Chapter Ten: Demise

March 17

I lived. I didn't think I would, but I did.

Of course, I didn't escape without a scratch. I got a shallow cut on my left arm from an orc sword, and too many bruises to count. Hope got a gash on her forehead and one on her shoulder, but after that had the sense to hide between the front legs of a dead oiliphaunt so she didn't get killed. And Mhera, well, she's a different story.

After the battle, I went away to find some water in which to wash the cut. I had taken enough first aid to know what to do, so I simply went down to the river and washed it off. What I did not count on, however, was trying to get into the city. I finally had to just walk in with the other people with cuts and scrapes. We just sat in a line and waited for someone to tell us whether we should just wash it off and cover it or whether stitches were needed. That's when I got in trouble, since it was obvious I was female since I had to talk. Then they found out I was a girl and I spent the rest of the day hiding from those people looking for girls who had run away, which numbered three, but, of course, they all had to be looking for me. Then I found Mhera, sliding along the same wall as I, trying to avoid people in general.

"Mhera, what was your exit plan?" I muttered, teeth clenched.

"Ummm... I'll think of something," she said quickly.

"What!" I hissed. "You mean you hadn't thought of what to do next?"

"Hey, at least give me some credit for getting us to Gondor."

"Very well, you got us to Gondor. But now I'm going to have to disappear from Middle-earth altogether or live in the Minas Tirith sewers until Legolas sails."

"Oh, I'll think of something." And true to her word, she thought. "Hey, I know! I met those what-d'yah-call-ems, Dol Amrothians? Anyways, I did one of the lords a favor, and we might be able to sneak down to the sea with them."

I suddenly got an idea, one that had been tickling my mind for a while. "Mhera? What was this lord's name?"

She thought a minute. "I think it was Erchirion or something like that."

I stared. "Mhera, that's one of the sons of Prince Imrahil." I paused. "What exactly did you do?"

"I saved his life."

"Mhera! Do you realize what that means?"

"No. What?"

"There is a guy who is indebted to you. One who is high up on the social scale. Word of this will spread like wildfire, and we'll be hunted down like foxes."

"Do you always have to be so pessimistic?" she asked rhetorically, scanning the area for escape routes. "Okay, we know where you are, and we know where I am, and where Eowyn is. So where's Hope?"

I got a sick feeling in my stomach. "Mhera... what if she's hurt?"

Mhera looked down at her feet. "She'd be in the Houses of Healing."

"Mhera?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think we should look for her?"

Mhera sighed. "All right." She gave me a look that said, are you bipolar? But I didn't care.

So we somehow found the Houses. It was pretty easy, seeing as most of the traffic led there. Once inside, we asked around for an injured hobbit maid. Word hadn't spread that much, but we found her easily enough. Honestly, how many hobbit girls manage to make their way to Gondor and get injured in the line of duty?

At the time, she was unconscious. Not surprising, considering she had a head wound and they bleed a lot. We waited until she regained consciousness, and she immediately asked if there was any soda. That was enough to make sure we did find a hobbit, not to mention that it was Hope. And then we were Found.

The Three Hunters were in the Houses, probably finishing healing the Great Three ( by that I mean Faramir, Eowyn, and Merry) and we, meaning Mhera and I, literally ran into them. Legolas was shocked again and couldn't talk, Aragorn stared for a while, and Gimli recovered first, as always. This time, though, his first comment was to Legolas. "Yeh know, we did not forbid her to come."

Aragorn then blinked, then cleared his throat. "We did not."

That's when I got my first ever vision. Visions are really weird; when you have them, it's like there's a transparent movie going on inside your head, dividing your attention. And what I saw was so weird, so unexpected, so foul, I thought I'd throw up. But I fainted instead.

When I woke up, I was lying down on a blanket in a corner. Mhera was dozing next to me, so I gently shook her. "Mhera? I saw something."

She shook herself awake the rest of the way, then looked at me with unfocused eyes. "Wha?" she said, not fully awake.

"Mhera? You know the 'Sues? They will be there- next to the Mouth. They didn't die when they went over the falls of Rauros; they survived and joined the enemy. I know."

Mhera looked at me suspiciously, but the effect was marred by a yawn. "You sure?"

I nodded. "Positive."

"Then we'll have to go to with 'em to the Gate," she groaned.

So we told the three about what we saw, and they were grateful to know that there would be a messenger from Sauron that would be a liar. They were also glad to know that the two 'Sues would be there, but they were disappointed when Mhera and I called 'dibs on them. "They are the reason we are even on this land mass," I said. "If we don't go this whole thing will be a waste."

So we're going. Oh, joy. A final reckoning.

March 25

I probably looked as Sue-ish as I ever have riding behind the leaders who were supposed to be here. I mean, that's what the Sues do, right? Follow the good guys and defeat the bad guys? Mhera had to keep elbowing me and saying that it was the intent (whether to preserve canon or murder it) that makes the Sue.

But there we were, and when the Mouth came forward, it was probably the scariest single thing that I had seen- oiliphaunts included. The armor and helmet were sickeningly ornate and black. The visor on the helmet was down (if there was a visor) so I didn't see anything other than the Mouth- literally. Well, there was about a score of men (humans) behind him, also in black, but they did not draw attention to themselves. Then, from behind the group came two unwelcome figures, dressed in black, but looking perfect in it, not to mention smug.

"Mhera," I whispered. Those are the Sues."

And indeed they were. Sue One was in the most impractical thing ever seen on a battlefield. It was a low neckline dress with butterfly sleeves, an external corset, and a sickeningly high slit, and knee-high boots. Sue Two was wearing something similar, only it had less full sleeves and beads along the edge.

The Mouth went on and on, degrading Aragorn and Gandalf. I would record what was said, but the speech was so long that I don't remember it. Any fear that we might have had from what he said was lost because we simply got bored. Then he announced his terms: that no one should try to attack anything East of the Anduin and that would become part of Mordor, everything west of the Anduin should become a territory of Mordor, and the final thing surprised me:

"Those so-called rulers Laiqalasse of Taur e-Ndedelos" (that's Legolas' name from the First Age; yes, he is that old!) "and Aragorn of Gondor shall be held forever in the dungeons of Mordor, at least until their deaths, and the maid Arë is to be delivered as well, for impending execution."

There was silence. Then...

"I can't believe you left me out!" said Mhera, voice growing louder by the second. "If you're going to ruin Middle-earth, fine, but you're not going to simply leave me to stand by and watch!" She then dismounted, walked over to Sue One, who was paralyzed by fear (or a too tight corset) and sliced her head off. More silence, then, "That peroxide blonde was getting on my nerves."

The company (minus the obvious one) retreated, and that's where we are now.

Later

If you thought that was all that happened, you are mistaken. For right after that last entry was finished, the drums of Mordor started to beat.

There wasn't that much different between now and Pelennor, save the fact that I was never mounted in this battle. In Pelennor, the horse I was riding was shot out from under me very soon after we started, which was a good thing since I could barely ride. For this battle, I didn't even bother getting mounted, as trying to ride and fight was too complicated for me. Luckily for me, Sue Two was also unmounted.

We found each other straight away, for reasons unexplained. Her with the ridiculous katana, and me with my sword (and bow and quiver; a certain elf made me carry them, and that dagger I'd carried around everywhere). We fought, and that's really all there is to say about it at that point. We were cut off from single combat as a troll came between us and we were both pushed back. And that's when my sword bent.

I didn't expect it to last me forever, but something over four months would have been nice. But that troll stepped on it, and there was a large rock under the sword, so it got an interesting new contour. I couldn't believe it at first, then some orc came around. I don't know what exactly I did, but a second later, an arrow was stuck through the roof of his mouth. I think I grabbed it off the ground and stabbed it through like it was a dagger. Then I remembered I actually had a dagger, and drew it. I kept fighting- I didn't have much of a choice. Even Elves have survival instincts, and I was relying heavily on them. And again, I saw Sue Two, this time trying to sneak around Gimli. I didn't think, but I threw. And all of a sudden, I saw my dagger- my dagger, sitting in Sue Two's neck. Perfectly. Darn. Straight.

She slumped to the ground, and then I started using my only remaining weapon- the bow. Soon after, I heard the cry, "The Eagles!" and all I remember from that is pure, unadulterated relief. Now we go back to Minas Tirith. As soon as I find that dagger, that is.

April 2

Once we got back to Minas Tirith, we found Eowyn, sleeping. Hope can't yet get out of bed, but she's going to be fine. After messing around for a bit, we exchanged stories.

Mhera went first. Somehow, in the fight, she got mixed in with the Swan Knights of Dol Amroth. But suddenly a wave of orcs came towards the group. I wasn't there, but Mhera said that they were even larger than normal orcs, and they seemed to hate the Amrothians all the more for their elven blood. From there, I get conflicting accounts. Mhera said she managed to kill a few; however, two of the sons of Imrahil as well as that famous Prince say that she saved their lives. When I talked to the younger of the two (Amrothos) after our talk with Hope, he sighed slightly after he told the tale. Sorry, boy, but that girl's heart is taken.

My story, suffice to say, was what I expected: noisy, chaotic, and adrenaline-filled. I can't remember the details, but I remember the desperation of trying to save your neck. That very real feeling of people dying around you. I don't know whether humans feel it when lives are snuffed out prematurely, but I could tell. It rends your heart every time you feel it. Especially the very young ones. Among those of Rohan, there were too many who were below nineteen. There was one- he was fifteen, I am sure, just like me- I shall never forget his screams as he died. It shouldn't have been him to die. He had a life planned out for him after the war. I'm just an extra. I should have died, not him.

Reviewer Responses:

FallenTruth: Mhera would like to inform you that she will be carving out your heart with a wooden spoon soon. Is Thursday good for you?

Laer: How about a carrot? They're good raw...

lior-a: Okay, I didn't include much detail as I can't imagine what a battle would be like. It would be terrifying! However, I do not want to burden the world with my battle scenes. Those are one of the two things I can't, and won't, write: romance scenes and battle scenes.

Elven Bunny: Yes, my friends are popping up like... rabbits.