Chapter Twenty Eight: Breaking the Rules

DISCLAIMER: My humblest apologizes to the BBC, David Tennant, and John Hurt.

Author's Note: I just started reading Game of Thrones, and I'm in love. Everyone who likes Lord of the Rings, which I'm assuming is everyone reading this right now, would absolutely love Game of Thrones. I strongly recommend it. The HBO series isn't too bad either :) Anyway, the part of the story that takes place during the Two Towers is slowly but surely coming to a close! We're approaching the battle of Helms Deep within the next few chapters. And thanks to everyone who recommended French music…I loved all of them!

Random Quote: "For every subtle and complicated question, there is a perfectly simple and straightforward answer, which is wrong." –H.L Mencken

A cerulean sky spread above the kingdom of Edoras, encompassing the landscape beneath a vast dome of purest blue. The brilliant gleam of the sun gushed it's warmth over the hills and valleys and mountains that lay below, embellishing the green land with supple rays of light. Through the range of rippling hills, weaved the population of an entire village…Men lugged heavy sacks filled with food and other bare necessities. Women fretted to keep their children close while simultaneously guiding the reins of oxen and goats. The children sat in wagons and walked glumly alongside their parents. The whole scene was sad and a bit surreal.

Near the front of this large migration was a small group of children, clustered around a flustered looking red head. The children gazed up at her with a strange combination of befuddlement and fascination. And yet the red head seemed blissfully unaware of the strange looks she was garnering, and thus continued to befuddle and fascinate her audience.

"So now the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey…Remember Mickey? The tin dog? Anyway, they're trapped in a parallel universe, with a malfunctioning TARDIS and no way to contact their own world. On top of that, an evil man named Lumic-And yes, Lumic is his real name. It sounds more like an energy drink to me-is plotting to destroy civilization with an army of Cybermen. Cybermen are a type of cybernetically augmented humanoid, with the ability to …"

Estela took a breath, and looked down to see that her audience was staring up at her in bewilderment. She laughed at their confused expressions.

"Umm…Perhaps that's not the best type of story for you guys." She shook her head. She had been telling the children stories since their departure from Rohan. She had already barreled through Star Wars for a second time, as well as Cinderella, the legend of Hercules, and every single Disney movie she could think of. She was running out of children appropriate stories.

Estela sighed. "There's no way I can explain androids, is there? Weeping angel statues? Vampires in sixteenth century Venice? Er…gas mask mutants?"

The children's confusion seemed to increase exponentially.

"I'm running dry on stories, guys. Sorry." Estela was glad she could be a source of entertainment for the children, but this situation was making her feel a bit awkward. Adonnenniel was better at this kind of thing. Estela tended to shy away from the spotlight, especially when it included children.

She walked in silence for a while, content to just enjoy the peace and the beautiful landscape while she still could. Telling those stories hadn't just been a distraction for the children…It served as something to keep Estela from having a complete mental breakdown. She knew the Wargs were coming soon, and tension was building steadily inside her. She had thought it over, and knew that she should not join the fight. In all honesty, she completely doubted her ability to be nothing more than a distraction on the battlefield. Her interference could somehow alter the course of events.

Yet all the same, the insane temptation was there. Perhaps she could prevent Aragorn from falling and spare everyone else all the worry…But then he wouldn't see Isengard's army and Theoden would not be braced for the vastness of the army…

Ugh, she thought. This is all so confusing.

Estela glanced a ways behind her, and saw Aragorn talking with Eowyn. Legolas and Gimli rode beside each other. As she watched Aragorn and Eowyn talk, her tension increased even more. She wished there was something she could do for Eowyn…Something to make it hurt less when Aragorn blatantly rejected her. Eowyn had been through so much and was such a lovely person. She didn't deserve to be hurt.

Caught up in her thoughts, Estela didn't notice it when someone fell into step with her.

"Hello," said a sudden voice.

Estela started, and then saw that the voice belonged to an elderly woman. She had a sort of head scarf wrapped around her forehead, pressing her gray, curly hair against her scalp.

"You scared me," Estela laughed.

"I apologize," the woman said. She smiled, and her beady eyes disappeared behind layers of wrinkles. "My name is Lothilacia, but most just call me Lacey."

Estela smiled. The woman had a kind, grandmotherly air about her. "My name is Estela. Pleasure to meet you."

Lacey inclined her head. "And you." A particularly strong gust of wind swept through the hills. All around them, people shielded their face with their hands, and scrambled to keep their things from being swept up with the wind.

A strand of hair escaped from Lacey's headscarf. Instead of fixing it, she let it fall against the nape of her neck. "These are strange times we live in," she said, shaking her head.

Estela did not quite know what to say to this, but was saved the trouble of responding when Lacey continued speaking. "I simply wished to thank you for entertaining the children. This is a long and trying journey. I had hoped our children would never have to make it in their lifetime."

"I'm sorry," Estela said softly. "It must be hard on them." She sighed. "I keep wishing my sister was here. She would be much better at telling them stories."

Lacey stared at her seriously. "I fear that you merely succeed in confusing them to the point where they are sufficiently distracted from their troubles."

Estela gaped at her, and Lacey laughed.

"Oh, child, I was teasing you." Lacey placed her hand on Estela's shoulder affectionately.

Touched, Estela smiled ruefully. "You're right, though. It's difficult to find stories that are easy to explain."

They walked in silence for a while. Estela watched as the children slowly regrouped around her and Lacey, tugging at their dresses and reaching out to hold their hands.

"You have a kind spirit, child," Lacey said suddenly. "Do not let it be damaged." Lacey looked around at the cluster of children. "Ah. It appears your audience has returned. I will not prevent you from satisfying them. Do enjoy yourself, child."

With that, Lacey smiled at Estela mischievously and then left her to resume story telling.

Estela laughed at the woman's behavior, and watched as she vanished into the recesses of the thick crowd.

"Will you tell us another, miss?" asked one of the children.

Estela bent down to look at the child directly. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Gwaine," said the child, staring up at her with large blue eyes.

"Well, Gwaine," said Estela, her mouth quirking into a grin, "I think I just might have another story for you. You can thank your name for reminding me of this particular one."

She took a deep breath, and then launched into another story.

"In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom called Camelot rests on the shoulders of a young boy…"

Ten minutes later, the children were completely enthralled with the story. The legend of Merlin and King Arthur seemed to appeal to them more than any of the science fiction type things she had tried previously. The whole premise of Camelot was just a tad more comprehensible to them than time traveling Time Lords in blue London police boxes. Knights, castles, and magic lent the story an accessible, medieval feeling that resonated strongly with their own home.

Telling stories to the children made the time pass faster. The endless hours of walking didn't seem quite so difficult, and Estela's worries about the upcoming battle were temporarily staved off.

As the day wore on, however, the children gradually left and returned to the comfort of their parents. Left alone, Estela's thoughts began to drift. She thought of her dreams from last night. There was something nagging at her about them…Something that she couldn't quite place. She knew that they were somehow linked to the Prophecy, but the connection kept eluding her. She made an effort to stop thinking about it. It just made her head hurt.

As they continued walking, the people's sadness at leaving their home and fleeing for Helms Deep nestled into the atmosphere. The sky became cloudier and the air turned colder. A sudden gloom seemed to settle over everyone. Sometime during the afternoon Estela began to feel her sleepless nights catching up with her. She seriously considered sneaking into one of the bulkier wagons to sleep.

Estela sighed and stopped walking for a moment. She turned around to see where the others were. Aragorn and Eowyn were still talking, and Gimli and Legolas were a few feet in front of them. When Legolas saw Estela looking his way, he inclined his head in her direction. Unsure of how to respond, she awkwardly waved to him. He motioned for her to come join them. She smiled and nodded, and then made her way through the thick throng of people to where the others were.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself earlier," Legolas said. "The children seemed enthralled, if a bit perplexed, with you."

Estela laughed. "Perplexed. You could say that again. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever have a career in story-telling. What have you been doing all day?"

"Waiting," Legolas muttered darkly. "Waiting for an attack. Fleeing for Helms Deep was an act of pure foolishness on behalf of the King. I fear for our lives even now. I fear we are in danger even before we have passed through the gates of Helms Deep."

Estela looked down at her feet. He was right. An attack was imminent and she couldn't say anything without giving something away.

Legolas stared at her. "Your silence confirms my worries. We are in danger, are we not?"

Estela gave him a pained look. "Yes," she said quietly. "I suppose it doesn't matter if I tell you or not, because you'll find out soon enough."

Legolas nodded. "Very well. It is as I feared. But we should not spend time feeling anxious about it until it actually comes."

"Now you know how I feel all the time," Estela laughed. "Keeping these things to myself. It's as if I'm…"

Just then, Estela lost her footing. She had tripped on a sharp rock jutting out from the ground. Legolas caught her before she hit the ground.

"Great," she said, dusting herself off, "Still tripping over rocks. I somehow thought that a side effect of becoming more elf-like would be gracefulness."

"You seem tired," Legolas commented. "Perhaps you simply need rest."

"Yeah. I didn't get much sleep last night. I had those dreams again."

"Well," Legolas said slowly, "The next time these dreams occur, try to calm your thoughts and remind yourself that they are nothing more than mere dreams."

"I can't," Estela muttered. "I stay up thinking about them for hours. I just feel like there's something I'm missing…Something blatantly obvious…Something that connects my dreams and the Prophecy."

Estela closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. She felt as if the answer was close, an epiphany ready to parachute open and make sense. She pulled out the Prophecy from her pocket and unfolded it.

"Do you keep that with you all the time?" Legolas asked, sounding faintly concerned.

"Yes," she replied shortly. She knew the words by memory. They were a part of her now. "Galadriel told me that there were two people the Prophecy refers to. The one 'bound to the Unseen' and the one 'bound by the crown'. She said that one of these refers to myself, the other to Adonnenniel. She surmised that the one bound to the Unseen would be the one who dies. Not knowing if it's myself or my sister is torturous."

With a sigh, Legolas pried the Prophecy from her fingers. "Since it is clear that I cannot convince you to stop dwelling over this, I will help you analyze it. Perhaps it will put your mind at ease if we can ascertain what it is that's eluding you."

"If is the functioning word there. Legolas, there have been nights when I've fallen asleep holding the damn thing after analyzing the words for hours."

Legolas was reading the Prophecy intently. "Shh," he said.

"Did you just shush me?" Estela asked indignantly.

"Shh," he said again.

"Yes, sir," she laughed. She remained quiet for the next few minutes. Once or twice, she glanced over at Legolas to see an expression of intense concentration on his face. She had never seen him focus so hard on anything before, and that was saying something. He's doing this for me, she thought, touched. However, her gratitude was touched with a bit of cynicism. She knew that he wouldn't be able to discern anything from the Prophecy. She had already psychoanalyzed it to death, and she knew that he too had read it over and over, trying to extract some amount of meaning from its words.

When Legolas resurfaced from his concentration, he fixed her with a hard look. "I believe your dreams are attempting to make sense of your unconscious thoughts surrounding the Prophecy. And I believe that certain individual words, but not the entire Prophecy, are meant to be taken figuratively."

For a long moment, she just stared at him, trying to figure out how to phrase what she was thinking. Before she could formulate it delicately, it just sort of spilled out. "What the hell?" she snapped. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Legolas looked confused. "I only just realized it."

"What? You mean to tell me that we've known about this thing since Lothlorien, or I've known about it since then…I guess you knew even sooner…Right, still angry about that, just by the way…and all of a sudden you're able to figure something out about it? Why would you-?"

"Estela," Legolas said sharply, cutting her off. He spoke slowly, delicately, clearly choosing his words carefully as to not upset her further. "I only just realized it in the context of your dreams. This is the first time I have attempted to decipher the Prophecy after hearing about your dreams."

"Oh," she said quietly. "Sorry. I didn't think of it that way. And I'm not actually still angry about you not telling me about the Prophecy before Lothlorien. Sorry."

There was a long silence.

Estela cleared her throat. "So, um, which words do you think are meant figuratively?"

"The one that stood out to me the most was 'starless'," he said slowly. "The one bound by the crown will remain in the starless domain of Middle Earth," he quoted. "I cannot think of a place in Middle Earth that could be literally described as 'starless'."

Just then, a strangled shout yell pierced the air. "Wargs!"

Legolas moved in a blur. He was on his horse in less than a second, reins in hand.

"Stay here!" he said urgently to Estela. "Stay here and help lead the villagers to Helms Deep." As he spoke, the scene erupted into pandemonium. The villagers began panicking and herding their children towards them, some of the women began crying, and the horses were anxiously twitching and stamping their feet.

Estela nodded numbly. She knew that she would be useless in this battle. She entwined her fingers with his. "I wish I could come with you."

"That is not an option," Legolas said sharply. He turned his back to her. "Estela, I must go!" he said sharply. "Stay here and be safe."

Estela gasped. The realization had hit her hard, like a physical collision. It must have been some combination of her dreams, talking about the Prophecy with Legolas, and the adrenaline of the moment, but for whatever reason, the Prophecy's meaning which had eluded her for so long suddenly became clear. All of the pieces had suddenly fallen in place. She grabbed him by the forearm before he could ride away. "You're wrong," she said. "It's not meant to be taken figuratively. It's literal."

She spoke slowly, looking at him directly. "Legolas…Mirkwood is starless."

His eyes widened.

She spoke in a rush. "In the first dream I had, I saw a forest with a canopy made out of really thick branches. The canopy was so thick that no starlight could reach inside the forest."

The full implication of what she had said hit him. She watched as shock settled over his expression as the same rapid thoughts that were flitting through her head went through his. With just that small realization, all of the other pieces were able to fall into place. They were both making all of the connections at the same time. She knew without asking that he had just figured out everything that she had. In that moment, she felt as if nothing else existed except for her and Legolas and what they had just realized. The cries of the villagers and the frenzy of the impending battle were muted, and time seemed to slow down.

But not for long. When Aragorn shouted, "We are under attack!" she was jolted out of her stupor. Legolas still seemed in a state of shell shocked silence.

"Go!" Estela said. "You will survive this battle and we can talk later. Go!" She said urgently.

Legolas tore his gaze her from slowly, as if it pained him to do so. He spurred his horse forward, and then he was gone.

As soon as he left, she began to cry. Her tears blurred her vision as she helped Eowyn keep the villagers together and herd them towards the lower ground away from the battle. She could hear the screams and crashes and growls emanating from the battle but they did not concern her. Not now.

The current of people carried Estela along. As they put more distance between themselves and the battle, the clanging of metal and the growls of the Wargs faded into the background.

People gradually stopped running and their pace slowed to a brisk walk. It felt like hours, and somewhere in the back of her mind Estela thought that it would have been a time lapse in the movie, but eventually a very ancient looking, large stone fortress appeared in the distance. She stared at Helms Deep as the group walked faster toward it. The villagers began letting out cries of relief as they reached their treasured safe haven.

As she passed through the gate, Estela saw Lacey, the woman she had spoken with earlier, embrace Eowyn. "We're safe, My Lady! Thank you!"

She saw Freda and Eothain rush past her and embrace a tall, thin woman fiercely.

She saw many others find love ones, and others still looking around hopelessly, unable to find a familiar face in the swarm of people.

Estela herself felt detached from the scene, as if a veil had been drawn between her and the world. She understood the Prophecy now and found herself wishing she could go back to being oblivious. Her emotions about it were too complicated to even begin to sift through, so she allowed herself to temporarily stop thinking about it and focus her worry on something else.

Legolas. What had compelled her to tell him about her realization right before he rode into battle? Legolas was a seasoned warrior, of course, but she couldn't shake the worry that her actions would somehow distract him from the battle and leave him vulnerable. Or perhaps, by delaying him even for just a minute, she had messed up the timing of the battle where he was involved.

"Lady Estela!"

Estela whirled around, wondering if she had imagined the voice. But then Eowyn appeared in front of her.

"Eowyn," Estela said. She tried vainly to smile and willed herself to stop thinking about everything that had just happened.

"Estela, there is something I wish to speak with you about when-"

But whatever Eowyn was about to say was cut off as a second group of people flooded through the gate. "Make way for Theoden!" shouted a soldier. "Make way for the King!"

"They're back," Eowyn breathed. She rushed forward to meet them.

Estela watched from a distance as Eowyn was told of Aragorn's death. Not for the first time, she felt a wave of helplessness consume her. She could tell Eowyn that it would be alright. Just this once, she could bend the rules a little bit….

But no, she couldn't. Estela suddenly felt angry. Angry at her helplessness, angry at the whole situation, angry at whatever had caused her and her sister to get swept up into this mess. She felt something wet crawl into her eyes for the second time that day. They were tears of anger and frustration more so than sadness.

That was when Legolas spotted her and began walking quickly in her direction. A feeling of relief washed over her when she saw that he was uninjured. When he reached her, he embraced her fiercely. When he drew away, she saw that his face was stained with tears as well. For all he knew, his best friend had just died.

Suddenly, Estela just didn't care anymore. She hated feeling so terribly helpless and she couldn't watch him suffer. She put her mouth to his ear and whispered as quietly as she could.

"Aragorn's not dead. He fell, yes, but he is still alive. We will see him again shortly."

Relief swept over Legolas' features. "Oh, thank the Valar," he whispered.

"It doesn't matter that you know," Estela said. "Just don't tell anyone else, I suppose."

Legolas reached for her hand. "Theoden has ordered that the women and the children are to be sent to the safety of the caves. As much as I despise separating us, especially now, you must join them. You will be safe there."

Estela was tempted to protest, but realized it would be irrational. She would only be a liability in this particular battle. "Very well," she said. "But we must talk when this is over."

"There is much we must do when this is over," Legolas said softly. He cupped her face gently in his hands and kissed her lightly. It was enough to make her head spin.

"I must go," he said.

Estela willed herself not to start crying again. She wanted to be strong for him. "Belain na le," she said. (May the Valar be with you)

Coming Up Next!

-No spoilers! Hehe ^.^

Individual Thank You's/Messages:

MissShelz: The fluff between Legolas and Estela is honestly one of the funnest parts to write :D Normally I don't do fluff, so it's something that's different and exciting for me. And I know what you mean…I'm so dependent on my electronics! It's really bad. I've been staying up until 3am every night texting people, and I'm on my computer so much.

ThePersonFromYourNightmares: Thank you so much! You literally commented on everything that I've tried really hard to put into this story, like the references, not rushing the love story, and the imagery. Thanks for noticing :) I have not read the Abhorsen Chronicles, but I have heard of it and it's been on my list of fantasy books I need to read for a while. I'd probably like it since I like Lord of the Rings :) Thanks for the recommendation, I'll try to get around to read it :D

Lightnin Spark: Thank you! I'm really glad that I found a substantial amount of time to get on and answer all of my messages that I'd been neglecting :) And haha, your last comment made me crack up xD So true!

Littlemissthang418: Oh my gosh, I didn't know that about the Little Mermaid! I think that just killed a bit of my childhood! That reminds me of the Grimm Brothers stories, and how they were totally morbid to begin with, but then Disney completely changed them. Like in the original Cinderella, one of the stepsisters chopped off her toe to make the glass slipper fit.

Song in the woods: Yup, I'm just awful to them ^.^ If everything was perfect for them, then the story would be boring! So I have to be mean to them :) Muwahahaha. Thanks so much for your review :)

Blue Dragon of Rivendell: The original books are fantastic! I've read them all twice :D I saw a preview for some new American version of Sherlock, though, and I'm really freaked out. Watson's a girl. The last thing we need is another awful American version of a BBC show :p Thanks for your review :)

Guest: Haha, fortunately you were the only 'guest' who commented on this one so I didn't have to specify which one in the review replies ^.^ I hate that moment when you want chocolate at 1am and you don't have any! So frustrating! And haha, it sounds like we feel exactly the same way about kids. I always feel awkward around them and like I don't know what to do with them. Je parle un peu français! I was able to understand most of what you said ^.^ I speak a little just from watching French music, listening to French music, and from having traveled to France two years ago. I've never taken a formal class on it, but when school starts again, I'm taking French 1 :) It sounds like you speak it fluently! Thanks for your review :)

DorkynessOnSteroids: Thanks! I'll shoot you a message later today :)

Dark Universe: Aaaw, thank you so much :) I'm glad you're enjoying the story and the Legolas/Estela pairing! And wow, I'm seriously impressed that you managed to read the entire story in just two days! That's amazing! Haha, I abuse exclamation marks too! And again, thank you so much for your review, it really means a lot :D

roserwriter17: Oh my gosh, I listened to the songs you recommended, and I loved them :D Thank you so much! Do you have any other suggestions? I particularly liked the Carla Bruni one. I'm taking French in school when it starts up again in the fall, so I'm trying to learn a little bit right now with French music and movies :) Everything you listed is why I love Legend of Korra! It's awesome :) I can't wait for the new season to start! Thanks for your review, and for the song recommendations :D

Iellwen Silima: I know, it's so much more convenient! Gracias :)

Evelyn Brooks: Thank you! That's what I really wanted to do with this story…Have a sort of side plot rather than just having two extra characters randomly there for no apparent reason. Thanks for the song suggestion, I'll check it out :) Pop music is definitely something I enjoy listening to, because it's fun and upbeat, so I'm sure I'll like it :D Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

Fictionlove090: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :) I'm glad that you're enjoying the story :D Writing it is certainly fun for me!

EvilIncarnateForever: It's really interesting…I've gotten a lot of people tell me exactly the same thing! That Estela and Adonnenniel's relationship reminds them of a relationship with their friends or their own sister. Haha, which one are you? Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing :)

iluvspring: Firefly is this awesome space western show. I know, it sounds really stupid, and I normally don't go for westerns or space shows, but it's actually a pretty good show :) Haha, I actually love One Direction, and I'm not ashamed to admit it! I have a lot of friends who are music snobs and make fun of me for liking a boy band. But…they're just so cute! And listening to their music is fun :D And yeah, those kinds of girls annoy me too. You live in the Ukraine? I actually might be going there next summer! I plan on going backpacking through Eastern Europe with a group of friends before I go off to University.

Another Author's Note: So…yeah. About the Prophecy, Estela and Legolas both mentally figured everything out in this chapter, but I'm going to make it all very clear in the next chapter. You guys could actually probably figure it out, just based on the small piece of information that was revealed in this chapter. The Prophecy's back in Chapter 9 if you're curious :)