AN: real life is kicking my behind big time. Between health issues and setting up my own business and a job that pays the bills, I barely have time to write.
I am sorry if this chapter has typos and error but I tried to get them all out.

32. Curse-Happy.

When he arrived at the docks he immediately looked to the sky but he couldn't see through the dust clouds. His elven ears picked up the sounds of the horse-army. They were still moving so he was hopeful that Ginny was somewhere there as well.

As they made their way through the battlefield he kept looking up in the hope to see her. She wasn't up in the sky as she promised and an evil voice inside his head questioned what other promises she hadn't kept. He focused on his fighting, as he didn't want to think like that. There would have been a good reason for Ginny not to be up in the sky. Gimli provided the needed distraction by making it all a game again.

By the time it became clear that they had won this battle and reached the city he still couldn't find her. Not in the sky, not on the battlefield. As the battle died down he really started to worry about Ginny. It was the only thing on his mind. Not even the fact that they had just won the biggest battle of this age seemed to hold much importance as he frantically looked around for the red head. Where was she?

"I'm sure she is alright." Aragorn whispered.

"I'm going to look for her." He said.

"Start with Éomer and the Rohirrim. I'm sure she is with them. I'll get things organized here." Aragorn said.

Legolas nodded and left his companions to look for the witch. He walked for a while but didn't dare to look down at the bodies that were laying spread throughout the field. There was so much dead and blood around him that it was hard to stay positive. It would have been so easy for Ginny to be hurt as well. She wouldn't have worn much protection and her skill with a sword wasn't all that good either. Fear started to grip his heart.

Suddenly he saw Éomer running past him towards something that looked like a fell-beast. He quickly caught up and watched as the man fell down to his knees and pulled up the limp body of Èowyn.

"No!" Éomer roared. Helplessly Legolas watched as Éomer pulled his unmoving sister close and crying in anguish. Was this his fate as well? To find Ginny's mangled body somewhere. To feel his heart being ripped from his chest?

"Lord Éomer!" A soldier suddenly called. The man made his way over to them. "The lady Istar told us to bring Lady Èowyn to the city. The Istar told Gamling that Lady Èowyn needs special attention from the white wizard. They are setting up an infirmary for those the Istar promised to heal on the higher levels by order of of the red Istar."

This caught Legolas's attention. Ginny was alive. She was ordering around the Rohirrim to take care of the wounded. This meant that Ginny was somewhere around. He looked around but didn't see her.

"Thank you, soldier." Éomer said with a short nod. "I will take her to the city."

The soldier nodded and made to leave.

"You saw the red Istar?" Legolas asked the soldier as he walked with him.

"Yes, milord. She is actually looking for you. The last time I saw her was at the gate taking care of the wounded. She kept asking if anyone had seen you or Lord Aragorn. I think she is still there getting an infirmary organized. She was happily cursing Gondor's more stupid nobility for interfering with her orders when I left to look for lord Éomer." Legolas nodded with a chuckle and ran off.

His heart was elated that she was still well and alive. At least she was well enough to be curse-happy as she called it. According to his memory that meant she felt good and strong. When he got closer to the gates he saw a flash of red.

"Ginny!" He called out over the noise made by the wounded and the impatient. Ginny was indeed surrounded by soldiers and nobility alike. However the nobility stood back a bit and the pink and green hairs, weird noses and painful looking boils explained why.

Apparently she had heard him because her head snapped up in his direction just a second later. When she noticed who was calling for her she dropped everything and ran towards him. They met half way.

His arms wrapped around her lithe body and he pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. The spicy send that was so typical Ginny was mingled with the smell of blood and smoke. His whole body shook with releave and unnamed emotions.

"You are alive. You made it. Are you okay?" She asked sobbingly. Her arms were tight around him and her face pressed into his chest.

"I'm fine, not a scratch. Are you alright?" He asked as he held her at arms length. She was covered in blood and dust but looked al right. Her brown eyes were swirling with emotion. They were drawing him in and he wanted to loose himself in them but now was not the time.

"Yes, just a few bruises here and there but nothing important."

"Good." He breathed and pulled her to him again. "I was so worried when I couldn't find you up in the air."

"Théoden and Èowyn are badly injured. Èowyn killed the witch-king, Legolas. It was amazing and so scary." She breathed. "I had to heal Théoden to save him. He had internal bleedings and so many broken bones. After that I was too busy trying to help Èowyn." Ginny quickly explained. "I thought you would be in the city somewhere with Aragorn so I made my way over here. Are the others alright?"

Legolas smiled at her rapid words of explanation. It appeared that she had been too busy saving everybody else to even think about herself.

"It is al right, Ginny. I was just very worried. There are so many dead and injured."

"I was worried about you too. It took so long before you arrive. I saw the ships arrive but I was attacked by a Nazgul immediately after that. Where is everybody?"

"Aragorn is dealing with the remaining issues on the battlefield. He is fine but got some bruises. After that he will make sure that everything in the city is arranged. Gimli and Gandalf are helping him with that. Gandalf seemed okay. The dwarf is very upset but fine all together."

"Why is Gimli upset?" Ginny asked and pulled back to look at him.

"He lost." Legolas said with a smile. Suddenly Ginny looked angry and hit him on his arm.

"Oh you two and your bloody games." She growled playfully. Legolas laughed at her antics. She had been quite angry with him and Gimli when the dwarf had told her about the game. Claiming that it was very inappropriate and dangerous not to be fully focused. She had told them off for a while and it made him remember of how his father had berated him when he was still very young.

"Come on let's go and find the others. I need to see for myself if they are all right and then find the infirmary. There are so many wounded. Also Gandalf needs to see to Èowyn. She was hit by dark magic and I can't heal her."

Legolas nodded and led her to where Aragorn, Gimli and Gandalf were waiting for them. Ginny suddenly pulled her hand out of his and raced towards their friends. With a speed he could have never imagined she flung herself around Aragorn's neck.

"I knew you could do it!" She screamed. "Thank Merlin, you are all okay!"

"I'm happy to see you in one piece too, little sister." Aragorn said as he hugged her back.

Legolas watched as Ginny enjoyed a moment of reconnecting with Gimli and then Gandalf.

"So, what about Théoden and his family. I haven't seen them yet?" Aragorn said after a while.

"Théoden and Èowyn were badly injured. I have been able to heal most of Théoden's injuries and I will have to see to the rest of them shortly. Gamling brought him to the infirmary. Èowyn is a different story. She killed the Witch-king."

"No man can kill the witch-king." Gandalf told her.

"It's a good thing then that Èowyn is not a man, huh?" Ginny snapped at him. "She is missing certain body parts for that but it does give her that additional intelligence to use. However she was overcome by the dark magic that was released. I could shield myself and Théoden but not her. She is unconscious and it looks like she is experiencing something similar to a nightmare I can't wake her out off but she doesn't have any worrying injuries."

"The black breath." Aragorn muttered and Gandalf nodded.

"You will have to call her back." Gandalf told Aragorn. "Any what about Éomer and Merry?"

"Éomer is alright and attending to Èowyn at the moment. I left Merry on the battlefield. He was unconscious but nothing major I decided that it was better to let him wake in his own time. However there were so many wounded that I forgot to make sure he was taken to the infirmary. He will have a headache for a few days but he has pain-relieve potions in his kit."

"Pippin is already looking for him. They will take care of each other." Gandalf told her.

"I know I came across Pippin as I made my way here. I pointed him towards Merry. Besides that there are many wounded men that needs my attention. I have been organizing what the Rohirrim is doing with the wounded. Éomer has been a great help so far and the men seem to be happy to take my directions." Ginny said thoughtfully. Legolas couldn't help but feel proud of her. To gain so much respect from soldiers that they would follow her orders was something impressive, especially with her being a woman. "They are dividing the wounded into two groups so that I can focus on the most seriously wounded first. However there were two men, who I suspect are Gondor's nobility who thought they could go against my orders. They were telling the Rohirrim to stay outside the city and deal with the wounded there. Ungrateful bastards. Luckily the Rohirrim knows better, a soldier informed me of the issue. The two noblemen will be out of the running for a while."

"I saw men with pink and green hair and painful looking boils." Legolas commented.

"Oh, those were just two who kept annoying me. The two who I really cursed are somewhere up there." She pointed to the top of the gates. All four of them saw two man hanging there looking in great discomfort. "I really need to go. There are many wounded waiting for me."

Legolas shook his head. He took a good look at the stunning woman and realized that she looked exhausted and pale. Her eyes however showed him that there was no sleep for her any time soon.

"Will you please first see to the captain of Gondor. He was badly wounded and burned. I can't do much for him but I think your magic will heal him quickly." Gandalf asked.

"I will." Ginny nodded. "I'm happy to see you all alright, do any of you need healing?"

"No, we are all okay." Gimli told her.

"Yes, for now you are. You and Legolas will have something to answer too when I have time to deal with that." Ginny told him sternly.

"Yes, we are fine." Aragorn said and rescuing both Legolas and Gimli from a very curse-happy Ginny. "I will see to those who think they still have something to say in this country so that you can work in peace. I will also send a servant to help you find your way through the city."

"Good and thanks." Ginny said with a nod and a last stern look at Legolas and Gimli. She took Legolas's hand and as she started to walk she asked the elf. "Will you help me?"

"I won't leave your side unless you ask me." Legolas promised her. The smile he got from her was a reward enough.

Aragorn led them up through the city to where Faramir, captain of Gondor was fighting for his life. Ginny immediately rushed over to see what she could do for him. Legolas noticed that she flinched as she looked at the severely wounded man. It was only for a second after which she started to cast her spells

"Six arrow wounds, two infected cuts, heavy poison in his system, three broken ribs, punctured lung, burn marks, broken arm and leg, high fever and severe malnutrition. It's a wonder he is still alive." Ginny muttered. Legolas watched as she opened her bag of potions and pulled out two bottles. She looked at Gimli who had walked in after them. "Gimli can you make sure he swallows this one. Legolas do you still have a fever reducing potion and a bottle of burn-paste in your survival kit?"

"Yes."

"Please give the fever-reducing one to Gimli so he can feed that to the captain as well and then start to apply the burn paste to the angry red areas." Ginny told him. After she was done she used the potions she still had in her hand to clear out the arrow wounds and cuts before healing them with her wand. Then she used some intricate wand movements for something Legolas couldn't identify.

"There." Ginny sighed. "He had a punctured lung due to an arrow and the arrows were most likely poisoned. Who is in charge of this infirmary?" She asked. Legolas only then noticed three more people in the room who stood back with shock and awe covering their faces.

"I am milady." An older woman asked. "I'm Hester, the head of the infirmary."

"Hello Hester, I am Ginny. I'm a witch as you can see and will be running through your infirmary for a while. I'm not dangerous I'm only here to heal the wounded."

"Yes, I saw what you just did for Lord Faramir. It was very impressive."

"Thank you. The bottles I have placed on the table are the potions Lord Faramir has to take to heal. Make sure he gets one bottle every two hours until they are gone. His broken bones will need a full day of rest before they are healed. I have placed him in a healing sleep so he won't feel the pain. Also, King Théoden will most likely be a guest of your ward. Please ensure that the stubborn man stays put in his bed. His bones are also healing for the next day and any movement will only harm the healing process. If he causes trouble send somebody to find me. I will ensure with magic that he stays put."

"Of course, milady. Will you be attending the other wounded?"

"The most severely wounded first. If I'm still standing after that I'll see to the others."

They nodded and Legolas followed Ginny out to the makeshift infirmary the Rohirrim had made. Somewhere he heard Aragorn order the soldiers of Gondor to cooperate with Ginny if they valued their life. It was better to have them fear her than not listening to her.

For the next five hours Legolas watched Ginny work her way through the wounded. Wherever he could he aided her but with each hour that passed he noticed that Ginny grew more and more tired but wasn't giving up. He tried to help her like he had done when she attended to Lord Faramir but he couldn't prevent her from overworking herself after a whole day of battle and the long ride before that. He wondered when the last time had been that Ginny had slept or ate. He saw her drown a potion half way through but that was about it.

It was after midnight when Ginny could no longer support her own weight and fell to the floor. Legolas rushed towards her and picked her up immediately.

"Is she alright milord?" One of the Gondorian healers asked. Ginny had quickly won over the hearts of the people of Gondor as she saved child, man and woman alike. They had been very hesitant and scared of the wild red head at first, especially since Ginny took no orders and when men failed to follow her orders she would curse them or just use a spell to knock them unconscious for a few hours. When one dared to say something about it and tried to stop her he found himself experiencing great hives.

It was after that moment that the men stood back and slowly got used to a woman giving orders. Ginny had the infirmary cleaned, organized and working smoothly within an hour. She ran it like a household and Legolas watched it all happen with pride and love for this special woman. He could easily see her running things at Mirkwood more efficiently than his father. Now however she was exhausted and asleep in his arms.

"She will be after a solid night of sleep. She cannot do unlimited magic and she has been a part of the Rohan army who were fighting out in the fields. She is just exhausted."

"Then take her up to her rooms. She has done so much already, we can manage the rest."

"I will but I'm sure she will be back as soon as she can."

"And she will be most welcome."

Legolas nodded and took Ginny up to the citadel. He walked through the halls until he reached the royal apartments. Aragorn had decided that they all were staying in there for now. A guard opened the door for him and walked with him through the hallways until they reached the room set aside for Ginny.

"The women have lighted a fire, brought a cauldron of hot water and placed fresh clothes on the bed for the young Istar." A second guard said. "Do you need anything else milord?"

"No, would you please inform Lord Aragorn that we are here. I would like for him to check up on the Istar."

"Of course."

Legolas placed Ginny on the bed and poked up the fire to further warm up the room. It was pretty cold at night in Gondor and he didn't want Ginny to get sick in a moment of weakness. After that he carefully took off her shoes and her belt. He was careful not to touch the survival kit and the backpack. He would have preferred to change her clothes as well but he was sure it was something Ginny would have considered too intimate. She had taken the time to cast cleaning spells on herself every now and then so she was much cleaner than when he had first found her on the battlefield. It would have to do for now.

He took some of the hot water and some scented oil from his own bag. He carefully used it to wash her face, hands and feet before placing her under the blankets.

"Thanks, Legolas." Ginny murmured as she turned towards him and continued to sleep.

He smiled at her and held her hand as she slept. He softly hummed a song to soothe any stress from her body. She had been through much these last few days and Legolas wasn't hopeful that she would escape without nightmares.

However, for now she slept peacefully and with a soft smile on her face.

A while later there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." He called. He was surprised that Ginny slept through the sounds that the door made. Without a sound Aragorn walked in and sat down next to him.

"The whole city is buzzing about her." Aragorn commented.

"All good I hope?"

"Yes, though I heard rumors about her cursing a soldier who dared to disagree with her just because she is a woman."

"It's still a sensitive subject with her. The man will never again make that mistake. She was pretty curse-happy today." Legolas chuckled. He watched as Aragorn placed his hand on Ginny's head and closed his eyes. There was a concerned look on the man's face that slowly eased into a more relaxed expression. Aragorn was as taken with Ginny as he was, only differently and had likely worried a lot about her excessive work-effort and use of magic.

"She is just sleeping peacefully." Aragorn said after a while. "I take it she worked till she could no longer stand on her legs."

"Yes. I had to pick her off the floor."

"Not surprisingly. Éomer told me that she only slept about three hours since we left the encampment." Aragorn sighed. "After we left it was due to her doing that the men kept hope. They saw our leaving as a sign that the coming battle would be hopeless. We weren't even good and well on our way when she personally addressed the men and told them what we were doing and why they should continue to be hopeful."

"I'm not surprised. She seemed to be well adapted in taking control. I think that she learned that from her mother. She had the infirmary fully under her control in such a short time that it seems she is used to running a big and hectic household." Legolas explained.

"She saved many lives today. Faramir will make a full recovery, Théoden as well. Not to mention all those men she saved in the infirmary. I went to look for you there a little while ago to remind you both of the need for rest. It was under better control then I have ever seen Elrond's infirmary."

Legolas nodded and looked at his beautiful and brave woman. He really was proud of her. She was fighting through everything that was thrown at her and came out so very strong. He could only imagine the enigma she would become when she had dealt with her own personal issues.

"You should also know that it was thanks to her doing that both Gondor and the Rohirrim to prevailed till we arrived. Éomer had used Ginny's tactics and combined them with the Eorlingas techniques of battle. That was very effectively but more importantly her scouting work that prepared them for what they would face." Aragorn stated proudly. "Théoden was thinking about sending out scouts but it was considered too dangerous. They were considering going in blind when she offered to go scouting."

"She scouted, alone?" Legolas gasped. He was slight unnerved by the fact that she had been alone out there. Alone everyone was an easy target. Ginny out there alone made him very uneasy. He counted his blessings that he hadn't been there and had been completely unaware.

"Oh hush, Legolas." Ginny whispered softly. "I apparated in, used a disillusion spell on myself, flew two rounds on my broom and apparated out. Nothing dangerous."

Legolas looked down at the supposedly sleeping woman. He noticed her eyes were still closed and she hadn't moved at all. He shook his head; she appeared to be able to order and smooth out things even when she was sleeping.

"I believe you. Just sleep my love. You can tell everything tomorrow when you are rested."

Ginny hummed something and fell back asleep.

Legolas and Aragorn stayed in her room for another few minutes discussing the injured and those who got out unscratched. They also discussed the Gondorian Nobility for a moment. They appeared to fear for their jobs and comforts and had already started to play rude politics with Aragorn.

"I think that if we get through this mess unscratched that I want Ginny with me for meetings." Aragorn sighed. "If anything she will shut them up with that silencing spell of her."

"Not to mention that they fear her greatly. I'm sure she will help you. She's a very smart and well educated woman, I'm sure she will stand her ground in politics."

After that Aragorn left to get some sleep as well. Legolas stayed for another few minutes just watching Ginny sleep before he left for his room.