I am currently trying my hand at Magery. I am running a total mage character for the first time. I am level 21, the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, and have been bringing Lydia everywhere I go. I was told by the greybeards to find a word of power in Valthume. So Lydia and I set out...

I get to the Catacombs and the end room. So far, I have died 3 times and won 6 six times. Unfortunately, Lydia has died every time I win, thus the many times re-done Is Lydia destined to die here?

The strategies I have used thus far:
1) The first was run in and see what's there. I died
2) Finding 2 Deathlords and 2 Wights, I marked them for death. Once I hit Lydia with it by accident. oops...
3) Tried using magical traps at the base of the stairs but it was too far away and went away by the time I lead the Draugr there with Lydia waiting.
4) Thought maybe an Ice Form shout may help out. It did, but Lydia kept hitting everything, breaking them out the forms. She died.
5) Tried having Lydia stay back ("Wait here.") and try to Ice Form them and break them out 1 at a time. Killed the one before the others woke, but then got swarmed again because Lydia kept hitting them all and breaking out of their Ice Forms.

So far, the Ice Form shout works best, but every time I get through them all, I find Lydia face down or curled up in a fetal position, dead. Is this Lydia's final battle on Tamriel?

PS: I'm on the normal (default - Adept?) difficulty setting

Why not get a mage follower? Brelyna is easy to acquire from the college.