Remains of the Banished | Aragorn || Lord of the Rings

XXVI

"Draw your arrows!"  Eadrid called to the elves. "Release!"

Eadrid's hair whipped around her as hundreds of arrows were sent past her and into the first lines of the Uruk-hai.

Eadrid yelled to the elves that stood on the ground behind the wall, and another line of Uruk-hai fell to the ground. 

The Uruks fired crossbows at them, and some managed to get to the wall to raise ladders along it. 

"Ladders!" Eadrid called behind her. "Get your swords!"

And she heard the crisp unsheathing of swords all at once. She unsheathed her own as she saw a ladder propped against the wall right in front of her. As the first Uruk came to the top of the ladder, she swiped her blade across its throat. It cried and took a few Uruks that were below him to the ground with him. 

Before another could surface to the top, she called to the man next to her. "Help me!" She said, motioning to the ladder. They pushed the top of it, and in a long arc, it slammed to the ground, smushing many in the process. 

Soon enough there were too many ladders to stop one by one, and the Uruks filed onto the wall.

Some came towards her, and she slashed through them, trying to get to another ladder to push down.

"Causeway!" She turned to Aragorn's yell and where he pointed. A group of Uruk-hai pushed forward in a pack, holding two huge metal spiked spheres. Eadrid leaned over the wall, confused as to what it could be. 

She motioned to the elves near her. "Shoot them!"

They were able to get a few arrows into their skin, but not before they had already laid the spheres into a small drain below where Eadrid stood. 

Another Uruk held a burning torch, running towards the same drain. Eadrid realized what was about to happen. "Move! MOVE!" She yelled and pushed people away. She grabbed Lucen, who had managed to stay near her side since the first arrow had been drawn. She pushed him forward as hard as she could.

But the wall exploded before she could get far enough. With a loud sound the ground beneath her erupted and threw her to the ground beneath the wall.

Eadrid smacked against the ground and lay there in a heap. She was unconscious for a moment but the sound of a loud snarl pulled her out of the darkness. Prying open her eyes, she saw a blurry Uruk raising his sword over her. She lifted her hand above her head, not able to do much else. 

When the sword was about to fall, his head tumbled to the ground, his body following it. Standing behind it was Aragorn, and as other Uruks came near her, he slashed through them before they could even raise their swords.

In a brief moment of no pursuit, he fell to his knees next to Eadrid. "Are you alright?" He asked desperately, checking her head for any wounds. 

Eadrid nodded. "Yes, yes." Aragorn offered her hand and she took it. She swayed for a moment, but gained her ground. "I am alright." She looked around her for Lucen. 

Aragorn nodded and turned to the approaching Uruk-hai. Eadrid saw her sword on the ground a few feet away and lunged for it before the Uruk trying to beat her to it could. She rolled on the ground, picking it up as she went, and as she stood, struck her sword straight through his thigh. 

When she stood, her vision blurred in and out, but shaking her head she continued her search.

Finally, she found him.

Holding her breath, she rolled him onto his back. 

Tears formed in her eyes as she saw the trail of blood leading from his head, his pulse gone.

Eadrid moved his body out of the path of battle, not being able to bear the thought of his body laying under such things. She wiped the blood away from his face kissed his forehead gently. 

A tear ran down her cheek as she turned and ran to meet Aragorn where he stood in front of the elves, awaiting the Uruks. 

"Charge!" Aragorn raised his sword, and they ran to meet the enemy ahead of them.

As they clashed, Eadrid stabbed an Uruk as its sword narrowly missed her stomach. There was no time to think or plan, as it felt like she was the only human in a sea of beasts. Her instincts took control of her as she tore through every Uruk-hai, hacking and swiping and slashing. One grabbed her hair and yanked her back, but she arced her sword and spun, cutting his hand clean of then stabbing him in the chest. The hand that gripped her hair fell to the ground with its body.

"Eadrid!" She looked up to her father calling from above her. "Fall back to the Keep! Get the men out of there!"

"To the Keep! Pull back to the Keep!" She called, and looked to Aragorn.

"Haldir, to the Keep!" Aragorn yelled to him on the wall above them.

Eadrid began to lead the men away, but Aragorn left her, running and fighting his way to the top of the wall. She furrowed her brows in confusion but understood when she saw Haldir's body lying on the ground.

Eadrid continued to the Keep. As she came into the room she saw her father holding his chest, leaning himself against the wall.

"Are you alright?" She asked holding his arm. He nodded quickly.

Aragorn appeared and Theoden reached for him. "Hold them!"

"How long do you need?" Aragorn asked.

"As long as you can give me." 

Eadrid took her father's sword from Gamling and placed it in her father's hands. They nodded to one another, and Theoden ordered the gate to the Keep to be reinforced.

Eadrid helped the other soldiers carry large wooden beams to prop against the door as continuous pounds from outside the gate flooded their ears.

Beams went across the doors, as they attempted to cover the breaches from the Uruk-hai. It was feeble, as the strikes continued and the door continued to fissure. 

Through a hole in the door, Eadrid thrust her sword into the helmet of un Uruk fighting to get in. As he dropped, she saw behind him Gimli and Aragorn.

"Gimli! Aragorn! Get out of there!" She yelled.

Aragorn turned to her and nodded, disappearing to the side. 

Theoden came next to Eadrid. "Pull everybody back. Pull them back." 

Eadrid moved away from the door. "Fall back! Fall back!"

"They have broken through! The castle is breached. Retreat!" Theoden yelled.

Eadrid heard the Uruk-hai finally break through the gate from behind her.