Princess of China

gently cleaning the bite. I took that time to study him. His long golden blonde hair, his flawless skin, his perfect cheekbones. He finished cleaning my arm, then wrapped it. His hands were so gentle, treating my arm like glass. I wonder what his hands would feel like on the rest of my body - whoa, whoa, whoa. Control yourself petunia. You've got a possible battle coming. You can't be distracted by Mr. gorgeous blonde elf. He looked up when he was finished and his eyes met mine. Emerald green against sapphire blue. He took my hand, his other hand lightly touching my face.

"Open the gate!" Was what broke us apart.

"Who-"

"Aragorn." He said.

I looked at him, the pain in my chest disappearing. I got up, running down the stairs until I met him. He looked horrible and smelled even worse, but I threw my arms around him anyway.

"Thank God." I whispered.

"Come." He pulled away, going up the stairs to where Legolas and I were moments before.

Legolas stopped him, sharing a few words in elvish.

"You look terrible." Legolas told him, his brow furrowing in the most adorable way.

They greeted each other as elves do, sort of a variation of the 'man hug' men do in the normal world. Legolas handed Aragorn his necklace back, then Aragorn went into the hall, Legolas and I following.

Aragorn warned Théoden about a "great host" of Uruk-hai marching towards us as we speak.

"Ten thousand strong at least." Aragorn said. My stomach fell.

"Ten thousand?" Théoden whispered, looking back at Aragorn.

"It is an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of Men. They will be here by nightfall."

"Let them come!" Théoden said, walking back towards the doors.

We followed him down to the gate, passing by hundreds of people as he barked orders at several soldiers we passed.

"I want every man and strong lad able to bear arms to be ready for battle by nightfall." Théoden told one of the soldiers.

We walked out of the gate they were nailing board to, to strengthen it.

"We will cover the causeway and the gate from above. No army has breached the Deeping Wall or set foot inside the Hornburg."

"This is no ramble of mindless Orcs. These are Uruk-hai. Their armor is thick and their shields broad." Gimli said.

Théoden stepped up to Gimli." I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own keep."

Théoden walked on, showing the four of us the strong points of Helms Deep before he made his way back to the Keep. The women and children were moved to the caves while Aragorn made strategies for battle. Eowyn threw a fit about having to go to the caves, which she soon got over and went. I threw my own fit and won, though it was a stupid decision. Old men and boys were taken to the armory for weapons.

"Farmers, farriers, stable boys." Aragorn said as we 'people watched' our soon to be army. "These are no soldiers."

"Most have seen too many winters." Gimli said.

"Or two few." Legolas said as a boy younger than me walked past. "Look at them. They're frightened. I can see it in their eyes." Everyone quieted and looked at us. Legolas continued speaking in elvish which I figured I would have to eventually learn.

Aragorn began to argue with Legolas in elvish until Legolas said something that hit a sore spot because Aragorn yelled: "Then I shall die as one of them!" Then turned and walked away. Legolas tried to follow but was stopped by Gimli.

As night fell, things got busier. Legolas found armor, which I wouldn't consider armor, and I found some as well. It didn't fit me well, but it was something.

A horn sounded in the distance which caught everyone's attention. The gate was opened and a group of elves marched in. Théoden was talking to their leader who I recognized from Lothlorien. Aragorn and Legolas came down the stairs and greeted him.

"Aria, stay with the king." Aragorn told me as we were setting up on the wall.

"No. I'm staying here."

"I cannot protect you."

"I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself."

"Aria…"

"I have to do this, Aragorn. You may not always be there to protect me. You must trust me."

I stood between Legolas and another elf. It was so quiet you could hear the Uruk-hai marching toward us.

"You could have picked a better spot." Gimli said, trying to see over the wall. Aragorn walked over to us. "Well, lad, whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night."

There was a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder overhead. "Your friends are with you, Aragorn." Legolas said.

"Let's hope they last the night."

I inhaled a shaky breath, my stomach in knots. Legolas reached down, taking my hand in his. Another clap of thunder sounded overhead and rain started tinkling off the metal armor before it decided to downpour on us. Legolas looked at me.

"I will be right beside you." He said.

The Uruk-hai had reached us. One of them, most likely the leader, gave a hideous cry and the marching stopped.

"What's happening out there?" Gimli asked, jumping to try and see over the wall.

"Shall I describe it too you? Or would you like me to find you a box?"

I smiled as Gimli laughed. A little comic relief never killed anyone. The leader gave another cry and the Urks started pounding their spears on the ground and beating their armor. Intimidation. It was working on this girl. An arrow was fired and one Urk fell to the ground dead. Aragorn shouted something in elvish, which he had been speaking this whole time, no fair to those who don't speak elvish. The Urks fell silent before they charged at us and the battle began.

Aragorn shouted something else and Legolas released my hand to dock and arrow in his bow. He said something in elvish to the elves around him and Aragorn shouted something that must have been like "fire!" because a volley of arrows flew down at the Uruk-hai.

"Did they hit anything?" Gimli asked.

Aragorn shouted something else and arrows were flying over our heads. Maybe archery wouldn't be such a bad skill to learn either.

"Send them to me, come on!" Gimli and I were having such different opinions about this.

The Uruk-hai began shooting arrows at us with cross bows and the elf next to me was taken out. My heart was pounding in my ears and I was sick to my stomach with nerves.

Aragorn yelled something which received a "good" from Gimli which only meant the fight was coming to us. Then I was the ladders that were being hoisted up the wall, covered in Uruk-hai. I drew my sword with the other elves. Well, here goes nothing.

I swung at Uruk-hai, either killing or injuring them.

"Legolas, two already!" Gimli yelled

"I'm on 17!"

"What? I'll have no pointy-ear outscoring me!"

Were they seriously keeping score? Men. I was just focusing on killing Uruk-hai and not dying myself. Aragorn knocked one of the ladders down into the Uruk-hai below, but more and more were being hoisted up. Gimli continued counting his kills out loud.

I heard Aragorn shout something to Legolas, but I had been cornered by two Urks I was trying to keep at bay.

Everything got quiet then suddenly there was an explosion right behind me. I flew over the side of the wall to the ground below. Saying I hit the ground hard was an understatement. I literally felt like my body had been hit by a freight train. Everything inside me was shaking, even my bones. Rubble and gravel rained down on me as I tried to get my world to stop spinning. Of course, my luck, I landed on a rock. Something warm was trickling down the side of my head and the wind was knocked out of me.

"Aragorn!" Gimli yelled. I looked up through my spinning vision and saw Aragorn standing down here too.

Someone shouted my name as elves fired at the Urks pouring in through the hole in the wall. Holy mother of freaking Abraham Lincoln. They blew a hole in the wall. The elves and Aragorn charged and I thought about my two choices. I could either get up and fight or lay there and play dead.

"Aragorn! Fall back to the keep!" Théoden yelled. "Get your men out of there!"

I couldn't make a decision because I was lifted by two pairs of hands. Two elves were dragging Gimli with them who was shouting.

The elves got me up the stairs to the keep before leaving me to help. I stumbled into the hall before collapsing on the floor, trying to catch my breath. My world was spinning and my stomach hurt. I wiped the blood out of my eyes as soldiers poured in. Legolas ran over to me.

"I'm fine. Go help them." He gave me a longing look before helping the men bar the doors.

"The fortress is taken. It is over." Théoden said.

"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it." Aragorn said as he and Legolas grabbed more planks to bar the door. "They still defend it. They have died defending it. Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Théoden was in a shocked silence. "Is there no other way?"

"There is one passage. It leads to the mountains." Gamling said. "But they will not get far. The Uruk-hai are too many."

"Send word of the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance!" Aragorn had suddenly become a standing king while Théoden was in a shock-depression like state.

"So much death. What can men do in such a reckless hate?"

Aragorn took a couple minutes to think. "Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them."

"For death and glory."

"For Rohan. For your people."

"The sun is rising." Gimli said. It was morning already. And suddenly I got it. What Gandalf had said, and apparently Aragorn got it too.

"The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the Deep one last time."

"Yes!" Gimli said then exited stage right, right as the door was about to give in.

Théoden took Aragorn by the shoulder. "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together."

The horses were brought in from wherever they had been this whole time. I climbed on with Legolas, having to get over the fact I was so close to him and the fact I could feel his muscles under his shirts.

"Fell deeds, awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red dawn." Short and sweet battle speech.

The horn, which didn't sound like a horn at all sounded right as the Uruk-hai broke through the door.

Théoden yelled something and everyone drew their swords, charging forward. The horses did half the work just trampling over the Uruk-hai.

We rode out to the field and the sea of Uruk-hai. I slashed away, wary of Legolas and the horse as I went crazy with the little energy I had left. A horse neighed from a distance and I looked up and saw Gandalf atop a hill. The Uruk-hai regrouped themselves. Suddenly there were horses alongside Gandalf and I believed the 2000 men part of what Aragorn had said, especially when they started charging down the slope.

The sun came up from behind the hill, momentarily blinding us and the Urks. Everyone had a new spark of hope. The Urks began running and we had victory! Or at least according to Théoden.

We chased the Urks towards the forest. They ran like rats leaving a sinking ship.

"Stay out of the forest Keep away from the trees!" Someone shouted, riding past.

We watched and as soon as the last Urk disappeared in the forest, a deep groaning came from the tress and they began moving. Strange sounds almost like cried of pain came from the forest and I understood what was happening.

We rode back to the field, littered with bodies. Legolas stopped his horse and I climbed off. I looked across the plain at the bodies and I couldn't believe what we had accomplished.

I turned to Legolas and I got a funny feeling in my stomach and chest.

"Screw it." I whispered.

I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. Third times the charm. It took him a couple seconds before his hands settled on my waist and he kissed me back.

I pulled away after a minute, shocked at what had just happened. Did I really just do that? I looked up at Legolas with my mouth open in shock.