I'm having issues deciding how I want to space all the events out. well, this chapter features the orc-ambush on the way to helm's deep, which I WAS going to put in the previous chapter, but decided that it would work better if I put it in this one.
in the old chapter 8, I'm awake already and romping around school for like,the last three chapters. how unexciting.
Warnings: violence, fighting, man kissie, and such
Disclaimers: don't own LOTR and whatnot
Chapter 8: ambush
An hour after my discussion with Aragorn and I was back with Gandalf and Théoden, making evacuation plans and routes from Rohan to Helm's Deep. I had my map splayed out across a table between the three of us, and both of them were studying it intently, muttering to each other and tracing the lines with their fingers. I was only there to interject when needed and to tell them "No, this would be better" or "Enter the city around this way" and such.
I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something, though.
Legolas and Gimli were leaning against a wall conversing quietly. Aragorn had left around ten minutes ago to talk to Eowyn and help out in the armory. Once I had tried to make the two of them a part of the conversation, but they both had insisted that they had nothing to contribute.
I shrugged and turned half of my attention back to the map. Prior to this sit-down, Théoden had already explained vehemently that he didn't want to call on Gondor for help, since they never came to help us or whatever. That was the end of that, and shortly after, Aragorn had glanced at Legolas and left. He had opened his mouth as if to say something in Elvish, I'd imagine, but when he didn't say anything, I suspected it was because Gandalf was within earshot and knew Elvish as well.
Oh, so I wasn't the only one being kept out of their conversations. How nice.
Legolas didn't think anything unusual of it. Instead, he had nodded once to Aragorn before he left. I had barely caught it.
I didn't pay much attention to it; I had other things to deal with.
And it occurred to me…
"Hang on, I'll be right back," I said, getting up. I jogged out the door, and made a random turn. It also occurred to me that I had no idea where my room was. Théoden was so kind to give the five of us a small room to hang out in temporarily while we were in Rohan, just to make preparations and rest up if we needed it, which I so often did. The first time I found the conference room was the result of wandering around aimlessly. Unfortunately, I hadn't cared much to keep track of my steps.
I passed several guards as I walked. I didn't think to ask them to help me. They probably didn't know who I was, given the looks I was getting, which would also mean that they wouldn't know where my room was, or that I was even staying here to begin with.
Even though I knew we wouldn't be staying here for very long. Théoden planned on evacuating the city within the next hour. He said he didn't think it was safe to keep everyone here for much longer than that. Again with the feeling that I was forgetting something.
It was kind of irritating.
Not only irritating, if it was something important that I was forgetting, then it was probably bad as well. Start with the obvious: the Orcs are coming. An Uruk-hai army is in the works, as far as I know. And we're all going to rendezvous at Helm's Deep and unleash massive hell on each other. And somehow I've managed to work myself into the middle of all this.
Well that's just great.
Now, now. Remember what Aragorn said.
Focus on the present, don't worry about the future, yeah I know. Despite what he said though, I can't help but worry. They are relying on me to help them through this, there's no denying that. I wasn't worried about the pressure anymore. I wasn't really worried about anything at this point.
I stopped walking suddenly and turned around. I had passed the door. So wandering can help you find your way to the conference room and to your chambers. Makes sense, I guess.
I pushed open the door. The room was relatively small. There was a twin bed in one corner, and a lit fire in the middle. There were a few furs splayed out on the ground, though a distance was kept between them and the small fire. I found what I was looking for on the bed: my backpack. I walked over to it and unzipped it. I was surprised to find it much more stocked than before. I guess one of the guys (or a guard) had taken the liberty of supplying ourselves while I was sleeping. I started pulling things out. Water skins, dried meats and fruits, breads, and other miscellaneous supplies.
When I was still in the conference room with Gandalf and Théoden, it had occurred to me that I could use the book to help us. If I was useless, then maybe the book could offer me insight. But as I dug through my backpack, it occurred to me again that I left it in the forest where I was found.
I stared blankly at the bag. Why hadn't I remembered this before I got here? What else could I be forgetting?
Frustrated, I zipped the bag back up and tossed it back on to the bed. I let out an angry sigh and turned for the door. I stepped around the fire—resisting the sudden urge to kick it onto one of the furs—to get to the door. It opened soundlessly, and I was about to step out when something caught my eye.
Blond hair.
I leaned out the door and saw Legolas walking down the hall away from me. At first I thought he was going back to the conference room where Gandalf and Théoden were. This arose a few questions, though. First, where did he go in the first place? To look for me? Secondly, he was going in the opposite direction I thought the conference room was. Was he taking a shortcut? But how could he know the castle so well already?
Curious (and against my better judgment), I followed. I had to remind myself that I found this room by walking around without a direct path and didn't quite pay much attention to where I was going. Following Legolas could very well lead me to my destination.
At least, that's what I was hoping.
For some reason, I found myself keeping a distance from Legolas. It made me feel like I was spying. It made me feel…stupid. Untrustworthy, too, I guess. But the curiosity was overwhelming, since upon observing Legolas, I noticed that he would glance around occasionally and not turn his head towards the guards that passed him by. After half a minute of walking, Legolas came to a stop outside a door. He knocked once. Quiet muttering from behind the door and it opened. A smile spread across the elf's face and he went inside.
I raised an eyebrow. Well, obviously he wasn't going back to the conference room. Now I have to find it again by myself. So I turned around and started to retrace my steps.
Five minutes later, I have to convince myself that I had absolutely no idea where I was going. I became aware of the fact that I was actually going in circles, which didn't really help me any. I realized I was outside my room when I leaned up against a wall, frustrated. I pointed to the door, then over my shoulder, down the hall. I had just seen Legolas walk down that hall and disappear into a room. Well, wherever he is, and whatever he's doing, he's bound to know how to get back to the conference room. I just naturally assumed that his sense of direction is so much more heightened than mine, being what he is. Maybe that's just a stereotype I just came up with just now.
I started off down the hall. It occurred to me, ten seconds later, that I didn't know which one of the doors he went through. There were only a few, so that narrowed things down, but it really would have helped if there was just one door in this hallway.
Well, maybe I can listen. Legolas wouldn't have gone into a room with…someone and not have a conversation, right?
You don't know that.
Yeah, I know. I skipped over the first door; I know he didn't go through that one. So I moved on, pressing my ear to the second door down. There was silence. Either that, or the door was really thick. The latter seemed the least likely, so I continued on.
Third door, nothing.
Fourth door…hang on. I held my ear to the door. I could barely make out two voices.
"…barely get any time with you anymore," said a muffled voice. It sounded like Aragorn. Oh, so this is where he went? So much for the armory.
"We've had to keep a constant eye on Kendra, I didn't think we'd ever get some alone time together again," said Legolas. A few quiet laughs.
I was thoroughly confused. Well, it wasn't my place to eavesdrop on them further, since I already had a pretty good idea of what was going on. I felt awkward granted, but I needed to get back to the conference room. Gandalf was probably wondering where I was. I had already proved to myself that I was completely incapable of getting back to my destination by myself, so I figured I'd get Legolas to help me or something. I raised my hand to knock.
The door opened suddenly. Legolas was backing out of the door, and Aragorn was in front of him. Aragorn had his hands on both sides of the doorframe, while Legolas's hands were on the sides of Aragorn's face. Legolas was kissing Aragorn furiously while making up his mind whether to leave or to stay.
He bumped into me while backing up. Startled, he whirled around. My hand was still up, ready to knock on the door.
Cue awkward silence.
I lowered my hand as both of them stared at me. Aragorn coughed once and leaned against the doorway, and Legolas took one step away from him. All three of us shifted our eyes towards the ground.
"Look, I just wanted to get back to Gandalf and Théoden," I said. "I just thought I could get Legolas to help me find my way."
"Kendra…" Aragorn started. I held up my hand again.
"Hey, it's fine," I said. "Really. I just wanted to get back." Legolas looked to Aragorn. The ranger ran one hand through his unruly hair and nodded. Legolas moved away from the door so Aragorn could close it. He then signaled for me to follow him, so I did.
Several seconds later, he decided to break the silence. "I didn't mean for you to see that," he said. "Neither of us did."
"I said it was fine," I replied. "I really don't care what kind of connections you and Aragorn have. Whatever makes you happy, you know?" I smiled up at him. He tried to return the smile, but it didn't even look half-right.
We spent the rest of the walk in silence. I didn't know what else to say to reassure him. So instead, I focused on the walk. I made a note of it to remember how to get from my room to the conference area for future reference, should I end up needing to make the trip back again. Somehow I doubted it, given that Théoden was evacuating the city soon.
You still need to go get your backpack.
Oh that's right. Okay then. At least I'll know where I'm going the next time I wander off by myself.
Legolas came to a stop by an open doorway. The sounds of a crackling fire told me that we had arrived at the conference room. I turned to face him.
"Well, thanks for helping me find my way back," I said. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably still be walking around somewhere." I bit my lip, realizing that that probably would have been the more preferable happening for both of us. He didn't look at me. I sighed.
"Look, Legolas?" I said. He turned his eyes on me. "Trust me, I feel no more or no less awkward than you do, and I'm really sorry that this happened. But like I said, it doesn't matter to me. Hey, I'll keep your secret. Okay?" What else could I say to reassure him?
Legolas swept my into a hug, then, catching me off guard. I guess I didn't have to say anything more.
"Thank you," he whispered. He released me as quickly as he had taken me and headed off back down the hall, not pausing to look at me. I took a deep breath.
"You're welcome," I muttered as he rounded the corner. All things cleared, I turned and walked into the conference room where Gandalf, Théoden, and Gimli still were.
.xXx.
A half hour later, Rohan palace was shrinking into the distance. Gandalf couldn't keep me from walking this time, though he had insisted that I strap my backpack to one of the horses so I wouldnt' have to bear the weight. What with the guys and Eowyn walking alongside the horses, I didn't want to feel outcasted. That and I missed walking with them.
Legolas had talked to Aragorn and assured him that everything was okay and they could resume their relationship under the condition that they be more careful and aware. The guys seemed to enjoy my company, and even worked to make me a part of their conversation without having to resort to asking me about my world again. I rather appreciated that.
Again with the feeling that I was forgetting something.
"…your mind?"
I snapped my attention to Aragorn. "Come again?"
"I said, what's on your mind?" he repeated. "You look deep in thought."
"Do I?" I said. "Sorry. It's this irritating feeling, like I'm forgetting something important." He smiled.
"I'm sure you'll remember it eventually," he said, patting me on the shoulder.
"I just hope it wasn't too important," I said, shrugging. I inhaled deeply. Walking didn't seem to be that hard on me this time; I was still on my feet. This lapse in memory wasn't worrying me, as it happens all the time…for some reason. But previous experience has assured me that I always remember whatever it is that I forget. Looking on the bright side, I decided to enjoy the moment. I finally got to walk with the guys again, I was strong enough not to pass out, and once we get to Helm's Deep, I had the chance to actually do some good.
I tried to recall what it was I had forgotten by thinking of things that happen on the way to Helm's Deep in the second movie. I glanced at Aragorn and Eowyn. They were supposed to have a conversation about his necklace—
Hmm. Aragorn wasn't wearing a necklace. I recalled he was supposed to always be wearing that silver jewel he got from Arwen as a reminder of her wherever he went. But I had to ask myself if he was still with Arwen, or if he was even with her to begin with. His relationship with Legolas certainly has brought up many questions. Too bad I got here after they had already left Rivendell. I suppose I could just ask him about her. Then again, it wasn't really my place, and if anyone heard me asking about Arwen, an answer other than "Yes, we're together" could arouse some suspicion.
At least, that's what I would think.
Well, you've seen the movies. Of course you know what's happening.
And such. Yeah, okay.
Gimli was riding on the horse behind me, conversing with Eowyn. I wasn't paying much attention to what they were saying.
"How are you holding up?" Aragorn asked me. I looked up at him and he had a gentle smile on his face. I shrugged once.
"I'm doing all right," I replied. "Why, worried I'm going to pass out again?" He chuckled.
"With the way you've been lately, I can't be too sure," he said. Well, at least he cares. I bit my lip.
"Hey, Aragorn," I started. "I have a question about Arw—."
The horse behind me reared back suddenly and shrieked, throwing Gimli off of it. I jumped and whirled around. I ran to Gimli as Legolas tried to calm the horse. Eowyn was beside me.
"What happened?" I said, my voice shaking slightly. Eowyn seemed just as bewildered as I was.
"I—I don't know," she said. "We were just talking, and then…I didn't see anything that may have provoked her." I looked to Legolas, who was petting the horse, soothing her. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"Of course!" Gimli replied, getting to his feet. "No creature more resilient than a dwarf!" I grabbed one of his hands and helped him up as he started telling a story relating to what he just said. I stood slowly, focusing. I could hear a deep rumble from the other side of a tall hill. Other horses were starting to freak.
"Aragorn…?"
A shrill cry from over the hill. And then it hit me like a blow to the chest.
What I had forgotten turned out to be extremely important.
"ARAGORN!" I screamed. I saw him standing beside Legolas. Both of them turned to look at me. "It's an ambush!"
Beast-like dogs leaped out from over the hill, a small army of Orcs beside them. They were charging at us. People started screaming and running, but I was frozen. How could I forget something like this? I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me, but I was panicking. I felt so responsible for this.
Aragorn was suddenly beside me, grabbing me by the shoulders.
"Kendra, you have to get away from here," he said, his voice lined with urgency. I looked around. I could see Théoden on a horse telling Eowyn that she couldn't stay, despite her insisting that she could fight. "Listen to me. I want to you go with Eowyn. She'll take you all to Helm's Deep. We'll stay here." He started to run towards Legolas, but I snapped out of my shocked state in time to grab his arm. He whirled around.
"Go with them?" I said, my voice shrill. "Are you crazy? I can help!"
"I will not argue this with you," he said, sternly. "Go with Eowyn. Quickly!" He broke out of my grip and ran off, tearing his sword from its sheath.
I was torn. Eowyn was leaving, herding the villagers with her as she went. If I didn't leave now, I'd be stuck here. By disobeying Aragorn, I could save some of the men. But if I went with what he said, I could maintain his trust and keep my head.
I scanned the area. The Orcs and their beasts had intermingled with the men and weapons were clashing. There was something else I was forgetting. I looked around.
And then I saw the edge of a cliff.
Another blow to the chest. This helped me to make up my mind. By disobeying Aragorn, I'd probably lose his trust, but by saving him from falling off the cliff, I'd likely win it back.
I ran into the chaos. I bent down to grab the sword of a fallen soldier and it occurred to me that Aragorn had promised to give me training with a sword once we reached Rohan. Well Rohan was well behind us and I still can't swing this thing to save my life. So…why was I running around with it?
I was amidst the opposing forces now, looking around frantically for someone that I knew. I saw Legolas several yards to my left and hurried to him. An Orc intercepted me. I swung the sword blindly, but all I did was brush its weapon away. So I jumped back a step before kicking it in the face.
You kicked it. REALLY?
Street fighting is all I know how to do! The Orc looked back at me, snarling. Black blood was streaming out of its nose. Oh. I'm screwed. Panicking, I stabbed it in the gut. It roared at me. Well, it wasn't dying.
Think back to the first movie. Aragorn was fighting the Orc leader in the forest and was caught in this situation. What did he do?
Oh yeah.
I ripped the sword out of its middle. I swung the sword towards its neck, but it was already bringing its own weapon towards me.
A dull thump and it collapsed. My sword caught air. Bewildered, I examined the Orc. It was lying facedown in the grass with an arrow in its back. I looked up to see Legolas running towards me.
"What are you doing here?" he said. "I thought Aragorn told you to go with the others!"
"He did, but listen, I have a damn good reason for staying behind," I said. "I can save Aragorn!" Legolas looked me over.
"What?"
"I'll get to that later. Look out!" Before the last two words were even out of my mouth, he had already straightened up, pulling arrows out of the quiver strapped to his back. I ducked and he unleashed a barrage of arrows in to the Orcs charging us.
"Well you're not going to catch up to Eowyn now," he said. "You're coming with me." He grabbed my wrist and yanked me off with him. I wasn't sure where we were going since I couldn't really see anything amidst the Orcs and men. I was tripping over carcasses, and the sword I was clinging on to was slowing me down. So I tossed it.
You know, that sword was probably your only chance of surviving this.
No, I'm pretty sure that Legolas is my only chance of surviving this.
"Legolas, where are we going?" I asked as we continued to run.
"Find Aragorn," he said. "You said you can save him? What's happening?"
Oh that's right! "We need to find him first," I answered. "I'm not sure it'll be necessary." Despite what Aragorn had said to me, I still had doubts. Maybe he wouldn't get dragged over the cliff (or nearly) and we wouldn't have to pull off a rescue attempt. And if he did find himself in a situation that would compromise his life, I wouldn't want to have to deal with Legolas and the aftershock.
"Legolas!" Gimli shouted from a short distance away. "I'm at four already!" Ah yes. The Elf and the Dwarf and their silly competition.
"I'm at eighteen!" Legolas shouted back.
"What?" Gimli ran off, brandishing his axe, ranting things about dwarves being outdone by elves, never hearing the end of it and such. I glanced at Legolas as he pulled me along, dodging soldiers and bodies.
"Are you really at eighteen?"
"Give or take."
I smiled. I would have started laughing if I wasn't so scared stiff. Every now and then, Legolas had to let to of my hand to shoot some Orcs, and I would hide behind him and pray that the Orcs wouldn't come near me, since I no longer had a weapon. I swear, when we find Aragorn, I'm gonna smack him upside the head for promising and not delivering fencing lessons.
"There!" I shouted. Aragorn was several yards away from the cliff, swinging his sword at anything that moved. Legolas reached for me as he started to move towards him, but at that moment, we were both tackled to the ground. I hit the dirt hard and bounced, coming to a stop when I rolled into a body. I shoved it away and looked around. One of the dog-beasts had jumped us and was now circling Legolas, who was already back on his feet. Another surge of adrenaline. There was no way that Legolas could fight that thing with just a bow and a few arrows.
The beast lunged at Legolas, and I gasped. Turns out, I was right. He didn't have much in the way of defense. All he could do was pull his bow in front of him and used it as a barrier as he was forced back down to the ground. Legolas was lying on his back, and the beast was on top of him, the bow cracking between its teeth. I frantically searched the ground for a weapon.
The body I had rolled into happened to be a dead Orc. Well, perfect! I rolled it over to find its sword-type weapon beneath it. I grabbed it.
CRACK.
I snapped my head back to Legolas. The bow was not-so-snugly between the beast's teeth, and it was breaking. I had to do something.
I heaved the sword off the ground and stumbled towards Legolas. Another loud snap from the bow. Legolas had a foot on the beast's belly, trying to shove it off of him, but it wouldn't budge. I lifted the sword off the ground, over my head, and drove it into the back of its neck.
The beast sagged a little bit, which gave Legolas enough of an opening to kick it off of him. It snarled and tried to stand, so he drew an arrow and stabbed it between the eyes. I tossed the sword away. Legolas stood up, staring at his bow. It was riddled with deep cracks and teeth marks. It was kind of sad, really.
I looked around for Aragorn. He was still in the same general area, but he was being charged by another dog-beast. This one was being ridden by a lanky-looking Orc. My eyes widened.
"This is the one!" I said, though fully aware that Legolas probably had no idea what I was talking about. Legolas shoved me out of the way suddenly and started attacking oncoming Orcs, stabbing at them with arrows, though he still clung to his bow. I looked back at Aragorn. He had just knocked off the rider, but was trampled by the beast. And something went wrong, just like it had in the movie. His glove became tangled in its reins, and the beast continued running.
Right towards the cliff.
"LEGOLAS!" I shouted. "The beast! SHOOT IT!" Legolas looked from me, then to the cliff. I wasn't sure why I told him to shoot it, since his bow might as well have been broken. It might have been because he was the only person standing near me that I knew, or because I knew that he would do something, regardless of whether or not he had a weapon. So I was rather surprised to see him take the arrow he was holding and fit it into his bow. It took him half a second to aim, draw back, and release it.
A loud snapping noise and the bow shattered into two pieces. A loud shriek-like howl and the beast fell, a few feet away from the cliff. It skidded another foot, and Legolas was already running towards them before it had stopped moving. I ran after him. By the time I had caught up, Legolas had pulled out a knife and cut Aragorn's hand free of the beast's reins. Aragorn was conversing quietly with Legolas before he saw me. He stopped talking and started to stand, his gaze still focused on me. I sighed.
"Okay, I know what you're going to say," I said. "Yes, I disobeyed you—."
"Obviously."
"But! If I hadn't, you'd be somewhere down there," I continued, waving my hand towards the edge of the cliff. Aragorn peeked over the cliff's edge, then straightened.
"And I suppose you're to tell me that you saved me from a nasty fall."
"Well…I did."
Legolas put a hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "I'm no happier about this situation than you are, but I for one am grateful that she didn't listen to you." He stroked Aragorn's cheek lightly with the back of his hand. "What would I do if she had gone with the others?"
A squelching sound from behind us, and we turned. Gimli had driven his axe into the last dog-beast amidst the surprisingly still battle grounds. The ambush was over. Aragorn started walking away from us to find Théoden. I glanced up at Legolas. He returned the glance and started after the ranger.
I felt really effing stupid. There was no way I could have forgotten about something so ridiculously important like an Orc ambush. There was no way it could have slipped my mind. But it did. I just wanted to know how.
And how am I supposed to feel about Aragorn's reaction to me? I didn't even know if he was angry with me or not.
Théoden, no longer riding on a horse, was discussing what to do next with Aragorn. I could hear them as Legolas and I neared. Théoden said he knew the rest of the way to Helm's Deep.
"Bring what you can salvage," he said. "The horses we have left will hold. Take the injured. Leave the dead." He headed off. The surviving soldiers were already rounding up the remaining horses.
Things were starting to feel wrong again.
.xXx.
"So few of you have returned," Eowyn said quietly. There was activity inside Helm's Deep. People were being reunited, others were lingering by the doors, waiting for the other soldiers to appear.
"The ambush was strong, but they were overcome," Théoden answered, walking past her.
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were standing together. I could hear them discussing the battle plans. Though it didn't really sound like they knew what to expect.
"Saruman will most likely know that we're here by now," I said. The three of them turned to look at me. "They'll attack either tonight or tomorrow." Aragorn turned his body towards me.
"Legolas, Gimli," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "I would like a word with Kendra alone, please." I swallowed thickly. Legolas and Gimli exchanged confused looks, but headed off in the direction Théoden had gone. Aragorn advanced on me, slowly, deliberately. Involuntarily, I took one step back. He stopped walking and cocked his head. Then, he held his hand out to me. I blinked. It took a few seconds for me to grasp what he was doing: gesturing for me to come closer. I took a few steps forward. Aragorn placed his hands on my shoulders.
"What was it that you forgot?" he said. I shifted uncomfortably.
"The ambush," I answered. "I forgot all about it."
"Why do you suppose that is?"
"What? I have no idea," I said, taken aback by his question. "Everything's been wrong lately. My senses have been going on and off, and now I'm losing my memory…You told me not to doubt my abilities, but I can't help it."
"How much do you know about this impending battle?"
"Everything I said I knew, back in Rohan."
Aragorn shifted. "Kendra, I am glad that you contributed during the ambush, and have contributed since we found you. But this battle will be dangerous, so I'm asking you to—."
"Stay behind this time?" I finished. "I can't do that. I actually remember what's supposed to happen, I actually know what's going to come. Aragorn, you guys need me. I don't expect you to let me fight, but I want you to let me be a weapon." Aragorn stared at me for a while.
"We will discuss this later," he said finally. "I don't want you to endanger yourself for us."
"This is my choice."
"But it's up to Théoden whether to allow it or not," he said. He knelt in front of me, his hands still on my shoulders. "I do appreciate what you've done. I can't say that I'm happy that you disobeyed me, but I also can't say that I'm not happy about it. So don't think I'm angry with you." He stood up.
"So…what now?" I asked.
"What else?" he replied. "We have a battle to get ready for."
End Chapter 8
Kind of long…but man kissie was promised and delivered. i do hope you all appreciate that.
towards the end, I didn't know how to end it, and Aragorn started sounding unusually OOC. so...sorry if everything got lame towards the end.
suggestions? comments? critique? review and tell me!