A/N: I do not own LOTR in any way. I do own any new characters that are mentioned. I am mixing both the books and the movies in this story as, for some reason; they do not quite run true to one another.
To Brit and bakaneko: Thank you for your reviews!
Brit: Everyone enjoys a little violence now and again. Glad you liked it.
bakaneko: I wanted to make Lia seem as if she has always been tied to Middle Earth, but not necessarily in the "public" eye. I used a unicorn shape because I love horses (don't all women?). Sorry, I do not have a mailing list, but if I do start one, I'll put you on it!
The dawn was just unfolding when Mithrandir appeared, his white form gleaming in the dim light. Lia had ceased to fight, her attention upon the ancient keep, for the horn of Helm's Deep was roaring out its battle cry, and that sound was so great and terrible it captivated even her for a moment. In the distance, she saw the charge of Théoden and Aragorn, and the lords of the House of Eorl as they rode down into the swarming throngs of the orcs, and she felt pride for them in that moment, that they could face death so bravely, and that they could continue to have hope even in the midst of such darkness. And in that instant, she thought that perhaps Man was not so lost after all, only misguided by his earthly desires.
Before she could dwell on this much, an axe blade slashed across her brow, drawing her gaze and wrath upon the Uruk-hai that wielded it. She struck him down with a fore hoof and then lanced his head with her horn, the flesh shattering beneath the power of her touch. Behind her she sensed a new presence, something ancient and strong, neither good nor evil, but with a will and desire of its own. So great was its force that she turned to face it, her emerald eyes widening as they flitted across a bleak forest that had materialized from nowhere, and yet stretched as far as the eye could see.
Dark was this wood, and yet not of Saruman nor Sauron, nor even Melkor himself. The trees seethed with anger and hatred, for the orcs or all two legged creatures she could not tell, but she sensed their fury. She had seen them before, in distant lands, and walked among them, and they had always been of a brooding nature, for Fangorn was no forest to enter lightly, but the trees had never seemed so enraged before. But then, they could feel her ties to the earth, and so respected her and perhaps even enjoyed her presence, for she was a gifted healer and often used her power to soothe the wounds of the land. She wondered how it was that they had come to be at Helm's Deep, and knew the will of Iluvatar was surely at work in this matter, and that Aule had most likely sent them there, though she could not say for certain.
The orcs began to waver in their confidence, their eyes darting between the grim forest, the courageous defenders of Helm's Deep, and Lia herself, their eyes filled with doubt and apprehension. She decided not to wait for their misgivings to fade, and attacked them boldly, striking them down with renewed vigor. So troubled were they by the numerous challenges to their ranks that they were barely able to defend themselves, and they fell before her with remarkable ease. And then over the jagged rise rode the White Rider, Mithrandir himself, and behind him was a legion of soldiers, and before him was a great wave of power that at once inspired awe and dread in the servants of Saruman that had seen his arrival.
Lia sensed his presence and paused to look to the ridge overlooking the crumbling form of Helm's Deep. As he stood there in his glory, again she found herself wondering at the transformation he had undergone since last she had seen him, centuries ago. No mere wizard was he, not that the Istari were something to be dismissed for they were quite powerful, but he had become something more, something immeasurable, and in him she sensed a faint spark of the Flame Imperishable to which she was inextricably tied. She felt great comfort at his arrival, for she had begun to fear that her mortal allies might be failing in their strength.
All around her, the earth was littered with the smoldering remains of the Uruk-hai, their twisted and broken bodies piled around her in grim testimony to her power. And still they came at her, driven by desperation now, and their desire to destroy and kill all things of the light. In the hours of the night she had come to learn that though they were physically imposing, they were none too brilliant, bearing more of a resemblance to a rabid beast then a thinking, sentient creature. She knew they could speak and had heard them communicate as they tried to coordinate attack plans against her. But though they possessed the power of thought, she wondered if they had the capability to learn, because they never seemed to realize they could not fell her.
Perhaps they were hoping for a lucky blow to bring her down, but this was a foolish dream on their part. She knew very well what her weaknesses were, and knew too what things could harm her and what could not. No creature at Helm's Deep posed a threat to her, save Mithrandir himself, possibly, and he was on her side. Not all of the Uruk-hai had witnessed the wizard's arrival, and continued to press on in their attack, one brute flinging himself at Lia, armed with twin swords. She had no patience for his attack, however, for she was most curious as to what Mithrandir was doing on the ridge, so she leaped into the air and met his charge, her horn spearing through his abdomen and piercing through his spinal column with a sickening snap. She tossed his body to the ground and then reared up, shrieking to the sky.
The winds of Sulimo swept down to encircle her, swirling in a tempest of violent wind that forced the Uruk-hai to back away from her. The few that tried to press on against the wind were lifted into the air and tossed into the sky, disappearing from sight with cries of fear and pain, but she paid them no mind, for all around her the land was trembling, and she could sense so many magics at work that she felt slightly disoriented. The Grey Pilgrim had spurred his steed, Shadowfax, into a gallop, and behind him ran the men of Erkenbrand.
Below her, news of his arrival spread, and as their cowardly eyes beheld his shining presence, the orcs began to flee, overwhelmed by the presence of so many mystical forces opposing them. In their mindless flight they entered the dark forest, and it destroyed them, slaking its thirst for vengeance on their corrupted blood. Liathandrial felt no pity for them, and was indeed surprised to feel a dark moment of satisfaction and even pleasure at the demise of the Uruk-hai, for a fouler mortal creature she had never met, and she was glad of their passing.
She turned her eyes once more to Mithrandir, and now he was face to face with the men she had seen make the bold charge of earlier, and among them she saw an Elf and a Dwarf, of all things, and she wondered what to do, for she had not been among Man in ages, and generally preferred it that way, for strife and doom seemed to follow in their wake. Yet now Sauron and Saruman were wielding their power with great malice and strength, and she had dedicated herself to the cause of defeating the black servants of the Enemy as she had always done in the past. Her instincts had led her to cross paths with Mithranidr, and she knew that the spirit of Ea had made this happen, she was tied to the will of the Istari wizard for the time being, and so despite his presence among Man, she must remain near him until she was led to leave. And there were things she would ask him about, answers she wished to know about the strength of the Dark Lord, and the finding of the One Ring, which had been presumed lost for all time, and she heartily wished that had been true, for she could feel its evil at work even now, when for many years there had been a blissful void where the dark ring's presence in her mind had normally been. Of all things in Sauron's service, she feared that artifact the most, for it called to her, as it did to all those with magic, and though she despised it, she nonetheless respected its terrible power.
And so she ran up among the clouds, her inner light dimmed, and waited for him to take his leave of Man, with the patience of one who has no thought for death nor aging. But yet though he spoke at length with these riders, he made no leave to part from them, and she began to wonder if it would come to pass that she would be forced to reveal her presence to them. She watched in speculative silence as the Men dug graves for those who had fallen in battle, dividing their numbers in two, though it seemed as if there was more of a purpose to this then simply to evenly distribute the fallen to rest. Almost as if two branches had fought in this war side by side. The orcs they gathered into massive mountains and then left their corpses beneath the watchful eye of the heavens, for their numbers were too many to burn and undeserving of burial, lest their foul bodies corrupt the land into which they were placed.
At last, the wizard separated himself from his companions and made his way to the forest as if to study it. Seeing that he was alone for the moment, Lia descended from the sky upon a brisk breeze, moving in complete silence until she landed beside him, drawing his attention to her. He smiled in genuine pleasure and swept her a bow of greeting.
"Well met, Liathandrial. I thought I saw signs of your presence out here," the wizard said, his hand gesturing to many of the orc corpses that had been singed and melted by an unseen source.
She nodded at him in return and said, "I did what I could to give aid."
"And to remain in secret," he mused, his eyes thoughtful as it took in the distance from Helm's Deep to where she had chosen to take her stand.
"I thought it best to battle alone, lest I have to fear striking down an ally by mischance," she replied. "Your arrival was most welcome. I was not certain that the Men were going to be able to hold Helm's Deep, but they showed surprising courage."
Mithrandir nodded once and gestured at the forest before them. "Do you know aught of this?"
Lia glanced at the brooding trees and said, "If you mean did I call them here, the answer is no. Such power is beyond me. But I do know from whence they came. They are of Fangorn Forest, though why they are here, I cannot say."
"It would seem all the allies of light are banding together, no matter how unlikely such a thing might be," Mithrandir commented.
She cast him a sideways glance, wondering if he counted her among the unlikely allies, but she let that pass for the moment, and said, "I have sensed the presence of the One Ring, wizard, and it troubles me, for it seethes with the desire to return to its master, and I fear it is heading straight to him, for it travels to the East, into Mordor itself."
At these words the wizard ceased walking and gazed at her sharply, his expression one of surprise. "How is it that you know this?"
But to this, she had no answer, and so she said, "If you would seek the knowledge of my powers, you must earn audience with the Valar themselves, for they have given me gifts even I do not understand. I will simply say that I can feel the Ring, and I know where it moves."
Her words rang with truth, and so the Istari nodded and said, "You are right, the Ring is traveling to Mordor, to the Mountain of Doom, where it will be cast into the flame and destroyed."
Lia considered his words for a moment, and though she did not like the idea of the Ring being so close to its master, she knew such a course was the only way, for in the destruction of the Ring, Sauron would lose a great deal of his power. "It is not the wisest of plans, but it is the only way to ensure Sauron never regains the Ring. I hope you have given it into the care of someone of great fortitude, for the Ring is ever tricky, and will seek to bend the mind of its carrier to serve the dark."
"It is in the care of hobbits," Mithrandir replied, his face grim.
Now it was Lia's turn to stare at him in surprise, for she knew of hobbits. Plump, pleasant, peaceful little creatures that had no care in the world and lived for the very joy of it. They were not known for their bravery, and she had long been away from the camps of Man and Elf, and had never heard the tale of Bilbo Baggins, but supposed there was always an exception to the rule. Still, the thought of such jolly beings having to undertake such a horrific task was daunting, even to her.
"Do you think that a wise decision?"
"As wise as could be made," he answered, though his features were troubled. "It is in the care of Frodo Baggins, the Ring Bearer, as pure hearted a person as I've met. The Ring will have quite a challenge turning his will, for he is as simple and good as most of his kind, and hard to corrupt."
In his words Lia sensed a great truth, born from her tie to the Imperishable Flame, and she accepted his answer, saying, "What now? I know little of Saruman, but Sauron will not take this loss lightly."
"No, he will avenge this defeat quickly and harshly," Mithrandir agreed, his eyes thoughtful. "Which is why I ride to Isengard to confront Saruman himself. There is much I wish to know, and so very little time."
Lia said nothing as she pondered this, and he turned to her and said, "You have my thanks for what you have done here, and though many never saw your part in this battle, it will be remembered in tales until the end of time."
She tossed her head in a dismissive gesture. "I have little care for tales, master wizard. I have been bandied about in more ancient, forgotten stories then I care to recall, though I will accept your thanks and say this: I have decided to pledge myself to this cause, and I will remain with you until the battle is ended."
It was more then the wizard had hoped for, and his expression was decidedly light. "We are most glad to have you among our numbers."
She turned to look at the walls of Helm's Deep and then glanced back at the wizard and said, "I will walk by your side, but only if you pledge to maintain secrecy as to my true nature and leave the revealing of what I am to a time of my own choosing."
Mithrandir looked her over with a questioning stare. "You have my word, lady, but how do you intend to avoid speculation with such a celestial visage?"
Lia snorted, and there was laughter in her voice when she replied, "With magic, of course."