Disclaimer:
I own nothing, everything belongs to mister Tolkien, who has created the wonderful fantasy story 'the Lord of the Rings'. I took some lines from the movie as well, as you might notice, they of course belong to Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
A Simple Soldier
"Watch it!"
One of his fellow members of the army shouted to him when he accidentally bumped into the man. Apologetically Hallas raised his hands and then he steadily resumed his course. His eyes were fixed on the ground as he walked alongside his comrades.
The Black Gate. It was all Hallas, son of Haldeth, could think about. He was a simple soldier in the army of Gondor. Lord Boromir had been his captain once and afterwards he had served in they city as a guard of the gate. He had changed to a guard because his former captain had found it a better job for him, because he would be close to his family.
He had been married for a year now. Just before he had left the city to fight for his own country his wife had told him that she was pregnant. That gave him even more reason to return to her side safely. Hallas had to be honest with himself, he was scared that he might not return to his beloved, yet he didn't want to lose faith completely.
The messenger that had brought the news of the last march that the new King wanted to make to the black gate had sounded defeated. It had seemed to Hallas that he thought that they were not going to succeed and the more details Hallas got of the quest, the more he began to doubt what he had signed up for.
There was no way that they were going to survive this. According to the wizard Mithrandir there were still thousands and thousands of orcs left in the Black Land. How were they ever to defeat them?
The battle at the Pellenor Fields had been bad enough. Many soldiers of Gondor and of Rohan had died. The Fields were still recovering from the epic battle that had been fought there. Hallas had lost his brother, who had been sent out with Faramir as a last cry for help just before the battle started. That was part of the reason that he had signed up for going to the Black Gate. He wanted to avenge his brother' death and the deaths of all the soldiers of Gondor that had fallen during the siege.
Yet now he had lost all hope. He didn't know where to look for hope anymore. The land around them was barren and black. Half burned trees could be seen and carcasses of rabbits, birds, wolves and other animals. It was a ghastly place and Hallas wanted nothing more then to turn back.
Their new King had already told them that the men who didn't want to fight at the Black Gate should not be ashamed, there were still enough roaming orcs in the country and it would be just as honourable to kill them as to march to the Black Gate. Even though Hallas had been about to go with those men he had finally decided not to do it. He wanted to stand by his new King.
The sun began to drop below the horizon and finally the signal was given that camp could be made. At last he could rest a bit. Hallas laughed at a story that one of the soldiers was telling around the campfire and after a bit of ale he told a story of his own. The story telling and simply sitting around a campfire were things that Hallas had missed greatly during his service in the city as one of gate watchers. With destruction and darkness lurking around them, the stories were a good distraction.
All too soon the sun came up and a horn was blown that everybody should be ready to leave in an hour. Quickly Hallas ate some breakfast and before he knew it they were walking again.
"We are almost there,"
One of the soldiers said in a hushed voice. Hallas was fighting down a shiver that threatened to go up his back. This was it.
As the gates came into view Hallas almost stopped walking, as did a few others. But they were all determent to get there and to finish the job. They would either all be dead by nightfall… or they would survive.
The dark steel doors were so impressive that Hallas barely dared to look up to them. They looked like the things that only appeared in nightmares, but this was real. They were there, standing in front of the massive gates behind which (or so they were told) their enemy was ready to fight.
When the murmurs of shock and horror died down in the massif army it became quiet. It was too quiet for Hallas nerves. The army behind the gates had to produce some sound. He looked to their new King as he rode forward with the new King of Rohan by his side, the wizard Mithrandir and some others.
"Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth!" the Lord Elfstone shouted, loud enough so that the whole army could hear it, which was quite strange because the plain was so large.
"Let justice be done upon him!"
Everybody waited in anticipation. Would Sauron really come out of the gates to talk to the new King of Gondor? Or would there be no answer. Uneasily Hallas let his gaze drift over the gates again and the little hope that he had left disappeared; they were never going to survive this.
Then with a loud creak the Black Gate slowly began to open. It took some time before the Army of the West could see what was waiting for them, but as the little company of the King and the King himself began to ride back, Hallas knew that they had to prepare for battle now. There was a red light shining on them and it chilled Hallas to the bone.
Quickly the orcs had surrounded them, there was no way out; they would die on this field. Uncomfortably Hallas began to shift from one foot to the other. He wasn't the only one who was afraid and nervous.
"Hold your ground!"
It was the new King who was trying to make himself heard.
"Hold your ground!"
Hallas stood still and looked to the King expectantly. What would he say now? Couldn't he see that the whole thing had been foolish? They were surrounded by thousand and thousands of orcs. There were more then a hundred trolls in the army as well….
"Sons of Gondor, of Rohan… My brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day… we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"
The speech of Ellessar had touched Hallas' soul deeply. No he would not abandon all hope. As long as he knew that his wife was waiting for him to come back whole and healthy he would fight. He would avenge his brother' death.
In the end Hallas killed more then twenty orcs, saving two of his friends. Yet he took a fatal blow from one of the mountain trolls that were in the army of the enemy. He died, just as many others. Yet he died knowing that he had done the best he could to save the world of mankind. He died for what he believed in.