- - - Aragorn - - -

I had called Grace and Legolas to mount. We were all ready and about to leave when the lady Éowyn approached our horses dressed in men's clothes. She drank from a cup and passed it to me.

"Aragorn, wilt thou go?"

"I will," I said.

"Then wilt thou not let me ride with this company, as I have asked?"

"No, you cannot," I replied. ¹

Her eyes looked so stricken. I don't think I will ever forget the look. I sighed as she walked away. Moments later, I was joined by Legolas, Grace and Gimli. Grace had watched Éowyn leave and now looked at me. When she hopped up onto the horse with me behind her, she squeezed my hand tightly.

"It needed to be done," she whispered. "She can't come with us, it is not her place."

"I know. It is why I sent her away."

There was silence between us all as we rode between two great cliffs. The horses were uneasy. I could see Halbarad scanning the area. With Grace in front of me I was unable to do so also, so I studied our company.

The brothers Elladan and Elrohir had given me the sword of Anduril. Forged from the pieces of the broken sword. I felt it at my side and a burst of emotion ran through me. I felt hope once more. It did not matter we were only six thousand or that Mordor's army was unending; we would conquer them.

When we reached a small door, we dismounted. Some of the Dúnedain would be taking the horses through behind us; we would need to be at the front and aware at all times. Wind rushed from the door and into our faces, blowing our hair back.

I ran in. Legolas followed right behind me. From inside we could both hear Gimli mutter, "Here is a thing unheard of! An elf will go underground and a dwarf dare not!¹¹" Grace laughed and we heard her footsteps following us in tentatively. "Oh, I'd never hear the end of this!" Gimli said. We then hear his steps running in and a squeak as he collided with Grace. Legolas slid back through the dark and grabbed Grace's hand to pull her forwards.

She sighed in relief as she came into the torchlight. Gimli followed her and was gazing around at the high roof and dark corners. Letting go of Legolas' hand, Grace walked slowly beside us, seemingly listening to something. Yet there was nothing to hear.

- - - Grace - - -

"What do you hear, Grace?" Aragorn asked me.

I swallowed. "Nothing," I lied. There was no need to worry them.

"What are you doing with them?" a voice whispered. It sounded like it was right behind me and I whipped around. As I suspected, there was nothing there except Elrohir and Elladan.

"You belong with us, little one."

"You belong in the land of the living no longer."

"Come back to us."

I whimpered as the voices become more and more and louder and louder.

"You don't belong with them, you're DEAD."

"You belong with us, come back."

I shrieked and bolted through the group of people. They moved out of my way and I was going to run for the exit until a felt a hand on my wrist, holding me in place. Legolas was watching me.

"Grace, what is it? Tell me what you hear."

"Let me go," I said, scared out of my mind.

"I cannot, forgive me."

"Let me go," I repeated, and this time drew my knives.

Legolas continued to speak to me but I wasn't listening. Because someone else was speaking. Someone no one could hear but me.

"You did it once, you can do it again."

"All it would take is one little prick, then you'll be with us."

I then realized what they meant. They wanted me to kill myself. Again.

- - - Legolas - - -

I could tell she was listening to something different. Aragorn had stopped walking and had come back to see what was happening. Gimli looked at her and coughed gruffly. I still had a hold on her wrist and both her knives were drawn, but hanging loosely in her hands as she looked in the distance and listened to what we could not hear.

"What does she hear, Aragorn?" I asked.

"Perhaps the dead," Gimli replied.

"Aye," Aragorn agreed, glancing sideways at me, "the dead."

I did not think for one moment that Grace would use her knives on any of us. I would have removed them from her hands at once, had a foreseen that. But I did not and when she swung quickly at me, I stepped back and released her wrist.

Her eyes were focussed on us again. They burned in her face but I was happy to see she did not look mad in any way. Only troubled. The sound of Halbarad leading the company on was fading as she stood there holding her knives and looking at us.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I'm sorry to do this." Tears ran from her eyes. She made no move to stem the flow so I doubted she even realized she was crying.

"What?" Aragorn questioned. "What are you going to do?"

Instead of answering with words, she brought her knife up and looked at it. Grace's eyes fastened on me once more before I saw her move.

"Elbereth," Aragorn breathed as I jumped forward to stop her, her knife against her skin. A thin line of blood started to trail down her neck where the knife was.

"Let me go Legolas!" she said urgently to me.

"Hold on to her tightly, laddie, don't let her go!" Gimli encouraged.

"Let me go!" she said again and swung at me once more, causing me to move back, the knife cutting through the arm of my shirt. "They're calling me, they want me. And I need to go. I don't belong here anymore. I am one of the dead, why shouldn't I be like all the others?"

"You do not need to," Aragorn said beside me. He had moved closer to her. Close enough to be dealt a death blow if she so chose. Yet he seemed to be testing her. She did not want to swing at him for she knew he would not move.

Quickly, she moved again. Her knife was at her wrist, applying pressure. Pressure enough that would have killed her had Aragorn not intervened. As it was, she soon had a line of blood flowing from her wrist too. Aragorn grabbed her hands and, watching her face the whole time, bent them back until it caused her to let go of her knives. He then reached to her belt and took a small dagger from her.

But this did not seem to be her biggest concern at the moment. Again Grace was looking into the distance. She turned to us. "They say if I won't come to them, they will take me." Her face was white except for a small streak of dirt on one side. "Don't let them take me," she whimpered and ran forward to me. I wrapped her in my arms and held her tightly.

Gimli tapped my arm and handed me some cloth. I lifted Grace's face and dabbed gently at the shallow cut she had inflicted on herself. She breathed slowly in and out, shaking. I then lifted her arm and wiped the deeper, more serious cut on her wrist. I tied the cloth above it, forming a tourniquet.

"I will not let you be taken," I whispered to her and kissed her gently before taking her hand and walking with her, Aragorn, and Gimli to where Halbarad and his men stood. "Not by anybody. I will not let them take you."

(A/N: Well, this is a short chapter I know, but there will be a second part to it. Heh, I enjoyed making Grace psycho and angsty, it was fun! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look for another update soon! Review like you never have before!)

¹ The Return of the King, page 768

¹¹ The Return of the King, page 769