- - - Grace - - -

Very few of us slept on the fifth night. We lay awake, listening for a hint of what we would find the next day. But there was nothing to hear. No orcs made themselves known. The enemy was stealing itself for the final battle.

We rose the next morning, eyes tired, yet wide, sore, yet ready to fight. Quickly, we moved into sight of the Black Gate. I was struck dumb just by looking at it. Since I had arrived in Middle-earth, I had seen many things that were new to me, but never anything this menacing and striking.

Gandalf and Aragorn rode toward the gate. I sat on my horse, twitching out of nervousness until Legolas reached over and stroked my hand lightly. "Calm, mela, they know what they are doing," he whispered. I nodded in return but couldn't stop moving anxiously.

All of us watched as Aragorn and Gandalf made to come back to us. Before they could take three steps. the Black Gate started to open. A huge, black thing rode out on a horse. It had several soldiers with it. When it started to speak with Aragorn, our whole company became still to listen. Even from so far away, though we couldn't hear our leader speaking, the voice of the Messenger of Sauron carried to us easily.

"Why would he send a Black Rider?" I heard Merry question.

Legolas turned to him. "That is no ring wraith, Merry Brandybuck. That is a Black Númenorean. He is human, yet."

Merry made a loud noise of disgust, causing some of the troops to turn and look in our direction.

"What are they showing him?" I asked Legolas as the Soldiers of Sauron held something up for Gandalf and Aragorn to see.

"Mithril," Legolas answered me, carefully.

"Isn't that -" Merry began before Legolas waved his hand to silence him.

"Yes. It is Frodo's."

There seemed to be some talk among both sides. The expression on Gandalf's face got angrier and angrier as the talk went on. He seemed to say something that upset the heralds of the Sauron, because they turned and went back through the Black Gate.

Even as we watched and as Aragorn headed back towards us, orcs and other atrocities started pouring out of the Gate.

- - - Aragorn - - -

The Dark Lord had organized his troops well. The two armies collided like a wave would collide with a stone wall. I slashed at orcs right and left, trying to keep an eye on Pippin at all times. I watched Legolas do the same for Grace as he dodged toward a troll.

There was a cry from someone. "The Eagles are coming! The Eagles are coming!"

I looked upward briefly and saw several shadowy shapes flit quickly. There was a fleeting feeling of relief in my chest before I went back to hacking through orcs.

This continued for some time until I heard a great rumble from under the ground and it shifted several inches. There was a brief second of silence in which all the screaming and cries of pain stopped to listen to the earth's protests.

Another loud noise came from the earth before it started shifting rapidly and falling away beneath some of the Dark Lord's troops. Our army retreated and the orcs rushed toward us to remain on stable ground.

I watched Legolas snatch Grace up as cracks formed and the earth fell where she had been standing moments before. There were some orcs still left standing and our men cut them down quickly or forced them off the edges of the newly formed cliff.

For a moment after everything was still, panting was audible from all sides. Then Grace began to shriek in happiness and hug Legolas. Gandalf took up her cheer and all the soldiers followed suit until all were shouting and chanting.

- - - Legolas - - -

The quest back to Gondor seemed to last a millennia. As the days wore on, the travelling got quicker and quicker, for we all wanted to arrive back to civilization. I rode with Grace in front of me, sleeping with her head leaned back against my shoulder for most of the ride.

On the fifth evening, when we were in sight of Gondor, I told Aragorn that I would be taking Grace and the horse and riding ahead. We quickly put distance in between us and the troops. Grace seemed to wake up with cool wind blowing into her face.

We arrived back at the city a great deal ahead of the rest of the travellers and caused an uproar, for all the civilians were waiting for their men to come home.

It had been arranged for Grace and I to share the room we had the previous time we were in Gondor while Aragorn and Gimli would each be given separate, smaller, rooms.

Grace went to sit on the bed when we entered the room, motioning for me to bathe first, if it was what I wanted. I gave her a hurried kiss on the forehead and went to clean myself of the filth of battle. When I emerged a while later, I saw Grace standing ready to enter the room, barely clad.

I lowered my eyes so as not to make her uncomfortable. She grabbed my hand gently and led me in behind her.

"Legolas," she said softly, and I felt something run up my spine, "I want you to wash me."

I made sure no look of astonishment registered on my face and she looked coolly up into my eyes before removing the rest of her clothing and slipping into the water. I took up a sponge that was sitting on the side and started to gently rub it across her back and shoulders.

It didn't take me long to finish cleaning the smears of blood from Grace's body and as soon as I had, I scooped her from the water. Her eyes got larger as I carried her into the other room after wrapping her in one of the light sheets provided for drying.

She swallowed as I set her lightly down on the bed. I looked into her eyes, trying to commute the fact that she should not be afraid of anything. A nervous breath came from her mouth before she laughed quietly.

She reached up to brush a piece of hair from my face and I closed my eyes as I felt her fingertips travel from my brow to my chin.

"Grace," I breathed, going to reach for her, yet thinking better of it.

Another quiet laugh came from her lips and she kissed my forehead gently before pulling me down to rest on her with my head on her shoulder. My hand caressed her side briefly before I came to the realization that she had not dressed and was still wearing only the sheet I had wrapped her in.

She was smiling gently at me when I looked back down at her, having seen my reaction. I looked into her eyes as I ran my hand along her side. I was delighted to see her close her eyes and arch her neck in response to my actions.

We lay there for the rest of the night as I worshiped her body over and over again.

(A/N: I don't update enough, do I? Nevermind, don't answer that. In other news, Review.)