Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. I do not own any of the character, places, names, or anything associated with the works of J.R.R Tolkien or the Lord of the Rings (books or movie, whatever). My characters are Anita, Leila, and Arlandria and that is all.

Author's Note: Kaitlyn, thanks for the review, I try my best to update once a month ( no, really guys I swear that's my goal), but sometimes life happens and it takes me a little longer than I would like. But my tentative answer is: I update once a month.

Transcendence (Orchestral)- Lindsey Stirling.

Chapter 60: Transcendence

No sooner had the wizard disappeared from sight than Anita jerked into action. Snagging the arm of the Hobbit next to her, the elleth began dragging him in the direction that Gandalf had just ridden Shadowfax. "Come on Pip!" She encouraged, pulling him by the hand. The Hobbit however, much like a small child, couldn't be forced to move faster by default of his short legs. The sound of hoof beats on flagstone could be heard echoing off the lower levels as Gandalf rode the horse will as much speed as could be managed while maneuvering the narrow city streets. The elleth paused momentarily to weigh her options, since running wasn't working well. She could have just stayed put and watched the terror unfold from the safety of the Sixth Level, however the girl immediately discarded that idea since she did not come here to be a spectator. The second option was to leave Pippin behind, it was after all the Hobbit's stature that was making it difficult to catch up to the wizard, who had already reached the third level. Just the thought of leaving Pippin, however, filled the girl with a sharp pang of guilt and bitterness fell across her tongue. As unfounded the sensation of remorse and unrelated her current situation was to what happened at Helm's Deep, she couldn't even entertain the thought of leaving her companion to his own devices without images of Glorfindel, alone and surrounded by enemies as heavy wooden doors locked him outside of safety, burning the back of her eyes.

No, Anita couldn't just leave Pippin standing there alone as she went off to follow Gandalf. The sound of horse footfalls on stone streets had faded enough that the elleth had little faith she could catch up to the wizard before he reached the front gate of the city. Stepping over to the wall, Ani glanced down at the lower city alleys and roads that spiraled out below where she stood; from her vantage point it looked like a giant maze of rooftops, columns, chimneys, and rocky outcrops. Staring at the obstacle course of architecture before her, and idea filled the young elf's mind, a slightly insane idea, but an idea none the less.

"Do you trust me?" She asked, turning back to make eye contact with the Hobbit who stood close by, still appearing to be shook up from the sight of the Ringwraiths they had witnessed a few moments ago.

"I'm sorry?" Pippin replied, his eyes growing wide.

"Do…you…trust…me?" The girl repeated more slowly, her eyebrows raised as she waited for his answer.

"I….yes?" The hobbit answered with no confidence in his voice.

"Oh good," Ani acknowledged, and without giving the smaller man a chance to second guess his answer she grasped his arm and hauled his up across her back as though he were a small child wanting a piggy-back ride. "Hold on tight!" The girl chirped cheerfully before hopping up on the wall and jumping over the ledge. Pippin's scream reverberated in her ears as they plunged in free fall a short distance before Ani's feet made contact with a rooftop built into the mountain halfway between levels. Using the momentum of their fall, the elleth immediately jumped into a backflip, grabbing one of the support beams of the next house over, continuing their fall she slid down the column like a fireman til her feet met with the flagstone street of the fifth level. Not missing a beat, Anita ran across the street, ducking through an alleyway, and used her hands to springboard over the edge of the wall. The free fall was shorter as houses were packed tighter together the lower the city level to accommodate more of each social class, allowing for Anita to bound across the roof and simply jump from rooftop to rooftop slowly working her way closer to the street. Despite Pippin screaming and yelling in her ear the whole time, Ani was thoroughly enjoying her parkour method of quickly traveling down the city of Minas Tirith. Growing up, urban running had been a hobby that the girl had always wanted to partake in but her mother would have never allowed. Since her mother had granted her so many liberties, it hadn't felt necessary to push the envelope with such a dangerous activity. But since relocating to Middle Earth and having her Elven lineage bloom in her, the activity was no longer challenging much less dangerous with her new abilities. Her stamina was greater, her balance improved, even her reaction time had seen a drastic change in the last seven years. This kind of free running that had seemed so dangerous in her teenage years was now practically a natural part of being an Elf she mused to herself as she jumped back and forth between two houses, much like a ping pong ball, safely lowering herself to the ground.

Sliding, jumping, swinging, and flipping, Anita used housing and architecture as her own personal stairway from the sixth level of the White city down to the second level, with Pippin latched onto her back like a small monkey the whole time. Landing safely after jumping off one final roof, Ani took several running steps to slow her momentum and the adrenaline pumping through her after such an exhilarating physical activity. Having stopped, the elf could now clearly see Shadowfax cantering across the plains, Gandalf's white robes billowing out behind him. Cursing inwardly that her impromptu faster method of traversing the city hadn't gotten her and Pip down to the main gate fast enough to catch up to their wizard friend, Ani realized that the hobbit was still holding onto her shoulders for dear life…and he was still screaming.

"Pip…Pippin!" Forced to raise her voice so she could be heard over the small man's high pitched screeching, the elleth finally got his attention, cutting him off mid yell. Stopping abruptly when he understood that his life was no longer in mortal peril, the hobbit pried his eyes open and scrambled down off Anita's back as swiftly as he could.

"You're mad!" He exclaimed when his feet connected with ground, blessedly safe and non-moving ground.

Cracking a Cheshire smile, Anita gave her companion a wide eyed look and responded, "We're all mad here." To which the Hobbit screwed up his face and sidestepped away from the woman whose sanity he had only recently come to question. Ignoring the look she was getting from Pip, Ani joined the growing crowd of spectators by the wall. Citizen and soldier alike looked on helplessly as soldiers poured out of crumbling town of Osgiliath on horseback, ducking and weaving between the swooping attacks of the Nazgul.

"Come on Gandalf," Anita mumbled, urging the white wizard on in spirit as her exceptional eyesight gave her quite the view of the carnage taking place on the plains. As the old man closed in on the retreating soldiers and the pursuers bent on destroying them before they reached the safety of the city, he lifted his staff as a burst of white light lit up the darkening sky, instantly repelling the creatures of the dark. The three dragon riding wraiths that had given chase pulled up as soon as the shaft of light fell across them, turning tail and returning to the overcast security the storm clouds offered. With the Ringwraiths successfully repelled by Gandalf's magic, the wizard joined the group of soldiers as they rode onward to the city.

"Yes!" Anita exclaimed in exuberance as she watched the wraiths depart back across the river to join the rest of Mordor's forces as they congregated in their newly won territory. Turning away from the wall, she signaled for Pippin to follow her as she headed for the gate, the rest of the spectators that had gathered and witnessed the spectacle on the fields followed suit, and soon a whole swarm of the city's residents were walking to the front gate to greet the soldiers. Wooden doors were hauled open by the current watch of the on duty guard, allowing the withdrawing Osgiliath troops to enter the city without further delay. Rounding the final bend in the street, Anita entered the main square of the first level with Pippin trailing only a few steps behind her, as well as the rest of the town's inhabitants it seemed. Family, friends, and neighbors crowded around the men they recognized as they entered the square quickly causing traffic to jam up. Luckily, among the sea of green, brown, and metal plating, Gandalf's white robes stood out like a beacon to Anita and Pippin to follow.

Working their way through the crowd swiftly, mostly because Ani was shoving and elbowing people that stood in her way in a most un-ladylike fashion, the elleth and the hobbit joined Gandalf at the epicenter of all the commotion as he was speaking to a younger man about the invasion.

"Battalions of orcs are crossing the river," The young man was saying as Anita and Pippin joined them, a tone of defeat woven into his voice and the way his shoulders slumped.

"It is as Lord Denethor predicted! Long has he foreseen this doom!" A soldier adorned in the colors of the Citadel guard called out above the cacophonous din of everyone talking at once.

"Foreseen and done nothing!" Gandalf called back angrily.

"Alright, so now what do we do?" Anita asked from her place amidst the swarming crowd. Her question drew the young man's attention to her, no sooner had their eyes met than the girl was struck at the young man's resemblance to Boromir; certainly had some distinctive features, his nose was different for one and the look of his eyes were far less intense, but were it not for the few subtle difference she may as well have been looking at a younger version of the man. Instantly she knew this must be Boromir's brother, Faramir. Ani was glad when his eyes moved on from her to settle on Pippin, because he would not be able to see the overwhelming pity that was surely visible in her face as she thought of everything the poor man had endured recently between his homeland being besieged and his brother's death.

When Faramir looked down at Pippin, there was an obvious change in his demeanor; recognition lit up his face and he sat up a little straighter in his saddle. Gandalf and Anita saw the effect that Pippin had on the young man, simultaneously they both turned to glance at hobbit to see if he was similarly effected by seeing Faramir. Pip, however, only looked uncomfortable with all the attention he was now getting from those around him. The wizard turned back to Faramir, "This is not the first Halfling to have crossed your path." It wasn't a question, it didn't need to be, the answer was all over the man's body language.

"No." He said quietly with a small shake of his head.

Understanding now, Pippin's eyes grew wide and a smile broke out across his boyish features. "You've seen Frodo and Sam?"

"Where? When?" Gandalf's question was lace with urgency.

"In Ithilien…not two days ago." There was no hesitation in Faramir's response; he hadn't even needed a moment to think about the answer. Relief flooded the three companions that had traveled together without any assurances that the Ring was still safe. But with Faramir's information that not only were Frodo and Sam still alive, but they were growing near to Mordor. Ani clamped a hand on Pip's shoulder and they shared a glowing smile, filled with none of the stress or fear they had all felt but moments ago. "Gandalf…" The dark change in the man's voice quickly quashed the elated feelings, "they have taken the road to the Morgul Vale."

The wizard's face paled as his wise old eyes were filled with concern, "And then the pass of Cirith Ungol?" It was strange to see Gandalf so shook up at the mere mention of a name, it was enough to put Anita on edge even though the name wasn't recognizable to the elf.

"What does that mean?" Pippin asked the very question plaguing Ani's mind. "What's wrong?"

"Faramir, tell me everything that has happened." Reaching down, the wizard pulled Pippin up to sit with him as he pulled Shadowfax around and urged the horse into a slow walk next to Faramir's steed as they moved up the street to the higher levels. Their pace was slow enough that Ani rejected Faramir's offer to ride with him, instead opting to walk alongside the horses; two days of minimal movement left the elleth's body aching to stretch her legs, the parkour demonstration not quite sating the need for some physical activity.

"Wait so what's a ….kerith…uncle?" Anita asked, easily keeping pace with the two riders.

"Cirith Ungol." Gandalf corrected, "It is a pass through the Ephel Duath, the mountains that guard Mordor's border. There are dark and sinister creatures that reside in those mountains, it is a most dangerous path to take."

"Well yeah, it IS Mordor I just assume that everything residing there is dark and sinister. On that subject though, what was the plan for getting in to destroy the Ring in the first place? It's not like he could have walked up to the Black Gate, rang the doorbell, and simply walked into Mordor."

The wizard gave a great heavy sigh, " Nothing is as I planned, Anita, but there is naught to be done for it now."

At Gandalf's behest, Faramir recounted the story of how he had come across Frodo and Sam while he and his men were in Ithilien tracking the movements of all the peoples that had crossed beyond Mordor's Black Gate, subject matter that Ani was personally more interested in but Gandalf's concern for Frodo temporarily overshadowed concerns about enemy troops. As the group traversed the spiraling stone roads of the great city, no detail was spared from the odd tale that the young man had to tell. Mention of Gollum's appearance alongside the Hobbits was alarming to all, although not nearly as surprising as hearing that Frodo had employed the troubled fiend as their guide.

"It was when I released the hobbits from my custody that I heard the creature Gollum make mention of the Morgul Vale." Faramir summed up as they reached the gate to the sixth level, pausing briefly in his narrative to have an exchange with the guards before they continued on. "I had not time to warn him though, with the recent attack on my men there were wounded to tend to…"

"I do not hold you accountable, my lad," Gandalf responded to Faramir's admission heavily laden with self-reproach. Approaching the stables, the two men and the hobbit dismounted and passed their steeds off to the very young groom as Anita stood by waiting patiently. Gandalf glanced at her and only just then seemed to comprehend that the elleth hadn't been riding a horse at all; narrowing his eyes in thought he looked back from the girl to the path they had just ridden up and then back to the girl. "How is it you arrived at the gate so quickly?"

"She jumped!" Pippin squawked indignantly, making a motion with his hand to show an exaggerated trajectory over the side of the wall. The wizard cocked an eyebrow at her looking for further explanation, to which the girl made a rude scoffing sound.

"You jumped over the wall?" Faramir repeated, joining the conversation.

"I didn't jump," Ani replied coolly, "I took a shortcut is all."

"Over the side of a cliff!" Pip interjected, "With me on her back!"

"But did you die? No, you did not." The elf rolled her eyes at the hobbit's dramatics and turned back to the guard captain before her, " Well now what? Mordor has made an aggressive move against us, what is our next step?"

For a split second the man looked utterly adrift, pure hopelessness reflecting back at her from his eyes, and again her heart went out to him; all this responsibility had quite suddenly fallen in his lap when Boromir had died. Considering all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours she could only imagine how overwhelmed Faramir must have been feeling. But the look was only on his face for a flash, then it was replaced with control and focus. "Straightway I must speak with my father, he will be most eager to hear about the events of today…and I suppose of my meeting with Frodo in Ithilien as well."

Anita outwardly flinched. "Oh man and he's already in a bad mood."

"My father?" Faramir sought clarification as Gandalf shot the girl a warning glare over the man's shoulder. "You had counsel with father this day?"

"Yes, yes I have. And I am willing to take partial blame for his foul mood…although I am not entirely to blame." The girl responded as she sent a pointed glare right back in the old man's direction.

Before Faramir could delve into the subtext of the looks flying back and forth between the elf and the wizard, Gandalf directed his attention, " Go and speak with Denethor, your duty is first to lord and land. We will have time to converse later." The young man gave a bow of respect to the old wise wizard before turning his attention to the Citadel and the unsavory task of admitting defeat to his own father.

Watching him walk away, Anita could only faintly shake her head as she thought about how angry Denethor already was, she couldn't imagine how much more upset he would be when he learned that their last defensive outpost had been lost to mere orcs. "I do not envy him."

"Nor do I." Gandalf's eyes were far away in thought as he spoke, "Boromir was sent to Rivendell at Denethor's command because he was unwaveringly loyal to his father, both men believed that the Ring could be used by the men of the White City to defend against and perhaps defeat Sauron. With his eldest son's death, Denethor has lost not only his greatest and most steadfast subordinate but the chance to have the weapon he believed would keep his people safe. To hear that Faramir willingly allowed the Ring to pass out of his possession and has lost a strategic defensive outpost… "

Anita frowned deeply as she thought about what the wizard said. "Denethor was very much concerned about Aragorn this morning when we spoke…. He thinks that if he can keep this city safe from Sauron that the people will support his claim to keep the throne despite the King's return, doesn't he?"

Gandalf nodded slowly in acknowledgement of the girl's question. Anita blew a puff of air out between her lips, "Oh to be a fly on the wall for that conversation." She hadn't meant that statement to mean anything, honestly, but the way Gandalf's eyes glinted indicated she had just inadvertently given the old man an idea.

"The natural graces of the Elves do make them excellent sneaks…" The sentence didn't come off sounding nearly as nonchalant as it should have, and Anita was instantly suspicious.

"I do believe that you yourself employ Hobbits when you need a burglar." The girl replied shortly. Pippin straightened up, fearing that he would yet again be volunteered for something, and he wasn't fond of the idea.

"Indeed, Hobbits are exceptional burglars; however they do lack the sharp sense of hearing that your people are granted."

"Christ Almighty, Gandalf you want me to eavesdrop!" Anita finally blurted out.

"It would be most helpful to know what Denethor plans to do with the new information that Faramir brings him, and I find it doubtful that he would allow either of us in the room willingly in light of what happened earlier today." Ani opened her mouth to tell the wizard he would have to eavesdrop himself if he wanted that done, but snapped it shut again with a click as she thought more about his words. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that they all lived or died based on Denethor's decisions from this point on… the noise of defeat that the elleth made in the back of her throat sounded suspiciously like a growl.

"Fine," She snapped at the older man, " I'll see if I can listen in, you two should make yourself sparse in case I get caught."

"I have complete faith in you," The wizard said cheekily, the smugness of victory barely concealed in his voice as he clasped her shoulder when he walked past her, Pippin not a step behind him.

"Glad one of us does." She mumbled once she was left alone. With a sigh, the girl began the walk up the curved path to the Citadel, dumbfounded that twice in a day she had taken on one of wizard's foolish tasks.