(author : Jennzah)
As Leila stood staring at the path, the rest of the Company, including Boromir, were on their way towards Helms Deep. Jairah had refused to let them abandon Pippin and Merry, saying that she would be able to endure long enough. Legolas had pleaded with her, saying that she should go back to Lothlorien and get healed. She argued, saying that they had come from Lothlorien by boat, and would not be able to get back there in time. Her eyes were ever on the mission, and this pained Legolas greatly, for she had chosen death, it seemed.
So far, the poison had only weakened her body, and kept her wounds from healing. She seemed in great pain, yet the warrior in her refused to quit. She walked on her own for the first day, after the wound had been bound up. Her skin was dark where the poison was running through her, and she still coughed blood from time to time, but she went ever onward. It was not till the second day that the poison hit her legs and she became unable to walk, that the Company stopped and Aragorn and Legolas debated over the fate of her again.
"My friend, you know she will die, if she does not recieve the cure for such a poison. the only oft known place for this cure is Lothlorien, which you are now several days from. If we go forwards, we have no hope of such a cure. She will die."
Legolas looked past Aragorn to where Jairah lay on the ground, watched over by Gimli. She had gone into some sort of temporary trancelike state, and she was mumbling to herself in Elvish.
"My heart is sorely pained," Legolas said. "I know that she will die. I cannot tell you what this feels like, only that it seems like all the hope in the world has been drowned out, that my heart will cease to beat if hers does. She refuses to go to Lothlorien, she knows that we will not make it."
"She has the heart and spirit of a true princess, Legolas. and a warrior at that. She fought bravely, she always has. It will sadden me to see her go."
They looked again at her, still muttering to herself in Elvish. Gimli looked at her, then at them. "What is she saying?" he asked.
Legolas furrowed his brow, he didn't think she was saying anything. But as he went back to her side, and took her hands in his, he listened to her speaking, and caught the word "Gandalf."
"She is speaking about Gandalf!" he said. "She must be having a fever dream." He stroked her hair, and the Company settled in for the night.
Sometime in the night, while Gimli was on watch, he looked up to the sky and saw something large flying overhead. They had hidden themselves fairly well, so he did not think that the flying thing, whether it just be a falcon or an instrument of the Dark Lord, could see them. He went to sleep as Aragorn took watch.
Jairah opened her eyes, and heard her name being called, from the thick of the forest. Surprisingly, she would herself out of Legolas' arms and got to her unsteady feet. Sleepily, magickally, she was being called into the trees. She left so silently that Aragorn did not hear her.
She was only half awake, the poison had started to take her mind. Soon she was floating over the ground, just the tips of her feet dragging. She could see light up ahead, bright, blinding light, and she was being pulled towards it. "Jairah...." it called again.
She reached the light and she could see nothing but whiteness. She heard a voice, speaking to her in the common tongue, a familiar voice...... and then she lost all conciousness.
******
When Legolas came to his senses, it was morning. Gimli had fallen asleep on watch, it seemed, but nothing foul seemed around. Except that when he looked next to him, Jairah was not there. He was on his feet in a second.
"Gimli! Aragorn! Boromir!" he called frantically. They each awoke in turn, and looked at the elf as he circled their camp area in a panic.
"Where is she? Did you see her leave? WHERE IS SHE?" Legolas turned round and looked at them.
Aragorn sat sadly on the ground. "She is gone..." he said quietly. "She passed into the shadow realm, and she left.." he made a small gesture, kissing his hand and moving it in front of his face.
Legolas could not speak, nor move. He closed his eyes and felt his heart shrink in his chest, but tears did not come. for some reason he did not believe that she was gone, he would not believe it. He could still hear her voice in his head, calling for him, during good times back at home. "Legolas....." she would call, and he would hear it in his mind. He could swear he heard it now.
And then he did hear it. Everyone heard it. "Legolas..!" she called, from somewhere in the forest. They heard the hoofbeats of a horse and all of a sudden, a lovely white horse burst into the camp area, with Jairah on its back. It skidded to a stop, and she leapt from its back in a flurry of blonde hair.
"My friends!" she said cheerily. "Good morning!" She stood next to the horse, and whispered to it in Elvish, and it took off back to the direction it came, very fast.
Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Then Legolas rushed forward and caught Jairah up in his arms.
"My love," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "I thought you had left me..." he embraced her tightly. She hugged him back and laughed merrily. He looked at her, tears coming into his eyes. She looked perfectly healthy, all the poison gone from her body. "But how?" he whispered.
She leaned into him, and looked at him square in the eyes. "A friend of ours. He knew what to do. He knew that i could not even die without you, Legolas. He knew that my life is to go on for much longer than this. And he saw to it that i was healed." She kissed Legolas softly for a few seconds then broke away from him to address the rest of the Company, who stood in silence, gaping at her.
"Don't look so shocked, my friends! For i have joyous news!" She walked around to each one in turn, kissing them on the cheek.
Her eyes twinkled. "Gandalf the Wizard has returned!" She announced, as she went back to Legolas, and smiled at him. "Come! He is in Helms Deep. We are to go there."
She took Legolas by the hand, and gave another look to the two men and the Dwarf, "Come, it is a long journey yet, without the lovely horse."
They all gathered up their things and followed her. Questions burned in their minds, and they longed for answers. And they would recieve them, once they reached Helms Deep.