Chapter 12- The Battle of the Hornburg
It was midday when the great knights of Rohan rode into the citadel of Helm's Deep. The women and children had arrived moments before and were starting to set up camp and put away the food stores in the underground caves.
Legolas was distraught. He clutched Evenstar tightly in his fist, as if it would bring Aragorn back. He was full of emotion; grief for his lost friends and anger at his new friend.
He could not believe that she had actually left them in their time of greatest need. Most of all, he was hurt that she had not told him what she was doing. He had thought they had become close. But clearly he had been wrong to assume that she could share some of her secrets with him.
A loud blast of horns ripped him from his thoughts. Shouts and cries arose and as Legolas looked out over the battlements, he saw a long formation of figures clothed in deep blue and silver pointed helmets. They were headed by a tall fair haired elf; Haldir. Momentary joy rose in him and he rushed down to greet them.
An hour later, Legolas sat alone in the armoury, a feeling of loneliness washing over him. He was alone. Merry and Pippin were far, far away, Gandalf was searching for Eomer and his riders of Rohan, Katie had deserted him and Boromir and Aragorn were lost. Even Gimli's company brought him no comfort. He was in no mood to talk of caves and mining with the dwarf.
Meanwhile, Katie's mind was in turmoil. She had made the right decision, hadn't she? Of course she had. Anyway, she couldn't turn back now. No.
She urged her horse forward and they streaked across the cold grey plain, the wind roaring in her eyes.
A voice spoke softly in her mind. It sounded very like Galadriel.
"Why are you leaving?" It said quietly.
"Because I must," she thought. "I have to know who I am. I cannot help the people of Rohan. I'm just one person. What can I do?"
"Did you not listen to what I told you? You can do a great deal for them. If only to raise their morale. Why do you think only of yourself?"
"But you told me to seek the counsel of Galaduin," Katie replied in her mind.
"Yes, but I did not mean for you to desert your friends to do so. Go back to them. Remember your duty."
Suddenly a great weight lifted from her mind and Katie felt herself again.
"What am I doing?" she thought suddenly. And she pulled on her horse's reins and halted. "I must go back to them. Of course I must. How could I be so selfish?"
And suddenly a great weight lifted from her heart too. She knew she had made the right decision. She whirled her horse around and rode off, back in the direction of Helm's Deep.
"Aragorn!" A voice shouted.
Legolas lifted his head, sudden hope filling him. He gazed down over the battlements and saw a horse cantering up the causeway into the citadel; a figure slumped over its back. He could hardly believe his eyes.
He leapt up and tore down the steps to see Aragorn slip from his horse from weariness and his wounds. Legolas ran forward and caught him just before he hit the ground.
He carried him with the help of a few others to the healing room. Legolas sent for Gimli and waited silently by his bedside as a woman tended to him. Legolas could not believe. First Gandalf, now Aragorn, seemingly back from the dead.
Legolas' spirits lifted. There was hope again.
As dawn broke on the second day, the sky was clear and there was joy and relief all around Helm's Deep. They had survived the onslaught from Isengard. The Battle of the Hornburg was over.
Legolas stood on the top of the hill above Helm's Deep on his horse, with the king, Eomer, Aragorn, Gandalf and Gimli, gazing down into the valley below where a great thick forest stretched for many miles.
Legolas' mind wandered back to the battle the night before; the terrifying wait for hours in the darkness, watching the lights and marching thousands of orcs moving slowly toward them. Then the horrors of battle; the fire, the shouts, the storm, the blood and the crushing darkness.
How relieved they had been when they had all looked up to see Gandalf, a shining white light on the top of the steep hill, followed by the great crowd of Rohirrim, led by Eomer.
"Tomorrow we must ride to Isengard," Gandalf was saying.
Legolas frowned in confusion. He did not understand why they would risk so much after such a terrible battle.
"I do not think we will find all that we expect there," Gandalf said, with a hint of a smile, as though he had read Legolas' mind.
And so the company rode to Isengard and Gandalf's words came true. For all of Isengard was in disarray. Hundreds of what Legolas recognised to be Ents filled Isengard, destroying anything in sight. The dam above Isengard had been broken and the water had surged down, destroying all in its path. It was as though it was washing away the evil that had been done to it.
Treebeard, who Gandalf introduced to them as Fangorn, was clearly the leader of them all. He guarded Orthanc, the great cruel tower himself at all times of the day, watching to keep the evil that lay inside hidden.
And so it was that Legolas found out something extremely surprising that day when he was speaking with Treebeard.
"Oh yes, master elf, I rescued another of your kind from this dreaded tower," Treebeard said slowly.
Legolas looked up in interest. "What?" he asked urgently.
"Now now, master elf, let us not be hasty," Treebeard said slower still. Legolas waited as patiently as he could.
"Now, it was about three days ago…that I came to this here spot and I and the other Ents tore to ruin this evil. And I went up into that cruel tower to seek out where Saruman cowered. He would not come out but he knew all was lost, and he pushed out a she-elf. I immediately carried her down and she told me everything. She had been riding and was captured by Uruks and brought to Isengard. And there she was imprisoned in this here tower," Treebeard told him, gesturing to Orthanc behind him.
Legolas understood. The elf had been Katie.
"And where is she now?" he asked.
"Well now, what did she say?" Treebeard said unhurriedly. "Oh yes," he deliberated. "She said she had an important mission to complete. But I do not remember where she was riding to," Treebeard explained.
Legolas nodded his thanks and left. He knew where she was riding to. That much Katie had told him. She was riding to Lindon. And he felt a renewed sense of anger.