Part 19

Legolas stride was reluctant and slow as they approached the massive pile of burning corpses. It was the direction that the Rohirrim had pointed to. His party was of the same mind. The hobbits were there, and they had failed. Tears stung at Legolas' eyes. Buried underneath this mound of rubbish were their friends. For the first time since embarking on this journey that he did not want to go on in the first place, Legolas questioned his ability to fulfill his mission. Was this then for nothing? If they could not keep two little people safe, how could they even think that they could save Middle-earth?

If he found Chloe in the same straits, would he still believe himself to be the spirit meant for her?

"Legolas," Aragorn said firmly, jarring him out of his thoughts. The ranger needed the Elf's keen senses to guide him. When it became apparent to Aragorn that Legolas was too dazed to be of any help, Aragorn crouched low into the ground and followed the tracks.

"Here... The rope was cut--" The ranger crawled quickly narrating a chilling story of a chase and then an attack.

Gimli and Legolas followed Aragorn until the edge of the forest. The three looked up to the tall trees. Gimli huffed at the sight.

Determined, the three entered the forest in pursuit of their friends, hoping that they had not yet failed.

"Such an old forest."

Legolas intently watched behind and above him. "These trees burst from their seeds long before my birth."

The three were stopped by a blinding white figure. The warriors drew out their weapons, prepared to fight the strange being. Finally, the being drew closer and revealed himself.

"Gandalf!"

They dropped to their knees and gazed at the wizard in wonder.

"I believe that you have learned much from your adventure," Gandalf pronounced. "And so did two little hobbits," he added with a smile. "Yet I believe I should also caution you." His eyes were on Aragorn, yet as sharp as his senses were, Legolas heard Gandalf's voice directed towards him. "We will entering a difficult battle, a war we can lose even before it begins. Your lives hang in the balance. Focus on your mission. Do not allow your heart to overwhelm you."

With such sage advice, Gandalf led the warriors into the kingdom of his friend. When he mentioned that they would be going to Edoras in Roha, Aragorn cautioned Gandalf as well.

The entire affair was part of a waking dream to Legolas. The closer he was to Rohan, the more images of Chloe struck him. He mechanically fought with the soldiers who attacked as he cleared the way for Gandalf to reach Theoden King.

Gandalf purged Theoden of the evil that was housed in his body. Legolas had been apart from the whole experience until a vision of flowing skirts and golden hair flew from the side and rushed towards the fallen king.

"I know your face," the weak old king rasped as he touched the cheek of the weeping young woman who held him. "Eowyn."

Legolas needed to speak with her. He approached the lady, only to find her occupied with the king. He bode his time until Eowyn took the king to a small hill blanketed by white flowers. There, she left her uncle in front of a tomb and waited from afar.

Legolas stopped behind Eowyn, and watched in silence as the old man melted in his grief.

"Who rests here?" Legolas asked softly.

Eowyn turned to look at the visitor, then swallowed. "My cousin the prince. He died not a week ago when Saruman ordered the Orcs to murder him."

"What pain is greater to a man than the loss of his own child," Legolas murmured.

"Saruman will destroy us all," Eowyn muttered. "He has close destroyed the king with Grima and the possession. The brave Rohirrim were exiled. The people are suffering. A woman and her child have lost a man and a future. All this because of a wizard's evil."

Legolas placed a hand on Eowyn's back and rubbed circles to comfort her. Suddenly, it seemed selfish to ask her about the faint scent that Legolas had detected hung about Eowyn when she earlier flew by him.

Eowyn swallowed again, and Legolas took it as a laudable effort to keep from weeping. "Theodred has lost everything. He would have married, and had children, and been king. Now, nothing but a short life and such pain."

He wanted to tell her that such was the life of a warrior. Had Theodred truly lived for war then he could only have looked forward to two things--an early grave marked with honor and courage or an old age full of insecurity and despair. Yet her tears were not the ones that stopped him. Legolas realized that he did not want to think it so, because he did not wish it to be so anymore.

"We will fight Saruman," he promised Eowyn. "We will avenge Rohan."

She nodded tearfully. "Avenge my uncle, my people, my brother, my cousin and his bride."

"All of them," Legolas agreed. "My bow for all of them."

The battle was fought and almost lost. Two hosts of honorable warriors flooded Helm's Deep. First, the host of Elves rode in. Legolas warmly greeted Haldir.

There were no words needed, as Legolas' grateful look had said it all. Haldir and his army could have passed over the Sea. They had been called, and their duty to Middle-earth was over. Still, Haldir had marched his Elves to defend the Men to whom they once had an Alliance.

Haldir had lost his life on that night, as rain pattered large bruising drops on them. It had been completely dumbfounding, to see the strong Elf, whose entire life had been spent guarding the borders of Lothlorien, perish after his true duty had been done, with one foot into the land promised to him. Legolas looked into the dead unseeing eyes of the Elf and said, "Your war is done, my brother." Then, he reached out and covered Haldir's eyes. Let his last sight not be of the deep dark burning skies.

The second host to arrive was that of the Rohirrim. It had taken one's own people to save Rohan. Eomer and his men blazed through the shadows of their exile to defend the land they had left because of their unbending loyalty.

At the end of the battle came the hardest partof all. Eomer sorted through the dead men to find his friends, and helped carry them towards the gravesite they were to erect to honor those who fell. Legolas stood in front of the line of Elves who died in the battle, distraught at the thought of how flimsy immortal life could be if it could be taken by one arrow.

Eowyn walked over to Legolas and stayed perfectly still as he took on a role that she was yet unfamiliar with. Legolas placed his weapons down and looked up at the black sky, then sand a lament for Lorien's men. Around him, Aragorn, Gimli, and even the Rohirrim stopped working and observed silence.

At the end of the song, Eowyn closed her hand around Legolas' and told him, "Thank you. I believe this is the beginning of avenging my people. Theodred's murderers have fallen. I speak for my family now, and I am certain that Chloe, had she known, would thank you as well."

Legolas slowly turned his head towards Eowyn. "What?" he whispered.

"My family thanks you, Legolas."