Now it Starts
Row on row of blue-cloaked soldiers marched up the gangway into Helm's Deep. The elves were all dressed in impeccable armour, the metal glinting when it hit the burning red of the fires. Rosalie's eyes widened a grin splitting her face even when she saw a not so friendly elf leading them. Said blonde elf was proudly walking up to King Théoden, the man staring at shock at all of the elves. Legolas looked ecstatic, much like the rest of the company.
"How is this possible?" Théoden asked incredulously, almost smiling happily. Haldir bowed to the human king, smirking a little smugly, but Rosalie didn't care about that at the minute.
"I bring word from Lord Elrond of Rivendell- an allegiance once existed between elves and men. Long ago, we fought and died together. We have come to honour that allegiance." The Marchwarden's voice rang out clearly, like bells and soothed all who heard it. Even Rosalie found comfort in him and the presence of over a hundred elven warriors.
Aragorn was overwhelmed by it apparently as he practically flung himself at Haldir, his arms tight around the very startled Elf's neck. He said something in Elvish and Haldir smiled, patting the ranger's back. Rosalie snorted at the scene, causing a few men round her to give her weird looks and the Marchwarden to send her a glare. Next to her, Legolas stifled a smile, watching the two glare at each other like children. "You are most welcome," the ranger said, oblivious to the glaring going on over his shoulder.
"Don't think too badly of me when I don't give you the same welcome as Aragorn did," Rosalie murmured under her breath, certain the elf would hear her. A nudge in her ribs from Legolas, guffawing from Gimli and funny look from Aragorn and a dark eyebrow raised from Haldir was what she got in return.
"We are proud to fight alongside men once more," The elf stated, ignoring the girls jab and Théoden nodded to them, the traces of a smile edging onto his face.
Everyone spirits lifted as word of the Elvish reinforcements spread like wildfire. Night was approaching quickly and the men were taking their places along the main gate while the elves, Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli and Rosalie were stationed along the wall. Every few hundred feet, torches had been set up, one close enough to Rosalie to do some practice, changing its colour and shape much to the shock, and then fascination, of the elf standing next to it.
Rosalie stood in between Legolas and an elf from Lothlórien, the dwarf on the other side of Legolas. They had already taken their positions and a silence had overcome Helm's Deep. It was like a cloud, the tension, the reality of the danger ahead that hung over everybody. In the distance, Rosalie could hear the deep drumbeat of marching and the elves around her stiffened, Legolas clenching his jaw. Ten thousand seems smaller on paper, Rosalie thought, nausea tightening it's iron grip around her stomach.
The dwarf grunted, jumping a few times, trying to see over the top of the wall. "Could've picked a better spot. With any luck, this will last the night," he said as Aragorn passed behind them, the ranger stalking up and down the walls impatiently, like a lion pacing the length of its enclosure.
"Your friends are with you Aragorn," Legolas murmured, eyes fixed on the black mass in the distance, his keen eyes probably seeing better than Rosalie could. Gimli shrugged his shoulders, looking up at the swirling skies. "Let's hope this lasts the night," The dwarf said casually, talking about the sky, as if there wasn't an impending attack on the horizon.
The skies above were a deathly shade of grey, grumbling and groaning occasionally. Lightening crackled in the distance, the world around them illuminated for a split second. A great shadow was cast a head of them, the shapes moving and bubbling and changing as the host came towards them.
The clouds above let out another groan, the first few drops of rain falling, and Rosalie flinched as one hit her cheek. She glanced up, mouth falling open a little as more began to race down towards the two armies, as if trying to douse the tension surrounding Helm's Deep.
Despite everything, Rosalie shook her head, grimacing a little, feeling her wet hair begin to stick to her head. "Damn you Gimli, you jinxed it. This rain is your fault." The elves beside her peered at her quizzically, not quite understanding what she meant by jinxed, but the dwarf cracked a grin, even under the stress enveloping them. "I'll be sad to see you die as well Lassie."
They were close now, waving great spears, their marching echoing like the thunder rumbling above, the vibrations being felt by everyone on and in the mountain. One let out a strange moan, deep and animalistic, a gleaming white handprint smothering his face. The men and elves stood like statues frozen in time, focusing only on the oncoming threat.
Aragorn's familiar voice bellowed from further down the wall, crying out orders in the Elvish language that rolled seamlessly from his lips. Rosalie shivered, partly from the cold and partly from the storm of emotions escalating inside of her and Legolas moved fractionally closer to her. The thunder of marching and the faint thumping of armour grinding together was getting closer. Another Uruk-hai let out a moan, similar to the last one, and the orcs halted in sync, forming long rows of enemies, too many lines deep of monsters. Chills raced up her spine.
Silence fell as the two armies faced each other, like they were sizing the other up, a 50 metre gap separating them. There were too many, too many without faces, only metal helmets, too many only holding spears, with no bodies that Rosalie could see, only know they were there.
Along the lines, a few of the men had loaded their bows, deadly arrows pointed into the hoards below. A few trembled now and then, the anticipation and the adrenaline refusing to allow any kind of smooth movements. The tips of Rosalie's fingers began to twitch and she dug them into her palms, hoping to squash the anxious reflex.
Gimli took half a step forward, attempting to peer over the top of the wall, annoyance clearly written across his face. All he could hear was the groans, moans and roars of the enemy and Nature's raging battle surrounding them. "What's happening out there?" He asked gruffly, obviously displeased with not knowing what the Orcs were doing.
"Shall I describe it to you?" Legolas asked, a smile colouring his voice. "Or would you like me to find you a box?" Rosalie stared at the Mirkwood elf wide eyed. He's gonna start something with Gimli now? Seriously?! Shockingly, the dwarf laughed, albeit a little strained and a tad creepily, but laughed all the same and Rosalie wasn't the only one to do a double take. Nice to know at the possible End, those two have finally made up, she thought sarcastically.
Another snarl floated across the troops and all together, the Orcs began to bang their spears on the ground, snarling, growling and baying. It was chilling, and only got louder and louder, echoing into the night in a primal show of strength. An arrow whistled through the air, striking an Orc through the neck. It let out a painful yelp, the rest of the opposing army falling silent as the Orc dropped to the ground dead. Rosalie bit her lip, wincing when it fell. Everything stopped, like the Orcs were stupefied by the death of their comrade, staring at his body before looking up at the Wall, the men, the elves, the girl and Gimli.
Orcs close to the new crack in the line let out roars and snarls of anger, and maybe misery. Then, as one, they charged forward, converging and hurtling towards Helm's Deep like a black tidal wave. They lowered their spears slightly, aiming the sharp wicked spikes at the wall. Many of them erupted in shouts, screams and snarls, like rabid dogs, but they had a cunning cleverness that made them much more dangerous.
In unison, the elves along the wall smoothly loaded their bows. Rosalie glanced around at them, trying not to move her head to much, a strange feeling of dread welling inside her when she saw a gleaming arrow tip poking from a bow just behind her head. It was like the elves were immune to the noise the Orcs made, their keen eyes staying trained on their targets, while the screeching made Rosalie cringe.
Legolas was muttering under his breath to his brethren, eyes never leaving the Orcs in front of them. Suddenly, Aragorn's voice yelled over the top of the rain and Orcs, the Elvish words foreign to Rosalie, but the meaning had never been clearer. Around her, the twanging of bow string snapped, almost in complete harmony and the first line of Orcs tumbled to the ground, lifeless.
Instantly, they rearmed, drawing back the strings again, arrows whistling through the air, always striking their targets with graceful precision. Several shouts go up from the bridge and Rosalie glances down the line, careful not to move into someone's line of fire. Soldiers in the gatehouse start firing as well, more Orcs hitting the ground like rocks.
Gimli jumps up and down noisily, poking his head over the battlements. "What's going on out there?" He shouted, but to the girl, it's muffled, like cotton wool is stuffed in her ears. I can't hear anything, she thought, getting panicky. The noise- it's all blurring together. Arrows rained from the sky, and Orcs fell, littering the ground but there were always more to take the place of a fallen comrade, some stomping over the bodies of their dead. Rosalie felt like the knots inside of her would never come undone.
The elf next to her let out a shriek, a thick black arrow wobbling in his chest plate. He fell forward, slumping onto the wall and Rosalie just stared at him in horror but ducked as Legolas elbowed her, another Orc arrow narrowly missing her. Are those crossbows? I thought they were too modern. More arrows defied gravity, flying up onto the wall, though only a fraction hit targets. But considering they were already outnumbered, it didn't please Rosalie one bit. She spared a quick glance at the Mirkwood elf that had just saved her life, but he had already moved on, staring down at the battle with cold, calculated eyes.
Finally, the Orcs reached the walls and Rosalie smirked a little, looming over them. Like they can do any real damage from down there, she thought smugly, but the frown began to melt when she saw how some of the Orcs carried strange fence-like bits of wood. What on earth are they going to do... Oh. Oh that's not fair! She internally groaned as the pieces began to slot together, ladders expanding up the wall.
"Ladders!" Aragorn roared, and arrows were aimed at the Orcs scampering up the wall, getting a little too close for comfort. Come on, we have magic powers for a reason, let's see if they work, Rosalie lifted a hand, glaring at the ladder closest to her. C'mon, she urged herself, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!
It worked, scarlet flames licking at the wood like it was dry, defying all laws on how fire should work in the process. It jumped from rung to rung, not minding the rain at all. The Orc nearest the top let out a metallic shriek, flying backwards and off the ladder, squashing a few of his comrades underneath him. Rosalie continued to focus on it, forcing the flames to burn hotter and brighter.
Bending to her will, the fire spluttered and roared to life, sparking a deep scarlet, scorching the wood, turning it black and cracking under the heat. Rosalie sighed, letting go of the... Whatever it was. Thought it would feel worse than that, she thought to herself, spying another ladder the Orcs were erecting further down the wall. It got the same treatment as the last.
The Orcs, it seemed, were in no short supply of ladders, more popping out when the girl had finished destroying the last. "Something's wrong," Rosalie hissed under her breath to the elf next to her. Legolas grunted, too concerned about the enemy to listen fully. Beside him, Gimli had jumped up onto the top of the battlement, swinging his axe wildly at any Orc near him, cackling like a mad man. "Don't you find it strange how they aren't making an effort to actually climb up the ladders?" She asked, frowning suspiciously at the Orcs below her. They were up to something, something she didn't know. While many of them were happily scampering up the ladders, more than enough weren't- instead just milling around the sides of the wall, as if they were waiting for something.
But at the moment, it meant that more Orcs died, than soldiers from the Allegiance- as Rosalie had pegged the joint forces of men, elves, Gimli and her- but they still outnumbered them easily. Rosalie watched a squad of Orcs marching proudly, conspicuously up the walkway to the gates. They had all raised their shields, like a Roman phalanx, more Orcs swarming on the ground around them shooting at any elves and humans that fired at the group.
Suddenly, like dominoes, they fell, pushed off the walkway by a group of bigger Uruk-hai storming up towards the gates, a heavy battering ram, with the carved face of a snarling wolf, carried between them. Her eyes widened at it, glancing at the gates, wondering if they would hold. She wasn't the only one, as the men above the gates started shouting, panicky, and the first few lines of human infantry flung themselves at the doors, bracing against the wood and the Uruk-Hai on the other side.
Behind her, something snarled. She spun quickly, raising her knife but the Orc caught it across his sword. He smiled gruesomely, flashing pointed teeth and she cringed at it. Without thinking, she raised her fist, smashing it into the Orcs saggy skin, the blow toppling him over the wall, shrieking as he went.
Legolas shot an arrow over her shoulder at another Orc that had been lurking behind the last, sending her a strange look- a mixture of amusement, awe and disgust. Hope that last one is because I actually touched the Orc, she thought, fighting the urge to shudder, I feel like I should have a shower. Or at least a bath.
Rosalie looked back over at the gates, the wood creaking unhappily at the pressure it was being put under. A few chips of wood splintered and cracked, flying to safety amongst the soldiers on both sides. Let's try something new... She held out a hand, closing her eyes, trusting Legolas to get the monsters before they got her. She wanted the door to grow thicker, but she didn't know how to... Translate that. Rain flicked at her face, always drawing her attention away. Rain... Rain! She a wanted to jump, but decided it wasn't appropriate until it worked.
In the darkness of her mind, it was like whenever she pushed at it, it would push back and she could push towards something she wanted to change. The rain slackened a bit around the gates, but no one seemed to notice. She couldn't stop the weather; even she wasn't strong enough, or stupid enough to tempt Mother Nature's wrath like that.
Hesitantly, she felt it bend with her will, sticking to the gates like a second skin. It creaked and cracked as she chilled it, ice plating the gates and joints, and for a few seconds, the Uruk-Hai gaped at it, dumbfounded. Then they grabbed the battering ram again, hurling it into the ice with renewed vigour. It groaned in protest, but didn't shatter and Rosalie sighed, relieved. That had better hold,
Under them, the sea of Orcs parted for two, holding a giant metal casket with spikes covering it, half dragging, half carrying it into a small grated hole in the side of the Wall. Rosalie's eyes widened as the two fled from it. "Holy mother of Sin," she muttered and caught Legolas' attention. That's not- it can't be- how did Saruman know? - Oh my God.
She got even twitchier when she saw another Orc, roaring proudly, holding a white sparking torch, sprinting towards the hole with the bomb in it.
Aragorn understood her hysteria, shouting for Legolas to shoot him. The elf did as ordered, firing a thin wooden arrow, hitting the Orcs shoulder. He staggered and the cheering around him faltered, none of the others prepared to do his job. With a loud growl stumbled to his feet.
"Again!" Rosalie screamed, eyes not leaving the Orc. Legolas fired, and another arrow hit its mark, burying itself in the Orcs abdomen. It was too late and the Orc flung himself into the small hole.
There was a loud rumbling, like a dragon, smoke blowing upwards and Rosalie felt herself being thrown through the air, plunging back to the ground with giant chunks of rock. Shi-