Chapter 1

After the Battle of Helms Deep, Gandalf led The Fellowship north, where they rode on Isengard. Caladwen was still tired, but seeing Legolas alive had rejuvenated her. Gandalf led them through the dark trees of Fangorn, which seemed to part around them as they rode onwards.

The trees finally opened upon a broken wall behind which lie The Tower of Orthanc, smoking and ruined, the grounds under water. Two figures sat on the broken wall of Isengard and Caladwen laughed with joy. Merry and Pippin lounged about the destruction, puffing on long pipes as they lay back in the sun.

"A sight for sore eyes, you two are." Caladwen squinted up at them, the sun blinding her. Merry and Pippin smiled down at her.

"What are you doing here?" Merry asked, puffing smoke.

"We came to rescue you," Caladwen glanced behind them at the ruins once more. "But it seems like you needn't any saving." Pippin and Merry glanced over their shoulders, proud of themselves.

"I feel like I'm at the Green Dragon after a hard days work." Pippin chuckled.

"Only, you've never done a hard days work." Merry and Caladwen shared a laugh at Pippin's expense. "Welcome My Lords and Lady, to Isengard."

"You young rascals! A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you feasting and smoking!" Gimli called up to them, sounding rather put off.

"We're sitting in a field of victory, enjoying some well earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good." Pippin gestured to the picnic that was laid out for them.

"Salted pork?" Gimli asked suddenly becoming interested. Caladwen shook her head at the dwarf lord, dismounting her horse.

"Leave it to Master Gimli to think with his stomach so soon after the fall of Isengard." Caladwen quipped, earning a scoff from the dwarf.

"We're under orders from Treebeard, who's taken over management of Isengard."

"Treebeard?" Gimli questioned, still staring at the salted pork, longingly.

"The Ent Lord." Caladwen answered him, hiking over the wall. She took a small grape vine, plucking the red berries and tossing them into her mouth, moaning in pleasure for she was starving. Gimli snorted at her and Caladwen smiled at him cheekily. She offered the rest of the vine to him but he snubbed his nose, muttered something along the lines of "Elf Food."

"Very good, young hobbits, very good indeed." Gandalf and the others dismounted, following Caladwen over the wall. Gandalf led them through the muddied waters that surrounded Isengard. Treebeard approached the group, the ground shaking with every step he took.

"Hararoom, young Master Gandalf, I'm glad you've come. Wood, water, stock and stone I can master, but there is a wizard to be managed here, locked in his tower." Treebeard looked up to the top of Orthanc. Caladwen followed his gaze.

"Be careful, even in defeat Saruman is dangerous." Gandalf told the old tree wisely.

"Let's just have his head and be done with it!" Gimli said impatiently, ready to dispose of Saruman's evil. Caladwen agreed, the world needed his darkness like it needed a new plague.

"No, we need him alive. We need him to talk…" Gandalf shook his head, staring up at the tower.

"You have fought many wars and slain many men, Theoden King, and made peace afterwards. Can we not take counsel together as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?" Saruman taunted from atop his tower as he looked down at them all.

"We shall have peace... We shall have peace when you answer for the burning of the west fold and the children that lie dead there! We shall have peace when the lives of the soldiers whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg are avenged!" Theoden yelled up to him. Caladwen swallowed hard at his words. "When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows, we shall have peace!"

"Gibbets and crows! Dotard!" Saruman scoff, his attention turned to Gandalf. "What do you want Gandalf Grahame? Let me guess… The key of Orthanc? Or perhaps the keys of Barad-dur itself?" Saruman remarked snarkily down towards them.

"Your treachery has already cost many their lives! A Wizard should know better!" Caladwen spat up to him. Saruman look down his nose at her, glaring at her hatefully.

"You were deep in the enemies counsel!" Gandalf tried to reason with him. Saruman leered down at them all, his eyes cold.

"So you have come here for information? I have some for you! The She Elf cannot hold her tongue, just the same as you cannot save middle earth! You are all going to die and I hope it is swift and painless." Saruman paused, a wicked smile played on his face. "Except for you, my sweet Lady of Light. I pray yours will be slow and taunting and I pray you scream out curses in my name as your draw your last breath." He cackled in amusement at his own words.

Caladwen drew back in fear, taking a few steps back. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. Legolas drew his bow swiftly, nocking an arrow. He was angry and full of hatred for the man who stood at the top of his tower, for the man who dared talk to Caladwen Amdirvaethil as he had just done. He wished him death and he was prepared to give it to him.

"I've heard enough, shoot him! Stick an arrow in his gob!" Gimli shouted.

"It would be my pleasure." Legolas sneered, seconds away from ending his life.

"No!" Gandalf interrupted him. Legolas faltered, begrudgingly he brought his arrow and bow down. Caladwen sniffed, her fear still strong, and she took a step towards Legolas. "Come down Saruman and your life will be spared!"

"Save your pity and your mercy. I have no use for it!" Saruman shouted, sending a bolt of lightening down towards Gandalf. It struck him, but as soon as the electricity dissipated Caladwen could see that Gandalf was no worse for wear.

"Saruman your staff is broken!" Saruman's staff shattered in his hands, leaving the wizard looking lost. Grima stood atop the tower with him, cowardly peaking from behind his master.

"Grima! You need not follow him! You were not always as you are now. You were once a man of Rohan! Come Down!" Theoden pleaded to him. Grima looked at the king yearning to come down, but he did not move. "Grima come down. Be free of him!"

"Free? He will never be free!" Saruman scoffed, laughing out loud at the absurdity. Grima shook his head, horrified, and grabbed Saruman. "Get down you cur!" Saruman threw the man to the ground.

The situation was escalating, Caladwen could feel it in her bones, and she knew this would end poorly. Saruman turned to face the Fellowship again, but as he did Grima stood behind him, brandishing a knife.

Before Caladwen knew what happened, Grima Wormtongue stuck the wizard deep in his back with the knife he held in his hand. Legolas nocked his bow again, loosing an arrow, which hit Grima in his chest, knocking him dead. Saruman took longer to fall, but he did eventually, impaling himself on the water wheel below.

Caladwen felt sick and she had to turn away. She had seen many a battle, but the sight of Saruman being impaled was enough to make her stomach turn.

"The filth of Saruman is washing away, Trees will come back to live here, young trees, wild trees." There was a flicker of hope behind the Ent King's eyes. Pippin jumped from the wall, landing in the water a few feet from Caladwen. He pulled a golden orb from the murky lake. She gasped as she recognized The Palantir, an ancient relic used for seeing between Middle Earth's capitals. She did not realize any were still in existence.

"Well bless my bark!" Treebeard exclaimed.

"Peregrin Took! I'll take that my lad!" Gandalf held his arms out to take the sphere, but Pippin did not move fast enough. "Quickly now!" Gandalf commanded his tone more hurried than before. Reluctantly Pippin handed the thing over to Gandalf. He immediately smothered it with his cloak, looking back at Pippin, troubled.

They returned to Edoras the next day. Caladwen was overjoyed to find the streets bustling with activity, despite the hardship they'd just faced. The people of Rohan were already back to work tidying their stalls; cleaning up the shambles they left the city in when they fled.

Theoden called for a great feast that evening to celebrate the return of his people, and his nephew, the victory of Rohan over the forces of Saruman, and those who sacrificed their lives for it.

"Tonight we remember those who gave their blood to defend this country. Hail the victorious dead!" Theoden called to the banquet hall. Caladwen held up her glass for the toast, forcing a smile.

She looked on at the feast laid before them, roasted pigs, barrels of wine and malt beer, a lamb on a spit, but she was no longer hungry. Instead her stomach ached with something else, sadness. Haldir's face flashed in her mind again and she felt guilty, placing her cup back on the table.

Here she sat, recently bathed, groomed and dressed in the garbs of a princess, while her kinsman took their dead back to Rivendell and Lothlorien. There was no celebration for them so why should there be for her?

Merry and Pippin ran up to her, smiling up at her.

"Do you dance My Lady?" Merry asked, bowing deeply to her. Despite the heaviness of her thoughts Caladwen could not help but to laugh. She shook her head.

"I do not dance, I can barely sway." The Hobbits were disappointed. Legolas leaned over her.

"She does not speak the truth, she dances gracefully. All through our youth she danced circles around myself and her cousin's." Caladwen glared at him, but she could not keep a straight face as Legolas winked at her. The Hobbits pursued her with renewed vigor, pulling at her arms, begging her to dance with them. She sighed, unable to resist their begging any longer.

"Fine! Fine." She stood, straightening her gown. "I will get you for this." She said turning to Legolas, glaring at him. Caladwen followed the Halflings, glancing at Legolas over her shoulder. He smiled, watching her as she crossed to where the dancing was.

The Hobbits had no problem joining in and started to jig, one hand on their hips, one hand on the top of their head. They circled each other drunkenly, laughing as they stumbled out the steps.

Caladwen looked to Legolas once more and he gestured her to begin. She felt her cheeks flush and she grabbed her dress, barely lifting the hem of her skirt, just enough for The Hobbits to see her steps.

Caladwen laughed as she joined them in their jig, all prior embarrassment gone. She looked up to find Gimli and Eomer circling around Legolas, a bemused smile on his face. She found she had a chance to get away, and she danced towards the edge of the crowd, where the three men sat next to a large keg of ale.

"What's this about?" Caladwen eyed Legolas as he shrugged. Eomer turned to her, two flagons of mead in his hands. Gimli cheered in delight, quickly grabbing the one that Eomer placed in front of him. Caladwen eyed the one that was left on the table, as did Legolas.

"No pauses, No spills." Eomer said mysteriously, filling another flagon.

"No regurgitation!" Gimli yelled in satisfaction, lifting the tankard to his mouth, drinking deeply from it.

"So it's a drinking game?" Legolas asked as he picked up his cup. The hall rang out with a cheer and Legolas and Caladwen shared a look.

"Last one standing wins!" Gimli shouted. Caladwen watched, disgusted, as Gimli swigged his beer in one drink. She crossed over to the dwarf, taking a seat in the chair between him and Legolas.

"This will be an entertaining evening for me, yet a long night for you, Master Dwarf." Caladwen sat back, ready to watch the spectacle before her. She wore an amused smile.

"Why is that My Lady?" Gimli asked turning to her, drowning in another drink. Caladwen watched him finish it silently, her eyes darting towards Legolas playfully.

"Elves don't get drunk."

The party had gotten out of hand quickly. The Hobbits, all inhibition thrown to the wind, hopped on top of one of the nearest tables, singing an old Hobbit tune at the top of their lungs.

"Oh you can search up and down, as many lands as can be found, but you'll never find a beer so brown as the one we drink in our home town! You can keep your fancy ales, you can drink them by the flagon, but the only brew for the brave and true comes from the Green Dragon!"

The drinking game was over, Legolas had won and Gimli sat in his chair, passed out from all the mead. Caladwen had joined Eowyn at a long table, watching the Hobbit's sing and dance.

Legolas slowly walked to his beloved, taking her hand in his. He led her from the celebration and in to the hallway, bringing her close. The pair stared at each other for a long while before he led her up the steps.

"Where are we going?" she whispered excitedly. Legolas looked back to her and shrugged, taking another right. He led her to the steps of the Golden Hall, lit only by torches. Caladwen looked up to the sky, wowed by the stars that shined in the sky.

"The stars shine brightly over Rohan tonight." She whispered. Legolas watched her, unable to take his eyes from her.

"No star shines as brightly as you."

"You speak untruths." Caladwen teased, wrapping her arms around his warm body. "Beautiful untruths."

So i am so sad. I found this AWESOME elvish phrasebook on the interwebs today (and when i say aweseom i mean they have a section entitled "Bedroom Talk" LOL) and I am sad bc already have the story written so I will be going back through the third book and making my elvish sections better. lol