Chapter 28
The throne room was dreary as we collected to speak of our fate. Gimli sat in the throne, nonchalantly looking around as if nothing were wrong. Legolas, Èomer, and I stood cattycorner to the throne, watching as Aragorn paced the room. Gandalf was the first to speak up.
"Frodo has passed beyond my sight. The darkness is deepening." He said grimly.
"If Sauron had the Ring we would know it." Aragorn answered, his back to Gandalf. He looked up at the ceiling as though it held the key to Sauron's defeat.
"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. Let him rot! Why should we care?" Gimli asked, smoking his pipe. Gandalf turned to face him.
"Because 10,000 orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom." He looked away from Gimli, a sad look upon his face. "I've sent him to his death."
"No." I crossed the room towards Gandalf and stood before the somber looking old man. "There's still hope for Frodo. He needs time, and safe passage across the Plains of Gorgoroth."
After a time, Aragorn spun around to face Gandalf and me.
"We can give him that."
"How?" Gimli asked, now sounding a bit interested in the conversation.
"Draw out Sauron's armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate."
"We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms." Èomer said.
"Not for ourselves, but we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's Eye fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves."
"A diversion." Legolas said softly.
"Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?" Gimli tossed his pipe aside and got up from the throne.
"Sauron will suspect a trap." Gandalf went to Aragorn. "He will not take the bait."
Aragorn grinned.
"Oh, I think he will."
At dawn the next day, Aragorn led us from Minas Tirith. He rode Brego at the head of the men, leading us to the Black Gate.
He had tied back sections of his hair to keep from flying in his face, his eyes visible without his hair hanging in the way. He wore dark colored armor, a black cape caught in the wind at his back, revealing red beneath it. I smiled. For the first time, he looked like a real king.
I steered Herenvardo beside Brego, glancing sideways at Aragorn. He caught my eyes and returned my smile.
"King at last?" I asked, growing annoyed when my hair blew across my face. I grabbed the front sections of my hair to pull them back but I felt Legolas's hands push mine away, and he began to tie them back for me.
"Keep your hands on the reigns." He muttered in my ear.
"There comes a time when a man must face his destiny," Aragorn turned his head to face forward, "and I guess now is my time."
"I'm proud of you."
"Thank you sister." We glanced at each other once more before returning to steering our horses. With my hair out of my face, I could see ahead and I grew nervous. A hand went to my stomach, forgetting Legolas's was there. His other hand left my thigh, and came to rest upon my hand as it rested on his.
"Are you frightened?" He whispered.
"I'm just a little nervous." I assured him.
"Remember that I'm here, always." He promised me, kissing just beneath my ear.
We rode all through the day, and all through the night. Legolas had taken over steering when I had fallen asleep leaning back against him. When I opened my eyes, I could see that we were nearing the Black Gate.
"Where are they?" Pippin asked suddenly from Shadowfax's saddle. I realized that the land was deserted. Aragorn spurred Brego, and started towards the Black Gate. Legolas and I followed, and I turned to see that Èomer and Gandalf followed.
When we reached the gate, Aragorn called out.
"Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth! Let justice be done upon him!"
For a period of time, nothing happened. Then suddenly, the gate began to creak open. The horses stepped back a bit, snorting and throwing their manes about. From behind the gate, a single rider approached on a black horse. His face was hidden by a helmet, but his mouth was visible. Large, decaying teeth splattered with blood poked out from discolored skin. My eyes widened at the sight, and I felt myself tense.
"L-Legolas." I breathed. His hands dropped the reigns and his arms encircled my waist instantly, pulling me backwards against him. I tipped my head back to see his blue eyes wide as well.
"My master, Sauron the Great, bids you welcome. Is there any in this rout with the authority to treat with me?" The rider asked in a monstrous voice.
"We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed. Tell your master this: The armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return." Gandalf said just as fiercely.
"Old Greybeard, I have a token I was bidden to show thee." The rider then pulled out a Mithril shirt. I gasped, remembering Frodo back in the mines. He had had one that looked just like it. No…
"Frodo." Pippin said, horrified. The rider tossed the shirt to Gandalf, who caught it. Pippin looked at it with wide eyes, his breathing shaky. "Frodo!"
"Silence." Gandalf ordered, still clutching the shirt.
"No!" Merry cried.
"Silence!"
"The Halfling was dear to thee, I see. Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host. Who would've thought one so small could endure so much pain? And he did, Gandalf. He did." The rider continued to taunt us. I was growing angry to think of what Frodo could have suffered.
I watched as Aragorn rode forward, going to the rider's side.
"And who is this? Isildur's heir? It takes more to make a king than a broken Elvish blade."
Aragorn stared at him for a moment, and then with one, clean swipe he took off the hideous rider's head. It flew off, landing on the ground near his horse.
"I guess that concludes negotiations." Merry said quietly.
"I do not believe it. I will not." Aragorn said, riding back to us. As he did, the gate creaked open further. Behind it was an army of marching orcs, Barad-dûr visible behind them. The eye above it was staring at Aragorn. "Fall back! Fall back!"
Legolas's arms left from around me as he turned Herenvardo around sharply, riding after the others back to where the men were waiting upon their own horses. I turned back to see orcs emerging from the gate. Once we had ridden back, we joined the lineup of scared men. Aragorn rode in front of us.
"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 heart 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!
An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, 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!"
I unsheathed my sword, raising it up high into the air as the others did. We cried out at Aragorn's words, filled with the strength to fight. Legolas dismounted, and I followed after him as the orcs surrounded us. So many times had we been surrounded, but so many times we had prevailed. This time would be no different.
"Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an elf." Gimli said, looking up at Legolas.
"What about side by side with a friend?" Legolas asked, looking down at him with a wide smile.
"Aye, I could do that."
"Side by side with the ones you love." I whispered. Legolas jerked his head back up in my direction. He brushed the back of my cheek with his fingers, still smiling.
Aragorn stepped forward as the eye called to him, tempting him. When he had walked a short distance forward, he turned back to us, looking at Gandalf.
"For Frodo." He said.
Time seemed to stop as Aragorn whipped back around, and charged at the orcs, his sword swinging wildly in the air. From behind us, the men cried out once more, and we all ran forward after my brother. Our king.
I beheaded an orc right away as I was swallowed up by the sea of enemies and swords. From then on, things would become more difficult. I dared not look back to see if I could see my husband, fearing it would be the last time. I instead fought my way forward, slicing off an orc's arm and then burying my sword into its chest.
From above I could hear the Nazgûl. They circled around the battle above our heads, screeching and shrieking. When the descended, I saw Gandalf's face brighten. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why – until eagles began to attack the Nazgûl.
"Eagles! The eagles are coming!" Pippin cried happily.
I continued to fight, feeling a pain across my cheek as a gauntlet cut into my skin. I fought back by chopping off the hand that struck me, and then punching the orc in the face.
"See how you like it!" I screamed at it, sending my sword through its stomach and then through its chest. It fell away, bleeding and crying out in pain. I left him there to die, moving onto another orc.
I turned my head and saw a troll, just like the one in the mines. Aragorn had enraged it, and he was thrown to the ground. My eyes went wide, and I screamed out, trying to fight my way to his side. I fought against the orcs, unmercifully plunging my sword into any who got in my way.
"Aragorn!" I cried, slamming into an orc. He fell away while I continued to run. I saw Aragorn stab the troll in the foot as it stomped on him. I nearly reached him when an orc threw me to the ground. I landed on my back, and watched as it went to stab me, only to stop at the sound on an inhuman scream. I watched in disbelief as they rushed back inside of the gate.
I stared as the Black Gate collapsed to the ground, bringing everything else down along with it. Mount Doom began to erupt, killing the Nazgûl and engulfing everything in lava. I could hear Merry and Pippin crying out, and I remembered Frodo.
Suddenly my eyes saw something that made my heart stop – Legolas's abandoned bow. I got to my feet, pushing running orcs out of my way, and stopped before the bow. My eyes searched the commotion for Legolas, but saw him not. Tears filled my eyes, and I fell to my knees before it.
"Legolas!" I wailed, clutching the bow tightly to my chest. "Legolas! You stupid jerk! You aren't supposed to die! How could you leave me! How could you leave your unborn child to be fatherless!"
Nothing else mattered around me at that moment as I kneeled on the ground, holding my husband's bow in my hands. I sobbed openly, cries escaping my lips as tears fell in rivers down my cheeks.
"Adette?"
My eyes widened at the voice behind me. I got to my feet and whirled around in one movement to see Legolas standing a few feet away. I dropped the bow to the ground as I ran to him. He met me halfway, holding me as I cried into his chest.
When I finally stopped crying, Legolas pulled me away from him gently. I frowned up at him, poking him in the middle of his chest.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" I then remembered something. "How long have you been standing there?"
Legolas's eyes softened, and he smiled down at me.
"I saw you find my bow, and reached you when you cried my name. I was about to say something but then I heard you…" His smile faded, his lips forming a line. "Adette, are you carrying my child?"
I was unable to speak and so I simply nodded. Legolas's eyes widened and he smiled, capturing my lips with his. I was about to wrap my arms around his neck, but he pulled back as Aragorn called out to us to flee. Gandalf had disappeared and so had the eagles.
Legolas picked me up in his arms, cradling me close to him. When I glared at him, he only grinned.
"Pregnant women should not be walking."