5. Arianna and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Idea

"…Have you listened to anything I have said?"

Arianna blinked back into existence. "Honestly? Not really." She grinned sheepishly. "Something about the caves."

"Arianna—"

"Legolas, it's fine. I'm staying in the dumb caves, all right? What's the worst that could happen? What on earth could I possibly need a lecture for when I'm sitting in one place, staying still?"

He furrowed his brow before continuing quietly. "If the battle is fierce, you may be ushered into the mountains. Please pay attention to the guards at all times; follow if they give the order. Do whatever you must to stay safe."

"Self-preservation, I got it." She shoved him teasingly. "I'm learning a lot about it in this world."

"Promise me you won't be reckless."

"I promise," she said emphatically. "Would I lie to you?"

"Yes," Legolas responded irritably.

She laughed. "All right, fair. But this time, for real, okay? No funny business from me."

A bustle of men moved along the caves and Arianna watched as they went. Legolas turned momentarily, frowning as every able-bodied one made their way to the armory.

"You should go," she whispered. "You need to prepare…and you need to talk to Aragorn." She glanced up toward the sky. Dusk was melting from the sky, the first of the stars beginning to show. "And you'll need to greet our friends soon."

At this, Legolas paused. "'Our friends?'" he repeated.

Arianna just smiled, shaking her head. "Be safe, okay?"

Legolas rested a hand against her cheek, and she flushed. He stepped forward, pressing too close, and she choked up. What was he doing?! Here, in front of all these people?! He leaned forward, and Arianna stepped back instinctively, eyes widening and darting around anxiously. Was he out of his mind?!

At her hesitance, Legolas pulled back slowly. He seemed to understand in a moment, hiding - if she didn't know any better - a smug smile beneath a curtain of hair as he dropped his head forward to chuckle.

"When the battle is over, I'll come for you."

Arianna cleared her throat. "Y-yeah. Okay."

He was gone too soon, and Arianna nearly felt the need to fan her face. Damn Elf…

"Young lady! Listen here, dear!"

Arianna turned, spotting an older woman toward the front of the cave who waved her over. She was huddled in layers of browns and greens, grasping at a shawl over her shoulders.

"Hi?"

"Listen, dear," the woman began, voice quiet, almost conspiratorial, "surely that Elf lord isn't your suitor? Have you fallen into madness? You must stay away from that kind; you're only setting yourself up for heartache!"

Arianna blinked once, and then again, mouth agape. "W-What!" she nearly shouted. "N-no! It's nothing like that! I'm just…I'm just traveling with them! He's like - he's like - he watches out for me! Just my friend!" Her wild insistence made her move unconsciously, arms waving nervously. "It's nothing like that! He's just - he's like a brother!"

The woman, too, blinked in return, an almost fraught look on her face. "Well, then, child," she responded quietly, "pray to the gods for forgiveness of your sins. If my brother looked on me like that, he'd surely be hung by the village."

Arianna's face flared so hot she thought she could boil down into the stone itself.

As darkness fell and the last of the women and children were brought into the caves, Arianna loitered near the entrance, debating with herself.

This was the stupidest of her ideas, she thought. Probably the dumbest thing she could ever do.

"We'll extinguish the torches once the King gives the word," she heard one guard comment. As it now stood, they were still bathed in moonlight currently pouring into the opening and the lone torches held by the guards.

"Should be soon," the other commented offhandedly. "I think the last have been brought."

Arianna's heart began to speed up. If she was going to do this, she would have to do it soon. She'd need to slip by the guards as soon as they were distracted and avoid detection from any other soldiers on the way to the armory. Was that even possible?

A bustle of commotion caught her attention, and an armored soldier came up to the guards of the cave. "That's the last. The King has ordered the caves closed; no one in or out."

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

Arianna didn't have time to reconsider. She slunk up to the front, right at the edge of the opening. If I survive this, Legolas is really going to kill me. She sank down on her haunches as the guards made arrangements, ushering the women deeper into the cave. They made a final sweep of the entrance, and she cowered behind a stack of hay, heart beating wildly. The guards nodded to themselves, and then to each other, and as they made to extinguish their torches, the caves thrown into gathering darkness, Arianna bolted, leaving the gorge behind.

It was eerily quiet as she made her way through the gorge, creeping and using the darkness as her cover. With everyone's attention beyond the wall, just waiting for the moment the enemy would arrive, it was surprisingly easy to escape detection. She moved slowly, quietly, barely breathing each time someone's head turned a little too far.

When she finally found the armory, she listened at the top of the stairs for any movement inside. The Elf horn had blown a while ago, meaning Haldir and the others were already here. She knew Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli had already left to greet them, but she certainly didn't want to run in to any stray soldiers down here, either.

Cautiously, she descended, peeking around the wall to find the room empty. Heaving a sigh, she hurried inside, turning the place over to try and find anything she could use for protection. A weapon wasn't an issue; she had her sword from Galadriel, but she was exposed in her clothes, meant only for traveling and not for combat. After shuffling through piles of plate armor several sizes too large, she finally managed to find a sling of chain metal. Shaking it out, she frowned. It would be the size of a dress on her, but at least it was something. She slapped her sword onto the table, slipping the chain metal over her head.

Her shoulders pulled down with its weight and gravity pulled her arms down as she tried to lift them. It was deceptively heavy, far from the light fabric the Elves had gifted her. She frowned. I'll hardly be able to move in this stupid thing! Biting her lip, she weighed her options before shaking her head. Better to have it and move a bit slower than not have it and be cut through like butter.

"You are as reckless as you are stupid."

Arianna screamed, slapping a hand over her mouth quickly. She turned, eyes widening. "Arphen?" she hissed. "What the hell? How are you here?"

"What are you hoping to prove with this little errand of secrecy of yours?" he demanded in lieu of an answer. "The only outcome to this is death. You must know this."

"No! I can do this!" Arianna insisted. "I can do this one thing! Haldir—"

Arphen's eyes flashed, and he pushed forward, grabbing her wrist forcefully. "Haldir!" he spat back. "You do this for a single Elf? When so much more is at stake?"

"What much more?" Arianna spat back. "Frodo takes the ring to Mordor; he destroys it! With it, I either die or I stay here forever! If I'm going to be forced to be in this world, I may as well try to use what I know to save someone!"

Arphen squeezed her wrist tighter. "If you get yourself killed before my sister's soul can be freed, before the ring is destroyed, both of our souls will be forfeit. I will not allow that to happen."

Wincing, Arianna tried to pull away. "So what? I'm only allowed to sit around and act pretty? All to protect you two? You're already dead! What makes you more important than someone who's still alive?!" Arphen's eyes narrowed. "You show up here, haunt my life, my soul, like a ghost! You are a ghost! You're dead, Arphen! And so is she! Move on yourselves! It's not my job to fix everything!"

He pushed forward, right into her face, mingling breaths. "Then why do you keep trying?"

A rush of frigid air pushed through her lungs, and Arianna swayed slightly, her mind going fuzzy. Her eyes dropped closed as a wave of pain and nausea pervaded her senses.

"Fuck off," she whispered. "You're not even real."

"Perhaps not," he admitted cooly. "But I am here nonetheless."

Blinking slowly as she opened her eyes again, Arianna looked around. "Where are we?"

The armory had disappeared. A cool grey mist stretched as far as she could see. Furrowing her brow, she looked back to him sharply. "What is this?"

"Can you not tell by the vast emptiness of this place?" Arphen let out a solitary laugh. "You are still injured, and your mind is fracturing, in no small part due to your own stupidity and negligence. We have retreated to the depths of your mind, what should be the safest place for you, while your body fights desperately against assault."

Arianna narrowed her eyes. "I'll let that little quip about my empty mind slide for now. What do you mean, this should be the safest place for me? What assault?"

"Normally, it would be a place for your soul to withdraw to, in order to heal. However, due to certain circumstances," Arphen raised a brow, "here, you are also much more susceptible to influence. That," he seemed to raise himself to his full height, "is why I am here now."

"Why?" she spat. "Did you come to my safey-safe just to annoy me until insanity sets in?"

Arphen deflated immediately, glaring. "No, you foolish girl. I am, at this very moment, the only thing standing between your mind and the Dark Lord's penetrating gaze."

"Right," Arianna scoffed, "so you're what? Helping me?"

"Have you even stopped to think for one moment," he asked condescendingly, "why you are seeing me now?"

She stared at him, lost for words.

Arphen heaved an exasperated sigh. "Would that you had also inherited my sister's intelligence," he muttered. "Think! The White Lady has already told you."

What had Galadriel said? Arphen was drawn to Adonnenniel; whenever her power - the power of the Ring - was strong, he showed up.

"Right," she said slowly. "Because Sauron is trying to get to me - to her. So you're here."

"To ensure that he does not."

Arianna narrowed her eyes thoughtfully again. Every time Arphen had showed up, it was at a time like this, when her shared soul was in danger. Slowly, Arianna place a hand over the pocket at the breast of her tunic, resting over the small stone Arphen had given her before.

"What is this?" she asked. "Why did you give this to me?"

"I needed a way to bind myself to you," he said quietly. "To make certain I would be able to manifest myself when necessary."

Staring, Arianna felt her heartbeat slow, a warmth spreading over her chest. "That night," she began, "when you manifested outside the party…you asked me if I was all right."

"I did."

"And then you said, 'Make sure she gets to bed safely.'"

"I did."

Swallowing, she continued cautiously. "And in Lothlorien, even though you were kind of a dick about it, you stopped me from leaving the borders."

"I admit I could have been gentler," Arphen said at length.

"You clotheslined me."

"I barely pushed you."

"And now," she continued, ignoring her irritation, "you said you're stopping him from taking control."

"I do not hold such power. It's more of a misdirection, and it will only last for so long. While I pervade your mind, it becomes more difficult for him to distinguish the souls inside you." Arphen's eyes dropped. "If he cannot find Adonnenniel's soul," he whispered, "he cannot control it. The sword gifted to you by the White Lady has been suppressing both myself and the All Seeing Eye. That you should take it off at a time like this, when his army marches on your doorstep, was nothing short of careless and overwhelming ignorance."

"I'm sorry," Arianna whispered in return. "You've been helping me this whole time, and I didn't realize." A loud ruckus caught her attention, and she jerked, glancing around as the mist began to clear. The walls of the armory began melting into the edges of her vision once more, and even from the depth of the armory, she could hear the approaching army outside.

"Yes," Arphen said, moving his gaze back up to her own and watching with sad eyes, "you're quite bad at that."

Hello again, everyone! I was really nervous about posting this chapter, so I hope it goes over okay ;-; Arianna is nothing if not stubborn ^^; I can only continue to thank everyone for your never-ending patience with this story, if you're still here ^^; And thank you, as always, for the reviews! Your kind words really mean the most to me and I wish I could hug every single one of you! Your feedback really goes miles (and miles and miles and miles!) into my motivation to continue and complete this story, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for everyone who leaves reviews! I'll see you in the next chapter! ^^