Chapter 25; Melaril

"Open the gates!" I heard a grizzled voice shout from outside the chamber. My eyes flew open and stood from the bed; I walked out the door. The moment I step outside I saw Legolas pass me. When he saw me he only grinned slightly and grabbed my arm.

"What?" I exclaimed as he pulled me down the steps. "Legolas where are we going?" "Come with me." I followed him out of the chamber and struggled as I bumped and pushed past a great number of tired people.

"Excuse me! Pardon me! I'm so sorry! Excuse me!" I tried to say to the ones I brushed so hastily past. I finally began to laugh as I asked again, "Legolas! Where are we going!" We went around a corner and I laughed as he pulled me. We finally came to the walkway before the hall where Théoden resided, and where I last saw Èowyn. I looked and she was there again, helping some others pack. As I watched her, she stood from kneeling and looked down the hall at me. Her face was of mixed emotion as our gazes locked; I would not say sorry to her and she would not to me. She was too strong of a person to simply cave, and I had nothing to be sorry for. I had completely forgotten about Legolas until I heard him say,

"Le abdollen." I didn't look back Legolas immediately. I had to break my eye contact with Èowyn first, "You look terrible." I looked away from her and back to Legolas; my heart nearly stopped when I saw who was standing before him. I gasped and covered my mouth at the sight of the grubby and dirty looking Aragorn who stood in front of me. He laughed and placed a hand on Legolas' shoulder before looking at me with a smile on his face.

"Laura, A'maelamin." He embraced me and after a few seconds of shock I hugged him back and laughed happily.

"Aragorn! You're alive! You're okay! I thought you were dead!" I squeezed him tight; my second father had come back to me and now I could face Théoden. He let go and rested a hand on my cheek, like a father would; I put my hand on his shoulder as I said with a smile, "I'm so glad to have you back Aragorn."

"I'm glad to be back." He dropped his hand as he asked, "What has happened since last we met?" I slowly became serious as Legolas answered,

"Théoden has been in his chamber since our arrival here. He has been planning for the battle." Aragorn nodded slightly as he said,

"Théoden will need more than strategy to defeat Saruman. Rohan does not now face an army of Orcs, it faces marching Uruk-Hai 10,000 strong at least." The weight of his words brought despair to my heart. "I saw them." He continued. "They will be here by night fall." At this point I felt the question of whether or not I was going to fight was no longer of great consequence. Ten thousand Uruk-Hai were now marching from Isengard to Helm's Deep.

"A great host you say?"

"All Isengard is emptied." Aragorn answered. I sat beside Gimli in my chair and looked at Théoden's face. It was hard to tell if he was scared or angry at this news. There was a small pause before Théoden asked,

"How many?" he turned his back to Aragorn as he answered,

"Ten thousand strong at least." The king turned back to Aragorn quickly and asked in shock,

"Ten thousand!"

"It is an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of men. They will be here by nightfall." Théoden's face sank and I almost felt happy of this. That was the man who wanted to lock me up with the women and children, but in my selfish happiness I remembered what those numbers could mean; those ten thousand Uruk-Hai could be the annihilation of Rohan. I rested my hand on the table and looked up at Legolas who was also trying to read Théoden's face. Théoden then raised his head and in his eyes was a determined fire, like I had not seen in him before, he walked out of the hall as he said strongly,

"Let them come!" As the doors to his hall swung open and Théoden exited, Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas took leave and followed him; I stood too but Aragorn stopped me.

"Laura, do not follow Théoden. Find Èowyn and go with her." at this I was astounded.

"What?"

"Laura, please do not argue; find Èowyn." I was so confused at what Aragorn told me. He began to walk away again but I said to him,

"Aragorn! Théoden is sending me into the caves with all the other women and children. There are hardly enough men here to fight! Do you agree with him? Are you to send me into the caves ?"

"Laura-"

"Did you see me at Parth Galen Aragorn? Did you see me fight with the Warg riders? No, you didn't you were too busy flinging yourself off cliffs to see that!" I spat back at him.

"Laura, I am in no mood to suffer childish ambitions."

"You will suffer me!" I shouted. Aragorn said nothing and turned away from me. I followed behind him and said angrily. "There aren't enough men to protect this fortress! You know that! I CAN fight! Why do you send your old men and boys to the front of battle when you send your warriors to the caves?" We were now in the doorway of the hall; Legolas and Gimli were waiting there and Aragorn stopped. I looked at Aragorn angrily before turning my gaze to Gimli then Legolas. "Surely you two don't agree with him? I have fought by your sides before now, why should this be any different?"

"Because the King has ordered you into the caves…" Aragorn said strongly. I looked at him with no words to say. He began to say more but stopped and continued after the King. Gimli followed and as did Legolas and I leaned my back against the stone door; I watched them follow after the king.

I met Èowyn after and the tension between us subsided. She did not apologize, I did not apologize; we only embraced and put the argument behind us. We could not fight the fact that we were going into the caves and the dispute between us shouldn't have wasted our energy; we needed that energy to help the other women and children, to help Rohan. We could not rely on the words or actions of others; we promised that we could rely on each other and no matter the outcome we would remain together, as friends, as allies, and women.

I decided not to change and to keep my sword on my side; maybe the sight of this would bring hope to the other women or maybe it would insult the men. I did not care what the simplistic minds thought of me, I only cared about the morale of those who were going to fight. I helped Èowyn separate swords and chain mail, take and retrieve dull and sharpened swords from the smithy, and give a kind smile to those who were to fight. We wouldn't give out the items we tended to, a man held that position. People began to move into the glittering caves and I felt a shadow veil my heart. With each fearful face that passed me by I grew more and more weary. Èowyn and I helped escort people into the cave; I watched soldiers enter and take the elderly men out of the cave and soon after boys, five to six years younger than I, were taken too. I watched as the soldiers tore the men away from the wives and the boys away from their weeping mothers, leaving the women each other to hold onto as they wept.

Sunset's fingers began to claw at the light blue sky, slowly tearing away our light, our time, and our hope. Èowyn and I left the caves to go and collect what few possessions we took with us. I already had my sword on my side, my cloak had never left my back, and Hasufel was probably standing rider less in the stables, so when I returned to my room I grabbed blankets from the floor for those who were cold. Èowyn went to her chambers alone as I did, we were going to meet in front of the caves. I heard horns blow as I was in the room but I paid no attention to them. They could just be the men rallying themselves for war. As I grabbed blankets off the beds and folded them I began to fear. I walked away from them and looked out of the window; in the west I could see the darkness of clouds and night creeping towards me. I looked for the glow of Uruk torches approaching but I could not see them yet, a good thing I guess because that meant we had a little more time.

I rested my arm upon the stone and I leaned my head against my hand. I sighed as I began to hum a song that my dad used to like. It was a sad song by the Beatles; he said that it reminded him of my mother before they got married. His best friend had tried to break them up and he succeeded by telling him that she was cheating on him. His friend had told my mother the same thing so she left him. When he found out that his friend had lied, he was heart broken and tried to tell my mother what happened for a month and a half with no such luck. Then, like in fairy tales, my mother's best friend told her what had happened. Because her car battery had died, my mother ran seven blocks to my dad's place in the pouring rain where she met him outside his apartment building; he was leaving his apartment to try and speak to her again. Two nights later my mother and father became engaged.

I hummed the first verse and began to sing on the second.

The wild and windy night, that the rain washed away/ Has left a pool of tears, crying for the day/ Why leave me standing here, let me know the way.

I stopped singing; I couldn't remember how the rest of the song went. I sighed as she sun sank into the hills filling the room with a faded orange light. The tranquility I felt was needed; it had been so long since I had felt it touch my heart. It was amusing that I felt it now of all times, but it was still comforting. At that moment I heard a voice say, "Are you ready?" I turned and saw Legolas standing in the doorway. He was dressed in his thick, layered leather armor and was tightening his cuffs as he spoke. I smiled as I asked,

"How long have you been standing there?" I stood up straight as he answered,

"Not long." There was a silence as I retrieved my things from the floor and began to fold them so that I could carry them more easily. As I folded I the blankets and such he asked, "I saw you were upset that you could not fight alongside us, Laura." I let out a laugh at this and said,

"Yes, I was." I tossed another folded blanket into the pile as Legolas continued,

"Does it still trouble you?"

"I am fine. I know where I'm needed and that is where I will be." I finished folding then began to fiddle with my cloak. I saw him take a step forward as he said,

"I have spoken to Aragorn and Gimli and have thought much-"

"And you're going to allow me to fight beside you, right?" I said with fake enthusiasm and a laugh. Legolas laughed a little as well as he replied,

"No, we could not change the King's command. But we want to tell you…I came to tell you that we wish you could fight alongside us." I was quiet for a while.

"Really? That is not how Aragorn seemed when I spoke to him." I scoffed, "Seemed he thought of me as no more than a young child with a wooden sword."

"Laura-" Legolas began but I interrupted him,

"I have no wooden sword Legolas." I rested my hand on the hilt of my sword. "The elves of Lothlórien remade my sword for me…do you think that the Lady would have done that if I could not yield my sword well?" I shook my head then went back to pick up my pile of blankets. When I stood I felt Legolas' hand rest on my shoulder.

"Laura please, listen. These odds, 10,000 to three hundred are impossible, we would want you by our sides for every other battle that we have, but not this one. Please, I do not want to see your death. None of us do." I turned to look at him as he continued. "We have all come to truly care for you. I have come to truly care for you, and as a friend I ask that you not fight." There was silence before I nodded and he dropped his hand. "This is no fair fight." I looked up at him as I agreed,

"No…it is not." he looked at me as he said,

"Perhaps you have not seen…more have come."

"More? More than ten thousand?" Legolas shook his head then walked to the window that looked out.

"No, of the enemy, but friends…elves have come." At this a smile crossed my face and a small flame of hope lit kindled in my heart. "Lord Elrond sent them to honor our alliance with men. Haldir of Lórien is leading them." I smiled and said as I laughed.

"Legolas thank you for telling me this!" He nodded and I walked to his side. The sun was now fully behind the hills and in the far distance I could see a faint glow approaching the valley. I when I saw them I whispered to Legolas,

"They are coming." Legolas nodded and began to leave but I stopped him.

"Legolas?" I asked as he walked away. He turned to face me and I said, "I promise you that I will do what I am willed to do." He smiled and nodded and I asked, "Will you promise that all of you will return? So that I may see you all again?" Legolas looked at me and replied,

"Yes, I do." I smiled and told him,

"Tell Aragorn and Gimli…" I could not finish what I was going to say. Legolas nodded and he finally left the room. I grabbed the blankets I ran back to the glittering caves where Èowyn stood waiting. She asked no questions and made no accusations when I arrived, we simply walked into the caves and watched as they shut the doors on us.

Chapter 24 Review Replies

Elvenladygreenleaf4ever: Not in the next chapter but soon. It will be coming!

TriGemini: Yeah, Laura is extremely self-centered right now. Actually I'd say that that is really her tragic flaw.

Arami: YES! REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED! Ha ha ha ha! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Ms. Unknown: Fierce spirit? Or stubborn headedness? Or she could be acting spoiled? Haha, just playing with your head…

Shemyazal: Thanks for your review…and I totally agree…