You sat atop a horse Aragorn was leading gently by the reins, Legolas on your other side. The journey to Helm's Deep was exposing - and you were out in the open the entire time. It didn't feel safe, nor right.

Gimli was talking to Eowyn up ahead, talking about Dwarf women or some other shit. Eowyn looked back to you and your two favourite men with a wide grin.

"It's the beards," Aragorn whispered, gesturing at his chin, causing you to snort and almost fall off the horse.

Up ahead, something had happened, resulting in Gimli falling to the grasses as his horse snorted disdainfully. Eowyn laughed as she helped him up, tossing his long hair over her shoulder. You looked carefully to Aragorn to see him looking at her with a kind of curiosity that you hated.

"Aragorn," you tapped him gently with your leg. "What's going on? I thought that-"

"You don't know everything, Y/N, as much as you would like to believe it."

You flinched at the cold words, unable to respond as your heart clenched painfully.

"That was uncalled for," Legolas responded sharply, but you kicked him quickly. This was your mess, and you were going to deal with it.

"Arwen." you noticed the pained intake of breath Aragorn made as you spoke her name. "She-she's not staying, is she? You told her to ... to ..."

"Sail to the Undying Lands, yes," Aragorn admitted curtly. "It is as I told you before. Dunedain people are still mortal. Mortals and Elves ... it is asking for heartbreak."

You glared at him, stony-faced.

"What was that about?" Legolas asked as you angrily dismounted the horse, gesturing for Aragorn to walk ahead and glaring at his retreating back.

"He doesn't want you and I to be together," you said, with false indifference. "Just like he doesn't want to be with Arwen, because he's too focused on the bad possibilities instead of the good moments."

"Bad possibili-?"

"You're immortal, okay? I'm ... I'm not." You sighed, heavily. "You'll outlive me. I'll grow old, even though I am Queen of the Dunedain."

Legolas frowned at the ground. "He has a point there, I'll admit."

"But that doesn't mean that you should reject love as soon as it comes your way!" you stopped, grabbing Legolas's arm so that he would listen to you. "Please, Legolas, don't do this to me."

"I would never," he assured you, one of his hands coming to rest on your cheek, staring into your e/c eyes with a beautiful intensity. "I love you, Y/N, and I'm not going to let you go like that."

You smiled vaguely, but some part of you wondered what lengths he would go to to keep that promise, and if it meant that you would be separated - by death rather than by broken hearts.

"I hope that we do not see more broken promises by the end of this."

It was a mess, if you were honest, and arguing with Aragorn made you want to throw something and cry. But you were also far too stubborn to apologise to him first, so it appeared that there was somewhat of a stalemate.

One of Theoden's guards - Háma, you thought his name was - gestured for some of his men to move to the front. You exchanged a glance with Legolas (this couldn't be good) and you followed them. As you tightened your grip around the hilts of your swords, you saw Legolas reaching for an arrow out of the corner of your eye.

"Follow them?" you suggested shortly.

He just nodded, and you both sped off after the small group of Rohan guards.

"... not sure."

You and Legolas caught up with the guards in time to catch a snippet of the end of their conversation. The horses were antsy, kicking their hooves and tossing their heads.

"Something's not right," you whispered.

"I sense it as well." Legolas scanned the plains. "But I see nothing."

You concentrated, trying to focus the 'Elf-sense' Legolas so often usefully employed, and suddenly, every hair on your body stood up, and a familiar warning call of 'danger!' flooded your every sense.

"Shit!" you cursed. "Orcs!"

Your guess turned out to be half-right, as a Warg scout with an Orc mount appeared on a rock above Háma, leaping upon him and killing him instantly.

Legolas loosed an arrow, killing the Warg before it could murder the other guards. You then threw a knife at the Orc that was flailing through the air at the arrow's impact, watching the silver blade spin top over bottom until it embedded in the middle of the monster's heart.

"Nice!" Legolas winked, and your heart still fluttered as hard as it had the first time he ever complimented you.

You stood back-to-back, and Legolas cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling as loudly as he could:

"A scout!"

"Fuck!" was the very distant reply if you pricked your ears up, and you drew your swords, prepared to fight as many that came.

The villagers were screamed, but you focused your eyes and realised that they were being led to safety by Eowyn. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Aragorn as she mounted her horse, herding her people away from the impending danger.

"Alright," you spun first one sword, then the other. "Time to fight?"

Legolas smirked, and that was all the response you needed. You ran with him, matching him stride for stride, to your surprise. He shot arrow and arrow and you slashed wildly with your swords, until you found yourselves in the thick of the battle.

All seemed to be going fairly well, as monster after monster fell and died. Finally, you could find no more Orcs or Wargs to kill, and you turned to Legolas with a wide smile.

"That was pretty easy, wasn't it?"

Your grin faltered when Legolas did not relax, his grip on his bow still right.

"What is it?"

He looked around, at the soldiers of Rohan, and asked the one question you hated yourself not for asking first.

"Where's Aragorn?"

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