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Gimli spots Aragorn and Maristela and jumps down from the wall, landing in a pool. He hacks the attacking Uruks. "Gimli! Prepare to charge!" Aragorn orders. Gimli continues fighting but is hit and falls into the pool. "Hado i philinn! (Hurl the arrows!)" Aragorn commanded the Elves, "Herio! (Charge!)" They attack, Aragorn leading them. Legolas takes a shield from the ground and rides down the stairs on it, shooting arrows at the Uruks. The Uruks continue flowing in from the hole in the wall, but they are met by men, elves and a dwarf. Legolas rushes over to Maristela while the Uruks are distracted, he drops to his knees and turns her over.

His eyes widened at the gash across her forehead that had coated her fair skin in crimson, a sight that made Legolas feel sick to his stomach. He quickly wiped as much away to clear her sight before lightly shaking her, she coughed before blinking her eyes open. "That fall hurt," Maristela muttered while Legolas smiled at her. "Are you good to fight still?" Legolas asked her, she looked up at him with a determined smirk, "I'm still breathing, aren't I?" Legolas rolled his eyes at her words before helping her up. "Are you certain?" Legolas asked as she stumbled before she pulled her sword free and nodded at Legolas who chose to stay by her in case something went wrong again.

Legolas, Maristela, Gimli and Aragorn are fighting the Orcs just in the wall to prevent them from entering further into Helm's Deep. "Aragorn, pull back to the gate!" Théoden called down from the wall. "Am Marad! (To the Keep!)" Aragorn commanded his soldiers. "Nan barad! Haldir! Nan barad! (Pull back! Haldir! Pull back!)" Maristela shouted up to her friend, he nodded at them before calling for the others to follow the command. Gimli is dragged away by Legolas and Aragorn from the battle, "What are you doing? Stop it!" Haldir calls for his men, but he does not see an Uruk behind him and is struck, Haldir stumbles in pain, as he looks around. Behind him, another Uruk strikes Haldir at his back.

"HALDIR!" Maristela screamed out before the two Uruks suddenly shone silver before exploding into mere dust. Haldir falls on his knees, as Aragorn fights his way up the stairs. Maristela rushes towards the wall using the rubble to climb until she reached him, falling to her knees in front of him as Haldir looks around in disbelief, and sees all the dead elves around him. "No, no, no..." Maristela muttered as she cupped his face in her hands. "It has been an honour, Marisol," Haldir breathed out with a smile on his face, "Until we meet again, mellon. Tell my sons, I am proud." Maristela nodded as Haldir fell forward onto her shoulder, his dying breath leaving him as tears formed into Maristela's eyes.

Maristela dropped her head on Haldir's, her heart was broken as her dear friend took his last breath fighting for a battle she had brought upon him. The blame was on her and she feared facing his wife, Glóredhel and sons, Handir, Húrin and Huor. She remembered the first day she met Haldir, he had been so excited to meet the famed Lady of Starlight and she was honoured to meet the Chieftain of the Haladin in Lothlórien. They had been good friends for almost a thousand years and no matter the distance between them, they were there for each other the moment the other called for them and now those days were over because she had called for him to help in battle rather than leaving to the Valinor with his family.

Aragorn watches with pained eyes as more Uruk-hai approach him. He jumps on one of the ladders and falls down with them. "May you rest easy in Valar, Haldir," Maristela whispered as she closed her eyes and kissed the top of his head, she felt Attica's presence and allowed the Wolfhound to carry Haldir's body to the stable until the battle is done and he could return to his wife and son in Lothlórien. "Brace the gate!" Gamling calls out to his people however, the gate is almost broken. "To the gate! Draw your swords!" Théoden commanded before they all noticed a bright light forming, Théoden turned in awe at the Elven Maiar.

"COVER YOUR EYES!" Théoden screamed to everyone, the Men and Elves quick to follow the King's orders. The light sparked over the Uruks like a shockwave killing a majority of them however, their shields protected them; the mark of Saruman sparkling with a red glow. "To arms!" Théoden shouted once the light faded. Despite the power shift, the Uruks were still advancing with numbers capable of destroying Helm's Deep. The king, with his men, try to defend the breaking gate. "We can't hold much longer," Gamling warns his King. Aragorn rushes to the gate receiving an order, "Hold them!" Aragorn nodded, "How long do you need?"

"As long as you can give me!" Théoden replied as Maristela and Legolas moved to the top of a wall to fire more arrows at the Uruks getting close. Aragorn and Gimli sneak around to the other side of the gate. Aragorn takes a peek at the many Uruks. "Come on. We can take 'em!" Gimli told Aragorn. "It's a long way," Aragorn replied to him. Gimli glances over Aragorn before huffing, "Toss me." Aragorn raises his brow, "What?" Gimli sighed, "I cannot jump the distance so you have to toss me!" Aragorn nods and is about to throw Gimli, but the dwarf stops him, "Eh... Don't tell the elf."

Aragorn grins as he realised he said nothing about telling Maristela, "Not a word." Aragorn throws Gimli, and jumps after him. The two battle the troops at the gate. "Shore up the door!" Théoden ordered his men. However, Saruman's army puts up more ladders. Legolas shoots the chain for one of the ladders. It falls, crushing some of the Uruks below. The men try to seal the gates, as Aragorn and Gimli continue fighting on the other side Théoden calls, "Gimli! Aragorn! Get out of there!" Legolas is standing up on the wall, "Aragorn!" Legolas throws down a rope. Aragorn, holding Gimli with him, jumps on to it. Legolas pulls them both up as Théoden calls for his remaining Men to retreat.

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At Fort Eorlingas, Uruks try to break through the inner door. "The fortress is taken. It is over," Théoden states solemnly as Maristela stood with Legolas and Gimli allowing the Woodland Elf to clean away the blood and dirt from her face. "You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it. They still defend it. They have died defending it!" Aragorn sneered at Théoden. A loud bang at the door is heard. The women and children in the caves cower in fear. "Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Aragorn asked the King and his men who remain silent, "Is there no other way?"

"There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far. The Uruk-hai are too many," Gamling informed Aragorn who grabbed him by the shoulder as he spoke, "Send word for the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance!" Maristela turned to her son as he spoke, she spotted the defeat in Théoden's eyes. "So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?" Théoden spoke making Maristela scoff while Aragorn looks him in the eyes, "Ride out with me." The Uruk-hai keep trying to break the door as Théoden turns to face Aragorn.

"Ride out and meet them," Aragorn spoke with determination, his confidence sparked life back in Théoden's eyes. "For death and glory?" Théoden questioned him. "For Rohan. For your people," Aragorn replied to him. "The sun is rising," Gimli spoke making Maristela smile as she remembered her father's words, "Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the East." Aragorn looks up to the window as the sun rises. "Yes. Yes! The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep, one last time," Théoden preached. "Yes!" Gimli cheers as he climbs up to blow the horn. "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together. Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath. Now for ruin. And the red dawn!" Théoden told Aragorn.

Maristela and Legolas rush out to the stables, Maristela glances at Haldir with a broken expression at the reminder of his death before mounting Attica and following behind Legolas who was riding Arod. "When this battle is over, I will come find you," Legolas told Maristela as Attica and Arod stood by each other, "And we'll have that important discussion." Maristela smiled at Legolas' implication, she looked down at the dagger in her sheath before turning back to Legolas. "I look forward to it, Legolas," Maristela told him, Legolas smiled her way before they faced forward again ready to follow their Kings orders.

The King rides out with Aragorn, Maristela, Legolas and his men by his side. They fight as Gimli blows the horn. The men fight down the causeway into the Uruk army. Aragorn stops and looks up. He sees Gandalf on the back of Shadowfax. "Gandalf," Aragorn breathes out as Maristela grins and Théoden turns to look up. "Théoden king stands alone," Gandalf says before Èomer rides up alongside Gandalf, "Not alone." Èomer draws his sword, "Rohirrim! To the King!" Gandalf and the Rohirrim charge down a hill to Uruk-hai. The Uruk-hai point their spears at them but are blinded when the sun rises. The Uruks flee Helm's Deep. The men shout in victory.

"Stay out of the forest! Keep away from the trees!" Èomer warns the men while Maristela and Attica move forward ahead of everyone seeing the trees alive and fighting back again. "The battle may be over but War is yet to come," Maristela spoke up as the Uruks ran into the forest, it groaned and swayed as horrible sounds emerged informing Maristela that they had all perished at the hands of the Ents and nature. She turned her head to Gandalf, "I'd be right to assume a certain two Hobbits are responsible for the Ents waking up, huh?" Gandalf grinned at his daughter before frowning at the injuries and pain in her eyes.

The Rohirrim are clearing Uruk bodies. Gimli sits on one, smoking his pipe. "Final count: forty-two," Legolas informed Gimli. "Forty-two?! That's not bad for a pointy-eared Elvish princeling. I myself am sitting pretty on forty-three." Gimli replied to him with a grin. Legolas frowns. He draws his bow and shoots Gimli's Uruk, "Forty-three." Gimli looked at Legolas in disbelief, "He was already dead." Legolas shook his head, "He was twitching." Gimli raised a brow at Legolas, "He was twitching because he's got my axe embedded in his nervous system!" Gimli wiggles the axe handle, making the Uruk twitch as Maristela walked by, "I'm on two hundred and six." Both males turned to her with wide eyes.

Gandalf and his company sit on their horses, Maristela upon a horse as Attica was returning Haldir to his family with the company of Elves sent back to Lothlórien carrying their dead. They look towards Mordor as Gandalf speaks, "Sauron's wrath will be terrible, his retribution swift. The battle for Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle-Earth is about to begin. All our hopes now lie with two little hobbits. Somewhere in the wilderness." Maristela let out a slow breath as she turned to look at her father before looking back at Aragorn who nodded his head at her in assurance. She wasn't sure what would happen next but she was glad she wasn't alone.

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Rosemary Speaks

R.I.P Haldir
(Despite the fact he only dies in the movie...)

And that's the end of Act Five -- The Two Towers. It was a short act but hey, the end of the story is coming!

Thoughts?

See you in the next act!