Legolas lay awake, looking down at the sleeping woman in his arms.
He brushed Dawn's hair back from her face, letting his fingers linger on
her forehead. Daybreak was not far off and he knew Aragorn would be
looking for him soon, counting on the ever-alert Elf to help him with the
last minute preparations of the horses.
But said Elf could not tear himself away. When Dawn had drifted off to sleep, her warm body pressed lightly against his, he had found that just to stare at her peaceful face was better rest than he'd had since leaving Lothlorien.
He sighed, feeling more content than he'd ever remembered, and forced himself to slide out from under Dawn's still sleeping form, careful to cover her over with her blankets so she would not be cold. He pulled his pants on and turned for one last look at her, only to see that her eyes were fluttering open.
He smiled down at her, captivated all over again. "Good morning," he said softly.
Dawn stretched her arms up, yawning, and scrunched the blanket up to her. She cast a dubious eye to the window, where the dark was now not so dark. "You sure about that?" she mumbled sleepily before turning back to him.
She was beginning to become more alert. Dawn propped herself up on one elbow, watching Legolas' lithe, muscular form as he reached for one of the shirts that had been thrown to the floor. "Running out on me?" she kidded as he straightened.
Legolas leaned down to kiss her. "Never," he whispered a split second before his lips brushed over hers. "Aragorn will be looking for me by now. I must see to Arod before we begin the journey. You shall be called upon as well before long, I imagine. It will not be long before I see you again," he promised.
Dawn grinned. "Better not be!"
He had shrugged the shirt on in one quick movement and given her another light kiss. As he reached the door, Dawn called out to him.
"Yes?" he asked, turning back to her.
"Your hairbands," she prodded, nodding to where she had tossed them onto the dresser. He smiled at the comfortable way in which she organised his life, knowing what he needed even when he forgot. "And can you please check on Lightfoot for me while you're at it?" she called to his retreating form.
When he was gone, Dawn, wide awake, threw herself back on the pillows and fought the urge to squeal like a schoolgirl.
* * * * *
The first of the two day trip to Helm's Deep passed without incident. Legolas and Gimli rode on Arod, talking idly to Eowyn and Theoden. Every now and then, the Elf's gaze found Dawn's, who was a little further back.
They'd smother smiles and look away again, Dawn turning her attention back to Aragorn, who rode beside her on Hafusel. She had been telling him about a few of Buffy's battles, particularly their mini-war with the Mayor at graduation.
He was amazed. "A giant snake, you say, Dawn? That is some great devilry."
"Sure was, King-guy," she agreed. They fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the hoofbeats of their horses for a few minutes, until a thought popped into Dawn's head.
"Hey, King-guy?" she piped up.
"Yes, Key-girl?" he returned evenly.
"I was just wonderin', how did you end up with so many names? I mean I have two- Dawn and Dawny, and I remember you telling Eomer all of them, the whole Strider/Aragorn/Elessar/Elfstone/ Isiludur's Heir/Dunadan/Estel, not to mention Eomer's Wingfoot and my King-guy additions. Where do they all come from?" she asked, curious.
Aragorn smiled at her. Usually he did not like to discuss his background with those who weren't close enough to him to already know it, but he felt comfortable telling Dawn. He attributed it to the way she'd readily disclosed her past to him and Legolas in Lothlorien. He also wondered absently if her amazingly good mood today wasn't contagious. She'd been indomitably happy all day... as had Legolas, Aragorn realised with a start. He vowed to find out what kind of relationship had evolved between these two of his friends, watching in amusement as the Elf's eyes caught the Lady's once again and a secret smile passed between the pair.
He shook himself from his thoughts and began to answer Dawn. He told her about Aragorn being his birth name, as the son of Arathorn, and that Strider had been bestowed upon him much in the way that Wingfoot and King- guy had. He enjoyed the way her green eyes danced merrily upon hearing this. Isildur's Heir was a pretty self-explanatory title, and Dunadan was another word for Ranger, so he moved on to his elvish names, Elessar and Estel.
A thoughtful look came over her face as she contemplated his words. "Estel," she mused. "The Elvish word for hope."
Dawn met Aragorn's eyes squarely and solemnly. "I think I like Estel the best. It suits you. May I use that name from now on?" she asked politely.
Aragorn regarded the girl beside him for a moment. She seemed wiser somehow, as if she understood more than she'd ever let on before, understood more than he'd even said. As if she had grown up overnight. She was on the borderline of childhood and adulthood before, but now Aragorn found himself looking at a Lady.
"You may, if you wish Seler'nin," he answered seriously. Then he smirked. "'Tis much better than King-guy, in any event."
Dawn laughed happily, then broke off. "What does Seler'nin mean?"
He gave her a half smile by way of response. "'Tis how you say 'my sister' in Elvish. I think it holds a grace and an affection worthy of you, my dear Dawny."
Dawn blushed a little. "Thank you, Estel," she said quietly.
They spent the remainder of the day together, chatting about their lives growing up. Aragorn found himself speaking more and more openly to Dawn, who was one of the most receptive listeners he'd ever encountered. Soon enough, he found he had disclosed the majority of his relationship to Arwen without even batting an eyelid.
When he realised how much he'd told her, which included some things that only he and Arwen had known themselves until this point, he stopped suddenly, not meeting Dawn's eyes.
"I understand, Estel," came a gentle voice.
Aragorn stared at her. How could she possibly understand? Dawn noticed the look he was giving her, and launched into the story of Buffy and Angel's doomed relationship.
When she looked up a little while later, she found she had accumulated quite an audience. "Ack!" she exclaimed, noticing for the first time that she and Aragorn were not alone. At her side was Arod, still bearing Legolas and Gimli, and Eowyn had appeared next to Aragorn.
Everyone was staring at her. "Please, continue the story Dawn," Eowyn prompted. She had been engrossed with the tale as soon as she'd learned about the concept of a demon with a soul. She was a level-headed woman, but this story was so tragically romantic, it was impossible to resist.
Dawn shrugged. "Don't know that there's much of a story left," she said, having nearly finished. "After graduation, Angel left just like he'd said he would. He moved to L.A., Los Angeles, which is about four hours away from Sunnydale. And he and Buffy had to rebuild their lives without each other. They still see each other every now and then, and whenever one is in trouble too big to face alone, the other is always there. But they both got on with their separate lives and they're both alive to tell the tale. There is a part of Buffy and Angel that will always be together no matter what separation they suffer," she concluded the story.
Her eyes rested squarely on Aragorn. "The point about Buffy and Angel is that they loved each other well enough for the memory to sustain them. But that's only coz they had the courage to make the memories in the first place. And if they had half a chance, they'd take a hellava lot more than just a memory far even half a second more if they could. And it's not like there are any Angeluses around here. Why waste it?" she asked pointedly.
Aragorn nodded. She did understand. She actually understood better than he did. Legolas watched the two humans holding each other's gaze with a soft smile. It had gone completely over Gimli and Eowyn's heads, but he knew that she'd just convinced Aragorn he was worthy of Arwen's love, if for no other reason than the fact that they were in love.
"You tell a fine tale of tragedy, Dawn," Eowyn finally said.
"Naw," Dawn shot back, looking past Aragorn to the other woman. "That was nothing. If you wanna hear tragedy, you can't go past Shakespeare, man. Nobody does tragedy like Shakespeare." She had never admitted it in high school, hey she was considered weird enough as it was, but she'd really liked Shakespeare's work. His sonnets and plays were always deep and beautiful, potent with meaning and raw emotion.
Of course, she was immediately plagued by demands to hear about this Shakespeare person, Eowyn insistent on hearing one of his tragedies.
"Ok, ok, I'll tell you one for today!" Dawn relented. "And since we're already on this impossible romance jones, I guess we'll do Romeo & Juliet while we're at it." She gave them a quick run-down on William Shakespeare and launched into the story of the star-crossed lovers.
That night, Aragorn lay awake after those not on watch were asleep. He grinned as he looked a few metres to his right. Legolas was asleep in the manner of his people, his eyes wide open and his hands folded over his chest. And curled up against him, her head pillowed on his shoulder, was Dawn. One of her arms had been lazily thrown across his body, and he'd gripped the slender fingers in his own.
Aragorn turned his eyes to the stars, letting himself fall into dreams of Arwen.
* * * * *
Eowyn was trying not to laugh as she led the horse. Gimli was perched precariously on Arod's back, trying to tell her all about Dwarf women to pass the time on the final leg of their draining journey to the Deep.
"... they are, in fact, often mistaken for Dwarf men," he admitted to her.
She turned, looking behind her to where Aragorn was riding Hasufel. "It's the beards," he whispered, stroking his stubbled chin, causing Eowyn to actually choke on a burst of laughter that was threatening to escape.
"And this in turn has given rise to the theory that there are no Dwarf women, and that we simply spring up out of holes in the ground, which is absolutely ridiculous!" the Dwarf concluded.
Eowyn could contain herself no longer. She burst out with laughter, the vibrant sound ringing across the plains, startling the sombre people walking around them. While she was distracted, Arod pulled his reins from her grip and began to bolt. Gimli, yelling in terror, managed to cling on for a few metres before being thrown to the ground. A soldier ran to retrieve the horse while the Lady ran to the fallen Dwarf.
She helped him up and dusted him off, giggling as he grumbled "I'm all right, it was deliberate, it was deliberate."
She looked back to where Aragorn was laughing and her smile froze on her face. His eyes locked onto her, and she felt herself pulled into their grey depths. At length, she shook herself out of it and regained her composure.
It was then that all hell broke loose. Hama and another guard had ridden a little ways ahead to scout for signs of danger, straying into a gully. Legolas, who had been walking by Lightfoot and Dawn up the front near Theoden, came to the top of the hill above the gully. He strained his eyes far into the horizon. Aragorn had seen Legolas' movement and left Hasufel's reins in Eowyn's hands and began to move to the Elf.
He saw Legolas shoot at something, lightning fast, and dash into the gully, knife in hand.
"A scout!" he called back to Aragorn as he stood over the body of the Warg and it's Rider who had ambushed and killed Hama and his horse.
Aragorn yelled back to Theoden, and they saw a group of savage Wolf- like beasts bearing down on them, being ridden by Orcs.
The Rohirric people began to panic. Dawn felt a flutter of nerves in her gut as she drew Me'ahyanda. Theoden commanded his niece to lead the people on to Helm's Deep, overriding her when she tried to insist she could fight.
Gimli had been restored to Arod, and Eowyn had deftly stepped aside, leaving Hasufel's reins for Aragorn to fluidly mount. The Ranger cantered up to the front, shooting a look at Dawn.
"Not a word, Estel," she said evenly, before he had even opened his mouth.
"Be careful, Seler'nin," was all he would say before spurring Hasufel on.
Dawn followed, and she soon found herself surrounded by the King's guards as they closed the gap between them and the Wargs.
Legolas had not been idle. While waiting for Gimli and Arod to reach him, he'd fired off some of his arrows, bringing down four Wargs, rendering their Orc Riders a little more vulnerable. As his horse cantered past, Legolas grabbed the reins and flipped himself up, mounting in front of Gimli.
With a sickening thud of flesh, the first lines met. The Wargs were violent creatures, Dawn actually shuddered as she saw one of them latch onto a horses neck, bringing the animal down. Somehow, she made it through the skirmish unscathed, though she suspected that there was an Elven archer watching her back a little more closely than was absolutely necessary for her to survive.
Some time later, with the last of the attackers being taken care of by the guards, she dismounted Lightfoot and swept her eyes over the battlefield for signs of her friends. Gimli, Theoden, Legolas, she breathed a large sigh of relief as she spotted the Elf doing just the same as her.
Aragorn? Where was Aragorn? She heard Legolas and Gimli calling his name. She ran over to them. "Estel!" she yelled. Her voice was almost a scream, she was beginning to panic.
A crude laugh just beyond them snapped all three of their heads to the sound. Gimli threatened the dying Orc to tell them whatever he knew of Aragorn.
"Took a little tumble over the cliff," the Orc wheezed, nodding to a sheer drop a few metres away. His laughter was interrupted by Legolas grabbing at his shoulders and jerking him roughly back and forth.
"You lie," the Elf said, hatred for the Orc and fear for Aragorn colouring his tones.
The Orc died then. Legolas ran his contemptuous gaze over him, stopping when he caught sight of something in its hand. Slowly, carefully, he disentangled the Evenstar pendant from the Orc's clawed grip and held it up for the others to see.
They turned and ran to the edge, peering over the precipice. Below them, they could see the corpse of a Warg smashed against hard rock by a river. There was no trace of Aragorn.
They stared down at the river as if bewildered. None of them noticed Theoden approach. He looked down once and closed his eyes, turning away. "Get the wounded on horses. Leave the dead," he commanded in a steady voice.
Legolas glared at him, anger, confusion and pain radiating from his bright eyes. 'How could Theoden be so callous? Did being mortal mean the loss of a life was no cause with which to trouble yourself too greatly?' he wondered.
Theoden understood Legolas' feelings, but he had his people to protect. He did not have the luxury of showing how much his own words sickened him. He clasped Legolas' shoulder a moment, saying "Come."
They followed the King. For the rest of the journey, none of the soldiers spoke. Dawn barely noticed the world passing her by as she sat on Lightfoot's back, silent tears running ceaselessly down her cheeks.
* * * * *
A/N: Obviously, this part is very much movie verse, but as a word of warning and a spoiler, Haldir doesn't die coz, well, I was too lazy to write the Elves into Helm's Deep. Hope you enjoyed, R&R ~Anoron
But said Elf could not tear himself away. When Dawn had drifted off to sleep, her warm body pressed lightly against his, he had found that just to stare at her peaceful face was better rest than he'd had since leaving Lothlorien.
He sighed, feeling more content than he'd ever remembered, and forced himself to slide out from under Dawn's still sleeping form, careful to cover her over with her blankets so she would not be cold. He pulled his pants on and turned for one last look at her, only to see that her eyes were fluttering open.
He smiled down at her, captivated all over again. "Good morning," he said softly.
Dawn stretched her arms up, yawning, and scrunched the blanket up to her. She cast a dubious eye to the window, where the dark was now not so dark. "You sure about that?" she mumbled sleepily before turning back to him.
She was beginning to become more alert. Dawn propped herself up on one elbow, watching Legolas' lithe, muscular form as he reached for one of the shirts that had been thrown to the floor. "Running out on me?" she kidded as he straightened.
Legolas leaned down to kiss her. "Never," he whispered a split second before his lips brushed over hers. "Aragorn will be looking for me by now. I must see to Arod before we begin the journey. You shall be called upon as well before long, I imagine. It will not be long before I see you again," he promised.
Dawn grinned. "Better not be!"
He had shrugged the shirt on in one quick movement and given her another light kiss. As he reached the door, Dawn called out to him.
"Yes?" he asked, turning back to her.
"Your hairbands," she prodded, nodding to where she had tossed them onto the dresser. He smiled at the comfortable way in which she organised his life, knowing what he needed even when he forgot. "And can you please check on Lightfoot for me while you're at it?" she called to his retreating form.
When he was gone, Dawn, wide awake, threw herself back on the pillows and fought the urge to squeal like a schoolgirl.
* * * * *
The first of the two day trip to Helm's Deep passed without incident. Legolas and Gimli rode on Arod, talking idly to Eowyn and Theoden. Every now and then, the Elf's gaze found Dawn's, who was a little further back.
They'd smother smiles and look away again, Dawn turning her attention back to Aragorn, who rode beside her on Hafusel. She had been telling him about a few of Buffy's battles, particularly their mini-war with the Mayor at graduation.
He was amazed. "A giant snake, you say, Dawn? That is some great devilry."
"Sure was, King-guy," she agreed. They fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the hoofbeats of their horses for a few minutes, until a thought popped into Dawn's head.
"Hey, King-guy?" she piped up.
"Yes, Key-girl?" he returned evenly.
"I was just wonderin', how did you end up with so many names? I mean I have two- Dawn and Dawny, and I remember you telling Eomer all of them, the whole Strider/Aragorn/Elessar/Elfstone/ Isiludur's Heir/Dunadan/Estel, not to mention Eomer's Wingfoot and my King-guy additions. Where do they all come from?" she asked, curious.
Aragorn smiled at her. Usually he did not like to discuss his background with those who weren't close enough to him to already know it, but he felt comfortable telling Dawn. He attributed it to the way she'd readily disclosed her past to him and Legolas in Lothlorien. He also wondered absently if her amazingly good mood today wasn't contagious. She'd been indomitably happy all day... as had Legolas, Aragorn realised with a start. He vowed to find out what kind of relationship had evolved between these two of his friends, watching in amusement as the Elf's eyes caught the Lady's once again and a secret smile passed between the pair.
He shook himself from his thoughts and began to answer Dawn. He told her about Aragorn being his birth name, as the son of Arathorn, and that Strider had been bestowed upon him much in the way that Wingfoot and King- guy had. He enjoyed the way her green eyes danced merrily upon hearing this. Isildur's Heir was a pretty self-explanatory title, and Dunadan was another word for Ranger, so he moved on to his elvish names, Elessar and Estel.
A thoughtful look came over her face as she contemplated his words. "Estel," she mused. "The Elvish word for hope."
Dawn met Aragorn's eyes squarely and solemnly. "I think I like Estel the best. It suits you. May I use that name from now on?" she asked politely.
Aragorn regarded the girl beside him for a moment. She seemed wiser somehow, as if she understood more than she'd ever let on before, understood more than he'd even said. As if she had grown up overnight. She was on the borderline of childhood and adulthood before, but now Aragorn found himself looking at a Lady.
"You may, if you wish Seler'nin," he answered seriously. Then he smirked. "'Tis much better than King-guy, in any event."
Dawn laughed happily, then broke off. "What does Seler'nin mean?"
He gave her a half smile by way of response. "'Tis how you say 'my sister' in Elvish. I think it holds a grace and an affection worthy of you, my dear Dawny."
Dawn blushed a little. "Thank you, Estel," she said quietly.
They spent the remainder of the day together, chatting about their lives growing up. Aragorn found himself speaking more and more openly to Dawn, who was one of the most receptive listeners he'd ever encountered. Soon enough, he found he had disclosed the majority of his relationship to Arwen without even batting an eyelid.
When he realised how much he'd told her, which included some things that only he and Arwen had known themselves until this point, he stopped suddenly, not meeting Dawn's eyes.
"I understand, Estel," came a gentle voice.
Aragorn stared at her. How could she possibly understand? Dawn noticed the look he was giving her, and launched into the story of Buffy and Angel's doomed relationship.
When she looked up a little while later, she found she had accumulated quite an audience. "Ack!" she exclaimed, noticing for the first time that she and Aragorn were not alone. At her side was Arod, still bearing Legolas and Gimli, and Eowyn had appeared next to Aragorn.
Everyone was staring at her. "Please, continue the story Dawn," Eowyn prompted. She had been engrossed with the tale as soon as she'd learned about the concept of a demon with a soul. She was a level-headed woman, but this story was so tragically romantic, it was impossible to resist.
Dawn shrugged. "Don't know that there's much of a story left," she said, having nearly finished. "After graduation, Angel left just like he'd said he would. He moved to L.A., Los Angeles, which is about four hours away from Sunnydale. And he and Buffy had to rebuild their lives without each other. They still see each other every now and then, and whenever one is in trouble too big to face alone, the other is always there. But they both got on with their separate lives and they're both alive to tell the tale. There is a part of Buffy and Angel that will always be together no matter what separation they suffer," she concluded the story.
Her eyes rested squarely on Aragorn. "The point about Buffy and Angel is that they loved each other well enough for the memory to sustain them. But that's only coz they had the courage to make the memories in the first place. And if they had half a chance, they'd take a hellava lot more than just a memory far even half a second more if they could. And it's not like there are any Angeluses around here. Why waste it?" she asked pointedly.
Aragorn nodded. She did understand. She actually understood better than he did. Legolas watched the two humans holding each other's gaze with a soft smile. It had gone completely over Gimli and Eowyn's heads, but he knew that she'd just convinced Aragorn he was worthy of Arwen's love, if for no other reason than the fact that they were in love.
"You tell a fine tale of tragedy, Dawn," Eowyn finally said.
"Naw," Dawn shot back, looking past Aragorn to the other woman. "That was nothing. If you wanna hear tragedy, you can't go past Shakespeare, man. Nobody does tragedy like Shakespeare." She had never admitted it in high school, hey she was considered weird enough as it was, but she'd really liked Shakespeare's work. His sonnets and plays were always deep and beautiful, potent with meaning and raw emotion.
Of course, she was immediately plagued by demands to hear about this Shakespeare person, Eowyn insistent on hearing one of his tragedies.
"Ok, ok, I'll tell you one for today!" Dawn relented. "And since we're already on this impossible romance jones, I guess we'll do Romeo & Juliet while we're at it." She gave them a quick run-down on William Shakespeare and launched into the story of the star-crossed lovers.
That night, Aragorn lay awake after those not on watch were asleep. He grinned as he looked a few metres to his right. Legolas was asleep in the manner of his people, his eyes wide open and his hands folded over his chest. And curled up against him, her head pillowed on his shoulder, was Dawn. One of her arms had been lazily thrown across his body, and he'd gripped the slender fingers in his own.
Aragorn turned his eyes to the stars, letting himself fall into dreams of Arwen.
* * * * *
Eowyn was trying not to laugh as she led the horse. Gimli was perched precariously on Arod's back, trying to tell her all about Dwarf women to pass the time on the final leg of their draining journey to the Deep.
"... they are, in fact, often mistaken for Dwarf men," he admitted to her.
She turned, looking behind her to where Aragorn was riding Hasufel. "It's the beards," he whispered, stroking his stubbled chin, causing Eowyn to actually choke on a burst of laughter that was threatening to escape.
"And this in turn has given rise to the theory that there are no Dwarf women, and that we simply spring up out of holes in the ground, which is absolutely ridiculous!" the Dwarf concluded.
Eowyn could contain herself no longer. She burst out with laughter, the vibrant sound ringing across the plains, startling the sombre people walking around them. While she was distracted, Arod pulled his reins from her grip and began to bolt. Gimli, yelling in terror, managed to cling on for a few metres before being thrown to the ground. A soldier ran to retrieve the horse while the Lady ran to the fallen Dwarf.
She helped him up and dusted him off, giggling as he grumbled "I'm all right, it was deliberate, it was deliberate."
She looked back to where Aragorn was laughing and her smile froze on her face. His eyes locked onto her, and she felt herself pulled into their grey depths. At length, she shook herself out of it and regained her composure.
It was then that all hell broke loose. Hama and another guard had ridden a little ways ahead to scout for signs of danger, straying into a gully. Legolas, who had been walking by Lightfoot and Dawn up the front near Theoden, came to the top of the hill above the gully. He strained his eyes far into the horizon. Aragorn had seen Legolas' movement and left Hasufel's reins in Eowyn's hands and began to move to the Elf.
He saw Legolas shoot at something, lightning fast, and dash into the gully, knife in hand.
"A scout!" he called back to Aragorn as he stood over the body of the Warg and it's Rider who had ambushed and killed Hama and his horse.
Aragorn yelled back to Theoden, and they saw a group of savage Wolf- like beasts bearing down on them, being ridden by Orcs.
The Rohirric people began to panic. Dawn felt a flutter of nerves in her gut as she drew Me'ahyanda. Theoden commanded his niece to lead the people on to Helm's Deep, overriding her when she tried to insist she could fight.
Gimli had been restored to Arod, and Eowyn had deftly stepped aside, leaving Hasufel's reins for Aragorn to fluidly mount. The Ranger cantered up to the front, shooting a look at Dawn.
"Not a word, Estel," she said evenly, before he had even opened his mouth.
"Be careful, Seler'nin," was all he would say before spurring Hasufel on.
Dawn followed, and she soon found herself surrounded by the King's guards as they closed the gap between them and the Wargs.
Legolas had not been idle. While waiting for Gimli and Arod to reach him, he'd fired off some of his arrows, bringing down four Wargs, rendering their Orc Riders a little more vulnerable. As his horse cantered past, Legolas grabbed the reins and flipped himself up, mounting in front of Gimli.
With a sickening thud of flesh, the first lines met. The Wargs were violent creatures, Dawn actually shuddered as she saw one of them latch onto a horses neck, bringing the animal down. Somehow, she made it through the skirmish unscathed, though she suspected that there was an Elven archer watching her back a little more closely than was absolutely necessary for her to survive.
Some time later, with the last of the attackers being taken care of by the guards, she dismounted Lightfoot and swept her eyes over the battlefield for signs of her friends. Gimli, Theoden, Legolas, she breathed a large sigh of relief as she spotted the Elf doing just the same as her.
Aragorn? Where was Aragorn? She heard Legolas and Gimli calling his name. She ran over to them. "Estel!" she yelled. Her voice was almost a scream, she was beginning to panic.
A crude laugh just beyond them snapped all three of their heads to the sound. Gimli threatened the dying Orc to tell them whatever he knew of Aragorn.
"Took a little tumble over the cliff," the Orc wheezed, nodding to a sheer drop a few metres away. His laughter was interrupted by Legolas grabbing at his shoulders and jerking him roughly back and forth.
"You lie," the Elf said, hatred for the Orc and fear for Aragorn colouring his tones.
The Orc died then. Legolas ran his contemptuous gaze over him, stopping when he caught sight of something in its hand. Slowly, carefully, he disentangled the Evenstar pendant from the Orc's clawed grip and held it up for the others to see.
They turned and ran to the edge, peering over the precipice. Below them, they could see the corpse of a Warg smashed against hard rock by a river. There was no trace of Aragorn.
They stared down at the river as if bewildered. None of them noticed Theoden approach. He looked down once and closed his eyes, turning away. "Get the wounded on horses. Leave the dead," he commanded in a steady voice.
Legolas glared at him, anger, confusion and pain radiating from his bright eyes. 'How could Theoden be so callous? Did being mortal mean the loss of a life was no cause with which to trouble yourself too greatly?' he wondered.
Theoden understood Legolas' feelings, but he had his people to protect. He did not have the luxury of showing how much his own words sickened him. He clasped Legolas' shoulder a moment, saying "Come."
They followed the King. For the rest of the journey, none of the soldiers spoke. Dawn barely noticed the world passing her by as she sat on Lightfoot's back, silent tears running ceaselessly down her cheeks.
* * * * *
A/N: Obviously, this part is very much movie verse, but as a word of warning and a spoiler, Haldir doesn't die coz, well, I was too lazy to write the Elves into Helm's Deep. Hope you enjoyed, R&R ~Anoron