Faulkner: I'm sorry for the wait on the third chapter for my other story!
I'm being plagued by writers block!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Haldir had been counting on the fact that the Lord and Lady would not agree to let Ratchet ride with the elves to Helms Deep.
So much for that plan.
Lady Galadriel had agreed, saying that it would be best if Ratchet had something to occupy her mind. Staying in Lorien would mean that she would have infinite amounts of time to herself with nothing to do. Lord Celeborn had agreed with his wife and told Haldir to prepare Ratchet for the journey.
Haldir had cursed his luck and returned to Ratchet the next morning with breakfast and the news. Her only reaction had been a nod and a slight grin.
"You will have to carry your rations in a pack and you will be given a dagger for emergency purposes." Haldir told her as Ratchet ate. He explained what her role in the small army would be, and what she was to do.
Just as he was leaving with the empty tray, Ratchet called out for him.
"Yes?" Haldir stopped in the doorway and turned towards her.
"Thought you could get rid of me, didncha?" and she smiled slyly.
Inside, the marchwarden was singing to see little bit of her old self coming back. On the outside, he left her, and went about working on the preparations for the march to Helms Deep and the battle that would take place.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------
The next three days were a blur for all the elves and the one human that were preparing for the fight. All weapons were polished and sharpened and made battle ready. Quivers were stuffed to bursting with arrows and bows were checked for any weaknesses in the wood and string.
Seeing as elves made the bows, of course no flaws were found.
Ratchet had been sternly warned by the healer to not over work her arm in the next five days. That gave her plenty of time for her arm to repair from the damage that had been done by the orcs. She made sure that her arm was gently brought back up to par.
On the day of their leaving, there were no teary good byes. They had all been done in the privacy of their homes.
Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel gave them their blessings and prayers, and they set off.
The small elvish army set off early in the morning and stopped long after sunset. They only stopped for quick breaks and lunch. Ratchet was hard pressed to keep up, but managed somehow.
The only thing that really bothered her was the silence.
The elves were all quiet. None of them talked with their friends or teased each other. They were silent. A graveyard made more noise than them. The only sound was the rare snap of a twig under Ratchet's feet.
After the first three days of marching Ratchet was nearly crazy with the silence. None of them had spoken a word to her and Haldir only ever talked to her when absolutely necessary. She was going insane with all the silence.
It was just past lunch time when Ratchet finally came up with a brilliant idea on how to make noise.
She would sing.
Though the last time she had sang, it was to a dying Boromir. Ratchet tried to block out that thought, hold back tears, and think of a song all at once.
And succeeded.
"On a cold wet
Afternoon
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway
I confess I was lost in the pages
Of a book
Full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if a god will lay to rest
And where we want to go."
Ratchet was singing under her breath, so of course, all the elves in the army heard her.
"In your house
I long to be
Room by room
Patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
And on my deathbed
I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan
To anyone who will take me to heaven
To a place
I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The ground was bled
And there you led me on
In your house
I long to be
Room by room
Patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone."
The elves listened with interest and felt their hearts lighten slightly, even though the lyrics spoke of death. Possibly their own deaths.
Haldir was worried at the slightly morbid tune, but thought that Ratchet had a good idea. Singing would probably lighten the burden on all the soldiers hearts.
"In all I read
Till the day was gone
And I sat in regret
In all the things i've done
For all that i've blessed
And all that i've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wonder on
In your house
I long to be
Room by room
Patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone."
Ratchet ended the song and walked in silence again. The silence was deafening and it was starting to get on her nerves again. Little did she know that the soldiers all wanted to hear another song, but were too scared to ask her.
There luck was with them, for she started on a new one.
"The painted second-hand etches time tonight as well
chi chi chi....
Throwing away the homework I can't ever get through with
SUN OF A GUN!"
The elves jumped slightly as she sang in a normal voice the 'sun of a gun' part. But then went back to singing quietly to herself.
"It's a rolling dream what i'd like to go after
If you stop it will get away it's a matter of not losing heart
That is so promises are a crime and just a while ago it's the bell for ditching
ru ru ru.....
You who never show up are Mebius' goal
OH MY GOD!"
The elves jumped again at the 'oh my god.'
"I wouldn't want to be with people without tears
When you're embracing sorrow i'd like to draw you closer
It's a rolling dream what i'd like to go after
Even if tomorrow turns pale I shall get it and show you
It's a rolling dream what i'd like to go after
If you stop it will get away it's a matter of not losing heart
It's a rolling dream....."
Ratchet went quiet again and felt eyes on her back. She turned around and saw a few of the elves avert their gaze from her. She blushed and pulled her cloak tighter around her like it would protect her.
When they finally stopped that day, Ratchet didn't bother to eat and curled up under her cloak to sleep. The problem was, she was wired. Her brain was going a thousand miles a minute and there wasn't a chance that it would slow down.
Eventually she gave up on sleep and stood up and paced as quietly as she could. All the elves were asleep except for the one or two on watch. All the eyes that she looked into were glazed and unfocused in the elvish equivalent of sleep.
Ratchet paced from her cloak to a rock seven feet away. Back and forth, back and forth, until a voice made her stop dead in her tracks.
"Stop pacing, you're making me dizzy."
Ratchet jumped and whirled around. Haldir was sitting on a boulder and his eyes were on her.
"Jesus Haldir! Make a little noise so you don't give me a heart attack!" she whispered harshly.
Ratchet could tell he was grinning, even though she could barely see his face.
"Come over here and sit down."
Ratchet looked around like it might be a trap of some sort before slowly walking over and sitting next to him.
"Why are you still up?" Haldir whispered.
"Can't sleep."
"I can see that. *Why* can't you sleep?"
Ratchet sighed and looked up at the stars. They were bright that night, and almost made up for the lack of a moon.
"I dunno." she finally answered, and sighed. "I haven't been sleeping too well. Been having some nightmares and such. I'm tired, but I just can't seem to sleep. Fuckin' insomnia."
"Nightmares about what? Sometimes it helps to talk about them." Haldir said softly.
Ratchet laid her head in hands and whispered one word.
"Boromir."
Haldir's breath caught in his throat and he watched Ratchet intently. Her body shook slightly and he could faintly hear her sobs.
"Why did he die Haldir? He was a good guy. He never meant to try to take it. He only wanted to help his people. Is it so wrong to want to help your family, your city?"
Haldir watched her and tentatively put a comforting hand on her back.
That night Haldir showed the compassionate side of him and comforted Ratchet the best he could. She eventually fell asleep on Haldir's shoulder and he carefully moved her to her cloak.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few days after that Ratchet was nearly driven crazy by the silence again. The army was resting and Ratchet was about ready to jump up and down and scream at the top of her lungs just to hear something. It was nearing nighttime, and they were close to Helms Deep. The mountains that had seemed so far away were now very near.
She picked up a stick and started drawing in the dirt.
When a pair of boots stood in front of her, she looked up from her funky drawings to look at the elf in front of her. He looked a little nervous, his eyes were shifting from his boots to rocks on the ground.
"Uhhh.... Can I help you?" Ratchet said.
The elf cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak. But then closed it, and opened it again only to close it. After about a minute of looking like a blond haired fish, Ratchet spoke, if only to keep herself from laughing.
"Look. If you have something to say, say it. If not, then go back to your friends."
"My friends and I heard your singing a few days back." the elf blurted out.
Ratchet nodded. "I figured someone heard me." she muttered.
"Well, we were wondering if you could sing some more." Ratchet's head snapped up.
"You wha?" she asked in disbelief.
The elf was growing a little more courageous. "We were wondering if you could sing again."
"Me? Sing?"
Ratchet looked behind the elf in front of her and watched studied the group that he had come from. They all had hopeful looks in their eyes.
She was just about to answer when Haldir told them it was time to march again.
The elf that had questioned her went back to his friends and Ratchet took her position behind Haldir. A grin slowly spread across her face, the first true grin since Boromir had died.
"Don't live with shame
'Cause feelings change
One thing remains
The reason why you're gonna wanna take me home tonight
It's all the same
Up in this game
The people change
Money claims
Everyone from everything."
Ratchet sang loud enough so all the elves could clearly hear her.
"I can't believe that you would think that shit of me
I was amazed at the torment that you put me through
If you could see
Right through the greed
And all your needs
You'd realize you were just about as bad as me
Sometimes I only remember
The days when I was young
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid
The way you like it
Come on baby
Help me, someone to confide in
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to say
My life has changed
But fuck the fame
I'll stay the same
You can't complain when you can pay the bills and do your thing
Appreciate
Don't playa hate
Congratulate
I miss the pain and the torment that you put me through
So what's to fear when everything is crystal clear
You realize you should do the things you wanna do
Don't give into
What people say
Don't be ashamed
To separate the feelings you can't sedate
Sometimes I only remember
The days when I was young
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid
The way you like it
Come on baby
Help me, some one to confide in
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
I'll get inside you."
Ratchet took her eyes off Haldir's back long enough to see that some of the elves were actually smiling. Smiling!
"You would always say i'd never be shit
They would always say i'd never be shit
But look at me now, look at me now!
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
The way you like it!
Sometimes I only remember
The days when I was young
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid
The way you like it
Come on baby
Help me, someone to confide in
I'll get inside you
I'll get inside you
Sometimes I only remember
The days when I was young
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid
The way you like it
Come on baby
Help me, some one to confide in
I'll get inside you
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
The way you like it!"
Ratchet finished with a satisfactory smile. A tingle of pride in her singing went through her as she heard a few murmurs of praise.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Lord Almighty. That is one biiiiiiiiiiiiig fort." Ratchet murmured as they came upon Helms Deep. An elf a few people down blew on the horn for the third time that night.
A big ramp went right up to a set of double doors to the right of the fort. The rest of it was wall, the stone probably three feet in density. A small stream came out of a grate in the wall.
Ratchet yawned as they walked up the ramp and in through the doors that were opened for them. She stopped in her tracks when she saw who greeted them.
There were hundreds of men standing behind one man in expensive clothes. 'That's probably the king' Ratchet thought. But what caught her sight was the three people walking over to them.
"How is this possible?" the king asked, looking at the army.
Haldir stepped forward and spoke. "I bring word from Lord Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honor that allegiance."
Aragorn stepped forward and shook hands with Haldir. "Mae govannen Haldir. You are most welcome." (Welcome Haldir.) And unexpectedly Aragorn hugged Haldir. Ratchet sniggered at the elf's surprised look. Aragorn pulled back and beamed at the marchwarden.
"We are proud to fight alongside men, once more." Haldir said with a small smile.
"Ai!"
Ratchet removed her gaze from Aragorn and Haldir in time to see Legolas rush forward, pick her up, and swing her around.
"It is good to see you again alive and well Ratchet!" he said.
"It's nice to see you again too, Legolas." Ratchet answered.
"Tougher than mithril, that one." Gimli stated proudly to the king. "We are glad to see that she's in one piece."
"A lady went with you on your quest?" the king asked, surprised and confused.
"Of course! She wouldn't have it any other way!" Gimli replied and then walked over to where Ratchet was being questioned by Aragorn.
"How are you feeling?" Aragorn asked her.
Ratchet looked up at the man. "A bit tired, but all right."
"You won't have time to sleep." Haldir said to her. Then to the king, "The orc army of Saruman was not far the last we saw. An army ten thousand strong."
"Helms Deep has never been taken, and never will be." The king stated so all could hear. "Not while I am king."
Ratchet looked over the king and grimaced.
"Why do I get the feeling it's going to be a long night?"
Legolas and Gimli looked at her and started chuckling.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Faulkner: Longest chapter ever!!! Yay!! ::does happy dance:: For all of those peeps who want to see Boromir again, all I have to say is this. Wait for it. I promise, I am not abandoning him!
Pinky: The songs are listed in the order that they are read. Audioslave: Like A Stone, Adema: The Way You Like It, and from Yu-Yu Hakusho: The Homework Never Ends.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Haldir had been counting on the fact that the Lord and Lady would not agree to let Ratchet ride with the elves to Helms Deep.
So much for that plan.
Lady Galadriel had agreed, saying that it would be best if Ratchet had something to occupy her mind. Staying in Lorien would mean that she would have infinite amounts of time to herself with nothing to do. Lord Celeborn had agreed with his wife and told Haldir to prepare Ratchet for the journey.
Haldir had cursed his luck and returned to Ratchet the next morning with breakfast and the news. Her only reaction had been a nod and a slight grin.
"You will have to carry your rations in a pack and you will be given a dagger for emergency purposes." Haldir told her as Ratchet ate. He explained what her role in the small army would be, and what she was to do.
Just as he was leaving with the empty tray, Ratchet called out for him.
"Yes?" Haldir stopped in the doorway and turned towards her.
"Thought you could get rid of me, didncha?" and she smiled slyly.
Inside, the marchwarden was singing to see little bit of her old self coming back. On the outside, he left her, and went about working on the preparations for the march to Helms Deep and the battle that would take place.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------
The next three days were a blur for all the elves and the one human that were preparing for the fight. All weapons were polished and sharpened and made battle ready. Quivers were stuffed to bursting with arrows and bows were checked for any weaknesses in the wood and string.
Seeing as elves made the bows, of course no flaws were found.
Ratchet had been sternly warned by the healer to not over work her arm in the next five days. That gave her plenty of time for her arm to repair from the damage that had been done by the orcs. She made sure that her arm was gently brought back up to par.
On the day of their leaving, there were no teary good byes. They had all been done in the privacy of their homes.
Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel gave them their blessings and prayers, and they set off.
The small elvish army set off early in the morning and stopped long after sunset. They only stopped for quick breaks and lunch. Ratchet was hard pressed to keep up, but managed somehow.
The only thing that really bothered her was the silence.
The elves were all quiet. None of them talked with their friends or teased each other. They were silent. A graveyard made more noise than them. The only sound was the rare snap of a twig under Ratchet's feet.
After the first three days of marching Ratchet was nearly crazy with the silence. None of them had spoken a word to her and Haldir only ever talked to her when absolutely necessary. She was going insane with all the silence.
It was just past lunch time when Ratchet finally came up with a brilliant idea on how to make noise.
She would sing.
Though the last time she had sang, it was to a dying Boromir. Ratchet tried to block out that thought, hold back tears, and think of a song all at once.
And succeeded.
"On a cold wet
Afternoon
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway
I confess I was lost in the pages
Of a book
Full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if a god will lay to rest
And where we want to go."
Ratchet was singing under her breath, so of course, all the elves in the army heard her.
"In your house
I long to be
Room by room
Patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
And on my deathbed
I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan
To anyone who will take me to heaven
To a place
I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The ground was bled
And there you led me on
In your house
I long to be
Room by room
Patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone."
The elves listened with interest and felt their hearts lighten slightly, even though the lyrics spoke of death. Possibly their own deaths.
Haldir was worried at the slightly morbid tune, but thought that Ratchet had a good idea. Singing would probably lighten the burden on all the soldiers hearts.
"In all I read
Till the day was gone
And I sat in regret
In all the things i've done
For all that i've blessed
And all that i've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wonder on
In your house
I long to be
Room by room
Patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone."
Ratchet ended the song and walked in silence again. The silence was deafening and it was starting to get on her nerves again. Little did she know that the soldiers all wanted to hear another song, but were too scared to ask her.
There luck was with them, for she started on a new one.
"The painted second-hand etches time tonight as well
chi chi chi....
Throwing away the homework I can't ever get through with
SUN OF A GUN!"
The elves jumped slightly as she sang in a normal voice the 'sun of a gun' part. But then went back to singing quietly to herself.
"It's a rolling dream what i'd like to go after
If you stop it will get away it's a matter of not losing heart
That is so promises are a crime and just a while ago it's the bell for ditching
ru ru ru.....
You who never show up are Mebius' goal
OH MY GOD!"
The elves jumped again at the 'oh my god.'
"I wouldn't want to be with people without tears
When you're embracing sorrow i'd like to draw you closer
It's a rolling dream what i'd like to go after
Even if tomorrow turns pale I shall get it and show you
It's a rolling dream what i'd like to go after
If you stop it will get away it's a matter of not losing heart
It's a rolling dream....."
Ratchet went quiet again and felt eyes on her back. She turned around and saw a few of the elves avert their gaze from her. She blushed and pulled her cloak tighter around her like it would protect her.
When they finally stopped that day, Ratchet didn't bother to eat and curled up under her cloak to sleep. The problem was, she was wired. Her brain was going a thousand miles a minute and there wasn't a chance that it would slow down.
Eventually she gave up on sleep and stood up and paced as quietly as she could. All the elves were asleep except for the one or two on watch. All the eyes that she looked into were glazed and unfocused in the elvish equivalent of sleep.
Ratchet paced from her cloak to a rock seven feet away. Back and forth, back and forth, until a voice made her stop dead in her tracks.
"Stop pacing, you're making me dizzy."
Ratchet jumped and whirled around. Haldir was sitting on a boulder and his eyes were on her.
"Jesus Haldir! Make a little noise so you don't give me a heart attack!" she whispered harshly.
Ratchet could tell he was grinning, even though she could barely see his face.
"Come over here and sit down."
Ratchet looked around like it might be a trap of some sort before slowly walking over and sitting next to him.
"Why are you still up?" Haldir whispered.
"Can't sleep."
"I can see that. *Why* can't you sleep?"
Ratchet sighed and looked up at the stars. They were bright that night, and almost made up for the lack of a moon.
"I dunno." she finally answered, and sighed. "I haven't been sleeping too well. Been having some nightmares and such. I'm tired, but I just can't seem to sleep. Fuckin' insomnia."
"Nightmares about what? Sometimes it helps to talk about them." Haldir said softly.
Ratchet laid her head in hands and whispered one word.
"Boromir."
Haldir's breath caught in his throat and he watched Ratchet intently. Her body shook slightly and he could faintly hear her sobs.
"Why did he die Haldir? He was a good guy. He never meant to try to take it. He only wanted to help his people. Is it so wrong to want to help your family, your city?"
Haldir watched her and tentatively put a comforting hand on her back.
That night Haldir showed the compassionate side of him and comforted Ratchet the best he could. She eventually fell asleep on Haldir's shoulder and he carefully moved her to her cloak.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few days after that Ratchet was nearly driven crazy by the silence again. The army was resting and Ratchet was about ready to jump up and down and scream at the top of her lungs just to hear something. It was nearing nighttime, and they were close to Helms Deep. The mountains that had seemed so far away were now very near.
She picked up a stick and started drawing in the dirt.
When a pair of boots stood in front of her, she looked up from her funky drawings to look at the elf in front of her. He looked a little nervous, his eyes were shifting from his boots to rocks on the ground.
"Uhhh.... Can I help you?" Ratchet said.
The elf cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak. But then closed it, and opened it again only to close it. After about a minute of looking like a blond haired fish, Ratchet spoke, if only to keep herself from laughing.
"Look. If you have something to say, say it. If not, then go back to your friends."
"My friends and I heard your singing a few days back." the elf blurted out.
Ratchet nodded. "I figured someone heard me." she muttered.
"Well, we were wondering if you could sing some more." Ratchet's head snapped up.
"You wha?" she asked in disbelief.
The elf was growing a little more courageous. "We were wondering if you could sing again."
"Me? Sing?"
Ratchet looked behind the elf in front of her and watched studied the group that he had come from. They all had hopeful looks in their eyes.
She was just about to answer when Haldir told them it was time to march again.
The elf that had questioned her went back to his friends and Ratchet took her position behind Haldir. A grin slowly spread across her face, the first true grin since Boromir had died.
"Don't live with shame
'Cause feelings change
One thing remains
The reason why you're gonna wanna take me home tonight
It's all the same
Up in this game
The people change
Money claims
Everyone from everything."
Ratchet sang loud enough so all the elves could clearly hear her.
"I can't believe that you would think that shit of me
I was amazed at the torment that you put me through
If you could see
Right through the greed
And all your needs
You'd realize you were just about as bad as me
Sometimes I only remember
The days when I was young
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid
The way you like it
Come on baby
Help me, someone to confide in
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to say
My life has changed
But fuck the fame
I'll stay the same
You can't complain when you can pay the bills and do your thing
Appreciate
Don't playa hate
Congratulate
I miss the pain and the torment that you put me through
So what's to fear when everything is crystal clear
You realize you should do the things you wanna do
Don't give into
What people say
Don't be ashamed
To separate the feelings you can't sedate
Sometimes I only remember
The days when I was young
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid
The way you like it
Come on baby
Help me, some one to confide in
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
I'll get inside you."
Ratchet took her eyes off Haldir's back long enough to see that some of the elves were actually smiling. Smiling!
"You would always say i'd never be shit
They would always say i'd never be shit
But look at me now, look at me now!
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
The way you like it!
Sometimes I only remember
The days when I was young
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid
The way you like it
Come on baby
Help me, someone to confide in
I'll get inside you
I'll get inside you
Sometimes I only remember
The days when I was young
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid
The way you like it
Come on baby
Help me, some one to confide in
I'll get inside you
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
I'll get inside you
Now you're begging me to stay
The way you like it!"
Ratchet finished with a satisfactory smile. A tingle of pride in her singing went through her as she heard a few murmurs of praise.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Lord Almighty. That is one biiiiiiiiiiiiig fort." Ratchet murmured as they came upon Helms Deep. An elf a few people down blew on the horn for the third time that night.
A big ramp went right up to a set of double doors to the right of the fort. The rest of it was wall, the stone probably three feet in density. A small stream came out of a grate in the wall.
Ratchet yawned as they walked up the ramp and in through the doors that were opened for them. She stopped in her tracks when she saw who greeted them.
There were hundreds of men standing behind one man in expensive clothes. 'That's probably the king' Ratchet thought. But what caught her sight was the three people walking over to them.
"How is this possible?" the king asked, looking at the army.
Haldir stepped forward and spoke. "I bring word from Lord Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honor that allegiance."
Aragorn stepped forward and shook hands with Haldir. "Mae govannen Haldir. You are most welcome." (Welcome Haldir.) And unexpectedly Aragorn hugged Haldir. Ratchet sniggered at the elf's surprised look. Aragorn pulled back and beamed at the marchwarden.
"We are proud to fight alongside men, once more." Haldir said with a small smile.
"Ai!"
Ratchet removed her gaze from Aragorn and Haldir in time to see Legolas rush forward, pick her up, and swing her around.
"It is good to see you again alive and well Ratchet!" he said.
"It's nice to see you again too, Legolas." Ratchet answered.
"Tougher than mithril, that one." Gimli stated proudly to the king. "We are glad to see that she's in one piece."
"A lady went with you on your quest?" the king asked, surprised and confused.
"Of course! She wouldn't have it any other way!" Gimli replied and then walked over to where Ratchet was being questioned by Aragorn.
"How are you feeling?" Aragorn asked her.
Ratchet looked up at the man. "A bit tired, but all right."
"You won't have time to sleep." Haldir said to her. Then to the king, "The orc army of Saruman was not far the last we saw. An army ten thousand strong."
"Helms Deep has never been taken, and never will be." The king stated so all could hear. "Not while I am king."
Ratchet looked over the king and grimaced.
"Why do I get the feeling it's going to be a long night?"
Legolas and Gimli looked at her and started chuckling.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Faulkner: Longest chapter ever!!! Yay!! ::does happy dance:: For all of those peeps who want to see Boromir again, all I have to say is this. Wait for it. I promise, I am not abandoning him!
Pinky: The songs are listed in the order that they are read. Audioslave: Like A Stone, Adema: The Way You Like It, and from Yu-Yu Hakusho: The Homework Never Ends.