Author's Note: So, I'm posting this and sadly, it may be the last post for a while. I start school tomorrow. It is only a half day for orientation so, I might be able to post another chapter, but then after that, I can not gaurentee anything. I don't know about how much homework I will be recieving and stuff like that. Though, when I get a chance, I will edit and try to post more chapters. It's a scary thought that I start school tomorrow when half my grade will be made up of a town that merges with us, and I only know two people from there. Additionally, I have all honors and the only person I know who had 5 classes with me is my friend's boyfriend who constantly makes sexual passes at me.... fun right? My friend isn't well, curvy and I am so, her boyfriend is trying to "get the best of both worlds"- his words not mine. Sadly, my friend is so infatuated with him that she doesn't even notice these things. Also, she will be going to a different school so, I have a feeling that this year wil be very awkward.

So, I've been thinking about writing a Harry Potter fanfiction next, but I need to decide on a pairing. I was thinking that it would either be Fred/Hermione or Draco/Hermione. If anyone has an opinion, I'll gladly listen to it, of if you have any suggestions for a book or movie, or show for me to write about, I'd be glad to hear about that too. I'm always looking for new material to write about. I might end up writing a short drabble/ one shot about well, who knows? It all depends on my free time though.

One of the many joys of a fanfiction writer is the actual writing, but we also enjoy reading reviews so, please leave a review, it will make me very happy, and there may be a virtual cookie involved.... ;)

CHAPTER 21

Days had passed since Pippin and Gandalf departed, yet there was still no word from Minas Tirith. Legolas, Gimli, Théoden, Éomer, Éowyn, some riders of Rohan, and I stood in the main hall. We were studying a detailed map of middle earth. If the forces of Mordor and Isengard were to attack then we would be in trouble, assuming that Saurman was able to rebuild his forces, which I desperately hoped he had not been able to do. Although, it was highly unlikely that he had inface been able to remake his forces. The damage we did was far too extensive to repair. We heard a comotion from outside and our heads jerked up as Aragorn burst forth into the hall.

"The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!" Aragorn cried.

We stood, not even daring to draw a breath as we awaited King Théoden's response. "And Rohan will answer!" he declared. "Muster the Rohirrim!" I let out a sharp breath of relief. Good, at least now we would have more forces to fight. Perhaps this time we would fare better than we had before. We had a fighting chance now.

We prepared to leave quickly. Legolas was fussing over me, worrying about me and the child. It seemed that in our time here, the child within me had grown greatly. My stomach had swollen to almost an impossible size. I felt like a whale, a very large whale at that. I knew that this was part of Galadriel's prediction, otherwise I would not be this far along in my pregnancy. I could only hope that this sped up cycle would not have any effects on my child. If so, I did not know what I would do. I could not bear to let anything happen to my baby. I hoped that the final battle would not take place to soon. Though, I felt that I was no where near ready to give birth. Legolas and I constantly wondered- what if there was something wrong with it because of the timing? Galadriel would have surely forewarned us of something like that though. For now all I could do was hope. Legolas, sensing my distress, embraced me.

"You are not the only one who worries about the child meleth nîn. He or she has been growing quickly though. It seems such a short time ago that your stomach was barely noticeable. Now it expands more every day. I do not worry about problems with it after the birth. It seems that the child is growing within the time frame of the final battle. Please do not worry yourself too much," Legolas said. His words consoled me, and I believed what he said to be true. His words made much sense. Especially what he said about our child's growth. Now, I just worried about what Galadriel had said about a long, difficult, and painful labor. I hoped that the labor would not kill me, leaving evil to rule the world.

At last, Éomer sat on his horse, leading a large group of soldiers. "Now is the hour!" he yelled. "Riders of Rohan! Oaths you have taken, now fulfill them all! For lord and land!"

With a great cry, we rode for Dunharrow, where we would meet several other armies. From there, it had been decided that I would ride to Minas Tirith, seeking protection before the war started. Legolas insisted on this, for he worried that we would arrive after the battle began, leaving me in labor, while riding a horse into battle, which would not be a good thing. I agreed with Legolas. Now that our child was at risk, what we wanted for ourselves did not matter. We were going to be parents and our baby had to come first otherwise we did not deserve to even be called parents.

When we finally arrived to the encampment full of warriors and neighing horses, I laid down to rest for a time. I would be leaving before nightfall. This was decided by Legolas, Aragorn, and Éowyn. Ten riders would be accompanying me, including Éowyn, who longed to fight despite the fact that she was a woman. I told her that as soon as I was safely in Minas Tirith, I would "misplace" her and she would be free to join the others in the fight. She had smiled and thanked me, hugging me tightly, careful not to hug me too tightly though.

Legolas and Éomer were standing together, talking, when Legolas observed, "The horses are restless and the Men are quiet."

"They grow nervous in the shadow of the mountain," Éomer said.

Gimli, who had been listening to their conversation, walked up and gestured to a large mountain pass that was not far away. "That road there, where does it lead?" he asked suspiciously.

"It is the road to the Dimholt," Legolas answered, "the door under the mountain."

"None who venture there ever return," Éomer added grimly.

Finally, it was nearing the time when I was set to depart from the encampment. I could have sworn that in the few days it had taken to ride and gather the soldiers, my stomach had grown even larger. It now appeared as if I had inserted a large, oddly circular watermelon under my tunic. I was nervous to leave. What if something happened and Legolas did not return to me? What if he completely missed the birth of our firstborn child? What if he was so distracted by the thought of his child being born that he was killed? What was I doing, leaving him? Why could he not stay with me? I knew the answer though, he had to fight in order for evil to be destroyed. I wished that I knew for certain that he would be alright.

I searched through our encampment to find him. He was standing with Aragorn and Gimli, saddling their horses. It seemed that they were preparing to ride into the mountain. I shuddered and hoped that that was not the case. I'd heard tales of the mountain from Éowyn, who waited patiently by a tent nearby, and they scared me to the bone. My distress became even greater, thinking of this. As if telling me not to worry, my baby kicked me. I smiled. This was the first time it had done something besides shifting its position. That little kick gave me the strength to leave my fiancé. I was doing the right thing, and now I knew it, no matter how hard it was for me to leave Legolas. I placed my hand gently on my large belly. Walking was harder now. Actually, it was more of a waddle, which Gimli had teased me for earlier. Although, both Aragorn and Legolas had nearly bitten his head off for that particular comment, afterwards, Legolas assured me that I was perfect and it was only to be expected, while Aragorn glowered at anyone who dared to look at me in an odd way.

When I was closer to them, Aragorn said, "Jasmine, are you leaving now?" Legolas turned around, and upon seeing me, started fussing like a mother hen. It was quite amusing really, and had I not been so worried, I would have laughed at Legolas and possibly mocked him.

"You should not have walked here. I see how tired you are. You could have sent for us. I would have come. What about our child? Is he or she alright?" he asked, fawning over me.

"Our child is fine Legolas. I do not mind walking, although it takes me slightly longer to reach my destination than it did before," I said, smiling.

"I shall walk back to your horse with you, after you say goodbye to everyone else, of course," Legolas said.

"In that case, I shall meet you where we tied the horses. I would like to say goodbye to some of my friends as well," Éowyn said. I nodded and she disappeared behind a tent.

"I shall miss you Jasmine," Aragorn said, hugging me rather awkwardly, what with my stomach. "Legolas told me of Lady Galadriel's vision. Do not worry, we will keep our eyes out for Legolas and good will prevail. All you need worry about is your child."

"Goodbye Jasmine. I'll see you soon," Gimli said. I laughed at his gruffness and kissed his forehead.

"Goodbye Gimli, goodbye Aragorn," I said. I realized I had forgotten to ask them something as they turned to leave. "Wait! I saw you saddling your horses. What is going on? Are you riding into the mountains?"

"We are," Legolas said, tentatively.

"Why?! Surely you've heard the stories about them? What could you possibly do there?" I asked, nervous.

"Calm down Jasmine, it's not good for you or the child," Legolas said.

"Don't you tell me to calm down when I've been informed that my fiancé and dearest friends are riding into the mountains, where no one ever returns from!" I retorted, struggling to calm myself.

"We must. The men of the mountain, or rather ghosts, could help us much in this battle. If Aragorn gets them to agree to help us, we would have a great advantage. They could kill orcs, but not be slain themselves. Please trust us," Aragorn replied, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Fine, do as you wish, but if you do not return, so help me, I will bring you back from the dead only to kill you again for leaving me," I said.

"I do not doubt that in the slightest," laughed Legolas. "Do not fear Jasmine, we will be fine. I told you once that it would take much more than a man, dead or alive, to part me from you."

"Fine," I said again. "We should go. Éowyn is probably waiting for me."

Legolas nodded and took my arm to escort me to my horse. In my fear and anger, I had almost forgotten to tell Legolas that our child had kicked for the first time. "Legolas!" I exclaimed.

"What is it Jasmine? What's wrong?" he asked, panicking at my sudden outburst.

"Nothing is wrong, but I forgot tfo tell you something. The most amazing thing happened while Éowyn and I were walking to find you," I said.

"Really, and what might that be my love?" Legolas asked. I had sparked his curiosity.

"Legolas," I said, "our baby kicked." Legolas stared at me in shock, his face slowly breaking into a smile. "Here, give me your hand, you can feel it." I took his hand in mine and guided it to the place on my belly where I had felt the kick earlier. We waited. Nothing happened.

"It seems that he or she has fallen asleep," Legolas said, trying to hide his disappointment. Just as he was about to remove his hand, I felt a tentative nudge from the baby then, a strong, and rather painful kick. I winced slightly. Legolas noticed, but the grin on his face could not be diminished. "Jasmine, that truly is amazing. I pray that your labor will not be too painful. I promise to do my best to be with you before our child is born."

"I hope you will be. Having you there will give me much strength indeed," I said.

"Goodbye my love, when I see you again, we shall be parents, a scary thought, that is," Legolas said, kissing me passionately. His tongue slid into my mouth. It tasted of bread and wine. I sighed as we broke apart. He knelt down and kissed my stomach whispering to the child that lay within me. Then, he kissed me once more and helped me onto my horse. I could not help but let my tears flow freely as my guards and I departed for Minas Tirith.