The journey to Helm's Deep was only a few days, and even though Leila knew that a battle was coming, she was enjoying the weather, the horses, and mostly the company. Leila and Legolas were currently having a conversation in Elvish, purely to annoy Gimli. They talked on and on about how funny it was to be annoying him, and the more frustrated he became, the funnier it became.
Aragorn came and ruined their fun, telling them to walk ahead and scout, which they did. Much to their horror, they found the battle had come to them quicker than they thought. "Orcs!" cried Aragorn, running back to the rest of the company and mounting his horse. "We're under attack!"
Leila ran back and mounted her horse as well, while Legolas shot arrows in defense. She rode forward, unsheathing her swords. She met one of the wargs, slicing upwards into its throat, and it collapsed on its rider, pinning him. She then rode by an orc, and decapitated him before he could shoot his arrows at the men. She felt an arrow whizz by her ear, spooking her horse. He rose up on his hind legs, nearly throwing her from him, but with a few kind Elvish words, he settled down. She then charged back towards the orcs, slaying one atop a warg on her way. She then turned around to slay the animal as well. When the fighting was finally over, Leila looked around for her friends, and only successfully found Legolas. They came together, and he took her hand until they found Gimli underneath a pile of carcasses. Leila continued to look around for Soriel, but to no avail. Legolas guided her to the edge of the cliff, where they found the Evenstar that was normally around the neck of Aragorn. Leila felt tears come to her eyes, but then they heard hooves behind them.
They turned around to find Eomer, with Soriel before him, an arrow sticking out of her stomach. "Soriel!" Leila cried.
"Where is Aragorn?" demanded Eomer. "We are in need of his healing powers."
Legolas looked at Leila before answering. "He fell over the cliffs. The Rohan healers will have to suffice," he said. He looked at the jewel in his hand as if willing Aragorn to rejoin them. Leila took his hand once more.
"Will she survive?" Leila asked Eomer.
"I do not know," Eomer answered. "She is still breathing, but slowly and raggedly. Without Aragorn, not only is Soriel at risk, but the rest of our injured." He looked pleadingly at Théoden, who had also joined them. "Uncle…we need him."
Théoden's face hardened. "We will have to do without. He is just one man after all." He rode away, and Eomer followed. Leila and Legolas were not far behind.
Arrival at Helm's Deep was a relief and also a stressor. They had lost many men, and many were injured, but they felt safer than they had in a long time behind the wall of the fortress. As they rode through the gates, one of the first people they saw was Eowyn. Leila saw Gimli give her the news of Aragorn's death. The tears came quickly to Eowyn's eyes, and she rushed away from the sight of the men. Leila followed her.
"Eowyn!" she called after her.
Eowyn turned around to face Leila, tears spilling over her cheeks now. "Lord Aragorn is dead?" she asked.
Leila nodded, and Eowyn let out a sob. Leila embraced her, letting tears fall from her own eyes as well. "I am so sorry, my friend," she said.
Eowyn sniffled. "I am sorry for you as well," she said, breaking away to look at Leila. "You knew him longer than I."
"Yes," began Leila. "We were never close friends, but I admired him very much." She squeezed Eowyn's hand in comfort.
Eowyn used her other hand to wipe the tears from her face. "May we find some place to train?" she asked.
Leila was surprised. "Right now?" she wondered.
"Yes," Eowyn said, breathing deeply as if resolving herself. "I often times find comfort in the swing of a sword."
"Of course," Leila agreed, and Eowyn led her to a private, open room within the fort where they trained for the rest of the day.
The next day, Leila, Legolas, and Gimli went to see Soriel. Eomer was there already, and Leila greeted him with a smile. The healers said she was doing better than they day before, which Leila had assumed. Elves had much better healing abilities than those of men. The healers also told Leila that the baby had not survived, and that Leila should to try and call to her to wake her, as Eomer already had.
"Soriel!" Leila called, and Soriel stirred. Leila felt emotion welling up inside of her. She knew that when she woke and heard the news of her baby, she would be devastated. Leila called to her again.
"Soriel! Soriel!" she continued, and Soriel stirred more.
"Soriel?" Finally, Soriel's eyes fluttered open, and she was crying. Soriel immediately reached for Leila, and took her hand. Leila felt so relieved that she was awake. Even though she cried out when she moved, Leila was just overwhelmingly happy that Soriel's strength was enough to wake up and move around.
"You should be still," Eomer told her. "The healer said you could open your wounds."
Soriel looked panicked. "What wounds?" she asked, looking to Leila for answers. Leila was already crying. "What's happened?" Soriel demanded.
"I'm so sorry, Soriel," Leila said, sniffling. "You were struck by an arrow when the orcs attacked and… well, the baby is lost."
Soriel seemed lost for breath. "No," she said. "It cannot be… I cannot lose Boromir's child!"
"I'm sorry," Leila repeated, giving Soriel's had a comforting squeeze. "I'm so sorry."
Soriel began just repeating the word "no" over and over again. Eomer finally tried to speak to her. "Soriel-" he began, but she cut him off.
"Leave me!" she cried, and they obeyed.
Outside the room, Leila continued to cry. "That was awful," she said. "Oh Legolas!" she cried, as she put her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rubbed her back gently.
Eomer sighed. "She was only just beginning to recover from the loss of Boromir," he said. "This will take a hard toll on her. "When we would walk about Edoras, she used to tell me that her grief for Boromir was eased by the thought of the baby. She will feel like she failed him."
"This might be a good thing yet," said Gimli. "Perhaps now she can truly move on from Boromir."
Legolas shook his head. "No Gimli. From what Eomer has said it seems that Soriel will feel that is forgetting Boromir. That is the last thing she wants."
Leila finally broke away from Legolas. "What Soriel does or feels is not something we can predict just now. All we can do is be there for her. In her grief and her recovery."
The men all nodded their agreement and began to take their leave. Legolas and Leila left the hall together and went to stand outside. For a moment they simply admired the view of the mountains that surrounded them, although Leila was still shedding tears.
"This must be difficult for you," Legolas said.
"For me?" Leila asked, wiping tears away. "It is terrible for Soriel."
"Have you not also lost a son?" asked Legolas.
This took Leila aback. They had never discussed the way that had met before. Leila had also never known the sex of her baby. "My child was a boy?" she asked.
Legolas was the one who looked surprised now. "You never knew?" he asked.
Leila shook her head. "No, I never did."
"I thought I told you he was stillborn," Legolas said.
"I remembered that bit," Leila said. "Just not the 'he' part," she continued. "I don't remember that much from that time. It was such a whirlwind that sometimes I forget how I actually met you."
Legolas chuckled. "Sometimes I forget that as well," he said. "But that is mostly because you are usually so joyful. It is difficult to remember that you ever suffered such a loss."
Leila nodded. "I am happy to know that you think of me as joyful," she said.
"You are one of the most joyful people I have ever met. Despite everything that has happened so far, you have never lost your spirit," he replied, turning to face her. "I think it is one of the many incredible things about you."
Leila felt a flush come to her cheeks. "Thank you," she said, then looked at him slyly. "What else do you find incredible about me?" she asked.
He returned her cheeky smile and chuckled. "I find you to be one of the strongest and bravest people I know, but not only that. You affect everyone you meet in a positive manner. You leave every place and every person better than how you found them. Not many people have such a way about them."
Leila blushed even harder than she did before. "I have never received such a compliment," she admitted. "I was expecting a jest," she laughed.
"Well all of that would be even better if you were fair, it is a shame, really," he teased, causing her to laugh out loud.
"If everything worked out in our favor in this world, you would have aged better," Leila retorted.
Legolas also laughed. "I believe you have just proven me to be correct," he told her, reaching out to take her hand and squeezing it. They spent the rest of the day together.
Several days passed, Leila spent them either with Legolas, walking the length of Helm's Deep, or with Eowyn, to further her training. Even more days later, Leila was surprised to see someone she believed to be dead. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, had ridden to Helm's Deep, bleeding and exhausted, but very much alive. As happy as they all were to see him, he came bearing grim news. At least ten thousand orcs were coming for Helm's Deep, and they would arrive by nightfall. Everyone started preparing immediately.
During the preparations, Eomer came to fetch Leila, Legolas, and Gimli. Aragorn said he could not spare a moment, so he did not accompany them. Eomer said that Soriel wished to speak with them before the battle and gave them instructions on how to find her.
"How are you feeling?" Leila asked as they approached their friend. "Any better?"
"I am still quite sore," Soriel replied. "And my legs are weak from lack of use. But I do not think there is much more cause for concern."
"That is good news," Gimli said.
"Where is Aragorn?" Soriel asked.
"Preparing. He said he hopes you are well and looks forward to seeing you after the battle," Legolas informed her. "Perhaps he can help you heal faster."
"Soriel," Leila began. She was not sure how she should phrase this next part, as it might greatly upset Legolas and Gimli, but she wanted to be there for Soriel as well. "I know you fear for your friends, so I wanted to offer to stay with you during the battle. That way you would not be so alone." Leila could feel Legolas's eyes on her when she said the words.
Soriel shook her head. "No, Leila. That is a kind offer, but the people of Rohan need every fighter they can use. You must be with them."
Leila felt relieved. Soriel proved how selfless she was once again, to Leila's delight. "Well, we wanted to see you before it began, anyway," she said.
"I am glad, for I need to wish you well. I will be praying for you all," Soriel said.
"We shall need every prayer you can utter," said Legolas. After another moment, they left Soriel to get back to getting ready.
When they were outside again, and Gimli had walked a good distance ahead of them, Leila felt the grip of Legolas on her harm, as he pulled her aside. He was gripping her so hard that it hurt and she felt herself panic as he asked, "How could you say those things to Soriel?"
"Legolas, stop," she pleaded, trying to pry his fingers off of her.
"You know how important this battle is. Are you so cowardly?" he pressed, tugging her towards him slightly and gripping a little tighter.
His question made her furious. "How dare you!" she cried, still wriggling to be free of him. "I was trying to be kind! Unlike you, who seems to have no regard for people's feelings!" she snapped.
"Feelings are not important right now, Leila, this is war!" Legolas continued. "Nothing can come before that!"
"Oh, is that right?" Leila retorted, as she still struggled against him to no avail. She had never realized how incredible his strength was until this moment, and it was greatly annoying. "Well, then I shall have to assume that every moment we've had up until now has simply been a lie! Everything you have said to me doesn't matter now, because there is a war happening before our eyes!"
"I never said that the feelings were false, and you know that!" he said. "I am saying that they come secondary to this effort, and your careless words to Soriel were-"
"Let. Go. OF. ME!" Leila was yelling now, as she tore herself from his grasp. "My words to Soriel were not careless. I was willing to stay with her because there is a war going on right now, and Soriel has lost everything because of it. I would not leave her alone again."
"That is so selfish of you!" he cried.
"No, it is selfish of you to keep me from her! Just because I might be needed in two places at once does not make me selfish for considering both options!" argued Leila.
"You are needed to fight more than to comfort a sick woman!" Legolas replied, and he had raised his voice as well.
"The decision of where I am needed most does not come from you, and this is not just a mere sick woman. This is my dearest friend. If you cannot see that, then perhaps you do not know me very well," Leila said, turning around to leave him.
He reached out and grabbed her arm again, but she snatched it away as she whipped around. Now she was the one to act, and she took both her hands and shoved him in the chest, away from her. "Do not put your hands on me again!" she commanded, and she left him.
Several hours later, Leila was standing in a row of men, looking out over the walls of Helm's Deep as the largest army she had ever seen approached. She thought of Legolas and as the orcs drew ever closer she was wishing that she had made up with him before now. She vowed to herself that if they lived through this, she would seek his company first. Leila then noticed that it began to rain. Every drop seemed to fill her with more and more dread. Despite this, she could hear Aragorn giving commands to the army at their side. The first arrow was shot, and thus began the Battle of Helm's Deep.
The orcs came quickly, using ladders to breach the first, outer wall. Leila felt like she had already killed so many, but their forces were never ending. She could feel her body getting more and more tired as she swung her swords, but the army continued to overcome them. Leila heard something that confused her coming from below her feet, as it was a sizzling sound. She felt the ground quake beneath her and she heard a loud bang, and the next thing she knew, she was in the mud, and her ears were ringing. As she looked around, the wall had been completely destroyed. The large pieces were everywhere. To her right, she could see Aragorn, slow to get up and shaking his head. As he rose, he continued to slay more orcs, and Leila followed suit. Within minutes, however, he was calling for their forces to fall back. Leila took off behind him, and she saw Legolas join her. When their eyes met, he reached out his hand, and she took it as they retreated and locked the doors behind them. Leila joined the efforts of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Eomer and his men to barricade the door, but the Uruks had a battering ram. It began to seem as if all was lost. Théoden stood back, clutching his injured arm.
"The fortress is taken," he said, defeated. "It is over."
"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it!" argued Aragorn. "They still defend it! They have died defending it!"
Another loud bang came from the other side of the door, and Leila went to put her full force against it with the men. Aragorn began asking how to get the women and children to safety another way, and Gamling told him. He gave instructions for some of the men to guide the women and children, then he turned to Théoden as the sun rose, and they all decided to ride out to meet the enemy on horseback. As they went over to their horses, Legolas pulled Leila aside.
"I want to apologize," he told her. "I should not have said the things I said."
"I am sorry too," she replied. "I do not think the things we said were honest, and they do not matter now."
He nodded. "So all is forgiven?"
She smiled and nodded in return. "All is forgiven," she said. "Now let's go slay some orc."
They now heard the Horn of Helm Hammerhand, which Théoden had promised, as the doors broke and the orcs swarmed in. "Forth, Eorlingas!" called Théoden as they rode their horses through the countless orcs that awaited them outside.
As Leila rode, she felt no fear as she swung a sword at each side, killing whatever was on the other end of them. Then all came to a halt as the enemy saw what they had been waiting for for several days. Gandalf had returned, and with him was an army. They rode down the hill from the east and overtook the Uruk Hai. Everyone around them began to cheer, as it seemed they had won at last.