A/N: I'm sorry, but this is only a short chapter. There is just no better place to stop. Apologies for the battle scene in the last chapter but I'm not very good with that sort of stuff. I used a couple of lines from the movie and some of the scenes eg. Haldir's death. I promise that the next chapter will be exciting. What will happen when Gríma causes a great deal of discomfort to our lovely Éowyn and Aragorn is not there to save her?

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Chapter 5: Where is Aragorn?

Théoden and Aragorn led the charge out of the Hall, followed by what there was of the Rohirrim, out onto the bridge. The horn sounded a rich call from inside the Hornburg, but another rang out from the top of the slope. Theoden could just made out the figure mounted, poised on the rim of the incline, a large crowd assembled behind him.

"Éomer!" he cried, "Éomer has come with the Rohirrim!"

Éomer had gathered all of the Rohirrim he could find to assist the king in his battle. They stood, at least two thousand riders, all eager to fight for their king and freedom. In the light of dawn, the charged down the escarpment at the stunned Uruk-hai below them. They hacked their way through the thousands of Uruk-hai.

There was a good deal of bloodshed on both parts. Háma, one of Théoden's captains, fell in battle, struck down by a Warg-rider who was amongst the Uruk-hai, Wild men and orcs.

The battle was brief but very fierce. Both Uruk-hai and riders fell but it was Rohan who rose victorious. When it was all over, Théoden rode to meet his nephew.

"Éomer," he cried, "what a joy it is to see you are well!"

"You also, dear uncle," he responded.

"Come," said Théoden, "we shall celebrate our victory in the great halls, but first we must bury those who died in this battle."

"I shall call the people out of the Glittering Caves and inform Éowyn of our triumph," added Éomer.

            Théoden strolled around the battleground with some of the riders, heaping all of the dead into a large pile. This was then covered in dirt and laden with seed of 'simbelmynë', a flower which grows all year round on the graves of men.

Éowyn had arrived and started immediately to tend the wounded with a handful of women. Her work was very demanding and took her several hours. As soon as she had finished, she hurried off to look for Aragorn. She had not seen him since the battle began and she was worried that he might be hurt or worse, dead. She could not see Legolas or Gimli either. He could not have died, she thought, he is too skilled a warrior. After a thorough search of Helm's Deep and the battlegrounds, she still had not found him.

What if he had died?

She did not know. She ran back to the hall, scouring it well, finally tearing off to her room.

She threw herself down on the bed and wept bitterly.

            Aragorn wandered the Glittering Caves with Legolas and Gimli. They were massive, unlike any they had seen before, shining like gold on every wall, each new turn opening up a whole other maze to explore. Gimli was fascinated by them and his enthusiasm was obvious.

"I have never before seen such miraculous caves, matched only by the Mines of Moria," he exclaimed.

"Yes, that is evident, my friend," chuckled Aragorn, "never have I seen your eyes bulge so."

Legolas laughed; Aragorn smiled cheekily. Gimli scowled at them.

"I fear you do not understand the dwarfish passion for natural formations such as these caves too well."

"We understand it perfectly," said Legolas sarcastically, "we simply find your outward expressions somewhat amusing," he finished.

He and Aragorn burst into fits of laughter.

"I found yours to be the same whilst we were in Fangorn Forest, Master Elf," retorted Gimli.

Legolas scoffed at this but fell silent. The companions continued through the caves. Gimli watched that he did not provoke the other two; they had hurt his pride enough. Aragorn soon forgot about it, but Legolas was always ready to stir up the dwarf. They wandered through the caves, admiring their beauty, for hours and lost track of time. Realising how long they had been there, they remembered the celebrations in the Hall. Gimli was not easily torn away from the caves.

"May I not stay and explore while we are here?" he begged

Aragorn shook his head.

"You may come back later to explore them, I will join you in your explorations," said Legolas, "but I ask that you come with me to search Fangorn Forest. I long to learn more about the trees."

Gimli was hesitant but agreed to the Elf's terms.

They set off, back towards the celebrations to join the king in his victory, each wondering how many more they would see.

The War had just begun.

Meanwhile, Gríma had managed to hide in his chambers for the duration of the battle, emerging now just in time to see Éowyn run sobbing to her room. He edged his way through the crack in her door, approaching his victim as stealthily as a snake, to position himself behind her. He extended a clawed, bony hand from his disgusting black robes, clasping his fingers around her shoulder…

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A/N: I know that you are all going to want to kill me now but don't, otherwise you'll never find out the rest. Apologies for stopping the story here, the suspense is killing even me but at present I am suffering from a cold and a serious case of writer's block. I PROMISE that the next chapter will be up this weekend.