Thought a timeline would help place things - I melded Vezely's story with actual events in the Third Age; hope it sounds plausible enough!
Vezely's T.A. Timeline
TA 2455: Born
TA 2460: Sauron returns to Middle-earth and establishes himself in Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood.
TA 2461: Orcs begin to raid Mirkwood elf territory. Vezely's parents, Elured and Rovian are among the first causalities. Sauron desired an elf child to pervert as revenge for the elves' refusal of an alliance long ago. The child, Vezely, is taken to Dol Guldur and given by Sauron to the Balchoth, a fierce clan of Easterling warriors, to raise as their own in preparation for his future plans. Her memories are repressed to aid in her transition.
TA 2510: Under orders of Sauron, the Balchoth led by Vezely, and other clans of Easterlings invade Rhovanion and Gondor, conquering much of Calenardhon. The alliance between Rohan and Gondor comes into existence. The Easterlings launch a massive invasion of Gondor, but are driven back by the people of Éothéod; Gondor gives the now-uninhabited province of Calenardhon to the people of Éothéod.
TA 2545: The Balchoth engages Rohan at the Battle of the Wold. Eorl the Young, 1st king of Rohan, dies in the battle, slain by Vezely. In retreat, Vezely enters Northern Mirkwood with a small band of surviving Balchoth, seeking a quicker route to Dol Guldur. Vezely barely survives a skirmish with the Woodland guard. King Thranduil treats her wounds and releases her. Vezely returns to Dol Guldur, and Sauron makes her a general in charge of restructuring and managing the Easterling armies, who, due to their prior defeats, have proven inadequate to conquer the West.
TA 2545-2860: Vezely spends her time on campaigns forcing submission of the East to Sauron, while perfecting war strategies and building a proper army for the eventual invasion of the West.
TA 2901: Betrayed by her second in command, Öldür, who helped deem her as untrustworthy due to a string of "softer" war tactics, Sauron imprisons Vezely in the dungeons of Dol Guldur.
July, TA 2941: The White Council drives Sauron out of Dol Guldur. Elrond, her blood cousin, convinces the White Council to release Vezely and put her under the care of the Blue Wizards who assist her in regaining her memory and strength. She becomes an unlikely and slightly unwilling member of the resistance.
3019: Vezely is relocated to the West by the Blue Wizards to fight in the War of the Ring; at the end of February she meets Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas on the edge of Fangorn Forest - chapter 1 commences.
Chapter 19 - On the Fields of Pelennor
Right after dawn broke, the camp at Dunharrow was in the full swing preparing to leave for Gondor. Now fully armed, her horse saddled, eyes lined in black, and body adorned in the silver armor gifted to her by her Elvish kin, Vezely entered King Theodon's lavishly adorned tent. Banners lined the interior walls, motley colored animal skins adorned the floor as rugs, and a table strewn with maps and spent candles took Vezely back to the time when she was a general, having lived in tents of similar aesthetic. Theodon stood with one hand leaning on the table before him, contemplating the route they were about to depart on, while Eomer stood aside him, his posture straight and demeanor determined. Both were also dressed in their full battle gear - chain mail and intricately detailed, red and gold toned leather chest plates. The guard outside had announced Vezely's entrance, though the two horse lords did not stop their conversation when she stepped inside.
Finishing his sentence on line divisions, Theodon spoke to her without turning his head, "We need your Elf eyes before our approach," he told her, desiring her to scout ahead of the troops and report back on the forces ahead of them. He then added bluntly, "And you will fight alongside Eomer's eored."
She gauged this information was equally unexpected to his nephew, who turned his suddenly widened eyes upon his uncle, internally querying why he would have her fight beside him and his men, especially when he continued to place little trust in her.
Vezely nodded to the request, "As you wish," she answered politely, unconcerned about her placement as long as she could fight.
Theodon then added, "Eomer, your eored will engage the Variags if they join us, for our strongest riders are best suited for their chariots."
Eomer did not disagree with this assessment, since the eored were Rohan's most advanced horsemen, and though he remained uncertain about Theodon's prior command of having Vezely in her troop, he nodded in acceptance.
Appearing to have settled his plans, Theodon removed his hand from the table and straightened his posture. "Good," then placing a hand firmly on Eomer's forearm next to him, he requested his nephew to specific task, "Let all know we must ride light and swift. It's a long road ahead. Men and beast must reach the end with strength to fight." Eomer then left for the entrance, causing Vezely to step aside. She bowed her head respectfully as he left; an act which Eomer acknowledged but did not reciprocate.
After Eomer left, Theodon stood before her, now engaging her with his stern eyes, "I have another request."
Vezely was uncertain what he could desire, but conceded to accept it.
"Look after my nephew," he said with sincere concern hidden under a firm demeanor, "He is Rohan's future and one I would have set forth."
Not necessarily at ease with playing bodyguard, but without much sway to reject such orders, Vezely replied steadily, "I will do what I can to help ensure that future, as part of my debt to Rohan and to you for the mercy you have shown."
His eyes showed appreciation; he considered saying he did not regret providing her this mercy, though held back words of gratitude. Vez did not expect any such words either.
As they departed the tent, with Vez trailing behind the king, Theodon spoke slightly intrigued, turning his head to the side, "You get to witness a repeat of history. Rohan and Gondor together again under one banner."
It was true that it was her people's invasion of Rhovanion and Gondor that led to the first alliance between the two states of men. An unpleasant past to have mentioned, but one which Vez found herself able to reply to the king with sincerity, "And may it again prove itself strong, for all our sakes."
Vezely rode Gizik hard, trekking far ahead Rohan's forces to gain sight of their future engagement. Gizik was a horse perfectly suited for such a task; bred as a swift desert war horse, able to make long treks and never tire of carrying a rider. Vezely had many horses over her lifespan, but Gizik was her first personal horse since her captivity in Dol Guldur; having won her in a gambling match from a man who drank too much and bid his possessions hastily - a poor trait when put against a seasoned gambler as herself. The horse had seen only minor skirmishes before coming West, but she was well prepared for the battle before them, as her breed was known for having a steadfast demeanor, undeterred by the shock that war could induce. In the past years, the horse also became her confidant, especially on her journey out West when she crossed inhospitable lands and dealt with the harsh realities of her own insecurity. She patted the horse's neck upon her stop on a ridge overlooking Gondor's valleys below, thanking her for her steadfast friendship, since the battle before them could lay waste to both their lives.
There she was able to peer beyond to the White City of Minas Tirith, standing bright against a dark rock face of the expanding mountain range behind it. She could see the outline of a black mass of Orcs encircling the fields outside its gates. The surrounding air smelled foul of the wafting remnants of burnt wood and flesh, while the shadows of smoke could be spotted on the grounds at the bottom level of the city's many layers. Once closer she discovered the lower level had been breached, the Orc armies were substantial as expected, and she spotted to the north and east other legions advancing - confirming her assumptions of the Haradrim and Variags joining the battle.
She would ride back to relay this information, her keen eyesight finding the troops stopped alongside a lake to rest momentarily and to take food and drink. Eomer met her on a ridge nearby, looking upon her sternly after she relayed her information, considering breaking words of warning for her to obey his orders when given to his eored.
But before such words could be dispersed from his mouth, Vez added her own, saying earnestly, "In another time, you and I would be enemies, but today we fight common cause and with common heart. Fear not my allegiance or my ability to follow orders."
He breathed in heavily through his nostrils, quelling what prior was a desire to chastise her, "Enemies indeed, but I will cast prior concern aside. All I ask is you live up to your expectations."
Vez nodded respectfully, adding solidly before he left, "I have one request," causing Eomer's eyes to narrow on her, for he deemed her not in a position to make any, "The leader of the Variags, he is mine."
Eomer had heard of her suspicion that the leader was her former second in command, one who betrayed her and had a hand in her imprisonment. "Fair enough, I will not stand in your way," he conceded; he knew he could not keep her from long desired revenge.
He took off towards the encampment, and Vez trailed behind him, her eyes scanning the legion of horsemen for a shield maiden and a hobbit of the Shire. Upon spotting them, she did not let her eyes linger for fear of garnering Eowyn unnecessary attention, but internally she was grateful the two would engage in battle alongside her; admiring that their convictions to do so were nobler than her own. Her thoughts inevitably shifted to her other three Western companions, far afield on a task she did not know the specifics of or whether they would succeed and join them on the battlefield she just viewed from afar. Legolas's touch yet lingered in her mind, the taste of his lips still on her mouth. A strange sweetness to carry into war, but carry it she did, along with the little hope she yet held onto in her heart.
Legolas stood aboard the Corsair ship as they sailed down the River Anduin past the port of Pelargir. Aragorn had successfully enticed the Men of the Mountain to aid their cause, dispatching the pirates that once manned the ship's docks. They were steadily treading their way to Minas Tirith, hoping to make it in time to lend aid to Rohan's forces.
Near the port, white gulls soared overhead, mewing as they swooped downward towards the shuffling waters; their sounds in unison with the crashing waves that hit against the wooden boards of the ship's hull as it pushed through them. These sounds soothed Legolas and his heart felt adrift. His mind filled with thoughts of the land beyond these shores, of Valinor; a home he never knew, but the home that all elves must one day depart to. He never had such thoughts occupy his mind before - a pure longing to go to a place other than his homeland. The call of the Valar had found him, as Galadriel foretold in Lothlorien. Yet as it soothed, it also stirred troubled thoughts. He knew not why he should hear it now, in the midst of this war, and after finding the one he desired to spend eternity with. Was it an omen? Did it speak of the fate of the one who held his heart; of his own? Would they only be able to meet again on those shores beyond?
Aragorn placed a hand upon his friend's shoulder, "We will make it in time," he told him sincerely, hoping to ease woes with reassurance.
Legolas nodded, but saying concerned, "As my mind goes to distant shores." He turned towards his friend, engaging him with his eyes and saying steadily, "Beware the sea. The omen Lady Galadriel spoke of. I believe my time to leave these shores has come."
Aragorn's eyes showed unease, for he hoped such longing did not suggest he would take the alternate route to Valinor, which was death.
Legolas placed a hand on Aragorn's forearm, "But my commitment to the fellowship is stronger," he added determined, knowing what worry lay in his friend's head. "I will not sail away until such bonds are untied. You have my word."
While their ships carried the reinforcement needed to decimate the forces amassed at Minas Tirith, their only true hope of ending this war and defeating Sauron and his armies of darkness lay with two hobbits of the Shire, slowly trekking their way into Mordor. They knew not their progress or whether they still lived. All they could do was take one battle at a time.
Rohan's arrival was proudly announced by the blast of a dozen horns, as the horse riders halted momentarily along a heightened crest, in preparation to engage their enemies upon the fields of Pelennor. Their eyes were immediately assaulted by the mass of Orcs standing before the White City, whose bottom level lay thick in smoke and licking flames; tarnished were its ivory walls, as dark clouds further hid them from the sun's light.
Breathing was halted amongst the front lines as they witnessed the masses before them; an expected number no doubt, but overwhelming to the visual senses. Vezely, who was stationed alongside the other eored, looked upon Sauron's forces with her mind attempting calculation of the numbers, comparing them to her prior estimates and garnering some pride upon finding them close to accurate. She breathed in steadily, undeterred by the near future, her adrenaline already kicking in - she was prepared and eager to enter her element.
Ahead of his legions, King Theodon turned his horse quickly. With his eyes determined and fearless, he commanded his men with steadfast voice, "Eomer! Take your eored down the left side."
"Yes, my lord," Eomer responded at his side before kicking his horse into gear.
"Gamling, follow the King's banner down the center. Grimbold, take your company right, after you pass the wall. Forth, and fear no darkness!" Now alone up front, Theodon addressed his men, ascending his voice far afield. "Arise! Arise! Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword-day! A red day, ere the sun rises!" He clanked his sword against spears while riding down the line in front of them, putting courage into all who heard his voice and witnessed his commanding presence. "Ride now, ride now, ride! Ride for ruin and the world's ending! Death!"
The final word resounded and repeated amongst them. A battle call that easily stirred Vezely's warrior heart, for her clan's words also sung in her head, and she swelled with anticipation of the blood she would soon spill on the fields before her.
"Forð Eorlingas!" Horns would also announce their descent into battle, as momentum took their horse's steady gallops into a full charge. Arrows were shot, riders were discharged from their horses, but their line was not easily broken. They crashed into the Orc lines, easily dispatching their numbers from the high position of horseback. Too easily perhaps that Thoedon forgot that Orcs were not the only legions ready to meet them on the field that day. As Eomer commanded his eored to drive the Orcs to the river, with many already fleeing the steel that greeted them, Theodon called to all, "Make safe this city."
Yet immediately following his elation, the earth began to tremble below them. Their heads turned before their horses; their eyes finding a line of over twenty mûmakil quickly coming their way.
"Saladan," the name of the Haradrim's leader escaped Vezely's lips, as a corner of her mouth curled up, "Impressive," she added, for such display of force that simultaneously shook the ground below them and visually set palpable fear into the hearts of those around her was an admirable psychological tactic. Despite her removal from a life where she was steeped in such battlefield productions, she could not help but think highly of such ability. Vezely turned Gizik towards them, waiting anxiously for Theodon to call his riders forward, knowing they would need to be engaged head-on, and hoping she would not need to step in and make any commands.
A moment later, Theodon also turned his stallion towards them and yelled, "Reform the line! Reform the line!" Riders lined up quickly, trusting their king's judgment. "Sound the charge!"
Gamling sounded the horn, stirring courage back into his men, before Theodon commanded firmly, "Rohirrim! Charge!"
Vezely knew this tactic would initially spill the blood of many of her brother in arms, for the mûmakil had been trained to sweep and stomp men and horses below them. General Saladan had also reinforced their tusks and ankles with crude wooden spikes and barbed ropes, furthering the range of their destruction. Yet their line needed to be broken and space put in between them in order to allow for the men to engage each individually with room to ride from harm's way. Gizik zigzagged, finding her and her rider through the danger zone before moving behind the great beast. Vezely reached into her saddle bag, her hand quickly grabbing one of the blasting powder spheres. She whacked it against her sword's hilt, cracking the glass vile of oil inside; following with another swipe of the flint to ignite the twine. Upon completing another pass underneath the grey beast, she hoisted it upward towards the attached tower, where it easily found a space to comfortably sit undetected by the Haradrim who were preoccupied raining arrows down on the Rohirrim below.
"Clear out!" she called high and clear, mentally counting down as she rode out, expecting the loud blast that soon shook the air around them and broke through the hide of the beast it sat upon, tumbling it to the ground. She quickly moved along and provided others a shared fate.
While the mûmakil had been successfully scattered from their death march, individually they posed equal threat. The arrows shot from Rohan's bowmen were ineffective against their thick, impenetrable hides. Finding a spear ripe for plucking from the carcass of a dead Orc, Vezely ran Gizik in the opposite direction before turning her to charge a mûmakil head on - the horse's speed providing her thrust extra momentum as she released the spear straight into the eye of the beast. A smirk cracked her serious demeanor, grateful her aim had not left her.
The chaos of the battle between mûmakil, Haradhrim, Orcs, and Rohirrim, provided enough blindness to those engaged on the field that the Variags' approach would have gone unnoticed if not for Vezely's prior knowledge of their marching route. She continued to peer north to alert Eomer of when they were in range.
"Eomer, Variags to the north!" she cried, turning Eomer's attention.
"Eored!" Eomer called to his legion, "Rally to me!"
As the remaining eored rejoined Eomer, Vezely's eyes scanned the dual horse drawn chariots, which carried three archers each, followed by solo horsemen armed with axes; a formation known from strategy planning with her former second in command. Öldür was among them, she knew it.
The line of eored fiercely charged towards the line of golden chariots, many falling once in range of the arrows being shot from their riders. Following a clash of horse upon riderless horse, they were met by archers at close range, followed by the axes of equally experienced horseman. Paired by Eomer, Vezely and the horse lord worked together to empty a chariot of its three riders, before moving to the horsemen beyond, engaging in fierce combat upon saddle. The clang of axe upon steel sung in the air around them.
Suddenly Eomer's horse was hit by an arrow from a distant charioteer; the horse bucked below him before collapsing, causing him to fall off his steed and hit the ground hard below. In such a situation, to fall from one's horse would easily spell death from disadvantaged position. As he attempted to gain his bearings and rise to his feet, the same chariot was on a straight course towards him, the rider's axe in hand prepared to decapitate the horse lord before her.
"Eomer!" Vez gritted her teeth, kicking Gizik into high gear, causing her to race towards him. She swiftly maneuvered Gizik to the side of chariot's horses, preparing to deflect the rider's axe with her sword's steel, only to have him turn the axe on her horse. The blade hit the black steed's neck, instantly cutting her throat, stopping her legs in mid-gallop, and sending Vez over the horse's head to the ground before her. She rolled to alleviate the shock of impact, but her head still clanged against the inner steel of her helmet. While her vision momentarily blurred, a clear realization that such a dirty tactic was none other than her former second in command's entered her mind. She removed her helmet, dropping it to the ground below her, while her eyes momentarily glanced upon her trusted, four-legged companion in a bloodied lifeless mass nearby. Eomer had found his sword before being set upon by countless Variags, who had also gone horseless. Their former enemy, the berserker who took out both their horses, had rode off to inflict more damage to Rohan's riders. Vezely's angered desire to go after him would have to wait, for before her stood enough men to satisfy steel with blood.
Eomer and her worked together, taking the men around them out until a short reprieve allowed Vez to retrieve her saddle bag from Gizik, her mind disallowing any retreat into mourning for her lost friend. She was instead focused on the battle and the revenge she hoped it would quench. Sheathing her blood soaked sword, she made her way to an abandoned chariot, not too politely pulling an axe from the chest of a fallen Rohirrim along the way. She cut the two attached horses from the cart, jumping upon one barebacked; the axe still in her hand.
"I'm going after our horse killer," she declared after galloping near Eomer, eyes forward, her voice dark and determined. He was also preparing to jump upon another abandoned horse, hoping to regroup with more of his men.
He nodded before she quickly rode off; internally acknowledging that she saved his life back there, though he forewent any accolades.
She scanned the battlefield before her for the berserker, along the way releasing another of her blasting powder spheres onto the deck of an unsuspecting chariot. The axe she had found proved useful in loping the heads off of Orcs and horseless Variags as she rode through the skirmish.
Vezely spotted the chariot; its rider, who wore a mask of black iron, was continuing his trade of cutting down men and horses. He spotted her eyes upon him from a distance and turned his chariot her way. Taking a chance upon his approach, she leapt down from the back of her steed and threw her axe sideways from a lunging position, providing it a low enough trajectory to ascend upon the chariot itself; its turning blade swiftly finding the vehicle's wheel, and splicing spoke from tire. The cart instantly flipped to the side, causing the two horses to crash upon each other and for the rider to tumble to the ground outside the cart. She arose from her lunge, unsheathing her sword with a look of evil amusement on her face, for she gave him the same treatment as he obliged her earlier.
Now horseless, Vezely was quickly ascended upon by nearby Variags, necessitating a swift reversal of her prior intentions. She desired their quick deaths in order to return to the berserker, who had regained his composure and was walking towards her, with a bloody axe in one hand and another attached to his back. Removing his helmet revealed his true identity - Öldür - Vezely's second in command, the one who betrayed her, and aided in her imprisonment in Dol Guldur. He appeared older than she remembered, and the prolonged life gifted from Sauron provided a reddish caste to his eyes and paling of his skin, making him appear slightly inhuman. He began laughing maniacally as he came closer to her, easily dispatching a few Rohirrim who attempted to engage him along the way.
Her eyes were fixed on his while she slit the throat of a Variag, pushing the man's life drained body from her own in one swift motion. "As usual, letting others fight me in your stead," she remarked darkly in their common tongue, finding it odd to use after many months of speaking in Westron and Elvish.
Öldür knew she referred to when he had their army ascend upon her, bloodying her badly before taking her to Dol Guldur. "You would make challenge?" He asked amused, his lips curling up on one side.
"I would have your life," she replied, pointing the blood stained tip of her sword towards him.
"And not my army?" he queried, one eyebrow raised, he then spat in disdain, "You have turned from such desires, dressed in Elvish armor, fighting alongside your former enemies."
Vezely's eyes narrowed, "But I yet fight," she replied, not amused by his attempt to rile her; getting back to business she declared, "I make the challenge."
Nodding with feigned propriety, he added confidently, "Then let us truly honor the old ways." Right after discarding his bloody axe aside for the unused one on his back, he detached his outer shell of chest armor, letting it drop to the ground, for it was improper to wear protection in such a challenge.
Undeterred by what was possibly an attempt to gain advantage, she also detached her armor, removing her jacket along with it. "And in the end, you will be another mark upon my arm," she added with equally feigned respect.
He smirked before lunging at her, swinging his clean axe in close proximity, causing her to swoop backward, before retaliating with her sword. Another pass and sidestep, and Vez purposefully played with her sword work to slice his ear off.
Öldür touched the side of his head, finding blood dripping onto his hand. With a smirk across her face, Vez bowed her head slightly, "I would call us even, but we're not there yet," she remarked sarcastically, happy to return the favor he once bestowed upon her.
The offense, however, made him snap, for he suddenly felt toyed with, as he used to feel in her presence. He came at her with full force, his axe swinging madly. Vez deterred each swing with her sword, only to have one swift thrust cut through her blade's steel, severing through the script engraved on its midsection, and causing her and her blade's tip to fall on the ground below.
She quickly rolled to the side, missing Öldür's axe that barreled towards her, while pulling her sai from her boots just in time to catch his next attempt. Her blades were crossed over her chest, pushing against the strength of his axe now bearing down on her as she lay on the dead grasses below. His force took her by surprise, and as his blade drew closer her wrists began to ache from the bonds of captivity that once held her. The sharp edge slowly broke the skin below her collar bone. She felt the sting of cold metal sinking into her flesh and the release of warm, red liquid flow from her. So easily she could let his axe slip, she thought, ending her life right there. But a voice sung in her head, "Not your own," she heard Legolas tell her, "Not your own," it rung again. Focusing her strength allowed her to quickly push up her crossed blades, momentarily allowing a safe enough distance from his axe for her to kick him in his groin, providing a reprieve to slide from under him. She swiped her one sai to cut the back of his leg, sending him to the ground on his knees. Yet before she could finish him, another Variag interfered, releasing his axe towards her. She turned to deflect it, using the hilt of her sai and then retaliating by throwing one sai into the man's chest.
During this time, Öldür returned to his feet, now finding his opponent with one less weapon and presumably caught off-guard from his soldier's attack. Standing behind her, he swung his axe at her neck, but in one swift motion she ducked and plunged her short blade into his stomach, slicing it upward and out, instantly sending the man to his knees, as his hands clutched his abdomen in attempt to contain his inners from falling out. She walked around him confidently, knowing she just provided an incredibly painful and fatal blow. Sheathing her sai back into her boot's holder, she found her broken blade on the ground, taking it by the handle while silently reading the blood stained script still left on this end of its blade, "Fear defeat in life;" she smirked amused at her soon to be won victory.
His eyes wavered on hers while blood dripped from the corner of his mouth; he knew he was finished. She looked at him emotionless before using her broken blade to slice his throat, sending his body into a heap in front of her. And as the blood drained from his body, she spoke her final words to him, "Now we are even."
At this time, she realized a clouded mass of formless men and horses were ascending throughout the fields around her, attacking all those who stood against Rohan. She looked far afield and saw the ghosts taking down the remaining mûmakil and their forms filtering into the gates of Minas Tirith. She assumed her three companions had succeeded in bringing the armies Elrond spoke of.
She discarded her broken blade to the ground, and instead picked up Öldür's axe, finding it a prized trophy to her kill; a custom of Easterlings to take from their dead what suited them. Her own blood stained its tip while the rest stood perfectly clean, making her wonder why he chose this instrument over the other axe he had been using.
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, and after swiping two fingers on the clean edge she found them coated in a clear substance. She slowly brought her fingers to her nose, instantly recognizing the smell, though faint it was. "Poison," the word escaped her lips, stalling her breath momentarily before her eyes scanned the fields around her, for she was perfectly conscious of its implications.