Her life drained away from her body as I sat there and did nothing. There
was nothing that I could do, but I was still frustrated.
It was my fault that she was dead! I should not have distracted her while she was fighting. Though she fought wonderfully.
Pain shot through my heart as I held her lifeless body to my chest, stroking her hair gently. Tears squeezed out of my eyes as I mourned her death, which surprised me. Very rarely have I cried. I felt empty and alone, and full of rage. Why did they have to kill her? Out of all the men defending Helm's Deep, they had to kill Aralyn.
That was not fair of me, comparing all the soldiers' lives to this one girl, but I cared about her deeply. I loved her. I did not know her for long, but we connected in a way I have never even experienced with anyone else. That was why I fought so hard to protect her. In a way I was protecting myself, because she was apart of me.
I laid her out on the ground and rested her hand on her chest, and I closed her eyes. I kissed her soft cold lips one last time and whispered a phrase that meant a lot to her. "Cormamin niuve tenna ta ela lle au. My heart shall weep until it sees thee again. Namarie, Melamin."
And that was it. I knew she would not want me mourning over her body as Rohan fell to the enemy. She would want me to fight, and fight I would in her memory.
I leaped up, anger in my eyes as I heard pounding on the door. Men were yelling to barricade the door, but I wanted to rip open the door and take on all the Uruk-Hai by myself. How dare they deprive such a wonderful person of their very life!
But I had to force myself to comply with the human men. Aralyn would have wanted it. My friend Gimli was working beside me when he noticed the red blood stains on the front of my jerkin.
"Is that your blood, my friend?" He asked, a little alarmed.
"No. It is Aralyn's." I said in a soft voice as I kept working.
"Aralyn's? How would her spilt blood get on your garments?" Gimli asked, still unbelieving.
"She fought in Helm's Deep, Gimli." I said, looking down at the dwarf. "She fought well. It is my fault she died."
"I'm sorry, my friend." Gimli said, a sad tone taking his voice.
"I am doing what she would want me to." I said stiffly, finishing the barricade and stepping back, preparing my bow. Sometimes archery was the only thing that could numb my mind of this pain.
"You cared about her, didn't you?" Gimli asked, raising his ax, readying it for the oncoming of the enemy.
"I loved her Gimli. And now I am going to die for her." I said softly.
"Don't you do it Legolas! Aralyn wouldn't want you to die in battle for her. She'd want you to win in battle for her and her people." Gimli scolded me.
I shook my head, but I knew he was right. " I hate it when the elf is wrong and the dwarf is right." I commented to him. "Even when it rarely happens."
Gimli shot me a small all knowing smile. "You just wish you were as wise as me, my friend."
"You keep telling yourself that, Gimli."
****************************
The battle at Helm's Deep was a victory for the people of Rohan. The soldiers celebrated around me as they were reunited with their loved ones, and I could not help but feel so alone.
Eowyn came up, searching for Aragorn and Aralyn. She found Aragorn easily but could not find Aralyn. When she could not find her she approached me, asking for her.
"Where is Aralyn, Legolas?" She asked, looking worried.
"She is dead, milady. She died fighting bravely." I said, and motioned towards Aralyn's body. Eowyn's eyes widened with shock as she approached the body of Aralyn. She kneeled by her childhood friend and took her hand.
"You promised you'd come back Aralyn." She said sternly. "You've never broken a promise before."
I placed a hand on Eowyn's shoulder, offering comfort. Tears filled Eowyn's eyes as she looked at the body of her dead friend. Then her eyes fell upon Aralyn's long knives. She picked them up and examined them, covered in Uruk-Hai's blood. She wiped them slowly on her skirt and then offered one to me.
"She'd want you to have the one with her father's inscription on it." Eowyn said, placing the long knife in my hands. I thanked her for it and squeezed her shoulder.
Aragorn came over. "Legolas, we must leave. There is much more to do."
"In times like this, we have no time for mourning our loved ones." I said bitterly, standing up. "We have work to do, saving Middle-Earth, but my heart will always remain here."
It was my fault that she was dead! I should not have distracted her while she was fighting. Though she fought wonderfully.
Pain shot through my heart as I held her lifeless body to my chest, stroking her hair gently. Tears squeezed out of my eyes as I mourned her death, which surprised me. Very rarely have I cried. I felt empty and alone, and full of rage. Why did they have to kill her? Out of all the men defending Helm's Deep, they had to kill Aralyn.
That was not fair of me, comparing all the soldiers' lives to this one girl, but I cared about her deeply. I loved her. I did not know her for long, but we connected in a way I have never even experienced with anyone else. That was why I fought so hard to protect her. In a way I was protecting myself, because she was apart of me.
I laid her out on the ground and rested her hand on her chest, and I closed her eyes. I kissed her soft cold lips one last time and whispered a phrase that meant a lot to her. "Cormamin niuve tenna ta ela lle au. My heart shall weep until it sees thee again. Namarie, Melamin."
And that was it. I knew she would not want me mourning over her body as Rohan fell to the enemy. She would want me to fight, and fight I would in her memory.
I leaped up, anger in my eyes as I heard pounding on the door. Men were yelling to barricade the door, but I wanted to rip open the door and take on all the Uruk-Hai by myself. How dare they deprive such a wonderful person of their very life!
But I had to force myself to comply with the human men. Aralyn would have wanted it. My friend Gimli was working beside me when he noticed the red blood stains on the front of my jerkin.
"Is that your blood, my friend?" He asked, a little alarmed.
"No. It is Aralyn's." I said in a soft voice as I kept working.
"Aralyn's? How would her spilt blood get on your garments?" Gimli asked, still unbelieving.
"She fought in Helm's Deep, Gimli." I said, looking down at the dwarf. "She fought well. It is my fault she died."
"I'm sorry, my friend." Gimli said, a sad tone taking his voice.
"I am doing what she would want me to." I said stiffly, finishing the barricade and stepping back, preparing my bow. Sometimes archery was the only thing that could numb my mind of this pain.
"You cared about her, didn't you?" Gimli asked, raising his ax, readying it for the oncoming of the enemy.
"I loved her Gimli. And now I am going to die for her." I said softly.
"Don't you do it Legolas! Aralyn wouldn't want you to die in battle for her. She'd want you to win in battle for her and her people." Gimli scolded me.
I shook my head, but I knew he was right. " I hate it when the elf is wrong and the dwarf is right." I commented to him. "Even when it rarely happens."
Gimli shot me a small all knowing smile. "You just wish you were as wise as me, my friend."
"You keep telling yourself that, Gimli."
****************************
The battle at Helm's Deep was a victory for the people of Rohan. The soldiers celebrated around me as they were reunited with their loved ones, and I could not help but feel so alone.
Eowyn came up, searching for Aragorn and Aralyn. She found Aragorn easily but could not find Aralyn. When she could not find her she approached me, asking for her.
"Where is Aralyn, Legolas?" She asked, looking worried.
"She is dead, milady. She died fighting bravely." I said, and motioned towards Aralyn's body. Eowyn's eyes widened with shock as she approached the body of Aralyn. She kneeled by her childhood friend and took her hand.
"You promised you'd come back Aralyn." She said sternly. "You've never broken a promise before."
I placed a hand on Eowyn's shoulder, offering comfort. Tears filled Eowyn's eyes as she looked at the body of her dead friend. Then her eyes fell upon Aralyn's long knives. She picked them up and examined them, covered in Uruk-Hai's blood. She wiped them slowly on her skirt and then offered one to me.
"She'd want you to have the one with her father's inscription on it." Eowyn said, placing the long knife in my hands. I thanked her for it and squeezed her shoulder.
Aragorn came over. "Legolas, we must leave. There is much more to do."
"In times like this, we have no time for mourning our loved ones." I said bitterly, standing up. "We have work to do, saving Middle-Earth, but my heart will always remain here."