The Sunset Princess

The Battle for Minas Tirith

The dawn had come that morning. While we were in the midst of the dead army, I had not truly expected to see the sun again. It warmed my face and made the waters of Anduin sparkle like sapphire. Perhaps the tide was turning, for if Sauron had the upper hand, surely he would have maintained the gloomy clouds he sent ahead of his army. 

I leaned against the side of the boat, partly because it pleased me to watch the water rushing below, and partly because my old arrow wound ached even more than it had. Halbarad walked up to me, and we stood in silence for a few minutes. Minas Tirith was still more than two hours away.

I turned to study Halbarad's face. Lines of care creased his tanned forehead, and lines of humour lifted his eyes. He was staring back at the boat in which Raina, Mallor and Tar sailed, fingers drumming along the ship's rail.

"What did you mean, at the door into the mountain?" I asked eventually. Though the sunlight brought me hope, there was still a battle ahead, and Halbarad's gloomy prediction of his fate within it had been troubling me for days.

Halbarad turned his bright eyes on me. "You know what I meant."

"I won't stand for it."

He nearly smiled, covering my hand with his. It was warm, strong, covered in scars and callouses. The lines on his forehead, and between his eyes, deepened when we stopped speaking.

"It is odd to be an observer of your fear", I said after a moment. "I am usually the one who is afraid."

"It never shows." Halbarad's frown softened slightly.

"Well, forget I ever said that. I'm not scared of anything, not even Ancalimë."

That got a small laugh out of him. "Look after them. All of them." He whispered.

"I mean it. I will not have you speak thus."

"Not even you can change fate, my dear friend." The grief and compassion in his eyes made a lump rise in my throat. I was not sure Middle Earth could continue without the kind eyes of my friend, nor did I want to live in such a world where it did. "You just look after them."

I mustered a smile. "I will do that anyway, no matter where you are. You should know that by now."

Halbarad nodded slightly. His hair was greyer than it had been. I had not noticed. A gust of wind hit us, blowing it over his face. He swept it back into place. "You comfort me more than you know. I know how you adore them."

I wondered what I would want if I were to die. Certainly, I would want those I loved most to be loved by others. "I love you, too. Do not forget that."

He pressed my hand, but said no more. I lay my head on his shoulder with a sigh, and we watched the sun cross the sky for an indeterminable time.

"Get some rest." He said eventually, his eyes crinkling a little at the sides in an achingly familiar gesture. "I love you."

I could see in his face that he wanted some time alone. I nodded silently, and walked over to the other end of the ship, where Legolas dozed, his head tilted back against the wood of the side.

I sat beside him, then lay my head softly in his lap. "How is Halbarad?" He asked, opening his eyes to watch me snuggle into him.

"I don't know." I sighed.

There was no comfort to give him, or for him to give me. He, too, had heard Halbarad's grim prediction. Instead, he buried a hand in my hair, and we slept.

***

When I next woke, it was to the shrill cry of a Nazgúl. I jumped out of my skin, sitting up and putting one hand on a sword, before I realised it was not directed at us. I relaxed.