An urgent cry above the Elves� heads caused the great gate to be unbarred, and as it swung open they marched through, in long lines four deep. As they entered the courtyard, Th�oden, Rohan�s King, came down the steps which led to the keep. He was fully armed, but not wearing his helmet, and on his face was a look of incredulous wonder.
�How can this be possible?� he asked, and Aldamir could see that he was scarcely able to believe the sight before his eyes.
�I bring word from the Lady Galadriel of L�rien, and Elrond of Rivendell,� said Haldir, bowing slightly. �An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago, we fought and died together. Now, we come to honor that allegiance.�
Th�oden was speechless. Behind him, a delighted Aragorn came running down the steps. �Haldir!� he exclaimed joyfully, and threw his arms around the Elf. �You are most welcome.�
Aldamir almost chuckled to himself at Haldir�s surprise, and then tentative smile as he returned the enthusiastic hug.
�We are proud to fight alongside men once more,� he said, smiling at Aragorn.
When the formal greetings were over, and Haldir and Aragorn and the king were talking in low voices about their battle strategy, Aldamir went over to Legolas. The Mirkwood Elf stood near the wall, close to the dwarf Gimli. His face lit up when he saw Aldamir.
�Aldamir! You are here too?� he exclaimed in delight.
�That I am,� answered Aldamir, giving the Elf a warm hug. �You wouldn�t expect me to stay at home when there was a battle to be fought, would you now?� he said merrily. Legolas laughed, and then became serious. �Thank Elbereth you and Haldir have come,� he said. �Before you did, I had almost no hope of winning. I thought we were doomed. We were mostly old men and young boys, as the best of Rohan�s enemy is riding far away from here.�
�How can that be?� asked Aldamir, frowning.
�They are under the leadership of �omer, Rohan�s prince,� Legolas answered. �He was banished from Rohan by a certain Gr�ma Wormtongue, a slithering ally of Saruman. How long ago he infiltrated the royal house of Rohan, I do not know, but with his help, Saruman was able to poison the mind of Th�oden. If Mithrandir had not come when he did and saved the king, Rohan would almost certainly be in Saruman�s possession now.�
�Thank the Valar,� breathed Aldamir. �But where is he now? We will be in need of his help in this battle.�
�That we will,� said Legolas. �The enemy numbers ten thousand.�
�Ten thousand!� gasped Aldamir. �I am not surprised you despaired of victory!�
�Don�t give up hope before we�ve begun!� A gruff voice startled Aldamir and he looked down to see Gimli looking up at him from under the brim of his helmet. �I have my axe, and Legolas his bow, and Haldir his company of Elves. I daresay we might win yet.� He thumped the base of his axe on the stone and turned back to watch the courtyard. Legolas smiled.
�No, Gimli, we will not give up yet,� he said. �But Mithrandir is far from here; he rode to find �omer�s company and bring them back here in all haste. Nothing has been heard of him yet, and I fear we will have to fight this battle alone.�
Aldamir looked straight into Legolas�s eyes and put his hand on the Elf�s shoulder. �Then let us do so, and hope!�
The greater part of the Elf-company was stationed on the wall, while a smaller garrison stood below in the courtyard with bows at the ready. Haldir stood near the center of the wall, and Aldamir was next to him. Lindir stood at his side. Legolas was stationed a bit farther down the wall, with Gimli at his side. Th�oden and his warriors manned the keep wall and guarded the gate.
Evening fell, and darkness came upon them; eerie silence filled the valley. Few stirred, and none spoke for a long while. Not even the faintest of breezes stirred the waiting Elves� hair.
Aldamir stood at the front of the wall, with a clear view of what could be seen in the darkness. Thick, heavy clouds hung low in the sky, ominously dark. The silence and the foreboding in his heart weighed heavily on him, and he gripped the leather binding on his bow tighter. This waiting is worse than anything else, he thought restlessly. I�d rather fight, even in a hopeless battle, than stand here without knowing what�s ahead of me.
Then, far away, but heading straight toward the valley, his keen eyes saw several very small red lights approaching, like eyes of death. A far-off but steady thumping of many iron-shod, heavy feet could be heard by the sharp-eared Elves, and ever so faintly, the stone beneath Aldamir�s feet shivered. He drew in his breath sharply, and glanced over at Haldir. The Elf-captain stood tall and motionless, his eyes fixed on the approaching lights.
Steadily the army drew nearer, and the thumping became a clearly audible pounding.
Aragorn walked along the wall, and spoke in a hard, low voice. �A Eruchin, �-dano ii faelas a hyn, an uben tanatha le faelas.�
Aldamir�s eyes were gleaming like steel in the moonlight. Mercy for these mud-like brutes? Never...
A low rumble sounded from the stormclouds, and a sudden flash of lightning illuminated the valley. In that split second, Aldamir saw rank upon rank of heavily armed Uruk-hai, carrying long, cruel spears of iron. The ground shook under their heavy tramping, and his heartbeat quickened.
At last the army drew to a stop, several yards from the wall, and their leader climbed onto a large rock projecting sharply from the ground, just out of shooting range. For a moment the two armies stood in silence, looking each other in the eye.
A single, wet drop hit Aldamir�s cheek, and he glanced upwards. Rain fell, soft at first, and then harder and harder, finally turning into a fierce downpour. Within minutes his cloak was soaked, but he did not mind. Here in this fortress of stone, where no tree could be seen and not even the smallest blade of grass dared to grow, rain was a welcome reminder of the warm, living beauty of L�rien. He tasted a few drops on the tip of his tongue, and felt somehow slightly refreshed.
At a signal from their captain, the orc-army began stamping the ground with the butts of their spears, a heavy thumping which shook the wall upon which the Elves stood. Aragorn drew his sword with a ring, and the Elves set arrows to their strings and drew the nocked tips back to their ears. Aldamir drew in his breath. I am ready...
Suddenly an arrow whizzed down from the keep, striking an uruk-hai in the chest. For a moment there was utter silence.
�Dartho!� cried Aragorn, but it was too late.
With a groan, the uruk fell dead to the ground, and the army became enraged. They snarled, and stamped their spears wildly. Their leader drew his sword, and lifted it high. He roared a command, and the black army lowered their spears and charged.
�Tangado a chadad!� shouted Aragorn, and the Elves took aim.
�Faeg i-varv... d�n na lanc an nu ranc!� called Legolas as he leaned slightly forward.
�Leitho I philinn!� cried Aragorn, and a storm of arrows was released into the uruk-hai.
Aldamir loosed his arrow with a steady hand and deadly precision. And so it begins, he thought grimly. Sweet Elbereth, protect us...