Thank you so much for all the reviews and reads! You have no clue how much it means to me, balancing grad year of school, the death of a close family member, divorcing parents, and a dying aunt.

But enough with my sob story.

(And on with theirs)

Banners of the White Hand of Saruman were flying from the battlement of Helm's Deep. The Hornburg was overrun with Uruk-Hai. The survivors had had no choice but to leave the fallen behind and retreat farther into the keep. More than three quarters of the elves of Lothlorien who had come to their aid were dead, including their leader.

And Legolas was stuck with the stupid human king in the main hall of the keep, along with the usual company of course.

"The fortress is taken. It is over." Theoden said bleakly, as if there were no other option. This fool had pushed for them to come to this valar forsaken keep, told them time and time and again that his people would not fail. And he had the gall to lay down and give up?

As the elf prince, with the help of Aragorn, placed a great wooden table in front of the heavy doors. Meanwhile Jackie stood up angrily. She looked, she looked powerful. She looked like someone you listened to.

Her elven battle suit was ripped and torn in places. Scorch marks and small knicks decorated the durable material. Blood. There was also a lot of blood. Not her own. Her face was dirty and scorched. A few scratches decorated her cheeks, and a more nasty cut ran along her forehead for about an inch, dripping blood into her eyelashes. But it wasn't just the cuts and scratches and blood. Her presence was strong. Her eyes were hard, most likely still reeling from the death of Haldir. Her form was tense and you could see the muscle all along her body.

When she turned her glare onto the human king, everybody in the room couldn't help but feel at least a little bad.

"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it! They still defend it!They have died defending it!" Legolas knew she could hear the woman and children crying in the caves not far below the keep as she was yelling at Theoden. Could hear the battering ram as the Uruk-Hai made it further and further into the keep. It was as though she was reading his thoughts; her tone grew softer marginally so, as she looked to the sky and back at the human king -as if praying for patience. "Is there no other way for the women and children to leave the caves?" No answer. "Is there no other way?"

The man always with the king -Gamling- spoke up. "There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far. The Uruk-Hai are to many."

"Send word for the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance." She said without looking at the man, beginning to turn around and walk to where Aragorn and Legolas stood by the door.

"And why would we listen to you, woman. What experience have you in the art of war?" Theoden growled.

Dornessiti sighed, turning around. "I thought we had already gotten over this, my dear human king, though it appears in truth that we have not." Legolas shirved imperceptibly as she prowled toward the human king. He still remembered the touch of her lips against his own. She didn't even say anything. She just shot a punch to his jaw, sending him reeling, following through with a swift hit to the mans- every male in the room winced.

She just left him on the ground where he lay.

"Anybody else? Please come at me now rather than later, because I am up to my head in all of the sexist bullshit and honestly going to snap."

Everyone was silent, and Legolas felt himself grinning. Damn he loved that woman.

Wait.

Loved?

Yes, he supposed, I guess love is what I feel. He thought back to day one. The stolen moments, secret smiles, laughs, the friendship they made. That turned out to be so much more.

He was in love.

Jackie tried to ignore the human king from where he grumbled at her from the floor.

"So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?"

He sounded so low, so broken, that -against her better judgment- she took pity on the pathetic human king. I am sure he lived up to the stories at some point in his life. She crouched down in front of him. "Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them."

She watched as determination began to shine in his eyes again. Was that truly all it took?

"For death and glory." He said rising to his feet, though she noticed that he was still limping slightly. I might have gone a tad bit too hard on him.

Aragorn spoke up from where he stood at the door. "For Rohan, for your people."

"The sun is rising." Gimli warned.

Sunrise of the third day… or something like that.

Aragorn spoke softly under his breath, but she heard. "Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the east."

"Yes. YES!" Theoden cried. "The horn of the Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep one last time!"

"Yes!" Gimli echoed, running up the steps to what must have been the helm. What the hell is the helm and why am I just learning of its relevance now? If it's so important could they not have mentioned it? At least once?

"Let this be the hour when we draw swords together. Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath! Now for ruin! And a red dawn!" The king shouted as he mounted his horse and put on his helmet. Now he's lost me. Jackie thought dryly, rolling her shoulders and tensing her stomach all the same. The sound of a horn rumbled through Helms Deep as Gimi blew into it with as much strength and breath he had left. "FORTH EORLINGAS!"

The human king led the charge out of the keep into Hornburg, slashing away the Uruk-Hai as he went. The others followed in his lead, slaying as many as they could while keeping up with their leader. Jackie jumped onto the back of Legolas's horse as it rode past her and began firing arrows at the orcs as soon as they came into her view point. Never had she been so clad for the enchanted arrows, for they returned to her quiver as soon as it felled it's target.

Without a pause the group stormed out of the gate and down the Causeway, right into the column of waiting Uruk-Hai. In the midst of the battle, Dornessiti couldn't help herself but to look up, searching for the old man as another orc fell beneath her blade. There. A white rider stood proud against the rising sun.

"Gandalf."

Jackie could hear the wizard from across the battlefield. "Theoden king stands alone."

A soldier came up from behind him, Eomer. She could barely make out the man's response, distracted by the never ending wave of orcs. "Not alone." His army of riders appeared behind him and she smiled. She was sure even the most deaf of humans could hear his mountain rattling cry;

"ROHIRRIM!"

Legolas looked up at the battle cry of the human and saw Gandalf and an army of riders charging into the battle from the slope. Half of the Uruk-Hai army turned to face the challenge, bearing their spears down towards the riders. As the riders drew ever closer, the sun began to rise behind them, momentarily blinding the Uruk-Hai who raised their hands -and spears- to shield their eyes. The brave men of Rohan clashed into the Uruk-Hai and had no hesitation in engaging in battle. Never have I been so happy to see an army of humans.

The battle was won. At what cost they had yet to know. But even the most gruff of soldiers could not deny the elation of such a victory. And apparently a certain dwarf can not hold his liquor as well as he boasted. Legolas thought wryly, eyeing the passed out Gimli who had just been -quite literally- drunk under the table.

Looking up, he searched for Jackie, who had not truly seen since the confrontation in the keep when she gave a fairly deserved kick in the balls to a certain king of Rohan. He spotted her talking animatedly to Eowyn, waving her hands about and pointing her fingering at the silent woman. She had changed out of her blood soaked armour, they all had. After wearing the same thing for five days of battle, well, they had looked better.

Her dress was bone white, with a high collar and flowy quarter sleeves, her leather wrist braces were ever present. It reached barely past her knees, beneath which she had slate grey leggings and elven leather boots. Her hair was up, delicate elf ears on full display. Two french braids along the top of her head until they both fed together into the ponytail swishing at the back of her head. Even in up in a tie her silver locks still reached her mid back.

He was in a simple green tunic with brown breeches. Comfy, but easy and flexible. His long hair was tied back in a loose ponytail for simplicity's sake.

She was beautiful.

He had decided to stop lying to himself when it came to Jackie Dornessiti. Because it was pointless.

She was beautiful.

Now all he needed to do was figure out what was holding her back. Find it so he could fix it. Fix it so he could have her. Have her so he could- so he could have her.

She was beautiful.

"I propose we leave for Isengard immediately." Jackie said to the room.

And surprisingly, for once, everyone nodded back.

DyerMagics1992 chapter 12

I love this story! Your writing is awesome! Looking forward to the next part!

I'm glad that you love it! And so much more happy that you were willing to review. I hope this mini-chapter was good enough for you, and hope you like the incoming chapters

Question mark chapter 12

I liked the nuances you made with the pov.

I will wait for a good chapter.

;)

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't even notice what I was doing with the pov's, if I'm being honest. I hope you like this chapter, I hope you like the upcoming chapters as well….

PrettyRecklessLaura chapter 12

Can't wait for more!

Thank you so much, you have been here since chapter 1, and a lot of times it was just your reviews keeping me going. I hope that you enjoy what you read.

Short chapter, I know, and I'm sorry, but *foreshadow warning* The story is winding down.

To all those who reviewed the previous chapter, I thank you. You have no idea what it means to me especially since I know my updates are untimely and random, at best. To all those who started this story on day one and have stayed with this story till the end, I thank you as well, because you are the people who kept me going. And I hope I do not anger you too much in the end.

What am I doing!?

This is not the final chapter, that is yet to come, and I'm getting all emotional and shit.

See you next chapter!