The Stranger in Middle Earth

I do not own the rights to Lord of the Rings

Chapter Seventeen

The Battle of the Black Gates

March Twenty fourth. That date is to be remembered forever in the history of Middle Earth. Personally I was confused as to how the people of Middle Earth and England used the same calendar, a mystery I still haven't uncovered after twenty years. For the rest of Middle Earth though it will be remembered as The Battle of the Black Gates, the day the fate of Middle Earth was decided.

The army of six thousand had marched for days on end to get to the Black Gates. On the morning of battle I rode near the head of the column with the Council of England and Rickard. Our standard was being carried by Gregory again, as he had carried it in our last battle. While my uncle was in Minas Tirith Robert was in command of the Company, no, Order of English Knights, so I once again took a place on the Council. My new horse, a chestnut destrier I named Augustus, was well behaved and followed my commands but I still wished I was riding Julius.

'Here we go again,' Jason grunted as we rode closer to our destination. Since becoming a knight he hadn't changed in any way at all.

'Are you glad to be a knight?' I asked him.

'I don't think it matters,' he answered bluntly. 'I can hardly remember the Ten Commandments so how do you expect me to follow chivalry?'

Before I could answer him we rounded a cliff corner and came in sight of the Black Gates. They were enormous things, made from black rock with battlements on top and towers on each side. The gates sat in the middle of a pass, literally blocking the way into Mordor.

'And so we arrive at the Gates of Hell,' I heard Markus say to himself as he gazed upon the Gates.

'Could be worse,' Rickard told him.

'How?'

'I'll tell you when we win.'

'Kill count?' Jason asked us.

'I'm in,' I agreed and both of my cousins did as well.

'Who won at the last one?' asked Markus.

'Me and your brother are tied,' Jason told us. 'Forty each.'

'I'm at second,' I told them. 'Thirty four.'

'Thirty three,' said Markus.

'So let's agree to battle our contest again,' I told them.

'Count me in on that,' I heard Gimli shout over at us.

'I will join you as well,' Legolas agreed.

When we all filled into the space in front of the Black Gates the officers ordered their soldiers to their places. The plan was to last as long as possible so the army formed into a tight circle in front of the Gates and on a low hill. We also decided to not use cavalry, instead we decided to all fight on foot as there would be little room for cavalry to charge in the tight space. The only ones who remained mounted were the two kings, those who had joined the Fellowship of the Ring and the Council, apart from Father Harold who was waiting off the battlefield. We were waiting ahead of the army but nothing happened. There was silence.

'What are those buggers waiting for?' I heard Jason growl.

'Maybe they're scared of us,' Edmund suggested.

He wore his finely engraved armour and was getting ready to use his newly acquired scimitar.

Aragorn seemed to be wondering what was taking so long so he urged his horse forwards. We followed him up to the Black Gate and I felt my hand drifting to Alaric. I was dressed in my armour and my poleaxe was strapped to my back. We stopped just a few feet from the gates and still there was nothing.

'I think you were right about the Gates of Hell Markus,' I told my cousin, nerves filling me.

I looked back to the army and saw the rest of the knights standing at the front. With them was Rickard, taking a few practice swings with his sword.

'Let the Lord of the Black Lands come forth!' Aragorn shouted at the gates. 'Let justice be done upon him!'

Again there was nothing. Then I heard a groaning sound as the gate opened a small amount. I felt my hand grip around Alaric as I prepared for an Orc. Instead of an Orc though came out what I thought was a man on a black horse. He wore long black robes and a black helmet. But when he turned to face us I saw that whatever it was it wasn't a man. All that I could see of its body was its mouth. Its skin was pale and cut badly. Its teeth were large and yellow, rotting away and blood was dripping down them.

'My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome,' it said and then gave us a disgusting, rotting smile.

'Do you have a tooth ache?' Jason asked sarcastically.

The messenger ignored Jason and spoke again.

'Is there any in this route who will treat with me?'

'We do not come to treat with Sauron,' Gandalf told him aggressively. 'Faithless and accursed. Tell your master this. The armies of Mordor are to disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return.'

'And tell him that his plans of conquering other worlds must be abandoned,' Robert snapped at him.

'Which means kindly bugger off,' Jason clarified.

'He can agree to these terms or be destroyed,' Robert continued.

'Ah. The English Rabble,' the messenger said and smiled. 'You and your people have been a thorn in my master's side for too long now. He has been looking forward to revenge against your people since Bartholomew Harris aided in defeating our forces at the Battle of the Five Armies. My master wanted me to tell you this. You will all die.'

'Go to Hell,' Jason growled at him.

'Enough,' Gandalf told the two of them.

'Old gray beard,' the messenger said with a sinister smile. 'I have a token I was bidden to show thee.'

He reached into his robes and pulled out a shirt of chain mail. The metal shined like silver pearls and gold adorned it. It was small though. Too small for a man. Perhaps it could fit a Dwarf or a child or a. My jaw dropped when I realized. It was fit for a Hobbit.

'Frodo,' Pippin gasped.

The messenger tossed the mail at Gandalf who caught it and looked at it with disbelief.

'Silence,' he told Pippin.

'NO!' Merry sobbed.

'Silence!'

'The Halfling was dear to thee I see,' the messenger said with sadistic glee. 'Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host.'

I had never met Frodo Baggins before but at the thought of a Hobbit, such a small innocent being, suffering the torments of the Orcs made my blood boil and I wasn't the only one. Jason was getting ready to sink his weapon into the messengers face but Robert stopped him.

'Who would have thought one so small could endure so much pain? That he did Gandalf. He did.'

'Tell your master this,' Robert said at last. 'He will harm no one else. He will die this day!'

The messenger laughed, hackled at Roberts declaration. Aragorn rode towards the messenger who looked at him mockingly.

'And who is this? Isildur's heir? It takes more to be a king than a broken Elvish blade...'

With an angry roar Aragorn sliced the servant of Sauron's head clean off. The body fell to the ground and the horse galloped away.

'I guess that concludes negotiations,' Gimli deadpanned.

'It's not over,' Markus said quickly. 'That thing only said that one Hobbit was found when two were in there. If one is dead the other may still be able to complete the mission.'

'Frodo is not dead,' Aragorn snapped. 'And neither is Sam. I will not believe it. I will not.'

The Black Gates creaked open again and all our eyes were fixed upon it. As they opened the sound of thousands of marching feet thundered through the air. Orcs in their tens of thousands marched out of the Gates towards us.

'Fall back,' Aragorn ordered our small group and we galloped back towards the army.

I climbed off of Augustus and pulled my poleaxe into my hands. The rest of the Council climbed from their horses and we took our positions in the battle line. I stood next to Rickard and Markus. Markus and Rickard held their swords while I held my poleaxe. Robert and Jason took their places further along the line. The only one left on a horse was Aragorn. At seeing the enemy force marching on us some on the men began to shift backwards. Knowing that the courage of the men was about to break Aragorn roused the men with a speech.

'Hold your ground!' he shouted. 'Hold your ground!' Aragorn rode up the length of the line and back rallying his men. 'Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, of England, my brothers! I see in your eye 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, of 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 I bid you stand,' he held his sword aloft, 'Men of the West!'

At his words every man who hadn't drawn his weapon pulled out his sword and readied himself for battle. I smiled as confidence grew within me and I felt my courage spread from my heart.

Then something changed. A strange pale orange light covered the army and I looked up towards Mordor. There, upon a tower of imposing black stone, was a ball of red hot fire. As I looked at it I saw that it wasn't a ball of fire. In the centre of the fire was a black slit, like the eye of a cat.

'Good God,' I gasped.

'What is it?' Markus asked me.

'The Eye,' I told my cousin. 'It's Sauron.'

His eyes went wide and he looked at our enemy. Sauron, the one who had caused so much suffering and death in his quest for domination, looked at us. Following him was a massive army. Our only hope of victory were two Hobbits who may be dead.

'Good luck,' Rickard said, ignoring what I said.

Aragorn had dismounted and now stood in the front line not ten feet from us. Standing with him was Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas and the Hobbits. A little away from him was Eomer. No one made a sound as we waited for the order to attack. The Orc army had encircled us completely. There was no way out. The Orcs snarled at us and I kept my eyes focused on them.

A new sound crawled through the air. A cruel voice I had heard once before.

'Aragorn,' the voice of Sauron hissed.

Slowly Aragorn took a few steps forward as if walking towards his destiny.

'Elessar.'

Aragorn turned around to face his army. Softly he said our reason for fighting. So simple but so honest.

'For Frodo and Sam.'

He then raised his sword and charged forwards. The first to follow him were our two Hobbits. Shouting their friends names as they ran they were the first to follow the King of Gondor into battle.

The rest of the soldiers roared their own battle cries as they ran. I slammed shut the visor of my helmet as I ran forwards with my cousins on either side of me. The English sprinted towards the enemy army as fast as they could. I was only feet from the Orcs as I jumped into the fight. I raised my poleaxe and swung it down into the first Orc I found. I sliced it from the collar bone down its front smashing its ribcage. I stabbed the next with the pointed head of my weapon and then another. I swung down with the blunt end of my weapon caving in an Orcs skull. Quickly I spun the weapon in my hand and stabbed with the sharp butt of my poleaxe into the belly of the next Orc who opposed me. Then another Orc charged at me. I slammed it in the face with the shaft of my poleaxe breaking its nose. I caught the Orc in a neck lock and pulled hard snapping its neck. I looked around me. Orcs were grappling our men, pulling them to the ground and gutting them. Not far away Robert was cutting Orcs apart with slashes to the neck and face. Next to him Jason was battling with his English sword and Haradrim scimitar. With one sword he blocked and with the other attacked. He punched and Orc in the face sending it to the ground and he slashed it across the neck with the scimitar splashing blood across the ground. Markus was sending quick and lethal stabs into Orcs while Rickard hacked into them with all the aggression he could muster. That said, all was not well.

A knight in full plate not far from me was pinned on the ground by three Orcs while another laid into him with a stiletto knife. Jack Clark, one of the men-at-arms we made a knight) was stabbed through the guts by an Orc spear. Edmund was a skilled fighter but he was being pushed backwards as three Orcs attacked him. I rushed to help him and impaled and Orc from behind. Edmund slashed with his sword killing another Orc and the last one was finished off by Rickard who came in to help.

'Nothing like a bloodbath in the morning!' he shouted as he stabbed another Orc.

An Orc armed with an axe rushed me. I tried to block the blow with the shaft of my poleaxe but the blow shattered the shaft. I drew Alaric from the scabbard as quickly as I could and managed to block the next blow. It swung at me again and dodged it before stabbing down into the Orcs foot. It screamed as it fell to the ground. It was finished off by a quick stab down to the chest from me.

I was about to attack another Orc when an all too familiar screech filled the air. I sadly looked up to the sky to see them. The Wraiths had come. All eight of them were descending from the sky with their talons pointed at us. I didn't know how to fight them. They were evil. But I didn't have to fight them on their beasts. We had help. A new screech filled the air as a massive beast of the sky attacked the first Fell Beast. It was an Eagle. A giant Eagle. Then more of them came. Six Eagles descended from the sky and attacked the Wraiths. I could have stared at them for hours but an Orc charged me. I swung and killed the beast and I was dragged back into the battle.

The next Orc I slashed in the shoulder and black blood sprayed everywhere. One of the Beasts screeched again and I looked up to see something terrible. One of the Beasts had rolled over in the air and the Wraith riding it fell. The black robed figure fell from the air, crashing into the army fifty feet from where I stood. For a few seconds it disappeared amongst the soldiers but then it rose up like a sea monster from the depths. It drew its sword and attacked the soldiers near it. Eight soldiers, one of them a knight, was killed in seconds as it unleashed a furious attack. Knowing I had to help I ran towards it, pushing through the mass of soldiers trying to escape the Wraith. I realized that I wasn't alone in deciding to battle the Wraith. Rickard was already there. The Wraith swung at him but he blocked the blow with his shield. The shield cracked down the middle and it was barely intact. Rickard attacked swinging his sword at the towering enemy. The Wraith blocked each blow expertly and then attacked again. Rickard instinctively blocked with his shield but the shield shattered completely. The Wraith kept swinging its sword at my cousin who blocked every blow with his sword until one great blow forced him to the ground. My cousin dropped his sword in the brawl and the Wraith swung down to kill Rickard. He rolled out of the way but the Wrath kept swinging and Rickard was only just able to avoid every attack. The it looked like it was over when the Wraith pinned my cousin to the ground with its foot and then raised its sword ready to deliver the killing blow.

I had to help so I unhooked the war hammer from my belt and hurled it at the Wraith. The weapon spun through the air and it crashed into the wraiths sword knocking its aim off. The sword crashed into the ground and Rickard pushed himself up grabbing the first weapon he could find. It was a Rohirric axe. I joined my cousin as we faced off against our enemy.

'Good luck,' he said to me and we charged forwards.

The Wraith easily blocked our attacks and we couldn't push him back at all. My cousin prepared to attack again when an Orc rushed him. My cousin was pulled back into the main battle and I was accidently left alone against the Wraith. I spun my sword and took in a deep breath. I swung my sword but the Wraith blocked it and then it attacked me. I ducked down to avoid the attack but it swung again. I parried the blow and moved in to stab it but the Wraith side stepped me and sent its fist into the side of my helmeted head. I staggered back trying to get my bearings as a dark shadow loomed over me. I managed to block the Wraiths next attack but only just. The Wraith then moved in for the kill. It grabbed me with its free hand around my neck and I was suddenly paralysed with fear. The strangest feeling came over me. It felt as if everything around me was drowned in a shadow that crept into my very soul. I felt cold.

The Wraith dropped me onto the ground and I looked up, my eyes becoming heavy as the battle that raged around me became nothing more than groaning muffle. I felt Alaric still in my hand but I couldn't summon enough strength to raise my weapon.

'Please God help me,' I said in a plea to Him. 'Be with me.'

An armoured foot crashed into my side and I was sent tumbling across the ground. Despair filled me with endless darkness as I closed my eyes. Then I felt something different. Warmth. It started in my right hand and then spread up my arm and into my chest. The warmth wrapped around my heart and the darkness left me. I opened my eyes and saw the Wraith getting ready to cut me open. I dodged out of the way and leapt up ready to fight. I looked at my right hand where the warmth came from and with astonishment I looked at my sword. There was something different about Alaric. I don't know if it was a trick of the light or some other craft but I thought that, for just a moment, my sword was glowing orange. With my strength returned I attacked with all my strength. Each blow pushed the Wraith back away from me as the battle raged around us. My opponent was, for the first time, on the defence. I hacked at its hand and it screeched in pain as if it had been branded by a hot iron. I attacked again and this time sent its sword flying out of its hand.

'Burn in Hell!' I yelled as I thrust Alaric into its chest.

I looked into its black empty hood and something incredible happened. Flames spread from where I stabbed it which crawled up its robes turning it into a pillar of flame. With one final death screech it was incinerated. Its broken soul was carried away by the four winds as its ashes were scattered across the battlefield.

I didn't do anything. I stood rooted to the ground as still as a statue while the battle went on. A screech brought me back to the battle. It wasn't the weapon of a screech used by the Wraiths. This was agony. The screech was filled with rage and agony. My eyes turned towards the Black Gates and I saw that the fire ball of Sauron's eye was flickering like a candle in the wind. The tower the light stood on fell, crumbling into ruins as the fire on top of it vanished in a blast of energy.

'FRODO!' I heard Merry shout.

A smile crossed my face. It was unbelievable. It was over. Sauron was dead. We had won. The blast caused an earthquake in Mordor as the ground opened up inside the lands of the Dark Lord. Tens of thousands of Orcs and Trolls fell into the ground and the Black Gates themselves collapsed. The ground fell apart but stopped just in front of our forces. The Orcs fell in droves and I smiled. We had won.

My smile vanished as another blast erupted through the air. Mount Doom, a volcano, I realized, was ripping itself apart. That was where Frodo and Sam were. We watched as the mountain tore itself apart throwing up clouds of lave and smoke. It was over, but what was the cost?

As we looked on I felt something in me. Cold. My eyes grew heavy and I dropped Alaric. I couldn't hear anything but a dull moan as I fell to my knees and then collapsed onto the bloody ground. Darkness surrounded me and all I could feel was the pure, freezing cold.

AN:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Cliff-hanger!

Yes I now confirm what I'm sure you all knew, and what Star-Of-Radiance guessed in chapter eleven, John's grandfather was present during the events of the Hobbit.

I'd also like to make an announcement. I wanted to include a ton of stuff in this that I couldn't fit into this story. As a result I'm going to do a one-shot series entitled "Stranger-Deleted Scenes." It should be up by next week. Keep an eye open.

On another note I want to bring this up. When I watched Return of the King and Aragorn said "For Frodo" I said to myself "aren't you forgetting someone?" Seriously, Sam never gets enough credit for his part! Without him Frodo would have been killed a million times by the end of the second film!

Now that rant's over it's time for the review responses.

Kiya: I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. I'm also glad you like James Harris, I enjoy writing him. Thanks for your review.

ATP: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one as well.

Keep reading, keep reviewing and I hope you enjoy.

Have a nice day.