ASHLEY
I squeeze my eyes shut, holding tightly to Haldir as the sounds of battle reach us in our little nook. I should be out there fighting, but someone needs to keep pressure on Haldir's wound so that he doesn't bleed out, and I don't see anyone around willing to do that right now. The deep sound of a horn echoes through Helm's Deep and I wonder just whose horn it is. Surely not more Uruk-Hai? The horn blares continuously and it's then I recognize the sound, it's the horn for Rohan. What the hell are they doing now? Putting together a freaking band? Shaking, I hold the unconscious elf closer to me. This is gonna be a nerve-racking wait.
KHARL
The Ents are fighting their hardest, throwing large rocks and smashing Orcs with their feet—Orcs fighting and falling so quickly it was hard to keep up with all of the action. All the stone and iron that Saruman has worked to build is being torn down as revenge for decimating the Ent population, even if not completely knowingly. "Break the dam," Treebeard calls out," Release the river!" And the others do just that, water rushing in quickly and washing away the filthy Orcs and much of Saruman's creations. The Hobbits and I cling tightly to Treebeard so as not to join the Orcs in a slow, watery death. "Hold on, little Hobbits!" When the gush of water hits the Ents, they stand their ground and don't budge an inch, as though the water had no effect on them.
Water flood Isengard, filling the mines and caverns, destroying bridges and forges. Only Team Ent and those inside Saruman's tower make it through alive. "Damn," I gasp," that's some serious anger issues."
ANDREA
As though in a trance, I walk out of the crumbling tower, aware of my actions and unable to stop them, trapped in my own mind as the Ring takes over. "What are you doing?" I pay Sam no attention, continuing to move out into the open with Sam rushing out after me. Stop, I want to shout, get back to safety so you don't get yourself killed!"Where are you going?" Stopping atop a high wall, I hold up the Ring. Above me, a Nazgûl is preparing to strike. Suddenly, I'm tumbling to the ground, fighting with Sam for the Ring and mentally fighting to have full control back as we fall down stairs. On solid ground, I pin Sam down and draw my borrowed sword, holding it at Sam's neck. Even as the little Hobbit started to cry, nasty thoughts of betrayal kept swirling around inside my head. "It's me. It's your Sammy. Don't you know your Sammy?"
Slowly I regain control and allow myself to fall against a wall and slide to the ground, my sword clattering against the stone. I nearly killed one of my closest companions because of a piece of jewelry and that dark voice that's constantly speaking in the back of my mind—evil, dirty words. "I can't do this," I whisper in a broken voice, staring at the ground in shame.
"I know, it's all wrong. By rights, we shouldn't even be here." He pulls himself to his feet, stumbling slightly and leaning against my wall. "But we are. It's like in those great stories, Andi. The ones that really mattered; full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy?"
"Sounds like something from Harry Potter."
"I guess." He shrugs, tears sliding down his plump cheeks. "How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow."
ASHLEY
"Victory," Théoden shouts to his men," We have victory!" Women and a few men find us and take Haldir to the infirmary, freeing me to go back outside in time to see the Uruk-Hai run for the hills. I can't help but to smile even though I may not have done much, I was still proud to have done something, and knowing that I kept Haldir alive certainly counts as something dammit.
Aragorn looks at me in relief, pulling me close to him in a hug that says all that he can't possibly find words for—it says he loves me, that he'll protect me no matter the cost.
KHARL
The water continues to flow, taking Saruman's evil with it in the process while the Ents are busy chasing away the few Orcs that survived. Merry, Pippin, and I watch in wonder from Treebeard's branches.
The Ents stand tall and proud as the water flows past them, Saruman giving us one last glare before retreating from his balcony and into his tower. The waters rise until they fill up all of Saruman's grounds, reaching the very edge of the huge, circle of a gate that surrounds this place.
ANDREA
" Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you… That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why, but I think, Andi, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something."
"And what are we holding onto, Sammy," I ask skeptically. Determined, Sam hauls me to my feet.
"I'm holding onto the Shire and my family and friends," he states firmly. "And you're holding on for Mister Aragorn and those two friends of yours you came here with. There's still good left in this world. You know our friends are fighting for it and we will, too." I smile at him, picturing Ashley and Kharl's grinning faces on Kharl's birthday last year when we all gathered at the movies to watch the new Thor movie. He's right, I need to keep going so that the good people in this world have a chance to live.
Sam stiffens when Faramir approaches and fury courses through me when he has the gull to kneel down so he's closer to mine and Sam's heights. That's just freaking rude. "I think at last we understand one another, Andrea Tennant," the Captain tells me before standing and turning to face Madril, who had come to stand just behind Faramir.
"You know the laws of our country," the other man tells Faramir grimly," the laws of your father. If you let them go, your life will be forfeit."
"Then it is forfeit. Release them." Out of pity because I liked the dude when he played in Van Helsing, I take Sam's dagger and press it against Madril's leg.
"If you tell Daisy's daddy the truth, you'll be doing it without the head you're used to thinking with," I threaten with a deceptively sweet smile. "You'll tell him we managed to escape while Faramir was defending Osgiliath and our guard was eaten by a Fell-beast, understand?"
"Y-yes, my lady," he stutters, trying not to move too much.
"Good man. So long, Captain. Go do whatever it is you feel destined to do and be good at it. And then do me a favor and tell your dear old dad to fuck off once in a while." I give him a mock salute, clapping Sam on the shoulder as signal to get moving before we get ourselves killed too early.
ASHLEY
I quietly enter the room Haldir was brought to after the battle had ended, dismissing the healer to watch over him myself. Sitting on the bed with my back against the cold stone of the wall, I lay Haldir's head in my lap and brush my fingers through his thick, blonde hair. Though he hadn't suffered any terrible wounds like others had, the healers wanted to keep him asleep and force him to rest.
"You scared me in the battle," I tell him," I thought you would be killed by that Uruk-Hai and so I did all that I could to keep that from happening. You're still an ass though for scaring me in the first place." I laugh softly to myself, wondering if he could hear me or not. I stare down at his peaceful face, free from worry and stress, the pale skin smooth and soft to the touch. "I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'd never let you go," I sing, leaning my head back and closing my eyes," When all those shadows almost killed your light. I remember you said 'Don't leave me here alone.' And all that's dead and gone and passed tonight. Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."
"You should sing more often." My eyes snap open and I stare down at the elf in amazement for a moment before slapping his bare chest as I hard as I was able. "Ow, what was that for, woman?"
In a fit of anger, I look down at him and shout, "For makin' me worry, you jackass!" I roll him off of me and onto the floor, walking out of the room with my chin raised proudly. I leave the room to find Leggy and Gimli, figuring they were outside gloating about who killed more. I was right, Gimli was sitting on some dead Uruk-Hai with Leggy standing a few feet away, both looking very proud of themselves. Males, they're proud about everything from opening stubborn pickle jars to killing a monster.
"Final count… Forty-two," Leggy smirks.
"Forty-two," Gimli asks mockingly. "That's not bad for a pointy-eared elvish princeling. I myself am sitting pretty on forty-three." Leggy's face drops and he fires an arrow into the Uruk-Hai that Gimli's sitting on, giving the dwarf quite a start indeed since the arrow landed below a very sensitive part of his anatomy.
"Forty-three." The elf has a proud expression again, his shoulders rolled back and his bow clasped gently in one of his hands.
"He was already dead."
"He was twitching."
"He was twitching because he's got my ax buried in his nervous system!" To prove his point, Gimli wiggles the axe in the Uruk-Hai's head, causing the creatures hands and feet to twitch."
"Men," I smile, standing between them with a grin," You're always comparing something."
KHARL
I stand in the thigh deep water with the Hobbits, the three of us looking up at where he goth guy and Saruman are standing on the balcony sending everyone death glares. "He doesn't look too happy, does he," Merry asks.
"Not too happy at all, Merry," Pippin agrees.
"Ah, come on," I shrug," maybe that's his usual look and he can't help it." After a quick beat I add," Or maybe he's just a dick."
"Still, I suppose the view would be quite nice from up there," Merry quips.
"Oh yes," Pippin smiles," it's a quality establishment. I hear the staff is very good." I chuckle, staring up at Saruman with a smug look. That's for trying to kidnap my sister and me, you bastard. "What are you doing?" I glance at the Hobbits in amusement.
"Nothing, the world's back to normal, that's all."
"No, it isn't. I'm starving." Merry flips over a basket of ruined food before tossing the basket away.
"Good luck trying to find something decent to eat around here. Probably dead rats and moldy bread." Scowling, I nod in agreement as my stomach rumbles. When Pippin picks up a perfectly edible apple, my eyes go wide. Leave it to Pip to find good food in a place like this. There's a whole trail of them and the Hobbits and I quickly follow it, picking up all the apples on the way along with a turkey of the cooked variety. It all leads us to a fully stocked storeroom.
"Jackpot," I grin, diving inside and digging through the piles of food. I ignore the Hobbits for a moment, focused on slapping some turkey on bread—along with cheese, and what looks like pineapples. Today is a good day, that's for damn sure!
ANDREA
Sam, Gollum, and I follow Faramir to a water logged tunnel as stealthily as we could. "This is the old sewer," Daisy explains. "Runs right under the river through to the edge of the city. You'll find cover in the woods there."
"Captain Faramir," Sam says formally," you have shown your quality, sir. The very highest." Faramir looks shocked at Sammy's words. I don't blame him, Sammy hated his guts right up until he decided to let us go.
"The Shire must really be a great realm, Master Gamgee, where gardeners are held in high honor." Sam, embarrassed by Faramir's kind words, looks away. "What road will you take when you reach the woods?"
"Gollum says there's a path near Minas Morgul that climbs up into the mountains," I answer.
"Cirith Ungol?" When I just look to Gollum for the answer, Faramir grows angry, grabbing Gollum by his neck and slamming him up against the wall. "Is that its name?!"
"No, no," Gollum cries in panic. Daisy tightens his grip. "Yes."
"Andrea," Daisy says desperately," they say a dark terror dwells in the passes above Minas Morgul, you cannot go that way."
"It is the only way. Mistress says we must go to Mordor, so we must try."
"I have to," I tell Faramir, much to his horror. He throws Gollum to the ground in disgust.
"Go, Andrea, go with the goodwill of all Men." I give a nod of thanks, not so sure that goodwill will actually help me out any since it hasn't done jack shit so far. But still, it's a nice thought that my captor wanted me safe, I guess.
"Thanks, Daisy."
We head into the tunnel, leaving Faramir behind, the only good man besides Aragorn we've encountered thus far.