Ok people, this is a short chapter, compared to the others anyway. Its still all at Helms Deep, and I just had to put it in. Don't ask me why; that's just the way my weird mind works!

Thank you for all my reviews. Replies are below. I know this chapter is a day late (I update every Monday now), and that is because I was on the Isle of Wight. For the whole weekend, and it was BLOODY FREEZING!

Anyway…

I'm home now, and I did get an extra day off school, which kinda made up for it! ^_^

~Lainfaer~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

lgstarbaby07 – Glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing. ^_^

Mrs. Greenleaf – Cookies and ice cream are scrummy! I totally agree with the whole happiness thing. When you make someone feel happy, it cheers you up. It's a nice feeling! Thanks for reviewing. ^_^

Jupiter's Light – Not too OCC? Good! ^_^ Thanks for reviewing. Do so again please! ^_^

sunni07 – Sorry 'bout the whole heart failure thing! Sure you don't need an ambulance? Oh, if you think they did something, then fine! Heehee…

Writers block is EVIL! I get it all the time. It stinks. I really like your story, its super cool! Dearie, I can't kill Leggy cos he doesn't die in the real story. I'll never do that! Unless I am feeling mega mean of course…

Anyways, thanks for reviewing. ^_^

Elerrina – I have Orli topless? That good enough? I could e-mail it to you! Trust me, I have as many topless pics of Orli as I can possibly get. I have resorted to sticking posters on my CEILING cos I have no wall left! So Dad's a bit annoyed…

Anyways, thanks for reviewing. ^_^

Mayrana – Yeah, Esty (cool nickname!) is back, so he's happy again. Mmm…..Leggy's behind….

Anyways….

Thanks for reviewing, and enjoy the chapter! ^_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 12: Human Stampedes.

As soon as the doors were open, Amy was out there. For the past hours, they had been able to hear the fighting. They had heard a loud explosion as the Wall had been blown up, and a lot of them had screamed, clinging to each other for comfort.

Then they had heard the Horn ring out, and the yells coming from the men, calls of victory. The doors were opened, and the women streamed out, desperate to find their husbands and sons.

Amy looked everywhere, but could not see Legolas anywhere. She started to panic, as she could see neither Gimli, nor Aragorn either. She was pushed from side to side as more women and children ran out of the caves.

"Legolas!" she yelled.

"Aragorn!"

"Gimli!"

But there were no answers. She ran on, pushing her own way through the surging mass of people. She was rather short, only 5"8, and so easy to push.

She got shoved against a wall, and the breath was rammed out of her chest. She paused for a few moments to get her breath back, then struggled on.

She finally made it out of the Keep, and was nearly sick at the sight. Dead bodies lay everywhere, littering the ground. She saw Men, Uruk-Hai, and…. Elves? What on Earth were Elves doing lying on the battlefield of Helms Deep?

She walked slowly along the Wall, looking around in despair. If Legolas had fallen, it would be impossible to find him in this lot. Suddenly, she heard a lot of commotion at the gates, and looked down over the wall to see what was going on.

Riders were galloping into the Keep, lead by Théoden and Gandalf. She grinned. He had made it in time then. She also saw Éomer, the one who had surrounded them on the plains of Rohan as they had been searching for Merry and Pippin. She ran down to the main gate.

It was crammed with people, all trying to get to their loved ones. She called out Legolas' name over and over again, hoping he would hear her above the uproar of the crowd. Horses were all over the place, and she nearly got trampled a few times.

Suddenly, she was pushed roughly to one side, and she fell. Her hands clawed at the ground as she tried to get back up, but the surging mass of people were smothering her, and she could barely move.

"Move!" she heard above the crowd. It was a male voice.

She struggled to get up, but just could not move for all the people above and around her.

"Move out of the way!" she heard again.

Someone else fell over, and the place was in utter chaos now. As the riders made their way through the crowd, she had to move. She would easily be trampled on if she didn't get out of the way. Her sides were aching as more people shoved past her, their feet digging into her ribs and stomach. Someone trod on her hand and she cried out in pain.  

All of a sudden, horses' hooves appeared in front of her, and she prepared to get trampled. But the horse stopped right beside her. She looked up.

A figure slid down easily from the saddle, and hoisted her up onto her feet. The room was completely silent now, save for the horses snorting and stamping their feet. She was cradling her hand, and gazing at the person who had just literally saved her life.

Legolas smiled gently at her. Without a word, he lifted her up onto Arod and sat behind her. With one arm protectively round her waist, he urged Arod forward through the crowd, not really caring if anyone got stood on.

But the crowd parted for them, all staring at the human being protected by an Elf. A few had seen the pair together already, but to most, it was a new discovery.

Ignoring the looks, Legolas pressed on through the group of men, women, and children, making his way slowly to a nearby healing room, where he knew Gimli was being taken care of by Aragorn. He had received a head wound, which would have killed him had he not been wearing his helmet.

No words were spoken. As they left the main entrance area, the crowds decreased in size a little. Legolas urged Arod into a faster trot, wanting to get Amy out of there as fast as possible.

They reached the room, and left Arod outside. He carried her in, as her legs were hurting from when she had fallen. He laid her gently on a bed, and stroked her forehead.

"Legolas," she whispered softly.

"Shh," he soothed, cupping her cheek with one hand. "I'm here now, its over."

She smiled, and then her gaze flickered onto Aragorn who had sidled up beside Legolas.

"What happened?" he asked.

"She got trampled," Legolas replied simply, a small grin flitting across his face.

She scowled. "It wasn't my fault! I was looking for you three, as was everyone else in Rohan at that particular moment in time. I got pushed over because I am quite small, got stood on at least four times, my hand has been squished to a pulp, I am sure of it, and I have been kicked in the stomach numerous times. I am in pain here!"

Aragorn laughed. "I expect you're just bruised."

"Just take a look at her hand Aragorn. It looks quite bad from where I'm standing."  

Aragorn took Amy's hand in his and inspected the damage done. "I think you have broken a couple of fingers, but that's about all. Nothing to worry about. I'll splint it up in a small bandage, and it'll be healed in a few days. The rest of your hand will come out in bruising though. I've got a special cream that will bring it out quicker."

"Thanks Aragorn."

"No problem."

"How's Gimli?" Legolas asked.

"Fine. He's sleeping at the moment. Best thing for him. It'll be healed soon."

"What happened to Gimli?" Amy asked as Aragorn walked off.

"He got a hit on the head, but he's going to be fine," Legolas assured her. 

She nodded. "Ok then. As long as you're all alright, that's all I care about."

"We're fine, just like I promised."

"Why are there Elves everywhere?"

"They came to our aid at the last minute. Lothlórien and Rivendell Elves, sent by Lord Elrond. Haldir and his brothers came. Remember them?"

"Yes."

"Well, Haldir fell. He died in Aragorns' arms."

Amys' eyes widened in shock. "No, not Haldir? Surely not?" 

He nodded sadly. "Aye, it is true. Many of them fell. Hardly any are left to return to Lothlórien."

Aragorn returned then with the cream and gently rubbed it onto Amy's hand. He gave it to her, to attend to any other bruising, then left again to help with the healing of the wounded.

Legolas took her back out to Arod, supporting her with an arm round her waist. He lifted her carefully up, then took her to a spare room inside the Keep.

Once inside, he turned every bit of his attention to her. He eased her gently down onto the bed into a sitting position, and lit some candles. It was light outside, but the room was still rather dark.

"Where are you hurt Amy?" he asked softly, crouching in front of her. He had removed his quiver and bow, and set them against the wall. 

"My whole body aches. The crowd was so huge; getting out of the caves was almost impossible. Everyone was pushing, all trying to get to the front, and I was shoved against a wall. Then, when I got out of that crowd, I went up onto the Wall. I saw Théoden and Gandalf riding in, and so made my way down to the main gate where you would all come in. I got pushed so hard; I lost my footing, and slipped. But once I was down, I couldn't get back up, no matter how hard I tried. No one helped me, or offered to help, and I was kicked in the sides and stomach as they all ran past. My hand got trodden on, as you know, and I was so scared a horse was going to step on me. It was complete chaos in there." She shuddered.

He sat up next to her, slipping a comforting arm round her shoulders. She snuggled into his shoulder, welcoming his warmth. No matter how cold everyone else was, Legolas was always as warm as toast to Amy. She loved just cuddling up to him, lapping up his warmth that surrounded her like a comfort blanket.

He kissed the top of her head. "Let's get this cream on you, then you can get some rest." She nodded. Exhaustion had caught up with her, and she couldn't remember clearly the last time she had slept properly.

With Legolas' help, she removed her over-tunic, and she undid the laces on her main shirt. Slipping it round onto her front, she let Legolas rub the cream onto her back, shoulders, and arms. It was cold at the first touch, yet warmed as it was massaged by slender fingers all over her skin. It tingled slightly after Legolas had touched it, and she liked the feeling.

After rubbing some onto her stomach, she did up her shirt, being careful not to damage her injured hand further. The bruising was definitely coming out now, and it hurt a lot.

When she had finished, Legolas pulled her back into an embrace. He leant back against the wall, and held her against him. Her head lay on his chest, and she shut her eyes, sighing blissfully. He kissed her head again and she smiled. For now, they could just sit in there peacefully, with no interruptions, just bathing in each other's love. They had made it through the first major battle of the War of the Ring.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

See, it had a touch of sweetness to it! Chapter 13 will be up soon. See you next Monday! ^_^

~Lainfaer~