"What was all that yelling about?" Morwen asked as her daughter came down the stairs in a huff. She watched the young elleth slump down into one of the island barstools, clutching some large lump of fabric. "And what do you have there?"

Ithilwen looked up at her naneth, the questions not registering at first. "Oh, that. Sorry. I was looking for a pair of underwear that matched the bra I've got on, but I think I've lost them."

"Oooh, matchy matchy! Planning on showing them off or something?" Fiona joked from her spot at the oven. She had taken it upon herself to cook breakfast. Morwen laughed at the humor, but Ithilwen only rolled her eyes.

"Highly unlikely, unless either of you want to see them," she retorted. "I've made my decision about Payne. It's over. And I'm going to tell him today. I don't care how apologetic he is about last night, I've had it."

Morwen smiled. "Good for you. I have been worried about this. Are you ready?"

"Yes," the elleth answered. "I can't take anymore of his criticizing every little thing about me. I'm not even sure I'd care if we parted as friends right now. Ever since he found out about Legolas he's become such an ass. There's nothing there to be paranoid about, so I don't understand why he's acting so stupid."

"Ithilwen, that's not an act. Payne is stupid. He's male. Here, eat." Fiona placed a plate of pancakes and sausage in front of the woman before returning to the stove. Ithilwen gave her thanks and began to pour some syrup over her meal.

"He is much more handsome than Payne, from the drawing that Fiona showed me." Morwen mused. "And you said that he is much kinder to you than the boy."

Ithilwen nodded, not denying anything. "I suppose, but he's just a friend."

"Your adar and I started out as 'just friends', and look at what that became." Morwen poured a glass of orange juice and slid it to her daughter. "So tell me, what's that you've got in your lap?"

"This?" Ithilwen hadn't realized that she had brought the shirt down with her in her frustrations. She wiped her hands on her napkin before raising the clothing item for both women to see. "It's a tunic, I suspect. I found it in my bed when I woke up this morning."

Morwen touched a sleeve of the tunic delicately. "It is definitely elven spun. And male; the shoulders are much broader than the female counterpart. You have no idea how you got it?"

Shaking her head, Ithilwen replied, "No, but I'm pretty sure I know who it came from." She chose to ignore Fiona's comment of "I bet you do…"

"They will break upon this fortress like water on rock. Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn. We've seen it before. Crops can be resown, homes rebuilt. Within these walls we will outlast them." Theoden was inadvertently giving the Three Walkers a tour of the fortress named Helms Deep as he spoke. While the concept of the thickened stone walls sounded reassuring, the reality of the situation was that they were backed into a corner. The fortress, having been built into the side of the mountain, was not the most logical landscape for what was to come, and Aragorn knew this.

"They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages. They come to destroy its people, down to the last child."

Being told the truth out in the open didn't sit well with the king for obvious reasons. Theoden whipped around and came nose to nose with the ranger. "What would you have me do?" he asked, his voice showing how stressed he was. "Look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance."

"Send out riders, my lord. You must call for aid."

"And who will come? Elves? Dwarves? We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead." Theoden didn't sound so optimistic, but Aragorn persisted.

"Gondor will answer."

"Gondor?! Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?! Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us?! Where was Gon–?" He stepped away from Aragorn, trying not to show the defeat in his posture. From the sidelines, Gimli and Legolas watched the exchange in silence. They knew the king's limit was stretched. Considering all that the man had been through, he should have passed the point of no return long ago, but it showed how strong his character was to keep going when there appeared to be no hope. "No, my Lord Aragorn, we are alone." His voice softened considerably from moments before, trying to instill in the ranger that he had no hope of outside assistance.

He turned on his heel and walked away from the trio towards a gate. "Get the women and children into the caves," Theoden gave the orders to his right hand, Gamling.

"We need more time to lay provisions for—"

"There is no time. War is upon us." The finality of the statement seemed to jostle the unseasoned soldiers around the area as the king passed.

From his position, Aragorn watched Theoden stalk away. So much for encouraging the king to call for outside help; the king himself had no hope of a positive outcome of this fight. He turned to face his companions, who looked no more comforted by the king's composure than he did. "We need to prepare," he told them.

"Actually," Gimli interjected, "There's something else that must be done first."

"And that is?"

"The elf here needs to speak to the lass, if he can. Tell her what is going on."

"Do you think that wise?" Aragorn asked.

The dwarf shuffled in spot, shifting his weight to the opposite foot. "It'd make me feel better if she was informed. Legolas here has said that she feels his emotions at times; wouldn't it scare her if she didn't know?"

"It is likely to scare her if I do tell her." Legolas stated. "She has enough to deal with right now with that mortal."

"But you need to tell her, Legolas!" Gimli was close to arguing with him on the matter, but Aragorn knew that in the open would be an unwise battleground of words. Many of the men of Rohan were already apprehensive of the elven race from the many tales they had heard; knowing that the one in their midst was communicating with an elleth in another world entirely might have pushed them over the edge of sanity, considering.

Aragorn laid a hand on Gimli's shoulder. "Gimli is right, Legolas. It would be better for her to know than to be left wondering. Is it possible to force these dreams, or do they occur spontaneously?"

"If I can focus, I should be able to reach her," Legolas said after a moment.

"Good. Go and get some rest. Gimli or I will come and find you."

"Hello?"

"Ithilwen? Good, just the girl I wanted to talk to!"

Seriously? Needless to say, she was still pissed from the previous night, and the early wakeup call that kept her from her dreams, so her tone wasn't of the friendliest quality. "What is it that you wanted, Payne?"

"You sound tired. Not enough sleep? Anyway, I called to tell you that I have to run an errand for my uncle in the next town today, so I won't be able to come by around 6 like I said earlier. It's going to be more like 7:30 or 8 before I get there. Is that okay with you?"

Ithilwen rubbed the back of her neck absentmindedly. "Sure, that sounds fine. And so you know, I didn't sleep well last night; didn't help that you called after I only got a few hours sleep," she added accusingly. Okay so maybe that was a lie, but dammit! Her dreams with Legolas have been better company than any of the dates in the past month with him!

Payne got off the phone shortly after, telling her once again to dress 'comfy' for the evening. Ithilwen dropped the phone on the nightstand and looked at her bed. Figuring a nap couldn't hurt, she stretched out on the soft blankets and fell into dreams.

"Okay…where are we now?" Ithilwen asked, confused. The landscape had changed dramatically since the last time they met. Instead of what looked like a personal guest room, she found herself standing on a tall stone wall overlooking hilly plains and jagged rocks. She felt Legolas come to stand some feet behind her.

"We are at Helms Deep. It is a fortress the people of Rohan have sought refuge in." He moved around to face her properly. "I am glad that I was able to reach you."

Ithilwen looked up at him and smiled ruefully. "Guess it helps that I decided to take a nap before this evening."

"What is happening this evening?"

"Tonight is the night that I cut ties with Payne. For good. He is taking me out to dinner at a casual place, and it is then that I will tell him. I am going to make him see that any feelings that I have for him are not what they once were and my hopes for the future are that we can stay as friends."

"You sound confident." Legolas was ecstatic to hear that she had finally found the right time to do what needed to be done. If it were him, he wouldn't have cared about the boys' feelings, but he understood Ithilwen's reluctance all the same. He couldn't hide the happiness in his words, but he did resist the urge to jump like a young elfling.

"I wish," she laughed. "I fear he won't take it as well as I have hoped, but I don't want to lead him along. How come it's still daylight out here?" she asked, looking around. "Have you started sleeping during the day or something?"

"That is why I wanted to speak with you, Ithilwen. An army of ten thousand Uruk-hai are making their way to Helms Deep. The odds do not look to be in our favor in terms of reinforcements, and the women and children are being sheltered in the caves in the mountains. We are backed into a corner, more or less." He watched as the expression on Ithilwen's face changed from neutral to slightly panicked.

"Please tell me you are joking. Surely there are some reinforcements that will come to help?"

Legolas frowned. "I wish that I was. The king of Rohan, King Theoden, does not seem optimistic in assistance. Gandalf has left us to seek out the king's nephew Eomer and his riders. I am not sure if they will make it to the fortress in time."

Ithilwen wrung her hands, stressed. "We've just… we've just got to stay positive," she said. "Yeah, stay positive…" Suddenly the realization of everything hit her, and she had to resist the urge to vomit. She couldn't get sick in a dream, could she?

He noticed her distress and felt worse because of it. She was already worried about her plans, and he adds this to mull over. Legolas reached out and grasped her shoulders, pulling her into his arms for a hug. "We will prevail this night," he assured her. Somehow.

The elleth wrapped her arms about his waist in a tight grip. "I'm scared, Legolas. About everything. Please be careful tonight; you've been the best thing to happen to me all year."

Legolas laughed. "The year has just begun, Ithilwen. Do not be scared. I assure you that we will be fine, and you have been the best thing to happen to me this year as well. Our time here will be short, I am afraid. We must assist Rohan's men in preparing for battle."

"Send for the king. Open the gate!"

"Open up the gate!"

Nightfall had long approached the fortress, and for the rattled guards keeping a watch at the outermost edges of the keep, the sight of armored figures cloaked in hoods bearing bows in hand was the least likely thing they expected to see. The gates creaked open, allowing the newcomers passage. They marched in tandem in a rhythmic formation along the stone path. Some of the soldiers who had overheard their king's conversation with Aragorn felt a weight lift from their shoulders at the sight of the battle-ready elves.

Theoden was coming down a set of steps when he first saw the forerunner of the troops take the few steps forward to meet him. The man was dressed in silvery armor that gleamed in the moonlight, draped by a crimson cloak that offset his fair features. The elven commander bowed to the king as he came to a halt at the foot of the steps. "How is this possible?"

The commander rose and spoke eloquently. "I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together." He paused briefly, catching sight for the first time of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli since they had departed Lothlorien weeks before. Seeing the prince made the marchwarden think of the family he longed to see. "We come to honor that allegiance."

Aragorn wasted no time in greeting the elf. "Mae govannen, Haldir," he replied, pulling him into a hug that spoke volumes of their situation. Haldir, not expecting the gesture, had to suppress a laugh at the human's manner, and briefly returned the hug. "You are most welcome."

Legolas was more discreet in his greeting, something the marchwarden was more accustomed to. During their greeting, the elven troops turn around on the spot, bringing their bows to touch the ground in a resting position. Haldir turned back to face the king of Rohan. "We are proud to fight alongside Men once more."

The troops were then divided along the fortress walls. Haldir had sent some with Aragorn to position, while another section was being given direction by Gamling. Legolas and Gimli followed him a ways with the remainder.

"How is she?" Haldir asked, not being able to contain his inquiry any longer.

Legolas smiled, "She is doing well. I spoke to her earlier this day."

"Oh?"

"When this war is over, you will not have to worry about the mortal that was courting her."

"Was?" The trio made their way up another set of steps to the higher level. It was a peculiar conversation to be having right before a battle, but Haldir found that he did not care in the slightest.

"After this night, she will no longer be affiliated with the boy," the younger elf said, almost smugly, to which the marchwarden heard the dwarf laugh. "I also spoke to her of what is to come tonight."

"Is the lass scared?" Gimli asked, not having heard what transpired.

"On all accounts, yes," Legolas answered. "I assured her that everything would be fine, and I intend to keep my word."

Haldir clapped him on the shoulder. "See to it. I expect to hear more about your meetings when this is over," he told him before making his way down the line. Legolas and Gimli moved in the opposite direction.

"You sure about that?" Gimli asked, referring to what he had previously told Haldir.

Legolas sighed. "I have to be."

Ithilwen shifted uncomfortably in the plush seat. Out of the corners of her eyes she would catch the occasional curious look in her direction, which normally didn't bother her, but tonight… Tonight Payne had specifically told her that he was taking her out to dinner at a casual restaurant, and that there was no need to "dress for the Oscars". Yet, when he came to get her, he was dressed more formally than she was in a dark blazer and slacks with a lilac button-down shirt. She didn't think much of it until they arrived at the restaurant, an Italian place that was much classier than she expected. Ithilwen felt more out of place than ever, wearing a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved peasant blouse and flats. Payne called it 'hippie wear', but she liked the style.

"I thought you told me not to get dressed up," she mumbled across the table.

Payne looked up from the menu. "I did, but I thought that you would have dressed up more than this," he said, motioning to her state of dress, then to other women in the area. "Look at them, Ithilwen. They aren't dressed like a bunch of hippies."

He then proceeded to point out what made them special that night compared to herself. Ithilwen had to take breaths and count to ten to calm herself. It wasn't the first time that night that he had made her feel self conscious, and she was doing what she believed to be a decent job of keeping it together until he brought up her ears again.

"Excuse me?" Her last thread of patience had just snapped, and she was ready to tell him off for good.

"You heard me." Payne said, not looking at her, but at a raven-haired woman sitting by herself at the bar. "Or is it too difficult? I thought those big ears of yours could hear everything. Maybe if you'd get the damned things fixed you could hear me when I tell you something."

"I have had just about enough of this," she hissed, rather loudly, attracting the attention of nearby customers. "I have no intentions of getting corrective surgery, Payne. Perhaps it is you that needs the surgery to repair YOUR hearing."

Payne's attention turned swiftly on her then, eyes narrowing to slits. "Then I shall not be seen in public in the company of a freak like you!" he spat. "If you do not change you will remain a freak show Ithilwen! You will grow old and die alone because no one will want to be seen with you!" By now he had risen from his seat, tossing his napkin on the table. "And if by some rare chance that someone actually sleeps with you, your children will be just as freakish looking as you are!" With those harsh, parting words, Payne walked out of the restaurant and out of Ithilwen's life forever.

The rain was pounding down on the fortress and the inhabitants as hard as the thunder clapped in the sky. Metal clashed against metal. Arrows ripped through the air at untraceable speeds, and all around the body count for both parties continued to grow.

"Is this it? Is this all you can conjure, Saruman?" Theoden just had to utter the words. Had Ithilwen been there, she could have stopped him, having learned in the modern world to never question Murphy's Law. The term would be unfamiliar, but the theory of "anything that can go wrong, will" would be proven more than once that night.

Through the swarm of Uruk-hai came a single sprinter, sporting what appeared to be a boulder-sized bomb against his back with a lit torch, heading towards the small drain in the fortress wall. Those he passed cheered him on.

Aragorn was too far away to do any significant damage, but he shouted to Legolas, "Togo hon dad, Legolas!"

Legolas notched an arrow and shot at the Uruk, setting the arrow into his shoulder, but the beast kept running.

"Dago hon! Dago hon!"

He could hear Aragorn's shouts and prepared to fire again when he felt it. It was a strong wave of anxiety, and not his. Ithilwen. It had to be her. The pain intensified in his heart, and Legolas knew that something was wrong, but he could not stop to decipher the possibilities. He fired the second arrow, hitting the other shoulder. Unfortunately, the Uruk expended the last of his energy and threw himself into the drain, lighting the bomb at the same time.

The bomb went off, blowing chunks of the wall, Elves, Humans, and Uruk-hai all over the place. Aragorn was unable to escape the area before the blast, falling to the ground as well. Some Uruks were crushed by the large pieces of the wall that fell, but some continued to push through the mass of water, bodies, and rock to get past the breach. At the causeway, some Uruks were flung from their ascent up the wall, while others carried a large battering ram to bring down the gate.

Theoden's attention was turned away from the explosion to the large slams from the causeway. "Brace the gate!" he ordered.

Ithilwen was still sitting in the restaurant after Payne had made it quite clear that things were over, just when she was about to tell him the very same thing. She however, would have made it more comforting, but after considering the things he said to her, she would have been harsher if she had been given the chance. She heard the murmurs come from the nearby tables. A couple a few feet from her asked her if she was alright, having been given a front-row performance. The waiter had come shortly after Payne's departure, asking if she was ready to order, not knowing what had transpired.

She had to tell the man that she didn't have any money with her, and that she would give up the table to the next customers. The waiter seemed upset to learn of her predicament, but as she told the inquiring couple, she assured him that she would be fine. Ithilwen rose from the table with grace, even though she felt like she had no dignity left to spare, and walked away from the table as if she had not been publicly humiliated.

Over near the bar, Ithilwen found a quiet place to make her phone call. When Payne had left, he left her with no way home, and because he insisted that he pay, he made her leave her wallet at home; a move she was quickly regretting. She couldn't call a cab without money, much less without her ID if she needed it. Morwen was not at home; she'd said she was working late that night. That only left one option…

The phone rung twice before the voice answered, "Hello?"

"Fiona." Her voice had no emotion to it, and she hoped that the woman wouldn't ask questions.

Luckily for Ithilwen, she didn't. "Tell me where you are. I'll be there in ten."

When Fiona did get to the restaurant, she had stormed through the doors like a tornado looking for the boy that had been the cause of Ithilwen's emotionless call. Not finding him, she found her elven friend sitting at the far end of the bar, tearing a napkin into pieces. Fiona slowed down in her steps, not wanting to startle her, and took the time to study the elleth. Ithilwen was poised as if she had not been dumped, but it was the dullness in her eyes that scared the woman. She was known to be bright and cheerful, not this.

Ithilwen looked up to see Fiona standing by her side. "You came," she said.

"Yeah," Fiona smiled weakly. "Come on, let's get you home." She looped her arm through Ithilwen's as she was known to do, but this time it was more as a gesture of support for the elleth to lean on as they walked out of the restaurant.

When they got home, Ithilwen sat at the island as she had done earlier that day while Fiona set about making a dinner for her friend. It wasn't four-star cuisine, just simple chicken and dumplings from a pop top can heated on the stovetop, but it was a comfort food that Ithilwen enjoyed. Fiona had previously eaten, but still spooned some for herself after serving Ithilwen, and they sat at the island eating in silence.

After dinner, Fiona ushered Ithilwen into the den with a brownie sundae in her hands. Ithilwen made to protest, but didn't feel as if she had the energy to truly argue with Fiona. She already felt drained from earlier, and mentally considered the benefits of the sugar rush the sundae would provide. Her friend followed her shortly with her own bowl and sat with her on the couch, listening to the late night talk show on the flat screen.

Fiona knew not to press Ithilwen on the details of what happened. She wanted to ask, desperately wanted to ask, but knew that it would be fruitless unless the elleth willingly offered. It bothered her that Ithilwen didn't speak much, which meant that things hadn't gone according to plan, and that made her more curious. Ithilwen must have sensed her friend's anxiety, for she spoke up during one of the commercial breaks. "He said that he would not be seen in public with me anymore," she began. "Called me a freak and said that I would die alone. Kept telling me about how the other women in the restaurant looked better than me, too." Ithilwen laughed emotionlessly. "What is wrong with me, Fiona? To have put up with that for so long?"

"Nothing," Fiona didn't hesitate to answer. "You are a good person who gave an asshole more chances than he deserved. Don't let what he said keep you from doing anything. And you are not a freak. He's the freak that can't accept uniqueness for its value. Too bad he wasn't there when I got there, or I'd-"

"Don't bother," Ithilwen cut her off. "It doesn't matter anymore. Payne's gone. In a way I got rid of him," she added, trying to find the bright side to such an awful evening.

Fiona smiled. "Legolas and your dad will be pleased." She noticed the frown deepen considerably on Ithilwen's face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared for him, Fiona." Ithilwen stated. Then she remembered that she hadn't told Fiona about the dream from earlier. "They're in a battle right now," she explained. "Legolas told me that their troops are considerably smaller, and they don't know if reinforcements will reach them in time."

"How many?"

"Ten thousand Uruk-hai ."

"Oh my god." Fiona reached over and grasped Ithilwen's hand, trying to reassure her when she herself was frightened at the potential outcomes. Ithilwen squeezed her friend's hand in return, trying to remain brave, but she could not bring herself to go to sleep until late in the morning. Fiona would stay up to fill Morwen in on what occurred after she made sure that Ithilwen was tucked into bed.

"Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves? Is there no other way?" Aragorn was among the many barricading the doors to prevent the Uruk-hai from breaching their last means of defense.

Gamling replied gravely, "There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far the Uruk-Hai are too many."

The sound of the Uruks slamming into the gate once more echoed in the room. Aragorn pressed on, addressing the soldier, "Tell the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance!"

"So much death. What can Men do against such reckless hate?" Theoden was standing stock still, his voice showing no sign of strength that it once held from earlier. Aragorn whipped around to break the king from his trance.

"Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them."

"For death and glory," Theoden replied in the same monotone.

"For Rohan," the ranger continued. "For your people."

Gimli's voice cut through the noise, catching Aragorn's attention. "The sun is rising." Aragorn looked up to see sunlight filtering in through the window, remembering the words that Gandalf had told him.

"Yes," Theoden said, regaining some of his confidence. "Yes. The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the Deep on last time."

"Yes!" Gimli agreed, relieved to see the king return to his former self. As the gate continued to splinter by the attack of the battering ram, he took to a stairway to reach the giant horn positioned at the top.

The remaining soldiers in the vicinity sat astride their steeds, weapons at the ready. "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together," Theoden lifted his voice for all to hear. "Fell deeds, awake." The gate broke open a little more. "Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red dawn." The sound of the horn echoed throughout the area as the gate finally gave way. "Forth Eorlingas!" Theoden yelled.

Those atop the horses, including Aragorn and Legolas, rode out with the king to trample and slay the Uruk-hai that were foolish enough to breach the gate. The horses forced their way down the causeway and into the battlefield, ready to lead its riders to an uncertain death if need be.

The battle was just as intense as it was from the beginning. The race of Men and Elves fought with their remaining strength just to live to see the next sunrise; the Uruk-hai only having one goal, to kill everything in their path. It was in the middle of their last stand that Aragorn happened to look up to the eastern hills to catch the glimpse of a pure white horse rise up on it's hind legs. "Gandalf," he uttered.

Gandalf was not alone, it seemed, for the nephew of Theoden appeared beside the wizard. Theoden was next to notice the addition to the battlefield. "Eomer," he spoke in disbelief. He heard the distinct cry of "To the king!" being called out over the growls of the Uruk-hai before he saw the wave of Rohirrim riders come down the landscape. The Uruks at the closest point of impact braced themselves with spears at the ready, but the sunlight that shone down as they looked upon the new arrivals obstructed their view. The horses cleared the row of spears and trampled their holders, breaking into the battlefield to finish off the ones within reach with their swords.

"Stay out of the forest! Keep away from the trees!" Eomer cried out to his men. Those left standing watched in awe and fear alike as the remaining Uruk-hai fled to the forest. Shortly after the last had disappeared, the trees began to groan and move, taking control of the situation. The battle for Helms Deep was over.

Soldiers were stacking the bodies of the Uruk-hai in a pile to be burned. The wounded and slain soldiers were carefully brought inside to be taken care of respectively. Legolas, carrying his bow and looking smug, sauntered over to stand before Gimli, who was sitting atop an Uruk's back smoking his pipe.

"Final count, forty-two." He stated proudly, admiring his bow. He failed to see the marchwarden move up to observe the scene.

Gimli looked at Legolas surprised. "Forty-two? That's not bad for a pointy-eared Elvish princeling. I myself am sitting pretty on forty-three," he crowed, feeling that he had bested the elf at their killing competition. Haldir raised his brow at the exchange, choosing not to comment on the change he was witnessing since their last extended encounter in Lothlorien.

Not to be outdone, Legolas moved at swift speed, notching an arrow and firing it at the Uruk that Gimli was sitting on, hitting the open flesh just under the dwarf's thigh. Said dwarf removed his pipe from his lips and stared hard that the elf in shock.

"Forty-Three."

"He was already dead." Gimli reasoned.

"He was twitching." Legolas shot back.

"He was twitching because he's got my ax embedded in his nervous system!" Gimli roared back, and for added emphasis, jiggled the handle of his axe, causing the corpse beneath him to move involuntarily. That was enough for Haldir, who started to chuckle at the sight of the animated corpse, catching the attention of the bickering companions. "So it appears that the lass' father came out unscathed," Gimli commented, his greeting to the marchwarden.

"Not unscathed, Master Dwarf," he responded dryly. "It will not be this day that you spit upon my grave, son of Gloin," he added with a smirk, knowing that by now the dwarf had retracted his earlier insult. At Legolas' questioning look, he continued. "Minor injuries, save for this slash to my right shoulder blade. The healers have already tended to it."

Legolas didn't find it hard to go to sleep after the hellish night he and the others underwent, but he was surprised to find himself walking along the empty battlefield in his dreams. He figured that he would be too tired to dream, though he wouldn't complain. It was just the opportunity he needed to speak with Ithilwen and tell her that they were alright.

He found her standing in the open area with her back turned to him. She looked so out of place in the landscape wearing the long white gown that seemed to cloak her each time they met. She never understood why that was, as she had told him on one occasion that she wore clothes of a completely different style when she slept. Legolas thought it seemed odd that she seemed statuesque, and felt it best to call out to her before he approached her.

Ithilwen didn't move, save for the slightest turn of her head when he called her name, worrying the elf even more. She didn't speak, either; unusual for her since she liked to talk about the things that occurred that day. He remembered that she was going to terminate the relationship with the mortal boy. Could she be regretting her decision? Legolas hoped not. He reached out and gently touched her bare shoulder, turning her to face him. "Ithilwen?"

When Ithilwen turned and looked up at him, Legolas was taken aback. He had never seen her look so…fragile was the only word that came to mind. Her body was tense, but it was her eyes that frightened him. "What happened?" he asked softly.

It happened in a blur. The next thing that Legolas knew, Ithilwen had thrown her arms about his middle, and her small frame was shaking uncontrollably. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her, only just then registering that she was crying. No, this was not crying, this was sobbing, and it was breaking his heart to hear. Legolas tightened his grip on the elleth and brought the two of them down into a sitting position on the ground. He lifted her up to rest across his lap to keep from dirtying her gown, rubbing circles into her back and muttering anything that he could think of to calm her down.

Ithilwen had moved her arms from around his waist to his shoulders, and she clung to him for all she had. She hated that he was seeing her lose control like this, but she couldn't help it. The dam had broken and everything had bubbled up and over the surface – Payne, Haldir, Legolas, the war – it had built up and built up until her heart could not bear it any longer. She vaguely heard Legolas speak to her, but she wasn't sure of what he said, much less if he even knew. Fiona had stayed up with her that night because she was too scared to go to sleep, only being pushed to her room when it was discovered that she was dozing off during an episode of Fraiser. She was fast asleep when Morwen came home and would not face the motherly wrath in her defense until morning. All night she had kept replaying the things that Payne had said over the course of their time together, coupled with the uncertainty of what Legolas must have been dealing with. She was honestly surprised that she lasted this long before breaking down.

Legolas continued to hold her against him even when her shoulders stopped shaking so fiercely, hearing her sobs turn to sniffles and the occasional hiccup. "Ithilwen," he began finally, scared of setting her tears off again, "What has happened?" He didn't have many occurrences of dealing with crying elleths apart from his sister, but he never recalled her going to pieces like Ithilwen had moments ago.

Ithilwen lifted her head to finally look at Legolas, doing her best to give a watery smile as he brushed away the remaining tears on her cheeks with his thumb. "It's over," she said shakily. "Payne and I are no longer seeing each other."

"I thought that was what you wished," he commented, confused.

She laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah, I did." She sniffled again. "I just didn't get the chance to bring it up." At his confused look, Ithilwen launched into the briefest explanation that she felt that she could give him right then. A lot of what Payne had said was omitted, because she couldn't bear to repeat it out loud. Another part of her could not bring herself to tell him everything because of its content, and after being in such a rough battle, she didn't want to add further stress.

Legolas listened carefully, noticing that she wasn't giving all of the details. He decided not to question her about it for the time being; if whatever he said had caused her that level of upset, he wanted to be in the same world as the boy when he found out. "I am truly sorry, Ithilwen. I wish that I could be there for you more than this; it hurts me to see how upset this has made you."

"It's fine," Ithilwen tried to assure him. "I'm glad that I've got you here. That's all that I can ask for right now."

"Just know that if I happen to see this boy, he will answer to me for the disrespect that he has shown you," Legolas stated with finality.

The elleth perched in his lap smiled more genuinely that time. "I still do not want you to get in trouble. He isn't worth it."

"Ithilwen, I have killed forty three Uruk-hai this night in ways you can't begin to imagine with some. Let me assure you that if I can get my hands on him, his outcome would be nothing more than an 'unfortunate accident'." Legolas grinned wickedly, making Ithilwen laugh in delight. He knew that she was still upset, but he was determined to say or do anything that would return her to the elleth that he had first met in Moria's landscape.

A/N: Long chapter, that. This was written over the span of a few days, a few sections at a time. I probably should have broken this up in two, but I couldn't decide on where to break it, so you get a long-ass chapter! Lol Hopefully the switching back and forth didn't get too confusing, but I wanted to show that both the battle and the breakup were occurring at roughly the same time. It's been a hard night for everybody. Probably not the way you expected it to go with Ithilwen and Payne, but since it was established that she intended to break up with him, I thought the twist would shake things up. Next chapter: the aftermath of the battle of Helm's Deep and Ithilwen's emotional state; also known as 'Tolkien would haunt me if he knew what I was doing to his story'.

By the way, if you guys have any suggestions for the story, you're more than welcome to pitch them! I've got the outline sorted out, but inspiration is always a good thing!