Guest: The site's been being weird for the last several days when it comes to new posts, really don't understand it myself.
Fangorn Forest
Night
"The Ents cannot hold back this storm. We must weather such things as we have always done," Treebeard told the disbelieving Amy, Merry and Pippin.
"How can that be your decision?!" Merry snapped angrily.
"This is not our war," Treebeard told him firmly.
"But you're part of this world! Aren't you?" Merry demanded to the Ents, who looked around uncertainly.
"You might not think it's none of your business, but people like Saruman won't care. He wants to see death and destruction all across the lands," Amy pleaded, remembering the Daleks. "Act now, before it's too late to do anything."
"You must help. Please. You must do something," Merry added.
"The two of you are brave, Master Merry, Lady Amy, but your part in this tale is over," Treebeard told them.
"Cowards! The lot of you!" Amy snapped angrily but was ignored as the Ents walked away from them.
Later, the three of them were getting ready to depart, still angry when Pippin spoke up.
"Maybe Treebeard's right. We don't belong here. This world is too big for us," Pippin said as he walked over to Merry. "What can we do in the end? We've got the Shire. Maybe we should go home. You can come with us Amy."
"Thank you Pippin, but if Saruman and Sauron are like the Daleks, they won't stop until everyone who opposes them is wiped out," Amy said with a heavy sigh.
"Amy's right. The fires of Isengard will spread...and the woods of Tuckborough and Buckland will burn. And... And all that was once green and good in this world will be gone. There won't be a Shire, Pippin," Merry said, placing a hand on his cousin's shoulder before walking off.
Helm's Deep
Same time
The battle continued to rage, the members of the Fellowship continuing to fight on when they heard Théoden shout.
"Aragorn! Fall back to the Keep! Get your men out of there!" Théoden ordered.
Aragorn nodded, shouting orders to the Elves as they began retreating. Rory blocked the blade of another Uruk, pushing it back and impaling it before joining the others in retreating. Legolas and another Elf were dragging the struggling Gimli away as Aragorn shouted in Elvish to Haldir. As they began retreating, Rory looked around; realizing he had not seen The Doctor for some time.
Haldir was covering his group of Elves as they retreated, unaware of an Uruk sneaking up behind him. Before it could do anything, The Doctor was there, swinging his sword and beheading the Uruk. Haldir whirled around in surprise as the Uruk fell. Realizing what had happened; Haldir nodded at The Doctor, who returned the nod before, together, the pair jumped on one of the ladders, which fell under their combined weight. They then began heading for the Keep together.
At the gate, River was continuing to fight the Uruks when a group of them grabbed the battering rang and moved it, managing to strike River in the back. The unexpected blow took River by surprise, causing River to fall off the Causeway. Their path now free, the remaining Uruks slammed the battering ram against gate, which broke under the strain of the battering ram, a hole breaking through. The Uruks burst through, some of them firing crossbows at the men.
Within seconds, Théoden and his guards had joined them. Gamling had an Uruk grab him by his throat, gasping for breath until Théoden had cut off the hand of the Uruk. However, another Uruk had hit Théoden's shoulder with a spear. He cried out in pain before using his own spear, running the Uruks neck through, killing it. Théoden yanked the spear out of his shoulder before Gamling got him away from the gate, taking him over to a corner.
"We can't hold much longer," Gamling pointed out.
It was then that Aragorn, Rory, Boromir and Gimli burst into the room, joining in on the efforts to hold back the Uruks.
"Hold them!" Théoden ordered.
"How long do you need?!" Aragorn shouted over the sounds of fighting.
"As long as you can give me," Théoden said and Aragorn nodded.
"Gimli," Aragorn grabbed the dwarf by the shoulder and gestured him towards a door. "Rory, Boromir, help them as much as you can."
Aragorn and Gimli then went through a side entrance, heading back outside. The duo went down a stairway which led to a group of rocks, which hid them from view.
"Careful," startled, the duo turned to see River, a little dirty but none the worse for wear. "We're hidden here but only for the moment."
Aragorn nodded, gesturing silently towards the edge of the rocks and River joined them in looking over it. The Uruks were striking the door repeatedly, trying to force it open.
"We can take them," Gimli said confidently.
"It's a long way," Aragorn noted and Gimli was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Lady River, toss me," Gimli said and River looked at him in surprise.
"Pardon?" River asked, wanting to make sure she hadn't misheard him.
"I cannot jump the distance! You'll have to toss me!" Gimli said begrudgingly.
"I thought no tossed a Dwarf," River said teasingly and Gimli flushed.
"Don't tell the Elf," Gimli pleaded.
"Not a word," Aragorn promised.
"Your secret is safe with me," River promised before grabbing Gimli. "Up you go."
River then threw Gimli and he roared as he landed in the barrage of Uruks, attacking them. River and Aragorn then followed him, joining him in attacking the Uruks.
"Better catch up, Elf!" Gimli laughed as he hacked away at an Uruk's legs.
"Shore up the gate!" Théoden ordered and his men immediately began doing just that, carrying the barricades over to the cracked gate.
During this time, the Uruks had been setting up humongous grappling hooks, which they fired up along the walls, to anchor huge ladders, carrying several Uruks. Legolas shot an arrow, taking out a rope and causing one of the ladders to fall.
But that was only one. There were more, and Legolas could not stop them all.
"Gimli! Aragorn! River!"
The three paused in their fighting at the sound of Théoden's shouting, seeing that the hole in the gate had been boarded up until it was only a hole large enough for them to see Théoden's face.
"Get out of there!" Théoden shouted before boarding up the hole.
Two Uruks then appeared behind Aragorn and Gimli, grabbing the two in a chokehold. Aragorn elbowed one, knocking it off the bridge as River stabbed the next one in the eye, killing it.
"Aragorn!"
"River!"
The trio looked up at the sound of the shouts, seeing Legolas and The Doctor throwing ropes at them. Aragorn began climbing up the one thrown by Legolas while River pulled Gimli to her with one arm while grabbing onto The Doctor's rope with her free hand, The Doctor beginning to pull them up as more Uruks approached.
By the time the group had reached the upper walls and been pulled over, the Uruks had breached the castle. Seeing this, Théoden knew he had only one course of action left.
"Pull everybody back. Pull them back," he told Gamling.
"Fall back! Fall back!" Gamling shouted.
Everyone then moved towards the Keep, trying their best to take out as many Uruks on the way as they could.
Fangorn Forest
Same time
"I will leave at the Western border of the forest. You can make your way north to your homeland from there," Treebeard said as he walked, Amy and the Hobbits on his shoulder.
"Wait! Stop, stop!" Pippin cried out, getting an idea. "Turn around. Turn around, take us south."
"South? But that will take you passed Isengard," Treebeard pointed out.
"Yes, exactly," Pippin said with a smile that reminded Amy of The Doctor when he'd come up with a plan he thought was ingenious. "If we go south, we can slip past Saruman unnoticed. The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm. It's the last thing he'll expect."
"Hmmm…It doesn't make sense to me. But you are very small. Perhaps you're right. South it is then," Treebeard said as he began turning around. "Hold on, little Shirelings and Lady Amy. I always like going south. Somehow it feels like going downhill."
"Are you mad? We'll get caught," Merry hissed at Pippin.
"No we won't. Not this time," Pippin said confidently.
"He has a plan," Amy said with a smile.
"How can you tell?" Merry asked skeptically.
"I know the type," Amy said with a laugh, looking forward to seeing whatever Pippin had cooked up.
Not a very long chapter, but you all enjoyed it regardless.
Obviously, biggest change to the battle so far is The Doctor saving Haldir. While his death scene was very well done, figured with The Doctor and Rory there, one of them would be able to save him.
And next chapter we'll get the conclusion of the Battle of Helm's Deep and Two Towers.