Disclaimer: I have re-written some parts of this story, because I was not
liking how the romance played out. So I have just been re-writing the old
stuff, but now it fits even better with the ending so I'll post that soon.
All these characters belong to Tolkien, except for Aralyn. This story is
better now, please go back and read, then you can enjoy the ending better.
Read and review please! In this chapter I tried to explain why Legolas has
brown eyes in that one scene when him and Aragorn are yelling at each other
(that really bothered me) So I just figured that when Legolas gets really
mad his eyes turn brown. Or it's Gandalf's fault. Read and enjoy!
Eowyn and I spread the news to the women and children about moving into the mountains. Many of them wanted to know why, but we just shook our heads and told them to do it. Slowly but surely they moved into the caves that were filling up quickly. Everyone got as comfortable as they could, without the knowledge that their men were going into a desperate battle.
King Theoden ordered that all men available should arm themselves and prepare to fight. Aragorn had suspected that the orc army was going to be there after the sun set.
We worked as fast as we could to get the women and children into the caves, and finally succeeded. Confused as they were, they were willing to sit and wait for an explanation to be given to them by their Lady Eowyn. They sensed the urgency and kept quiet, listening in fear of something unknown.
"It breaks my heart to see them like this." Eowyn said sadly, observing the women and children.
"Lady Eowyn!" Hama cried, coming up behind the two women. "We don't have enough men to fight. We need every male who can wield a sword, no matter how young or old."
Eowyn started to argue, but Hama put up his hand to stop her.
"Theoden's orders, milady. We have no other choice."
Sadly Eowyn and I watched the soldiers go through the caverns and take every young boy they could find from their family. The young boys went bravely, which made me feel sick inside. They had no idea what they were up against. "Tell them, Lady Eowyn. They deserve to know." I urged her. She nodded her agreement.
"Please, my people of Rohan!" Eoywn shouted, stepping up onto a rock, being seen and heard by everybody. Silence fell over the cave as every eye was fixed on Eowyn.
"Tonight we fight a grave battle. Saruman's forces are heading this way, to attack Helm's Deep." A gasp rippled through the entire cave. "I know, I'm scared too." She admitted, agreeing with the people. "But we have our men up there, fighting for their lives and ours. We will not lay down and forfeit what Saruman is trying to take from us; our freedom and our lives! If we will fight, we will fight bravely. Hope will see us through tonight, and hope will bring our men back to us." She took a deep breath. "Do not fear for your lives, because our men will not let any enemy breech our walls of Helm's Deep. Remember how many times it has saved you before!" She cried, rallying the people's spirit. People clapped, but it was too morbid to cheer. People were going to die that night, and they knew it.
The soldiers continued to go through and take every young male available to them, and soon the cave filled with mothers' pleas of mercy. They were ignored.
"I'm going upstairs, to help them arm the men." I told Eowyn as I turned to leave.
"Then I'm going with you." She said, following me.
"No! You can't. You have to stay here." I argued. If she came, she'd botch my plan. "Your people need you." Eowyn nodded, knowing I was right.
I gave her a weak smile and climbed back through the opening of the caves, heading towards the Keep. I was about half way there when Legolas stopped me and pulled me aside.
"What are you doing out here, Lirimaer?" He asked, with a bit of an edge to his voice. "You are supposed to be in the caves."
"I'm here to help." I argued, pulling my arm out of his tight grasp.
"No, you can not do that." He said bluntly.
"Why not?" I asked, staring up into his eyes. He cupped my cheek gently.
"Get out. Leave this place." He said to me, pleading in his eyes.
I jerked away from him as if his hand burned me. "I will not abandon my people when they need me the most!"
"I do not want anything to happen to you." He said, stepping closer to me.
"And just because of that I should run away?" I spat that question in his face.
"These men are not soldiers; most of them are too old. Or too young."
"They are brave enough to stand up for what they believe in. Freedom from fear."
Legolas's eyes bored into mine. "I want to save you."
"You will never save me by sending me away." Anger leapt into my words.
"These aren't even your people, Lirimaer. You're an elf." Legolas argued.
"I'm not an elf, and you know it! I grew up with these people. These people care about me." I said, turning my face before he could see the pain in my eyes. I hated to deny him; the battle within me was raging.
"You are too stubborn. You do not know what is best for you." Legolas said calmly, reaching out to embrace me.
I ducked out of that embrace and glared at him. "Where are the elves then? They're sailing to Valinor, leaving Middle-Earth to it's fate!"
"I am fighting along side the humans. Does that not count?" Pain filled his eyes.
"I'm going to be faithful to the people who are defending my life. Not to some race of creatures that leave when Middle-Earth needs them the most!"
"The orcs are going to slaughter these people. 10000 against 300. Those are not very good odds." He pointed out logically.
"I know the odds, yet I'm still willing to stand by my people."
"It is death if you stay here. I do not want you to die." Legolas said angrily.
"Why are you so over protective of me?" I demanded from him.
"I have my reasons." I remembered that reason from before.
"You don't really care about me at all, you just want to look good in front of your dwarvish friend and have some little unsuspecting girl falling at your feet." I accused.
"No, you do not understand." He started to protest, but I didn't let him finish.
"You are not who I thought you were, Legolas." I glared up at him. This seemed to make him really mad. His eyes seemed to turn a deep brown as fire flared up in them. Maybe elves' eyes turn brown if they get really angry.
"We cannot talk about this now. I must get ready to fight. You must get into the mountains and be safe."
"I refuse." I crossed my arms over my chest, daring him to stop me.
"I'm sorry, Aralyn, but I have to do this." He said, and was too quick for me. He swept me up over his shoulder and dangled me there. He held me in a vice grip, and I tried every method of escape that I could think of, but to no avail. I couldn't get loose.
To my dismay, Legolas took me back to the door that lead to the mountain passes. He threw me in there and slammed the door, too quick for me to get out. I heard the click of the lock and I banged on the door, screaming for Legolas to let me out. Nothing came from the other side of the door. I was alone, and not defending anybody.
I slid down; frustrated tears streaming down my face. It pained me that he didn't deny what I accused him of, and that he never truly answered my question about why I was so important to him.
Why did this bother me so much?
Then I admitted it to myself. I loved him.
Eowyn and I spread the news to the women and children about moving into the mountains. Many of them wanted to know why, but we just shook our heads and told them to do it. Slowly but surely they moved into the caves that were filling up quickly. Everyone got as comfortable as they could, without the knowledge that their men were going into a desperate battle.
King Theoden ordered that all men available should arm themselves and prepare to fight. Aragorn had suspected that the orc army was going to be there after the sun set.
We worked as fast as we could to get the women and children into the caves, and finally succeeded. Confused as they were, they were willing to sit and wait for an explanation to be given to them by their Lady Eowyn. They sensed the urgency and kept quiet, listening in fear of something unknown.
"It breaks my heart to see them like this." Eowyn said sadly, observing the women and children.
"Lady Eowyn!" Hama cried, coming up behind the two women. "We don't have enough men to fight. We need every male who can wield a sword, no matter how young or old."
Eowyn started to argue, but Hama put up his hand to stop her.
"Theoden's orders, milady. We have no other choice."
Sadly Eowyn and I watched the soldiers go through the caverns and take every young boy they could find from their family. The young boys went bravely, which made me feel sick inside. They had no idea what they were up against. "Tell them, Lady Eowyn. They deserve to know." I urged her. She nodded her agreement.
"Please, my people of Rohan!" Eoywn shouted, stepping up onto a rock, being seen and heard by everybody. Silence fell over the cave as every eye was fixed on Eowyn.
"Tonight we fight a grave battle. Saruman's forces are heading this way, to attack Helm's Deep." A gasp rippled through the entire cave. "I know, I'm scared too." She admitted, agreeing with the people. "But we have our men up there, fighting for their lives and ours. We will not lay down and forfeit what Saruman is trying to take from us; our freedom and our lives! If we will fight, we will fight bravely. Hope will see us through tonight, and hope will bring our men back to us." She took a deep breath. "Do not fear for your lives, because our men will not let any enemy breech our walls of Helm's Deep. Remember how many times it has saved you before!" She cried, rallying the people's spirit. People clapped, but it was too morbid to cheer. People were going to die that night, and they knew it.
The soldiers continued to go through and take every young male available to them, and soon the cave filled with mothers' pleas of mercy. They were ignored.
"I'm going upstairs, to help them arm the men." I told Eowyn as I turned to leave.
"Then I'm going with you." She said, following me.
"No! You can't. You have to stay here." I argued. If she came, she'd botch my plan. "Your people need you." Eowyn nodded, knowing I was right.
I gave her a weak smile and climbed back through the opening of the caves, heading towards the Keep. I was about half way there when Legolas stopped me and pulled me aside.
"What are you doing out here, Lirimaer?" He asked, with a bit of an edge to his voice. "You are supposed to be in the caves."
"I'm here to help." I argued, pulling my arm out of his tight grasp.
"No, you can not do that." He said bluntly.
"Why not?" I asked, staring up into his eyes. He cupped my cheek gently.
"Get out. Leave this place." He said to me, pleading in his eyes.
I jerked away from him as if his hand burned me. "I will not abandon my people when they need me the most!"
"I do not want anything to happen to you." He said, stepping closer to me.
"And just because of that I should run away?" I spat that question in his face.
"These men are not soldiers; most of them are too old. Or too young."
"They are brave enough to stand up for what they believe in. Freedom from fear."
Legolas's eyes bored into mine. "I want to save you."
"You will never save me by sending me away." Anger leapt into my words.
"These aren't even your people, Lirimaer. You're an elf." Legolas argued.
"I'm not an elf, and you know it! I grew up with these people. These people care about me." I said, turning my face before he could see the pain in my eyes. I hated to deny him; the battle within me was raging.
"You are too stubborn. You do not know what is best for you." Legolas said calmly, reaching out to embrace me.
I ducked out of that embrace and glared at him. "Where are the elves then? They're sailing to Valinor, leaving Middle-Earth to it's fate!"
"I am fighting along side the humans. Does that not count?" Pain filled his eyes.
"I'm going to be faithful to the people who are defending my life. Not to some race of creatures that leave when Middle-Earth needs them the most!"
"The orcs are going to slaughter these people. 10000 against 300. Those are not very good odds." He pointed out logically.
"I know the odds, yet I'm still willing to stand by my people."
"It is death if you stay here. I do not want you to die." Legolas said angrily.
"Why are you so over protective of me?" I demanded from him.
"I have my reasons." I remembered that reason from before.
"You don't really care about me at all, you just want to look good in front of your dwarvish friend and have some little unsuspecting girl falling at your feet." I accused.
"No, you do not understand." He started to protest, but I didn't let him finish.
"You are not who I thought you were, Legolas." I glared up at him. This seemed to make him really mad. His eyes seemed to turn a deep brown as fire flared up in them. Maybe elves' eyes turn brown if they get really angry.
"We cannot talk about this now. I must get ready to fight. You must get into the mountains and be safe."
"I refuse." I crossed my arms over my chest, daring him to stop me.
"I'm sorry, Aralyn, but I have to do this." He said, and was too quick for me. He swept me up over his shoulder and dangled me there. He held me in a vice grip, and I tried every method of escape that I could think of, but to no avail. I couldn't get loose.
To my dismay, Legolas took me back to the door that lead to the mountain passes. He threw me in there and slammed the door, too quick for me to get out. I heard the click of the lock and I banged on the door, screaming for Legolas to let me out. Nothing came from the other side of the door. I was alone, and not defending anybody.
I slid down; frustrated tears streaming down my face. It pained me that he didn't deny what I accused him of, and that he never truly answered my question about why I was so important to him.
Why did this bother me so much?
Then I admitted it to myself. I loved him.