And so, the people of Rohan continued on their treacherous march to Helm's Deep. And continuing around lakes. Jon, the Hound, and Sansa walking as Gimli rode on Horseback as it was lead by Eowyn.
"It's true, you don't see many Dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they're often mistaken for Dwarf Men." Gimli was saying.
Eowyn smiled and looked back at Aragorn, riding his horse.
"It's the beards." Aragorn whispered, as he gestured to an imaginary beard on his chin. Eowyn grinned and looked back to Gimli.
Sansa stroked her own chin. She was glad that she didn't have a beard.
"Sansa. You don't have a beard." Jon reminded. "Though... Arya tried to grow a beard once. It was made out of the ashes from the fireplace. She tried to convince Father that she could be a knight if she could grow a beard."
Eowyn laughed.
"Mother did not find it funny." Sansa pointed out. "I wonder what Tyrion would've looked like with a beard." She then looked at Eowyn. "Political Marriage. Ex Husband. Long Story."
"This in turn, has given rise to the belief, that there are no Dwarf women." Gimli went on. "And that Dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground."
Eowyn laughed again as Gimli laughed too. As did Jon.
"Which is of course, ridiculous." Gimli said. And then he threw his hands up and the horse suddenly galloped off, throwing Gimli to the ground and to a group of people.
"Gimli? You okay?" Sansa asked smiling and she and Eowyn quickly ran to help him.
"It's alright. Nobody panic." Gimli assured as he got up. "That was deliberate. It was deliberate."
Aragorn, Théoden, and Jon rode side by side with grins wieldy.
"I haven't seen my niece smile for a long time. She was a girl when they brought her Father back dead. Cut down by Orcs. She watched her mother succumb to grief." Théoden explained. "Then 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."
"It's a story the Little Bird knows all too well." The Hound replied. "She watched her Father's head fall by those trying to initiate a coup."
"She was alone for a long time." Jon said while he looked to Sansa who was smiling for the first time in a long time. He then looked at the Hound. "Thanks for keeping her safe at the very least."
"I didn't do anything but just watch." The Hound replied with a low opinion of himself.
"He doesn't smile much, does he?" Théoden asked.
"Nope." Jon answered.
By Midday, the people of Rohan rested. Eowyn walked up to Gimli and Aragorn with a Cooking Pot and a bowl.
"Gimli?" Eowyn offered.
But Gimli just looked at the Pot and realized that it must've tasted horrible so he didn't take it. "No, I couldn't. I really couldn't." He dismissed.
Eowyn walked past him to Aragorn who was cleaning his sword. "I made some stew. It isn't much, but it's hot." She filled up a bowl and passed it to Aragorn.
"Thank you." Aragorn thanked. He tasted it, but it really was terrible and he tried to hide a grimace. Not wanting to upset Eowyn or anything like that he said: "It's good."
"Really?" Eowyn asked happily. She turned and saw Jon walking up. "Oh, Lord Snow..."
"Just Jon is fine." Jon assured her not wanting to be called a Lord.
"Would you like some stew?" Eowyn asked.
Jon looked at Aragorn who was pouring the stew on the ground, and shaking his head at Jon not to take it. "I think I'm good." He answered.
Eowyn turned back to Aragorn. "My Uncle told me a strange thing."
Aragorn stopped dumping the stew to turn back to Eowyn. Eowyn did not notice. "He said that you rode to war with Thengal, my Grandfather. But he must be mistaken."
"King Théoden has a good memory. He was only a small child at the time." Aragorn replied.
Eowyn looked at Aragorn. "Then you must be at least 60."
Aragorn looked a bit embarrassed.
"Seventy?" Eowyn asked.
Aragorn shook his head again. "But you cannot be 80!" Eowyn protested.
Aragorn looked at the ground. "87." He answered.
"87?" Jon asked. "You look great for your age."
Eowyn realized something. "You are one of the Dunedain. A descendant of Numenor, blessed with long life. It was said that your race had passed into legend."
"There are few of us left." Aragorn confirmed. "The Northern Kingdom was destroyed long ago."
"I'm sorry." Eowyn replied. "Please, eat."
And Aragorn reluctantly continued his meal while she watched him.
As Jon walked away, he thought of something. "87. Wait till I tell Sansa." He thought. That must've been why Arwen was into Aragorn. They were both incredibly old for their age.
Around Nightfall, Aragorn sat smoking his pipe and thinking of Arwen. It had been several months now since leaving Rivendell. "The light of the Evenstar does not wax and wane. It is mine to give to whom I will. Like my heart. Go to sleep." He heard Arwen's voice.
"I am asleep." Aragorn replied as he opened his eyes. Now he was lying on a couch in Rivendell. And he saw Arwen standing over him. "This is a dream."
"Then it is a good dream." Arwen leaned down and kissed him. Aragorn proceeded to stroke her face and she look at him concerned and then kissed him again. "Sleep."
Aragorn closed his eyes and Arwen proceeded to stand and move to look out at the gardens. Remembering the peace before the Fellowship set off on their journey. "Minl pendich nin i aur hen telitha." (You told me once that this day would come.) He said.
"I vethed... no i onnad. Boe bedich go Frodo. Han bad len." (This is not the end... it is the beginning. You must go with Frodo. That is your path.) Arwen insisted.
Aragorn sighed and stood up, walking over to Arwen. "Dolen i ved o nin." (My path is hidden from me.) He admitted. Perhaps because of his destiny to sit on the Throne of Gondor.
And Arwen knew this too. "Si peliannen i vad na dail len. Si boe dhannathach." (It is already laid before your feet. You cannot falter now.)
"Arwen." Aragorn started to say. But Arwen put her hand to his lips to silence him and moved it down to the Evenstar around his neck.
"Ae esteliach nad... estelio han. Estelio ammen." (If you trust nothing else... trust this. Trust us.) Arwen said to him. Arwen told Aragorn and then they both proceeded to kiss.
Unfortunately, it was something that Aragorn knew was not going to last long. He had spoken to Elrond as well before leaving Rivendell. "Our time is ending. Arwen's time is ending. Let her go." He requested. "Let her take the ship into the west. Let her bear away her love for you to the Undying Lands. There it will be ever green."
Aragorn at first refused. "But never more than memory."
"I will not leave my daughter here to die." Elrond said.
"She stays because she still has hope." Aragorn shot back.
"She stays for you. She belongs with her people." Elrond countered.
Aragorn walked away after that. He knew that was bound to happen. He respected Elrond's wishes compared to having Arwen choose over mortality over his love.
That next day. Aragorn was preparing to leave Rivendell. With the Fellowship. And he had the unfortunate fate of running into Arwen. "Nach gwannatha sin?" (Is this how you would take your leave?) She asked.
Aragorn turned to look at her, but then continued to walk away. It wasn't easy to say goodbye like that. And Arwen was not in the mood for that answer as she walked around and in front of him. "Ma nathach hi gwannathach or minuial archened?" (Did you think you could slip away at first light unnoticed?) Arwen asked again. And knowing that saying nothing to a Girlfriend was even worse than explaining things to them.
After a pause, Aragorn sighed. "A-ethelithon." (I will not be coming back.) He said continued to walk.
Arwen followed him though. "Estelio guru len ne dagor. Ethelithach." (You underestimate your skill in battle. You will come back.) She insisted thinking that's what Aragorn was referring to.
"E-bedin o gurth ne dagor." (It is not of death in battle that I speak.) Aragorn admitted.
Arwen placed a hand on Aragorn's arm. "O man pedich?" (What do you speak of?) She asked.
"Edra le men, men na guil edwen. Haer o auth a nor a naeth." (You have a chance for another life. Away from war... grief... despair.) Aragorn answered.
"Why are you saying this?" Arwen asked confused.
And Aragorn didn't want to just straight up tell Arwen that her Father said no. "I am Mortal. You are Elf Kind. It was a dream, Arwen. Nothing more."
"I don't believe you." Arwen replied. She didn't live for Thousands of years by being stupid.
Aragorn took Arwen's hand though and opened his own showing her the Evenstar. "This belongs to you." He said.
Arwen looked at the Evenstar, then back at Aragorn. "It was a gift. Keep it."
"Aragorn?" Aragorn heard another voice.
Aragorn was snapped back to his senses as it was now day and he and the Fellowship were still walking to Helm's Deep. "Aragorn?" Sansa snapped her fingers at Aragorn.
"Oh, Sansa." Aragorn snapped back to his senses. "What is it?" He asked.
"You zoned out on us." Sansa answered. "Eowyn was asking you a question about that necklace. About who had it and where she was?"
Aragorn turned to see Eowyn looking at him. "My Lord?" Eowyn asked again.
"Which girl are we talking about again?" Sansa asked.
"Arwen." Aragorn answered.
"Oh, yeah. That Elf Lady who saved Frodo from the Nazgul." Sansa remembered.
"From the Nazgul?" Eowyn asked.
"Yes. See... Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, and I were atop of Weathertop. We got attacked by the Nazgul. Frodo got stabbed with some sort of strange blade. And we had to get Frodo to Rivendell to save him. Ran into Arwen on the way. She took Frodo. And the Elves saved him. Happy ending." Sansa explained. She couldn't believe she said it like that. "And I have been spending way too much time around Arya and the Hound."
"She is now sailing to the Undying Lands. With all that is left of her kin." Aragorn informed sadly.
Sansa went back to walking with Jon. "That's unfortunate." She said to Jon.
"What is?" Jon asked.
"That Arwen is leaving Aragorn while we're here." Sansa answered.
"Don't worry about it too much." Jon assured. "Hey, it's better than falling in love with a Wildling only to realize that she doesn't feel the same way and shoots and arrow right at you." Referring to what happened to him and Ygritte.
"And also, finding out your true love is actually a really big dick." Sansa added referring to her situation.
"Sansa. Joffrey wasn't your true love. You only thought he was." Jon reminded.
Sansa nodded. "True. Hey, Hound have you ever-?" She started to ask.
"No." The Hound answered walking past them.
"Yeah... I didn't think so." Sansa said.
As they continued to walk, Hama and Gamling rode past all the walkers. Legolas was standing on top of a Hillock looking onward. He saw the Horsemen ride past.
"Wonder what's got them, in a hurry." Jon thought out loud.
The Horsemen suddenly paused. The Horses suddenly paused and started acting scared.
"What is it?" Gamling asked. "Hama?"
"I'm not sure." Hama answered.
What it was, was over their heads on the cliff face. A Warg and its Orc Rider. The Warg ran down the cliff towards the two men and threw Hama off his horse. Hama yelled. But the Warg turned around to Hama on the ground. Charging at him and killing him.
"What was that?" Sansa asked nervous hearing the noise. "Is it another Orc attack?"
"Wargs!" Gamling yelled as the Warg threw Hama's body to the side. He drew his sword crossing the Orcs sword and also fighting off the snarling Warg.
Fortunately, Legolas had run down the hill, and shot the Warg with an arrow. The Orc was thrown off. Legolas ran with his dagger drawn and the Orc yelled at Legolas.
Aragorn, Sansa, and Jon all ran up the hillside. "Oh, great! Not these guys again!" Sansa complained.
"A Scout!" Legolas yelled kicking off the Orc.
Aragorn hurried back down the Hill to the Rohirrim.
"What is it? What do you see?" Théoden asked as he rode up to Aragorn.
"WARGS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Aragorn yelled running down the hill.
And that was enough to get the people of Rohan to start panicking. "Get them out of here!" Aragorn yelled.
"I told you we never should've let Wormtongue go!" Sansa shouted.
"And you were right, Sansa. Now come on!" Jon replied grabbing her. "And I assume that those Creatures the Orc was riding was a Warg."
"That's correct." Aragorn answered.
But there was no time to think about stuff like that. "Can't go with a simple walk in peace, can we?" The Hound asked shaking his head and drawing out his sword as he got on his Horse.
"All riders to the head of the Column!" Théoden ordered.
Jon had started to mount his horse. "Jon?" Sansa asked.
"Sansa. Get all these people out of here while we deal with the Wargs." Jon ordered. "You understand?"
Sansa didn't seem to want to budge. "Shouldn't I help you fight the Wargs?" She asked.
"You have experience in riding in a Horse Battle?" Jon asked.
"No." Sansa admitted. And then she saw Gimli trying to mount a horse albeit not too well.
"Come on. Get me up here. I'm a rider. Come on!" Gimli yelled at people who were trying to help him up the Horse.
"Yeah... that might be for the best." Sansa agreed. She remembered now how when she, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin encountered the Nazgul at Weathertop. And how they would've been killed if not for the intervention of Arya, the Hound, and Aragorn.
Legolas in the meantime, went over the hill to see a whole pack of Wargs and Orcs riding them over a hill. All of them galloping to kill all the Rohirrim.
"Don't panic! Everyone don't panic!" Sansa yelled trying to calm the unruly mob.
Théoden, in the meantime rode up to Eowyn. "You and Lady Stark must lead the people to Helm's Deep, and make haste." He ordered.
"I can fight!" Eowyn protested.
"No!" Théoden shot down. "You must do this. For me."
Eowyn looked at him for a moment, but she reluctantly agreed.
Théoden turned back to his fellow Horsemen. "Follow me!" And he rode out.
"Jon!" Sansa yelled as Jon mounted his sword and drew out Longclaw.
Jon turned back. "Stay safe." Sansa said nervously.
"I'll be fine, Sansa." Jon assured. "I'm off to go show those beasts what a real Wolf is like."
"Come on, Snow!" The Hound yelled. "Oh, and if this goes South, you might want to fly to Helm's Deep, little bird. And fast." He told Sansa.
"That's reassuring." Sansa thought to herself. And she saw Gimli's horse going back.
"Forward. I mean, charge forward." Gimli ordered the horse.
"Make for the lower ground!" Eowyn shouted to the people and few remaining Rohirrim Guards escorting the people.
"Stay together!" Sansa yelled helping escort the people.
And both she and Eowyn look backed at the Riders. Aragorn paused and turned his horse around to look at them. Then he, Jon, and the Hound rode off with the others.
"They'll be fine. It'll take more than a pack of Wargs to kill a Stark." Sansa assured. "And once we get to Helm's Deep, I'll make sure that Winter is Coming for Saruman."
"Winter is Coming?" Eowyn asked.
"It's my Family's saying." Sansa answered.
Meanwhile back on the Hilltop, Legolas fired off his arrows from a great distance. It shot one Warg charging down a hill. Even if more Wargs were charging forward. Legolas fired another shot. That killed another Warg. Behind him, the Horse Riders were coming up. Quickly turning, in one second, he grabbed the strapping round the Horse that Gimli was riding, swung himself up onto the saddle.
"How does he do that?" The Hound grumbled.
The Wargs in the meantime continued to ride full force at the Rohirrim. The Rohirrim all drew out their swords and other weapons to confront them. Both sides roaring out battle cries.
"Stay strong! Ride true!" Jon yelled.
And in another second. Both sides clashed commencing the battle. One Rohirrim threw a Javelin at an Orc and the Orc fell to the ground. Legolas also fired arrows killing another Warg. A few Rohirrim fell down though and were attacked by the Wargs.
Jon was also slashing out Longclaw on the Orc and the Warg near him. He then turned to see the Hound slash his Greatsword on one Orc. So deep that it hit the Warg as well. "I HATE ORCS!" The Hound yelled.
Gimli had slid from his Horse though.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Jon grunted. He rode off to go help Gimli.
But Gimli was ready for a fight himself. He saw a Warg feeding on a Dead Man. The Warg noticed him and snarled at Gimli. "Bring your pretty face to my axe." Gimli dared.
The Warg ran towards Gimli. Just as it was about to pounce though, Legolas rode up beside the Warg, shot an arrow and killing it right up to Gimli's feet.
"That one counts as mine!" Gimli yelled to Legolas. He then turned to face another Warg about to attack him. He swung his axe at the Warg, killing it. But the Warg fell on top of Gimli, and pinned him to the ground. "Stinking creature."
Another Warg had charged at Jon on Horseback. But Jon was a decent Swordsman. He sliced off the head of an Orc. And then slashing the Warg, right as Théoden, and Aragorn were right next to him. One Rohirrim was also firing arrows at Wargs. Until one had struck him and killed him.
Gimli, meanwhile tried to lift the Warg off him. Unfortunately, an Orc appeared from behind the Warg with his sword raised. Gimli swiftly broke the Orcs neck but unfortunately, now that Orc now fell on Gimli adding the weight. Gimli groaned. And he also took a whiff of the Orc. It smelled horrible to him. But as he slowly tried to life both, another Warg had come crawling over the top of the plie, barreling its teeth at Gimli. His eyes widened when he realized that he was screwed.
Aragorn saw the Warg, rode over, grabbed a spear and threw it at the Warg killing it. And that too added onto the pile. Gimli groaned. Just one bad moment after another it seemed.
Théoden continued to fight off Orcs, and also stabbed a Warg right inside the mouth.
Jon got off his Horse and was working to get Gimli off the pile. "How do you get 2 Wargs and an Orc on you, Gimli?" He asked.
"You tell me!" Gimli answered. "Now get me out of this and back into the fight!"
Jon looked at the battle though. The Hound was on the ground now, and swinging his sword around at the Wargs and Orcs now circling him. He swung at the Warg killing it around the neck. "Orcs are stupid to go against the Hound." He said.
But all of a sudden. A Warg had pounced on Aragorn's horse, knocking Aragorn off his horse. He jumped to his feet, right as an Orc, riding a Warg raced past. Aragorn had managed to grab the saddle of the Warg and pulled himself up behind the orc. Aragorn had managed to headbutt the Orc. But the Orc had managed a backhand on Aragorn knocking off the saddle. Now he was being dragged on the ground. He did manage to reach up and grab his dagger and stab the Orc. The Orc fell off the Warg, but Aragorn's hand caught in the strapping. The Warg raced towards a cliff top, but with no signs of slowing. The Warg then slipped then fell over the cliff taking Aragorn with it over the edge.
Gimli had managed to get out of the bind he was in thanks to Jon. And both had managed to kill another Warg.
"Die already!" The Hound pierced a Warg's Skull. He slid the sword out of the Warg.
Jon sighed. He then turned to see what was left of the Wargs all fleeing. "I think that's it." He said.
"For now." The Hound replied.
The battle had been won but at a price. In its wake was a field of dead men and Orcs. That was when Jon noticed something wasn't right. He couldn't find Aragorn at all. "Aragorn?" He asked.
Legolas was also looking at the battlefield. "Aragorn!" He yelled.
Gimli also paused. "Aragorn?" He asked.
The Hound looked around. He couldn't find Aragorn anywhere. "Dammit." He grumbled. They had lost another one.
Théoden scanned the field for signs of Aragorn. No sign.
"He's got to be around here somewhere." Jon said, his voice starting to panic.
"Snow." The Hound started to say.
Legolas walked towards the cliff top.
"Aragorn!" Jon yelled again. Over the long months. He and Aragorn had formed a friendship. And to see a friend fall like that. Jon shook his head. "No..."
The Orc that was on Horseback, had suddenly started laughing on the ground.
"What's so funny?" Jon asked, his voice getting angry.
Gimli went up to him with his axe raised. "Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing." He snarled.
"He's..." There was a cough from the Orc. "...Dead." Then he laughed. "He took a little tumble off the Cliff." The Orc taunted. Right as Théoden ran over to the cliff.
Legolas kneeled down and grabbed the Orc. "You lie." He was angry too.
The Orc had died.
"I don't think he was lying." The Hound replied. "I know when Men die. They're either die with the last laugh. Or there's regret in them. This one sounds like he had the last laugh."
Legolas looked down at the Orc's hand and found the Evenstar in them.
"This was Aragorn's." Jon realized.
Legolas quickly ran up to Théoden who was already looking over the edge. Both were slowly joined by Gimli, Jon, and the Hound. And what they saw was a very deep ravine with a fast flowing river below and no sign of any bodies.
Jon looked heart broken. And he was taking deep breaths. "There's no way he could've survived that." He said.
"We thought the same for Gandalf and look how that turned out." The Hound pointed out.
"Except Aragorn isn't a Wizard." Jon replied. He then shook his head. "How am I going to explain this to Sansa?" He thought.
Gamling had suddenly walked up to the group. Théoden turned to Gamling. He knew they couldn't stay there. "Get the wounded on Horses. The Wolves of Isengard will return." He ordered and after a short pause. "Leave the dead."
Legolas looked at him in disbelief. How could the King make that decision? But Théoden placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come." He insisted.
"Your Grace, we can't just-" Jon started to say.
"Jon." The Hound said with a sad nod. "He's right. We stay here, we're all dead."
Legolas starred into the river right as he was grasping the Evenstar. But in the end. They all started to leave.