Despite the breaking of the Fellowship, Lessien's story continues on with her remaining companions.
When the group encounters Gandalf again, it appears that her role in the oncoming war is much more important than she ever imagined.
As she figures...
Lessien covered her mouth. Orcs were filthy. Orcs deserved to die, she had always been taught. Yet the way she killed this one was horrifying. She was so powerful, now she knew. The pain she inflicted in her dreams caused physical pain in reality.
"I did that?" Lessien whispered uncertainly, looking at the disfigured heap on the floor.
"Indeed, my dear, you did," Gandalf murmured, his eyes far off and his voice sounding as it always did when he was deep in thought. "Now we know what you can do. Now the war has begun."
A pause.
"What now?" Lessien replied softly.
"We need to see what luck our dear Mr. Took and Mr. Brandybuck have had with taking down Saruman," Gandalf replied.
Both gazed at the body on the floor, far away looks on their faces.
Lessien put down the tarp to cover the corpse. "I'll tell the others. We leave at sundown." She was so weak, though. Lessien hoped that riding wouldn't destroy her. Even small movement was painful enough.
"Before you go, Lessien, Legolas told me about what is going on-" Gandalf began.
Lessien paused. "I told you to stay out of that. I told you that was my choice. I've worked so hard to keep my distance. So please, don't try to tell me otherwise."
"You don't-" Gandalf attempted.
"-Please." She blinked her gray eyes and took a deep breath.
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"Legolas! Legolas!" Lessien called, trying to locate him.
Her breathing was irregular and if she took a deep enough inhale she could feel her lungs being poked by her fractured rib.
That's what it felt like anyway.
She was heading towards the archery range.
Soon she came upon him, aggressively notching arrow after arrow and shooting them. On his target, on the bullseye, an estimated of twenty split arrows hung like loose hairs around the bullseye. He had kept hitting it over and over again without bothering to remove the others.
He ceased shooting but for a second, and Lessien swore he would have shot her, his anger had been strong enough.
"What are you doing up?" he asked, not looking at her.
His voice was full of anger. Not necessarily at her or anyone else, someone else that Lessien would never think of.
"We're leaving soon. Very soon," Lessien replied calmly.
"Where?"
Legolas asked the shortest possible question to be asked.
In his eyes, though, Lessien sensed he yearned to say something. Probably something he would have said before. Something like:
