Chapter 27

I could see the orcs waiting for the ships on the shore of the Anduin River. They would be surprised when they were met with an army of the cursed undead. As the ships sailed closer, I turned around. Adette, Aragorn, and Gimli were all behind me. We didn't speak, but continued to stare at one another. Finally Adette rolled her eyes and came forward in between us.

"Come on guys." She said softly, looking at all three of us. "We can do this. We have to do this, or we will be failing our friends," she smiled mischievously, "now let's slaughter some orc."

She raised her hand out towards Aragorn.

"Mín turo cár hé gwanur. I believe in us."

(We can do this brother.)

"Hannon lee gwathel." He smiled, and raised his hand to lay against hers in mid air. Gimli then raised his arm, and laid a hand against theirs. I in turn did the same. When our hands met, it was as if a surge of power had passed through my body. Somehow I knew everything would turn out in that moment.

(Thank you sister.)

I turned to see that our ship had reached land, and lowered my hand from everyone else's. We slowly made our way to the side of the ship, ready to leap out and begin the battle. I turned to Adette, watching as she stared at the shore. The wind blew her dark hair across her face. She looked so fierce. I took her shoulders and turned her to face me, kissing her lips as I did.

"Good luck dúlinn." I murmured before pulling back.

"You too Legolas." She smiled quickly at me and then turned back. Aragorn was the first to jump over the side of the ship, followed closely by Adette. I gripped the side and swung my body over, hearing Gimli complain about being last out. He landed on the ground beside me.

"There are plenty for both of us. May the best dwarf win." Gimli growled, axe ready as we slowly approached the amused orcs. As we began to quicken our pace, I watched as the ghost army passed through us, overrunning the orcs.

Adette's POV

I drove my sword through an orc's stomach, holding his shoulder as I did. He cried out loudly in my ear, and I threw him backwards before he could deafen me. I could hear Legolas and Gimli both keeping score, rolling my eyes at their game. Aragorn looked fiercer than I had ever seen him before. He was slaying orcs left and right without pausing in between.

I was about to run into a pack of the orcs when I saw a familiar face. Èowyn was crawling away from a hideous looking orc with a disfigured face. She cried out for help, but her voice was weak. On fast feet I rushed to her aid, using my sword to block his blow before it could reach her. He looked at me angrily.

"Since when do women fight?"

"Since we decided to stop sitting at home." I answered, pushing him backwards. He recovered, although stumbling back, and came at me with his mace. I turned my head towards Èowyn as she tried to reach for her sword. "Get out of here!"

She didn't listen, and continued to try and reach her sword. I watched as it slipped from her grasp, and turned back to the orc I had been fighting.

I was about to throw him back once more when a body collided with us and we fell to the ground. I fell on my back a few feet away from the orc, and realized my sword was out of my hands. I saw that his mace was near his feet, and kicked it away before he could see it. I got on my feet quickly as the orc did, and grabbed a hunk of his leathery skin to bring him closer. He grabbed my wrist but it didn't stop me from punching him in the face. I kept him steady and punched him once more, blood staining my knuckles.

"Adette…" Èowyn's weak voice called for me from behind. I released the orc and he fell backwards. I went to Èowyn's side as she struggled to stand. She barely made it off the ground when she fell into my arms.

"Èowyn hang on." I told her sternly, laying her against a fallen horse. "Someone help me! Aragorn! Legolas! Gimli!" I screamed, hoping one of them would hear me over the deafening sounds of battle.

Suddenly, I felt my head being jerked backwards. I looked up to see the orc I had punched was holding onto my hair. I struggled to get away, and finally realized what needed to happen. In one quick move, I grabbed my dagger and chopped off the hair he was holding. Stunned, he backed away holding a handful of my hair. I was about to lunge forward when Legolas flew in out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground.

While he took care of that I went back to Èowyn. She was still lying against the horse. I brushed dirt from her face.

"Where are you injured?" I asked, looking her over.

"Don't worry about me…you have to fight." She mumbled, opening her eyes to look at me. I frowned.

"I can't leave you here."

"I'll be fine."

"And if another orc comes? You can't even lift your head let alone your sword." I turned to see if Legolas was coming yet. He could carry Èowyn somewhere safe. Just as I turned, however, someone beat me to ask for his help.

"Legolas!" Aragorn shouted.

I watched as Legolas suddenly got up off of the ground and saw a Mûmakil coming towards him. He ran towards it, leaping onto its leg an impossible distance. I watched as he climbed atop the beast, shooting dead its riders. He then cut the saddle rope with one of his knives, letting it fall off as he reached the top. He ran along the spine of the Mûmakil and stopped at its head to shoot an arrow into its skull. It cried out in agony, beginning to topple to the ground. However, Legolas was already sliding gracefully down the trunk, and landed softly on the ground.

When I turned back to help Èowyn, I realized that she had crawled away. I looked around, bewildered. When I spotted her, she was leaning over another fallen horse, speaking to someone. I recognized the rider as Théoden, and knew he was dying.

"Adette!" Aragorn's voice sounded from behind me, but when I turned I did not see him. Instead I came face to face with another orc, his sword raised to kill me. Before I could blink, he had disappeared. Aragorn had rammed into it, and the two tumbled away from me. I went forward to help them but saw more orcs coming towards me.

The first one I met, I swiped my dagger across its throat. I then scampered over to where my sword had fallen. Once I had it in my grasp I turned around, swinging it as I did, to slice clear through an orc's middle.

Seeing more of them swarming around Aragorn, I came in swinging. I beheaded one instantly, blood flying out and hitting my tunic. I wrinkled my nose in digust, but didn't let it distract me. Aragorn and I slayed the rest of the swarm together.

"Look sister." Aragorn said, turning me around. I saw that all of the orcs were dead and the army stood before us. From the corner of my eye I could see Legolas coming towards us and I ran to him, embracing him tightly. He hissed.

"Gently my love." His voice was pained, and I loosened my grip instantly. I looked down, and saw a curved line of blood soaked through torn pieces of his tunic. A blade had grazed his skin, thank God, but he hadn't been stabbed.

"Oh Legolas did you get his when you tackled that orc?" I asked worriedly, tearing off the bandage from my neck. He winced as I did, and I didn't know if it was because of his wound or because I had ripped it free. I applied the bandaging to his cut, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

"I believe so, but it doesn't matter." He reached out and touched a lock of my hair. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop him before you cut your hair."

Remembering my hair, I looked down to see that I had cut it off just beneath my chest. I smiled up at Legolas, taking the bandage from his skin to see that the bleeding had stopped.

"He did me a favor."

"Release us." I heard the ghost king say. I turned to see him standing before Aragorn, his army waiting behind him.

"Bad idea. Very handy in a tight spot, these lads, despite the fact they're dead." Gimli said. He did have a point, but I knew Aragorn would not break his promise to the army. They had done as we asked.

"You gave us your word!"

"I hold your oath fulfilled. Go, be at peace." Aragorn told them. I watched as the king's face softened a bit, and the army began to fade away into the air. I watched as others who had battled ran onto the field. I was about to suggest to Legolas that I clean his cut when I saw Èomer run past us.

"No!" He bellowed. I turned to see that he had found Èowyn, unconscious. He cradled her close, screaming over her body. Aragorn's eyes widened, his mouth agape.

I began to fill the bath with water, checking the temperature to make sure that it wasn't too hot and not too cold. It took me a few trips and awhile to heat the water but I finished as night fell nonetheless. When I heard the door to the bedroom open, I stepped out of the bathroom to see Legolas standing in the doorway.

"I wondered where you had gone." He smiled and came forward, arms open, but I stopped him. He frowned down at me, a hurt expression on his face. "You will not kiss me?"

"Not until I've cleaned your wound and bandaged it." I said, trying to be firm but he made it hard when he looked at me with those eyes. I would have to ask him to start closing his eyes when we argued.

"It's fine Adette, now-"

"Take off your tunic and your leggings, and go and get in that bath." I said, pointing to the bathroom door. He growled, but stomped into the bathroom and did as I said anyways. When the water touched his cut he hissed, slowly sinking into the water.

I had changed out of my blood stained, dirt covered tunic and had put on one of my working dresses. They had been put away because I never wore them, but it was all that I had that night. I rolled up the sleeves and kneeled beside the bath. Legolas went beneath the water, bubbles rising where his head was.

"Legolas." I leaned away from the tub, still on my knees. When he submerged he shook his head, water flicking about from his hair. He turned to face me, smiling as he watched me lower my arms from shielding my head.

I eyed his lips, wanting to feel them against mine for just a moment. The water made them even softer than they usually were. As if reading my mind, he moved forward and wrapped his arms around my neck to pull me close. Every time we kissed I couldn't believe how sweet he tasted, it was as if his mouth was filled with sugar.

"I thought we weren't going to kiss until I was cleaned and treated." He smiled against my lips, trying to enter my mouth again but I pulled back.

"Close your eyes." I ordered, grabbing a bottle of soap. He frowned because I had not kissed him again, but closed his eyes. I poured some soap into my hands and gently rubbed it into his scalp and through his hair. His frown disappeared quickly.

"Gilith." He whispered.

(Heaven.)

"What is?" I asked, removing my fingers from his hair. He disappeared under the water again to rinse his hair while I rinsed off my hands. I went to get a towel from the wardrobe, leaving Legolas to finish rinsing.

I searched through the wardrobe. The room had been mine when I had lived in Minas Tirith, but now it was different. My clothes had been shoved in the bottom of the wardrobe, towels and other clothes filling their old spots. When I got a towel I turned to see my naked, wet husband standing behind me. I gasped in surprise.

How beautiful he looked standing before me, as if a statue. His perfect muscles, all chiseled perfectly to accent his strong body, bulged out considerably. His arms were thin but just as strong as the rest of him. His hair, still wet from his bath, clung to his chest and shoulders. The look on his face told me exactly what he wanted, and it made me want it too.

He pulled me close, the towel dropping to the floor. His arms pulled me against him and I feared I was hurting him. However he did not pull away.

"Lín emel núrs." He whispered at my ear, nuzzling my neck lovingly with his nose.

(Your heart races.)

"No it isn't." I insisted, embarrassed when my voice shook. I felt his body shaking with quiet laughter. He pulled back his face but didn't release me from the death grip he had me in. His forehead went against mine, our noses brushing against one another's.

"And now you lie." He accused in an amused tone.

Before I could open my mouth to fight back, he attacked me. His lips came over mine, his tongue parting my lips to taste me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself even closer. He seemed pleased, and pulled me up by the waist. I felt him carrying us and opened my eyes as he laid me down gently on the bed.

His fingers worked to unbutton the dress, the look of frustration on his face adorable. Once the buttons were undone, he pulled the dress open and leaned back down to kiss me once more.

"Im aníro le." He murmured, his lips moving from mine to my chin, trailing down to the hollow of my neck. I felt him kissing there, his tongue grazing my skin softly. He then breathed on the place, and a shudder passed through my body.

(I desire you.)

"Garo nin Legolas." My back arched as his arms went around the small of my back, picking me up so that our chests were pressed together. I gently freed my arms from the dress. My head hung limply back as he continued to kiss my neck, his lips brushing against my skin softly.

(Hold me Legolas.)

He then picked me up around the waist again, and the dress slid down my waist and fell to the floor. With care, he tossed me back onto the bed. He soon followed, pulling the sheet over us as we joined as one. When we had both grown tired, Legolas held me in his arms as we lay tangled in the sheets.

"You never did answer my question." I said suddenly, looking up. He looked down at me, kissing my forehead.

"Which Adette? You've asked me many tonight. 'How can you be so perfect?' 'This isn't possible.' 'Legolas!'" He grinned as my cheeks grew red. "Oops, that last one wasn't a question was it?"

"I meant," I hit his arm, "when I asked you what heaven was."

"This is dúlinn. Being married to you, holding you in my arms, kissing you…" He brought one hand up to push my hair back and stroke my cheek. "Now go to sleep."