abnormal tragedy

Chapter 30: on the way

The people of Rohan head towards Helm's Deep with the remaining members of the Fellowship. Rowan notices Théoden turn and take one last look at Edoras. "It's true you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, they are often mistaken for dwarf men." Rowan hears Gimli say to Èowyn. Èowyn has a really adorable laugh; which makes Rowan immediately smile too. She glances back at Aragorn. "It's the beards." Rowan laughed and nodded. "And this in turn has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf women. And the dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!" Gimli said as Rowan rode closer towards the pair. "Which is of course ridiculous. Whoa!" Gimli laughed as his horse sprung forwards knocking him to the ground with a loud thump.

"It's all right! It's all right. Nobody panic. That was deliberate. It was deliberate." Gimli muttered as he dusted off his shirt. Rowan and Èowyn exchanged worried glances before she looked over at her brother who was talking to the King. "I have not seen my niece smile in a long time." He whispered to Aragorn. "She was a girl when they brought her father back dead. Cut down by Orcs. She watched her mother succumb to grief. And she was left alone to tend her king in growing fear. Doomed to wait upon an old man who should have loved her as a father." He finished as Aragorn and Èowyn look at each other.

The group ride closer towards their destination. Aragorn was having a dream like trance of Arwen when Èowyn asked, "Where is she? The woman who gave you that jewel?" With that he snapped out of his trance and turned to face the maiden. "My lord?" Èowyn asked again after a moment of silence. "She is sailing to the undying lands, with all that is left of her kin." Rowan notices Háma and Gamling riding to the front of the column. Legolas stands a small distance away, scanning the surroundings when Rowan rides faster to join him. "What is it? Háma?" Rowan asked with growing worry pitting in her stomach. "I'm not sure." Háma replied not noticing a warg scout appearing above them. "We are not alone," Rowan warned as she smelt the air, during which the warg and rider charged towards them leaving them no time to react.

The warg attacks Háma, killing him instantly with a twist of a neck. Gamling and Rowan fights with the scout, but Legolas shoots the warg with his bow killing the scout instantly before he yelled out, "A scout!"

"What is it? What do you see?" King Théoden shouted as he rode closer to Rowan and Legolas, closely followed by Aragorn. "Wargs! We are under attack!" Rowan shouted as the villagers immediately panicked, screaming as they squirmed around unsure of what to do. "All riders to the head of the column!" King Théoden declared. "C'mon get me up here, I'm a fighter. Argh!" Gimli asked Èowyn who quickly, without hesitation, pulled him back onto his horse before running over to her uncle. Legolas spots the warg pack running towards them. "You must lead the people to Helm's Deep and make haste." Her uncle ordered as he turned to face his men."I can fight!" Èowyn shouted trying to get her voice heard over the villagers constant screaming. "No! You must do this — for me." He sighed.

"Follow me! Argh!" The King shouted as he pointed his sword into the air. "Forward, forward, march forward."Gimli jeered. "Make for the lower ground. Stick together!" Èowyn smiled at the villager women. Before they left Rowan and Èowyn exchange a look of fear before Rowan set off to battle. Legolas stood alone, shooting at the wargs and their riders. The column of riders quickly appears behind him. When Gimli's horse is near, Legolas swings himself up on the horse's back. How cool Rowan thought to herself.

Wargs and Rohirrim run towards each other, swords drawn. Rowan now terrified. The warg riders and the Rohirrim crash at full speed. They fight. Many wargs and their riders are killed, along with some Rohirrim's. Gimli falls of the horse and a riderless warg heads towards him. Rowan shouts at him causing him to turn around and face it. "Bring your pretty face to my axe!" Gimli sneered but before he got a chance to kill it Legolas shot it down dead right in front of the Dwarf. "Argh! That one counts as mine!" Gimli humphed as the warg fell dead on top of him. "Argh! Stinking creature. Argh!" A rider appears over the dead warg and Gimli's heart dropped. Gimli snapped the Orc's neck and tried to lift the creatures, but another warg crawls into view, growling. Aragorn throws a spear at the warg, killing it. The dead warg lands on Gimli who shouted in annoyance.

''What are you waiting for?'' Rowan shouted as she slowly walked up to the enemy. A warg came up from behind her and without turning she stuck her sword deep into another orcs stomach before shouting, ''You think I'm afraid, don't you? Argghya!!!'' she cut the warg's head off before it even moved. Rowan didn't know how many she managed to cut in just one rush through the crowd. It seemed like a good start, and everywhere she turned, others seemed to be having the same success. However there were still loads of wargs and Orcs around.

A warg jumps on Aragorn, who falls of his horse. He jumps on to a warg and fights with its rider. Aragorn is hit by the orc and falls to the side. Rowan screams causing both Legolas and Gimli to look at where she was looking. His hand is caught in the harness of the warg, and he gets dragged along. He fights with the orc, throwing him off. The warg runs off a cliff, Aragorn falling with it. Gimli spots a dying orc on the ground, laughing. He bended down and pointed his axe at it. "Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing!" He shouted pointing his axe deeper into the throat of the Orc. "He's... (cough)... dead. (Laughs). He took a little tumble off the cliff."

Legolas immediately grabbed it's neck and yelled, "You lie!" The orc laughed, blood bubbling in his mouth. He fell back dead. Legolas stood up but saw the Evenstar in the orc's hand. Legolas and Gimli approach the cliff and look down into the river below. Rowan stayed where she was unable to move. When the two turned around, she screamed again tears streaming down her cheeks, but her scream was cut short when she felt something come up behind her and knock her sword out of her hand. A slimy, sweaty fist grabbed her by her waist and held her close with a dagger to her neck. Rowan screamed again.

Legolas turned to face Rowan to see the Orc leader holding a sword to her neck, as he went to his warg. Legolas put his hand behind his back to get an arrow to find none. He then panicked before running towards them to try and get her back. Another Orc came out of nowhere and blocked his path. Rowan had been taken away by the time he killed the foul creature. The fight was soon won and Legolas raced back towards where Gimli was. He was still looking hopelessly down at the water below. "There both gone," Legolas whispered solemnly as Gimli turned to face him. "she's gone..." Théoden then approached from behind them. "Get the wounded on horses. The wolves of Isengard will return." Legolas and Gimli glared at the King and Legolas turned his gaze to where Rowan had been taken. "Leave the dead."

"Come."