Author notes: LOTR and everything in it does not belong to me. Rioldur though is mine, as claimed by me from MrMysteriousElf. You can not have him or use him in anyway. Uremir also belongs to a friend of mine and Sythral belongs to Beji. Can't use them either. These elves are not made up. They are real and were really at the battle of Helm's Deep in the TTT movie. Whether they all survived or not, I don't know. They do here and did because we say so. :) Hope you enjoy this story. It's just a short story in honor of my elfman. :)
Rioldur's Story
Rioldur stood beside Uremir, bow in hand ready to fire. He and his friend stood in the long line of elves a top the great wall of Helm's Deep. He glanced a little ways down upon the Wall to see their captain, Haldir ready as well. In the center of the Wall, Aragorn headed up the forces of King Theoden. They would be taking their orders from him tonight. Every fiber of his being was on edge. He wanted to get this bloody battle started with already. He hated waiting. He was cold. The night had come upon them all swiftly bringing with it a storm. The prospect of fighting in the rain did not hold much attraction for him. Fighting in the cold and wet held even less.
He tried not to fidget in nervous anticipation of the fight. Uremir nudged him sharply in the ribs, as he shifted his weight from foot to foot in an effort to keep warm. He shot Uremir an irritated look. Uremir give him a 'would-you-stop-it' look. He scowled at Uremir, but stilled immediately. He turned his attention to the dark moving shapes in the distance. The Uruks were closing in on them. Their army was vast, spreading out as far as his elf eyes could see in the gloom and darkness. The air was still as if all nature were holding its breath in fear of the battle to come. It was the silent, calm before the storm. It made him uneasy.
A bright flash of lightning split the night. For a brief second, everything was illuminated by its harsh light. The army's size became more apparent in that fleeting brightness. Yet, Rioldur would not be disheartened. As long as there was hope, there was a chance. Even if the odds did look bad. If they lost he would make sure he left a sizeable number of them dead with his bow and blade.
Again, he forced himself not to fidget, as he grew impatient. The rain began to fall, resounding quietly off their armor at first. It came slowly then picked up the pace until it was pouring. He would not let the rain and cold bother him. He stood still and as disciplined as they rest. He would show the other elves that he was not an impulsive, unruly elf. Uremir let out a soft, deep sigh as the Uruks lined up several hundred yards away now. He was glad to know Uremir was nervous as well. Uremir was known for his ability to be calm in even though most daunting of situations. This defiantly went under the category of a daunting situation.
Rioldur smiled grimly. Let them come, he thought. I am ready. Tonight my blade will taste many orc necks. He narrowed his eyes as the Uruks roared and began to pound the ground with their spears in an effort to unnerve their enemies. Rioldur swallowed and growled, softly, in his throat. He would not be intimidated! He was ready to fight!
One stray arrow flew from the bow of an old man, further down the Wall, to strike an Uruk in the neck. Aragorn yelled for them to hold their fire. The old man looked chagrined, as the Uruk fell to the ground with a loud thud of armor, dead. Rioldur felt like laughing aloud, as a deathly calm settled over the Uruks. They were very, very angry now. The Uruks efforts to intimidate them had failed miserable because of that little stray arrow. He could not help but grin at the looks on the Uruks faces. He smirked to himself and pulled his bow string tauter. Things were about to get interesting.
Then in one loud ear splitting roar the Uruks raced forward. All the bows on the Wall sang forth as one, when Aragorn gave the order to fire. Each found a mark. No elf arrow went astray. They let arrows rain down in volley after volley, as the enemies rushed them in an effort to get to the wall. Behind them Theoden gave the order for the elves and men on the ground to start firing over their heads into the enemy as well. The Uruks were so thick about the wall that even their arrows did not miss. He shot arrow after arrow into the enemy, feeling the adrenaline pumping through him. All previous feelings of coldness were forgotten. His body was on fire with the heat of the moment.
The enemy brought forth latters, shoving them up against the Wall. Many of them were repelled back downward, but most were not. There were to many. Aragorn shouted the order for them to draw their swords, to Rioldur's great delight. He was much better with a blade. The sound of metal being unsheathed rang through the air clearly down the expansion of the entire Wall. He readied his own sword and his lips curved into a feral smile. This was where he was going to have fun. He was just as enthusiastic as the dwarf, who stood not far away beside Legolas.
The Uruks swarmed up the ladders like ants over the hill. Within seconds Rioldur's blade had killed two in one swipe. The full rage of battle was upon them now. He fought with a wild sort of joy; undaunted and unfeeling of any wounds he received. Uruk upon Uruk died from the stroke of his blade. There was no better warrior than that of an elvish swordsman. Everything was driven out of his mind, but the will to destroy these foul, evil creatures. He lost all sense of time in the mad rush of fighting.
The battle continued to rage on without any sign of ending any time soon. Vaguely, he heard Aragorn shout for Legolas to bring down an Uruk. He glanced over the Wall, briefly, to see an Uruk carrying a hug sparking torch toward the drain in the Wall. Shock and horror froze him for a second. An Uruk's blade came swinging down at him from the corner of his eye. He dodged sideways, just missing the blow that could have killed him, and parried the swing deftly. He quickly killed the Uruk, and raced toward the stairs. He heard Aragorn shout again. Legolas was not going to be able to bring down the enemy in time. He jumped down the steps, racing to get way from the horror he knew was coming.
A huge explosion rocketed the night. The blast threw him forward high into the air. Behind him the Wall was destroyed in a detonation that sent rock, elves, and men hurtling through the air. Rioldur tucked in and braced himself as the ground came rushing up to meet him. He slammed into the earth with an impact that ripped the breath right out of him. He rolled several times before he was able to stop himself. He sat up, shaking his head and feeling disoriented. He stumbled on to his feet, gasping for breath. Not far from him, Uremir was climbing to his feet too. He looked to have faired a little worse from the blast then Rioldur, yet he was still standing. The two looked over at each other, both bloodied and dirty. They turned to face the Uruks as they came pouring in through the gap in the Wall. The dwarf jumped from the broken stairs, taking down several Uruks in his attack. It stopped the rush for a brief second, as the Uruks concentrated their rage on him. The dwarf was thrown beneath them into the water.
Aragorn, who was ahead of them all having been thrown from the Wall himself, gave the command to charge. All the elvish forces on the ground raced forward, shouting their battle cry to the enemy. Legolas came sliding down the stairs to hit the Uruks from above again in an effort to save his friend. Rioldur met the first Uruk's with a yell, driving his blade through and Uruk's chest. He whirled on another with his teeth bared and eyes wild with the intensity of battle. He sank his blade into the enemy's exposed neck, and then ripped it free.
He fought what felt like forever. Many an Uruk tasted the cold steel of his blade, as he fought along side the others to keep them from breaking through. He had lost track long ago of how many of the enemy he had slain. Yet, still the Uruks just kept on coming like a never ending river. He refused to give up or lose hope! He would die before he gave up hope! He decapitated another Uruk in his fury, as he vowed this to himself.
Not far from him, Uremir was holding his own against the oncoming Uruks. It was obvious thought that he was beginning to get overwhelmed. He would not be able to hold them off much longer. Rioldur fought is way over to his friend and took his place at Uremir's back.
"Hannad!" Uremir shouted. (Thanks!)
" Al-presto," he answered. (No trouble)
Together now, they fought back to back. They showed no mercy as bodies piled up around them. At long last, the cry to fall back to the Keep came. He heard Aragorn yell the order to Haldir, but did not wait around to see what happened. He, Uremir, and the others fell back. All the while Uruks came on, dying in droves, but refusing to stop. They were like machines. They would not quit.
Rioldur, Uremir, and a small band of elves and men were driven back into the caves of the Deep. Though it had not been their idea to go back that far into the caves, it was also fortunate. The men knew far more about the caves then the Uruks. They found a place to easily hold of the enemy. There they fought for hours in the never ceasing rush of oncoming enemies. Never had a night felt so long to Rioldur. It seemed as if they would never see the light of day again. His body was numb with cold and pain. His blond hair fell in dripping strands about his shoulders and stuck to his face. His face was grimy with blood and mud. His cloak hung in tatters about him. His sword and armor were almost completely black with Uruk blood.
They were all beginning to tire. They would not be able to hold off much longer. As exhaustion began to claim its victims, so did more Uruks arrows. They senses were becoming dulled and their limbs slow. Rioldur was growing more and more unsettled by the caves. He did not like being trapped in there. He wanted to be out under the sky, even if it meant being soaked by the rain. He did not think he could stand the caves much longer without going mad.
Their little band was becoming smaller. Rioldur could not let his thoughts turn to the dead around him. If he was distracted he would be killed, that had been proven earlier. His concentration was slipping enough as it was. If he was to die it would not be because he was not paying attention. He and the rest would die in glory and with honor, if that was what fate held for them.
Suddenly, when hope was growing thin and their strength failing badly, a shaft of morning light shot down into the caves from above. They were not so far down that the light could not reach them. All stopped fighting for a moment and stared. The sight of the sun brought new vigor into their bodies and renewed hope to their hearts. With lifted spirits and a new sense of victory, they charged forward into their enemies. Above them the Hornburg blew its loud booming voice over the battle field. The double assault of noise and the rush of their enemies, quelled the Uruks in their tracks.
The dawn had brought with it a fresh, new day and the renewed chance to win the battle of Helm's Deep. The little band of men and elves fought their way out of the caves. The pressed back the enemy until they had pushed them out into the open ground before the Wall. They kept on pushing the enemy back with a wild light in their eyes. They pushed them right out through the gap in the Wall onto the battle ground beyond. Rioldur caught sight of King Theoden, Aragorn, Legolas, and a few others on horseback fighting furiously as well.
A flash of spectacular light caught their attention. All turned to see Gandalf astride Shadowfax at the top of the rise. Behind him came Eomer and the rest of the Rohirrim. They charged downward toward the enemy with a battle cry that echoed off even the surrounding mountains. The enemy was sent into a frenzy at the sight of the White Rider. The two forces met with a clash of swords, shields, and yells. The rest of the men and elves remaining by the Wall took up the fight again with great joy in their hearts. They would win now. All was not lost now that Mithrandir had come.
The battle was soon over, and the Uruks had lost. All the enemy had been slain. Rioldur and Uremir stood side by side, looking out over the sea of the dead. It was a horrific sight of carnage and death. Gandalf rode through the battle field with the Rohirrim arrayed out behind him. Rioldur took in the pitiful number of survivors of the battle. It was a depressing matter to see so many of their fellow kinsmen slain. His eyes passed over the living again. He looked frantically for their captain, Haldir. He could not see Haldir anywhere. Aragorn caught his eye. Rioldur could read the sorrow in the Dunedain's eyes. He knew then that Haldir had been killed.
Grief filled him at the thought of their beloved captain lying dead somewhere in the midst of the Deep. He could not even begin to comprehend it. Somehow he could not believe it was true. He did not see many of his friends alive either. Almost all that had come with him from Lorien were gone. Beside Uremir, he saw only four others that were close friends of his, which survived. One of them was Sythral, an elf that he and Uremir had known since they were children.
For a moment he regretted that the elves had ever gotten involved. He shoved that thought from his mind immediately. He trusted Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel's decision of the matter. It was their duty to the peoples of Middle-Earth to help protect the lands from Sauron. He only hoped that the sacrifice here would make a difference in the end.