Fear
I stood, still as a statue, in the falling rain. I could see my breath in front of me. The pouring rain soaked through my clothes. I was freezing. I had to concentrate to keep my teeth from chattering.
I clutched my bow, my nails leaving prints in my palm from where they rested. My quiver held twenty arrows. A short sword was by my side, ready to be unsheathed at a moment's notice. I had leather armor over my clothes. I was straining my eyes, searching for the oncoming enemy. I had been told that the walls had never been breached. I could only hope that this was true. I hoped that we wouldn't end up at close quarters.
We stood in a line, ready to set loose a volley of arrows. Every male considered old enough to fight had been equipped to defend. Fear was painted on the face of many. Only a few people away from me stood a young boy. He couldn't be older then thirteen. He was terrified, shaking where he stood. I forced myself to look away. I felt my eyes tear up. The tears slid down my face, thankfully masked by the rain. You could feel the fear among the ranks. I myself was scared, though if you asked I would not admit so. I was scared, not for myself but for my family inside. Titith and Windfola sat in the caves, waiting for the fighting to end and to learn if any of us made it back alive. I was ripped out of my thoughts as we nocked an arrow.
We waited. My arms shook from the cold. My breathing sped up. Now, now I was scared. I couldn't tell what happened but one of the Uruk Hai fell to the ground, arrow stuck in its neck.
"Fire!"
The echo was repeated. We let our arrows fly. Multiple Uruk Hai fell as they were hit. Not enough. I repeated the motion. I continued. I didn't feel anything as I did. I wasn't sure if I should be worried at that. Others fell around me, struck down by the black arrows. They whistled by. The low visibility and the cold put us at a disadvantage. The man next to me, most likely in his mid-twenties, reached for another arrow. He stood tall, straining to see his target. An arrow planted itself firmly between two ribs. He fell back, coughing up blood. I reached to reload. My hand met air. I cursed. Remembering the man beside me, I quickly slid over. I wouldn't condone taking from the dead but desperate times call for desperate measures. I refilled by quiver, slightly disappointed at the meager half a dozen arrows. I stood up and went to my previous position. As I stood to fire, a shout distracted me. The shot went wide.
"Ladders!" the soldier warned us. Sure enough, multiple ladders had latched themselves on the walls and Uruk Hai were already on their way up. I turned towards the siege equipment. Once. Twice. Three times. I fired until I, unfortunately, ran out. Again. Another curse escaped me. I slung my bow across my back and unsheathed the sword.
One of the Uruk Hai stood in front of me. It was tall and well armored. A twinge of fear ran through me as its blade was revealed. The sharp edge wouldn't be stopped by the pitiful leather armor I wore. I took a small step back. It followed. A small frightened squeak from behind warned me of another defender. I spared a quick glance to recognize who it was. It was the younger boy I had seen earlier. He seemed frozen in fear. I shouted a warning over the sounds of battle, urging him to run. They fell on deaf ears. I looked behind him. Another enemy was charging. I moved forward, hoping to intercept the brute. I cried out. The kid turned as the weapon swung down. It hit its target. He crumpled to the floor like a puppet whose strings were cut. His head was crushed from the force of the hit. I could barely keep myself from heaving as the scene unfolded. With its target dead, it locked eyes with me. Perfect. I was surrounded. I let out a curse that I was pleased no one could hear. A loud battle cry sounded. The first Uruk Hai charged. The second followed soon after. I raised my sword.
The first met me as we clashed. The hit was quite powerful as it sent me staggering. I nearly fell but caught myself on a wooden crate. I quickly looked around, hoping that there'd be an escape route. There wasn't. My two opponents closed in on me. My sword nearly fell to the ground as I leaned back against the wall. I took a deep breath and threw myself away from the edge as a sword swung where my head was seconds before. The stone chipped a small amount as the weapon struck. I rolled out of the way and came up in a crouch. As the first came forward, I wished I was in possession of a spear instead of a sword. I stood, knees slightly bent and sword held in one hand, facing the first. I retreated, hoping to get some distance to think of a plan. Of course, there was the second.
I spun around with a wild swipe. I felt slight resistance as I turned. I hit the enemy if the enraged growl was anything to go by. Now that I was facing the second, I was in the perfect position to attack. The slight lowering of the blade was enough for me to be able to strike out. I landed a second hit. It was the killing blow. I wasn't sure how I should feel about the slightly disturbing smile that slowly crept onto my face. I tugged my sword out of the now dead body and turned to meet the first.
It was far from pleased if the angered expression was anything to go by. I winced as it charged at me. I flexed my fingers and once more stood in a defensive position. Just like before, we met with powerful blows. The loud clang of steel on steel was drowned out by the shouts and screams and blows from around us. I tuned it out, instead focusing on how I would defeat the rather threatening thing in front of me. I ducked out of the way. The blade nicked my arm. I gritted my teeth. I took a quick swing at its arm. Unsurprisingly, though it hit, no damage was done. I was forced to go on the defensive. I took a second to wipe away the sweat that had formed as well as catch my breath. Not the best of ideas as I would soon come to realize. Ouch. My guard had lowered, allowing a perfect opportunity to strike. I, embarrassingly enough, will admit that I froze. The blade swung down. It stopped as another blocked it.
I turned my head and internally winced. Of course my savior would have to be Glorthor. I immediately wished the Uruk Hai had been faster. At least I'd be less humiliated. He ignored me and took the chance to decapitate my attacker. He turned towards me and held out his hand. He grasped mine and pulled me to my feet.
"Thank me later. For now, stick close. Can't have you going and getting yourself skewered. You have a lady friend to get back to don't you." He nudged me with a suggestive smirk. I could feel my face burn. "If there's one thing I fear, it's an enraged woman. They can be downright terrifying."
I grimaced at the thought. What he said wasn't wrong. I nodded. He turned back to charge. I looked over the edge and blinked. A bomber. As if things couldn't get worse. It dove. My last thought that came to me made me chuckle.
'It seems the wall is breached…'
