I just got my TTT DVD yesterday and the first thing I went to watch was the ROTK preview!
OH. MY. GOD. The scenes for the Battle of Pelleanor Field were INCREDIBLE! AWESOME! FANTASTIC! All those horses and riders and such! And it was only in mere seconds!! I can't wait to see it in full-length scene! And Minas Tirith! What a wonder! ROTK is definitely an Academy Award item! I hope it will get many Oscars next year!! And I only just watched its preview, not the whole thing!
God, how I wish it were December already! I just can't wait!
Oh, right! Almost forgot. Here's the next chappie!
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Aragorn shook his head to clear the web off his pounding brain. His ears were still ringing from the loud blast and his vision was quite blurry. The explosion had thrown him off his feet and he had landed hard against the parapet. Painfully pulling himself up, Aragorn quickly scanned the area and digested the total damage.
The long wall of the Deep made of stone and mortar now had a big hole in the middle. The enemy had blown it up with powerful explosives, giving them easy entrance into the Deep. The debris of the blast were still falling all around him, but the orcs were already making their way through the hole, growling hungrily for blood and death.
The ranger panicked when he saw no sign of Legolas or Gimli in the mayhem. But he saw Theoden several feet away, standing up dizzily. The ranger went to the king and offered a supporting hand. "Are you well, my lord?"
"I'm fine, Lord Aragorn." Theoden looked in dismay at the gaping hole. "They are coming in!"
Aragorn glanced at the causeway and saw more of them tried to break through the heavy wooden door. "We won't let them succeed. I'm going down and meet them."
"We will handle the door," said Theoden. He then called out to his men-at-arms, "To the gate!"
Meanwhile, Gimli grunted as he tried to push a deadweight body off him. "Umph! Get off me, you stupid orc!"
"Say what?" a pain-induced yet familiar voice sounded.
The dwarf's eyes widened. "Eomer? Is that you?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Get off me! I can't breathe!"
"Give me a second, will you." The Rohan warrior dragged himself off the prone dwarf, holding his head and winced. Gimli sat up and looked worriedly at a long gash on Eomer's temple. "That looks terrible."
"It feels terrible," the man replied. But then he saw the big gap in the wall and the orcs rushing in. "Come, Gimli! Here they come!!"
But the dwarf had just caught sight of his elven friend lying motionless several yards away among the piles of debris. "Legolas!"
Eomer watched in dismay as the dwarf ran to the side of their fallen comrade. The man brandished his sword like mad at the approaching orcs as he cautiously make his way towards the dwarf and the elf. "How is he, Gimli?"
Gimli used his paw to swipe away the pieces of rocks and stones off Legolas. His friend's eyes were close but he was still breathing. Miraculously, the silver coronet managed to stay on top of the prince's head in all the excitement.
After cutting down yet an advancing orc with his powerful sword, Eomer chanced a look behind him. "Gimli, tell me, is he all right?"
"I don't know. He's out cold." Gimli was terribly worried. He had just found out that a sharp piece of rock from the exploded wall was imbedded deep in Legolas' side, under his right sternum. "He doesn't look very good to me."
The elf stirred then. His eyes fluttered open then blinked in confusion when he saw the dwarf staring worriedly at him. "Gimli?"
"Blast it, elf! Now you're awake! You scared the demon out of me!" Gimli frowned when Legolas struggled to sit up. "What are you doing?"
"What else do you think I'm doing? I need to…" He hissed in pain when a blinding agony assailed him from his injured side. He looked down and grimaced when he saw the cause. "Great. Not what I need right now."
"Your highness!" Commander Jaden suddenly came rushing. He knelt down beside the prince and stared at the offending piece of rock. "You're hurt."
"Thank you for telling me that." Legolas rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Now, can you help me pull it out?"
Jaden was instantly alarmed. "Now? I mean, right here?"
"You don't expect me to keep it there and drag it everywhere with me in this battle, are you?"
Still wielding his sword at the coming orcs, Eomer swiftly glanced behind him and yelled, "Curse you, you lazy dwarf! I need some help here!!!"
Gimli growled in reply and straightened up, already swinging his mighty axe. "Can't you do anything right by yourself, human?"
If it was not such a dire situation, Legolas might have laughed at the two's bickering. He looked directly into Jaden's eyes. "Do it, Jaden."
"But this wound is bad, your highness. We need to take you into the caves and get it properly treated."
"We have no time for that and I definitely will NOT leave this fight!" Legolas was firm. "Pull it out, Jaden. That's an order."
Jaden reluctantly obeyed. He reached down to grip the jutting piece of rock, grumbling under his breath while doing so. Legolas frowned. "What did you say?"
"I said, this sharp rock could never break through that thick skull of yours! Ai, you're so stubborn!" He looked up at the prince and softened his voice. "Ready, your highness?"
Legolas nodded as he relaxed his muscles, then waited for the pain to come.
Jaden pulled out the rock in a fast and precise movement. Legolas jerked, crying out in anguish. He tightly shut his eyes as waves of nausea instantly washed over him. Swallowing the bile in his throat, Legolas willed himself to calm down and waited until the severe pain subsided.
When he reopened his eyes, Jaden was peering at him anxiously. "Your highness?"
"I'll be fine, Jaden." Legolas unsteadily got to his feet.
Jaden immediately gave him a supporting hand. The commander stared worriedly at the hole in Legolas' side that was bleeding profusely. "Aren't you going to wrap that wound first?"
Legolas shook his head. He wasted no time to reply, but took out his twin blades and said instead, "Hold the ground! Tell our people not to let the orcs get anywhere near the main door into the Deep!"
Knowing that Legolas will not move from his decision, Jaden nodded. "Aye, my lord!" The elder elf then turned to get to his company.
Now that their arrows were spent, the remaining elves were now fighting with their sword. Their numbers had dwindled to three hundred. Many had perished, many more were injured. And the battle was only halfway through.
Midnight had come and go. The enemy still kept on coming while Helm's Deep defense was slowly weakening. Still, they refused to retreat from the enemy's onslaught because to do so will only grant them their own death warrant.
They held on. Eomer had promised so to Gandalf. Therefore, they gave everything they had to hold the fort as they waited for the wizard's arrival.
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Dawn finally arrived.
Aragorn was relieved when he caught sight of Gimli battling against the orcs in a mighty fury. "How fare you, my friend?" the ranger inquired as he ran down his sword through an orc's chest.
The dwarf snarled, "I have no time to talk, Aragorn! Leave me be!" His axe had just brought down an orc to its knees. Gimli finished the job by slamming his weapon against the creature's head.
The ranger winced at the sickening crunch and splashing blood. "Err…right. But tell me, have you seen Legolas?"
Gimli paused momentarily and glared at the man. "Right there!" He pointed at the elf who was fighting side by side with Eomer and the other elves several yards away in front of the great door that led into the Deep. "Now can you stop bugging me and tell that elf to get his wound treated?"
Aragorn was alarmed. "Legolas is hurt?"
"Yes, and so is Eomer! But those two are too pigheaded for their own good!" Gimli's axe swung down very near to Aragorn that the ranger jumped back. "Move aside, Aragorn! You're spoiling my aim!!"
The ranger almost smiled at that. "Happy killing, Gimli!" he shouted as he ran towards Legolas and Eomer. Gimli only growled uncomprehendingly in reply.
Eomer smiled wearily when he saw Aragorn approached. "Looking for more excitement, ranger?"
Aragorn smiled back. Then he frowned when he saw the bleeding hole in Legolas' side and Eomer's serious head wound. "You both don't look too good."
"That is NOT what I want to hear right now, Estel!" Legolas said. He had sheathed his daggers and was currently using a sword that he had retrieved from among the dead bodies of the Rohirrim warriors. The long sharp blade let out a humming sound at his every powerful swing.
"Why is everyone in a bad mood?" Aragorn muttered, deftly blocking an attack.
"And why are you talking so much?" Legolas snapped back.
Then came a loud roar. They looked up in horror to see the door to the gateway above finally crumbled under the enemy's strength. More orcs were pouring into the Deep!
"Now, where is Gandalf?" Eomer grumbled. He skillfully slashed his sword against an orc that charged at Legolas from behind. "I don't think we can hold on much longer!"
Legolas chanced to look up at the lightening sky. "Sunrise on the second day," he whispered. Then his eyes saw something else. "Look!! There's your prayer, Eomer!"
There, upon the ridge between the hills, appeared a rider. He was clad in white, almost shining in the rising sun. A moment later behind him materialized about five hundred mounted men, hastening down the slopes with swords in their hands. A horn was blowing amid their strong cries for battle.
"Gandalf!!" they all shouted in joyful surprise.
"And he had brought Erkenbrand's company along with him!" Eomer cried out in satisfaction when he recognized the tall man riding beside the wizard.
It was as if time stood still for a full second in the Deep. Everyone stared dumbfounded at Gandalf and his entourage. Then the army of Saruman roared, swaying uncertainly this way and that, undecided and quickly losing purpose.
The Rohirrims and the elves took the opportunity of the enemy's confusion by slaying them as many as they could. Saruman's army reeled and screamed when the riders ran them down, trampling all over them under their mounts' powerful hoofs.
The orcs went helter-skelter. They abandoned the Deep and the gate, chased off by the still standing Rohirrims and elves.
"Victory!!" finally cried the Rohirrims as Saruman's army fled away from the Deep. "Victory!!!"
Gimli let out a loud whoop of joy. He slapped Eomer's back gleefully with such force that the man stumbled forward. Eomer grimaced and immediately reached up to hold his injured head. The dwarf grinned wider. "Oops! Sorry." He didn't look sorry at all.
Legolas watched tiredly as the last of the enemy vanished into the nearby woods, never to appear again. He slowly lowered his sword and only half listened to Aragorn telling him something.
"Legolas? Did you hear me? Are you all right?" the ranger repeated his questions. He grew concern as he peered closely at the elf's dirt smudged face. Legolas' pallor was even more pronounced and his eyes looked slightly glazed.
The elf nodded. He shakily sat down on a fallen rock. "Yes. Fine," he mumbled. Now that all the excitement was becoming to an end, his whole aching body was protesting loudly. He was becoming aware of the screaming pain of the wound in his side. Then to his absolute dismay, Legolas felt himself grow detached from reality and his vision swam out of focus. "Err…Estel? I think I'm going to…"
The other three cried out in alarm as Legolas toppled over backward. Unconscious.
TBC…
Yikes! He lost his senses again! Poor elf. Bad, Adromir! Really, really bad!
I know. Cliffie again. But this is the last cliffie in this fic! Read the conclusion in the next chapter!