AUTHOR'S NOTE Okay, Calíme's twist. It was done for a reason and no there will be no slash in this story! Not that I'm against slash (far from it, I'm a total sucker for a good Merry/Pippin or Jack/Will [Pirates of the Caribbean] story), that just won't really be dealt with in this. And "Mithrandir" is what the Elves call Gandalf, just in case you didn't know. And thanks to all my great reviewers!
DISCLAIMER You should ALL know whom I own by now.
I wouldn't talk to anyone. Gauna found me a blanket and I curled up in a ball with it wrapped around me. I kept shaking and couldn't stop.
I watched Haldir die. The vision was as clear as if I had been fighting by his side. His lifeless eyes haunted my thoughts.
"How goes the battle?" Gauna was asking for the tenth time. I decided that maybe listening to their talk would ease my mind.
"The warriors are retreating," Emeriel said dully. Calíme put a hand on her shoulder.
"Where are they retreating to?" Gauna asked.
"The Uruks have not yet broken through the main gate of the keep. But once they do, the warriors will be forced into the caves and it will be over," Emeriel replied in the same monotone voice.
"That will not happen," Gauna said firmly, clinging to her faith in her people and King. "Emeriel, you must not lose hope!"
"Colindor will come back to you," Calíme added. "You'll see. At least your lover did not sail for Valinor," she added softly.
Emeriel looked at our friend, shocked. "I didn't know…oh Cali, when?"
"Right after Rae left," Cali answered dejectedly. "That's why I followed you both here to Helms Deep!" she cried. "Everyone left me! I couldn't stay in Lórien all by myself!" Her mood swings and bitterness suddenly all made sense.
After a moment of silence, Emeriel spoke again. "Cali, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Cali said listlessly. "You wouldn't have approved of her anyway."
Whoa, wait a minute. "Her?" I asked, speaking for the first time since the vision.
Calíme nodded defiantly. "Yes, her. I'm tired of hiding. My lover was another Elf-maiden."
No one said anything. I had heard of this but never encountered it. It would definitely take getting used to. But as long as Calíme was happy…
A flurry of activity near the entrance of the caves captured my attention. The surviving warriors had retreated into our refuge. All of the women and children were herded back farther into the caves.
At the sight of the surviving warriors, Emeriel went a little crazy. Gauna held her back as she tried to fight the flow of refugees. After a moment, she stopped struggling but started crying.
"I have to see him, Rae!" she sobbed as I hugged her. "I have to tell him! I can't let him die without knowing! What if my baby never knows his father?"
Suddenly she realized what she'd said. Her eyes widened. Obviously, that had been a secret. She wrenched her arm from Gauna's grasp and disappeared into the sea of refugees.
**********
The caves had gone silent long ago. My sensitive ears heard the incessant beating of the rain against the mountainside, but since the retreat, all sounds of battle had faded away.
The surviving soldiers and warriors were gathered just inside the doors. Gauna and I strained to see if Legolas and Marek were among them, but we were far away and there were quite a few survivors. "We'll just have to wait," she murmured.
I nodded. Calíme had Daelin in her lap, who had stayed fast asleep through the battle. The child seemed quite comfortable with us three Elves. He woke up only once through the night, woken by the cry that accompanied my vision. He looked up at Cali, a woman he had never met before, and snuggled back into her arms to fall asleep again.
Emeriel sat alone a few paces away. I left Cali and Gauna to sit down quietly next to her. "Hey Em," I said gently.
"Hi." She wouldn't look at me.
"Em, there's no reason to be ashamed," I told her. With a small smile, I reminded her, "I did the same thing."
The corners of her mouth turned up just slightly and she glanced at me sideways. "That's true."
I just put my arm around her shoulders and she leaned her head sadly on mine. "How did you hide it?" I asked after a minute.
"After Colindor and I were married," she explained, "Galadriel called me back to grant me permission to leave the city. But she also informed me of…my condition." Emeriel blushed. "I didn't know I was pregnant, but the Lady could tell. She taught me how to hide it, so that not even other Elves could tell."
After absorbing this new twist, I asked, "But why hide something as wonderful as this?" I went ahead, not letting her answer. I needed to indulge the joy over my own baby to drive away the fear that had been building all night. "Gauna is truly blessed with Daelin and I cannot wait until I have my baby!"
"Oh Rae, I'm not unhappy!" Emeriel cried, facing me. "Have my husband's baby is the best thing to ever happen to me! But," she broke off. "I'm scared, Rae." Tears welled up in her eyes. "My baby could lose his father tonight," she sobbed. "I could lose his father."
I just stroked her hair and let her cry. I knew it was possible – we all did. Every woman or child in those caves could lose someone outside in the rain. Many already had, judging by the number of survivors compared to the original number of warriors.
After her tears had slowed, Emeriel told me the rest of her story. "Galadriel knew that many of the warriors would not return. She taught me to hide my condition so I could hide it from Colindor. So that nothing would be a distraction for him while he fought."
"It does make sense."
Emeriel nodded. "I'm just so afraid! What happens if he doesn't survive this battle and he never knows?" Her voice again got low and sad. "He'd never know."
I turned her head to look at me. "Colindor is going to survive!" I said firmly. "He will come back from this battle. And Legolas will come back and our children will grow up with complete families and never lack for anything! Helms Deep does not spell destruction for us or the ones we love."
Emeriel's eyes lost their despair and her resolve glowed through. She knew what I spoke was true. "Not now," she said. "Not here."
I nodded. "Not here." I looked to the head of the caves where an opening in the mountainside poured golden light. "Look!" The light filled my heart. "It is morning."
Calíme and Gauna came to join us. The faint sunlight had lifted their spirits also. I felt a great light was through me as the sun grew brighter, but sensed that something else had happened.
The doors were suddenly pushed open as our warriors made their final stand. They rode out to face the enemy valiantly. I could feel their fear but there was a hint of something else: joy.
Calíme suddenly gasped. "Mithrandir!" she breathed. "Mithrandir has come!"
I knew she was right. Gandalf had come to fight. Emeriel just looked lost. "But he fell! In the Mines of Moria, the Lady said so! Rae, you sung his lament!"
With a smile, I just shook my head. "He has returned."
Fear and pain were rapidly being replaced by celebration and joy. Emeriel and Calíme could feel it too. And judging by her face, I guessed even Gauna sensed it. The enemy was retreating.
The Battle of Helms Deep was over and we had won.
