A/N: I write this not only for my loyal fans but also to appease the mighty
Ithildin, who also has a lusty Rumil in her fabulous story The Only One, go
read now! Apologies, but my Parallels Rumil won't be half as mean as yours!
REVIEW!
Helms Deep pt 1
As the rain began to pour, I readied my sword. This was big, bigger than anything I had previously faced, and now it was my job to lead innocent people to certain death. I once believed I had not the courage nor hope to do this, but one person always had faith. Now that person also faced death, giving himself over to chance.
In a world where success is always documented and failure never head of, we sometimes forget how fragile life is, even an immortal life. Who is to say you would fall? Who is to say it would be from a beast and his weapon. One stray arrow, one missed shot, one forgotten block, one fall or stumble, one momentary distraction. A split second. One moment. That moment. Suddenly a life spanning thousands of years is over in a second. That was my fear, but I had not the heart or will to show it. Boys as young as thirteen fought alongside, not without fear, but they did, and I owed to them to lead.
Taking a deep breath I raised my sword, lightening flashed, figures tensed and I shouted for the archers ahead to fire. That they did, every arrow meeting a target, every target fell, but every target was instantly replaced by another. We fired again and again before I motioned for those behind me to let fly. Arrows shot safely above us and landed in the black hearts of those below. Below, that was the key, we had to keep our vantage point then perhaps we could just pick them off. But battles, no matter how well planned, are never that easy. The black mass was not moving forward, but with nowhere to go. Nowhere but up. "Ladders!" I cried, and at first we could keep them under control. But every ladder was laden with uruk-hai. As soon as they reached the top, they would climb over and slaughter those who tried to prevent them. Once they were up, we had to truly fight.
Legolas, until now had fought with his bow, taking down single foes and ladder ropes with shots no other creature could make, but now he skipped back, replacing his bow and unsheathing his knives in one swift movement. A beast lunged over the wall towards him; I smiled as I saw it was dead before it hit the ground. I returned my attention once again to the battle fully, narrowly missing a spear for my crimes. As I ran through one more, I heard Legolas shout his running total over to Gimli who replied back with an overly high estimate of his own, at least I knew they were well.
A flash of bright light caught my eye, not the white flash of Gandalf, but the light of flame. One lone uruk-hai ran for the wall, a path cleared for him. Only one person, nay elf, could make the shot from here. I called blindly hoping he could hear me. Of course he could and I indicated desperately below. Legolas saw the creature and notched an arrow faster than the eye could follow. The bow sang, the beast screamed but still it kept running. Another arrow was notched, the bow sang and the beast fell. But it was too late. The creature, in the throes of death lunged for the wall.
The explosion was a blur, a black and red haze of pain. I pulled myself to my feet, aware of the now gaping hole in our defences. The black mass poured through. I saw Gimli and others ran down to halt them, or at least slow them.
If the forces made it inside the keep we were doomed. At that point I looked down over the wall towards the other weakness, the great doors, unhappy to see large forces piling up against it, and they appeared to be making way for something. My brow furrowed as I attempted to make out what it was. I slit the throat of the figure in front and stepped forward. I saw my lover's eyes cast in that direction too as he leaned heavily over the ledge upon which he stood, to peer at the doors. Not only did I fear for his balance, but also for his life as a dark shape approached but behind. I was too busy to shout a warning as I was grabbed for the side but when I turned back I relieved to see the elf in motion. Without so much as a flinch or a aversion of his gaze, the blond reached behind, grabbing the beast by the throat and pulling it harshly over himself sending it plummeting into the spears below. Then he was a blur, hard for my eyes to follow. He had seen what my eyes just had.
A battering ram. They were attempting with some degree of success to bring down the doors. I saw my spouse leap downwards making his way to the door, clutching a protesting Gimli as he did. I followed when I could meeting them on the inside of the door. Lord Theoden took a blow to the chest and it was clear defences were not holding. They needed time, time I was prepared to give. Legolas gave chase to a rogue archer as Gimli and myself headed through the door on the other side of the doorway, and leapt over to the stone pathway leading to the doors. Gimli fought bravely, we both cleared the way for those inside to reinforce the door. Once happy we moved aside, keen to get back onto the Deep wall and aid our friends. I too was keen to find my husband.
No matter how hard I searched I could not see him. I refused to allow my concern to rise, as it would distract from my cause. Over the pandemonium I made out a drowned cry from Theoden. "Fall back!" he screamed, I earnestly agreed. We needed desperately to stay ahead of the enemy. If we let them pass us, all would be lost. I began to run back towards the mountains, and then I saw that those above on the wall had not heard the cry. I scoured the stone length searching for a familiar face. There - tall, blond, elven, not Legolas, but Haldir. I called out to him and told him of our order, as he repeated it in elvish to the archers ahead, an idle blow caught him from behind. I cried out myself as he dropped to his knees, vulnerable. I went to race up there but was halted by a harsh dwarven cry at my right. I turned horrified, expecting to see Gimli in the throes of a gruesome death. But he was just stood there, staring fearfully at something above, his hands coiled around something he held as if it were gold, not his axe, but my husband's bow. I immediately followed his gaze and finally locked eyes upon my beloved. He scaled upwards with a conviction I had never seen, higher and higher. I watched helpless as he prepared for the biggest jump of his life. As a uruk-hai raised his axe to finish Haldir, Legolas jumped a clear fifteen feet from where he stood.
And took the blow from the axe square in the chest. I stood, unable to move.
Another elf aided Haldir to his feet, who turned with vile hatred to the beast, grabbing it at the shoulders and throwing it hard over it wall.
And it would have worked.
If the creature had let go of his axe.
A/N: Final part, sob, coming soon! Please review!
Helms Deep pt 1
As the rain began to pour, I readied my sword. This was big, bigger than anything I had previously faced, and now it was my job to lead innocent people to certain death. I once believed I had not the courage nor hope to do this, but one person always had faith. Now that person also faced death, giving himself over to chance.
In a world where success is always documented and failure never head of, we sometimes forget how fragile life is, even an immortal life. Who is to say you would fall? Who is to say it would be from a beast and his weapon. One stray arrow, one missed shot, one forgotten block, one fall or stumble, one momentary distraction. A split second. One moment. That moment. Suddenly a life spanning thousands of years is over in a second. That was my fear, but I had not the heart or will to show it. Boys as young as thirteen fought alongside, not without fear, but they did, and I owed to them to lead.
Taking a deep breath I raised my sword, lightening flashed, figures tensed and I shouted for the archers ahead to fire. That they did, every arrow meeting a target, every target fell, but every target was instantly replaced by another. We fired again and again before I motioned for those behind me to let fly. Arrows shot safely above us and landed in the black hearts of those below. Below, that was the key, we had to keep our vantage point then perhaps we could just pick them off. But battles, no matter how well planned, are never that easy. The black mass was not moving forward, but with nowhere to go. Nowhere but up. "Ladders!" I cried, and at first we could keep them under control. But every ladder was laden with uruk-hai. As soon as they reached the top, they would climb over and slaughter those who tried to prevent them. Once they were up, we had to truly fight.
Legolas, until now had fought with his bow, taking down single foes and ladder ropes with shots no other creature could make, but now he skipped back, replacing his bow and unsheathing his knives in one swift movement. A beast lunged over the wall towards him; I smiled as I saw it was dead before it hit the ground. I returned my attention once again to the battle fully, narrowly missing a spear for my crimes. As I ran through one more, I heard Legolas shout his running total over to Gimli who replied back with an overly high estimate of his own, at least I knew they were well.
A flash of bright light caught my eye, not the white flash of Gandalf, but the light of flame. One lone uruk-hai ran for the wall, a path cleared for him. Only one person, nay elf, could make the shot from here. I called blindly hoping he could hear me. Of course he could and I indicated desperately below. Legolas saw the creature and notched an arrow faster than the eye could follow. The bow sang, the beast screamed but still it kept running. Another arrow was notched, the bow sang and the beast fell. But it was too late. The creature, in the throes of death lunged for the wall.
The explosion was a blur, a black and red haze of pain. I pulled myself to my feet, aware of the now gaping hole in our defences. The black mass poured through. I saw Gimli and others ran down to halt them, or at least slow them.
If the forces made it inside the keep we were doomed. At that point I looked down over the wall towards the other weakness, the great doors, unhappy to see large forces piling up against it, and they appeared to be making way for something. My brow furrowed as I attempted to make out what it was. I slit the throat of the figure in front and stepped forward. I saw my lover's eyes cast in that direction too as he leaned heavily over the ledge upon which he stood, to peer at the doors. Not only did I fear for his balance, but also for his life as a dark shape approached but behind. I was too busy to shout a warning as I was grabbed for the side but when I turned back I relieved to see the elf in motion. Without so much as a flinch or a aversion of his gaze, the blond reached behind, grabbing the beast by the throat and pulling it harshly over himself sending it plummeting into the spears below. Then he was a blur, hard for my eyes to follow. He had seen what my eyes just had.
A battering ram. They were attempting with some degree of success to bring down the doors. I saw my spouse leap downwards making his way to the door, clutching a protesting Gimli as he did. I followed when I could meeting them on the inside of the door. Lord Theoden took a blow to the chest and it was clear defences were not holding. They needed time, time I was prepared to give. Legolas gave chase to a rogue archer as Gimli and myself headed through the door on the other side of the doorway, and leapt over to the stone pathway leading to the doors. Gimli fought bravely, we both cleared the way for those inside to reinforce the door. Once happy we moved aside, keen to get back onto the Deep wall and aid our friends. I too was keen to find my husband.
No matter how hard I searched I could not see him. I refused to allow my concern to rise, as it would distract from my cause. Over the pandemonium I made out a drowned cry from Theoden. "Fall back!" he screamed, I earnestly agreed. We needed desperately to stay ahead of the enemy. If we let them pass us, all would be lost. I began to run back towards the mountains, and then I saw that those above on the wall had not heard the cry. I scoured the stone length searching for a familiar face. There - tall, blond, elven, not Legolas, but Haldir. I called out to him and told him of our order, as he repeated it in elvish to the archers ahead, an idle blow caught him from behind. I cried out myself as he dropped to his knees, vulnerable. I went to race up there but was halted by a harsh dwarven cry at my right. I turned horrified, expecting to see Gimli in the throes of a gruesome death. But he was just stood there, staring fearfully at something above, his hands coiled around something he held as if it were gold, not his axe, but my husband's bow. I immediately followed his gaze and finally locked eyes upon my beloved. He scaled upwards with a conviction I had never seen, higher and higher. I watched helpless as he prepared for the biggest jump of his life. As a uruk-hai raised his axe to finish Haldir, Legolas jumped a clear fifteen feet from where he stood.
And took the blow from the axe square in the chest. I stood, unable to move.
Another elf aided Haldir to his feet, who turned with vile hatred to the beast, grabbing it at the shoulders and throwing it hard over it wall.
And it would have worked.
If the creature had let go of his axe.
A/N: Final part, sob, coming soon! Please review!