I'm back! I'm sorry for being gone for so long, and I'm probably going to have to be gone for a little longer, but I finished that application and sent it! I'm not sure when I'll know, but I really want to get in! In other news, I've begun re-posting the first story, up to chapter seven. If you wanna check it out, I'm not stopping you. I'm burning the original story, though, so tell me quick if there's anything you want me to save for you.
The swift waters of the Anduin have seen much since their creation. As they hurried through Rohan, a man floated among them. Aragorn was unconscious, but lay spread-eagled on the water's surface as its current deposited him upon the shore. His head bumped over rocks, but he did not wake as the river swept past. Somehow, his sword rested in its sheath, but the knife that he had held was gone.
He lay on the shore, seeming dead, for a long while. He had an wound on his arm, and the fall had not done him any good. The river passed by, quite unconcerned.
The crunch of gravel reached Aragorn's ears, but he did not stir. Probably some orc, come to finish me off, he thought miserably. They'll have an easy time of it.
A snort came from right above his ear, and soft lips flapped at his hair and face. The horse above him pushed him onto his side with its nose, still snuffling at the man's hair. "Brego," Aragorn whispered. Somehow, the horse had followed him and found him at the bottom of the ravine. Brego whickered at him, kneeling in the gravel to allow Aragorn to get on.
That proved to be a slow process, as Aragorn discovered his various injuries from falling off a cliff into a river. Eventually, Brego stood with Aragorn draped over his back, and they began to climb back out of the ravine. They galloped across the plains of Rohan, heading for Helm's Deep. They passed the site of the battle, the dead bodies beginning to smell, but met nothing, living nor dead, for a long while.
As they crested a hill, Aragorn pulled Brego to a stop. A mass of orc foot-soldiers was spreading across the plain like ink over a sheet of cloth. The pounding of their feet echoed back to Aragorn, even through the wind, and a horn sounded high over the march. Horrified, he spurred Brego into a run, and rode on before the orcs could spot him.
Early the next morning, he arrived at Helm's Deep. "Well done, Brego my friend," he murmured to his horse. Brego whickered tiredly and trotted toward the fortress.
Inside the Hornburg, Legolas was furious. He wanted nothing more than to find Gimli and Arod, heave the dwarf on, and go looking for his friend -he refused to think 'friend's body'-, preferably stopping to throttle the king first. He paused in his pacing for a moment, then thought that he might change the order of his plan. He set off for the king's hall, knives twitching in their sheathes as he strode up several staircases.
He heard someone outside yell, "Open the gates!" It piqued his curiosity, but he ignored it and continued to climb. He thought he heard Gimli yelling something from the gates, but he ignored that too.
Once at the doors to the king's hall, Legolas paused. His father would not be happy with him murdering a fellow king, and nor would Aragorn. Legolas scowled and turned away from the doors, only to find himself face-to-face with a ghost.
Aragorn smiled at the elf, as if he had only hidden himself to annoy Legolas. The elf smiled back, rage and vindictive feelings toward the king disintegrating as he looked into his old friend's grey eyes.
"Le abdollen," he commented wryly. He looked at Aragorn's various injuries, wondering how many times the stupid, reckless man would survive stunts like that. "You look terrible."
Aragorn grinned as they clasped each other's shoulders in greeting. Legolas held out his hand. In it lay the Evenstar, pendant of Arwen. The man's face went slack as he lifted it from the elf's palm, gazing at its crystal and silver. Legolas smiled. He had kept it in an inner pocket since retrieving it from the orc, and now it was back in the hands of its rightful owner.
"Hannon le," Aragorn whispered, clutching the pendant in his bloody hand. Legolas nodded as, unseen by either of them, Éowyn watched them with despair written in her fair face.
In the king's hall, Théoden was speaking with his advisors. He looked up, though, as Aragorn pushed the doors wide. Legolas followed him, thinking affectionately that the he certainly knew how to make an entrance: Limping and bloody, his hair stringy around his exhausted face, Aragorn strode as well as he could up to the king.
"My lord, I was not killed by the fall, but we have more pressing matters to attend to," Aragorn said quickly, raising a hand to cut off Théoden before he spoke. "A great host of orcs is coming to Helm's Deep."
"A great host, you say?" Théoden asked after a moment. He stood and began to pace.
"All Isengard is emptied," Aragorn confirmed.
"How many?"
"Ten thousand strong, at least," Aragorn answered grimly.
Théoden turned, face ashen. "Ten thousand?"
"It is an army bred for a single purpose," Aragorn said. "To destroy the world of men." Théoden grimaced, trying to fathom this doom, but Aragorn spoke again. "They will be here by nightfall."
"Let them come!" Théoden spat. He strode from the hall, people parting before him. Legolas and Aragorn followed, joined by Gimli as they walked through the fortress. "I want every man and strong lad able to bear arms to be ready for battle by nightfall," Théoden said to a captain. He came upon the great doors, which were being fortified by soldiers, and passed through them. "We will cover the causeway and the gate from above," Théoden continued, pointing up to the higher fortress. "No army has ever breached the Deeping Wall or set foot inside the Hornburg!"
"These are no rabble of mindless orcs," Gimli said. He was standing back from the king, feet planted firmly on the ground as he held his axe before him. "These are fighting Uruk-hai. Their armour is thick, and their shields broad." Aragorn winced, recalling the time he had been pinned to a tree by one of those shields.
"I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf," Théoden snapped, "and I know how to defend my own keep." He strode angrily past Gimli, back into the fortress. Aragorn followed the king, placing a hand on Gimli's shoulder as he passed.
The king climbed a flight of stairs, coming out onto a pathway that circled the inner fortress. "They will break upon this fortress like water on rock," he said loudly, smiling confidently at the soldiers he passed. "Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn; we have seen it before. Crops can be resown, homes rebuilt! Within these walls, we will outlast them."
"They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops and villages," Aragorn said, lagging behind the king on pained legs. "They come to destroy its people, down to the last child!"
Théoden stopped, turning quickly on Aragorn with blazing eyes. "What would you have me do?" he growled, leaning into the other man's face. "Look at my men; Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, I would have them make such an end as to be worthy of remembrance."
Théoden walked away, but Aragorn called him back. "Send out riders, my lord. You must call for aid."
"And who will come?" Théoden hissed, returning to Aragorn. "Elves? Dwarves?" He jerked his chin in the direction of Legolas and Gimli. Gimli could not hear what was being said, but Legolas bristled with indignation. "We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead."
Gondor will answer," Aragorn said firmly.
"Gondor?" the king snarled. "Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us? Where was Gon-" Théoden broke off. He took a deep breath, then looked back into Aragorn's face. "No, my lord Aragorn," he whispered. "We are alone." He gave Aragorn a last scathing look, then strode away. "Get the women and children into the caves!" he called to one of his men.
"We need more time to lay provisions-," the man started.
"There is no time!" Théoden snapped. "War is upon us."
The man nodded and turned to another soldier, saying "Secure the gates."
War is upon us! That is bad. I'm afraid it'll be a little while before we hear from Tirnel again, but rest assured we will hear of her pretty soon, I guess. If that's what you really want. We don't have to; I can just...crop her out of the rest of the story...ha, I'd never do that. I'm evil. But really guys, I'm sorry for leaving. Don't forget to check out the reposted chapters, and pop out a few lines down below!