Helms' Deep
When the Dwarves made war upon the Orcs of the Misty Mountains they burned many of their fastnesses and broke down the gates of many of their strongholds. When the news came upon the survivors the Dark Fire of Moria had turned against their kind and that the Dwarves were ruling in the caverns, they were pale with mortal dread. They looked to the lands of the east and the plains of Rohan and greed allied with fear as they said to themselves: "If we stay in the Mountains the Dwarves will come and strike us down. If we flee to the depths, fire will come and consume us. We sense already his heat on our faces. Let us descend in the plains and to other mountains they know not. And thus they descended in Rohan first in scattered bands but soon in mighty hosts of a sort, led by great captains who forsook their snowy thrones and left their halls to the elements.
King Brytta gathered his riders and set on the invaders with speed and spears. Yet even as he destroyed the raiders, some of the survivors soon left their depredations and looked at the Rohirrim army as their chief foe. Such was the desire of the King who taunted them as he drove his forces through their hosts. Soon such was the ire of their captains they kept their hosts from despoiling the land to urge them against the horsemen. Brytta led them on a merry chase and the Orcs didn't catch him before the gates of Helm's Deep were closed upon him and the warriors of his house. They couldn't risk to see him renew his campaign against them so they put the citadel to siege.
To counteract this and to bring the Dunlendings back among the Free People, Saruman the White who had them under his protection. He travelled to the halls of their chieftains and argued that saving the Rohirrims from the Orcs would put them in the debt of those they had scorned for centuries. And weren't those who lived near the march of the Isen kinsmen of the men of Dunland anyway.
And Saruman departed the halls of the Dunlendings and behind him came two thousand footmen and five hundred riders. He armored their chieftains and their guards with steel from the smithies of Orthanc and even those who had succumbed to the call of the Unhoused he compelled to follow such was the power of his voice.
For he had discovered that those shamans of Dunlendings had shared their bodies not with servant of the Shadow willing but with Elves who had refused to leave the forests and mountains they had loved in life. While refusal of the summons of Mandos is a grievous fault, Saruman drove them to fury against the Orcs, hunters of beasts and hewers of trees.
Yet their guilt was still plain to his eyes and they were all unrepentant and no art of Curunir could make them promise they would wander westwards to the Havens and the crews Cirdan keep for such reprobates. Washing his hands Saruman the White placed them in the first line and prayed to the Powers the problem would solve itself in the heat of the battle.
Great was the struggle in the valley of Helm's Deep but the issue was never in doubt for the host of Dunland came during the day as the vigilance of the Orcs was at the lowest and their riders set ablaze the main camp announcing to Brytta an army had come at his relief. The Dunlendings came upon the Orcs and Trolls and Wolves with great axes and swords, swinging them as if they felled trees for winter. Their hunters, accustomed to the hunting of fell beasts, loosed their arrows on these Trolls who came at sunset and they didn't fear to come in close to hewn their limbs, at great cost for themselves.
Yet the greatest deed, eclipsing even the charge of Brytta who ordered the gates open to let pass his riders, was accomplished by Braca of Dunland. In the midst of the battle, at the heart of the fighting, he and his guard were set upon by a great Goblin captain riding a Warg chieftain. Such strong was the blow the young man dealt to his foe, his sword broke in three pieces and he split the Goblin from head to belt. Yet he was weaponless when the Warg jumped on him and began to claw his face.
To the amaze of all, even to King Brytta who cut his way through the horde. Braca was not killed but he took the Warg's neck in his hands and prayed to Tiwaz, such is the name the Dunlending give to Tulkas the Strong. Young was Braca for this deed but still his hands closed on the wolf's neck like a vice of iron and he didn't release his grip.
Under the eyes of Saruman coming to his aid, he strangled the Warg chieftain and cast his broken corpse at his feet. Seeing this the wolves ran from the battlefield and were all slain by the riders of Dunland sent to their pursuit. Seeing their captain slain, the Goblins lost heart but they were taken between Brytta and Braca like between hammer and anvil. None survived to bring news of the defeat in the Mountains and it was as if Rohan had swallowed them whole.
After the battle Brytta of Rohan who ruled from Meduseld came to Braca and before Helm's fortress he called him Hammerhand for never before one had seen a Warg chief being slain with bare hands and even Saruman looked in wonder for such a thing had not been heard of since the days Finrod Felagund died in Sauron's dungeons.
But perhaps more daring was the young man's next deed for in the battle he had seen Begild, the king's daughter of an age with him, who had fought at the manner of the maidens of noble line in Rohan. Desire had taken root in the Dunlending's heart and he offered to her the spoils of his victory and asked the permission to court her. She accepted being free of heart and loving the sound of battle and the glory of the field. Three years they danced around one another and then they were wed in Meduseld halls and none ever spoke of Helm's slaying of Freca and Wulf's revenge for this deed anymore.
) that it would take to kill someone on the job.