As Aragorn's temper faded along with the men's hopes, Legolas came to him, apologizing. 'Do not worry yourself. I was harsh with my words as well. She put you under a spell; you are not the one to blame.'
Legolas did not argue with him since he was not sure himself if it was a spell or not. Even now, he second guessed his decision in helping her.
The sun set by the time Anna was allowed outside again. Anger coursed through her as she mounted the black horse and looked at the storm clouds over her destination. A lick of lightning outlined the battlement cornered against the mountains. Those men thought they could survive the Uruk-hai assault there. Stupid oafs. She wheeled her horse quickly for the Ents were still wrecking balls.
Those men had stomped on her for the last time. They would not be able to do that when she got there, in all the glory of Saruman. Her face kept its morbid seriousness as she unheedingly encountered the thunderstorm, masking her bitter tears with the raindrops on her face.
Just before the battle, Aragorn saw that Anna had not reappeared yet, and figured she would not again. Perhaps she left just to escape having to go into a battle she felt would be an automatic loss. The thought of her being tortured at Orthanc also entertained his mind but the assault had already begun. It was his time to lead, and maybe his last.
After what felt like weeks in battle, most retreated behind the last door. Light was seen through a high window. 'At daybreak, look for me in the east,' Aragorn remembered Gandalf tell him. One last charge was set up and the door was opened as the King of Rohan led the charge from Helm's Deep. The great horn of Helm's Deep echoed in every comb and the king's presence was enough to falter the oncoming orcs. A desire of strong, kingly tradition was upon his square shoulders.
Behind the rest of the orcs, the sun rose and glanced off the white robe of Gandalf, followed by Eomer and his band of loyal Rohirrim soldiers. The orcs were surrounded and yet they still fought.
Anna arrived behind Eomer and his men while the rest had engaged in battle. She looked over all from the hilltop but could only look at the orcs. Getting a thousand would be a scramble. She would blame it on the orc leader when she got back to answer to Saruman.
She scanned the area. The Uruk-hai would not be able to escape toward her since those Rohirrim soldiers were in front of her. She moved behind them, to the side. There a forest seemed to have sprouted during the night. It ad not been here yesterday, she was sure of that. It did not matter to her though, already in the orc frame of mind. They had chopped down trees like this for years. It would provide good cover anyway.
'Uruk-hai!' Anna screamed. A woman's voice in the midst of battle stopped most men but it was the familiarity in the voice that stopped the orcs. 'Uruk-hai!' Her voice struggled for dominance without lowering the normal tremulous tone of her voice. She drew the knife she had stolen fro Legolas in the last battle. Now clean, she realized she needed red blood on it to prove herself to the orcs. She slid it through her left hand and raised the bloodied symbol in the air. She was a man-killer, not an orc-hunter.
'Sharku durbu! Sharku thrakatuluk a Lugburz. Thrakatuluk a burzum-ishi!' she shouted and the orcs responded by organizing themselves and bringing themselves closer to her. She kept speaking in the orc's language while she pointed for hroupd to go to certain places.
Aragorn realized it before the others and shouted to Legolas and Gimli, 'She is commanding the Uruk-hair!' Aragorn wheeled his horse closer to Legolas. 'Legolas, shoot her with you bow! She must fall before they are organized!' The elf set his bow and aimed. Through Legolas's hesitation, Aragorn continued, 'She is the enemy! Kill her now or she will hill us all!'
The arrow was loosed and Legolas's heart was tugged along with it. The orc knife dropped from her hands as Anna felt the arrow pierce through her right shoulder, the searing pain causing her to lunge forward in her saddle. She pulled herself up. The Uruk-hai still fought when both their arms were chipped off.
Though, the real pain came when she looked up. It was now she could see the men the orcs were fighting. The ones she had talked to, traveled with to Helm's Deep, stolen form, all fighting, all dying. And the source of the arrow within her had set another in his bow. It was still aimed at her; Legolas could not take his eyes off her. There she was on top of the black horse, hair drenched but the bitter rain from the night before, the gift of Galadriel still upon her head. So, was this the path she chose?
'Let loose another, Legolas. Keep your hand steady,' Aragorn pushed though he knew of the spell going on here. Legolas's elf eyes or hands were not amiss except for some evil sighting for elves do not miss their target. Legolas had not yet wanted to aim his sharp arrow to tear through her heart.
Anna's gaze held Legolas's own. His hand was growing firmer along with his countenance. He had realized the tricks she had played on him and had had enough of the game.
'Good-bye,' she mouthed. Wrapping the now bloodied reins in her left hand and letting her right lie useless across the saddle, she gave a final command, 'Burzum-ishi!' and followed the rest of the rocs as they surrendered and entered the trees behind her.