9 The Battle For Middle Earth

Sathien felt sudden warmth, and wondered if she was dead. She opened her eyes to stare into Legolas'.

"Legolas?" Sathien asked groggily, sitting up, feeling a searing pain in her shoulder.

"Be careful." Legolas rested his hand on her shoulder. Sathien found herself in the Keep, and wondered how they had managed to defeat all the Uruks.

"It's over? What happened?" Sathien asked.

"Gandalf arrived," Legolas answered. "with Eomer and two thousand men, and the trees arrived to handle the last of them."

"Oh," Sathien said softly.

"We thought you were dead," Legolas admitted. "I found your body; you were lying amongst the Uruks outside the Keep. You were breathing very quietly, and you had bled a lot. I took you in here, as the others prepared to leave.

"We are to return to Edoras soon. You have recovered very quickly. Gandalf handled your wounds. I must say that I missed you sorely when I had mistaken you for being dead."

"I could have been." Sathien smiled wryly, relieved that they had made it. They had all survived the battle of Helm's Deep, at the cost of many men and Elves. And Haldir, Sathien remembered.

"Come, we are to go to Isengard." Legolas led Sathien outside where she got on her horse Edinar, happy to see him after so long.

Happy of the victory they had accomplished, Sathien rode out beside Legolas to the hill overlooking the land.

The fiery skies of Mordor were far in the distance. Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, Eomer, Theoden and Gamling stood beside her.

"The battle for Helm's Deep is over," Gandalf announced. "the battle for Middle Earth is about to begin."

With dread, Sathien looked out at Mordor, thinking of Aereth's journey. She wondered if the hobbits were safe and looked over at Gandalf as he spoke.

"Our hopes now lie with three young hobbits," Gandalf said. "somewhere out there in the wilderness."

And with that, they rode down the hill and onto Isengard to deal with the fate of Saruman.