The Orcs were met with a surprise the next day, just a little after dawn. The sound of a horn reverberated across the Pelennor fields, and an army of horsemen rode up. The flags of Rohan waved freely in the morning breeze, and the soldiers perched on the edge of the plains awaiting the order to attack. Berethor saw the state of his home- and suddenly he wanted to cry.

Minas Tirith, he beautiful home, was nearly in ruins. Fires could be seen throughout various parts of the city, and that many of the buildings had been felled by boulders thrown in catapults. But something else happened to Berethor just then. He not only felt unbearable sadness, but he also felt unfathomable fury. How dare these creatures desecrate his home? How dare they attack his people? How dare they attack his family?

There would be h-ll to raise about this.

Theodan pulled out his sword, and charged down the line. "Eomer, take your eored down the left flank!" He called to his nephew. Eomer affirmed the order. "Gamling, follow the King's banner down the center. Grimbold, take your company right after you pass the wall. Forth, and fear no darkness!" He turned to the soldiers. "Arise, arise, Riders of Theodan! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered!" He passed right by Eowyn and Merry, and Eowyn turned her face so that Theodan would not see her. "A sword day, a red day, ere the sun rises!"

The Riders pulled out their spears, Berethor and Morwen donning their own swords and axes, and the Orcs knelt down with their pikes pointed towards the riders. One wrong move, and someone could be speared on them. Berethor held his head high, determined to make those Orcs pay for the pain they had caused his city. He was also determined to survive the fight so he could give Lord Denethor a good punch in the nose.

He felt Morwen reach out and touch his arm. "Be careful," She muttered. Berethor squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I will be." He said. "We will survive this battle." King Theodan now rode down the line, tapping his sword against the raised spears.

"Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride for ruin, and the world's ending! Death!" He cried, raising his sword to the orange sky.

"Death!" The soldiers echoed.

"Death!" Theodan roared.

"Death!" The soldiers thundered back.

"DEATH!"

"DEATH!"

"FORTH EORLINGAAAAAAAAAS!" Theodan thundered, as his men blew the horns. Theodan, sword held high, charged forward and led his people into battle, cheering.

"FIRE!" Captain Gothmog of the Orcs called to the archers. Arrows were sent off, hitting some of the riders and sending them crashing to the ground.

"CHARGE!" Theodan yelled.

"FIRE AT WILL!" Gothmog roared. Arrows went up everywhere, and more riders fell. But they remained undeterred. The riders pressed on ever harder towards the Orcs. The Orcs took one look at the bold, determined expressions on the soldier's faces, and they faltered.

Then the armies collided.

It was like watching a massive wave crashing onto a rock. The Orcs up front were completely obliterated, even the ones with the spears and pikes. Those who were not decapitated by a rider were trampled by a horse. The Orcs, including Gothmog, began to fall back a bit, frightened for the first time since they attacked Minas Tirith.

Berethor, thoughts of his family in mind, fought like a man possessed. He killed every Orc within his reach, and then went off to find some more. Morwen, also fighting like wildfire, stopped for a second and squinted at the seventh level of Minas Tirith. A small, fiery object was dropping like a stone towards the ground. A glance to the side revealed that Eaoden and Eowyn had seen it as well.

"What was that?" Eaoden called as he quickly stabbed another Orc. Morwen shrugged, and then fended off an Orc that had made a slash for her chest.

"I don't know! We'll find out later, most likely." She said. The Axe-Maiden lost track of her friends as she continued to jab, slash and kill the monsters around her. A few minutes into the battle, and the Orcs were running in fright from the Rohirrim.

"Drive them to the river!" Eomer boomed to the soldiers around him. Nearby, King Theodan smiled triumphantly.

"Make safe the city!" He called. But then, suddenly, everyone stopped dead. Theodan's smiled faded slowly when he saw what they saw. A line of tall, wicked looking creatures approached from the East. Haradrim, riding upon the monstrous Mumakil. The Orcs ran for safety behind the line of Mumakil, and Theodan started giving out orders. "Re-form the line! Re-form the line!"

The riders hastened to get into a straight line as quickly as possible, urging their horses to be still before the oncoming threat. The Mumakil roared so loudly it echoed across the Pelennor fields. They swung their mighty tusks through the air, and glared at the army ahead. "Sound the charge!" Theodan barked. "Take them head-on!"

Next to him, Gamling blew the horn, and Theodan yelled "Charge!" The riders took off towards the Mumakil, however reluctantly, and began to chase down the fleeing Orcs. Disaster promptly ensued. Any man and his horse that got within twenty feet of the Mumakil was either stomped on or knocked away by the heavy tusks of the creatures.

Eaoden was one of the unlucky ones to be hit by a tusk. Thankfully, he was not hit by the spiked part of the tusk, but he was knocked off his horse. Dazed, he lay there for a moment, and then yelped when he saw a Mumakil foot about to step down on him! Gathering his wits, he rolled to the side just in time to avoid being killed. Jumping to his feet and ripping out his sword, Eaoden prepared for the fight of his life.

Nearby, Eowyn and Merry rode between the tree-trunk sized legs of the Mumakil, and Eowyn slashed furiously at its legs until it collapsed. Morwen did something similar, by jumping off her horse and pulling out her double axes. She ran at the Mumakil, and performed a deadly move that cut so deeply into the creature's leg, Morwen thought for a second she had seen it's bone.

Eomer threw a spear at an Easterling that was steering the Mumakil, and killed him. As the man fell, his scythe got caught in the Mumakil's ear, and his extra weight dragged the massive creature down. But as the Mumakil stumbled, it crashed into one of its fellows, and dragged that Mumakil down as well. A good shot, Berethor thought, having witnessed Eomer's move. Berethor was too wary of the Mumakil to get close enough to do any damage, so he went for the Orcs and Easterlings that came off the dead Mumakil.

Just then, the worst case scenario got worse.

The Nine Riders descended from the sky, diving at Minas Tirith and the screaming people in it. Trolls with giant hammers pounded on the reinforced doors, trying to force their way in to the soldiers behind it. Out in the field, Theodan called out: "Rally to me! To me!" But before anyone could move, a Fell Beast came out of the smoky air, a Nazgul on its back, and picked up Theodan and his horse in its teeth.

Eowyn and Morwen (Who was nearby), watched in horror as the King was thrown aside like a limp rag. He did not move. The Nazgul and his Fell Beast lingered over the fallen King. Upon closer inspection, Morwen realized with a stab of horror that it was not just any Nazgul on the Fell Beast- it was the Witch King, the creature her father had told her about when she was a child.

In her pocket, Morwen carried a pendant that had once been her mother's. She had always told Morwen that the pendant kept the King of the Nazgul away, and her father had always laughed at that. Now, Morwen realized that her father was right- no pendant was going to keep the Witch King away now. The Nazgul hissed.

"Feast on his flesh," It hissed maliciously to the beast. The beast snarled, and moved to bite at king Theodan when Eowyn leapt out in front of him.

"I will kill you if you touch him!" She warned.

"Eowyn!" Morwen gasped.

"Do not come between the Nazgul and his prey," The Witch King growled. The Fell Beast snapped at Eowyn, and Morwen watched in awe as Eowyn spun around and quickly cut off the beast's head. It's body flailed around wildly, and Morwen jumped out next to Eowyn as it flopped back and collapsed on the ground, still twitching slightly. Eowyn picked up two fallen shields nearby, and tossed one to Morwen. It would be needed.

The Witch King rose from behind the wing of the dead Fell Beast, and turned to face the two women. Screeching, he swung his spiked mace down towards Morwen and Eowyn. Both women dodged to the side, and avoided having their skulls crushed in. Now the Witch King swung his mace in an arc, and Eowyn had to duck so not to lose her head.

The Witch King swung for Eowyn again, and his mace destroyed her shield. "Eowyn!" Morwen cried as she saw her friend fall back. Eowyn could not move her arm- she believed it was broken. Morwen rushed to her friend's aid, and then they both stared up at the Witch King as he loomed over them.

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At the docks near Minas Tirith, a large band of Orcs stood, watching the Corsair ships pull in. "Late! As usual!" An Orc yelled. "Typical Pirate scum! There's knife-work here that needs doing! Come on, you sea rats! Get off the d-mn ships!" He sneered.

With a cry, Aragorn leapt over the wall of the ship. Legolas, Idrial, Elegost, Hadhod and Gimli followed soon after. The scorned look on the Orc's face was quickly replaced with a look of surprise and confusion. Where were the Corsairs? Aragorn strode forward confidently, Anduril raised. Elegost strung an arrow and also moved forward.

"There's plenty for the both of us! May the best Dwarf win!" Gimli said to Legolas, who smirked at the challenge. Idrial glanced at the water, wondering how many Orcs she could drown with it. Behind them, the army of the dead came running from the ships into the harbor, killing all in their path.

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And the tension continues!