I know. It's been two months. Sorry. Real Life has been a real b*tch lately and won't stop. My grand-father's health is getting worse. I've been trying to spend a lot of time with him, in between my studies, and helping my grandmother. We nearly lost him three days ago. It was an awefull afternoon/night, and I was alone with my grand-mother for two hours until my godmother arrived. And I was the one who had to call my dad, who was three hours away, that he had to come because his father might not have long to live. My grandfather is a bit better right now, but could die at anymoment. Between the cancer and the renal failure, it's kind of a race as to who will get him first. On the plus side, the whole family was with him saturday evening, and everybody got to say his/her goodbye. So yeah. It's been a crappy couple of months. I wasn't planning on writing anything but maybe an author not until after everything was done, but after Saturday I had to do something to get my mind on something else than his imminent death. So there you go. It's not very long, and I can't promise anything as to when the next chapter will be out.

Sorry...

They had nearly reached the doors of the Hall when Aragorn quite literally ran into Legolas.

"You are late" the elf stated, looking him in the eyes, an imperceptible movement in Ithilwen's direction. The young woman didn't notice it, but her brother did and he heard the reproach in his friend's voice.

Then the elf smiled as he looked him over.

"You look terrible" he said in the common tongue.

Aragorn startled, taken aback by the aloof remark, before chuckling and giving the elf a one armed hug.

"You might want this back" Legolas said quietly, handing him the Evenstar.

"Hamon le" (Thank you)

Aragorn quieted at that, reaching for the pendant with a grateful smile, while his sister saw, from the corner of her eye, the aborted movement of Eowyn, who looked like she had been ready to run up to them until she saw the pendant. Her face fell as she stopped and contended herself with watching them from afar, and Hermione promised herself to have Aragorn talk to her as soon as this mess was over. But for now they needed to talk to Theoden.

"A great host, you say?" Theoden asked

Aragorn nodded. "All Isengard is emptied"

"How many? "

The answer to that question, however, shocked the King.

"Ten thousand strong at least"

"Ten thousand?!"

"It is an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of men. They will be here by nightfall." The Dunadan confirmed.

"Let them come" The King declared, his face set. "Rohan will not bow to the White Hand!"

Ithilwen watched from the shadows as the people of Rohan prepared for battles. Her heart broke when she saw young boys, barely old enough to ride a horse, being taken from their weeping mothers and equipped with whatever weapon they could find. There weren't enough soldiers, and even with the new additions to their forces, they would be badly outnumbered when facing the army that was coming for them. She dearly hoped that Gandalf would come through with his plan, and that he would manage to get Eomer and his men to Helm's Deep in time. Otherwise there would be nothing for them to return to.

They needed help, and they needed allies, badly. But where would they get them?

Deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice that she had followed the King and her friends outside until she started hearing the beginning of an argument.

Apparently, Gimli had felt it necessary to point out the differences between Uruk-haïs and normal orcs to the King, with his usual lack of subtility, which had, of course, angered the King.

"I have fought many wars, Master dwarf!" Theoden growled. "I know how to defend my own keep!"

Not for the first time, the Dunadan Princess found herself cursing the fact that so few women ever decided to take charge in times of crises. It would have been so much easier than dealing with testosterone-filled males. And, of course, it only got worse.

"They will break upon this fortress like water on rock!" The Horse-Master declared proudly as they walked on top of the walls. "Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn – we've seen it before! Crops can be re-sown, homes re-built. Within these walls... we will outlast them!"

"They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages!" Her brother protested. "They come to destroy its people! Down to the last child!"

"Be quiet Estel!" she snapped, noticing the worried looks the soldiers were sending them.

But Theoden was already replying, his voice a harsh whisper: "What would you have me do? Look at my men! Their courage hangs by a thread! If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance!"

"Send out riders, my lord!" Aragorn tried again, ignoring the glares she was sending him. "You must call for aid!"

She actually agreed with her brother on that point, but he should have used another way to tell the King about it. He seemed to forget that he wasn't yet the King of Gondor, and that even as such he would not have the right to order another monarch around like he was trying to do right now.

"And who will come? Elves? Dwarves?" Theoden asked, voice filled with sarcasm. "We are not so lucky in our friends as you! The old alliances are dead!"

"Gondor will answer!" Aragorn declared, and if it wasn't so ill-timed she would have congratulated him for actually showing faith in their people.

"Gondor? Where was Gondor when the West-fold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed around us?" The King snapped. "Where was Gon…" he shook his head before speaking again, his voice weary and tired. "No my lord Aragorn. We are alone."

As the King walked away, Ithilwen grabbed her brother by the ear and dragged him away to a secluded part of the fortress..

"You and I are going to have a little chat, brother of mine" she growled in elvish. "You made good points, but you really need to work on the manner in which you transmit them to people who are technically your superiors! You might be the rightful King of Gondor and Anor, Onooro, but you seem to forget that Theoden has been King of Rohan for forty years! He has something that you cruelly lack: experience! You might be used to ordering a group of Dunedains around, but Theoden has been taking care of an entire country for decades! He thinks about things you are not yet used to thinking about! Right now, your little ego-fight has sown unrest and worry inside our men. They already doubt our chances of victory in this battle; do not make our odds worse by confirming their fears! Next time, try using your brain before letting your pride get the better of you! You are a great general and leader, Estel, but you are not the one these soldiers should obey! Do not contest Theoden's authority in front of his men ever again, do you hear me? He is a great King, and will listen to advice if it is worded as such and not as an order!"

She paused to take a breath and looked at her brother. He looked taken aback, but also slightly ashamed, which meant that her message had gone through.

"You are a great man, brother, and one day you will be a great King. But for now, please try to work with Theoden instead of against him. We do not need a mutiny inside our troops right now!"

He nodded.

"I am sorry, Thelig…"

"I told you once and I will tell you again, Estel, I am not the one you need to apologize to."

An hour later, as the soldiers were hurrying the women and children into the caves, and after Aragorn apologized to the King, they were joined by Gimli and Legolas, the latter of whom who was, rather unsuccessfully, trying to get them both to rest for a while.

"You are no use to us half-exhausted!" The elf said exasperatedly. "Aragorn, you nearly died and then rode to Helm's Deep without a pause! Ithilwen, you exhausted yourself putting these wards up! You need to rest! Both of you!"

She was about to reply when Eowyn's voice interrupted the conversation. The Shield-Maiden of Rohan was running towards them, her face angry.

"I am to be sent with the women into the caves!" She told them, eyes boring into Aragorn's as if begging him to change that.

But neither Ithilwen, nor her brother had any intention of going against Theoden's wishes when his niece was concerned.

"That is an honorable charge." He told her simply.

"To mind the children, to find food and bedding when the men return! What renown is there in that?" The young woman spat.

"My Lady, there may come a time for valor without renown. Who then will your people look to in the last defense?" The Dunadan tried to reason her, to no avail.

"Let me stand at your side!" she begged him.

"It is not in my power to command it" Aragorn refused again, turning to walk away.

But Eowyn would not be stopped.

"You do not command the others to stay!" She cried out. "They fight beside you because they would not be parted from you! Because they love you!" With a start, she realized what she had just said and was about to run away when Ithilwen's voice rang out, rooting her into place.

"We are no subjects of Theoden King, Eowyn Theodwynsdaughter. He cannot command us. You are however subject to his laws, and it is not in our right to go against your King's orders. Stop this childish behavior right now before you bring shame upon your name. You are a daughter of Kings, one of the last of Thengel's line. Should you brother and uncle die, it would be your turn to take on the crown and lead your people to safety. It is both an honor and a heavy duty you have to fulfill, not something you can throw away because you would rather fight and prove your valor! The King does not send you away because he doubts your prowess as a warrior; he is sending you away because he trusts you to be strong enough to do your duty to your people, Shield-Maiden of Rohan!"

Her words had cut through the air, her voice grim and stern, and the blonde woman could do nothing but listen.

"We fight because it is our duty to do so. We fight because our people can't. We do not fight for honor or glory. These cannot be found in war. We fight because we have to. My brother and I fight in Gondor's stead, for despite what your uncle might think the old alliances are not yet dead. Gimli stands for the dwarves, Legolas for the elves. We will fight to give your people a chance to survive, but they will need a strong leader to do that. We will do our duty, but we need you to do yours – can you do that, Shield-Maiden?"

Stunned and ashamed, the young woman nodded.

"Good. Then go and take your place. Hadrian will be joining you soon to take care of any injured."

Eowyn ran away.

"That was… harsh" Aragorn noted.

"But necessary. Her heart is in the right place, but she needs to realize that others depend on her."

The others nodded and they made their way to the armory.

The view that greeted them there was, at least to Ithilwen, heartbreaking. Children and old men, most of them trembling with fear, waiting in line to get whatever weapon was available… Most of them would not survive the night.

"Farmers, ferriers, stable boys. These are no soldiers." Her brother whispered.

"Most have seen too many winters" Gimli nodded somberly.

"Or too few" Legolas muttered angrily. "Look at them. They're frightened. You can see it in their eyes."

His voice had risen slightly, and heads were turning in their directions. Once again, Ithilwen cursed her luck. Legolas was usually level-headed, and knew what such words could do to their soldiers' moral, but the ambient despair was getting to him. Elves were accurately attuned to emotions, and it was the men's worries that were coming out of his mouth.

He continued to rant, this time in elvish – thank the Valars for small favors, at least it would keep the would-be soldiers from understanding what he was saying.

"And they should be! Three hundred... against ten thousand!"

"They have a better chance at defending themselves here than at Edoras…" Aragorn tried, having obviously learned his lesson from his sister's lecture.

"Aragorn... they cannot win this fight! They are all going to die!" The elf snapped.

"Then I shall die as one of them!" Aragorn yelled, switching back to the common tongue.

"Put yourself together, Legolas son of Thranduil!" Ithilwen's voice reasoned inside the armory, causing every head to turn in her direction. "It is not you that is speaking here, it is the worry and the fear that we all feel, deep down! But fear is not always a bad thing! Fear is what allows courage to rise! For what is courage if not being afraid of something and doing it anyway? I am scared, we all are. But the instant the enemy is at our door, that fear will be swallowed by courage and determination! For tonight we fight for our people! For tonight we fight for those who cannot! And maybe we will die tonight, but if we do it will be with our head held high and the corpses of our enemy at our feet, after buying enough time for the women and children to flee! For Rohan!"

A clamor rose from the crowd at her speech, a new determination shining on their faces. The Dunadan turned around sharply and left the room without a single glance at Legolas, her brother running after her. The elf made to follow them, but Gimli stopped him.

"Let them be. For now. We will see them soon enough."

They had barely left the armory that Hermione stumbled, her eyes glazing over as her brother hurried to her side.

The King, being dressed in his armor by Gammling. His face ashen and stern at the same time.

"Who am I, Gammling?"

"You are our King, Sire." Gammling, good old and reliable Gammling. A better second one could barely hope for – except maybe for Eomer.

"And do you trust your King?"

"Your men, my lord, will follow you to whatever end"

And they would. Rohirrims were loyal above all else, and they trusted their King to lead them either to victory or, should defeat be inevitable, to make their deaths meaningful and honorable. Such was their nature.

"To whatever end…"

Images flew by – orcs marching towards Helm's Deep, children crying in the caves, an old man getting a spear, a young boy being fitted for a helmet – as the King went on, his voice strangely calm, as if far away.

"Where is the horse and the rider?"

Frodo and Sam and Gollum and Faramir and a lake and fish

"Where is the horn that was blowing?"

The Horn of Gondor, broken in two, washing up on Osgiliath's shores, being found by Faramir.

" They have passed like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow."

Faramir's roar of pain and anger and despair as he holds the broken Horn tightly to his chest, tears rolling down his cheek. Boromir, he thinks, Boromir is dead. But he isn't, not yet.

"The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow."

Gandalf, riding alone, as fast as Shadowfax could run.

" How did it come to this?"

A group of hooded people, about two hundred of them, marching in their directions. A wisp of blond hair escaping from under their leader's hood. Allies?

As she returned to her senses, Ithilwen found herself whispering the words she had just heard her friend say.

"Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow…"

At her brother's worried look, she smiled weakly.

"Frodo and Sam are alive" she told him. "Gollum still travels with them though, and it worries me… They have been found by the Rangers of Ithilien, Faramir has them for now… "

"Anything else?"

"Faramir thinks his brother is dead… I will have to find a way to tell him otherwise… I saw a group, maybe two hundred strong, they are marching to Helms Deep. They will be there before the orcs."

"Allies?"

"I think. They wore hooded cloaks, but their leader's hair was blond. Do you think…"

"Maybe. Galadriel has her mirror and Elrond has his own visions. They might have… Let's not get our hopes up too much. I suppose we will know soon enough. Will you be alright?"

"Yes. It shouldn't happen in battle, so I will be fine." She assured him, though she did consent to sitting down for a while.

Night was upon them already. All around them, men were sharpening their weapons, fastening pieces of old armor together so that they might protect them even a little. Somewhere to their left, Ithilwen spotted a young boy she recognized. Before she could call out to him, Aragorn beat her to it.

"Give me your sword" he asked the young boy who, though startled, hurriedly obeyed.

"What is your name?" the Heir of Isildur asked as he took the sword.

"Haleth" the boy began. "Son of Hama, my lord."

Hamma. The scout who had been the first casualty in the ambush. A man she had known for years. She had not been present for Haleth's birth, but had seen the boy when he was four. That would make him twelve.

"The men are saying, we will not live out the night" The sheer resignation and fear in the teenagers voice could be heard by all. "They say that it is hopeless"

"It is not them, but their fear that is talking" Ithilwen said calmly. "This is but the calm before the storm, the hour in which everything might seem hopeless. But once the battle begins, nothing is certain anymore. Once the battle begins, once we start to fight, the true valor of Rohan will shine through. Rohan is strong, Haleth son of Hamma. You are strong too, though you might not believe my words yet. But I knew your father well, and I know you will make him proud tonight, no matter what will happen."

Her words seemed to have risen his spirits somewhat. Aragorn stood up, testing the sword before handing it back to the young boy.

"This is a good sword, Haleth son of Hamma" he told him, putting an arm on his shoulder.

"There is always hope" he added softly, before letting the child go.

As the battle grow nearer and nearer, the Dunedain went to get prepared. Ithilwen replaced her deep blue long-sleeved shirt with a leather one that would protect her better. She did not like mail shirts, for she thought they hampered her movements too much, but she knew she would need some added layer of protection tonight. The grey plastron, a gift from the Valars, would be more than enough to protect her torso. She also put on some legs and armguards that had once belonged to Theodwyn when she had been her age, before joining her brother who was finishing getting ready. She entered the room just as Legolas was handing him his sword.

"We have trusted you this far and you have not led us astray" the elf was saying. "Forgive me. I was wrong to despair."

"There is nothing to forgive, Legolas" Ithilwen assured him as she went to briefly hug him. "It was not your despair talking"

They were interrupted by the sound of shuffling chainmail from behind them. They turned around to see Gimli muttering in his beard.

"If I had time I would get this adjusted!" He complained, allowing the bottom of his chainmail shirt to fall, showing that it was way too big for him. "It's a little tight across the chest!"

That last sentence had them all chuckling, in spite of the circumstances.

Aragorn was about to say something when a horn was heard.

"That is no orc horn!" Legolas said.

"Not it isn't" Ithilwen confirmed, a bright smile dawning upon her face as she grabbed her sword and staff before running out of the room. "It is the Horn of Lorièn!"

She arrived in front of the doors at the exact same time as the King and Luna, the latter of whom had been tasked with guarding the former in case of a magical attack, just in time to see the arrival of the hooded people from her vision – led, as she had guessed when the horn had first sounded, by her friend Haldir.

Said elf stopped and bowed in front of Theoden King.

"How… how is this possible?" the King stuttered, not quite trusting his eyes.

"I bring word" the elf started after bowing to Ithilwen, "from Elrond of Rivendell and from the Lady of the Golden Woods. An alliance once existed between elves and men. Long ago we fought, and died, together. "

He was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps as Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli arrived. A faint smirk was visible on the elf's face as he turned to face them.

"We've come to honor that allegiance."

"Mae Govannen, Haldir!" Aragorn greeted as he ran down the stairs towards the elves.

Much to the latter's surprise, he grabbed the elven general in a quick hug.

"You are most welcome!" the Dunadan added as he let his friend go.

Haldir quickly greeted Legolas, before turning to face Theoden again.

"We are proud to fight alongside men once more" He said solemnly.

Of course, his dramatic moment was king of ruined when Ithilwen decided that she had waited long enough and went to hug him tightly… in front of his men.

Said elves maintained an impassible face, but many of them were chuckling inside. They had known the Dunadan for years, and given that Haldir had been the one tasked with her care whenever she came to Lorièn, that sort of greeting was expected, despite the tense situation they were in.

"It is good to see you, Haldir" she whispered as she held him tightly. "Tell your men to close their empathy as much as they can – there is a lot of fear and despair here, though your arrival has probably chased most of it away.."

The elf nodded as she let him go before barking a command.

As she watched the elves take their positions on top of the walls, Ithilwen couldn't help the smile that was still plastered upon her face. The future didn't seem so grim now.

The old allegiance had been honored and renewed. Hope burned bright again.

Deep inside her, an old rhyme that she knew by heart started to sing again.

All that is gold does not glitter;

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither;

Deep roots are not reached by the frost;

From the ashes a fire shall be woken;

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed will be the Blade that was Broken;

And the crownless again shall be King...

Response to the Reviews:

Desi-Pari Always: Loved that part too! And here comes Haldir, though you will still have to wait for the battle scene, sorry :/

Blade Draco: Thanks! I just couldn't see Ithilwen reacting calmly to his return... and given that she slapped Gandalf, Aragorn is lucky he was injured, exhausted and on a horse. She would have done much much worse if he had been on solid ground...

LeonaMasha:
Hermione/Legolas: going slow... but it has started at least xD! Though in this chapter they fought a bit...
Istari/immortality: to be truthful, I don't even remember if they were immortal or not in the books... I leant them to a friend of mine two years ago, and she lives in another country... But I think they kind of are. I mean they can be killed (Case in point, Saruman - both in the books and in the movies), but they don't really seem to age... or to die of old age at least. I don't know yet what will happen with Legolas and Hermione. I mean he's immortal, and she, as a dunadan, already had a long life span. Wizards in HP also seem to leave a long time... and now she's an Istar... I think she will be immortal, but both she and Legolas will probably leave for the Undying lands after Aragorn's death...
Eowyn: ... I have problems with her character. I mean I like what she represents (strong woman) but at the same time... well you saw in this chapter. She wants to follow Aragorn, and forgets that she has duties to her people that should come first... And I still have to have someone tell her that Aragorn's engaged xD That's gonna be one akward conversation... Things will get better for her later on...
The battle... will be next chapter, sorry!

Thanks to everybody who reviewed, and once again sorry for the wait...