[the phantom]

I believe Elrond could technically claim kingship over all the Noldor and Teleri. Celeborn was under Thingol, and Elrond was the grandson of Dior (Thingol's heir) so it's possible that Celeborn would accept Elrond as his leader. Galadriel was Noldorin, and Elrond is the eldest of Fingolfin's house (the Noldorin house that ruled in ME), so it's possible that Galadriel would accept Elrond as her leader.<P>Plus, Galadriel and her realm were not as well known, possibly because Elrond received visitors from the outside much more often than Galadriel did. I really wasn't surprised that Haldir spoke the name of Elrond.<P>And regarding the survival of the elves at Helm's Deep, I just figured that all the elves were dead. After all, they were out in the open behind the wall when all of the orcs broke through. The men of Rohan on the other hand were up on the fortress the whole time. They weren't nearly as vulnerable. All of the elves were on the wall or behind it, the two places that got completely over run.