Chapter 379: Welcome Back
A harsh screech tore through the sky. A Nazgûl circled over Rohan's lands, then halted abruptly in one spot and began to descend.
"I can sense them. The scent of Men—and their souls."
An army had passed through not long ago, heading toward… Helm's Deep.
The Nazgûl could not see as the living did, but they perceived the world through other means. In the realm of the dead, they detected the lingering traces left behind by living souls.
Reinforcements from Rohan's capital, Edoras, had entered Helm's Deep. There was only one place there suited for holding a defense: the Hornburg.
Still, it could be managed.
This relief force would not exceed two thousand, roughly the same number as the defenders once stationed at the Fords of Isen. The total strength of the Rohirrim now holding the Hornburg would remain under four thousand.
No matter what, twenty thousand against four thousand. The advantage lay with them.
The Nazgûl mounted its fell beast once more and wheeled in the sky, signaling to the host below.
The army pressed on at a swift march, trailing the reinforcements by only a step, bound straight for Helm's Deep.
Both sides raced against time in tense pursuit.
At dusk, Rohan's relief force arrived at the Hornburg a breath ahead of the others, with the four surviving members of the Fellowship in their midst.
Théoden met with Théodred at last. Father and son gathered in a council chamber to weigh the situation.
"I could not hold the Fords, Father."
"That is not your fault."
Théoden looked at his son, his only child, and chose forgiveness.
"To hold against that kind of assault, you would need a man who could fight ten thousand alone, or every soldier able to face ten at once."
"Falling back to the Deep is the right choice. It spared us needless losses."
"As for those enemies without end…"
"Let them come."
Théoden showed no fear of the twenty thousand elite troops bearing down on them.
"The Hornburg's defenses are unbreakable. Let them come in hordes. They will break against it like water on stone."
"Father, those troops' Orcs are far stronger than common ones. I felt it myself."
Théodred's tone carried little hope.
From the corner of the chamber, Gimli added, "They are no rabble of Orcs, but Uruk-hai. Thick armor, broad shields…"
"I am a veteran of many battles myself, Master Dwarf."
Théoden spoke firmly. "Do you think I do not know this?"
"But we have only one path: to fight to the death."
"If this is our end, then let it be one worthy of song, remembered by ages to come."
On the other side, Aragorn spoke up. "We should call for aid."
"Send messengers, my lord."
"To whom?"
Théoden glanced at Aragorn, then at Legolas and Gimli. "To Elves? Or Dwarves?"
"Who would send an army?"
"The Free City-States. They would."
"The Free City-States…"
Théoden repeated the name, his expression complicated.
"They are fine allies indeed. In other days, I trust they would not stand idle. But have you not heard the rumors? Levi fell to the Dark Lord's scheme and vanished in the Northern Waste long ago. Elves have declared him gone from the world. In their fury, the Free City-States gathered every soldier to face down the hosts at the North and South Vales and the Black Gate. But they did not press the attack. Mordor holds far more than a hundred thousand within."
"They have pinned more than half of Mordor's strength and allies, holding the north. They cannot turn to us now."
"And even from the Black Gate, the road here is too far. How could they arrive in time?"
"As for Gondor, no need to speak of it. Before I learned of this host marching on Helm's Deep, I was weighing whether to send aid there myself. They have not lit the beacons. The Steward trusts Rohan little."
Boromir opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head instead.
The matter was tangled.
"We have no more men to spare. Éomer and his riders in the East-mark cannot be pulled away. If the east falls, we will face not only Isengard's Dunlendings and Uruk-hai, but Mordor drawn in as well."
"That will be true despair, with no way back."
Théoden drew a deep breath, easing the tightness in his throat, then looked left and right. "Where is Gandalf? Has he gone?"
"He left partway."
"Where to?"
"West. He rode toward the Fords of Isen, then farther, likely to the Water City."
"Good." Théoden nodded.
"His intent is true enough. But I expect no help to come, unless…"
"Unless?"
"Unless he can fetch Levi back from beyond the world."
"That may yet happen."
"Put aside such hopes, Lord Aragorn."
"We stand alone."
With that, Théoden sighed faintly and strode toward the walls without looking back.
"Arm every man who can still fight!"
Amid the frantic preparations, night fell unwanted and unlooked-for.
…
"Who are you?"
"Have your eyes grown dim? Can you not see who I am?"
West of the Isen, not far off, the white-robed wizard Gandalf on Shadowfax, Lord of Horses, met headlong with a host gleaming silver-bright.
Shock mingled with joy in Gandalf's heart.
Before he could even ask for aid, the Free City-States had marched?
Then he saw the one at their head, and the exchange followed.
"My eyes are sharp enough, Levi. I only ask: are you still you?"
"Am I still me?" Levi laughed at the question.
"You ask that, so let me ask you: are you still you?"
Gandalf nodded. "I am myself, of course."
"Then so am I."
"Are you truly you?" Gandalf pressed, uncertain.
Levi answered firmly. "Even when you are no longer you, I will still be me."
The soldiers listening to the exchange began to sweat.
The two had barely met before launching into a string of baffling riddles, leaving everyone dizzy and lost.
"Do not guess at it. Our leader's words carry deep meaning. Perhaps they speak of philosophy, of the self."
"The question of 'who am I' has always been profound."
Some offered explanations for Levi and Gandalf's talk.
"Who are you, exactly?" Gandalf asked, truly puzzled now.
"Different from anything you might imagine."
Levi shook his head.
"Perhaps when your errand is done, you will know part of it."
"But I can tell you this for certain: the me before you now is my whole self. Nothing taken away, nothing forgotten or incomplete. I am Levi. Levi is me. No other being, no other name."
"Very well. I understand."
"Good."
Levi smiled. "But no matter who I am, one thing stands sure."
"What?"
"We are still friends, are we not?"
Gandalf's eyes widened, his brow lifted, and a genuine smile broke through.
"Oh, yes. What need to fret so much, my friend."
"Welcome back."
"You too."