Authors note: Hey guys! I'm back. My deepest apologies for being gone for so long, I have been on the front lines of the pandemic for so long now that my writing has been at the back of my mind. I have no intention of abandoning my story and will keep regularly update once again now that the worst of the pandemic is over.

I felt a deep unsettling feeling growing in my stomach as Legolas and I made our way to the Great Hall. I gripped his hand tightly, and he returned the gesture, both of us feeling deep unease through our bond.

We made our way through stone halls and stairways, finally making it to a grand hall of stone pillars and roaring fires. Were it not for the imminent threat, the atmosphere would have been one of a comforting golden glow cast by the flames. Instead it was an air of panic and fear as Theoden and Aragorn sat side by side at a long wooden table, surrounded by Rohirrim men garbed in cloaks and rusting armor.

"10,000….an army unlike any that has ever invaded our land." Theoden stated as we approached.

"Our numbers are less than 500, including every able bodied lad and old man we could find." Theoden stated.

"Hope still can be found. Gandalf will return with Eomer's men in time, I know it". Aragorn stated, but his voice faltered somewhat, casting doubt upon his claim.

"Hope comes from the West." I chipped in.

I was met with the confused faces of a couple dozen, sweaty and dirty men.

"Haldir marches with an Elven company. He will be here before nightfall along with 2,000 soldiers." I explained.

Theoden's eyes flashed with confusion over my knowledge, but instead of asking me about it he addressed me directly "We have no need of their help. The walls of Helms Deep have never been breached. We are well stocked with supplies and can outlast any army for years."

I narrowed my eyes at him. My mind swirled with the question of how much information I should reveal about the events that were about to unfold. Gandalf would be here in the morning to save us all, but if I told Theoden that, would the men fight as hard as they would without the knowledge? Would the numbers of the Uruk hai be too high for Eomer's reinforcements if the men of helms deep weren't fighting for their very lives with no hope of salvation? Would they be overwhelmed?

I bit my tongue to stop myself from rebuking the king.

"You shall be escorted to the caves to remain among the women and children." Theoden stated.

"Frankly, I'm somewhat tired of the efforts of you and your party to take part in the greater decisions that affect my people." He waved his hand and an older woman I hadn't noticed came over and bowed before me.

"My lady, it is safest that you join us in the caves." She said in an old voice that seemed to echo the decades that she had seen.

She gently placed a hand on my arm, trying to guide me away from my friends, and from Legolas. I balked at her attempt and pushed her arm away, moving back to Legolas's side and placing an arm around his torso, tightly binding myself to him.

My voice came out as almost a hiss "Theoden, you may be a king, but you are not mine. I come from a country where no leader is born, but chosen by the people themselves. Do not think that you have the ability, dare I say the right, to command me." I glared at him.

"Margaret!" Snapped Aragorn. His eyes shot me a warning look, telling me to back down.

Aragorn had never steered me wrong. As much as I was loathe to hide away from everything, perhaps my absence would do more good than my presence.

"I will join the others in the caves. Not because it is what I choose to do, but because the leader of my company thinks it best." I glared at Theoden one final time. I couldn't pinpoint why I was finding him so aggravating at this exact moment, but something about his dismissive attitude toward me as a woman just struck a nerve in me. Maybe it was because he did the same things with Eowyn, when he knew outright what she was capable of.

"I will guard the entrance to the caves. Lady Eowyn should be armed with the best equipment and join me. She is much more skilled than I and will do well to keep the peace during the coming panic." I declared.

Theoden's face contorted with an emotion I couldn't place, but nodded, whispered something to a nearby guard, who then turned and disappeared down a stone hallway.

"She will meet you down there. I expect you to help settle those who are injured in the time before the enemy arrives. I am trusting you with the safety of many of my people. Do not take that lightly." The king boomed in a commanding tone, before waving to the old woman to once again lead me away, this time without my resistance.

Legolas gave me a final kiss on the forehead and whispered something in Elven that I was unable to understand, but the message of concern and care was still there.

I followed the old woman down stone stairways into the darkness, while silently praying that I would see my friends again in the morning.

…..

Everyone in the caves felt the army long before we could hear the distant echo of their creature-like screams and chants. Muffled by the layers of stone and rock that separated us from them.

Eowyn had joined me in the caves moments after I arrived, and the old woman who escorted me disappeared deep into the crowd of women and children, crying in fear and loss. Some of the women were completely silent, just staring ahead with empty eyes. It reminded me of the photos I had seen in history class back in high school, the eyes of people liberated after World War 2, alive, but defeated in every other way by years of hardship and lack of hope.

My life back on Earth may not have been ideal, but I had never experienced true hardship. I had always had a bed to sleep in, food in my belly, and even though sometimes they were nightmarish, I had a family.

Guilt washed over me in waves. Back home, if these people were there, they could have food pantries, shelters, and social services to rely on after the war ended. But those things didn;t exist here. Who would help them?

Eowyn's arrival interrupted my chain of thought.

Instead of her usual dress of green and tan, she wore a leather tunic over a dark brown one. A sword rested at her hip and her hair was pulled into a tight braid behind her head. She looked as fierce and beautiful as the books had always described her.

She approached me "Uncle said that you would only join us in the caves if I was garbed in the proper armor and given the means to guard the entrance with you." She dipped her head in thanks, and I returned the gesture.

"The last of the women and children are securely in the caves, and the enemy has been sighted, although we could feel the very ground shake from their numbers. The Elven army did arrive as you said it would, and now Uncle thinks you some sort of witch who sees the future. Their numbers and skill have boosted the morale of our men, but I fear that it will not be enough to last the night." She said, her voice breaking.

"The dawn always brings hope." I replied in a soft voice so only she could hear.

She smiled weakly, but still had an air of confidence that I envied. She seemed to still be sure of herself and her role in the coming fight. I prayed I could find the same in the future.

Then, the sound of the horn blew, the sound of the battle beginning. It was here.