Anarrima was thrown to the ground as the explosion breeched the wall. Giant boulders of stone fell from the sky. Men, elves and orcs lay dead all about her. Smoke bellowed to the sky as the rain ceased for a moment. Water rushed from the undamed river behind Helm's Deep as the army prepared to flood into the fortress. She looked to her left warily. Aragorn had fallen with her from the top of the wall. Slowly they both began to rise to their feet to see a hoard of orcs charging at them. Ana braced herself and readied her daggers for a meeting with her foes. "I will not go down without a fight," she said.

"Nor will I," Aragorn drew his sword and braced himself beside his female companion, his friend. "For the Dunedain."

"For the Dunedain."

Up on the wall they heard a shout and a dwarf flew from the upper level, landing in the middle of the host. Gimli got up and swung his axe against the Uruk-hai. Aragorn and Anarrima charged in to help their comrade, an army of Elven warriors at their back. Her daggers found their mark on the head of the first orc. She slashed at each one in turn, counting as she went. "36... 37... 38... 39."

Legolas searched through the men for Ana, but she was no where to be found. She wasn't on the wall, and she wasn't among the dead. He heard shouting near the breech in the wall and saw Aragorn, Gimli and Anarrima with the Elven army, fighting for their lives. Legolas grabbed the shield from a dead orc and slid down the steps, shooting as he went. "31... 32... 33." At the bottom he pulled out his daggers and dug them into the abdomen of an Uruk-hai and kicked him to the ground, finishing him off with a thrust at the throat. "Anarrima!"

The fierce battle raged on. Legolas ran to where Anarrima took the head off one of her foes with one of the skills Legolas taught long ago back in Mirkwood. The two elves shared a brief glance before turning back to their task. She saw a familiar gleam in his eyes, a gleam she had first beheld that day when he said he loved her. She would have been lost in that look if not for a shout from King Theoden atop the fortress. "Fall back to the keep!" They fought their way to the stairs leading up to the top of the keep, clearing the way of orcs as they went. Aragorn looked back up and yelled.

"Haldir! Nan Barad! [To the Keep!]"

Haldir nodded and ordered his elves to fall back as well. Anarrima and Legolas had to take Gimli by each arm and drag him back with them against his will. "What are you doing? Stop it!" Ana turned just in time to see an orc at Haldir's back. She watched in horror as the beast delivered a fatal blow to the Captain of the Galadhrim. Her heart nearly stopped and her voice escaped her.

"Haldir!" She screamed and started up the stairs to him, but Legolas grabbed her hand and pulled her back up to the keep with him. She kicked and screamed trying to escape his grasp but he held on to her. Tears streamed from her eyes as they reached the top of the wall. Below they could see Aragorn and Gimli upon the entrance ramp slaughtering orc after orc attempting to overcome the entrance, giving the men time to finish repairing the door.

"Aragorn!" Legolas shouted and threw down a rope to them. Anarrima spotted a large ladder being hoisted up the battlements... 20 or 30 orcs prepared to storm the top of the wall. Pulling her bow off her back and placing an arrow to the string she shot the rope anchoring the ladder to the stone and watched as it went crashing down below onto the army of Uruk-hai. She then turned and guarded Legolas' back as he pulled Aragorn and Gimli to safety.

"We need to get back to the keep," Aragorn said making his way back up to the fortress hall. "Pull everyone back inside."

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"The fortress is taken," Theoden said defeated. "It is over." His men still attempted to delay the batterings of the Uruk army pounding at the large wooden door. Legolas and Ana tried desperately to gather benches and tables to hold the doors too. Her hands were bloody and she was exhausted. She looked up out the window to see the rays of the morning sun begin to flood into the room.

"The sun is rising."

Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn look to the East.

King Theoden sat upon his horse, Aragorn upon his, Legolas upon Arod and Anarrima upon Dimrost. "We ride out and meet them head-on," Aragorn said to the king. Ana looked at Legolas and smiled. They had survived the night fighting side-by-side. The ring around her neck shown brightly in the sun as she mouthed the words "I love you" and the doors were broken in by the orcs. They charged at the unaware intruders, down the entrance of the fortress killing all they could upon horseback. The horn of Helm Hammerhand blew in the deep and echoed all across the land to the mountain sides.

Aragorn paused for a moment and looked off into the east. Up on the cliff side was a white figure upon his horse. "Gandalf." A sudden light streams from the eastern slopes and the whole host of orcs became alarmed and confused. But Gandalf was not alone. With him was Eomer... and his Rohirrim. Down the slope they charged, much to the dismay of the Uruk army. The surviving orcs fled back to the south, back into Fangorn Forest; the awakened trees awaited them... and finished them off in turn.

Helm's Deep was defended. The people of Rohan were saved. Victory was won.

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The orc corpses were being piled and burned behind Helm's Deep and the deceased men and elves were buried together, the graves unmarked so none after them could identify the Firstborn from the Afterborn... as it should have been. Anarrima stood before a mound beside the southern wall of the Deep; Haldir's grave. She sighed heavily as she laid a small white flower upon the mound. From behind her walked up Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. Her head was bowed and she was whispering a prayer in elvish as Aragorn placed a hand on her shoulder.

"This is twice I've had to visit the grave of my companion," She said with sorrow when she finished. Her tears had dried when she heard them coming up behind her, for she did not desire them to see her cry again.

"Valinor awaits Haldir of Lorien," Aragorn said and knelt before the mound. "Farewell, my friend. May his soul find the Halls of Mandos, find peace in the golden light." Legolas and Gimli nodded without saying a word and knelt also before the grave in respect.

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Anarrima and Gimli sat upon a dead Uruk-hai conversating about the battle, the dwarf's axe still imbedded in the orc's head and Ana was cleaning her daggers of the blood and body parts of Saruman's army. Her bow was strapped to her back but her quiver had been spent of all her arrows. She was unharmed for the most part, save for various cuts and bruises about her body. Her hair was a mess and her tunic was spotted black with orc blood. "That was an impressive leap from the wall."

"Well as I always say Ana," the dwarf began and lit his pipe, "nobody tosses a dwarf." They both chuckled at that as Legolas walked up to them examining his bow, a wide grin plastered across his face.

"The final count," he stated confidently, "... 42."

"Oh, that's not bad for a pointy-eared elvish Princling," Gimli said, taking another puff and looking up at the elf. "But I myself am sitting pretty on 43." Around them the Rohan men continued piling and burning the defeated army. Anarrima laughed at Legolas' sudden expression change from arrogance to shock.

Swiftly Legolas grabbed an arrow from his quiver and shot. Ana's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as the arrow hit its mark... right between her legs and straight into the Uruk-hai. Legolas smirked at her abrupt halt of laughter.

"43."

Gimli stared at the elf incredulously. "He was already dead."

"He was twitching."

"He was twitching," the dwarf began and tugged at his axe, "because he's got my axe imbedded in his nervous system!"

Anarrima regained her composure and gave a sharp look at Legolas. She got up, pulled the arrow out of the corpse and walked over to where he stood and handed him the arrow. "Very mature Prince, but there is no need to argue over that kill." She smiled and began to walk away.

"And why is that?" Legolas inquired following her. Even though the battle was over, the war for Middle-earth had yet to begin. He was afraid to let Anarrima slip from his sight. His heart still pounded from the memory of the look she gave him last night. It was a look of pure love and devotion for him. He was totally lost to her now; he was hers for all eternity.

She turned and smiled brightly, her eyes full of mirth. "43 doesn't beat 85." She kissed him and walked away stifling her laughter. Legolas stopped dead in his tracks and stood bewildered. 85? She out killed him? "She's always full of surprises."."