Hello all! Happy Friday, although it's almost over. Yet another snow storm came through where I live, and over the last three days my neighborhood received a lovely 17.4 inches of snow. Beautiful to look at horrid to drive in. I tried to make the treck into work today and spun out. Thankfully no damage to my car or to me, but I had to get towed back home. So, two and a half hours later I was home, my bank account a little lighter, and a snow day I hadn't been planning on. Well, I suppose you didn't want to know all that. Thank you for your reviews, as I say every single time they mean so much to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you think!

Note: Dialouge in bold is spoken in Elvish.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Lord of the Rings.

Chapter 25

The Uruk-hai grew closer to the great wall of Helms Deep and Carita took a deep breath. Never would she admit to anyone the fear the Uruk-hai brought her. They were foul and vial, and their minds sharper than any of the creatures created by Morgorth or Sauron. It was true what she had told Legolas, she was nearly killed on her flight from Mordor and had faced many dark demons but now there was more at stake in the battle than her life alone. Two little hobbits carried the fate of the world with them, and she knew exactly what they were going to face and that frightened her even more.

Lightening flashed and thunder rolled through the sky before rain began to fall upon the party. They air grew colder and thought Carita could not feel the cold just as the elves, it would be uncomfortable to battle in the rain. And she knew the men would not fair as well because they would feel the cold.

"A Eruchîn, ú-dano i faelas a hyn an uben tanatha le faelas! (Show them no mercy! For you shall receive none!)" Aragorn shouted to the Elvin soldiers she stood with as he walked behind her and down the line. Carita's hand was on the hilt of her sword as she watched the Uruk-hai march on before a loud cry echoed over the land. The army stopped some distance from the wall, but their cries and the banging of their armor continued on as they taunted the men and elves that awaited them.

Carita's eyes only narrowed as she looked upon them. But the Uruk-hai grew silent when an arrow suddenly struck on of the Uruk-hai in the throat. Carita gasped quietly and looked down the line and behind her to see an old man, standing next to the boy she had spoken to earlier looking on with wide eyes.

"Dartho! (Hold!)" Aragorn shouted and Carita looked back to the Uruk-hai. The one that was shot swayed before he crashed to the ground, dead. The other Uruk-hai looked down at their fallen comrade silently before they raised their weapons and let out guttural screams and charged at the wall. "Tangado a chadad! (Prepare to fire!)" Haldir and the elves around her drew arrows and knotted them in their bows. Carita took yet another deep breath as the Uruk-hai grew closer.

"Let us hope that this is not the end," Carita thought as she watched them charge.

"Leithio i philinn! (Release the arrows!)" Aragorn shouted and the elves around her fired killing many of the Uruk-hai that charged them.

"Fire!" one of the men of Rohan shouted before a second voice repeated the order. The men of Rohan's arrows followed the ones of the elves. Many of the Uruk-hai fell, but more continued on running at a faster pace.

"Ribed bant! (Full volley!)" Aragorn shouted to elves that stood upon the floor of the keep, and arrows soared over Carita's head before they hit their marks. The Uruk-hai fired their crossbows onto the elves along the wall, striking a few but missing some. Carita shifted her stance and narrowly missed being hit by one of the arrows. She took a deep breath and glanced at Haldir as he fired another arrow upon the attacking army. "Pendraith! (Ladders!)" Aragorn yelled and Carita drew her sword. "Swords! Swords!" he yelled as he drew his own sword and ran down the wall.

The Uruk-hai were attacking along the wall and Carita's blade had already sliced through several of the enemy. As she pulled her sword from one Uruk, she turned and sliced through another when she saw Aragorn fighting and struggling to push one of the ladders down as more Uruk-hai climbed it. She grunted and moved through a few more Uruks and then helped Aragorn push it off. She took a deep breath and smiled at Aragorn who nodded before he turned and continued to fight. Carita did the same, but she ducked and once again narrowly missed being struck down. Sighing, she swung her blade up, slicing through her enemy.

"Causeway! Na fennas! Hado ribed! Hado! (Causeway! Hurl to flow! Hurl!)" Aragorn shouted and the Elvin archers followed his command and Carita moved out of the way of the arrows as she moved on down the line. She was nearing Gimli, whose battle cries she could hear echoing over everything else, and she was thankful for that because that way she knew he was well. Suddenly, as she continued to fight, Aragorn's voice filled the air, loud and demanding with almost a panic to it.

"Togo hon dad, Legolas! (Bring him down, Legolas!)" Aragorn shouted. Carita turned and looked down at the ground and saw a large Uruk-hair charging carrying a sparkling torch. An arrow lodged in its shoulder but it kept running. "Dago hon! Dago hon! (Kill him! Kill him!)" Aragorn shouted again, and again Legolas fired. He hit the Uruk in the shoulder once more, but he did not stop.

The next thing Carita knew, she was flying high up into the air as she was thrown from the stone wall she stood upon by the force of some kind of explosion. She landed hard on and she gasped when the wind was pushed from her body. Her body shook as she moved and Haldir was at her side, helping her to her feet.

"Aragorn!" Gimli shouted from somewhere nearby, but Carita was holding onto Haldir's arm for support because her breath was coming in gasps. Haldir pulled her to the side and quickly raised his blade to parry a blow by an Uruk. She caught her breath and grasped her sword tightly.

The Uruk-hai were battling hard, and they were winning. They were flooding into the keep, killing as they went, and it seemed as though all those that fell didn't even damper their number.

"Nan Barad! Nan Barad! Haldir, nan Barad! (To the Keep! Pull back to the Keep! Haldir, to the Keep!)" echoed Aragorn's voice and Haldir looked down at him and nodded before he sliced through another Uruk and called out to his men. He was cut along the arm, and at his cry, Carita turned around and her eyes widened when she saw an Uruk raising his weapon to strike Haldir down.

"Haldir!" Carita shouted and used her speed to grab Haldir and pull him out of the way before she slashed her sword across the Uruk's midsection. She pulled Haldir along as she ran down the steps. "To the keep!" she shouted to the elves. "Fall back! Fall back into the keep!" she yelled and the guards fought their way inside. Practically throwing the elf into the keep, Carita moved to the side to catch her breath.

"My lady," Haldir breathed. She turned her eyes to him and sighed before she straightened her posture.

"We are fighting side by side, my friend," she said. "I think calling me by my name would be most appropriate."

"Carita, you saved my life," he said and Carita smiled before she raised her hand and wrapped her arms around his injured forearm. Haldir's eyes moved to his arm and Carita's smile grew before she removed her hand.

"And I healed your arm, now you owe me double," she said and Haldir smiled as he made a fist with his hand. He gave her a smile and then the others started to make their way into the keep. Carita turned around and started to help barricade the doors before she stepped back and surveyed those within the room. Her light eyes scanned the room and she was relieved to find Aragorn, King Theoden, Gimli, and Legolas all within the walls of the keep.

"Come," she said and the pair moved to stand with Aragorn, the king, Gamling, and Legolas. Carita smiled at the elf whose eyes she noticed scanned her for any obviously injury. "I'm not hurt, are you?" she asked in a whisper and Legolas shook her head before he briefly grasped her hand and squeezed it.

"Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Aragorn asked and Legolas let go of Carita's hand. The king or nor Gamling answered him. "Is there no other way?" he asked again.

"There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far. The Uruk-hai are too many," Gamling said. Aragorn sighed and lowered his head.

"They will have a better chance escaping then sitting as bait within the caves," Carita said as she stepped forward. The others looked at her before Aragorn turned his eyes to her and she met his eyes. "Tell them, take the reins and steer them along the right path." Aragorn's eyes hardened and he turned to Gamling.

"Send word for the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance," Aragorn said as he shoved his shoulder.

"So much death," Theoden said slowly and everyone looked at him. "What can men do against such reckless hate?" Aragorn paused and looked down before he looked back up at the king.

"Ride out with me," Aragorn said suddenly and Carita smiled. "Ride out and meet them." Theoden looked at Aragorn, something sparking in his eyes.

"For death and glory," Theoden said and Aragorn shook his head.

"For Rohan. For your people," Aragorn said with a fire in his voice.

"The sun is rising," Gimli said as he looked to the high window. All eyes turned to the window and Carita looked to the king.

"You said that if this is to be you and your men's end, my lord," Carita said and the king looked at her. "You said you would have them make such an end. We stand with you for your people, what say you to riding out for them and the land you rule?" she asked and Theoden looked at her. He had never in all his years on the earth known of a woman like the one that stood before him, even his niece's determination in wisdom she held in her eyes was dim compared to that of Carita's.

"Yes," Theoden said quietly and Carita smiled as she raised her head and took a deep breath. "Yes! The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep one last time!" he shouted as he looked to the men in the room around them.

"Yes!" Gimli shouted before he ran from the room and up a flight of stairs to the horn while the others got their horses and mounted upon their backs. Carita sat on Moonlight once again and patted his neck as she looked at Aragorn ahead of her, Haldir who sat upon a horse on her right, and then finally Legolas who sat on Arod on her left. Legolas looked at her when she knew he felt her eyes on him. She gave him a smile and reached out her hand. Legolas took it and once again squeezed her hand tightly.

"Hold to your promise," she whispered quietly and Legolas' cool eyes softened and he nodded his head.

"As long as you hold to yours," he whispered back and she nodded.

"I will," she whispered and squeezed his hand in return before she let go and looked ahead to King Theoden.

"Let this be the hour when we draw swords together. Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath! Now for ruin! And a red dawn!" Theoden exclaimed as he pulled on his helmet and drew his sword. The horn sounded and Moonlight shifted ready for battle and ready to face whatever end they were about to face. "Forth Eorlingas!" he shouted. The door was thrown open and they charged forward, slicing through the Uruk-hai as they went.

They battled their way out of the keep and they sat upon their horses battling the Uruk-hai. The sun was slowly coming over the horizon when Carita looked to the top of the tall cliff and saw a figure in white sitting upon a white stallion, and smiled.

"Gandalf," she said breathlessly. Then another rider came next to him, one whose helm she recognized and her heart raced once more as a long thick line of horsemen fell in line at the edge of the cliff. As they charged down the cliff, she let out a celebratory shout before an Uruk swung his blade at Moonlight, making the stallion rear back. Carita gripped his mane, but he reared so high, she slipped from his back and down onto the blood soaked earth. Her head hit a piece of fallen armor and as the world spun before her eyes the last thing she saw was an Uruk raising his blade to strike a final blow.

A/N: PLEASE DO NOT KILL ME! I hate to leave you all where I did, but I'm too tired at the moment to continue on even though it's only like 10:30pm. I think it's the fact that I've been up since 4:30 this morning. Hopefully, I shall have an update for you all very soon!