Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. 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.
Leave out all the rest- Linkin Park
Chapter 65: Leave Out All the Rest
With each passing hour the tension in the city grew; for each passing hour hastened the dawn, and with the dawn came the great siege against the city. While the sun forced its light through the heavy clouds the amassing forces of Mordor at Osgiliath and on the fields could be monitored and examined, it was when the sun had set for the day that panic took over. Every nerve was frayed raw; every sound made the people jump, every unidentified shadow caused them to start, and terrified eyes watched the sky for wraiths. Anita passed the taxing hours by keeping herself busy, as well as keeping herself visible to the soldiers who were at a loss since Denethor's disappearance. The Steward of the city still hadn't resurfaced from his grief like the elleth had hoped he would, leaving herself and Gandalf to bolster the defenses of the great White City. Though the wizard was likely well versed in such things as how to fortify a city against attack, Anita was decidedly a novice, and therefore applied her energies to different areas where she could be of some help; tending to the wounded soldiers that had retreated from the fields and assigning the guards to sleep in shifts so that none would be too weary for the upcoming battle. The girl felt a bit like a hummingbird the way she was flitting about back and forth across the Citadel and the Sixth Level, and then once all the way down to the First Level to inform the soldiers that along with stores of water for fires they needed piles of sand, dirt, or manure; Anita had no doubt that the forces of the Dark Lord would wield their new weapon with gusto , and the girl couldn't stress enough how much worse pouring water on napalm would make things.
Sleep did not come easily for those who sought it that night; and for the few who did find their way to the embrace of slumber they found it unrestful and full of evil images. The knowledge of the progressing army in the fields below made the idea of sleep an unreachable ambition for most the occupants of Minas Tirith, including a Hobbit, an Elf, and a Wizard. The Men of the White City spent the dark hours of the night huddled with their families, the fear and uncertainty for the morrow ran so rampantly through the metropolis that it was palpable, leaving an unpleasant taste on the tongue. With every ringing of the bells the city and the people became more unsettled as the clock ticked down to the inevitable destruction of all that they knew.
But the dawn never arrived in its full glory. Though the dark grey of the world lightened in the morning hours, the sun never mustered the strength to break through the heavy cloud cover over the city on that day. Every single soul in Minas Tirith was awake before the bells sounded with the morn. The call went out with the first bell to evacuate the lowest three levels of the city, the soldiers and refugees passing each other in the streets heading opposite directions. Watching the families of the First Level trudge upward, seeking asylum with generous citizens who would open their homes to them, anyone would guess the war already lost from the destitute expressions and slumped shoulders and the way feet were dragged without purpose.
Having not slept but to nod off once or twice throughout the night, Anita was one of the first people to arrive at the wall when the search of deep sleep had been hopelessly shrugged off. Gandalf appeared soon after, coming to stand by the girl as they watched the faceless mass of soldiers march towards the city. Anita's keen eyes could pick out individual creatures in the encroaching wave of evil, and very soon they would close enough for even the dullest eye to see. The elleth had come to observe the armies and see what they were to face this day in battle; she was dismayed to see that the fear she had voiced back in Edoras had been right all along…Sauron had sent overkill. By her estimation there were at least twenty thousand orc foot soldiers, plus the addition of trolls and legions of Easterlings that had yet to cross to the fields and it was impossible to get an accurate count of the army they faced, but a conservative estimation by the Elf's math was they were outnumbered ten soldiers of Mordor to each one of Minas Tirith. Ani hadn't even accounted for the Nazgul yet, which were by far the biggest threat to safety since the walls meant nothing to the winged villains. The Nine hadn't made an appearance yet, at least not that the Men could see, but the elleth could feel their presence high up in the clouds circling, always circling their prey.
Gandalf came to stand beside the young woman on the wall, gauging the same threat that she had, his eyes sweeping over the vast host before him. Out of the corner of her eye Ani saw the stress of the reality settle on the elderly man, the evidence of their dire situation spread out before them.
"We're gonna need a bigger boat," Anita said and snorted back a chuckle at her own joke. Gandalf's brow wrinkled in confusion at the strange statement and the girl's failed attempt at humor. "It's from "Jaws"?" The girl clarified expectantly and then understood why the joke wasn't all that funny to the wizard and shrugged it off. "I need you to stop trying to protect me, " She blurted out catching both herself and the wizard off guard before the silence settled back over them, she recovered quickly however and restated the sentence with more conviction. " I need you to stop trying to protect me and focus your concern on the people of this city."
For the smallest fraction of a moment, the wizard looked genuinely sad. "Child it is not that simple."
" Mithrandir it's going to have to be that simple. My life is what it is because everyone keeps trying to protect from things; protect me from myself, from the past, from just everything. Whatever happens to me out there, happens, and it's because of the choices that I have made and I can live with that. But these people, their only sin is being alive they haven't done anything to deserve the hell they will suffer when that army reaches the wall. I need you to protect them. " Her tone didn't leave any room for argument.
"And you are decided on this?" The wizard's voice was quiet but unwavering.
The young woman didn't answer him outright but responded with a question of her own, "What about my life makes it so much more important than that of any other soldier fighting for this city? What makes me worth saving?" Gandalf had no immediate answer for her as the weighted question hung in the air between them, his wrinkled face frowning deeply in concern for the young woman that stood with him on the wall, the sound of the marching enemy filling the space the question left as it remained unanswered. "I'm relieved you don't have an answer for that Gandalf, because I have been wracking my brain and I don't have an answer either." Ani said, breaking up the stillness.
"And what would I tell your family when they grieve your death?" the wizard asked, deflating any conviction the girl had instantly. Anita knew that it was a rhetorical question, which suited her just fine since the idea of her family discovering her fate left her feeling ill. Her stomach clenched at the thought of Leila's reaction to the news and the wave of guilt that rolled over the elleth left her wanting to turn and run from the battle and leave Gondor to whatever they were to suffer without her.
It was a rare sight indeed for anyone to see the elleth looking so unsure of herself, the wizard had held the even rarer privilege of seeing this insecure side several times over the last few weeks. Mithrandir cleared his throat ,"If you are so determined that I not protect you in this battle, I will respect that wish." The wizard turned away from the scene of the massing force before him and caught Anita's brown eyes with his stern blue ones, an uncompromising look etched onto his features. "However; in exchange you must promise me that you will not throw your life away in some foolish situation. There will be plenty of death and sacrifice today, there is no need for you to willingly count yourself amongst the dead."
Anita thought over the wizard's word carefully, not wanting to make a vow she wasn't able to keep. Gandalf had been responsible to her since the very day she had arrived in Middle Earth, it came as little surprise that even in her very last day he would be looking out for her as well. After her moment of silent contemplation passed, the old man watching her face carefully for reaction, the young elleth nodded her agreement. "Thank you, Mithrandir. You have been dealing with my family's drama longer than anyone else, dealing with me especially; I haven't been particularly grateful for the wisdom and patience you have imparted since returning my sister and I to our father. You're a good man, and I am honored to have known you."
Gandalf was clearly taken aback at the sudden and unexpected outpouring of gratitude from his companion, catching a second glimpse of the vulnerable soul behind her stony façade in less than two minutes. The wizard couldn't help but to crack a small smile." Indeed I have been linked to your family a long time, and I can say with certainty that you are every bit as stubborn and petulant as your father... And I am eternally grateful that you fight by my side." He reached out a weathered hand for her to shake, a symbol of comradery, and also as a final goodbye should the worst occur.
Ani returned the older man's smile," Be sure to write that on my tombstone," She said before pushing Gandalf's hand aside and stepping in to hug the wise sage. The girl had made the mistake of not saying a proper goodbye to Glorfindel before the Battle at Helms' Deep, she hadn't truly told him how thankful she was for his tutelage, hadn't told him that her life was much improved because she knew him…she wasn't going to make that same mistake with Gandalf.
The wizard gladly returned the embrace. " The strongest trees grow with the wind against them," He remarked as they pulled away from the hug and he clasped her shoulders, "And you have become a mighty oak indeed."
The elleth stepped back and moved to leave, "See you on the other side old man," She called as she made her way back to the section of wall on the south side of the main gate, an area that Gandalf had tasked her with defending along with the soldiers of Minas Tirith. The soldiers who stood along the rampart were a fair mix of current soldiers, men who had retired beyond battling in the field, and youth that had clearly been brought up from the reserves. As Anita walked along the wall she made eye contact with any of the men who would meet her gaze, hoping to convey resilience and courage to those who desperately needed it, and she tried very hard not to think about how many of them would lie dead in the streets they defended before this battle was over. With ease the elleth stepped atop the wall to get a better look at the scurrying armies of Mordor while simultaneously displaying a lack of fear by making herself a more obvious target. The sight of the sheer plunge to the ground below had no effect on her, but watching as the orcs moved their catapults and other terrible war machines into place made the girl's nerves flutter in trepidation.
The forces of Mordor did not waste time once they were in place and immediately set cranking back the arms of the machines and filling the buckets…with that though Anita couldn't say. The elf squinted her eyes trying to see what the payload was; it was too small to be boulders, and she could clearly see that it wasn't covered in the bluish liquid that had been stock piled by the enemy for fire bombing…
Ani bit back a scream when she finally understood what was about to be shot over the walls. It took every fiber of courage she had not to move when she saw the restraint rope being pulled and the spring snap forward to launch the small objects toward them. The girl crossed her arms and locked her legs, refusing to move from her position even as she heard the landing thumps all around her, soon followed by the screams and wails of the men when they recognized the severed heads of their fallen comrades. Anita caught sight of one such head, the young man's lifeless eyes still open and staring blankly at the sky and his mouth agape in silent scream, and a heavy weight fell upon her chest when she understood that his head and shoulders had most likely been separated when he was still alive for such an expression to be forever etched into his features. The cries were echoed all along the length of the wall, despair and agony filling the men at such a grotesque fate befalling their friends. She didn't know if elves could vomit, but she was certainly about to give it her best try if the bile filling her throat were any indication.
"We have no hope to defeat such evils," One demoralized soldier lamented, " let us surrender that the enemy might spare us such a fate as them men have suffered!"
Anita grit her teeth. " I have never backed down from a confrontation before I'm not going to start now." From her vantage point the elleth saw the now empty catapults being filled with balls of straw that had been dipped in pitch and then lit with bluish fire the enemy kept in deep pits. "Tell the men below to be ready to put out the fires. Dirt and sand only, no water." Ani heard her command being repeated down the line to the men who waited the below the wall and on the First Level of the city as the first ball sailed over the wall and burst against a building in a flash of sparks. The enemy knew better than to waste their ammunition against the thick walls of the city which would never fall to such pitiful attacks, instead they chose to simply go over the wall with their fire and their war machines. On the heels of the napalm came a wave of boulders aimed at harming those who scrambled to put out the flames or collapsing buildings on top of them. Shouts of warning could be heard as the projectiles flew over the wall and soon after a scream and the sound of brick crumbling to the earth. From behind the wall and on the higher city levels, Gondor's own trebuchets began to return fire, hurling rocks and bits of damaged building back at the opposing force.
This continued on as the pace of the battle for some time, each side hurling projectiles at each other from a distance while dodging the damaging blow of the other side's catapults. From within the swarm of enemies came large siege machines, fortified towers on wheels being pushed by trolls, for use to scale over the walls of Minas Tirith. Anita signaled to the archers to begin firing volley after volley at the large creatures pushing the siege towers, across the Gate she could hear Gandalf shouting similar orders at his men.
That was when a shriek from above signaled the arrival of the Nazgul.
The ear shattering sound came mere seconds before the fell beasts dove from the sky, ramming through the men gathered on the walls and scattering them like chattel to the wind. Those who were not victims of the attack threw themselves down and shielded their ears and eyes from the horrors of the wraiths. When the shadows of the beast had passed by, some of the younger soldiers crawled away from their post to find some dark place to hide from the eyes of the enemy. Before, the men had been scared of battle but were confident in their cities walls to hold the enemy at bay…now though, the presence of the wraiths destroyed the last bits of hope that the fortifications would save them. Dread flooded across the battlements, filling every soldier and citizen alike.
"We cannot hope to fight against Mordor's armies as well as the forces from our nightmares, we shall be picked apart like the corpses of the Men who fell at Osgiliath!" Anita turned to face the young soldiers who wept in defeat at the ease with which the Nazgul had ripped through their defense lines ,and she could see the courage of Men diminish before her eyes. All around her the valor of Gondor turned to dust within the hearts of the soldiers, gone cold with fear. They were going to give up all hope before the worst of the battle had even started and Minas Tirith would be lost to the darkness before the first sword fell.
Anita pulled her lips back in a snarl and turned her gaze skyward to the beasts which circled overhead. She watched as one circled wide to make another pass at the few remaining guards on the wall who hadn't run from fear, stepping back up onto the wall the girl thrust her empty hands out to show she was weaponless and the wraith hurtled toward her. Her heart hammered loudly in her chest, the sound thundering in her ears mostly blocking out the shouts of the Men begging her to move or defend herself. She could feel the whooshing air from the wings, she could hear the ragged breathing from the beast, she could see the dark beady eyes of the beast as it descended on her. Ani swore she could even feel the hot breath of the beast as at the last possible second she threw her body down on the stones, one sharp point scraping the back of her neck as she rolled out of the reach of its talons. Rolling back onto her feet, her skilled hand loosed two throwing knives from her belt, and in one precise movement , threw the blades at the beast's soft underbelly where they lodged deeply in the crease where wing and body met. The wraith lost control of the flying creature when the knives cut flesh, the beast smashing into part of the wall before careening over the edge, it's now broken wing offering no strength for flight.
Coming back up to stand, Ani turned a steely gaze onto the frightened men on the wall and raised her voice to heard over the cacophony of sounds that filled the city, " They are not creatures sprung up from your nightmares! They are flesh and bone, same as you or me, and your sword will do just as well to bring them to their knees! Find your courage and fight for your city!" As she spoke, one of the siege towers collided with the wall and sprung open to reveal orcs hidden within. Laure was out of its sheath before the first orc stepped down onto the parapet and Anita swung the sword with purpose and ripped through the orcs with strength and speed that left the men awestruck; it was as they watched the young elleth deftly thwart the advancement of those orcs that the Men found their courage again. Swords were retrieved from where they had been dropped in despair, determination now filled their hearts as they stepped up to save their homes and families.
Wave after wave of orcs came over the wall the siege engines, and wave after wave fell to the swords of Gondor's soldiers. But as the day wore on and the hours of battle passed with little reprieve, the men of Minas Tirith grew weary. There were piles of corpses, thousands or orcs that the enemy had hurled against the walls that now lay in twisted mountains of limbs as rivers of black blood flowed freely over the walls and across the fields. Between the masses of dead orcs was the intermittent fallen soldier of Gondor, hacked and hewn in horrific ways, left without ceremony to burn with the bodies of the enemy. For burn they all did, as fires had sprung up within the First Level faster than they could be put out; the blue napalm burning body, building, and possession at will completely unchecked. The defenders of the city could not concern themselves with the flames and smoke however, as they forced their fatigued bodies to continue to fight against the never ending swarm that came over the great wall. Anita's focus was on the siege towers that Mordor was using; if she could see to their complete destruction then the enemy would be forced to surrender their attempt to come over the wall and instead breach the front gate. While it was true that if the Gate were broken through then they would have to surrender the First Level to the enemy, it also meant that the flow of orcs would be confined to a single throughway. But the complete desolation of the siege towers was easier said than done, the enemy had come well prepared for such a grand scale invasion as this.
The hours wore on. Even Anita, with the great advantage of her Elven heritage, was being taxed beyond her limit as the battle wore on past midday and into the evening hours. Without the grace of sunlight overhead to know the exact hour, the only means to know the time of day was the slight changes in the grey twilight that surrounded the city. The elleth had sent messengers up through the ranks of men that controlled the catapults higher up in the city to target the siege towers specifically and it wasn't until darkness had fallen completely that the elf saw the goal fulfilled, the final towers being smashed to bits in the failing light, effectively thwarting the attempt to go over the wall. Only a small contingent of archers was left to watch over the wall, every other man who could be spared was sent to the Gate. To no one's surprise a great battering ram of immense size was brought up to break through the cities final defense. The sound of war drums and the chanting of thousands of orcs were more unsettling to the Men than the knowledge of the siege engine that was attempting to enter the city.
It was the only moment of relief in fighting that the city had seen since the first projectile came over the wall hours ago. Bodies sapped of strength came to rest, the brief time though was far from relaxing as the chanting and drums from beyond the wall grew louder with each passing moment. Although the elleth could feel every sword stroke in the muscles of her torso and arms, she refused to rest. Ani refused to let the Men around her observe how weary she was despite the toll that hours upon hours of fending off orcs on the wall had on every body. The men took the mere moments they had before the Great Gate was breached to sit or lean tired bones against whatever surface would do the job of holding them upright but Anita continued to pace back and forth across the ranks, ignoring her own exhaustion to put on a brave front to those looking to her for confidence. The elleth checked in on those with minors wounds; cuts, bruises, and burns that could easily be patched up temporarily.
"Perhaps Sauron would take mercy on us," The whispered conversation between two men reached Anita's sensitive ears as she walked past a group of young men, younger perhaps even than she was, who were sitting together in a doorway looking rather spent, "What it the worst that could happen should we surrender?"
"Then you die on your knees as a victim instead of on your feet with a sword in your hand." Ani answered back loudly to the question that was not hers to answer, making it obvious she was unapologetically eavesdropping on the conversation.
The men shrunk away from her, embarrassed at their cowardice, all except for the soldier who had first posed the question who met her stare evenly. "What of our families?"
"If they are lucky they will die quickly instead of being taken as slaves…"
The unseasoned soldier stood up and pointed a finger up at the Citadel, " I have a wife and infant son, it is their lives I am concerned for, their lives that I seek to save!"
"Then fight!" Ani barked back exasperated. "When they break that gate you fight like hell! You fight til your last breath and be grateful for the knowledge that even if you do not see your family again that they are saved by your sacrifice," Anita turned so that all the soldiers who were sitting in the streets could hear her voice above the chanting of the orcs and the breaking of the Gate, " Men of Gondor I tell you now that even if I am last one standing they are not taking this city while I draw breath and they are not taking me alive!"
As she spoke Gandalf rode up behind her on a horse looking every bit depleted as the girl felt. The wizard brought his horse around and called out," The Gate will not hold much longer and the city will soon be flooded with the enemy, we must hold them on the lowest level." He immediately turned and encouraged the horse back the way he came, and without hesitation the elleth followed behind him, ignoring the screaming in her muscles that desperately needed repose. A moment later the black haired elf could hear the sound of armor scraping stone as tired bodies pushed up to follow her and Gandalf's lead to defend the Gate; and though she wouldn't let it show she was incredibly relieved that the weary soldiers chose to continue the fight to defend the city.
There were already several squads of soldiers standing near the Gate and overflowing into the nearby streets, ready to face the enemy when they entered through the last remaining defense the city had. The men closest to the Gate were more fresh-faced and had clearly not been part of the fight atop the wall that had occurred during the daylight hours, Anita's own group of soldiers posted themselves further back from the front line.
This close to the wall the sound of chanting was far louder, although barely hearable over the deafening sound of the battering ram hitting the large heavy Gate from the outside. Cracks had appeared in the doors once thought to be nigh unbreakable. It would splinter open at any moment. Apprehension filled the courtyard with every collision of door and ram, the fear was so thick it settled like a heavy fog amongst them. Anita thought back to the words she had spoken to the Men in hopes of bolstering their courage, hoping to rally their hearts to the cause no matter the struggle… now she just needed to believe them herself. Glorfindel had never painted war or death as a pretty picture for the girl in their years of training, now she knew firsthand how true his words were. As soon as that door was destroyed there would nothing between her and all the forces of Mordor but her sword and the soldier next to her. Her own courage and resolve were about to be tested in a way they never had before; and in that last moment before the door broke Anita took a heavy shuddering breath and doubted herself more completely than she ever had in her life.
"You are soldiers on Gondor," Gandalf powerful voice rose above the clamor of the enemy, " No matter what comes through that Gate you will stand your ground!" The sea of soldiers around her tensed, ready to fight, and Anita loosed Laure from its sheath across her back. Everyone took a collective breath in the heavy silence as the ram was pulled back to hit the door again and the elleth whispered to herself, "To the last breath."
With the final impact of the battering ram, the Great Gate burst open in a ball of fire and the enemy flowed in unhindered.