Part 12
Aragorn and the others follow Theoden inside the keep. Eowyn is sitting with the other women looking both tired and proud. Willow sits down beside her and squeezes her hand.
"I'm glad you're all right."
Eowyn turns tired eyes to Willow. "So many dead. How can we hope to win against so many when we are so few?"
"Look around at your people, Eowyn. They are tired, hurt and scared. Yet they still continue to defend their home and their children. My friends and I have stopped apocalypses with nothing more than grit, determination and hope. And if this is to be my final battle then by god I'll take as many of them with me as I can."
Aragorn smiled softly from the doorway as he heard Willow talk to Eowyn. Gimli laughed as he came up to stand next to Aragorn. He had only heard Willow's last statement. "I see my Dwarven ways are rubbing off on Willow."
"I think it is she that is rubbing off on us." Aragorn said as he watched Eowyn's shoulders straighten and a look of fierce determination cross her features.
Aragorn turned to see Theoden approach. Theoden had the look of a man that has given up hope.
Theoden surveyed his people who were even now still trying to guard and protect their home. The Orcs were trying to ram down the gate yet men and boys were there to barricade it in hopes that it didn't fall. How could he continue to lead them to certain death?
"How are we to fight against such hate?"
Aragorn looked around at the people of Rohan, both dead and alive. He straightened his shoulders and with a determined look he turned back to Theoden.
"By riding out to meet them."
Theoden gave a sharp bark of laughter, "For what? Death and Glory?"
"No, for the people of Rohan."
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Eowyn exhausted yet determined going through motions of showing a young girl the proper way to handle a sword. He then saw Legolas teaching Willow how to fire two arrows at once. He looked back at Aragorn and saw Haldir standing off to the side. If the people of Rohan and these strangers were willing to die in the fight against darkness, he as King would lead the charge.
"Yes. The Horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep one last time."
"That's the spirit, lad." Gimli mumbles and goes to climb the steps that will take him to the horn.
Aragorn signals Legolas to join him and Theoden signals to an aide that horses are to be brought out.
Willow follows Legolas and stands quietly while Aragorn tells Legolas what they are going to do.
Haldir turns concerned eyes to Willow when he sees her close her eyes and sway. "Are you alright?"
Willow opens unseeing eyes to Haldir. "He approaches."
He steps closer and places a hand on Willow's arm, "Who approaches, Willow?" Dreading her answer of either Sauron or Saruman.
Willow seems to come back to herself and blinks a few times at Haldir. "Gandalf approaches. He is gently pulling on my magick but it gets stronger the closer he comes."
Haldir breathes a sigh of relief that it is Gandalf coming.
"Ready, Haldir?" Aragorn asks and he hands Haldir a horse's reins.
He sees Willow's expectant look and softly places his hands on her shoulders. "I need you to stay here."
"No!"
"Willow, please. I need your magick to clear a path for us to ride through and attack. You can't do that while also riding and fighting."
Willow looks into his pleading eyes and knows that he speaks the truth. She wouldn't be able to concentrate as much as she needed to especially with Gandalf tapping into her powers.
She reluctantly nods and he places a soft kiss on her lips. He leans his forehead on hers. "I WILL return to you."
Willow smiles tearfully and just nods.
He kisses her one last time before swinging up on to his horse.
Willow grabs Legolas' reins to stop him before he leaves with the others. "You better make it back also. You still haven't taught me that mounting while horse is moving thing you did before."
Legolas smirks and looks down at his friend, "How about a bet? Who can take the most Orcs down."
Willow smiles and asks, "Do you mean kill or just have the Orcs on the ground?"
"How many Orcs you can cause to be on the ground. No matter how." Legolas was thinking of how many he could knock down with his horse as he rode through.
"You're on."
Willow quickly went to the top of the wall before they opened the gate. In the distance against the rising sun she saw horses approach and the feel of strong white magick and knew that it must be Gandalf. He had found Eomer.
She looked down at Aragorn, Haldir, and Legolas and silently wished them luck. "Okay, I'm ready."
Willow turned back to the East and prepared to move the Orcs.
When the gate opened and they kneed their horses into motion Legolas' laughter could be heard floating up in the morning air.
Willow had flattened the front five rows of Orc to get them out of the rider's way. Legolas was going to speak to Willow about cheating when this was over.
Willow's magick cleared a path for them but they still had to fight their way through. Gimli blew the Horn of Helm Hammerhand to rally both the riders and the warriors of Rohan. Along the rise in the East behind the oncoming Orcs were hundreds of horsemen.
The Orcs were caught in the middle. Gandalf, Eomer and their horses were on one side and Theoden, his riders and the people of Rohan on the other.
The fighters of Rohan followed their King into the battle. Orcs, the proud hosts of Saruman, cowered under the onslaught of the warriors and the wizards. For the people of Rohan considered Willow a wizard. They thought her a powerful wizard, though maybe not as powerful as Gandalf or Saruman.
Gandalf's power merged with Willow's and with a sweep of his staff, the Orcs screamed in terror and pain. They threw down their spears and vainly tried to escape. The sky turned an unnatural dark and fire rained down from the Heavens. It landed only on the Orc army sparing the humans and Elves.
When the last of the Orcs were burnt and gone the two sides met in the middle. Theoden grasped Eomer in a fierce hug.
Gandalf smiled at the reunion and then was startled to feel small feminine arms around his waist.
"You made it."
Gandalf looked down into the glowing face of Willow. Legolas and the others looked at the Keep and then back at Willow.
"How did you get here so fast?" Legolas asked.
Willow smiled impishly, "Translocation spell. And by the way, I won the bet. I think Gandalf and my rain of fire knocked most of the Orc down."
Everyone but Gandalf blinked owlishly at Willow. Aragorn looked from Willow to Gandalf and back to Willow again.
"YOU and Gandalf did that?"
"Well, Gandalf did it, but I helped."
"Quite right, my dear. Daughter of Heaven's Fire. When our magick is merged I have more control over the element of fire."
A slow smile emerges on Aragorn's face. With the power and the destructive force of fire they might be able to beat Sauron. After all, the ring was forged in fire and it was the fire of Mt. Doom that will destroy the ring.
