out a sigh of relief when he began to stir, shaking his head of the ringing that he was probably hearing and pushing himself up.

Kenzie tried to do much of the same, but scrunched up in pain when she coughed and felt her ribs throb in her chest. Once the Ranger was on his feet, he reached down and hauled the young witch up on to hers. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She nodded a little and went to ask him what in the hell had just happened when a loud cry grabbed her attention. They both looked up, watching in horror as Gimli ran towards the end of the destroyed wall and jumped off and into the mass of Urks now flooding into the gap in the wall.

"Gimli!" Aragorn cried out as he and Kenzie both took two quick steps towards the spot where the dwarf had disappeared.

They stopped quickly as he resurfaced and began to slash and beat the Urks around him. "We have to do something!" Kenzie cried, "Idiot is going to get himself killed!"

Aragorn seemed to agree with this statement; he hastily looked back at the elven soldiers behind them, obviously trying to think of anything to get the dwarf out of his present situation without hurting him.

Suddenly, Gimli was knocked back and down into the pool of water gathering at the breach. Without a second thought, the Ranger pulled Kenzie closer to him and called back to the elves behind them. The young witch didn't dare move as the arrows flew past her and Aragorn, some of them so close, she felt her hair move in their wake.

Tens of the Urks fell instantly and Kenzie and Aragorn took the chance to unsheathe their weapons. Aragorn then called the charge and Kenzie followed him as he rushed down towards the line of Urks moving towards them. The young witch pushed and turned her way through the long spears and sliced at the Urks in her path. She stayed as close to Aragorn as she could; they couldn't afford to be separated now.

As she held her ground against the assault, she barely heard someone crying her name. Cutting down an Urk, she looked around quickly and looked for the source. Then, for some reason, she looked up to what was left of the battlement. "Legolas!" she called, knowing it had to have been him; she hadn't seen the elf since the wall was blown all to hell.

"Kenzie!"

The call was closer this time and the young witch turned her eyes back towards the wall to see him standing near the stairs, battling the Urks that still climbed the ladders onto the battlement. Kenzie raised her arm to get his attention, but stopped short when she felt a thick hand encircle her neck and squeeze.

She gasped and dropped her knives, clawing at the hand as she felt herself being picked up off the ground. Her lungs constricted, burning for air as Kenzie looked up towards Legolas and had a vague sensation of deja vù flash before her eyes.

The moment ended as quickly as it had begun though. Legolas picked up a shield lying forgotten on the stones and tossed it towards the stairs, jumping on to the sliding metal as it careened down the stone stairs. As he went, he pulled arrows from the quiver on his back, took aim, and fired. The first one struck the Urk holding Kenzie, causing the creature to drop her instantly and fall dead.

The young witch fell to the ground, coughing and gasping as she tried to regain a normal breathing pattern. Her hands circled around the knives she had dropped and tightened around the smooth handles when she felt someone take a hold of her shoulder and wrench her up. Using what little strength she had, she whirled around to strike whatever it was that had picked her up.

"Wait, wait!" Legolas cried, blocked the weak blows with his wrist guards, "It is just me, Kenzie!" he said as he pulled her back out of the fight and behind the line of elves that were fighting.

Kenzie continued to struggle for breath as they found a small refuge behind the elven soldiers that were attempting to keep the line of Urks back. She fell to the ground again, still coughing as Legolas turned back and fought off the two Urks that had followed them. Once he had killed them, he grabbed hold of her arm again and pulled her to her feet, "You have to stay on your feet, Ai'er!" he called back to her, pulling arrows from his quiver and firing them into the Urks.

She nodded quickly and forced herself to gain control. She pushed a deep breath down her throat and shook her head, attempting to clear her vision. After a second, Kenzie found herself focused enough to rejoin the fight. The young witch came up beside Legolas, nodding as he turned to make sure that she was all right. Then, gripping her knives, she wandered back into the battle, slicing, slashing, and stabbing at any creature that was close enough.

The sounds of Legolas' bow still echoed behind her as she continued to fight with her knives, not using her powers for fear of hurting those on her side. After a while, she found herself out of breath again and briefly looked towards the wall to see the Urks still pouring in.

It felt as if everything was going all to hell; and the bad part was, she knew it was only going to get worse. Kenzie was getting more tired by the second, slowly and surely. And as she gazed around at those near her, she could easily see that the battle was wearing upon them. Gimli's strained attacks on the Urks easily reached her ears and she turned, frantically trying to place Aragorn and find Legolas again.

Finally, back near the broken wall, she saw Aragorn wearily pushing through and killing Urks. Turning slightly, she could see Legolas pulling his knives from his back after finally running out of arrows. Even he was becoming weary and Kenzie wondered how long they would all last if they kept on like this.

She ran her knife through the Urk in front of her and, for some reason, found herself gazing up at the battlement. Haldir came into view, fighting as hard as they were through the number of Urks that still crawled over the wall. Suddenly, Kenzie moved towards the stairs and fought her way up towards the elf.

"What are you doing?" Haldir asked, his brow knitted as he pushed an Urk over the wall.

Kenzie kicked an Urk back and sliced another's throat, "I thought you could use the help," she answered, finding herself throwing him a smile over her shoulder.

Haldir smiled as well and shook his head as they continued to battle near one another up on the battlement. But the number of Urks was not thinning. If anything, it seemed as if they were growing at an alarming rate. The young witch was certain now that if they stayed out there much longer, they would all die.

Then, as if answering her prayers, she barely heard Théoden's voice ringing out into the deepening wall, calling for Aragorn to bring his forces up into the keep. Kenzie glanced down at the battles below, thankful that the Ranger was taking the King's advice and sounding the retreat, motioning for the soldiers to head towards the keep.

He then looked up towards the wall, "Kenzie! Haldir, nan barad!" he called, knocking down passing Urks and striking them.

Kenzie saw Haldir nod to the Ranger, acknowledging his cries. The elf then turned to Kenzie, "You must get to the keep!" he called, before turning towards his soldiers and calling to them in elvish.

The young witch turned back to strike another Urk that had jumped over the wall and tried to clear the path for more elves to head towards the keep. She then turned as Haldir called out again and moved to follow him down the stairs. He lashed out at a passing Urk and was starting to pull his blade from the creature when he was struck.

Kenzie's eyes went wide, "NO!" she cried, rushing towards him.

Her cry must have caught Aragorn's attention, for when a second Urk came towards the elf and struck him from behind, the Ranger called out and rushed towards the stairs. But Kenzie beat him. She cried out in anger as she killed the Urk who had struck Haldir last and then fell to the dying elf's side as he teetered on his knees.

"No," she whispered, trying to keep him sitting up, "Haldir..."

She watched as his eyes slowly gazed around the keep, falling on the many bodies of Urks and elves. He then briefly looked at her and she could see the light fading from his eyes. She shook her head again, racking her brain for any way to save him. And then, as Aragorn came up to his other side, Haldir fell back in the Ranger's arms and was gone.

Kenzie felt her breath leave her and her heart clinch. Haldir, dead. She could barely believe it and had no time to react. Before she knew it, Aragorn was pulling her to her feet as more Urks rushed towards them.

"Grab the ladder!" he commanded, latching onto the ladder that some Urk had put up on the inner side of the wall to bypass the stairs.

The young witch followed suit and they both pushed off from the wall down towards the Urks below. Just before they reached the ground, Aragorn sprang from the ladder down onto a large group of Urks following the elven soldiers up towards the keep's courtyard. Kenzie hesitated, but as the ladder drew closer to the ground she had no other choice and jumped towards several Urks that were charging Aragorn.

They cushioned her fall, but only barely. She groaned as her body screamed out in protest to the battering it was under going. She struggled to get on her feet, pressing down into the Urks to make sure they weren't getting back up any time soon.

Once she was up on her feet, the Ranger pushed her in front of him as he turned back to cut down a few Urks that were following them up the back stairs. Kenzie pushed herself to race up the stairs as fast as she could behind the remaining elven soldiers. Finally, they reached the backside of the Hornburg's courtyard, a few elven soldiers slamming the large wooden door shut behind them.

Aragorn quickly helped the elves to brace the door as the Urks immediately began to pound and try to beat their way through the thick wood. Out of breath and exhausted, Kenzie fell back on the stairs, feeling her grief for Haldir begin to quickly snake its way into her chest.

As she pulled herself up into a sitting position, Aragorn turned from the door and looked upon her with tired eyes, his chest heaving from the battle. That was when she felt the tears brim and spill from the edge of her eyes and she turned her head away, quickly wiping them from her cheeks. The elves began to make their way up the stairs towards the keep for protection and to offer their bows and arrows to the continuing battle.

The Ranger gently helped Kenzie to her feet and guided her up the stairs; their heavy breathing the only sounds they shared and the echoes of Urks banging on the door behind them. They reached the top of the stairwell after a few moments and Kenzie found Legolas rushing towards her. He pulled her arm around his neck, encouraging her to lean her weight against him.

"What happened?" he asked quickly, looking from her to Aragorn.

Kenzie sniffled and gratefully leaned into him, "Haldir...," she trailed off and lowered her head, not having enough courage to continue on.

Legolas' eyes went wide with disbelief as he looked up towards Aragorn for conformation. The Ranger gulped and nodded sadly before heading further in the keep to see how Théoden and his men were fairing. When he was gone, Legolas pulled Kenzie up and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

She heaved a shaky breath, closing her eyes as she tried to block out the sounds of the battle and keep the images of Haldir's death from flashing in front of her eyes. Another friend had been killed before her. Another death; one of many that the night had already claimed and one that would certainly not be the last.


That's not all of what I'm posting...