I stood at the city wall on a vantage point and just stared into the distance. A few hours ago there had been the funeral of the king's son. Thèoden was still filled with grief, unable to act at the moment, but he would have to soon. I squinted my eyes as two dots crept over the horizon. They were coming steadily closer. By stature they had to be elves or humans, each of the riders had a child sitting in front of them. Although my gut told me that there was no danger from these riders, I ran into the hall where Gandalf and Thèoden were sitting. A little louder than I had intended, I pushed the door open. Thèoden was sitting on his throne, resting his head in his hand. Gimli and Aragorn sat on a table, eating a decent meal with relish for the first time in a week, Legolas simply leaning against a pillar beside them, his face thoughtful.
"My Lord." I bowed my head to the King "Two horsemen approach."
As if the chair had been set on fire Thèoden jumped up "What horsemen!?"
" Uncertain, they wear hoods." Thèoden's gaze darkened "But they have two children with them."
The king ran his hand through his bard "Let them pass, but be ready for anything." He ordered his guards.
"Have you been able to discern anything else?" Aragorn chewed his pipe not particularly concerned.
I shook my head "No but I don't think they are hostile to us." One of the riders even looked familiar, something about his posture, but I didn't know exactly who, I had seen him too shortly for that. The king's guards spread out to the sides of the hall. Thèoden himself sat back on his throne, surely he wanted to show the horsemen who was in charge in this hall, whoever they might be. I leaned against the pillar facing Legolas. Crossing one foot, I stood relaxed, to untrained eyes anyway, for I held my hands clasped in such a way that I could draw my swords within the blink of an eye.
The large double-winged door was pushed open by the guards who were posted in front of the door. Behind them walked the two horsemen. One of them was carrying a girl, no older than eight, in his arms, whether she was asleep or had fainted was not clear. Next to the second rider walked with unsteady steps a boy, he had to be about thirteen. Two guards came and took the children with them to one of the large tables, where they first gave them something to drink. Now that I saw the riders up close, I knew without a doubt that they were elves. Apart from their almost floating gait, one wore the typical Elven travelling outfit and the other a silver cloak, under which black boots and an orange shirt peeped out here and there. They still wore their hoods.
Thèoden eyed the two figures suspiciously "Tell me what brings you to Rohan?"
"I am not here to harm you, Thèoden King of Rohan." the slightly taller rider raised his head a little.
But I had known who was under that hood since the first word.
I grinned as the rider with the silver cloak removed his hood to reveal Thranduil beneath it.
Thranduil took a few more steps towards the throne "The Woodland Kingdom offers you its assistance in these difficult times."
For a moment Thèoden just stared at the Elf, for if there was anything he had not expected it was this "And gratefully I will accept it." he nodded to Thranduil.
Now that the two kings were finished I too greeted Thranduil "You can't resist a dramatic entrance can you?"
Thranduil smiled slightly "And you never manage to stay out of trouble."
When he was right, he was right. Laughing I hugged him, something that was unusual for Elves but had somehow become our greeting "How are Kili, and my children?" I really hoped Thranduil had news of my loved ones.
" Kili sends word that you should not be reckless. Lillith, Andrea and Jessel can hardly be kept in Erebor, they are eager to prove themselves warriors." Thranduil's expression darkened slightly "But the darkness is increasing, that is why I am here."
Before I could continue my conversation with Thranduil, Legolas came up "Ada bân le tirad."
Relief flitted across Thranduil's face as he hugged Legolas "I am so glad you are well." he also replied in Sindarin.
The idyll was interrupted by Gimli who started grumbling next to me "That's typical, you talk to each other and the rest don't understand a word."
"Don't be so sure dwarf." Gimli's eyes widened in surprise as Thranduil addressed him about Khuzdul "I speak more than one language."
I had taught Thranduil the dwarven language decades ago, by now he spoke it almost as well as Sindarin. But then I remembered that Thranduil and his companion were not the only ones who had come to the golden hall. My eyes wandered to the two children, who were sitting at a table wrapped in two blankets and being fed a stew by Èowyn. "Where did you pick them up?" I asked Thranduil. I could guess what had happened, Saruman was on the move and the first to feel his war were unarmed, defenceless villages on the border of Rohan.
"About an hour's journey east of here," Thranduil now directed his words back to Thèoden, "Men from the mountains attacked your village, they said they came from nowhere."
Thèoden ran his fingers over his eyes.
"This is just a taste." Gandalf sat giving advice next to the king "of all the horror Saruman will bring upon your people."
I clenched my hands into fists, Saruman would pay for his treachery sooner or later. One way or another, but now Thèoden had to decide what he would do to save his people.
"I will not risk open war with Saruman." Thèoden looked thoughtfully out the window.
I exchanged a glance with Aragorn, who seemed to have the same thought as me "Open war is coming without a doubt." I could only speak from experience, if anyone sought war there would be war and Saruman sought war "Whether you want to risk it or not."
Thèoden looked at me arrogantly "I know who you are, even if you have fought a great many battles, I am still the king here."
I bit my lower lip "And what does the king decide?"
"We will take refuge in Helm's Deep, Saruman will cut his teeth on that fortress." Thèoden rose from his throne "See that all are ready to leave within the hour!" then, accompanied by his captains, he walked into the private part of the golden hall.
I ran my fingers through my hair in exasperation "What makes him think he will be safer there?" Saruman would march his orcish forces there too.
"That fortress has protected them before." Aragorn was still chewing on his pipe "he is doing what he thinks is right for his people."
Gandalf jumped up from his chair "He would have two thousand fighting men, but instead he hides." he hurried out the door.
For a moment I stared after him, then I ran after him "Gandalf, where are you going?" I caught him just as he swung on Shadowfur.
"I'll be back in five days when the sun rises, look to the west." he gave Shadowfur a light tap with his feet and galloped out of the stables, almost riding around Thranduil and Feren.
I quickly lost sight of Gandalf and turned my attention quickly to the two Elves.
"Ride back to the Woodland Realm as fast as you can and come back with any Elf who can fight." Thranduil looked up at Feren who was already on horseback "I just doubt there will be enough."
Feren nodded once more to Thranduil "My King." then he was the second rider today to dash out of the stables to bring warriors to help for the battle that was yet to come.
I looked to Thranduil who had a rather hopeless expression on his face "Don't give up hope, the humankind are more resilient than you think."
"That is not what worries me." Thranduil's gaze wandered into the distance "It is the increasing darkness that worries me."
Unconsciously my hand wandered to the chain around my neck "We'll just have to trust that the Hobbit will do his job. Until then, we can do nothing but hope."
"And slashing orcs." I had to grin when I heard Gimli's voice behind me.
I turned to the dwarf who had come with Aragorn and Legolas to fetch our horses, for it was time to set off "Yes Gimli, orcs we will slash many." I pulled myself with difficulty onto a horse that was slightly smaller than all the others and steered it behind those of Aragorn, Legolas and Thranduil, Gimli again rode with Legolas. It seems to me that a friendship developed between the two. When I rode out of the stables, many people had already passed through the city gate. With a dull feeling in my stomach I looked at the many children and at the luggage which made us very slow.
"It will be alright." Aragorn reined in his horse beside me, obviously looking out for someone.
"Let's hope so." I spurred my horse and mingled with those walking.

We had been walking for a couple of hours. So far all was quiet, the scouts we sent ahead on horseback every half hour had not been able to detect the slightest danger. I rode next to Thranduil and was amused by Gimli's tale he told Èowyn "and so we got the misconception that there are no dwarf women and that dwarves are born from holes in the ground." Èowyn laughed heartily at Gimli's story.
The dwarf also laughed at his own tale "Which of course is nonsense!" all at once Gimli's horse bolted and the dwarf fell down heavy as a stone.
I snorted as Thranduil beside me forced a grin.
Quickly Gimli was on his feet again "No harm done, it was on purpose!" he enlightened us all. I was still laughing when I saw the look on Thranduil's face "What's wrong."
Thranduil opened his mouth, but before he could answer me there was a shout from one of the scouts "Warge and Orcs, they are attacking us!"
The people panicked, I just gave a resigned sigh, I knew from the start that it had only been a matter of time before we were attacked.
"All riders to the top of the ridge." Thèoden kept his cool as one of the few humans " Èowyn lead the people to Helm's Deep." The King spurred his horse " Go on Riders of Rohan!" he rode towards the ridge where Legolas stood, already taking out some of the Orcs with his arrows. I spurred my horse and drew both my swords with only my legs to steer my horse towards the ridge. Behind me I heard Gimli swear "Come on you horse forward!" then the horse finally seemed to do what he wanted and he closed in on the rest of us. I twirled my swords around their own axis in sync and jumped so that my feet were on the horse's saddle. I lunged at an orc, piercing its skull and knocking it off its mount, which I sent to its death with a well-aimed thrust into its neck. I jumped off the warg and got back on my feet within seconds. I slithered under a warg and slashed at it as I went, its rider sailing straight into Thranduil's sword. On and on I stabbed, decapitating orcs and slitting throats. All at once I saw Aragorn flinging an orc from the warg, but caught on the saddle of the beast, which just stubbornly kept running. "Aragorn!" I yelled, for the warg was running straight for a cliff. I ran, but I was too slow. I watched helplessly as Aragorn disappeared over the cliff and plunged into the depths. Seconds after Aragorn fell over the cliff, I reached the precipice and looked down with a blank stare. A river littered with rocks meandered through the valley, no one could survive this fall. I fell to my knees, my swords slipping from my hand, not even noticing the sounds of battle diminishing.
"Aragorn!" Legolas' shout snapped me out of my trance.
Two tears ran down my cheeks in sync "Legolas." my voice broke a little.
Legolas came running horrified he looked down the cliff and then back at me.
I looked up at him in despair "I couldn't save him."
Struggling to control himself, Legolas breathed deeply in and out, tears forming in his eyes. Thranduil came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder "I am so sorry."
Thèoden came over "The wargs will return." he looked around the battlefield, death was well deserved today the meadow was littered with orc carcasses but also some men of Rohan would see their ancestors again in their halls today "Get the wounded onto the horses." Thèoden looked down the cliffs once more "leave the dead."
I jumped up and glared at him, we couldn't just let Aragorn rot in that river. But I was too filled with grief to enter into a discussion with the king, which would have been pointless anyway. Dejectedly, I picked up my swords again, wiped them a little in the meadow and put them on my belt. Since I was of no particular help in lifting the wounded men onto the horses, I kept an eye on the surroundings to make sure that the Warge did not launch another attack. After all the men were on horseback, we set off in the direction of the fortress. I led two horses, one on each hand, and looked anxiously at Legolas. I was afraid his heart would break, he had lost his best friend. Aragorn's death had torn a deep hole in the heart of each of us. And still the worst was yet to come.