Lord of the Rings: Interrupted pt 3

by Sue Exterminator

Our two teenage girls are now hardened warriors... kinda of.

TITLE: Lord of the RingsInterrupted!

AUTHORS: Me and Her

RATING: PG-13 to R for Language and Situations

DISCLAIMER: The only things we own are ourselves ;

WARNINGS: Fluff, AU, maybe Mary-Sue (don't worry, it's us, just not us, you know?), H/C, Minor Character deaths

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the horrible delay on posts. I've just been really busy, what with graduating high school and other such real life dilemmas. But I'm back, and I'll hopefully get the sequel up soon (and yes, there is a sequel). smooch

Gandalf led his small group across the land toward Isengard. Behind him, Aragorn rode with Gimli clinging on uncertainly to his back, Legolas talked to Lady Kara who shared a horse with him, and Boromir grimaced as his horse took a particularly jerky step, only to be comforted by Lady Megan who sat behind him. King Theoden sat astride his own steed and conversed with Eomer. They rode into the night, some falling asleep in their saddles, Meg and Kara were fortunate to have the strong shoulders of familiar men to pose as pillows. When Gandalf finally called them to rest, the group stumbled about without protest.

Awaking early that morning, Meg and Kara looked around to see the White Rider standing alone on a small knoll gazing at the distant tower. Without waking the others, they got up and walked over to him.

"Good morning, Ladies. I trust you slept well?"

"We did," Kara replied.

"Do you think we'll get there today?" Megan asked. Gandalf wore a small smile.

"Why is it you want to know how quickly we will arrive?" He glanced at her.

"I want to see an Ent," Meg replied. "I wished we could have seen the battle, I bet it would have been a sight and a half."

"I do not completely understand your words, but I think I understand your meaning. Yes, it would have been an awesome sight." He turned to look at them. "Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to think you have had a falling out with King Theoden. Does he know of your strange gift?" The girls nodded in confirmation. "I see," Gandalf said pensively. "Has no one told him of the importance of secrecy in these matters?"

"No, but how did you know King Theoden was angry with us?" Kara questioned.

"I have seen the way he glares at you when he thinks no one is looking. I believe he is trying to place you in our futures and he does not see how you fit. I will warn him to keep your secret, I do not think he would spare time or an ear to listen to either of you." The girls nodded.

"It's just like I imagined," Meg commented of the tower.

Gandalf smiled. "Yes, but now, we must go for we do not have all the time in the world to spare."

They rode up towards the gates of Isengard, smiling in surprise when they saw Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took sitting atop the gates, smoking, drinking, and eating. It was an amusing sight, and a refreshing one. After picking them up they continued onward toward the tower of Orthanc. Treebeard awaited them. When Megan saw the Ent she grinned.

"You are so cool!" she called to him.

"Hmm?"

"It's a compliment," Kara assured him. "It means... Majestic!"

"Oh... Well then, Young Master Gandalf..."

Kara stopped listening, focussing on Pippin. She wondered whether or not to stop the hobbit from taking what she knew he was looking at. In the end she knew that he would have to. It would set off a chain of events that would lead to Gondor's eventual victory. Sitting on the horse Kara looked around, then gasped as a vision took her.

Arrows buzzed by overhead. Bodies lay strewn about the ground around them, the eyes of slain innocents staring forever into oblivion. Legolas was regaining his balance, an Oliphaunt had fallen. A painted man with wild eyes stood behind him, raised his sword... Legolas' eyes were opened wide in surprise, a look of horror and shock filled his paling features. The image flickered, a long wound with spreading blood soaked Elvish clothing.

Kara snapped back to reality and looked over at Meg. She seemed to have seen the same thing. Her eyes were wide and her face pale, as Kara knew her own to be. Legolas had turned in the saddle to look at her.

"Kara? Are you ill?" The Elf asked.

"Huh?"

"I've said your name several times now, and only this once have you responded. You're not ill are you?"

"Ill? No I'm... I'm fine."

She looked at Megan, who was finally composing herself. When she looked around she saw that they were on their way back to Edoras. It would take several days she knew, enough time where she would be by herself at night to think about that vision.

Legolas would get injured, that much was obvious. And she practically knew when too, she had to make sure that it didn't happen. As they rode she sighed and rested her head on his shoulder blade. Her mind was whirling and she was beginning to get a headache. Legolas couldn't get hurt, he was needed for the fight at Barad-Dur. With another sigh Kara let herself relax.

After much travel they reached Edoras, where Kara and Meg received hot baths and proper beds. They felt cleaner beyond words, having used more of the Elvish gel that the Lorien Elves had used that first time. The people were congregated in Meduseld to feast in honour of the victorious dead. Legolas stood near Kara, still concerned about the episode at Isengard. He wished to ensure that she was indeed not ill, but she would not tell him the true cause, and so he could not help her.

Meg stayed near Boromir, the Man of Gondor required to sit in a chair to abate the throbbing in his leg. The redhead wished to keep him company and his spirits high. Not being able to walk without help was indeed demeaning - especially for a man with dignity such as Boromir's.

Aragorn was stared after by Eowyn. The woman seemed more taken with him than Legolas was with Kara. Aragorn, on the other hand, allowed her to pursue her own pipe dreams. The teens saw that as all but leading her on, though Aragorn seemed to think it nothing more than childish hero-worship.

Gimli and Gandalf seemed to decide it best to stay by themselves, though the dwarf had a tendency to migrate towards a table on which Merry and Pippin danced happily. At some point during the festival Aragorn and Gandalf stood side by side, talking quietly to each other. Kara knew they were talking about Frodo. She watched as Megan, drunk and stumbling, walked over to them.

"What does your heart tell you?" Aragorn asked quietly.

Megan leaned heavily on their shoulders. "Wise words," she slurred. She looked at Gandalf. "And what do you say?"

"They're alive," Gandalf answered, trying his hardest to ignore the drunk teen hanging off his shoulder.

Megan looked at the wizard. "Good answer." Her gaze fell on Kara. "I love this place."

Kara and Aragorn shared a look that plainly said: "Dear God shoot her now."

Gandalf shook his head. "It appears that the ale hits some harder than others. Lady Kara, I suggest that you keep her away from it from here on out."

"No problem," Kara replied. "Besides, I have a feeling her head isn't going to enjoy sound or light too much in the morning."

"Indeed," the wizard agreed, a slight smile. "With luck she will learn from the experience." The party continued on, the temperature in the grand room slowly rising with the volume as more and more ale was consumed. Finally, Kara decided it was the perfect time to turn in. She took Megan by the arm and led them to the broken Fellowship's quarters. Megan stumbled along, head buzzing with a hum only she could hear, the corridors lurched around her. She fell into her bed holding her turning stomach. Kara threw a blanket over her.

"Good night, you idiot. We'll see who's laughing and having a wonderful time tomorrow. If you ever do this again, it's not going to be me that takes care of you. Irish blood indeed..." Meg replied with a long groan.

"I'm gonna be sick."

"Not in here, you aren't. Go to sleep." The girl flopped over, breathing heavily as Kara climbed into her own bed and fell asleep before her head hit the pillow. She awoke not two hours later to Merry's frantic screams.

"Help!" He cried looking terrified at Pippin. Megan rolled off the bed once again, adding her own shouts.

"What happened?"

"Pippin!" Merry yelped as his cousin convulsed on the floor in front of him. His hands seemed to be burning and holding a fiery looking glass ball. Kara gasped when she realised it was the Palantir. She heard the door burst open as Aragorn and Legolas rushed in, Aragorn reaching for the wildly shuddering hobbit and pulling the Palantir from his grasp. Immediately, Aragorns eyes rolled back in his head and he came crashing to the floor as Legolas grabbed him. Gandalf awoke suddenly and threw a blanket over the glass ball, just as the flames began to recede. Boromir stood up, but yelped painfully and let himself fall into a sitting position on his pallet.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf roared. He rushed over, shoving Merry out of the way. Taking his hand and touching the side of his face Gandalf whispered something indiscernible. Pippin woke with a gasp. "Look at me," Gandalf whispered.

"Gandalf," he whispered brokenly. "Oh, forgive me."

"What did you see?" Gandalf asked.

"I saw... A tree," Pippin answered. "There was a white tree... In a courtyard of stone. It was dead. The city was burning."

"Minas Tirith? Is that what you saw?"

"I saw... I saw him! I could hear his voice in my head."

"What did you tell him?" Gandalf asked then. "Speak!" he added when Pippin tried to turn away.

"He asked me my name," Pippin said. "I didn't answer. He heard me!"

"What did you tell him about the Ring?"

The next morning they stood in Meduseld, and Gandalf spoke to them.

"There was no lie in Pippin's eyes," the wizard told them. "A fool... But an honest fool he remains. He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring. We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the Palantir a glimpse of the enemy's plan. Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith."

Aragorn and Boromir both tensed, as did the teens. Both girls knew that the battle fought there was the one correspondent with their vision. Legolas would be wounded then. They looked at each other grimly as Gandalf continued.

"His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our enemy one thing, he knows the heir of Elendil has come forth, Men are not as weak as he supposed, there is courage still. Strength, enough perhaps to challenge him. He will not risk the peoples of Middle Earth uniting under one banner. He will raze Mina Tirith to the ground before he sees a king return to the throne of Men. If the beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war."

"Tell me," Theoden replied. "Why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?"

"I will go," Aragorn murmured.

"No," Gandalf denied.

"They must be warned," the ranger argued.

"They will be," the White wizard assured him. Gandalf stepped close to the ranger and began whispering. "You must come to Minas Tirith by another road. Follow the river. Look to the Black Ships." He turned then and spoke to the others. "Understand this: things are now in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith, and I won't be going alone." He looked meaningfully at Pippin.

The two teens bid good bye to Pippin and Gandalf, Kara even pushing Meg to give Pip a good luck kiss on the cheek, much to Meg's own horror and irony. Kara hugged the hobbit good bye and waved fondly at Gandalf as he prepared.

"Is it just me, or does he look pissed?"

"He looks pissed." Kara confirmed matter-of-factly.

"Maybe we should go...you know, before he 'turns us into anything unnatural'." They laughed and walked back to the castle.

The Fellowship remaining in Edoras could find nothing to keep their minds from the tasks ahead that first day. Boromir was resting in his room by order of Aragorn. The Man of Gondor's wound had inflamed because of the horse ride first to Isengard and then to Edoras, and he needed to take the weight off it. Aragorn, meanwhile, paced in one grand hallway while Legolas and Kara talked in a corner. Rather closely in that corner, Meg thought, how she wished she had a camera. What would her sister say if she ever found out? She wished she could see the look on her face, it would be priceless...her family. What were they doing right now? Did they even miss her? She shook the thoughts from her head. She should not be thinking of home at a time like this.

"Lass?" Gimli spoke up loudly.

"Oh, sorry. What were you saying?" Meg replied, sitting up straighter. The dwarf shook his head.

"Never mind, as you say so frequently. What were you thinking of, lass? Any...certain young men, could it be?" Meg furrowed her brown in confusion and smiled.

"What are you talking about?" The dwarf grunted at her question.

"You are hopeless." Meg decided to leave it at that, her head swarming much too painfully. She couldn't even remember what had happened the night before, she only hoped she hadn't begun singing like Merry and Pippin. She made a mental note to ask Kara when she got the chance. Gimli droned on in his thick accent while she sat there, barely able to listen.

"I'm sorry," she interrupted finally. "I'm going to go lie down or jump out of a window or something," she said holding her head. The dwarf laughed.

"I see the ale got to you. Good luck, lass, and I suggest you refrain from the latter, we may have need of you yet."

"Thanks."

In their corner Kara and Legolas talked of anything their minds could think of. Kara asked Legolas how Elves aged so gracefully, and why they were immortal. He gave her probably the most vague answer she'd ever received. He asked her when her birthday was.

"Why do you want to know my birthday?" Kara asked with a laugh. "You'll make me feel old."

"If you'll feel old for something as simple as that, then you'll make me feel ancient," the Elf replied.

"Well, you are ancient," she replied. He put on a very insulted expression and Kara laughed again. "I'm only joking, relax. Goodness, and you say I'm tense." Legolas smiled and tucked one of her loose braids behind her ears. His fingers lingered on the round curve of her ear, and her eyes were drawn to the sharper point of his.

"Do you wish to touch it?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Should I?"

"I suppose not," she answered.

Her hand reached up slowly, until her fingertips were just within reach. Legolas was staring into her eyes, the blue of his darkening so they almost matched her deep brown. Ever so gently Kara let her fingers trace the outer shell of his ear, from the lobe to the tip and back again. The Elf's eyes fluttered shut at the sensation and he let out a shaky breath that almost sounded like a gasp. Kara's hand froze and she observed him. Though his eyes were closed and his breathing was quite suddenly erratic, the sensations coursing through him did not seem unpleasant. She continued to touch his ear, looking at his eyes questioningly when his hand stopped hers.

"While I enjoy the feeling," he said, his voice shaky. "I fear that if you were to continue, I would break the promise I made to you to take this slowly."

Kara blushed and smiled, looking at her lap, then allowed her gaze to shift about the room. Gimli was watching them with a wide, knowing grin, nodding slightly. His expression changed slightly and he glanced away when he noticed the teen watching, but laughed just the same.

"If we hadn't been in the presence of others," Kara murmured, "I may have let you break that promise."

Legolas stared at her, then quite suddenly leaned forward and kissed her again. This kiss was more confident than their first, but still he did nothing more than press his lips against hers for a long moment before pulling away. When Kara didn't open her eyes for a moment he felt the need to lighten the moment.

"Have you fallen asleep?" he joked. Her eyes flew open and she hit him playfully in the arm, laughing as he laughed.

"I think Megan and I are rubbing off on you," she teased.

"Indeed," he said, then grew serious. "Should I be worried?" Kara laughed again, and Legolas simply watched her. After a moment she grew self conscious.

"What?" she asked. At first he didn't answer. "What?"

"Your laughter is so... Free," he whispered.

"Free?"

He nodded. "When I first met you, your laughter was contained, as though it were a bird that you did not wish to set loose." Kara stared at him as he spoke. "Now... Now it's as though this bird has broken free... It is beautiful and full of life and..." He shook his head, unable to form words out of his thoughts and feelings. "I wish I could explain this in a better way."

"It's okay," she said, placing her hand over his. His gentle smile mirrored her own. "I understand."

Boromir opened his eyes to see Meg laying on her stomach, her head hanging off the edge of her cot. A small groan escaped when her head rolled slightly.

"My lady, are you unwell?" Boromir asked, concerned.

"I'm never... Ever... Drinking ale... Ever... Ever again," she replied, her hand resting on the back of her head.

"Yes the morning after your first tankard of ale is quite painful," the Man of Gondor agreed. He laughed. "I feel that perhaps my leg doesn't pain me as much as your head does for you now."

"I'll bet your right," Megan groaned out.

Boromir reached out a tentative hand to gently pet the back of her head. Meg raised her head and smiled as gently as she could with a hangover, thanking him for the comfort. He laughed and moved from his cot to sit on hers, careful to keep his weight off his sore leg.

"It might help if you keep your leg elevated," Meg commented, moving over a bit. He lay back next to her, crossing his legs at the ankles, his left ankle atop his right.

"Like this?" he joked.

She chuckled after looking and slung her arm over his chest, resting her head above her hand. He tensed at first, not expecting such an action, but relaxed quickly, laughing deep in his chest.

"What's Gondor like?" she asked.

"Don't you know?"

"I want to hear it in your own words," she replied. He smiled and lay his head back, then began to talk about the White City. Megan fell asleep to the gentle, soothing rumble of his voice. Boromir's arm wrapped around her shoulders as he spoke, and when he realised she had fallen to sleep he smiled and allowed himself to drift as well.

Gimli opened the door, looking for someone to talk to, as Legolas was still conversing with Kara. He saw Boromir sleeping on a cot with Meg held securely in his embrace. The redhead had her head resting on his chest, her arm slung over his torso. In an attempt to keep quiet the dwarf cleared his throat and began to close the door. Megan's eyes opened and she glared at him, causing him to close the door faster and make his way down the corridor in search of Aragorn.

The next morning Meg woke finding herself feeling considerably better. Her head no longer felt as though it were squished between two rocks. She got up slowly, so that she didn't wake up the sleeping Boromir. No matter how much he denied it, he needed substantially more sleep. Meg walked the empty hallway, people only passing every once in a while, searching for Kara. With little surprise, she found her outside with the Elf in a small courtyard.

"Well, look who finally woke up," said Gimli who had been standing off to a side. "We thought you'd sleep forever. Did you have good dreams?" He winked annoyingly.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." Meg noticed Kara and Legolas had their bows out, practising. "Good idea," Meg commented. "Come on, dwarf, let's have a go. I'm not letting you tease me and get away that easily." She drew her sword as a laughing Gimli reached for his axe.

Kara had woken early and taken a walk throughout the village of Edoras. The weather was sustaining, keeping the sun out and the clouds away. It was far different from Helm's Deep. During that battle it had been night, pouring and freezing. Kara was surprised none of them had gotten sick. When she had reached a small courtyard she found Legolas there, and realised that she had been seeking him out. He was practising with his bow, and the teen found that her own bow and quiver were set up nearby.

"I knew you would come here," Legolas told her without turning around.

"Oh?"

"Aye," he confirmed. "I knew you might wish to practise, so I brought your things here." He heard no answer from her and turned around. "Should I not have?"

"It doesn't matter either way," she replied. "If you hadn't brought them I probably would have anyway." She smiled in reassurance and he nodded, a small smile gracing his own features.

Gimli arrived not long after they began practising, conversing with them even when he received no answer. Kara began to get annoyed at the constant drone of his voice.

"Gimli?"

"Oh aye?"

"Shush!"

"But how are you supposed to learn about distractions if you don't learn to block them out?" the dwarf protested.

"The only time I use this - " she indicated the bow - "is when I'm in battle. And Uruk-Hai don't pose a distraction by asking what colour boot best matches their eye colour." Legolas looked down to hide a smirk.

"Well, I was only asking," the dwarf replied then.

Just then Megan walked into the courtyard, and Gimli took off after her, ready to talk to someone willing. It left Kara and Legolas to themselves, and for a long while they practised in silence.

"I have a feeling it wasn't Gimli that distracted you," Legolas murmured. Kara glanced at him.

"Well he was," she insisted. "But he wasn't the only one. I was trying to ignore him so I could pay attention to a more... Pleasing distraction." Legolas froze in his ministrations, the arrow only partly knocked. When he looked at her he saw her staring at him in much the same way he knew he had mirrored the night before. Now if only he could get her to touch his ears again.

Two days later, while Boromir, Megan, Kara, Legolas and Gimli sat in the Hall talking to each other, Aragorn burst in.

"The beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit!" He pulled to a stop in front of Theoden. "Gondor calls for aid."

Everyone in the Hall looked at Theoden, awaiting his reply. Tense silence filled the atmosphere as they waited, and Boromir looked ready to do one of two things: either strangle the King or kiss his cheek.

"Rohan will answer!" Theoden said at last. Kara sighed. She knew that in the movie he had answered the call, but it could have been that because of their presence, and even Boromir's, that he would have denied Gondor the help they sought.

Kara and Meg went about for most of the day, readying themselves and helping others prepare for the long journey to Minas Tirith. It would take several long days, but they needed to move fast. Boromir would have the most trouble with his leg, but he seemed either to be hiding any amount of pain he was in - and hiding it well - or the medicine Aragorn used on it three times a day was helping it far better than any of them thought. He'd insisted on no longer being bedridden, and with the help of a crutch could walk around without too much trouble.

On the day they camped at Dunharrow Legolas and Kara spoke quietly to each other. To any passer by they might have looked like they were simply sharing a moment, but Kara was feeling very tense indeed. Legolas could sense the tension and questioned her about it.

"I had thought we'd grown close enough to overcome your nerves," he said gently. "Am I that untrustworthy that you will not allow yourself to relax while near me?"

"It's not that Legolas," Kara replied. Her voice seemed a bit shaky. "I just... I have trouble trusting anyone... Especially with my heart." She sighed and looked away. "I just don't know if I can trust something so important..."

"You see so much," he whispered. "Your knowledge is vast, and yet you cannot see this truth? How is this so?"

Kara hesitated for a long while before answering. "Legolas, there's something important I think I should tell you. All of you."

"Is there something the matter?"

"Just please... I need to tell you."

They walked back to the others. Boromir and Meg were sitting together, as they had more and more, and Aragorn and Theoden were talking. Gimli was gladly being entertained by Merry and Eowyn. Aragorn noticed the tension in the air and excused himself from Theoden's company to ensure everyone's well-being. Meg looked at Kara and saw the expression she wore, and knew what was going on.

"I need to tell you all something," Kara started, her voice shaking already. "It's about Megan and I, and our... What you call our wisdom." They looked at her, concern growing in their eyes. "We've... We've lied to you." As soon as those words escaped everything else came in a rush. "We're from Maine. We've never been to the Rhun... Maine is another realm, set in the future from here. The reason we know what's going to happen is because this story, the War of the Rings, it's legend where we're from. I've studied it as much as possible, that's how I know Elvish and all the names of places." She took a deep breath, tears threatening to spill.

"If your from another realm why have you not returned there?" Legolas asked. His face was set in an expression of disappointment. She had lied to him. About everything. Even about her feelings?

"We don't know how we got here, or how to get back," Megan told him. Her voice was considerably more steady than Kara's, and her eyes were dry.

"Why are you telling us this?" Aragorn asked then.

"Because you deserve to know the truth," the taller teen answered.

"So you don't have the Sight?" Gimli asked. Kara looked at Meg.

"Actually... I think we might," Kara said. "Aragorn, when we fought with you at Helm's Deep, even though you wanted us to stay in the Caves..." The ranger nodded. "Megan and I got a vision of you dying that had never happened in the legend. When we saw it we knew we had to save you. You have to live on."

She looked at each of them. Boromir's face was filled with distrust, Legolas was upset, but more sad than angry. Gimli seemed a bit downtrodden, as did Merry, but Aragorn wore no expression.

"I can understand if you never forgive us," Meg remarked then. "The lie was too great, and too long shared. I only hope that... You can find it in your hearts to do so."

"By rights we shouldn't, at least not yet. But you've helped us thus far... Saved many lives," Aragorn said. "You know the outcome of this war I trust?" Kara nodded, then he mirrored the motion. "I will not ask you to tell me." He looked at the others. "We cannot leave them here out of personal vendetta. If any of you have anger towards them for telling you the truth, you must work with it yourself or with them. But they are not to be harmed." His eyes slid over to the girls, his face holding a small fond smile. "Their sincerity is too great."

"We're just going to ignore the fact that they lied to us about everything?" Boromir asked angrily. Aragorn looked at him, then at the girls.

"Have you lied about everything?" he asked them. Meg shook her head.

"No, our names really are Kara and Meg," she told them. "And if you want, we can tell you everything about home." Kara nodded. Legolas looked at the taller of the two.

"I would enjoy hearing about a new realm," he informed them, a small, hopeful smile on his face. Kara smiled back in gratitude. He was willing to forgive her. It was evident in his eyes.

"There you have it then Boromir," Aragorn spoke then. The Man of Gondor still looked a bit distrustful, but he was also intrigued. A new realm? And Kara had said that the story of the Ring was legend. That that was how they'd known so much already.

But what of their vision of Aragorn dying? And the death they'd saved Boromir from? Meg had said that he had died valiantly, trying in vain to save the hobbits. He thought back to when they had gone to Isengard to retrieve the hobbits. The Ents had all but destroyed the area, tearing apart everything there, had thrown boulders at the tower. All because apparently the hobbits had convinced the tree-herders to fight and stop the dark wizard. That had been why the girls had delayed their chase of the Uruk-Hai: the hobbits had been meant to find the Ents and convince them to fight. It had saved them the trouble of dealing with Saruman themselves.

When Boromir came out of his reverie he found that only Meg sat by him. She was looking at her hands, which were fidgeting, playing with her fingernails and rubbing her fingers were rings might have sat had she been wearing them. He glanced around and saw Legolas and Kara speaking in a corner as they had been prone to doing in recent days. They seemed only a bit more tense than before. Gimli was again with Merry and Eowyn, and Aragorn seemed to be in his own tent.

"I assume that you are here to talk?" Boromir asked Meg then. The redhead jumped a bit, surprised at the sudden voice.

"I just... I guess I wanted to apologise for lying to you," she stammered. "It was wrong of me. Of both of us really. I want to make it up to you."

"I should apologise to you as well," he replied. "My anger has a frequent tendency to get the better of me."

"I think it has to do with the Ring," Meg said. "Maybe you're going into withdrawals, like when someone drinks a lot for weeks on end and then stops suddenly and they crave it." She had meant this to be a joke, but Boromir's gaze darkened as he looked at the ground, lost in sudden thought.

"You could be right," he said, his voice slightly distant. "I am ashamed for my behaviour towards Frodo. I feel weak knowing that a small piece of metal was able to overwhelm my mind and my reason."

Meg didn't quite know how to respond to that. "But you got over it in time right?" she asked. "I mean, you didn't actually take the ring, or hurt Frodo. And you tried your hardest to save Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-Hai."

"It would have killed me had you not been there," he argued gently. "My anger always causes me problems." He shook his head. "I can only hope that you do not hold grudge over any words I have said to you in that anger."

"Don't worry about it," Megan assured him. Both looked over as Kara and Legolas shared a tension-breaking laugh. Meg smiled at the comforting thought that they had gotten past the pain of the lie. She only wished that she and Boromir could do the same, though she was still curious as to why she felt that way.

By themselves, though they were surrounded by people, Legolas and Kara spoke. It had started out as a fairly tense conversation. Legolas made a valiant attempt at breaking the tension with his first question.

"Have you any intention of answering me?" he asked. Kara looked at him in confusion. "When is your birthday?" She smiled and looked down.

"May 20th," she said. "In my world I just turned seventeen, but here I think, I have another month to go."

"Indeed, tis but April here," Legolas agreed. "You are but seventeen?" She nodded. "Your actions belie your age. Some moments you are an amusing child, others you are an aged warrior. I would not have guessed you to be the age you tell me."

"It's the truth," she replied, then looked down ashamedly. "I'm never going to lie to you again," she promised. He stared into her eyes, seeing the truth and sincerity there.

"You cannot know how much that promise means to me," he told her. She shook her head.

"If it means to you anything that your promise means to me, then yes I do know." He smiled gently, rubbing his knuckles lightly over the back of her hand.

"What is your home like? You know my own home, but I know not yours."

"I doubt it's as beautiful as Greenwood," she replied. "But it has some redeeming features. The trees aren't nearly as tall as those here, because we're in an age of technology and it pollutes the land, but they are taller than me, and that's what counts." She chuckled a bit at this. "The forests aren't very big around my home, but I could easily get lost in them, so I suppose they're big enough. Most, however, are interrupted by roads and housing developments. Our towns are much bigger than most here, and our cities are enormous. We don't travel by horses anymore. We use cars, which are much like carriages but run on fuel. They are the cause of the pollution to the land though." She looked in his eyes. "And I'm regretful to say that there are no Elves or Dwarves there. Nor hobbits or Orcs or Goblins. And there are few kings."

"I cannot fathom a world so different from my own," Legolas said. "Perhaps if you find a way back I may go with you and see it with my own eyes." Kara looked down then.

"I don't think I'll ever find a way home," she said, almost sadly. "But even if I did I don't know that I'd want to. This place is so much better. So clean and free and... Refreshing." She wiped tears from her eyes. "It makes me feel free just being here."

"Your freedom makes my heart lighter," the Elf told her. "But you miss your family greatly. I think you may yet go home to see them. Your love for them is so immense that it may open the doors for you."

"If I do go, and I know a way to return, would you come with me?"

The look in her eyes when she asked this - so full of affection and fear - touched Legolas' heart so that he could say nothing but yes. She smiled at his affirmative answer and hugged him tightly, and he wrapped his arms around her, cradling the back of her head gently to rest her cheek on his shoulder.

Despite the hug they were still a bit tense, and Legolas didn't like the feeling anymore. He looked at her after they pulled apart, a glint in his eyes.

"You said earlier that you believe you and Megan are getting the Sight?" he asked. She nodded. "Perhaps you can see when Gimli will stop being annoying?" At the hopeful expression on his face Kara burst into laughter, and he laughed as well, feeling the tension between them melt like butter in flames.

"Legolas you are incorrigible," she said with a shake of her head. He smiled.

"I may be old but my sense of humour is still young."

"And I'm glad to hear it," Kara answered. "I doubt I could enjoy the company of someone without any humour in their life."

"Yet you can enjoy Aragorn's company?" he asked, mock incredulity on his face. Kara stared at him for a moment, then laughed again. It felt good to be so happy, and it seemed that only Legolas did that lately. Yes she laughed around Meg and Gimli, and she had a bit of fun, but Legolas seemed to make her truly happy. She shook her head as she thought of that statement.

"Aragorn's not without his humour," she said. He agreed. "But he can be a little boring at times," she added conspiratorially. Legolas laughed and hugged her again, just to feel her in his arms.

Meg looked up from her conversation with Boromir when she saw a cloaked figure ride by on a horse. She looked at Kara, who had also glanced up at the approach of the figure, and nodded. The taller teen walked up with Legolas close behind.

"Is it..?"

"It is," Kara answered the unasked question. Legolas and Boromir looked at the girls between them. Kara looked at them and sighed. "Lord Elrond came," she told them. "He brings with him two things that will awaken the King in Aragorn."

"What are they?" Gimli asked, walking up. Merry had gone off with Eowyn.

"One is news of Arwen," Megan told him. "She's dying because Sauron is growing in power."

"And the other?" Boromir asked.

"He's bringing the blade that was broken," Kara said.

"Narsil?"

"Anduril," Kara replied. "'Flame of the west, forged from the shards of Narsil.' Aragorn will take it and feel his hope renewed. He will go down the road to the Dimholt. It calls to him."

"And we will go with him," Legolas said, his hand on Gimli's shoulder. Kara nodded.

"I will not stay here while my friends go down a road that none have returned from," Boromir argued.

"They will return," Megan assured him. "And besides, your leg needs to heal more, and going where they will go is not going to help." The Man of Gondor sighed, knowing she was right. Though it hurt less, it still hurt, and he knew it would for a while.

"But I'm going, too," Kara told Legolas. The Elf moved to protest, but she cut him off. "Meg and I have seen something," she interrupted. "And I want to ensure that it doesn't happen. Therefore I will not leave your side." His eyes fell to the ground, where he stared, fuming slightly at her insistence. She nodded in grim triumph.

As they had been talking Aragorn had moved from his own tent to Theoden's. Gimli moved to stand by the side of the path that led back to Aragorn's tent, waiting for the Man's return. Legolas, Kara and Meg stood on the opposite side from Gimli, holding Arod's reins, along with another horse that they insisted Meg ride. Kara refused to ride a horse alone, and Gimli would be riding with Aragorn. They waited while Aragorn spoke with Elrond in Theoden's tent, anxious to be going.

Aragorn left the tent, moving towards the horses to retrieve Brego. Kara knew Eowyn spoke to him, that she implied that she was in love with him. Kara knew that he told her he did not love her, and that Eowyn backed away with tears in her eyes. They saw Aragorn coming, and just as he reached Gimli the dwarf spoke.

"Just where do you think you're off to?" he asked.

"Not this time," Aragorn said with a shake of his head. "This time you must stay Gimli." The dwarf made a sound that quite obviously meant 'we'll just see about that.' Legolas and Kara walked up then.

"Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of dwarves?" The Elf asked. Aragorn looked at the Elf, then the dwarf, then the two teens.

"Not you two," he told the girls. Kara crossed her arms over her chest.

"You want to try and stop me?" the taller teen asked. He saw in her eyes the same look that graced Gimli's and Legolas' eyes. When he looked at Meg he saw a similar light there.

"I'm surprised Boromir is not involved in this conspiracy," Aragorn remarked.

"Against my better judgment, believe me," the Man of Gondor said, limping up with the help of his crutch. "Megan disallows it due to my injury. Otherwise, you may trust that I would ride side by side with you."

"You might as well accept it," Gimli said then. "We're going with you laddie."

Aragorn almost protested again, but then looked at his friends with a defeated - albeit grateful - smile on his face. They mounted their horses and began riding towards the Dimholt road. Megan turned on her horse and looked back at Boromir, who raised his hand, palm facing him. Meg raised her hand and nodded when he mouthed the words 'stay safe.' It would indeed be a dangerous journey. The teens' very presences could change the choices of the Dead.

Meg looked at Kara as they rode. The taller teen was holding onto Legolas and seemed afraid, much as she tried to hide it. The redhead also was nervous. She wanted to see the Dimholt, her curiosity was driving her nearly insane, but the closer they drew the more fearful she became. The road itself was creepy alone, and Gimli actually asked of it as morning drew.

"What kind of army would linger in such a place?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"One that is cursed," Legolas answered, his voice deep in interest and caution. "Long ago the men of the mountain swore an oath," he continued, "to the last King of Gondor. To come to his aid. To fight. But when the time came - when Gondor's need was dire - they fled, vanishing into the darkness of the mountain." With every one of Legolas' words Kara and Meg felt their hearts beat faster. "And so Isildur cursed them: never to rest, until they had fulfilled their pledge."

At these last words they came into view of a large door. The horses pranced a bit and all of them dismounted. Holding their reins they continued forward until they stood just in front of the entrance. Kara stopped, shivering with fear, tears burning her eyes. Meg wasn't far behind, but her fascination with the place was far greater, allowing her to move only a little closer.

"This place is so cool," she whispered. Her body was shivering as well, but still she walked forward.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away," Gimli whispered in return. Legolas stepped closer and looked at strange markings above the doorway.

"'The way is shut'," he read. "'It was made by those who are dead, and the Dead keep it. The way is shut'."

Just then a blast of wind and a strange howl broke out of the Dimholt, and the horses reared and bucked in fear, pulling out of their masters' hands. Kara moved to the wall with a scream and covered her ears, sliding to the ground. Megan wasn't in much better condition. She was now shaking visibly, her eyes wider than seemed humanly possible and she was hugging herself. Legolas ran to Kara and knelt by her.

"You need not go in," he told her, cradling her face in his hands. Her eyes were squeezed shut against tears that made their way out anyway, and she was nearly convulsing. He held her close for a long moment, whispering soothing words in Elvish to her, loud enough that Meg heard, and soon both teens relaxed enough that they stood.

"I'm not going in there," Kara said with a shake of her head. "I'll wait for you out here."

"Megan will stay with you," Aragorn said. The redhead nodded vigorously and stood by the taller teen. Then Aragorn turned towards the door again and whispered something that didn't reach their ears, but both teens knew what he said: "I do not fear death." He walked in determinedly. Legolas looked back at Kara again, nodded, then walked in behind the Man.

"Now this is a thing unheard of," Gimli said in surprise, fear colouring his voice. "An Elf will go underground, where a dwarf dare not. Oh, I'd never hear the end of it!" With that he walked in.

"How cool is it here now?" Kara asked Megan, still shivering in her fear. Megan smacked her gently, and they shared a nervous laugh.

"I wonder what's going on in there," Megan said after a long moment. "Do you think those dead guys will still say yes even though we're here?"

Kara shrugged. "I hope so, we need them to fight for us."

"I bet they will," Meg responded. "Seriously they wouldn't want to wait for peace even longer, unless they like it like that." They laughed nervously again. After a moment Meg spoke. "I've been thinking about that vision," she said then. "How do you know it's Legolas that gets hurt?" Kara looked at him. "The clothes were different after all."

"Maybe it was distorted or something," Kara replied. "Who else would it be? Why would his face have looked that way?"

"I don't know," Megan responded. "But I'm having doubts. Maybe we should all watch out."

It seemed as though hours passed before Aragorn returned with the others from the Stone of Erech. Kara stood at their appearance and gasped and covered her mouth when she saw the Dead walking behind them. Megan was frozen with awe and fear. Legolas went to Kara immediately, running his hands up and down her arms. The Dead allowed themselves to fade from sight, but their presence was near tangible.

"Ew these guys look like they did in the movie," Megan said then. "Except it's kinda real looking... And... They smell bad."

"Well so would you if you had been dead for as long as they have," Kara retorted.

"Well I'm not, so I don't," the redhead replied.

The five walked back out away from the Door and saw their horses waiting for them. Mounting them gratefully they waited for Aragorn to speak. He seemed to have grown in stature since entering the Door, and Kara found it heartening. He turned to them then, taking them each in, one by one.

"We move south, through Gondor," he said. Even his voice was stronger. "We will make our way to Anduin and overtake the ships that Elrond warned me of. We must move swiftly," he added. "The Dead will help us."

They moved impossibly fast it seemed. Kara held onto Legolas tightly, and the Elf could do nothing to comfort her but place his free hand over hers. Her face was pressed into his back, and she only relaxed when she fell asleep. Meg was hard pressed to stay awake. Only the fact that she controlled the horse this time kept her head from bobbing forward for too long.

They made their way to the river and got there probably in record time, travelling non-stop for the entire day, moving at a run. Legolas, seeing that Megan could no longer stay awake, pulled up to ride beside her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and told her to lean forward on the horse. When she did she lay her head on the back of its neck and Legolas spoke in Elvish to it.

He asked that it allow Meg to ride whilst she slept, so she may recover her strength The horse obeyed without question, gentling its pace without slowing. Megan fell asleep almost instantly.

When the teens awoke they thought they must have slept for days, they had travelled so far. They were now on the Black Ships. Kara went to Legolas as soon as she found him.

"Did we sleep through the battle?" she demanded. He turned to her, smiling at seeing awake.

"Would that there had been a battle to sleep through," he answered. "The Dead are merciless fighters, and quite selfish. Even I only shot one arrow, but the Man was dead before he was struck. You slept through a massacre, and it makes me glad that you did not see it."

Kara was dumbfounded into silence. Instead of trying to reply she looked out over the river, her body adjusting easily to the sway of the ship underneath her feet. She had only been on a water vessel this size once before, but she had been on Megan's family boat several times, and both teens were used to the swell of water. Legolas watched her for a long moment, noticing the way her eyes searched the river.

"What do you search for?" he asked. She started, his voice sudden in the silence. She glanced at him, then back at the water.

"I guess I'm looking for... The answer," she replied.

"To what question?"

"The question that is the reason I'm on this ship, moving up the Anduin. The question that has bothered me since we found Merry and Pippin at Isengard."

"You saw something, did you not?" Legolas asked, concerned for her. At her hesitation he continued. "Kara, you need not tell me if it worries you, but you worry me with your silence. I only want you safe and well."

She smiled. "I saw something," she said at last with a nod. "But I'm not sure if it was true or not, or if it was just... I don't know... A fake vision. Does that make sense?"

"It does, and I wish that I could help you uncover this mystery," Legolas said quietly. He smiled when Kara's stomach rumbled. "Here, I have with me some Lembas bread. You may have it."

"What about you?" she asked, her hand on his arm as he began to unpack the bread.

"I need it not," he replied with a shake of his head. "Take it." He held it out to her, then took her hand and placed the bread there himself, wrapping her fingers around it.

When Kara smiled he nodded and kissed her lightly on the lips. Aragorn called him over then, and he squeezed her upper arm gently before moving to the Heir of Isildur. The teen went over to Megan, who had been talking to Gimli until the dwarf had gone after the Elf. She offered the redhead a piece of bread, who took it gratefully, and they sat and ate in companionable silence. After a long while Megan spoke.

"I wonder how Boromir is doing," she murmured. Kara snorted.

"You would," she replied. Megan slapped her arm when the taller of the two purposefully flinched.

"Why does everyone say that?" Meg demanded. "First Gimli, now you. Jeez, who next, the Elf?"

"Hey hey! You leave my Elf alone," Kara defended. She glanced at Legolas, knowing he had heard, and saw him staring at her with a slight smirk. Kara grinned and looked away, ignoring Megan's "oooh's".

"To steal a dwarf's phrase: 'I think somebody's smitten!'" Megan oozed with her hands clasped together.

"I'm going to smack you again if you keep this up," the taller teen warned.

"Oh get a room," Megan retorted.

"Megan will you do me a favour?" Kara asked.

"What is it first? Just kidding, yeah sure," she amended.

"Will you stay with me during the battle at Minas Tirith, so that I can be sure Legolas doesn't get hurt?"

"I'm not so sure it's Legolas, Kara," the redhead replied.

"Who else could it be? Of course it's Legolas."

The ships pulled up to the riverbank just by Minas Tirith at daybreak. The girls gasped as they realised an entire battalion of Goblins and Orcs waited for them. It took a long moment for the teens to realise that their greeters thought they were the Men from the South. What a surprise they were in for.

"Come on, you sea rats," one of them called. "Get off your ships!"

It was just then that Aragorn decided to launch himself from the side of the ship. The others swiftly followed, and the Orcs before them looked a little disconcerted. Legolas seemed very eager to fight, as did Gimli. Kara just wanted to save Legolas from any harm that might befall her Elf. They began walking forward then, readying their weapons.

"There's plenty for the both of us," Gimli growled with fervour. "May the best dwarf win."

They quickened their pace to a run, and Kara felt the Dead materialise behind them. Aragorn yelled as he swung his sword, killing an Orc on contact. The Dead swarmed over the Orcs and headed straight to the city, where more prey awaited them. The Grey Company took care of what the Dead left behind, and fought hard. Aragorn looked up then, seeing large Oliphaunts moving towards them. Their riders were wild men with tattoos covering their bodies and piercings in their flesh.

"Legolas!" the King of Men called, bringing the Elf's attention to the beasts. Kara froze, recognising the scene from the vision she and Megan had shared.

Megan watched as Legolas climbed up the side of the beast, quickly making his way upward and killing the men atop it. With a slash of his blade he cut loose the large tent seating the men. The entire structure fell off the Oliphaunt's back, bringing with it the riders and the lead driver. Megan laughed as Gimli grumbled at the Elf's 'show-off' behaviour when, with three arrows bringing it down, Legolas slid on his feet down the trunk of the animal, coming to a stop in front of the two.

Legolas looked at Gimli with an expression that clearly stated 'beat that'. The dwarf glared.

"That still only counts as one," he declared.

Megan glanced behind the Elf as she saw the driver of the Oliphaunt pull himself out of the wreckage of the structure and grip a sword. The man ran forward, yelling and growling. Legolas spun around as he heard Kara yell and run forward. The painted man swung his sword down and Legolas stared in horror as the blade swiped Kara's torso.

"Kara!" Megan screamed. She tried running forward but Gimli stopped her, seeing the look on the Elf's face. Legolas killed the man without mercy, then ran to the taller teen. She had fallen to her back but rolled quickly to her side, her hands pressed tightly to her stomach. Her breath was coming in pants and when Legolas tried to roll her to her back she cried out.

"Oh God! No, don't. Just... Just don't." Legolas looked at Aragorn, his features pale and fearful. It was the first time the Ranger-turned-King had seen such an emotion in the Elf's face.

Megan was shaking horribly as she watched her friend writhe in her obvious pain. The redhead didn't know what she would do if Kara died here. She was the closest thing to family that Megan had in Middle-Earth, and to lose her would be to lose all connection with home. She looked at Aragorn, remembering hearing somewhere that he knew how to heal wounds.

"Help her!" she cried to the Man. He was staring at Kara as though he wasn't believing what his eyes showed him. "Aragorn?" He looked at her numbly. "Help her!"

Staring dumbly he walked towards the fallen teen, and as he neared he felt the instinct of the ranger take over. He knelt beside her and rolled her firmly to her back, and despite her protests and squirming, managed to keep her there. Legolas sat behind her, holding her at an incline to lessen the pain of a stretched wound, and held her hands away. One of her hands snaked up to hold the Elf's shoulder blades while the other linked fingers with his and gripped tightly.

Kara looked at Meg with eyes glazed in pain, and realised the redhead had been right. In hopes of easing the moment Kara spoke.

"I guess you told me, eh?" she asked, her voice raspy even as she joked. Megan smiled weakly through her tears and knelt down nearby, Gimli on her other side.

Aragorn's hands worked by themselves as his brain buzzed stupidly. He hadn't been lying at Helm's Deep when he'd said they'd grown to be like sisters to him. He couldn't believe how close they felt to his heart, how much seeing Kara in pain like this was hurting him. He didn't love her the way Legolas did; he could only imagine what the Elf was going through.

Indeed the Elf was experiencing a turmoil that he had never known before. Here was Kara, lying in his arms in desperate pain, and there was nothing he could do to help relieve her of that pain. Her hands ceaselessly tightened and loosened on his hand and back, and tears flowed freely down her face where she normally wiped them away. Her black frames had fallen off when she fell, and her brown eyes were revealed to him, not hiding behind the thin glass. She stared at his eyes, seeking comfort that he could not give, save for the love he sent her through his gaze.

Kara cried out as Aragorn's fingers entered the wound lightly. She applied pressure with both of her hands to her wound, rolling to her side again, her face pressed against Legolas' leg, just above his knee. He felt her tears through the fabric.

"Kara I cannot judge the severity of the wound unless I touch it," Aragorn insisted, pulling her back to face him. "I know it hurts, and it hurts me to have to do this, but I must if I'm to help you." He shot Legolas a look, telling him without words to keep her still. The Elf nodded and brought her hand back up behind his neck to hold there.

"Kara, listen to my voice," Legolas whispered, his mouth next to her ear from the strength of her pull. He began singing an Elvish song to her, raising his head to lock eyes with her.

Megan listened to the song and felt it calm her even as she watched it calm her friend. She smiled when she realised that while staring into Legolas' azure depths she was no longer paying attention to the pain, and Aragorn was able to judge the wound easily.

"She'll be all right lass," Gimli assured the redhead then. Meg looked at the dwarf, then back at Kara. "Aragorn's one of the Dunedain, a ranger. And he was raised by Elrond to boot. He knows how to heal people. Kara's in good hands."

"She's my best friend," Megan told him. "I don't know what..." She stopped herself before she could voice her concerns, knowing that it would only make her more worried to think of the taller teen not surviving.

Aragorn wrapped Kara's wound with his cloak, wrapping it tightly enough to slow the bleeding considerably. He had Legolas help lift her into his arms and turned towards the others.

"Her wound is superficial," he assured them. "But it needs attention that I cannot give it out here. We must make our way into the citadel so she can get that attention."

"So she's going to be okay?" Megan asked, standing and wiping her eyes.

"She will be," Aragorn said with a nod. Megan's hopeful smile brought out Aragorn's own, and they made their way back towards the city, watching the glowing green wave of the Dead make their way back to their King after killing all of the Orcs. The Captain of the Dead looked at Aragorn.

"Release us," he hissed. Aragorn looked at him for a long moment.

"Bad idea," Gimli argued in a whisper. "Very handy in a tight spot, these lads, despite the fact they're dead."

"You gave us your word!" the Captain argued. Aragorn nodded slightly.

"I hold your oath fulfilled," he said. Megan could see the eyes of the Dead soften. "Go," Aragorn added. "Be at peace."

With a smile the Dead faded away on the wind, and when the others turned they saw Gandalf and Pippin walk forward. Gandalf bowed his head slightly, a small smirk playing upon his lips. Pippin walked around the carnage, seeing what he hadn't known was happening while in the citadel.

Megan saw as the hobbit looked at the feet of the fallen Oliphaunt and run forward, pushing an Orc to the side to reveal none other than his cousin Meriadoc. Meg looked away, but she was smiling. Legolas had walked over to Aragorn, the Elf's fair hand brushing gently at Kara's forehead. His eyes were shining with unshed tears, and his brow was furrowed in worry. The taller teen had fallen unconscious, the pain of such a wound finally getting to her.

"What happened to her?" Gandalf asked gently as he walked beside them.

"She - "

"She thought Legolas was going to get hurt but it was really her the whole time!" Megan cried out, interrupting Aragorn and letting loose her frustration. "I told her it wasn't you! I told her it was someone else but I didn't know who so she didn't believe me. If she hadn't been so worried about you she wouldn't be hurt right now!" She pointed at the Elf accusatorily.

"Are you blaming Legolas?" Gandalf asked. He looked at her as she opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.

"No," she said in a small voice. "I don't know what I was trying to do. I just... I don't want her to die too."

"She won't die," Aragorn said. "She just needs rest, and help. Her wound needs to be clean. She will survive, and you can yell at her yourself when she has healed." He said this last bit with a smirk on his face, as much to cheer himself up as to cheer the redhead.

On the way back into Minas Tirith Aragorn spoke with Gandalf on the damage, and the lost warriors. Megan didn't listen, intent on praying that Kara was going to get well. When she looked up and saw the damage done to the city, her prayers extended to Boromir as well. As soon as he entered her thoughts, she stopped thinking. Her brain started back up again when she realised her reason for saving him. She needed to find him as soon as possible to tell him. She wondered then if he had spoken to his father and brother. If Denethor had gone mad and tried to burn himself and Faramir alive as he had when he thought both his sons had died. If Boromir had been able to convince his father that Faramir was a good son, and that the three could live as a family.

The redhead's thoughts were again interrupted as they entered the citadel. Despite the bodies and dismembered limbs lying about, the White City was still beautiful. There would be much work at the end of the War needed to clean up the area around Minas Tirith and around Edoras.

They entered a Hall, where they found Boromir, Denethor and Faramir. The Steward of Gondor had not sent his youngest son back to Osgiliath it seemed, as the young man was uninjured. Boromir must have healed the family with his return.

Upon the entrance of the Grey Company the three stood, Boromir still using his crutch. He limped forward quite quickly, and held Megan tightly.

"I had feared the worse when I looked out the window and saw the carnage there," he whispered to her. "My father bade me not to fight, for my leg has yet to heal."

He looked at her, saw the sadness in her eyes, then looked at Aragorn. The Elfstone held Kara in his arms, and Legolas was holding her hand. She was unconscious. Boromir could see on his captain's face the disbelief that the taller teen had been injured, and indeed that same expression was reflected upon the Elf's face.

"Denethor, I bid you find a room and beds for these girls," Aragorn said, his voice growing in strength again. "They need attention to their wounds."

"I'm not hurt," Megan protested. Aragorn stopped any further protest with a look, and Boromir lifted her right forearm. She was scratched there, nothing more than a cat-scratch really, but it was there nonetheless.

Denethor's face was one of shock and restrained anger. Gandalf had implied the Steward's dislodgement, but he hadn't believed the wizard. When he hesitated Aragorn looked at him.

"Need I ask again?" Elessar asked.

Denethor looked at the Heir of Elendil, then at his son. Normally Boromir leapt to his defence, but now he remained silent. All of them were waiting for the old man to obey his King. With a curt nod the man quickly found a room that held two beds and Aragorn placed the teen in one of them. He ordered Megan to lay on the other and rest while he attended their wounds. Boromir sat by Meg's bed and spoke to her in a hushed voice. It had the desired effect, and she was soon sleeping.

Aragorn worked on Kara's wound first, washing it and wrapping it again, then calling for fresh clothes for her. She would want to wash the first chance she got, and he would not deny her that. Legolas sat by her bed, able to do little else until he knew she was resting properly and was no longer in any danger.

"Legolas," Aragorn said gently. The Elf looked at him. "Come, we still have some discussing." The Elf nodded and stood, but hesitated long in leaving Kara's side. Boromir walked with them back into the Hall, where Faramir still sat with his father, Gandalf, Gimli, and Eomer.

Megan woke not long after they left, their absence less comforting than their presence. She sat up and looked around. Her scratch had been tended, and wrapped even, and she saw two tubs sitting on the far side of the room, by a hearth. Water sat in a metal cauldron over the fire, warming for a bath.

Kara was sound asleep, so Megan stood and walked over to it. She noticed two clean white gowns nearby, and took the smaller one, setting it with a towel near the tub. Next she poured the warm water into the tub. When she had it to the desirable depth she grabbed the soap bar and stripped, washing up quickly. Her hair was still clean, thanks to the Elven gel, so she needed only wash the dirt and grime from travelling off of her body.

When she was finished she dried and dressed, then realised exactly how tired she was. She lay down and slept for the remainder of the day.

Megan woke feeling alone. Though Kara was in the room her breathing was too quiet for normal sleep, and that alone made Meg feel out of sorts. She stood and walked out of the room quietly, in case the taller teen heard her and stirred. She made her way back into the Hall, finding only Boromir there. She tried to stay quiet, but knew it was fruitless. The moment her bare foot hit the floor he turned and saw her.

"I thought you would sleep until the morn," he said quietly. Megan shook her head and walked closer.

"Where is everybody?" she asked, vaguely remembering the last battle in front of the Black Gate. "Have they all gone to the Gate already?"

"Yes, they have," he answered. "My father has retired to his bedchambers, but Faramir rides with Aragorn and the others. Even the Elf went, despite his fear for Kara."

"Were you able to talk to Faramir and Denethor?"

"I was, yes," Boromir confirmed. "When I arrived I learned that my father thought I had been killed. As it was, they had found the Horn of Gondor broken and with red and black blood alike smeared its white and gold. When Gandalf told him otherwise, and I arrived here, my father welcomed me back. Faramir had been readying to leave. He was going to return to Osgiliath, but when he saw me I was able to convince him of otherwise.

"We have had long talks, the three of us, and I would tell you about them, but the time for that is not now. Please, Megan, tell me how you fare."

"I'm fine," she said with a nod. "Still a little tired, but I'm worried about Kara." She looked down. "Boromir, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" he asked, concerned suddenly. "Is there something wrong?"

"It has to do with... With why I saved you." Realisation struck the man, and he began to wonder if perhaps she was getting second thoughts.

"Please continue."

"It took me a while to realise it, and even now... Even now I'm not sure I completely understand it... But the reason I saved you..." She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "I know it's because I care about you."

"And I you, my lady," he said with a gentle smile. He ran a calloused hand along her jaw. "I've cared about you for some time, and worried that you may not return those feelings."

"For a long time I didn't realise that I did return them," she replied. "It's confusing for me..."

"Do not let your mind dwell on it," he whispered, leaning close. "Open your heart, let it do your thinking." As Megan looked up her grey-blue gaze locked with his green, and she didn't realise that he was so close.

He leaned in and kissed her gently, just a simple pressing of lips, before she pulled away and stared at him. Well that was certainly not what she had expected. He smiled gently and placed his lips against hers again.

"That was all I asked," he said, pulling away. "I do not intend to seduce you Megan, just to share a kiss now and again." He smiled gently when she didn't answer, at least not verbally. Her blush and averted gaze were enough of an answer for him.

Kara woke late the next day. It was near afternoon, and everyone seemed to be back from the battle. Legolas sat by her bed, holding one of her hands in his, gently rubbing his thumb over the back. He seemed lost in thought and didn't notice when she stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision, then realised that her glasses weren't on. She squinted as she looked at Legolas.

"Hey you," she said gently. His eyes came into focus and he stared at her for a long moment before a smile split his face.

"Hannon Eru," he whispered, kissing the back of her hand. "I feared that you would not wake."

"You? Afraid? That's not possible," Kara teased. He smiled again, pressing his cheek to her hand.

"I was," he argued gently, his eyes closing. "The moment I saw that man strike you I was filled with a horror I've not known in all my years of living. I felt blind and deaf to all around me but you."

"I'm fine," she protested. "'Tis but a scratch'," she said then, quoting a line from one of her favourite movies. She looked around then. "Where are my glasses?" she asked.

"Your frames?" She nodded. "They'd fallen into the dirt when you were wounded. I was able to find them, but they are dirty. Why do you need them?"

"I need them to see," she explained, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh," he replied, seeming downtrodden. Kara sighed.

"Why do I have a feeling Megan told you something?" she asked.

"She did indeed," Legolas said, feeling only slightly like a fool. "She said they were your indication that..."

"I get it," she interrupted. "Well, I'll tell you the truth: I need my glasses to see, Megan needs her braces to straighten her teeth. Anything she said about me and courting involving my glasses was off. She was just trying to get me back for telling you guys about the metal on her teeth."

"I see." He seemed much quieter. Kara raised his hand to her lips and placed a kiss there.

"Don't get me wrong," she amended. "I'm still yours to court."

"And I would have it no other way," the Elf replied with a smile. Megan walked in then, with Boromir and Aragorn in tow. Aragorn carried with him a tray of food, and Kara tried sitting up but pain in her stomach told her not to.

"Do not rush yourself," Legolas told her when she groaned and winced in her pain. "Here, allow me..." He trailed off as he snaked his arm under her shoulders and pulled her up that way, and Megan caught on and helped him place pillows to support her. Aragorn set the tray above her shins and checked her wound. It was progressing nicely since he had stitched it, and would probably only cause her pain for a few more days, and afterwards only if she wrenched it.

"Here," Aragorn said then. "I'm sure you're hungry for food other than Lembas. Gimli is eating as we speak."

"Should I be surprised?" Kara asked. Chuckles and laughter permeated the room and Aragorn shook his head. After a short silence Kara spoke again. "How is Frodo?" she asked.

"He is still resting," Aragorn replied. "As is Sam. I suspect they both will for several more days before either of them wake. Gandalf is with them now." After another silence Aragorn cleared his throat. "I'm sure the girls would wish to speak together in privacy," he said then. "Perhaps we should leave them be." Boromir nodded and went to the door. Legolas hesitated.

"Le turo-ego," Kara whispered. "I'll be fine. I'll call you back in when we're done." He nodded once and kissed her forehead, then squeezed her hand and left with the Man of Gondor. Only Aragorn lingered now.

"I cannot tell you the extent of my fear at seeing you wounded," he said quietly. "I can only tell you that seeing you wakeful and well lightens my heart." As he said this his eyes lowered, his mind drifting to another he would wish to see well. "I take my leave," he added quietly, closing the door behind him.

Silence filled the room for a moment, and Kara took the opportunity to eat a bit before settling back into the pillows. She glanced at Megan, who was lost in thought.

"So?" Kara asked at long last.

"So what?"

"Sew buttons, Meg, come on," Kara teased. "What do you think I'm asking?" The redhead shrugged. Kara opened her mouth, then paused. "Okay so I'm asking two questions," the taller teen said with a laugh. She grimaced at the slight pain this caused to her wound.

"Well what's the first one?" Megan asked.

"Have you and Boromir... Kissed?" Kara asked in return. Megan flushed slightly and Kara grinned. "How good of a kisser is he?"

"I don't know!" Meg didn't want to tell her that the Man of Gondor was indeed a good kisser. She had to save some dignity after all.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you haven't kissed anyone before," the taller teen argued.

With no answer to continue teasing with Kara ate some more, and they fell into silence for another long moment. She drank a warm tea to wash down the food, then set aside her tray.

"So what's the second question?" Megan asked. Kara looked at her seriously.

"Are you going to say 'I told you so'?" Megan froze at the look on her friend's face. She was so serious, and almost fearful.

"No," she replied, just as seriously. "I thought about it, but I'm not going to." Kara nodded and looked at her lap.

"I deserve it, you know," she murmured. "I was rash, I guess. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't Legolas that got hurt." She shook her head wryly. "I guess that worked great didn't it?"

"You didn't know," Meg insisted.

"You tried to tell me."

They fell silent for a long while as Kara rested some more. To ease the moment Megan spoke again.

"You know, I did."

"Did what?" Kara asked, having forgotten where they'd left off.

"I told you so," she teased. Kara grinned and threw a pillow at the redhead.

"Te na ego, Gwador," Kara whispered as she hugged Aragorn tightly. He smiled and hugged her close, careful not to bother her healing wound. She pulled away and kissed his cheek, then looked to her left. Legolas stood there, wearing white and a silver circlet that indicated his royalty.

It was weeks later, and Aragorn was accepting Kinghood. Megan and Kara both had tears in their eyes when they had watched Gandalf set the beautiful crown upon his head.

"Now come the Days of the King," Gandalf had proclaimed. "May they be blessed." A cheer had gone up when the King had turned to face them, and Aragorn spoke.

"This day does not belong to one man," he had said. "But to all. Let us together rebuild this world. That we may share in the days of peace."

Another cheer raised, and flower petals seemed to fall from the sky. Aragorn had sang then, and walked forward as people bowed to him. He had passed Boromir, who stood with Megan (the redhead ran forward and hugged him tightly, much to the shock of the people of Gondor) and Faramir with Eowyn, and Eomer. He had reached Legolas and Kara then, when Kara had hugged him and whispered that Elvish phrase. Legolas smiled slightly as Aragorn placed his hand on his shoulder and whispered.

"Hannon le," the King said.

Legolas' smile grew only slightly and he tilted his head to the right. Aragorn followed his gaze, seeing Elrond, and a white flag with the symbol of Gondor upon it. Aragorn walked towards Elrond and the flag moved to the side to reveal Arwen. The King's face seemed frozen in an expression of disbelief as he stared at the Elf-maiden. He took the banner from her and passed it to someone beside him. She lowered her head in a bow but Aragorn tilted her face upward again, right before kissing her.

Legolas looked at Kara and smiled when he saw tears fall down her face. The Elf looked back at Boromir, who was holding Megan as she cried as well. The people of Gondor and Rohan were cheering again, as Aragorn and Arwen continued walking together. They came across the hobbits, all four of them standing side by side. The four of them bowed uncertainly, but Aragorn shook his head.

"My friends," he said as he raised his hand to stop them. "You bow to no one." With another look at them he got down on one knee and bowed. The people followed his lead, all of them bowing low to honour the four halflings.

After the ceremony there was a celebration of sorts, in commemoration of the return of the King. Kara and Megan sat together, watching everyone as they moved about in dances and happiness. Aragorn and Arwen never left each other's sides, and rarely looked away from each other.

"Is it just me," Megan murmured as they watched the two, "or do they remind you of Maddie and George?"

"Yeah, they definitely do," Kara agreed.

She grinned and took a sip from the Elvish wine that had been supplied by Elrond and the Elves of Rivendell and Mirkwood. Legolas was talking to Gimli, and Kara simply contented herself with watching him. His white tunic and leggings seemed to amplify the gold of his hair and the blue of his eyes. Megan grinned when she followed her friend's gaze to the Elf. Boromir was talking with his brother, and Eowyn had taken her leave of the two to speak with her own brother.

Megan allowed her mind to drift, thinking first on the clothes they had been given. Both teens wore white gowns, more elaborate than the ones given them after the battle outside the citadel. Small beads and gems decorated the light cloth to make the shape of the white tree. Kara's varied from Meg's only in that hers was longer and the sleeves billowed outward.

As Megan pondered, a thought crossed her mind that she tried to push away lest it dampen her good mood. However, the thought persisted, and she found herself considering her life here, and whether or not she wanted to return home were they to find a way.

"What do you think we'd be doing if we never came here?" Megan asked suddenly. "What do you think our families are doing now?"

"Are you saying you miss your family?" Kara asked with a sly smirk.

"No," Megan answered - too quickly. "I just wonder... I just wish I could have said goodbye, or tell them why I left. I wish I knew why we left."

"Maybe we were supposed to do something," Kara replied, feeling kind of stupid. "I don't know what... But still..."

"Yeah but the outcome was the same," Meg informed her. "We only saved like a couple of lives."

"Try a couple hundred," the taller teen said.

"Well yeah, true." They both heard music start up and Megan grinned. "I want to dance."

Kara grinned back and they both stood, moving to the music as they had at Kara's house before they'd arrived in the mines. Meg amused everybody with her disco routine, but Kara was a bit less enthusiastic, due to her still healing wound. They danced for a bit, closing their eyes and grinning stupidly. A flash thought of home crossed both of their minds as they danced.

Legolas watched in shock as the forms of the dancing girls began to fade, until they were no longer there. He ran forward in hopes of catching some last glimpse of Kara, but she had faded too quickly. Boromir hadn't noticed at first, but when he heard Legolas' anguished cry he looked over and saw that Megan and Kara had both vanished. Everyone stopped dancing as they heard that they had disappeared. Aragorn moved towards Legolas, holding the Elf as he fell to the floor. Boromir was staring blankly at the spot in which both teens had stood. It was inconceivable, the fact that they had vanished just like that.

Kara opened her eyes when she heard Dashboard Confessional playing on her stereo. She stared at the room that she had thought she would never see again. The computer was set to screen saver, but other than that, and the light filtering through the window, nothing was different. She looked at Megan, still dancing disco style. Kara smacked Megan's arm to get her to stop. Megan opened her eyes and they promptly widened further than Kara had ever seen them go.

"Was it a dream?" Kara asked.

"I really hope to God it wasn't," Megan replied. "And I told you that time stopped."

"But time didn't stop," Kara argued. "The song is on number twelve, and we were on number one when we left. And besides, it's totally dark out. It was only like dusk out… Wasn't it?"

"We have to get back…" Megan started. "I want to be…"

"With Boromir?" Kara finished. Megan didn't answer. "I want to be with Legolas too." All of a sudden thought struck Kara. "Oh shit!" she cried.

"What?"

"Legolas was in love with me wasn't he?"

"Oh man… We have to get back," Megan replied.

"I know! Okay think, what did we do both here and there that made us leave?"

"Uh, close our eyes," the redhead said.

"Okay so let's do that," Kara told her. They did, and Kara spoke again. "What else did we do?"

"Well… We… Um… We sang," Megan offered.

"No we didn't."

"Well we hummed."

"Okay, so what else?" Kara thought hard. "We also were listening to music," she added.

"Okay so let's try that."

They both began humming and dancing, eyes closed tightly as they did so. After a moment they opened their eyes, but felt their hearts drop when they realized they were still home. Kara sat dully in her computer chair, then jumped as she felt her stomach wound jolt slightly. She pressed her hand there and felt the stitches through the cool fabric of her gown. She glanced at Megan and noticed that she still wore her own gown.

"Well at least we know it wasn't a dream," Kara muttered.

"But why didn't it work?" Megan demanded. Kara shrugged and put her head in her hands. Legolas was going to die and it was all her fault. They waited for a bit, then Megan made a thoughtful noise. "Maybe we were too anxious or something."

"Huh?"

"Maybe we were too worried about them to be able to really think about going back," the redhead clarified.

"Do you… Do you think that if we try again when we're calm we'll be able to make it back?"

"I don't know," Megan murmured. "But we can try right?"

Kara nodded, slightly comforted by this thought. They would make it back, she was sure of it. But they wouldn't be able to yet. Besides, she missed her family and wanted to see them again. And despite all of Megan's bitter protests she knew the redhead missed her family as well. The two stayed awake late into the night, dancing and singing with their eyes closed, trying their hardest to stay calm on the matter. Finally they fell onto their separate beds, exhausted from the effort.

"We'll never get back," Megan muttered in despair.

Tbc… (dun dun dun……)