Summary: Based on the movie version of the battle at Helm's Deep. Haldir really didn't die. When his two best friends from childhood discover this, they're overjoyed. Then they discover that Gondor is being attacked by a mysterious force, and only an elven warrior can catch this assassin. Will they risk their lives for the country that they left when they journeyed to the Havens? Sorry, but this summary stinks. You really have to read the story to find out if you like it.

Disclaimer: We don't own anything except Alcweth and Laimel, and any other characters you don't recognize form LotR. Tolkein owns everything, he made Middle Earth, and we hope he won't mind if we have a bit of fun in it.

Engraved in Stone

Chapter One, Helm's Deep

Haldir felt the cold rain sting his face as he nocked his bow along with his troupe of archers, the very best from the Golden Wood of the Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. They had each been hand selected by himself, high guardian and marchwarden of Lothlorien. His steel gray eyes scanned the horizon, searching for the first sign of danger as he stood upon the stone wall of Helm's Deep.

Half an hour pasted. It felt longer, standing in the cold, wet, night. Haldir heard the clank of armor from further down the wall. He glanced quickly, and saw what was making the noise. The young Rohirrim warriors grew impatient. Haldir felt sorrow for the small boys. Some of them had not even come of age yet, some barely in their eighth year.

At long last Haldir's keen Elvish eyes saw the first line of the enemy army. He strained to look beyond the first few orcs, and beheld a terrible sight indeed. This army was no ordinary one. It stretched for miles in the dark of night. As they approached, the lanterns they carried made the horizon glow eerily, long before there should have been any light in the pitch black sky.

Haldir felt no fear as he was a noble of the golden wood. He had learned not to fear. He could feel the way the air tensed around him, as his fellow Elven archers drew their arrows tightly to the string of their bows. Haldir's flawlessly pointed ears pricked up as he heard the approaching footsteps of the army of Saruman. At least ten thousand Uruk-hai warriors and archers marched to a spot no more than 200 feet away from the wall. Each beast was clad in harshly made armor, armed with either an orcish sword or crossbow, of poor quality. Some held up torches, waving them around defiantly, as they watched the fear of the Rohirrims and warriors build upon the stone of the Helm's deeping wall.

"Tangado heid! (Hold your positions!)" Haldir whispered to the archers so quietly that only the keen ears of an elf could hear. He did not wish for the battle to start sooner than need be. He had been in many battles before, and had come away from them victorious. But this battle he was not so sure about. Even with the strength of the Elvish army, the Rohirrim were outnumbered by a long shot.

"We will survive," the elf whispered, trying to reassure himself.

The Uruk-hai warriors were restless to start the battle. Over and over again they beat the ground with their pikes, shouting out insults in a tongue only they knew. All of a sudden, an arrow flew threw the air towards the waiting army of Saruman. It had not been shot from an Elvish bow, but rather from the bow of a Rohirrim. "Cease fire" shouted Aragorn. But it was too late. The first shot had been fired, and that was just what the Uruk-hai had been waiting for. The massive
army drew their crudely created crossbows and sent a volley of arrows sailing through the air.

The battle had begun. Haldir heard an Elven archer curse in Sindarin at the elderly Rohirrim who had fired the first arrow. He continually nocked his bow and fired, until a portly Uruk-hai, who Haldir thought must be commanding the others, shouted to his troops to raise tall, sturdy
ladders of splintery, rotting wood up to the wall. Haldir tossed his bow aside and drew out his long sword, made of fine metal, engraved Elvish inscriptions upon it's lightweight blade. He firmly gripped the handle decorated of small symbols of the Leaves of Lorien, as he awaited the Uruk-hai to approach him on the wall.

When the ladder had been raised, the head Uruk-hai was the first to scale the walls. As he stepped off of the ladder he quickly glanced around before raising his sword and running towards Haldir to attack. The woodland elf blocked the first blow. Once again the Uruk-hai struck and once again Haldir parried. The Uruk-hai was well trained in the field of sword play, but obviously no match for the skills of the elder elf. Out of no where came an orc arrow, aimed for Haldir's head. He quickly sidestepped, and the arrow just barely grazed his cheek; nothing serious. But the move he had made to avoid the arrow now put him in a dangerous position. The Uruk-hai took advantage of this, raising his weapon above his head preparing to strike Haldir. At the last moment, our hero rammed his sword into the stomach of the Uruk-hai.

The massive creature grasped at his stomach and fell flat on his face, letting out a low groan of pain. Haldir ignored the blood that was now dripping from the cut on his face, and continued to fight off Uruk-hai as they kept coming up onto the deeping wall. He watched as one by one,
Elven archers had fallen to their knees and collapsed into a heap on the cold stone floor.

Haldir's sensitive Elvish eyes caught the sight of Gimli being surrounded by a hoard of blood thirsty Uruk-hai, and ran over to help him fight them off, despite the fact that he wasn't too fond of dwarves, but he did it out of the goodness of his heart.

"I don't need any help" growled the waist high dwarf, but Haldir could sense that help was quite welcome.
"Have you seen Aragorn and Legolas?" inquired the dwarf. "Are they still alive and fighting?"
"Nay, I have not seen them, but they are skilled warriors, and it would take a great amount of Uruk-hai to slow either of them down" Haldir replied.

Yet he was worried. So many elves had fallen, elves whom he had known since they were children. So many elves whom he himself had trained, and Haldir knew it would have been difficult indeed to bring these mighty warriors down. Yet the Uruk-hai had done so, and now Haldir was beginning to wonder about the strength of the fortress and the army protecting it.

Gimli saw the distressed look in Haldir's eyes and tried to reassure him. "I'm sure they are fine. We'll come out okay." He sniffed suddenly and tried to hold back the tears welling up in his beady eyes.

Haldir forced a weak smile at the dwarf, who was currently ramming his axe into the Uruk-hai's legs and shins, knocking them over. Haldir parried this way and that, gracefully plunging his sword into the backs and chests of the enemies.

"Haldir!" The Lorien elf spun around to see Aragorn calling him from below the wall. "Fall back! Get into hall!" Haldir nodded, and made for a dash towards the hall, violently slashing at
passing Uruk-hai.

Haldir felt a chilling presence as he turned around, but not soon enough. An Uruk-hai had brought an axe down in between his shoulder blades, causing the elder elf to get the air knocked out of him and fall to his knees. Haldir's body tensed up as he felt the burning hot blade of the axe sizzle through the protective metal of his armor. He heard the triumphant growl and victory cry of the Uruk-hai who had wounded him, and with the last ounce of his strength, Haldir drove the blade of his sword directly into the chest of the monster that was crumbling over to the ground, the arrogant smirk slowly disappearing from his face.

Haldir was beginning to go cold by the continuing loss of blood; and Aragorn ran over to him, taking the brave Elven warrior in his arms. Aragorn watched the elf's stormy eyes glaze over as he placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Namarie, Haldir." The elf opened his mouth to speak, but Aragorn rushed back up to fight, letting Haldir drop to the ground. Haldir's world darkened around him as his head hit the stone.

~~~Like it? Sorry this chapter is so short. Please R&R!! We love constructive criticism, it helps us make the story better. Flames will be used to roast potatoes.