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~ The Wizard's Apprentice ~

In the middle of the second day Gandalf wandered up ahead of the host, while the King spoke with the messenger. After a few moments Elraen spurred her horse up the hill to follow.

'What is it?' she asked silently as she approached.

'I must go spy out Isengard,' he replied in kind, 'and see if I can find out what Legolas was talking about. Look!'

Elraen reached the top of the hill, pulling up alongside him. She looked out toward the Ford and up the vale and her heart sank. The enemy host was far bigger than she could have guessed even after seeing the muster assembly in progress days earlier. They could not hope to withstand it at the Ford.

'Go with Aragorn and the others,' he continued. 'Enemy servants seem to have some fear about you; your presence may be helpful. And watch over the Dunadan as you can.'

The wizard turned flying back to tell the king's host to make for Helms Deep, and then sprang away.

Elraen continued onward with the host into the Deeping Coomb. Within the Hornburg she stood upon the wall with Legolas and Gimli, peering through a space in the rampart, waiting for the battle to arrive. A strange sight did the three companions look to the Men of Westfold: a dwarf, an elf, and an odd dark-haired young maiden in breathtaking battle attire.

The night wore on and they caught glimpses of the massive host snaking its way into the Deep. For herself Elraen had felt her strength grow in bounds since that fateful day in Lorien. She took her wand in her hand and with her arms raised subtly, but to waist level, and closed her eyes to focus on the rain. She thought of her disappointment with Saruman, the loss of Gandalf deep beneath the peak of Celebdil, dwelling in gloom high in a lonely hilltop tower, and of the rains and the storms themselves. The sounds of a distant storm came rumbling in from the northwest.

Aragorn caught sight of this, and greatly curious turned to watch her a moment. Suddenly his attention was caught by the crack of lightning nearby that tore down from the sky into the crowd below. He turned back and saw young Elraen had opened her eyes, and was staring out calmly at the night sky beyond. The curious young girl stood in focus, and the Ranger's attention was again turned by the deafening thunder that broke the silence, followed by a downpour of rain upon the masses of Orcs as the storm made its way over the Coomb.

The Ranger wondered if she had some gift like certain magic practitioners among the Numenoreans of old and the kingdoms in exile were rumored to have once had. But something in his heart told him what she wielded could be matched by no Numenorean even at the height of its power. He had sympathized with King Theoden's disbelief of her explanation of escaping captivity; but now he understood a little better. It was beyond his reckoning to figure why, but he understood at least that she seemed to have more in common with the Wise than with other mortals, just as Gandalf said. It was a reassuring thought that she had chosen to follow Gandalf and not one of the others of his kind.

At last after the first assault on the gate she let the storm move off and the clouds clear, and managed to bring a cool wind down from the north. Elraen then donned the gauntlets and helm, and moved along the wall toward the Gate to keep an eye on Aragorn and Eomer who were now fighting beyond it. She noticed a fresh group of enemy archers had appeared, just as Gimli answered the Orcs who sprang up from the ground to return the attack from the two Men. "Legolas!" called Elraen to the Elf Prince, who was still upon the parapet, firing arrows upon the crowd, and had also made his way along the wall. He looked at her, and she nodded toward the battle unfolding by the postern door beyond, where he spotted Orc archers in the distance taking aim at the warriors. Before she could blink the Elf had loosed two arrows and struck them down. Then Gimli came to the rescue of Eomer and the fighters returned to within the walls.

Elraen remained long up on the wall, putting both her blades to use against the crowd of enemies spilling over the ramparts, cutting ropes and tossing grapnels, and felling several as they climbed over the wall. Fiercely did her shield and sword and dagger glimmer as they swung through the night air amid the fighting, and the Orcs soon hesitated greatly at the sight of these things alone.

She followed Gimli when he called down to the culvert where Orcs were managing to sneak through. But after they drove back that attack, she stayed below for a while, during the lull, to fill her water skins and splash some of the cool pooling stream water on her face and neck. She pulled her elf cloak close back over herself and retreated to drier land. Here she paused to refresh herself with a lembas wafer (for she shared the hobbits feelings on food and had also kept a few packets in her pocket).

Just then came the great blast upon the culvert, and all were again consumed with the fight. Elraen was driven down into the Deep and away from the wall like many others, while Aragorn and Legolas retreated to the hold inside the Rock.

"Where are Gimli and Elraen?" asked the elf prince up inside the citadel.

Aragorn replied that he did not know, but that he had last seen Gimli beyond the wall and could but hope he could make it to the refuge of the caves.

"I did not see the maiden Elraen," Aragorn continued. "Indeed I have not seen her since before the culvert was blasted. But she is a stout fighter, for in arms she has the skill at least the equal of the best among my people. And she seems to have some skill of her own in some form of magic, and that must be my hope."

Up in the citadel they received some small news; Gamling and Gimli were with Eomer in the retreat through the Deep. "We lost sight of the Lady of Mundburg, I'm afraid," said the man. "The crowd of Orcs and enemy Men was too great."

Down in the Deep Elraen and the Rohirrim soldiers nearby were quickly surrounded. But ordinary Orcs were holding back some distance at the sight of her, for they knew of her, and rumor had spread quickly that the powerful Saruman had released her; with wide ranging theories as to why. She turned her attention to the Uruk half-breeds nearby who were focused on attacking the warriors of Rohan, and felled two from behind before they too kept their distance with the other Orcs.

But they were shortly overwhelmed by the enemy horde. Presently Elraen realized she was now alone. In the distance through the crowd of enemies she caught a glimpse of Eomer and his men making their way to the caves. Guessing Aragorn to be in their midst she made her way toward the entrance. In the front of her mind she now summoned her fire; thinking of the fire itself, its sources and its stories and its secrets and her connection to it, and she let it channel through her. Now to the Orcs her firelight looked larger and shined all the brighter - to their bewildered eyes the flame seemed to dim the sight of the world around, and the air around to the foul creatures felt burnt and poisoned, although this of course was still but an phantom-like echo of what she could wield when fully unveiled. The tense crowd of them cleared cautiously around her as she went along slowly, stepping carefully over the fallen, and they stood as if bespelled, and could bring themselves to neither attack nor turn away. Occasionally a wild hillman or two, seeing nothing more frightful than a small figure in a dazzling glow of sword and armor, dared a jump into the circle against her, but she was skilled enough to counter them, and soon they also kept back with the crowd. Finally she found the great door to the caverns, only to find it had been shut fast. There she also found several small casks with trails of black string set around in a half circle around the entrance, set up just moments before she got there it seemed. Guessing them to be similar contrivances of Saruman to that which blast the Deeping Wall from the culvert, she set to slicing all the strings with her dagger.

She did not want to risk the caves getting overrun on her account, or give the Orcs a chance to finish their task of blasting the entrance, so the wizard's apprentice turned to face the swarm of enemies with her back to the door a few feet away. The Orcs further away began to retreat; the stouter ones began heading back toward the wall thinking there to pick up an easier fight, and the lesser ones simply running off in madness.

She gazed upon her foes, pondering now what to do. The wind blustered violently and more thunder boomed in the distance. On the chance that Aragorn was within the caves she decided for now at least to remain where she was, guarding the door, wondering if those inside were at all able to see out.

There was indeed a spy hole at the entry. From within Eomer noticed the assault on the door had quieted, and looked out to see, worried the Orcs were about to cave in the entry with their blasts.

"My good Gimli!" he cried, "Your maiden companion must be a mighty enchantress indeed! She is just outside the door surrounded, but the Orcs keep their distance and will not come too near. She now shields their attack on the cave entrance."

"Aye, Lord Eomer," replied the dwarf. "The Elf tells me that he at times senses about her a veiled power so great he cannot guess at its measure." Gimli pulled up a chair to stand up and see through the view hole. "Ah, yes," he continued. "There is something those foul creatures seem to fear. The closest ones seem bespelled, the further ones are fleeing back toward the wall."

"That is helpful," replied Eomer, "for it is better manned there."

"No wonder the good wizard thought to bring her along!" answered Gimli.

"Indeed! They both bring me hope. Come, my good men!" he called to his comrades resting nearby. "Now is our chance. Poor soldiers will we make if we linger here idle while the lady stands alone outside. Let us regain the fight!"

Back on the Wall Aragorn and Legolas made the rounds, but their attention was northward, repelling the next assault waves coming up the valley. Then he spoke to the enemy crowd, before finishing and jumping down just before the next blast came and crumbled a vast tear in the Wall. Then dawn came.

Back in the caves the men began to gather back up by the great doors. Just then the horn call of King Theodred blasted upon the great horn of the Burg, shaking the rocks and hills throughout the valley. "Forth, Eorlingas!" cried Eomer, and the gates of the cave were reopened.

Elraen heard the doors pushing open and jumped aside as the opening widened and the men of Rohan charged forth, slashing down Orcs as they spilled out through the mouth of the cave. Seeing her, the dwarf paused for a moment. "Miss Elraen!" he called. "Come along, lass! You may yet help us get back to the others."

The young lady stepped up alongside the dwarf and followed along the men of Westfold. They all soon slowed, for few enemies remained to face them after the horn call, and many fled hither and thither in a chaotic panic. As they went along her mood calmed, and the flame died down, for at the great horn blast the Orcs were now fleeing and wildly scattering about in a panicked madness. Elraen was disappointed to discover that Aragorn was not among those hid in the caves, but was hopeful at the renewed spirit of the fighting soldiers.

At last they made their way into view of the vale where the wizard was spied upon the distant ridge with the mighty Erkenbrand spilling over the hills as the dawn broke over them, leading the remaining riders of the Mark gathered from far afield, and the mysterious army of trees which appeared seemingly out of thin air.

Finally they caught up to Aragorn and King Theoden, and the fighting calmed. The princess and the dwarf rejoiced in reunion with the elf, all with brief tales of their plights.

"I see your sword is stained, Lady. Did you tally a count, also?" asked Gimli as he and Legolas compared their numbers felled.

Elraen shook her head, "I did not keep count, I'm afraid. But by blade maybe two dozen only I think," she said. "There is no contest for me, my friend." She did not, of course, count those felled by the weather.

The dwarf laughed heartily. "Nay lady, your achievement in battle need not be measured in enemies felled, but perhaps rather enemies frightened! The Orcs seem to fear you at least as much as any wizard."

She glanced sidelong at him with a smirk and a little laugh and said, "So it would seem."

At this Legolas was quiet, recalling that as dawn broke in the east curious flashes of bright flame from deep within the crowd of enemies far up the valley had caught the corner of his eye from behind, far back up high on the wall where he'd started the battle, which died down and disappeared as murmur of fear and doubt rushed up the valley from the coomb and the battle turned as the sky lightened. The crowd of Orcs had been too thick to discern its source, and he had not been quite sure it wasn't some wizardry of Saruman's at work. But he looked over at her for a moment, wondering.

Eomer also looked on thoughtfully as he heard this conversation. He pondered the young girl and the strange scene he had witnessed before the gate of the caves, shuddering to think what would have happened had she reached them even moments later. From deep within his childhood memories suddenly surfaced stories of the great Lord Bema, who gifted the first of the mearas to his ancestors long ago, and who was said to shine with the light of the sun and moon as did his horse. He remembered legends of the enemy's servants running and hiding from him as he passed.

Gandalf was then explaining that the trees were no device of his, but proved far better than he could have planned or hoped for.

"Indeed!" replied Elraen. "I am not certain we could have survived the night without them."

After a day's rest they set forth, and Elraen trotted along after Gandalf easily through the strange trees, for she indeed remembered their kind and had no fear of them.