[LEANE POV]

My eyes fluttered open and snapped back to close at the momentarily overwhelming sunlight. When I opened my eyes, Legolas was smiling down at me lovingly with contentment etched on his relaxed face.

I couldn't help but smiled back at him.

"Quel amrun (good morning), melleth nin," he greeted me and planted a kiss on my cheek.

I blushed. I definitely could get used to waking up with him greeting me in Sindarin. The beautiful language rolled off his tongue beautifully. The sunlight showered his face partially and formed a halo around his golden hair that seemed to be almost transparent.

"Quel amrun, aur nin," I replied back.

"Aur nin. My sunshine," answered Legolas, "That is new. I like it," he commented cheerfully, immensely pleased at my new nickname invention for him. I should call him that often.

I pecked him on the lips and he beamed at me. He put his hand on my face and kissed me tenderly. I savored that bit moment of peace and contentment, wrapping my arms around him.

But the world just hated me. Legolas suddenly tensed and in an instant I felt a sense of loss as he was already up, taking his sword, bow and quiver with him.

"Someone's coming," he said hastily, "I will not risk anyone to find us spend the night together and smear your honor in the process."

My jaw dropped in realization and I nodded frantically, "Oh," I replied dumbly.

Legolas saw my confused and disappointed face and smiled knowingly at me, "I will come back for you, melleth nin. I will be by your door in five minutes."

With that, he smirked handsomely and opened the window of my room and jumped out of it with ease and grace. One would think he was dancing, performing his epic, grand exit.

Who would've thought that I would smuggle a boy to my room at night and have him sneak out in the morning through the window?

I got out of the bed and to the window sill, looking out. It was high down there and I was glad to find no trace of Legolas on the ground. It meant he made it safely to wherever his window was supposed to be. Legolas was officially a ninja.

A knock came from my door and I let the person enter.

Eowyn was smiling at me warmly and I returned it with a genuine one. We talked briefly, she apologized for not being able to meet me yesterday because she was busy. I waved it away, telling her that it didn't was not a problem.

Then the true reason of her visit was revealed. She was looking for my confirmation about Aragorn's death. The shadow that was following me yesterday came back. I was at loss and said nothing. Aragorn was not dead; this was my faith, but I couldn't tell her that.

Sorrow filled her eyes at my lack of response and she swallowed thickly. She looked like she was going to cry but in a snap she put up a weak smile and let the matter go. She was about to open her mouth before another knock sounded from my door.

"Come in," I said.

Legolas strode into my room, his attire changed, immaculate and fresh. His expression was blank and his breathing steady. I marveled at how good he was at manipulating others. 

But not me. For the first time in my life I was glad to have this emotion sensing gift, because Legolas was one of those people who could pull a perfect poker face. So despite his impassive look, I could sense his slight amusement and relief. 

Legolas bowed his head politely in greetings at Eowyn and me before speaking.

"Good morning, Leane. Lady Eowyn," he greeted before turning to me, glancing in acknowledgement at Eowyn. "Forgive me, I hope I am not interrupting anything? I did not know you were with company. I was thinking about having a breakfast with you."

"Not at all, master elf. I was just leaving," Eowyn beat me to answer and she curtsied politely.

"I'm sorry, Lady Eowyn, I thought you wanted to ask me something before?" I asked her before she hurry to leave.

"Oh, no. Never mind," she said smiling as she glanced and stared thoughtfully at both me and Legolas. Her eyes glinted knowingly with a mild wonder in it. 

Probably wondering about our weird closeness. A woman and an elf, it was something unheard of.

Legolas politely offered her if she wanted to join us, but she refused, saying that she needed to be somewhere else. We bid her goodbye and she left.

I took a few minutes to wash my face, brush my teeth and change before heading out to the dining hall with Legolas. I had no appetite but for the sake of Legolas' feelings I ate.

When we ate Gimli approached us to inform that once again Legolas and him were needed in the presence of the king. Legolas hesitated and looked like he was about to make excuses to reject that request. Before he could, I leaned in to his pointy ear, "It is rude to reject a king's request."

"Promise me you are going to be alright by yourself. Promise me that you will not go to the gate anymore."

"I promise that I will be alright by myself. I'm not a child, I know what I'm doing. Now go, before the king send a messenger to drag you to him," I said jokingly.

Legolas looked unconvinced and squinted his eyes at me. I smiled in reassurance before he finally sighed and went with Gimli.

I chuckled inwardly. I did promise him that I will be alright; but I said nothing about not going to the gate.

Before I went to the gate, I went back to my room and looked for some fresh bandage and water skin. I knew that if Aragorn returned he would be wounded and might need it.

***

Hours of standing later, the great gate creaked open and I thanked God, Eru, or Valar, or whatever His name down here for bringing Aragorn back.

A dark stallion with no saddle was bearing his slumped body and I heard collective gasps from the people around me, disbelief filled their voices.

"Aragorn!" I exclaimed running to him as he dismounted his horse wearily. I hugged him gently as he smiled weakly at me.

I took in his appearance and saw his terrible state, worry and concern filled me as I saw his wound.

I pulled out my water skin and offered him to drink, then I used some of the remaining water to clean the big wound on his arm and bandaged it neatly. That would do for a temporary fix.

Aragorn looked at me and shook his head in wonder. He spoke in small voices, avoiding people to heard our conversation.

"You knew I was coming."

"I did," I confirmed in low voice, "But fate was never set in stone until it happened, so I couldn't be sure. I just have faith that the fate that I know will come and it will bring you back to us."

He nodded.

"Aragorn... I'm so sorry for letting this happen to you and let you suffer. I truly am sorry," I apologized sincerely, somehow feeling responsible for his ailment.

"Nay, Leane. Do not be sorry. It was bound to happen. I've learned to trust you since Gandalf came back to the living world," he answered with a genuine smile as he comforted me. "I am just grateful to be alive."

I nodded. "Are you well enough to continue riding for a bit more? You have an important message to pass to the king."

At this he paused a bit, but definitely not surprised at my exact guess but then his expression turned to a slight curiosity.

"If you knew that I was coming, and the message I bear, why didn't you just tell them yourself?"

"Everything happen in its appointed time. I can't mess with fate, even just a little. Yesterday I tried to tell Legolas that you were alive, but I just couldn't. It wasn't that I didn't want to. I couldn't. I can't. Like there's a force stopping me," I stated, stressing on the words 'I can't'.

Just as Aragorn nodded in understanding, Gimli pushed to the crowd, fuming, but as he saw Aragorn, his face softened into wonder and relief. I couldn't help but smiled widely at their exchange.

"You are... the luckiest, the canniest... and the most reckless man I ever knew!" Gimli exclaimed, sounded close to tears as he hugged Aragorn. "Bless you, laddie."

Aragorn clapped his shoulder and asked, "Where is the king?"

***

People in the Helm's Deep bustled like bees to every direction. War was coming in a few hours. I busied myself with helping Eowyn out with miscellaneous stuff, carrying a jar of water in my hands when a swarm of ugly looking birds cawed and circled above Helm’s Deep. The weight of darkness fell upon me and I realized that these weren't just some birds. These are spies of Saruman.

Then the weirdest thing happened. The bustling people in front of me disappeared. Instead, I saw flashes of images rolling before me, as if I watching scenes from a view of an eagle's eyes. I froze and blinked in shock, but the images was persistent.

Armies of Rohan, civilians, both young and old, along with an elvish army stood readily on the stone wall of Helm's Deep with their armors and weapons ready. Fire danced on their torches, mirroring the burning fire inside their heart. Silence hung in the air as they waited for the enemies to come. The faint sound of marching feet coming their way was getting louder every passing second.

"Nineteen!" exclaimed Legolas as he put an arrow between the eyes of an orc. "Twenty!" replied Gimli in exclamation as he axed an orc's head off. Their competition on who get the most kill kept going as they slashed fiercely through the swarm of orcs that seemed unending.

Now the castle was breached, the walls were broken in countless places. Black smoke rose to the sky as the king ordered his men to fall back.

The scene changed. I saw a crescent moon on the dark, clear night sky. A cloud came into view, moved in a snail pace and covered the moon entirely, leaving an eerie shadow on the ground. Beneath, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were fighting the unrelenting armies of orcs, along with elves and the soldiers of Rohan.

As Aragorn was slicing an orc in front of him, many more charged and he was kept occupied, not noticing that one of the orc behind him who he struck earlier was still alive and stirred. A shout of pain escaped Aragorn's throat as the orc stabbed him on his heel.

Aragorn's yell alerted Legolas whose eyes widened in alarm. The elf quickly slashed his way to Aragorn's direction fiercely.

Aragorn kept fighting the three orcs in front of him, but the pain on his heel was crippling him. As he clashed his sword with an orc, the other orc saw an opening and sliced his sword to Aragorn's left arm, and the other at his thigh. Aragorn let out an agonized scream before falling to his knees.

Again, his friend's sound alerted Legolas who was beheading an orc on his way to his best friend. In a split second he was distracted, failing to avoid a flying arrow that land its poisonous tip on his right shoulder. He stumbled back and groaned in pain, but nevertheless kept his feet. He steeled himself as he cut the end of the arrow that stick on his shoulder, enraged. 

He was in a lot of pain, but unwavering as he let his rage fueled him to kill countless more orcs. He moved in confident strides until he was met with Aragorn's empty, unfocused eyes on the ground, bathing in his own blood that glistened under the moonlight as cloud passed to reveal the mystical moon that previously hid shyly behind it. 

The scene changed again. Now Aragorn's body lay limply on the ground in front of me. I fell to my knees as the war around me seemed reduced to a slow motion. I put my hand on Aragorn's chest and felt warm liquid on my skin. I brought my hand back in front of me to study it. A pale, alabaster skin hand with graciously long masculine fingers was dripping with blood all the way through my palm and trickled to my wrist and arm brace. A deafening, enraged, masculine scream that wasn't mine escaped my lips.

My eyes snapped back to reality as I heard the loud cracking sound of the jar that I carried hit the floor and spilled its content. I trembled. I stared at my hand as I flipped it shakily, searching for the sign of the dripping wet blood.

I didn't pay attention when Eowyn spoke to me as she shook my shoulders harshly to snap me. My lips trembled with horror and disbelief as I processed the vision that just came unto me.

I was seeing Aragorn's death through Legolas' eyes. That didn't make any sense. That wasn't supposed to happen. Aragorn's life wasn't supposed to end tonight. He was meant for more. He was meant to be the crowned king of Gondor and restore peace throughout the land, marking the beginning of the time of men.

I couldn't understand. He couldn't be. I couldn't let him die. 

"I can't..." I said in a sob as I walked away from Eowyn. Feeling as if still in a trance, not minding where I was headed.

***

[Author's Note: Didn't I tell you to keep your seatbelts on at the A/N on the previous chapter? Because shit was about to happen. The only problem here is that even seatbelts can't protect you when said shit finally hits the fan. So folks, brace yourself for the next chapter because WE ARE AT WARRR!!! *in Terminator's voice* Comment and vote with me if you wanna live]