Note: I have no association with The Lord of the Rings books, movies, and video games. I do not mean to steal any ideas, names, or themes from any of these, and I give all the credit for my story to the people who are associated with these. I am just a crazed fan who spends all her time writing stories about her favorite land instead of doing what she is supposed to be doing.

Sincerely,

iliveinmiddleearth

Sara and Valarato

Sara took a deep breath and plunged back into the book. Thoughts were racing through her mind as she frantically read The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers "Helm's Deep". Will Frodo ever destroy the ring? Will Aragorn ever be crowned king? She raced through the books trying ever so hard to get to the parts that will answer these questions, little to know what she was about to experience. She was so excited. "This was the pinnacle of the second book," her friend had told her. The armies of Saruman were marching ever towards Helm's Deep, which was in a state of desperation. They only had three hundred men against the ten thousand Uruk-hai that was rapidly approaching them. Sara knew that there was going to be a miracle coming up in the next part of the book. There had to be. There was no way that three hundred men could outlast ten thousand. It was simply not possible, even if they did have the heroes that were Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.

Sara read ever on, waiting for the miracle to come, and sure enough it did, but not in the way she expected. She laid down her book to get a drink of water, and a chill fell across her spine. She looked down at the masterpiece of a book that lay before her and she knew something wasn't right. A wind she could not feel started turning the pages of her book slowly, while she stared in wonderment. Her heart was racing through her body, and she felt like a string that was attached to her stomach was being lightly tugged, as though someone was trying to play with her like they would a marionette. The pages stopped turning. She bent down to retrieve the book, and when she touched the page, she was whipped down.

Valarato woke with a start. She didn't know why, but her mind was feeding her the name Sara. It was such a strange name to her, and she didn't know why her mind was telling her this. She discarded this as she realized that someone was leaning over whispering to her. It was her best friend, Idrial. She was whispering to her that it was time for war. Elf women didn't usually go to war, but she knew that she was destined for it. It was in her name, Valarato literally meant "beautiful champion". While the other elf women were getting married, her and Idrial had been training for the very moment she was about to face. Idrial said, "I have other wars to attend to, and I don't think I will ever be seeing you again." Though somewhat confused, Valarato understood exactly what she was talking about. They said their goodbyes, and Idrial left in the mysterious way that she always had.

Valarato went out onto her balcony and watched the bustling elves below her prepare for war. She knew that she should also be preparing, but she gathering herself to see the death that was to come of her people in the battle that was about to take place. She had foreseen it in her dreams, and she knew that the battle of Helm's Deep would kill some of her best friends.

She went back into her room and her eyes swept over the beautiful armor that was on a stand in the corner of the room. She knew that it would protect her from all the evil that will try to penetrate her. Her mother, who had already taken the boat to the gray havens, gave it to her. Valarato was sure that she was ready for this battle. The elves were going to come to Rohan's rescue, and she would be coming with them. She heard a horn in the distance, and knew that they would be leaving within the hour, so she carefully put on her armor making sure every strap was fastened and tight. When she had all her armor on, she grabbed a couple of pieces of lembas bread and stuck them in her pouch for the march.

She made her way down to the spot where the warriors met and found some of her friends. She visited with them, always aware of the dreams that had haunted her sleep for the last couple of years. There was an uncomfortable excitement in the air around her. Another horn sounded, and they formed their marching lines. Once again, a horn rang out across the forest and they started the long march to Helm's Deep, knowing that this was a long march, and there was no time for stopping to rest.

The tense air of the long walk was bittersweet, and they met no resistance. Everything was quiet, including the usually singing birds that inhabited the whole of Middle Earth. It was the breath before the plunge, and Valarato was afraid of the battle that lay before her, but she couldn't stand things being in this state. Everything seemed gray and there was no taste or smell to the once sweet place she had inhabited for thousands of years. They stopped every once in a while to refill their stomachs, and talk a little to keep morale up, and mostly the elves seemed concerned but happy. They had pleasant expressions on their faces, as if reminiscing of better times in their lives, when it seemed as if nothing could go wrong.

After many days of this they finally came upon a sight that soothed their minds. They saw the great walls of Helm's Deep and it seemed that the air suddenly became lighter. Valarato felt so relieved. She was so tired of walking that it seemed that once she saw the great walls, she had regained consciousness, and was ready and somewhat excited to prove her worth at the great battle that lay before them. She knew how desperate the men of Rohan were to get some help, and she knew that they would be greatly relieved when they heard the horn of the elves. They kept moving after they had finished marveling at what men could accomplish (even though they knew that Helm's Deep wasn't nearly the marvel that they dwelled in).

When they had gone up the bridge and blown the horn at the gate, the men seemed in a state of shock. They quickly followed their orders to open the gate and gawked at the elves, amazed and very grateful that they had come. The king and Legolas of the Woodland Realm met them. Then, Valarato saw him. Aragorn came down the stairs looking very kingly, as he should have, and greeted Haldir happily. She knew things would be better with him there. She had heard great stories of his courage and skill with a blade. She felt better about the upcoming fight already seeing the heroes she had heard about in tales that she had heard throughout the past couple of months. They were quickly given instructions. She was to be on top of the wall near one of the stairs to the area behind the great wall.

As she made her way to her post, she felt strong and steady, like nothing could stop her. Her heart told her that she would survive the night, and that was enough for her. She could see the distant flames from the Uruk-hai's torches. They were drawing ever near her. On the other end of the wall, she could hear Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn speaking to each other and the elves that had had the honor of fighting along side them. Their voices calmed her, and she watched the torches loom ever towards her. The darkness billowed in around the keep, and the rain started pouring down, making clinking noises on all the armor. This might have been intimidating to some, but Valarato loved the rain, and she couldn't be more thrilled. The great army of Uruk-hai had now reached the bottom of the wall, and was looking up eager to fight. She reminded herself the words Idrial had drilled into her mind, "Have no mercy for them, for they will have none for you." They were instructed to string their bows and hold at aim, and she did exactly so. The men were also getting ready to fire.

There was stillness in the whole of their army, and it was suddenly broken by the grunt of a Uruk-hai. A man had accidentally released an arrow, and the Uruk-hai had been hit in the throat and instantly killed, breaking their perfect line. The Uruk-hai started rushing the walls chanting in their language. So this was it. The start of a great battle that would be the start of a great war, and she was a part of it. She felt proud, and when her thoughts came back to it, there was a call of fire, and she re-aimed and released her arrow, killing immediately. They were told to open fire, and that is just what she did using and killing with all but one arrow that she would keep in case of emergency.

Ladders came up all along the wall, they attached and Uruk-hai jumped off, and so the sword battle began. Valarato pulled her sword out and began killing every Uruk-hai in sight. There was a heap at her feet, and she felt great. She spun and twisted and leaped around not faltering in any moment.

Then she finally saw the reality of war. One of her friends was suddenly cut down by a great Uruk-hai with a hungry face. She stabbed him in the back, and he fell heavily on her sword. She retrieved it, and ran to her friend. She held him up, and gave him her goodbyes as his eyes drooped shut in front of hers. She suddenly felt a fire ignite in her heart, and she stood up shouting for her lost friend, and killed three Uruk-hai with one swing of her sword. She ran to a ladder and kicked it down, realizing that this would kill a lot more Uruk-hai than just killing every one she saw on the wall. She continued making her way along the wall, kicking down ladders and killing every Urui-hai that even threatened to get in her way. But she alone couldn't do it. The ladders came up faster than she could kick them down, and soon they were starting to get overrun.

When she was working her way back towards the mountain along the wall, she suddenly heard a humongous rumble of sound behind her, and she knew something had gone wrong. The sky lit up, and she turned around. There was fire in the air, and the wall had somehow collapsed. She was very mystified, and while she was trying to figure out what had happened, she had completely forgot that she was still in the middle of a battle.

She felt a tingling in her lower back. She thought it was just nerves, but it turned into a sensation that she had never felt before. It was pain. She turned around and the most ugly and giant Uruk-hai she had ever seen was standing in front of her with a large smirk on his face. She gathered all her thoughts and strength and suddenly realized what had just happened. By simple reaction she cut his head off with one stroke.

She saw the warm blood on his sword on the ground, and fell to her knees. "I am dying," she told herself, but she didn't seem to hear it. She got up and kicked down a few more ladders and killed some more Uruk-hai with her graceful swords, but fell down to her knees once again. She didn't understand what was happening. She knew in her brain that she was dying, but she couldn't believe it in her heart. Her face hit the cold stone, and she felt someone climb on top of her and start to shake her as if to wake her up, but that feeling quickly went away. Then, there was nothing. Blackness overwhelmed her sight, and she finally understood that it was over. Idrial was right; they would never see each other alive again. The great battle of Helm's Deep ended later in the morning and the survivors found Valarato lying facedown on the cold hard stone. Idrial hugged the body of her best friend, and promised that she would avenge her death. They prepared her body, and she was put in a small boat and sent down the river into the sea, as she had always wished. Idrial held true to her promise, and she killed many of the orcs that she would come across in the future, in the name of Valarato.

Sara toppled off her bed and fell hard on her floor. Her thoughts were racing and she was trying to make sense of all that had just happened. She saw the book lying next to her, shut and half under her bed. She pulled it out and read the chapter of Helm's Deep. Then she remembered everything. She, Valarato, was in the battle, and had died. Drops of tears stained the book as Sara cried out for Valarato, as if looking for a lost child. After hours of crying, Sara realized that Valarato lived inside every inch of her. She knew that even though Valarato was dead, she would always protect her, and Valarato would never leave her. Some people thought she went crazy that afternoon, for after that, she would always talk to the elves that weren't there. She lived in isolation for the rest of her life, but she knew that she was never alone.