A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. Trying to get past Helms Deep in that game is freaking hard! THIS CHAPTER IS RELOADED! BIG THANK YOU TO ELVEN SAILOR GIRL! THE TRANSLATIONS WERE VERY HELPFUL!
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Berethor dreaded nightfall.
That is when Aragorn had said the Uruk-Hai would reach Helms Deep. Though Berethor was not afraid to fight (He had fought many battles such as this before), he most certainly was not looking forward to it. He had spent a few hours talking with Aragorn, asking about his journey with the other members of the Fellowship. To his surprise, it turned out that Aragorn and his group had been only a few steps ahead of them in Moria! Berethor wanted to slam his head on the table from the irony of it all, but knew that if he did, Aragorn might think him insane.
Aragorn told Berethor that, on his way back to Helms Deep after his fall in the river, he had seen the Uruks that were approaching. There were some thousands coming- An army like that hadn't been seen since the Second Age. With each detail, Berethor felt the weight of increasing dread on his shoulders.
It was a dismal lot that filed into the armory to get weapons and armor in the evening. Berethor saw old men, young men, and- to his horror- boys. Boys- no, children- that couldn't have been older than thirteen or so. Some of them barely looked as though they could hold a sword, much less wield one. Is this what King Theodan had been reduced to? Ordering children to fight? Berethor was stunned by the injustice of it all- the young boys would never last the night.
In the armory, Berethor found his companions. They, too, were quiet and austere with knowledge of the impending battle. Elegost and Hadhod regarded him with a heavy nod as they put on their armor, Berethor responding with a light wave. Morwen did not acknowledge him; She simply strapped on her chest plate and kept her gaze level with the floor. Eaoden offered Berethor a weak smile, and Berethor forced himself to return it. Idrial was probably the only person in the armory that was all there. She was clearly alert- alert enough to ignore Berethor when he nodded at her.
Women, Berethor thought, shaking his head. Apparently, Idrial had it in her head that Berethor was more interested in Morwen than he was in her. As much as he wanted to convince himself that wasn't true, there was always that little voice in the back of his head that said "You know you like the girl better than the elf." This voice was one of the other reasons Berethor felt the need to slam his head, several times, into something very hard.
Someone grasped his shoulder in a friendly manner, and he turned around to see Aragorn. The older man flashed Berethor the same, weak smile Eaoden had given him a moment ago. "How are you?" The Ranger asked, his voice strained to not sound depressed.
"All right. I'm all right." Berethor said. Maybe if he kept repeating it, it would be true. Oh, how he longed for it to be true.
"You're not nervous?" Aragorn said. Berethor shook his head. "And your companions?"
"They are depressed. Nervous, perhaps. I cannot speak for them." Berethor said. "Elegost, Hadhod and Eaoden seem to be holding up. Idrial and Morwen won't talk to… so I don't know how they feel." Berethor had been teetering on the edge of saying, "Idrial and Morwen won't talk to me," but did not feel like answering the questions that would undoubtedly come up. "And your companions?" he asked.
"As you said, I cannot speak for my companions, but they seem to be faring well." Aragorn said, glancing at Legolas and Gimli, who were sitting nearby.
"Have you noticed," Berethor said quietly, "That Theodan has chosen young men to fight? And I mean… young men." Aragorn's face took on a look of unfathomable sadness.
"Yes. I have noticed." He looked at a small group of adolescent boys who were tentatively touching their swords. "Farmers, merchants, stable-boys- These are not soldiers." Berethor nodded in agreement.
"Some have seen too many winters," Gimli piped up from behind Aragorn.
"Or too little." Legolas said, a bitter bite in his voice. He glanced at the makeshift soldiers. "Look at them," He said, an unreadable emotion in his voice. It sounded like a cross between scorn and pity. "They're frightened." Legolas' words must have been louder than Berethor thought, because suddenly everyone was silent, and turned to look at the Elven Prince. What Legolas said next was in Elvish, so Berethor couldn't understand. However, Idrial, who had just come up behind him, could.
"Boe a hyn: neled herain... dan caer menig!" (And they should be. Three hundred… against three-thousand!) He said, and she caught the desperation in his tone. Apparently, her earlier words had no effect on him. He still did not believe that they had a chance of winning this battle.
"Si beriathar hýn ammaeg nâ ned Edoras,"(They have more hope of defense here than they did at Edoras,) Aragorn argued back in Elvish. Everyone, with the exception of Elegost (Who spoke enough elvish to keep up a conversation) and Idrial looked completely blank. It was obvious that the elf and the human were arguing… but about what?
"Aragorn," Legolas said sharply. "Nedin dagor hen ú-'erir ortheri. Natha daged dhaer!"(They cannot win this fight; they are all going to die!)
"Then I shall die as one of them!" Aragorn roared, taking a dangerous step towards his companion. In an instant, the basis of the argument became painfully clear to everyone. Aragorn glared at Legolas for a moment longer, and then walked off. Legolas, a look of regret coming over his face, made to go after him. Gimli caught his arm and shook his auburn head.
"Let him go, lad. Let him blow off some steam." The dwarf advised. Legolas relented, and then quietly exited through another door in the armory to stop everyone from staring at him.
"Can you not feel the confidence in the room?" Hadhod muttered grimly, slipping a leather Vambrace on his arm.
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Morwen left the armory a few minutes later, moving in search of an uncrowded place to test her movement in the armor she now wore. There was a corner in the Dining Hall that was unoccupied, so she settled there. She pulled out her double axes off her belt, and swung them in an arc. She winced as the metal of her chest plate dug into her arms. She predicted that by the end of the night, the skin on her arms would be cut terribly. If, of course, she made it through the night.
In all honesty, Morwen did not care if she lived or died. She had nothing to lose, after all. Her family was dead, her village destroyed- She could not rely on thievery for the rest of her life. It's not like she could steal a house to live in. After reflecting on it a bit, death seemed rather welcoming to Morwen.
Don't think like that! Something in her snapped. Next thing you know, you'll be trying to kill yourself! What would your mother say? It growled. Morwen felt a rush of shame hit her. The vice was right- her mother would never have wanted her to sink into self pity. And most certainly, her mother would never have wanted her to die. Not after all they had been through.
Snap out of it, Morwen, Morwen said to herself. Snap out of it. You'll live to see a new day. You will. She was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of a horn blowing. Ever muscle in her body chilled over. Were the Uruk-Hai here already?
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Eaoden wasn't certain what drew him up to the deepening wall. Perhaps it was because night had just fallen, and any minute now they could expect to see an army of unheard numbers approaching. Eaoden swallowed hard. He had been in scattered battles in Rohan with Orc parties amounting up to one hundred or so Orcs, but never over one thousand, brutally trained and somewhat more intelligent (Compared to Orcs) Uruk-Hai. While gearing up in the armory, Eaoden had the feeling his dinner would make a second appearance before the battle began.
Why, oh why, did King Theodan have to be so stubborn? Why did he have to back himself and his people into a corner from which there was no escape? Why couldn't he have sent for aid like Aragorn had suggested? Eaoden knew it was not his place to question his King's judgment, but this was ridiculous! Theodan might as well have painted an archery target onto the deepening wall and on the armor of the men who would defend it!
Just then, Eaoden spotted something. A column. A marching column of what appeared to be soldiers. Eaoden squinted, trying to see the symbol on their flag, though they clearly were not Orcs. Several other soldiers along the wall took notice.
"Open the gates!" A voice called. A horn was blown, and the column marched up the bridge into Helms Deep. Eaoden's suspicions were confirmed. They were not Orcs. They were Elves.
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Idrial's head jerked up when she heard the horn. She knew that horn. She could have identified it from one hundred other ones. It was the sound of the horn of Lothlorien- her home. Leaping up from where she had been resting, she bolted up to the entrance of Helms Deep. Many people had already gathered; including most of her companions, along with Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. King Theodan was present also. At the head of the line was Haldir- he was one of Idrial's better friends.
"I have a message from Lord Elrond of Rivendell," He said smoothly. "At one time, Men and Elves fought alongside together, as equals." He looked over at Aragorn. "We come to honor that alliance." Aragorn grinned, and to Haldir's clear surprise, went up and hugged him.
Idrial scanned the Elven warriors for her brother, Aranel. To a stranger's eye, all of the elves looked the same, with their warrior cloaks on and sleek silver bows, but Idrial had learned to tell the difference between the elves. She could pick out one specific warrior from this group and identify him without having to see him without the cloak. She spotted Aranel in the middle row, on the far right. He did not see her, and she knew better than to call out to him like a child while he was at attention.
Haldir and Theodan conversed briefly about the position of the elves on the wall, and Haldir directed his troops to their positions. With a jolt, Idrial realized that it wouldn't be long until the Uruk-Hai arrived. She fingered her sword hilt for a minute, and then went up to Haldir. She waited for him to finish giving orders until she spoke.
"Mae Govannen (Welcome), Haldir." Idrial said, bowing. Haldir smiled.
"Hello Idrial." He greeted. "How are you?"
"I am well. Thank you for coming to our aid- We certainly need it." She said. Haldir cast a glance at the soldiers drifting around.
"So I see." He murmured, raising an eyebrow at a young boy that walked by with a helmet that fell over his eyes; An older soldier quickly moved to push it up before the boy could crash into a wall. "Your brother is positioned along the far left of the deepening wall, if you'd like to see him before battle." Idrial nodded.
"Thank you." She said. Suddenly, Idrial felt her stomach flutter. Maybe it had been the fact that she hadn't eaten in a while. Maybe it was because a strong gust of wind blew by. Or maybe it was because that on that wind gust, Idrial could have sworn she heard an Orc horn.
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Elegost could see the army before he could hear them. There was a crash of thunder, and Elegost winced. Oh Eru, He groaned in his head. Please don't let it rain. Please. So, of course, the next second, a downpour started. It was almost comical, watching the soldiers standing at attention as the rain soaked their armor. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. The humor was quickly rubbed out when the torches from the Uruk-Hai army got closer.
Elegost glanced to his right, where he saw Berethor with his sword bared. The Gondorian was frightfully stiff, and looked very much like a statue. And with good reason- Elegost could not see an end to the Uruk-Hai army yet. Looking away from the younger man, the Ranger looked to the trio to his left. Hadhod was next to him; then there was Legolas and Gimli.
"Could have picked a better spot, Elf." Gimli griped. He and Hadhod were unable to see over the deepening wall.
"Yes, Ranger, you too could have chosen a more efficient place for us to be placed." Hadhod growled. Elegost smiled.
"A lower place, perhaps?" He whispered, poking a bit of fun at the dwarf. With a sinking feeling, he realized that this may be the last time he would ever joke with his friend. The sound of marching Uruk-Hai was making his stomach flutter- such a feat had not taken place in at least two decades for him.
It seemed to take an eternity for the Uruk-Hai to reach the wall; though eternity really only lasted about two minutes. They stopped- along with the soldiers hearts.
A Captain Uruk-Hai that stood atop a large boulder let out a savage cry, and the army came to a halt. For one minute, there was silence other than the pattering of rain on armor. The Uruk-Hai Captain let out another terrifying cry, and the first row of the army slammed their spears into the ground. This started a wave across the rest of the army- all of the other Uruks began to slam their weapons into the earth, creating a slight shaking sensation in the ground.
"Eruchin, ú-dano i faelas a hyn,"(Show no mercy) Aragorn was yelling to the Elven warriors. "An uben tanatha le faelas!"(For you shall receive none!)
"They strike to intimidate us," Elegost muttered to Hadhod. "To show us that there are too many of them to defeat." Hadhod growled slightly, and attempted to look over the wall again.
"It'll take more than a few Uruks banging their spears to intimidate me." He snarled.
"What's happening out there?" Gimli was saying. He, like Hadhod, was jumping up and down trying to see over the wall.
"Shall I describe it to you?" Legolas asked. He turned to Gimli. "Or would you like me to find you a box?" Gimli laughed sarcastically, and relented in his jumping. Just then, there was silence. An Uruk-Hai in the front row fell forward, dead. Someone had let off an arrow. Clearly, the Uruk-Hai were not pleased.
"DARTHO!" (HOLD!) Came Aragorn's voice. But it was too late. A second later, the Uruk-Hai captain let out another shuddering cry. The Uruks followed suit, letting out their own war cries, and charged at the wall, spears raised high. ((Prepare to fire!)) Aragorn called. The soldiers with arrows aimed their weapons as accurately as they could. Elegost chose a random Uruk, aimed at it, and awaited the order to fire.
"Faeg i-varv... dîn na lanc a nu ranc."(Their armor is weak at the neck… and beneath the arm.) He heard Legolas say.
"Tangado a chadad!"(RELEASE THE ARROWS!) Aragorn roared. Elegost, along with one hundred others, fired at the army. There were so many of the Uruk-Hai that, even if you missed the one you were aiming for, there was an excellent chance you'd still kill something.
"Did they hit anything?" Gimli yelled. From another part of the deepening wall, Theodan commanded another volley of arrows. Aragorn quickly followed suit. A number of Uruk-Hai had reached the wall, and were now firing up at the Elven and Rohirric soldiers. A few feet away from Elegost, a man was struck dead from a cross-bolt to the skull.
This will certainly be a pleasant battle, Elegost thought moodily as he pulled another arrow from his quiver.
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Berethor was certain he would have a heart attack when he felt a cross-bolt fly by his ear. He froze stiff and quickly released an arrow. Berethor could not recall ever using a bow and arrow before, and it felt quite awkward to him. There were many Uruk-Hai, so he didn't need to worry about not hitting something, but he was quite assured that he didn't have enough force in the release to kill.
That pit of dread from earlier was back, and it deepened into a black hole of dread when he saw the Uruk-Hai hauling ladders up to the deepening wall.
"SWORDS! SWORDS!" Aragorn yelled. Every soldier along the wall, in almost one synchronized motion pulled the swords from their scabbards. Berethor swallowed hard, and hardened his expression when he saw a ladder swing up and settle on a part of the wall no less than five feet away from him. An Uruk-Hai leapt of the top of the ladder with a mighty roar, and instantly killed a soldier in front of it with its spear.
Berethor realized that this was a Beserker- an incredibly strong and violent type of Uruk-Hai. Eru, give me strength, He thought as he ran forward to kill the next Uruk-Hai that came from the ladder.