The Other Ranger [ Lord Of The Rings x Silmarillion ]

Helm's Deep

The ride towards Isengard was short lived. Soon, they had to change plans and rode instead to Helm's Deep after realizing just how many enemies they were up against. Meanwhile, Gandalf left them to do some business of his own.

They rode through the night and all the while came across scattered companies and burned homesteads. Erkenbrand was nowhere to be seen, which meant less reinforcements. But Theoden was insistent upon following Gandalf's plan to defend Helm's Deep.

At last they reached the Hornburg and rode up the small causeway to the gates.

"Open! The Lord of the Mark comes to Helm's Deep," Éomer shouted.

The gates opened immediately and a man stepped forward. "Beyond all hope you have come at our need! For Erkenbrand has not been seen for many days."

"Gamling, how many do you fight with?" Theoden asked.

"A thousand men on foot, my Lord," said the older man. "And provision there is in the Deeping Caves along with most of the folk of Westfold."

"Good."

The army of riders went on inside, stabling their many horses before reporting to Éomer for deployment along the massive walls. Miril ended up upon the wall. The boys around her were very young, no older than eighteen. They shook where they stood upon the battlements. She realized she had to do something about it.

"What are your names," she asked a group of them that stood near her.

A boy with shaggy blonde hair spoke up first, "Hammond, lady."

"Alwyn is mine," said a brown haired boy.

Another volunteered the information. "My name is Ealdun."

She smiled. "I am Miril of the Dunedain of the North."

"Are you an elf," Alwyn asked her curiously.

Miril smiled again. She was certainly used to that particular question. With a shake of her head she answered the same as always.

"Nay. But I am Half-elven," she told them.

Suddenly the rain began, pouring down around them. It was pitch black, but small points of torch light, thousands upon thousands in the sea of orcs, speckled the land and came closer. The sound of armor clanking was excruciatingly loud. Mixed with the rolls of thunder, Miril could barely hear herself think.

Suddenly the orcs stopped right in front of the walls. A flash of lightning amidst the chaos of the storm revealed their ugly, brutal faces and the sharp points of their weapons. Miril drew her sword from its sheathe.

"A Elbereth Gilthoniel, tíro nin," she sighed.

"What does that mean?" Ealdun asked her, his voice shaking in fear.

Miril glanced at him before turning back to watch the orcs. "O Star-kindler, watch over me."

Suddenly a great cry went up from the orcs and they began to assault the walls to no avail. At least not until they brought the ladders to climb. Miril instructed the boys to get behind her as the first ladder was raised near her position. She planned to protect these young men with her life. Glacing at the blade the held, she took a small comfort in its soft red-golden glow. While most elven blades shone icy-blue, the blades of Fëanor's craft glinted red.

As the first orc climbed up over the wall from the ladder, Miril hacked his head off with a massive swing of her sword, Galmegil. But the next man-sized orc was soon upon her. She stepped back and readjusted her grip. With a cry she stepped forward and pushed the orc back towards the edge of the wall.

"We are the fighting Uruk-hai! You cannot defeat us!" the orc sneered as a second one climbed up beside him.

"Ealdun!" She shouted to the boy who was now cut off from her. "Defend yourself!"

Miril managed with a large shove to topple the Uruk-hai down from the wall. But his friend had cornered Ealdun. Miril, noticing an opening, decided to push the ladder off the wall with Alwyn's assistance. Finally with that done, she turned around in time to see Ealdun's head role to the floor. The other two boys looked at the massive Uruk in horror, but Miril sprung into action, tripping the beast and stabbing him in the neck.

Miril told them something vital in that moment as there was a lull in the battle, "Don't think about him. Don't think about death. Think only about life. Only then will you survive this. Do you understand?!"

They nodded quickly.

"Then defend yourselves!"

An Uruk from down the platform came running up behind her and she spun out of the way of his swing, cutting off his sword arm. He raised his shield as she brought another roaring blow down onto him. The force pushed her backwards and she stumbled. The Uruk was about to stab her in the abdomen when Alwyn struck him in the arm. The distraction gave Miril enough time to slit the orc's throat and push his body down off the wall. Blood sprayed forward, hitting the two young men while Miril stayed relatively untouched.

The fighting continued for hours. Miril did her best to keep the ladders off the walls and take care of the two young warriors. Uruk-hai warrior after Uruk-hai warrior attacked her, but she managed to stay relatively unscatched with only a small blow to the head and a cut on her leg. Alwyn and Hammond were likewise fine. Soon enough, though, the fighting would get only that much harder.

A cry barely floated up to where Miril was fighting a rather large Uruk. "The orcs are behind the Deep! The orcs are behind the Deep!"

She finished it off and looked where the noise had come from. She saw Gimli shout something in Khuzdul before leaping down among a group of orcs that had crept in through the stream outlet.

"Alwyn, Hammond, follow me!" Miril yelled over the intense fighting.

Alwyn turned to follow when he was stabbed through the gut by an orc that had just climbed over the wall. He fell forward with a cry of agony. Miril frowned but knew there was nothing she could do. Hammond, staring in horror, stayed where he was.

"Come on! Hurry, Hammond!" She shouted.

Hammond broke out of his stupor and leapt down beside her, taking the stairs two at a time. They both roared into the fray, swords blazing. Galmegil was shining in the lightning, the mithril hilt all but glowing with each bolt across the sky.

They were followed by a group of Gamling's Helmingas. The onset of the warriors was so fierce that they soon slayed the orcs or sent them shrieking into the Glittering Caves where they fell to the guardians there. With this plan foiled, there was a lull in the fighting.

"Twenty-one," Gimli grinned. "How many for you, Miril?"

"I wasn't counting," she shrugged. "Too many things to think about."

"My count passes Master Legolas' again," the dwarf said with a contented smile.

Miril nodded. She turned around to speak to Hammond. That's when she saw him. Hammond was sitting down, an orc sword in his chest. Miril rushed over to him. She felt for a pulse, but there was none. Bowing her head, she said a quick prayer to Illuvatar before standing up.

"The Rohirrim will be hard pressed to win this I'm afraid," she sighed.