There was chaos everywhere Míriel looked. People were rushing past her, grabbing their children and leaving their things behind. Míriel glanced toward the horizon where she couldn't see Legolas or the others any longer. They were already far away at battle.

"Make for the lower ground!" Éowyn yelled and awoke Míriel from her thoughts. She snapped out of it and realised she had to help.

"Stick together, hold your children!" Míriel said and urged Windfola forward.

It was up to her to lead the way to Helm's deep from the front of the pack. Éowyn had given clear instructions of where the keep was and they were not too far away now. Míriel rode in the lead for quite a while and for a moment it seemed as though they Orcs had abandoned their hunt. Míriel decided to climb off Windfola's back and put three children in the saddle instead. They were much more tired than she.

"Míriel!"

Screams were heard as three wargs came running right toward them and Éowyn was alone in the back, the only one armed to fight. Míriel gasped and began running to help her friend fight their enemy. She grabbed her bow and aimed an arrow at one of the wargs, shooting it in the head and killing it instantly. Its rider tumbled down from the wargs back, but the Orc was quickly up on his feet. He pulled his sword and began charging toward Éowyn, however the girl quickly disarmed and killed him with a stroke through the chest. Míriel raised her eyebrows in surprise - Éowyn's title as shieldmaiden was obviously not only a courtesy title.

The two other wargs and Orcs were defeated similarly as the two fought side by side. Éowyn's skills were impressive for being so young. As the last Orc fell dead to the ground, Míriel turned to Éowyn.

"Go to the front, if there are more I'll hold them off," Míriel said to Éowyn who nodded and hurried to the lead.

As Míriel turned she finally saw it - their refuge was only a few leagues away. Helm's Deep was right ahead and a spark of hope was lit in the people of Rohan. They began walking faster, new energy in their tired legs and Míriel smiled relieved. Together, she and Éowyn had led Rohan's people to Hornburg.

As they stepped inside the keep there were sounds of laughter and relieved cries. For a moment they could be joyful and safe, though it might not last for very long. Nonetheless, Míriel allowed herself to smile yet again and turned to Éowyn who soon threw her hands around Míriel's neck. She laughed, shocked by the embrace, but hugged her friend tightly.

"You will make a great leader, Éowyn", Míriel said and smiled. "You led your people here."

"With your help." Éowyn smiled, a bit embarrassed by the compliment. "I couldn't have done it without you, my dear friend."

Míriel was quite certain she could have, but said nothing more of the matter. She helped an eldery couple inside the helm. Somewhere far away Míriel heard the little girl Freda call her mother for she had finally found her. In fact, many seemed to find themselves reunited with long lost family members from those who had escaped the burning of the Westfold.

Míriel sighed - not matter the joy in the helm she couldn't help but wish that she was in the battle with her companions. One of the worst things in the world was to do nothing and that was precisely the situation she had found herself in.

It didn't take long before Míriel began pacing back and forth in front of Éowyn who was shouting out commands from the main level of Helm's Deep. Éowyn had taken charge and everyone turned to her for directions. She'd placed food in the caves and set up a place for the wounded to convalesce. Éowyn was in full control while Míriel had never felt more useless. It hadn't even been a day since they arrived, yet the men had not returned yet and it was the only thing she could think of. Something terrible could have happened.

"Míriel, please try to relax," Éowyn said and placed a hand on Míriel's shoulder. "Don't you have faith in Lord Legolas and Lord Aragorn? They will return, as will Master Gimli."

Míriel knew the three of them had made it out of tricky situations before, but she had always been there to watch over them. Míriel couldn't bear it if any of them were hurt, or worse yet killed.

"I can't help but worry," Míriel said and sighed. "They're my companions, we've been together since the start and now we're suddenly separated... I'm getting so sick of separation."

"And you love Lord Legolas," Éowyn stated and she gave Míriel an understanding look. Míriel looked into Éowyn's eyes and nodded slowly. "I understand, but he will return to you. He is an Elf after all, there is no better warrior."

What Éowyn said made sense and it eased Míriel a litte. However Éowyn could never truly understand for she didn't know the true story with Legolas. After helping the girl in her last tasks, Míriel forced Éowyn to sit down and have a meal. That was when she decided to confess everything to her. Míriel told Éowyn about the Dwarves, the Battle, the curse and the journey there. Míriel knew she was sworn to secrecy about Frodo and Sam so she mentioned nothing of them, yet everything else she confessed to the girl.

"Oh," was all that Éowyn could say when Míriel finished. "Well that does rather make things a little more complicated."

"You could say that again," Míriel said and let out a said chuckle. "I know now that he's fallen for me again and that he probably wishes to pursue something if we come out of all this alive. Yet you see that I can't, not without telling him. And if I tell him... he'll never forgive me."

Éowyn frowned.

"Míriel, perhaps he will," she said comfortingly. "I agree that you must tell Lord Legolas the truth when the time is right and I don't think you should delay too much. The longer you wait, the more it will hurt. I do think that he will come to forgive you, though. There is a deep love between the two of you."

Míriel couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Were she and Legolas really that obvious around other people. Míriel sighed and glanced into Éowyn's eyes.

"You don't seem very scared," Míriel said. "Most Men would have been terrified after hearing a story like mine."

"I am no man," Éowyn said with a cheeky grin. "I have thicker skin. And I know you're not a danger to me or to anyone, Míriel. You're my friend and whatever happened before was a terrible accident. I would trust you with my life."

Míriel's heart warmed - she did not know what she had done to deserve such an incredible friend as Éowyn. Míriel was just about to say something when she heard something. Hooves moving on grass and onto stone pavement. Míriel widened her eyes and Éowyn seemed confused.

"They're back!" Míriel exclaimed.

Míriel grabbed Éowyn's arm and rushed down the staircase to the entrance. The men had finally returned from the battle and every minute had felt like an hour, and every hour had felt like a day. There were dozens of horses in the courtyard and Míriel did not have to look for long before she spotted Legolas and Gimli - safe and sound.

Míriel sighed with relief as she spotted them. Her eyes met Legolas', hoping to see the confident look in his eyes that he always bore, but this time he showed no such signs. Something terrible must have happened, for now Míriel realised that the entire party was in gloom.Míriel dared not to try and find who amongst the men that had fallen.

"So few, so few of you have returned," Éowyn said and hurried toward King Théoden.

Míriel did not hear the rest of their conversation because she was focused on making her way toward Legolas. He met her halfway, avoiding eye contact. Míriel grabbed his hand carefully and forced him to look at her.

"What happened?" she asked carefully.

Míriel finally allowed herself to search for the last member of the fellowship with her eyes, convinced that he had to be somewhere in the back. But she could not find him. Had he fallen behind or had he decided to try and find Gandalf by himself? Any other explanation for what happened was ridiculous, it could not be true.

"Where is Aragorn?" Míriel said and gulped.

Legolas' eyes told her everything she had to know as they slowly wandered to the ground, and his shoulder slumped. Míriel had never seen Legolas this upset before and she knew now that Aragorn had fallen; it did not matter how much she tried to deny it. She tried to come up with multiple excuses as to why Legolas might be wrong but nothing would have made sense.

"That can't be true," she whispered and shook her head. "Maybe you were wrong, maybe he's just ridden away. You know what he can be like-"

"No Míriel," Legolas said and silenced her quickly with the look in his eyes. "When the battle was over and we had won, I tried to find him. But he was gone. We searched and searched until a foul, ghoulish Orc told me himself that he had seen Aragon fall off the cliff. The Orc even held the Evenstar in his filthy hands, you know Aragorn would have never parted from it. He fell to his death, there was no way he could have survived. Those rocks must've crushed his bones and left him to drown in the river. So no, Míriel, he is indeed gone."

Míriel could do nothing else than to stare into his eyes while the tears began forming in her eyes. Suddenly it felt as if someone had punched her hard in the chest, taking the very breath out of her lungs. She had not experienced such pain in very long. Too much death had haunted this fellowship; too much sorrow had come upon them on this quest. How long could they survive with all this suffering in their hearts?

"Seek comfort in me Míriel," Legolas embraced her and closed his eyes. Míriel wrapped her arms around his waist and let a single tear escape from her eyes and run down her cheek, landing on Legolas' shoulder. More of them came and soon she couldn't hold them back anymore, she was clinging to the Elf and crying into his neck. "For I need to seek it in you."

*

Míriel sat with Legolas at the top of the tower of the Hornburg. They were staring out over the lands in silence for Legolas had barely spoken another word since they arrived. Aragorn's death seemed to have been too much for him. He had been Legolas' best friend, after all, and he had never lost anyone so dear to him before.

Míriel's thumb caressed Legolas' hand comfortingly for he was blaming himself for Aragorn's death. He said that he should have kept an eye on Aragorn better, but Míriel would not accept that Legolas should take this responsibility.

"What are we going to do now?" Míriel said so quietly that she was barely audible. "Without him, we're not complete anymore. I know the fellowship has already been split, but somehow it still felt alive. As long as the four of us were alive so was the hope of victory. But now... I can't see the light anymore, Legolas. It's just too painful."

"We must go on without him," Legolas said with a sigh even if he did not want to. "We can't give up, even if we feel like we want to. You, Gimli and I still live to fight against evil. And don't forget that we still have Gandalf with us, he will never give up."

Legolas dug into his pocket and showed Míriel the Evenstar. The beautiful necklace did not have as much as a stain on it, still shining like the time when Arwen had given it to Aragorn as a promise to marry him and choose a mortal life. Míriel remembered when Arwen told her about it - it seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Take it, Míriel. Take it and give it to your cousin Arwen when you see her again."

Míriel sighed and shook her head. There was no way that she could accept it when she knew that it belonged to Aragorn and that he would have wanted Legolas to take care of it. Aragorn had trusted Legolas more than anyone else in the fellowship Legolas was going to take care of it just as well as Míriel would have.

"You were his dearest friend," she said and lowered her gaze to her hands. "The Evenstar belonged to him and he would have wanted you to keep it until we could give it back to Arwen together."

Míriel looked away at the thought of her cousin, of the heartbreak Aragorn's death would cause her. Míriel was not sure that Arwen would survive when she knew, all Míriel could do was try to imagine how she would have felt if Legolas was the one who had died. The pain was too large and great to describe.

"What will she say?" Míriel whispered quietly. "Arwen will not survive the heartbreak of losing him just like my mother barely did when my father died. In times like these love causes more pain than happiness for its victims."

"In times like these I believe that love is the only happiness we have," Legolas said and glanced into Míriel's eyes.

If only he knew, though, what misery love had brought Míriel. As she considered his words, though, she realised that it had probably been the only thing that kept her alive.