In the Golden Hall, Eowyn sat with two children, Freda and her younger sibling, as they ate. The hall was filled with a tense atmosphere as the gathered company discussed the dire situation unfolding outside.

"They had no warning. They were unarmed. Now the Wild Men are moving through the Westfold, burning as they go. Rick, cot, and tree," Eowyn said, her gaze moving from one person to another: Gandalf, Théoden, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Liv, David, Lily, and Saya.

"Where is Mama?" asked Freda, her eyes wide with concern.

"Sssh," Eowyn said gently, wrapping a blanket around her for comfort.

Gandalf, sitting beside Théoden, noticed the king's troubled demeanor. "This is but a taste of the terror Saruman will unleash. All the more potent because he is driven now by fear of Sauron. Ride out and meet him head-on. Draw him away from your women and children. You must fight," Gandalf urged, placing a firm hand on Théoden's chair.

David and Liv exchanged worried glances as Lily flipped through a book on the floor, her innocent curiosity a stark contrast to the gravity of the situation.

"You have 2,000 good men riding north as we speak," Aragorn continued. "Éomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king."

"They're both right, my lord. If we sit here and do nothing, things will only get worse," Liv said, picking Lily up off the floor and giving her a reassuring hug.

Theoden rose from his seat, his expression grim. "They will be 300 leagues from here by now. Éomer cannot reach us. I know what you want of me, but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war."

"Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not," Aragorn countered firmly.

"When last I looked, Théoden, not Aragorn, was king of Rohan," Théoden replied sharply.

Gimli, who had been eating and drinking, let out a loud burp and looked embarrassed. Liv and Saya tried to suppress their laughter.

"Then what is the king's decision?" Gandalf asked.

Outside the Golden Hall, Hama stood among the people of Rohan, his voice ringing out with authority. "By order of the king, the city must empty. We make for the refuge of Helm's Deep."

Gandalf walked through the crowd, followed by Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Liv, David, Saya, and Lily. "Do not burden yourself with treasures. Take only what provisions you need," Hama advised as he helped guide people out.

"Helm's Deep?" Gandalf said thoughtfully.

"They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight. Who will defend them if not their king?" Gimli questioned, his frustration evident.

"He's only doing what he thinks is best for his people. Helm's Deep has saved them in the past," Aragorn pointed out, trying to temper the mood.

They moved into the stables, where the sense of urgency was palpable. Gandalf turned to the group. "There is no way out of that ravine. Théoden is walking into a trap. He thinks he's leading them to safety, but what they will face is a massacre. Théoden has a strong will, but I fear for him. I fear for the survival of Rohan. He will need you before the end, Aragorn. You as well, Liv. The people of Rohan will need you. The defenses have to hold."

"They will hold," Aragorn assured him.

"I'll make sure of it," Liv said, setting Lily back down on the ground.

"The Grey Pilgrim. That's what they used to call me. Three hundred lives of Men I've walked this earth, and now I have no time. With luck, my search will not be in vain. Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the east," Gandalf said, preparing to leave.

"Go," Aragorn said, nodding to Gandalf.

As Gandalf rode off, Legolas and Gimli quickly moved out of the way. Liv burst into laughter.

"You think it's funny that I almost got run over by a horse?" Legolas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," Liv replied with a grin.

"How did he put up with you all those years?" David asked, chuckling.

"He kind of had to," Liv said, shrugging.

"She's right. If it wasn't for her family adopting me, I would have had to return to my jerk of a father," Legolas added.

"How does David put up with you?" Gimli asked, genuinely curious.

"It's not my fault my boyfriend loves me," Liv replied, walking over to David, who wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You're lucky I don't ask Tepig to fry you for real this time," Liv teased.

"You wouldn't, and Tepig is too small," Gimli replied with a smirk.

"He may be small, but I've won so many gym battles using Tepig," Liv said proudly.

"Does Tepig have an evolved form?" Gimli asked.

"He has two—Pignite and Emboar," Liv answered.

"Then why don't you evolve him?" Gimli asked.

"Because I'm not the type of person who forces evolution on my Pokémon. There are Pokémon out there that are stronger than their evolved forms. Take my Tepig, for example—he's stronger than both Pignite and Emboar because I trained him so well," Liv explained.

"So you're saying that if another trainer had an Emboar and challenged you to a battle, you would win using only Tepig?" Gimli asked.

"That's right," Liv replied confidently.

"Mommy, can I play with Tepig for a bit?" Lily asked, looking up with wide eyes.

"Sure," Liv said, reaching for Tepig's Poké Ball. "Come out, Tepig!"

"Tepig!" the Pokémon said as it appeared, eyeing Gimli with a snort.

"You still hate Gimli, don't you, Tepig?" Liv asked, noticing the Pokémon's reaction. Tepig nodded.

"He's still mad at me for something that happened years ago," Gimli said with a sheepish look.

"Looks like it. If you think Tepig is bad, you should see my Charizard," Liv said, reaching for another Poké Ball. "Come on out!"

With a flash, Charizard appeared, stretching his wings.

"Wait a minute, since when do you have a Charizard?" Legolas asked, surprised.

"Since the start of my journey. He was actually my starter Pokémon when I traveled in Kanto," Liv said, scratching Charizard's nose affectionately.

"Why Charizard?" Legolas asked.

"Because his pre-evolution form is Charmander, and he was so cute," Liv replied with a smile.

"So you chose Charmander because he was cute? He's not so cute anymore, is he?" Legolas teased.

"What are you talking about? Charizard is adorable," Liv argued.

"But he's a fire-breathing dragon," Gimli pointed out.

Liv and Charizard exchanged a look. "Charizard is not a Dragon type. He's a Fire/Flying type," Liv corrected.

"Well, he looks like a dragon to me," Gimli said, still puzzled.

"He's a flying lizard unless I mega evolve him into Mega Charizard X," Liv explained.

"Whatever happened to your Absol?" Legolas asked, curious.

"I still have him. He's still my ace, but Hunter J is still after him," Liv replied, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Are you a Pokémon trainer too, David?" Legolas asked.

"Yes, actually. My ace is Lucario," David answered.

"Should we just tell them?" Liv asked David, leaning in.

"What, that we're gym leaders?" David whispered.

"Fine, we'll tell them," Liv said, nodding.

"Tell us what?" Legolas asked, intrigued.

"David and I are actually gym leaders. I specialize in Dark types, and David specializes in Steel types," Liv revealed.

"Wait, you're gym leaders? Since when?" Gimli asked, astonished.

"That's right. I've been a gym leader since I was 13, and David's been a gym leader since last year," Liv confirmed.

"So you're Leaf Shinobi, soccer players, and gym leaders?" Gimli said, trying to wrap his head around it.

"And they're damn good at it too," Saya added with a grin.

"Can we get back to the task at hand?" Aragorn said, his tone serious.

"I agree. These people won't save themselves," Liv said, her expression shifting to determination.

David pulled her aside. "If there's a chance that there could be fighting, I want you to stay out of the action," he said, his voice filled with concern.

"And let you have all the fun?" Liv said with a teasing smile.

"We can't risk something happening to you and the baby," David said, resting his hand on her still-flat stomach.

"If I don't fight, the others will get suspicious," Liv argued.

"Alright, fine. But if anything goes wrong, I'm pulling you out," David said firmly.

"Liv, David, are you coming?" Saya called from a short distance.

"Coming!" Liv responded, her resolve clear.