Lady of Sky (Legolas/OC)

Book 2: chapter 26

"Did you hear that?!" he asks, making me laugh at his eagerness.

"That I did Merry. Congratulations. Now, hurry along and get yourself ready. You have responsibilities to uphold now." I remind him, making him nod and run off.

Slowly, the city is nearly emptied, leaving only women, children and elderly behind. I sit down behind Aragorn, seeing as Gimli settled behind Legolas. Maybe it's better that way, as his nearness will cause me to be distracted and my face can only be flushed for so long before getting lightheaded I suppose.

"It seems your influence has had an affect on lady Éowyn." Aragorn says, as soon as I settled down.

I lift a curious brow. "What did I do this time?" I ask indignantly, making him grin.

"She packed a sword." he explains.

"There's nothing wrong with packing a sword. She has right to defend herself." I retort in her defense, but making a mental note to speak to her later.

He rolls his eyes at me. "You know that's not what it's about." he scolds light-heartedly.

I decide to look clueless. "I have no idea what you're on about."

Aragorn shakes his head, giving up on the matter for now before turning to look forward and spurring forth his horse. I see Merry come up ahead, riding a pony. Well, not exactly riding. His pony stubbornly refuses to move.

I reach out as we pass him, taking the reigns. "Come along now." I usher, making him look down embarrassed as the pony finally takes to moving with the rest of us.

For two days we ride, crossing the barren country and getting ever closer to Minas Thirith. When we finally arrive at the campsite midway, flanked by mountains and trees, many soldiers have already gathered.

Our place in not among them as we ride up the mountain to a large flat outcrop that overlooks the encampment. In a mere glance, I can tell we lack the manpower to do serious damage to our enemy, but for the sake of others, I hold my tongue.

"The horses are restless...and the men quiet." Legolas voices after a moment, looking over the scene around him. Indeed it seems so.

"They grow nervous in the shadow of the mountain." Éomer explains as he unsaddles his horse.

"That road there, where does that lead?" Gimli suddenly asks, making us turn to a narrow gap in the mountainside that makes it look like the peak had been cleaved by a sword of a giant. From it comes a cold wind, full of malice. I feel the hairs on my arms stand on end.

"It is the road to the Dimholt ... The door under the mountain." Legolas explains. I recognize the name. People say it's haunted.

"None who venture there ever return. That mountain is evil." Éomer says under his breath before taking off. It seems he's uneasy about it as well.

I watch as Aragorn walks by ahead before stopping abruptly. He stands before the narrow path intrigued. I can see his body stiffen as a fear seems to overcome him. What could it be? My eyes wander slightly to the right, looking over his shoulder and there...it's... I gasp.

"Therith? Are you alright?" Legolas asks concerned, making me glance at him before looking back at the road. There's nothing there.

Turning to look back at Legolas, I force a smile. "I'm alright. I just thought...never mind." I tell him, waving it off. He looks unconvinced, but doesn't push the matter.

"Maybe you should eat and rest a little. You look a bit pale." he suggests, stroking my cheek lightly.

I nod. "I'll do that." I agree, hoping to find Éowyn when I'm at it. "I'll see you in a bit." I tell him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before walking off.

"What in the world Éowyn?" I gape as I look at the armor that she keeps carefully hidden within her tent.

"Not so loud!" she hisses, quickly pulling back the blankets over it. She then looks at me, her eyes stern, waiting for an onslaught of words, convincing her not to go.

I sigh, crashing down on her cot and shake my head. "Oh Éowyn. One would have to tie you to the mountain to keep you from going." I say quietly.

"Not even that will stop me." she says determinately, making me look her in the eyes.

"If this is truly what you want, so be it." I say, seeing a smile rise on her face. "However, ..." I start, reining her in. "You will stay close to me at all times. I do not want you out of my sight. That is my condition. If you do not honor it, I will have no problem reporting you to your uncle, is that clear?" I tell her, my tone level, and my features hard. I know I must do everything to protect her.

After a moment of reluctance she finally agrees. I suppose having a sitter was not what she had in mind. But seeing she has no other choice or I'll rat her out, she takes the offer.

I sigh again before smiling slightly. "You're the most stubborn woman I ever met, you know that. You're about as stubborn as a dwarf. And that's saying something." I laugh.