Before the noon meal, they began the journey to Helm's Deep. Dúvainiel walked down the steps of the hall and found Legolas waiting for her. He was holding the reins of two horses- the white gelding, Arod, that they had been using and a solid black mare. He handed over the reins to the black horse.
"This is Ésha," he told her. "King Théoden wishes for you to ride her."
She took the reins from him, smiling, though she was a little sad that she would not be able to ride with him during this journey. She pulled the reins over the mare's head and moved to the left side to mount. Legolas put his hands on either side of her waist and helped her up, even though they both knew she didn't need the help. She smiled down at him, and then watched as he got on the white horse. They walked the horses through the throngs of citizens on the path, ready to leave their homes. When they reached the outer gates, Aragorn and Gimli were waiting for them.
"Gimli is to ride with you, Legolas," Aragorn said, then helped the dwarf up behind the ellon. Dúvainiel felt a surge of jealousy. Being with Legolas was her place. She turned away and walked her horse to the front of the group, where the king was ready to ride. How utterly ridiculous for her to be jealous of a Dwarf. Aragorn and Legolas rode up with the king as well, and the group began to move forward.
"King Théoden," she said, "I thank you for the use of this fine horse."
He nodded an acknowledgment to her, and then she moved her horse to Aragorn's side. The group moved silently, solemnly, as they crossed the distance between Edoras and Helm's Deep. Dúvainiel looked back once, at the long line of walkers, many elderly or children. The line of them stretched far, and Dúvainiel sighed and turned forward once more.
"What bothers you, Dúvainiel?" Aragorn asked.
"Amin dele ten' sen, (I am worried about them)," she answered. They were so vulnerable out there in the middle of nowhere.
"Uuma ma' ten' rashwe Dúvainiel, ta tuluva a' lle (Don't look for trouble Dúvainiel, it will come to you)," he replied.
She looked at his face, "That's what worries me." She nudged her horse forward a little and looked out across the plain, watching for any sign of danger. It was quiet. Too quiet.
The rest of the day passed that way, until the king stopped for the night, so that his people could rest. She found herself a quiet spot on the edge of the campsite and laid her stuff out. Her horse wandered away, grazing. She lay down and stared up at the stars, lulled by the sounds of the people. She felt far from home. Suddenly, Legolas's face blocked her view of the sky and she smiled up at him. He looked at her, concerned.
"May I join you?" he asked.
"Tancave (Certainly)."
He laid his things down beside hers and made a bed near her and sat on it.
"I was just thinking of home," she told him. "For many long years, I have wished to be able to leave the woods of Lothlorien to see Middle Earth." She looked at him, "This isn't what I had in mind."
He smiled, "Home does seem very far away right now."
She looked back at the stars, "It's a clear night."
He laid down on the blanket that he had been sitting on and looked at the stars.
"Elentari smiles on us."
"Yes, she does," Dúvainiel replied.
Long into the night, they continued their discussion of the Lady of the Heavens, until the camps around them fell silent and the campfires burned out. Finally, Legolas reached over and took her hand. He pulled it to his lips and kissed it softly, and she smiled at him.
"Quel du, Legolas, (Good night, Legolas)" she whispered.
"Quel du."
She looked back to the heavens and smiled, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The next morning, they set out early. Legolas rode in the front so that he could watch for danger. For a while, Dúvainiel rode next to Aragorn, who rode with Théoden. Gimli rode by himself, on a horse led by Éowyn.
"It's true you don't see many Dwarf women," she heard Gimli tell Éowyn as they walked. "And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they're often mistaken for Dwarf men."
Dúvainiel was not surprised to hear him say this. Éowyn turned to look at Aragorn, as if to confirm what Gimli had said.
"It's the beards," he whispered to her.
Dúvainiel gave a very un-elf-like snort.
Gimli continued, "And this, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women. And that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!"
Éowyn laughed out loud.
"Which of course is ridiculous… whoa!"
The horse Gimli was on became spooked and Éowyn lost her grip on the reins as it broke away from her. Gimli lost his balance, and promptly fell to the ground. Éowyn ran to him to help him, and he spluttered, "It's alright, it's alright. Nobody panic. That was deliberate. It was deliberate."
Dúvainiel laughed and nudged her horse to a trot, and rode ahead to join Legolas. Two sets of elf eyes were better than one, after all.
She pulled the horse to a walk once she was next to him. As they rode along, Legolas told her stories of the Elves in Mirkwood. His voice was soothing and calm. She loved listening to him speak.
The day wore on, and travel was slow. They had to stop several times during the day to let the older people and the children rest. Still, they had not encountered any trouble on their path, and while Dúvainiel was grateful, she was also guarded.
The king called for a stop to the day, and the walkers set up their camp sites. She rode ahead to a nearby ridge and pulled her horse to a stop when she reached the top. From where she was, she would see trouble coming from many miles ahead. Her keen eyes swept over the land, and satisfied with the emptiness of the plain, she turned to check on the members of her group.
Gimli, she saw, had found his way to a campfire, where he laid his bedding down and sat on it. She watched him as he pulled out a pipe, lit it, and smoked it while staring at the fire. She did not see Legolas.
Her eyes came to rest on Aragorn, and she looked intensely as she saw Éowyn speaking with him. It appeared that she had brought him some food, and from the expression on his face, he didn't seem to like it. She giggled, and turned her attention back out to the plain.
She heard the sound of hoof beats and turned to see Legolas riding towards her. He stopped beside her.
"Ta naa sedho (It is quiet)," he said, looking out at the plain.
"Ta naa," she agreed.
"I will watch for a while," he told her. "You should get some rest."
"Will you join me later?"
"I will find you," he said.
She walked Ésha near Aragorn's camp site, and dismounted. She took off the saddle and tack and the horse walked away to graze. She turned to Aragorn, who was smoking his pipe and staring into his fire.
"Elessar, lle tyava quel? (Do you feel well?)" She asked.
She seemed to have startled him, as he looked up from the fire. "I'm fine, Dúvainiel."
"May I join you?"
He gestured for her to sit, and she did. They spoke quietly for a while, about Helm's Deep and what was to come. Then the conversation turned to Rivendell and Elrond. She looked deep into his eyes and let him take her to what was in his heart.
"Edra le men, men na guil edwen. Haer o auth a nîr a naeth (You have a chance for another life. Away from war... grief... despair)," she saw him tell Arwen.
"She will not go to Valinor," Dúvainiel said, pulling back from his thoughts. "No matter what her father says."
Aragorn gave her a doubtful look.
"Re mela lle, (She loves you)," Dúvainiel said, smiling at his reaction. "Call it… elleth intuition."
She saw Legolas riding towards them and smiling again at Aragorn, she bid him good night.
"Quel du, Elessar."
She got up and walked back over to her area, and she and Legolas laid together, as they had done the night before. Again they spoke in hushed tones, though this night, he did most of the talking as he told her stories of the constellations that his father had told him when he was an elfling. Again, he bid her good night with a kiss on her hand, and her heart sang as she fell asleep.
The next day, Dúvainiel woke with a nervous feeling. The group was still moving slowly. She walked most of the morning in front with Legolas, Ésha's reins loose in her hands. Often, she would look back at the group. Gimli was walking today as well, carrying Arod's reins. Aragorn, she noticed with interest, walked with Éowyn. Éowyn seemed to be quite taken with Aragorn. Dúvainiel felt sorry for her- in the end, her heart would be broken. She knew he would not be able to give himself to her. His heart belonged to Evenstar.
They reached the top of a hill, and Legolas stopped. A prickling sensation came over Dúvainiel, and she pulled her bow off her back.
"Mani naa ta? (What is it?)" She whispered.
"Rashwe, (Trouble,)" he replied.
Two of Théoden's men rode ahead of them as they stood watching for the danger that they were feeling. The men rode over a hill and Dúvainiel heard their horses neigh. Just then, she heard one of the men cry out, and Legolas sprinted into action. Growls could be heard, and she mounted Ésha, and prodded the horse towards Legolas.
"A scout!" Legolas called to her when he saw her reach the top of the hill.
She wheeled Ésha around, and galloped back to the group and hollered to Aragorn.
"Wargs! We are under attack!"
The citizens of Edoras became panicked.
"Get them out of here," yelled Aragorn.
"All riders to the head of the column!" Théoden cried.
The group charged forward, and as they came to the top of the hill, Legolas turned and saw them coming and he reached out for Arod's breast plate strap and pulled himself onto the horse's back as the horse galloped by with Gimli.
Dúvainiel pulled an arrow out of her quiver and shot at the group of wargs now charging toward them. The warg fell. The two groups continued to charge until they met each other with a crash. Dúvainiel pulled a second arrow out and shot an orc. Just as she was notching another arrow, a warg crashed into the side of Ésha and the horse fell. Dúvainiel had an arrow in one hand and her bow in the other and had been holding on to the horse with her legs, but as the horse fell, so did she. Her bow went flying from her hands as she hit her head hard against a rock.
She rolled over on her hands and knees and shook her head, dazed. She looked up just in time to see an orc charging towards her, and she stood quickly and pulled out her sword. Metal hit against metal as she swung her sword to meet the orc's. Another swing and then another, until she dodged a blow, and struck him down. She looked around for another, but saw that there were no more. She picked up her bow from where she had dropped it and looked around.
Many of Théoden's men and their horses lay on the ground dead, beside the dead wargs and orcs. She was relieved to see that Legolas and Théoden were both all right. And the Dwarf, too, if she was being honest with herself.
"Aragorn?" she heard Legolas call. She looked around for the Ranger.
"Heh, heh, heh," they heard.
"Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing," Gimli said, standing over the offending orc.
The orc looked at Gimli and grinned, "He's dead. Took a little tumble off the cliff."
Legolas grabbed the orc by the collar roughly. "You lie," he said angrily. The orc laughed once more, and then made a choking sound and died.
Dúvainiel looked at the orc in disgust, but her expression changed to shock when a sparkle from his hand caught her eye.
"Legolas," she whispered.
He looked up at her, and then followed her line of sight. He opened the hand, and inside lay the Evenstar pendant. Dúvainiel gasped and turned and ran to the edge of the cliff. She fell to her knees and looked down, searching desperately for any sign of Evenstar's love. Legolas came and stood by her, also looking down. It was a long way down to the river below. He couldn't possibly have survived the fall. No one could have. She looked up at Legolas. A look of anger and grief passed over his face as he met her eyes.
"Get the wounded on horses," Théoden said from somewhere near her. "The wolves of Isengard will return. Leave the dead."
Legolas and Dúvainiel both looked at the king. Surely he did not expect them to not look for Aragorn's body?
"Come," Théoden said, putting a hand on Legolas' shoulder. Legolas looked down the edge of the cliff one last time, and then he angrily turned away. She looked at Gimli sadly, as they also turned away from the cliff.
One of Théoden's men brought Arod to Legolas, and he mounted, holding his hand out to Gimli to help him up. Ésha trotted up to her, and she was amazed to see the horse was not only alive, but appeared to be uninjured as well. She gave the horse a rub on the neck, and mounted. Legolas pulled along side her, and reached his hand over, lifting up her hair.
"You've been hurt," he said, looking at the blood that matted in the hair.
"It looks worse than it is," she told him. "I'm all right."
Théoden had set the pace at a gallop, and she nudged Ésha to catch up. Legolas followed quietly, but she noticed that the expression of anger and grief now held concern as well.
"I'm fine," she insisted, when he looked over at her.
"I believe you," he said.
She could hear the lie in his voice, and she rolled her eyes and urged Ésha to move faster.
He caught up to her and she looked at him.
"I appreciate your concern, but it is not necessary. It's just a small bump."
"I will tend to it when we reach the Keep," he told her. She did not argue with him about it, and when they reached Helm's Deep and were safely within the walls, his immediate attention went to her head. Aragorn's disappearance had hit him hard, and she let him tend to her head, knowing that if anything else, it was at least a welcome distraction for him.
"Better?" he asked her once he had cleaned the wound.
She smiled and nodded to him. He looked in her eyes and she saw the pain he held there.
"Legolas?"
"We should help," he said, walking away from her. She knew he was trying to ignore the hurt of losing Aragorn. It made her sad to see him like this.
She went one way as he went another, each doing what they could to ready the people in Helm's Deep for what was coming. She found the king at the top of the battlement, and walked with him and his guards, listening as he made plans.
"Saruman's arm will have grown long indeed if he thinks he can reach us here," she heard him say.
It made her angry. She wanted to tell him that he was being arrogant, and he would be surprised to see exactly how long Saruman's arm had gotten. He should not underestimate the wizard.
As the sun set, she searched for Legolas. She became concerned when she did not find him, but she did not find Gimli either, so she hoped that meant they were together and Legolas was not alone. She made her way to the top of the battlement where she stood all night, watching for any sign of the danger that was coming. She could feel it in her very soul. It was only a matter of time now. Her thoughts lingered on Legolas, and she hoped he was all right. She knew he would find her when he was ready to deal with it, but it did not stop her from worrying for him.
When the sun rose, it was still quiet on the plain, so she decided to find the king. She walked around, and to the hall, where she found Théoden consulting with his guards.
She listened thoughtfully to him as he spoke with Gamling. Suddenly, the door opened, and Dúvainiel was stunned to see Aragorn standing there. He was bloody and bruised, but he was alive.
"Elessar!" she exclaimed as she rushed over to him. "My heart sings to see you alive!" She looked him over critically, "You look terrible."
"That's what Legolas said," he looked at her wryly. "Dúvainiel, I must speak with the king."
At his tone of urgency, she moved out of his way and he walked to the back of the hall. Dúvainiel followed him, and Legolas and Gimli joined them as well.
"It is time," Aragorn said to the king. "A great host is upon us."
"A great host, you say?" Théoden replied.
"All Isengard is emptied." Dúvainiel felt her stomach drop at Aragorn's words.
"How many?" the king asked.
Whatever Dúvainiel had been prepared for, it wasn't Aragorn's answer, "Ten thousand strong at least."
Apparently, the king hadn't been ready for it either, "Ten thousand?"
This was it, Dúvainiel thought. They were all going to die.
Aragorn confirmed it, "It is an army bred for a single purpose- to destroy the world of Men. They will be here by nightfall."
Théoden looked away, then back at Aragorn, "Let them come."
He turned and stalked out of the hall, and the group followed him.
"I want every man and strong lad able to bear arms to be ready for battle by nightfall," he told Gamling as they walked.
Gamling nodded to his king and turned in the opposite direction. Théoden, in the meantime, walked them to the front gate.
"We will cover the causeway," he told them. "And the gate from above. No army has ever breached the Deeping Wall or set foot inside the Hornburg."
Gimli commented to the king, "This is no rabble of mindless Orcs. These are Uruk-hai. Their armor is thick and their shields broad."
Théoden turned and looked at the dwarf, "I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own keep."
Dúvainiel bristled at his tone, even if it was to the dwarf. Théoden made his way back in the fortress, followed by Aragorn. Legolas followed, and put his hand on Gimli's shoulder as he walked by Gimli. Dúvainiel looked at Gimli, who looked rather embarrassed. She shook her head in annoyance at the king, and followed Legolas.
Théoden led them up to the top of the battlements, "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 re-sown, homes rebuilt. Within these walls, we will outlast them."
Aragorn was quickly losing his patience with the king, "They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages. They come to destroy its people, down to the last child."
Théoden turned to Aragorn and grabbed his tunic, "What would you have me do? Look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance."
Théoden started to walk away, when Aragorn tried again.
"Send out riders, my lord. You must call for aid."
"And who will come?" Théoden asked, turning back to Aragorn again. "Elves? Dwarves?" He gestured to them, standing behind Aragorn. "We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead."
"Gondor will answer," Aragorn said confidently.
The king got even closer to Aragorn, "Gondor? Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us? Where was Gon…" His angry words stopped, as he looked away. Turning his attention back to Aragorn once more, he said, "No, my lord Aragorn, we are alone."
With that, he walked away from the group. Dúvainiel and Legolas shared a knowing look. Théoden's arrogance would be the death of them all.
Aragorn turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the king.
"We'll place the reserves along the wall," he told them, as they walked against the flow of people moving into the caves. "They can support the archers from above the gate."
"Aragorn, you must rest. You're no use to us half alive," Legolas said.
Dúvainiel heard Éowyn call out to Aragorn, "My lord Aragorn!"
She was walking with the people towards the caves, and ran up to him when she saw him.
"I'm to be sent with the women into the caves," Dúvainiel heard her say. Clearly, she was annoyed by this.
"That is an honorable charge," Aragorn told her. Dúvainiel turned away from the two of them and ushered people towards the caves.
"You do not command the others to stay," Éowyn continued to argue, "They fight beside you because they would not be parted from you. Because they love you."
Dúvainiel's eyes instantly turned around to gaze at the sheildmaiden, astonished by her words. Their meaning was crystal clear.
"I'm sorry," Éowyn whispered, clearly embarrassed by her outburst. She stalked past Aragorn and brushed between Legolas and Gimli as she made her way to the caves. Dúvainiel looked at Aragorn.
Choosing to ignore the issue of Éowyn, she decided instead to side with Legolas, "Aragorn, Legolas is right. Let me clean your wounds, and then you need to rest."
He said nothing, but turned and walked away from her. Dúvainiel sighed in frustration. She continued to usher the people towards the caves.
Every so often, a young boy or old man would come out of the caves, and after a while, she followed one of them to the armory. She stopped at the top of the stairs and listened as Legolas spoke to Aragorn in elvish.
"Boe a hyn, (And they should be,)" he was saying. "Neled herain dan caer menig! (Three hundred against ten thousand!)
"Si beriathar hyn ammaeg na ned Edoras, (They have more hope of defending themselves here than at Edoras.)" Aragorn replied.
"Aragorn," Legolas said urgently, "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 shouted at Legolas. He turned away from the elf and walked out of the room. Legolas tried to follow, but Gimli held him back.
"Let him go, lad. Let him be."
Dúvainiel turned from the armory and headed out to find Aragorn. She stopped to pick up a cloth, which she wet, and a needle and thread. She walked around searching for Aragorn, and found him sitting on the stone steps, staring off into nowhere.
"Now that I have you," Dúvainiel said, as she sat beside him.
He looked at her, as though he were defeated already. She quietly tended to his wounds, cleaning them both and stitching the deeper one.
She put her hand under his chin and moved his face so that she was looking into his eyes.
"Hebo estel (Have hope) Elessar," she told him. "All is not lost, yet." She placed her hand on the pendant he wore around his neck, and then got up and walked away.
She made her way down to the caves, to make sure the women and children were secure there. She was just about to head out when she heard the Horn of Lorien. Surprised by the sound, she dashed from the cave, running through the stone halls until she was back outside. Down a set of stairs, she ran, then up another set, until she came to the top of the stairs that led to the front gate. She stopped short, when the Elves came into view. She saw a face she had wondered if she would ever see again.
"We are proud to fight alongside Men once more," Haldir said.
Completely ignoring any sort of decorum, Dúvainiel nearly flew down the stairs at the sight of her brother.
"Haldir!" She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Little One!" He embraced her, and then let go, stepped back and looked her over. "Lle maa quell (You look well)."
"Im quell (I am well)," she told him, hugging him again.
She heard Aragorn giving orders to the Elves, and she let go of Haldir and stepped away from him. She followed the group as Aragorn climbed the stairs and showed the Elves where he wanted them to stand. Suddenly, she felt ready for the Uruk-hai. Her heart swelled with pride, knowing that her people had come to help the Men, and she stood a little taller. Legolas must have been thinking similar thoughts, because he reached over to her and squeezed her shoulder. She looked at him and grinned. She looked back to Haldir, who raised an eyebrow at her. The exchange between her and Legolas did not go unnoticed by her observant brother. She quirked one of her own brows innocently at him, but knew that he knew her too well. Her reaction gave it away to him.
Everything was nearly in place. In the distance, the sound of thunder caught Dúvainiel's sensitive ears. There was more than one storm coming. The feeling in her stomach tightened.
"Little One," Haldir said, pulling her to the side. "The Prince of Mirkwood, huh?"
She looked at him, confused.
"He is a good ellon, Little One," he told her approvingly. Then he looked around, and then back at her. As if telling her a secret, he said in a hushed tone, "I want you to join the women and the children in the caves."
She looked at him incredulously, "Excuse me?"
"It's safer there," he replied, trying to reason with her. She looked in his eyes and saw he was serious.
"My place is here, Haldir, with my people. You will not have me cowering in caves when I can be helping. I am as good with a bow as you are." Elves and men began to turn and look at them as she raised her voice. She was offended and angry that he had even made such a stupid suggestion.
"Little One-"
"SHUT UP," she yelled at him. "Don't call me that! I'm not a little elfling anymore, and you're not going to tell me what to do!"
She saw his hurt expression, but turned around and stalked away, ignoring him when he called her by her name. She couldn't remember the last time he had actually called her 'Dúvainiel', and for a moment, she felt bad for yelling at him. She made her way down the battlement and found a place to stand, the anger and guilt prickling the back of her mind. She felt guilty, because she knew he had only wanted to protect her, but he had to realize that he couldn't protect her forever.
Lightning flashed across the sky and she looked at the horizon. They were coming, she saw. Their march began to get louder, and when the lightning flashed again, she could see their numbers. She swallowed hard. There were so many. Just then, the rain began to fall.
"A Eruchîn, ú-dano i faelas a hyn an uben tanatha le faelas! (Show them no mercy! For you shall receive none!)" She heard Aragorn shout over the noise of the Uruks.
"I Melain veria lye (May the Valar protect us)," she whispered.
The Uruk-hai stopped their march and she heard their low growls. The Uruk leader cried out twice, and all the other Uruks began to roar and bang their spears on the ground. The sound was thunderous. Dúvainiel watched as an arrow flew into the air from somewhere down the battlement and struck an Uruk in the neck.
"Dartho! (Hold!)" Aragorn called.
The army became silent and still, and the stricken Uruk fell forward and died. The Uruks were angered, and began growling and snarling. Then their leader raised his weapon and the army began to charge.
"Tangado a chadad! (Prepare to fire!)" Aragorn called out.
She pulled an arrow from her quiver and notched it in her bow.
Above the roar, she heard Legolas' voice, "Faeg i-varv dîn na lanc a nu ranc. (Their armor is weak at the neck and beneath the arm.)
"Leithio i philinn! (Release the arrows!)" Aragorn called.
Dúvainiel let it go and the Uruk she was aiming at, fell. She pulled another arrow and did it again. And again. Just then, an arrow came whizzing past her ear. The ellon behind her fell to the ground. She swallowed hard as she pulled another arrow out of her quiver and shot.
Arrows sailed in every direction, and Elves and Uruks fell. She had no time to think about it. The Uruks began to lean ladders against the wall, and climb them.
"Pendraith! (Ladders!)" Aragorn warned. "Swords! Swords!"
Dúvainiel used the last of her arrows, and then dropped her bow. She pulled her sword out just as an Uruk reached her. She pulled it back, and slashed it across his neck. He fell at her feet. Another took his place. One after another they came, seemingly endless. She slashed her way through them, not stopping to think where Legolas was, or Aragorn, or her brother. She didn't have time to think, as she moved on instinct. She just kept fighting. As one Uruk-hai fell, another took its place.
Over the sounds of the fighting, she heard Gimli, "Nineteen! Twenty!"
She shook her head. Males and their stupid competition.
Then she heard Aragorn, his voice sounded frantic, "Togo hon dad, Legolas! (Bring him down, Legolas!) She looked around, trying to find the cause of the urgency. "Dago hon! Dago hon! (Kill him! Kill him!)"
She saw it then, the Uruk who was running through the crowd carrying a torch. Where was he going with it? She saw Legolas' arrow hit once, then twice, and then the Uruk jumped forward. There was a loud explosion and Dúvainiel was thrown backwards. She landed hard on her back. Stone flew everywhere, and she barely managed to dodge a large block of it before it fell beside her.
"Tanya nae n'quel, (That was not good)," she muttered, as she picked herself up off the ground. She pulled herself up just in time to defend herself once more against the endless stream of Uruks.
She saw the gapping hole in the wall, and the stream of Uruk-Hai that entered it.
"Aragorn! Fall back to the Keep!" she heard a voice yell, "Get your men out of there!"
She dodged a blade that was coming at her, and struck down the offending Uruk.
"Nan Barad! Nan Barad!" Aragorn called to the elves. "Haldir, nan Barad! (To the Keep! Pull back to the Keep! Haldir, to the Keep!)"
"Nan Barad!" The sound of her brother's voice hit her ears and she looked in the direction it had come from, and began to fight her way through towards him. As she brought her sword down on an Uruk, she felt a pain run through her soul. In alarm, she looked to where her brother had been standing.
"Haldir!" she called in a panic. An Uruk stood behind him, a sword lifted over his head, and he brought it down hard on Haldir's back. Time seemed to stand still for Dúvainiel as she watched her brother fall to his knees. She ran through the crowd of Elves and Uruks, pushing them all out of her way, oblivious to anything else except her brother. She drew her sword back and stabbed an Uruk in her way. Finally, she reached him, as he fell backwards and she caught him in her arms.
"Haldir!" she sobbed.
His eyes focused on her face. "Little One," he whispered.
"Amin hiraetha (I'm sorry)," she said as she tears streamed down her face. She looked into his eyes, into his mind, and saw the image of her there- the way she looked as an elfling. It was what he carried with him in his heart. "Amin mela lle (I love you), brother."
"Little One," he whispered, so weak, she almost couldn't hear him. His eyes glazed over, and then they were empty. Dúvainiel cried out in anguish. The chaos continued around her, as she sobbed over her brother's body. A hand grasped her arm and pulled her away.
"No! NOOO!" she cried, jerking away from Aragorn. He grabbed at her again, as she fell over Haldir's body, as if protecting it. "I won't leave him!" she screamed.
Aragorn pried her away, and picked her up, hauling her over his shoulder. He turned and started to move away from the body, slashing the enemies in his path as he went.
Dúvainiel would have none of it. She kicked her legs and screamed at him, "Let go! LET GO OF ME!" She jerked her body as he swung his sword, and he lost his balance and fell to his knee. She dropped out of his grasp and she crawled back to Haldir, still frantically sobbing. She was on her knees and she bent over and laid her forehead in his hair.
"Dúvainiel!" An image of Galadriel flashed in her head. "Get up, Dúvainiel!"
A dying Uruk fell on Haldir, and she pushed him off, grabbed the dagger out of Haldir's waist belt, and struck the Uruk in the neck. An anger filled her then- one that she had never felt before. It consumed her. She stabbed the Uruk again and again, even though he was already dead. Then she turned and flung the dagger into the neck of another Uruk moving towards her. Why had her brother even been sent here? She looked at Haldir, and then picking up his sword in one hand and hers in the other, she stood up and began to slash her way through the Uruks once again. Any fear that she had previously had, left her as she sought revenge for her brother's death.
She fought her way back towards the keep with the others, her mind focused on killing the Uruk-Hai. She wanted them to suffer- she hoped they felt pain every time she struck one.
Around her, she heard the sounds of the men, but she ignored them. She was relentless in her killing now.
Théoden called out to them, "Retreat!"
"Hurry! Inside! Get them inside!" Aragorn yelled.
Still she swung her swords. Finally, an arm reached out to her and pulled her back, and they moved back into the hall of the keep. She turned to see who had dared to put their hands on her and was relieved to see that it was Legolas. He was alive, at least.
Doors were barricaded behind her. She turned to see the men desperately trying to keep the Uruk-Hai from getting in. She was just as desperate to get back out. Grief threatened to overtake her again as she looked down at Haldir's sword. It was dirty, with Uruk-Hai blood, and she stalked across the hall and wiped it clean on the cloth that was laying on the floor. She sheathed the sword, and held her other one, ready for the Uruks to come through the door. She listened with one ear to the men coming up with a plan.
"The sun is rising," she heard Gimli say.
She looked up at the window, where the early morning rays had just begun to stream through.
"Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the east," she remembered Gandalf's words. Today was the fifth day.
Legolas handed her the reins of her horse, and she mounted it and joined the group, grateful for the decision to ride out and meet the Uruk-Hai.
"Forth Eorlingas!" Théoden hollered, as he led the charge out of the hall. Dúvainiel was right behind Aragorn as they rode out behind the king. Killing Uruks in their path, they made their way through and out of Helm's Deep. When they had reached the bottom of the causeway, the sun rose over the hill, and she looked up when she heard a horse neigh.
The Uruk-Hai stopped fighting and looked to the top of the hill.
"Gandalf," she heard Aragorn say.
Shadowfax stood in the light and reared up on his hind legs. Then a second rider came into view and Dúvainiel recognized him as Éomer.
He raised his hand and she heard him cry out, "Rohirrim! To the king!"
Suddenly thousands of riders came thundering over the hillside. Dúvainiel took advantage of the distraction, and she struck down the closest Uruks. Beside her, Legolas did the same, and Aragorn joined back in as well.
Finally it was over, and the Uruk-Hai were running for their lives. Dúvainiel noticed that they were running towards a forest that appeared some time during the night. The trees, she knew, were angry too.
"Stay out of the forest!" Éomer called, riding in front of the pursuers. "Keep away from the trees!"
They watched as the last Uruk entered the forest and the trees closed in around their enemies. Screams could be heard and the trees moved. Then, everything was silent.
Dúvainiel wheeled Ésha around and galloped back up the causeway. She pulled to a stop and ran the rest of the way up the stairs. Tears now returned to her eyes. She kneeled beside her brother and held his hand- it was cold. His skin had turned a pasty, unnatural color. She laid her head on his chest and cried.
Eventually, the tears stopped and she just lay there quietly for a long while. No one had bothered her, and she distantly heard the sounds of people moving around her. Finally, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Legolas and Gandalf. She shook her head at them- she could not find the words. Aragorn joined them, and standing over Haldir, he began a prayer for Haldir's soul to find its way to Valinor. Legolas joined him, when he realized what Aragorn was saying. Gandalf reached out to help her to her feet, and when she stood, she threw her arms around his waist as a fresh wave of tears hit her and she sobbed into his chest. He wrapped comforting arms around her, and let her cry while he rubbed her back. When her eyes dried once more, he pulled away from her, and steered her to Legolas, who took her by the arm, and walked her back to the hall.
Her grief seemed to change to shock, and her movements became automatic. She let Legolas lead her away without argument. She had no words to say. She couldn't find them. When they arrived in the hall, it was quiet. Most everyone was outside, piling the carcasses of the Uruk-Hai to be burned. Briefly, she wondered what would become of the Elf bodies- of Haldir's body. She shook her head. She couldn't think about that now.
She looked at Legolas, who was giving her a concerned look. He pulled her to him, putting his arms around her. She just stood there feeling empty. She felt as though she couldn't move. It hurt to move. It hurt to think.
She looked across the hall and saw her reflection in a metal shield hanging on the wall. Most of her hair had come out of her plait. Now it was matted and stuck to the blood and dirt in her face. She thought some of that blood was Haldir's.
Legolas seemed to hear her thoughts and he pulled away and led her to a seat. He left her there for a moment, and then returned with a cloth and a bowl of water. Gently, he cleaned off her face. Her eyes became unfocused as she gazed over his shoulder. Someone brought him a brush, and he cleaned her hair, brushed it and plaited it once again. He used the cloth to clean her arms, and he checked her for any visible injuries.
He left her side once more, and Éowyn came to sit with her. Time passed, but she didn't know how long. It could have been a couple hours, maybe a day. She didn't know.
Legolas returned to her side, and took her by the arm. She felt numb, and she let him guide her without protest.
"It is time for the people to return to Edoras," she heard Gandalf say from somewhere nearby. "We have business elsewhere, before we can return there."
She was helped onto a horse behind Legolas, and she gripped his waist tighter than necessary, taking comfort in his scent and thanking the Valar that at least she still had him with her.
They came to the top of the hill just out of Helm's Deep, and in the distance, the lightning flashed in the gray clouds, the orange haze from the Mountain of Fire could be seen.
"Sauron's wrath will be terrible," Gandalf said, "his retribution swift. The battle for Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle-earth is about to begin. All our hopes now lie with two little Hobbits. Somewhere in the wilderness."
TBC