"L-legolas?" His eyes snapped open and he saw that her eyes were open and still that beautiful shade of amber. He exhaled heavily and all the weight of suddenly losing her left his soul and he held her hand tighter in his, determined to keep her alive by sheer willpower. Gimli saw her wake and gave a startled rumble, alerting Aragorn and the King. They turned to see Kali leaning on Legolas' shoulder and starting to stand.

"Are you able to walk?" Aragorn asked, "Legolas, bring her into the caves and tell them to seal the entrance." The elf looked ready to do so, not wanting for Kali to feel pain any more, but she pushed away from his and stood shakily on her own.

"No, I will defend this Keep till I'm killed so many times that I can't come back!" She glared defiantly at the men in the room, as if they could take her from her place as a defendant of this place.

"It is over, the fortress is taken!" Théoden cried in defeat.

"You men have died defending it, they still defend it!" Aragorn told the King.

"What would you have me do?" Asked the King, tiredness in his voice,

"Ride out with me, ride out and meet them!"

"For death and glory?"

"For Rohan, for your people!"

This seemed to stir within the King a feeling of hope, and the men seemed to feel it as well, for they boarded the door with more energy than they had before. When all the horses were brought out, Kali stayed away from them and helped Gimli up to the tower of the great horn. When she came back down the few elves that had survived had taken up posts at the door with the little boys as a last defense, and she joined them and watched the grown men with Aragorn, Théoden, and Legolas mount their horses. Then in her mind she felt panic; what if I never see him again?! She looked at Legolas; the elf she loved being around, the one who was willing to be there for her, and the one she… loved. Yes, she loved Legolas, knowing this sent her a sense of warmth that she hadn't felt since she was alive. She ran forward to stop him, but his horse advanced and her hand brushed his briefly, he looked back at her with longing, he wished their last moments together were not so short, but they were enough. He rode out of the keep and didn't look back.

Orcs that the riders had missed came flooding in and started to rush towards them in a flood of hate. Kali and the elves stood in front of the children and protected them as best as they could, but in the end Kali opened the doors to the caves as the elves defended her. She ushered the boys in to find their mother and searched there for someone else. And then she found her,

"Hey,"

Eowen looked at her, surprised.

"What are you waiting for? We need backup!" She smiled the brightest smile the Kali had ever seen her make as she ran from the cave, grabbed a sword, and defended the caves alongside her friend. After most of the orcs were dead and only the occasional orc wandered in, Kali and Eowen began to wonder if reinforcements were able to come and help defeat the enemy. Soon enough the men on horseback came in, followed by all of their friends, who thankfully were unharmed. Eomir ran to his sister; she had received a cut on her shoulder just like Kali, and she bore it with pride whilst holding her sword in plain sight, unflinching in the gaze of men. I'm so proud of her… Kali thought and smiled, tenderly touching her friend's shoulder, then making way for her brother to embrace her. Then she saw Legolas come through, she just stood still in awe as he leapt from his horse and quickly came to her. They embraced and no words were said, there was no need, the moment was perfect, they were both alive, and they had each other.

On horses again, Kali was not happy. But all of the Fellowship was alive, and next they were heading to Isengaurd. Kali rode behind Aragorn, who had to calm his horse down the whole way. They approached the tower they saw Merry and Pippin sitting on a hill nearby at the entrance. Merry stood and grinned, "Welcome My Lords! To Isengaurd!" He pointed behind him and stuck the pipe back in his mouth.

Gimli seemed outraged at the sight of them relaxing, "…And here we find you feasting… And smoking!" He roared. Legolas and Aragorn shared an amused smile and continued on.

"The salted pork is particulary good," Pippin intergected, making the dwarf's eyes widen in loging,

"Salted pork?" the company laughed and continued on through the gates.

Water reaching Kali's knees swamped the base of the tower in a muddy brown. A giant tree thing lumbered towards them, Kali was flabbergasted at how humanoid a tree could look.

"The filth of Sarumon is washing away… but there is a wizard that we cannot deal with,"

Gandalf lead the rest of them to the base of the tower and called up to Sarumon. "Come out, coward!" The wizard appeared on the balcony and looked down at them. Then something flickered, something gauzy in the air seemed to move, the others didn't seem to notice, but Kali was aware of something off. It was see through and moving in the light wind, she squinted at the tower, and thought she saw two wizards; on top of the tower, and one on the balcony. Which was the real Sarumon? She jumped off the horse and into the water; she slogged through the mud as the fellowship watched her in puzzlement as she pulled out her knives. She saw the thin curtain in front of her and swung her weapons at it. It cut through it like mist, and the entire mist dissolved, and they all saw that Sarumon was really standing on the top of the tower, looking alarmed. Gandalf looked surprised and turned to Kali, "Child, how did you… oh, the knives of disenchantment, keep them ready, you may need them." Kali nodded and stayed where she was during the rest of the exchange of words between the wizards. After a while Sarumon got incredibly pissed and threw down a rock the size of a cannon ball of the top of the tower, it nearly crushed Kali with the force of a rhino, but she was pulled out of the way just in time and set behind Aragorn on the horse once more. Pippin seemed curious at what the object was and got of their horse to investigate, he pulled it out of the mud. Gandalf took it quickly from him and the group left. Kali felt certain that the object meant worse things were yet to come.

They had made the journey to Edoras and had arrived there that morning; a feast to honor the fallen would be held that night. All the warriors and their wives stood in the Great Hall and toasted to the souls of the men who had died in battle, "Hail the victorious dead!"

"Hail!" they all responded, then drank. Kali brought the goblet to her lips and sipped; the deer blood was more delicious than she thought it would be. The cook had learned of her preferences of food and had bled the deer and kept the blood in a separate keg for her, she had thanked the cook many times before the feast. Most of the people had heard rumors of what she was, and most people were a bit skeptical even though her eyes were an obvious sign. A drinking contest had started up over on one side of the room, she heard Gimli's roars of challenge so she went over to investigate. And Indeed Gimli had challenged the elf to a drinking game, a few men joined as well and Kali looked on in amusement beside Eomir, a man she knew to be a carful drinker, or so her friend said. The men had all passed out after the seventh ale or so, but the elf and dwarf kept going, and Eomir and Kali kept staring in bemusement as they downed tankard after tankard. Legolas knew she was watching him, he could hear her giggles of amusement at the insults Gimli was hurling at him between gulps of ale. He looked over at her as he took a long sip; she entranced him so, her voice, her silly laugh that ended in a loud snort, her personality like a ray of sunshine, her stubbornness and determination, and her ability with handling and comforting children were all things that made him feel even more attracted to her. She would make a wonderful mother… What am I thinking?! He shook his head and Gimli raised an eyebrow, thinking it was the alcohol. He glanced at her again, and noticed the slender curve of her waist; I just want to put my arms around her, to touch her, to feel what it's really like… his hands tingled at the thought of touching more of her. He put down his glass instantly, not wanting to drink anymore; it had started to affect my mind! Never before have I had these urges to…to… Shame filled him and he looked over at Eomir, "My fingers are tingling, I think it's starting to affect me!" Eomir raised an eyebrow and Kali laughed her strange laugh.

Gimli's eyes were crossed and ale had thoroughly soaked his beard, "See? He can't even hold his liquor…" then he fell backward and passed out.

Legolas looked slightly amused, "Game over," he calmly stated. Then he excused himself to drag the unconscious dwarf to the Fellowship's room.

Eomir looked down slightly at Kali with interest; he had met her for the first time properly this morning, but had not gotten to talk long. He thought that she was, indeed, lovely, and her amber eyes only made her more attractive. "How long will your company be staying with us in Edoras, Lady Kali?" She looked thoughtful for a second then shrugged.

"I don't know, I guess it is up to Gandalf to decide." They fell silent and Kali took another sip from her glass. He glanced over and saw the contents,

"So it's true, you are one of the dead!" he exclaimed with awe, she shrugged again and continued to drink.

"It's not human blood, it's deer; you are safe from being drained." She joked. He laughed and relaxed even further. She was attractive to him; the light blossom pink lips, the pale cheeks, the darker hair made a beautiful contrast to the skin, and her alluring amber eyes. Not to mention her figure, she was on the shorter side but not lacking in curves and a slim waist. Eomir wondered if she was the type to look for trouble with men, she didn't seem like it, but she did travel with several in her company. Maybe I could test that… he poured some ale into an empty tankard and gave it to her. She cringed away,

"I do not drink, thank you." She said politely. He thought it strange but didn't say anything.

"Would you care to dance?" he tried again.

"I don't know any of the dances of this place," She said, watching the dancers in the middle of the room. Merry and Pippin seemed to not care for the traditional dances and were being cheered on as they jigged in their own way.

"I will teach you," He said and led her out to the dance floor. When Legolas came back to the room only a minute later he saw Kali and Eomir dancing together in a lively dance with many other partners involved. She was laughing and having a fun time… so he just leaned back on a column and watched the human prince spin her around. Aragorn joined him after a minute, and leaned on the column next to his friend.

"Is it right to want to touch who you love?"

This question startled Aragorn, he looked over at his fried, whose eyes were fixed on Kali.

Gandalf appeared by their side and answered his question, "Yes, at least for humans. Elves usually don't feel that, only those few who are meant to be, by fate ever feel that… You feel it towards the girl?" he said with a grandfatherly smile.

Legolas looked at Kali, having a good time, laughing, dancing around with Merry now. "Yes, I love her." There was no doubt in his voice or his gaze, Aragorn and Gandalf could see that he would never let her die or suffer, they trusted him, they trusted his love.

Later that night Kali and Eowen were kicked out of their room to accommodate the other guests, so Eowen slept out in the main Hall and Kali stood outside. She gazed at the stars and listened to the quiet sounds of the night, feeling more alive than ever. She loved the brief moments when her heart seemed to beat, but then again it scared her, a heartbeat meant she was vulnerable. To love or death she didn't know. She could die if she were alive, but love, how could that harm her? She was afraid, it was new, it was strange to her, these feelings. She felt him move to stand next to her, his hood was pulled over his head and he stood facing in the same direction as her, east, towards the threat in Mordor. No words were said; a presence of unease clouded both their sights. Aragorn joined them, that was when Legolas spoke,

"A great unrest rises in the east, he is near Aragorn." Then he turned to both, a panicked look in his eyes, "He is here!" he ran with all speed to the room where the rest of the Fellowship were staying. Aragorn and Kali followed, concerned. When they got there they saw Pippin holding that strange object, but he was writhing on the floor in pain and the object was glowing. Legolas grabbed the Hobbit and pulled him away from the thing, but it didn't seem to work. Kali grabbed the glowing object from his hands and was surprised it came right into hers. But as she held it pain started to creep into her mind, and she felt that she was being dragged under the water and watched intently. Then she saw the eye, and she knew the horror that lie to the east. It searched her soul and scarred her mind, shook her brutally and put her back down into a grave. My servant… come by the black ships… bring to me yourself alone… master the black book… then all was lost, only darkness remained.

"Kali… Can you hear me?" the voice reached her ears and she flinched, no it wasn't his voice. It was Legolas, not Sauron. She flinched again at the great Eye's name. Then the elf was pushed aside and Gandalf shook her by her shoulders, "Did you say anything?!" all compassion in his voice was gone, in it now was a harsh urgency. Kali couldn't focus, her head lolled to the side, her eyes unfocused. "Speak child!" she tried to open her mouth but found it tightly sealed. But a little sound came from her throat and Legolas moved forward again, but was pushed back by the Wizard. "I swear you will be dead if you don't tell me!"

Aragorn came forward, "Maybe she cannot speak! Gandalf, show her some mercy!"

Gandalf turned to him in fury, "Sauron will not show us mercy, why should we!"

"Because that's what makes us… better than him." Everyone turned to Kali, who had regained her voice. "We fight for being fair, compassionate, and just. He seeks to destroy love and kindness; do you want to be like him?" No one said anything, Kali still looked a little dazed, but she sat up and tried to steady herself.

Gandalf's face softened, "For your short life you have such wisdom, but what was it you saw?"

"He spoke in the most terrible voice," she shuddered, "I saw nothing bat the great eye. It told me to go to the black ships and go with them, something about a black book." At this Gandalf looked aggrieved,

"He says lies; do not do as he says, ever. Are you prepared to be killed for the sake of the company?" Gandalf asked, looking deep into her eyes with a hardhearted stare. "Because if he takes control of you, you would kill everyone in the room and more."

Kali shuddered and nodded, "Yes, I would sooner die than kill one of you,"

Gandalf took her word and turned to Legolas, "If she does, you will have to kill her."