Chapter 4

Buffy held Willow's hand as they trotted alongside Legolas. They were following Gandalf through the forest. "One stage of your journey is over." He was saying. "Another begins. We must travel to Edoras with all speed."

"Edoras?" Gimil asked. "That is no short distance."

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king." Aragorn said.

"Yes, it will not be easily cured." Gandalf said.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing?" Gimli asked. "Are we to leave those poor hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank, tree infested….." The trees groaned.

Willow tightened her grip on Buffy's hand. The Slayer smiled. "It's ok. The trees are telling Gimli to shut up." Legolas smiled at her. "That or their getting a jonesing for dwarf meat."

"I meant….. Charming….. Quite charming forest."

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fanghorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the moutains." Gandalf said.

Aragorn stood next to him. "In one thing you have not changed, dear friends. You still speak in riddles." The two men laughed.

"A thing about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days. The Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong."

"Strong!" Gimli asked. "Oh, that's good!"

"So stop your fretting, Master Dwarf. Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be."

"This new Gandalf's more grumpy than the old one."

"I think he's kinda neat." Buffy said. "He's like….. Giles and Willow all wrapped into one."

"I'm not cryptic." Willow said.

"I meant the magicky part."

"Oh."

Gandalf let out a long whistle as soon as they reached the edge of the forest where their horses were waiting. A beautiful white horse came galloping up.

"That is one of the Mearas." Legolas said. "Unless my eyes are cheated by some spell."

"Shadowfax." Gandalf said. "He is the lord of all horses and has been my friend through many dangers."

A few minutes later, the six were riding away towards Edoras.

While Willow and Gimli slept and Aragorn talked with Gandalf, Buffy and Legolas walked a little further away from their makeshift camp. They had traveled for two days non-stop.

"Willow's going to be ok here. She's tough." Buffy said. "She'll be a real big help in the magick department."

"I'm glad you didn't leave." Legolas said.

"Legolas….."

"Not just for my own personal wants, but I feel your services will be needed in the coming times." He smiled sadly. "Let us talk about happier things. Our time together is limited."

"Yeah."

"Your friend….. Willow….. She is skilled in the magicks?"

"You name it, she can probably conjure it. When she went evil a couple of years ago, she sucked up all the magick books and became an uber witch. Almost destroyed the world."

"Why would she be evil? She seems to be such a gentle person."

"Her….. Soul mate was shot and killed in front of her. She was seriously grieving."

"She won't….."

"No! No, of course not. She's learned to control the magicks a lot better."

"That is good."

Buffy looked back at the camp. It was extremely far away. "Wow, maybe we should start heading back. I have a feeling Aragorn will want to leave when the sun rises and that's not far off." She looked at Legolas who was staring intently at her. "What?"

"Forgive me if I am out of line."

"I don't….." Then Legols's lips pressed against hers gently, silencing her. He pulled back and looked at her shocked expression.

"I'm sorry. That was….."

Buffy couldn't stop herself. She moved forward and kissed Legolas back, wrapping her arms around his neck. At the camp, Aragorn smiled at Gandalf who laughed sadly. They had seen Buffy and Legolas's attraction to each other grow. Especially Aragorn.

"It's sad to see." Gandalf said. "The Slayer must return to her home when this journey ends and Legolas must stay."

"Do you think their passion for each other will lead them together again one day?" Aragorn asked. Gandalf just smiled at him and walked away.

Legolas looked at Buffy, stunned. "Oh..."

"I am so sorry!" Buffy said, looking around for the best way to bolt out of there.

"No!" He grabbed her hand. "It was... You were... I have never... kissed anyone... Like... like that before. That was..."

Buffy watched him stutter his way through his mini-speech and found herself smiling at him. "You're ok." Legolas looked back at her. "It was nice."

"It was more than nice. It was like nothing I have ever experianced before. It was wonderful."

Buffy laughed. "It was just a kiss."

"A kiss that will echo in my mind for all eternity." He pulled on her hand, bringing her closer to him, and wrapped her arm around his waist. She brought her other atm around and embraced him tightly. He held her to him and breathed in the soft scent of her hair, kissing the top of her head. They stayed like that for a long while, just holding each other.

Buffy and Legolas rode side by side with Aragorn and Gandalf leading in front of them. Gimli rode behind Legolas and Willow behind Aragorn. They made their way up a hill and stopped. There was a large hill with buildings and a castle-like structure at the top.

"Edoras and the Golden Hall of Medseld." Gandalf announced. "There dwells Theoden, King of Rohan whose mind is overthrown. Saruman's hold over King Theoden is now very strong. Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here."

They moved forward towards the gates. A flag with a horse on it fluttered to the ground in front of them. They entered Edoras where everyone was quiet and even the wind seemed to hush.

Buffy looked at Legolas. "I think I've patrolled graveyards happier than this place." He reached out and touched her hand gently and she squeezed it gratefully.

Leaving their horses, the six walked up the stairs of the castle-thing and were greeted by knights. The one with no helmet said, "I cannot allow you before Theoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame. By order of Grima Wormtongue."

Gandalf nodded at the others and Buffy, Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn stripped themselves of their weapons. Buffy pulled off her scythe and handed it over. "Anything happens to that, you'll be singing a higher note when I'm through with you."

"Your staff." No-Helmet said to Gandalf.

"You would not part an old man from his walking stick." Gandalf said.

No-Helmet stared at him for a minute and then turned, leading them inside. Buffy noticed the icky, black snake-like man at the front and grabbed Legolas's arm. "What is that?"

"Grima Wormtongue. Agent of Saruman. Legolas whispered.

"He sure lives up to his name."

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Theoden King." Gandalf said.

"Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?" The king rasped. He reminded Buffy of a decomposing zombie.

"Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear." Worm Boy said. "Lathspell name him. Ill news is an ill guest."

"Be silent." Gandalf ordered. "Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm."

"His staff. I told you to take the wizard's staff!"

The knights began to attack and Buffy, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli fought them off.

"Theoden." Gandalf bellowed. "Son of Thengel, too long have you sat in the shadows." Buffy and Legolas each shot up an arm and knocked a guy out trying to tackle them from behind.

Willow slammed Worm Boy on the floor and pinned him there with magick. "Stay down, Wormy."

"Hearken to me! I release you from the spell."

The king began to laugh. "You have no power here, Gandalf the Gray."

Gandalf threw off his gray cloak and revealed his bright white robes beneath. "I will draw you Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound." A girl with long blond hair ran in and tried to run to the King, but Aragorn held her back.

"If I go, Theoden dies."

"You did not kill me, you will not kill him."

"Rohan is mine!"

"Be gone!" Gandalf seemed to whack the king with his staff and Theoden fell back. Aragorn released the girl and she ran to Theoden. Before everyone's eyes, the king began to drop years off rapidly.

"Better than Botox." Buffy muttered.

"I know your face." Theoden said to the girl. "Eowyn."

"Who's that?" Willow asked, still holding down Worm Boy.

"Theoden's niece." Aragorn said. "Her name is Eowyn."

Theoden looked up. "Gandalf?"

"Breathe the free air again, my friend." Gandalf said.

Eowyn helped the king to stand. "Dark have been my dreams of late." He said.

"Your fingers would remember their old strength better if they grasped your sword."

No-Helmet brought a large, elaborate sword to the king. Theoden grasped the hilt and pulled the sword from its scabbard. He looked over menacingly at Worm Boy. Two knights grabbed him and hauled him out, tossing him down the stairs. Buffy, Legolas, Willow, and Gimli watched from the top of the stairs as Worm Boy was thrown out of the hall and down the stairs.

"I've only ever served you, my lord!" Worm Boy said.

Theoden advanced towards Worm Boy, holding his sword firmly in his hand. "Your leechcraft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast!"

"Send me not from your side."

THeoden raised his sword to kill Worm Boy, but Aragorn held him back. "No, my lord! No, my lord. Let him go. Enough blood has been spilt on his account." Aragorn offered Worm Boy his hand, but Worm Boy just spit on it, scrambled to his feet, and pushed through the crowd saying, "Get out of my way!"

"Hail, Theoden king!" The crowd kneeled in homage before Theoden. Aragorn kneeled also. Theoden turned to go back into the hall and looked up. "Where is Theodred? Where is my son?"

Buffy and Willow sat away from the funeral procession on a hill. They felt they weren't a part of it, even though their friends were down there.

"How many of there do you think we've witnessed in the past nine years?" Willow asked.

"Too many." Buffy answered.

"I stopped counting after Tara."

"I stopped counting after mom. It just seemed so, I don't know, pointless."

"Yeah….. Pointless."

Buffy stood and headed back towards the Great Hall. She was tired of watching death take loved ones. She hated seeing people in pain. Unfortunately, in her line of work, death and pain were common. She headed into the room that Eowyn had given her and sat on the bed, staring at the candle on the table by the bed. The door behind her opened and she turned to see Legolas walk in.

"Are you all right?" He asked, quietly shutting the door behind him. "I saw you leave and..."

"Oh, I'm fine." Buffy said. "Just... I didn't want to watch anymore. Funerals are depressing."

"And something that reminds you of pain that you harbor close to your heart."

"How'd you guess?"

Legolas smiled softly. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Not sure."

"Well, would you like someone to sit with you until you are sure?"

She smiled up at him. "Now that would be nice." He sat down on the bed next to her and watched the candle flame. After a few minutes, Buffy said, "I've been through a lot of death, but the one that really got to me was my mother's. It wasn't like any of the other death's I'd encountered. Vampire bites, demonic possessions, you name it... But mom's death was... Normal. She'd had a brain tumor and the doctor's removed it We thought everything was going to be ok, but one day... I walked in... She was just lying there on the couch. I thought she was sleeping, but her eyes were open. I buried my mother when I was only 20 years old."

Legolas wiped a tear from her cheek "Grieve no more, I am here to hold you until you can smile once more."

Buffy stood next to Legolas and watched the two refugee kids eat. Eowyn stood. "They had no warning. They were unarmed. Now the wild men are moving through the Westfold, burning as they go. Rick, cot, and tree."

Aragorn glanced at Legolas from his seat at a smaller table. He, Gimli, and Willow were eating soup there. Buffy had just gone for a piece of bread. She wasn't exactly hungry.

"Where is mama?" The little girl asked.

"This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash. All the more potent for he is driven now by fear of Sauron." Gandalf said to Theoden. "Ride out and meet him head on. Draw him away from your women and children. You must fiht."

"You have 2,000 good men riding north as we speak." Aragorn said. "Eomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king."

Theoden stood. "They will be 300 leagues from here by now. Eomer cannot help us. I know what it is you want of me, but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war."

"Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not."

"When last I looked, Theoden, not Aragorn, was king of Rohan."

"Then what is the king's decision?" Gandalf asked.