Brothers In Arms: A Middle Earth Story

Chapter 5: The Burning of Ithilien

Uirion saw him too, and his expression immediately changed to one of fearful revulsion. 

"Follow my lead," he said, drawing his blade and striding forward towards the fire. I reached out in a desperate attempt to stop him, but my hands brushed against the rough fabric of his cloak in vain. 

"Uirion, no!" Thorondir exclaimed, rushing forward to stop him. At that moment a branch snapped above him, and he barely had time to dive out of the way before the burning brand crashed down where he had been standing. When the ashes it had kicked up faded, Uirion was gone. 

I was almost too shocked to react. Fortunately, I managed to gather my senses. "Hurry! Follow him!" I shouted, letting out a cough as I waved away the smoke. Aerel offered Thorondir a hand up, which he took gratefully. He seemed slightly disoriented, but when he saw that Ohtar had taken the lead he sprang up and chased after him. 

Eradan and I exchanged an anxious glance before running into the momentary gap that the falling branch had made in the fire. The flames were almost unbearably hot, but I used the momentum of my movement to propel myself through the gap before it was engulfed in fire once more, rolling onto the hot ground just outside the circle. We were almost immediately surrounded by foes, and I quickly found myself crossing blades with a heavily armed man wearing an eagle-shaped helm. 

He swung at my head, the curved blade dangerously close to my head. I felt myself losing my balance as I landed heavily on my back leg, compensating for the surprise attack. He drew back to strike again, but a white-feathered arrow pierced his neck just before he was able to execute the attack. 

I gave a grateful nod to Thorondir, who quickly acknowledged me before turning to fire upon another enemy. 

Further ahead, Ohtar was taking on three Haradrim by himself, easily keeping them at a distance with his hefty axe. They all seemed fearful to get within striking range of him, and I soon noticed why; three bodies already lay at his feet, and he had barely even broken a sweat yet. 

Aerel and Eradan stood side by side, desperately holding off several more enemy warriors. They both appeared to be struggling. Aerel, though clearly confident with a blade, was struggling to close the distance with her opponents, who kept her at length with long spears. Eradan seemed distinctly uncomfortable with a sword; He had always preferred the bow as a younger man and that seemed to have remained the same. 

But where was Uirion? 

I squinted as a peered through the dancing flames, hoping to catch a glimpse of the scarred warrior. 

I soon saw him. He was face to face with the Slaver's Son, his blade crossed with the curved scimitar of his nemesis. I sudden rush of fear washed over me as I saw that he was already on the defensive against the tall Haradrim warrior. 

"Uirion!" I shouted, fighting my way to him desperately. An enemy spearman lunged at me as I ran, and I quickly knocked the blade aside, landing a kick to the man's chest that sent him sprawling to the ground. 

Uirion's focus was concentrated on the Slaver's Son, and even at the distance I was at I could see the anger in his eyes. 

I let out a gasp as a massive branch fell not three feet in front of me, effectively blocking my path to the ranger. It had been loud enough, however, to get Uirion's attention, and when he saw me he waved me away.

"Go! Get the others to safety!" He exclaimed over the roaring fire, turning back to block another attack from his foe. 

My eyes darted about desperately. looking for any way to reach him. By now the fire was completely out of control, spreading in every direction as the Haradrim scurried to flee its consuming wrath. But now, the two warriors were surrounded by flames. 

I had to make a choice. And soon. 

"Aerel, Eradan!" I shouted as I turned in their direction. "Go! Get out of here!" 

It took little convincing. As soon as they had pushed back their enemies for a moment, they both bolted in the opposite direction of the fire, quickly disappearing into the smoky night. When I shouted to Thorondir and Ohtar, however, they were more stubborn. 

"I'm not leaving until we all get out alive," Thorondir stated as he came to my side, bow in hand. When he saw Uirion he quickly reached for an arrow, but his eyes widened as he realized his quiver was empty. 

Ohtar was still surrounded by Haradrim, but the number that lie at his feet had increased exponentially since I looked last. "We have to get to Uirion!" 

By now, we could barely see him through the pillars of flame that rose all around him. There was no way we could get through. 

As we stood there attempting to find a solution, I could see that Uirion was quickly losing ground. The Haradrim warrior was filled with bloodlust, and his attacks were quick and relentless. Uirion suddenly fell back, and the Slaver's Son leapt forward, raising his blade to strike the killing blow. 

"No!" I shouted, rushing forward regardless the danger. The heat almost immediately became too much to bear, but I gritted my teeth as I surged forward. At this moment, all I was worried about was saving one of my men. 

But as I pressed through the flames, I knew I couldn't possibly get to him in time... 

The blade lowered as time seemed to hold its breath, and I watched as it sailed through the air toward Uirion. 

Just as I had given up all hope, a flaming arrow shot through the air at lightning speed, hitting the Haradrim square in the chest. He recoiled in shock, dropping the scimitar and giving Uirion time to move out of the way. I quickly glanced in the direction the arrow had come from, a smile of relief tugging at my mouth when I saw who it was. 

Aerel. 

She was holding a Haradrim shortbow in her hand, and at her side was Eradan, who was protecting her from any enemies that strayed too close. 

I let out a gasp of pain as I finally made it through the flames. By then, the Slaver's Son was on the ground, his wild eyes lifelessly cast skyward. 

I hurried to Uirion, who was struggling to rise to his feet. "I think I twisted my ankle," he snorted. 

"You're fortunate that's the worst that happened," I replied with a relieved laugh. "You have Aerel to thank that you're still alive." 

As I helped him up, he met Aerel's gaze and gave her a grateful nod. She smiled back, her expression somewhat meek. 

We rushed back through the flames, but whether by Eru's providence or some random chance it began to rain, soothing the burns we had sustained and beginning to put out the fires that raged through the forest. As we reunited with the others we all embraced, relieved that we had survived. 

"That was a good shot, Aerel," I remarked with an approving smile. 

She slowly nodded, her expression somewhat melancholy. "That was the first Man I've ever killed." 

I took a deep breath. "You saved Uirion. You did what you had to." 

"I know, but..." She paused. "It doesn't make it any easier." 

"It'll get easier with time," I replied in an attempt to reassure her. But even as the words left my lips I knew that they sounded cold. By now, I felt little when I killed Haradrim or Easterlings. They were just like Orcs in my mind. 

I cleared my throat to gain the attention of the rest of the Company. "We'll need to get our bearings, but we should be getting close to Cair Sirion if I'm not mistaken." 

Uirion nodded grimly. "The place may already be taken by now. Perhaps we should disguise ourselves." 

I glanced at the body of a Haradrim warrior, and after a moment I nodded. "The road is being watched by the Enemy already. At the very least, it will make the journey there easier." 

As we all changed into the garb of the Haradrim, I couldn't help but feel a little proud. We had all made it this far mostly unscathed... Surely we could complete our mission now. 

I shouldered the few belongings I had that had survived the river and began to head in the direction of the road. We all felt as if the worst was behind us... But little did any of us know then that the worst trials of our journey were yet to come.