Buffy was asleep in her bed, dreaming. She didn't know what she was dreaming, but she felt terrified. Something passed through her and she shot up in bed. She clutched the covers to cover herself and looked around the dark tent. There was nothing. She got up and quickly got dressed, walking out of the tent as she threw her cloak over her shoulders.
"Buffy." Legolas said behind her.
She turned to find him sitting in front of her tent. "Legolas….. What are you….."
"I was guarding your tent." She smiled. "I was also pondering if I should wake you."
"Why?" Didn't you come join me? She mentally added.
"Aragorn prepares to leave."
"Leave? What do you mean? Where?"
"Into the mountain."
"The cursed one?" Legolas nodded. "Well, he's not going alone. I'll get my weapons."
"And I shall go get the horses ready."
A few minutes later, they heard Gimli talking with Aragorn. "Just where do you think you're off to?"
"Not this time." Aragorn said. "This time you must stay, Gimli."
"Have you learned nothing of the stubbornness of Dwarves?" Legolas asked, walking up with Buffy.
"Yeah, you know…. You really can't bargain with them." She said.
Gimli stood. "You might as well accept it. We're going with you, laddie."
Without another word, Buffy mounted her horse and followed Aragorn to the mountain with Legoals and Gimli to her left. There were murmurs as they passed, but then all was silent as they entered the mountain.
For a while, there was only darkness and the literally dead silence, but then they entered a HUGE ravine and the sun, which had come out while they were riding through the pass, shone down on a deserted, dreary wasteland, making the beautiful rays seem dull and gray. "What kind of army would linger in such a place?" Gimli asked.
"My thoughts exactly." Buffy said, feeling the weight of her scythe on her back and the sword on her hip.
"One that is cursed." Legolas answered.
"Well, that seems to be the only kind nowadays."
Legolas smiled at her. "Long ago, the Men of the Mountains swore an oath to the last king of Gondor….. To come to his aid, to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire….."
"Oh I know this one…. Lemme guess, they bailed."
"Yes. They vanished into the darkness of the mountain. And so Isildur cursed them…. Never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge."
"Never to rest…. As in they're-all-dead-but-their-ghosts-are-stuck-until-Aragorn-here-releases-them never to rest, right?"
Legolas nodded and his eyes went distant as he started to recite what sounded like a prophecy. "Who shall call them from the gray twilight? The forgotten people. The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the north shall he come. Need shall drive him. He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead."
Buffy looked at Legolas and shook her head. "Drama queen."
He stared at her, bewildered, but she just smiled and shook her head. Finally, they came to a narrow passage and dismounted their horses, walking them through. Ahead was a doorway that was made of stone and led to pitch black beyond.
"The very warmth of my blood seems stole away." Gimli said.
"You can say that again." Buffy quipped.
"The very warmth…."
"Figure of speech, there, Gimli." He glared at her for a minute, but returned his attention to the creepy doorway.
There was writing above the door and Legolas read it aloud. "The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead. And the Dead keep it. The way is shut."
The doorway breathed and Buffy grasped the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it and lop off something's head. The horses freaked, broke free, and ran.
"I do not fear death." Aragorn said.
Buffy watched as Aragorn walked through the doorway and then she glanced at Legolas. "Well, you know, I've died twice…. Do you think they'll be comfy around me?"
"Let us find out." Legolas grasped Buffy's hand and they passed through. Not long after, Gimli came running in after them.
The passage was long and Aragorn managed to find a torch. He led the group through the passageway, but stopped as something caught his eye. He moved his torch in front of it. Legolas and Buffy came over to look too. It was a large crevice filled with human skulls. Aragorn moved on.
Buffy shook her head, not able to look away from the gruesome sight. "That's happy."
"Turn your eyes, meleth. It is no sight for a lady."
"And yet my eyes refuse to look away once again. Stupid eyes." Legolas took her hand and pulled her forward, away from the skulls.
"What is it?" Gimli asked. "What do you see?" He looked into the crevice, but it was dark and he wasn't quite tall enough.
"I see shapes of men. And of horses." Legolas said.
"EW! That's what that was?" Buffy asked. "Horses?"
Gimli held up his ax. "Where?"
"Pale banners like shreds of cloud." Legolas said, gripping Buffy's hand protectively. "Spears rise like winter-thickets through a shroud of mist. The Dead are following. They have been summoned."
"The Dead? Summoned? I knew that. Very good…. VerygoodLegolas!" Gimli ran after them.
Buffy was about to comment on Legolas and his cryptic messages when they suddenly walked into a greenish fog. She quickly realized it wasn't a fog when ghostly hands reached up and grabbed her. She batted them away, emitting a yelp. "Hey!"
"What?" Legolas and Gimli asked, turning abruptly.
"One of them grabbed something they shouldn't have."
"Don't scare me like that, woman!" Gimli said.
Buffy shrugged. "Sorry."
Aragorn crunched on something with his feet. "Do not look down."
"Why?" Buffy couldn't help herself. She looked down. "Oh." They were walking on human skulls. "Ew. You know, when you say things like that, Aragorn, you should expect them to look…." Then, Legolas swept her off her feet. "Whoa!"
"A lady should not walk on such foul things." He said. She started to protest, but he cut her off. "Not even a Slayer."
Gimli crunched behind them. "And what of Dwarves?"
"They are already foul." Legolas glanced back at Gimli with a grin.
They came to a large cavern that looked like a castle's main hall where the throne should be and Legolas set Buffy down. Only this was inside a mountain and not quite as homey.
"Who enters my domain?" A voice boomed all around them as a really creepy-looking ghost king appeared.
"One who will have your allegiance." Aragorn said.
"The Dead do not suffer the living to pass."
"You will suffer me."
Dead Guy laughed and hundreds, maybe even thousands of creepy dead guys appeared, surrounding them.
"Seriously wishing this was just a ride at Disneyland." Buffy said.
"The way is shut." Dead Guy said. "It was made by those who are dead. And the Dead keep it." More extremely dead guys appeared. "The way is shut. Now you must die." Legolas shot an arrow, but it passed right through Dead Guy's forehead.
Buffy slapped him in the arm. "That's a ghost! Non-corporeal, sweetie. Don't piss him off more."
"I summon you to fulfill your oath." Aragorn said.
"None but the king of Gondor may command me." Dead Guy said as he and his army moved in. Aragorn held up his….. Whoa! That wasn't Aragorn's sword. Dead Guy took a swing and Aragorn blocked in. "That line was broken."
Aragorn grabbed Dead Guy's throat and held his sword up. "It has been remade. Fight for us and regain your honor. What say you? What say you?"
"You waste your time, Aragorn." Gimli said. "They had no honor in life, they have none now in death."
"I am Isildur's heir. Fight for me and I will hold your oaths fulfilled. What say you?" Dead Guy began to laugh. The other dead guys started to back up. "You have my word! Fight and I will release you from this living death. What say you?" The dead guys disappeared.
"Stand you traitors!" Gimli yelled.
A wind blew away the fog at their feet and the ground began to shake. "This can't be good." Buffy said. Rocks fell on their heads from above. Buffy got whacked on the shoulder with something that was definitely not a rock. "Ow!" It was a skull. Hundreds of skulls began to fall out of the walls, then thousands.
"Out!" Aragorn yelled. "Run!"
They were getting buried quickly and Buffy was having trouble running. Legolas grabbed her and carried her on his side. "This is no time to be a gentleman!"
"Shut up!" He lifted her up and ran.
They ran out into the open air. Aragorn stopped when he saw the black ships sailing away from the burning villages down the river. He dropped to his knees and cried, burying his face in his hands. Buffy and Legolas stood next to him watching the ships.
Behind them, Dead Guy appeared. "We fight."
The four stood on the shore and watched the ships move closer. "You may go no further." Aragorn said. "You will not enter Gondor."
"Who are you to deny us passage?" One pirate asked.
"Legolas, fire a warning shot past the boson's ear."
"Mind your aim." Gimli said as Legolas drew an arrow. Just as Legolas shot, Gimli tapped the bottom of the bow and the arrow shot down a fat pirate next to the boson. "Oh!" Legolas glared at Gimli. "That's it! Right. We warned you. Prepare to be boarded."
"Boarded? By you and what army?" A pirate shouted.
"This army." Aragorn said quietly.
The dead guys ran through Aragorn, Gimli, Buffy, and Legolas, attacking the ships.
Buffy glanced at Legolas as the ship they had commandeered sailed into Gondor. They had fought and defeated Sauron's forces with the help of their dead army and taken over the ships. Now the four of them were ducked down behind the side, waiting. He smiled warmly at her and gave her the thumbs up sign that she had taught him a while back.
"Late as usual, pirate scum." Someone yelled. "There's knife work here needs doing!"
"Come on you, sea rats!" Someone else called. "Get off your ships!"
"Let's give em what they want then, shall we?" Buffy jumped over the side with her scythe held at the ready. Beside her, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas landed next. The….. Orcs, maybe….. looked shocked. "Surprise!" She twirled her scythe menacingly. "I really don't appreciate being called scum or a rat. Cause, unlike you, I bathe."
Gimli looked at Buffy and Legolas as they moved towards the Orcs. "There's plenty here for the three of us. May the best Dwarf win!"
"I will."
They charged towards the still stunned Orcs with the ghostly army appearing behind them. Some of the Orcs started to scatter, but the dead army took them down easily. Within no time, they were headed for the main battle where the Uruk-hai were fighting the soldiers of Gondor and the men of Rohan. The whole time, Buffy counted every kill, loving the sport of it. "Thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four….." She sang to herself.
"Buffy! Legolas!" Aragorn yelled.
They turned and found a giant….. HOLY CRAP!…. Elephant! "What the….."
"Are you ready?" Legolas asked.
"For what?"
He looked at her and she caught on to his plan. She quickly sheathed her scythe on her back and they both ran at the elephant. He took one tusk, she took the other and they jumped on, flinging themselves up and to the legs. Buffy was really pushing her Slayer abilities to the max and she was loving every second of it. She managed to catch one of the large tethers holding the tent thing on top and she climbed up.
"Hi, guys! Mind if I join the party?" Some jumped from their seats towards and she pulled out her broadsword and gracefully chopped at the whatever-these-things-were while she balanced on the moving elephant thing. "Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four….. Oh! And seven!" Suddenly, the tent thing started to slide with her on it. "Gotta run!" She ran across the sliding tent, knocking away bad guys and dove just as the tent thing slid off and Legolas slid up the other side. He grabbed her hand and held her tightly as he swung her to her feet on the elephant's back. Then, with three arrows, he shot the elephant in the brain. It went down for the count and Buffy was thrown off in an ungraceful heap. Legolas slid down the trunk and caught her in his arms.
"That still only counts as one!" Gimli yelled.
"For each of us, right?" Buffy asked.
Legolas had set her down, but he still held her tightly to him. "Are you all right?"
"That was the coolest thing I have EVER done!"
Legolas suddenly flung her around and used her feet to knock an oncoming Orc in the head. As he turned, he set her back down, scooped up her sword, handed it to her, and they turned and fought back-to-back. It was amazing how skillful they were separately, but together, they were definitely a deadly ballet to be reckoned with. Then, all around them, the bad guys started to flee. Some of the soldiers gave chase, but for the most part, the battle was over. The good guys had won for now.
Buffy and Legolas made it over to Aragorn and Gimli as The Dead King Guy talked to Aragorn. "Release us."
"Bad idea." Gimli said. "Very handy in a tight spot, these lads, despite the fact that they're dead."
"You gave us your word."
Buffy touched Aragorn's shoulder. "Let them rest." She whispered, knowing slightly how they felt. "They deserve that much."
Aragorn touched her hand gently, knowing how she was feeling, and then looked at the King. "I hold your oath fulfilled. Go. Be at peace." The Dead Army seemed to sigh and they disappeared.
The four of them turned to find Gandalf, Pippin, and Willow standing behind them. "Buffy!" Pippin ran up to her and she dropped to her knees to hug him tightly. "Have you seen Merry?"
"He's here?" She asked. "I thought he was supposed to stay at the encampment like someone else I know."
"He was fighting…. I lost him. I have to find him." Pippin ran off.
Buffy looked at Willow. "I thought I told you….." Willow hugged Buffy tightly and the Slayer temporarily forgot for the moment how pissed she was. "You know what?" She pulled away. "I'm just glad you're ok."
"Me too." Willow said. "I'm happy you're not dead….. Again." She looked at Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli. "Good to see that you're still standing too." She looked at Legolas in particular now. "And it's good that you watched out for her."
Legolas nodded. "I do what I can for the ones I love."
Love? Willow thought. It's already love between them?