Thranduil looked at the elleth next to him. They rode at the head of the column of elves with the dwarves mingled in towards the right side. Thranduil knew that Emerwen would fight. He had seen her spar before when she was blind, and even then she was breathless. Now with her sight restored and her heart set on protecting her country, it was useless to try to prevent her from going into battle. He only hoped that he would be able to protect her should she need it.
The two races traveled for days, slowly getting more comfortable with the other. Thranduil was often seen with the dwarves, walking and talking amongst them. This helped the other elves accept the other race.
Finally they were a day away from Pelennor Field. They rested early that day to store up their strength for the battle the next day. Several elves and dwarves went away to report back what they saw. These reports were not good. The entire field was covered with vermin, as thick as the eye could see, they reported. Tebur, the Dwarf king mirrored Thranduil's actions with the elves. It would not do well for the two races to fight with each other the day before the battle. They needed to depend on each other.
All the elves sat on their horses with dwarves on their sturdy ponies. They faced the field of Pelennor. Destruction met their eyes. The orcs were just now breaking into the city and beginning to flood into it. The Rohirrim had just appeared over the crest of a hill on the other side of the battle. Thranduil and Tebur gave the command to charge and away the horses leapt.
Emerwen stayed with the king, protecting him as her father would have done. His newest protector fought along side her, standing back to back with her. Together they slayed many orcs.
Legolas and Gimli charged ahead at the orcs as soon as they were off the ships. At a slight lull in the battle he heard two different horns sounding. He turned to Gimli who was looking at him with a grin on his face.
"Aye, those are dwarves!" Gimli shouted over the battle noises.
"And Mirkwood horns. Gimli, my father is among them!" Legolas shouted back, worry etched into his features. But there was no more time for chatter or worry as a new wave of orcs attacked them.
Emerwen caught a glimpse of something shadowy and green out of the corner of her eye. She turned to stare at a ghost of a man. He glanced at her before turning to swallow an orc in his mist. She turned back to the fighting as the ghosts made short work of the orcs further into the battlefield.
The Mûmakil charged into battle, bringing death wherever it walked. Legolas helped the Rohirrim defeat them, but there were still others wandering about. He saw one heading towards a group of elves and charged after it. His progress was slowed as a few orcs tried to cut him to pieces. He finally escaped and grabbed hold of a rope hanging off the Mûmakil's back. He quickly made his way up to the top where he began to shoot and stab any man that tried to get near him. He bent to dodge an arrow and saw the straps holding the men to the beast's back. He quickly cut away at them and watched as the men fell screaming to the ground, to get trample or killed by those on the ground. He killed the beast quickly before it got any nearer to the elves. The beast fell, narrowly missing the clump of elves. He jumped off and landed in their midst. One held a knife up to his neck, fearing he was an orc. The ellon's eyes widen as he quickly withdrew the knife and stammered his apology to the prince. Legolas nodded to the ellon before catching sight of his father.
Thranduil turned and smiled to see his son coming toward him. He opened his mouth to speak when something flew past him and a cry was uttered. The thing turned out to be Emerwen. She had seen the arrow coming for the king's chest. She valued his life more than her own at that moment and had thrown herself in the way.
The king caught her as she fell and lowered her gently to the ground. Legolas hurried over to see who had saved the king and if they could be saved. His eyes widened and filled with tears as he saw his beloved laying in a growing pool of blood. Although the arrow had punctured her right under the shoulder and was not lethal, a lot of the arrows were tipped with poison.
Legolas watched helplessly as Emerwen's eyes started to close and her glow began to fade. He cried out to the Valar to save her as he crumpled to the ground next to her. All the elves stood in a protective circle around the royal family, whispering their own prayers to anyone above who would hear them. The elves of Mirkwood had begun to value the companion of the king, especially in battled. As they heard Legolas crying for his love, their hearts saddened to know that she was also their princess.
The battle ended quickly after this. Those who were dead destroyed the orcs in the city and set about finishing all those who tried to escape the fields. Everyone stood at a standstill after that, if only for a few minutes. It was over. The eerie silence that followed after the battled seemed almost worse. There were cries of pain from the injured and weeping sounded over those who were dead.
Litters were collected for the injured, and carts summoned for the dead. The orcs were thrown in piles, to be burned. Anyone who was able had to help. For days everyone worked relentlessly, wanting to bury those who were no longer with them so that their souls could continue on. Finally it was over.
The field was littered with burning piles, dead Mûmakil, and weapons. The Houses of Healing were filled to their maximum capacity and then some. People of Minas Tirith had generously offered homes for the Rohirrim, Elves, and Dwarves since none wished to camp out in the field.
Legolas was found haunting the Houses of Healing, unintentionally making the nurses very anxious. Aragorn and Thranduil both tried to keep him away, but there was nothing they could do to take him away from his beloved.
A fever had set in Emerwen. The arrow was indeed poisoned as Legolas had feared. She seemed to balance between life and death every moment of the day. Her breathing was labored and shallow and her elven glow had all but faded. Alata had been summoned, everyone thinking this was the end. She sat by her sister day and night, trying to care for her in the any way she could.
Aragorn and Gandalf had agreed on going to the Black Gates in order to give Frodo safe passage across the Plains of Gorgoroth. Aragorn spoke to Legolas about coming with them, but Legolas was unsure. Thranduil spoke to his son as well, trying to see what he would do.
Legolas was sure that they would all die before the Black Gates. There was only one way they wouldn't: if Frodo succeeded. But what if he didn't in time? They could all be dead by the time Frodo destroyed the ring. But Legolas had agreed to go with the Fellowship. He still felt that responsibility on his shoulders.