To Whatever End: Chapter Twenty
-Faramir-
"Woah, woah, woah. Seriously?" Erin squinted in disbelief at the young halfling seated in front of me. "That's your pick? Elves?"
Pippin shrugged, seeming somewhat confident in his decision. "I don't see why not. Elves seem pretty... pure, and all. I imagine they might be sweeter."
"I don't know, they're all pretty thin and lanky, though," she replied. "Hardly any meat on their bones, compared to everyone else."
"You don't think they'd be any good?" Kathryn snickered from where she rode on the other side of Erin. "I'm going to tell Legolas you said that."
"Okay, first of all, if I even had to eat an elf in the first place, I'm obviously not eating Legolas," she defended. "And second, it's not that I think they'd taste bad. I'm just saying I think you've got better options if you want a good, hardy meal."
I let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose as we slowly continued to pick our way through the lands of Ithilien. "Why are we still discussing this? It's morbid."
"Hey, you said you wanted something to talk about," Erin said, raising her hands in defense. "I obliged and offered an interesting question to spark conversation."
"And the only question you could think to ask was what race we'd prefer to eat if we were forced into cannibalism?"
"Well, of course it's not the only question I could ask. It's just what came to mind. And anyway, it's all hypothetical," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just for fun, you know."
I shook my head. "Strange what you consider 'fun.'"
"Come on, Faramir, just play along," she insisted with a grin. "If you had absolutely no other option and were forced to, who would you pick? Would you go with an elf, like Pip?"
"Wait, I have a question," Kathryn cut in. "Are Ents an option?"
Erin shook her head. "No, we decided that before you got here. Ents are off the table; we don't think they're actually edible. That'd just be like some kind of... weird salad."
"Got it." She paused, thinking. "Ooh, what about a wizard? If I ate a wizard, would I get their powers?"
"Well, that's not fair," Pippin chirped. "If that's true, then I should get elf powers!"
"Yeah, he's got a point," Erin agreed. "Powers and abilities should be non-transferrable. Otherwise I think everyone would just pick a wizard."
"Fine, fine. What options are left, then?"
Erin leaned back a bit in her saddle, counting them on her fingers as she went. "You've got elves, men, dwarves... hobbits, orcs... wizards, if you want... and I mean, I guess if you wanted to break things down further from there, you could get into stuff like Rohirrim men versus Gondorian men, or Mirkwood elves versus Rivendell elves..."
"Wow," Kathryn laughed. "I never thought I'd be hearing such hot discourse over who'd taste the best in Middle-Earth."
"It's definitely not Orcs," Pippin said with a sickened grimace. "They smell terrible, so I can't imagine they'd taste much better."
"Oh yeah, they're fucking rank." Erin gagged. "That's the option you pick if you really hate yourself."
Even I spared a glance in Erin's direction now, however, straightening in my saddle. "...I would think Gondorians would rank far superior in taste to the Rohirrim, personally," I muttered.
Erin was on me in an instant, laughing as she turned to me with a knowing smirk. "Ooh, those are fighting words! Faramir, laying down the smack talk over here."
Kathryn raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh, really? You think you're so much better than us, huh?"
Part of me knew it was foolish to humor them, but I couldn't resist. "Only in that I would not have an aftertaste of horse."
"Oh, SNAP!" Erin's hands flew to her mouth to smother her widening grin, and Pippin also burst into peals of laughter in front of me as Kathryn's jaw dropped. "Damn Faramir, that's cold." But the she paused, casting a sympathetic glance to Kathryn. "He's kinda right, though, to be honest. Everything does smell like horse up there."
Now Kathryn looked to Erin in offense. "Oh my God! Really?" Erin shrugged, and I could not help my own laughter as Kathryn threw up her hands in exasperation. "You all are fake. Fake friends!"
"Isn't that a good thing, though?" Pippin asked. "It means you won't get eaten!"
"Nope! Don't want to hear it!" She gathered up the reins on her horse, pushing her to increase her pace. "I'm going to go hang out with actual people instead of a bunch of snakes. Bye." I rolled my eyes at her dramatics as she trotted off.
Pippin's brow furrowed in confusion. "Snakes? I'm a hobbit."
Erin laughed again, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. It's, uh, it's a Laketown thing."
I looked to Erin, curiosity stirring questions in my mind. "Do you visit Laketown often?"
"I... used to," she answered, "with my family when I was younger. That's how Kaia, Kathryn and I were all so close."
"But you are from Fornost, you've said?"
"Near the area," she nodded. "I was in more of a rural spot, but we were close by."
I also nodded, hesitating for a moment before asking my next question. "What was it like there?" All my life, I had lived in Minas Tirith, and though I had traveled much in my years, living anywhere but within the city was a foreign concept to me.
At first, Erin did not answer, her gaze falling away slightly, and something in her face softened then. "...Small," she eventually said. "Small and quiet. Lots of farms. Nothing too crazy ever happened there, everything was... dreadfully boring, honestly." She smiled to herself. "But it was home. Home for me, and a lot of people I loved." Her smiled faded a bit, and I noticed her gaze shift to a small ring on her hand. "I wish I hadn't lost it all so suddenly."
I said nothing for a moment, understanding in part her heartache. "Where will you go if we live through this battle? If Sauron is defeated, and this war comes to an end?"
Still, Erin stared at her ring, a frown marring her face as she blinked. "...I... don't know. ...Wow, I... yeah, I don't know." A pause. "I guess I haven't put much thought into it recently."
"You will always be welcome in Minas Tirith," I assured her.
She smiled politely. "Thanks." But there was a disheartened tint to her words, even as we fell into silence shortly after, and the distant haze soon returned to her as we continued forward. Pippin soon broke into more lighthearted conversation, and I engaged him, though Erin remained lost in thought through it all. A small part of me felt guilty for having brought up what was clearly an uncomfortable subject for her, but somewhere deep down I felt no need to be truly worried for her on the matter. Her old home may have been lost, but all of Middle-Earth still remained, open and waiting, wherever she may choose to claim as her own. If we survive this war, she will have all the time in the world. I cast one last glance her way as we dove deeper into the forests of Ithilien. Erin will find her home here, I thought. I am sure of it.
–
-Kathryn-
The journey to Mordor passed quickly and uneventfully, for which I was thankful, but also secretly a bit resentful. Even though I knew the final battle was inevitable, it seemed like those two weeks of travel blew by in a flash. It wasn't long before we'd set up camp for what Aragorn had announced would be the last time - we were expected to reach the Black Gate by noon the next day. We were in the home stretch now, and despite knowing what would happen I was still fighting back fear. Fear that we wouldn't make it. Fear that something would go wrong. Fear for my own life, and the lives of all the others. I mean, we were riding right up to Sauron's front door, for God's sake. Who wouldn't be at least a little afraid of that?
But there was nowhere to go except forward now. We all knew turning back wasn't an option, so, whether slaughter or victory awaited us come morning, we carried on. By lunch, we'd stopped along the northernmost border of Ithilien to rest, and now it was far past dusk, with few remaining awake save for a small group of us huddled around a modest fire in the middle of camp. Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn, Gandalf (surprisingly), Pippin, Erin and I - laughing and talking and reminiscing on old memories together as we enjoyed our final hours of peace.
"...And then that time you completely lost control of your boat!" Erin laughed, leaning back as she took another sip of her drink. "Do you remember that?"
Aragorn held up a hand from across the circle, shaking his head. "I do not believe that is an accurate account of what happened?"
"Dude, are you kidding me?" She gave him a pointed look. "I'm pretty sure you ran headfirst into a rock. More than once."
"The waters were quite turbulent that day," he said, trying to suppress his own grin as he struggled to defend himself.
From beside him, Legolas raised an eyebrow. "Really? Interesting, then, how no one else seemed to have any difficulties remaining on course."
Now I was laughing, too. "I definitely remember watching you spin in circles for like, twenty minutes, Aragorn."
"Very un-Rangerlike of you," Erin added with a smirk.
He rolled his eyes. "Perhaps I had some difficulty for a brief time." Chuckles rippled through the group, and there was a brief moment of pause before he cracked a smile. "Do you remember early on in our travels, when Kathryn and Boromir woke our entire camp screaming in the middle of the night?"
"Oh my God," I groaned, covering my face. "Why does everyone always want to bring that up?"
"By Mahal, that was a sight!" Gimli laughed. "The two of ya, clingin' to each other like a pair of little elflings!"
"Hey!" I glared in the dwarf's direction. "Shut up, it was terrifying!"
"It was one spider, Kathryn. One." Erin held up a single finger.
"You know I hate bugs."
"Kathryn, I hate to tell you this, but most bugs happen to live in the outdoors," Pippin said. More snickering from the rest of the group.
Even Gandalf found that memory amusing. "I must say, my dear, I had expected such from you. But to see Boromir just as fearful of something so harmless..." He shook his head, smiling as he took a drag from his pipe.
"You'd think the lad had never seen one before!"
Despite the slight humiliation, I couldn't help the small smile on my face as I remembered it. "Yeah, that's fair. Who knew spiders were Boromir's big weakness?" I chuckled, reaching to poke at the fire some more with a long stick. "Sometimes I really don't even know how we survived those days."
"I remember snowball fights on Caradhras," Pippin smiled, staring into the coals as I stirred them. "I threw one and got it straight down Merry's back."
"Yeah, and you also got Sam in the back of the head like three times before hitting your actual target," Erin said.
From across the circle, Legolas shot her a questioning look. "Are you certain you are the one to be shaming Pippin for his aim? Because I distinctly remember you attempting to hit me numerous times and never once succeeding."
"Oh, whatever. You've got your elven reflexes, that's all."
The blonde just cast her a teasing smirk. "Of course." Another beat of silence, and his smirk lingered, eyes bouncing around the group. "We could recall the one night in Lothlórien where we-"
"NO!" came the cries of multiple people collectively.
"We agreed never to speak of that night again," Aragorn muttered.
I cringed as memories came rushing back to me. "I wish I could just purge my brain of that entire night."
Pippin was really the only one laughing. "I thought it was fun."
"Okay, and you were also one of about three people who wasn't super hungover the next day."
"I don't know, is that a good thing?" A devilish grin split his face. "I heard I missed quite a bit of fun down at the river that night."
"Oh, for the love of God, we've been over this! I did not get naked in the Nimrodel, that was his idea!" I cried, pointing to Aragorn whose gaze immediately dropped straight to the flames. If it hadn't been so dark, I would've sworn he went red. "He, Merry and Boromir did it, not me!"
Legolas promptly lost it in the most un-princelike way, half doubling over with laughter as Aragorn looked like he wanted to strangle me. "I have absolutely no memory of this," the ranger tried to defend, but the panic in his face totally betrayed him.
"Wait, what!?" Erin shrieked. "That's why you were all soaking wet when you came back? You... oh my God..." It took all my willpower to smother my own laughter when Gandalf turned to Aragorn with an absolutely bewildered look. Legolas was still practically falling over beside him.
I covered my face with my hands. "This is exactly why we agreed not to talk about that night anymore."
"Wait, no, hold on." Now Erin's interest was piqued. "How did I miss that? I don't even remember Aragorn getting drunk."
"You fell asleep," I answered. "You were like, one of the first ones out."
"Damn. I missed out."
Gimli was also chuckling as he took another drag on his pipe. "Aye, that you did." He elbowed the man with a cheeky grin. "This one gave us quite the entertainment!"
Aragorn brushed it off, rolling his eyes as he started standing up. "Yes, thank you, if that will be all..." He shook his head. "I think it is time I retire for the night." He stood there for a moment as the last of the laughter began to fade, and it was then that his expression sobered slightly, letting out of breath. "...Tomorrow will be a long day."
As soon as he reminded us of it, I felt my stomach sink, my own mood dimming as a reluctant silence fell across our group. No one wanted to think about it, inevitable though it was. Tonight had been so... enjoyable.
But no good thing could last forever, it seemed. Gandalf shifted and cleared his throat, shattering the uncomfortable moment. "Perhaps it is best that we all retire to gather our strength."
It was slow at first, as none of us wanted to really admit it, but eventually Aragorn finally turned to walk away, and one by one the rest of us started following suit after him. Erin and I were the last to remain, and although I got back on my feet, I just couldn't bring myself to walk away as Legolas and Gimli finally left. I glanced down to where she still sat in the grass, staring blankly into the last of the flickering flames. "Erin? You good?"
She nodded, mesmerized by the fire, seeming lost in thought. "Yeah. Just... thinking." For a fraction of a second, her gaze flicked upwards, and I didn't need to follow it to know who'd drawn her attention.
I didn't acknowledge it, crossing my arms over my chest as I also stared down into the low burning fire with a sigh. "...I can't believe we've come all this way," I said quietly after a moment. "To think that it all ends tomorrow... damn."
"Yeah. Doesn't feel real."
"...What are we going do when this is all over?"
"I don't know. I... don't really have a plan anymore. You?"
"Not really." A pause. "I guess... we'll just figure it out."
"Yeah. I guess."
There was another long stretch of silence until I finally tore my eyes away from the flames, turning back to Erin. "I'm going to go to bed. You coming?"
Still, she remained unmoving, save for the slightest shake of her head. "...I just... I need time to think," she said. "I might go take a walk or something, I don't know."
I nodded. "Okay. Just make sure you put the fire out before you go."
"Yeah, I will."
Another nod, and I turned to leave Erin to her thoughts, but then hesitated at the last second, glancing back. "Hey." She finally looked up at me, and I held her gaze. "Promise me you'll make it through this last fight tomorrow."
She looked back at me with sincerity, though still a level of uncertainty lingering with it. "I'll try my best."
But I shook my head, determined to lift her spirits at least a little before I left as a smirk pulled at the corners of my mouth. "Do or do not. There is no try."
At that, Erin cracked a smile, chuckling to herself as she looked back at me from her spot on the ground. "I'll survive, Kathryn. You have my word."
–
-Erin-
A heavy, fearful silence blanketed our army the following day, tension thick in the air with the rising of the sun. There was no cheerful, silly banter that morning as we packed up and headed out, everyone's focus on what lie in wait for us just a little further north. I felt caught in a strange haze as my loyal horse pushed forward, knots of dread wound tight in my stomach. Not for the first time, I glanced to the familiar forms of Kathryn and Legolas up ahead, fearful for their survival above everything else. If I lose either of them today... God, that'll be the end of me. As soon as the thought entered my brain, though, I tried to force it away. No, come on. Don't think like that. It'll be fine, everything's going to be fine. Still, it was hard to shake the sense of foreboding that'd settled in my chest, only growing stronger as we neared our destination. I made a silent promise to myself as we rode to keep an eye on them both and protect them in any way I could. No way was I taking any chances this time.
It wasn't long before we rounded the final set of hills, and as I looked up I felt my muscles instinctively coil against the sight set in front of me. The Black Gate itself, cruel and unforgiving set within the range of jagged mountains that sheltered the evil of Mordor within. One of the only places in all of Middle-Earth I'd never wanted to see up close, and now we were riding right up to it. Its old, rusting metal stretched high over our heads as we drew closer, spikes running all across its length that looked like the teeth of some great monster tearing into the darkened sky. Tall spires flanked either end, reaching up hundreds of feet into the air from the mountain's bases, crowned in spikes made of blackened metal. The air around it reeked of death and darkness, and just beyond I could see a faint red haze in the distance where Mount Doom lay far beyond the impasse. Although I obediently followed behind as Aragorn led our army out into the open field, I could hardly take my eyes off of the Gate, an uncomfortable chill snaking up my spine. There was no part of me whatsoever that wanted to be here. It felt like we were walking up to the gates of Hell.
Those who had horses began to dismount as we fell into formation on the field, save for us few who were a part of Aragorn's company. As the horses were led back to safety behind the rocky hills, I couldn't help but glance over my shoulder, my thoughts shifting to the two hobbits who'd once hidden there just a few months ago. I wondered if Frodo and Sam had felt a similar fear the first time they'd seen the Black Gate for themselves. Then my gaze returned forward, to the monstrous gate itself and the hellscape hidden beyond. And now they're both somewhere deep within that nightmarish place. Aragorn gave the call for his company to move forward, and I did my best to swallow my worries, though my heart went out to them still. God, please let them still be alive.
Our Fellowship followed Aragorn as he rode further towards the gate, with Éomer and Faramir also bearing the flags of their respective realms. My eyes jumped to the top of the Gate, scanning its length for any sign of guards or scouts, but I couldn't see anything. I glanced to Kathryn on my right with a worried look as we came within yards of the massive metal wall, finally drawing to a stop. Knowing what to expect certainly didn't make it any less intimidating.
We stood there for a moment in silence until Aragorn finally spoke. "Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth!" he commanded, cutting loud and clear through the stillness. "Let justice be done upon him!" For the longest time, there was nothing, save for the stirring of the breeze as we waited. I tilted my head back, looking up to the Gate with a stern a glare as I could muster despite my own nervous heartbeat thundering in my chest.
Suddenly, there came a low rumble, and the earth trembled beneath us as the groaning of ancient metal sounded in response, the Black Gate splitting straight down its middle. It opened up slowly, like the maw of some gigantic beast, creaking in protest as its slit opened just enough for a single rider to slip through. My fists clenched around the reins as I looked to the thing approaching us - truly, there was no other word for it, not man, Orc, or even wraith. It was cloaked in black atop a black horse, ragged and clad in crude armor caked with rust. The helm atop its head was tall, obscuring its entire head in plates of iron, save for a single opening at the mouth lined with runes in Black Speech. We all stared at this thing, the Mouth of Sauron itself, in disgust as it approached us, no other sound except the clinking of its armor until it stopped a few feet in front of Aragorn.
"My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome." I flinched as it spoke, rough and low as if its vocal chords had been shredded raw with sandpaper. Its abnormally large mouth was grotesque, the grey lips and surrounding skin cracking and splitting open with blackened, rotting flesh underneath as it spoke. The Mouth of Sauron flashed us a repulsive grin of brown and yellowed teeth, blood seeping from between them, and I almost gagged. "Is there any in this rout with authority to treat with me?"
"We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed," Gandalf snapped, malice lacing his voice. The foul-mouthed being growled at the insult. "Tell your master this: The armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return!"
But to that, the Mouth of Sauron only laughed as he turned on the wizard in recognition. "Aha! Old Greybeard..." I tensed. "I have a token I was bidden to show thee." He reached into his cloak, and I felt my heart crack as from within he drew none other than a familiar shirt of mithril, holding it high for all to see. My jaw clenched, and I tried to ignore the sting, knowing it was meant to happen, but I couldn't do it. I looked at it and all I could think of was Frodo, weak and defenseless, trapped in Mordor with the weight of the world around his neck as he struggled onward with Sam behind him. I heard Gimli inhale sharply from beside me in shock, and I shouldn't have turned, but I did, immediately meeting Legolas' horrified gaze. Shock and despair marred his face as he looked at me, and I wanted so desperately to tell him it meant nothing, but I couldn't. I could do nothing but sit there and endure it.
"Frodo..." Pippin's soft whisper drew my attention forward again as the Mouth of Sauron growled, roughly tossing the shirt to Gandalf. He barely caught it and went eerily still, just staring at it for a moment in utter disbelief. "Frodo!" Pippin cried again, louder this time. The cursed thing roared again, satisfied by our reactions.
"Silence!" Gandalf ordered, but even I could hear his voice wavering. Kathryn dipped her head, unable to stand looking at it any longer.
"The Halfling was dear to thee, I see," the Mouth of Sauron sneered, mocking them further. "Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host." He cast another sickening smile toward the Istari. "Who would have thought one so small could endure so much pain? And he did, Gandalf... he did."
As he passed the shirt to a crying Pippin, a tear slid down his own face, and I felt a fierce hatred suddenly stir in my heart at the sight, casting a withering glare in the direction of the messenger who dared cause them such grief. "Go back to the black abyss you crawled out of," I snapped, drawing its attention. "You're a liar and a coward, just like your master. The words of a useless pawn mean nothing to us."
But the Mouth of Sauron's grin only widened as it turned on me. "A pawn, you say? No different from the one you once called friend." I froze, my heart dropping into my stomach. "She who died needlessly... painfully... for nothing," it growled. "For faith in false kings and a peace that will never come to pass."
It hit me like I'd been struck across the face, and I went rigid as pain burst in my chest, hearing her screams and seeing her fall in my head. My vision lost focus as tears welled up in my eyes, but I was shaking, trembling with anger as I continued to stare the Mouth of Sauron down with a look that could've melted the helm right off its head. "...You know nothing of your own demise," I hissed, voice dangerously low. "But I have seen it. I have watched you and all you know burn to the ground." I felt multiple pairs of eyes on me then, but I didn't care. "This will be the last day of your pitiful existence on the face of this Earth. Tell that to your fucking master."
The Mouth of Sauron said nothing, but I saw it for a fraction of a second across its face - fear. True, genuine fear as Aragorn started towards it. "And who is this?" it snarled, turning away from me to mock him. "Isildur's heir? It takes more to make a king than a broken Elvish blade!"
But Aragorn had reached his limit. As soon as he came close enough to the thing, he let out a cry of fury, and in one fluid motion ripped Andúril from its sheath, swinging it high and separating the Mouth of Sauron's head from its pitiful body, silencing the thing for good. Both hit the ground with a thud, and its horse startled, fleeing in fear back through the Gate. I watched it go, staring into the slit of Mordor I could see from where I sat with a fire still burning hot in my veins. I dare you to look out here and lay your eye on me, you spineless coward. I dare you.
"I guess that concludes negotiations," Gimli muttered.
Aragorn turned back to us, a similar determination in his eyes. "I do not believe it," he hissed firmly, his gaze flicking to me. "I will not." I said nothing, but I didn't need to. He knew. He understood.
Just then, the screech of old metal on ancient hinges sounded again, and we looked up to see the Black Gate opening further now, the gap slowly widening to reveal a massive army of Orcs on the other side. Aragorn turned as they began marching out from where they'd been waiting behind the gate, their war chants echoing loudly in the air as they rolled forward. "Pull back... Pull back!" he ordered. Nothing more was needed as we all immediately turned and hurried back to the rest of the army, quickly dismounting as soon as we reached them and taking our places on the front lines. I cemented myself between Legolas and Kathryn, drawing the black blade of Kaia's I now possessed and holding it in a firm grip as I watched the Orcs continued pouring out from the Gate, starting to surround us. Sauron's army was huge. Easily ten times our size. I could feel the fear settling in amongst the others behind us and let out a breath, trying to banish my own nerves as I saw what we stood against. And beyond the host of Mordor, far back within the shadowlands, I could see the tower of Barad-Dûr, Sauron's burning eye looking down over our small host standing on his doorstep. But I refused to show him fear, standing tall as I stared straight back at him, unwavering. Not today. You will not see victory today.
"Hold your ground!" Aragorn cried, circling back as he rode past us, sword in hand. He swept back and forth along the front lines, a fire in his eyes and a fervor in his voice that couldn't be broken. "Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers and sisters!" I smiled. "I see in your eyes... the same fear that would take the heart of me!" His gaze swept over all of us. "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!" My heart swelled with pride. "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!" He came to a stop at the center of it all, tall and proud and strong in the armor of a king. "By all that you hold dear... on this good earth, I bid you STAND! MEN AND WOMEN OF THE WEST!" He raised his sword high in the air, and it was answered by the ringing of thousands more as we took our final stance among our greatest enemy. I held Kaia's blade up as Aragorn turned to face the oncoming horde, Andúril shining like a beacon in the daylight, and my smile grew ever wider. She'd be so proud of you.
–
-Legolas-
The Orcs had us surrounded mere moments later as Aragorn dismounted and prepared to stand among us. I could see their scarred and snarling faces, jeering at us on all sides. We were hopelessly outnumbered, and they knew it. The odds seemed insurmountable, and most certainly guaranteed our deaths... but would fight them nonetheless. Whether Frodo and Sam lived or died, there was no other path for us now. We would fight one last time against such evil with all the strength we had left.
From her place beside me, Erin let out a breath. "This is it."
I looked over at her. "This is what?"
"...The end," she replied, eyes never leaving the army before us. "The final battle. The one that'll make or break us." She paused, shaking her head in near disbelief. "There were a lot of times I never thought I'd actually get this far."
"But you have," I said, finally drawing her gaze. "All we have endured has led to this." For a moment, my gaze fell to the silver pendant at her neck, and something in her eyes softened as I looked back at her. "If this is to be our end," I said, "then I am glad to face it with you."
Erin hesitated for a moment, her words quiet when she spoke them. "...So am I." We held each other's gaze for a moment longer, and every part of me wanted to kiss her then and tell her how much I loved her, fearing this moment may be our last, but I said nothing, turning to face the present enemies as the last of the Orcs closed in around us.
It was then that Gimli gave a quiet grunt from beside me. "Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an elf."
I could not help the smile on my face as I glanced down to him. "What about side by side with a friend?"
The dwarf looked back at me with a smile of his own, and in that moment I felt a kinship with him deeper than almost any other I had ever known. "Aye," he answered. "I can do that."
Suddenly, there came an unnatural roar from deep within the confines of Mordor, and I turned forward again, only to be nearly blinded by the Eye of Sauron bearing down on us from atop Barad-Dûr. I squinted against it and drew back against its glare, feeling a burning heat on my flesh as I tightened my grip on my bow. But then I quickly realized who his gaze had centered on, and a frown crossed my face as I watched Aragorn take slow steps forward, lowering his sword. Time seemed to slow as he simply stood there, staring straight ahead towards Sauron as if entranced.
For a moment, all was utterly still, and I felt a distant, chilling fear at his hesitation. But then Aragorn turned, and he smiled, speaking two simple words that set everything in motion. "...For Frodo."
A/N: LOL sorry about the cliffhanger but y'all know I can never resist...
Next chapter will be fun ;) Thanks for reading!
