A/N: Sorry for the brevity of the last chapter. I needed a bit of transition between this one and chapter 37. Here is the twist that I warned you about! If you think about it, you'll be able to figure out what is going to happen! So do not despair!
One of the ships stood apart from the others, a blue and sliver flag whipping in the breeze. The flag seemed strangely familiar to Legolas somehow but he could not place it. Nor did he have time to ponder this enigma – the oath breakers were swarming over the corsairs' ships, capturing or killing any that stood in their way.
Aragorn had made them promise to spare any who were unarmed or surrendered to them. He was not in a mind to have any innocents caught up in their fight since Pelargir was the homeport for many honorable merchants and traders. Their ships would be docked in the harbor as well (if they had not been overrun by the corsairs) and he did not want to add to their fear.
The army swept through the ships, driving the corsairs into the sea or slaying them where they stood. Aragorn kept a close eye on their activities, fearing that they may once again break their oaths.
Legolas was drawn to the ship flying the blue and silver pennant for some strange reason. As the wind died down, he saw that it was a blue pennant with a silver trident emblazoned on it and instantly understood.
"Annowe!" He cried excitedly and pointed his sword in the direction of the ship. It was her father's pennant.
"Where?" Gimli asked and his eyes turned in the direction Legolas pointed.
The two of them quickly made their way to the ship, hard on the heels of the oath breakers. How did she get here? Legolas wondered in amazement. She certainly was persistent!
Annowe held fast to the anchor chain as the ship rocked under the weight of running feet and fighting men when the oath breakers attacked the ship. She grinned with satisfaction at her ploy. The corsairs had been so busy trying to pull her father's banner down and catch her that they had paid no attention to the onslaught of ghosts. Caught unaware, the corsairs struggled to defend their ship as she quietly slipped into the safety of the sea and waited for the battle to end.
Sounds of fighting died down and she shimmied up the anchor chain, scimitar drawn just in case. She peered over the rail and saw that the majority of the corsairs had been wounded or killed and felt that it was safe enough to show herself.
Then she saw him. Legolas! He was standing on the gangway looking frantically about as Gimli fought the corsairs that refused to surrender.
She scrambled up on the rail and shouted his name, a great smile of excitement on her face. His eyes met hers and he laughed out loud at the sight of her standing on the rail wearing nothing but a soaking wet tunic, her hair hanging limply about her and her scimitar grasped tightly in her hand.
He ran toward her over the deck and she leapt from the rail to meet him. He could not believe she had managed to figure out their plan and beat them to the scene! Her persistence never ceased to amaze him and he marveled at how quickly her mind had grasped their plan. He laughed at her determination and wondered how he could have ever thought he could escape her watchful eye once she had determined to keep him safe.
His thoughts quickly changed from amusement to horror and the next few moments were burned into his memory forever although it would be many years before he could remember the exact sequence of events.
She was walking toward him grinning triumphantly, sheathing her scimitar, when one of the oath breakers came between them. Instinctively, she redrew her scimitar to defend herself and Legolas screamed a warning but it was too late.
The oath breaker, believing she was a corsair, attacked with a vengeance. Annowe, distracted by the elf's scream, looked in his direction. For a split second their eyes locked before the oath breaker drove his sword deep into her belly.
That was the last thing Legolas remembered for the next several hours.
Gimli heard the elf scream and looked up in time to see the oath breaker drawing his sword from Annowe's belly. With a roar, he raced across the slippery deck toward the stricken girl. In a daze, she collapsed to her knees holding her stomach and he could see the blood seeping through her fingers.
Legolas had gone mad and attacked the oath breaker with such a frenzy Gimli worried that he would accidentally be struck by one of the elf's enraged blows. Quickly, he skirted the crazed elf and reached for the girl. She was still alive.
"Legolas!" She screamed, struggling to her feet using her scimitar as a crutch, heedless of her own wounds.
The crazy nymph is going to attack the oath breaker as well! Gimli realized in amazement. He tried to soothe her and pull her hand away to look at the wound but she would not let him. She simply shoved him aside to join Legolas against her attacker.
Gimli realized that he had to act quickly. She was loosing too much blood to survive without stopping the flow. He turned and wrapped his arms about her like steel bands, pinning her arms to her sides and she howled in frustration.
He jerked her down into a sitting position and looked into her eyes.
"Lass!" He growled menacingly. "You are wounded."
"Legolas," she whimpered helplessly but did not struggle.
"Can take care of himself. It is you I'm concerned for," Gimli kept his tone calm yet brusque so she would realize how grave her own situation was. He had seen behavior like this before in dwarves – they would be severely wounded but would continue to fight until they literally dropped dead in their tracks or someone rescued them from themselves.
His logic seemed to bring her about and she blinked several times, the pain from her wound finally setting in on her.
"Throw me into the sea," she demanded quietly. "The sea will heal me."
Obediently, the dwarf picked her up in his arms and carried her to the rail. He was surprised to find that she was quite heavy despite her small stature.
"Gimli! Don't let him get hurt! I could not bear it. And tell him not to worry," she said deliberately and thumped him weakly on the chest before he heaved her over the rail and into the sea.
The splash of her body hitting the water seemed to bring Legolas to his senses and he raced to the rail next to Gimli. The dwarf was staring down into the rippled blue water watching as her hair floated eerily at the surface for a moment then disappeared into the depths of the sea. A dark red stain radiated out from where she had gone under the water.