this will be the last chapter before I switch over to book three.

Legolas sighed. He had been sitting by Tirnel's bedside for two hours, after Aragorn had finished cleaning and binding her wounds. Gandalf stood at the window of the room, looking out over Rohan's fields as the sun set. Aragorn had just left the room when a serving woman had popped her head in to say that his water had boiled. He now returned with a mug of tea, steeped heavily with healing herbs.

"Help me, Las," Aragorn muttered. Legolas sat on the edge of Tirnel's bed, placing his arms under her to lift her into a sitting position. Aragorn supported her head as he held the cup to her lips, and gently tipped it.

The tea was hot, and Tirnel's eyes flickered as she drank it. After a moment, she raised a hand and tipped the cup back.

"Thank you," she said thinly. Her voice was still rough, both from screaming and dehydration. Aragorn set the cup on a side table, then helped Legolas ease her back onto her pillows.

"How are you feeling?" Legolas asked gently, gripping one of her hands.

She gave him a wry smile. "Just fine. I've been kidnapped and tortured for a week. Why should I be anything but perfect?"

"Tirnel." Gandalf approached from where he stood at the window. She gasped, shock and relief playing across her face.

"Mithrandir! They said you'd fallen, then…" she stopped, frowning. "Weren't you in Isengard?"

Gandalf frowned. So did Aragorn and Legolas. "No, I was not," Gandalf answered. "Why would think that?"

"I…" Tirnel rubbed her head with her free hand. "I'm not sure. I seem to remember you standing over me, asking me my name. I told you, but you already knew. You asked me who I was, but… you knew that too."

Gandalf swooped down on her, eyes blazing. "Did you tell him anything of the Ring? Did you tell him of Frodo and Sam?"

Tirnel flinched, gasping in pain. Legolas glared at Gandalf. "Mithrandir, she needs to be resting!"

"That was Saruman you spoke to, Tirnel! You need to tell me what you said to him!" Gandalf said, ignoring Legolas.

"I...I was delirious with fever!" Tirnel protested, shrinking back into her pillows. "And I told him nothing beyond my name and lineage! I told him nothing of the Ring, but that I had seen it."

"Why in the world did you tell him that?" Gandalf snapped.

"Because it was the only way for me to survive!" Tirnel snarled. Gandalf drew back, shocked. "If I had not done what I did, I would have taken the path of Celebrian! Then, perhaps I would have told of the Ring. I think, considering what has happened, that we were very lucky!" She gasped again in pain as she tried to sit up straighter, her legs throbbing with each movement. "Did you not tell him of the false Ring?" she added to Legolas and Aragorn.

"No, we did not. We have been rather busy ourselves," Aragorn said dryly. "Considering we just came through a deadly and hard-won battle."

"What do you mean, 'false Ring'?" Gandalf asked. He seemed to be feeling a little calmer, and stepped back from Tirnel.

"Before I left Lothlorien with the Fellowship, Lady Galadriel had a false Ring made. She enchanted it to draw in whoever saw it, unless they knew that it was false. All of the Fellowship were present for its enchantment, so none of them were tempted to take it." Tirnel winced and shifted, then took the cup from the side table. She paused to take a sip of the tea, then set it back on the table. "When I was captured, I used it to bargain for my life. Saruman took it, thinking it to be the true Ring. When he threw it into flames, to see if it was the real Ring, it melted. He immediately took… revenge." She glared darkly at her bloodstained bandages.

No one spoke for a moment, then Legolas said, "You see, Mithrandir, we delayed him with this strategy. He wasted time, believing that he possessed the One Ring. Now, he is further away from taking the Ring than he would have been, had Tirnel not given the false Ring."

"I do see," Gandalf replied. "Forgive me, Tirnel, for acting rashly. As Aragorn has said, we just came through a hard battle."

"I did hear an army above me, while I was in Isengard's dungeons. Who have we lost?" Tirnel asked. "Where is Gimli? And did you find the hobbits?"

"Gimli is in the main hall, celebrating, and the hobbits are with him," Legolas said, dreading the moment when he would have to tell of Haldir's death. "They are all well, but…"

"But what?" Tirnel asked, growing nervous. "Who did we lose?" Legolas did not look at her. "Aragorn, who did we lose?" Tirnel asked, more insistently this time.

Aragorn winced, then sighed. "Tirnel...maybe we should not say. You need to rest."

"Tell me. Or I will get up, find my sword, and take your head," Tirnel snarled.

"Tirnel, we… we lost Haldir," Legolas said finally.

"What?" Tirnel whispered. The blood had left her face rapidly, making her look like a ghost. "How? This was a battle of Rohan, not of Lothlórien! How did Haldir - How could he be there?" Her voice was breaking, eyes filling as she remembered the Marchwarden's rare smile and prowess in battle.

"A contingent of elves from Rivendell and Lothlorien came to aid Rohan's people at Helm's Deep," Aragorn said. "Haldir was leading them. We pulled back to the keep, but… I was not quick enough to reach him. Uirwen is Marchwarden now. She sends greetings."

Tirnel swiped a hand across her eyes. The room fell silent as she tried not to fall apart. Legolas placed his arm around her shoulders, sensing her grief flowing through their connection. "How many?" Tirnel asked suddenly. "How many elves?"

Aragorn winced again. "At least a hundred," he muttered.

Tirnel paled further. Legolas glared at Aragorn, then said rather pointedly, "Aragorn, I believe Théoden King was looking for you earlier." Aragorn frowned, but got the message and stood.

To Tirnel, he said, "I will change your bandages tomorrow morning." She nodded, and Aragorn turned to Gandalf. "Care to join me?"

Gandalf nodded, then turned to Tirnel. "My dear, I am sorry for losing my temper. I hope you will feel better when morning comes." He left with Aragorn, shutting the door softly behind them.

Once the door was shut, Tirnel allowed tears to fall. Legolas noticed this, and tightened his arm around her shoulders.

"Do you remember when we left Lothlórien?" she asked softly. "There were two elves on the shore of the river. One ellon, one elleth. Was the ellon among the dead?"

Relieved that he could give her some good news, Legolas replied "No. He was not among the dead, nor was he among the living, that I could see. I suppose he and his wife departed to Valinor shortly after you left Lothlórien."

She exhaled. "Good." They sat in silence for a few minutes more, then Tirnel let her head fall back. "Las, you should join the merry-making. I am sure you were instrumental in this battle, and the men of Rohan will be eager to thank you."

"Are you going to be alright?" Legolas asked, feeling less than comfortable with leaving Tirnel alone in such a vulnerable state.

"I will be fine. Go and rejoice. You have me back, and that deserves celebration," she said, winking at him.

He smiled, then kissed her forehead. "Fine. I will check on you in the morning, and perhaps sometime this night. Shall I keep others from entering? Gimli would have been happy to know that you are alright."

"Ooh, Gimli! I forgot about him. Will you bring him in before I go to sleep?" she asked, shifting to sit up straighter and wincing.

"Of course. I will also bring the hobbits, if you would like." Legolas had his hand on the door, but it opened before he could pull on the handle.

Two heads of curly brown hair poked through the door, followed by the anxious face of two smiled and beckoned them forth. "Oh, Tirnel!" Pippin cried. "We were so worried! You never came back, and we saw all those orcs chasing you, and Treebeard was taking us to see Saruman, but it wasn't him-,"

"I can see I was missed much," Tirnel said amusedly.

"What happened after the orcs chased you?" Merry asked, sitting on the edge of the chair by Tirnel's bedside. It was big enough to allow Pippin to climb up beside him.

"I had killed all but two of those orcs," Tirnel began, grinning as she took on the air of a seasoned storyteller. "And I only had my two little knives, remember? So, I was standing in a pile of my enemies, only two left to challenge me, when I felt a terrible blow on the back of my head. I fell and I can't remember anything else for a while." Both hobbits were gazing at her in wonder. "When I came to, I was bound beside a fire, over which two orcs and a man were roasting- can you guess?"

"Deer?" Merry asked.

"Your legs?" Pippin said.

"Part of a human?" Legolas asked, sitting on the foot of Tirnel's bed.

"How could it have been my legs, Pip? Yes, Legolas: It was an arm, and they offered me a finger, once they saw that I had awoken. You know, looking back, I should have eaten it. They didn't offer me anything else," Tirnel mused.

"What?" Legolas said, giving a start. "They starved you?"

"Yes," Tirnel replied airily. "I suppose it was a tactic of interrogation. Didn't work, though."

"I'm getting you food at once." He stood quickly and left the room.

Tirnel shrugged. "So, I refused the finger and went back to sleep, after stealing a waterskin."

"But how?" Pippin asked. "You said you were bound!"

"And I was! I'm glad you're listening," Tirnel said. "They threw one close to me, to taunt me. After they had put out the fire, I bit into it and drained it. The next morning, I was rather rudely awoken with a foot in my ribs. One of the orcs' doing, of course. He was about to kill me, but the other orc and the man woke up."

Legolas returned, a tray of food in his hands. He set it on Tirnel's bedside table, then chivied the hobbits out of their chair. "Come on, you two. She needs to eat."

"But things were just picking up!" Pippin protested.

"She'll tell you later, after some food. Go back in the hall and pester Gandalf for some fireworks, why don't you?"

"Oh, fine," Merry grumbled. "Come on, Pip. Let's go show these men how we celebrate in the Shire."

They left the room, and Legolas took their chair. "Thank you, Legolas," Tirnel said, starting to eat as though she had not for weeks, which was quite true.

"Happy to help." He leaned forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What did happen, after you left the hobbits?"

She shrugged. "Captured. Starved and dehydrated. Beaten a few times, but never like Celebrian. I tried to escape once, but I got caught. Taken to Isengard, put in the dungeon, tortured. You know the rest." She fell silent and continued to eat as Legolas thought over all she had said and considered what she had left out.

Finally, he spoke. "Well, you will be happy to know that I have retained all your weapons. I also have your cloak and boots."

Tirnel grinned. "Really? Thanks! Where did you find them?"

"I found Variele on Amon Hen, along with your scarf." Legolas untied the scarf from around his wrist and placed it on her bed covers. "Your knives were buried in leaves, but I found them. Gandalf found your small knives and your cloak in the clearing where you were recaptured, and your boots were in Saruman's study."

She laughed. "It seems that bits of me are scattered all over!"

Legolas grinned. "Yes, they were. But now you are all here, and I hope you don't leave before you're all healed."

"I won't, but why are you closeting yourself in here with me? Go have fun!" she told him. "I know that's a foreign concept to you, but do try to enjoy yourself."

After a few more minutes of prodding, Legolas stood and left. Tirnel finished her food, then settled back into her pillows with the cup of tea. It was still warm, and Tirnel finished it before it went cool. She reached down to the floor beside her bed and discovered Variele. She admired it for a moment in the candlelight, then set in on the chair, blowing out the candle just before she fell asleep.

In the main hall, Legolas was waylaid by Gimli and Éomer. They pulled him over to where a barrel sat, on an X of wood. A crate of mugs sat on the table where Gimli took a seat. The hall was throbbing with noise and smoke, the men laughing and yelling like children.

Éomer filled two mugs and handed them to Legolas and Gimli. "No quarters, and no spills."

"And no regurgitations!" Gimli added, taking his mug with relish.

"So…" Legolas said, taking his own mug with some trepidation. "It's a drinking game?" The men around him laughed and raised their mugs, answering him with their ruddy faces.

"Last one standing wins!" Gimli said with a wolfish laugh. Legolas sniffed his mug cautiously. The liquid smelled like it was several years past the point where it had been ingestible.

Gimli raised his mug and began to drink. "Let's drink to victory!" one man behind Legolas yelled, which was met with several more yells. The elf lifted the mug to his lips, muttered a quick prayer to the Valar, and drank.

Across the hall, Éowyn was approaching Aragorn with a cup of wine. She smiled shyly and offered it to him, stuttering out some Sindarin. He took the cup from her and drank wordlessly, then bowed to her and melted into the crowd. Théoden took his place.

"I am happy for you," the king said. "He is an honorable man."

"You are both honorable men," she replied.

"It was not Théoden of Rohan who led our people to victory," he muttered. Éowyn looked earnestly into her uncle's face, but he smiled gently. "Ah, don't listen to me," he said. "You are young, and tonight is for you."

Gimli was finishing off one of his numerous ales. He had quite a pile built before him, mugs stacked every which way. Legolas drained his own and passed it to a man nearby, who set it in Legolas's pile. The mugs on his side of the table were in neat rows, and the elf looked disapproving as Gimli stood to flatulate loudly.

"Ah yes, it's the dwarves that go swimming with little hairy women!" Gimli slurred, swaying gently on his stool. He gave another wolfish chuckle and a loud belch before burying his face in a mug.

Legolas frowned. "I...feel something," he said, raising one of his hands. Éomer looked over, eyes widening "A kind of tingling in my fingers." The elf looked up, slightly panicked. "I think it's affecting me!"

"Aha," Gimli said, leaning over the table. "Wha' did I say? He can't hol' his liquor!" The dwarf's eyes drifted inwards to his nose, and he fell off of his barrel.

Glancing over the table, Legolas set down his last mug. "Game over," he said calmly.

Merry and Pippin saw none of this, as they were dancing a jig on a table several yards away. "Oh, you can search far and wide, you can drink the whole town dry, but you'll never find a beer so brown, oh you'll never find a beer so brown as the one they drink in my hometown. The only brew for the brave and true comes from the Green Dragon!" The hobbits clunked their mugs together and drank, the men around them cheering. "Thank you!" Pippin called. "I win!"

The men slept on the floor of the hall that night, mostly too drunk or too thankful to have survived to leave. Tirnel's room was close to the hall, and Legolas had placed his bedroll on the floor there. Tirnel was asleep, so Legolas put on his cloak, hood up, and took a walk around the hall's outer ledge. Upon reaching the place where he had first seen Eowyn, he stopped and closed his eyes, breathing the sharp, cold air from the night around him. He heard the quiet footsteps behind him and recognized Aragorn's breathing as the man joined him. "The stars are veiled."

Back inside the hall, Pippin could not sleep. When Legolas had sprinted up into the tower to retrieve Tirnel, he had jarred the spiked wheel that held Saruman, and the fiery orb (now dark) that the wizard had been holding fell out of his sleeve and into the water. Pippin had slipped off Aragorn's horse and picked the thing up. It was very heavy, and even as he tried to get a good look at it, Gandalf and Legolas reappeared, the latter holding Tirnel carefully in his arms. She'd looked a real mess, but had looked better when he had looked in on her.

Now, he crept over to where Gandalf slept at the head of the hall. He gasped as his stomach leapt to the ceiling: Gandalf's eyes were wide open. Dead? Awake? No, he was asleep, but with his eyes open as if he were an elf.

"Pip, what d'you think you're doing?" Merry had woken up, and was sitting up, bleary and confused.

"I just wanted to look at it." Pippin picked up the water pitcher from beside Gandalf, and carefully slipped it into the wizard's arms as he removed the orb. "Just one more time." He sat back on his heels and held the orb before him.

Outside, Legolas frowned. "Something stirs in the east. A sleepless malice." A heavy dread settled on his heart as he realised what was happening. "The Eye of the enemy is moving. He is here! Something is happening in the hall!: He took off at a sprint, hearing Merry crying out in fear or horror.

He burst into the hall with Aragorn beside him and found Pippin writhing on the floor, hands locked onto a wheel of fire and making strangled noises of pain. "Gandalf, help!" Merry cried, clutching his friend's shoulders. Aragorn leapt forward and seized the orb, grunting in pain as it latched on. Gandalf sprung to his feet as Aragorn crumpled to the floor, the orb bouncing out of his hands and rolling across the floor. The wizard grabbed a blanket and tossed it over the orb, concealing it.

"Fool of a Took!" he roared, rounding on Pippin. The hobbit was curled on the ground, unmoving. Gandalf knelt beside him and passed a hand over his face, muttering "Come back to us, Peregrin." Aragorn pushed himself up onto an elbow, Legolas crouching beside him.

Pippin gasped and clutched Gandalf's hand, terror in his face. "Look at me," Gandalf commanded gently.

"Gandalf…" Pippin whispered. "Forgive me!"

He tried to pull away, but Gandalf held him stil. "Look at me!" Legolas heard a noise from behind him and saw that Tirnel had limped into the room, wincing and leaning on the doorframe. "What did you see?" the wizard asked.

Pippin closed his eyes. "A tree...there was a white tree in a courtyard of stone...it was dead. The city was burning."

"Minas Tirith?" Gandalf asked.

"I saw…" Pippin paused, still gasping for air. "I saw him! I could hear his voice in my head…"

"What did you tell him?" Gandalf hissed, squeezing Pippin's fingers as if they were a lifeline. "Speak!"

"He asked me my name. I didn't answer," Pippin whispered. "I didn't answer. He...hurt me…"

"What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?" Gandalf asked, now more angrily than ever. Pippin gasped at him for a moment more.

"Nothing...I couldn't say anything...He...he said to me, he said: "Wait a moment! We shall meet again soon. Tell Saruman that this dainty is not for him. I will send for it at once. Do you understand? Say just that!"

Gandalf sat back on his heels. "Well, we cannot know the full damage of this exchange until later. Aragorn, if you can, please make Peregrin something for sleep. Tirnel, my dear, go back to your room; you should not have come. Legolas, help her. All the rest of you," for the men of Rohan asleep in the hall had watched this in fear and wonder, "back to sleep."

Tirnel started back to her room, and Legolas joined her after helping Aragorn to his feet. He took her arm and slung it around her shoulders, taking weight off her legs, and once at her room, he picked her up and put her on her bed. "Thank you, Las," she said. "What will happen to Pippin?"

"He will be fine, but I do not envy a brush with Sauron and angering Gandalf: bad encounters with two Maiar, minutes apart!" Legolas hook his head and lay down. "Get some rest, Tirnel. I will see to it that Aragorn changes your bandages in the morning."

The two elves slept, the cold night air filling their dreams with frozen stars and icy rivers.

that was a nice chapter.