Attack of the Easterlings
Lady Lily of Balanidhren sat on her horse Epona in position with the rest of the warriors from the Balanidhren waiting patiently for the battle to begin. As Lily sat, her face hidden under a metal helmet, she thought about the gathering she, her brother, and a few of the king's right-hand men, they had with the king two days before the battle.
"We have news from one of our rangers. The Easterlings are coming. They will be on our doorstep in two days time," said their king Tamwyn. He sighed and looked over a map of Turwaithiel, their world. Tamwyn knew that his army was no match for what lay within the Easterlings army. He looked over at his nephew Akop, Captain of the Balanidhriim. "Gather the Balanidhriim and alert our allies. We will need help in this battle." Akop nodded and left to do his job, "and I want the rest of you," Tamwyn said turning to his men, "to see that the old, women, and children are safe inside our Keep, but any young man that is old enough and capable are prepared for war." They too turned to leave with Akop. Then Tamwyn turned to his niece, Lily, "I want you to stay in the Keep and watch our people staying behind."
"But I want to fight!" she protested. Lily was a warrior maiden of Balanidhren, one of the few left. She was as good as her brother Akop and any other man.
"No! I want to you stay here and live. You are to lead our people in my stead." Lily looked down and sighed. She was not one to give in so easily, but she knew that he was right. Besides, she had a plan.
So there she sat on Epona with the rest of the anxious warriors seeing the army of Easterlings advancing on the horizon. Lily had given the charge of watching the Balanidhrenians to a more trustworthy woman in the Keep. She was nervous. Sure Lily was very skilled with a sword and sometimes has little spars with her brother, but she had never been in a real battle. Lily remembered how her father had described a battle before he died. "It may look like fun, wielding a sword like a hero, feeling like your doing something good for your country. But then the sight and smell of dead all around starts to kick in and all you want to do is run, and you'd be right to do so. Though you know you can't so you stay and fulfill your pledge to your country." The Easterlings are here.
The fight had begun. She could see the blonde hair of Balanidhriims and the helmet of her brothers with its green and black braid of horse hair coming out of the top in front of her. They were getting their spears in attack position, trying to hide the look of terror that everyone knew was on all their faces from seeing the secret weapon that the Easterlings had within their army. They were giant Elephants. The Elephants were taller, larger, and stronger than the average elephant. They had barbed wire connected in a line across the tusks, wrapped around their legs, and places for the Easterlings to sit and fight on their backs.
Lily found that her father had been right. This was horrible and she wished that for once in her life she hadn't disobeyed her uncle and had stayed with the old, women, and children. She had killed many Easterlings that have come on foot and the Elephants were much closer now. She could see the leader of the Easterlings, Manwë. Lily knew him, he would to talk to her Uncle Tamwyn, but he would never tell what their heated arguments were about. Now Lily knew. He wanted Balanidhren for himself. Well he can't have it, she thought. Lily strung her bow and shot him down. Then she felt a sharp pain in her head and passed out. When she woke, the Balanidhren's had won.