The formations were aligned. Aerin stood on the eastern wall, with Legolas. A smaller troop of Rohirrim with shields that she would later join were below, ready. As soon as they settled, the entire fort grew completely silent. The silence made a chill settle in our bones as we waited. Nobody spoke, and a breath could barely be heard. She turned to look for Haldir and they locked eyes for a minute before he smiled and looked back at the orc army that was approaching.
She held a bow in one hand, Legolas took her other. It calmed her, the way it always did, and when she looked at him, he smiled at her, and squeezed her hand a bit tighter. That simple gesture gave Aerin a surge of courage for what was coming, though she did not know why.
Just then, Aerin saw it – it was nothing more than a silhouette moving toward the, black and fiery, across the field ahead. Then there was sound again, a rumbling sound, not very loud and it came from the distance. It was the sound of thousands of Orcs marching toward them. The closer they came the more firmly it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. When Aragorn came to their side once more, Aerin kind of wished he would stay near them until the end. ''Well, lad, the luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night,'' Gimli told him.
Almost out of nowhere came a thunder, and a lightning lit up the entire valley before them, and then Aerin saw it clearly - ten thousand Uruks in thick armour were marching toward them, with weapons, shields and torches in their hands. They looked even more terrifying under the light of the lightning, and Aerin swallowed once, steadying her heartbeat to a normal pace again. ''Your friends are with you, Aragorn,'' said Legolas, and Aerin nodded my head wordlessly. ''Let's hope they last the night,'' added Gimli. Aragorn started commanding the Elves. He walked among them speaking his instructions in Sindarin. "Show them no mercy for you shall receive none.''
The enemy stopped advancing suddenly, the rumbling sounds of their footsteps could be heard no more. Aerin leaned and looked down at them - it was the biggest army she had ever seen, and a sight to stop her very breathing. This would be a battle that would go down in history. ''What's happening out there?'' asked Gimli, jumping up in place in attempts to see. ''Shall I describe it to you? Or would you like me to find you a box?'' asked Legolas and Gimli laughed. Aerin laughed too, though it was more of a laughter of a sort of relief, and she could not believe that they managed to make her laugh at what seemed to be a stepping stone into her very death.
The Uruks started pounding their spears against the ground, roaring at them. It was a sign for them to ready their weapons. Aerin notched and arrow to her bow and aimed at one of the Uruks in the first row. She held it, waiting for Aragorn's sign to shoot. She looked to Legolas once more, just a short glance, and he gave her a reassuring smile and a nod in return. ''Remember the tricks I taught you. My old bow will listen to you,'' he half-whispered to Aerin and she thought he was only half-joking.
And then, everything went silent once more. The Uruks did not pound their spears nor roar for a few moments, until they realized what had happened - an Uruk had apparently fallen to the ground with an arrow in his chest. One of their people fired first and without any command to do so, and it angered the Uruks so they now started roaring horribly once more before they charged toward us at once. ''Dartho! (Hold it!)'' screamed Aragorn. So they did. They waited still, and Aerin strained her bow some more and focused. She had to be as precise as possible, and try to take out as many of them before they came closer. ''Faeg i-varv dîn na lanc a nu ranc (Their armour is weak at the neck and under the arms),'' Legolas noted.
''Leithio i philinn! (Fire!)'' Aragorn shouted and so they started firing, pouring down a shower of arrows. Aerin released her bow and it was a success - one of the Uruks fell face down. She tried to notch arrows to her bow as quickly as possible, but no matter how fast, there was no way of outrunning them and she knew that. She could hear arrows whistling everywhere around me. ''Did anyone hit anything?'' Aerin heard Gimli ask excitedly. ''Should've found yourself a box!'' she joked, releasing another arrow.
Soon enough, they received arrows themselves. They hissed everywhere around Aerin. The first shower wasn't as she expected - and she expected it to be clumsy compared to their archery - but they all but poured down on them, and as precisely as Aerin had ever seen beasts work.
Aerin wondered how long her luck would last her. It was a fleeting thought answered by an arrow hissing all too dangerously close to her face, and tearing at the skin that covered her cheekbone. It felt more like a burn than a cut, but that was fleeting too, and all Aerin felt next was the warmth of her own blood trickling down her cheek. She'd had worse. She had some more luck on my hands. One of the Elves next to her was not so lucky - he fell over the wall before she could realise what had happened. In her mind it was only a stunned moment that Aerin took to take a look, but the next thing she knew she was met with a disgusting Uruk face sneering and growling at her, the stench from his mouth almost too unbearable.
''The ladders!'' shouted Legolas. ''Step back!'' The Uruks had climbed the walls. They were among them. That was Aerin's cue to go, below. She managed to step away and replace the bow with her sword. "Urqui túlar!" (Orcs are coming!) Aerin shouted as she noticed ladders being put up. ''Aragorn! They have ladders! Don't let them get more ladders up!'' Aerin screamed through the noise, hoping the words would reach him. He nodded, and commanded the archers on the other side. That was all she could do before the Uruk made his strike at her. She had to get rid of them and lower herself. Soon the walls will be swarming with them. Work fast.
Aerin was right. Soon the walls were swarming with Uruk-Hai. She made a run for the steps; the men Aragorn had assigned to her were down below, waiting, and it was up to them to help the first line of defence, and hold the second. In the rush Aerin heard Legolas and Gimli shout to each other.
''Legolas, two already!''
''I'm on seventeen!''
''Argh! I'll have no pointy-ear outscoring me!''
''This is not a game!'' Aerin shouted, throwing a dagger at an Uruk up ahead in one swift motion. It toppled over. Not a waste of a dagger.
''Nineteen!''
The men below knew what to do. They were already fighting their way up toward the wall, to help fight these monsters off. Aerin had no idea how the beasts managed to already slip to the other side. But she was cut off right on the staircase. It was three Uruks against her alone.
YOU ARE READING
to love someone else
Fanfiction''My heart doesn't matter, does it? Even if it is true, and he feels something for me too, it is still doomed to fail, isn't it? Elves can only love once. I am doomed to die of heartbreak, it's my fate as I know Haldir was the one... I'd never want...
