‹ Prequel: A Mistake
Sequel: An Acceptance ›
A Burden
Brotherly Love
Several minutes later, after some serious running on Raina’s part, she finally fought her way towards the gate, where even more Uruks were about to burst in.
“Brace the gates! Brace the gate!”
It was all Raina had heard as she fought and ran, she heard it from everyone. From people of authority commanding those men lesser, the weaker passing it along, and the confused boys telling each other because there wasn’t much else they could do.
But finally, she got to the gate. She saw Théoden and his men around, but not Legolas, Aragorn, or Gimli.
That is, until she heard a door shut quietly. She squinted through the mass of Men and saw the concealed door going outside, right next to the gate. Surely, that would be her friends.
She shimmied her way through everyone, trying not to bump into anyone and draw attention to herself. Mostly, for the first time, the army didn’t pay any attention to her.
She opened the door, and looking back as she left, slipped through, and out into the open air filled with the roars of the enemy.
A few feet away Aragorn and Gimli were whispering to each other about the Uruks on the other side of the wall. Raina stayed to the shadows as she closed the door silently behind her.
“Toss me,” Gimli was saying, his head bent in shame.
Aragorn grinned. “What?”
“I cannot jump the distance so you have to toss me!” he repeated quickly, wanting to get the words out of his mouth so he could forget about them later on.
Aragorn nodded and was about to throw him, but Gimli stopped him.
“Eh… don’t tell the Elves.”
Raina laughed at this, and they both turned around to face her.
“Too late!” she said with a giggle before joining them at the edge of the land.
Aragorn laughed and tossed Gimli into the mass of Uruks, and he and Raina jumped after him, their swords raised to chop down as many living things as possible.
With so many unarmed, unsuspecting targets (most of them only had their shield out) it was easy for Raina to kill just as many of the things as Gimli, who was still keeping count for later.
Behind them, the wood was being replaced quickly, and Raina heard Théoden calling out to them.
“Aragorn, get out of there!” he said before sealing the hole completely.
Raina turned around. About fifty lay dead around her, but she was looking for Aragorn and Gimli in the mess. They were on the other side, motioning for her to come quickly.
She jumped over the bodies, hating the awful slurping sound the open wounds made when she stepped on them, and was over there as Legolas called down to them.
“Raina! Aragorn!”
A rope was then thrown down to them, and although Raina had no idea how Legolas alone was going to pull all three of them up, she grabbed hold of it first, with Aragorn and Gimli under her as Legolas started pulling.
As she was being pulled up, she started climbing the rope, getting to the top before Aragorn and Gimli were even a quarter of the way up.
She jumped over the wall easily, and without a word, started helping Legolas pull the others up. After a minute, everyone was safely back on the other side of the Keep.
Raina let out her breath, resisting the urge to collapse onto the ground and just accept death and everlasting sleep. At the moment, the everlasting sleep part seemed amazingly tempting, for it must have been at least five in the morning.
“Pull everybody back,” Théoden was telling his men from the other side of the Keep. “Pull them all back!”
Raina straightened up, and she and Legolas looked at each other for a moment. The gaze was of mixed feelings -- overwhelming joy that they were both still alive and well, but despair because they both knew that by puling back to the caves, they would be trapped and ready for slaughter. But mostly love, brotherly love in Raina’s case. After a long moment, they knew that they needed to spread the word to those Men on this side of the Keep. So without a word, they turned away from each other and started walking through the Men around them, calling out.
“Fall back! Back to the caves! Pull back! Go!” Raina commanded, hoping that the Men would take the five foot girl giving them commands seriously.
On the other side, she heard Legolas saying the same things, and then the Men around them telling everyone else.
“Fall back! Retreat! Retreat! To the caves!”
“Brace the gates! Brace the gate!”
It was all Raina had heard as she fought and ran, she heard it from everyone. From people of authority commanding those men lesser, the weaker passing it along, and the confused boys telling each other because there wasn’t much else they could do.
But finally, she got to the gate. She saw Théoden and his men around, but not Legolas, Aragorn, or Gimli.
That is, until she heard a door shut quietly. She squinted through the mass of Men and saw the concealed door going outside, right next to the gate. Surely, that would be her friends.
She shimmied her way through everyone, trying not to bump into anyone and draw attention to herself. Mostly, for the first time, the army didn’t pay any attention to her.
She opened the door, and looking back as she left, slipped through, and out into the open air filled with the roars of the enemy.
A few feet away Aragorn and Gimli were whispering to each other about the Uruks on the other side of the wall. Raina stayed to the shadows as she closed the door silently behind her.
“Toss me,” Gimli was saying, his head bent in shame.
Aragorn grinned. “What?”
“I cannot jump the distance so you have to toss me!” he repeated quickly, wanting to get the words out of his mouth so he could forget about them later on.
Aragorn nodded and was about to throw him, but Gimli stopped him.
“Eh… don’t tell the Elves.”
Raina laughed at this, and they both turned around to face her.
“Too late!” she said with a giggle before joining them at the edge of the land.
Aragorn laughed and tossed Gimli into the mass of Uruks, and he and Raina jumped after him, their swords raised to chop down as many living things as possible.
With so many unarmed, unsuspecting targets (most of them only had their shield out) it was easy for Raina to kill just as many of the things as Gimli, who was still keeping count for later.
Behind them, the wood was being replaced quickly, and Raina heard Théoden calling out to them.
“Aragorn, get out of there!” he said before sealing the hole completely.
Raina turned around. About fifty lay dead around her, but she was looking for Aragorn and Gimli in the mess. They were on the other side, motioning for her to come quickly.
She jumped over the bodies, hating the awful slurping sound the open wounds made when she stepped on them, and was over there as Legolas called down to them.
“Raina! Aragorn!”
A rope was then thrown down to them, and although Raina had no idea how Legolas alone was going to pull all three of them up, she grabbed hold of it first, with Aragorn and Gimli under her as Legolas started pulling.
As she was being pulled up, she started climbing the rope, getting to the top before Aragorn and Gimli were even a quarter of the way up.
She jumped over the wall easily, and without a word, started helping Legolas pull the others up. After a minute, everyone was safely back on the other side of the Keep.
Raina let out her breath, resisting the urge to collapse onto the ground and just accept death and everlasting sleep. At the moment, the everlasting sleep part seemed amazingly tempting, for it must have been at least five in the morning.
“Pull everybody back,” Théoden was telling his men from the other side of the Keep. “Pull them all back!”
Raina straightened up, and she and Legolas looked at each other for a moment. The gaze was of mixed feelings -- overwhelming joy that they were both still alive and well, but despair because they both knew that by puling back to the caves, they would be trapped and ready for slaughter. But mostly love, brotherly love in Raina’s case. After a long moment, they knew that they needed to spread the word to those Men on this side of the Keep. So without a word, they turned away from each other and started walking through the Men around them, calling out.
“Fall back! Back to the caves! Pull back! Go!” Raina commanded, hoping that the Men would take the five foot girl giving them commands seriously.
On the other side, she heard Legolas saying the same things, and then the Men around them telling everyone else.
“Fall back! Retreat! Retreat! To the caves!”