"You do what you like, I'm going with them."

"'Wyn, you can't. I promised your brother."

"I'll not be left behind. I'm a shield maiden of Rohan."

"And I'm a soccer playing, beer guzzling descendant of a Cherokee Warrior. I still promised your brother that I would take you back to the city."

"I know, and I'm sorry you have to go against your word—"

"I'm not…I'm going with you." Ari shook her head at the stupidity of her own idea, but she had always intended to ride with Eowyn back to Rohan and then quickly ride back towards Gondor, hoping to catch the battle.

"As am I!" Merry came into the tent where Eowyn and Ari were conversing. "They want me to go back with you, but I can fight!"

"Alright then." The trio made plans, for the next day they were going into battle.

Ari and Eowyn had to braid their hair back, smudge their faces and hands and secure their armor. Before dawn the next day they assembled with the rest of the army.

"Good luck!" Eowyn moved off to one regiment while Ari drifted into another, but stayed within sight of Eowyn. Merry sat in front of Eowyn, hidden by her cloak. With a single horn blast the whole of the Rohirrim advanced towards Gondor.

It took only a few hours easy ride to reach the fields outside the great city. They crested a rise and looked down onto a field black with orcs. Great war towers stood close to the white walled city and giant trolls and Oliphant's stomped across the battlefield. Ari and Eowyn stared out at the bedlam and then looked to each other. They were here by their own choice and now had to go through with their mission.

"For Rohan!" King Théoden galloped in front of his men and called them to attention and to arms. Ari drew her sword and thrust it high into the air, screaming at the top of her lungs. There seemed to be a brief pause before the charge began; as if the entire army had taken a deep breath as one.

The surge happened instantly and with such force that when the army hit the first line of orcs, they plowed through like a hot knife through butter.

Ari kept Eowyn within sight, trying to fight her way closer to the other woman. Oliphant's stomped about the Rohan Cavalry carelessly crushing horses and riders, paying little heed to anything happening around their enormous legs. Ari stabbed at the attacking orcs with the greatest anger and ferociousness she ever could have mustered against another being. In Ari's attempts to stay alive she lost track of Eowyn and Merry. She looked around frantically, fearing they'd been crushed by a passing Oliphant. In her search she saw Eomer to her left. She decided if she couldn't fight close to Eowyn and help her then at least she could get closer to Eomer; besides, Eowyn had Merry to help her. Ari took a swing at an orc barreling towards Eomer and had to veer off her intended course.

She looked around and saw Eowyn again. Eowyn was fighting fiercely not paying any attention to the gigantic Oliphant charging toward her. Ari galloped towards where the other woman fought and managed to catch her attention. Eowyn leapt her horse over her attackers and ran in the opposite direction of Ari.

Ari was suddenly thankful for her mothers teaching of trick riding because she suddenly found herself surrounded on all sides, chased by the goblins. She swung out of the saddle and kicked one of the orcs around her, using the momentum from the kick she swung back up over the saddle and kicked another of the offending orcs before swinging back into the saddle backwards. She drew her bow and began firing arrows at orcs chasing her down. When her supply of arrows was exhausted she switched in the saddle and began looking for her friends again. She was thankful for the agility of the horse because it took very little for her to guide it where she wanted it. Suddenly she saw Eomer, the gold of his helmet glinting in the pale sunlight that fought its way through the smoke and din of the battle. An orc ran at Eomer's horse and stabbed his spear upwards into the horse. The animal reared, twisted and cried out in pain, flinging Eomer to the ground. Ari leapt her horse over the dead that separated her from where Eomer lay sprawled upon the ground. She beheaded the orc before it could kill Eomer.

"Come on!" Ari reached down and helped lift Eomer into the saddle behind her.

"I need a new mount!" Eomer paid no attention to the soldier before him and for that Ari was thankful. She saw a horse galloping across her path and made a move to intercept it. Eomer leapt form the back of her horse onto the rider-less horse. That's when Ari saw the nazgul descending onto the filed. Eomer saw it as well and they both galloped to where the hideous creature was preparing to land. Ari saw Eowyn coming at it from the opposite direction. The tail of the dragon like creature whipped out and knocked Eomer and Ari from their horses simultaneously. Ari sat up and shook her head. Her helmet had flown off when she had hit the ground. Eomer was laying a few feet away from her, he too was trying to clear his head. She pushed herself up and had to duck again as the tail of the Nazgul narrowly missed it. She crawled over to Eomer and helped him get up.

"Ari?"

"Come on!" Ari and Eomer staggered behind the body of a dead Oliphant and out of the din of battle. "We've got to go help 'Wyn!" Ari said picking up a quiver of arrows and a large bow. Eomer grabbed her arm and spun her to face him.

"Eowyn? She's here?"

"Yes. That's her." Ari had rounded the carcass and was now looking to where a lone soldier stood fighting the nazgul.

"What?" Ari pushed Eomer down as an Easterling tried to run up and attack them. Ari killed their assailant and then quickly explained to Eomer what had happened. Ari went to pick up a large blade and continued to kill orcs. Eomer and Ari fought side by side, working their way back to where Eowyn was fighting the nazgul alone. They were just getting close when they heard the witch king speak.

"No man can defeat me!" He cackled evilly as Eowyn threw her helmet aside.

"I AM NO MAN!" Eowyn yelled as she slammed her sword into the heart of the witch king. Eomer saw the air ripple as the Witch king's chest imploded. He reached for Ari and tried to pull her down.

"'WYN!" The blast knocked everyone around them to the ground. Eomer and Ari landed with a tremendous thud six or seven feet from where they'd been fighting. Ari's head hit the ground and she saw stars, but the pain in her head was less intense than the pain running up and down her arm. Her arm was pinned underneath her in an uncomfortable angle and it was held there beneath her weight and that of someone lying on top of her. She kicked and pushed and finally got partially rolled over and looked up into Eomer's face. He pushed himself up over her and looked down into her dirt streaked face.

"Are you OK?" Ari didn't respond. Her eyes grew wide with anger and fear as she saw the Orc bob into view behind Eomer's head, arms raised to deal a death blow to the two humans lying on the ground. Despite the pain in her arm, she grasped her sword tightly and pushed Eomer off her with her opposite arm.

"Move!" Eomer pitched over on his back as Ari swung up into the orc and drove the blade deep into the goblin body. She saw the blood streaking down her arm and the disfigured curvature of her fingers, hand and arm. The black tarry blood of the orc she had killed coated the top of her hand and her fingers and mixed with her own blood. She released the blade and staggered back onto her heels, and grasped her arm close to her body trying to support it. She looked over to where Eomer lay on his side staring at her.

"Ari?" Ari closed her eyes and tried to fight the wave of nausea that washed over her. The pain was so intense she was seeing stars. Eomer crouched beside her and reached out to touch her. "Ari, are you OK?"

"Leave me….go check on 'Wyn." Ari stared into Eomer's hazel eyes and saw the concern in them. She looked over to where the body of the dragon and the witch king lay on the ground, Eowyn's body lay before the witch king, strands of her long blonde hair blowing in the gentle breeze wafting across the battlefield. "Go help your sister, Eomer. She needs you more than I do. GO!" Eomer paused before he left Ari's side and went to help Eowyn.