Elwing had felt fear before, or so she thought. When the Deepening wall had blown apart by some foul magic of their foes and she'd lost sight of both Aragorn and Asterin, she now knew true fear.
Fighting fiercely her sword hardly more than an extension of her arm as she slaughtered any Uruk who was unfortunate enough to cross her path. She lept down from the wall just behind the break and swept her blade up reliving an orc of its head, "Estel!" She swung her sword in a great arc her blade shining brightly as it bit through charcoal flesh and bone, "Asterin!"
She turned, blocking a blow from behind aimed at the back of her neck calling out for her friend, and brother.
"Elwing, over here!" Quickly she slashed her blade across an orc's neck and raced back shouting, "defend the wall stay your ground." The dust made her cough as it cleared just enough to see two figures on the ground in front of her one kneeling beside the other. And as the dust settled fully her heart stopped for a moment, because lying motionless on the ground was Aragorn.
Elwing raced over dropping to her knees beside her friend who stood now facing the break in the wall shock written across her features. Reaching behind her Elwing unstrapped her quiver handing it to her and saying, "cover me I'm going to get him out of here."
Asterin cast away her empty quiver strapping on the nearly full one and fingered the white fletching, "a astin Mellon," as you wish my friend. With a scrape of wood against leather, she drew forth the Imladris shaft setting it to her bowstring. Drawing back, she stepped forward out of the cloud of stone dust and released the shaft into the charging Uruk-hai. Sweeping her arm back she slid across the wet earth she pulled out another arrow sending it flying and ducking under a dark blade. Her sword wined as she pulled it from its sheath slashing downward into an Uruk's chest felling it with a single stroke. Sheathing her blade, she drew back four arrows her bowstring straining against the force with which she anchored her string.
With a loud thwack, the shafts flew through the air each slamming into the Uruk-hai as she lurched to the side narrowly avoiding an iron bolt before whirling around and shooting an arrow between the eyes of the offending orc. As the Uruk-hai charged forward she drew her sword in one hand and her gleaming knife in the other and charged in scything down two of the Uruks with a single slash.
Reversing her grip on her sword she swung up cleaving an Uruk from navel to neck with a single swipe and thrusting her knife through an orc's neck. Sliding across the muddy ground, she freed her blades and swung them, toppling two orcs to the ground without their heads. Behind her, she could vaguely hear Elwing shouting orders to the elves on the wall all the while she carved a bloody swath through the Uruk-hai.
She sent her knife straight into an orc's eye her sword dripping in onyx blood as she stabbed it through a Uruks chain mail into its chest. She was about to free her blades when pain flared in her leg, cold and sharp.
Glancing down, she saw the dark iron blade protruding from her thigh. Gritting her teeth, she sliced downward relieving the Uruk of its head whilst sheathing her knife with the other. Grabbing the blade by the handle she quickly tugged it free and tossed it to the side the pain almost making her topple over but she straightened and slashed a powerful double-handed blow that sliced down two of the Uruk-hai. She looked quickly around; she was surrounded. Spinning tightly her sword outheld to cleave a circle of space between her and the Uruks.
Suddenly she heard a loud shout, "ali-kenee," a smile spread instantly across her face as arrows flew and she let out a loud clear laugh.
"Aleear," she fought now with renewed strength and ferocity because now beside her charged Aragorn sword swinging. A pure white flame upon his brow as he plunged back into the fray with the strength of a true king of men.
Elwing's anger only grew when the King of Rohan for a retreat. Thanks to Aragorn's charge alongside her people, and a surprise attack from Legolas, who'd come hurtling down a set of stairs on the shield of a fallen Uruk, loosing arrows, before kicking the shield through the chest of an orc at the bottom, they'd reclaimed the gap in the wall and were holding the enemy hordes at bay.
"Fall back to the keep, fall back! Aragorn get your men out of there!"
Her mithril sword flashed as the Uruks around her were cut down by her shimmering blade. As they fell back to the inner keep wall, she fought any orc that stood in her way, Asterin fought at her side her silver-white knives flashing as she shoved both blades through two orcs heads. Wrenching the blades free, she kicked out sending an Uruk flying off the wall with a roar of anger.
Several orcs broke past the men running for the caves only to be cut down by green feathered shafts. The orcs smashed through the gates black bolts flying through the hole, breaking armor and skin as the king and his men fought against the Uruk-hai."How long do you need," Aragorn shouted glancing at the doorway to his left when the King stumbled back thrusting a spear shaft back at the Uruk-hai.
"As long as you can give me!"
He nodded, dashing off into the side door sprinting through the short hallway Gimli and Elwing barely behind him.
Easily surpassing him, Elwing threw open the door racing along the narrow ledge before leaping across the gap and cutting a bloody crevice into the Uruk-hai.
The two halted on the ledge as Aragorn peered around the corner at Elwing whose sword was nothing more than a flashing blur of silver. "Come on, we can take them." Aragorn looked down at Gimli who eagerly gripped his double-bladed ax almost bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"It's a long way," he said slowly and Gimli glanced around the corner seeing Elwing bring her sword down on a Uruks head. "Toss me." A confused look graced Aragorn's face as Gimli continued, "I cannot jump the distance you'll have to toss me." Slowly Aragorn grasped the hood of his friend's cloak only to have Gimli jump back and nervously say, "don't tell the elf."
Aragorn only smiled down at his friend, "not a word," and with a grunt, he threw Gimli off the ledge and onto the bridge. The dwarf hit the Uruks with the force of a three-foot-tall steel ball, his ax flashing in the moonlight alongside Elwing's sword slashing and twirling. Then with a shout of, "Elendil, Elendil," and he lept from over the gap onto the bridge into the fighting sword swinging.
Asterin raced up the stairs, every step causing a burning pain to lance through her leg and she ignored it. Snatching up two coils of thick rope she slung them over her shoulder alongside her bow and a now full quiver. She knew that the King would never wait for her fellow warriors on the bridge, so she ran for the wall top hoping she wasn't too late. Emerging onto the rampart sword in hand to see the three fighters, wreaking havoc on the Uruk-hai below, their skill unmatched by any they faced. Orcs roared with fury as they were cut down by sword and ax-blade alike, while behind them the men of Rohan raised thick bars of wood barricading the gate.
Not far from her Legolas launched an arrow straight down splintering the chain and sending one of the siege ladders down into the ranks of Uruk-hai. She shouted out, "Legolas," throwing the rope she sheathed her sword, uncoiling the rope still in her hand. "Elwing, Estel, Gimli," the two ropes thudded down onto the bridge and Elwing whirled, her cloak swirling around her as she sheathed her sword, snatching one the ropes.
Asterin hauled her friend up her leg shaking ever so slightly, sweat beading her brow as Elwing climbed onto the walkway with a glance her way. Hazel eyes met gray as they drew their weapons, one set a shaft to the string of her bow, the other raising her glittering blade. Then with two fierce battle cries, they charged forward into the fray. Mithril flashed and arrows flew as they fought side by side cloaks billowing around them. Elwing's armor gleaming in the dim light her sword barely more than a shining blur of silver, a bright glow in the darkness.
Asterin sent an arrow flying through an Uruk's face whirling to nock another shaft and firing past Elwing's ear and into an orc's neck. Elwing spun her blade sinking deep into the Uruk in front of her, Asterin loosed her shaft shattering a link of the chain before pressing her shoulder to the siege ladder and pushing against the cold slick metal. Sending it toppling into the enemy below she rolled to the side under a dark blade drawing her gleaming knife. An Uruk-hai grabbed her bow so she pulled back slamming the bow into the orc's face before slashing her knife down its neck.
Wrenching her bow free, she sheathed her knife drawing back an arrow and sending it flying at another siege ladder. Black blood streamed down her blade as she fought slashing and stabbing Uruks fell all around her while she spun taking off an orc's legs and head with two quick slashes. Her cloak swirling around her she kicked an Uruk straight off the wall before sinking her blade into an Uruk's face with a battle cry, "for Imladris."
Elwing parried aside a sword as an arrow flew past her landing with a thunk in an Uruk's head. "Hannon le," she lept into the air spinning in a deadly circle, four Uruks toppled to the stones headless. "Thank you," as she landed Asterin nodded in acknowledgment while Elwing buried her sword into another orc. Then something cold and hard smashed across the back of her legs bringing her to her knees and she nearly lost her grip on her sword. Struggling to rise to her feet expecting at any moment for a fatal blow to fall, she heard the whistle of a blade coming down towards her.
Then a great bow sang and a blue fletched shaft sprouted from the head of the Uruk, while all around her orcs lay dead the night blue fletching hardly visible in the dark. She was vaguely aware of the figure fighting furiously at her back while black blood streamed down the ramparts. She rose back-to-back with the figure who tutted annoyed, "not watching your back, who are you Elladan?"
Elwing smiled as Asterin's silver knives flashed tasting onyx blood and the pair laughed as they lept back, blades flashing, into the dance of battle and death. The battle raged on and the pair of friends fought alongside the three hunters at one point in an ever-rotating circle of flashing blades and flying arrows. Bodies leaking black blood piled up in the group's wake, blue and green shaft standing out against the Uruks black armor.
A thunderous crack of wood echoed throughout the valley and the panicked shouts of men rose to greet Elwing's ears. The group raced for the gates slaughtering every Uruk that crossed their path and grinding to a halt in front of the doors to the innermost keep. "Get inside," Aragorn shouted slashing his sword across an orc's neck. Elwing fought at his side ordering her people back to the keep while her glimmering sword parried and stabbed, to the keep!"
Men and elves alike streamed into the keep as Legolas and Asterin bent their bows, two Galadrim strings sang as Elwing, Aragorn, and Gimli cut down any orcs that passed the flying hail of shafts. So, the five warriors held the line while the united forces of Rohan and elves retreated.
"It is over," the king said resignedly his eyes on the barricaded door before him. Asterin fumed silently while she and Legolas quickly clear one of the tables slamming it against the door. "You said that this fortress would never fall while your men defend it, they still defend it, they have died defending it," Aragorn shouted bracing the gate alongside the men of Rohan. Elwing's anger burned in her gray eyes the once pleasant shade darkening like clouds. My friends of a thousand years lie dead beside your men because we came to your aid, I do not wish for their deaths to be in vain for your lost hope Théoden."
Turning to face the king's lieutenant she demanded, "is there any way for those in the caves to escape?" The man stumbled back from Elwing quickly saying, "there is a passage that leads further into the mountains, but they won't get far the Uruk-hai are too many." Elwing snapped out orders to the men, completely ignoring the king of Rohan, "you three go, tell the women and children to make for the mountain pass and barricade the entrance."
"Wait," Asterin stepped forward her hazel eyes cold and hard, "someone should go with them, someone who can fight and lead them from the mountains to safety." She placed her hand over the hilt of her sword, "if everything else fails a warrior should be with the people of Rohan."
Instantly every eye was on the elleth as she said, "I will go with them to lead them to safety."
Thump! The Uruk-hai had arrived. Elwing raced over to the door bracing her shoulder against the wood, "the women of Rohan can defend themselves." Asterin glanced back at the passage into the mountain switching to her native tongue arguing back, "even against the Uruk-hai. Elwing there are those who have not yet seen three winters in those caves, I will not let them stand near to defenseless against the evil of Saruman."
The doors shook and Elwing nodded ever so slightly. "Kill some Uruks for me Mellon." With that Asterin raced off for the door snatching a sheathed sword from the floor and disappearing into the mountain.