Anariel of Erudin: Valmoria's Wrath | Lord of the Rings

4. Wedding Crashers

The hall erupted into utter turmoil as the army of orcs invaded the hall, and they were met with no resistance. Nobody knew what to do, save for the few soldiers who tried to fight them off, but most were completely helpless, reduced to screaming children who could only run away. Beinion, my brave fox, was one of the first to flee, and his father and mother soon followed suit with their personal guards leading the way.

And what of his bride? I stood on top of the stairs, alone, overlooking the massive slaughter.

I'd dreamt of moments like this, when I would be forced to fight for my life against the horrible beasts known as orcs. In my dreams, I was brave and powerful, slaying many with my great sword and bow. Those were just dreams, though, fantasies, and this was reality. I'd never fought an orc before; in fact, I'd never even seen one. What was I, a mere girl of sixteen, supposed to do at a time like this?

"Anariel, come!" I heard Father say as he grasped my hand and pulled me down the stairs. With his left hand, he held on to Winnie, who looked even more afraid than I was. Mother was somewhere ahead of him. I could vaguely make out the color of her dress in the crowd as she rushed forward, twisting and bending around the frightened people. I didn't know where we were going, but at least I was with my family, and that alone brought me much comfort.

Everybody was running for their lives, leaving no room for the consideration of others. People were pushing and shoving each other to get ahead. Men were sacrificing their own wives, throwing them toward the orcs, so they would have a better chance of escape. It was hard to distinguish the fallen from the corpses that were scattered across the hall floor. I saw a woman lying face-first on the ground, her hands over her head, being viciously trampled by the panicked stampede. That was the last I saw of her before she was suddenly pulled across the floor, but her screams couldn't even be heard over the roar of the crowd.

"Anariel!" Winnie cried as she slipped and fell, immediately becoming lost in the sea of people. From there, my instincts took over, and I pulled my hand from Father's and turned back for her, instantly meeting a wall of resistance that I had to fight through. I could hear Father screaming my name, but I couldn't turn back, not while Winnie was out there. I met each shove with equal force, becoming more aggressive each time. With all the adrenaline pumping through me, I felt like a cave-troll barreling through the blockade, knocking people aside left and right until I came across Winnie, who was lying on the ground, her dress torn and scrapes all over her body. Quickly, I bent down, scooped her up from the ground, and pulled her along with me as I made my way toward a small passage that I'd seen earlier.

"Come, Winnie," I said, trying to get her to move faster. Her feet were lagging behind, and she wouldn't stop crying.

"But Mother and Father—"

"I know, but we must keep going!"

The passage was dark, narrow, and had likely been traveled several times before us, maybe even by orcs. All I could do was hope it would bring us somewhere safe because I really had no other choice. By now, Winnie had caught my pace and was running alongside me as quickly as her legs would allow. The sounds of the slaughter behind us only made us run faster.

Halfway through the passage, we met a soldier who was running in the opposite direction. He was running to help his comrades, but when he saw us, he abandoned his duties and swore to protect us. A true knight. Running behind him, we continued toward the exit. Right away, I could tell he was a good, strong warrior, for he carried with him a sword that had already been stained with black orc blood. Why, he'd probably already killed hundreds of them before stumbling across us. Our savior was truly great.

The passage led to the light of midday and the stench of manure. From there, the soldier brought us straight to the stables, where I knew we would mount strong, fast horses and ride away from the city. He ran inside as Winnie and I stopped to catch our breaths.