Chapter 32 Battle for Gondor

The day of battle dawned and Mariell faced it alone. But she would not allow herself to become discouraged. She donned the armor of

the Rohirrim at her uncle's insistence. There was a sense of pride that went with donning the uniform. She loosened her hair and pulled

on her helmet. She strode out of her tent with her back straight and her head up. She was well aware of the stares she was receiving

from the men but she ignored them. She saddled Alkiar and found the horse a bit skittish.

"Courage," she told the horse.

"Riders, on your horses," the king shouted. Mariell climbed onto Alkiar's back and heard the king speaking to Merry. She felt her heart

twist as Merry begged the king to let him fight. The king refused. Mariell felt badly for the hobbit. She was tempted to bear him on her

own horse but she knew that Alkiar could not handle the extra weight. She spurred the horse into a gallop as the riders rode away from

Dunharrow toward Minas Tirith. Out of the corner of her eye Mariell saw a rider grab Merry and lift him onto his horse. She had a

suspicion of whom the rider was but chose not to say anything.

"It seems you will both have the chance to fight for the one's you love," she thought. "I just hope we're not too late." They rode for

hours stopping neither for food or rest. The sun rose in the sky beating down on them. The sun set and they were still miles away.

"We should send a scout ahead my lord," Gamling called to the king. "No need for that," Mariell called. She allowed her eyes to close

and darkness to take her. When she opened her eyes she stood on top of a white tower. All around her people were battling orcs. The

orc army was enormous, three times the size of the one they fought at Helms Deep. She saw Gandalf commanding the forces. Pippin

stood near him likewise battling. The wizard looked up and saw her.

"Mariell!" he shouted hitting an orc with his staff. "Does your uncle come to aid us?" "The Rohirrim ride this way even now. Twenty

miles from here"

"Tell him to hurry," Gandalf entreated her. She closed her eyes again and was back on Alkiar.

"What did you see?" Theoden demanded.

"Orcs attack Minas Tirith as we speak," she called back. "They have taken out three of the towers. They have catapults as well as

trolls. Gandalf commands the soldiers to keep fighting but they will not last long. We must hurry!" They increased their pace through the

dark night. The sun rose as they came to Pellenor Field. In the distance Mariell could see the white tower. The horns of Rohan sounded

as they approached. The orcs heard the sound of the horn and turned to face their new foe.

"Draw your swords," Theoden ordered. Mariell pulled Navia from its sheath.

"Here we go old friend," she whispered. "Once more into battle." Theoden was riding back and forth hitting his own sword against

those of his soldiers. Mariell held out Navia as he rode by her. All around her the soldiers yelled their battle cries and she joined in.

"Forth Eorlingas!" Theoden shouted. Mariell spurred Alkiar and they made their way down the hill. Mariell found out quickly that killing

an orc from on top of a horse was much different from battling them on the ground. It was much easier when you had the higher ground.
From above them she sank her sword into one orc after another.

"Aaungh!" she cried out as a blade was driven into her leg. She lopped off the arm that held the blade and continued moving forward.

There was something wrong. Her leg wasn't healing. She looked at her pendant. It had lost its luster.

"Oh no!" she thought. She could not let it stop her though. She fought on and on and on. The orcs seemed endless in their numbers.

Then all of a sudden the orc she'd been about to stab turned and fled. She looked in the direction it was fleeing and felt her heart stop.

Coming toward them was an army composed of dark men of the west. They rode oliphants and were armed even heavier than the orcs.
The Rohirrim turned to meet the new foe. Mariell urged her horse forward and charged toward her foe. She cut down the men as they

attacked her but her arms were feeling the strain now as well as the pain in her leg. She cringed as the oliphants crushed the Rohirrim.

Looking up she saw a large hoof coming down on her. She yanked on Alkiar's reign and drove him to the left, the hoof missed her by

inches. A horrible screech filled the air and Mariell looked up. Her heart froze. It was a wraith! It rode on a creature that looked very

much like a dragon. The creature screeched again and Mariell's head filled with pain. So distracted was she, that she missed the man

who attacked her. She screamed as her body was flung through the air and grunted as she landed on the hard ground. She shook the

stars from her head just in time to spot her uncle on the field, the wraith flying toward him.

"No!" Mariell screamed as her uncle was knocked from his horse, and crushed as the horse came down on him. She started to run to

him but before she made it two steps she was knocked to the ground. Craning her neck she saw that there was a dead man on top of

her and he was pinning her to the ground. She tried to lift the man off of her but he was too heavy. Frantically she struggled to get out

from under the corpse that held her captive. She looked to where her uncle lay and watched helplessly as the dragon landed in front of

him. Then out of nowhere a lone soldier stepped in front of the king.

"I will kill you if you touch him!" the soldier snapped. Mariell watched in amazement as the soldier whacked off the dragon's head and

brought the wraith to the ground. She continued wiggling, trying to get loose so she could help the soldier. She had her arm free, she just
had to keep wiggling.

"You fool!" the wraith hissed. It swung a mace at the soldier who blocked it with his shield. The mace broke against it but the soldier

was driven to the ground. Mariell increased her efforts and managed to get her other arm free. The wraith grabbed the soldier by the

throat. She was almost free, just had to get her leg out. Mariell winced as she tugged on her injured leg.

"No man can kill me!" the wraith hissed. Suddenly it dropped the soldier and bent backward as though something behind it, that Mariell

couldn't see, had stabbed it. It fell to its knees and the soldier got up. Mariell gasped as the soldier pulled off his helmet. It was Eowyn!

"I am no man!" Eowyn shouted. With a savage yell she drove her sword into the wraith's face. She was flung backwards as the wraith

convulsed in lightning and withered away to nothing. With a final tug Mariell got her leg free. She pulled herself to her feet and hurried to

her cousin, ignoring the burning pain that shot up her leg . Eowyn was kneeling beside her fallen uncle. Mariell stood back unable to

intrude upon this last moment her cousin would have with her uncle.

"I know your face," the king gasped. "Eowyn." Her cousin smiled down at the king.

"The light is fading from my eyes. My body is broken. I go to join my fathers. I shall face them without shame"

"No," Eowyn said her voice choked. "I'm going to save you"

"You already have," Theoden said. Tears were threatening to choke Mariell as she watched her uncle, who she had come to love as a

father, pass from the earth. Eowyn buried her face in her uncle's chest and cried. Mariell choked back her tears and went to her cousin.

As much as she wanted to cry she needed to stay strong. Her cousin was badly wounded and needed her.

"Come," she said taking the other woman's shoulders, "we must go. I've got to get you to a healer." Her cousin did not resist as Mariell
pulled her to her feet. She whistled for Alkiar and the horse came to her. Mariell lifted Eowyn onto the horse's back and then climbed

up behind her. She turned Alkiar toward the White Tower and set off at a gallop.