Third Person's POV

"QUWEN!" The dark voice hissed. The blonde woman's eyes burst open. If someone had been standing before her, they would have seen the fire from the Great Eye that had been burning in her dreams.

Her body was burning, despite the cold air that bit at her exposed skin. Sweat even dripped from her brow and her shoulders relaxed, causing her to sink slightly.

Her shoulder sockets burned with pain and she was sure that if she remained like this much longer, they joints would surely rip free from the other half.

Shutting her hazel eyes once more in exhaustion, she quickly reopened them. She was fearful that she would fall asleep once again and Sauron would haunt her dreams.

The sweet memories had disappeared a day ago and had been replaced with terrifying nightmares. All through her sleep, the evil voice had continued to whisper dark wantings in her ear. It kept promising her wealth and riches. It promised her good health. It promised her a life with Aragorn.

There would be no question that she would be able to wed the Ranger. If Sauron was able to claim his Ring once more, she could live with Aragorn. She could have his children, the child that she had already laid eyes on in her dream.

In the back of her mind though, a small yet powerful voice continued to remind her that Sauron could not have the Ring. If he was in possession of it once more, Middle Earth would fall.

Realizing that the voice in her head was her own, she began screaming back at the terrible voice. She told it that she would rather die than see him have the Ring back.

Even if he promised her a happy life.

She would give up everything to protect the innocent children that had yet to grow old. She would protect the young adults who had yet to learn what it was like to be in love, even if it meant giving up her own.

Light streamed into the small room once more, causing her to flinch. The foul creatures walked towards her, terrible scowl upon their faces.

"Our master wishes to speak to you..." One smaller one hissed. Quwen merely narrowed her eyes at the dreadful being. They moved to her sides and inserted keys into the locks at her wrists and ankles.

Her arms dropped and a sigh of relief threatened to escape her throat. However, she kept it inside, for fear the orcs would simply chain her back up. Her cold toes were once again on the ground.

She wished to rub her raw wrists but once again she refrained from doing so.

They forced her between the four of them as they led her outside her room for the first time in days. However, when she tried to walk, her leg throbbed as she put weight on it.

She couldn't even help the small whimper of pain as she was forced forward by the orcs behind her. Sending them a harsh look, they only growled at her and forced her forward once more.

The orcs led her into a rather large and dark hall. The place was much more dark and dismal than the rest of the tower. The entire hall was dark once more and at first, Quwen believed it to only be another cell.

However, when the orcs stepped away from her after forcing her to her knees, did the room lighten. Taking in the sight of the room, she noticed a table off to the side. Her weapons were splayed across it as if someone had been examining them. It was only a short distance away and she was about to step forward when she suddenly stopped.

The flames leapt higher into the air and burned brightly around her. She winced at the sudden increase of heat. The chill was gone from her limbs and was replaced with extreme heat.

A smaller version of the Great Eye burned in the center of the room. She watched as smoke billowed from around the eye. The Black speech rushed into her ears all at once and her head throbbed suddenly.

She was sure that her eyes were playing tricks on her when the smoke began to take shape in the form of a man. It's skin was white as ash and it had long black hair cascading down its back.

A fire seemed to burn inside the being's pupils as it stared down at Quwen. Oddly enough, his face was rather handsome but as he looked at her, she felt the cold begin to seep back into her bones.

"Quwen..." He chuckled as he gazed down at the woman. Her hazel eyes stared up at him in terror, her chest heaving slightly in fear. "I have you now..." His eyes smoldered as he took in her disheveled form.

Even in her weakened state, her hazel eyes burned against him spitefully.

"Why did you bring me here?" She spoke for the first time in days, her voice weaker than usual due to the fact that she also hadn't had water.

"I only brought you here for one reason. Can you guess what that would be?" He began to slowly walk around her. She followed him with her eyes and his dark clothing dragged across the ground. After waiting for her answer and knowing he would receive none, he decided to speak.

"I brought you here because you are a direct line to the Heir to Isildur's heart..." Her eyes snapped up at the mention of her companion. The Dark Lord smirked at her response, knowing he was correct in what he saw in her mind.

"You are wrong in the assumption that Aragorn has feelings for me!" She suddenly burst out, her exhaustion turning to anger. The blood boiled in her veins at the thought of Sauron using her against Aragorn.

"Oh, but I know for a fact that Aragorn is fond of you! Oh, this is precious!" He clasped his hands together and laughed darkly as he continued to pace around her. She felt her insides turn from boiling hot to icy cold at his words.

"You see, once you are dead, he will be broken and Gondor will fall under his reign..." She slowly clamored to her feet, pain radiating through her thigh from the deep wound where the knife had cut her.

"You are wrong!" Her voice was strong once more as she spoke against his dark words. He halted in his walking around her and a small smirk played on his lips. She was showing some fight. This was the woman who had seen riding through the Wilds. This was the true form of the woman he had been watching.

The orcs trudged forward and grabbed her arms. They forced her back on her knees in which she painfully groaned again. Sauron's bodily form strode forward, his own rage flaring.

Using his pale yet strong hand, he reached out and tightly grasped her chin, forcing her eyes directly up into his. The Black Speech once again hissed into her ears and she flinched momentarily before blocking out the vile words.

"I have seen the future and I know how of his fate!" His words quieted her and she stopped moving for a moment, knowing what his words meant. He slowly released her chin, her hazel eyes staring up at him with disbelief. He turned his back on her, knowing that their discussion was over.

She would be returned to her cell and he would wait for Aragorn to come for her and his forces would completely wipe out the line of Isildur. However, he did not plan on her next words.

"You don't know Aragorn... Even if his heart has been stolen and lost, he can only hold onto one thing. And that one thing will always be stronger than your darkness! And do you know what that is? Hope. Hope is stronger than fear and that is the only power you have over the people of Middle Earth! And I will never give up hope, do you want to know why? Becuase if I put my hope in one thing and believe in just one thing... I believe in him!" Passion burned in her heart and using her new strength, she rose to her feet.

Wretching her arms free of the orcs, her hand wrapped around the hilt of her trusty blade that was on the table. Pulling it from the scabbard, she gritted her teeth and fought against the pain. With a roar of both pain and power, she swung her thick blade through the air.

Sauron's bodily form turned at the noise and was surprised when the blade cut through his body. His eyes burned and his face was set in a dark scowl. The blade did not harm him, for it only cut through him like smoke.

He only remained for a moment before the Dark Lord vanished entirely with a look of pain on his face. A terrible scream suddenly wrang through the entire tower. The walls began to shake and Quwen rocked back and forth on her heels.

Realizing what had just occurred, the orcs ran at her and using her blade, she cut them down rather quickly. The tower continued to shake and she burst through the door that led from the great hall. The torches fell from the walls as it continued to shake.

The Lady was having a very difficult time staying on her feet so she had to walk along the wall to stay upright.

Tossing the wide loop of her sword's belt over her head, she didn't have time to properly place it around her waist. More orcs rushed at her and she ducked under the first orc's blade. Bringing her blade into his gut, she attacked the second and the third. After the group was deceased, she continued to hobble down the hall until she reached a winding set of stairs.

Cursing under her breath, she stumbled down the stairs, her body screaming murder the whole time.

Aragorn rode atop his loyal horse as they trotted towards the Black Gates that lay before them. A burning sense of determination had light his body on fire as he rode up to the looming figure in the distance.

His companions followed behind as he rode up to the thick gates guarding Mordor's dark lands. Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Éomer, and Boromir trotted up at a slowed pace, unsure of how to approach the wall. After a moment of hesitation, the Heir decided to speak.

"Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth! Let justice be done upon him!" The King called as he stopped. The riders and their horses pranced before the gate, uncertainty filling all their guts.

With a sudden thud and the creaking of gears, the large doors began to open inward. For a moment, Aragorn panicked and backed Brego up, ready for a surprise assault.

However, only a single rider emerged from the Dark Lands. His horse was covered in dark armor and trotted heavily towards them. As the being drew nearer, Aragorn had to resist the disgusted sneer that wished to cover his face. The being was beyond ugly as it sat atop its mount. The eyes were covered by a strange sort of helmet, only leaving its overly large mouth exposed.

"My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome!" The odd being rumbled as he shot a toothy grin at Aragorn. He couldn't help the mocking smile that came on his, even though it came out more like a disgusted sneer.

"Is there any in this rout with authority to treat with me?"

"We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed. Tell your master this: The armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return!" Gandalf growled at the foul beast.

"Old Greybeard. I have a token I was bidden to show thee..." The Mouth of Sauron sneered before reaching into pocket and withdrawing the Mithril shirt.

"Frodo." Pippin said what was all on their minds as the cursed being held up the precious armor. He tossed it to the wizard who caught it, shock written across his features. The entire company felt panic strike them as they gazed at the shirt.

"Frodo!" Merry cried from his place behind Boromir.

"Silence!" Gandalf commanded but the hobbit just glared daggers at him. "No!"

"Silence!" He growled once more, finally being successful in silencing the hobbit behind the Steward.

"The Halfling was dear to thee, I see. Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host. Who would've thought one so small could endure so much pain? And he did, Gandalf. He did..." The creature reassured the wizard and Aragorn could feel the blood boil in his veins.

As if sensing his anger, Brego took a few hesitant steps forward. The head of the creature snapped to look at him.

"And who is this? Isildur's heir? It takes more to make a king than a broken Elvish blade. Yet, do not worry for I have a token for you as well..." Reaching into the folds of his dark cloak once more, he retrieved a blade.

Tossing it to Aragorn, the dark haired man easily caught it but he didn't even have to look at the blade to know who's it was. However, just to confirm his fears, he risked a glance down at the shinning blade.

The handle was slick with blood and the blade was still soiled with black orc's blood. His eyes knew the piece well, for he had to return it to Quwen once before.

Feeling tears well up in his eyes, the King kept them at bay. But a new kind of anger was inside him. This was rage, an unspeakable, loathing and relentless rage. He knew that if he had all the intentions right now, he most certainly could breath fire at the moment.

However, he would leave that to Toran who waited patiently behind them with the rest of their forces.

"Do not worry, Elessar, the Lady of the North is no longer suffering..." The creature pulled his lips back in a smile to reveal his rotten teeth. However, he would never utter a word again for Andúril did a fine job in removing his head from his shoulders.

"I guess that concludes negotiations..." Gimli grumbled, seeming to be glad to have the creature dead.

"I do not believe it. I will not!" Aragorn looked down in disbelief at the red liquid that coated the handle of her short sword. The turning of more gears alerted them that the wall was moving. They began to open inward once more and the sound of thousands of orcs was unmistakable.

"Pull back! Pull back!" He commanded as he turned Brego back toward their own forces before he rejoined their side once more. As the gates opened completely, an uncountable number of orcs stood before the small army of people.

The men no longer believe that they will live to see the next day.

"Hold your ground!" The Ranger commanded as Brego paced about nervously. He could sense the fear that radiated off the army behind them. They believed that they would loose this battle.

Rallying his own courage, he knew what he must do. What he must do for her.

"Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship..." He stopped at this point, remembering the oaths that they took at Rivendell all those months ago.

Back them, he had not trusted Breeze at all. Now here he was, months later, fighting for her life and willing to give up his own in her place.

"...But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down. But it is not this day. This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

The sound of a thousands swords rang out into the air as they were pulled from their scabbards. The men felt their courage blaze to life once more at the Ranger's words. They would follow him into battle. They would follow him anywhere.

However, the small army soon became surrounded by the forces of Sauron, leaving no room for escape.

"Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an Elf..." Gimli grumbled as he gripped his father's axe tightly in his strong hands.

"What about side by side with a friend?" Legolas offered as he gazed down at his shorter companion. If only their fathers could see them now, for they would be pulling their hair out seeing their sons' friendship. It been many years since dwarves fought alongside elves. The dwarf pondered this for a moment.

"Aye. I could do that..." He smiled and no word about competition was made. They both knew that surviving this battle would be a miracle. Aragorn couldn't help it when his lips twitched up slightly when he heard their conversation.

A sudden wave of silence fell over the battlefield. Looking up, Aragorn realized that the Eye was now only focused on himself.

"Aragorn... Elessar..." Sauron's dark voice hissed into his ears. Taking a few steps forward, Aragorn felt as though the darkness was pulling at the very core of his being. Offering him impossible things and he was sad to say he actually thought about some of them.

However, he felt a chill grip his spin and the man froze in his place. It felt as though his life was being sucked from the bones of his very being. When he released a deep breath, mist swirled from his mouth and he stared at it with wide eyes.

"Fight..." He could hear her voice perfectly in his head. He could see the stern expression on her face which was echoed in her wonderful eyes. "For Frodo..." The image of her brought warmth back into his body and he stood up straight once more.

He would do this for her. Even if it was the last thing he ever did.

Turning back to the small army, he nodded his head when he heard her voice replace Sauron's. He could not help the tears that welled in his blue eyes as he gazed at all his loyal comrades.

"For Frodo..." The crownless king repeated her words before turning back to the thousands of orcs before him. Drawing Andúril out, he brought the sword closer to his face and with it, it brought confidence.

Rushing forward, the Ranger sprayed dirt up in his wake. His feet dug into the ground as he propelled himself towards the enemy. Only a moment passed before he heard the soft pounding of smaller feet behind him. The two remaining hobbits charge into battle after him, letting out loud battle cries of their own.

Following their lead, the entire army of Men began charging their enemies from all sides.

The tower continued to shake and once more, Quwen almost fell on her rear. She must have cut down a thousand orcs by now and her shoulders were screaming in pain and her leg was bleeding once more.

She continued down the endless staircase as the building continued to shake. She had to get out before it collapsed on top of her.

For the Lady did not know where was going, she only trusted her feet to guide her on the right path. One could almost call it a Ranger's intuition. Spearing another orc on her blade, she was rather glad to come into another open corridor.

Her hand was clutching at her chest were an orc's blade had caught her soft skin. Now, blood darkened her royal blue tunic and her head had begun to spin from the blood loss.

By luck, this hall seemed to be empty and she had noticed the decline in orcs as she continued down the stairs. It was rather odd, for if Quwen was to place guards in her tower, she would have placed them on the lower levels to protect from a sudden attack. Hearing a sudden boom from above her, she looked up and watched as pieces of the ceiling began to fall.

Dodging a large piece of stone, she made to move down the hallway once more.

She hobbled her way out of the corridor and down the next flight of stairs. Taking in a deep breath, she swore that the air was less foul down here and she remembered Gandalf's saying from when they were in the Mines.

"When in doubt, always follow your nose..." Her lips twitched up slightly before descending the stairs. Going towards the cleaner air, it lead her to a grand doorway. However, she noticed that the doors were too heavy and large for her to open.

Panic rose in her chest as she thought of what to do, realizing that she would be trapped there if she didn't act quickly.

As if someone where watching over her from above, one of the great doors cracked up the center. However, the cracking stopped and Quwen felt the dread sink back into her stomach.

Seeing a small window off to the side, Quwen thought quickly. Picking up a heavy chair from the table across the room, she hurled it at the window. It broke with a loud bang and she quickly pulled herself up.

The glass cut into her hands and legs as she began to pull herself through the small window. Her hips got stuck and she grunted as she pushed against the building. She was so close to being free.

The building once again shook. Looking upward, she realized that the whole thing was about to come crashing down upon her. Smaller rubble began pelting her in the face and she wrinkled her nose before going back to work. With one final shove, she felt her hips beginning to bruise yet she pushed herself free.

Falling the few feet to the ground, she landed on her already scratched up palms to save her face. Picking up her discarded sword, she began to limp away from the tall tower, knowing that it would surely fall on her.

The Great Eye screamed and boiled in pain for an unknown reason. The sound hurt Quwen's ears and the ground shook, causing her to fall again. Looking to Mt. Doom, she realized why Sauron was writhing in pain.

Frodo had done it. He had destroyed the Ring.

Feeling joy enter her heart once more, she watched as lava burst forth from the peak of the mountain. Then suddenly, the tower began to crumbled once more. Clamoring to her feet, she did her best to sprint away from the tower which was grumbling.

A large section fell from the top and gathering her strength, she threw herself out of the way of the flying rock. The ground shook when it landed only a few feet away from her.

The rubble continued to rain down and with what little strength she had left, Quwen once again sprinted away from the dark tower.

With one final scream, Sauron was no more. The Great Eye exploded and the tower disintegrated. The force knocked her over once again and she fell onto her stomach. She hit the ground hard and once again, her body screamed in pain.

It just hurt everywhere.

Lying on her stomach, she weakly rolled over, a loud groan escaping her lips. Her chest hurt, her leg hurt, everything just hurt.

Hearing a loud rumble, she looked up and watched as the land around Sauron's troops fell away. The orcs screamed as they were claimed by the earth and were swallowed up for all eternity.

The ground continued to fall away and Quwen began to panic once more. It continued to roll at her and she was about to scramble to her feet when it stopped a few feet away.

Her head dropped back to the ground in exhaustion. She would lay here for a moment. Only for a moment. Maybe it would be longer than a moment, for her entire body ached and she just wished that the burning pain would go away.

Yes, only a moment.

"ARGH!" Aragorn continued to fight against the hulking form of the troll before him. Ducking under the huge blade, the Ranger was able to save his head. Taking his own swing at the troll, the beast blocked it with its blade.

Without warning, the troll back handed the crownless king, sending him sprawling on the ground. He landed hard on his back, the back of his head connecting with the ground.

The troll growled as he walked towards the man and was about to bring down his blade when suddenly, a bright light blinded him.

At first glance, Aragorn believed that it had been Gandalf that had saved him from the beast. But no, the source of the light seemed to be on his chest. Looking down, Aragorn picked up the lion charm, the metal warm on his fingers.

The white light seemed to be emanating from the charm and Aragorn watched in awe as the troll and any other surrounding creatures hissed and turned away from it.

Rising to his feet, Aragorn cut the troll down as it was distracted. Hearing a loud boom, everyone's eyes turned to look at the source of the noise. The Eye in the distance seemed to writhe and twist in pain.

The walls of Barad-dûr began to fall, much to Aragorn's horror. Sauron's army began to retreat back into the Black Lands but the army of Men cried out when the ground opened up and swallowed the ugly beasts.

Aragorn saw none of that. His blue eyes were only focused on the large tower that crumbled in on itself before the Great Eye exploded and the rubble shattered entirely. Most of the men cheered at the sight of the Eye being destroyed, however the only few who knew who remained inside did not.

"QUWEN!" The king called out and took a few steps forward. A strong hand was placed on his shoulder and the distressed king turned to look at the new Steward. Pain was written in both their eyes and Aragorn felt his throat close.

"Maybe she is still out there..." Boromir reasoned as he watched Mt. Doom explode. Dread once more filled their beings and their mouths dropped open. Sam and Frodo were at the base of the explosion. There was no way that they survived it.

"Quwen!" Aragorn called once more the place where the tower had once been. He still could not believe that she had been in there. She was not in there. He would never let himself believe that. "Toran!"

The named dragon raised his head from where he had been mourning the woman. Trotting forward, he came to stand beside the king, his head lowered so he could listen.

"I want you to see if you can find Quwen..."

"Out in that mess?" The brown dragon questioned, already knowing his answer. With a swift nod from the Heir of Isildur, the dragon took to the skies and his large wings carried him across the dark lands.

Pain was the only thing that brought her from the blackness.

Rolling over, she felt pain radiate across her chest from the cut she had received from the orc's blade. She weakly raised a hand up to it and felt her fingers become slick with blood once more.

Movement was the next thing she noticed and she could feel something coming toward her. Lying still once more, she waited for the creature to pass and leave her corpse behind.

When she felt a nose on her face, however, she could not help but twitch her nose. The soft hairs on the skin tickled her face and she turned her head away from the feeling.

When the soft lips closed around her nose however, she began to panic. She weakly raised her hand up to touch the soft fur of the horse that he found her.

"Delgaranor..." She weakly mumbled the steed's name. He responded with a quiet whiney before he gently gummed her nose once more. A small smile twitched at her lips.

Knowing that she must move, Quwen tried her best to get her legs working once more. However, they would not respond and she frowned slightly.

"Del... I can't move..." She told the horse, her eyes still closed. His warm breath covered her face and all she heard was the rustling of hooves. Feeling the warm body of her loyal steed lay down beside her, she grasped tightly onto his shaggy mane.

Hauling herself upward, she groaned and forced her eyes open. Rubble from the tower lay aruond her and she wondered how she had not been crushed. Her hazel eyes scanned the surrounding area and she found no other living being around.

His back was bare of his saddle and armor. For a moment she wondered where they had gone but pondered it no longer as she forced her own leg over his back.

The speckled horse rose to his hooves easily, the woman weighing close to nothing after she had been starved for her entire stay in the Black Lands.

Her sword scabbard hung loosely around her neck and she tucked it more around her waist. Allowing her body to sink against her steed's back out of exhaustion.

"Take me home Del..." She whispered through her chapped lips before her eyes slid closed. The darkness that consumed her however, was much thicker than she was used to. This was the type of darkness that there was no returning from.

"Any sign of her?" Aragorn asked as soon as Toran had landed. The dragon appeared to be rather solemn at the moment and Aragorn suspected the worst. "No..." He began but the dragon stopped him.

"There was no sign of her. I did find blood but I did not know who it belonged to..." He explained. The crownless king only nodded before both Boromir and Éomer joined him from inside the tent from where they had been gathered.

They had set up camp a short way away from the battlefield. They could still see the remains of the battle in the distance. Barad-dûr was at least two hundred miles away and they could see the smoldering ruins of the tower.

All three of them men where concerned for the woman, all in a different way. They each had a special bond with her, one that they did not wish to give up so easily.

"What do we do now?" The Horse Lord spoke, clearly distressed with the situation. Quwen was like a sister to him.

"We can only hope for her safe return..." Aragorn said as he stared off into the distance, knowing, simply knowing that she was out there. She just had to be.

Oh, I'm evil. I'm sorry but I had to end it there. I was heavily procrastinating all week and I just couldn't find it in myself to finish it.

Basketball is regretfully over. I am very depressed and I still cry myself to sleep at night. I will miss the seniors greatly. I love you guys. I wish we could play another year together and I wouldn't trade you guys for anything.

Anyway, chapter is out. I'm tired. I got my job done.

Now, I have to work on my online class. I have to read like seven chapters before taking a test on Wednesday. Yuck.

Alright, I'm still wondering about writing a Hobbit story as well. It will be on OC story but I don't know who it would be with. I have a pretty good idea of what would occur and how it would begin but I don't know the pairing!

Should it be a Thorin/OC or a Fili/OC? I love them both so much and I don't know who to choose! There arne't hardly any Fili/OCs but who doesn't think Thorin is a pile of smoldering hotness?

Tell me in your review and thanks to all who did! You light up my world like nobody else!

Love,

Blue