Chapter 11

Larwen sat against the wall of the cave, surrounded by all the children who hadn't been dragged up to defend the keep. To try and ease their fears she had started telling stories to them to try and calm them, and while they didn't understand much of it as the stories were too old for many of them, it seemed to be working.

The battle had been raging above them for hours and they could all hear the men and Uruk-Hai above them, the sound of metal on metal, thousands of feet hitting the floor above them and the death cries of both races alike.

During the sixth hour of the battle there was a loud explosion and the cave shook, dust and some small rocks were dislodged from the ceiling and showering down upon the refugees.

Larwen kept talking over the noise, without missing a beat, trying to keep the peoples attention away from the sounds above them. Some of the younger children moved closer to her nestling into her side for comfort, she wrapped her arms around the small children, drawing another into her lap.

She knew that the stress of being forced to Helm's Deep and locked away under the battle was starting to take its toll on the children and listening to the battle would do the children no good, they were all exhorted and needed to sleep although it was unlikely they would no matter how much their mothers insisted they should, which was why she had started to tell the tales to the children, to distract them. But now they really needed to sleep, whether they liked it or not.

So she sang.

Lay Down,
Your sweet and weary head,
Night has fallen,
You have come to journeys end,
Sleep now,
And dream of the ones who came before,
They are calling, from across the distant shores.

She used the edge of her dress to wipe the tears from one of the children's eyes, looking at each of them in turn as she sang.

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see,
All of your fears will pass away,
Safe in my arms,

You're only sleeping,
What can you see, on the horizon?
Why do the White Gulls Call?
Across the sea,
A pale moon rises,
The ships have some to carry you home.

Apparently her idea was working as she could see many of the children who were already asleep.

And all will turn,
To silver glass
A light on the water,
A souls pass,

The women in the caves stopped what they were doing and sat down to listen to the elf's song as well.

Hope fades,
Unto the world of night,
Through shadows falling,
Part of memory and time,
Don't say,
We have come now to the end,
White shores are calling,
You and I will meet again,
And you will be hear in my arms,
Just sleeping,

The head of the child in her lap, slumped against her jaw, interrupting her for a moment, she moved the child's head to her shoulder before she continued.

What can you see, on the horizon?
Why Do the White Gulls Call?
Across the sea,
A pale moon rises,
The ships have come to carry you home,

And all will turn to silver glass,
A light on the water,
Grey Ships Pass,
Into the West.

When she had finished the song almost all of the children were asleep and the others almost so she just sat humming parts of different songs which she knew to the sleeping children. Many of the adults had also managed to start dozing, the long journey and stress catching up with them but none of them really slept, but still none of them, save Larwen heard the sound off approaching footsteps coming from the mountain pass.

She gently moved the child off her lap and changed the direction of the ones leaning on her. Climbing to her feet she lightly stepped through the 5 metre semicircle of children she had been sitting in the centre of, telling any child she woke to go back to sleep, which they did.

Larwen moved quickly to her weapons which she had left with Eowyn, who was dozing against the wall with the other women, many of who had woken as she moved past them.

She touched Eowyn's shoulder, who awoke instantly.

"Someone is in the mountain pass, and I don't think it is any of our men." She whispered in the now wide awake woman's ear.

"Do you have a weapon with you?"

"Yes, I have a knife but I gave my sword to the men for the war." Eowyn replied.

"Do you know if any of the other women have any weapons?"

"Apart from two other women I know who have a long knife like me, most of them have a small knife of some sort for the road but nothing of really use."

"Gather the two who have the knives and one other who you know is good with a sword and will into help," She handed the woman her second white-handled knife and kept the other in its sheath. "Move the other women around the children."

Eowyn went to her task and Larwen headed for mountain entrance, reaching it only a minute before a group of Uruk-Hai come down the tunnel. The first two were down before the others knew what had happened and another followed soon after. Seeing the source of their kin's deaths the rest of the Uruk-Hai, rushed toward the entrance where Larwen was standing, shotting them down as they came.

When they were too close for her to use her bow, Larwen pulled out her knife and attacked them with that. She took down two, using the narrow entrance they were coming through to her advantage. Eowyn wasn't long in coming back with the three other women all armed with similar knives except one who had Larwen's knives double in hand.

Everyone in the caves were now awake, the screams of the terrified children drowning out the sounds of the battle above them and unknowingly exciting the Uruk-Hai who had invaded their safe haven.

The song, Into the West, is not mine belongs to New Line cinemas or something like that. Also the lyrics may be slightly wrong as I have tried to remember them of the top of my head.