Chapter 42.

I am surrounded by a bunch of Italians! Which is completely cool. Even though my abilitly to speek with them is minimum (I'm more of a french speaker), they still make me smile with their passion for their country. They all started singing Dean Martin's 'That's Amore' last night at dinner, and I couldn't stop laughing!

Our table is full of pretty much the only Americans here. So, we're the cool nerds who have no idea what's going on. Ever.

And I got sunburnt in the Virgin Islands. On the nose, of all places. Call me Rudolph.

I don't own Lord of the Rings.

(Kristy)

Sophie's breathing finally settleld, and I let out a tired sigh. It had taken her forever to fall asleep, and I was nearly gone, myself. It had been a long day, with the funeral. It was an especially hard day on the fellowship. I think that today was the day that they all finally said goodbye to our fallen friend.

Everyone except for Sophie and James.

Those two... I don't know if they'll ever get over it.

Leaving Sophie to the peace and quiet of her dreams, I slipped out of the room and made my way down the dark halls of Meduseld. It was different, now that Grima was gone. Overall, it just felt a lot safer.

It'd feel better if the prince was here to see it. It makes me wonder what this place was like before Grima Wormtongue.

Probably beautiful...

Well... In any case, there's one thing that I know for sure, and that's that I'm not going to get any sleep, tonight. We're leaving for Helms Deep first thing in the morning, and I've got a lot of packing to do. All of my things were brought to Meduseld after the arrival the fellowship, and it looks like I'll be moving once more.

Goodness... I'm going to have to pack for Sophie, too... Poor girl's too lazy to pack her own junk, and all of her good clothes are back in Rivendell.

I'd better get started, I suppose. There's only so much time in the night.

I had hardly been in my room for two minutes when there was a knock at my door.

Interesting... It's probably just Sophie, again. Poor girl's been having nightmares. Something about balrogs and trolls. Heck, I'm just glad that I didn't live through any of that junk. Rohan had its drama, but I was always safe.

My heart stopped when I found Legolas standing outside my room. We hadn't really spoken since he got here... I don't think we know what to say, really.

Yet here he was, a friendly smile on his lips.

"Legolas!" I exclaimed, more than taken aback. "What are you doing here?" Not that I was complaining...

"I could not sleep." He gave me the elf-shrug, which was more like a head tilt than shrugging. "I saw you walk by, and decided..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Really, I just wanted to speak with you. It has been quite some time since we last saw each other, and much has happened... Are you alright?"

Ha... Funny. I'm still trying to figure that out for myself.

"I am alright, considering the circumstances." I've only had two dear friends die within the week. No biggie.

Legolas eyed me, not quite believing my words. "Are you sure?"

"No, but it is always better to be optimistic, is it not?" I sighed, tossing two travel bags onto my bed. We were silent as I sifted through my things, throwing them left to right as I tried my best to avoid eye contact with the handsome elf beside me. Finally, I took the time to look up at him, and, seeing him staring at me, I gave him a small smile. "It is good to see you again, Legolas..."

He nodded with a grin of his own. "I am glad to see you alive and well. I must admit that I was worried when Sophie told me of your possible moving to this place. Now, I am even more distressed. I fear that Theoden is walking into a trap by moving his people..."

I wouldn't bet on it. "You'd be surprised to hear all of the stories they have about this place, Legolas. Helms Deep is supposedly inpenetrable. I will feel safe within its walls."

Legolas let out a sigh. "Let us hope that you are right..."

Oh, I'm sure we'll be fine. They don't have hundreds of tapestries dedicated to Helms Deep for nothing!

"Soo..." I began, not quite sure how to word it. "You and James? How is that whole issue?" He's here, and James hasn't burst in yelling. Yet...

Fortunately, I got a smile. "It has all been resolved. Although, we have not talked in several days... He has been rather quiet, ever since Collin fell. I believe that he blames himself..."

Oh, James... "He does. I just wish that there was a way to convince him otherwise. Sophie is even worse off... Those two had something special, that's for sure... I think that he was in love with her... Err... Don't tell Boromir that." Just thinking about Collin made me want to cry.

I had to be strong, though. For James and Sophie.

"He died to save Boromir, you know..."

"You were there?" Why did no one stop it, if everyone was there?

He nodded. "Aragorn, Gimli and I arrived after he had been hit. Even then, he could not stop joking."

Oh, Collin. I couldn't expect any less.

"His dying wish was for Boromir to marry Sophie, and for him to take good care of her." Legolas continued. "He forced us to leave him... You should have seen the look in his eyes when Boromir had to drag Sophie away..."

Please don't tell me this... "Collin was a brave man."

It was silent once more as I began to angrily toss all of my clothes away.

Legolas watched me curiously, until he finally decided to question my motives. "I expect you are trying to pack... Yet none of the clothes are making it into the bag? What is it you are doing, exactly?"

Sigh... "I'm trying to find clothes that fit Sophie, but the darn woman has to be as short as a hobbit!" Honestly, she could at least try to grow! My 5'6 height cannot match her petite frame.

Legolas laughed and took the bags away from me. "Kristy, you must relax..."

"I am relaxed!" I just can't find clothes for my stinking friend! Poor girl looks like she's been wearing the same clothes for weeks. She probably left all of her things when they had to chase after the hobbits. The entire fellowship is in desperate need of a bath.

Except for Legolas, who looked as though he'd already had one. Good old elves. They can't stand to be dirty.

"You do know that it is fine to grieve, don't you?" Legolas moved next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Crying was for yesterday..." I sighed, finally deciding upon a nice dress for Sophie. "I'm alright, now."

"Really?"

"Yes, really!" I laughed. "Collin and Theodred would not want me to sad, so I won't be. I'm sorry, Legolas, but don't you have anything better to do, asides from wasting your time with a stressed out stick in the mud like me?"

"So you are stressed out!"

Oh, my goodness... I rolled my eyes and turned back to my packing.

Legolas laughed, surprisingly peppy for it being so late. "I am only joking, Kristy. But no. I do not have anything to do; I am glad to see you. Of course, I will leave if that would please you."

"No, no. I suppose I'll need some company. It's not like you sleep much, anyways. So, since you're already here..." I tossed him a dress with a smile. "Hem that to fit Sophie."

"What makes you think I can sew?"

Oh, whatever. "You're an elf. Figure it out."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "As you wish, milady."

.

"Sophie..."

"Mmyess?"

"... What are you doing?" I eyed her as she fiddled with Collin's old camera, looking far too focused and determined than I would like.

Determination in a depressed Sophie is a dangerous thing.

She sighed, her eyebrows furrowed, and her lips pursed in a frustrated pout. "Collin put this sucker on child lock so the hobbits wouldn't erase any of his stuff. I'm trying to figure it out..." She poked at a button, and her face lit up.

Well, it lit up as much as it could, considering.

"Aha!" Sophie stared the camera down triumphantly. "Got it!"

I smiled, happy to see her doing something other than sulking. Then again, she could be breaking into the camera to watch videos of Collin, which would just make her even more depressed...

"Watching old videos, eh?"

"Nope!" She shook her head. "I am carrying on Collin's legacy."

My expression was blank as I simply stared at her. "You're what?"

"She's continuing in Collin's footsteps." Boromir shrugged from his spot at Sophie's side. "She intends on filming anything and everything. I think that it is a great idea."

Heh... Obviously, you haven't lived with Collin when he had that camera in his hands.

"Thanks, by the way." Sophie smiled up at me. "For taking care of me. You even hemmed your dresses for me! Great job, too."

"Uh... Actually, Legolas hemmed them."

"Oh..." Sophie lifted her skirt a bit and twirled it around. "Mum loved men who could sew... Nice work!"

Legolas bowed gratefully. "Thank you!"

"I can sew!" Boromir admitted, quite loudly.

Sophie just rolled her eyes and shook her head, the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. I'm sure she would have smiled under normal circumstances, but I believe that she was at the point where being happy just makes her want to cry again.

It's an odd state of depression, but it happens to the best of us.

You know, I like this. Yesterday we were all teary-eyed and quiet, today we're actually having a chill conversation. Collin's smiling down at us right now, I just know it.

When Sophie began to film, though, I could've sworn that he was right there with us.

"Say hellloooo!" Sophie cooed in a fake happy voice as she shoved the camera into Boromir's face.. Still, it was better than sad.

"Uhh... Hello?" He waved, rather uncomfortably, and gave the camera a tiny smile.

Then, much to my despair, Sophie turned the camera on me.

"Hey, future self. Listen, Sophie, why don't you go see if Gimli has any funny stories to tell? I'm sure that he's far more entertaining than us..."

She seemed to ponder this for a moment, but she quickly nodded. "You're right!" She proceeded to run off to endure the long hours of dwarf storytelling.

Boromir smiled as she went, shaking his head in admiration. "It seems as though she will get better, after all."

Hopefully. She won't be getting any better if she keeps crying herself to sleep every night... Then again, momma always said that crying was the best medicine, whenever I was sad. It was true. There's something refreshing about crying until your tears are spent... Almost like the feeling of a new beginning.

"I fear that she will never be the same..." Legolas sighed.

"I don't think that anyone's gone through this life without being touched by Collin." I laughed, knowing that it was true. "Perhaps we should have sent him off to Mordor alone? Sauron would have gotten a kick out of him."

(Sophie)

"So, does your wife have a beard?" Do women dwarves have boobs, too? What about rough, scruffy voices? Ohh the questions I could ask...

Gimli scoffed at me, looking mighty proud atop his high horse. "Nonsense, Sophie! You know that I don't have a wife!"

"Oh, but you're far too charming to be single, Gimli!" Eowyn laughed, causing the poor dwarf to blush underneath his thick beard.

"Well, milady..." He mumbled, suddenly shy under the gaze of the lovely Eowyn. He clicked his heels nervously.

Bad idea.

His horse took off, tossing him right to the ground.

Huh...

Bored with the current subject, I ran off to find another subject, desperate to keep my mind busy.

Filming things was a way to keep Collin alive, in a way... It's how I felt closest to him. Only, I don't quite know what to film...

What would interest Collin?

Everything... Bloody man couldn't keep his head on straight...

Oh, goodness. Don't cry now, Sophie. Think, think...

Theoden King, perhaps? He's a hot topic, these days.

I fell back to where he and Aragorn were riding, eager to speak with this man for the first time since he's gotten sick. When I met him, he was a little off. Far better off than he was near the end, though. Far, far better off. I wonder if he remembers me?

"Up!" I clapped my hands together, getting Aragorn's attention. Fortunately, the man understood my childish antics and lifted me onto his horse, behind him.

"Good afternoon, Sophie." My friend gave me a small smile from over his shoulder. "How are you doing?"

Really, he was asking, 'how are you coping with the death of your best friend?' Well, sir. It sucks. It's like half of me is gone, now. Thanks for asking!

"Fine, I suppose." Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Where does that expression even come from? A more creative time, I suppose...

"How are you, Aragorn?"

He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"I am well."

Looks like we're both liars.

"And you, King Theoden?" I asked, studying the king curiously. He must've been handsome, in his youth. Now, he was old with weariness and stress.

The king chuckled, his eyes looking straight ahead. "I believe that we all could be doing better. We all could use some acting skills, as well." He then turned to give me a small smile.

I like this man.

"I remember you, Miss Sophie." Theoden continued. "Always lighting up my household with your odd ways. You and your friend Collin definitely brought much needed joy to Meduseld." He sighed. "Yes, I remember you... It is a shame, what has happened these past few years. I hope that I will be a good host, from now on."

I gave the old king a smile; my first genuine smile in a while. "I'm glad you're back, milord."

"I am glad to be back." He sighed. "I only wish that I had never left..."

"Wargs!" One of the scouts came sprinting down the hill ahead, shouting at the top of his lungs. "We're under attack!"

Aragorn had tossed me off of his horse faster than I could think.

"Get to Helms Deep!" He shouted at me before bolting up the hill.

Crap crap crap.

Turning back to find Eowyn, I shouted one final thing to my dear friend. "If you die, Aragorn, I'll kill you!"

(Kristy)

"I'm gonna kill him!" Sophie broke down the second Legolas showed her the Evenstar necklace.

She had her face stuffed into Boromir's chest as he stroked her hair, looking stone-faced and deep in thought. Gimli sat haunched over nearby, practically polishing his helmet with hidden tears. James stared blankly at the ground, too numb to think. Legolas stood by his friends, looking equally as depressed. As for Eowyn...

Well... She ran off. I don't know what's gotten into her, really...

Either way, no one was well off.

Aragorn was the rock of this odd little family of ours. It's going to be hard to recover after these past two weeks...

"Who do we turn to, now?" I sighed, looking up to the sky.

"We turn to no one." King Theoden declared, having overheard me. "No one person can save us. We must rely on our own strengths to keep ourselves alive." The old king looked about his stronghold proudly. "Consider yourselves fortunate to have come this far. You will be safe within the mighty Helms Deep. These walls shall not fall. It is impossible."

"That's what they said about the Titanic..." Sophie sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Theoden eyed our little friend curiously. "What is the Titanic?"

"It was a boat." She shrugged. "They said that it was unsinkable. It sank on its maiden voyage, killing more of its passengers than we like to remember." In all reality, she probably forgot the exact total of deaths. What do you expect after seven years away from such information? She's probably forgotten how to play the piano, too... That's a sad thought.

"While I am sorry to hear of such a tragic event," Theoden gave Sophie a nod of understanding. "We must keep hope. For if we do not then who will?"

He can pretend as much as he wants. The look in his eyes revealed his worry, too.

Just then, a miracle happened.

One of Theoden's soldiers ran to the edge of the wall and looked down upon our small group. "My lord!" He shouted, gaining Theoden's attention. "It's Lord Aragorn!"

Sophie rolled her eyes and sniffled. "We know, we know! He's dead, alright?" More tears flooded to her eyes and she quickly rubbed them away.

The soldier shook his head, waving his arms wildly. "No, no, milady! He's alive!"

"No, no..." James shook his head in despair. "I saw him fall. It can't be possible."

"He's at the gates!" The soldier cried, and, soon enough, others began to cry out Aragorn's name.

Sophie and Boromir bolted to the gates, and the others weren't far behind. Just as the soldier said, Aragorn was riding in on Theodred's old horse, looking like he'd just been trampled by elephants. He slid down from the horse, wincing in pain.

The first person to him was Sophie.

"You bloody prick!" She threw herself into his arms, earning a groan of pain from our beat-up friend. "Don't you ever ever EVER do that to me again! I lost Ollie, I don't need to lose you!"

Aragorn smiled and returned her hug, despite the pain. "Don't you worry, Sophie. I have no intention to leave you again."

Gimli got to him next, roaring about killing the man. "Oh, laddie! There is hope, yet!"

Despite Aragorn's happy reappearance, our hope was soon lost. Of course, you can't expect to stay happy for long, here. The men went off to have council with Aragorn, for the man had some 'bad news.'

"I'm getting pretty darn sick of this whole male superiority thing..." Sophie sighed, kicking at pebbles. "When I get married, I'm gonna do whatever the heck I want."

Oh, really? "Do you think that the wife of a steward will have such freedom?"

Sophie's mouth twitched, but she did not answer.

Sigh... "Do you love him, Sophie?"

Tears prickled in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She nodded silently, sniffing, and trying to clear her throat to speak. "I do, Kristy. I really do. It's just that..." She let out a deep breath, raising her head to look up at the walls above. "I feel like this isn't the life we were supposed to live, you know? Like, what are we doing here?" As control of her voice left her, she stopped and wiped her eyes.

I nodded in understanding, for I've been feeling the same way. "What do you think life would have been like, had we not come here?"

"I can't even imagine it..." Sophie replied in a shakey voice. "I mean... What would I have done, had we stayed? What would this world have been like, had we never showed up? Would Theodred be alive? And Boromir... I know that he would be dead. That thought alone makes me want to curl up and die, too..." She let out a shakey sigh. "And you, Kris? What would you have done? Can you imagine life without Legolas?"

My heart stopped. Why would she bring him up? We're not even a thing!

Sophie smiled at me as she sniffled. "Oh, don't even try to convince me otherwise. I've seen the way you two look at each other. I may be depressed, but I'm not dumb."

I laughed. I can never hide things from Sophie. "Oh, I don't know what I'd do. He and I are nothing now, we'd be nothing, there. What would you have done without Boromir? Do you think you would have fallen in love and gotten married?"

She shrugged. "I don't know... I'm so confused... Should we be happy that we found this place? Or should we be sad? There are so many wonderful people here, but what about the people we left? What about Collin?" Sophie sighed and shook her head. "I would have done anything to save him... I'm trying so hard to be strong, Kristy..." She trailed off, losing control of her voice.

With tears forming in my own eyes, I wrapped her in my arms and let her rest her head on my shoulder. "Shh... Everything will be okay. Collin wouldn't want you to be sad..."

"I know!" She cried through the tears. "And I swear, Kristy, I can feel him here. I just can't let him go!"

I sighed and stroked her hair. "I know, Sophie. I know."

After she calmed down, and all traces of tears were swept away, the men came out of their little meeting, looking far worse off than Sophie was just minutes ago. James moved forward and subtley handed Sophie Collin's old camera.

Of course, Sophie would try to film a private council with the king.

"What fate has befallen us, today?" Sophie asked, nonchalantly.

Theoden stood tall, all evidence of worry expertly hidden away. "There is nothing to fear, milady. These walls have never failed us before, and I am sure that they will maintain their mighty reputation." He then turned away, barking out orders.

Sophie turned to the men, whose faces were less than convincing in comparison to the king's comforting words.

"So, how are we going to die?"

Aragorn sighed, looking down at the ground. "You two won't be dying, if I have anything to say about it. There is hope, my friends, you have nothing to fear."

Sophie eyed him for a moment before loudly declaring, "Aragorn, you're a bad liar. Boromir?"

"A horde of orcs is headed towards us." Boromir sighed. "They will be here by nightfall."

Okay, I'm not sure that I'm liking this whole truth thing. "When you say 'horde,' are we talking a couple hundred? Or..."

"Thousands." Aragorn confirmed, less than thrilled.

Uhuh...

"Well this sucks." Sophie shrugged. "What are we going to do? We can't possibly beat them."

"You're going to the caves." Boromir declared. "That way, you can escape if the orcs break through our lines."

"You mean, if you all get killed?" I asked, a little ticked for no apparent reason. Heck, you'd be ticked, too, if you had thousands of orcs headed your way. Forget fear!

Gimli was the only positive being within a hundred miles. "Argh, it'll take more than a couple of orcs to kill a dwarf!"

Sophie grinned and gave the dwarf a big hug. "If only you were a man, Gimli."