Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own any of the character, places, names, or anything associated with the works of J.R.R Tolkien or the Lord of the Rings (books or movie, whatever). My characters are Anita, Leila, and Arlandria and that is all.
Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait time for an update, but I had set a goal for myself and this chapter; 6,000 words. I can happily say I got darn close too. Thanks to everyone for your patience and your reviews, I love hearing from you guys!
Chapter 47: The Battle Beyond
The sound of arrows being released filled the ears of everyone standing within Helm's Deep, the only competition to the overwhelming sound was the march of Uruk boots from the other side of the wall. There were shouts coming from the wall, commands being relayed from soldier to soldier, mostly in Elvish. Anita stood trembling in the rain, her black hair slicked against her head and neck, listening for the few words that she was able to understand and pick out from the shouts on the wall. Another strong shiver wracked her body, though whether she was shaking from the cold rain pelting down on her or from the surge of adrenaline pounding through her veins, she couldn't account for either way.
As the archers continued to volley arrows over the stone fortress at the assaulting army, the elleth gripped her short sword in both hands and closed her eyes. Ani could count the times she had prayed in her lifetime on one hand, and though now seemed like the opportune time to add to those numbers, she couldn't say that even now in the face of death she truly believed anything or anyone would be listening to her pleas. Desperately she tried to steady her breathing and gain control over the energy that was making her shake with need for release. A metallic plink noise caused her to open her eyes, since it sounded so different from the sound of a bow being released, a lucky reaction that allowed the girl to sidestep a stray crossbow bolt. Keep your eyes open! Anita mentally chided herself as she turned to regard the bolt. She frowned deeply as she wiped a stray bit of hair from her eyes, where the hell had they gotten crossbows? As far as she knew that technology wasn't even a thing yet in Middle Earth.
Aragorn's voice rose above the clamor to call out the warning for ladders, drawing Anita's attention away from the anomaly of the bolt and turn back to the present danger climbing over the walls. In one graceful sweeping movement the elves standing on the wall swung their bows back onto their backs while simultaneously pulling their swords from their sheaths. Watching her kinsmen adjust their fighting stance, Ani tightened her grip on the blade in her hand and firmly planted her feet in the wet gravel, her dark eyes searching for the first sign of danger. Beside her, she felt Glorfindel fall into a similar stance, though there was notably less tension coming from the older elf, though since he had been baptized in the heat of battle centuries ago it was understandable. The sound of metal grating against stone as the ladders were erected against the side of the walls made the girl want to grind her teeth it was so annoying.
The orcs came swarming over the walls like a plague of spiders, their inky skin slick with the rains reflecting the light of the torches. Ani couldn't help but note how much larger this new breed of Uruk-hai was from the previous orcs she had seen. On a good day the slim elleth probably could have overpowered an orc or goblin if the situation was dire, but this new creature would snap her in half with ease. Now more than ever the words of wisdom from her mentor would serve her best; her slight frame was built for speed and agility, both of those traits would be the saving grace for her this night. The Uruks spilled over the wall swinging crudely made swords and axes at the elves positioned there, and it was made clear very quickly that they hoped to win this battle through sheer numbers alone since the orcs had about as much skill and accuracy with their blades as a Neanderthal swinging a club. Snarls and screams mixed together as swords clashed and blood was spilt, and Anita was forced to watch some of the soldiers she had marched here with get struck down. Despite the best efforts of the Lorien guard on the wall, a few of the mass number of invading orcs slipped past them and dropped to the yard below.
Bending her knees slightly, the girl brought her sword up to strike as she eyed a group of enemy soldiers approaching. Boy was she ever grateful that the rain had stopped, since it made the ground unpredictably slippery, the last thing she wanted was to die because she had fallen on her ass. As the Uruks moved forward, an arrow zinged past Ani's head just barely missing her ear to strike an enemy in the neck. The shot coming from an elf standing behind her had been true, a real credit his skill set, and the orc went down without making a sound. Three more however, having been spared the working end of an arrow shaft, charged at Anita and Glorfindel snarling the whole way. The first big brute that was nearest Ani had both a helmet and a chest plate making her options for kill strikes limited, and he was swinging a massive axe like it were a baseball bat. With a shriek Anita swung her sword to parry the blow aimed at her head, there was a loud crash as the two weapons met in the air. The strike jarred Ani's arms all the way up and even rattled her teeth a bit with the force. With his weapon incapacitated for only a second, the girl made a choice based purely on instinct…and cocked her leg back to kick him in crotch. She didn't even remember registering that he hadn't been protected there by his armor, but as her foot connected to his groin the Uruk let out a howl and convulsed. Releasing its grip on the axe it held, Ani's own blade became free and she quickly jerked it to slide across the soft flesh of the his throat where the helmet offered no protection, blood spurting over her hands. It wasn't an elegant kill, she noted as the body crumpled to the ground, but it was a kill none the less.
No sooner had Anita dispatched of the first orc than a second contender stepped up. Just as big and menacing as the first enemy to attack her, however this particular soldier wasn't wearing any kind of head protection. Stupid. That made it far easier for Ani to at least notice a reasonable soft spot to sink her blade in. The creature charged at her full speed bringing its sword down over its head in a wide arc, a move that no fool with any kind of training would do. It only took one hand to deflect the oncoming blade with her own sword, her other hand reaching for the dagger tucked safely in her belt. Sidestepping the charging enemy, she pushed his blade aside causing it to stumble past her with the force of his own poor sword handling; as he stumbled Anita pushed her dagger into the flesh at the base of its skull, severing the brain from the spinal cord, and the orc went down twitching. Before it had even collapsed over the girl had returned the dagger to the sheath on her belt and turned her gaze to look for more danger. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Glorfindel holding off three Uruks at the same time. Sliding one of her throwing knives from her belt, Ani timed her shot carefully before releasing the tiny blade. It turned end over end in the air before striking home in the unprotected area beneath the arm just above the armour it wore. It certainly wasn't a very damaging shot, but it distracted the orc just long enough for Glo to slice its head off in one clean sweep. Anita knew beyond a doubt that her mentor could handle the other two Uruks without her assistance, and there were more enemies spilling over the wall with every passing second and they required her attention more than Glo would ever need her help .
As she made up her mind an Uruk spotted her standing alone. If she hadn't been in the fight of her life Anita would have taken a second to be irritated that she KNEW the orc saw her as an easy defenseless target, it was practically written on its face, and it was certainly discernable in the barking noise the orc made…like a puppy about to get fed. Ani wanted to catch the soldier off guard and began to run at it full tilt, her strategy worked momentarily as the Uruk was startled by her bold move. It swung its sword wildly at her head, but Ani had already slid under the blade through the loose gravel and come up behind him before the orc understood what had happened. Ani sliced her short sword across the back of his knees taking away the creatures ability to stand, and it dropped to kneel to the dirt with its back facing towards her. It was a simply task with the new vantage point to plunge her weapon above the line of protection the chest pate offered and into the orc's back and ultimately into its lungs. Pulling her blade free with a triumphant grunt, Anita spun to face her next opponent; only to catch a fist to the face.
Stars danced in front of her eyes for a moment and the taste of copper filled her mouth as she stumbled under the power of the punch, her fingers pushing against the earth to try and regain her footing. Just as suddenly she was yanked backward by her ponytail, the sharp sensation of hair being pulled out of her scalp causing her to cry out before a second punch slammed into her gut, forcing the air from her lungs in one big whoosh. Gasping for air, she dropped into the dirt her fingers flailing trying to find the hilt of her sword. A hand gripped her throat and pulled her up off the ground, hanging with her feet hovering a few centimeters above the dirt. Her hands immediately found their way the hand that was clasped around her throat cutting off her air, and tried in vain to loosen the grip. It occurred to Anita with no small amount of irony that the other great disadvantage to being a woman on the battlefield was that it was far more fun for enemies to toy with her before killing her. As it were, she was being held at eye level with one such enemy that was getting no small amount of pleasure out of knocking her around a bit before he chose to end her life. She should have been more concerned with the fact that the Uruk was going to kill her when it had its fun, but her mind was far more focused on the pressing issue of needing to breathe. It smiled at her, at least what would count in the mutated form of life category as a smile, in a way that Anita could only describe as a 'rapey' kind of smile, and her heart sank with understanding.
Before the nightmare situation could continue, the Deeping Wall that was about fifty meters behind her attacker exploded in a burst of fire and rock. The concussion from the blast knocked both Anita and the Uruk over, Ani turning end over end to land in the dirt facedown, bits of gravel biting and scraping her skin as she skid across the ground. Raising her head the girl took in a big rasping breath that was filled with dirt and bits of disintegrated bodies of people standing too close to the wall. The air around her was cloudy following the blast, and anyone standing within a two thousand foot radius had gone down, Ani could see that the only reason she had sustained minimal damage was that the uruk holding her had taken the brunt of explosion. Even from her position on the ground she could see that his back and been absolutely shredded, his spinal column was exposed for the world to see. With her ears ringing and her eyes squinting to see through the floating dust and debris, the elleth struggled to her feet taking big gulps of air as she did. Spying her sword a few feet away, Anita snatched it out of the dirt and straightened up to survey the damage done.
Even without the trouble breathing Ani would have been struck speechless by what she saw. The explosion had ripped a hole clear through the Deeping Wall, successfully destroying the one decent means of defense that he fortress had. Where had they gotten a bomb from?! If crossbows were still technology that was out of reach, then having the know-how to build a bomb was certainly many hundreds of years in the future. Ani didn't have any time to think over the problem, because there were several thousand orcs that had just essentially tore the front door right off its hinges maneuvering their way into the Keep. The girl glanced around quickly to assess those around her to see who all had survived, and was glad to see Glorfindel pushing himself to his feet a couple of yards away. She took a step in his direction to help him up, but the elf held up his hand to show he didn't require her assistance. Just in front of Glo, Aragorn was also finding his footing and Ani knew that the ranger must have been launched off the wall by the detonation. He was one of the lucky ones it the spray of blood and body matter all over the rest of the wall and ground was any clue.
Regaining her footing in the loose dirt now covered in bits of the shredded wall – and unfortunate soldiers standing on the wall- Anita gripped her sword tightly and spit a mouthful of her own blood onto the ground. Glorfindel materialized next to her, weapon in hand to face the oncoming wall of enemies. Naturally the elf standing next to her still looked pristine , not at all like he had been slicing and dicing orcs but a moment ago. Standing together they tensely watched as Uruks holding long pikes advanced through the new entrance into the Keep. There was a loud battle cry from the Wall, and as the girl and her mentor looked on, Gimli leapt off the wall and into the fray. Instinctually Anita took a step forward to assist the Dwarf who had landed in the middle of a group of enemies, but Glorfindel wrapped his strong slender fingers around her arm and prevented her from going further. Before she could struggle free she became thankful that Glo had grabbed her as soldiers around her let loose a spray of arrows. Had she foolishly run forward she would have been mistakenly skewered by an ally. Aragorn gave the command to charge, and as a single minded mass, the Elves all around drew swords and raced at their enemies. Glorfindel waited to release Anita, ensuring for her sake that the girl wouldn't be one of the first people to meet with the working end of an Uruk's pike.
When Glo released her arm the two elves moved forward together in unison, Anita however; had a goal in mind, and it didn't take more than a second for the smaller elf to get ahead of her teacher. Even at a full sprint it wasn't hard for Ani to dart around the poorly handled swords of the Uruks, looking like a dark specter as she swiftly moved around enemies to the reservoir of water sitting in the basin where the wall had once been. Gimli was doing all he could not to be trampled as he struggled to get his head above the water he had unintentionally landed in when he took his leap of faith. As the girl rushed forward she took her left hand off her sword hilt so she was holding it only in her right hand as she ran, her left hand unsheathing one of her throwing knives; silently she was thankful that Glorfindel had insisted that she learn to throw the blades both with her dominant and non-dominant hands. An Uruk loomed above the half drown Dwarf a mere few feet in front of the charging elleth, the orc had his sword raised above his head to deliver the death blow. With no chest plate to protect his essential organs, Anita's small knife found its mark in the center of the sternum, the sound of cartilage cracking under the force of her throw could be heard above the clash of steel against steel around her. The enemy went down like a boned fish, its blood mixing with the already murky water in the basin. Sliding to a stop kneeling in the loose dirt, Ani gripped Gimli's arm and pulled hard trying to free the Dwarf from the possessive fingers of the water. Before any good had come of her efforts the glint of a blade swinging through the air in her periphery drew her attention, and the girl was barely able to move her head in time to prevent it from being dislodged from her shoulders altogether. The sword still found flesh though, missing her neck only to cut along her upper arm. Anita grunted, trying to bite back the pain that the blade had inflicted on her, the electric sensation of her nervous system letting her know she was hurt was doing a hell of a job though, and the pain made her slow to raise her sword to parry the next blow.
In a movement too quick to be seen even by her elven eyes, an arrow being plunged into the Uruks throat caused the enemy to crumple at the feet of Legolas. Ani gave the prince a quick smile and made a mental note to thank her lover for saving her life if they survived tonight. With a now stinging arm, the elleth turned her focus back on the dwarf and resumed her efforts of pulling him out of the water. With a little help from Aragorn on the other side, the two were able to haul the heavily waterlogged dwarf out of the danger of drowning. As soon as Gimli was recovered enough to stand on his own two feet, the dark haired girl easily rose to her own feet, swinging her short sword at an attacking orc as she did, slicing across his lower belly and spilling his black intestines onto the ground. Ani retreated back a few steps so she was more closely surrounded by other soldiers who could watch her back. Uruks were still swarming through the hole in the wall at an alarming rate, and cries from the main Keep alerted the girl to the fact that they were ramming the main gate as well. In the half second she had to spare for a though that wasn't about blocking an enemy's attack or about how to best parry the next blow, a small thought blossomed to life in her brain, fed by bitterness and fear.
Shit like this wouldn't have ever happened in Tucson.
That was about as much time as she had to spare that dark line of thinking before an axe coming at her face demanded the whole of her brain power. Stepping back to dodge the strike, but only just, Ani swung her sword two handed with every fiber of strength her injured arm still had; the blade connected with the arm of the Uruk and it detached cleanly. She didn't wait for the now one-armed orc to recover enough for a rage filled revenge attack, the girl reared back and sucker punched her combatant in his unprotected throat. There was a sensation that Anita could only assume was the Uruk's throat collapsing under her knuckles as her skilled and practiced hand followed through on the punch with all her shoulder weight. It was one of the most unpleasant sounds that she would ever hear, and would haunt the chambers of her memory for many years, the sound of the orc choking to death, unable to take a breath as he bled out in the dirt. All around her there were similar sounds of battle, but even as her companions felled many foes, it wasn't too hard to see that they were quickly becoming outnumbered in this little yard.
Apparently from his vantage point within the high walls of the Inner Keep the king was getting the same picture, not seconds after Anita understood how badly they were overwhelmed she heard his voice from the Keep far above them echoing off the stone walls. "Aragorn! Fall back to the Keep! Get your men out of there!" As her sword dispatched of two more enemy soldiers, Anita eyes began scanning the yard again looking for that seemingly unimportant stone staircase she had seen earlier that would lead her behind the walls of the Inner Keep. Again Glorfindel materialized next to her, he cocked his head to indicate direction before he took off, leading her in the direction he had just indicated. Together they worked their way across the yard along with many other members of Lorien's guard that had survived up til this point, the stone stairway blending into the landscape around them. Glorfindel confidently swung his blade with grace that Anita could only hope to achieve one day in the far future, clearing the way for the two of them as Uruks tried to block their retreat. Surrounded by their kin, the pair worked their way carefully up the narrow stair that was still slick from the earlier rains. Ani's thighs and lungs were burnings when they had finished sprinting to the top of the tall and steep steps. Before the girl ducked beyond where the heavy fortified door was propped open, Anita turned to try and catch a glimpse of Legolas, hoping to whichever god was listening that he was right behind her. Instead of finding her royal love interest, the elleth's eyes fell on a far more disturbing site when she watched an Uruk blade sink into the unprotected flesh of Haldir's back.
"Oh shit," She gasped, stunned into paralysis as she saw the Marchwarden drop to his knees, blood pouring out of his wound. Alone on the wall except for enemies who would offer the wounded elf no help, Ani knew that the stern elf who had for so long been in charge of Lothlorien's guard and protecting the borders against foes was as good as dead. A hand gripped the back of her hauberk and harshly dragged her into the Inner Keep, Glo's blade delivering a killing blow to an orc that had come up the stairs behind them while Ani had been distracted. With the orc dead before it hit the ground, her mentor turned to give her an incredulous look mixed with mild chastisement for getting distracted to point of getting herself killed. Anita opened her mouth to try and explain but the only thing to tumble from her parted lips was to repeat her earlier sentiment, "Oh shit."
Glorfindel shook his blonde head and gently pushed her out of the way as more and more soldiers were filing in through the doorway to the , at least temporary, safety of the inner walls. There was black blood smeared across the older elf's chest plate and sword blade, and a few small drops on his hands and forearms…but those were the only signs that Glo had just been in battle. Not a hair on his platinum head was out of place, and it was clear to all that no enemy had gotten close enough to do the elf any kind of harm. With all the soldiers on the inside, the large door ground into place with many men offering their strength to push it closed. The tiny landing at the top of the stairs wouldn't offer enough space for the number of orcs required to push the door back open from the other side, so for a while this entrance was secure…as long as they didn't have any more bombs.
"How is your arm?" Glorfindel's eyes were locked intently on the cut on her upper arm , which was clearly visible since the orc's blade had cut a hole in the fabric of her shirt. Since this was the first time Ani was getting the opportunity to assess the damage, the girl peered at the wound and gingerly probed it with a finger. The Uruk had managed to get her along the ling where her hauberk stopped and her arm was unprotected by the small linked chains. It still hurt like hell, but she hadn't lost any movement in her arm and that was a good sign. Though it had bled quite a bit making a mess of her gray tunic, the wound itself was fairly shallow, running about four inches along the flesh of her upper arm.
"It's a minor injury, it'll heal." Ani answered her teacher truthfully, even her rudimentary understanding of healing told her that she had a tiny paper cut compared to the damage that could have been; she had gotten very lucky that her reflexes were as good as they were. Taking the time to asses her bumps and bruises also afforded the young elf the chance to catch her breath and re-center her focus for the upcoming fights. It took an enormous toll on both the body and the mind to stay alert and alive during the heat of battle. The sense of relief and safety that flooded her because she was once again behind a stone wall did much to refortify her state of mind. The sense of safety only lasted for a moment though, the Uruks from Isengard had come well prepared to assault this mountain fortress. Moving across the upper wall, Anita faltered to a stop when a massive grappling hook the size of a SmartCar came over the wall not even six inches in front of her. Glorfindel collided with her backside as she stopped, informing the young elleth that Glo was taking his charge to watch over her very seriously. When they both straightened up, Anita's sharp eyes searched the field below amongst the tiny figures scrambling about like ants whose hills had just been upset. There. A large wooden contraption on wheels was aimed at the wall with another hook loaded and ready to shoot, and there was another, and another; as she swung her head from side to side the girl saw three of the machines being wheeled into place and loaded with the large hook. Ballista. The word was conjured up from somewhere seep in the back of her mind that was used to store old useless information from high school classes. Attached to the grappling hook was a series of pulleys strung with rope , a system that the girl could see what being utilized to lift the taller heavier ladders into place. Damn, Saruman had really done his homework on this place, and he had equipped his lackeys accordingly.
Within no time two ladders had been erected, dumping Uruk-hai onto the upper walls. Despite her elven genes, it was an understatement to say that Anita was feeling battle fatigue, though she had been trained to fight this was her first real life application in a life or death scenario. With a groan and a new surge of adrenaline, which was basically all her body was running off of, the girl raised her blade in ready for the oncoming fight. A twang sounded above the battle cries of the Uruks, and a well-aimed arrow cut the rope that was pulling the third ladder to peak. The wooden structure swayed unsteadily only for a second before tumbling back down, killing the orcs who had been climbing it and all those foolish enough to get caught underneath it. Ani glanced in the direction where the shot had come from to see Legolas with a small triumphant smirk on his face. The prince glanced at her and she couldn't help but to give the smug archer a full toothy grin in spite of their current surroundings. Show off. But there was no time to offer the handsome elf a sincere compliment because the soldiers who had been engaging the orcs on the ladders where soon overwhelmed by sheer numbers. An Uruk charged her, but a well-timed blow with her sword sent it tumbling back over the wall it had just climbed over to a certain death on impact with the ground.
The next enemy had either been bred with a few more brain cells or was just slightly more cautious than his brother in arms, because it advanced on the girl far more slowly. Anita took a step back when it gave an experimental swing of its large battle axe toward her center, but the girl could tell it wasn't actually trying to hit her which was odd. Again it swung almost lazily at her and she took another step back in her defensive position, the orc's behavior starting to confuse her. It all became clear what it was trying to do when a third time she stepped back away from the swinging axe and her foot caught the edge of a stair, and down she went. Anita was so caught off guard by the small stairs behind her, the stairs she hadn't noticed that led to the watch stand, she went down hard unable to stop her own fall. Her sword clattered to the stone floor and the hard step bit into her shoulders, shock and embarrassment filling her at the same time. It was a rookie mistake to be taken down by her surroundings simply because she hadn't been paying any attention. It only took a second for that embarrassment to morph into boiling irritation that an Uruk could outsmart her, and without a blade in hand Anita naturally fell back into her old Taekwondo training. Lifting both her legs simultaneously, she kicked out and her whole body jarred when her heels connected with her attacker's knee caps, dislocating them with a satisfying pop! With no legs to stand on, literally, the orcs body tumbled over onto the steps that Anita had tripped over, his helmet flying off when his head smacked the stone tile. Getting up so she stood over the prostrate form of the Uruk, the small elleth lifted her foot and brought her heel down with all her might on the orcs soft temple. The effect was spectacular, blood and brain matter exploding onto the stairs accompanied by the sound of an egg cracking only magnified by a hundred.
Retrieving her sword from where she dropped it, Ani saw Legolas struggling to haul something over the edge of the wall on a rope. Glorfindel appeared from battle to offer a helping hand to the younger elf, pulling on the rope in tandem. Stepping over bodies of friends and foes alike, Ani picked her way to the wall and peered over to see Aragorn and Gimli dangling like bait from the end of the rope. Reaching over the edge, she extended her hand to the slowly ascending duo, her fingers grasping the Ranger's outer tunic when they were high enough up and tried pulling them over the wall. As it turned out it took all three elves, Legolas, Glo, and Anita to pull the two over the wall to sand on solid ground. To a spectator on the ground it must have looked like a circus act.
"Fall back! Fall back!" The cry for retreat echoed around them as another ladder was erected bringing a fresh wave of enemies over the wall. Below them, a sound that could be mistaken for nothing else but splintering wood alerted the group that the front gate had been destroyed and the orcs were coming in that way too. The Outer Keep had been breached every way it could have been, the only place left to go was within the great hall. Anita sheathed her sword so she could run. The three elves, the human, and the dwarf moved as a single unit along the pathway leading from the wall to the Keep, the other soldiers from the wall falling into step with them. As they came into the stone courtyard though that led to the stairs at the base of the Hall, Anita was horrified to see a mass company of Uruks coming up from the opposite direction, and cries from behind her let her know that the Uruks from the wall were hot on their heels. Glorfindel had taken the lead point in front of Ani, and he stopped when he saw the horde of enemies bearing down on them. The older elf spun, grasped the front of Anita's chest plate and shoved her harshly into Aragorn's waiting grip.
"Get her inside and no matter what happens do not open those doors." The command wasn't directed at her but at Aragorn, yet there was an intensity to her teacher's eyes that she had never seen before in all her years training with him. Aragorn starting pulling Ani up the steps so fast she nearly lost her footing a few times, the other soldiers sprinting past them to get inside the Hall. At the top of the stairs though the girl pulled herself up to a halt even though Aragorn was still tugging at her in the direction they were trying to flee. They didn't have time to dilly dally, the Uruks were filling the small courtyard where her mentor still stood wielding his sword. They were coming from the walls, from the front gate, and they had finally broken through the side door from that yard below; they were like a swarm of angry black bees.
"Glo come on!" Anita yelled, Aragorn still intently trying to pull her inside. If Glo didn't turn and run up the stairs this very second there wouldn't be enough time for him to get inside before the Uruks were upon them. But there was something in his stance, the way his feet were set against the stones …. He wasn't in a position to run, he was in a position to stand firm and fight. It was a defensive position he had taught her in training for when they couldn't afford to lose any more ground to the advancing enemy. And then all at once understanding dawned on the girl in a moment of terrifying clarity.
Glorfindel wasn't coming.
The Battle Beyond- Crunk Witch