Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings.
A/N: I apologize for the long wait. Now that school is almost out, and the computer is fixed, updates should be more frequent.
Chapter 21: Preparing for Battle
News traveled quickly through Helm's Deep, but everybody who heard it couldn't believe their ears. One minute they were mourning the loss of Aragorn and Harry, the next minute they were welcoming them back!
Ron and Gimli quickly brought Harry up to speed with what had happened in the battle after he fell. They were all pleased to see the looks on Legolas and Eowyn's faces when they first saw Aragorn. Then the pair made a somewhat dramatic entrance into the hall where the king was.
"Ten thousand!" whispered Théoden in shock. Aragorn and Harry had just delivered the bad news about the army headed for Helm's Deep.
The ranger nodded grimly. "It is an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of Men. They will be here by nightfall." He paused to let this sink in.
"Blimey," groaned Ron, who had started to turn green, "I don't think we can handle that!"
Théoden, on the other hand, was quick to hide his panic. "Let them come," he said, and walked out of the room. The others followed him. Ron started to leave as well when Harry grabbed his arm.
"Wait Ron, I need to ask you something."
"What is it Harry?"
Harry had just gotten an idea. It had suddenly dawned on him that this might be one of Ron's strong points. "You're really good at chess and everything."
"Yeah…"
"And that involves using logic and strategy, right?"
"Harry, what're you getting at here?"
"I'll bet you'd be real good at coming up with battle plans!"
Ron looked slightly surprised. "Wow! I dunno Harry, I'd have to see the rest of the fortress…"
"What've you been doing for the past few hours!"
"This place is big Harry. Really big. Anyway I also need to be able to anticipate what the Uruk-hai might do. If I have an idea of how the enemy attacks, I'll be able to come up with a plan…"
"I knew you'd want to! Come on, let's catch up with Théoden and the rest and here what they have to say."
Three hours later…
"Are you lot done yet?" grumbled Fred.
Treebeard turned around to say three words: "Don't be hasty." This was met with groans from the boys.
"Uh, define "hasty"," said George. Treebeard, however, had turned back to the meeting and chose not to answer.
"Anyone up for a game of Exploding Snap?" suggested Fred.
"How d'you play that?" asked Pippin.
"You've never played Exploding Snap!" chorused the twins in shock and horror.
"You're in another world, remember?" said Merry.
"Yeah, but how could Harry not have told you?" asked George in disbelief.
"I guess he forgot."
"Well, lucky for you, we always keep a deck on us, just in case," said Fred, pulling out some cards.
"Just how much do you keep in your pockets?" asked Pippin.
"You don't want to know," said Fred, as he started dealing out the cards, "For now, just try to sit back and learn the greatest card game ever invented!"
Théoden was relating to the others his strategy by the gates of Helm's Deep when Harry and Ron came up. They could tell that neither Aragorn, Legolas, nor Gimli were very impressed. They seemed to think everyone was doomed. Harry couldn't really blame them, considering their predicament, but they could make an effort to be a bit more optimistic. It wasn't over yet.
Ron was examining the wall. "How thick is this?" he asked Théoden, "Could an army break through it, or climb it?"
"No, that's not possible," replied the king.
"So I guess they'd have to use ladders…" said Ron, his voice trailing off. "We should probably have a lot of men along the wall, but I don't think we should try killing them as they come up, we'd have to try to get rid of the ladders so they can't use them again."
"How would we do that?" asked Aragorn.
"Knock them over?" suggested Gimli.
"Nah, they'll just bring 'em back up. No, I've got a better idea," Ron had an evil grin on his face, "Let's light them on fire!"
"You mean, you and me run around and do that?" asked Harry incredulously, "I don't think we could go that fast."
"Of course we can't. What we do is have torches ready along the walls, and we light them on the ladders!"
"It's a good idea, but it would take too long for the fire to spread," said Legolas.
"Well, I suppose we could throw oil on them or something similar to it," said Harry, "It would catch on pretty quick if we did that."
"I don't think we have enough oil for something that big," replied Théoden.
"Well it was worth a shot," grumbled Ron, not looking too pleased that his idea wasn't being accepted by everyone. Gimli seemed to read his mind.
"We might as well try lighting them, if they use ladders at all. The worst that can happen is it won't work."
"Fine," said Aragorn, "But what of the wall?"
"Looks pretty thick to me," replied Ron, running his fingers over it, "Harry, we'd better put an Unbreakable Charm on it, and an Impertuable Charm too,just in case."
"Good idea."
"How long will that magic last?" asked Théoden.
"As long as we want it too," replied Ron, "At least, I think it will. Neither of us have tried something this big before."
"There's always a first time though," added Harry hastily, in order to make the others' worried expressions disappear.
"Are you sure about all this?" asked Legolas.
"Positive," said Ron, "Let's go back in."
BANG! For what felt like the millionth time, there was an explosion from the corner where the Fearsome Foursome sat. Then there was a jubilant cry. "I win again!" yelled Pippin, "I love this game!"
"Only because you're the only one winning," grumbled George. He was now beginning to regret ever teaching the hobbits Exploding Snap.
Treebeard turned to the friends. "Would you please try to keep it down?" he asked, "We cannot concentrate on our meeting!"
"We can try, but I doubt we'll get very far," replied Fred, starting to deal the cards, "This time you won't beat us Pippin!"
"That's what you've said after every game. Yet, somehow I always manage to continue my streak!"
"Don't start getting cocky now," said Merry, "I nearly had you last time!"
"You thought you had me. It was all part of the plan."
"Plan!" laughed George, "You don't have enough energy up there to begin making a plan!"
"Do too," pouted Pippin.
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"I'm sorry boys, but you simply must be quiet!" said Treebeard, who had all but snapped.
There was a loud groan as they sadly put the cards away. "Next time Pippin," whispered Fred, "You just wait. Next time we'll crush you!"
"I'd like to see you try!"
Dawn was approaching as Faramir's troops approached Osgiliath. Frodo and Sam were feeling desperate. If these rangers brought the Ring to Gondor, their Quest would be all but lost. Ginny was silently fuming. She was in charge of guarding Gollum. Once again, she was being dragged around like an almost useless piece of luggage, never allowed to fight, always having to stay where it was safe. Heck, she was the only one who knew magic! She could be just as good as the other soldiers. Where did men come up with the idea that women couldn't fight! Ginny knew she should also be worried and angry over the Ring situation, but she hadn't really fully grasped the danger of it. She was more concerned about the effect it had on Frodo, and had decided to stay nearer to him in an almost protective position.
But while the others were scared, confused, desperate, or angry, Hermione remained calm and thoughtful. She was pondering on the true nature of the Ring. She knew what had happened on Amon Hen with Boromir, and she had always had a suspicion that Harry was attracted to it too. But she had never actually seen what it did. She should've been tipped off when she first saw Gollum, but she could never picture that the wretched creature used to be a hobbit himself. It just didn't look right to her. But now she saw what Faramir had almost done, and she knew the danger of their Quest.
A sudden thought struck Hermione. Was she in danger of the lure of the Ring? She had never considered it before. It had always just been that object around Frodo's neck, the thing they were going to destroy. She had never seen it as an object of great power, until now.
Osgiliath came into view. It was the ruins of what had once been a beautiful city by the river Anduin. In a way, Hermione thought, it looked sad. But that emotion turned to fear when she saw it was under attack. For the first time since Moria, she might become involved in a real battle.
Frodo tried reasoning with Faramir one last time, but it was no good. The captain's mind was made up. Together, they all marched to the besieged city.
Inside Helm's Deep, the atmosphere was grim. Despite Ron's good plans, the idea that they would soon be fighting for their lives against 10,000 Uruk-hai was slightly daunting. The women and children were being herded into the caves, supplies were being checked, and all the time the two people who should've been resting were always on the go, despite their friends' pleading. Aragorn and Harry were men of action, and they would not slow down now, not when everyone needed them. Besides, Aragorn had another problem on his hands that had nothing to do with fighting.
Eowyn was upset, apparently because she wasn't allowed to fight with the other men. But there was another reason why, and it all became clear as she confronted Aragorn.
"To tell you the truth," said Ron as she stormed away into the caves, "I think you handled that quite well mate, although I've got no idea what she was talking about."
Aragorn didn't respond. He had turned pale. "What's up?" asked Ron with concern.
"Uh, Aragorn? I think she likes you," said Harry, who also looked slightly upset.
"What!" asked Ron. He looked from one friend to the other. Their expressions were one of grim agreement. Then he burst out laughing. "HA! I KNEW IT!" He leaned against the wall for support. Harry hadn't seen him laugh so hard since the night Cho kissed him under the mistletoe. "Oh Merlin," Ron breathed, still chuckling, "This is great! You guys together! It's perfect!"
"Uh Ron, could you shut up?" asked Harry nervously. It appeared that his friend didn't realize what was happening.
"What's wrong?" asked Ron, clearly puzzled, "Oh I get it. You don't like her back."
Aragorn nodded numbly.
"Don't worry mate. She's actually pretty cool once you get to know her."
"That's not it," muttered Harry. He began to pull Ron along. This wasn't really the time or place to discuss such matters. But he should know the problem. It wasn't fair to leave his best friend in the dark, even over something he found rather trivial compared to the problems in the world.
"What is it then?" asked Ron, confusion evident.
Harry leaned in and muttered, "He already loves someone else."
"What? Who?"
Harry quickly summarized the whole Arwen story to him. Ron nodded slowly in understanding. "Well," he said, "If I know Eowyn, she won't like taking this lying down. Never has, probably never will."
"She'd better get used to it. He won't change his mind."
Fred, George, Merry, and Pippin were tired, hungry, and above all: bored. They could barely believe when Pippin meekly suggested that the Ents must've decided something by now, only to hear from Treebeard that they had just finished saying "Good morning."
"By the time they actually come to a decision, this war will be over," moaned Fred.
"Yeah, and who knows who would be the winner," added Merry grimly.
There was a sudden loud snore. George had fallen asleep. His twin hit him. "Wake up!"
"Huh? What? I didn't do it! I'm not an orc!" yelled George, sitting straight up.
"Easy mate, you're at the Entmoot remember?"
"Oh yeah," yawned George, "Don't tell me they're still at it."
"They're still at it," said Pippin.
"I told you not to tell me that!"
"Well you can't exactly deny it," replied Pippin, pointing at the Ents.
George sighed deeply. "Anyone got anything to eat?"
"I have some lembas," said Merry.
"I got a Chocolate Frog," said Fred.
"What's that?" asked Pippin curiously.
"See for yourself," replied Fred, opening the wrapper. The frog leaped out and landed in Pippin's lap.
"You eat brown frogs?" he asked, horrified.
"No silly, those are candies. They're charmed to jump, but that's about it. Try it."
Pippin took a bite. His eyes widened in pleasure. "Mmmm," he said, "It tastes like chocolate!"
"It is chocolate you idiot. Why else do you think they call 'em 'Chocolate Frogs'?"
"Oh," said Pippin, eating the rest of the candy, "Right."
After that little episode, the four continued their long, almost unbearable wait for the Ents' final decision.
Back at Helm's Deep, Théoden had assembled every man that could use a sword to fight in the coming battle. The total was about 300 men. Not very impressive, something that a thoroughly anxious Legolas was quick to point out. Aragorn, on the other hand, was trying to remain hopeful about the situation. The result was an argument in Elvish that no one else could understand until Aragorn shouted out in pure English, "Then I shall die as one of them!" He then turned and stormed out of the room.
"Whoa," said Ron, "What on earth did you say to him!"
Legolas didn't answer. He started after Aragorn, then thought better of it. He turned and stormed in the opposite direction.
"This isn't good," said Harry, "We can't have them fighting, or we'll never get anything done."
"Do you reckon we should talk to them?" asked Ron.
"That's a good idea," said Harry, nodding, "I'll talk to Aragorn, and you can talk to Legolas."
"Nah," said Ron, with a slight grin, "We always do it that way. Let's switch this time."
"Are you sure?" asked Harry, "We've got a friendship at stake here!"
"Of course I'm sure! Don't you trust me?"
"Well, of course!"
"Then let's go already!"
Aragorn hadn't gone far. He was sitting outside on the steps that led to the main doors, watching the others prepare for battle. Ron could see he was obviously deep in thought, but still had the nerve to approach him anyway. He sat next to the ranger and, when Aragorn didn't acknowledge his presence, cleared his throat.
Aragorn looked up with a start. "Yes?" he asked Ron, "What is it?"
Ron wasn't exactly sure where to begin. He hadn't even given a thought to what he was going to say. Maybe he should've left this particular job to Harry. But it was too late now.
"Erm, well, listen mate, about what happened back there in the Hall…" his voice trailed off.
Aragorn sighed. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that, but I don't believe we should be giving up yet."
"Me neither. But maybe you should be looking at it from Legolas' point of view."
"What do you mean?"
Ron took a deep breath, trying to put his feelings and suspicions into words. "Well, I wouldn't know too much about being immortal, never having gone through it myself, but I imagine in some ways it's got to be great because you never have to worry about dying."
"Actually Ron, the elves in Middle Earth can die, if they get murdered or killed in battle. They just don't get sick or grow old."
"Exactly! So if it were me, and I went my whole life thinking I was never going to die, and had all these years ahead of me, I think I would be just a bit nervous if I suddenly got the idea that it was all about to be cut short in one major battle."
"I see what you are saying, but I don't think Legolas thinks that way."
"Well I don't know!" cried Ron, throwing up his hands in exasperation, "I'm just trying to help! You know him better than I do! All I'm saying is you guys should give your words a bit more thought before you actually say them!"
"Like you you mean?" asked Aragorn with a slight smirk.
"Ok, maybe I don't always follow my own advice! I just wish you guys wouldn't start fighting amongst yourselves now, when we're going to be up to our ears in battling in a few hours!"
"I understand Ron," said Aragorn, who was now smiling a little, "Thank you for your advice, but Legolas and I will patch things up ourselves. We always have before."
"Ok," Ron sighed. He had no idea why he had suggested this to Harry. He wasn't good at these heart-to-heart discussions. But it was over and done now. Staring out at the walls, he said aloud, "I sure wish we had more elves like Legolas around here. We could use some archers to decrease the Uruk-hai before they even get to the wall."
"The Rohirrm have some good archers," murmured Aragorn, "But it's true that no one can match the skills of elves. Still, the chances of a troop of elves suddenly showing up here is very slim."
"Ah well," said Ron, "We've got one, and he's the best I've ever seen. We'll just have to make do with what we've got."
The elf in question was still inside. It took Harry longer to find him then it did for Ron to find Aragorn. That was because in times of distress, some elves tended to go to secluded areas where they could think. Unfortunately for Legolas, he didn't have too much time to do that since Harry came bursting in a few minutes later.
"There…you…are…been…looking…everywhere…" panted Harry, clutching a stitch in his chest.
"Are you alright?" asked Legolas in concern, "Have the Uruks been sighted?"
"What? No, they haven't. I didn't come to tell you about that."
"What did you come here for then?"
Harry paused, then spit it out, "Why are you so mad at Aragorn? What on earth were you guys saying?"
Legolas sighed and looked away. "It was nothing really Harry."
"Don't give me that. It's the first time I've ever seen Aragorn yell at one of his friends!"
Legolas turned back to face Harry. "I just don't think we can do this. How can a small army like this defeat 10,000 powerful Uruk-hai? It's just not possible."
"Excuse me? Is this the same guy who shouted down Boromir at the Council of Elrond because he said destroying the Ring was impossible?"
Legolas paused. It was true. Now that Harry mentioned it, he had changed. Had it really been that long ago that they had all volunteered to go with Frodo to Mount Doom? It felt like an age, but it had really only been a few months. Now they were all split up, forming their own little alliances to fight off Sauron's armies the best they could. In all honesty, this experience could be truly terrifying at times.
"I gotta say," added Harry, "That this doesn't have to be the end. I remember when I saw Voldemort come back, and I was trapped in that graveyard surrounded by Death Eaters. I really thought I was going to die. But I didn't. I survived, and I know we can do it again. Besides, Aragorn's are leader, at least when Gandalf's not here. If he thinks we can get through, then we will. And Ron does know some brilliant strategies. I don't think it's possible to beat him in chess!"
Legolas had turned away again slightly, so Harry could not see his full expression, though he appeared to be deep in thought. When he turned around, Harry could see that he was smiling ever so slightly. "Thank you Harry," he said quietly, "I'll take your word for it, although I have no idea what chess is."
Harry grinned back, and they left the room silently together.
A few minutes later, Harry and Ron had gotten on all their battle gear, along with the rest of their friends. Harry felt slightly awkward with all the heavy equipment on; it was nothing like the light stuff he put on at Quidditch. Ron was already used to it from his days as a Rider.
Just then a horn sounded. They all froze. But it wasn't the sound from the Uruk-hai army, as Legolas was quick to recognize. This was something else. Harry and Ron were in the lead as they raced up the stairs and peered over the wall. It was an army approaching, but those weren't orcs. In fact, Harry thought he recognized the flag they were carrying. He leaned over slightly, screwing his eyes in concentration. Then…
"Hey!" he said, "Isn't that a flag from Lothlorien?"
"Yes," breathed Aragorn. He sounded shocked.
"Whoa," muttered Ron, "You mean these are elves?"
The others nodded, watching as the troops marched in. There weren't many, maybe about 300, but with these skilled soldiers here to fight, the odds of Rohan losing in battle had lessened quite a bit.
To my excellent, patient reviewers:
Eclipse: Yeah, one of the reasons why I put Ginny where I did and make Faramir act the way he did was so that Ginny could see how the Ring affected Frodo. There was no other way to do it. Sorry if I didn't update fast, my computer has just decided to stop being stupid, for which I am extremely grateful.
Genvessel: You can take a class in college on Tolkien? That's so cool! I wanna do that! Yeah, I missed the whole thing about Sam, sorry, but have that scene pretty much planned out, and I like it, so I'm going to stick to it. Thanks for reviewing!
Brandy Lebeau: 'Ello there! I actually started reading your story, and I really liked it, but I never finished it. I'll get around to it ASAP.
Kaladelia Undomiel: (grins) Leave it to me to take the saddest, most serious parts of the book and turn them into something amusing. I'm glad you thought those exchanges were funny; they were supposed to be, in a weird sort of way. I truly love those guys. And I love that you review! Thanks!
Mischievous Puck: Like I said before, I have read parts of the books, and this great book called The Origins of Tolkien's Middle Earth for Dummies. So I've got the general idea, and if there's a part from the books that I liked, I'll add it in. But I don't know too much about Elladan and Elohir, except that they are Elrond's twin sons, and I also noticed that on Fanfiction authors portray them as elves that like to cause trouble. But that's really all I know.
Darknesscomes: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
Tom Riddle Charlie: That's ok, I miss chapters in stories I read sometimes too. I'm just glad you like how I'm doing.
MusiqMistress: Wow. I'm brilliant! YAY! Thanks a lot, that makes me feel good about this particular hobby of mine.
Suuki-Aldrea: Thanks, I'll let you know if I need any help. What are the History of Middle Earth books like, 'cause I've never read those either. And what, may I ask, does "Ja ne" mean? Just wondering.
Light-Dark8562: Thanks, I enjoy putting these guys together!
Catwraith: I love that part too! I was basically poking fun at how my brother and his friends seem to put sports as their top priority. I can't help but wonder if he was falling off a cliff whether or not he'd be thinking along those. But then again, I don't like to think of my brother falling off a cliff, as he is one of my closest friends. Well, what did you think of the latest chapter that I took so long to write?
Infallallthingsaremadesplendid: Yay, Helm's Deep! I can't tell you about Ginny, you'll find out within the next couple of chapters. Only 3 more in TTT!
Brownie/Melody: I write crossovers mostly. I have a lot of ideas in my head, and I'd love to write some Pirates of the Caribbean crossovers, though not with Harry or LotR. I should post my possible upcoming stories on my bio. I'm also planning on writing more adventures with Harry and the Fellowship, because I love HP/LotR crossovers too. I'm happy to know you liked mine!
Lauren546: Hey there! I loved your story too! I usually try to update weekly, depending on how much time I have. But now that school's out, I should do it on a regular basis. There should be about 37 chapters, and an Epilogue. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted my outline, so I'm going to have to rewrite that. It helps me figure out what I put in each chap.
