1. Introduction
In Book One, "The Triumph of the Shadow," the mighty Lord of the Nazgûl narrowly escaped destruction at the hands of a shieldmaiden and a hobbit. Consequently, the West lost the Battle of Pelennor Fields and the proud city of Minas Tirith fell to the forces of the Dark Lord. To make matters worse, the Ring Quest was a failure, and Sauron regained the One Ring. In the months that followed, the armies of Mordor drove the forces of the West into Southern Gondor. With the armies of Gondor and Rohan locked in combat in the South, the only thing which stood between Mordor and the whole of Eriador was the Rohirric home guard, which was already hard pressed to guard Rohan's northern borders from attacks by Dol Guldur.
On the night of May 22, a force of black uruks surged past the Riders who guarded the Mering Stream and made the first encroachment into the Eastfold. After raiding, looting and burning every village in sight, they herded their captives back to the main army. Among the prisoners were Elfhild and Elffled, identical twin girls whose mother had been killed by the raiders.
Meanwhile, the forces of the West, though hard pressed, were far from defeated. After a major victory at Dol Amroth which sent the Mordorian Army fleeing, it was determined by the commanders of the West that a large force of men could be spared to march to the defense of Rohan. While Aragorn led a force of Gondorians over the White Mountains, Éomer and Prince Imrahil led an army of horsemen through Drúwaith Iaur and approach from the west. The Gondorians arrived at the fortress of Helms Deep just a few days before the army of Mordor besieged the fortress.
Though it lasted only two days, the Second Battle of Helm's Deep was fierce and bloody. On June 15, the Riders of Rohan charged onto the battlefield. With them were a host of Elves, who had answered a desperate summons which Aragorn had sent weeks before. Heartened by the might of their combined forces, the Western armies soon won the battle and sent their enemies fleeing. As the summer wore on, the army of Mordor was slowly beaten back to the Firien Woods and the Mering Stream became the boundary between Rohan and the occupied land of Gondor.
Yet all hope of rescue was lost for the Rohirric captives, and they marched ever closer to the Dark Land...
On the night of May 22, a force of black uruks surged past the Riders who guarded the Mering Stream and made the first encroachment into the Eastfold. After raiding, looting and burning every village in sight, they herded their captives back to the main army. Among the prisoners were Elfhild and Elffled, identical twin girls whose mother had been killed by the raiders.
Meanwhile, the forces of the West, though hard pressed, were far from defeated. After a major victory at Dol Amroth which sent the Mordorian Army fleeing, it was determined by the commanders of the West that a large force of men could be spared to march to the defense of Rohan. While Aragorn led a force of Gondorians over the White Mountains, Éomer and Prince Imrahil led an army of horsemen through Drúwaith Iaur and approach from the west. The Gondorians arrived at the fortress of Helms Deep just a few days before the army of Mordor besieged the fortress.
Though it lasted only two days, the Second Battle of Helm's Deep was fierce and bloody. On June 15, the Riders of Rohan charged onto the battlefield. With them were a host of Elves, who had answered a desperate summons which Aragorn had sent weeks before. Heartened by the might of their combined forces, the Western armies soon won the battle and sent their enemies fleeing. As the summer wore on, the army of Mordor was slowly beaten back to the Firien Woods and the Mering Stream became the boundary between Rohan and the occupied land of Gondor.
Yet all hope of rescue was lost for the Rohirric captives, and they marched ever closer to the Dark Land...
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
