Reviewers:

Well that was fast . . . I don't think I've ever seen reveiws appear so quickly. That was what . . one day? Maybe I should kill Mandy and Nickel and Ernie off too though we hadn't planned on it. . . .

Queen Islanzadi:No, she doesn't - read on to see why. You're Welcome.

Remember to Feel Real: I only wish we came up with more of them. This particular twist was Mandy's idea, though I changed the way Kelsey dies to fit with something else.

Meagan: I updatede, happy now? (Don't kill me!)

Everyone can thank Meagan for this chapter being posted so quickly because she threatened to kill me and because she ate all of her sandwich yesterday. (Meagan is a recovering anorexic - not to be confused with anorexia nervosa - the rather less know strain of anorexia called anorexia laborara)
Chapter Six

Somebody Lives

In which Haldir gets to kiss Kelsey, things are explained and Nickel confuses everyone.

Kelsey's PoV

I knew I was in my head, somewhere, dilly-dallying. I wore the same clothes I had for battle, but they felt fresh and clean. The room I was in had a window – I ventured toward it. Below I could see myself, still on the ground. Mandy was screaming and nickel's head was buried in her hands. And Haldir. Haldir was cradling my torso, his lips against my head. The he leapt up, shouting and fighting worse than ever.

There was a sharp tug at my heartstrings, watching him. With an uncharacteristically unthought out plan, I climbed onto the window sill, "I'm coming guys!"

Mandy's PoV

"Kelsey! Kelsey, wake up!" I couldn't give up, not on my friend. Yet there was no heartbeat . . . no, there must be a mistake, "Kelsey!" with no reply forthcoming, I broke down, pulling my knees to my chest. Tears streaked down my face. Nickel and I gazed at each other, both looking equally lost, when someone coughed.

Nickel wiped her eyes, "Is everyone ok?" she asked, voice raspy. There was another cough, spluttering this time, and Nickel and I looked down.

Kelsey looked up at us with rather lively eyes. She coughed again as Nickel and I rained hugs on her.

"Kelsey!" We broke apart from Kelsey fight as Haldir threw himself at her. Then, without a second thought, he kissed her right on the lips.

"Never scare me like that again." Haldir demanded, face white, "We thought you were dead!"

"Never kiss me again and I'll comply." Kelsey retorted weakly.

Nickel's PoV

After Kelsey revived, the enemy was made short work of and within an hour we approached minas Tirith, unharmed except Kelsey's . . . wound . . . and a rather nasty cut on Mandy's nose – though I think that was self inflicted. As we approached, we didn't see Aragorn, Imrahil or Eomer who where presumably in the city. Haldir had insisted on carrying Kelsey, though she was perfectly fine and this slowed us because she kept wanting to stop and look at something or other. We passed through the broken gate and up to the remains of my house. Inside, I sent Haldir upstairs and helped Kelsey and Mandy settle in their own rooms. So I too fell asleep – despite my long rest earlier, it had been a long and stressful day.

Kelsey's PoV

I was awoken from my slumber by a loud knock. Blearily I blinked sleep from my eyes, blinded by the bright sunlight.

"Who is it?' I called.

"Nickel!" came the reply, "Gandalf came by, he wants us to come to a council with the lordly folks."

I lurched out of bed and opened the door, "Now?" I asked, 'Is he crazy?'

She shrugged, "get Mandy up. Haldir's still sleeping – he wasn't invited frankly I don't think we would be either if it weren't for . . . Ernie, you know."

"Ah."

"Eugh, your breath smells, go brush your teeth!"

I shut the door in her face.

Within the hour, we had joined Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer, Imrahil, Elladan and Elrohir. Mandy looked around hopefully for Legolas before I explained to her that he was visiting Merry.

"But he's there in the Movies!'

"Yes, Amanda, but this is like the books, B-O-O-K-S."

She pouted in her chair now as Gandalf explained the risks of sitting at Minas Tirith versus attacking now . . .

Mandy's PoV

After the council (the only contribution we made being whether or not to mention Ernie to Sauron), the three of us spent the two days we had before leaving to catch up on each other. Kelsey told us about what death was like. It was hard to imagine she really was dead. I couldn't believe it. Nicole was, however, open to persuasion.

"It could be a bit like when Gandalf died . . ." she mused, "I wouldn't find it surprising, after all, we are like him, being Ainor and all." Nickel went on to finally explain the whole, "Ernie is Melkor" thing, "Someone had to watch over him, he's that powerful, and so it would be the three of us."

"So why did we come back?" Kelsey asked, "We were watching him . . . subconsciously, I suppose."

"This is all speculation," Nicole said, "but I think it was this, Mandy and I's chemistry accident threw us out of the world Ernie had created in the void, leaving us free to return to Arda. Do you honestly think our souls or whatnot like being out in the void? So we came back, leaving the bonds on the four of us broken. So you and then Ernie came to Arda."

"What about Allie and Meagan and everyone else?" I asked, sorely confused, "why did they come and go?"

Nickel looked rather surprised, "Meagan was here?"

"Yeah, on your birthday, while you were . . . gone."

Nickel crinkled her nose, and then turned to Kelsey, "What do you think?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but I suppose that perhaps they just got kind of sucked into the whirlpool."

"That makes sense, and because they don't belong, they returned!" I exclaimed, feeling smart, and then I had a bad thought, "What if Tom shows up?"

Nickel rolled her eyes, but Kelsey looked more concerned, "I suppose we could-"

"Your boyfriend won't show up." Nickel cut in, "No one's shown up for weeks, the last people were Gina and Paco; I think it's closed."

I sighed with relief. "Well then, let's go see Merry."

Nickel's PoV

"so you say that it's okay to kill off and sacrifice a thousand people, so long as a ruler remains powerful?"

"No, no, Imrahil," I admonished, aggravated beyond belief, "You're completely missing the point! Machiavelli explained it very well in The Prince. The ends justify the means. It's like . . . like what we're doing right now! Our armies and people may be destroyed, all of Gondor laid bare, but as long as Sauron is defeated, it doesn't matter that we're dead, so long as he's gone!" I had been trying to explain to Imrahil how philosophy worked while we rode toward Mordor and doom.

"So it's self sacrifice?" Imrahil asked, sorely confused.

"Not always." I fished for an example, "Okay, say you've made a promise, but you find out later that you promise will cost you all you have, do you keep your promise or drop your integrity and claim you never made the promise?"

"I have a feeling you want me to say the latter." Imrahil sighed, "But I have to say that we should not compromise our integrity."

"That's not the point! The point is you get what you want and to Mordor with the how and why!"

"Is Nickel trying to explain philosophy to you, Imrahil?" Kelsey asked, turning on her horse, "Just smile and nod."

"Kelsey!"

"If you want to make someone's head hurt, Nicole, give Mandy a factoring problem and leave the rest of us alone."

"But I already did that!'

"Really? How'd she do?"

I glanced at Mandy, "She's trying to teach Legolas algebra so he can do it for her."

"There's something wrong with that." Kelsey mused sarcastically, "But I just can't imagine what it could be. . ."

Imrahil looked confused, "What's Algebra?"

Kelsey and I shared a look, "You don't want to know."

Anyone who hasn't read Machiavelli's The Prince, seriously should, at least an excerpt, he has an amazing writing style.

Legolas plus Algebra . . . that would be interesting. hehe