*Dedicated to Caja Galla*

As I awoke a few mornings after my journey, the day had finally arrived when I would have to ride off toward Gondor and the final battles of Middle Earth. I had been sleeping in Arwen's room to make sure she was not alone in her weakened state. She was already awake and looking out the window at the water. When I stirred she moved her head toward me. It hurt my heart to see her so weak and helpless looking. She knew I had to go get ready so I helped her up and together we walked to the dining hall where everyone was assembled for breakfast. We ate in almost silence with an occasional worried glance at Arwen. After I was finished, Elrohir took over taking care of her as I walked slowly to my wing to prepare for battle.

As I walked into my sitting area, I was stunned into silence to see aunt Galadriel standing there in all of her regal beauty. She was standing in front of my bed smiling a sad smile. Then she stepped aside and I gasped at what I saw laying across my bed. It was a new suit of armor unlike anything I have ever seen before. I walked toward it without saying a word as I reached out and touched the precious metals and other elementals it was forged from. I saw immediately my familial symbols carved into it especially those of the sun. I looked at my aunt then with my eyes full of questions.

"My dear child, I know you have other armor but your last one brought you great pain which I cannot bear you witness again. This armor was forged from the same material as Altherial. The armor of Anor; you will understand how it will help both you and your steed in battle soon enough. You are not just helping out the fellowship anymore, you are fighting on behalf of the lands that run through your royal bloodline so the princess in you has to be reborn into an ultimate unwavering warrior with the proper armor. Therefore, I had this made as an official outfit to suit what you are about to face."

She finished softly as I continued to finger the armor; it was smooth just like Altherial and the runes were slight but visible. Before I could say anything she switched to Elvish:

"You have foreseen it, I know. Though you know not what it means. But you will get your wish if you still want it; you will face Sauron head on. The outcome however, is unknown."

"I am well aware of that. And yes I am ready to strike him down for all eternity and beyond regardless the cost. My only goal is to make sure Arwen lives."

"Wait! What? No!" We turned to see Arwen in the doorway looking frightened. I tried to go to her but she put her hand up and asked me to let her finish.

"That is not good enough cousin mine. Yes I gave away my immortality to the man I love but I will not sacrifice you. You are the only sister I have or will ever have. I repeat; I will not sacrifice you. I will not stand for it!" She said as tears started rolling down her cheeks and at that point I put my arms around her and soothed her.

"Neither will I." Uncle Elrond's voice sounded from the threshold. I closed my eyes and knew I had to be strong. Arwen then turned toward her father and started begging him:

"Ada, please do not let her go. Do not let her leave. She cannot go, please. I beg of you."

"She must go. It is who she is and as much as I loathe thinking of her getting harmed again or worse, she will get on that stallion of hers and ride off without telling us. So it is best if we bid her lightning speed here and let the gift of the new armor show her the way. She is doing this for all of us."

"Sweetheart, your ada is right. I am not going out there to die, I am going out there to fight so we can all live in peace and be rid of this evil once and for all. Do you really think I would go through all the trouble of falling in love and getting betrothed just to die at the hands of that Morgoth scum? I thought you knew me better than that?" She smiled a bit than as I spoke. And though I know I soothed her, my aunt knew differently. The possibility of my not returning was enormous. But Arwen did not need to know that.

"Will you all stay as I take a quick bath and get ready?" I asked semi nervously as I was surrounded by my family including Elrohir who was standing by the doorway. Elladon had sailed to the Undying Lands with the group Arwen was originally a part of.

Elrohir had promised me the night before that should I fail, should the fellowship fail, should Gondor fall, he would get every elf in both lands to Valinor on angel's wings. He agreed with tears in his eyes for I was like a sister to him too as we hugged. Therefore, now he only lingered in the doorway. I wanted to spend every single second I could with them for who knew if this would be the last time. They all nodded as I rushed off to take a quick bath and braid my hair battle style; for who knew the next time I would have a chance at clean water.

Finally, I returned, half nervous they had left but they were all exactly where I had left them. I had also dawned a mithril shirt so to give myself extra protection. I was not taking any chances considering what was to come. For the first time in recorded history both my aunt and uncle helped me put my armor on including my royal head-piece that was modified to match the new armor. When I was ready, aunt Galadriel handed me a sack full of improved shurikin which were wider and could connect to one another to form blades of steel. I thanked her. Then looking around with a sigh, I knew it was time to go. I turned to both my aunt and uncle and said then:

"No matter what happens, I never ever want to disappoint either of you. I just wanted to say how honored I have been to be raised by you both. If every orphan had a family like this, there would not be any parentless children in Middle-Earth. I love you all very much and I will return to you soon, somehow, I shall. I promise." By the time I finished speaking everyone had tears in their eyes. Aunt Galadriel hugged me then:

"You have never disappointed us since the day you were born. The moment you opened your eyes, you were a treasure and a fighter and we love you with everything in us. Please be safe, our beloved child."

I hugged them all and Arwen though weak, got up for another large hug and they all accompanied me to the stables where I was pleasantly surprised to see Sunset wearing similar armor as me. Whatever my aunt foresaw clearly included my steed. I could not hold off anymore so I mounted him and with a last look and wave, I walked him out of the gate and galloped like the Nazgul itself was after me.

At the speed we were flying it took us mere hours to get to Gondor and that is when we stopped and I assessed the situation. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas were only now arriving with the corsair ships. Minas Tirith was under attack by thousands of orcs and large trolls. The sun was only barely coming up over the horizon when I heard a horn blow. I looked to the east and saw Théoden King of Rohan and the rest of his men standing on the horizon just as the sun reached its peak and the Rohirrim charged. I waited no more than 30 seconds until the sun was exactly where the runes on my new armor started to glow and then whispering:

"Hannon le Naneth (thank you mother);"

I charged forward out of the shadows and toward the battle. As the sun hit my armor, I was completely obscured from view of the orcs. They just saw a giant ball of light or the sun itself coming toward them. The side of the Rohirrim were able to see Sunset's hind legs so they knew it was an actual someone on a steed and not some extraordinary weapon. But the orcs, oh no, they were fighting against the blinding sun that was actually moving toward them at an almost unseen rate of speed.

They never saw their own deaths happen. One moment they were trying to outrun the giant ball of light and the next, Altherial cleanly took their heads off and their thoughts ceased. The power of Anor (sun) gave me an edge unlike any previously seen in Middle Earth. As the orcs fled, I saw beyond them giant Oliphants with human riders on top of them. The orcs hid behind them as the Rohan armies regrouped as quickly as they could while being stomped on by what seemed like creatures from another time. They had sharp tusks and other weapons attached to maximize the damage.

The Rohirrim were being swiftly taken out just as the army of the dead arrived with Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. Finally, it was evenly matched; more so even. I was still a sight unseen as the sun obscured me from any vision except King Théoden being attacked by the Nazgul and Eowyn going against both the Witch King and his flying monster with Merry. I knew the king was mortally wounded and for a brief moment I wanted to go help Eowyn defeat the Witch King but something stopped me. I knew she could do all of it on her own so I left her to it. She had to prove her worth just like I did a century ago, whatever the consequences.

Meanwhile at that moment, I saw Legolas bring down one of the Oliphants using his immeasurable elven skills as a bowman and agility. As he slid off the trunk of the mammoth creature, at the last almost possible second he screamed Aragorn's name as a massive troll moved in for the kill; the former had turned his back to it and had not seen it coming. Without giving it much thought, I took out three of my normal sized shurikin and launched them straight at the troll's throat taking him down before he could deliver a sickening blow to Aragorn.

I was still sitting atop of Sunset at that time so it gave me an even better advantage of throwing. Finally the sun subsided enough that I was no longer a glowing orb as they gasped with recognition as another Oliphant came roaring right behind me. I smiled at them and said:

"Watch and learn gentlemen."

Galloping on Sunset, I took out the new shurikin given to me by my aunt, attaching 3 sets of 3 and throwing them at different angles at the Oliphant's side and then launching myself onto them as I held on to the rope that held the riders in place. In a way I was riding the giant beast. I climbed higher and higher as the three men below watched in awe. Then with one fell swoop before even one of the riders could get an arrow off at me, using Altherial I cut the rope that bound them to the Oliphant and they went down toward the ground where the army of the dead took care of them.

Now it was time to bring the beast itself down. Using a dagger and Altherial, I stuck the thing like a pig in both sides and with forward momentum, swung unto its back as it shrieked in pain. I ran up toward its head; took out another combo of 3 large shurikin and using Altherial as a hammer struck them into its neck, decapitating it at the head before I flipped head over heels back onto the ground right next to an absolutely speechless Legolas whom I swiftly kissed on the cheek and watched as Gimli giggled at him:

"Well there laddie, do not just stand there! She beat you in speed and precision. Come on, come on, there are more orcs to kill and I want to win!" Then Gimli poked him with his axe and I said:

"Here endeth the lesson, my love. Now let us go kill some orcs before they all run away."

As Legolas came out of his stupor, that is exactly what we did. Finally, the orcs and remaining Oliphants and their masters ran for the hills as far away as they could go and we declared another victory for the greater good. But it was far from over. Now that Sauron knew Gondor would not fall so easily, he would send out his whole militia to meet us head on and that is exactly what I was banking on. But nobody, save for my aunt and uncle knew what I was planning to do. But those thoughts were for later. Right now we had to help get the wounded to the House of Healing inside Minas Tirith.

Walking around and looking around at the carnage brought me back for a small moment to Helm's Deep and seeing Haldir lying dead amongst his soldiers. I felt a pang in my heart as if I would find him there again too. Sensing my somber mood, Legolas took my hand and we both led Sunset into the stone gates of the great fortress. I was in awe. It was beautiful; all white stone and marble and granite. I had seen pictures in books but nothing compared to the real thing. I stopped briefly as I realized Aragorn was administering aid to Eowyn who had been knocked unconscious after her battle with the Witch King while her brother Eomer watched with pain in his eyes. Aragorn saw me looking and asked:

"These markings on her arm, do you know what could have caused them?"

"Eowyn was one of the bravest souls on that battlefield today. She slew the Witch King. It was his iron gird that caused the markings when he destroyed her wooden shield. But she would not give up." I smiled at her as Eomer looked at me with anger rising in his voice as he spoke.

"You saw her fighting him and did not help? You have experience in fighting! How could you let my sister get hurt?" He said through clenched teeth as Aragorn put his hand up to stop him before he overstepped lines he would not be able to cross again. I nodded that it was alright.

"Sadly for you Eomer, you underestimate your sister. I knew she could do it and so did she. Women whether elvish or human still have to prove their worth as fighters. I proved myself over a century ago in a battle about the same size as this one was and I was much younger then. Your sister had more experience fighting today then I would have in her place. As for her survival, she shall be alright. Aragorn knows the healing ways of elves. Have faith, let your anger go, for it shall not serve you in the long run." And with that I walked away, leading Sunset as Legolas took my hand and squeezed it.

As we walked further into the fortress, Sunset was given to caretakers as Legolas and I were shown to our quarters. We did not ask for anything fancy but apparently all of Minas Tirith had lavish rooms. The room that we got looked almost identical to mine in Lorien; which made me miss it just a bit as I looked around. We were given food, which we partook in once we had taken a bath. And yes that bath was taken together as it had been too long a time that we were apart. The lavender mint surrounded us and it was the kind of relaxation we both needed as we took comfort in each other. After eating and cleaning up a bit, I actually fell asleep on the very comfortable bed.

When I awakened, Legolas was not there so I assumed he had been called away. I decided to go for a walk; it was dark already so at first I wondered onto the balcony and looked toward Mordor and the blackening sky. All of a sudden, images started to pop up in my head followed by minor headaches. I realized what was going on and that I had to speak with Mithrandir as soon as possible. My hair was not braided and I was wearing a golden silver gown and holding a lantern as I walked along different paths. Everyone I passed would stare at me in awe and bow. Now I had gotten used to the bowing but not the look of awe like I was some sort of ethereal ghost. Granted, my dress and the lantern light bounced off the white walls of the fortress and glowed so I could not really tell who was glowing; me or the stone.

Finally, when I was convinced I was lost; I noticed a Gondorian soldier staring at me and walked up to him. He quickly fell to one knee and apologized for staring. I told him to stand up and to not worry about it but that I had lost my way and wanted to get to the House of Healing. He promptly led the way and deposited me at the door where I heard voices and without knocking walked in. Sure enough, what was left of the fellowship including Eomer and a man I had seen in a vision were there. They all stopped speaking when I entered. All bowed including Mithrandir save Legolas who quickly walked up to me and hugged me tenderly.

"I did not want to wake you, you were sleeping so soundly." I smiled as I looked around.

"It is alright. We can all sleep when this is over." I replied. Again I rubbed my temple for another headache had come on and Mithrandir noticed as his eyes narrowed. To keep his attention away from me for a bit, I looked at Eomer who was having a hard time keeping eye contact with me.

"How is Eowyn?" I asked him.

"She is awake but resting in a different room. She woke up shortly after your departure." He said looking down as I smiled and nodded. As I started to look away because I had yet to be introduced to the man with a bandage across his chest though I had a feeling I knew exactly who he was, Eomer spoke up again:

"I owe you an apology, princess. I never should have come off so abrasive before. I was just very worried about my sister and you and your kin have already helped us more than we can ever hope to repay." He bowed to me then.

"No need for apologies, it is alright. When it comes to kin, it is alright to be worried and scared when you do not know whether they will live or not." I said as my eyes got a faraway look that reminded me of the conversation I had with my own family before coming here. They really did not  know whether I would come back in one piece or at all. This time Legolas was the one who noticed as his brow furrowed and I just brushed him aside; he really did not need to know. Meanwhile, just as I was to be introduced to the man standing patiently waiting his turn, a small figure ran passed me, nearly tripping over my dress.

"Pippin?" I said my eyes lighting up. He stopped dead, turned in his tracks and stared up at me in awe his eyes as wide as saucers. The last time I saw him was in Lorien when the Fellowship of 8 had come through. After the loss of Gandalf the Grey.

"Princess Hedraliel?" He stammered out and then bowed swiftly before straightening up again as I looked over his new clothing as the others smiled.

"Well well what do we have here? Guard of the Citadel? Impressive. Now where pray tell are you off to in such a hurry?"

"You did not hear? I found Merry! He is alive and they are bringing him here to the House of Healing. He was fighting with the White Lady and helped her with the Witch King and then lost consciousness and nearly got stomped on by one of those big Oliphant things. But I found him! I found him!" He ran off again with a wave and a huge smile to see his best friend.

"Well that is 2 out of 4 accounted for." Aragorn said.

Finally, having had enough standing in the background just watching, the not so strange stranger walked up to me, bowed, and introduced himself.

"I am Faramir son of the late Denethor as well as brother of the late Boromir one of the original members of the Fellowship, last steward of Gondor, now that the king has returned." The others kind of understood they bungled up the introduction so they just stood quietly and watched. I smiled kindly at him and then introduced myself:

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you Faramir; I have seen you coming for a long time. I am Princess Hedraliel Anorithilian of Rivendell and Lothlorien." Faramir looked puzzled by my cryptic message.

"What do you mean a long time coming?"

I then looked out to my left and saw Eowyn standing and watching all of us with interest especially me as I smiled at her and nodded shifting my eyes just ever so subtly toward Faramir that only she would see and remember my message to her in the forest. I left it with her at that but Faramir noticed her and he and I exchanged a smile. No other explanation was needed. It was at that point that Mithrandir took me aside and asked to speak with me in private which is exactly what I had wanted.

"What did you see?" He got right to the point.

"Every time I concentrate on Frodo, I would get a flash and then this headache that would disappear as soon as it would appear." I explained to him.

"Just tell me if he and Sam are alive and they still are in possession of the ring."

"Yes, that much I can tell. They are barely making it and Gollum has already betrayed them which is perhaps why I get the headaches. They have run afoul with a lot of beasties but they are still on the right path. Mithrandir, we must help them! They cannot do this alone." I said to him as he nodded thoughtfully.

"Let us rest on it and then tomorrow at first light we shall meet in the great hall and work on how to get the two towards Mt. Doom and end this once and for all." I nodded in agreement.

After that we dispersed to our respective quarters with the final battle looming the next day, we knew we had to come up with a plan that would work. I knew what I had to do; so the following day as everyone was discussing strategies in the great hall, I stayed in the room one last time as I dawned my armor and though fighters were going to be on foot, Sunset and I were of one body and one soul so he would be out there with me no matter what. Even though I was wearing my armor, I was still able to enter the hall without being heard as I heard the snippets of conversation:

"Draw out Sauron's armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate." Aragorn was saying.

"We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms." Eomer replied.

"Not for ourselves. But we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's Eye fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves." Aragorn it seems had formulated a plan and Legolas caught on.

"A diversion."

"Certainty of death, *small* chance of success... What are we waiting for?" Gimli harrumphed.

"Sauron will suspect a trap. He will not take the bait." Gandalf said wearily.

"No, I think he will." Aragorn replied quite certain of himself as I appeared and confirmed it.

"Yes he definitely will. If all is done properly." I added as everyone looked at me with surprise.

"What do you mean, princess?" Gimli asked.

"I mean, Aragorn does what he needs to do but I want you Mithrandir to bring the Pallantir with you." Everyone's eyes got really wide.

"Whatever for?" Mithrandir asked.

"Because I will need it then. You want Sauron's eye occupied, Aragorn is the start and I am the finale. This is not a request." I said, my eyes flashing; still not revealing anything. Everyone looked at each other. They could not say no to me because we really had very few options left.

"As you wish, princess." Mithrandir said bowing to me. I rolled my eyes.

"Now that is one thing that you do not have to do, is bow to me. If anything, I should be bowing to you as you are an elder and I am just an elf."

Just as he began to protest, I remembered something and walked over to Legolas who was trying to look through my eyes into my soul to gauge what if any plan I had up my sleeve but all I did was touch his chest and whisper in elvish into his ear:

"Enio melethronen nastach I ivor ir prestas morn avnodo den o I sigil a rago Varyamir si e has I men e hin pedi."(Remember my love; you trash the crystal when it turns black. Untie it from the necklace and break the Varyamir immediately; it is the way it has been spoken).

He nodded remembering the necklace and put his hand over my own as he held it there for a long time; our hearts beating as one, our love intertwined forever.

After that I walked outside as the others got ready for battle. After Aragorn had done what he needed to with the pallantir, Mithrandir wrapped it in a blanket and nodded, then a special satchel was attached to Sunset and the black orb was placed into it so I could access it when I needed. We were all set. I rode out between Mithrandir and Legolas. I knew regardless of what happened, I had made my choice. As we rode toward the black gate with the remaining army and the last battle of Middle-Earth; I closed my eyes and softly said:

"For Frodo, Sam, Middle-Earth, but most importantly for Arwen."

To be continued.....