Disclaimer: "Lord of the Rings" is the work of J.R..R Tolkien.
Author's Note: Thanks to Jen, beta reader extraordinaire. You get a lot of credit for this one, my friend.
Hope you all enjoy.
Prologue
Her leaden limbs somehow propelled her forward, up the stairs of the Rock. Exhausted, she could think only of reaching her goal – the citadel. Safely through the gate, she stopped only when she reached the inner court. She leaned against the wall, breathing hard, and turned to look beside her, and realized that her twin brother was no longer beside her. Frantically her eyes searched the room, seeking the familiar face among the weary Riders. Cold dread seized her when she did not find him.
He must have been driven back toward the Deep, she realized.
Just then, she heard a great crash from outside and her thoughts flew to one place, and she cried out silently,
Asdred!
again, and more and more Uruk-hai began to flood through. There was not a person
But, in the way of those who find themselves in the most difficult of
circumstances, she put aside fatigue, the pain of the gash across her cheek and the wound
on her forearm, even the agony in her heart. Her sword continued to swing.
It neared dawn, and the Orcs only intensified their assault. Saruman's army accomplished the unthinkable. The Hornburg had never been breached, but the beginning of dawn saw its gates brought down, crumbled. Fallen.
Those inside the fortress, could only wait for death, knowing that there would be no more protection rom the host of Isengard.
Then, just as the Orcs were going to charge , the great horn of Helm sounded, echoing through the hills nearby, through the deepest caverns. the Rohirrim began to shout : "Helm! Helm! Helm is arisen and comes back to war. Helm for Théoden King!"
And Asil allowed herself, for the first time of this long night, a small measure of hope.
Hope that swelled when the King himself rode out, followed by the lords of the house of Eorl, and bringing with him the full light of day, to drive back the shadows.
She took up the cry "Forth, Eorlingas!" and pressed forward with the others, all of those who had reached the Rock. Nothing stood in their path, as they put to flight the Orcs and Men that had assembled against them, and they attained the causeway, and then continued all the way to the great Dike. There, she could finally lay down her weapon, stained with the blood of the enemy, and watch in wonder as, by some wizardry she could not explain, their final victory was won by the strange man those around her were calling the White Rider.
As Erkenbrand with his thousand men, all feared lost came on foot to rejoin them in triumph. Finally, with a shout Éomer and his followers emerged from the caves in which they'd been forced to take refuge, the caves they had defended.
Asil's spirit soared, and then plummeted again when the same desperate search as before proved fruitless. Asdred was not among them. Her pain worsened, as if fire was suddenly searing her entire body, seeming to start with the injury of her arm. Her last conscious thought was:
The blade was poisoned.
Then she fell into blackness, and knew no more.