abnormal tragedy

Chapter 36: battle

Men and elves stand at Helm's Deep, terrified trembling whilst holding onto their bows. Saruman's army slowly approaches, shouting and rumbling. Legolas and Gimli stand at the wall. Gimli has some trouble seeing over the wall. "Argh. You could have picked a better spot." He grumbled as Aragorn walked over to them. "Well lad, the luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night." Gimli hoped. Then there is lightning and a rumble of thunder, setting the mood. "Your friends are with you, Aragorn." Legolas added still looking out into the distance at the Uruk-hai. "Let's hope they last the night."

Théoden and his men watch on as it starts to rain as the troops of Saruman walk forward, carrying torches and long spears. Aragorn walks back and forth on the wall. "A Eruchîn, ú-dano i faelas a hyn an uben tanatha le faelas!" (Show them no mercy! For you shall receive none!) He shouted as he walked past the elves. Suddenly the Uruk-hai stop. Aragorn walked forward and looked down at the huge army. All he could think about was Rowan and how she was being treated by their kind.

"What's happening out there?" Gimli questioned as he tried to stand on his tiptoes. "Shall I describe it to you? Or would you like me to find you a box?" Legolas replied back causing Gimli to laugh. The Uruks pound their spears and roar creating a terrifying sound. The men and elves in the fortress ready their weapons. And old man accidentally shoots an arrow, hitting an orc. Then there is a slight moment of silence before the orc fell down, dead. Aragorn sighed knowing this wasn't good. "Dartho!" (Hold!) He shouted. The Uruks roar in anger and charge. "So it begins." King Théoden declared. As the army below runs forward, the elves prepare to shoot their arrows. Haldir steadied his bow, not drawing it just yet. "Faeg i-varv dîn na lanc a nu ranc." (Their armour is weak at the neck and under the arms.) Legolas shouted out making sure he was heard. "Leithio i philinn!" (Fire!) Aragorn shouted as the bows were released and the Uruks were showered with arrows.

"Anybody hit anything?" Gimli questioned but got no answer.

"Give them a volley." Théoden ordered and Gamling shouted "Fire!" leading to more arrows being shot. "Tangado a chadad!" (Keep firing!) Aargorn shouted to the elves. "Come on! Send them to me!" Gimli whined like a newborn child. Many Uruks fall dead. The Uruks shoot arrows back. A dead elf fell from the wall as the Uruks suddenly put up ladders. "Pendraid!" (Ladders!) Aragorn shouted as he noticed.

The Uruk-hai climb the ladders. Heavy fighting follows. "Legolas, two already!" Gimli boasted. "I'm on seventeen!" Legolas shouted back with a smug smirk sprawled across his face. "Argh! I'll have no pointy-ear outscoring me!" He grumbled back as he sliced through the body of an Uruk-hai. Legolas shot another two Orcs who were charging towards Gimli, one nearly passing through the Dwarfs own ear. "Nineteen!" More ladders rise against the walls. So more panic.

Gimli hacks away with his axe causing Legolas to laugh. Such a short person wailing an axe around, the elf thought was funny. "Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two." He shouted in hope of the elf hearing. Meanwhile Aragorn spotted a group of Uruk-hai making their way, slowly, towards the gate. "Northway! Nauthannen!" He shouted and the elves shoot, and many of the Uruks fall down. But not enough sadly. "Is this it? Is this all you can conjure, Saruman?" Théoden murmured to himself from behind the gate high up out of view. However down below, the troops carry Saruman's explosives to the drain. An Uruk soldier, in purge looking mask, carrying a bright torch runs towards the hole.

"Togo hon dad, Legolas! Dago hon!" (Legolas, stop him! Kill him!)

Legolas hits the Uruk with two arrows, but fails to kill it, letting the Uruk-hai light the explosives and a large part of the wall explodes. Leaving Théoden in shock. Huge boulders fly through the air. Aragorn lies on the ground, unconscious. Saruman's army starts to crowd through the hole in the wall. At the gates, the Uruks try to break through. "Brace the gates!" Théoden shouted to his guards as the men run to the gate and try to hold it, as the Uruks pound from the other side.

"Hold them! Stand fast!" He commands and men, and young boys, throw rocks and spears down on the orcs below killing a few in the process. Aragorn regains consciousness as the Uruks run towards him to which Gimli notices and jumps down from the wall, landing in a pool. He hacks the attacking Uruks. "Gimli! Prepare to charge!" Aragorn shouted as Gimli continued fighting, but was hit and falls in to the pool. "Hado i philinn!" (Hurl the arrows!)

"Herio!" (Charge!) Aragorn commanded and they attack, Aragorn leading them. Rowan would be proud and so would their parents. Legolas takes a shield from the ground and rides down the stairs on it, shooting arrows at the Uruks. The Uruks continue flowing in from the hole in the wall, but they are met by men and elves and a dwarf.

"Aragorn, pull back to the gate!" Théoden demanded and Aragorn nodded. "Am Marad!" (To the Keep!) "Nan barad! Haldir! Nan barad!" (Pull back! Haldir! Pull back!) Haldir nodded at him and called for the others.

Gimli is dragged away by a small group of men. "What are you doing? Stop it!"

Haldir calls for his men, but he does not see an Uruk behind him and is struck. He stumbles in pain, as he looks around. Behind him, another Uruk strikes Haldir at his back as he felt a tear fall down his cheek. This was it. "Haldir!" Aragorn shouted as Haldir fell onto his knees, as Aragorn fought his way up the stairs. Haldir looks around in disbelief, and sees all the dead elves around him and Aragorn quickly rushes to Haldir and the honourable elf dies in Aragorn's arms. Aragorn gently lays Haldir down, as more Uruk-hai approach him. He jumps on one of the ladders and falls down with them.

"Brace the gate!" Gamling yelled and the gate is almost broken. "To the gate! Draw your swords!" The king, with his men, try to defend the breaking gate. "We can't hold much longer." Aragorn rushed to the gate. "Hold them!" Théoden ordered to which Aragorn replied "How long do you need?"

"As long as you can give me!" The King replied as he rushed off somewhere.

Aragorn and Gimli sneak around to the other side of the gate and Aragorn took a peek at the many Uruks. "Come on. We can take 'em!" Gimli eagerly exclaimed. "It's a long way." Aragorn replied as he gave a look to the Dwarf. Gimli glanced over at Aragorn. "Toss me."

"What?"

"I cannot jump the distance so you have to toss me." Aragorn nods and is about to throw Gimli, but the dwarf stops him. "Eh... Don't tell the elf." Gimli mumbled. "Not a word." Aragorn throws Gimli, and jups after him. The two battle the troops at the gate, killing as much Uruk-hai as they could get their hands on. "Shore up the door!" Théoden demanded as Saruman's army put up more ladders. Legolas shot the chain for one of the ladders. It falls, crushing some of the Uruks below. The men try to seal the gates, as Aragorn and Gimli continue fighting on the other side. "Gimli! Aragorn! Get out of there!" Théoden whispered through some planks in the smashed wall. Meanwhile Legolas is standing up on the wall. "Aragorn!" He shouted as he threw down a rope. Aragorn, holding Gimli with him, jumped on to it. Legolas pulled them both up.

More ladders rise.

"Pull everybody back. Pull them back!" Théoden ordered to his men. "Fall back! Fall back!" Gamling ran off shouting. "They have broken through. The castle is breached! Retreat!" shouted Théoden. "Fall back! Retreat! Retreat!"

At Fort Eorlingas, Uruks try to break through the inner door. "The fortress is taken. It is over." Théoden whispered so only a few close to him could hear. "You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it. They still defend it. They have died defending it!" Aragorn shouted at the King. A loud bang at the door is heard. The women and children in the caves cower in fear. "Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Aragorn asked. The king and his men remain silent. "Is there no other way?" He shouted.

"There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far. The Uruk-hai are too many." Aragorn grabbed Gamling by his shoulder. "Send word for the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance!" He ordered. "So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?" The King whispered as the Uruk-hai kept trying to break the door. "Ride out with me." Aragorn offered. Théoden turns to face Aragorn. "Ride out and meet them."

"For death and glory?" Théoden questioned.

"For Rohan. For your people."