I didn't realize Arwen had been agonizing over this issue for such a long time.
"Arwen, I'm a bit hurt. If you have concerns, don't ever hesitate to speak up. We are husband and wife, after all."
Arwen looked apologetic, then smiled and said,
"Thank you for saying that."
"But it might be difficult right now. As you know, Middle-earth is facing a great war. Once this is over, I will definitely find a way."
"I understand."
We shared a light hug.
A few days later, the Fellowship of the Ring began moving south at high speed along the Great River Anduin. I also prepared to set off. After saying my goodbyes to Arwen and Elrond, I transformed into my dragon form and flew toward the Argonath. As I was flying, I spotted Merry and Pippin being dragged away by Orcs.
"Master Cassian!!! Over here!!! Save us!!!"
"Shut up!!!"
Because I was flying in dragon form, I was quite large and conspicuous. They spotted me and began to scream. The Orcs panicked and tried to cover Merry and Pippin's mouths, but as I glared at them from the sky and slowly descended, they lost their nerve. They abandoned Merry and Pippin and started running without looking back. I conjured several fireballs and sent them toward the fleeing Orcs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Kieeeek!!!" "Help!!" "Guaaaak!!!"
The Orcs struck by the fireballs screamed as their bodies caught fire, dying where they fell. I returned to my human form and untied Merry and Pippin.
"Thank you. We really thought we were going to die."
"What about the others?"
Pippin answered my question.
"I don't know. We were ambushed by Orcs while setting up camp and got separated, after that..."
"Then, let's wait here. They might be coming this way if they know you were kidnapped."
"You're right. I'm sure they're looking for us."
Pippin, Merry, and I built a fire on a hill where it would be easily seen and were sharing a simple meal I prepared. Before long, we saw several armed people approaching on horseback.
"The Riders of Rohan."
They approached us and hurriedly gave a warning. The one speaking was Éomer.
"You look like travelers, but you shouldn't have a fire lit here right now. We're coming from the refugees who said a massive force of Easterlings and Orcs is advancing this way. You three need to get out of here quickly too."
I was able to gather a lot of information from Éomer's words. It seemed the war between Rohan and the alliance of Easterlings and Morgoth's forces would begin soon.
"We'll take care of ourselves. We have people we need to meet here."
Merry added his voice as well.
"That's right. We got separated from our companions, so we're waiting for them here."
Éomer, seemingly in a hurry, turned his horse to leave.
"We don't have much time, so don't linger for long."
Leaving those words behind, Éomer and his riders hurried off toward the Great River Anduin.
After waiting about half a day, I saw Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, and Gandalf approaching, having seen the campfire we lit. The group had indeed separated from Frodo and Sam, but Boromir seemed to have survived the Orc attack, unlike in the original story.
Pippin and Merry waved their hands to signal our location.
"That's a relief. To think we'd meet you on the way."
We sat by the campfire for a moment, resting and catching up on what had happened.
"So that's why Boromir's head is all split open."
"That's right. He was losing his mind over the Ring, so I applied some 'physical magic' to him."
They said that due to Boromir's obsession with the Ring, Frodo and Sam ultimately decided to travel separately. Additionally, the Orcs had ambushed them at an inopportune moment and captured Merry and Pippin, forcing Gandalf to give Frodo the signal ring I had provided and rush over here.
After hearing the circumstances, I shared the news I had received from the Riders of Rohan.
"There's something you should know. According to the Rohirrim, a massive army of Easterlings and Orcs has crossed the Anduin and is advancing."
"That's right. They told us to get out of here as fast as we could."
At that, Gandalf let out a sigh.
"So what we feared has finally begun. If they cross the Anduin, they mean to strike Rohan..."
To Gandalf's words, Boromir added,
"In that case, I will head to Minas Tirith and request reinforcements."
"That cannot be. As long as the Balrogs are present, Sauron will strike if too many troops leave Minas Tirith. Currently, Minas Tirith has its hands full just keeping Mordor in check."
"Then what would you have us do?"
Gandalf thought for a moment before standing up to address us.
"I shall go to Fangorn Forest and bring reinforcements. You all must help Rohan."
As Gandalf prepared to leave, I pulled him aside for a private conversation. Since it was obvious why he was going to Fangorn, I asked him directly.
"You're going to ask the Ents for help. But do you really think they'll help?"
"Of course, normally it would be hard to persuade them. But if a Balrog has appeared, the situation changes. They will burn the entire forest. This is no longer someone else's problem for the Ents."
"I see. And what about the matter of the Ring?"
When I asked about the Ring, Gandalf pondered for a second before answering.
"Hmm... for now, we must trust in Frodo and Sam."
With that, Gandalf departed for Fangorn Forest. We also packed our bags and, as Gandalf instructed, began moving toward the capital of Rohan, 'Edoras'.
"But if Master Cassian helps us, wouldn't the war and everything just be over?"
Pippin asked me as we were moving. I thought for a moment about how to stop the 'do it for me' requests and then spoke.
"I've lived for a long time and seen many things. And I've come to a conclusion: the Easterlings and Orcs don't look all that different from you. They fight for their own gain, and you also only fight together when you have a common enemy, otherwise, you fight for your own interests too. You don't look different at all. Besides, dragons don't typically care about anything outside their own interests anyway."
Pippin immediately began to protest.
"We Hobbits aren't like that. We don't cause harm to other races or go around pillaging!"
"Is that so? Pippin, was it? You, have you really never secretly taken vegetables from someone else's field?"
"That's..."
Pippin was left speechless. I continued speaking.
"Certainly, Hobbits are less aggressive than other races. But I suspect that's only because you lack power. Long ago, there were jewels called the 'Silmarils'. They were more valuable and radiant than any other objects. Yet, because of them, the Elves fought against their own kin. When I see things like that, I don't think you and the Orcs are very different."
"That's..."
This time, Merry asked a question.
"Then why are you accompanying us on this journey?"
"The wizards asked me to. Saruman and Gandalf are friends I've known for a long time, so it was hard to refuse their request. Plus, Sauron has crossed a line. If he wakes the Balrogs and they fight, the whole world will burn, and my wife wouldn't like that very much."
"So you mean you won't help us unless a Balrog appears?"
"Correct."
At those words, Boromir and Gimli looked at me as if I were being ridiculous, while Legolas and Aragorn just walked on silently, perhaps because they were well aware of a dragon's nature.
After that, we walked hard without saying much and finally arrived at Edoras, the capital of Rohan. Edoras was incredibly busy preparing for war. People were moving hurriedly, carrying supplies, and in the palace, King Théoden and his subordinates were frantic with strategy meetings.
"Hail, O King."
"Welcome. Are you the son of Steward Denethor II?"
"I am."
"Oh~ Then when will the support from Minas Tirith arrive?"
King Théoden asked Boromir, clearly hoping for aid from Gondor.
"It is impossible. Now that the Balrogs have awakened, if Minas Tirith sends troops, they will take that opening to attack the city. Currently, Minas Tirith has its hands full just containing Mordor."
Boromir relayed exactly what Gandalf had told him to King Théoden. Upon hearing this, sighs of despair echoed among the king's advisors.
"Sigh... so expecting support is out of the question."
As King Théoden rubbed his face, appearing to have a headache, Aragorn stepped forward.
"We will help you as much as we can."
"And you are?"
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn."
Upon hearing that, King Théoden was greatly surprised.
"If you are the son of Arathorn, does that not make you the heir to the throne of Gondor?"
"That is correct."
Boromir's expression turned bittersweet at King Théoden's words. I found their dynamic quite interesting. One was the son of the Steward who had ruled Gondor for a long time, another was the suddenly appearing heir to the throne of Gondor, and the third was the King of Rohan, whose lands were granted to them by Gondor. If you traced back the origins of the Rohirrim, they were all descendants of the Northmen of Rhovanion.
"It's unfortunate we meet during such dire circumstances..."
King Théoden called for someone. A woman appeared; she was the Princess of Rohan, Éowyn.
"This is Éowyn, Princess of Rohan."
We gave Éowyn a light greeting. King Théoden instructed Éowyn to show us to our quarters, and she guided us to our rooms.
The group decided to rest in their quarters first. They had been in a high-speed pursuit of the kidnapped Pippin and Merry and had arrived at Edoras with almost no rest, so they were in dire need of it.
After resting for a day, the group consulted with King Théoden on their future plans.
"We must take the people and move to Helm's Deep. We cannot hold off a massive army here."
Aragorn strongly urged the King after taking a look around Edoras. Indeed, Edoras, comprised of wooden buildings on an open hill, looked woefully inadequate for defending against a massive siege.
"Sigh... there's no other way. Very well."
King Théoden, not being a fool, knew this full well and finally decided to move to Helm's Deep after much deliberation. I decided to notify Gandalf of this fact. It was possible because I had previously learned how to send messages through animals with magical potential from Gandalf.
However, a price had to be paid, and what each animal wanted varied slightly. I made the request to a crow flying nearby. This crow wanted a gold coin, so I handed one over and had it deliver the news. The crow probably didn't understand the value of a gold coin, it likely just had a habit of collecting shiny objects.
'If anyone else found out, they'd faint. A gold coin just to deliver a message.'
At any rate, the people began to move quickly toward Helm's Deep. King Théoden, knowing the urgency of the situation, had the people pack light and hurried the departure.
Although there was some distance between Edoras and Helm's Deep, it wasn't extremely far. Furthermore, by mobilizing soldiers to place the elderly and children in wagons, we were able to arrive in two days. As soon as we arrived at Helm's Deep, part of the Rohirrim's cavalry joined us and reported the enemy's position and the status of reinforcements from each territory.
"Three days' distance from the enemy... How are the reinforcements from each territory coming along?"
"They are still gathering forces, so even at the earliest, it will take five days."
"This is bad, that's too late. We have to hold out for two days... What is the status of our weaponry?"
King Théoden, along with his advisors, meticulously checked the canyon's walls and prepared for the siege. While they were preparing, I called my companions over and provided them with new weapons.
To Boromir, I gave a shock-absorbing shield and an alloy sword; to Gimli, an alloy axe that increased in weight when swung; to Legolas, a bow capable of firing explosive arrows; and to the Hobbits, armor and one-handed swords to protect themselves. Aragorn had already received weapons from me before, so I skipped him.
"Whoa~ What has gotten into our stingy dragon?"
When Gimli spoke a bit sarcastically, Legolas hurriedly covered Gimli's mouth.
"Think of it as a gift since we traveled together, even if it was for a short time. These weapons don't have names, so you guys decide on them for yourselves."
Then, I pulled out several ordinary bows and a large quantity of arrows that I had prepared for such a situation and handed them over. I had noticed earlier that they seemed to be quite low on bows and arrows. Aragorn called for some soldiers and began moving the equipment.
"Thanks, brother. I thought you wouldn't care at all about things like this."
"I don't care."
Honestly, I was playing a character, and for a moment I couldn't think of why I had pulled out the bows and arrows, so I just answered in a tsundere-ish way. Aragorn chuckled slightly as he moved the arrows. I felt like I had made a bit of a slip-up.
'Maintaining a character isn't easy either.'
Then, after thinking for a moment, I said to Aragorn,
"Now that I think of it, there's a high ridge next to the entrance into Helm's Deep. I was wondering what would happen if we rolled rocks or large logs down from there."
"That's a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"
Aragorn hurriedly ran off to relay this to King Théoden. These people didn't know how to properly utilize the terrain of the canyon. I was tempted to make them read Romance of the Three Kingdoms or something.
King Théoden actively accepted my suggestion and took some strong men up to the ridge to fell large trees and move boulders, setting them up so that they could be easily rolled down even by a small number of people.
Two days passed, and when night fell, people wearing black robes appeared, blowing horns as they entered Helm's Deep. Seeing this, the defending soldiers became very tense, thinking it was the enemy, but Aragorn realized they were Elven reinforcements and shouted.
"Reinforcements! Open the gate!"
At Aragorn's word, the soldiers opened the gate, and the Elves began to enter the fortress. Seeing this, King Théoden hurriedly came out to greet them.
"What is this... Is this a dream or reality?"
King Théoden looked dazed, as if he hadn't expected Elven reinforcements to arrive. Then, 'Haldir', the commander of the Elven forces, spoke to the King.
"A message from Elrond of Rivendell. Long ago, Men and Elves were allies, fighting and dying together. We have come to honor that alliance once more."
Just then, Aragorn came down from the wall, recognized Haldir, and greeted him warmly.
"Welcome, Haldir."
Aragorn pulled Haldir into a hug. He was also aware that the situation at Helm's Deep was dire, so he was truly grateful for the Elven support. Haldir patted Aragorn's back.
"I am proud to be able to fight alongside Men once again."
Haldir was a commander of the Lothlórien Elven host. It seemed that Galadriel had sent the unit at Elrond's request. In a situation where Elves were leaving Middle-earth, it meant they had sent most of the forces protecting Lothlórien.
Each unit was assigned a place on the walls, and the empty spaces were filled with civilians who knew how to shoot a bow. I also climbed to the highest point, holding a greatbow I had made in MonHun. This greatbow was a powerful weapon that no human strength could pull.
"The enemy is coming!!!"
A rider who had been out scouting hurriedly returned and shouted. Right after that news, lights began to flicker over the horizon, and the massive army of Orcs and Easterlings could be seen flooding toward Helm's Deep. It was truly a staggering number, enough to fill the canyon. They stopped in front of the walls and struck the ground with their spears in a threatening display.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Tensed by the overwhelming sight, a civilian accidentally fired an arrow, which pierced the chest of an Orc. As if that were a signal, the Orcs let out a monstrous roar and began charging toward the fortress. Aragorn immediately shouted to the archers.
"Prepare to fire!!"
At that command, Elves and Men drew their bowstrings and aimed at the enemy. As the Orcs and Easterlings reached the wall, Aragorn's command rang out once more.
"Fire!!!"
Swish, swish!!
Countless arrows rained down upon the enemies approaching the wall. Since the battle took place in the middle of the night, the arrows were almost invisible. However, the mindless Orcs didn't care even if their comrades fell beside them and continued to charge toward the wall.
Once King Théoden confirmed that the enemy had moved far enough into the canyon, he raised his hand and gave a signal. At that, a soldier guarding the King blew a horn loudly. Hearing the sound, Aragorn also shouted at the top of his lungs to alert the soldiers.
"Falling rocks!!!"
With that shout, a thunderous noise echoed from both sides of the canyon, and countless boulders and logs began to tumble down, pouring into the canyon below.