ANDREA

Sam and I scramble as fast as we can up the rock face, my lungs burning as I force air into the and a stitch in my side. "The Black Gate of Mordor," Gollum announces. I finally reach the top and look to where Gollum is pointing, seeing an enormous gate with Orcs patrolling on top of it and some standing guard in front of it. They have a Cave-troll. Cave-trolls manned the top of the gate as well, tied to beams similar to the ones on Davy Jones' ship that they push to summon his terrible beastie. It's gonna take more than my amazing—albeit nonexistent—ninja skills to break into that place.

"My old Gaffer would have a few things to say if he could see us now," Sam says quietly as he and I crouch behind one of the large rocks that make up the cliff. I nod, blue eyes never leaving the Black Gate as I try to figure out a plan on how to sneak in and destroy the Ring. This is going to be harder than I first thought it would be and my first thought was that it'd be impossible. I think I'm a little overdue for some comic relief. Ashley's voice fills my head making me smile, If you get yourself killed trying to rule the world I will personally break every bone in your body. Her random quotes keep me at a moderate degree of happiness, though the bleak depression from the Ring is always hovering nearby. Gollum rests on his belly next to me.

"Mistress says to show her the way into Mordor, so good Sméagol does, mistress says so."

"I did," I say softly. This is a suicide mission. It was from the very start. How did I not remember this part of it all; that I was probably going to die just to throw a dang Ring into a volcano whose name is less original than some of the crap Stephanie Meyers came up with? "We're doomed," I groan, dropping my head in my hands. Sam places one of his small hands on my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. What could only be described as an army marches up to the Black Gate on a path below where Sam, Gollum, and I are perched.

"How can we get passed that," Sam asks, turning slightly to face me.

"It's the blonde leading the blonder, Sammy boy," I answer, all of us hunkering down further to avoid being spotted by the army below. "God, please don't let me die so filthy," I pray softly, wincing when an Orc blows a horn and the gates slowly begin to open. Sam moves up to a higher perch, looking down at our destination with a new spring in his crawl.

"I can see a way down." I notice the rock he's on is slowly beginning to shift forward, and leap over to him, barely missing the end of his cloak—the two of us roll down, the gravel scratching me everywhere and the air was knocked from my lungs. Good lord, I've never hurt so bad in my life, not even the second time I screwed my knee up! When the tumbling finally stops I have rocks and a number of other hard crap pinning me from mid-thigh down to my poor toes and I'm unable to move. To make bad things worse, I notice a couple of the strange soldiers walking my way and I manage to hiss at Sam to cover himself in his cloak before doing the same, hoping that this actually works and the human light bulb didn't give it to us just to mess with our heads.

I hold my breath as the two soldiers approach, able to make out a pair of booted feet only a few inches from my face. One more step and I might not have a face left. Just as I was getting desperate for air, the feet begin to retreat and join back with the others, still clutching their weapons. Letting out the breath I'd been holding, and taking a few more to steady my racing heart, I begin to work at freeing my legs as quickly and quietly as was humanly possible. Calling on my adrenalin rush, I finally get free and begin to help Sammy; the rocks were at his waist and he wasn't having much luck in moving around by himself.

"Hold up, don't need you straining yourself before the climb back up," I tell him softly while pushing the rocks away and pulling him to his feet.

He looks like he's thinking about something deep and meaningful, but if you ask him what it is, he'll punch you in the face.

So not the right time, Ash. Focus on what you should be doing.

I am focusing, it's not my fault that Gandy is angrier than he was before he fucking died. Smiling a little, I hide behind a nearby bolder and watch as the army enters Sauron's village of doom and lollipops—okay, not lollipop, more like the perfect place for people to smoke cigarettes and not have to worry about other people getting offended. I start forward, wanting to slip through the gate before it closes and we're stuck out here to die a horrible and painful death. Wow, maybe you need a pep talk.

Shut up, Ashley, or I will find you and I will kill you. Sam comes up behind me and I look at the Hobbit over my shoulder. "You don't have to come, Sammy."

"I know, but I am," he states, determination shining in his hazel eyes. Gah, Hobbits are awesomely annoying sometimes, but I guess Sam's beginning to grow on me... Just a little bit. Taking a deep breath, I open my mouth to give the onward command, but Gollum pulls Sam and me backwards by our cloaks before I got the chance. Man that would've been my first onward.

"No," Gollum shrieks," they catch you!" Growling in annoyance, I try to go again, but, like last time, Gollum stopped me. "You can't take it to him." I take a good, long look at Gollum's face, seeing the desperation and worry there as plain as day. "Always he's looking for it and it wants to go back to him." I look from Gollum back to the gate, noticing it beginning to close. I can't lose my only shot of destroying this stupid Ring and maybe being sent back home! I leap forward and Gollum wraps his long arms around my legs, sending me back to the ground and gasping for air. My lungs hate me right now, I just know it. "I know another way, a secret way... A darker way."

"Why haven't you said this before," Sam shouts, grabbing Gollum's arms and making him face him.

"Master did not ask." Gollum snatches his arm back, but only because Sam allowed it.

"Enough," I snap, cutting off whatever Sam was going to say," if there's another way into that Godforsaken place, then we're gonna take it and I'll have no more arguments from either of you! I have been nice to both of you this far, but I'm close to my breaking point, and believe me, you don't want to be there when it happens." My temper was legendary and made all but Kharl and Ashley flinch away; those two would fight back or calm me down, depending on how they felt. I shove Gollum forward. "Now, start walking."