Song- "Ghost" by Halsey

******

We set out the next morning at dawn, the Rohirrim taking up positions around the citizens to provide protection.

Gimli was riding on a horse, in front of the one Aragorn and I rode on, Eowyn walking hand-in-hand with Draco as she led the horse on, laughing as Gimli told her a story of the dwarves. I watched him smile down at her with a soft expression every time she laughed. It was adorable, both my niece and nephew with someone. Now all there was was to find a love was Baldor. 

"You see, some out there are convinced that there are no dwarf women. And that we just spring up out of holes in the ground fully grown!" Gimli says, waving a hand to enunciate his point.

Eowyn laughed and Aragorn laughed as well and I rested my head on his back, a small smile on my face, and arms around his waist. One of his hands covered mine, and he laced his fingers through one of my hands, lifting it to press a kiss to my knuckles. 

"But of course, that's absolutely preposterous! Absurd. And- I, oh oh oh!" He shouted as something spooked the horse and it ran forward, Draco pulling Eowyn aside by the waist as the horse ran forward and Gimli fell off the animal with a thunk.

Draco and Eowyn went over to help him up, still laughing.

Baldor rode up to ride side by side with Aragorn and I, a grin on his face.

I gave him a look. "You didn't."

He shrugged. "He was already beginning to fall off, sister. I figured I'd give him a nudge."

I rolled my eyes as my brother merely grinned even more. "Well, you haven't changed one bit."

"No. All I had were stuffy elves for sixty years. They were no fun." Baldor said with a shrug, a pout crossing his face as that childish fun peeked out.

I picked my head up off of Aragorn's back, arms tightening around him for a moment. A pair of Rohirrim rode past us towards the front of the line as the column of people made their way towards some outcroppings of rocks on a hill.

Something wasn't right about this place.

Baldor seemed to notice it, too, and slowed his horse and dismounted, handing the reins off to a guard walking along beside us and sent me a look.

I kissed Aragorn's cheek, then swung off the horse and jogged to catch up with my brother.

Baldor went over to Draco, who looked just as perturbed.

"You smell it too, dad?" He asked in an undertone, green eyes scanning the landscape.

Baldor nodded. "Yes. It's close."

"Do we shift now?" He asks carefully.

"Hm. Not yet. One of us should stay and protect the column and get them to an alternate route."

"Wait, what's going on?" Eowyn asks.

"I'll stay. You go with Imara. They'll need you." Draco says, then looks to his wife and says gravely, "We smell orcs." He kissed her forehead, hands gripping her shoulders and her face went ashen.

I looked to the hill and saw Legolas was standing on a rock, bow in hand. I disappeared in shadows and reappeared next to him.

He glanced over at me only for a moment, blue eyes returning to the landscape.

"Something isn't right." He said slowly.

"No. It isn't. Baldor and Draco smell orcs. We are directing the column away and passing messages down the line of guards. You-"

I was cut off by a horse's squeal of pain, followed by a man screaming, and an orc and warg releasing awful screams. 

"Too late." Legolas said gravely and ran off in the direction of the sounds, drawing an arrow.

I cursed under my breath, then drew my swords, disappearing into the shadows and reappearing where the people were and shouted,

"Warg riders approaching!"

Chaos ensued, and Theoden called the Rohirrim to follow him as every soldier mounted a horse and ran, Draco and Eowyn calling to the people to follow them. 

Baldor ran towards the open plains and shifted, jumping from the ground and into the sky as a massive red dragon, wings sprouting out and carrying him up and over the people, wings pumping as he took to the air, sending a torrent of air that buffeted the people below.

He was larger than Smaug the Terrible, and was enough of a sight to get the people to run even faster after Draco and Eowyn. 

I caught Aragorn's eye and I sheathed my swords and ran to him, swinging up onto his horse behind him. I took his bow and quiver of arrows from the saddle and nocked an arrow to a string, readying myself.

The horses thundered up the hill as we came face to face with a swarm of orcs on top of wargs, waving swords above their heads and letting out whoops and screeches and the wargs growling and barking.

Aragorn urged the horse up next to Theoden and Baldor flew over us, letting out a roar that scattered the orcs and he released a torrent of flames at the largest group as the Rohirrim collided with the warg riders that got to us first.

I fired rapidly from Aragorn's quiver, standing up on the saddle and balancing there as he rode around cutting down enemies with his sword.

Suddenly, a warg jumped up at me and tackled me off the horse and I landed hard on my shoulder, rolling back around as the warg circled to attack me again.

"Imara!" Aragorn shouted, wheeling the horse back around to save me.

I stood up, wincing and holding my dead arm and lifted my good hand, the warg suddenly stopping short and crumpling up like paper, releasing whines and howls of pain as its bones broke before I snapped it's neck.

I grunted with pain as I turned my attention to my shoulder and healed it, shoving the join back into its socket and healing the pain away. I then drew my swords and Aragorn was at my side.

"There you are." He said with a grin.

"What? Worried a warg had taken me down so easily? Never." I replied with my own grin.

I turned to summon a wall of shadows that trapped orcs and saved a circle of Rohirrim. I twisted my hands and the shadows became razor sharp, slicing the creatures and their mounts in half.

Several hissed exclamations of fear and shock in Black Speech about the betrayer Queen of Mordor. Baldor landed next to me, releasing a blood chilling roar that sent whatever remaining orcs and wargs running away in fear.

"Oh no you don't." Baldor grunted and raised his wings and leapt into the air and flew off after them.

The battle was over almost as quickly as it had begun.

I spun around, looking for Aragorn, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Aragorn? Aragorn! Has anyone seen Aragorn?" I shouted, walking through the strands of corpses and sheathing my weapons.

I found Legolas and Gimli looking worriedly around near a cliff.

No.

Then, the orc at my feet to the left began to laugh. "He took a tumble off the cliff." It wheezed.

Legolas grabbed it by the armor. "You lie." He hissed in anger.

The orc laughed some more, then took its last breath.

"No!" I shouted. "No!" I ran over to the cliff and looked over it to see a raging river below.

Tears entered my vision and a pain I had felt before ruptured in my chest. 

"No, not this again!" I sobbed, falling to my knees as my whole body shook. I hit the ground with my fist. "No, damnit! You bastard, you promised me!"  I shouted at the river far below. There was no reply. 

Tears fell down my cheeks and I shoved Legolas away from me as he tried to pull me to my feet.

Theoden appeared at our side and looked over the cliff, face morphing into grief, then resoluteness as he turned to one of his officers and said, "Gather the wounded and help them onto horses. Leave the dead. We move on."

His words struck a cord in me and I turned on him in anger, eyes flashing red. "What?" I snarled.

"We must move on." Theoden said, eyeing me warily. "Saruman's forces won't wait for you to grieve."

I glared at him and snarled, "Fine. But I'm going after him. I'll meet you at your damned fortress. Don't wait up for me. I'll get him back and I'll return to Helm's Deep."

I looked to Legolas and Gimli and my brother shook his head. "You can't. I can't lose you, too."

"You won't." I said and kissed his cheek. "The fall won't do me any harm." I said as I wiped at my eyes and turned to the cliff and leapt off of it and into the river below, ignoring Legolas yelling at me to wait.

I sprang up for air, coughing as the water carried me quickly away from the cliff.

I fought to keep my head above the raging brown water, and shouted Aragorn's name over and over again.

Then, I saw something floating in the water near the shore of a white pebble beach.

I swam towards it and cried out, "Aragorn!"

It was him, floating unconscious in the water.

I moved my arms under him and began to swim back for the shore, tears running down my cheeks as my feet found purchase on the riverbed and I began to drag him up the beach.

I got him there, wincing slightly at the minor bumps and bruises I had as I brushed the hair from his face and checked for a pulse. It was there, but very weak.

I healed whatever injuries he had and then began to press on his chest to get the water out of his lungs. 

A slow trickle left his lips, but there was no coughing. No movement. 

"Damnit, Aragorn!" I shouted at him. "Selfish bastard." I leaned down and moved my hair away as I kissed him. I picked my head up then moved my hands to his chest and closed my eyes. I focused on that faint heartbeat. I urged it to beat in time with my own.

"C'mon, Aragorn." I said as I pressed on his chest a few more times. "Cough. Open your eyes. C'mon." I said. "You get your damn wish. You get to be with me forever so just open your eyes. You're not leaving me. I forbid it. I already told you, this heartbeat is mine." 

I pressed my ear to his chest, listening for a heartbeat. I heard only a faint sound.

Then, he sat up on his side and water came pouring out of his mouth as he coughed uncontrollably.

"Thank Illuvitar." I gasped and he looked up at me and I threw my arms around his neck, choking on a sob and hugging him tightly as his arms came up around me, a new strength in them not there before.

"I...Imara?" He wheezed.

I pulled away to look at him, wiping the wet hair from his eyes. "You're such an idiot." I said. "You just had to get even with me, didn't you?" 

He grinned slightly. "I'm a bastard, am I?"

I scowled at him and smacked his arm. "You're a dumbass." I said and grabbed him by his stupid green leaf pin and pulled him into a kiss. 

His hand came up to hold my face, and when he broke the kiss, he whispered, "I...feel different."

"I'd hope so." I said hoarsely. "I practically brought you back. You were dying, Aragorn. Your heartbeat was barely there, a-and you were fading so quickly..." My voice broke off and more tears spilled down my cheeks.

He lifted his hands to wipe away my tears and then pulled me into a tight hug. "You saved me. I'm alright. I'm here." He whispered, pulling me towards him tighter and running his hands through my hair.

I hugged him tightly, burying my face in his shoulder and mumbled, "Just let me know if you can suddenly start speaking Black Speech and control shadows, alright?"

He let out a small laugh and kissed my shoulder. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind, love."

"Alright. We should get to Helm's Deep, ok? C'mon." I moved away from him and helped him stand up, and he leaned heavily on me, arm around my shoulders. 

I closed my eyes and focused on Baldor, and once I located his mind from wherever he was, and soon enough, he appeared above us and landed on the beach.

He looked at us, an amused expression on his face, and a toothy grin. "Aragorn, I feel like you jumped off that cliff on purpose, just so Imara would turn you immortal."

Aragorn laughed a little, arm wrapping around his ribs as I helped him over to Baldor, who lowered himself on the ground do we could climb up onto his back.

"Well, I wasn't intending for it happen the way it did." He said with a grunt as he pulled himself up onto Baldor's back and I climbed up behind him to keep him from falling. We both sat comfortably between two neck spikes. "My gauntlet got caught on the warg's saddle and when the warg tripped and fell over the side, I was brought with it."

"You missed Baldor scaring the rest of them off and then chasing them away." I said with a small laugh and looped my arms around his waist. 

"It must have been a sight. But, ah, I've never ridden a dragon before." He said nervously.

"Relax. It's like a horse- just bigger, and in the sky." I said with a grin. 

Baldor snorted in indignation as he got up and Aragorn latched onto the spike in front of him, going rigid. "I am not a horse. I'm mildly insulted you'd compare flying to riding a damned horse." He said and raised his wings and jumped up, making it to the top of the outcropping of rock above our heads, then looked back at us.

Aragorn was pale.

"Hold on, King of Gondor. It'll take us an hour at most to get to Helm's Deep." Baldor said, then took a running start, raised his wings and leapt up and into the air, soaring off towards the fortress and the rest of Edoras.