Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own any of the character, places, names, or anything associated with the works of J.R.R Tolkien or the Lord of the Rings (books or movie, whatever). My characters are Anita, Leila, and Arlandria and that is all.

Chapter 48: Somewhere

Anita's perception of the universe altered for a few short minutes as her consciousness had a break with reality. It was a very strange out-of-body experience to be seeing the situation from a third person's point of view…to the girl, it was what a fly that had stuck around to feast on the bodies of the deceased after the battle would see if it were hanging on one of the pillars by the Hall doors. Time slowed down to a crawl, every move and expression around her was accentuated by the seconds being stretched to the length of minutes. She could see herself standing atop the stairs, strands of her black hair having escaped from her ponytail flying around her face like a deranged halo. In her minds eyes she could see the toll the battle had taken on her body, her clothes were filthy; covered in muck ranging from blood and body matter to dirt and mud from the fortress. Exhaustion was evident on her like a second skin. Behind her stood Aragorn, arguably the only person in Helm's Deep that look more battle ragged than she did. The ranger had a tight latch on her arm that was doing little to help him pull Ani into the Hall, the girl was doing her best to remain behind. The man looked desperate to say the least as he eyed the advancing swarm of enemies.

In the courtyard at the bottom of the stairs stood Glorfindel, feet planted firmly with his sword at the ready. His long blonde hair whipped about his head in the slight winds that blew down off the mountains. While his head never moved, his blue eyes darted about him assessing every threat. In those eyes Anita had seen a lot of emotion; disappointment at her antics, sternness usually that came as the result of her antics, that glint of laughter that could occasionally be brought about by her antics, even sometimes respect but only when she cut out her antics. She had even seen caring once, not like a man cares for a woman but the kind of protective expression one would expect from…well…a father. Now all that was in those eyes was an intense kind of rage, perfectly controlled to be harnessed and unleashed on his enemies. Swirling all around the ancient elf that had taught her everything she knew about how to wield a weapon were enemy soldiers of Isengard. Uruk- Hai. And Glorfindel stood alone among them. They were everywhere she could see; coming from the walls, the walkways, they were coming up the stairs… In just a short time it would be even too late for her to move inside the Hall. They were so close now, the danger of having her head cut off by an orc blade was a real and immediately present danger.

Her teacher glanced back at her over her shoulder, it was a look that lasted less than a second, but in that short time Anita saw an expression on her teacher's face that shook her very soul. Forgiveness. Unrestrained forgiveness mixed with love. Just as suddenly as she saw it, they were gone again, covered by that steely resound of what he had chosen to do. And he turned away from her to face his certain death. And in this strange out of body experience, Anita could watch as the full weight of what was about to happen struck her like a ton of bricks right to the skull. She was going to lose him, here and now, to the eternal folds of death. Slowly she watched her own face, not yet greatly adept at Elvish stoicism, morph into a mask of horror. One firm tug on her arm from Aragorn upset the girl's balance, and the strange experience shattered around her like a million glass pieces. Her eyes, however, never left her teacher as time resumed its normal flow, sounds around her returned to their full crescendo, and the Uruks moved toward her and the Ranger with death in their eyes.

She screamed.

The sound tore from her lips without any semblance of control, filling the space around them as it echoed in the confined area. Aragorn grasped her other arm and dragged her shrieking form across the stone tiles to the open door of the Hall where the other soldiers where already inside, the door poised to slam shut. Not that Anita registered any of her surroundings anymore, not that she saw the Uruks advancing on her with their blades at the ready. She had tunnel vision, and the only thing she saw was Glorfindel standing alone…where she had left him.

"No! Noo! Glo!" Her voice returned to her control and she was able to form words and she started to struggle fiercely against the man that was holding her arms and pulling her inside. Ani didn't even recognize the voice that was coming out of her throat, she knew that it was her screaming, but the sound that filled her ears were the wails of a wild banshee. She just kept repeating herself, half the time screaming his name and other half of the time just screaming while she tried to free herself from Aragorn's iron clad grip. Despite her constant struggling, the man was able to pull her far enough inside that the doors could be shut, and slam shut they did with a foreboding and decisive thunk. She didn't know at what point she had started crying but her face was wet with tear stains, and a sob was starting to work its way into her shrieks. With one heavy wretch of her hand, she freed her right arm and swung blindly behind her; her fingers curled into claws as she felt her nails bite into flesh, and then she was free. She couldn't leave him behind to die out there alone; it was the all-consuming thought that bore down on her. She had to get back out there, she had to save him. Anita had only taken a handful of running steps toward the closed door before she was tackled from behind, her knees and hands heavily slamming into the ground catching her weight.

"No, please, no!" Ani's voice was choking with a sob and starting to go hoarse from all the screaming she had just done, "Please no, we can't leave him out there!" But she was incapacitated there on her knees, with someone's arms wrapped around her from behind to prevent her from rising and running for it again. She reached up and clamped her dirty blood splattered hands over her mouth to quiet the sounds of her sobbing. A soothing voice was whispering in her ears words she couldn't understand but somehow were working to calm her frayed nerves and fast beating heart. The fight went out of her all at once, and she stopped struggling against whoever was holding her. Part of her brain, the part that was probably more Elf than anything, was chiding her and demanding that she pull herself together. After a few moments the sobs stopped and her body no longer shook with the force of her crying, her hands slowly dropped to her sides away from her mouth. . As her conscience was more than happy to point out, there were still sounds of a battle raging outside and she needed to be on her game…there would be time to grieve for Glorfindel later. The arms that had been pinning her in place unwrapped from around her torso, and Anita turned to see who had been holding her. Legolas' face was filled with a mixture of sorrow and sympathy as he remained kneeling beside her, somewhere inside the girl had known it must have been the prince that had tackled her; no one else would have been fast enough to catch her once she started running.

"I'm okay," she whispered dryly, her throat parched and sore, answering the unasked question in Legolas' eyes. He hesitated to leave her alone in her current state, but there was a far more pressing matter of barricading the door which the men needed help with. Limply, Ani waved him away to go and help the others while she remained sitting on the floor. Guilt has burrowed into her gut and multiplied, leaving her feeling quite nauseous; the threat of vomiting was still present. She had left him, left him, out there to die alone, a horrible painful death on the edge of an Uruk-Hai blade. Nausea bubbled up again and the girl leaned all the way forward so her head rested on the cool stone floor. All around her she could hear furniture being rearranged and dragged across the stone as the soldiers around her desperately tried to fortify the only means of defense they still had. The orcs were pounding fiercely against the wooden doors that stood between them, but even Anita knew the doors would hold until they brought up the big battering ram that had been used to smash open the front gate.

Slowly the spasm in her gut subsided and Ani was able to sit up without worrying about throwing up. The strength to sit up however came much slower, the feeling of defeat dragging her down. Just because she could sit up didn't mean she had to sit up, she could remain on the floor curled up and wait for her inevitable defeat right? That line of thinking didn't make it too far in her own mind. After everything she had survived up until this point, how could she be so willing to just give up to the enemy? The girl refused to accept defeat that easily. If the armies of Isengard wanted to storm the Keep and kill every inhabitant of Rohan hiding in here they could do it over her cold dead corpse. Somewhere on the other side of the door in all the clamor was the Uruk whose blade had delivered the death blow to her mentor, her dearest friend, her protector…she owed that Uruk the taste of her blade. Anita clenched her fists and forced herself not only to sit but to stand up, the desire for revenge filling her with strength.

"The fortress is taken, "The king's despondent voice was barely audible over the sounds of the orcs trying to get in through the door which was heavily barricaded with every piece of furniture in the room. "It is over."

"Are you being fucking serious?" Anita wasn't proud of the huskiness of her voice that betrayed the fact she had been crying not but a few moments ago. But at least she had managed to pull herself together and find the will to see this fight through to the very end.

"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it," Aragorn's tone was nothing if not accusatory as he helped Legolas collect another table to secure the door with, "They still defend it. They have died defending it!"

The sound of the battering ram crashing into the door made Anita jump. For the second time in just a few hours the elleth was left to ponder the reality that stuff like this would never have happened in Tucson. She wouldn't be holed up in a room waiting to be slaughtered, there wouldn't be some Dark Lord who was the driving force behind taking over the world. She shook her dark head fiercely, right now she needed to be focused on the present circumstances.

Aragorn turned his focus to a more important topic, the citizens of Rohan who could not fight for themselves. "Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" When he was met with silence from the King he asked the question a little more forcefully. "Is there no other way?"

The king again remained silent when asked the question. A scraggly soldier that Ani had seen at the king's side periodically throughout the night though had found his voice. "There is one passage, it leads into the mountains….but they will not get too far the Uruks are too many."

"Does anyone know this passage through the mountains?"

"Lady Eowyn knows this path, my lord." Anita didn't know the name of the blonde bearded man who was functioning as the kings second in command right now, and it struck her as a little sad that they were going to die together in this room and she didn't even know his name.

"Anita," Aragorn's voice snapped her out of her own thoughts as the Ranger came to stand in front of her. "You must lead them to safety. Seek out Lady Eowyn and make haste through the mountains."

As the man spoke, Legolas had come over to join their conversation, the three of them standing together in a sort of triangle. Aragorn turned to look at the elven prince as he spoke looking for support for his plan, which Legolas gave by way of a subtle head nod. Even before the dark haired man had finished speaking Ani was shaking her head back and forth to show her displeasure. "No," she said flatly. "Absolutely not."

"Someone must lead them out."

Aragorn was being practical, and somewhere inside Anita knew that he was being very pragmatic about the situation. Of course someone needed to lead the women and children to safety, and of course it would have to be someone capable of fighting any unforeseen foes they may encounter on the road. But the girl would be damned if she committed the same sin twice in one night. Taking a step toward Legolas she lowered her voice and pleaded with her eyes as she spoke, "I can't, I won't leave you here. I already left Glorfindel to die I will not leave you here too. You can't make me." In her heart Ani knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she fled, sacrificing her mentor AND her lover in the same night because she didn't stand and fight.

"Ani," Legolas' face was unreadable to the girl except for the look of determination in his set jaw, "You must go."

"Why?! Because I'm a girl? Because I…" She never got to finish her rant or make her point about gender equality as Legolas placed his hands on her face and covered her lips with his, effectively cutting her argument short. Anita was almost so thrown off by the not socially acceptable by Elvish standards display of affection that she nearly didn't return the favor. Nearly. The elleth wove her slim fingers into Legolas' fine blonde locks and returned the kiss with equal fever. The kiss was passionate and desperate at the same time, and the two elves pulled each other close and held on as tightly as they could, afraid to let go and surrender the other to whatever fate had waiting for them. When the prince finally pulled back, he rested his head against Anita's forehead, his hands still on the side of her face and her fingers still gripping his hair. They remained standing like this for a long moment in their own world, not noticing and not caring if anyone around them saw the intimate embrace.

"You will go because I love you, and I cannot abide the thought of losing you to death tonight." Legolas continued the conversation as he held her shaking frame. "Lead them to Gondor, you will be safe there. Run, and do not look back. I will find you." His last statement was barely more than a whisper, only meant for her ears to hear. The sudden and public outpouring of tenderness and caring made tears spring to the girl's eyes, and she couldn't help but wonder what she had done to deserve the love of such a man. Riding on the coat-tails of that thought though was a far more serious question; was she really going to leave him here just like she had left Glo? Yes, yes she was. She was going to accept her duty and lead the women and children to a safe place as the men stayed behind to face the threat knocking at the door. And at some point she as going to have to learn to be okay with her decision. "Go."

The two broke their embrace simultaneously, and Anita turned to look at Aragorn and the scraggly blonde soldier who both were staring at her expectantly. She gave one nod of her head and the soldier turned to lead her to a back stairwell which would grant her access to the caves. As the girl followed him out of the hall she retrieved a discarded sword from the stone floor to bring with her. Hastily the duo made their way through the back halls until they arrived at a narrow stairwell that had been carved into the mountain, leading down into the caves below. If Ani hadn't been present to take on the responsibility lain before her, she didn't know who else would have been able to do it. The staircase was a tight fit even for her, and she was far slimmer than any man or Uruk. Add in the armor and it would have been almost impossible for anyone to successfully climb down the stairs. With a deep breath Anita stepped into the narrow corridor and began to descend into the caves, a very pronounced sensation of claustrophobia creeping up in her as she went. Above her she could hear something heavy being dragged to block the entrance at the top of the stairs.

It was a very dark climb down; the only light was at the bottom of the stairs, filtering in through the caves. Thankfully Ani's eyes could see well enough in the darkness due to her Elven heritage, and she navigated as quickly as she could to her destination. Before she reached the bottom entrance that would lead to the caves where the women and children hid, the girl came to a stop mid-step. Resting one hand against the damp rock wall for stability she took four deep controlled breathes to steady her frayed nerves. Closing her eyes, Anita forced thoughts of Glorfindel and Legolas to the back of her mind and locked them in a little box where they would have to remain for an extended period of time. She had a task to complete, she had been trusted with the safety of Rohan's citizens, and she could not afford to be distracted by her own personal losses. When the elleth was certain that she was both mentally and emotionally prepared for the duty she had accepted she finished walking down the steps and entered the cavern. Torch light reflected off of thousands of glittering rocks in the floor and the ceiling, even in the rocky formations reaching from the ground to the top of the cave. The effect was dazzling, and the girl would have taken a few moments to really appreciate the sight before her if death wasn't trailing on her heels. As it was, as soon as he entered the cavern hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to look at her; fear hung in the air so thickly it was palpable.

"I am looking for Lady Eowyn." Ani was internally glad that her voice came out steady and strong, filling the cave.

A pale woman with a willowy build stepped forward, her cascading blonde hair pulled back from her freckled face. "I am Eowyn." Anita gave her a quick once over with her eyes. Eowyn gave off the air of confidence, her shoulders squared back and her chin held high. The elf realized that this woman in front of her couldn't be that much different in age from herself, she certainly wasn't a day older. Young and competent, Ani could work with that.

"We need to take these people through the mountains and head for Gondor. Do you know how to use one of these?" Fear and shock registered on the human woman's face for a whole of two seconds before she looked at the sword that Anita had extended towards her. Eowyn took the hilt of the extra sword that Ani had picked up and stared at the blade that glinted in the torchlight. The elf had no doubt about what the human was thinking, because it was a similar thought to one she had herself not but ten minutes ago; how did it come to this? Her moment of silent contemplation over, Eowyn raised her eyes to meet Ani's gaze and nodded her head firmly.

"How badly have they faired?" The woman was trying to keep her voice a whisper so their conversation wouldn't be heard by those nearby. Anita didn't answer except to shake her head slightly. It wasn't good, but she feared saying so out loud because she didn't want to start a panic. Turning to face the curious onlookers, Eowyn raised her voice to be heard above the chatter of the women. "My friends, we must leave this place. Bring nothing save for your water. If the children cannot walk, carry them; if the elderly struggle the strong should assist them. We must make haste."

The quiet whispers and chatter around them exploded into a cacophonous assault on the ears as everyone began asking questions and demanding answers. Eowyn didn't heed a single one of them, she simply began walking through the crowd with purpose to the back of the cave, sword in hand and grabbing a torch when she passed one. Anita followed the woman's lead and fell into step behind the Lady of Rohan, and despite their fear so did everyone else in the cave. Like a wave they all moved together behind the woman, the cloud of fear hovering over the crowd as they walked. Anita's sharp ears could pick out voices behind her, half the woman asking questions about who she was and why she was here; it wasn't hard to tell she was an outsider. The blonde gene was really strong in this country, Ani had observed the second she had stepped into the glittering caves, her onyx hair stuck out like a weed in a rose garden.

The tunnel before them rapidly narrowed and grew dark except for the few spheres of light that the sparse torches the women carrying them offered. "You lead them on, I'll hang back and watch our flank." Anita didn't wait for Eowyn to acknowledge her command before she stopped in her tracks and waited for the people to pass her by. They were moving too slowly the elleth had come to realize, and if any Uruks made it past the men upstairs then someone was going to need to be at the ready so the women of Rohan didn't get mowed down. It wasn't realistic to demand that everyone move faster, many of the people where elderly and even more were too young to keep up the grueling pace that would ensure safety. When the last woman holding her baby walked past Ani, the girl drew her sword and followed behind, one ear cocked back to listen for sounds of enemies. They walked in near silence for an inconclusive period of time; in the dark tunnel Anita had no accurate way to track the passage of time, until a cry went up from the front of the group. The elf was immediately on alert as more shouts were heard, until she understood that they were shouts of joy and relief. Up ahead the girl was barely able to detect the faintest of lights….daylight. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding; at least they had successfully made it out of the caves and into the mountain passages. Which brought another problem to mind; Legolas had told her to go to Gondor, and while Ani had a vague idea of how the two countries fit together, she didn't have the first clue in what direction she needed to head to get to the White City.

Stepping out of the tunnel and into the pale gray light of early morning filled the elf with relief, and based on the sense of jubilation surrounding her, she wasn't the only one who thought so. It was very short lived though. No sooner had Anita exited the cave than her ear picked up a sound coming from behind them, still deep in the cave but coming towards them fast. The elleth spun to face whatever was coming towards them, both hands on her sword as she dropped into a defensive crouch. Someone or even something was running at them based on the sound of rapid footfalls, but Ani could only detect the sound of one something coming at her. She wasn't fooled; orcs were like cockroaches, where there was one, there was always more. Her arm tensed to strike the assailant as soon as it left the safety of the narrow cave.

"Victory!" Came the distorted cry from within the echoing stone walls and Anita faltered in her grip of the sword. The voice had sounded eerily human, that didn't mean she dropped her stance. From the darkness burst a man dressed in the garb of Rohan, green with golden horses emblazoned on the chest, and Anita needed to check her blow so she didn't take the man's head off. The tip of her sword clanked off the rocky floor beneath her as the two stared at each other in surprise.

"What did you say?" Ani didn't even bother to address the fact that she had nearly decapitated the man, that's what he got for not declaring himself as friend or foe when he could clearly see her standing in the daylight holding a sword.

"My lady, we claim victory this morning." The soldier was panting heavily after his run to catch up to them and then his near brush with death just a second ago.

"You are sure?"

"The Uruks were slaughtered with the rising of the run, those who survived fled." She didn't wait for any other reaction, she didn't need any more details, she didn't even need to hear the whole story from this man's mouth. She needed to see it for herself. The girl could hear excited whispers and cheers going up from the women behind her as word of victory washed through the tense crowd. Anita didn't stick around though; the soldier had barely finished recounting the news of victory before the girl had re-sheathed her sword and took off running back into the enveloping darkness of the cave with only one thought on her mind as she ran blindly through the blackness. Please let him still be alive.

Somewhere- Within Temptation