At the End of All Things [LotR / Legolas] Book 3

XXIV

To @Coffeeshopwords - for sitting at the edge of seat for around a month. So sorry for the long wait. 

Ára could hear Gandalf calling for retreat, and with a wave of her hand and a command falling for her lips she got the attention of the soldiers around her and made them move towards the second level of the city.

Leaving the soldiers that were rushing to the second level she ran off to the side, sliding her blades back into their sheaths on her back before she grabbed a hold onto one of the stone walls and quickly scaled the outer wall. Pulling herself up the last stretch she was met by a sword to her neck and a wide-eyed soldier.

"Stand down," she said calmly – her eyes meeting his wild eyes. "I am not your enemy."

Slowly, the soldier lowered her sword and without much hassle Ára turned to look out over the battleground.

"The Rohans are getting ready to storm the battlefield," another soldier said as he came up besides her.

"Good." Ára said nothing more, her eyes silently gliding along their allies as she took an estimate of how many they were. Too few, it would seem. Moving her eyes towards the river she squinted her eyes to see if she could spot any ships, but there were none.

"Do you think we will win?" The same soldier asked, and she could see him looking intently at her from the corner of her eye.

"Does it matter what my opinion is?" She asked rhetorically, "would it make you fight any harder or make you give up?" Looking over to the soldier she met his frightened eyes. She waited for a while for him to answer, but he only looked at her openmouthed – the fear only growing in his eyes.

Sighing she turned towards him before twisting so that she could see the soldiers standing to her right with the same frightful expression on their faces;

"Listen up, and listen good," she said loud enough for everyone to hear. "People have travelled here to stand alongside you in this battle. We are here, not because we necessarily believe we will come out victorious, but because we are fighting for what is right. We are fighting because mankind, you have a right in this world. Because no matter what Sauron and his lackeys do, there will always be someone here to stand up to fight – be it for themselves or someone else." She looked out over the soldiers, seeing a couple of them nod their head in agreement.

"We can do this. I cannot tell you to stand up and fight if you do not believe, but know that I will fight for you." She could hear the roar of the Rohan's as they came galloping towards the city. "They are here to fight for you," she raised his voice slightly and as she looked over her shoulder towards the harbor her heart thudded as she could spot black sails in the horison. Laughing to herself she turned back to the soldiers, "so who's with me?"

Every single man standing in her presence raised their swords towards the sky, their spirits rising within them. "Good," Ára said, a calculative smile curling at her lips; "now. Let us rid the city of these Orcs. Let the Rohan's worry about the Orcs outside the castle for now; our job is to secure the citadel – make sure everyone in here is safe."

With a collective shout of agreement the men started moving towards the stairs; the fear in their eyes replaced by fearlessness. Ára ran with them, a smile lurking at the corners of her lips as she witnessed the men's new fighting spirit.

"DEATH!" Ára could hear the Rohirrim and the other allies yell as they charged towards the Orc-army. Rolling her shoulders she tightened her hold on her twin-blades as she charged a cluster of Orcs herself, clearing her head of anything other than her goal – rid Minas Tirith of Orcs. And then find a certain blonde haired princeling. In that order.