DISCLAIMER: Lord of the Rings is not mine, as you all probably have guessed by now. Gwen, Skeet, and Maedron are mine. Yes, we have a new character!
Gwen stood on the walltop, looking out at the sea of lights marching closer and closer.
" Personally, I think Saruman is overkilling it a little bit," she whispered to Gimli. He grunted in reply. Aragorn walked amongst the ranks of elves, shouting encouraging words at them in elvish. He came and stood next to Gwen.
" Here," he said, handing her a bow and arrow. Gwen looked at it as if it were a foreign object.
" Oh, I will be alright with just my swords," she said, trying to get rid of it.
" No, you will need it," he replied, handing it to her. She took it awkwardly and thanked him.
" Whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night," said Gimli to Aragorn. A flash of lightening cut through the sky, lighting up the darkness. Gwen could see the masses of orcs.
" Your friends are with you, Aragorn," said Legolas.
" Let's hope they last the night," muttered Gimli. Gwen scooted over to Legolas.
" Hey, how do I work this thing," she asked, her voice filled with embarrassment. Legolas looked at her in shock.
" You don't know how to shoot?" he asked in astonishment.
" Would I be asking you how if I already knew?" she whispered in irritation. It was bad enough him having to know. She really didn't want him spouting it off in front of the other elves.
" It isn't too hard, just watch me as we load," he whispered. Gwen nodded and looked straight ahead. She felt a raindrop hit her on the head. The sound of it pinging off the elf armor was soon heard.
" What's going on?" asked Gimli, trying to see over the wall.
" Shall I describe it to you, or would you like me to find you a box?" asked Legolas, a hint of a smile on his face. Gwen laughed.
" I hope they don't rust," Gwen muttered to herself, glad that she had passed on chain mail. The orcs had gotten very close. She could see their disgusting faces underneath their helmets. Aragorn yelled for them to load their bows. Gwen looked at Legolas, who was loading slowly for her benefit. She copied his every move, making sure the pointy end of the arrow was facing towards the orcs.
" Their armor is weak round the shoulders and neck," said Legolas in elvish. Oh, right, like I am going to be able to hit an orc's neck, she thought as she strained to hold the bow drawn. Come on, Aragorn, gotta let go, thought Gwen as her arms began to cramp. Aragorn had gotten a bow with too heavy of a draw weight for her. Suddenly, an arrow was fired from King Theoden's ranks.
" Hold!" Aragorn yelled in elvish. Gwen struggled to comply. The orcs stopped banging their spears on the ground. Their comrade slumped to the ground and fell. All the orcs began baring their teeth and snarling. They charged the wall. Aragorn yelled for them to fire. Gwen took aim and let her arrow fly. She watched as an orc fell with it embedded in its chest.
" Well, that wasn't so bad," she said to herself. Pulling another arrow onto her bow, she waited for Aragorn to command them to fire. When he yelled, she let it go. Gwen felt a soft breeze swish past her face. Pain swiped across her cheek. She looked back, her eyes wide. There were archers on the ground behind them, shooting through the gaps at the orcs! Putting her hand to her face, she felt a small scrape across the side of her cheek were an arrow had barely missed her.
" Hmm, looks like someone's a bit rusty. Better not move around to much," she whispered. Notching another arrow to her bow, she let it fly. When she looked down, she saw that the orcs were bringing ladders to climb up the wall.
" Ah, this is more like it!" yelled Gimli. Gwen couldn't have agreed more. She stuck the bow into her quiver and pulled out her sword as the first ladder came up. She merely had to stick her sword out straight in front of her to slay the first orc over. With that one down, she went at the other ones.
" Legolas! Two!" yelled Gimli, holding up two fingers.
" I am on seventeen!" Legolas answered. Gwen laughed at the antics of the two.
" Ah! I'll have no pointy eared elf out scoring me!" yelled Gimli as he killed another orc.
" And I'll have no midget dwarf beating me either!" Gwen yelled back, getting into the game. That got a laugh from Legolas. Gwen went about with her sword, wreaking havoc. She saw one orc sneaking up on Haldir. Calmly, she walked up on the orc and stabbed him. Orcs began to march up to the doors, their shields covering their heads.
" Hey, over there!" she yelled to the archers. They turned as one and began to shoot the orcs. Cries from Aragorn caused her to turn.
" Legolas! Shoot him! Bring him down!" he yelled. Gwen saw that an orc was running with a large torch.
" Come on Legolas!" she screamed, knowing that whatever was going on couldn't be good. Legolas shot him twice in the shoulders near the neck. The orc gave a cry and, carried on by his own momentum, he crashed into the drainage opening. The wall rumbled and heaved beneath Gwen's feet, causing her to fall. A huge section of the wall had been entirely blown away! Huge chunks of rock flew into the air. Gwen flew backwards through the air, propelled by the strength of the blast. Luckily for her, she didn't land on the ground, just on another section of the wall. Her crash landing knocked the air from her body. Huge chunks of rock flew through the air, along with the bodies of elves. Gwen scrunched herself into as small a ball as possible to avoid being hit by any of the missiles. The shaking stopped and she managed to push herself up onto her feet. What she saw caused her blood to freeze. Orcs were flooding in through the opening in the wall!
" Aragorn!" she yelled as she caught sight of him lying on the ground.
" Aragorn!" she heard Gimli yell. She watched as he flung himself off the walltop and into the melee below.
" Gimli!" she yelled in dismay as she dispatched another orc. Aragorn got the elves together for a charge. Gwen watched them clash with the orcs. Legolas, who slid down a stair on a shield, firing arrows as he went, soon joined them.
" I have got to get down there, I'm missing out!" she said to herself. She walked along the walltop, killing the odd orc as she went, trying to find a way down. It seemed as if all the orcs were trying to come up all the stairways. Trying to push her way down would result in death. Gwen turned round in frustration to meet the blade of an orc. She blocked with her sword and kicked him in the head with all her might. The orc staggered backwards and fell over the walltop and was impaled on another orc's spear.
" Aragorn! Fall back to the Keep!" she heard the King yell. Aragorn began to usher the elves back into the Keep. Gwen turned and began yelling to the other elves to get back.
" Come on, to the Keep!" she yelled in elvish.
"Haldir!" yelled Aragorn, motioning the elf to the Keep. Gwen was a bit behind Haldir, so she saw what happened next. Haldir turned and was struck by an orc. He slew the orc and stood, holding his side. Gwen saw the orc come up behind him. The orc struck downwards into Haldir's back. Gwen screamed horribly and ran to the fallen elf. She reached him at the same time as Aragorn, who caught him as he fell. Haldir's eyes glazed over in death. Aragorn placed a hand on his chest, then rose and turned with a cry. Gwen stood and looked at him, not liking the look in his eye. In reckless anger, Aragorn detached one of the orc ladders that had been put up on the inside of the wall and rode it downward to the ground. Gwen ran to the edge of the wall.
" Aragorn, what in the blazes do you think you are doing? Well, whatever it is, I am coming too!" she yelled. She walked along the walltop until she found a ladder of her own.
"Perfect!" she said, a frightening light in her eyes. She leapt onto the top of the ladder and kicked it away from the wall. For a split second the ladder stood straight up in the air. Then it tumbled over.
" YEAGH!!!" Gwen shrieked as gravity pulled the ladder down. Just before it hit the ground, she flung herself off and onto an orc. The ladder flattened at least two more. Gwen laid about with her sword, killing orcs.
Aragorn stood in the middle of battle next to another elf.
" We must get the rest into the Keep, Maedron. Try to round them up," said Aragorn. He reached out and caught Legolas' arm.
" Where is Gwen?" he demanded.
" Last I saw of her, she was riding a ladder down from the walltop over there," he replied. Aragorn laughed.
" That sounds like Gwen. Maedron, go find her!" he commanded. The dark haired elf looked at him.
" What does she look like?" he asked.
" Tall, short blonde hair. She is the only girl on the battle field!" replied Aragorn as he helped Legolas haul a reluctant Gimli back into the Keep. Maedron nodded and set out in the direction Legolas had motioned.
Gwen was fighting her way towards the Keep. Orc after orc fell as she hacked her way to the stairs. A sharp flame of pain shot through her side. An orc's sword had caught her, giving her a nice scrape.
" Well, I guess it's back to doctor Eowyn," she muttered as she turned and killed the orc. All her killing was to no avail. There was no way she was getting to that stair. She did the only thing she could think to do. She ran as fast as she could, knowing that a moving target was harder to hit than a standing one. The stair that Aragorn had gone up loomed up on her left. Gwen shot sideways and slipped. Her tired legs crumpled beneath her body, not wanting to move any longer. Suddenly, strong arms lifted her up off the ground. Gwen ignored her tired body and made her legs move. She began once again to run, this time helped along by a stranger. After they got to the top of the stair, she turned to the man. He was a tall elf, with long, straight black hair and light gray eyes.
" Who are you and where is Aragorn?" she demanded.
" I am Maedron. Aragorn is at the door," he replied calmly.
" Which direction is the door in?" she asked sharply.
" That way, but don't you want to go to the caves where you will be safe?" he asked, catching her arm. She stared up at him.
" Go to the caves? Why would I want to do something like that?" she asked, jerking her arm out of his grasp. Gwen turned and ran towards the door. Once she reached it, she found Aragorn.
" Well, that can't be good," she said, indicating the large hole in the door. Aragorn shook his head.
" Aragorn, I need you to hold the door!" yelled Theoden.
" How long do you need?" Aragorn asked.
" As long as you can give me!" replied the King. Aragorn grabbed Gimli. Gwen started to go after them, but someone caught her back. It was Legolas.
" Gwen, Maedron, come with me!" he demanded. She did without question. Legolas led them outside. Gwen looked downwards and saw Aragorn and Gimli fighting.
" When the time comes, we will need to get them out of there quick!" said Legolas. Gwen nodded, looking down to the orcs.
" Legolas, look!" she yelled. The orcs were shooting very large hooks on to the walltop! Then three very large ladders began to raise up off the ground, orcs clinging to them like bugs. Legolas and Maedron pulled out their bows and arrows. Taking good aim, Legolas hit one of the cables. The ladder stood still, then fell backwards. Gwen patted him on the shoulder.
" Mighty good shot!" she said admirably. Her happiness faded suddenly.
" Aragorn and Gimli!" she yelled. Legolas yelled to Aragorn and threw a rope down to him. Aragorn and Gimli grabbed on. Legolas, Gwen, and Maedron began hauling them up. Legolas grasped Aragorn's arm and pulled the two of them up. Gwen grabbed Gimli.
" Retreat! Retreat into the Keep!" a voice could be heard crying. Gwen looked at Aragorn. He beckoned them to follow him into the Keep. Legolas ran at the back, firing arrows as he went.
I got a new reviewer!
Collie girl, I am very glad that you like my story!