Aldamir did not need the command; he was already absorbed in rapidly firing arrows into the massive army before them as it charged toward the wall. He was not heedless of his arrows, however; to waste them now could be fatal later. He took careful aim with each one, singling out a target and narrowing the silver arrow-point down upon it before releasing it. Beside him Lindir was involved in doing the same, drawing the string back to his ear before letting the arrow fly. All along the wall, a lethal rain of darts flew down toward the enemy, and felled constantly the front line of the army. But as soon as one fell, two replaced it, it seemed to the Elves.
The uruk-hai responded to the Elves� arrows, and their archers sent their own black, cruel shafts hissing in among the Elven ranks. Some met their marks, and Aldamir shivered as Elves about him fell to the ground with a cry, some falling with terrible silence as only a soft thud marked their death. For a moment he paused and looked about him, and his heart was wrenched nearly in two. Near him lay an Elf who had been in Haldir�s command with him; now he lay still and silent with a long black arrow embedded in his chest. Aldamir felt almost unable to breathe; only a few minutes ago, this Elf, an immortal being, had stood living at his side and watched the torches approach with him. Now his eyes were never to behold the light again. Aldamir almost reeled with the terrible horror of it. He did not hear the hiss of arrows about him; for a few moments he was caught in the dreadful, unreal reality of the unjust death of one of his own people, an immortal, an Elf whose destiny had been to sail into the West.
Then suddenly a streak of lightning seemed to go through him and he turned back to the battle with fire in his eyes. This death was the work of these creatures, the work of evil, the will of Sauron and Saruman. But as long as he could draw breath he would fight back with every ounce of his being! Never, never would they be able to kill his people, his kin, without being stung in return. He had never known such anger and sorrow as he felt in that moment. His face hardened, and lightning seemed fairly to leap from his eyes. Accursed evil! Now you shall receive what is coming to you...
�Pendraith!� shouted Lindir suddenly, and Aldamir wheeled. Ladders fashioned of blackish, hard wood were being raised against the wall, and uruk-hai were clambering up them without a moment�s hesitation. Setting his bow aside, but not far away, he drew his sword as Haldir commanded it, and all along the wall silver blades flashed out in a deadly, gleaming fence.
In a moment the uruk-hai had scaled the ladders and dropping to the floor of the wall. One leaped off the ladder directly in front of Aldamir, and the Elf lost no time in cutting him down. Another came, and another, and for several minutes he fought breathlessly, caught in a world of blades and battle.
When he wrenched his sword from a dead uruk paused for barely a moment to catch his breath, Lindir leaped suddenly past him, and Aldamir whirled to see him finishing off a particularly large orc who had apparently sneaked up behind him. At his grateful smile, Lindir grinned. �I�m going to keep you around a bit longer than that!� he called.
Then another wave of enemies was upon them, and the two were swept apart. Aldamir was cornered and challenged by a heavily armored, slit-eyed creature who snarled at him menacingly and raised his cruel, spiked blade to kill him. Aldamir parried the blow and slipped under the next, dodging behind the orc before he could react and finishing him off with a clean sweep of his sword.
Taking a quick look at the battle around him, he saw an orc running toward Lindir�s unprotected back, and with lightning swiftness sent one of his knives flashing through the air. It buried itself in the orc�s back, and when Lindir turned in surprise, Aldamir saluted him with a grin. �I owed you that!� he shouted.
At that moment an orc crashed into him and he fell to the stone, half under the heavy but dead creature. It pinned him to the ground, and though he struggled anxiously he couldn�t heave it off himself. Then an orc loomed over him, and he raised his sword hurriedly. The creature�s blow was badly aimed and went wide, and then it fell with a grey arrow in its back. Aldamir struggled wildly once more, but fell back breathless and without hope.
Then all of a sudden Haldir was there, and pulled the carcass off his friend with one great heave. Aldamir was on his feet in a moment, and thanked his captain. �I was helpless under that thing; I�d probably have been dead by now if you hadn�t come along.�
�It�s me who�s thankful,� Haldir replied, smiling and clapping him on the shoulder. �Elbereth forbid that we should lose you!�
Three orcs sprang upon them suddenly, and the two fought back to back, never pausing for s split second in their dodging, parrying and striking. Within a few minutes of breathless fighting the three orcs were laid dead on the ground. �Good work, Aldamir!� Haldir said, breathing hard. �Keep on like this and we can�t lose.�
�You didn�t do too bad either, my friend,� grinned Aldamir.
Then a fresh band of orcs came between them and they were separated.
Aldamir was warily skirmishing a strong, sly orc when suddenly the world seemed to explode beneath him. Not five meters from where he stood, the wall burst into a fiery explosion which threw him against the wall�s parapet with an incredibly forceful blast, and he curled up, shielding his head as the wall blew into fragments. His heart was in his throat, and he was fairly deafened by the blast. When the explosion ended, fragments of rock began falling like rain, several striking Aldamir. Most only stung as they hit, but one cut his ankle, and one large enough to break his leg glanced off the stone not two meters from where he lay.
When he finally raised his head, his heart hammering with shock, he gasped and his heart lurched. A gaping hole had been blasted in the wall, through which now water from behind the wall gushed. All about lay shreds of the wall, stone bits of every possible size. The shattered edge of the broken wall was not five meters from where he stood. Gasping for breath, he backed away. Had he been only a couple of meters closer...
Gathering himself together, he caught up his sword from where it lay near the edge and glanced about. Uruk-hai were pouring through the gap in the wall in masses, and even now Aragorn was leading the company of Elves stationed there into battle against the army. Aldamir winced. So many uruk-hai, so few Elves...
The orcs were climbing the stairs behind the wall as well, streaming in great numbers onto the ledge and cutting their way through the thinning ranks of Elves. Haldir! thought Aldamir immediately. And Lindir...where are you?
Darting down the wall, fiercely cutting down any orc in his way, he looked wildly about for either of his friends. But he could only see orcs, and dead Elves, and a terrible fear clutched at his heart.
At that moment a blow to his head from behind caused him to stumble, and he wheeled about. A snarling uruk faced him, sword raised to kill him. He barely had time to parry the blow, and lost his footing. The orc loomed over him, but he rolled under the blow and back to his feet as the creature stumbled and his blow missed its mark. With a savage growl he lunged at Aldamir, and the Elf met his blade with his own. For a moment he gazed deep into the yellow, slit eyes, and then he was circling, exchanging rapid blows with his opponent. His sword rang, and his eyes flashed. But the orc was not intimidated, for he had already killed two Elves in the last hour, and the taste of battle was hot within him. He drove Aldamir against the wall, and the Elf ducked quickly as he swung.
The next few moments were a wild blur for Aldamir, and then suddenly he slipped, falling back against the parapet, and a fiery pain burned its way into his side. He cried out, and put his hand to his side. It came away stained with blood, and he looked down to see the haft of the orc�s sharp knife buried in his right side. Gasping for breath, he fought to keep his head clear and drew his own knife, the twin to the other he had thrown. Putting his hand against the wall behind him, he looked up at the orc, who had paused to let this small victory sink and leer at his victim.
The pause was fatal. With a sudden movement, Aldamir lunged upwards, and with an agonizing effort, stabbed his knife deep into the uruk�s heart. As it fell, he collapsed against the wall again, gasping with pain.
Recovering for a moment, he tried to drag himself to his feet, and leaned heavily on the parapet for support. Retrieving his sword, he paused for a moment, pressing his hand to his side.
�Nan barad!� sounded a call suddenly; it was Aragorn calling to Elves and Men alike to fall back to the keep. Aldamir shook his head slightly, dizzy with pain. I can�t make it...
A sudden shaft of light pierced through the jagged mountain-tops, illuminating the battlefield, and Aldamir heard a great cry which echoed through the valley. Raising his head with an effort, he gazed up into the light, and saw a great wave of horsemen plunging down into the valley from the hilltops. Leading them down the steep slope was a white figure, robes streaming out behind him in a blaze of light and sword uplifted like a flame. �Mithrandir...� breathed Aldamir. �Thank Elbereth...there is a chance for them now...�
His sight dimmed, and he looked once more up into the light, wanting to see it one last time. But even as he raised his head, something whistled toward him and he felt it hit his shoulder with a great blow. He reeled, and his sword fell from his hand, falling with a echoing ring to the stone beneath his feet. With his failing senses, he saw a long black shaft sticking in his left shoulder, and closed his eyes. Elbereth...
Then he felt himself falling, and darkness took him.