Battles! Excitement! Exhaustion! - which is what I have...zzz...
"Seventeen!" Gimli stood atop the Deeping Wall, axe throwing orcs back into their fellows as he counted aloud. "Eighteen! Nineteen! Twenty!" He continued his assault on the orcs scaling the ladders as Aragorn turned his attention to the causeway.
A phalanx of orcs were advancing along it, their shields acting like a shell as they huddled together. Missiles launched from the fortress bounced harmlessly away, leaving the sides of the phalanx unprotected. "Causeway!' Aragorn yelled to the elves, and they turned their fire. The orcs on the sides fell as they were hit, but the dwindling phalanx continued.
Up in the fortress, Théoden chuckled grimly. "Is this it? Is this all you can conjure, Saruman?" Unbeknownst to him, orcs were crowding around the wall's culvert, hauling Saruman's spiked spheres containing the fire-sand into the pipe. Several of the spheres had already been placed as an orc ran towards the wall, carrying a strangely white torch.
Aragorn caught a glimpse of this as he fought, shoving his dying opponent aside to watch the lone torch-bearer. Unease pierced his adrenaline, and he yelled to Legolas. "Bring him down, Legolas!" The elf loaded his bow and shot. The arrow struck the orc's shoulder, but it ignored the injury. "Kill him! Kill him!" Aragorn yelled, but Legolas was unable to: The orc threw itself forward into the culvert, still bearing its torch.
A sound like that of thunder shook the stones of the wall, then threw them into the sky as a child does to flower petals. Smoke billowed from where the wall had stood, a gaping crater where the Hornburg's greatest defense had been.
The battlefield fell silent for a few moments, as all realized what had happened. Aragorn blinked dazedly, having been thrown from the wall. Legolas wiped blood off his face before becoming aware that it was not his. Gimli groaned and sat up. Théoden, slack jawed and horrified, looked at the remains of his people's safety.
Already the orcs were taking advantage of this destruction, and were charging up the newly widened culvert. On the causeway, a battering ram was being brought up, knocking orcs off if they were in the way. Théoden turned on the spot, helpless and still in shock. He came to his senses and yelled "Brace the gate!"
Down below, soldiers threw themselves against the gate, holding it shut as on the other side, the metal-and-wood battering ram slammed into the gate.
Soldiers above opened doors in the top of the fortress, raining spears and stones upon the orcs. "Hold them! Stand firm!" Théoden yelled.
Behind the remains of the wall, Aragorn was still trying to make sense of the sudden disappearance of the wall. He did not see the orcs approaching him, but Gimli did. "Aragorn!" The dwarf leapt down from the fragment of wall that still stood, right into the oncoming orcs. They caved under the armour-clad dwarf, but quickly regained stance as Gimli landed in the water.
"Gimli!" Aragorn yelled, standing and struggling towards the dwarf, but instead threw himself aside. The second group of elves that had been positioned behind the wall had their bows drawn, and quickly took out the offensive orcs that were advancing on Aragorn and Gimli. "Charge!" Aragorn yelled, signalling with his sword. The elves drew their own swords and ran forth.
On top of the wall, Legolas threw a shield down the stairs, leaping onto it and riding it. He shot two orcs, then kicked the shield into the throat of a third. At the bottom, he stabbed an orc with an arrow before using the arrow to shoot.
Gimli surfaced with a spluttering yell, and Aragorn hauled him upright as they fought to return behind their lines.
There we go. Nice long chapter, complete with explosion and shield-surfing. Review please, I'm dying of tired.