The next week passed perilously as the Fellowship prepared to depart. Aragorn and Brittany still managed to avoid even the slightest interaction, and continued to do so even as the boats were shoving off and the Nine companions were drifting down a river, presumably to complete the suicidal quest.
"I'm ready for the special effects team now….they don't really need to sail away, all they need to do is go around that bend, stop for a coffee break, and film the death scene, then come back, patch up this annoying quarrel, and things will be back to normal," Virginia started rambling as the boats drifted from view, the others suspected her urge from them to return dealt more with seeing a certain Mirkwood Prince again than solving the Cold War, but who were they to judge?
Elrond had long since returned to Imladris and the events occurring there. As a few more months passed, Haldir and his legions went to fight battles. But the four mages stayed, much to their dismay.
"I'VE LEARNED EVERYTHING. I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO WIELD A SWORD. DAMNIT, I WANT TO SKEWER THINGS!" Selene was angry at being told, once again, that she could not go out to save the races of Middle Earth. Various noble elves sighed as Marina glowered at Galadriel and Selene threw her temper tantrum. Several of these 'superior, ethereal beings' stared openly, relishing the confrontation and ensuring they had gossip to fodder the next millennia. The Lady of the Woods sighed mightily as she made arrangements for the four to journey to Minias Tirith—she was trying to avoid this moment, as the battle of Peleannor Fields loomed alarmingly close, but she also knew her charges were resilient and well equipped warriors, destined for more than aiding a foreign world, that they would also be called to save their own.
Virginia was asleep in her tower room when she heard a loud explosion, followed by a decapitated head flying through the window. What a lovely wake-up call. Though she knew the battle would come at any moment, the fact that a severed head was now lying on her favorite pair of shoes dampened her fervor for eternal glory. So she went running from room to room yelling, "Assault on the White City!" the four mages assembled on a deserted balcony and surveyed the battle playing out before them: undead battling orcs, oliphants being attacked by elves, trebuchets slinging fire and rock at the White tower against a diminishing mortal force. It seemed the battle was timeless, and that neither side would let down until one noticed the spaces on the ramparts and the despair on foot soldiers' faces. In unison, the four began to use their magic with deadly efficiency: Brittany hurled fireballs that exploded within the ranks of uruki, Virginia recovered from the nausea that required her to empty dinner over the ledge before creating a wind that acted as a shield, a barrier that ordinary arrows couldn't penetrate. Selene called up the water from a long-abandoned moat and began to use the agua to form ice balls and pelt the attackers with hailstones. Marina knew that her skills of growing a healing would be best suited n he sickrooms, but unwilling to leave the action, she quickly scaled a newly grown vine and joined the archers along the ramparts, keeping track under her breath with the count of those of Sauron's forces she took down. Gradually, the light began to dim as the sun fell, and the only glow came from fireballs being traded by the two opposing camps, bouncing around like scorching ping-pong balls.
Virginia, Selene, and Brittany aided sisters and wives by distributing water and hastily made sandwiches to the weary soldiers while Marina ran back and forth between pallets attending to the wounded and giving comfort to the dying. Elrohir worked along side her, mending bones and bathing cuts. The other three came to assist, but were waved away by a harried orderly who, responding to their incessant need to 'do something' sent the girls to find bandages. They began to dress wounds, unconsciously shying away from death and unwillingly recognizing fallen comrades. Virginia stumbled outside (well, she was forced out by an insistent Marina, who bellowed, "Cry. Barf. Sleep. Do whatever you need, but NOT AROUND THE PATIENTS.) She leaned shakily against a rough granite wall, caressing the stone and cutting her hand on a jagged edge. Perhaps it was the sight of her own blood, for as a few crimson droplets fell she began to sob with body-wrenching yet silent cries.
Legolas was keeping watch as the first rays of dawn peeked over the horizon, breaking through the gloom with brilliant flame colored hues. Seeing this beauty, the beauty which revealed the destruction of the preceding day he muttered, "red dawn…blood has been spilt this night." Another sound reached him and it was not the echo of his own voice, nor the gods of the mall intercoms announcing a sale, but the pathetic sound of weeping, a distinctive mix of helplessness and despair, agony and fear.
He paused a moment before looking for the source of these tears. Much like James Bond or the Pink Panther, he snuck around the corners before nearly stumbling on Virginia who was huddled in the corner, red eyed and shivering, entering a state of shock. Legolas quickly hurried over and wrapped his cloak around the freezing girl and settled down next to her to provide strength or whatever she needed. Virginia sat unseeing for a moment, and much similar to a dam breaking loose, began to spill out everything in a rambling incoherent story. So Legolas did the only nonsensical thing he could: he kissed her. At a later point, she'd describe this first kiss in the same glowing terms used in The Princess Bride but in reality, no one was surprised by this impromptu lip lock—for every story needs to have a love interest.
Things in the healing ward had calmed to a contained chaos. Selene and Brittany were dead on their feet and Marina shooed them out with a spastic wave of her hand. Brittany headed to the bedroom that she had slept in tranquility…was it only a day ago? She wandered the halls, too bleary eyed to tell what corridor she was in, but assuming it was correct as she tossed off her shoes and settled into the empty bed.
Legolas had picked up the exhausted Virginia and headed towards the inner castle as he tried to ignore the stranglehold the sleeping girl had gripped him in. it was all in the name of love and supposedly that was why he ended up depositing her in his chambers before going to look for the remaining Fellowship.
He found Gimli smoking a pipe and muttering about 'mortals who will work themselves to death and then attempt to rule a kingdom!' unaware that Legolas was listening, he punctuated this statement with several dwarvish curses and a loud snort. Legolas backed away slowly and went to find the future king of Gondor.
Marina exited the makeshift hospital once Elladan entered and assured her that both he and Elrohir had nearly 8000 years of combined healing arts training and could manage what little needed to be done, she left unconvinced but out argued and found Selene sitting deep in though alongside the white tree of Gondor. She dropped to the ground next to her friend as the two watched the shadows change while they said nothing, simply sat, shoulders touching as they watched the waning moon be replaced with glass light: a light pale and brittle that seemed to match their moods rather than the optimistic glory of the sun Legolas saw moments before.
Legolas found his friend methodically sharpening his blade, a sword already sharpened to perfection. After a quick though necessary argument Legolas convinced the man to get some rest, and he left with the threat, "if anything happens, so help me I'll…." He trailed off, and Legolas smirked at his normally quick-witted friend and nudged him towards the door saying, "sleep!"
Estel walked soundlessly down the hall, a ranger's skulking movements ingrained in him still as reached his room, pausing only to pull off his boots and outer tunic. As he fell into a dreamless sleep, he didn't feel the arm drape across his chest or the sleep-induced murmur of, "teddy-bear?" Clearly, someone had the wrong room.