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Ithilwen was in shock. She was holding tightly in her grip Arwen's pendant. 'It couldn't be possible', she kept thinking. 'There was no body down there. Aragorn must still be alive'. Legolas and Gimli were riding beside her and hadn't uttered a word after Aragorn's fall. 'The Orc could be lying. Besides, they were never trustworthy, why should they be now?'

The attack by the Orcs while they were on their way to Helm's Deep, had deprived them of many men. 'This is war' she thought. 'I must get used to it. Many lives will be lost in the days to come. But Aragorn can't be dead. He is not dead', she kept repeating in her mind. Her determination was preventing her from her total collapse. She couldn't afford to lose Aragorn too. His friendship gave her unfathomable strength through her darkest times. She thought of him as brother, and he thought of her as the sister he never had. 'He is alive and well and he will join us soon' she thought again.

The mighty, impenetrable walls of Helm's Deep appeared in front of them. They galloped faster and entered the fortress. Everywhere were people of Rohan, gathered from Edoras and nearby towns and villages. They were weary from the long road and the hardships the war had caused them.

Éowyn greeted them and anxiously she was looking among those who returned.

"We have lost many men", said Théoden. Éowyn's eyes met Ithilwen's frozen look. Ithilwen understood of whom Éowyn was waiting for so eagerly. She could see it after all throughout their route to Helm's Deep. But she didn't have an answer for the Lady of Rohan, neither for herself, nor for her cordial friend Arwen. Her grip tightened around Arwen's pendant. Her love would guide him to them. Gimli approached Éowyn and announced to her Aragorn's fall.

But Saruman's forces would not wait for them any further. They started immediately to prepare for the defence of Helm's Deep. King Théoden gave orders for women and children to go to the caves and men to stand behind the walls.

Ithilwen and Legolas were preoccupied at the Main Hall with the defences. They were exchanging gazes that were betraying the sadness that had dwelled in their hearts. But they did not fathom a word, because they both hoped that their friend would return. After a long silence, they suddenly heard a rumour that Aragorn was back. They immediately headed to the door, where they met with their friend. Ithilwen's eyes immediately shone and her face brightened from her wide smile.

"You are late. You look terrible" said Legolas and they all laughed.

Ithilwen opened her grip and Arwen's Evenstar appeared shinning dimly. Aragorn took it carefully, smiled and thanked her in elvish. Ithilwen's expression suddenly changed, when she noticed his wounded arm.

"It's nothing" Aragorn said after he noticed her worried gaze.

"Let me look around for some athelas. You cannot fight like this. We need you now" she said as she examined his wound.

"Sincerely, I am fine nésanya". Ithilwen gave him a suspicious look and made way for him to enter to the Main Hall. Before entering too, she noticed Éowyn's excited expression, as she turned and looked at her. She was smiling widely, as she was helping the people around her. Ithilwen had never been in love throughout the years of her existence. But she had heard many things about this weird feeling that could change completely a man. And she could recognize in Éowyn's eyes this spark in her eyes when she was looking at Aragorn. Ithilwen sighed and headed to the Main Hall. Éowyn seemed a very kind and brave Lady, who she would love to know better, but her heart would be eventually broken.

Aragorn was talking to Théoden. He described the army that was coming upon them. Théoden was gloomy and immediately ordered to go outside and supervise the defence of the fortress.

The situation looked disparaging. How could so few men stand against the wrath of Saruman? How could they fight an army so potent? How could they defend their land against an army that was bred with a sole purpose, to destroy the world of men?

"You should call for aid" told Aragorn to Théoden.

"And who will come?" asked angrily as he turned to Aragorn. "Elves? Dwarves?" he said and nodded at Legolas, Ithilwen and Gimli. "We are not as lucky in our friends as you are".

"Gondor will answer" said Aragorn with certainty in his voice.

"Gondor?" asked angrily Théoden. "Where was Gondor..?" he started saying and immediately stopped. "We are alone. And we will defend this land alone."

Ithilwen looked outside the walls. The gorge looked so serene. No one could predict that there would take place a battle, which would decide the fate of men. And they were indeed alone. Maybe the rumours concerning the mirror of Galadriel were right. Maybe the images she saw were of a future that would never happen, because no one would be there to live it. Not even Éomer. She sighed and followed the rest.

The preparation for the battle was happening at a frenzy pace. Women and children had gathered in the caves and men were at the armoury, taking swords and wearing their armours. Ithilwen, Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn were handing to men weapons and armours. Ithilwen was looking at their faces. They looked so desperate and unprepared for such a battle, but she knew that they would give everything for their land. Their eyes were piercing hers. She was trying to encourage them, and some were indeed looking at her with hope.

"Farmers, farriers, stable boys", said Aragorn breaking the silence between them. "These are no soldiers."

"Some of them have seen too many winters", noticed Gimli after he handed a sword to an old man.

"Or too few" added Legolas, after he saw Ithilwen giving a sword to a teenager. Ithilwen starred at them angrily. The time was not right to say loudly such observations. These people now needed hope, not to be reminded of their state.

"Be careful" she said in elvish. "They are afraid, and all they need now is courage and hope." "And they are right to be afraid" continued Legolas in elvish. "They are three hundred against an army of ten thousand."

"But they feel safer here rather than Edoras" noticed Aragorn in elvish. Ithilwen looked around her. The men around them had started staring at them, guessing from their expressions the subject of their discussion.

"Aragorn, they cannot win this fight" said Legolas.

"Legolas, Aragorn, please" she whispered.

"They are all going to die!" continued Legolas.

"Then I should die as one of them" exclaimed Aragorn in the common tongue. Silence fell between them and Aragorn excited the armoury. Ithilwen tried to follow him, but Gimli stopped her.

"Let him go, lassie", he said to her. "Let's continue our job here and then prepare ourselves too". Ithilwen nodded at him and continued handing swords and spears to old men and young boys and then she followed Legolas and Gimli to their preparations for the battle.

She wore leather pauldrons and a leather breastplate she found. She checked her arrows and her bow, and she sharpened her sword and dagger. Aragorn entered the room, having worn a chainmail under his vest.

"Your armour doesn't look strong enough" he said to her and she turned to him. She looked at her pauldrons.

"It will hold" she said and smiled. "We will hold" she added, and he smiled back to her.

Legolas entered the room too. "We have trusted you this far. You have not led us astray. Forgive me. I was wrong to despair", said Legolas.

Aragorn put his hand on Legolas' shoulder. "There is nothing to forgive Legolas".

Gimli walked in the room too, trying to fit in a chainmail that apparently wasn't his size. "It's a little tight across the chest", he stated as he saw the rest of his friends trying not to laugh.

Ithilwen smiled. They had been through so many hardships, and they were still together, united as a grip. They would fight side by side and they would make it, as they always did.

Suddenly a horn was heard, that sounded quite familiar to her ears.

"That is no Orc horn", said Legolas.

"It's Lorien's horn" exclaimed Ithilwen. "They have come!" she turned and met the surprised and excited faces of her friends.

They quickly run outside to greet the elves that had arrived. Ithilwen's heart was racing. She could not believe that in this dire hour she would hear again her homeland's horn, that help would arrive from Lorien.

They got outside and saw Haldir. Ithilwen immediately hugged him and Aragorn followed her. The people around them were surprised because they knew that t was not familiar for elves to express their feelings so openly.

"We would not leave you alone" said Haldir and smiled at both of them.

Ithilwen searched among the elves and saw many familiar faces, which she greeted them with a wide and sincere smile.

The time had come. They stood behind the walls waiting for Saruman's hordes.