Disclaimer: Diana is mine but nothing else belongs to me.
angel13: Thanks.
CrzySxyCoolPirateOfMirkwood: I try to. I just had to add that part after seeing the arrow go through the dead king's head in the movie.
Myri78: Thanks. Really? Cool, I haven't watched that movie in forever. I've got the feeling I will soon though. :)
TPfan333: I know, sorry. But it wasn't a major part of my story. Their next battle won't be so rushed, as it plays a bigger part.
Okanim: Thank you. I love animals and every one I own, I picked because of their personality. One of my dogs was running back and forth in my front yard one day and ran smack into a tree (no joke!) It knocked her on her rump. Then she looked around to make sure no one was watching as if she was embarrassed. And Gelmir's personality as I've said before is based on a horse of mine. Joe was a solid black, thoroughbred stallion and was a clown much like Gelmir.
Hobbitfeatures: I'm glad you don't think it's a Mary-Sue. I'm sure some do. I guess it depends on the person's definition. I'm tired of us women always being portrayed as the "damsel in distress" all the time so my female characters will always be strong willed and opinionated, as many of us are. :)
Crecy: Thanks.
TriGemini: I wish I could take credit for Gimli's line but I can't. It belongs to Tolkien. I'm glad you're still enjoying my story. I look forward to your reviews to see what your favorite parts of each chapter are.
The morning after the battle Legolas, Gimli and Diana go to the House of Healing to visit Merry. Diana listens as Legolas tells him about the 'Path of the Dead' but after a little while she excuses herself from the room.
Diana walks down the hall until she comes to Eowyn's room. She slowly pushes the door open and notices Eomer is also there. "Lord Eomer," she bows.
"Lady Aranel," he bows. "It is an honor to finally meet you. Gandalf speaks highly of you."
"He better or I'll have to whack him with his staff again," she jokes and Eomer chuckles. Diana turns to Eowyn. "How are you?"
"I shall take my leave so that you two may talk," Eomer says and slips out of the room.
Eowyn watches her brother leave and then turns to Diana. "How is Merry?"
"He is well. When I left him Gimli and Legolas were taking him to the gardens." Diana sits in a chair next to Eowyn's bed.
"That's good," she replies.
"So how much trouble did you get into for sneaking into battle?" Diana questions with a grin.
Eowyn rolls her eyes and huffs. "Eomer made me promise that I would never go to battle again."
"Hopefully all of this will be over soon and no one will have to go to battle again," Diana sighs.
"How did we manage to win this battle? We were outnumbered by so many," Eowyn asks curiously.
Diana grins. "We had help from the most unlikely place. If it were not for the help of the Dead we would not be so fortunate." At the confused look on Eowyn's face Diana tells her of their journey through the mountain.
That evening Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Eomer and Diana are all gathered in the throne room to dicuss what to do next.
Gandalf turns to look at the group. "Frodo has passed beyond my sight," he sighs. "The darkness is deepening."
"If Sauron had the ring, we would know it," Aragorn says trying to reassure himself as much as the others.
Diana shakes her head. "He doesn't have the ring."
Gandalf gives a sigh of relief and glances at her before turning to Aragorn. "Its only a matter of time, though. He has suffered a defeat, yes but behind the walls of Mordor, our enemy is regrouping."
Gimli, who is sitting on the throne, takes his pipe out of his mouth. "Let him stay there. Let him rot! Why should we care?"
Gandalf turns to look at him. "Because ten thousand Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom." He shakes his head and casts his eyes to the floor. "I've sent him to his death."
"No!" Aragorn says forcefully. "There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time and a safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that."
"How?" Gimli asks confused. Diana, however, grins knowing what Aragorn is saying.
"Draw out Sauron's armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate." Aragorn says, glancing around at everyone.
Eomer steps forward. "We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms."
"Not for ourselves." Aragorn turns to Eomer. "But we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's eye fixed upon us." He turns and meets Legolas' eyes. "Keep his eye blind to all else that moves."
"A diversion," Legolas smirks.
Gandalf leans closer to Aragorn. "Sauron will suspect a trap. He will not take the bait," he whispers.
Diana, who is standing next to them, hears Gandalf and grins. "Yes, he will. I will make sure of that," she whispers to them.
"Certainty of death, small chance of success, what are we waiting for?" Gimli booms.
Diana spins to face him with a smirk. "We're waiting for you to get your lazy butt off of that throne so we can go kick some ass."
A shocked look crosses Gimli's face and everyone laughs. Gimli joins in after recovering from his shock.
The soldiers stand at the black gate with the companions, and Eomer on horseback in the front. Slightly surprised that Sauron's army is nowhere to be seen Pippin looks over at Merry, who is sitting behind Eomer. "Where are they?"
Aragorn glances at Gandalf before cautiously approaching the gate with the other riders beside him. "Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth! Let justice be done upon him!"
At first nothing happens and Diana looks over at Aragorn and shrugs, but then the gate opens and a single rider approaches them.
Diana gives Aragorn a confused look. "That was easy and unexpected. Sauron's up to something." Aragorn acknowledges her warning with a nod before turning back to the rider.
"Is there anyone in this rout with authority to treat with me? Or indeed with wit to understand me?" The riders gaze lands on Aragorn and he sneers at him. "Not thou at least! It takes more to make a king than a piece of elvish glass and a rabble such as this."
Aragorn looks the rider in the eye but keeps silent and doesn't make a move, even for his sword. The rider eventually waviers under his gaze and pulls his horse back a step. "I am a hearld and ambassador, and may not be attacked!" he cries in alarm.
"Where such laws hold it is also the custom for ambassadors to use less insolence. But no one has threatened you. You have nothing to fear from us until your errand is done," Gandalf tells him in amusement.
"So you are the spokesman then, old greybeard? You have stuck your nose out to far this time, Master Gandalf," the messanger growls. "I have tokens that I was bidden to show you if you dare to see." He pulls out a bundle wrapped in black cloth. He unwraps it and holds up Sam's sword and then a cloak with an elven broach. The last item he holds up is Frodo's mithril shirt.
Diana bites the inside of her cheek in order to keep herself from crying out. But Pippin cries out in grief until Gandalf silences him.
"Its plain that this brat has seen them before so there is no use denying them now," the rider smirks.
"I do not wish to deny them," Gandalf says. "Indeed, I know them all and their history. But why do you bring them here?"
"Maybe the one that bore these things was a creature that you would not grieve to lose or maybe he was dear to you. If so take swift council for Sauron does not like spies and what his fate will be depends on your choice."
The group looks at each other with fear of what will happen to Frodo and Sam. The rider sees their fear and laughs.
"Good, he was dear to you or at least his errand was one that you did not want to fail. Well, it has. And now he shall endure a slow torture and never be released, unless maybe when he is broken so that you may see what you have done. This will happen unless you agree to my Lord's terms." The rider laughs at them once again and Diana grows angrier by the second.
"Name the terms," Gandalf says through clenched teeth. Diana looks at him wide-eyed when she realizes he will more than likely agree.
"Gondor and its allies shall withdraw at once beyond the Anduin after taking oaths to never again assail Sauron the Great in arms, open or in secret. All lands east of the Anduin shall be Sauron's forever. West of the Anduin as far as the Misty Mountains and the Gap of Rohan shall be tributary to Mordor, and men there shall bear no weapons but shall have leave to govern themselves. But they shall help rebuild Isengard."
"Gandalf, no!" Diana hisses. "They don't even have Frodo! He escaped."
Gandalf glances at her direction. "What about the ring?" he questions.
"Its safe. Sam had it," she tells him quietly. He nods and turns back to the rider.
"That's a lot to demand for the delivery of one servant. And if indeed we rated this prisoner so high what surety do we have that Sauron will keep his part? Where is this prisoner? Let us see him and then we will consider these demands," Gandalf tells him.
The black rider looks around unsure of what to say. He quickly regains his composer and laughs. "If you sue for his clemency you must first do his bidding. These are his terms. Take them or leave them!"
Gandalf moves forward and snatches the Hobbits' things from the rider. "We will take these in memory of our friend. But as for your terms, we reject them utterly. Be gone, for your embassy is over and death is near you."
"We still have not drawn the eye's attention," Diana huffs. The rider catches her attention as he makes his way back to the gate and she grins mischieviously. "But I'm about too."
Everyone watches in amazement as the rider is lifted off his horse and hurled through the air. He bursts into flames as he sails straight through the great eye ontop the tower. "That's what we think of your terms you piece of crap!" she screams out.
The eye imediately turns toward them and the huge gates open wide as thousands of orcs march forward.
Aragorn looks over at her in amusement. "I think that got his attention."
"I thought it might," she grins.
"Fall back. Fall back!" Aragorn calls as he turns Brego around. The small group returns to the ranks.
"Hold your ground! Hold your ground," Aragorn orders as the soldiers figit nervously. He the begins pacing back and forth in front of the lines. "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. 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!" Aragorn draws Anduril and holds it high.
Everyone draws their swords and lets out a battle cry in reply.
Those on horses dismount and send them to safety. Gelmir however is reluctant to leave the battlefield. "Oh, so now you want to show your bravery you silly horse." She scratches him behind the ear. "There is no reason for you to be here, so go. And if I do not survive return to Lothlorien and to my brother." Gelmir nuzzles her cheek with his nose and hangs his head as he turns and follows the other horses.
Diana takes her place next to Legolas and draws her sword.
"Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an Elf," Gimli says from the other side of Legolas.
"What about side by side with a friend?" Legolas asks and smiles down at him.
Gimli smiles back at him. "Aye. I could do that."
Everyone looks at Aragorn when the eye calls to him. He lowers his sword and then looks over his shoulder at them. "For Frodo," he says before turning and charging forward with his sword raised high. Everyone follows suit and the battle begins.
Diana hacks and slices through as many orcs as she can while sending others flying through the air to their deaths. She tries to keep her eye on the Hobbits but eventually loses sight of them in the chaos.
She also loses sight of Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn but knows they're still close by as she occasionally hear's Gimli call out a number to Legolas.
Orcs begin closing in around her and she sends them flying in order to gain room but more pour in around her. She growls in frustration as she continues to alternate using her sword and powers.
Diana bumps into someone and swings her sword around. She stops her swing just in time to keep from gutting Eomer and they both sigh in relief.
"That would not have been good," she says wide-eyed.
"No, it wouldn't," he smirks before returning to the fight.
She cringes at the screech of the Nazgul as they appear from over the wall and slices through an orcs neck.
"Aranel, watch out!" Eomer yells.
She ducks as one of the wraiths' winged mounts swoops down at her and it barely misses her. Diana looks up wide-eyed as another one dives for her. It never gets to her though because a great eagle attacks it from above.
She sighs in relief and returns her attention to the orcs around her until the Nazgul quickly make for the volcano and the eyes attention is drawn from them. "Oh no," she gasps.
Diana catches movement out of the corner of her eye and blocks just in time to avoid being stabbed in the stomach. She doesn't notice another orc targeting her with an arrow, however, until it is to late.
"Fuck, this is gonna hurt," she mumbles and clamps her eyes shut just before the arrow embeds itself in her side.
Diana screams out in pain and looks down at the arrow sticking out of her stomach in disbelief. Tears stream down her face and she falls to her knees.
She grasps at her wound and looks up through her tears to find Aragorn not far away battling a troll. She watches in horror as he's knocked to the ground and the troll tries to crush him under its foot. She looks the other direction and her eyes meet Legolas' crystal blue ones. A tear slips down his cheek as he tries to fight through a group of orcs to get to her but there's to many of them and they keep him held down.
"I love you," she whispers before falling backwards as darkness takes her.