Love Lead Me On - A Legolas x Priestess!Reader Fanfiction

Chapter 10: All is never fair- not in love, not in war

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About half a day after that encounter with Legolas, the swordsmaster's attention had been successfully diverted to more important matters after she had received information that Aragorn had successfully relayed the news of the impending attack on Helm's Deep to the king. Such a dreadful fact they had been lucky enough to come across to as they were riding towards Rohan's fortress.

At least this provided them an edge -no matter how small it may be. It bought them time to prepare and establish an army since both the Dunedain and swordsmaster had thankfully been rational and conscious enough to make an estimation of the assailants.

It was not an unknown fact that even the King had been overwhelmed by the number they had spoken of, at least not to Celine.

She had seen the fear reek from every fiber of his being despite of the strong front he desperately tried to put up, the same fright that had lead him in a panicked decision to require every able bodied men to participate in the incoming battle regardless of age.

"Farmers, ferriers, stable boys, this isn't an army." Aragorn was the first to speak as what was left of The Fellowship at the moment helped the men prepare for battle.

Gimli was quick to defend as he looked around, entirely not wanting to agree with the obvious fact and at least giving everyone the benefit of a doubt, "Aye, some of them might've seen many winters."

"Or too few." Legolas had momentarily snapped, an act that was quite against his normally calm nature. Apprehension had been building up inside him at the notion of putting all these men into war and he had not hesitated to put them into words.

"Look at them, you could see the fear in their eyes," he went on and this drew the attention of all the men in the room towards the elf. The clanging of metal swords, shields, armors and bustling bodies had momentarily paused as they watched the scene unfold. A few of them a bit offended by the ellon's comment.

Noticing this, Legolas quickly switched to his own native language, "And what will it be? Three hundred, against what - ten thousand?" He paced, frowning at the ground then at Aragorn.

"You doubt too much," Aragorn followed after the elf so as to save the people's morale from further damage.

"I must agree with Legolas. These are not warriors," the swordsmaster counters firmly, gesturing at the people around. As she scanned the anxious faces, her eyes locked on soft browns that belonged to one particular little boy who looked more afraid than everyone else yet it didn't stop the courage she had seen in not only his eyes but deep in his heart as well.

Sending the boy a small comforting smile, she turned back to her comrades with a grim expression on her face, "I am certain that even a stout heart would not be of much use in actual battle without the skills and experience to match..."

"They will be slaughtered." The ellon concluded, all hope seeming to fade from his eyes, "There is no way they would be able to win this war and you know it." He gritted his teeth, piercing blues searching the Dunedain's. Wordlessly questioning as to why he even approved of the king's decision in the first place.

Upon hearing this, Celine quickly went to Aragorn's defence, "None of us had a choice. The king had never listened to anyone, not even Gandalf. Had he been then he would have never made such a foolish decision as to leading his people to Helm's Deep in the first place." She glared up at him all trace of that broken girl he saw earlier gone in the wind as if this was an entirely different person.

"Then this would be the end for all of them then?" The ellon shook his head, face scrunched in disbelief and his voice bitter as he seethed, "dying because of their king's rash decisions and not being able to speak for their lives. Blindly following a foolish ruler to their deaths..."