Ilúvatar had seen that look in the eyes of a dozen soldiers or more. Soldiers who were ready to throw away their lives for a cause they believed in. For comrades that they loved. Only for a half of an instant's heart did his eyes move to Eibhear. She loved the High Elf, or at least seemed to in his eyes, but she would not say it. And neither would he, despite whatever feelings they both might have. Ilúvatar did not want to think that ... that she would ... it was all moot in any case. The real reason she'd come here was not to profess her love but to try and do what she could to defend them. To defend them. It seemed as simple as thinking it or saying it when you were adrift in the belief that you could save a person. Or many. You accepted your death, and you moved beyond it to reach for the things that you imagined in the future of all those who would be saved by your selfless sacrifice. Yes, he'd seen the look, and he knew it well enough to know what she was thinking.
"I knew an elf once," Ilúvatar said without looking at her. "Fair-haired sort of creature, tall but bereft of muscle. We called him "Reed", but his real name was ... almost wholly unpronounceable. From an offshoot of the Anacleto, actually. A small offshoot. He changed his name so that he could join with another House's army. He served like a crazed hyena for fifteen years. You would think in fifteen years that you would see everything and know everything that one could possibly know about soldiering. But they Drow had his unit on their heels, backs to an almost impossible pass, and Reed knew if they could not delay the Drow that all of them would die. So he argued with his commander for two and one half minutes. In the end Reed stayed, with as many spears as he could comfortably reach and a tower shield. A sword. And that was all. For two days he waited for the Drow to attack - he would rattle sabers and smash one piece of armor into another. But the Drow never did come. So he set out to find his comrades."
One of the soldiers slipped as he started to climb, but at Ilúvatar's nod, he smiled and went on again.
So did the Sylvan Elf.
"After a half-day's hike Reed at last observed his comrades," Ilúvatar went on in the same monotone. "They were all slaughtered, to the last. The Drow were hunting a Captain's head, and they knew Reed was not the Captain. So they merely bypassed the place and went right on hunting his comrades. Not one of them lived except for him. He always told me that his greatest dream was to die saving the lives of his brothers in arms, and barring that to die in their company. He never held a sword again, never rode a horse to battle. About a year after that incident he laid down in front of his iron plow and went a coward's way. Died a coward's death because he tried to be brave."
A shake of his head.
"Heroism isn't what's needed here," Ilúvatar finally did look at her, with a piercing gaze,. and a grim set to his lips. "If you want to help... then tell the men it will be all right. They'll believe it, coming from a priestess. It might give them a second wind. Tell them to put their backs into it, if you think you can."