Review Responses:

Eve West: Thanks, here is the next chapter!

Aragorn waits for Arwen: Don't forget Arwen did have a helmet on and he wasn't really looking at her because he was in the middle of a battle.

AnimeSiren: I am not teasing, that was just not the point to have Aragorn discover Arwen. He will discover her… sometime in this chapter!

Future- angel: Aragorn will see that it is Arwen… when I decide he will! Which is actually sometime in this chapter, so read on to find out! :)

Swift tales: I have been so kind as to do so again: I am now trying to update every weekend so I get lots of new reviews to beat Monday morning depression!)

Lindahoyland: By modern expressions I meant slang such as OK. I don't want to replace things such as "Are you all right" with longer, more difficult phrases as I feel it would interrupt the flow of the story. Thanks anyway, and I will keep your advice in mind, there may be some way I can make it work. However, I do feel that the ordinary people of Middle Earth would speak in a similar way to us. I will try to write the nobles more…nobly!:)

Enjoy this chapter!

Arwen stood upon the wall, fighting for her life against the never- ending flow of Orcs. Dead Elves and Men lay among the bodies of the foul creatures. The bodies had been trampled and maimed, so some looked unrecognisable. The stench of death filled Arwen's nostrils, making her empty stomach turn. But worse was still to come.

Arwen looked down to see an Orc running with a lit torch towards the drain at the bottom of the wall. Aragorn noticed it at the same instant.

"Bring him down, Legolas," Aragorn cried in Elvish.

Legolas fired an arrow which hit the Orc's shoulder. The hideous creature kept on running.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

Legolas fired another arrow, hitting the Orc's other shoulder. The Orc grunted and ran faster, leaping into the small archway that held the metal drain.

With an almighty bang, the wall exploded. Arwen and Aragorn were both thrown back into the courtyard, unconscious. Arwen's helmet rolled from her head, and her long black hair fell down her back. The Orcs started to surge through the gateway.

Legolas spied Arwen's unconscious body on the ground. "It cannot be," he whispered to himself.

"Aragorn!" Gimli yelled when he saw Aragorn. He leapt from the wall into the army of Orcs.

"Gimli!" Aragorn cried as he stood up.

"Release arrows!"

"Charge!"

Rochwen noticed Arwen's body, having fallen nearby. "Oh no," she whispered. "Please, let her live."

Legolas slid down the steps on an Orc's abandoned shield, and fought his way over to Arwen, just as she stirred and opened her eyes.

"Lady Arwen! What in Arda are you doing here?"

"Legolas?" Arwen whispered, amazed. Raising her hand to her head, she felt no helmet there. "Oh no," she muttered to no one.

"ARAGORN!" Legolas yelled at the top of his voice, while Rochwen helped Arwen to sit up.

Aragorn ran over, his mouth falling open when he saw Arwen. Once the Elves realised what was happening, they moved to defend the group from Orcs, therefore giving them a chance to speak.

Arwen looked very guilty. "Evening, Estel?" She tried, attempting to break the awkward silence.

Meanwhile, Aragorn had found his voice, his initial surprise turning to concern edged with anger. "You idiot! You could have got yourself killed, do you understand that?"

Arwen went wide eyed; Aragorn had never raised his voice to her before. She hung her head.

Aragorn felt awful almost as soon as the words came out of his mouth. He felt even more terrible when he saw Arwen's expression. "I am sorry, meleth. I did not mean to sound so angry."

Arwen nodded her head in response but did not speak.

"Now, Rochwen will take you to the caves, and you can stay with Rohan's women and children."

"No."

"Arwen! Do as I say!" Aragorn snapped. He immediately felt terrible for snapping as Arwen's face fell and she trembled slightly. "Sorry, meleth," he said, hanging his head slightly in shame.

Arwen, however, was not going to abandon her argument so easily. "The Ranger women can fight, why can't I?"

"They have been taught to fight. It is part of their lives. And I do not feel for them as I do for you." Aragorn's voice was a lot softer now. "Please, do not continue to question my orders."

"Estel, I am going to fight no matter what you say. I made the decision to come here, I'm going to stay. Your people agreed to…" Arwen's voice cut off sharply as she realised what she had said.

"You knew about this?" Aragorn asked his cousin.

"We all did. The adults decided…"

"I think I can guess what they decided. I will deal with them later. Now, get Erestil and take Arwen to the caves as fast as you can gallop, then tie him up and get back down here."

"You want me to take her forcibly?"

"If that's the only way to save her, yes."

"Are you sure?"

"What did I say about questioning orders?"

"Estel! You wouldn't do it!" Said Arwen, looking hurt.

"I'm sorry, meleth. But.."

"Please, let me fight. I'll regret it forever if I don't."

"Arwen, I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

Arwen continued to glare at him.

"We have no time to argue," Aragorn pleaded, his features displaying a mix of fear, concern and guilt at the way he had spoken to her.

"Let me fight!" Arwen was adamant.

Aragorn was smart enough to recognise when he couldn't win, and also knew that Arwen could be very stubborn. "Fine, but you stay next to me, where I can protect you."

"I'd be glad to," said Arwen with a mischievous grin.

Aragorn smiled, seeing that his love had forgiven his angry words, spoken from concern.

The two stared at each other until a voice interrupted them.

"Aragorn!" Called Théoden. "Pull back to the Keep! Get your men out of there!"

"To the Keep! To the Keep!" Aragorn saw Haldir, still fighting.

"Haldir! To the Keep!"

Haldir nodded, and gave his troops the order. Then, looking up, Arwen saw Haldir fall.

"Haldir!" She screamed, and ran towards him.

Aragorn ran after her.

Arwen reached Haldir, and he looked at her. "Evenstar," he whispered, touching her cheek, before death claimed him.

Arwen started to cry; Haldir had been a very close friend of hers, right from childhood.

"Come away, Arwen," Aragorn said gently when he reached her.

Arwen, however, was paralysed with grief and fear. Aragorn swiftly lifted her up and slung her across his shoulder, running back towards the Keep.

"Will you go down to the caves, now that you have seen what can happen even to experienced warriors such as Haldir?" He asked as he ran, trying to jar Arwen as little as possible.

Arwen felt able to run now, but knew that there was no way that Aragorn was going to let her go. "No. I would only die anyway."

"Arwen, you cannot think like that," Aragorn pleaded. "There will be another way out of the caves, you may survive." Aragorn paused. "I could not bear to lose you. I love you."

"I love you, Estel, which is why I came." Tears began to stream down Arwen's cheeks. "I just wish Haldir hadn't.. wasn't.." Arwen could not bring herself to say the word.

"Shh, meleth," Aragorn whispered gently, stroking her back with the hand that held her over his shoulder.

"He was my best childhood friend, we were so close…I.."

Aragorn could feel her trembling as he ran through the doorway into the Keep.

"Can you stand?" He asked as he gently lowered her onto her feet, keeping his hands on her shoulders for support.

"Yes. Back there.. I was just so…" Arwen searched for a single word to convey her feelings.

"I understand," Aragorn said simply, silencing her.

Arwen opened her mouth, but was cut off as the Rangers came racing into the Keep.

"How many of our kinsfolk have we lost?" Aragorn asked Nimwen.

Nimwen did a quick headcount. "Only five so far."

"That's not as many as I'd have thought."

"No, but it's probably the worst five to have been lost. Lokia was a little over a month pregnant and insisted on coming, Darascus has a pregnant wife and young child back in Arnor and the other three were children."

"Not Rochwen?" Asked Aragorn, a note of panic in his voice.

"Hmm, I don't think I'm dead," Rochwen said, walking up behind Aragorn.

"Thank the Valar." Aragorn pretended to spend a moment considering . "Or maybe curse them, actually…"

Rochwen punched him playfully on the arm. " 'Least my face isn't like an Uruk- Hai's."

"I never knew you two were so close," commented Arwen, as Rochwen walked away.

"Rochwen is my nearest living relative. Her mother, my father's sister, died when Rochwen was five, her father a while before that."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It is not unusual, in these hard times, for Ranger children to be orphaned at an early age. In fact, it is rare for both parents to live to see their children when they are adults."

"How do you cope with so much loss?"

"We help each other. Rochwen is being raised by Calion and Miriel's parents."

There was time to say no more as a large battering ram crashed against the door. Men were adding planks and various objects to barricade and strengthen the door.

"Please, meleth, go to the caves. I do not want you to die."

"No. I want to stay with you until the end. Whatever it may be."

End of chapter

Please remember, this is slightly AU, so please don't be mad if there is a detail wrong somewhere. (Such as Aragorn's father probably being an only child, I'm not really sure).

Please review, all comments much appreciated. : )