"Wake sister!" Agardess cried. She was already dressed and shook Eowyn awake. "We must get you ready!" Eowyn lept to her feet and Agardess quickly shoved armor into her arms. "Quickly!" Agardess urged. Eowyn dressed as quickly as possible, Agardess helping to disguise the length of her hair. 

"My sword," Eowyn cried grabbing Agardess' arm as she moved to leave the tent they shared. 

"Where is it?" Agardess asked glancing around before spotting it and seizing it. She handed it to Eowyn who slid it into place. "Find a horse, quickly now, we have little time." Agardess went out first making sure the coast was clear before motioning Eowyn out. She turned to leave but Eowyn caught her arm.

"When will we see each other again?" She asked. Agardess looked towards where the army was gathering. 

"You will see me on the battlefield. I may ride in front but I will fight beside you." Eowyn nodded and allowed Agardess to leave her. She found herself a horse as Agardess requested. She started riding to where the army was gathering. Agardess pulled up beside her and together they helped Merry, who was standing alone, looking quite lost, onto Eowyn's horse. When Eowyn slowed to get into position, Agardess kept riding, pulling her horse to a stop next to Theoden. 

"You fight with us?" Theoden asked her, surprised to see the elven woman beside him. She bowed her head.

"My skills are yours to command," She held her head high again and watched as the city come into view as they rode. They stopped atop a hill, blowing the horn as they did so. Agardess pressed her lips together as she noticed the city burning. 

The battle field was full of Orcs, the city barely being able to hold them off. Theoden turned to her. 

"What do you see?" He asked. 

"What you do," She answered quietly. "The people of Gondor will not hold much longer." Theoden nodded. "The Orcs are forming ranks." Theoden nodded again.

"Stay here," He told her, she did so and he took off, yelling orders to the captains of sections as he went. Agardess stayed where he told her too, watching and waiting for the order to charge. 

"Shields shall be splintered!" He was yelling now. "A sword day a red day ere the sun rises!" Theoden rode past Agardess again letting his sword hit all the readied spears. "Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride to ruin and the world's ending! Death!" 

"Death!" The army echoed. They repeated the cry a few more times. The men blew their horns and the riders of Rohan kicked their horses and took off, towards battle and blood. 

Arrows were fired at them, bringing down horses and men alike, but they kept going, here was no time for pitting the fallen. Now was the time to fight. Agardess remembered her promise to Eowyn far too late. She was already riding to battle, there was no time to find her friend. But Agardess knew she would find a way. When the battle was in full swing ranks would break and she would find her. 

The Orcs stumbled back, the arrows not holding off the riders. But the first line was soon slaughtered by steel. The battle had begun. 

Agardess felt an arrow graze her cheek, but it did not bother her she simply swung her long sword at an unsuspecting Orc, his head flying into his own ranks. The battle was complete chaos, bodies seemed to be flying as horses crashed into Orcs. Her horse was hit, falling to his knees and throwing her off with the motion of the stumble. She landed on the ground, rolling to her feet and swinging her sword at the Orc who had killed her steed. She drew her other sword and began running, the riders swinging to avoid the woman on foot. 

~*~

She was far away when the Nazgul striked, but she could see it was Theoden who was hit. She could also see it was Eowyn who stood before it. 

"Sister..." Agardess breathed and she knew what she had to do. Even if she failed trying. She slashed through Orcs trying to make her way to Eowyn as she bravely stood against the Nazgul. One Orc however blocked her path, refusing to let the elf move any further. Agardess let her eyes harden, the Orc may be larger than she, but Agardess wouldn't let anything come in the way of what she needed to do.

"I never thought I'd be able to kill an elf," The Orc growled raising its sword. Agardess narrowed her eyes.

"What makes you think you can kill me?" She asked before dancing forward. Her blades whistled through the air as they made their way to the flesh of the Orc. One of her blades bounced off steel, causing a shudder to fly up her arm, jolting her shoulder. The other blade sunk into the arm of the Orc who roared in pain and swung at the elf. She danced away, the Orc too slow to hit her. She darted around him and plunged her blades into the Orc's back, before pulling one out and slicing off the Orc's head.

Agardess turned to where Eowyn had been standing, just in time to see her plunge her sword into the Nazgul's black face. Her helmet had been discarded. After she stabbed him she fell to the ground and Agardess felt herself start to run. The Orc had held her up for too long. No other Orc dared to face her as they other had, or if they had Agardess didn't notice. Her sword sliced through flesh like water as she moved gracefully through the singing swords, dodging through the chaos. 

~*~

An Orc clambered to his feet, heading towards Eowyn. She started to crawl away as fast as she could trying to find her Hobbit friend. The Orc raised his sword, ready to bring it down and end Eowyn's life, but before he could a different blade appeared, cutting through his neck and sending his head rolling across the blood soaked field. Agardess stood before her and lowered her bloody blade. 

"Sisters do not leave the other to die," She said simply. Eowyn nodded, but her fear for Merry was too great to celebrate about the fact they had been reunited. 

"Where is Merry?" Eowyn asked wondering if Agardess had seen the Hobbit. Agardess face twisted into an expression of concern and she scanned the battlefield for the Hobbit. She nodded her head and jumped the body of a dead horse coming back to Eowyn with a small body in her arms.

"He is alive but unwell," She said softly setting the Hobbit next to Eowyn. 

"Legolas!" She heard suddenly and it brought her head up. A Mumakil approached where she and Eowyn were, Aragorn and Gimli stood a few feet away. 

"Aragorn!" She cried bringing their attention to her. She turned to Eowyn. "Stay safe my sister." She handed the woman her broadsword and darted into the battle heading towards the Mumakil Legolas was trying to bring down. He slide neatly off the Mumakil's trunk, landing neatly on his feet. 

"That still only counts as one!" Gimli shouted and Legolas smiled fondly at the dwarf. Agardess couldn't hold herself back any longer she tackled the elf in a hug, grabbing his face in her hands and pressing her lips to his. They broke apart and were smiling at each other, their faces only inches apart. 

"Nae saian luume' (it has been too long)," She breathed still not letting go of him. He didn't respond just held her against him tightly.

"Come on lovebirds!" Gimli yelled swinging his axe at an upcoming Orc. "We have a battle to win!" They smiled at each other and broke from their embrace, but it turned out they didn't have much fighting left to do. The ghosts had taken care of the remaining Orcs on the field and were now swarming through the city, taking care of the Orcs that remained inside. 

"Release us," The ghost king growled standing in front of Aragorn. Agardess pressed herself to Legolas' side and watched the exchange quietly. Legolas slid her arm around her. 

"Bad idea," Gimli said. If it weren't for Legolas' arm Agardess would have kicked him. "Very handy in a fight these lands, despite the fact they are dead." Agardess turned her attention back onto the ghost king and Aragorn.

"You gave us your word." The ghost king's face had twisted into one of anger. 

"I hold your oath fulfilled, go be at peace," Aragorn responded calmly. A gust of wind spread across the ranks of ghost. They dissolved into it and when the wind died down, they were gone. 

A heart wrenching cry brought Agardess' attention. She pulled away from Legolas, soon breaking into a sprint and racing towards Eomer who had released the cry. She brought herself to a stop a few feet away and she stared at the sight. Eomer cradling his sister's body in his arms. Agardess stepped next to him setting a comforting hand on his shoulder, looking around for Merry. She found the Hobbit and lifted him into her arms, checking his pulse before pressing her fingers to Eowyn's neck.

"She is not dead Eomer," Agardess said quickly bringing her hand back up to support the weak Hobbit. "She is very weak, but not dead." Eomer just looked at her, his face tear stricken. Pippin suddenly was beside Agardess, looking up at the body in the elf's arm. 

"Is he okay?" Pippin asked on the verge of tears. 

"He is alive." 

~*~

Aragorn was healing Merry and Eowyn, knowing that they both were in good hands Agardess decided to simply explore the city, or what was left of it. 

"You're bleeding," Legolas said coming next to her and raising his thumb to her cheek. She pushed his hand away bringing her own hand up to cover the wound. 

"Just a scratch, it is nothing," She murmured. Legolas nodded his head and sighed. 

"Amin hiraetha (I'm sorry)," He finally said. Agardess frowned. 

"For what?" She asked. Legolas turned away from her.

"I told you that we would fight together, that we would be beside each other. Instead I left without telling you of what I had chosen to do and left you to fight alone." 

"I was in no way alone," She said resting her hand on his arm. "I respect your decision of not telling me, there is nothing to forgive." He shook his head.

"Amin hiraetha, (I'm sorry)" He repeated. Agardess frowned again.

"Why do you still apologize?" She asked. "When there is nothing for you to apologize for?" Legolas sighed and crushed her into a hug. He pulled away from her and left, vanishing into a street and leaving her alone. "Legolas!" She called after him before throwing her hands up in exasperation and heading in the opposite direction. 

She found herself sitting on the wall her legs dangling over the edge as she watched people pick through the bodies looking for loved ones. The battle may be won, but lives were still lost and the families were still feeling the pain. Watching them reminded her of something, something she had long forgotten, something she thought she'd never remember again. She stood and started running, dodging around people as she searched through the crowd for a blond elf. 

"Gimli!" She called seeing the dwarf walking through the streets. "Have you seen Legolas?" Gimli shook his head.

"You should rest Agardess, you look half-dead," He responded. "If the Elf is smart he would be resting too." Agardess sighed and nodded her head, turning back to find the room she was assigned. 

Agardess stripped off her weapons and collapsed onto her bed, the sun was already fading from the sky and she was exhausted. Seconds later she was fast asleep.

~*~

"Agardess!" She heard and she jolted awake. She was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. 

"Legolas," She breathed and threw her arms around him.

"What happened?" He asked rubbing her back. "You were screaming." She just clung tighter to him. 

"I remember..." Agardess started before stopping and burying her face into his neck.  

"Remember what?" 

"My family..." She whispered. "I watched my sister die-" She interrupted herself with a soft sob. 

"You don't have to talk about it," Legolas cooed softly seating himself on her bed. They stayed like that for a while, Legolas just holding her while she clung to him like her life depended on it. Her grip slackened and Legolas shifted her, ready to leave and let her sleep but before he could leave a hand grasped his.

"Stay with me?" Agardess asked. For the first time she looked small. For the first time it looked like she needed a protector. Legolas nodded his head and slipped into the bed next to her. She laid her head on his chest and fell asleep. Legolas laid awake for a while, admiring the elf sleeping next to him. He smiled and pulled her a little closer to him before allowing himself to drift off to sleep.