Oh my goodness! I am positively astounded by all the reviews you good people have given me! You all are totally and unequivocally awesome! Thank you so, so much! I suppose I ought to get on with the story:

Note: This chapter goes a little bit AU. Not that it isn't already, but…

            Eowyn held her head high as she exited. She'd shown him!

            It wasn't until after she'd passed the doorframe that she realized – she'd forgotten to put away her sword. Half a curse escaped her mouth before she caught it; she did not wish for him to hear. She hadn't cursed in the Common Tongue, and she doubted that the Elf spoke her native language, but that was not the point.

            And what to do with the sword? She was loath to simply leave it, unprotected by its sheath (that was not the way to take care of weapons) but she could not – would not – go back into that room and allow him to see that he'd flustered her so much that she'd forgotten something crucial.

            Instead, she settled for running through another drill. He would not stay in there forever and it was a way to pass the time until he left.

            Unbeknownst to Eowyn, Legolas had followed her on Elven-silent feet. He observed in amazement as she launched into yet more sword-drill –was this all that she did? Perhaps she was not as interesting as she'd first seemed. Though, the look on her face had more to it than concentration, more than the subtle anger that she always seemed to carry about herself…

            Perhaps there was something more to discover here. He would have to wait and find out.

            As Aragorn meandered somewhat aimlessly through Théoden's halls, trying to clear his mind and seek some respite from the complexities of the day, he caught sight of the king's niece practicing with a sword.

            What in…? Elf-women wielded weapons, he knew, but mortals?! He wondered if perhaps she was merely playing at it, and he drew his knife to see if she would block.

            Eowyn whirled round, sword flashing, and to her surprise her blade met another. For half a moment she thought that it was the Elf meddling with her, but then she caught sight of dark colors and a beard. It was only Aragorn, she realized, and was surprised that she was almost… disappointed.

            She considered asking a sparring match of him, to test her skill against this northern Ranger. Until now she'd only really matched blades with her brother (and several dozen rampaging orcs, outside, but that was a secret that only Éomer knew) and a duel with an expert was a rare thing.

            All of this flew through her mind in an instant, and she was about to say something when she noticed a spot of green in the corner of her eye. The Elf! The thrice-curséd, omnipresent, immortal, irritating Elf! He must not have understood before – now was the time to teach him to be wary!

            She completed the block to Aragorn's knife, and the weapon glanced away.

            "You've some skill with a blade," he commented, not sure of what to say except the obvious.

            She'd already known that, of course. Had she not had other matters on her mind, sparring would have been the thing to do, but Aragorn and swords were not the most pressing matters at the moment.

            She matched his curious gaze, though her thoughts were set to her green-clad shadow, and answered, "The women of this country learned long ago that those without swords could still die upon them." It was a bit louder than she intended, but she wanted to make sure that the Elf heard.

            Saying that took some of the edge off of her anger, and she went on, steadily, "I fear neither death nor pain."

            Legolas, watching from the shadows, marveled at this – mortal lives were so short! Surely she did not wish to die?!

            Then, though, the conversation continued, and Aragorn asked, "What do you fear?"

            A look, a bitter look that contained a surprising amount of hatred came to her face. "A cage," she spat. "To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them, and all chance of valor is gone beyond recall or desire."

            Oh, how young she was! How young, to think that way of a soldier's life! The words echoed in his mind, sadly. How young, how young!

            It was with strange half-sadness that he listened as Aragorn tried to be reassuring. "You are a daughter of kings, a shieldmaiden of Rohan! I do not think that that will be your fate…"

            The Man walked away then, and for a moment Eowyn stared after him, thinking. She hoped beyond hope that he was right, hoped that by some miracle the cage would be broken.

            Thinking of that, though, was even worse than contemplating the Elf's motives, and she called out to the corners, "I know you are there! I know that you've followed me!"

            She stood a moment, challenging but unsure of what to do next, before turning on her heel and stalking away.

PLEASE, it would be truly awesome if you could find it within the kindness of your heart to give me a REVIEW! Just please, BE CIVIL, and do not flame! THANK YOU!

Also: I want my summary to say that it's a Legolas/Eowyn romance, but I can't get this / to show up! Does anyone know how? Thanks!

Responses to reviews:

Kelly Bean: I have every intent to continue! I'm glad you like it!

Sulia Shincho: Happy you like it! I've gotta stop spinning off and writing other things, seriously! It makes sense? Cool!

Celtic Beauty: Glad you like it! The update isn't exactly soon, but it's here!

Bruisedskies: Okay, okay, I'm writing more! Don't hurt me! (kidding!)

Black Sheep: I'm really happy you like the way I've portrayed them! I was trying to get away from like, the perfect girly yummy sexy Elf-god type of thing, as it kind of bothers me! It's interesting to know that there are people who would flame me into the next dimension for this…

Skyshadow: There shall be more!

Trick Pony: Happy you think it's good!

Raisse of Gondor: I'm glad you like the way I've done Eowyn. I've been wanting to write her for a while but I wasn't quite sure how to do it.

Starry: Indeed I shall make the rest of the chapters!

BelleDayNight: I can't quite forget about my other works, but I'll be working on this one, so don't worry!

Ninjamonkey: I'm happy you like it!

ShawThang: I'm quite glad you like my take on it, and think it's interesting!

Engish: I am happy you like it!

Sherwood Girl: I'm updating as soon as I can!

Rashaka: I'm very glad you love it! It's true, they have almost no connection, but that means that there's so much more to create!

Zephyr Raine: I've never been much into Faramir/Eowyn, but I'm happy you like this!

Rylee Smith: I'm glad you like it!

Bladefanatic: I'm happy you like it, and that you like how Eowyn is portrayed!

Das Blume: Yes! The bunnies are attacking me and holding my brain hostage and… (a bunny is now seen brandishing a bow and arrow in a threatening manner) Um… but it is kind of weird how the Elves and Mortal don't pair up together, isn't it? I'm very glad you like this story!

Jess: I'm happy you like it, and thank you for the compliment on my grammar and language!

XFVixen: I'm quite glad you like the plot and descriptions! Indeed, sometimes chapters just don't behave the way you want them to, but I guess the only thing to do is go back and re-tool them. I've had to do that quite a bit… But, barring any disasters, I shall continue this fic!

ArchFaith: I know, I know, I left you hanging! I'll make it fulfilling in the end, I promise! As to retaining fluffiness, all I can to is try my best! I'm glad you like it!

Ayante: I've always thought Legolas/Eowyn was bit odd, too, but the words for this just jumped into my head and I couldn't help but write. I'm quite happy you like it!

Rain: Indeed, that would be fun! Glad you enjoyed it!

Sue: Thank you very much! I'm very happy that you like it so much!

Darma Druid: Oh my! You flatter me! Thank you, very much! I shall try my best to keep it up!

Leap of Faith: I am glad you think it's spiffy!

Ocean Rider: Thank you for the compliment!

Teresa Lynn: I am quite happy that you like how I've portrayed Eowyn! She can be hard to write, sometimes…

Via: Thank you very much! I am very glad you like it!

Random Person: I'm happy you like it! I also think it's really annoying when you read a romance and they just love each other for no reason! It just strikes me as really weird…

Angels, Demons, and Plushies: Thank you! I also think that Eowyn was better in the book. The movies bothered me a little, but she was better in Return of the King than in Two Towers.

Kitten: I'm glad you think it's great!

Dark Phoenix: I'm quite happy you like it! Armed and dangerous Eowyn is awesome!

Dark Whispers: This is one of the few Legolas pairings that I can stand! I'm glad you like this, and I'm glad that you liked Silence and Lies, too!

Frosta: This is pretty much movie-verse. I've read the books, but the movie is a better place to write this. I'm not sure why I started this – the words just popped into my head. I think I did it because after I saw the movies I was a bit bothered by how much Eowyn was mooning over Aragorn. It just annoyed me… I'm happy you like the fic!

Gissela: The muses are running wild! I'm glad you like it, and I have every intention of continuing!

Mingjun: As for Legolas and Eowyn, you'll have to keep reading! I'm happy you like it!

Nemo: I'm glad you're interested!

Madame Parker aka Anya: I'm happy you like how I've written Eowyn! It's hard to know what to do with her sometimes, but I shall try my best!

THANK YOU ALL!