A/N: Sweet mother of God, I need to stop obsessing over this story. XD But it's so fun to write!Just a quick note: After writing the deleted scene "The Death of Saruman" in that last chapter, I've decided that I'm probably going to put in a couple more of the deleted scenes from RotK. I already have one that I definitely want to do, but I won't say which one. ;) Enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: …...oh, come on. If you don't know how this works by now, you should probably reread the story.

I do not remember anything except darkness for a long time. After what seemed like an eternity of living in nothingness, I opened my eyes to see Legolas leaning over me, holding my left hand, and Aragorn standing behind them. I was lying on my back on the floor. Both of them looked worried.

"Íverin?" Legolas asked.

I blinked, and sat up. "What happened?"

Legolas didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned over and kissed me. "I thought you were hurt." Suddenly, he pulled away and looked at me. "You are not, are you?"

I shook my head. "No...I do not think so...but...what-"

"You took the palantír from Pippin," Aragorn said, "and you held it for a few seconds. Then you got this horrified look on your face, fell over, and dropped the thing."

"And you are sure you are not hurt?" Legolas asked again.

"I am fine. How long was I...unconscious?"

Aragorn shook his head. "Not long. Possibly for a minute or so."

And then, in the blink of an eye, I remembered everything. I jumped up from where I had been laying on the ground and looked at my cousin. "Pippin. Where is Pippin? Is he alright?" Aragorn pointed behind us, and I turned to see Pippin also lying on the ground, staring at nothing, looking paralyzed. Gandalf was leaning over him, and had a hand on the young hobbit's forehead. The three of us ran over to them.

Gandalf whispered a spell of some sort, and removed his hand. Pippin blinked, and then gasped, and started breathing quickly, like he was panicking. "Look at me," Gandalf said. The hobbit's eyes widened in fear upon seeing Gandalf and turned his head away. "Look at me!" the wizard said again. This time, Pippin obeyed. "What did you see?"

He kept that frightened look in his eyes for a moment. Finally, he spoke. "A...a tree. There was a white tree...in a courtyard of stone. It was dead. The city was burning."

Gandalf seemed to recognize the place Pippin was describing. "Minas Tirith? Is that what you saw?" I glanced over at him. Oh please, please tell me I would not have to go back there...

"I saw...I saw...I saw him!" Pippin whispered. The poor boy seemed traumatized. Gandalf's eyes widened. I recalled vivid memories of Sauron in my head. His cruel words... "I could hear his voice in my head," the hobbit said quietly. I shuddered.

"What did you hear? Speak!" Gandalf exclaimed.

Pippin cringed. "He asked me my name. I didn't answer. He hurt me!"

"What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?"

Pippin looked at him fearfully for a moment longer. "N...nothing. I told him nothing. That was it. That was all that he said."

Gandalf finally turned his attention to me. "What of you, Íverin? Did you tell him anything?" The wizard almost seemed scared himself.

I shook my head. "No Gandalf. I did not tell him anything about Frodo. He did not even question me."

"What did he tell you?"

As much as I wanted to forget everything Sauron had said, I recalled our brief but deadly conversation. "He said...he said that he knows where I – we – are. And then he asked me to join with him, just as he did with Saruman."

"What did you tell him?"

"I said no, I would never bow down to him. And that is all."

Gandalf nodded. "...That is good, I suppose. Nothing that was to be kept secret was revealed." He turned back to Pippin, who just now seemed to be calming down. "Peregrin Took! I suggest that you go back to sleep, if you can. Same for the rest of you. There is nothing more that can be done now. We will make our next move in the morning." We all nodded and went back to our beds. I laid down next to Legolas, as usual, and kissed him one last time before he fell asleep.

I, on the other hand, could not fall asleep, no matter how hard I tried. Maybe it was because I just was not tired. Maybe it was because I was afraid to. Maybe it was both. I did not know. I laid there for what seemed like hours, staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft breathing of my companions.

After a while, I heard a rustling, and looked up to see Gandalf getting out of bed. He motioned for me to come with him, and I silently obliged. The two of us stepped out into the hallway.

"Íverin, I know that you did not tell me everything. I assume it was because there were others listening, but I do not know. So now is the time to tell me whatever else Sauron said to you."

I sighed. "He said that I cannot hide from him, and that he knows who I love. That I cannot escape death, no matter how hard I try, and that I was foolish and should go back home."

Gandalf nodded. "I thought he might have said something about Legolas." He chuckled softly. "That poor elf. You should have seen his face when you fell; he looked so worried. He really does love you."

"I know, but...that's the problem."

The wizard frowned. "I don't understand."

I looked him in the eye. "Gandalf, I know about his sister. Aragorn told me everything."

He raised a bushy eyebrow. "Ah, so you do know! I wondered if anyone was ever going to tell you about that." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry about that so much. You'll know what to do when the time comes. Before you go, I would like to ask you something. You are well aware that Sauron is going to unleash his army on Minas Tirith, yes?"

"Yes, I know."

"And you know what that means, don't you?"

"If you are implying that you don't think I am going to travel to Gondor with the others, you are mistaken."

Gandalf smiled. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that. I just wanted to make sure you know what you're getting into."

"I do. Trust me."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"There was no lie in Pippin's eyes. A fool...but an honest fool he remains." Gandalf strode back and forth across the main hall in Mesufeld. Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli and I all stood together several feet away from him. Théoden was there also, as were Merry and Pippin. "He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring. We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the palantír a glimpse of the Enemy's plan. Sauron moves to strike Minas Tirith. If the Beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war."

"Tell me," Théoden said, "why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?"

I sighed. "Now is not the time for this, Théoden. Middle-Earth is on the verge of utter destruction, and you are concerned with keeping things even? Remember, your land is not the only one with troubles. Perhaps Gondor wanted to help, but could not because of their own issues."

Théoden shot a glare at me, but did not respond.

"I cannot simply sit back and watch the White City fall,"Aragorn said. "I will go."

"No!" Gandalf replied.

"They must be warned!" Aragorn protested.

"They will be." Stepping closer to Aragorn, Gandalf whispered something so quietly that even I could barely hear it. I caught something about "black ships," but that was all. The old wizard stepped away. "Understand this: Things are now in motion that cannot be undone! I ride for Minas Tirith." He turned to look at Pippin. "And I won't be going alone."

"And what are we to do in your absence?" I asked.

Gandalf looked back at me and smiled. "You are to relax, Íverin. And await further orders." With that, he looked back at Pippin. "You might want to say your goodbyes now, Peregrin, for I don't know when you might see them again."

Pippin looked a bit confused, but still came over to the four of us. I got down on my knees and embraced him. "My dear Pippin...I never thought we would part this soon. It feels like we were just reunited yesterday," I said.

He hugged me back. "I'll miss you, Íverin. I hope I do see all of you again soon." We let each other go, and I stood up. He said farewell to the others.

Just before he left, I reached out and ruffled his hair one last time. "Stay safe," I whispered, and went over to Gandalf. "You too," I smiled. "Be careful."

Gandalf winked. "Don't worry about me. I have a feeling we'll see each other again." he looked back at Pippin. "Come along!" The hobbit hurried out with Gandalf. Merry followed them.

Once they were out of sight, Gimli sighed. "Well, that's that. What do ya suppose we do now?"

I watched the trio run across the plain after Gandalf. "We do exactly what he said to do. We wait."

Gimli huffed. "I never liked waiting, lass. Especially since I don't know what I'm waitin' for."

I looked back at him. "Then you might as well make the best of your free time, while you still have it." I laughed and went over to Legolas. "Care to join me?"

He smiled. "It would be my pleasure." He extended a hand, and I took it. Then, with a mischievous smirk, I let go and took off running, looking back over my shoulder. "You'll have to catch me first!" I cried.

Legolas grinned and chased after me. "Then you had better run faster!"

I laughed and looked ahead as I ran. He chased me all around town, and didn't catch up with me until we were outside of Edoras, and I was running down a hill. He reached out and grabbed my outstretched arm, accidentally jerking me back, and I screamed as I fell. I ended up running into him, and knocking him over as well. We rolled down the slope for a moment, shouting and giggling as we went. Eventually we stopped, and I pulled my leg out from underneath him, laying down in the soft grass to catch my breath. I stared up at the sky, watching the clouds pass overhead. "You know, that's the second time you've made me fall on the ground."

"Oh, was it my fault? I specifically remember you knocking me over," he said.

I smiled. "Hey! You're the one who grabbed my arm!"

"Well, how else was I going to get you to stop?"

I finally calmed down, and tried to look over at him seriously. But when I did, I burst out laughing again.

"What?" he asked. "What is it?"

I covered my mouth and pointed. "You...you...your hair!..." I reached over and pulled out one of many pieces of grass that were dotting his blonde head. "It looks like it's spotted green!" I laughed again.

He laughed. "Well to be honest, yours is not any better." We spent the next few minutes cleaning each other off. I tried again to look at him with a straight face, but had little success. I smiled, and then he smiled, and we both collapsed into fits of giggles again.

Finally, I sighed. "I love you, Legolas."

"I love you, too."

"We should do this more often."

"Do what? Roll down a hill?" Legolas said.

"No," I laughed, "just...have fun. Together. Especially for you." I looked over at him. "You should smile more."

He exhaled and looked up at the sky again. "I am sorry. I...I am just so used to always having to be so proper and serious from back home. But I have to admit, I like this much better."

"Good. That means we can do this more often," I smiled.

From off in the distance, there came the faint whinny of a horse, and I sat up to see Gandalf and Pippin sitting atop Shadowfax, who was galloping away south at lightning speed. I watched as they disappeared over the hills.

"Can I ask you something?"

I looked back at Legolas. "Of course."

"When is your birthday?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking that now?"

He shrugged. "I was just curious."

I smiled. "May first. When is yours?"

"April twenty-second. We are very close."

I rose from my spot on the grass. "I shall not forget it."

He stood beside me. After a moment, he said, "Well, I guess we should be going back inside. It will soon be lunchtime." He motioned for me to take his arm. "May I?"

I grinned. "You know me better than that." I quickly kissed him on the cheek, and took off running again. "Race you back to Mesufeld!"