Marie: Hope you guys like this chapter. It gets more interesting at the end. Enjoy.

Darkness. Darkness everywhere. And then a tiny beam of light in the distance. Orangish-red and glowing like fire. It's getting closer and closer. It's…it's…an eye. A flaming eye, getting larger and more menacing. But by backing away one realizes it is simply an eye in an orb, a palantír, one of the seeing stones. Looking around you're in a large room with a ceiling many, many feet up. The swish of robes and someone is before you, towering above you. The dark eyes glint.

"I've found you!"

A cry in the dark.

Threwen sat up quickly, sweating, her body shaking. She winced at the pain in her arm, gently cradling it, and pulling herself tenderly into a ball. Rannyn, who was sleeping a little distance away, awoke at this sound and was about to go back to sleep, thinking it was another baby's cry when he saw Threwen sitting up in the darkness. He crept toward her.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, concerned.

She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes momentarily. She nodded mutely. Her whole arm ached all the way down to her fingertips.

Rannyn noticed the pain etched on her face. "How's your shoulder?"

Threwen made notice of the fact that he didn't ask her what had woken her up. Apparently he figured she didn't want to talk about it. He was right. She didn't.

"Hurts." Threwen knew she must sound helpless but at that point in time she felt helpless.

"What did you do today?"

"Well Asimma wasn't being cooperative so I had to use harsh methods…"

He groaned. "No wonder your arm hurts. That wound has to heal you know!"

She rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me. You would say the same to me, and still do, when I'm hurt."

Threwen hated to admit it but this was true. She would recommend she take it easy and keep it clean. She had seen people die from wounds because the infection traveled throughout the body.

These morbid thoughts aren't helping any. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. She leaned against Rannyn, wishing she could go back to sleep and wake up safe, back in Edoras, with no Saruman to haunt her.

The two sat in silence for a moment, the darkness beginning to lighten as morning neared. Threwen wondered what this day would bring. She still wanted Théoden to know and be prepared. She assumed he would know something was going to happen, but he had no idea.

Suddenly Rannyn inquired, "What's your favorite color?"

Threwen was bewildered by that question. "What? Why?"

He shrugged. "Just curious."

She chuckled, wondering how this had come to his mind and answered, "Green."

He mulled it over and then nodded. "Suits you. Goes with your eyes."

Threwen grinned. Odd though it was, the comment had lightened the mood.

Soon sunlight began to creep through the stronghold that was Helm's Deep and people began to stir. Threwen and Rannyn had been sitting there for a while, his arm moving to go around her, careful not to jar her shoulder.

I don't want this to end, she thought. I want everything to be okay. I want us to go back to Edoras and everything will be better. No Helm's Deep. No Uruk-hai. No Saruman. No…

But deep down Threwen knew things weren't going to be normal. They never were normal to begin with.

Rannyn moved. "I need to go see Théoden…but I would like some breakfast first." He looked at her with twinkling brown eyes.

She rolled her eyes and moaned. "So you feel concerned about my sword wound and yet still expect me to make you breakfast?"

He grinned. "Yep."

How in the world am I going to word this one?

Rannyn walked slowly toward the King's headquarters, mulling over it. Threwen had firmly said she wanted the King to realize what they were going to be up against in the near future. They needed to make repairs on the place. He was just about there when he saw a figure moving briskly toward the same destination. He was dirty and bloody in places, looking as if he had been through a lot lately. Rannyn stopped to watch as the elf, Legolas, halted the man to talk with him. The elf's face looked relieved. Suddenly Rannyn recognized him.

Lord Aragorn! He's alive!

Rannyn had to admit that this made him feel better. That was a man who would listen to warnings. Legolas and Aragorn parted from each other and the man opened the door and went inside, obviously to speak with Théoden. Rannyn followed.

I still don't know how I'm going to say this…

But the Rider needn't have worried about this. Apparently the Ranger had seen a whole host of orcs heading in their direction, the estimate of the number incomprehensible compared to what little men they had at Helm's Deep.

"Ten thousand strong, at least," he had said.

Ten thousand! How can we stand up to such odds?

However, the king was confident that they would see victory. He seemed to think that since no one had breeched Helm's Deep yet, it wouldn't happen now. They began to fortify it and gather men for the fight. The enemy was expected to reach there by nightfall.

Rannyn hesitated to tell Threwen this, as he knew how concerned she was. But she took it bravely. She gasped at the number but then composed herself. Seating herself on a crate nearby she sighed and shook her head.

"So it has begun."

Ten thousand. Ten thousand Uruk-hai against the few able-bodied men of Edoras.

Threwen fiddled with the stocking she had been darning. Not only did her arm ache, but also her head. The fear and worry that had disappeared ever so faintly upon the return of Rannyn had now returned full force. She finally set the garment aside in frustration and muttered to herself.

"Why are you in such a bad mood?"

She knew the voice without even looking up. "You should know. You're the one who talked with Lord Aragorn."

Rannyn shook his head. "That may be true but I don't look like I think it's the end of the world." He sat down next to her and looked at her.

She returned his gaze, looking him in the eye. "How can you be so sure? The enemy is coming, Rannyn. It will be the end of our world."

They were silent and Threwen a little bad for getting upset. What happened to her tough exterior she'd had for so many years? She felt like she had crushed Rannyn's spirit. He was, after all, going to be fighting.

Going to be fighting…

Threwen turned to him about to say something when she saw he held something in his hands. It looked like a sack or piece of cloth, the deep green color reminding her of the color on the flag of Rohan, a horse in the midst of a field of green. He was grinning from ear to ear as he presented her with it. She looked at what she now held in her hands and then looked up at him.

"What is it?"

He looked at her as if she were dense. "It's a sling. For your arm. See?" He took it from her once again and demonstrated how one was supposed to put it on. "See?" he repeated.

She tried it herself and realized how much help it did. The green fabric was soft, not like the coarse material most of her clothes were made out of. She smiled up at him, her fears lost in those brown eyes of his. "Thank you."

He grinned even wider, if that was possible. "No problem."

She fingered the material. "Where did you get it?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I just was talking with Caraedry and his wife and telling them how much your arm hurt and how you wouldn't stop using it!" He made a point of stressing the last part. "I asked if Ruthiel had some fabric with which I could make a sling. She gave me this. I sewed it myself."

Threwen was surprised. Rannyn could sew? She voiced her astonishment out loud. He looked indignant at her amazement.

"Of course I can sew. Who else stitched up the holes in my clothes before you came along?"

She giggled and then said, "Thank you," again. He seemed extremely pleased by her reaction.

"It's green too."

She laughed, realizing the reason for his bizarre question earlier. He had been planning this, she could tell. They were talking pleasantly, Threwen feeling much more secure, when Cadoc came up.

"Well, you look better. I see your arm finally has something to control it." He smiled and then winked at Rannyn. The young man smiled back. "I believe I'm ready for some dinner how about you two?"

Threwen nodded and Rannyn, of course, said, "Sounds great."

They began preparations for it but they never got to their dinner. There was a commotion and people started leaving. Threwen soon found out that everyone had been ordered to go into the caves, bringing all their belongings with them. Threwen's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this news, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks.

They're coming. They're almost here.

Rannyn got a concerned look on his face. He stopped a nearby soldier and the two talked quietly for a moment as Threwen and Cadoc gathered their things together. She watched them carefully out of the corner of her eye, trying to read what was going on, but unable to. Finally the young man came back and helped them finish up their packing. Then he sat back for a moment and ran a hand through his blonde hair, a troubled look in his eyes.

"What's going on?" Threwen asked quietly, even though she knew the answer.

"I have to go."

Threwen nodded and looked down at her feet. She felt like she couldn't move. Rannyn nodded to Cadoc and the man caught the look. He started to move toward the caves, taking his belongings with him. Threwen began to follow him, not daring to look Rannyn in the face for fear she'd start blubbering or something equally unstable at the sight of it. But he placed a firm hand on her uninjured shoulder, turning her toward him. She continued to look down.

"Do you trust me?" he asked quietly, looking down at her.

She shuffled her feet and nodded. But he wasn't satisfied with that.

He lifted her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Do you trust me?"

She felt her eyes beginning to water a little but she bit her lip and for that moment she sustained herself. She nodded.

"I will be back. I promise."

And with that he leaned down and gently, softly kissed her. Threwen felt like a surge had gone through her body and all the way down to her toes, making her unable to move, like her feet were stuck to the floor. A million thoughts began to buzz through her brain but soon things began to fall into place. Three emotions ran through her all in order.

Love.

Despair.

Hope.

And with that Rannyn turned and walked toward the room that was being used as the armory and Threwen turned to go to the caves. And finally a single tear fell from Threwen's eye and hit the ground, drying up immediately. Neither looked back.

End Note: Aw, their first kiss. Tehe. Well, I would appreciate your response to my update. Let me know what you thought. Thanks!