A/N: I consider this chapter of the book (Helm's Deep) to be very dodgy!
You'll see why. And I'm only doing bits and pieces of getting to Helm's
Deep, the battle, going to Isengard, blah, blah, blah, because it's
waaaaaaay too long to do in full.
Luvs Elfie xXxXx
PS. Yes, I have a filthy mind! We know this, OK? But having a clean mind is boring, so I'm proud to be not boring!!!
Chapter 26
"I'm bored," said Christina. This was a very different sort of journey to that of the fellowship. They may have been a lot more of her people, but there were no hobbits. "Legolas, come here so I can hit you."
"No!"
"Please?"
"I don't want to be hit, Christina," he said. "And certainly not because you're bored."
"Then will you insult me so I have a reason to hit you?" she asked.
"Shut up, Christina," said Legolas. She sighed.
"Where is Pippin when you need him?"
When night finally closed around them, they halted to make their camp. They had ridden for some five hours and were far out upon the western plain, yet more than half their journey still lay before them. In a great circle, under the starry sky, they now made their camp. They lit no fires, for they were uncertain of events; but they set a ring of mounted guards about them and scouts rode far ahead, passing like shadows in the folds of the land. The slow night passed without tidings or alarm. At dawn the horns sounded and within an hour they too the road again.
As the second day of their riding drew on, the heaviness in the air increased. In the afternoon the dark clouds began to overtake them: a sombre canopy with great billowing edges flecked with dazzling light. All this did noting to improve Christina's mood.
"Legolas?" she called. He turned to her. "Come here a minute." He gave her an uncertain look. "Please?" He reluctantly dropped back a little so he was in line with her. She slapped him hard.
"What was that for?!" he cried.
"Well, I figured that if I asked you like I did yesterday, you'd say no," she said, innocently. "So, I didn't ask you."
"But, I haven't even done anything!" he said, indignantly.
"Yeah, I know," she said. "But that's only because you haven't had the chance. I know that if given the chance you would have annoyed me already, so I slapped you for it." She smiled sweetly at him. "OK, you can go now." He angrily rode forward to where he had been before.
In the last red glow of the sunset, men in the vanguard saw a black speck, a horseman riding back towards them. They halted awaiting him. When he came they saw he had a dinted helm and cloven shield. He dismounted his horse and stood there while gasping. At length he spoke of the battle of the previous day. All was not well. He advised the king to turn back and protect Edoras, but Théoden refused.
"Give this man a fresh horse," ordered the king. "Let us ride to the help of Erkenbrand!" But before they did, Gandalf spoke.
"Ride Théoden!" he said. "Take your men to-"
"OI!" shouted Christina. "I AM NOT A MAN!!! The next person to forget me will get a slap!" Gandalf sighed.
"Take your 'people' to Helm's Deep! Go not to the Fords of Isen, and do not tarry in the plain! I must leave you for a while. Shadowfax must bear me now on a swift errand." Turning to Aragorn and Éomer and the 'people' of the king's household, he cried: "Keep well the Lord of the Mark, till I return. Await me at Helm's Gate! Farewell!" He spoke a word to Shadowfax and he was gone.
The host turned away from the road to the Fords of Isen and bent their course southward. Night fell and still they rode on. The hills drew near, but the tall peaks if Thrihyrne were already dim against the darkening sky. Still some miles away, on the far side of the Westfold Vale, lay a green comb, a great bay in the mountains, Helm's Deep. A Helm's gate, before the mouth of the Deep, there was a heel of rock... A/N: Look, you don't want to know any of this, do you? You've read the book, you know all about what happens before the battle. So you won't mind if I just skip straight to Helm's Deep, will you? Well, tough if you do.
The Deeping Wall was twenty feet high, and so thick that four men could walk abreast (A/N: Not even going to bother asking!) along the top, sheltered by a parapet over which only a tall man could look. Here and there were clefts in the stone through which men could shoot. This battlement could be reached could be reached by a stair running down from a door in the outer court of the Hornburg. Three flights of steps led up also on to the wall from the Deep behind, but in front it was smooth and the great stones of it were set with such skill that no foothold could be found at their joints, and at the top they hung over like a sea-delved cliff.
Gimli stood leaning against the breastwork (A/N: O_o) upon the wall. Legolas sat above on the parapet, fingering his bow (A/N: That's just gross!) and peering out into the gloom.
"This is more to my liking," said the dwarf, stamping on the stones. "Ever my heart rises as we draw near the mountains. There is good rock here. This country has tough bones. I felt them in my feet as we came up from the dike. Give me a year and a hundred of my kin and I would make this a place that armies would break against like water."
"I do not doubt it," said Legolas. "But you a dwarf and dwarves are strange folk. I do not like this place and I shall like it no more by the light of day. But you comfort me, Gimli, and I am glad to have you standing nigh with your stout legs and your hard axe. (A/N: Eep! EWWW! Hell no!) And think of it this way. At least Christina isn't here."
"Did I hear my name?" sounded and all too familiar voice. (A/N: You know, considering she doesn't like the guy, she's spending a hell of a lot of time around Legolas, isn't she?)
"What do you want, Christina?" said Legolas, exasperatedly. He knew he was safe to insult her from where he was, since he was about a foot higher up than she was.
"How the hell did you get up there?" she said when she saw him sitting on the parapet.
"What do you want, Christina?" he repeated.
"Aragorn sent me up here because I was scaring everyone," she said, gloomily. Gimli and Legolas looked at her oddly. "Well, they were leaving me out and ignoring me, so I sort of shouted and made about a hundred men run away."
"Aragorn's right," said Gimli. "How do you do it?" But before she could answer Branched lightning smote down upon the eastward hills. Thunder rolled in the valley. Rain came lashing down. Legolas leapt down from the parapet.
Arrows, thick as rain, came whistling over the battlements and fell clinking and glancing on the stones. Some found a mark. The assault on Helm's Deep had begun, but no sound or challenge was heard within; no answering arrows came. The assailing hosts halted, foiled by the silent menace of rock and wall. Ever and again the lightning tore aside the darkness. Then the orcs screamed, waving spear and sword and shooting a cloud of arrows at any that stood revealed upon the battlements; and the 'people' of the Mark amazed looked out, as it seemed to them, upon a great field of dark corn, every ear glinted with barbed light.
********
A/N: Look I'm struggling at the moment, OK? So, don't kill me for the crud chapters I'm doing at the moment! You'll just have to hope they get better. And if they don't, well, tough!
Luvs Elfie xXxXx
PS. To anyone who's read Love's Cruel Twist: I've re-written it! It's being posted with these chapters so please go and have a look if you get the chance. And if you haven't read it, please go and have a look anyway!
PPS. To anyone that's read A New Enemy: there are more chapters of that up too!
Luvs Elfie xXxXx
PS. Yes, I have a filthy mind! We know this, OK? But having a clean mind is boring, so I'm proud to be not boring!!!
Chapter 26
"I'm bored," said Christina. This was a very different sort of journey to that of the fellowship. They may have been a lot more of her people, but there were no hobbits. "Legolas, come here so I can hit you."
"No!"
"Please?"
"I don't want to be hit, Christina," he said. "And certainly not because you're bored."
"Then will you insult me so I have a reason to hit you?" she asked.
"Shut up, Christina," said Legolas. She sighed.
"Where is Pippin when you need him?"
When night finally closed around them, they halted to make their camp. They had ridden for some five hours and were far out upon the western plain, yet more than half their journey still lay before them. In a great circle, under the starry sky, they now made their camp. They lit no fires, for they were uncertain of events; but they set a ring of mounted guards about them and scouts rode far ahead, passing like shadows in the folds of the land. The slow night passed without tidings or alarm. At dawn the horns sounded and within an hour they too the road again.
As the second day of their riding drew on, the heaviness in the air increased. In the afternoon the dark clouds began to overtake them: a sombre canopy with great billowing edges flecked with dazzling light. All this did noting to improve Christina's mood.
"Legolas?" she called. He turned to her. "Come here a minute." He gave her an uncertain look. "Please?" He reluctantly dropped back a little so he was in line with her. She slapped him hard.
"What was that for?!" he cried.
"Well, I figured that if I asked you like I did yesterday, you'd say no," she said, innocently. "So, I didn't ask you."
"But, I haven't even done anything!" he said, indignantly.
"Yeah, I know," she said. "But that's only because you haven't had the chance. I know that if given the chance you would have annoyed me already, so I slapped you for it." She smiled sweetly at him. "OK, you can go now." He angrily rode forward to where he had been before.
In the last red glow of the sunset, men in the vanguard saw a black speck, a horseman riding back towards them. They halted awaiting him. When he came they saw he had a dinted helm and cloven shield. He dismounted his horse and stood there while gasping. At length he spoke of the battle of the previous day. All was not well. He advised the king to turn back and protect Edoras, but Théoden refused.
"Give this man a fresh horse," ordered the king. "Let us ride to the help of Erkenbrand!" But before they did, Gandalf spoke.
"Ride Théoden!" he said. "Take your men to-"
"OI!" shouted Christina. "I AM NOT A MAN!!! The next person to forget me will get a slap!" Gandalf sighed.
"Take your 'people' to Helm's Deep! Go not to the Fords of Isen, and do not tarry in the plain! I must leave you for a while. Shadowfax must bear me now on a swift errand." Turning to Aragorn and Éomer and the 'people' of the king's household, he cried: "Keep well the Lord of the Mark, till I return. Await me at Helm's Gate! Farewell!" He spoke a word to Shadowfax and he was gone.
The host turned away from the road to the Fords of Isen and bent their course southward. Night fell and still they rode on. The hills drew near, but the tall peaks if Thrihyrne were already dim against the darkening sky. Still some miles away, on the far side of the Westfold Vale, lay a green comb, a great bay in the mountains, Helm's Deep. A Helm's gate, before the mouth of the Deep, there was a heel of rock... A/N: Look, you don't want to know any of this, do you? You've read the book, you know all about what happens before the battle. So you won't mind if I just skip straight to Helm's Deep, will you? Well, tough if you do.
The Deeping Wall was twenty feet high, and so thick that four men could walk abreast (A/N: Not even going to bother asking!) along the top, sheltered by a parapet over which only a tall man could look. Here and there were clefts in the stone through which men could shoot. This battlement could be reached could be reached by a stair running down from a door in the outer court of the Hornburg. Three flights of steps led up also on to the wall from the Deep behind, but in front it was smooth and the great stones of it were set with such skill that no foothold could be found at their joints, and at the top they hung over like a sea-delved cliff.
Gimli stood leaning against the breastwork (A/N: O_o) upon the wall. Legolas sat above on the parapet, fingering his bow (A/N: That's just gross!) and peering out into the gloom.
"This is more to my liking," said the dwarf, stamping on the stones. "Ever my heart rises as we draw near the mountains. There is good rock here. This country has tough bones. I felt them in my feet as we came up from the dike. Give me a year and a hundred of my kin and I would make this a place that armies would break against like water."
"I do not doubt it," said Legolas. "But you a dwarf and dwarves are strange folk. I do not like this place and I shall like it no more by the light of day. But you comfort me, Gimli, and I am glad to have you standing nigh with your stout legs and your hard axe. (A/N: Eep! EWWW! Hell no!) And think of it this way. At least Christina isn't here."
"Did I hear my name?" sounded and all too familiar voice. (A/N: You know, considering she doesn't like the guy, she's spending a hell of a lot of time around Legolas, isn't she?)
"What do you want, Christina?" said Legolas, exasperatedly. He knew he was safe to insult her from where he was, since he was about a foot higher up than she was.
"How the hell did you get up there?" she said when she saw him sitting on the parapet.
"What do you want, Christina?" he repeated.
"Aragorn sent me up here because I was scaring everyone," she said, gloomily. Gimli and Legolas looked at her oddly. "Well, they were leaving me out and ignoring me, so I sort of shouted and made about a hundred men run away."
"Aragorn's right," said Gimli. "How do you do it?" But before she could answer Branched lightning smote down upon the eastward hills. Thunder rolled in the valley. Rain came lashing down. Legolas leapt down from the parapet.
Arrows, thick as rain, came whistling over the battlements and fell clinking and glancing on the stones. Some found a mark. The assault on Helm's Deep had begun, but no sound or challenge was heard within; no answering arrows came. The assailing hosts halted, foiled by the silent menace of rock and wall. Ever and again the lightning tore aside the darkness. Then the orcs screamed, waving spear and sword and shooting a cloud of arrows at any that stood revealed upon the battlements; and the 'people' of the Mark amazed looked out, as it seemed to them, upon a great field of dark corn, every ear glinted with barbed light.
********
A/N: Look I'm struggling at the moment, OK? So, don't kill me for the crud chapters I'm doing at the moment! You'll just have to hope they get better. And if they don't, well, tough!
Luvs Elfie xXxXx
PS. To anyone who's read Love's Cruel Twist: I've re-written it! It's being posted with these chapters so please go and have a look if you get the chance. And if you haven't read it, please go and have a look anyway!
PPS. To anyone that's read A New Enemy: there are more chapters of that up too!