A/n: I am so sorry for the lack of updates. I have been busy with school
but really that is no excuse because I have had this written for awhile
now. I think I am involuntarily slowing this down because I am waiting for
Return of the King to come out. But don't worry. I will continue to write
onto the Return of the King even before it comes out in the movie theatre,
if I update fast enough. Hehe! Thanks a billion to those of you who review!
*hugz* You guys are so awesome!
Oh, I would like to do a little advertising here. If any of you read Harry Potter fics (only if you read them though, I don't want to put people out of their way) I have a new one if anyone is interested! Thanks!
R/N:
Noa: Thank you so much! I'm glad you are liking this, let's just hope I don't blow it. Lol! Thanks girl *hugz*
Oil Pastel: Lmao. Thanks for your very interesting review. Thank Jack for me too. And I am still waiting for Will in my mail. *glares* Thanks for sticking with this! You are awesome!
Princess Snake: Hey! Thanks for reviewing. She might get in trouble..*grins* well...not necessarily. Since they know she can fight she'll get choice. I bet you can't guess what she chooses. *rolls eyes* Thanks for reviewing hun!
KnowInSight: Thank you hun! I love hearing for you and thanks for continuing to read this!! You're great!
Alida Fruit: Yay! Thanks for your review. It was awesome. I love hearing from you. I hope you're doing well, thanks again!
SueSlasher: Thanks for your double review. I liked it much! LoL! You're awesome, thanks for sticking with my story. *hugz* btw.do you have any stories on fanfiction or do you just review?
Lotrfreak441: I didn't know it was only nine days but if it is then I am in luck because my telling of the Two Towers is somewhere, around but below, 9 days. Lucky me!
UnDeadgoat: I'm really glad you like my story. Thanks for your reviews. That's awesome that you like to review so much. I do too, its nice to read different stories, isn't it?
Mojo: Thanks for reviewing hun! You always stick with my stories. thank you so much! *hugz*
Vorserkeien: Thank you for reading! And you're welcome for all those review's. It was a good story, even if it was posted awhile ago *grins* thanks again!
Levanna: Thanks for reviewing!!
--
Aurora had some time to kill (she shuddered with this thought) before she should begin to ready for the battle, so she followed Aragorn and the others and helped get the women and children into the caves. For there were caves beneath Helm's Deep and it was here that the women and children would hide. Everyone else, all men who were not too old and all boys who were not too young, were led up above and prepared for war. It was a very sad thing to watch as the they were torn away from their families. Aurora would have cried had she the tears left to do so.
"Aurora," Aragorn said. Dan, Scott, and Legolas all stood behind him, looking at her.
"What?" she asked uncertainly.
"I want you to know that you have the choice to stay here with the women and children. You are a woman and you do not need to fight in this battle," he said.
Aurora knew they were going to ask her this and by the looks on Dan's and Scott's faces, she knew what they were begging her to say and it was completely opposite of what she had in mind. "I will fight. I have every reason as you do. Well, not you Aragorn. But every reason as Dan and Scott do. I know how to defend myself." She paused before going on. "If I die tonight than I will die for a reason. I will not be killed hiding beneath caves and I will not be eaten alive by worry, wondering if you, my friends, are dead or still fighting. No. I will fight alongside you and if this is the day I was meant to die, then. . .er. . . so be it. I would not be able to live with myself if I stayed here." She finished this well rehearsed speech and looked at her friends. Aragorn gazed at her proudly as if he were her father and she had just made the best decision of her life. Legolas nodded his head in respect and Dan and Scott looked worried to death.
She nodded to them and turned to leave. She was going to have to find some armor that was fit enough for a female. She had rather different features than men did.
--
Scott sat alone in a room where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli each kept their weapons. He sat on the floor, his head resting against the wall. He was terrified for the battle that was coming. But what surprised him was that he wasn't worried about himself. He was worried about Aurora. What would he do if she died? He vowed that he would stay by Aurora throughout the whole battle and if he died trying to save her, then so be it. He had been so close to telling her how he felt. But Dan had interrupted it.
And speaking of Dan, Scott thought, sitting a little straighter, as Dan himself walked into the room. He looked very uncertain and nervous somehow but he came straight over to Scott and sat down next to him. He didn't look at him but stared at the wall, apparently gathering his thoughts.
"I'm sorry," he finally ventured.
Scott felt his heart explode. He had been waiting and praying for Dan to say these very same words. It was a shame that he chose now to voice them. There was a very good chance that one or both of them would not survive the night. Scott didn't say anything, just stared at the wall, sensing that Dan wanted to say more.
"Aurora is very special to me Scott. She is my only sister and I love her so much." He paused. Scott looked at him now wondering what he was going to say. Surely he would not start another argument?
"I was scared of losing her. Losing her to my best friend who had a rather bad reputation with girls."
Scott opened his mouth to protest angrily but Dan stopped him with a raised hand. "Let me finish," he took a deep breathe than continued on, "I promised that I would never let you have her. Ever. But then I saw the way you worried about her. I saw the deeper meaning of the looks you always throw her way."
Scott's heart pounded. Was Dan saying what he thought he was saying?
Now Dan turned to look Scott in the eye. "Scott, tell me exactly what you feel toward my sister."
Scott did not hesitate in his reply. "I love her."
Dan looked shocked for a moment. And Scott could see why. Even Scott was surprised by his words. He had never thought that he loved her. He had only thought it was a deep like. But now he knew it to be true. He knew it without any doubt. He was irretrievably in love with Aurora.
Dan nodded his head. "Then I was right. I was thinking about it this past day and I realized that there was no one better for my sister than my best friend."
Scott could feel his stomach turn. The only reason he had not told Aurora sooner was out of respect to Dan. And now he had his permission.
Scott nodded his appreciation but couldn't find any words to express his gratitude.
"Take care of her Scott. And don't hurt her. Please."
"I would never hurt your sister."
Dan nodded and stood up. "I'll see you later."
Scott nodded and watched as Dan left the room. His only trouble now was working up the courage to tell Aurora how he felt.
--
Dan walked toward the caves feeling uneasy and yet relieved. He had forced himself to go to Scott. He was not entirely certain whether Scott just wanted Aurora for sex but he knew there was feelings there too. He saw it his eyes. He also saw the way Aurora looked, talked, and trembled when Scott was near. How could he deny his sister the one thing that she wanted? He couldn't believe that they, of all people, had fallen for one another. It was the last thing that he would expect. It was the very last thing ANYONE would expect. Their hatred of one another was legendary. But he knew better than to doubt the impossible. For he had fallen in love himself; with Hanalee. He couldn't explain how it had happened so fast. He couldn't even understand it himself. On the first day after leaving Edoras he had found himself riding alongside her and as they chatted throughout the day, he had felt a developing attraction. And then that night that they had camped, he knew he loved her. Who would have thought that him, the most skeptical of all, would actually fall in love with someone from this godforsaken land?
"Dan!" Hanalee called, running over to him and flinging her arms around his neck as he reached the caves.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, smelling her hair. She was sniffing into his shirt.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, wiping her tears with the back of his hand.
"Don't go. Please don't go. Stay here, with me. You can hide from the guards."
Dan shook his head sadly. "My sister is going, my best friend is going. I can not leave them out there alone."
"And what of me?"
"I should go out there and save you too. Not that you need saving or anything," he attempted to joke.
"Stay with me until you must go then. Please."
Dan kissed the top of her head and held her hand, sitting down under a stalactite that hung from the ceiling of the damp cave.
--
Aurora had a lot of difficulty finding her a chain-mail. None of them were really made for breasts and were not fit to the curves of a woman's body. But finally she found one that she could squeeze over herself. It was comfortable enough. Well, as far as chain-mails go. She strapped her weapons around her waist and then decided, to keep her mind off the battle, to see if she could help some of the children find their weapons.
For there were children. Lots of children. Most of them seemed like they could barely lift a sword or shield. One boy wore a chain-mail so large it was like a dress. Another boy looked at an axe, completely terrified. And another could barely lift a shield.
Aurora's heart broke. These were not warriors. These were boys who still had much growing to do. These were boys who would learn a tough lesson in life much too soon. How could Théoden expect them to fight and live? They would do no damage to the thousands of Orcs and Uruk-hai. What could they do?
But Aurora knew better than to question the King. She had never fought in a war. She saw it in movies enough but she knew nothing of strategy and opposition. She had to trust that the King knew what to expect of his people and knew how to save their lives.
She feared this night more than anything she had ever feared in her life. She had managed to keep herself calm however. It was almost as if she was faced with the impossible and her mind, though reluctantly, had grown to accept the fact that she might not make it through the night. She knew how to fight but if she was overpowered than she was ready to meet her end.
She sat on some stone steps, watching the people swarm around her. She reflected back on how weak she had been when she had first arrived in middle earth, wearing nothing but her slippers. Who would have thought that she, so scared to fight, so scared to fight even for Frodo in Moria, would be standing here donned in armor with weapons clanging against her body. Who would have thought that she would have grown to love her friends Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Gandalf, and the poor hobbits, somewhere in this untamed world. Who would have thought that she would ever have had more than friendly feelings toward Scott, her sworn lifelong enemy. Her life had changed and even though she was now faced with the prospect of death, she felt that it had changed for the better.
--
As the light began to dim outside, Aurora went to the room where Scott sat still. He had chain-mail and weapons ready but he still sat on the stone, cold floor. Aragorn stood above him, pulling his own protection and gear on as well. (A/n: That sounds a little wrong O_o. I need to get my mind out of the gutter. . . *cough* sorry!)
When Aurora walked in Scott looked up at her (sending emotions darting through her heart) and opened and closed his mouth, before shifting his gaze away.
While Aragorn was turned away, Legolas walked silently into the room, grabbed Aragorn's sword, and handed it to him when Aragorn turned around looking for it.
Aragorn nodded and accepted the sword. Aurora got the feeling that things were rather tense between the Elf and the man.
"We have trusted you this far and you have not led us astray. Forgive me. I was wrong to despair." Legolas said, his blue eyes filling with regret.
"Ú-moe edhored, Legolas." Aragorn replied, with just as much heartfelt sincerity. They both smiled and clapped one another on the shoulder.
Aurora knew that they had argued about something but she also knew that it was something between them and was not her business.
Just then Gimli walked in and Aurora burst out laughing. The sound sounded forced and odd in the tense air, but she couldn't help it. The dwarf was holding up a chain-mail which was far too long for him.
"I'll have to get this adjusted," he said, dropping it to the floor. "It's a little tight across the chest."
Before any of them could say anything a horn bellowed through the air.
"That is no Orc horn!" Legolas cried, dashing from the room, Aragorn closely behind. Aurora waited for Scott to get up, which he did slowly, looking at her in a peculiar way.
"What?" she asked nervously.
Before Scott could answer the horn sounded again. She quickly grabbed his hand (the contact sent chills up her arms and legs) and pulled him outside, not letting go of him. Not wanting to let go of him. But when she saw whom the horn belonged to, she had to let go in shock.
It was Haldir. The Elf that had led them through the forest in Lothlorien. And behind him were hundreds of Elves, each carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows.
"How is this possible?" Théoden was asking in surprise and, at the same time, relief.
"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. An Alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together." Haldir said. He looked up at the broken members of the fellowship and smiled. "We come to honor that allegiance."
Aragorn dashed down the steps and said, "Mae govannen, Haldir." Aurora really, really, needed to learn Elvish.
With these words said, Aragorn, to the surprise of many, gave Haldir a gigantic bear hug. Haldir was initially stunned but returned the hug rather more tentatively.
"You are most welcome," Aragorn said.
Legolas too went down and he and Haldir clasped one another about the shoulder in a seemingly formal, traditional, way of greeting.
"We are proud to fight alongside men once more."
Oh, I would like to do a little advertising here. If any of you read Harry Potter fics (only if you read them though, I don't want to put people out of their way) I have a new one if anyone is interested! Thanks!
R/N:
Noa: Thank you so much! I'm glad you are liking this, let's just hope I don't blow it. Lol! Thanks girl *hugz*
Oil Pastel: Lmao. Thanks for your very interesting review. Thank Jack for me too. And I am still waiting for Will in my mail. *glares* Thanks for sticking with this! You are awesome!
Princess Snake: Hey! Thanks for reviewing. She might get in trouble..*grins* well...not necessarily. Since they know she can fight she'll get choice. I bet you can't guess what she chooses. *rolls eyes* Thanks for reviewing hun!
KnowInSight: Thank you hun! I love hearing for you and thanks for continuing to read this!! You're great!
Alida Fruit: Yay! Thanks for your review. It was awesome. I love hearing from you. I hope you're doing well, thanks again!
SueSlasher: Thanks for your double review. I liked it much! LoL! You're awesome, thanks for sticking with my story. *hugz* btw.do you have any stories on fanfiction or do you just review?
Lotrfreak441: I didn't know it was only nine days but if it is then I am in luck because my telling of the Two Towers is somewhere, around but below, 9 days. Lucky me!
UnDeadgoat: I'm really glad you like my story. Thanks for your reviews. That's awesome that you like to review so much. I do too, its nice to read different stories, isn't it?
Mojo: Thanks for reviewing hun! You always stick with my stories. thank you so much! *hugz*
Vorserkeien: Thank you for reading! And you're welcome for all those review's. It was a good story, even if it was posted awhile ago *grins* thanks again!
Levanna: Thanks for reviewing!!
--
Aurora had some time to kill (she shuddered with this thought) before she should begin to ready for the battle, so she followed Aragorn and the others and helped get the women and children into the caves. For there were caves beneath Helm's Deep and it was here that the women and children would hide. Everyone else, all men who were not too old and all boys who were not too young, were led up above and prepared for war. It was a very sad thing to watch as the they were torn away from their families. Aurora would have cried had she the tears left to do so.
"Aurora," Aragorn said. Dan, Scott, and Legolas all stood behind him, looking at her.
"What?" she asked uncertainly.
"I want you to know that you have the choice to stay here with the women and children. You are a woman and you do not need to fight in this battle," he said.
Aurora knew they were going to ask her this and by the looks on Dan's and Scott's faces, she knew what they were begging her to say and it was completely opposite of what she had in mind. "I will fight. I have every reason as you do. Well, not you Aragorn. But every reason as Dan and Scott do. I know how to defend myself." She paused before going on. "If I die tonight than I will die for a reason. I will not be killed hiding beneath caves and I will not be eaten alive by worry, wondering if you, my friends, are dead or still fighting. No. I will fight alongside you and if this is the day I was meant to die, then. . .er. . . so be it. I would not be able to live with myself if I stayed here." She finished this well rehearsed speech and looked at her friends. Aragorn gazed at her proudly as if he were her father and she had just made the best decision of her life. Legolas nodded his head in respect and Dan and Scott looked worried to death.
She nodded to them and turned to leave. She was going to have to find some armor that was fit enough for a female. She had rather different features than men did.
--
Scott sat alone in a room where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli each kept their weapons. He sat on the floor, his head resting against the wall. He was terrified for the battle that was coming. But what surprised him was that he wasn't worried about himself. He was worried about Aurora. What would he do if she died? He vowed that he would stay by Aurora throughout the whole battle and if he died trying to save her, then so be it. He had been so close to telling her how he felt. But Dan had interrupted it.
And speaking of Dan, Scott thought, sitting a little straighter, as Dan himself walked into the room. He looked very uncertain and nervous somehow but he came straight over to Scott and sat down next to him. He didn't look at him but stared at the wall, apparently gathering his thoughts.
"I'm sorry," he finally ventured.
Scott felt his heart explode. He had been waiting and praying for Dan to say these very same words. It was a shame that he chose now to voice them. There was a very good chance that one or both of them would not survive the night. Scott didn't say anything, just stared at the wall, sensing that Dan wanted to say more.
"Aurora is very special to me Scott. She is my only sister and I love her so much." He paused. Scott looked at him now wondering what he was going to say. Surely he would not start another argument?
"I was scared of losing her. Losing her to my best friend who had a rather bad reputation with girls."
Scott opened his mouth to protest angrily but Dan stopped him with a raised hand. "Let me finish," he took a deep breathe than continued on, "I promised that I would never let you have her. Ever. But then I saw the way you worried about her. I saw the deeper meaning of the looks you always throw her way."
Scott's heart pounded. Was Dan saying what he thought he was saying?
Now Dan turned to look Scott in the eye. "Scott, tell me exactly what you feel toward my sister."
Scott did not hesitate in his reply. "I love her."
Dan looked shocked for a moment. And Scott could see why. Even Scott was surprised by his words. He had never thought that he loved her. He had only thought it was a deep like. But now he knew it to be true. He knew it without any doubt. He was irretrievably in love with Aurora.
Dan nodded his head. "Then I was right. I was thinking about it this past day and I realized that there was no one better for my sister than my best friend."
Scott could feel his stomach turn. The only reason he had not told Aurora sooner was out of respect to Dan. And now he had his permission.
Scott nodded his appreciation but couldn't find any words to express his gratitude.
"Take care of her Scott. And don't hurt her. Please."
"I would never hurt your sister."
Dan nodded and stood up. "I'll see you later."
Scott nodded and watched as Dan left the room. His only trouble now was working up the courage to tell Aurora how he felt.
--
Dan walked toward the caves feeling uneasy and yet relieved. He had forced himself to go to Scott. He was not entirely certain whether Scott just wanted Aurora for sex but he knew there was feelings there too. He saw it his eyes. He also saw the way Aurora looked, talked, and trembled when Scott was near. How could he deny his sister the one thing that she wanted? He couldn't believe that they, of all people, had fallen for one another. It was the last thing that he would expect. It was the very last thing ANYONE would expect. Their hatred of one another was legendary. But he knew better than to doubt the impossible. For he had fallen in love himself; with Hanalee. He couldn't explain how it had happened so fast. He couldn't even understand it himself. On the first day after leaving Edoras he had found himself riding alongside her and as they chatted throughout the day, he had felt a developing attraction. And then that night that they had camped, he knew he loved her. Who would have thought that him, the most skeptical of all, would actually fall in love with someone from this godforsaken land?
"Dan!" Hanalee called, running over to him and flinging her arms around his neck as he reached the caves.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, smelling her hair. She was sniffing into his shirt.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, wiping her tears with the back of his hand.
"Don't go. Please don't go. Stay here, with me. You can hide from the guards."
Dan shook his head sadly. "My sister is going, my best friend is going. I can not leave them out there alone."
"And what of me?"
"I should go out there and save you too. Not that you need saving or anything," he attempted to joke.
"Stay with me until you must go then. Please."
Dan kissed the top of her head and held her hand, sitting down under a stalactite that hung from the ceiling of the damp cave.
--
Aurora had a lot of difficulty finding her a chain-mail. None of them were really made for breasts and were not fit to the curves of a woman's body. But finally she found one that she could squeeze over herself. It was comfortable enough. Well, as far as chain-mails go. She strapped her weapons around her waist and then decided, to keep her mind off the battle, to see if she could help some of the children find their weapons.
For there were children. Lots of children. Most of them seemed like they could barely lift a sword or shield. One boy wore a chain-mail so large it was like a dress. Another boy looked at an axe, completely terrified. And another could barely lift a shield.
Aurora's heart broke. These were not warriors. These were boys who still had much growing to do. These were boys who would learn a tough lesson in life much too soon. How could Théoden expect them to fight and live? They would do no damage to the thousands of Orcs and Uruk-hai. What could they do?
But Aurora knew better than to question the King. She had never fought in a war. She saw it in movies enough but she knew nothing of strategy and opposition. She had to trust that the King knew what to expect of his people and knew how to save their lives.
She feared this night more than anything she had ever feared in her life. She had managed to keep herself calm however. It was almost as if she was faced with the impossible and her mind, though reluctantly, had grown to accept the fact that she might not make it through the night. She knew how to fight but if she was overpowered than she was ready to meet her end.
She sat on some stone steps, watching the people swarm around her. She reflected back on how weak she had been when she had first arrived in middle earth, wearing nothing but her slippers. Who would have thought that she, so scared to fight, so scared to fight even for Frodo in Moria, would be standing here donned in armor with weapons clanging against her body. Who would have thought that she would have grown to love her friends Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Gandalf, and the poor hobbits, somewhere in this untamed world. Who would have thought that she would ever have had more than friendly feelings toward Scott, her sworn lifelong enemy. Her life had changed and even though she was now faced with the prospect of death, she felt that it had changed for the better.
--
As the light began to dim outside, Aurora went to the room where Scott sat still. He had chain-mail and weapons ready but he still sat on the stone, cold floor. Aragorn stood above him, pulling his own protection and gear on as well. (A/n: That sounds a little wrong O_o. I need to get my mind out of the gutter. . . *cough* sorry!)
When Aurora walked in Scott looked up at her (sending emotions darting through her heart) and opened and closed his mouth, before shifting his gaze away.
While Aragorn was turned away, Legolas walked silently into the room, grabbed Aragorn's sword, and handed it to him when Aragorn turned around looking for it.
Aragorn nodded and accepted the sword. Aurora got the feeling that things were rather tense between the Elf and the man.
"We have trusted you this far and you have not led us astray. Forgive me. I was wrong to despair." Legolas said, his blue eyes filling with regret.
"Ú-moe edhored, Legolas." Aragorn replied, with just as much heartfelt sincerity. They both smiled and clapped one another on the shoulder.
Aurora knew that they had argued about something but she also knew that it was something between them and was not her business.
Just then Gimli walked in and Aurora burst out laughing. The sound sounded forced and odd in the tense air, but she couldn't help it. The dwarf was holding up a chain-mail which was far too long for him.
"I'll have to get this adjusted," he said, dropping it to the floor. "It's a little tight across the chest."
Before any of them could say anything a horn bellowed through the air.
"That is no Orc horn!" Legolas cried, dashing from the room, Aragorn closely behind. Aurora waited for Scott to get up, which he did slowly, looking at her in a peculiar way.
"What?" she asked nervously.
Before Scott could answer the horn sounded again. She quickly grabbed his hand (the contact sent chills up her arms and legs) and pulled him outside, not letting go of him. Not wanting to let go of him. But when she saw whom the horn belonged to, she had to let go in shock.
It was Haldir. The Elf that had led them through the forest in Lothlorien. And behind him were hundreds of Elves, each carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows.
"How is this possible?" Théoden was asking in surprise and, at the same time, relief.
"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. An Alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together." Haldir said. He looked up at the broken members of the fellowship and smiled. "We come to honor that allegiance."
Aragorn dashed down the steps and said, "Mae govannen, Haldir." Aurora really, really, needed to learn Elvish.
With these words said, Aragorn, to the surprise of many, gave Haldir a gigantic bear hug. Haldir was initially stunned but returned the hug rather more tentatively.
"You are most welcome," Aragorn said.
Legolas too went down and he and Haldir clasped one another about the shoulder in a seemingly formal, traditional, way of greeting.
"We are proud to fight alongside men once more."