"The fortess is taken. It is over." Théoden told them. Autheil rolled her eyes "With all do respect My Lord don't make me slap you too." Autheil said to the King who looked puzzled at her statement but Legolas chuckles as he and Aragorn picked up the table to help baracade the door. "That's right, you said this fortress will never fall while your men defend it." he said and then dropped his end of the table to walk towards Théoden, making Legolas feel unbalenced as he held the table.
"Aragorn!" Autheil grumbled at his action but went and helped a struggling Legolas lift the table.
Aragorn ignored Autheil and continued talking with the King "They still defend it. They have died defending it."
"Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Aragorn asked as the men continued to turn the tables over. Autheil came and stood by Aragorn's side "Is there no other way?" Aragorn repeated but the King remained silent.
"There is one passage, it leads into the mountains but they will not get far the Uruk-hai are to many." Gambling spoke up.
"Maybe they can." Autheil spoke up, drawing attention. "Before the battle I placed a protection spell around the entrance so that no Orc could get through. I then placed a concealment spell so the entrance looks like a wall. It will buy them time. You won't be able to find it easily because of the spell so instead I could send my patrouns" Autheil suggested earning her confused glances. She had forgotten they don't understand magic.
"It a bright light that takes the form of an animal, it's used to help send messages." she explained quickly.
"Do it." Aragorn urged her. Autheil nodded and pulled out her wand. Autheil summoned on her happiest memory which happened to be the morning they had to leave Edoras, she had woken up in Legolas's arms completely refreshed. She remembered how peaceful and handsome he looked as he slept. Suddenly a white light came from her wand and formed a panther. Autheil was confused for a second but continued.
"Go into the caves and find Éwoyn tell her that all the women and children need to quickly make for the mountain pass until they hear from us if they don't they need to keep going." she told the patronus. The white panther nodded and ran off towards the caves. The other's stood in amazement around her.
Legolas could feel her confusion and wonder as she watched the patoum leave.
"What is it?" he asked her, she shook her head "Nothing, it's just the animal changed, before it was an otter and now it's a panther. I wonder why?" she said.
The banging of the door brought them all back into reality.
Autheil turned to Aragorn "Ok now what?" she asked.
The King finally spoke up "So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?" he asked. Autheil rolled her eyes.
"Ride out with me." Aragorn said queitly before Autheil could say anything. "Ride out and meet them." he said to the King.
"For death and glory." Théoden said.
"For Rohan. For your people." Aragorn told him.
"The sun is rising." Gimli told them. They all turned to the window where they could see the sun start to shine through the window, Gandalf's words then echoed in their minds "Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East."
"Yes." the king said firmly. "The Horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the Deep one last time." the King stated.
"Yes!" Gimli said and ran out to find the horn.
Autheil whistled loudly and muttered in elvish, summoning the horses.
Théoden placed a hand on aragorn's shoulder. "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together." he told Aragorn.
Just then the horses came running in each to its owner. Autheil petted Maethor's nose as Arod stood next to him. Legolas came over to her and pulled her around, kissing her passionately. "I love you." he muttered against her lips. Their foreheads touching as they looked into each other's eyes "And I love you." she returned. The banging on the door got louder. They all mounted their horses, Autheil pulled out two sword from her leather pouch. She tossed one to Legolas who quickly excepted it with a nod. Autheil took the other one and attached it around her waist.
"Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath. Now for ruin and the red dawn!" Théoden said to his men as the unsheathed their swords. The door finally broke down but before anything could really come through Théoden shouted "Forth Eorlingas!" as the horn sounded in the Deep. They ride forward slashing at the Uruks below them and then ride out to the causeway, the horses either pushing the Uruks over the side or them trampinling over them killing them with Théoden and Aragorn leading the way. They made it to the end of the causeway where they slashed out at everything around them.
Suddenly the white dawn and a white rider caught their attention.
"Gandalf." Aragorn whipsered as Autheil smiled.
Gandalf on the mountain looked down at the fortress surrounded by Uruks "Théoden King stands alone." he said.
Eomer then rode up beside him. "Not alone." he said and the unsheathed his sword. "Rohhirm!" he called out. The riders of Rohan ride up behind him.
"Éomer." Théoden says as he looks up at his nephew proudly.
"To the King!" Éomer shouts and leads his men charging down the mountain the sun rising with them blinding the Uruks as the Rohhirm cuts them down.
The Uruks in fear start to run off as they drive them into Fangorn forest. "Stay out of the forest! Keep away from the trees!" Éomer warns them. The men stand in line at the edge of the hil waiting and watching as the Uruks retreat into Fangorn. There was a breif moment of silence before you hear loud groans from the trees and screeches from the Uruks followed by the movment seen by men on the tree line.
The battle was over, Rohan had won their victory and hope was restored among the people as the women and children were let out of the caves. The men were pilling up the dead orcs and Legolas and Autheil went to find Gimli as Aragorn went to find Éowyn.
Legolas and Autheil found Gimli sitting on a dead Uruk, smoking his pipe with his ax in the head of the dead Uruk.
"Final count..." Legolas says as he stokes his bow "Forty- two." Autheil rolls her eyes.
"Forty-two?" Gimli questions "Oh that's not bad for a pointed-ear Elvish princling. I however am sitting on forty-three."
Leoglas quickly draws and arrow and shoots it in between Gimli's legs, right above his hand. "Forty-three." Legolas stats.
"He was already dead." Gimli tells him.
"He was twitching." Legolas argued.
"he was twitching because he's got my ax embedded in his nervous system." Gimli cried and grabbed the ax, moving it around so that it would make the dead Uruk body move.
Autheil rolled her eyes "Yeah, well I beat the both of you." she said. They both looked up at her in shock. "I got seventy-two." she told them. Legolas's eyes widen but Gimli protested "Only the one's without magic count." she stated. Autheil rolled her eyes. "Those are the only ones I counted. If I counted the others I would be somewhere in the early hundreds." she stated.
Autheil walked away with pride but heard Gimli groan "How in Middle-Earth did she kill that many?" he asked. Legolas sighed "The rage of losing someone can do that to you." he told Gimli.
Autheil went back to where Haldir was killed. The ground was covered with blood both red and black, with bodies laying everywhere. She found Haldir laying were she left him. Autheil knelt down beside him. She placed her hand over his eyes to close them. She then took him up in her arms and let the tears fall freely. She cupped his face and brought her forehead to his as she started to sing.
I miss you so much
Your light, your smile, your ways
And everything about us
Though you're gone
You're still here in my heart
And my tears
Yeah you sure left your mark
We were just getting started
It wasn't long enough
It wasn't long enough together
But it was long enough
It was long enough to last forever
Sometimes I get so mad
I scream, I swear at this
Because this isn't how we planned it
I sit here in a cold room
Praying, waiting on you
To run back through that door
To the way it was before you left
It wasn't long enough
It wasn't long enough together
But it was long enough
It was long enough to last forever
I feel cheated
Defeated
Can't believe that you're gone
It was wrong, so wrong
It wasn't long enough
It wasn't long enough
It wasn't long enough
Noooo
It wasn't long enough
It wasn't long enough together
But it was long enough
It was long enough to last to last to last forever
You're memory will last forever
Autheil sang with all the sorrow in her heart as she held one of her best friends. She didn't realize that her beautiful voice had echoed throughout the Keep, bring tears to everyone's eyes. Nor did she realize Théoden, Aragorn, Éwoyn, Gimli, Gandalf and Legolas standing on the stairs behind her watching her as she sang and held the Elf Captain in her arms. All had tears in their eyes as they watched the emotional girl cry.
"They grew up together, her and Haldir." Aragorn explained to those who did not know of their friendship. Legolas then made his way two his broken-hearted lover. He knelt down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder making her look up at him. Autheil saw the tears in his eyes and the others now standing around them.
"It's all he every wanted. He always said if he were to die, he wanted to die a warrior's death; protecting those who needed it and fighting for a purpose." she told them as she looked down at Haldir's pale face.
"And shall give him a warrior's remembrance and honor him along with all the others." Théoden said. Autheil looked up at him and nodded. "I'll take him." Aragorn said. He knelt down and took Haldir from her arms and placed him on the stretcher.
Autheil watched as they carried him away. Legolas staying at her side rubbing her back as the tears continued to fall down her face. Legolas just sat there with her as she wept for her friend, for her kin and for the other men who died. Legolas let his own tears fall, shamelessly in front of her as they were alone. Autheil's sobs died down after a while and she was soon was able to stand.
Legolas wiped away Autheil's tears as he continued to holds her in his arms.
"I want his head." Autheil told him. Legolas looked at her confused by what she meant. "I want Saruman's head on spike." she said bitterly. Legolas didn't do anything but nod, he understood her grief.
Gandalf, Théoden, Eomer, Autheil, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas mounted their horses and made their way up the mountain that over looked the plains of Rohan and in the distance the red glow of Mordor.
"Sauron's wraith will be great and his attack swift. The battle for Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle-Earth is about to begin." Gandalf told them. He then looked to Aragorn "All of our hopes lie with two small hobbits, somewhere in the wilderness." Gandalf said, making everyone wonder of the whereabouts of Frodo and Sam.
The group then made their way to Isengard while the people of Rohan were to return to their homes and cities. Gandalf lead them threw Fangorn Forest carefully.
Song used in this chapter is Forever by Rascal Flatts