This is a short chapter. I won't say who got their guesses right, I'll do that in the next chapter where it is relevant. Anyway...on with the story!

Key:

"Blah" westron

"Blah" elvish

Blah thoughts

The Immortal Hero

Chapter 9

Tegalad sat as far away from life as he could. He had arrived at Helms Deep cradled by Legolas a few hours earlier and left alone in a bed roll. That had been successful until he was left alone and he Fire Jumped to the tallest tower he had seen and remained hidden. If people were looking for him, he was unaware of it.

He had discovered that the tower he sat on was attached to a giant horn that ended in the gorge one hundred metres below him. It provided a great view of the land and anyone who came close could be seen with plenty of time to be identified. The fields were brown and muddied, a field useless for planting and only good for fighting on.

Hedwig watched over him, providing him with comfort he was unwilling to ask for despite how much he needed it. Men had passed by underneath his hideaway, no one looking up. There was an extra metre of rock above the mouth-piece of the horn he had climbed to stay hidden and then a roof to keep the rain away and the small gap dry.

Tegalad lay on his side, completely still with his eyes wide open, staring at nothing and just replaying Shadow's death in his mind over and over and over again. Hedwig was concerned but knew that the only human who would be able to offer Tegalad comfort was gone. The elfling hadn't spoken a word or made a sound since sitting beside Shadow's body. His skin was sickly pale and he was shivering as the cold of night descended upon Helms Deep.

The sun sunk below the horizon slowly, its warmth clinging to the land as it disappeared. Tegalad didn't feel the cold as the sun disappeared becaause hot air had surrounded him to ward off the chill, yet still he shivered from shock.

He didn't move the entire night, the air itself keeping him alive. Hedwig stayed by his side, a silent sentinel and a comforting presence. The two remained on top of the horn until the sky started to lighten and sounds of movement increased beneath them. Tegalad focused his eyes on the horizon, squinting slightly as the morning rays of the sun hit his sensitive eyes. He uncurled with a moan as he moved muscles he hadn't moved in twelve hours. Hedwig shifted her wings and hobbled forward so she could perch on his arm and nuzzle his chin.

Tegalad didn't smile at her but he did rest his other hand on her head in acceptance of her comfort. He crawled forward awkwardly to peer across the horizon. He was hungry as he hadn't eaten since lunch the day before, nor had he slept for more than ten minutes at a stretch. He had black bags under his eyes indicating his lack of rest and his green eyes were dull and lifeless.

Figuring that he could get something to eat, as small as it probably would be, Tegalad slid out of his hiding spot and dropped onto the rocks below. He crouched on all fours before slowly making his way down unseen to where the provisions were kept. He hid several times as guards walked passed him and once he held his breath as he saw Boromir walking around the upper levels. He wasn't seen once and was able to acquire some pieces of bread he would eat after he Fire Jumped back to the Horn Tower.

His clothes were torn and dirty with blood, dirt and ashes from the fight the day before, but he didn't notice. He had a few small cuts from the fight he had realised he had, or when he had gotten them. Tegalad stared at them without much interest, running his fingers lightly over the scars and staring into the distance.

The sun rose higher, shadows grew smaller, and Tegalad remained alone. He had no idea of the panic he had created with his disappearance, nor the amount of people who were still looking for him. As time past and he wasn't found the members of the Fellowship began to despair. To lose him so soon after losing both Shadow and Aragorn was a blow to their hearts.

Gimli had searched the caves numerous times, walking up and down passageways, looking under every rock and in every alcove. He had no luck. Boromir walked through the living areas of Helms Deep. In every room, under every bed and in every cupboard he looked but there was no trace of the child. Legolas walked the fields and up on the battlements. There were no tracks he could follow to lead him to where their little charge was. King Théoden even had his guards out looking for the child. He had seen how lost Tegalad had looked as they rode back to Helms Deep and his paternal instincts were screaming at him to find him.

By midday there could be seen a lot of disheartened faces.

It was also around midday that a guard announced the presence of an oncoming rider. Soldiers lined up along the battlements, weapons ready, but it was with joy that they lowered their weapons and opened the gates to allow the rider to enter. People gathered around the rider and word was quickly spread that Lord Aragorn had returned from the dead.

While Aragorn was taken to see the King, Tegalad climbed down from his hideaway. He had seen the rider approach and the wind had brought the rumors up to him. He slipped into the shadows and moved stealthily down again, Hedwig on his shoulder. At the bottom of the steps he sent her to sit on the battlements and wait for him while he went to hide in the shadows outside of the King's counsel room.

There was only one door into the counsel room, and it was shut at the moment but it was only a matter of time until it opened and whoever was inside would exit. He settled down, invisible to those just passing by, and stared relentlessly at the door. His stare was so focused that he was startled when the doors actually opened and five people exited.

The King walked in front of the other four, though a man Tegalad was sure was dead was just slightly behind him. Boromir, Legolas and Gimli were just behind them, but Boromir was looking around hopefully and a little desperately. It was as he looked up at the battlements that he gasped, drawing the attention of the others.

"What is it?" Gimli asked following the other's gaze. He gasped himself. "Is that Hedwig?"

"My God," Théoden breathed having spotted the owl. "He could still be here."

"What?" the Man-Who-Should-Be-Dead asked. He looked up at Hedwig. "Where's Tegalad? Shouldn't he be with one of you?"

"Tegalad pulled a disappearing act yesterday after we arrived," Legolas explained.

"Why? Because of me?"

"Partially," Gimli said as he rubbed his head. "Tegalad and Shadow were ahead of the group yesterday and didn't notice the scout. They ran into the main body. Shadow broke his leg I think, Legolas saw it. Tegalad did his disappearing thing with the flames and we didn't know where he went."

"He ended up under a rock overhanging, a couple of metres from where you went over the cliff," Boromir continued. "He fought back against the orcs that spotted him and it was only as he blew on his horn that I noticed where he was…surrounded by four orcs. I didn't get there in time but I remember his scream as one orc struck Shadow. Shadow died not that long after."

"Oh my…" Aragorn, for it couldn't be anyone else, breathed. "Do we know where he could be?"

"We know where he's not," Théoden explained. "We've been searching for him all night and all of this morning. There's been no sign of him. It's only just now that we've even seen Hedwig."

Aragorn lifted his arm for Hedwig to land and after a moment the bird lifted up off her perch to glide down towards where the group had stopped walking. Except that she didn't land on Aragorn's arm, she landed on Tegalad's. The group turned around to follow the owl's path and were silent as they saw Tegalad step out of the shadows, Hedwig perched on his arm.

The elfling had his hood down, showing everyone how well he was coping with Shadow, and Aragorn's, death...badly. His face was expressionless as he stared at the four members of the Fellowship and the King, but when he reached Aragorn's face, a flicker of emotion could be seen. Aragorn walked forward a few steps before he sunk to the ground, his arms slightly open. Tegalad looked at Hedwig briefly and the owl flew up into the sky. As she moved, Tegalad rushed forward and fell into Aragorn's open arms.

Aragorn lifted him off the ground easily, his expression concerned, but Tegalad had hidden his face against Aragorn's neck and didn't see it.

The group continued walking up to the battlements, all of them concerned about Tegalad but now able to focus on what Aragorn had told them. They were examining the defences and Théoden was concentrating on the amount of soldiers he had available to him. All throughout their conversations Aragorn kept his hand on Tegalad's back and rubbed it soothingly. Tegalad was feeling drowsy and his eyes kept drooping, only to shoot back open.

"Go to sleep Little One," Aragorn whispered after noticing how the child was forcing himself to stay awake. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"Don't leave me again," Tegalad whispered almost inaudibly.

"Never," Aragorn promised. Tegalad allowed his eyes to droop shut and his body to regain the energy it had used up the day before.

Tegalad woke up in a stranger's arms underground. He shot up and looked around wildly, looking for a familiar face anywhere. He couldn't even spot Hedwig anywhere nearby. He pushed away from the arms holding him, feeling a little betrayed, and looked around.

He was underground in some kind of large cave. Everywhere he looked were women and children, most children being cuddled by their mothers or comforting smaller children around them. There was a stone door not far from where he was sitting but it was clearly sealed shut and wouldn't open for a while.

Tegalad looked at the woman who was holding him and looked down just as quickly. She was staring at him in sympathy and a little amazement. He lifted his hand and felt for his ears, brushing his hair across them self-consciously. Sitting next to her was a little girl pressed against her side. Tegalad looked at her closely and noticed that it was Freda. He looked around quickly as he tried to spot Éothain but couldn't see him anywhere.

"How are you feeling?" the woman asked him kindly. "Lord Aragorn said that you would sleep for a while and would be hungry when you woke. Are you hungry?"

Tegalad nodded without speaking. He wanted Aragorn there, or someone familiar, but from the people he could see in the caves, or the lack of men, he guessed that everyone was preparing for battle. The woman handed over some cooked meat that was a little cold, but it was more sustenance than he'd eaten in several days and he took it with a grateful nod.

Freda moved away from her mother and pressed herself against Tegalad's side. Tegalad stiffened but put an arm around her in a one-armed hug. Freda looked up at him with a soft smile and lifted one of her hands to touch his ear gently.

"You have pretty ears," she said simple as he stiffened again. "Are you an elf?"

Tegalad nodded stiffly without speaking. He placed some meat in his mouth and slowly chewed it. His mind flashbacked to when Shadow died and he put the rest of the meat down. He didn't think he could stomach anymore. Instead he nibbled on the bread and an apple that the woman gave him.

"This is Mama," Freda said with a bright smile. "She was waiting here for us, just like you said. Éothain would be here with us but the King said that anyone who can hold a sword should be out there protecting us. I hope he's alright."

Tegalad tightened his grip on her shoulder and leant down to whisper in her ear.

"Éothain will be safe," he said. "You see him tomorrow."

Freda smiled brightly at him and was about to speak again when the earth around them started to move. Freda let out a startled gasp as several young children started to cry. Freda's mother pulled the two of them into a hug, ignoring Tegalad's stiffness, and looked up to the roof.

"It's begun," she whispered. Tegalad followed her gaze to the ceiling, listening to the sounds the rocks made. It didn't sound like fighting to him, more like marching. It was very nerve-racking, sitting still and letting others do the fighting instead. He knew that it was what he wanted when he arrived in Middle-Earth, but now that the time had come for that to happen, he wanted nothing more than to be out there, making a difference and protecting his friends.

For the next hour Tegalad sat still with his arms around Freda who was shaking in fear. The sounds of fighting had increased but nothing had sounded too close. That was until an explosion rocked the cave. Screams erupted around them and Tegalad looked up at the walls where dust was falling. A woman screamed out that the enemy was breaking in, creating more panic in the caves. Tegalad shook his head sadly. He wondered if there was anyone standing outside the doors to protect them, but figured that every able man would be out fighting, not standing guard.

He started to fidget, he needed to know what was happening. He looked at Freda who clung to him and gently pried her fingers out of his clothes. With much prodding he managed to get her to latch on to her mother and slip out of both of their clutches. Freda's mother looked at him in horror, as if she knew what he was going to do, and tried to pull him back towards her.

"I can help," he said simply before he Fire Jumped to his hideaway. His last glance was of Freda crying out to him and trying to reach him before he was greeted with the sight of a blown apart wall and thousands upon thousands of orcs moving relentlessly towards them.

Taking quick stock of the situation, Tegalad decided that he'd focus on the ladders that were being raised. He solidified the air and pushed it against the ladders, sending them back onto the mass of black in the night. Their screams sent shivers down Tegalad's spine but he blocked them out to help out where he could.

He paused after a few minutes to regain his breath and see how many allies they had. He spotted a flash of blonde hair and thought it was Legolas. That was until he looked closer.

"Haldir?" he murmured surprised. He looked around and spotted several more elves from Lothlorien joining in the battle against the orcs. He figured that this was what Vanya had implied in her letter and made a promise to himself to get someone to help him write back to the elf woman after the battle was over. He watched Haldir fight for a few minutes, vaguely noticing the positioning of the other allied fighters. He saw Aragorn on the fields and the wind brought up his cry of "Retreat!" to where he was perched. He didn't see Haldir's reply, but he did see the orc sneak up on the blonde elf with its sword raised.

"No!" Tegalad cried in despair as he Fire Jumped to Haldir, grabbed the elf and Fire Jumped back again. He sat on the ground heavily, panting as if he'd run a marathon in a short amount of time. He stared at Haldir who was looking around in alarm, sword raised, before the elf looked down and immediately dropped to his knees.

"Tegalad," the elf said in horror. "What are you doing here? You should be in the caves, safe."

"You would've died if I hadn't," Tegalad whispered. "I can't lose you too. And Vanya would have been devastated if you didn't return. You can't die."

"Death is a part of life Little One," Haldir murmured and was surprised when Tegalad jumped up in anger.

"Stop saying that! Everyone says that! It doesn't make it alright!"

With a glare Tegalad spun around and leapt up onto the wall to look down at the swirling armies. He noticed that the orcs were massing around the front gate, trying to break it down with a battering ram. He pushed a strong wind against them to make them lose their balance and was satisfied to see that a handful of orcs were knocked off. Haldir appeared at his side and watched as a mysterious wind upset the enemy.

"I need to go back and help them," Haldir said softly. "How do I get back?"

Tegalad looked at him and reluctantly took his arm in preparation to Fire Jump, but was instead pulled into a hug, his small body crushed against the bloodied armor of the elf.

"Thank you for saving me Tegalad, I will be forever grateful to you."

Tegalad nodded and Fire Jumped to Aragorn's side, surprising the man with their appearance. Tegalad looked at him emotionlessly and slipped out of Haldir's grasp. He didn't say a word to anyone present and returned to his position above the battle.

For the next few hours he distracted the orcs and even tapped into his fire elemental control and set fire to the ropes pulling the ladders up. There was a light rain, more of a drizzle and he knew that it had been raining heavily at the start of the night. He was more than glad that his vantage point was covered, protecting him from the water and hiding his position from enemy and ally alike.

The battle started to slow down near sunrise. The orcs had swamped the fortress not that long before, driving any of the survivors indoors. Tegalad knew that Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli were still alive as he had watched all four of them enter the counsel room. Haldir was also alive, having followed them all in shortly after.

Tegalad was exhausted. He hadn't used his elemental abilities for such a long time before without resting in between. Even then the battle he'd been fighting in hadn't lasted this long or had that many enemies. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and his breath was short. He needed a really long rest once the battle was over and done with.

While he was resting his head he looked towards the rising sun, wishing for the end of the nightmare below him. It took him several minutes of looking at the sun, and the lightening land in front of it, before he noticed what it was he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief but when the view didn't change he smiled for the first time in what felt like ages.

Look to my coming, at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the east.

Riding towards them at full speed was the Rohirrim in all its glory, led by a white robed man on a white horse. The sheet number of reinforcements now available to them would crush the remaining orcs who had made their way into the fortress or were still in the field.

Hurried footsteps up the stairs caused Tegalad to whip around in alarm, only to realise that it was Gimli standing before him. The dwarf looked just as shocked to see him and seemed to forget the reason he was at the top of the tower. Tegalad pointed to the eastern horizon with a smile.

"Gandalf comes," he said simply. Gimli looked to where he was pointing and cried out in joy. With a startled jump the dwarf seemed to remember why he was there and rushed towards the mouthpiece of the giant horn. With a great breath Gimli sounded the horn, its sound echoing across the field as the gates to Helms Deep burst outwards and a group of riders attacked the oncoming orcs with renewed determination.

As the sun rose over the hills, revealing Gandalf and the Rohirrim in all their glory, the orcs seemed to hesitate. The rising sun blinded them as the horses galloped down the steep hill and their riders swept them aside with their blades and their fresh energy. The long battle then came to an end.

As the riders chased the retreating orcs, the battle weary soldiers cheered their victory. Tegalad slumped against the stone wall, completely and utterly exhausted. Strong arms wrapped around him and he leant back against Gimli, eyes closing tiredly. Gimli shook him worriedly.

"I alright," he whispered. "Tired."

"I know laddy," Gimli said. "But we have to get down there. Aragorn was mighty shocked when you showed up with Haldir. Completely worried when you disappeared again though. Never thought you'd be up here."

Tegalad smirked sleepily and groaned when he was lifted from the ground. Gimli grumbled about his slight weight, mumbling something of making himself in charge of his meals. Tegalad allowed him to mumble on, he had no energy to do anything else.

Some time later, just as he was about to fall asleep, another set of arms wrapped around him, lifting him higher into the air. Tegalad forced his eyes open and stared at Aragorn sleepily. With a soft smile he allowed his body to go limp as he passed out on the man's shoulder.

I'm not particaularly happy with this chapter as it's so short, the next one is only a little longer, but I hope it's alright. Leave me a review and I'll post again tomorrow.