Chapter 18: 9,999
Tess' fingers brushed up and down the feathered end of the arrow in her hand. A full quiver was strapped to her back and the bow was hanging on her arm. Around her males filed up stairs and along the walls, positioning themselves so that they were ready for when the Uruk-hai arrived. The Elves that had arrived moments early were lining up along the Deeping Wall, their armor glinting in the torch light. Their numbers had improved considerately but they were still a small number compared to ten thousand.
"I thought you were going to get the best sword? Yet I see none around you," A voice asked, Tess looked up to Aragorn with a sheepish look.
"They are all proper swords, I'm not used to using such blades," She admitted as she replaced the arrow back into the quiver and stood to walk with the Ranger.
"I'll snatch an orc blade if they reach us,"
"If?"
"Well there's no need to go condemning ourselves to bad luck now is there?" The two continued in silence down the Deeping Wall until Tess took her place beside Gimli, Legolas stood on his other side with his bow pulled close to his chest. The four companions nodded to each other but didn't say a word, Aragorn moved along to speak to Haldir. Silently more Elves filed along the wall until it was completely full with three rows; the remainder of the Elven troops stood on the ground behind and below the wall, bows at the ready for Aragorn's signal. Tess put down her bow for a moment to braid her hair back out of her face, the long rope of hair falling to her waist when she had finished tying up the end. A sudden breeze rushed past and she felt a chill run up her spine as she looked out to the opening in the valley. Thousands of torches were lit as the Uruk-hai grew ever closer, their footsteps becoming louder and louder every minute. Their grunts and growls were still indistinct and faint, but Tess knew she would soon once again hear their raspy speech.
"Ugh, you could have picked a better spot," Gimli complained, breaking the intense quiet. A smile grew slightly on Tess' face as she looked down at the Dwarf, his head only reaching the top of the wall. She herself was short and the wall was in line with her shoulders, but she could see and that was enough. Aragorn's quiet footsteps grew louder as he came to stand behind Gimli, observing the enemy as it grew closer.
"Well, lad, whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night," Gimli said resting his hands on his axe. A large crack of thunder echoed off the stone cliff sides and bounced back to make the noise even louder, the lightening flash and illuminating the parts of the enemy that were unlit before for a brief moment.
"Your friends are with you, Aragorn," Legolas stated, not taking his eyes away from where he was staring.
"Let's hope they last the night," Tess glared down at the negative Dwarf, but kept her mouth shut. Aragorn rested his hands on Tess and Legolas' shoulders for a moment, before walking back to presume his position. Another rumble of thunder and lightning made Tess look up briefly, blinking startled when a drop of water dripped onto her forehead.
'This is going to be a long night…' She thought as the down pour started, the rain quickly soaking through her tunic and chain mail. The rain did not stop diffuse the torches as they grew closer, the marching getting louder and louder. The grunts of the Uruk-hai could clearly be heard as Aragorn yelled out commands in Elvish. One particular Uruk stood on a large boulder above the rest, his head helmetless unlike the other breasts. It wailed out what seemed to be an order and the rows of Uruks stopped a hundred odd meters away from the wall. For a long moment the Uruks stayed put and Gimli especially hated not being able to see now as he jumped, trying to see over the wall.
"What's happening out there!"
"Shall I describe it to you?" Legolas asked with a smile, before he looked down to the Dwarf.
"Or would you like me to find you a box?" Gimli laughed and Tess chuckled, despite the serious moment. The Uruk on the rock roared out again and the others started to beat their spears against the ground, their hands against their armor. The sound grew until it blocked out any other, the rock beneath their feet trembling with the vibrations.
They were chanting, all of them now and their sounds carried across the whole valley, into every crack and hole, teasing and taunting. The twang of an arrow sounded out and suddenly the Uruks went still as, Aragorn yelling out something else in Elvish. In the perfectly straight line one Uruk fell flat on its face and Tess smiled.
She was dripping wet, her heart was pounding and she was cold, so it was only natural for her to scream out at the top of her lungs.
"Ha ha! Good shot!" A few more seconds of silence followed before the creatures started roaring and howling again, this time it was angry though. As one the Uruks surged forward towards the wall
"Ooh, now you've done it! Gone and made 'em angry!" Gimli muttered to her, Tess looked down at him with a weak grin.
"On the bright side, there's only nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine now," She murmured back as she pulled an arrow from her quiver and loaded it into her bow as the Elves around her did. Aragorn screamed from somewhere down the line and everyone let loose their arrows. The first line that was advancing fell and Gimli impatiently asked if they'd hit anything. Neither Legolas nor Tess paid attention to him as they loaded up their bows again, firing at their own will now.
"Send them to me! Come on!" Gimli was getting frustrated now; not having any part in the action yet was taking its toll on him. Tess cringed when three of the Elves next to her and behind her fell with cries after being hit with crossbows. Aragorn yelled something in Elvish and Tess looked over to see ladders being hoisted up towards the walls.
"Good!" Tess rolled her eyes at Gimli before shooting at the Uruks trying to raise a ladder in front of her, the ladder falling back onto those behind it.
"Swords! Swords!" Aragorn ordered and the Elves unsheathed long Elven blades off their backs. Tess lowered her bow, an arrow notched ready in it and waited for an orc to rise up with the ladder. But what perched on the end of the ladders were not mere Orcs, nor were they the six foot tall Uruk-hai. No, these monsters were taller, stronger and had hell-of-a-lot bigger weapons. As one jumped onto the wall Gimli swung his axe and cut through its legs, quickly decapitating its head, the only thing that had armor on its whole body.
"What the hell is that!"
"A Berserker Uruk," Legolas shouted to answer Tess' question. The woman looked at the creatures as they jumped off the ladders and cringed. These Berserkers were much taller than any of the Elves, standing at what she guessed was over seven feet tall. Desperately she grasped the handle of a fallen sword, only to find the blade was taller than her.
"Well shit," She swore as she picked up her bow again, using the wood to swing at an Uruk that had jumped over the wall. The side of its helmet dented in slightly and the Uruk fell, Tess wasted no time in swiping its blade and finishing it off. She dropped her bow as she tried to get her footing and it snapped under the foot on an oncoming Uruk. Two blocks and a stab later it was dropping dead. She could hear Legolas and Gimli's banter as she dodged and counter attacked, feeling relieved at the sound of their voices.
"Nineteen!"
"Twenty-two!" Tess called out, placing her hand in their game.
"I'll not lose to you either!" Gimli bellowed out standing up on the wall between two ladders, and cutting down any Uruks that tried to climb onto the wall.
/\\
The woman and children tried to stay as quite as possible, no one could find words to say anymore. The little girl that had curled up to Naomi's side was back with her mother now, although Freda still curled up on her lap. They had heard the orcs arrive, the caves echoed their foots steps and their chants were so loud that the sound had found ways to reach them. Then the battle had started and all sounds were mixed together in a loud constant thunder. Then all at once people were crying, as the cave shook and a loud booming sounded, Naomi's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about the familiar sound.
'Almost like a…bomb,' She choked on air as she realized what had happened, but did not dare speak aloud her suspicion.
'They've broken through the wall!'
/\\
A groan escaped her lips as she tried to open her eyes.
Tess head thumped and her ears rang, the metallic taste of blood stained throughout her mouth. The sounds of battle still raged around her and for a moment she was confused as to what had happened. She could only peel one eye open, and found that she was staring at the sky. Slowly she raised a hand to her right eye and found that the reason she couldn't open it was because blood had oozed down over it, it took a few wipes but she managed to wipe enough off for her to see. Her hand trailed a little higher and she found the source of the blood, a cut on her right temple that stung painfully when she brushed over it.
"Tess? Are you alright?" Two faces with blue eyes asked as they bent over her.
"Legolas? I never knew you had a twin," She said as she tried to focus her vision, Legolas frowned concerned before helping her to her feet. She wobbled for a second then shook her head slightly and blinked.
"Oh…no, there's just you," She said pushing the Elf out of the way of a swinging blade. The Uruk missed and together they finished it off.
"Where is-AH!," Tess had turned to look for Aragorn and Gimli and almost walked off the edge of the wall, only catching herself at the last minute.
"What the…?" Everything rushed back and she remembered how the wall had blown up in that particular area. She swore softly as she picked up a new Uruk blade and followed Legolas as he shot arrows to clear the stair way.
"There they are!" Legolas pointed down to the ground where Aragorn was fighting and Gimli was floundering in the dirty water. Tess watched in awe as Legolas picked up a shield and slid it along the ground, before using it to slip down over the stairs, firing arrows as he went. As he reached the bottom steps he let the shield slip out from under his feet and the thing flew into the chest of an Uruk. The Elf then stabbed one through the face with his arrow before loading and firing again.
"Show off!" She yelled as she turned to face another Uruk. Mindlessly she face off the enemies on the remaining wall, slicing through at the weak points of their armor and then moving on to the next beast, all the while keeping track of how many she had killed. The loud voice of Gamling echoed across to them, telling Aragorn to get everyone to fall back to the keep. With a grunt Tess turned to retreat, but a Berserker cut off all her exists. She looked over her shoulder but only saw the gap created between walls and growled.
"I don't need this!" She cried between gritted teeth as she tightened her grip on her sword. The Berserker swung its hulking sword and Tess danced back, perilously close to the edge now. The Berserker raised its blade up to swing down and Tess pulled a Gimli, diving through its legs and skidding to the other side. She scrambled to her feet but wasn't quite quick enough and the Berserker grabbed onto her braid, yanking it painfully back. A little cry left her lips and without thinking she pulled a dagger from her belt, slicing through the braid and rolling just as the beasts blade curved down. With a yelp she rolled right off the edge of the wall and painfully landed on the stairs a few seconds later. Her head suddenly felt lighter and her brown hair flared out around her face, the longest strands reaching her chin.
"HALDIR!" Aragorn called as he ran up the stairs, straight past Tess who was still getting to her feet.
"Aragorn!" The Ranger disappeared, but a few seconds later reappeared on the end of a ladder. With a cry he leapt off and crashed into the crowd of Uruks that were swarming through. Tess snatched up a blade and ran for him, hauling him to his feet and pulling him up the stairs.
"Move faster move faster move faster move FASTER!" She chanted, all but dragging the dazed man behind her as the Uruks chased after. They made it up to the top and a stone door was shut behind them.
"You idiot! You could have died!" Tess berated as she caught her breath, raking a hand through her newly short hair and trying to get it out of the cut on her temple. Aragorn gave her a confused look and went to ask about her short hair, but she just waved it off and ran after a yelling Gimli, whom was being dragged by Legolas into the keep.
"It was either my head or my hair!" She told him as he followed close behind. Once inside the Hornburg they split up, Tess and Legolas running to the wall above the causeway whilst Gimli and Aragorn ran to the gate.
"Legolas! More ladders!" Tess cried as they reached the top, two large ladders already on the wall with another on its way up. The woman paled when she realized that this was where all the young boys would be, and left Legolas to deal with the ladder. Uruks fell left and right as she swung, trying to help the small boys that swung wildly and missed often.
"Watch out!" One boy looked up and Tess yelled, running forward and yanking him out of the way as and Uruk swung down. The blade went wide and Tess stabbed through it in an instant.
"Get out of here now! Tell anyone you see to go with you!" She commanded, pushing him back and away from where the Uruks were climbing over. The clink of another ladder landing on the wall was quickly followed by Gamling's voice, ordering everyone to fall back. Aragorn ran past her, yelling for everyone to get inside, with Legolas and Gimli tailing him. Just as Tess was going to follow a cry met her ears and she saw a familiar face. Leaning on one leg, a look of pain on his face was the boy that had arrived with Naomi in Edoras.
"Éothain! Get out of there!" But the boy was trapped, two Uruk-hai on either side of him and closing in fast. Tess darted forward, stabbing through the first but not bothering the pull at her sword and instead pulled Éothain down out of the way of the second Uruk. She wasn't quite fast enough and the blade smashed against her left bicep. A few tears leaked from her eyes as she heaved Éothain onto her back with one arm and ran for the doors to the Keep. She and Éothain slipped inside just as the men closed the doors, barring them and then looking for things to help brace the wood with. With a cry Tess moved out of the way, and then collapsed to her knees. Her head was throbbing again and her left arm burned when she moved it.
"Éothain, are you alright?" The pale boy nodded his head and using her good arm Tess ruffled his hair.
"Go find the others, get to safety okay?" With no argument the blonde boy was limping away in the direction of the caves. A crash startled Tess and she looked up to see Legolas dragging a table to the doors. With a grunt she pushed herself to her feet and walked over to where Aragorn stood talking to a dismayed Théoden.
"Send word for the women and children to make for the mountain pass, and barricade the entrance!" Aragorn cried, all but shoving Gamling in the direction of the caves.
"So much death…what can Men do against such reckless hate?" The King's voice was monotone, a great sadness in his eyes as he spoke. Another pound against the door made Tess jumped and she looked over to see the door starting to splinter.
"Ride out with me," both the King and Tess looked the Aragorn as he whispered this.
"Ride out and meet them!"
"For death and glory?"
"For Rohan, for your people,"
"The sun is rising," Gimli stated, looking to a small window that was quickly becoming more illuminated. Aragorn seemed to draw strength from it and Théoden in turn gained strength from Aragorn.
"Yes…yes! The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the Deep, one last time!"
Gimli approved and quickly disappeared through a small door and up some stairs.
"Let this be the hour when we draw swords together," They wasted no time, all running to reach the stables and their saddled mounts. Tess almost passed out with the effort of getting onto Hasufel's back, but didn't due to a hand on her back to steady her.
"Naomi!" The blonde woman smiled brightly, her quiver on her back and her bow in her hand.
"You didn't think you were going to ride out into the dawn without me did you!" She laughed, mounting up behind her. Tess turned and sheepishly grinned at her.
"You're gonna hate me but can I-," Her answer was one of Naomi's swords thrust into her hand and she laughed at Naomi's glare.
"Get your own soon!" Tess nudged Hasufel forwards and together they followed the group at the rear.
"Fell deeds, awake,"
"Nice haircut by the way,"
"Now for wrath now for ruin and a red dawn!" Théoden cried. At the same time the Uruks broke through the door, a loud horn echoed throughout Helm's Deep.
"Forth Eorlingas!" With a great cry all those on horses surged forwards, with Théoden leading the pack. Naomi and Tess gave cries of their own and Hasufel instinctively sped up to get into the action. The two women acted in unison, with Naomi shooting those that Tess couldn't get to and Tess stabbing at those that got too close. They rode through the whole Keep, then through the Hornburg before at last they rode down the causeway.
Tess drew Naomi's sword back and almost cried when she looked up to see Gandalf, behind him Éomer and his riders.
"Always has to make a dramatic entrance doesn't he?" Naomi choked out as she let loose another arrow. The Riders and Gandalf surged down valley side, and just as they reached the bottom the sun peaked over the valley tops, blinding the Uruks and making them pull up their spears. Tess and Naomi each gave another battle cry and resumed their fighting, creating a circle of space around them as they successfully took out enemy after enemy. Finally the numbers started to dwindle, with the remaining Uruks running from the fight.
"Victory! We have victory!" Théoden cheered triumphantly. Tess caught Gandalf's smile and nudged Naomi, the two of them gleefully smiling back at him. Quickly Hasufel rode forward and from nearly the back of the group they watched the Uruks disappear into the forest.
"Hang on a minute! When did-?" Naomi looked to Tess for an answer but she just shrugged. The last few ran into the cover and the trees started swaying violently. Piercing howls and screams emitted from the mass of green, before everything went still again.
"Note; stay away from trees,"
"Eorlingas! WE HAVE VICTORY!" Théoden's proud shouts started a chain reaction and soon everybody was cheering as loud as they could. The horses turned and they all turned to head back to the Deeping Wall. Tess rolled her eyes when she felt Naomi turn around to look for her friends, or more particularly her Elf.
"Chill, you'll see him soon enough!" Tess mumbled, rolling her eyes again when Naomi whined. Handing Naomi her sword back and the reins Tess dismounted and sighed.
"Oi, where are you going?" Naomi asked, stopping Hasufel for a moment as she watched her friend grumpily walk for the direction of the gap in the wall.
"To find my hair!" She called over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner, it was Naomi's turn to roll her eyes and she laughed as she urged Hasufel on up the cause way. She looked constantly for her Elf, and was misguided several times by other Elves with blonde hair.
"Leeeeegolas!" She tried calling again, and turned to be greeted with the sight of Éowyn delightedly hugging Aragorn.
'Well that's two alive…now where's Gimli and Legolas?' Worry started to pit in her stomach as she called out for the third time.
/\\
Tess had found her braid, still braided in fact, where it had been left.
"My poor hair," She mumbled miserably as she walked back down the stairs, Gimli and Legolas' banter reaching her ears.
"He was twitching cos he's got ma axe embedded in his nervous system!"
"It still counts!"
"No it does not! Your final count was forty-two and mine was forty-three! I win!"
"Fifty-seven," Tess muttered loudly as she past them, barely paying any attention as she instead mourned the loss of her hair.
"Oh and Legolas?" The Elf snapped out of his stupor and paid attention as Tess turned to him.
"Naomi's looking for you," His eyes lit up and he all but bounded over to her.
"Where is she?" Tess motioned for him to follow and led him up to the bustling Hornburg, where a distressed Naomi was talking to Aragorn and Éowyn at the top of the stairs. Tess whistled loudly and watched as Naomi spotted Legolas. She froze for a second before tears sprang to her eyes and she ran for him, Legolas meeting her halfway and spinning her in the air.
"F-For a moment there I thought you'd disappeared," Naomi admitted as he kissed her hands, and all of her ten fingers.
"Never my a'maelamin…my beloved," Naomi sucked in a breath as he lowered his head, and just as her lips were about to touch his, a cough broke them apart.
"So then it's decided that the woman won this round?" Gimli asked, pushing Naomi back a little to see the Elf's face.
"Because I-," Aragorn grasped the Dwarf's shoulder and pulled him out of the way.
"I think that-," Naomi started, only to be cut off by Tess.
"Oh for the love of god! Just kiss him already you twat!" Tess bellowed and Naomi obliged tilting her head up towards Legolas. Finally their lips met and Naomi smiled, a few tears dropping down her cheeks as Legolas held her waist gently and pulled her closer.
"It's about bloody time," Tess muttered under her breathe.
"We meet again," She turned slightly at the sound of the deep voice to see Éomer walk up next to her, his helmet tucked under his arm and a smile on his face as he looked to Legolas and Naomi.
"Under better circumstances this time though," Tess pointed out smiling. Éomer nodded and Tess' braid caught his eye, her short hair as well. Just as he opened his mouth to speak Tess shushed him.
"Just don't ever ask a Berserker to cut your hair," The rider's eyes widened slightly but he said nothing, instead the two started to wander around and observe the people that were preparing to leave. Éomer commented, answered questions and pointed people in the correct directions several times while Tess just remained silent and fiddled with her new short hair, the wispy ends tickling her chin as they caught the small breeze.
"Ah! There you are!" Both of them turned at the familiar voice and Tess spotted Gandalf atop Shadowfax walking towards them.
"Gandalf? Where are you going?" Tess raised an eyebrow, looking behind him to see several other people on horses as well.
"We are going to Isengard," The wizard stated as a stable hand brought forth Hasufel and another horse that she assumed was for Éomer.
"Isengard? You mean the place where that other evil, nasty, wizard-guy lives?"
"Well unless Saruman has moved, that is where we are headed," Gandalf replied with a trace of humor in his eyes. With a roll of her eyes she looked at who else would be going and felt her stomach roll when she realized everyone was already mounted on their horses. Legolas and Gimli sat on Arod with Naomi behind them on Brego with Aragorn and Théoden and Gamling waited patiently behind them. Quickly she turned to the stable hand but the boy was already gone, leaving Tess to try and get into the saddle on her own. Hasufel may have been one of the smallest horses in Éomer's Éored, but he was still a warhorse and to reach the saddle Tess had to jump. Naomi had clenched her mouth together to keep herself from laughing as she watched Tess debate how to get into the saddle without breaking something, a snort escaping her mouth when Hasufel impatiently stamped his foot down.
"Don't get huffy with me," Tess muttered as she pulled him to a nearby crate, something she could use as a step up. When she did finally pull herself up laughter broke out and she sighed in dismay when she noticed she was sitting in the saddle the wrong way.
"Oh shut up Naomi! Not everyone is tall and has had riding lessons!" Tess pouted as her nose started to tingle.
"Just cos I-I-I-!" A sneeze erupted from her chest and she tightened her legs to keep herself in the saddle, accidentally kicking Hasufel's flanks and making him trot forward. The group laughed louder and Tess hid her face in her hands.
"This is going to be a lo-ong trip,"
Author's Babble: Tadaaaaa, two movies down, one movie to go!
Waaaaaa, I'm so proud of myself.
Anyways, you guys know the deal, reviews make me smile and I thank you all who have followed me so far!
Lots of love to you all
AxM