Théoden wasted no time to organize a counterattack.
"Reform the line ! Reform the line !" Théoden shouted to his men to get them back into the spirit of battle before fear could take hold.
As the Haradrim quickly approached the Rohirrim, one Mûmakil went roaring into battle, causing others to do the same.
"Sound the charge ! Take them head on ! CHARGE !" Théoden shouted to his men as Gamling blew his horn to signal the charge.
"That doesn't sound like a wise idea to me ! We're going to die much quicker by going straight at them ! But there is no time to argue, bad strategic idea or not, I'll have to go with it ! So far, I think that Aragorn's luck may have rubbed off on me. Heck, if Éowyn and Merry are willingly charging those monstrosities, so can I !" Lux thought to himself before charging at the stampeding Mûmakils.
The heroic charge would quickly turn sour, as the Mûmakils merely used their trunks and tusks to send horses and riders into the air and to their deaths, while others were crushed by the enormous feet. Many riders were run over as they were being chased by their adversaries. To make matters worse, the Haradrim's archers had a good aim and took out a great number of horses and riders this way.
After a while, Éomer had his fill. He stood, facing the leading rider of the Mûmakils and held his spear up, waiting for the right moment to throw it into the air like a javelin. When his target was in range, he threw his spear and stabbed the rider in the chest, causing him to fall on the side of his Mûmakil, stabbing its ear in the process. This in turn, caused the Mûmakil to steer towards another, stumbling into it, and bringing both down and out of the battle.
Éowyn and Merry were deftly dodging been trampled by the large feet and avoiding being caught by trunk and tusk.
"Take the reins ! Pull him left ! LEFT !" Éowyn shouted to Merry as she grabbed an Orc's sword on the way and used her two swords to slash at the legs of a Mûmakil she rode under, causing it to lose its balance and crumble on the ground.
Lux was being a bit more creative on how to deal with them. He risked to use his blaster as he rode around and aimed his shots at the Mumakil's legs. The blast seared through the legs and quickly brought it down.
"Aim for their heads !" Éomer instructed to his fellow riders as he shot a few arrows at a Mumakil's head, causing it to stand on its hind legs.
"BRING IT DOWN ! BRING IT DOWN ! BRING IT DOWN !" Théoden shouted to his men as the Mûmakil was beginning to stagger, causing Haradrim to fall off to their deaths.
As the Mûmakil toppled over, Éowyn and Merry almost got crushed, however their horse wasn't as fortunate.
"Merry !" Éowyn called out as she couldn't find her Hobbit ally.
As she scanned the battleground for him, she saw her uncle fighting off Orcs. He was completely surrounded. She ran off to give him a hand. Théoden looked briefly in confusion, he thought he imagined that his niece was fighting beside him. Quickly regaining his composure, he continued to bring down any Orcs near him.
Merry crawled out from behind the dead Mûmakil and was quickly assaulted by a Haradrim warrior. Ducking to avoid being skewered alive, he then swung his sword to bring down his assailant. An Orc then grabbed him and attempted strangle him, but Merry shoved his sword through its chest several times and managed to save himself.
Éowyn was then challenged by Gothmog himself, she managed to hold her own against the Orc general by first trading sword blows with him, then punching him in the face and finally slashing at his leg to put him out of battle momentarily.
Gamling was holding his own until his horse got caught by the trunk of a raging Mûmakil. Awaiting to be brutally trampled, he was saved thanks to Lux whom grabbed his mentor and pulled him onto his horse as he passed by.
"My thanks, Lord Bonteri ! That was quite reckless what you did there ! Look out, my Lord ! The trunk, watch for the trunk !" Gamling shouted to him as he slithered past the trunk of a passing Mûmakil.
"My pleasure, Gamling ! Your training has paid off in your favor as you can see ! Can you do something for me ? Take the reins while I prepare my rifle so I can take out this creature with a blow to its head." Lux suggested to Gamling as he reached for his rifle.
"Will that be sufficient ?" Gamling wondered.
"Just you watch !" Lux replied as he took aim.
As they passed its side, Lux released the trigger and the rifle bolt went straight to the Mûmakil's head, causing it to topple over. Gamling looked on in disbelief and awe.
"It appears your methods are much more effective than ours, my Lord ! But we still have many foes to defeat before we can even hope to claim victory !" Gamling shouted as he looked at the battlefield at large, the Rohirrim were going down much faster and more frequently than any Mûmakil.
"'Soka, I hope you're having an easier time than we are ! Please be safe ! I hope to be able to hold you in my arms after this conflict, assuming we both survive ! Be careful !" Lux thought to himself as he was looking forward for that peaceful moment with his special Togruta again.
Back in Minas Tirith, what remaining soldiers and civilians were now cornered in a small area with only a gate protecting them from the onslaught of Orcs and trolls. Ahsoka stood with the soldiers, lightsabers ignited and awaiting for a last stand. Gandalf was sitting in a corner with Pippin, keeping an eye on a still unconscious Faramir and watching the soldiers prepare themselves for a possible attack.
"All right, everyone ! Whatever happens, give it all you've got ! We're the last line of defense for those helpless people here ! We can do this !" Ahsoka shouted to the soldiers, trying her best to inspire confidence unto them.
"I didn't think it would end this way." Pippin said in despair.
"End ? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass. And then you see it." Gandalf said to the Hobbit, reminiscing of his near-death experience.
"What, Gandalf ? See what ?" Pippin wondered.
"White shores, and beyond. A far green country under a swift sunrise." Gandalf replied, explaining the beauty of the afterlife.
"Well, that isn't so bad." Pippin said while smiling lightly.
"No, no it isn't." Gandalf added.
"With all due respect, old man, I'm in no hurry to see those white shores. I have plenty of things I want to do while I'm still here. I have a beautiful life to look forward to with Lux. Perhaps I could give him the greatest gift of all besides my eternal love : children. Yes, it should happen. It WILL happen. I hope he's safe out there. Lux, you better survive this ! If you die in battle... I'll never forgive you." Ahsoka thought to herself as she caught Gandalf's words.
The gate was beginning to weaken. Everyone braced themselves for the worst.
Back on Pelennor Fields, the Rohirrim were still struggling with the Haradrim.
"Rally to me ! To me !" Théoden shouted to his men, trying to regroup for another charge.
The men were increasingly nervous, and with good reason ! The Witch-King's fellbeast swooped down towards Théoden and grabbed Snowmane, tossing him to the ground like a ragdoll. This resulted in Théoden being almost crushed to death by his horse. Not too far, Éowyn watched, eyes wide in shock and horror. The fellbeast landed near Théoden, ready to devour him.
"Feast on his flesh." The Witch-King ordered to his pet.
Éowyn quickly ran in front of her uncle to protect him from an undeserving fate.
"I will kill you if you touch him !" Éowyn shouted as she challenged the Lord of the Nazgûl.
"Do not come between a Nazgûl and its prey." The Witch-King hissed in warning.
The fellbeast attempted to bite her but missed its strike. Éowyn took the opportunity to cut through the beast's exposed neck in two strikes, killing it. As it flailed wildly about in its death throes, the Witch-King was tossed on the ground, and hissed in anger. He readied his large flail while she quickly reached for a shield of a downed soldier. She managed to avoid the first couple of swings, the third nicking her shield and fourth one broke her shield and shattered her left arm in the process. She fell on the ground, clutching her broken arm.
At the docks near the Pelennor Fields, the Orcs had regrouped while the Haradrim were doing most of the killing. The odds were turning in their favor as the ships of the Corsair pirates finally arrived.
"Late as usual, pirate scum ! There's knife-work here that needs doing. Come on, you sea rats ! Get off your ships !" Guritz shouted in anger as he approached the ships.
To the Orcs' shock, a Man, an Elf and a Dwarf leapt out from one of the ships. They all thought they were going to get an easy victory, but an unpleasant surprise was in store for them.
"There's plenty for the both of us ! May the best Dwarf win !" Gimli said to Legolas and he began to run towards the Orcs.
Aragorn lifted Anduril and the Army of the Dead came rushing out from the ships, killing any Orcs in their path.
Back at Pelennor Fields, the Witch-King was about to finish off Éowyn. He grabbed her by the throat and held her above the ground.
"You fool ! No man can kill me ! Die now !" The Witch-King hissed as he was about to strangle her.
Merry arrived just in time and used his enchanted Dagger of Noldorin to stab the Witch-King behind his leg, crippling him and breaking his magic shield, rendering him vulnerable. As the Witch-King shrieked in pain and fell on his knees, Éowyn got up and removed her helmet, showing her long blonde hair.
"I am no man !" Éowyn shouted as she stabbed the Witch-King right in the face, dealing the killing blow.
His armor began to crumple following his defeat, leaving nothing but his ruined armor and his cloak. However, with his defeat, a bit of the pain was passed on to Éowyn and Merry, which brought both to the ground. Elsewhere on the fields, the new trio fought their way through as the Dead did their part.
"15, 16..." Legolas shouted while keeping his kill count in check.
"29..." Gimli shouted while keeping tabs on his kills.
Aragorn was also busy killing Orcs, but didn't join his friends' competition.
Éowyn was struggling to crawl away from the battle, she looked back and saw Gothmog limping towards her. She tried to reach for a sword, but it slipped from her grasp. As Gothmog was about to deal a crippling blow, Aragorn arrived and cut off his good arm while Gimli struck a blow in his chest, killing him. Both were unaware that Éowyn was lying nearby.
"Legolas !" Aragorn shouted to his Elvish friend as a Mûmakil was about to attack him.
Legolas quickly leapt onto the tusk, avoiding a slap from the trunk and latched on to one of the ropes holding the platform on the beast's back. As he climbed on top, he managed to kill some Haradrim with his arrows. He soon cut all the ropes holding the platform, having it topple off the Mûmakil's back. He then proceeded to kill the rider and finally releasing some arrows in the beast's head, killing it. As the Mûmakil fell on its side, Legolas slid off its trunk to get back on the ground.
"That still only counts as one !" Gimli grumbled in frustration.
Elsewhere on the fields, Lux got caught off guard and was dismounted from his horse. As he tried to reach for his weapons, an Orc charged towards him. Before the Orc dealt its blow, a shot of plasma brought it down.
"You were doing quite good so far, why did you let your guard down... son ?" A voice called out to him.
Lux got up and looked in disbelief. He could see the ghostly shape of his parents, John and Mina, looking down at him.
"F-father ! M-mother ! H-how is this possible ?!" Lux questioned as he stared in shock.
"Dear Lux, we have little time, so we must bid our farewell soon. We felt you were in danger and chose to intervene." The ghost of Mina explained.
"Son, my only regret is that I haven't lived long enough to meet your beloved like your Mother did. She won't stop praising her. I can understand, Togrutas are a proud race. I've always been proud of you, son. No doubt you'll be very happy with her, take good care of her and of yourself." John's ghost stated as he looked down at his son.
"Y-yes, father ! I will ! I'm so glad to have seen you both, one last time." Lux said as he tried to hold back his tears.
To Lux's shock, as the shapes of his parents disappeared in the wind, the ghost of Padmé Amidala appeared.
"Hello Lux." The ghost said as she appeared, with a slightly swollen stomach.
"Senator Amidala ! You... you were pregnant ?!" Lux asked in shock.
"I was. Thankfully, the babies were born before I passed. I have a message I want you to give to Ahsoka when you see her. Tell her not to hate Anakin. There is still good in him. I can feel it. Obi-Wan will fill in the details in time." The ghost explained before fading into the wind.
"As you wish, Senator. Here's hoping 'Soka lived through this as well." Lux said as he looked around and saw the Dead finishing off remaining Haradrim and Orcs on the field.
Back in Minas Tirith, the Orcs were still trying to break through the gate.
But soon, silence fell upon them. Odd sounds, such as the hum of a lightsaber and the blasters of clone troopers was heard.
"Well done, men ! We succeeded in saving these people along with Little 'Soka." An all-too familiar voice stated.
To Ahsoka's surprise, she was seeing the ghosts of several clone troopers she worked with and her father figure, Plo Koon.
"I must be losing it ! You're all dead ! How can you be here ?!" Ahsoka questioned in shock.
"It is the Will of the Force that brought us here, Little 'Soka. We couldn't fully rest before accomplishing this final task. When you abruptly left the Order, I had doubted your chances at a successful life. Now I see that you were wise beyond your years. By leaving, you saved yourself from the Chancellor's betrayal. And now, a new life awaits you. You and your beloved will live a happy life, far from war. I wish you well, Little 'Soka. May the Force be with you. Farewell." The ghost of Plo Koon said to her before disappearing with the wind, and the clones who saluted her before disappearing too.
"Thanks for everything, all of you. I enjoyed fighting with all of you by my side." Ahsoka muttered to herself before she regained her composure and faced Gandalf and Pippin.
"Friends of yours, Milady ?" Gandalf questioned as he took note of Plo Koon's odd look in particular.
"Yes, yes they were. I'm glad to have seen them, one last time." Ahsoka replied before making her way down to the fields, her heart filled with anxiety.
Back on the Pelennor Fields, Éowyn managed to crawl to Théoden, who was dying slowly.
"I know your face... Éowyn." Théoden said weakly as he looked at his niece.
"My eyes darken." Théoden added as he felt the life fading away from him.
"No, no. I'm going to save you." Éowyn said while looking back at him.
"You already did. Éowyn, my body is broken. You have to let me go. I go to my Fathers, in whose mighty company, I shall now not feel ashamed... Éowyn..." Théoden stated before passing away, to which Éowyn could only grieve her uncle's passing.
Aragorn is standing in front of the King of the Dead. All his men are gathered around him.
"Release us." The King of the Dead asked as his work was done.
"Bad idea. Very handy in a tight spot, these lads, despite the fact that they're dead !" Gimli stated, wanting to use them further.
"You gave us your word !" The King of the Dead growled back in frustration.
"I hold your oath fulfilled. Go. Be at peace." Aragorn said, allowing the Army of the Dead to finally rest peacefully.
Gandalf appears at the gate, along with Pippin and Ahsoka. The latter spots Lux and runs towards him, almost bringing him down on the ground as she leapt in his arms.
"Thank the Force ! Thank the Force ! I was so worried, I feared the worst for you." Lux said as he hugged her for the first time in days.
"Likewise, Lux ! I'm so relieved that you're alive ! I still can't believe that we lived through this battle." Ahsoka replied as she returned the embrace.
"Something incredible happened. I saw my parents... and Senator Amidala ! They were ghosts, but I was able to see them one last time." Lux said as he released his hold over her.
"That is amazing ! I saw the ghosts of several clone troopers as well as Master Plo Koon ! I'm thankful that I could see them again as well. He told me that we have a peaceful life to look forward to." Ahsoka stated while looking at his eyes.
"Yes ! I had a hunch about this as well, though we'll have to find our way around uncharted space before we can find peace for ourselves. We've won this battle, let's enjoy the moment." Lux said as he stared back at her eyes.
Now the unpleasant part of war reared its ugly head, to sift through the bodies in an attempt to find survivors. Pippin found Merry's cloak, but no sign of his friend. But as everyone gathered to help, a sharp wail caught everyone's attention. Éomer ran to his sister, who seemed lifeless, cradled her in his arms and cried in utter despair.
"Oh my Force, Lux ! It's that strange feeling of Déja Vu. You know ?" Ahsoka said as tears formed around her eyes.
"I know, 'Soka. When Saw was cradling Steela in his arms, following that gunship shot that went through your shoulder, that made you lose your focus. Whatever anyone says, it wasn't your fault." Lux said as he reminisced one of the more painful moments during the Onderon Rebellion.
As Théoden's body was brought into Minas Tirith, people rushed to bring Éowyn to the House of Healing. Aragorn used his knowledge of Elven medicine to cure her. After some time, she regained consciousness and was ordered to rest to fully recover. It would take some time, but she was soon able to stand up and walk. Looking through a window, she saw Faramir, who was also recovering from his wounds, staring back at her.
Later that night, Pippin ventured outside on the fields, hoping to find Merry. After a bit of searching, he was found, somewhat wounded, but alive, to Pippin's relief.
"Merry ! Merry ! It's me, Pippin !" Pippin whispered excitedly while crying in joy.
"I knew you'd find me. Are you going to leave me ?" Merry wondered.
"No, Merry. I'm going to look after you." Pippin whispered while placing a cloak on his friend to keep him warm.
We're chugging along nicely. I bet most of you didn't see the Star Wars ghosts bit coming. The idea came from Lux's Sister. With her permission, her OC John Bonteri made a quick appearance. If you haven't read her stories, you really ought to. They are well written and paced perfectly. On the next chapter, we cover the Last Debate as well as the meeting with the Mouth of Sauron and... the beginning of the Battle at the Black Gate of Mordor. Like usual, reviews appreciated. Feel free to leave one on your way out. Tootles !