Song of the Marchwarden - A Deathless Death

Chapter 26 - The War

The rain drummed loudly off metal armour, as the rhythmic beat of the Uruk-hai marching forward thrummed through your chest, causing your heart to beat in unison. You and all the elves stood, poised to shoot your arrows as you awaited direction.

Over the noise you heard Aragorn shout in elvish, "Do not be afraid of savagery, for they will be nothing short of ruthless with you!"

You and the other elves were perfectly poised. Your eyes darted to Haldir, the most handsome, sharp profile and your eyes followed the ravines of rain dripping down his eyes and lips. He felt your eyes on him, and you briefly made eye contact before staring ahead once more.

You heard Gimli laugh heartily as he and Legolas exchanged in back and forth about his height. Your eyes followed a premature arrow, which only serves to antagonise the Uruk-hai into running forth to battle. Aragorn instructs in elvish to shoot your arrows. Streams of you and your kins arrows career through the air, and many orcs fall. Each arrow creates a whistle in the air, as the arrows of man soon follow.

Many orcs are slain, but three times as many fill their place. It is like watching ants over spilled honey. The Uruk-hai continue to advance forward, their lit torches illuminating the stern faces of man and elf alike. The smell of sweat, grime and rotten meat filled your nostrils.

"Ladders!" you screamed, as you pulled your swords for combat. Elves followed suit, and Aragorn scream "SWORDS!" The Uruk-hai poured over the wall, like an oil spill. You swiftly beheaded the first orc that lunged over the battlements. You danced your dance of death, slashing necks and beheading like you were slicing butter. You hardly broke a sweat. Gimli and Legolas were holding their own, indeed enjoying it. You ducked an attempt from an orc to slice your shoulder with an axe, you sliced its legs as it warbled a guttural scream. You stood up and plunged your sword under its arm, through the chest. Meanwhile the orcs were coming in behind you as they overwhelmed some fighters, and poured through the weakened spots at the battlements. You and Haldir stood back-to-back slicing through armour and flesh, ducking and diving. You saved each other many times from rogue weapons and sneaky attacks. You pushed the ladder from the wall, as more were ascending. They fell with demonic screams and hisses.

Aragorn instructs those of you able, to aim arrows at the causeway, the orcs were ramming the gates, which shook the fortress's foundations. You and Haldir could shoot no arrows, you were encircled by orcs, still fighting back-to-back.

"You are incredible, darling!" Haldir shouts as you effortlessly dispatch two orcs. Despite this, you felt the panic rising. This cannot be sustained, even by us, you thought to yourself. Haldir grunted as he impaled another orc through the neck. You felt pain shatter through your arm, as you lifted it to stop a spiked club from hitting your head. You looked at your arm, the armour twisted and broken. It became more difficult to grip your weapons as rain swirled with the orc blood which covered your hands. Now your own blood ran in a stream to meet them. With time it will become sticky and it will stop slipping around. Your knuckles turned white as you gripped your swords tighter.

The world rocks, as the bomb assaults the sluice gate. Walls tumble, and with it you fall, near Aragorn who is knocked out. Uruk-hai are taking charge and you start swirling your swords, killing anything that dares come near; but as before there are so many and you begin to lose stamina. Gimli roars and jumps down, as Aragorn rouses. "More arrows!"

The elves and men who are able, hurl more arrows down, and begin to charge forth under the direction of Haldir. They gracefully jumped towards the hole in the wall, blades raised in readiness. You protect the gaping hole blasted in the wall, fighting alongside your kin. You have dropped to one sword, as your injured arm grows weak. You look up to the battlements that are left, and the Uruk-hai now throw ropes with metal hooks that are impossible to detach. You look to the gate, which is still under siege.

You hear Theoden shout the castle has been breached as you butcher the orc trying the stab you.

You and Haldir cannot hear the shouts of "Retreat to the keep!" and keep fighting as the elves behind you begin to retreat. Even if you had heard Aragorn, you and he were surrounded. You and Haldir were soaked with rain and exertion, as you managed to chop and hack your way through the orcs. Finally, you both heard "Na Barad, Na Baraad, Haldir, NA Barad!"

You saw Haldir nod, and he reached for your hand as you saw the glint of a blade that stabbed him in the arm. You felt a baton crash into your leg, and you turned to hack at whatever attacked you. Turning round, you saw Haldir with his blade raised to protect you from a sword about to carve through your side. You ducked to let him thrust his blade, and your eyes widened in horror as you saw an axe slice the back of Haldir's neck. He was stunned, and stumbled as you cut the orc in half with three hacks of your sword.

Your voice screamed a high-pitched howl, that emanated from your fëa. You cradled Haldir as you saw his life ebbing away. Your scream startled the orcs around you, and appeared to cause them pain, as they brought their hands to their ears.

You felt yourself lifted by the arms of Aragorn, as you held fast to your lover growing ever more limp in your arms.

"Get them inside, Legolas!"

You do not know how you got inside the walls of the castle. But you lay Haldir gently down, and he whispered, "I am ever grateful I got to defend you to my last breath, my sunlight."

No. No. No, this cannot be happening. You wept as you held his head on your lap. You prayed to Eru, the Valar, "Lotesse, i blessing i ana men sent ome ana him lotesse son o faire!" (May the blessing that was given to me be sent from me to him, may he be released from death!

"Ni indome sacrifice ilya!" (I will sacrifice all!)

Your tears splattered on his lifeless face. You lifted your arms and chanted, "Take from me what you must, I lay my life, my powers, my all!"

You leaned forward to kiss your fallen warrior as you wept, the necklace Galadriel gifted you dangled from your neck and began to glow, brighter and brighter until you were surrounded by white. You felt a pulling from your body, almost painful. It was not the same as dying, having your fëa leave your body, but it was similar.

"Do not separate me from him, when I have only just found him, I beg of you. Let me go with him, if you intend on taking him!"