Feä Bond (Legolas x OC)

I'll be back

Soon, the high walls of the fortress appeared. A vast plain lay before them, giving Arod a much easier terrain to progress. Frances didn't see much, shadowed from the view by her companion's tall frame. But the closer they came, the better she distinguished the tremendous walls of Helm's deep.

The Hornburg was an incredible piece of defensive work. Never before had she seen such a wall in her entire life, not even through her queer travels. The more they approached, the higher it seemed to get. All grey rocks, so weathered by rain and wind that it seemed of the same piece from base to top. An insurmountable barrier to defend them. Impressed by its sheer bulk, Frances wondered if the tremendous wall would be sufficient to hold off an army of ten thousand.

Shout preceded them, and they climbed an incredibly long ramp before presenting themselves at the gates. Aragorn passed them without a second thought, dismounting when progress became too hazardous. Kids, men and women alike were rushing past them in a blur, all of them actively engaged in preparing for a siege. They could not be more mislead. There would be no siege, no prisoners. And may the Valar help those who would not die on the spot!

Despite the hiss of pain that escaped Aragorn's lips when tumbling down Arod, his gestures were less stiff, much to Frances' relief. With a little luck, the man would be fit to fight tonight. Not that she would compel him to do so, but she couldn't imagine him staying behind. When the ranger held his hand to help her dismount, Frances gave him a pointed look. For the split of a second, Aragorn actually looked sheepish. His manners had got the better of him. Too bad he was the best healer of their group! Unfortunately for the ranger, Gimli bolted out of nowhere with the firm intend to crash into him.

— "Gimli, noooo" shouted Frances as she jumped down the horse.

Her warning came too late, for the dwarf was already engulfing his friend in a death grip. Aragorn paled, but held fast. And then, he pushed Gimli aside, and started climbing the numerous stairs that led to the command room. Frances was about to follow when her path was obstructed by a very determined dwarf. Gimli seized her arm and walked her away from the stallion.

— "You lass, have quite the character. If we owe you the life of Aragorn, you are a blessed lady indeed. Still, I'll have you know that you have left me to tend a very brooding elf..."

Frances felt a pang of remorse at hearing those news. The idea of harming Legolas in any way was painful to her. Fortunately, it was always easy to lead the dwarf away from her feelings with a bit of humour.

— "Well, we didn't see eye to eye on this topic. So to speak. His eyesight is better than mine, but my intuition said otherwise."

Gimli grumbled something, then he laughed. The girl definitely had a way to say things that he couldn't get used to. And in his joy of finding his companions again, he didn't want to let go. Blissfully ignorant that an army was coming upon them fast, the dwarf was perfectly content with the lady's conversation.

As Frances tried to extricate herself from his grip, the ranger was struggling to climb the last stairs of the fortress. Dizzy from the effort, he acknowledged his body's suffering from the bad treatment inflicted upon it today. So enthralled was he at putting one foot before the other without falling that he missed the blur of blond hair that ran to cross his path.

— "You look terrible," said Legolas with a concerned frown.

Aragorn watched him closely, his lips turned into a drunken smile and he laughed at the elf's understatement. This one would never know how exhaustion felt, but he still appreciated the concern. Before releasing his arm, however, he saw something else passing into his friend's eyes, some deep worry that seemed off place.