Great was the battle afterwards, but the men of Gondor fought with lighter hearts than they had had before. They were aided by their friends from the north, the Rohirrim and it seemed nothing could hinder their victory. Yet, they were not able to prevent all evil. The King of the Mark, the ruler of Rohan and the Rohirrim, Théoden, fell under the arm of the Witch King and his loyal horse, Snowmane as well. In the midst of the battle, his death would not have been avenged had it not been for the arrival of his daughter Éowyn, who had disguised herself as a mere soldier to ride with the Rohirrim. And yet, even as she delivered a mortal wound to the Witch King, it was the hobbit Merry who came to her aid when the might of the Witch King proved too great for Éowyn to handle. So it came to be that the Lord of the Nazgûl was slain, but the price paid was the death of great Théoden and Snowmane. Éowyn and Merry, both wounded in battle, were taken to the House of Healing and there the tenants of that house, under the counsel of Ithildin, tended to their wounds.
Meanwhile, another great warrior was almost taken by the dark. Faramir was his name and he was the brother of Boromir, the second son of Denethor, steward of Gondor and now the heir, for Boromir had fallen in a previous battle. He too was taken to the House of Healing and there he met Éowyn. Long they rested in that house and as the days passed, Faramir and Éowyn grew to seek each other's companionship and Ithildin smiled for she knew what would soon happen. Yet, something hindered the bloom of their love and that was this: Éowyn was in love with Aragorn. But Ithildin took matters into her own hands, for there was naught else she could do in that time. When Faramir was resting, she would speak with Éowyn and soon, they had built up a strong friendship. Then, one day, Ithildin asked Éowyn why she denied the love of a great man such as Faramir. And Éowyn had not the answer for Ithildin and this question gave her pause to think.
So it came that one day, Faramir declared his love to Éowyn and in that moment, when the sun met with the flowers of the garden in the House of Healing, Éowyn the shieldmaiden looked deep within herself and answered the desire of her heart. Then Faramir kissed her upon the walls of the garden and many below witnessed the event as a golden and white light shining high above.
Yet, while this joyous event happened, news of the battle took a turn for the worst. The Rohirrim were not enough to drive back the hosts of Mordor. Their combined strength with Gondor was waning and victory seemed to ebb beyond their grasp. Suddenly, the men at the eastern front beheld a sight that only songs had told: A great ship was sailing towards them on the River Anduin and behold, it bore a banner of the Silver Tree before the White Tower. Aragorn, heir of Isildur, and king of Gondor, had arrived.
So victory came again within their grasp and Aragorn, along with his companions Gimli the dwarf and Legolas himself arrived at the aid of Gondor and with them, many spirits of the dead who had, in their time, pledged to aid the heir of Isildur. The battle was long and hard, but finally, victory came to Gondor. Then, Aragorn went up to the House of Healing to find Éowyn and Merry and heal their hurts. Soon after, Gimli and Legolas went up as well and there, Legolas and Ithildin were re-united for a brief time. While Aragorn tended to the wounded, and healed them with only his touch, Legolas and Ithildin strode along the gardens cherishing each moment together.
"The months have not left you untouched," said Ithildin and she caressed his fair elven face.
Legolas closed his eyes and allowed her gentle touch to soothe him. Then he opened them and said, "The shadow of evil has passed me and it has passed Gondor. We will win this war yet. But oh, Ithildin, I have missed you. I would rather hold your sweet hand for one moment than taste this bittersweet victory forever. So many lives have been lost and I cannot see a reason why."
"Yet, sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good," said Ithildin. "Your father knew this when he let you go. Sometimes, dear Legolas, the mighty must fall so that the young and the weak might have a chance, in time, to take their place."
Then Legolas took her hand and kissed her. "Let us not speak of this anymore. For now, we are together and happy and that is all that my heart desires". And he pulled Ithildin close to him and held her and was content. But Ithildin knew all too well how brief their time together would be and she was saddened.