(hides behind titanium shield and quickly places chapter down)

Please no pitchforks! *runs for cover*

Chapter Thirty-Two: Army of the West

She took a deep breath in, holding it for a moment before letting it slip back out passed her shaking bottom lip.

Brown eyes stared hard at the mirror in front of her, scrutinizing the image that reflected back.

Tess scarcely recognized herself, all dressed up in full battle armor.

Éomer had only stayed for a short time before returning to his own room, leaving the brunette to crash against her pillow with a giddy smile on her face that followed her into sleep. It was Ioreth, Naomi's elderly chamber maid, who had been the one to wake her with toast and warm tea several hours later. The sky outside her window was still dark, so it was by candle and firelight that the older woman set to work dressing the younger.

Her cream singlet and breast restraints stayed in place, while a new dark brown tunic with long tight sleeves and a high collar was tugged on.

Her sleeping breeches were replaced with very thin and form-fitting trousers, with supple dark leather breeches on top of those that went as high as her waist and laced up tightly after her shirt was tucked in.

Comfortable socks were hauled onto her feet, her brown knee-high boots tugged on soon after. Wrapped around her shins were what Ioreth had called 'greaves', essentially metal shin guards that also protected the back of her calves. Above those were a pair of metal plates that protected her thighs, reaching all the way up to the where her hip joints were, only centimeters away to allow for running movements. The back of her thighs was protected with more chain mail and although the quality wasn't anywhere near that of the Elves, she was still extremely grateful to have to protection. The Elvish chain mail she'd had with her since Lothlòrien would go all the way it seemed, the newly polished metal shirt that reached her elbows and fell just passed her hips settling in a familiar way against her body. Next on was the armor that would protect her torso. It was essentially a breastplate with a joining backplate that fitted against her tight enough that it seemed like a second skin. Three clasps against her ribs on either side held the two plates firmly together. The dark grey metal reached all the way down to her hips, dipping slightly at the bottom to protect her more delicate areas. At the top it circled around just underneath her collar bone and stretched across the base of her neck and shoulders on her back. Attached to the shoulders of the breastplate were two metal spaulders, designed so that

two metal pieces circled around the sides of her neck to protect it, before the metal sloped down to cover her shoulders, stopping just below the joint of her upper arm whilst overlapping the edges over her breast and back plates to ensure maximum coverage.

Moving down her arms the edges of the spaulders also overlapped her two rerebraces, metal plates that protected the outsides of her upper arms whilst leather covered the insides, covering all the way down to her elbows. From there the vambraces took over, both leather with metal forearm guards imbedded in them. The vambraces tied together under her arms, criss-crossing from her wrists all the way up to her elbows and just beyond. The extra leather covering the bones for protection whilst also allowing her movement. Another added bonus was that it effectively pinned the loose chain mail to her arms to stop it from catching on anything. Tess had chosen to forego gloves, finding them to be meddlesome in battle, but agreed that some protection for her hands would be required. So attached to the vambraces was extra leather, also with metal imbedded in the top, that covered the tops of her hands and ended at her knuckles. A thin strap of leather circled around her palm, fitting perfectly in the crease that is made when fingers are curled, so that the small pieces of armor would not fly away. The thick leather belt that she'd had since as far back as Moria was wrapped securely around her waist, the weight of a sword hanging from it familiar even if the blade that was there was not. It was a simple short sword, made of a strong metal that glinted in the firelight and looked to be almost an exact replica of the one she'd used in the arena against Findegil. The only real difference was that the length of the blade had been extended to be two and a half feet instead of her usual one and a half. The handle was long enough to be used with two hands whilst not being so large that holding it with one felt awkward. Tess had wanted to test it out a little but Ioreth would have none of that until her hair had been seen to. The younger woman sat immediately, although wasn't exactly sure what could be done with her short hair. The top portion of her hair was brushed back away from her face, Ioreth made sure even the stray hairs that usually hung around her temple were pulled back. The older then expertly tied the small pony tail back, so that she had a half up half down look that made sure nothing obstructed her view.

Which meant that Tess' messy fringe was next on the list to be worked with.

The brunette felt almost bare with her bangs pulled back and pinned to the top of her head, not to mention that the clear view of her face did nothing to hide the still purple bruise that had blossomed across her right cheekbone.

But she looked fierce and when Ioreth neatly pinned her new red cloak around her shoulders she felt like she could take on the world.

That was about the time her stomach grumbled.

With a chuckle Ioreth said she would go and see if she could find another bread roll for the still hungry brunette. The old woman had left and Tess had been on her way to look out the window and watch the sunrise when she'd caught sight of herself in the mirror. For a good twenty minutes all she'd been able to do was stare, still feeling the same but looking completely different.

No, that wasn't right, she didn't feel the same at all.

Middle Earth had changed her irrevocably, turning her from a mere woman into something far much more important.

"You do know it's a battle and not a best dressed contest, right?"

Ah, the ever lovable Naomi.

Tess turned to her friend with a wavering smile, too filled with emotion to do much else.

"Because I think you'd win, I mean, you look pretty damn badass," The blonde hobbled further into the room on her crutches, stopping only when she was in front of her friend. Tess had to look up slightly now that she was next to her, something that Naomi smirked proudly at.

"I'm still taller than you," she teased before rummaging through the skirt of her dress until she found a pocket, pulling out a roll of warm bread and an apple.

"Yeah, well, some things never change," Tess grinned as she took a large bite out of the bread. Naomi frowned in slight disgust as crumbs settled against her friend's chin, half the roll already gone.

"Such a lady," The blonde muttered with an eye roll, to which Tess gave a dough filled grin. A steady knock on the door broke the moment, Faramir entering seconds later when Naomi called for him to enter.

"I see you are perfecting your war face," the man teased as he caught sight of Tess' stuffed cheeks. The brunette sneered and continued to try and swallow.

"Legions will run in fear," Naomi chuckled as she readjusted her crutches, her face turning serious when she caught the mirth draining from the young lord's.

"It's time then?" she inquired softly, drawing a 'time for what?' from Tess now that her mouth was free. Faramir nodded his head solemnly.

"Yes, the army has started to assembled, Mithrandir calls for the company to gather in the Great Hall,"

Tess' mouth ran dry, so she nodded and gestured for him to lead on.

Naomi quickly gathered herself and walked beside them, their pace a little slower than normal but neither of the women could say they minded.

No one really found the heart to speak, so the only sound was that of Naomi's wooden crutches and Tess' armor, clinking softly when metal rubbed against metal and the stone floor.

Naomi tried to remember all the times she'd ever walked these passages on her way to the Great Hall, wondering if every trip had always been this short, for it felt to her that they had reached it within only seconds.

Tess pushed forward a little faster so she could open the door, an unconscious movement that came as second nature so she thought nothing of it.

But it stilled Naomi in her walking completely.

Suddenly she was looking at her friend's back, her red cloak billowing behind her as she used both hands to push open large double doors and enter the Great Hall.

The blonde felt her heart thump hard in her chest as she caught sight of everyone beyond the doors, all dressed ready for battle in their armor.

All her friends, even her lover, getting ready to leave.

Without her.

A warm hand descended lightly onto her shoulder, blue eyes shot up to catch grey watching her with the same sadness.

Faramir gave her a small smile, squeezing her shoulder before he too strode forward, though at a pace slow enough for Naomi to match.

The Hall was almost bursting with people, mostly high ranking army officials and messengers, her friends were all around one large table in the very centre.

Gandalf, Éomer, Imrahil and Erchirion were all crowded around a map set on the table, the wizard occasionally raising his head to call something out to a nearby messenger where as Imrahil would murmur to his son, whom would then dash to his eldest brother to repeat the message. Elphir was stationed in front of a line of people in armor, each with a different colored ribbon wrapped around their arm. Faramir had leaned down to explain to Naomi that each colour represented a different segment of the army.

Pippin and Gimli were both stuffing their faces at the other end of the large table, Merry occasionally taking a bite in-between talking to Éowyn about something that was making her smile. Faramir jittered slightly beside Naomi when he caught sight of the Shield Maiden.

"If there is one good thing about all this, it will have to be that you won't have to worry about Éomer breathing down your neck as you woo your lady love," Naomi murmured just loud enough for Faramir to catch without drawing any near-by person's attention.

The young lord immediately flushed a pretty shade of pink before something caught his eye.

"Speaking of breathing down one's neck," with a nod of his head he gestured to the far end of the room, where a sheepish looking Legolas was getting what appeared to be a lecture from Tess. Naomi's heart stilled as she caught sight of the Elf, the tips of his pointed ears slightly pink from the telling off he was getting. The blonde stuttered slightly when Tess stopped lecturing and suddenly smiled, throwing her arms around the Elf and squeezing him tightly.

When they broke apart both looked over-joyed.

Naomi's suspicion levels sky rocketed.

As if feeling the stare boring into the side of his face, Legolas looked up, his blue eyes instantly capturing Naomi and pinning her in place. With a final mutter to Tess the Elf turned and made his way toward her.

"Melamin," He whispered when he was standing inches in front of her, his fingers trailing down the side of her face delicately.

"My love," the blonde woman whispered back, both as a greeting and as a display of knowledge. Legolas had said that to her so many times that she knew it backwards.

"So what was Tess chewing you out for?" She asked, getting straight to the point. Legolas chuckled lightly before leaning down to kiss her lips, letting his linger in a soft brush before he pulled away.

Naomi shook the gooey look of her face and tried to force her insides back to a solid form instead of lying in a puddle at her feet.

"Nice, but that wasn't an answer,"

"He asked me a question," a voice interrupted, the couple looked to the left as Tess joined them, a quirky smile on her face.

"It was about you, actually,"

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Mm, something about, 'does she usually talk about turtles in her sleep?'" the brunette grinned evilly and Naomi felt her face flush.

"Right then, dropping the subject," the blonde said hastily, although she caught Legolas quirking his eyebrows at the two.

Anytime that Tess brought up the incident where she'd caught Naomi talking about turtles in her sleep meant that Naomi should drop the subject or all the embarrassing stories were going to come out.

Legolas knew a few already and perhaps would one day know them all as Tess did, but for now Naomi liked keeping her more awkward moments away from him. The Elf by her side didn't seem to need any further answers, for which she was grateful, and seemed to be content with just watching her, a soft smile pulling the corners of his lips upward. She didn't realize they'd been gazing into each others eyes for longer than normal, but a quick cough from Faramir snapped them both back. The man was clearly trying to suppress a grin and he'd bitten into his bottom lip in an attempt to stop it, all was futile when Naomi shot him a sneer however, and the grin quickly turned into a full blown smile. The blonde opened her mouth to shoot back a snarky remark when something else caught her eye. Looking towards the map table was Tess, a soft look in her eyes while a flush of pink sat on her cheeks. Naomi craned her neck around Legolas to see what had the woman's attention, only to have her suspicions confirmed when she found that it was Éomer she was looking at. Smirk growing she prepared to tease when something happened that she did not expect.

Éomer looked up and caught Tess' gaze on him.

He smiled at her.

And then he winked at her.

Naomi's smirk dropped off her face faster than a stone sinking in water.

With a quick turn she looked at Faramir, her left hand waving about erratically as she forced her excited tone down to a whisper.

"Did you see that!?" she hoarsely called to him, her eyes wide with surprise.

Faramir turned to the blonde with a small smile and a nod.

Happy beyond words that she didn't hallucinate the whole scene up she turned to Tess, intent on finding out what had so obviously happened between her and a certain horselord. The brunette caught the blonde's shifty movements and turned, only to be confronted with the maniacal look her friend's eyes and prepared to panic when the side doors opened.

Tess visibly relaxed at being saved, but stiffened again slightly when she caught Naomi's

look that clearly said they were going to talk later.

It was then that they both noticed how still the whole hall had become.

Everybody stopped what they were doing to stare in wonder.

There in the doorway stood Aragorn, his shoulders squared and his held high.

He was dressed in navy blue and dark maroon, his forearms covered in vambraces made of leather and metal, much like the spaulders on both his shoulders.

Over the top of the mail he wore a long tunic that reached the middle of his shins and emblazoned across his chest was the symbol of the White Tree of Gondor. Draped over his shoulders was a cloak in the same colors, the underside red while the outside remained blue.

'He looks more and more like a King everyday,' Naomi thought to herself as Gandalf stepped forward, a serious look on his face but a proud look in his eyes.

"Here before you stands Aragorn, son of Arathorn, ready to face the evil of the Dark Lord and the Black Gate, who among you will stand at his side?" Gandalf's word barely had time to stop ringing when a loud cry rose up from everyone in the hall. The sound echoed around and Naomi felt her insides quiver. The volume barely went down as people started moving again, this time towards the doors. Without her consent, Naomi's hand shot out to grasp Legolas' in a tight hold. Her mouth was starting to dry out when she realized that in only minutes he would be gone. Legolas' hand tighten around hers and squeezed, letting her know he was with her.

The hall was nearly empty now, those remaining being Éomer and his sister, Faramir, Tess and Naomi, Merry and Pippin, Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn and Gandalf. They all grouped together and walked resolutely towards the double doors that were open for them. Naomi only let go of Legolas' hand because she needed to use her crutches, but he stayed close and for that she was thankful.

The light of the morning was somewhat blinding, the smell of smoke still heavy in the air despite the cool breeze. The group descended the stairs to where their horses were waiting. Shadowfax, Brego, Firefoot, Arod and Hasufel all patiently waited in line for their riders.

And then it was time to say goodbye.

Merry and Pippin both attacked Éowyn first, each grabbing onto a leg before Éomer even had a chance to step forward. Aragorn Legolas and Gandalf all stood before Faramir, wishing him well while he bid them luck.

A gruff cough took her away from her observations.

Standing before her was Gimli, his face neutral as he bowed low before her.

"I go with my axe raised high," he told her as he rose again, said axe glittering from its place on his back. With her fist tight Naomi thumped his helmet gently, a tight watery smile on her face.

"Be brave, and be a good sport when Legolas beats you," she told him, to which the Dwarf gave a big huff and waved around a hand.

"Baah! He wishes!" He grumbled with a quick grin before moving down the line to Éowyn.

Standing before her now was Éomer, a somewhat disgruntled look on his face.

"Look after my sister, and keep an eye on Lord Faramir for me," Naomi chuckled softly and nodded.

"Don't worry, I've got Éowyn in safe hands," she promised as a more serious look crossed onto her features.

"Keep an eye on Tess for me?" she couldn't help but ask him softly as she looked down the line to where her friend was hugging Faramir goodbye, careful of his newly un-slung arm. It was a bit of a taboo question, not many, if any, were expected to come back from this mission and such promises were hard to ask and keep.

Éomer's big hand gently landed on her shoulder and he squeezed, drawing her gaze back to him. He didn't say anything but Naomi could see the vow in his eyes to do his best.

With one final nod Éomer moved onwards, Merry and Pippin quickly taking his place.

Naomi felt a tear slide down her cheek as she gently lowered herself down to take both of them into her arms.

"Don't cry milady!" Merry soothed as his arms wrapped around her tightly.

"Aye! We'll be back before y' know it!" Pippin cheered quietly as he too squeezed as hard as his arms would let him. Several more tears managed to escape her eyes before she forced them shut.

"I'll save some of those sweet rolls you like for when you get back, shall I?" Two excited exclamations of agreement made her smile as she pulled back.

"And some of those meat pies!"

"And the honey cakes!"

She chuckled then quickly placed a kiss on both of their foreheads before they could object and collected her crutches to stand again. A set of hands was there to help her and when she looked up to Aragorn all of her words melted in her mouth. He collected her close and she wrapped her free arm around his so tightly her arm started to cramp.

"Go kick butt okay?" She murmured to him, the sound getting muffled in his chest but he chuckled and agreed none the less. When she pulled back she gave him an approving smile.

"I'm very glad you brushed your hair too, if you're sword doesn't scare them off maybe your good looks will," Aragorn bit back a bark of laughter as he released her, giving her hand one last kiss before he too turned away.

Gandalf now stood before her and she couldn't help but feel exhausted.

As if knowing how she felt, the white wizard smiled, a gently old hand on her shoulder and a nod enough for the both of them.

And then he was standing before her, blonde hair glittering in the sun.

How many times had she had to say goodbye to Legolas, knowing he might not come back?

'Far too fucking many' she managed to answer herself as his hands reached up to cradle her face. His face filled her world, blue eyes boring down into hers with everything he wanted to say but couldn't find words for. All in a rush he bent his head and Naomi raised hers so that she could crush her lips fully against his. Both her crutches fell to the ground as she wrapped her arms around his torso, Legolas' hands twisted in her loose hair as he kissed her. He pulled back but Naomi kept her eyes closed, her forehead pressed against his while she panted for breath.

"I love you," she whispered to him, kissing him one last time before he stepped away, hands falling from her face. She opened her eyes as she let him go, praying to every deity that she would get to see him again. Almost everyone now sat atop their horses, Pippin with Gandalf on Shadowfax while Merry sat behind Éomer on Firefoot. Hasufel's saddle remained empty, his rider standing a few feet in front of Naomi.

With a huge watery sigh Naomi waved a hand at her best friend.

"I'm too tired to say goodbye to any more people, so just get on your damn horse and be off with you," she said nonchalantly. Tess laughed before striding forward so quickly Naomi was almost knocked backwards when the brunette's arms wrapped around her.

"I'll see you when I get back knuckle-head,"

Naomi released a soft sob into Tess' shoulder before nodding, her own arms wrapping around her friend's torso.

"Yeah yeah, don't cause to much trouble and try to stay on your bloody horse or everyone will be delayed hours waiting for you to get back on," Her chest hurt from being crushed against armor for so long, but she couldn't care at all. When Tess finally pulled back her cheeks were wet and her lashes dark against her glassy eyes. With a final nod the brunette pulled her arms away and prepared to turn when Naomi swooped in next to her ear.

"And don't think I'm going to forget about you and Mr. winky-face over there while you're gone! The minute you get back you are telling. me. everything!" Naomi whispered forcefully with a smirk. Pink rose up on Tess' cheeks and she turned to her friend with a scowl.

"Now, off you go, you have people waiting for you," Naomi ushered with an innocent smile, patting her friend on the shoulder in good nature.

Tess rolled her eyes and strutted over to Hasufel, muttering to herself under her breath about nosy blondes. She reached her horse and a nearby guard aided her by boosting her into the saddle.

Éowyn called a last good luck to them as the group moved into action disappearing down the ramp beyond the sickly white tree. When the last horse disappeared Naomi's gaze was drawn upwards towards Osgiliath and then beyond that to the mountains bordering Mordor, the red glow still smoldering underneath coal black clouds.

"If you take them from me I will come for you myself," She whispered harshly to the wind before turning and making her way back into the hall.

XXXXX

The company rode through the city on a bed of white flowers to wish them luck and fortune on their journey.

Where they got so many when half the city was in piles of black ash and rubble Tess would never know.

Everywhere she looked there were people working, some repairing their ruined homes while others had to re-build entirely. Those people were sifting through rubble, trying to find as many of their belongings that they could so they could move to the refugee camps that had been set up on the higher levels. The closer they got to the lower levels, the worse the damage became. On the bottom level there were people still pulling dead bodies from the rubble.

Tess couldn't help but look away.

All of their work ceased for several long moments as the company passed through. The women bowing their heads and muttering prayers with their hands tightly clasped together while the men bowed their heads respectfully. Some came forward to offer flowers, others would touch the horses or their riders and mutter good wishes and prayers of strength and safety.

It could have been uncomfortable, but the people did not swarm, instead they came in small groups of three or four and no one that ventured near was sobbing like those further back.

The horses moved through the city in a slow walk, half because of the people and half because some of the road was still littered with debris. Either way, Gimli was disgruntled with the pace and was twitching and grumbling incessantly behind Legolas, which in turn caused the Elf to turn around with a glowering look. A grin quickly made its way up her face, a chuckle almost escaping when Gimli noticed the look and stopped moving but continued mumbling. She was pulled away from the entertaining sight when a small voice called up from near her left leg.

"Miss?"

Knowing she was the only female in the company Tess quickly slowed and looked around, her eyes landing on a small boy in the arms of a girl in her late teens. Both had dark hair and their faces were somewhat similar, but that is where the similarities ended.

The boy had light grey eyes, wide and filled with youth, and a small smile on his face.

The girl's eyes were crystal clear and the most vivid shade of azure blue that Tess had ever seen. There was a depth to her gaze that made it feel like she was looking straight into you. There was a hum in the back of her head that seemed to block out all other thoughts, like water that wrapped around you and chilled you until you couldn't feel anything anymore. The world slipped away as the blue eyes drew her in, whispers echoing as softly as a sleepy breath. Her heart was thumping beneath her armor, a steady slow rhythm that was pounding out dense beats.

Tess felt a shiver run down her spine and her mouth opening to say something when the girl blinked and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

And like that the spell was broken.

The water rushed away and sounds filled the world again.

Quickly her head snapped up, like she was waking from a dream that she hadn't meant to fall into. It felt like years had passed and she was sure she was holding up the company, but when her eyes sought them out they were nearly in the exact place she had left them.

Shaking her head slightly and clearing her throat Tess focused her attention back on the small boy that was holding a small bunch of flowers, a smile on his face that made her feel like he knew exactly what his sister had just done.

He didn't say anything, just held out the flowers and continued on smiling.

With a dry swallow Tess reached out, her cold fingers burning against the warmth of the boy's hand. The green stalks were solid in her palm, tied in a neat little bundle with a piece of twine. The flowers themselves were small and white with a bright yellow center. Tess smiled at them before lifting her gaze to thank the pair.

"Thank y-,"

Only to find that they were gone, melted back into the crowd or disappeared into thin air she didn't know, although the latter seemed far more likely.

The only other person in the world with a stare like that was Lady Galadriel and possibly Gandalf when he focused.

With a final shake of her head she urged Hasufel to move again, quickly reclaim her place behind Legolas and Gimli and beside Erchirion.

Imrahil's youngest son was looking at the flowers in her hand with a wary look on his face, his mouth turned down in a frown. He caught Tess' raised eyebrow and nodded at the flowers as if his stare wasn't already obvious.

"It is an unusual flower to receive as we leave for battle," he quickly sifted through the growing pile of flowers on his lap and passed her one. Immediately she noticed the difference. Her flowers had four flat petals around each yellow bud, each about the size of a coin. The flower from Erchirion was only as small as her thumb nail and was made up of lots of tiny petals that clung to a dark center.

"What are they?" she asked going to give the flower back, Erchirion shook his head and signaled for her to keep it before explaining.

"The gardeners call the small ones Gypsophila, the people call them Babies Breath," his gloved fingers carefully plucked up a flower, twisting it in front of his face.

"They grow on small bushes around the city, they are hardy plants and when soldiers go to battle the people pluck them and give them as small prayers for strength and protection, as well as safe return," his fingers dropped the flower and he turned his eyes to the bundle in Tess' hand.

"Those are Begonias, my mother used to grow them in pots next to the edge of cliffs,"

"What do they mean?" she asked with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

His frown deepened and he looked at her in concern.

"Beware,"

Her hand tightened over the flowers, crushing the stalks slightly as she paled.

"Beware of wha-" she was cut off when a large bunch of flowers made contact with her face. Petals and stalks stuck in her hair, flowers tangled in the collar of her armor. The sound of laughter echoed quietly and she looked forward with an unimpressed look on her face.

Gimli was sniggering behind his beard and Pippin tried to hide his chuckles behind his hand as he looked back around Gandalf's side. Merry was shaking and peeking over his shoulder, his bottom lip clamped tightly under his teeth. Tess rose an eyebrow before plucking up the half destroyed bunch from her lap and pulling her arm back. The flowers sailed through the air in a flawless arc and made contact perfectly. The tips of Merry's ears grew pink as those around him chuckled. Sheepishly he reached up to free the mass of flowers from his hair. Tess grinned and snorted in a satisfied way.

'Serves him right,'

Her gaze drifted downward to the Begonias.

'Maybe I was being warned of Merry,'

But she knew from the knot in her stomach that she didn't truly believe that.

She wasn't given much more time to dwell as they had reached the broken gates of Minas Tirith, all ten thousand men that made up the army of the West had assembled on the Pelennor waiting for instruction. The four captains and their four lieutenants from the Great Hall that had colored ribbons tied around their arms split off from the company to rally their respected regiments. Of the four regiments, two were on foot while the other two were on horseback. The first regiment was made up almost entirely of Gondorian soldiers, although she spotted a couple of hundred men of Rohan mixed in as well. The second was the largest of the two on foot and all looked able. Tess realized why when she saw Elphir head in that direction. These men were the knights that Imrahil had brought with him from Dol Amroth, their sigil of the Silver Swan etched into their breastplates and shining proudly. The next regiment was on horseback, a mix of men from both Rohan and Gondor who quickly mounted their steeds when a deep horn bellowed out. A higher pitched horn followed soon after and the fourth regiment all mounted up as well. This section was made up entirely of Rohirrim, the colors the first dead give away and their horses the second. The Rohirrim were the Horse-lords and it showed in the strength of their mounts, all larger and sturdier than those of Gondor. At the head of the regiment Tess could make out that shapes of Elfhelm and Gamling, the former due to his scowl and the latter due to his shocking red beard. Movement caught her eye and Tess noticed three men on horseback move forward. Each of them held a tall banner, the three sigils of the army flying gently in the early morning breeze. To the left was the the Silver Swan of Dol Amroth, to the right was the Ivory Horse of Rohan and in the middle of the two was the White Tree of Gondor with it's Seven Stars.

The sight of all three flags together stirred something in Tess' chest, they truly were the Army of the West. Her gaze turned to the East, to the jagged mountains that circled Mordor and she felt her resolve harden as her hand tightened on her flowers.

'Beware or not, I will do my part to defeat this darkness,'

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Flowers: Babies Breath actually symbolizes happiness, but it was the only small white flower that I could find that I actually liked and was different to white Begonias.

TO THE AMAZING PEOPLE STILL FOLLOWING ME!

You. Are. Amazing.

I am so unbelievable sorry to be constantly keeping you hanging, I just haven't been able to get my head into gear. I would like you all to know that your reviews are appreciated (loved in fact) and they always help me immensely in getting back into writing.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will be trying my hardest to get another chapter out so you can enjoy that too!

LOVE TO YOU ALL!

XoXoX

AxM