**Helm's Deep**
Even in the storm, Miranda could clearly see the white hand of Saruman on their helmets and shields. She thought it was ironic that the bad guys wore white. She glanced at Haldir who stood serenely and waited for the enemy to come within range. She couldn't believe how calm he was while she was terrified.
Aragorn gave the order for the Elves to prepare to fire, and they took aim and waited. When the command to fire was given, Miranda could see that exceptional aim was a common elf trait. The orcs just carelessly trampled over the bodies of their fallen and kept advancing on the wall. The archers continued to fire, but the orcs started shooting arrows at anyone with their head showing above the battlement. From within the field, Miranda could see them raising ladders and heard Aragorn's cry over the din.
"Ladders!" Aragorn shouted in elvish.
"Good!" Gimli said happily, desperately itching for something to swing his axe at. He started swinging at the orcs as they tried to climb over the parapet. The first few orcs lost their heads to the swift stroke of the practiced hand of the dwarf, but there were too many. His axe cleaved every orc within his reach.
"Legolas, five," Gimli shouted.
"I'm on seventeen," Legolas said.
"I'll not be outdone by an elf," Gimli grumbled and started fighting all the harder.
The elves also drew swords with the arrival of the boarders. Miranda followed Haldir's lead, and shouldered her bow in favor of her sword. Haldir was an excellent teacher, but nothing could have prepared Miranda for the overwhelming numbers they were facing. She noticed the orcs were tall, and tended to strike high, so she used her small size to her advantage. When the first orc climbed over the wall in front of her, she ducked low and jabbed straight up into his stomach. That strategy worked as long as there weren't too many of them around her. Haldir tried to stay close enough to watch her back, but the sheer numbers of the enemy swarming over the battlements was keeping everyone busy.
Aragorn was mowing down the enemy left and right, and pushing ladders back down. It was tiring work, and there were always more orcs to replace the slain. He looked out over the field and saw a group of orcs huddled together with their shields above them like a great turtle with hundreds of feet. They were trudging up the long ramp to the Hornburg gate. From above the gate, the shields looked like a river of white hands marching forward. Aragorn shouted for the archers to shoot them. As they fired, orcs were falling left and right, but there were far too many of them for it to slow them down.
Théoden surveyed the field with confidence. They were holding the enemy back, and he smugly commented, "Is this it? Is this all you can conjure Saruman?"
Théoden's confidence was sorely misplaced. The orcs had a plan, and no one recognized it until it was too late, not even Miranda. Out of the ranks, several orcs carried large metal spheres up to the deeping wall where there was a small culvert. No one seemed to notice them placing the spheres inside, but Aragorn spotted the orc that carried a torch at a full sprint for the wall.
"Legolas! Bring him down!" Aragorn shouted in elvish.
Legolas shot him twice, but he just kept running.
"Kill him! Kill him!" Aragorn shouted.
Miranda turned to see what they were shouting about and saw the orc. He looked like some grisly Olympic torch bearer, stumbling toward the wall with several arrows in his chest. By the time she realized the danger, it was too late. The orc leapt into the drain, and the resulting explosion blew an opening in the wall fifty feet wide. Miranda was thrown back and pelted with debris. Everyone standing above the culvert was killed instantly or thrown hundreds of feet. As the water of the deeping stream poured out, the orcs poured in. Miranda saw Aragorn blown off the wall and panicked.
"Aragorn!" she screamed. She ran down to search the rubble for him, but ended up fighting the incoming orcs instead. She was quickly overwhelmed and was driven back. She tried to keep her duck and jab strategy, but she was surrounded. She killed one, but before she could turn to get the next, she was kicked to the ground.
Gimli shouted from the wall above her, "Miranda!" And then he leapt off the wall and started swinging his axe at the orcs around her like a man possessed. Just as Miranda rolled out of the way and got to her feet, she heard Aragorn shout from behind her.
"Gimli, Miranda!" Aragorn shouted, "Get down!"
Miranda turned and saw him standing at the head of the elves that were ready to fire at the orcs pouring in through the breach. She was relieved to know he was still alive. She dove to the ground, and Gimli fell back into the water.
"Fire!" Aragorn shouted in elvish. They gave the incoming orcs two volleys and then drew their swords. "Charge!" Aragorn shouted.
The elves surged forward to repel the onslaught of orcs. Aragorn reached for Gimli and pulled him up out of the water. Legolas quickly joined the defense, tossing an orc shield on the stairs and riding it like a snowboard to the ground. He skillfully shot several orcs along the way, despite the speed at which he descended.
The orc turtle reached the gates, and tossed their shields aside, revealing a very large battering ram. The guards above the gate threw stones and fired arrows at them, but they just kept coming.
"Brace the gate!" Théoden shouted.
A mass of soldiers ran forward and pushed against the gate. With each blow, they were jolted back, but quickly surged against it again. Théoden could see that defending the breach in the deeping wall was a hopeless battle and decided to call the men back to the keep.
"Aragorn, fall back to the Keep!" Théoden shouted. "Get your men out of there!"
Aragorn started passing the word to everyone to return to the keep. The men started falling back, but some were cut off by orcs. Aragorn spotted Haldir on the wall and realized he hadn't heard the order.
"Haldir!" he shouted to get his attention. "Fall back to the keep!"
Haldir gave him a quick nod and then passed the word along to his men. When he was satisfied they were all headed in, he looked around for Miranda. She had been caught by herself, and the others had already started pulling back. He tore his way through the orcs to help her and reached her just in time to deflect a sword that would have killed her.
"Stay close, I'll get us through," Haldir said.
Haldir cleared a path through the orcs as he led Miranda to the keep. Several elves came to help, but they were cut off. Miranda and Haldir had to cut their way through the incoming horde of orcs. Haldir saw an opening and turned to Miranda.
"Go, run for the keep," he shouted to her as he deflected another orc sword, killing its owner. He gave Miranda's shoulder a shove in the direction of the keep.
"We'll go together or not at all," Miranda said as she ducked below an orc sword and stabbed its owner.
"Don't argue, Miranda," Haldir ordered and gave her another shove. "I'll be right behind you."
"All right," Miranda grudgingly conceded and ran to the keep. She knew she had no business arguing with the elf in command, but she didn't like leaving without him. She headed up to the battlements on the Hornburg to see if she could be any help there. Haldir was on her heels, and it appeared they would make it, but out of nowhere, they were attacked by several orcs they had not seen. Haldir killed two of them, and Miranda managed one, but she was wounded in the shoulder. Haldir stopped the fourth from finishing her off, but was wounded as well. They were finally aided by the soldiers guarding the Hornburg and managed to get inside.
"Are you alright?" Haldir asked Miranda.
"I'm sure I'll live," Miranda said, but flinched when he peeled the torn sleeve back to look. "What about you?"
"It's not bad," Haldir said trying to ignore the dull pain in his side. "Come, I'll bandage that for you."
"Only if you let me return the favor," Miranda said.
"Very well," Haldir said with a smile.
*****
While the forces were falling back to the keep, Théoden and his guards climbed down from the wall to assess the damage to the gate.
"To the gate, and draw your swords," Théoden commanded.
The orcs had broken through and there wasn't much left of the gate which was wide open in the center and barely hanging on its hinges. Théoden and his guards tried to hold back the orcs coming in through the gate, but Théoden was wounded in the shoulder by a large orc spear. His guard pulled him back.
"We cannot hold much longer," the guard said to Théoden.
Aragorn and Gimli came to help.
"Hold them," Théoden said.
"How much time do you need?" Aragorn asked.
"As much time as you can give me," Théoden said.
Aragorn grabbed Gimli and headed for a hidden side door that led outside near the gate.
"Hurry men," Théoden shouted. "Brace the gate."
Aragorn led Gimli along the outside wall and carefully peered around the corner at the orcs trying to enter through the splintered gate. The orcs were on the long stone ramp, and Aragorn and Gimli were standing on a narrow ledge. Between the ramp and the ledge was a sheer drop to the canyon floor, and it would be a daring jump to reach the enemy. Aragorn turned to Gimli who had peered around to see.
"Oh, come on," Gimli said. "We can take em!"
"It's a long way," Aragorn said matter-of-factly.
Gimli looked at the gap and his eyes were big as he thought of a solution. "Toss me," Gimli said quickly.
Aragorn gave him a surprised questioning look. "What?" He remembered Gimli's words in Moria that no one tosses a dwarf.
"I cannot jump the distance, you'll have to toss me," Gimli said in frustration.
Aragorn nodded and started to reach for his friend to make the toss when Gimli interrupted.
"Uh, don't tell the elf," Gimli pleaded.
"Not a word," Aragorn agreed and then grabbed Gimli firmly by the shoulders and hurled him across the gap onto the orc covered ramp. He immediately followed, and between the two of them, they cleared the gate and drove the orcs back and held them off.
"Shore up the door!" Théoden called. He needed to work quickly to strengthen the gate. Two men could not hold off an entire army for long.
Outside, the orcs were raising ladders that had been designed for an onslaught on the Hornburg. They launched great grappling hooks with giant crossbows, and then used the ropes to pull the ladders up. Legolas was able to cut the line on one ladder, sending it crashing down onto the orcs below, but another was raised and anchored.
When the bracings were in place, Théoden called to them through the gate. "Gimli, Aragorn get out of there!"
"Aragorn!" Legolas shouted to get his attention.
From his position on the battlements, Legolas tossed down a rope to Aragorn and Gimli. Aragorn grabbed the line with one hand, and Gimli with the other, and jumped off the ramp. Legolas and the soldiers on the battlements pulled them up even as the orcs poured in over the walls.
Théoden surveyed the invasion and came to a hard decision. "Pull everybody back," he said angrily. "Pull them back!"
His men took up the order and shouted to every one to fall back. Even as the order was given, the gate gave way, and the orcs poured in.
"They have broken the gate! Inside, get everyone inside!" Théoden ordered.