Tolkien One-Shots Book 2!

Helm's Deep (Aragorn x fem!reader[platonic])

(lots of angst, lovelies! Battle, violence, blood, death. I hurt my heart writing this)

You knew the cries of the Uruk-Hai were a sound you would never forget the rest of your life. They echoed all around you as you fought against the enemy with everything you had. Steel met steel, arrows sunk into flesh, battle cries carried on the air from both sides, wood splintered, and stone crumbled. All these sounds met your ears while you gave it your all protecting the people of Rohan sheltered in Helm's Deep alongside your dearest friend and the elf you'd come to see as your father.

Rain clouded your vision, but you were practiced with your bow and nearly smiled in satisfaction when you heard yet another arrow met its mark. Still, the legion of Uruk-Hai were closer than you wanted. It was time to abandon your bow in favor of your sword. You unsheathed your blade and made your way to where Haldir was fighting.

You fought long and hard, but soon came to understand that you were outnumbered. Retreat was the only way. Unfortunately, you all realized too late and were overcome by the sheer number of Uruk-Hai. Arrows whistled as they flew passed your ears. Every swing of your blade as met with another. Your muscles were sore. Your entire body was beginning to betray you. Haldir saw this and acted.

You felt yourself being pulled up a set of steep, stone steps as more of the enemy's arrows met their targets and more Uruk-Hai infiltrated the stronghold. You had no idea how closely you came to death until you heard the ringing of steel above your head. You glanced up to see Aragorn standing over you, his own blade dripping with rain and blood.

He helped you to your feet only to freeze in place. You opened your mouth to thank him, but noticed his gaze was not on you rather on something behind you. You turned just in time to see Haldir falling to the smooth stone below his feet. A strangled cry escaped your throat as you leapt forward, running your sword through the Uruk-Hai that had dared to take your father away from you.

Aragorn tried to pull you away, but you slipped out of his grasp, collapsing to your knees next to Haldir. He smiled up at you and whispered something in his native tongue before he breathed no more. As tears began forming in your eyes, you softly told him goodbye.

Your grief was short lived for the moment as Aragorn once again pulled you to your feet and began practically dragging you away from Haldir's lifeless form and into the stronghold. Your body moved almost mechanically for the rest of the night and, when the sun rose, there was Gandalf with the Rohirrim at his back. The battle was won that morning and that evening was a celebration, but your heart remained heavy.

At first, you remained by yourself off to the side of the celebrations. Haldir's death weighed on you. If he hadn't been trying to protect you, would he still be alive? Or was his death at the hands of the enemy fated? The questions and guilt bounced around in your head and heart until it was almost too much to bear. You needed to get away from everyone.

You were stopped by Aragorn. His eyes regarded you with concern. You simply shook your head, not wanting to speak. You couldn't. If you did, you knew you'd start crying. There was no time for tears in this war. You knew that. But apparently, Aragorn didn't agree.

He took your arm in his and lead you from the room, stopping to grab two bowls of food along the way. You let him lead you silently until you were once again outside to the ramparts. The horrors of the night before had been completely erased except for the funeral pyres of your loved ones. From where you stood, you could see Haldir's.

"It is alright to grieve," Aragorn told you, "Haldir would expect you to grieve instead of keeping it locked away. Keeping it a distraction." You grew angry for a moment. How dare he tell you what Haldir would expect?! You turned to yell at him, but were met with a soft smile. It was times like this that you remembered how well Aragorn knew you. He had been your friend and confidante for a very long time.

"Let it out, Y/N. Grieve and let Haldir be at rest." At those words, the dam broke and tears fell down your face. Aragorn set the bowls down and opened his arms without another word. In an instant, you hugged him close. You often forgot that you weren't made of stone, but like a brother often would, Aragorn would vex you until your emotions had no choice but to show themselves. That's what was happening now.

You cried until you had no more tears left in you. Aragorn never said a word, but you swore at one point you felt tears in your hair. It dawned on you that he needed this too. Not even the comfort, exactly, but the permission to let go of everything for just a little while.

When you were all cried out, you let go of him. "Will we survive this?" you asked in a soft voice. Aragorn smiled again. "I do not know. But we will not let Haldir's death be in vain. Nor any of the others. We will protect each other and we will fight for the world. And, should we survive, we will be entirely changed." You nodded. "But we will fight?" Aragorn chuckled and agreed. "We will fight," he repeated, picking up and handing you a bowl of stew, "For Haldir." You tapped your bowl against his.

"For Haldir."