Chapter 22: A Full Flush
"A red dawn ... blood has been split here" - Legolas
(Narrator POV)
As they drew closer to the lands of Mordor, they found that the air grew much denser, making it harder to breath. The dark lands were foul but they rode un-relentlessly, drawing strength from the rider beside them.
Gandalf the Grey had once prophesied to the Great Elven Lord of Rivendell that hope lied in the Men but now Gandalf the White shall decreed that hope was found in the unification of all races of Middle Earth under one banner. Amongst the riders were forces of Men, Elf, Dwarf and Hobbits, allies from all parts, friends of Gondor and Rohan, driven by an honourable bond. There was a female warrior with them, but little did most of them know that she possessed a single jewel that had its beginning in Middle Earth. She was young but old. Age mattered not, though, for she appeared innocent while withholding wisdom far greater than her years. Yet even with her powers, she had no knowledge as to the outcome of the One Ring, and of Sauron's reign upon Middle Earth.
--oo--
The Darkness fell upon them, creating an ominous aura. It was rather fitting as the riders gathered in formation upon the hill just overlooking the Black Gates. There before their eyes was the Tower of the One, a symbol of malevolent powers and Age-long fears. Distant rumblings of thunder erupted from within. Thoughts of people from the former Fellowship went out towards Frodo and Sam. Aragorn unsheathed his sword and spoke in a commanding tone, and for those who knew him best, it was the voice of the true King calling forth. "We shall divert the Eyes towards us, luring out its forces. Show no fear and show no mercy for the enemy would show none. Raise your weapons and charge!"
In an undertone he added, "This is for Frodo."
oo--
(Gandalf POV)
For Frodo indeed, who would have thought that one of the best chances for Middle Earth lied in the hands of Hobbits. Certainly not Sauron, but then again, I myself, had the Ring hidden under my very nose when it was in the possession of Bilbo. The course of destiny works in mysterious ways, even now, there is an enigma surrounding Lady Serenity, the wielder of the Last Crown.
Her power rivalled that of Saruman at the height of his rule in the Istari. The Lady of the Golden Woods respected the power of the Moon Maiden. The child had spoken and ridiculed the Eye Chapter 16. With all this, she had let down her guard to love and friendship, gaining the trust of Men, Elves, Dwarfs, Hobbits and myself included. In the grand scheme of things, she has a role that only with time can reveal.
--oo--
(Aragorn POV)
In my hand, I hold the sword reforged. Its history, its curse, and its strength ran through my veins. This is the path which my lineage has bestowed upon me as the Heir of Isildur, as Aragorn, son of Arathorn.
Long have I wander through the lands of Middle Earth, longing for an escape but I have made my choice. The people need a King for their courage hangs on the sheer hope that the glory of their lands will one day be restored. So many of them are liked Boromir, the Steward of Gondor and I have given him my word. This is a fight for him as it is for Arwen, for Frodo. The hope seems dim but there is still hope.
--oo--
(Eomer POV)
Aragorn charge forward with the legendary sword deadly aimed toward the Dark Gates. It is a terribly cunning bait for the Dark Army to undertake and whatever evils are unleashed, Men have no fear. Yes ... the Gates are opening. We are quickly surrounded but I fight alongside my kindred against those minions. Meeting them stroke for stroke, the battlefield is quickly drowned in the sounds of war cries and clashing of swords and the falling of dead bodies. My actions are automatic, challenging all and any that stands in the path of my blade. One dares to try and stab me from behind but instincts kick in as I unflinchingly drive my sword into its mid-section. "This is for Eowyn!"
--oo--
(Merry POV)
I am glad that I am here with Pippin in the battle of all battles. I see Eomer who had abandoned his horse earlier. His sword fell upon the enemy with ease and experience. Then I spotted an Orc who came from behind. I let out a cry but it was lost among the furies of the battle at hand. I watched in horror and then relief as Eomer plunged the sword into the foe. "For Eowyn," he cried.
Of course, I am here for her as well. Suddenly, an Orc charged towards me, thinking that I am an easy prey. It draws so close that it reeks of a familiar stenches and nightmares of when I was caught by these creatures. I grimaced at the memory but not before I drive my sword into the enemy as I had seen Eomer did. I went on to stab the Orc that Pippin seem to be having trouble with. I twist my weapon into the foe as it fell with a grunt.
--oo--
(Pippin POV)
Those darn creatures ... Orcs ... ha! Take that ... Suddenly, the Orc that I was fighting fell to the ground dead. Perhaps, imitation is the best way to fight a battle, or then again .. perhaps not. I see Merry drawing out his sword, now stained with a crimson red, with a smirk on his face.
"I could have taken him," I said.
"Oh well, it doesn't matter."
His eyes widens suddenly, probably at about the same instant as mine as we simultaneously charged forward against the advancing enemies. Crushing sounds result as metal strike against the amours of Orc. I smile inwardly. I know that I can always count on Merry, even in battle.
--oo--
(Gimli POV)
"Where is that Elf? He had better not be getting himself hurt ... oh why do I bother!"
My axe has not seen this much action after riding for so long. Plummeting the heads off of these filthy creatures is much more satisfying that travelling on some animal. Everything becomes a blur in battle, no hesitation except trust in the will of the weapon in your hand. Sauron's forces come in droves but certainly none have the weapon to resist a Dwarven axe.
All at once, I trip over something and I find myself face to face with an Orc whose eyes bulged out from their sockets. Dead. I rolled onto my back, only to catch the outline of a spear aimed for my heart. Quickly, I grabbed for my axe hanging down my side for a block and with my right, I drove another one of my smaller axes into the creature.
'It was too close'. Unexpectedly, I found the Elf looking down at me.
"Enjoying the view?" he asked, extending out his hand.
"You insolent Elf, it takes more to keep this Dwarf down."
"Well then, my friend, you better go back at it because on the last count, I am at 32."
Then quickly inserting another arrow into the bow, he targetted an advancing Orc. He turned back and added, "33."
"Hmph. I would not be beaten by an Elf!" And so, the onslaught continue. As the enemy fell, they brought with them countless of others of our allies until such distinction seem insignificant.
--oo--
(Narrator POV)
Meanwhile, two Hobbits were making their way up the side of Mount Doom. Having rescued Frodo from the hands of Orcs, the two friends were happy to be reunited once more. Although, they would be much happier for a clean bed and the soft covers of the Shire.
At present, such thoughts were banished for the task at hand. At time, Sam shuddered at the thought of losing Frodo and had to physically look in the Ringbearer's direction to convince himself that Frodo was still alive. Alive, and barely hanging onto life ... The Ring was consuming the thoughts of the young Hobbit and the wound from the Morgul blade throbbed ceaselessly with every step. Sam had tried to ease the journey by carrying Frodo part ways. Even so, Frodo would unconsciously conjure up murderous thoughts of Sam trying to steal the Ring. His sanity was kept at bay, as at the back of his mind, he could hear the soft Elvish melodies, the sounds that had often brightened his dreams. In his heart, Frodo knew that he would have never made it so far without Sam.
--oo--
"My lady, I am under strict orders that you must remain in the House of Healing."
Lady Eowyn was frustrated for despite her protests of feeling better, she was not allowed to leave. Faramir smiled at her exasperation, though he too have tried but with similar consequences. She was standing with her back to the window facing Faramir who was tracing the star locket placed on the table. He looked up and was about to speak when his eyes narrowed at the sight of the window. Moments before the skies was a palette of lush orange and bright yellow, but now smoky grey clouds covered the sky and blanketed the grounds. Faramir stood behind Eowyn and wrapped his hands around her waist and murmured softly, "The destruction or salvation lies in the outcome of the Great Battle. May all our prayers and strength go out to them."
--oo--
(Legolas POV)
"40, 41." 41 arrows have been shot, one after another in quick succession. Many fell before they could even react but as one is shot down, ten more takes its place. My bow sang as quickly as I could draw arrows from my quiver and release them. Alternating between my arrows and my Elven blades, I attempted to clear a path looking for one in particular, Serena. We lost sight of each other as she took the rear while Gimli and I charged forward. Now with blades unsheathed, I sliced the heads off of the Orcs in front of me and stabbed others coming from behind.
The only constancy at the moment is the will to survive and the sureness of my bow. In my head, I kept an accumulating count of the dead. Well, one must try to at least out-kill a Dwarf when the occasion arise. Seeing Gimli tripped and narrowly missing being stabbed with a spear, my eyes narrowed for if they tried to harm that particular Dwarf, they shall be shot down before their stroke fell.
Gimli was as sturdy as any Dwarf could be under the circumstance. We separated once more as I returned to my present predicament of searching for Serena. My Elven hearing caught the calling of 'Eternal Moon Make Up!'. A flash appeared in the distant and a channel of sparkling feathers shot into the air, I knew that I found her.
--oo--
(Serena POV)
After riding off with Pegasus, I had been fighting with my sword in one hand and blocking with the Uranian blade with the other. Forming a cross in front of me, I slashed the heads of these creatures. The deadly dance of swords accompanied the motion of my feet as they moved in formation. I do not glorify the war but they are the enemy created by evil for an evil deed. Eventually, I realize that sword warfare is definitely not my forte. I rarely fought with weapons though I have lasted in the battle for this long. Not only that, it was rather useless to fight a tremendous army with only mere weapons, and so I resorted to magic.
Raising my brooch in the air, I uttered the words for transformation, "Eternal Moon Make Up!" In a flash of glittering display of white features, I felt a wave of powers rushed through me, replacing my travel tunic with the traditional fuku of a sailor scout. My hair unravelled to their trademark 'meatballs'. In my hand, I wield my Eternal Tier and my wings which had been previously injured had healed with time. Since all the Sailor Scouts had sacrificed half of their starseeds to protect the Earth, all their powers had been instilled upon me. I am able to wield their powers even as Eternal Sailor Moon ESM.
--oo--
(Narrator POV)
When the transformation was completed, ESM saw that Legolas had appeared from nowhere and was slaughtering Orcs from left to right. It was no wonder that no Orc came close to attack her while she was transforming.
"Silver Moon Therapy Kiss!" However, as she unleashed her attack, she realized that Orcs were bred specifically for battle, so she could not necessarily healed them. Rather, she switched tactics and aimed various attacks toward them instead. To the nearest opponents, she shot them with the Venus Crescent Beam attack and a flash of bright orange crests was shot from her index finger. It was the weakest Venusian offense but ESM began a series of assaults calling forth Jupiter's Sparkling Wide Pressure to Mercury's Aqua Rhapsody to Uranus' Earth Shaking and Neptune's Deep Submerge attacks. As the earth shook with the magic from the female warrior, ESM prepared a counterstrike with Legolas by her side. The couple had taken shooting lessons together before, so it was truly amazing to see an array of arrows and Martian Flame Snipers shot forth toward Sauron's minions.
--oo--
In the meantime, Frodo and Sam were in shock as they were standing at the entrance of Mount Doom. They felt an impending fear as there before them was the Fires of Sauron. Frodo needed only to drop the Ring and their mission would be completed. Yet he was mesmerized by the Ring and did not wish to be parted from it and so in that moment of hesitation ...
Gollum, the creature which Gandalf the Grey had once vowed had a role in the fate of the Ring rushed forward in a struggle with Frodo for the possession of Precious ...
--oo--
Though the scouts' attacks were powerful, there was one in particular that had the power of Death. Eternal Sailor Moon spread her wings as she shot up into the air. Replacing her own Eternal tier with the scythe of Saturn, ESM glowed with a mahogany light. Black streaks emitted from her as she slowly built up for her attack to wield the power of Saturn, the power of Death and Revolution.
--oo--
The Ringbearer and the Ring-pursuer continued their struggle. In their fight, Gollum bit the third finger of the Hobbit to catch him off guard. Gollum's feat was successful but in his jubilance, he lost his balance and the Creature fell to his death carrying with it the bane of Men. Witnessing all this, Sam quickly rushed forward to wrap his firmly around Frodo as the two Hobbits quickly try to escape the collapsing towers. They shouted for help out of impulse though they doubted that anybody can hear them. All around them, all sanity was lost and the fires of Mount Doom churned.
The Eye of the One was distracted as it diverted toward the rising figure out on the battlefield. Sauron recognized the child and also the power which she possessed. ESM called out her attack, "Death ..Revolution Surprise!" Sauron saw with horror of his impending destruction but in his last attempt, he summoned all of his faithful servants to transfer their powers to him. He shall be revived and even without the Ring, he would destroy the mere female who dare mock him in the lands of Mordor.
As ESM unleashed her onslaught directing it towards Mount Doom, fiery orange and black energies were being gathered toward the tower answering the call of their master. Faraway, Saruman heeded the calling of the Dark Lord, as did Wormtongue, each Orc on the battlefield, to the nine ill-fated Narzul to relinquish their powers.
ESM hoped to stop the rise of Sauron but it was already too late. The powers of the Scout of Death were no match for the feelings of hatred, greed, retribution, and envy that embodied Sauron. Gandalf the Grey had been correct in his doubts, for even without the Ring, the essences of evil were enough to bring Sauron back to life!
End of Chapter 22
--oo--
Callisto Star: Glad you liked the last chap. I try to stay true with the book but at the same time mix in memorable lines from the movie. Will Sere stay in Middle Earth? Probably... ;D Keep reading!
Koosei: Hmm, I just assumed that Legolas knows that Serena is Lunarian. I think that earlier on, I wrote that Serena told the Fellowship, the story of her past (One of them is at chap 7). Also, assume that when the couple are spending time together, they share stories about their lives.
Jypsee (Brenda-chan): Thank you for your review! It was really touching.
Special thanks also goes out to: pudding, Mademoiselle Morte, ejqHorseLady, Henio, chrissybub, Lady Light, Leanna. Llamrei: if you are reading this, it's not another 'filler' chap!
fuku - Japanese for the scout uniform
Wow, I finally wrote it. R/R and stay tune for the next part of the battle. Don't worry it is not the end yet! I know I can't write good battle scenes but hopefully by alternating different POV, the chapter turn out alright. I apologize if I got any of the sailor scout attacks wrong, it's been awhile since I watched SM. Let me know what you think, and until the next chap, peace!
