As the charging mass of Uruks grew closer, Aragorn called out the order of Tangado a chadad! She didn't understand Elvish, but knew what he said because of the movie.

Rowan wasn't as graceful or in unity as the elves, but she managed to notch an arrow and aim almost in time with them.

Once in range, Aragorn shouted "Leithio i philinn!", and she released. Hundreds of arrows whistled in the air as the missiles sped toward their targets. Thuds and dying or wounded cries answered the volley, and many black forms dropped. The fallen didn't hinder their comrades—the Uruk-hai just ran or jumped over them.

Éomer's voice rose above the sounds of war, ordering all those mounted atop the walls before the Hornburg to fire. More arrows sang and felled the Enemy running toward the Deeping Wall.

Rowan forced herself to keep the steady pace of the elves as she fired round after round. The repetitive routine of release an arrow, pulling another from the quiver on her back, notching the missile, aiming, drawing back the string, and letting go kept her calm and composed, not panicking as the Uruks kept coming. Allowing the fear of them reaching the Wall and knowing what they would bring to control her would mess up her aim or drop an arrow in clumsiness. She wouldn't let that happen—there were people around her, like Boromir and the elves, who needed her not to freak, or they would die.

Keep calm, she told herself. Keep calm.

The Ranger shouted again, calling back to the elves and members of Éomer's éored to fire. A mass of arrows soared over her head, and golden streaks rained down on the army. Again and again, the Elven volley from behind came, combined with those on top of the Wall and the Rohirrim from further up. Even with their steady fire, though, the enemy before them seemed to have grown rather than diminished.

Individual dark figures reached the Wall first and aimed bolt-action crossbows up at the defenders. Sometimes heard over the thunder, the release of their crossbows was a loud thud and shot the bolts at a faster velocity than the elves' bows. Sharp shrills announced the speeding bolts, and elves were knocked back, dead with shafts sticking out from their face or chest.

Boromir stood on her left, shielding her and the other elves with his shield. She flinched as an elf standing beside her was thrown back from receiving a crossbow bolt to the face.

"Pendraid! Swords!" Aragorn called out as Rowan saw long, straight lines carried by the Uruk-hai. The elves in front of the second line changed their bows out for swords.

"Finally, blade-work!" Boromir said. He pulled back his shield and got ready.

Rowan swapped her short bow for her sword and a knife in her left hand.

All along the Wall, ladders were lifted with dark figures at the top who jumped down as soon as the ladders hit. Tall, muscular, dark-skinned and shirtless, they wildly swung long to cut down large groups in one swipe. Uruk-hai Berserkers.

Boromir bashed the one about to jump before him and Rowan with his shield, throwing it off the ladder. He threw the ladder back down. Rowan ducked under the Berserker's swing to her left and drove her sword into its heart. As she flipped him off the parapet, an elf pushed the ladder down. Further down, elves collapsed under the swings, some practically sliced in half.

The ladders kept coming back with another Berserker riding the top, and grappling hooks were thrown over, seeking anchoring. Some hooked into elves and pulled them over. Uruks and even Dunlendings climbed up the ladders or scaled the walls.

Against the Deeping Wall, the hosts of Isengard roared like a sea. Unlike the tide where it pushed and pulled on the shore, the enemy never withdrew to attack again—they were relentless. The Enemy swarmed about its feet from end to end. Ropes with grappling hooks were hurled over the parapet faster than the elves could cut them or fling them back. Hundreds of long ladders were lifted up. Many were cast down but were soon replaced, and Uruks sprang up them like monkeys. Before the wall's foot, the dead and broken piled like shingles in a storm; ever higher rose the hideous mounds, and still the enemy came on.

She didn't know what made her look at the ramp leading up to Helm's Gate—maybe knowing this was the part in The Two Towers that the Roman shield-wall was shown advancing to the door. As she expected, the Uruk-hai were.

And just as she foretold, Aragorn ordered the elves that could to direct their fire over there. Many black forms tumbled off the sides of the ramp, weakening their formidable shield-wall.

After throwing a Dunlending off, stabbing the Uruk that was coming up the ladder, and pushing it back—she really had to strain because two more were coming up—Rowan quickly scanned the valley before her. It still rippled with black bodies, but there were no bright points of light, meaning an Uruk carried a torch to detonate the bombs that were supposed to be planted within the culvert. King Théoden's precaution in blocking the duct with large stones worked.

"This doesn't seem as bad as you made it sound!" Boromir yelled over the crashing of metal, cries of the dying, growls and battle-cries, the constant whistling of arrows shooting overhead, and the fading thunder.

"Don't say that! You'll jinx us!" Rowan yelled back.

A bright flash followed by an ear-splitting explosion rocked the Deeping Wall. Screams mixed with the blast. Enormous blocks of the stone wall blew apart, skyrocketing into the air with bodies, weapons, and ladders.

Even though feet separated Rowan and Boromir from the origin of the bombs, the repercussion blew them back, and knocked her senseless. Boromir somehow regained his sense to raise his shield over her, protecting her from the falling debris. His shield thudded as rocks and who-knows-what-else hit it.

Strangely, an eerie silence fell over everything. Perhaps everyone—including the fortress of Helm's Deep itself—was stunned at the breach. Or maybe it was just because of the ringing in Rowan's ears...

It took a while to hear Boromir calling her name as he shook her.

Once her senses recovered, Rowan stood to look at the destruction. A massive gap sat in the middle of the Deeping Wall. Many bodies of elves, Uruks, and Dunlendings littered the remaining Wall. Angry water spewed up into the air, disturbed by the explosion. Uruk-hai fought to get through into the gorge.

"Rúmil!" Haldir called as he ran to the edge of the hole and pulled his bloody and unconscious brother to safety. He sat him against the parapets and patted his cheek, trying to wake him. Dark blood gushed from the gash on his left temple.

She looked back at the ramp to see the horde of Uruk-hai hidden under shields rippling as they pushed their battering ram through to the front. Rowan heard the deep boom as it hit the wooden gate. Everything was happening just like the movie despite her efforts.

"We have to move quick!" Rowan said.

Spotting an unconscious Legolas, she dropped beside him to rouse the elf. After some shaking and calling of his name, his crystal blue eyes opened. He was dazed as he sat up, but both of their heads snapped to the side at Gimli's yell of "Aragorn!" They saw the dwarf's small and stocky form jump over into the hole blown into the wall. The Ranger shouted his name too late to stop him.

At least Aragorn still lived.

"Go to them," Rowan ordered as they rose. Legolas hurried to the stairs leading down. Haldir caught her attention decapitating an Uruk then pushed a ladder back down. Beside him on unsteady feet, Rúmil shot another with his bow—blood continued to run down the left side of his face.

"Stay close to me, Haldir," she said. "Please."

Boromir backed her up. "Do as she says."

The elf-captain gave a quick nod.

Noise rose from the gorge behind the Wall as Aragorn led those elves and Éomer's éored in a charge into the invaders: metal clashing on metal, screams of agony, yells, the squelch of swords being run through flesh.

She, Boromir, Haldir, Rúmil, and the surviving elves defended the half of the Wall they stood on—killing the Uruks or Dunlendings that came over the parapets by means of ladders and grappling hooks and knocking those back off. The elves still armed with bows had to shoot at the Enemy-captured Wall across the gap who fired at them. Haldir stayed close by Rowan, as she had instructed.

Rowan heard the call of her name at one point, coming from the gorge below. And sounding like Éomer. She looked to find more men streaming down the stairs leading up to the outer court of the Hornburg, assisting the elves and members of an éored. She couldn't spot the white tail of the Third Marshal of the Riddermark's helm among the fighting bodies.

Haldir's warning made her turn around and duck to miss a Dunlending's swing for her head. In turn, the elf ran his sword through his chest. Behind him, an Uruk raised his scimitar.

It was too early for the scene of Haldir's death; regardless, Rowan threw a throwing knife at his hand. When his scimitar clanged to the ground, she ran her sword through his chest.

She nodded her thanks to the elf-captain. "You watch my back, I watch yours."

He looked at her, baffled.

Her modern speech slipped through without her meaning to. At least she had messed up with someone who knew she wasn't from here. "Crap. Sorry. Forget it. Thanks."

Almost dying snapped her back to attention. She fought an Uruk, staggering him where he stumbled back toward the hole. Rowan rammed her shoulder into its chest, sending him flying into the hole, impaled on a comrade's pike and collapsing others under its weight.

Loud booms continuedto sound from the assault on the gate—the beats almost mimicking the rhythm ofa clock, counting down.