Unsung Courage, Forgotten Valor
Finrod Oronar marched along with the other elves from Lothlorien, traversing
the lands lightly under the stars at night. As he moved, he looked around at
the other elves. Most of them were looking forward with no expressions on their
faces, deep in their own thoughts. Some however, looked apprehensive, although
their steps never faltered.
'And they should be,' thought Finrod. 'We might be marching to our
deaths tonight.' The thought instantly gave birth to an image of him, dead,
amongst the other corpses of men and orcs.
Immediately, he blocked his mind of such thoughts. It would do no good to have
them swirling around in his head during battle. Looking at the stars in the
velvet black sky, Finrod recalled how he had ended up marching to Helms Deep
instead of being safe and secure in Lothlorien.
It was exactly three days ago when Haldir summoned him to a gathering.
~*~
Finrod was playing a flute, one of his favorite pastimes while sitting on the
grass when a messenger came to him. "Lord Finrod," he said,
"Lord Haldir requests your presence in the courtyard."
"I will go immediately."
The messenger bowed and headed off to another direction. Finrod stood up from
the grass and pocketed his flute.
"Let us find out what news the captain has." With that, he sped away
to the courtyard.
A huge number of elves had already turned up by the time Finrod reached the
place. Everybody was talking to one another, some excited, others apprehensive.
The elf spotted Haldir along at one side, studying a piece of parchment, and
went to his side.
"Did you call for me, Haldir?"
Haldir's cold blue eyes looked up at the elf. "Yes," he answered.
"The lady Galadriel has just sent word in regards of the Uruk-Hai
movements in Isengard." He paused, and stared at Finrod. "They are
attacking the Rohan refuge of Helms Deep three nights from now."
"And does she want us to aid the men?"
"Apparently so."
Finrod was taken aback. "But the role of the elves has already been
fulfilled!" He said. "Our time is up - Middle-Earth is none of our
concern now. It is time we head back to Valinor. Let men decide what to do with
the Enemy. We can only provide counsel, not aid."
Haldir raised his hands up to pacify the agitated elf. "Finrod," he
began, "The Enemy is ever our concern. We should help the race of men as
we have done so in the Last Alliance."
"But we have no business here anymore! Our time is over, we are
leaving."
"My friend, listen to me! Rohan does not have enough men to win a battle
against the Uruk-Hai. We have to help them with whatever we have." Here he
paused, and said in a softer voice, "I have learned that lesson from the
Fellowship. Only by working together will we be able to drive back the
Enemy."
Finrod paused, troubled by this revelation. Haldir laid a hand on the other
elf's shoulder. "I know that your beloved, Unodien has left these shores
for the Undying Lands, and that you wish to be with her. But remember Finrod,
it is our duty to keep the darkness at bay, as we have done so for thousands of
years." A pause. "I am going with the relief force, and I have called
you here to ask if you will come with me."
No answer.
"It is fine if you do not wish to go, I can- "
"No. You were right, Haldir. It is an elf's duty to fight off the Enemy. I
will go."
Haldir smiled. Here was a true warrior, afraid but still willing to face great
evil for the good of the Free Peoples. "That is settled, then." He
then turned to the crowd of elves and addressed them.
"Friends, warriors, kinsmen! I have summoned you all for a reason. Rohan
is in danger. A large army of Uruk-Hai will be assaulting the people of Rohan
at their fortress of Helms Deep. As you all might have known, there are too few
soldiers in Helms Deep right now, and we have to help them with their defense.
You are here because you have volunteered to go, and to help strengthen the
defenses and to drive off the army of Saruman."
"Nevertheless, there are dangers on embarking on this journey. We might be
killed in the battle, and we would miss the chance to sail to Valinor and the
chance to live out our lives as immortals. But, our efforts would prove great
in driving back the forces of Sauron and Saruman..."
Finrod flinched as he heard the words 'killed in battle'. He was not supposed
to die. 'I wonder if it would help even if Helms Deep is successfully
defended.' Thought Finrod, full of doubt.
Haldir's speech was nearing its end. "In the end, you will be regarded as
heroes, whether dead or alive. Crowds of people would be safe and thankful,
because of your efforts in defending Helms Deep. Do not look towards despair,
for it is deceptive and would drain you of your courage. Instead, look for
hope. There will always be hope."
All the elves cheered at the end of his lengthy speech. Finrod himself was
moved by his words. 'It is said that a good leader knows how to motivate his
soldiers. Haldir is undoubtedly one of them.'
As the courtyard emptied slowly, Haldir approached Finrod. "We will leave
tomorrow morning," he said. "I trust that you can make it?"
Finrod smiled.
"I can, and I will."
~*~
And this
was how Finrod, Captain and second-in-command of the elf contingent found
himself marching towards the fortress.
The night was getting darker with each step they took. The stars faded slowly,
and one by one, they disappeared. Finrod sent a prayer to Elbereth, and
continued on.
Eventually, the orange-red light of lit torches became visible to the elves.
Finrod made his way to Haldir's side, in front of the other warriors, and spoke
to him.
"That is Helms Deep, is it not?"
"Yes, it is. We will reach there soon enough. It seems that they have
already prepared for the attack."
And they have, as Finrod noticed. Men are patrolling the area, readying their
swords, refreshing themselves, or talking to each other in whispers.
"It is too quiet here."
"Yes. They are fearful. They do not have the strength to fight ten
thousand Uruk-Hai on their own. And that is why we have come. To give both aid
and hope."
Looking at the Rohirrim a second time, Finrod could only feel pity for the men.
'If we had not reached here on time, they would all be killed.' He went
back to his previous position.
The elves have now drawn close to the fortress. Finrod could now see the
amazement and the wonder of the men with his eyes. Some are grinning, relieved
that help is here, however small it is compared to the enemy. Others are
conversing with one another, joy evident on their faces. The rest of them still
maintained their watchfulness, instructing people to man their posts. One
shouted, "Open the Gate!" Finrod could hear the commanding tone of
that voice, keeping control of the situation.
But there was no mistake in the elf's ears; the man was clearly relieved.
The elves proudly marched as a whole on the causeway, moving briskly inside the
fortress. On their way, they passed some Rohirrim guards, who were all looking
at the blue-cloaked elven warriors in amazement. Finrod took the opportunity to
observe them. Most of them were either too young or too old, not fit for combat
at all. 'Their plight must be worse than I had perceived,' thought
Finrod. He was impressed and touched by the Rohirrim's willingness to fight. 'They
would lay down their very lives to defend which they love. And I would do so
for them also.'
Finrod smiled. He had not made a mistake in leaving Lothlorien to aid these
people.
The contingent eventually reached the foot of the fortress, and they stopped.
Out of the corner of his eye, Finrod could see the King of Rohan, Theoden.
Dressed in armor and ready for war, the king came forward to the elf relief
force. "How is this possible?" Finrod heard him say with surprise in
his tone. Haldir turned to him.
"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between
elves and men. Long ago we fought and died together..."
A series of footsteps was heard, and Finrod saw briefly the figures of a man,
an elf, and a dwarf. He stiffened. 'Could it be...?' He wondered. He was
certain that it was them.
"We come to honor that allegiance." Haldir finished.
A male voice then rang out, surprised and grateful. "Welcome,
Haldir." Finrod saw Aragorn embrace the elf, while the latter was stunned
for a moment before returning the gesture. "You are most
welcome!" the man finished, as they part.
With a small signal from Haldir, the elf contingent turned themselves around
smartly. Now having a better view, Finrod saw Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in
their armor, sturdy and alert. The members of a Fellowship that had passed
Lothlorien before. One from the Dunedain, another a fellow kinsman, and the
other a dwarf that was well-known in the Golden Wood for requesting three
strands of hair from the lady Galadriel as a parting gift. Finrod looked back
at Haldir, hearing the elf speak to Theoden.
"We are proud to fight alongside men once more."
Deep in his heart, Finrod knew he felt the same.
~*~
The elves
were then broken up to small groups, placed along the Deeping Walls of Helms
Deep. Finrod was assigned to a group in the middle of the fortress. There, he
prepared for the coming battle. As he checked his bow, Finrod could see people
darting about, fetching swords, adjusting their chain mail, and going to their
positions. The elf could see the fire in their eyes, the determination to
survive the night. He sighed, and thought of his beloved Unodien in Valinor,
waiting for him day by day.
A boy approached Finrod slowly. "Are you an elf?" the boy asked.
Finrod studied the young man. 'He has not yet reached manhood,' thought
the elf. 'He should not be here fighting.' Aloud, he said, "Yes, I
am an elf."
"Wow," the boy stammered. "I... I've never had the chance to
meet an elf before."
"Now you have," Finrod smiled, then gestured to a group of Rohirrim.
"They will be coming soon. Go with your people, and be careful of
yourself." The boy nodded, and went back to his place.
'A mere child, and he has to face the horror of war already.' Finrod
thought sadly. 'If I can give my life in exchange for theirs, I would gladly
do so.'
Lost in his musings, Finrod was startled by a clap on his shoulder. He turned
around, hands absently straying to the hilt of his sword. To his relief, the
person turned out to be Aragorn.
"You are Finrod, the captain of the elf warriors, are you not?"
"Yes, I am."
Aragorn smiled. "Haldir tells me that you are a great fighter."
"So is he."
"No doubt he is." Aragorn looked out over the wall to the darkness
outside, and turned back to Finrod. "I will have to go back. Good luck,
and may Elbereth smile upon you." With that, he turned away and strode to
the other side of the fortress.
~*~
Darkness
wrapped around Helms Deep, preventing its occupants to see much outside.
However, the sound of many feet marching towards the fortress could be heard. The
defenders wait, apprehensive. Finrod stood with the elves, bow in hand, as he
looked ahead.
He could see numerous torches beyond the fortifications. Thousands of them,
with the flames dancing from the wooden ends. The light given off illuminated
the armor of the Uruk-Hai, drab and heavy looking. With each step of the enemy,
the pounding of their feet grew louder, and their armor clearer.
A streak of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, revealing the size of
the enemy that they were about to fight. Finrod could only stare at the
approaching Uruk-Hai in disbelief. The land before them seemed to be a swelling
sea of the half-orcs, wrathful and rippling with immense power.
The light then disappeared just as soon as it had come, shrouding the battlefield
in darkness again. But Finrod knew what was hidden, and he gripped his bow
tighter. 'I have promised to see it through,' he thought, 'and I
shall, whatever the cost.'
Lightning flashed again, and it began to rain. A little trickle of water at
first, it grew to a mild drizzle, then to a full-blown rainstorm. Nobody moved.
The army of Uruk-Hai was inching ever closer by the minute. Finally, they
stopped, and started thumping their spears in the ground. The sound, together
with their roars, made Finrod nauseated. He could see the commander of the
army, standing on a rocky outcrop, far above his minions.
At Helms Deep, the men were readying their arrows, nocking and aiming them at
the invaders. Finrod and the elves waited. It would not do to waste their
strength at the moment.
The roars and the thumping of spears continued, and Finrod waited, waiting for
the battle to begin. He did not have to wait long.
An arrow shot forth from the fortress and hit an Uruk-Hai in the neck. The
elves and men started. Who had shot it?
Finrod heard the voice of Aragorn on his right, reproachful in tone.
"Hold!"
He searched with his eyes for the offender, and saw an old man in armor
fumbling for another arrow, no doubt replacing the one shot by him.
The battlefield turned quiet in an instant, save for the low growls of the
Uruk-Hai, enraged by the killing of their comrade. Finrod turned his attention
back to them, knowing that the sea of destruction would engulf them soon
enough.
The Uruk-Hai commander raised his sword towards Helms Deep, roaring at the top
of his lungs. With that, the army charged forth. The Battle of Helms Deep thus
began.
Aragorn then issued a command to the elven archers. "Prepare to
fire!" At once, the elves took an arrow from their quivers, and fitted it
to their bowstrings, drawing them to fire on the ranger's word. Finrod repeated
the command to the ones who could not hear it, and aimed his arrow at the
nearest Uruk, going for the neck.
"Release the arrows!"
The arrows flew to their targets as one, all of them hitting a wave of Uruks
successfully. They collapsed from the attack, dead. But many more came forward
to replace them.
Hastily, Finrod nocked another arrow and fired again. This time, the arrow
pierced the Uruk's shoulders, but it ignored the arrow as if it were just a
small wound.
At his left, Finrod could hear Theoden shouting over the din. "Fire!"
Another wave of arrows dove down to the seething mass of Uruks below, killing
many.
But they were not without loss. A group of Uruk-Hai wielding crossbows fired at
the defenders, killing a Rohirrim man and an elf, to Finrod's dismay.
The elves fired another volley at Aragorn's command, but it soon became evident
that they would have to resort to close combat before long. Ladders are fast approaching
the walls.
"Ladders!" Aragorn warned. The elves slung their bows over their
shoulders, drawing their curved blades. A ladder suddenly appeared before
Finrod, colliding with the masonry of the walls with a huge bang. The elf
gripped his sword tightly, ready for the first half-orc to appear.
They came in droves, flooding the fortifications like ants. Finrod killed the
first with a stab in the heart, and then whirled around to slash another in the
back, saving one of his comrades. The attacked elf thanked Finrod, who nodded
in response. They continued to fight off the Uruks.
Hard as he fought, Finrod could see no end to the numbers ravaging the
fortress. A stab, then a slash, and another Uruk fell. He then retreated for a
while, using his bow to take out a few more who were going to slip up on their
enemies undetected. Dimly, he noticed that the rain had stopped.
"The Causeway!"
Finrod immediately set his eyes on the strip of road leading to the keep. A
phalanx of Uruk-Hai was advancing towards the gate, deflecting the arrows and
rocks fired from above them with their shields. Finrod instantly went up to
join another group of elf archers and fired his arrow along with theirs to the
Uruks' unprotected sides. A column fell, hit by the arrows, but the group kept
moving. Finrod fired his arrows repeatedly on the Uruk-Hai, killing more with
each shot.
*BOOM*
Confused, Finrod turned his head to the direction of the sound, and was
instantly horrified. A part of the Deeping Walls had exploded, and the bodies
of elves, men and Uruks were thrown up to the air, along with the cracked
remains of the Wall. Smoke rose from the spot where the Wall exploded.
Fueled by a sudden surge of rage, Finrod dove into a fight with the Uruk-Hai
nearest to him. Moving deceptively fast, he brought down numerous enemies,
killing them mercilessly.
A moment later, Haldir met up with him. "How are you faring?" He
asked.
"I am fine. Their numbers do not seem to end."
"But we must still stay strong." Haldir replied. "May Elbereth
protect you, my friend." With that, he headed away, engaging more soldiers
of the Enemy. Finrod was kept busy by more coming from over the ladders.
Night dragged on, and the fighting slowly began to tip in the Uruk-Hai's favor.
More and more men and elves are dead, and the Uruks are still pouring into the
fortress. Finrod was beginning to feel weary, his strokes are slower, and his
hand was sore. But even so, he fought with all the strength he could muster.
Finally, he heard the voice of Theoden and Aragorn. "Fall back! Fall
back!"
An elf rushed to Finrod's side. "It is time to retreat, my lord." He
said.
"I will go back as soon as I can."
The elf nodded, then headed back to the keep as quickly as possible. Finrod
shot another Uruk, and started to head back for the keep.
But he stopped when he saw another Uruk slamming his sword down Haldir's back.
"HALDIR!" He yelled. Hands shaking, he grabbed his last arrow, nocked
it, and aimed carefully at the escaping Uruk-Hai.
"May Elbereth guide my arrow and slay the foul creature." With this,
he let loose the arrow.
The lone arrow flew past everyone, seeming to track down the Uruk. With a sharp
piercing shot on the back of the neck, the foul creature of Isengard fell, thus
avenging Haldir's death.
But it was not enough. Overcome with grief, Finrod could only stare at the body
of Haldir, held by Aragorn.
Flooded with a new wave of determination, he threw down his bow, and slowly
unsheathed his blade.
Striding towards the nearest Uruk-Hai, he began to fight with a new vigor.
Everyone who opposed him could see vengeance in his eyes, and they feared him
for it. One by one, they fell, and Finrod continued to slay his enemies.
Soon enough, the cries of the Uruks can be heard. "An elf-lord! An
elf-lord is here!" Finrod did not listen to them.
At this moment, Finrod came face to face with the Uruk-Hai commander. The Uruk
swung his sword towards the elf, but the latter parried the blade. Blows were
exchanged, and the grinding of metal against metal could be heard.
But the Uruks seek only to kill, not to fight with mercy on their minds. One
crept up from behind Finrod's back, while the elf was battling the commander,
and slashed the back of his neck.
Finrod staggered, the pain unbearable. Losing hold of his sword, it dropped
towards the ground with a large clatter, as though pronouncing the elf's doom.
He fell, lying towards the ground on his back, looking at the Uruk commander
openly mocking him.
Eventually, they left, and Finrod was left to die amidst the other dead bodies
of Elves, Men and Uruk-Hai.
Staring at the night sky, Finrod felt his strength ebbing away with each breath
he took. Looking at the stars in the sky, he felt an urge to raise his hands
towards it for one last time.
"Farewell, dear Unodien... I go now... to the Halls... of Mandos.
Farewell..."
With a last gasp of breath, Finrod Oronar of Lothlorien perished, a noble elven
warrior in the battlements of Helms Deep, far away from home.
As the arm of Finrod collapsed to the ground, a lone star twinkled, then faded
from view.
Disclaimer: The author would like everyone to know that all invented peoples and places are from Professor JRR Tolkien's imagination, and that he is just using them for target practice (read: writing improvement), so please do not sue him. Also, all moose used in production are from Monty Python. Parts of story are hazardous to children from ages 3 – 7. Story comes in segmented parts but form one whole chapter. Each sold separately. Batteries not included.