Legolas, Buffy, Aragorn, Eomer, and Willow stood watching Gandalf while Gimli sat in the stewards throne. They were inside Gondor now in the Great Hall. Buffy had sustained a nasty bruise to her right jawbone, but other than that, she, and everyone else, was ok.
"Frodo has passed beyond my sight." Gandalf said. "The darkness is deepening."
"If Sauron had the Ring, we would know it." Aragorn said.
"It's only a matter of time. He has suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor, our enemy is regrouping."
"Let him stay there." Gimli said. "Let him rot! Why should we care?"
"Gimli," Buffy interjected. "You should know by now that it is never that simple."
"She is right. 10,000 Orcs stand between Frodo and Mount Doom. I've sent him to his death." Gandalf said.
"No." Buffy shook her head. "There's gotta be hope for Frodo." She looked at Aragorn, hoping he would catch on and help her out. "He just needs time and a way to get Mount Doom safely. There's gotta be a way we can give him that."
"How?" Gimli asked.
Aragorn knew what Buffy was getting at. "Draw out Sauron's armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate." Buffy smiled at him proudly.
"We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms." Eomer said.
"Not for us, no." Buffy said. "But I think we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's Eye fixed on us. You know, keep him blind everything that's going on behind him." Aragorn looked at her proudly. There was definitely sibling love and friendship between them.
"A diversion." Legolas said.
"Sauron will suspect a trap." Gandalf said. "He will not take the bait."
Buffy smiled. "Oh come on, we're playing my kinda odds here. It's a damn good plan." Gandalf nodded in agreement. "So what are we standing around here just talking about it for?"
From a hallway across the room, Buffy silently watched Legolas gather his arrows and prepare for the next battle. "Hey." The Slayer turned. It was Willow. "You ok?"
"Never better." Buffy said, turning away.
"Listen, about earlier, you know, what I said about Legolas….."
"No, you were right. I've been leading sort of a Spartan life. I haven't kept up with you and the others."
"And you were right too. We haven't either."
"You just don't get it, Will. I once told Angel that being a Slayer makes me different, but it was my fault I stayed that way."
"You're not different anymore."
Buffy shook her head. "Who are you trying to kid? Me or you?"
"Buffy….."
"I was called here because I'm different. No other Slayer was called. I was. And I think it wasn't just Galadriel that brought me here."
Willow looked at Legolas and the way Buffy looked at him. "You think….."
"Does it matter what I think anymore? When this is over, I have to go back. End of story." With that, Buffy pushed past Willow and walked out of sight.
They rode out of Gondor towards Mordor with what was left of their army. Willow had come along, but she was strictly there in a magick way. Legolas glanced at Buffy. He was terribly worried about her. She hadn't spoken much since they had been gathered in the main hall of Gondor. Something about her demeanor had changed. As if she'd given up on something. And something told him it was not the coming battle.
Buffy looked straight ahead. She didn't have to look at Legolas to know he kept stealing glances. It was a huge possibility that she was going to die for the third and final time. But even if she didn't die, she wasn't staying here. She couldn't. She forced herself to ignore the pull and thrall Middle-Earth held over her. She had to go back to the world she had come from because she had duties there. She had responsibilities to the new Slayers….. And her friends.
At the gates of Mordor, Aragorn, Buffy with Pippin, Eomer with Merry, Legolas with Gimli, and Gandalf rode forward. Willow had dismounted from Aragorn's horse and stayed with the soldiers.
"Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth!" Aragorn yelled. "Let justice be done upon him" The huge gates began to open. It wasn't an army though, it was a creepy looking guy with a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth and a tall, funny looking helmet thing on his head.
"My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome." Creepy Guy said. Then it…..um….. smiled at them. "Is there any in this rout with authority to treat with me?"
"We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed." Gandalf said. "Tell your master this: The armies of Mordor must be disbanded. He is to depart these lands, never to return."
"Old Graybeard, I have a token to show thee." Creepy Guy pulled out a little silver chain-mail shirt.
"Frodo." Pippin said. Creepy Guy threw the shirt at Gandalf. "Frodo!"
"Silence." Gandalf said.
"No!" Merry cried.
"Silence!"
"The Halfling was dear to thee I see." Creepy Guy said. "Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host. Who would have thought one so small could endure so much pain? And he did, Gandalf. He did."
Buffy noticed something fall out of the chain-mail shirt. She got off her horse and picked it up. It was her cross necklace she had given Frodo. She glared up at Creepy Guy. "You're going to die." She said calmly, her voice betraying the wrath on her face. "And I'm going to watch with a smile on my face."
"Poor little Slayer. When this is over, Sauron will take you to the deepest dungeons and he will break you of that wit and watch as you go from a gallant little warrior to a simpering fool. You will make a fine little servant whore to him."
"Keep talking, monkey boy. It'll only piss me off more and keep you alive longer." She started to move forward, pulling on her sword, but Aragorn place his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. He rode over to Creepy Guy.
"And who is this? Isildur's heir? It takes more to make a king than a broken Elvish blade."
Aragorn pulled his sword and sliced off Creepy Guy's head. Buffy looked down at its head that had landed near her feet and smiled. "That's for Frodo." She kicked the head towards the gates and put the necklace on, jumping back on her horse.
"I guess that concludes negotiations." Gimli said.
"I do not believe it." Aragorn said. "I will not." The gates began to open and the army of Orcs and Uruk-hai became visible. "Pull back!" They rode back to their army, which was starting to back away. "Hold your ground! Hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the hearts of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!" The army drew their swords.
Buffy, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, Willow, and Gandalf dismounted and sent off their horses as the evil army surrounded them.
"Never thought I'd die fighting side-be-side with an Elf and a woman." Gimli said. Buffy smiled and rolled her eyes.
"What about side-by-side with friends?" Legolas asked.
"Aye. I could do that."
Aragorn turned and looked at them. He stared at them for a minute, lingering on Buffy. She had helped him plan this. She had been sort of a driving force behind him…. A little sister who was slowly learning to push him further. She had been brave and held strong even when others faltered. And he was so proud of her. Galadriel had been right. She was the key to many great things. He smirked. "For Frodo." And with that, he charged.
Merry and Pippin took off yelling at the top of their lungs and then everyone else followed. Buffy laid her best into the Orcs and Uruk-hai, taking down two, sometimes three at a time with her sword. Dragons flew overhead and then from nowhere, huge eagles came and fought the dragons in the air. This is too crazy! She thought as swords came at her and she blocked them with her scythe. It twirled and glistened around her as she used it to slice and block. Somehow, she lost Legolas and was left to fight off Uruks by herself. They circled around her and charged. She easily dispatched them one after the other.
Then she saw some huge monster fighting Aragorn. She saw him fall and the monster stepped on Aragorn, preparing to kill him. With more intensity, she fought her way to him. "Aragorn!" She raised her scythe to chop at the monster, but before she could reach it, she felt a fire in her side and looked down to see a large knife embedded there and a Orc smiling down at her.
"Buffy!" Legolas screamed. He killed the Orc as Buffy ripped the knife out of her side and tossed it away. Aragorn killed the monster and made it to Buffy. The blood flowed quickly and they found their hands soaked with her blood. Legolas held her to him as she started to shake. Shock was setting in. Aragorn jumped to his feet and protected her from the Orcs. Legolas rocked her and kissed her hair. "You promised this wouldn't happen. Do not break your promise, meleth." A tear fell down his cheek and landed on hers.
"You know," She said weakly. "I don't even know what that means."
"Love. It means love."
Suddenly the Eye shifted and a wind blew. As they watched, the tower collapsed and exploded. The Orcs and Uruks around them started to flee, but they were swallowed up by the Earth and Mount Doom exploded. Buffy began to cry as she held onto Legolas. She knew Frodo was dead. He had destroyed the Ring, but he had also destroyed himself. Legolas brushed her cheeks and kissed her hair. Willow rushed over and dropped to her knees next to her friend. Buffy closed her eyes as she felt warmth envelope her.
When she woke up, she was riding on a horse into Gondor. There was a large strip wrapped around her stomach. "We've made it." Legolas said from behind her. She realized she was riding with Legolas.
"What happened?"
"Willow, she….. She fixed you."
"Huh?"
"She said something in another language and then your blood slowed."
"Why do I still feel stabbed?"
"Because I was just trying to get you back to Gondor to patch you up better. With your Slayer healing, you'll be better in no time." Willow said, riding with Aragorn.
"We thought you had left us." Aragorn said.
"I almost did." Buffy replied. "Almost." She laid her head back on Legolas's shoulder and nestled her face in his neck as she fell back to sleep.
In Gondor, Buffy was taken to the Houses of Healing where Aragorn and Willow worked to fix Buffy. After that, she was given the royal treatment. She was cleaned, bandaged, dressed in a beautiful light blue velvet dress, and her hair was done with flowers woven in. Legolas never left her side for a minute. The women that had given her a bath had given Legolas a hard time when he refused to leave, but in the end the stubborn Elf had won and he had stayed with her, whispering words of love and comfort in Elvish.