Yeah, had this done yesterday. LOL. I'll start working on tomorrow's long, ardous chapter today.
Disclaimer: I own Alice.
"Make way for the King!" Gamling yells as the troops enter Helm's Deep.
Alice rides on the back of Théoden's horse. She's switched horses several times, but hasn't really realized it. The shock of losing Aragorn and Fingolfin in such a short amount of time, combined with her exhaustion from the battle and a spear wound in her back that her mind has yet to register, has toppled her, and turned her into, basically, a vegetable. When the men tried letting her ride a horse by herself, the horse took two steps and she just slipped off, as though simply dead weight. She only responds to direct, simple questions, normally with only a vague nod or shake of the head. Legolas has spent the entire day taking great care of her, but, because of the need to even the weight between the horses and not let one be too lightly burdened and another too heavily burdened, has been unable to ride with her. Occasionally, though, she has been allowed to walk, and he has gotten down and led her along by the hand, as she would not walk forward by herself but instead simply stand there, staring into the distance.
She's only aware of Théoden, as he rides in through the gates. She tries to ask him a question, but her lips, oddly enough, won't move. The fog which envelops them (or, really, just her mind) cannot be pierced by even her Elvish eyesight. She manages to look up at the King, but since he's not paying much attention to her at the moment, doesn't notice. She lets her eyes loll over the crowd, not seeing specific people, but more like just entities moving about her. Somewhere in the back of her mind where the fog is not so dense, she knows that they are distressed and yet relieved about something. She knows this should concern her, but the fog won't allow her to care.
Éowyn runs up to the throng of soldiers who have just arrived, her eyes scanning them.
"So few. So few of you have returned." She says to her uncle. He turns to her, trying to find the words, while holding up Alice's side with one hand. He averts his gaze as much as possible.
"Our people are safe." He responds vaguely. He turns back to Alice, who's staring at him with a dull look in her eyes, and a blank expression. Blood stains her Elvish cloak, soaking it through. He holds up a hand, and she slowly climbs off the horse. "We have paid for it with many lives."
"My lady." Gimli says solemnly to the young maiden, who turns to look at him, worry in her eyes.
"Lord Aragorn… where is he?" His next words are difficult to speak, and he sends one fast glance in Alice's direction before responding.
"He fell."
Alice doesn't really hear any of this. All she's aware of is that as soon as her feet touched the ground, Legolas was at her side, gently holding her elbow with one of his hands. She stares into his eyes, a mildly confused expression on her face, and a question on her lips. She knows there's something wrong and wants to ask him about it, but she can't seem to form the words. He returns her stare before glancing over at… whoever it is that's standing next to her (Théoden), and nods in that direction. Then he gently tugs on her elbow, and pulls her along with him. Her mind cannot seem to fathom where they are going, as they twist and turn down what feels like hundreds of passageways. She can tell that there's something very wrong by the expression on his face, but for whatever reason, her lips still will not move.
Finally, he pulls her into a room, where the stench of blood wreaks it's havoc… on everyone else. The fog is too dense to be penetrated by it's scent. Legolas sits on one of the few empty beds, and pulls her down next to him. He gently pushes her head against his shoulder, and then wraps his arms about her waist, rocking her slowly. Though she cannot reason why he would do this, she doesn't question it, and simply lets him hold her.
A moment later, an older woman approaches them. She has a slight hunch in her back, causing her to have to almost waddle instead of walk. She wears a grey dress with a white apron over it, both stained deeply with blood. She has a deep tan, and her long scarred fingers and arms are also stained with blood. Her face is heavily wrinkled with laugh lines, and her dull grey eyes speak of great wisdom. Her lips are puckered in, as though she's maybe missing a few teeth. Her grayish-silver hair is pulled back into a messy bun behind her head. She and Legolas have a quick conversation, their lips moving but no words coming forth.
"My name is Hasuwinë. What can I do for you two?" She says to Legolas, glancing occasionally at the stock-still woman in his arms. Her strong voice offsets her frail body. He nods once as a polite gesture of greeting.
"My name is Legolas Thranduilion; I am an Elf of Mirkwood. My arm," he holds it up for her to see, "is cut from the receiving end of an Orc's blade. It has stopped bleeding. Alice, however," he leans back, and the old woman waddles around to look at Alice's back, who stares after her, "still has a piece of a spear in a wound in her back. We've had trouble keeping the blood from flowing. She, also, hasn't responded to anything except yes or no questions." He looks up at the woman. "Can you help her?" Hasuwinë smiles.
"You love her." It's a statement, not a question. Legolas nods. "I will do all that I can." She pats his cheek twice, and then looks up. She sees a girl dressed similarly to herself, and whistles, shouting something in Rohirric. The girl, no older than 17, comes over swiftly. "This is my daughter, Haelana. She will bind your arm." He nods again, and Hasuwinë gently helps Alice up and into a room, separate from the soldiers who lay about, some dying, and some slowly healing.
Later…
Alice sits with the people as Éowyn tends to the man sitting on Alice's right. She stares at the ground, her wound now bandaged and in fresh clothes, but the fog still enveloping her mind. Legolas had brought her in to be watched over by the Rohan woman while he helped around nearby. She hears voices speaking, and then is barely aware of Éowyn suddenly running off. She doesn't look up. A moment later, Legolas walks over to her, grabs her by the elbow again, helps her to her feet, and then leads her out of the room, following someone, but whom, Alice can't see through the fog.
The person before them opens huge doors, straining against the weight only a little as the guards back off. Her and Legolas follow him in. She hears a few more voices, but no discernable words.
"A great host, you say?" Théoden asks, having heard Aragorn's story.
"All Isengard is emptied." The ranger responds.
"How many?"
"Ten thousand strong at least." Théoden turns to Aragorn, incredulous.
"Ten thousand?" His voice is disbelieving.
It is an army bred for a single purpose ... to destroy the world of Men." The bedraggled man responds grimly. Théoden attempts to fathom Aragorn's bombshell. His face shows real fear. "They will be here by nightfall." Théoden turns away, contemplating.
"Let them come!" He says as he marches out of the hall. Aragorn turns to Legolas. "Sut naa re umien?" He asks the Elf quietly in his native tongue, and both cast a worried glance in Alice's direction. (How is she doing?)
"N'quel." He responds. "She can only answer yes or no questions. We don't know what's wrong. The healer, Hasuwinë, said it was possibly from stress. Physically, however, she's fine." Aragorn walks past Legolas over to Alice, who continues to stare at the ground. He puts a hand on her shoulder. (Not good.)
"Alice?" He asks, and after a few seconds of shaking her head, as though she can't move it very well, she suddenly lifts her eyes up to his before immediately dropping them back down, like they couldn't stay up on their own. As soon as her gaze hits the floor again, her eyes shoot back up to his own, and this time, she manages to hold her eyes up. Her jaw hits the floor.
"A-…Aragorn?" She asks, her lips finally moving to make the shapes she has been trying to make all day. "Aragorn?" She asks again, more resolutely this time. He nods. "ARAGORN!" She suddenly screams in his face, and jumps forward to hug him, the force of which knocks them both down. The fog, upon realizing that Aragorn was standing there, immediately dissipated to allow her to have full control of her thoughts and action once more. The shock, which had once rendered her little more than a brain-dead stroke victim, had vanished. Her eyes snap up to look at his face again, and when he meets her gaze, her eyes narrow to thin slits. "Don't you ever do that again." He laughs.
"I'll try not to."
"Are you back to normal, lassie?" Gimli asks, poking her side with the wooden end of his axe. She laughs and nods.
"Yes, Gimli. I don't know what happened, but I guess losing Boromir, Fingolfin, and Aragorn in such a short amount of time was just too much for me to handle."
"Wait, what?" Aragorn asks, having laid his head back down, now looks up again at the woman who still lies on top of him. "What do you mean you lost Fingolfin?"
She looks back at Aragorn, and says what Fingolfin told her about why he had to leave. "It just happened two or three days ago." Legolas' eyes widen.
"Two days ago? That was before the battle with the warg-riders!" She nods.
"Yeah, the person who fought off the wargs and helped Gimli here get out from underneath that pile of carcasses? That was me." She quickly explains how the Elf Lord had been training her in her sleep for the day when he could no longer help her, and that she also now has Elvish eyesight and hearing, along with the ability to speak fluent Sindarin. Gimli shakes his head as Alice rolls off the injured ranger and quickly stands.
"That is quite some story, lassie. It does make me feel better knowing that you can fight with the best of 'em when you leave us." Alice grimaces.
"Let's not talk about that right now. Instead, let's go make sure Théoden doesn't get himself killed." Legolas laughs before offering one of his hands to her, which she almost greedily takes. The two, lead by Aragorn and followed by Gimli, take off after the King.
Théoden and Gamling walk down the stairs followed by Aragorn, Legolas, Alice, and Gimli. The King speaks to his soldier.
"I want every man and strong lad able to bear arms to be ready for battle by nightfall." He dismisses Gamling. Théoden and the other four continue on to stand just outside the main gate. He stands outside the gate on the stone pathway leading into Helm's Deep, and quickly tells them his plan. "We will cover the causeway and the gate from above. No army has ever breached the Deeping Wall or set foot inside the Hornburg!" Gimli stands against the gate, bored.
"This is no rabble of mindless Orcs." He says, and Théoden turns to the Dwarf, almost surprised to hear from him. "These are Uruk-Hai. Their armor is thick and their shields broad." Théoden stands tall before him.
"I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own Keep." With that, the King walks back into the Keep. Aragorn places a hand on Gimli's shoulder as he, Legolas, and Alice walk past him. The Dwarf growls. A few minutes later, Théoden leads the four across the battlements of Helm's Deep, overlooking the expansive plains. "They will break upon this fortress like water on rock. Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn. We've seen it before. Crops can be resown; homes rebuilt. Within these walls, we will outlast them." Aragorn follows Théoden closely, and Legolas and Gimli are distracted by someone needing their aid. Alice keeps pace with her friend.
"They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages. They come to destroy its people, down to the last child." The King turns quickly to the ranger and draws him close, speaking fast, quiet, and angrily.
"What would you have me do? Look at my Men. Their courage hangs by a thread." Aragorn looks away, ashamed. "If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance." He walks away as Aragorn continues to plead with him. Alice almost begins to think that their time is being wasted on fools, and that maybe they should go back to Fangorn to go find Merry and Pippin. She quickly quiets these traitorous thoughts before they begin to take root.
"Send out riders, my lord. You must call for aid." Théoden draws close to Aragorn again.
"And who will come? Elves? Dwarves? We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead."
"Gondor will answer." Aragorn's words bring out Théoden's wrath.
"Gondor? Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us? Where was Gon-?" He stops, recollecting himself. He looks back up into the ranger's eyes, continuing to speak quietly. "No, my Lord Aragorn...we are alone." Théoden turns away again, and Alice and Aragorn stand, watching him leave silently.
Later…
In the courtyard of Helm's Deep, a mass, but organized movement is taking place. The people gather their belongings and trudge together into hiding. Soldiers assist the elderly and infirm in getting themselves into the caves. Aragorn and Alice work their way through the throng, explaining the plan to Legolas. Well, Aragorn explains, Alice just listens to him repeat it all again to make sure she understands.
"We'll place the reserves along the wall. They can support the archers from above the gate."
"Aragorn, you must rest. You're no use to us half alive." Legolas tells him, and Alice nods her agreement. The ranger pays them no mind. A voice breaks across the throngs, Aragorn looking in its direction doesn't notice how Alice and Legolas very quickly and quietly become 'distracted' with something and give him a moment alone.
Alice hears Éowyn plead with Aragorn to let her fight with him. She understands the young woman's want. If she had the capacity to fight by Legolas' side, she would, and is grateful that she does. Then she hears something that surprises her and yet doesn't surprise her at the same time.
"You do not command the others to stay! They fight beside you because they would not be parted from you." And then her voice becomes desperate. "Because they love you!" A moment passes, silent. "I'm sorry." She says after the moment passes, and then pushes past him to follow the people into the caves. Gamling approaches them.
"Lady Alice?" He asks tentatively, having not yet been actually introduced to her. She turns around to see him, and knows in the back of her mind that Legolas and Aragorn are at least listening, and probably staring at him.
"Yes, Gamling?" She says with more confidence than the soldier had used, knowing full well that that was his name.
"By the King's order, you are to go into the caves with the women and children."
A beat.
Aragorn and Legolas throw themselves at Alice, grabbing her arms and any other appendages they can reach as she throws herself at Gamling, screeching, making a very, very large scene. They just barely hold her back from clawing out the soldier's eyes and anything else she can sink her fingernails into.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M TO BE IN THE CAVES?" Is heard from the deepest part of the caves of Helm's Deep all the way to the stone pathway that leads directly up to its front wall. Somewhere in the fortress, Théoden cringes. "ARE YOU INSANE? I'M THE BEST WARRIOR ROHAN'S GOT! WITHOUT ME, YOU DON'T STAND A FUCKING CHANCE! WHAT THE FUCKING HELL? WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS THÉODEN?"
Scared into complete silence by this act of sheer rage on the part of the young brunette before him, Gamling throws himself against the wall behind him, his eyes wide with terror. He knows that it is only the good will of Aragorn and Legolas that is keeping this woman – no, this beast of wrath – from ripping his spine out and beating him with it. He holds up one finger, pointing it in the direction he just came from.
"H-he's… that way." He stutters out.
Knowing that her two companions were not about to let her go, she reaches down and elbows them both in the crotch, forcing them to release her. Turning swiftly in the direction Gamling points in, she immediately storms down that pathway, Éowyn trailing close behind.
The crowd parts before the enraged warrior like the Red Sea before Moses. Everyone sees the glints off Ringil, and no one wishes to suffer at the edge of the freezing cold blade. She stops, and turns to a group of guards standing nearby.
"Where. Is. Théoden?" She asks, enunciating each word so she won't have to repeat it. Her voice sounds as though it is the cold grasp of death itself, and her eyes burn with fires only matched by the ones in Mount Doom. One soldier gulps.
"In t-the Throne Room, Lady Alice." He responds, and she nods once before continuing down her war path. Aragorn and Legolas have recovered, and join Éowyn behind the infuriated woman as they walk towards the Throne Room. Gimli sees them, and with the look on Alice's face combined with a small hand gesture from Aragorn, quickly drops what he's doing and also follows them.
"What's going on?" He whispers to his Elf friend, who seems agitated and is walking a bit funny.
"Alice has been commanded to go into the caves with the other women and children." Gimli's eyes widen.
"Are they crazy? Alice is one of the best warriors I've ever seen!" The Dwarf says quietly, and Aragorn grunts.
"That's what she said." Gimli notices that Aragorn is also walking funny like Legolas.
"Is something wrong?" He asks, and the two give him a withering glance.
"You don't wanna know." Gamling says from behind the three, who cast a single glance over their shoulders before continuing on.
Finally reaching the Throne room, Alice kicks the doors open with one go. Aragorn mutters underneath his breath, remembering that he had had to use both arms to push the doors open. Théoden, upon seeing the so-far-beyond-reasoning-with-it's-not-funny-anymore woman before him, swallows a little, and sits up straight in his throne. He knows exactly why Alice and her small entourage are here.
"Yes, Lady Alice? Is there some kind of problem?" Her eyes narrow dangerously, and the soldiers around the King tense.
"Yes. There is." She takes a deep breath, but her eyes don't open back up. "Why am I being sent to the caves?" Théoden decides that nonchalance might be the best course of action, so he shrugs.
"You're a woman. You belong with the other women." Bad choice of words.
"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THE ONLY REASON WHY I'M BEING SENT DOWN TO THE CAVES AND NOT BEING ALLOWED TO FIGHT WITH MY FRIENDS IS BECAUSE YOU'RE SECRETLY SOME KIND OF SEXIST PIG?" Théoden gulps, knowing that that was probably a bad idea, and before he can try to amend the problem, Aragorn places a hand on her shoulder. She turns her head to the side to listen.
"Alice, listen to the King. Please. You've caused enough of a scene." Her hand shakes with anger as she brings it up, grabs the sides of her friend's hand, and lifts it off her shoulder. She turns fully to glare at him, and points out the now closed doors.
"Those people out there? Those Rohirrim? I don't give a damn about what they think. I'm here to save their lives, and if they want to think badly of me because I want to do my job and am willing to fight for the right to do it, then they can go tofucking hell!" She spins on her heel as Théoden speaks again.
"You're an excellent fighter. If we fail and the Uruk-Hai breech the Deeping Wall, we will need one last line of defense for the children." When Alice speaks, it's still loud, but not as loud as before.
"IF THE URUK-HAI BREECH THE DEEPING WALL I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP THEM BACK!" She takes a very, very deep breath, and when she speaks again, it is softer, but a cold tone is still in her voice. "My place is on the frontlines with Aragorn. If you wish me to command a group of my own men that will be in reserves for when the frontlines are exhausted, then I will do so, but I will not be forced into a cave like some sniveling coward." She looks directly into his eyes, the fiery wrath combined with cold hatred startles him, and "Your army is made up of young boys and old farmers. You need all the help you can get."
Théoden is trapped. He doesn't want Éowyn to fight. He does want Alice to fight. Éowyn's his niece, and as far as he knows, Éomer is dead, leaving her to be his only chance for some sort of heir to the throne. On top of that, she's his niece, and he doesn't want to see her get hurt. Alice, however, is of no blood relation. But, he knows that if he allows Alice to fight and not Éowyn, he will be caught in a very hypocritical move that he will have to live with for the rest of his life. After a moment's contemplation, he glances over at Aragorn.
"Leave us." The ranger, Elf Prince, Dwarf, shieldmaiden, and all the soldiers in the room quietly leave. He waits until they are all gone and the doors are shut before speaking again. "You must understand, I care too much for Éowyn to see her fight. If I allow you to fight, I must allow her to as well." Alice, in a move that honestly surprises the King, nods once.
"I understand completely, and I agree with your position on not letting her fight." She almost laughs at his look of incredulousness. "Though I do not have the same reasons, I do not think she should be allowed. She can fight, yes. What she doesn't understand is that she's only been trained to fight one-on-one, and has absolutely no field experience. She's told me herself that she has never taken a life, never seen the light in a man's eye be snuffed out by death." She shakes her head. "Time. She needs time. But her youthful brashness and over eagerness to fight blinds her to this." He stares at her with his mouth open. He had never even considered this before. He had only thought of the fact that he loves her too much to see her get hurt and that she must bear a son to continue the line of Kings. A moment of fear grips his heart as he realizes that the young, unassuming woman before him is a true warrior to have only known Éowyn for a week and already summed this up. A moment of silence goes by. "I have a proposition for you." He looks curious.
"I'm listening."
"In exchange for letting me fight on the frontlines, I will train Éowyn to the best of my ability." What Théoden doesn't know is that Alice has already been training his niece in secret. "When I am finished with her, she will be able to defeat even you in battle." He raises an eyebrow.
"You think you would be able to defeat me in combat?" She doesn't even blink before answering.
"I know so, sire." He is taken aback by her sheer confidence. This is the side of Alice he hasn't seen before. The warrior within. The only side he had seen had been normal, playful, completely-in-love-with-Legolas Alice. This side means business. He thinks for a moment, and then sighs.
"I see that I have no choice in the matter. Very well, you may begin training her as soon as you see fit." She curtsies.
"Thank you, Théoden King." She turns and leaves.
Éowyn isn't thrilled about not being allowed to fight, but is happy that her uncle will allow her to train… even though she's been doing it already. Alice doesn't have time to train her that day, but swears to the shieldmaiden that if she survives the battle, she will begin training her as soon as is possible. The foreign woman manages to sneak Éowyn a sword and show her a few new strokes for her to practice while the battle rages, and tells her that if she thinks that all is lost, that she will come down and attempt to flee with the others. The blonde accepts this for an answer.
That night, swords are passed out to the miserable army. Alice watches Aragorn examine one of the swords. He tosses it away, discouraged.
"Farmers, farriers, stable boys. These are no soldiers."
"Most have seen too many winters." Gimli says.
"Or too few." Legolas finishes and Aragorn nods miserably. The new soldiers continue to prepare, heedless of their words. "Look at them. They're frightened. I can see it in their eyes." Everyone around them turns to look at Legolas. He turns away, angrily. He grabs a spear off the wall, and then turns back around, and continues in Elvish. "Boe a hûn. Neled herain, dan caer menig!" Aragorn looks at Legolas with as much confidence as he can muster. (And they should be. Three hundred, against ten thousand!)
"Si beriathar hýn amar nâ ned Edoras." (They have more hope of defending themselves here than at Edoras.)
"Aragorn, Men i ndagor. Hýn ú-ortheri. Natha daged aen!" The ranger explodes at the Elf Prince. (Aragorn, we are warriors. They cannot win this fight. They are all going to die!)
"Then I shall die as one them!" He says with resolution. Their gaze locks for a moment... Aragorn breaks and walks away. Legolas makes to follow him, but Gimli puts a hand on his arm.
"Let him go, lad. Let him be." Alice turns to Legolas.
"Legolas, amin mela lle, nan' lle nae yuuyo raika. Amin quenuva a' ho." He looks at her for a minute, and then nods. She quickly leaves. (Legolas, I love you, but you were both in the wrong. I will speak to him.)*
She finds Isildur's heir sitting outside the armory, watching some young boys practice with their new blades. She sits next to him, not saying anything. She knows that he knows that she's there.
"Have you come to yell at me, too?" She grimly chuckles.
"No, I've had my fill for the day, thank you." He laughs at this. "Don't worry about Legolas. He's just tense, edgy, and probably more than ready for the battle to just begin and be over. You know how people get when the anticipation seems to go on for too long. That could have been anyone in there, yelling in Elvish at him. It just happened to be you." He considers this, and then nods. "You were both right. And you were both wrong." He turns to look at her, and she returns his gaze. "They are going to die. They do have a better hope of defending themselves here than at Edoras." Her face hardens with surety, "But I trust Gandalf. And I trust his wisdom. We'll make it to that fourth dawn. I don't know how yet, but we will." Aragorn smiles and wraps one arm around her shoulders.
"You are wise beyond your years, mellonamin." She leans her head against his shoulder, and smiles.
"I know."
*Had to use several different websites to actually piece these sentences together. If anyone speaks fluent Elvish and sees a problem w/ my grammar, please leave me a review telling me what to change it to so it'll be right. Plz&thnx. =D
Luna - LOL, IKR? XD
Lady Minuialwen - Yes, yes it did, lol. I wouldn't have cared about her feelings, I woulda made up some bull about being allergic or something so I wouldn't have to eat it. LOL. XD
amber d - Yup! Thank you! =)
That's fine, I use lots of smilies too. XD
Sophia Gray - HAHAHAHA, I figured that was going to happen to someone *eventually*. I'm glad you like it! =D
I didn't set a maximum, lol, I set a minimum. I want at least (*insert form*) that stuff. If you want to write for days and days on end, please, feel free to, lol. And feel free to send me multiple characters. But if you wanna send me a PM, that's fine too. Thanks for reviewing! =D
Next time on Alice in Middle Earth: The Two Towers:
Thousands upon thousands of Orcs are beating down on King Theoden's doorstep. Alice has bartered for her chance to fight on the frontlines, how will she handle her first major battle on her own? And *where* is Frodo? Find out next time!