Ten years have passed by peacefully for Raven. Now it is T.A. 453, and the sisters can be seen preparing for the impending journey. They have not really planned their destination it is their plan to wander around Middle-Earth, see and what they will see. Then they will return home, and tell their father all about the wonderful experiences they have had. They have been traveling through familiar territory for several hours now they have finally reached the borders of their fathers lands. They look around them in awe as the scenery changes around them. The sisters have no particular destination in mind. They simply wish to travel Middle-Earth, and see what there is to see. This is how each and every trip was spent. It would be many years before anything happened that Raven wants to help with.
It is TA1634 a few years before Raven is due to take another trip when she get word that Gondor is in trouble. So Raven writes her father a note, and takes off in her light sphere. When she gets there the people treat her with slight suspicion, but settle down when they learn that she is an elvish warrior here to give them aide when they are in sore need of it. She gets in line with the rest of the soldiers just as the Corsairs of Umbar begin their attack. The commander in charge has set up the defensive line along the sea ports and water ways since the Corsairs are pirates nothing but over grown sea-rats that scurry around the enemies feet if you ask her. The soldiers all look at her strangely when they see that she carries a bow but no arrows to go along with it, but they figure that she must have a reason for being equipped so strangely. The Corsairs leave their ships with their weapons raised for battle. When they look up they see the Gondorian soldiers lining the waterway, and the port itself. Their hatred shows on their faces, and they charge the Gondorian ranks. The soldiers begin to slaughter the enemy. They are amazed by Ravens proficiency in battle. Each and everyone of them are exceedingly grateful that she is on their side. Raven is somewhat disgusted with herself that she is covering her hands with the blood of men. Sesshomaru would be so disappointed with her if he knew. This however doesn't stop her from fighting the enemy before her.
As the hours drag on Raven watches her comrades fall beside her. She is exceedingly glad that she does not have to be the one to notify the families of the fallen. This thought just makes Raven fight the evil men harder than before. Every time she kills one enemy another takes his place. It seems like the enemies numbers are limitless. Raven knows that this prospect is ridiculous, and she disregards it immediately after thinking it. They have managed to hold off the enemy so far, but Raven is not sure how long they will be able to hold out for. They are fighting valiantly against this formidable foe. The soldiers explain to Raven that their enemy are known as Easterlings descendants of Numénor that have been corrupted by the enemy. They hate the divine authority of the Valar. They hate all those who acknowledge that authority; Especially Gondor the descendants of Numénor who did not follow them in their rebellion against the Valar. The two groups have been bitter enemies for many generations. As this is being explained the Corsairs gain some ground. They then manage to push them back to their previous positions. Each and every soldier present is fighting in top form to defeat the enemy. Though this foe is terrible everyone is managing to keep their spirits high; When fighting in a war like this one it is important to keep hope in your heart or else you have already lost.
When ever it begins to look like the men are losing heart Raven tells them this. On of the men scoffs at this saying.
"What would a mere woman know about the horrors and strains of war?" pigheaded idiot
"I know because I have seen it before." Raven
"I highly doubt that." pigheaded idiot
"Though my personal history is none of your business. I will says this; Unlike men Elves have no problem allowing females to fight alongside males if they choose to do so." Raven
The pigheaded idiot opens his mouth as to say something, but then closes it again with no sound having come from his mouth. Raven takes this as an opportunity to bring his ego down a couple notches saying.
"Now are you going to remove that stick from your ass, or am I going to have to do it for you?" Raven
An embarrassed blush appears on his face while the men around them are laughing their heads off at the scene they just witnessed. Each and every one of the other soldiers have grown to greatly respect Raven, and her skills both as a warrior and a leader. The fact that she was willing to stand up to the biggest bully in the army just causes them to respect her even more. The soldier including the recently chastised pigheaded idiot return once more to the conflict at hand. Unfortunately the enemy has gained a significant advantage do to the interpersonal conflict that just took place.
The advantage gained by the enemy is very great indeed. In fact the Corsairs are managing to push the defenders farther into the city. The defenders manage to halt the progress of the enemy, but they are not sure how much longer they will be able to keep it up. Still they fight on against this terrible foe. With every foe that is slain two more are joining them. The men are trying desperately trying to keep their spirits high, and are aided greatly in this endeavor by the fervent hope radiating from Raven. Even with the Corsairs multiplying like rats the men of Gondor know that everything will be alright in the end as long as they keep fighting. Each and every man there knows that this is more than just a major skirmish. This is war, and the odds are stacked against them. The soldiers continue to fight knowing that if they don't defend the city no one else will. Both sides are continuously pushing each other back, and gaining ground only to loose it again with the next attack. This back and forth will likely continue for some time yet, but that only shows the determination of the defenders to protect what is precious to them. Raven had not been happy about plunging herself into war once more, but at the same time she couldn't just turn her back on people that needed her help. She has an extremely hard time saying no to those in need. And it has become abundantly clear that these men do in fact need her help. With each new wave of enemies Raven becomes more and more determined to fight this war to the bitter end, and only once Gondor's current time of troubles have come to an end will she return home to the loving arms of her family. She also knows that there will be much to answer for upon her return, but she also knows that it is worth it to help these when no one else is willing to lend them aide of any kind.
They know that they are slowly becoming overwhelmed by these sea-rats, but they have the courage to fight on in defense of their homeland. The valor of The Faithful will never wain even if they are defeated here. They know that it is very likely that they will fail, and the city will be raided, but they are going to continue to fight to turn the tide of the war regardless of the odds. The Corsairs just keep gnawing way at their defenses like the rats that they are. More and more of them just keep coming, and the men are starting to wonder what it will take to stamp out these filthy sea-rats that are currently assailing them in droves. From the way that things are going it will be at least a couple of years until a victor is decided. Many people good and evil are going to die before then. The person that is ultimately to blame for this suffering is Sauron, and Raven wants to be involved in his ultimate demise. That however is very far in the future yet, and she has an enemy to defeat in the present. Raven in no way enjoys slaughtering these men evil or not. It just feels wrong in someway like it was never meant to happen in the first place. Raven has come to grips with the fact that she is now every bit as much a child of Illuvitar as the other elves. These men too are his children as well, and the children of Illuvitar should not be killing one another. These men however have left her with no choice.
The Corsairs are making more and more in roads into the city. Pretty soon they will have a foothold in the city from which to fight the men of Gondor more efficiently. This however will not stop the soldiers from fighting the enemy to the best of their abilities. Wave after wave keep pounding against their defenses but they will not falter. The soldiers look around them and see the dead bodies of friend and foe alike littering the ground. The streets of Pelargir have been painted red with the blood of men. It is flowing like rivers through the very city which they are trying to protect. All that they can do is make sure that these rivers are filled with the blood of their enemies, and as few friends as possible. As they step over the bodies of the fallen they continue to slay their enemy with every swipe of their swords. That one to become just another body over which they must step if they are ever to win the horrible and bloody war. The soldiers of Gondor have been fighting this foe for a long time so they are very much aware of just how fierce-some they are.
Gondor has been fighting the Corsairs in defense of the city of Pelargir for a year, and the enemies number has finally stopped increasing. Unfortunately the number of defenders has been going down as well. The King of Gondor has realized that he will probably loose this conflict, but he will never stand down before his most hated foe. King Minardil is very grateful for the assistance of the elven warrior who came to their aide when they needed it most. He has received many reports of how she instills courage in the hearts of men when they are beginning to lose hope. However a single warrior no matter how courageous, and mighty she is cannot change the tides of a war to the favor of the loosing side. The King is exceedingly grateful that this Raven has been able to keep his remaining men alive so far. He prays every day that she will continue to be able to do so even if the city is taken, and he himself is killed that his men will be able to escape with their lives. They are brave soldiers fighting to protect their country against this terrible foe. The King will make sure that the men of Gondor never forget the Raven that swept down to their aide in their hour of great need. The presence of this elf shows that the elves do indeed care about the lives of people other than that their own people. We have had so little contact with elves that we had come to the conclusion that old alliances are well and truly dead, but then this one elf came sweeping into the city promising aide. She has delivered on her promise time and again in this war. The integrity, kindness, and compassion demonstrated by that woman is second to none. These traits far out shine her prowess on the battlefield.
The Corsairs have come to hate the "Stripped Elf" more than they have ever hated Gondor. She has spilled more of their blood then any Gondorian soldier ever has. She ruthlessly slaughters them no matter how much they beg her to spare them. She is a merciless, cold-hearted, compassion-less, butcher who's brutality knows no bounds. This is how we will always remember her. She has a mountain of bodies at her feet, and all of them are our kinsman. We will never forgive her for her action in this war. She will always be known as The Butcher for that is what she is. Her attacks become increasingly fierce with everyone of us that she kills. You can see her hand red with the blood of our people from a mile away, and if you do not have the sense to flee than your life is forfeit. Nothing else but her hands has even a single spot of blood on it. The fact that everything else on her person but hands is clean gives her a very eerie look. The only thing that puzzles them about her is that she looks so sad about what she is doing. They immediately stop wondering about that when they look at her blood soaked hands. When ever they see them it just makes them fight harder to defeat this terrible foe. They wonder if it would be a good idea to tell their ally about the Butcher. She could pose a very big threat to his plan for the future of Middle-Earth.
The Gondorian soldiers have come to look up to Raven as a secondary commander of the army. Not only is she exceptionally skilled on the battlefield, but her loyalty honor and integrity are second to none. She must have really impressed the commander for him to make her his second in command. It is Raven's strategic brilliance that has kept them alive more time then any of them can count. Even the pigheaded idiot has grown to respect her; Even if he still thinks that a woman's place is exclusively in the home. Many of the men have started to consider her their friends, and it is very likely that she feels the same way about them. It has not escaped the soldiers notice that the enemy seems to be focusing their effort largely on trying to kill Raven. They still attack the rest of the soldiers, but not nearly as fiercely or as frequently as they do Raven. The sheer amount of raw hatred on their faces when they look at her is enough to chill even the most stouthearted man to the bone. Any nearby soldier immediately assists Raven if they see that she is ever in need of it. More than once they wonder why she is helping them. Is she doing it because some elvish lord has ordered her to, or is she doing it because she genuinely wishes to out of the kindness of her heart. None of the men here are under the assumption that they will win this conflict, but they can at least hold out long enough for the people to finish preparations to flee the city. That being said once the city has been emptied the soldiers will continue to fight for King and country until they have absolutely no choice, but to flee for their lives most likely with the body of the King. They know that once the Corsairs raid the city the first person they will kill is the King. The next person on that list will undoubtedly be Raven.
They have been fighting the Corsairs for two years now, and things are not looking very good. The enemy has gained a significant amount of ground. It looks like the city is going to be raided. They have been trying very hard to turn the tide of the war in their favor, but nothing has been working so far. The King knows that they are going to lose, and he is getting really close to ordering a retreat. The soldiers will not disobey their King; If he tells them to leave they will leave. The men are starting to lose hope; Even Raven is starting to lose hope. The only thing that she can hope to do now is make sure that all the soldiers make it out of the city alive. When ever there is a lull in the fighting Raven will heal all the injured soldiers and civilians. With her around the suffering that is normally associated with war is greatly reduced. The commander has made Raven a member of the Gondorian army out of respect for all that she has done for them. He even sent word to the King, and asked him to make it official. King Minardil was more than happy to oblige. He even made her a general, and her commission lasts as long as she is alive. It is his way of providing for the future of his country. He understands that she will not always be actively serving, but a general she will remain regardless. When the men got word of the Kings decision they were shocked, but it pleases them greatly that the warrior they respect so much is officially their commanding officer, and always will be. The commander makes sure that the documentation is all in order personally. When he comes back with the news that it is; To say that the soldiers in his command are overjoyed would be an understatement. Their joy is so great that they fight the enemy with a renewed vigor.
The enemy has been taken the city, and the King is dead. The soldiers manage to rescue all of the official documents that are housed there including General Ravens commission. They have been prepared for transport to Minas Tirith. General Raven has seen to the safe retreat of every single one of her men. They watch from a distance as the city they fought so hard to protect is being raided by the enemy. Fortunately they were also able to retrieve the dead Kings body. It should give Telemnar great comfort knowing that his father will receive a proper funeral. When the soldiers arrive at Minas Tirith, and tell Telemnar of his fathers demise they retire to their quarters. Since Raven does not have any she stays behind to be assigned some by the soon-to-be King which he does. After which Raven too retires to her room to get some much needed rest.
Telemnar is standing before his people as the Twenty-sixth King of Gondor. He personally thanks each and every one of the brave soldiers that fought valiantly for his father, and asks that they now do the same for him. Each and every one of them including General Raven agree to do so. Raven knows that it will be few years before she can go back home, but that is fine with her. King Telemnar has read all the reports of General Raven's actions during the war, and it does not surprise him that his father gave this soldier such a high field commission. He knows that without her a lot more people would have died when the enemy took the city. Although reading them has made him wonder where the female elf learned to fight so fiercely. She is even more ruthless than his most battle hardened soldier. The savagery she displayed was so chilling that the description scares him just reading it. He doesn't even know how his men were able to watch it. It is no surprise that the Corsairs hate her more that any other soldier of Gondor. They hate her enough to give her a rather gruesome name. The Corsairs have come to know her as The Butcher, and that is quite the apt description of General Raven when she is fighting on the battlefield. He knows that this elf has just made a life long enemy. The Corsairs of Umbar will never forget the savagery that they have suffered at Raven's hands. His general will bare that gruesome name for the rest of her life. The Corsairs will more than likely tell the rest of the Easterlings to be ware of The Butcher. It would not surprise him if Sauron is also made aware of her, but on the other hand they could think that she is not enough of a threat to make their master aware of her.
Raven is resting in her room thinking of all the things that have happened to her since coming to Middle-Earth. She is very much aware that fighting in Pelargir has earned her quite a few new enemies, but that is nothing new to Raven. The orcs already hate her more than any other being on Middle-Earth, because of her constant thieving of their wargs. They have come to know her as The Warg Thief. Now the Corsairs of Umbar know her as The Butcher.