Two updates in one night, and it's only because I feel terrible for leaving you all hanging for so long. So, I hope you like this chapter and look for the next one to come on this weekend! Thank you for your reviews and I hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Lord of the Rings.

Chapter 33

"Something is not right," Carita said as she stood and walked to the window. The city was deathly quiet. Not so much as a laugh for falling stone could be heard. Landria looked up from her loom and at Carita with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Landria asked and Carita shook her head.

"I do not know," she whispered when Carita heard it in the distance and her blood ran cold. "Landria, barricade your door and open it for no one." Carita said as she turned her eyes to the other woman. Landria stood and frowned.

"What do you mean?" Landria asked when the stone beneath their feet shook and screams and shouts filled the air outside. "What is happening?" Landria asked with panic clear in her voice.

"The city is under attack," Carita said simply as she tightened her sword belt. "Barricade the door and hide with Barrison, let nothing in, do you understand?" Carita demanded she Landria nodded. Carita opened the door and stepped out into the city, where everyone was now bustling about.

"Abandon your posts! Flee! Flee for your lives!" Denethor's voice echoed from above and Carita's eyes only narrowed. Of course the coward of a man would doom his people when they needed him the most. With speed, she ran to the upper level of the city and as she past the soldiers, she saw Gandalf strike Denethor with his staff.

"Prepare for battle!" Gandalf called and the soldiers did as he said. Carita moved over to him. "It is upon us," Gandalf told her. "I need you to gather as many guards as you can, while I gather the others at the gate."

"They will not listen to me," Carita told him as she glanced at them. "Not after what happened with Denethor this morn."

"They will listen to you if they wish to live," Gandalf told her. "I shall send your horse; you are more suited upon his back." Carita nodded and in a flash with the wizard was gone and Carita moved to the soldiers that remained.

"Follow me," she said and they looked at her, but did not follow her. "There is no time for you to doubt in me, now follow me."

"We have orders-," a guard started but Carita held up her hand and silenced him.

"I know your orders, but hear my words," Carita said as she lowered her hand. "Your Steward's mind was broken by the Dark Lord long ago, and now I stand before you along side Gandalf to help you keep your city. When the battle is through, and if I am to live, you shall follow your orders, but please I ask of you stand now and fight with me to save your city; to save this great city."

"We shall stand with you," the same guard said and Carita smiled at him as Moonlight charged before her. Mounting her stallion quickly she looked back at the men.

"Come now, we must get into position!" she shouted and turned Moonlight. She charged down the stairs with the men following quickly behind her. However, her confidence in their chances was not as great as she had led the men to believe. Rohan had not yet arrived and with their limited numbers, she knew not if any of them would survive.

As they rode upon the pirate ships towards Minas Tirith, Legolas heard the cries of the sea birds and his eyes moved to the sky as their song enchanted him. He looked upon the water and sighed. He was a wood elf, and wood elves confined themselves to their forests, but there he heard the cries of the birds and his heart was pulled towards the sea.

"Legolas?" Aragorn asked and the elf looked at his friend. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Legolas said gently before he turned his eyes towards where Minas Tirith rested. Darkness was there and he sighed once more. "Do you think we will arrive on time?" he asked Aragorn as he looked at him.

"We will," Aragorn said before he put his hand on Legolas' shoulder. "Do not worry, she is strong and her skills are great." Legolas smiled and nodded his head.

"She is, but I worry all the same," Legolas said and Aragorn squeezed his shoulder before he look ahead with a sigh of his own.

"Hold your ground!" Carita shouted as she rode on top Moonlight and along the wall, behind the men Gandalf had left her in charge of. "Hold it!" She drew her sword, but felt the heavy steel tremble in her hand as the Nazguls' beasts sent out their cries in the air. Carita jumped from Moonlight and pushed a guard back into position as he made to run. "Do not flee," she hissed. "You give them power when you allow your fear to control you." The guard merely nodded before he moved back into his position, but even she herself did not believe her words as the beasts swooped down upon the city. "Fire your arrows! Keep them back from the wall!" Carita shouted as she gestured and the men did as she ordered. A Nazgul's cry echoed and Carita closed her eyes tightly and willed the pain from her head away. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked up into they sky. The Nazgul were flying over head, but she shook her head and moved up down the line.

Soon, night would come, but the battle would not stop. It would not stop until either the last Mordor orc fell or until the last Gondorian guard fell. Carita charged over to where Gandalf battled, for she felt safer near the wizard in battle with the Nazgul flying over head.

"Not at the towers! Aim for the trolls! Kill the trolls! Bring them down!" Gandalf shouted as the men fired their arrows. "Fight them back!"

"Gandalf!" Carita cried, but stopped short when she saw Pippin. "What are you doing out here?" Carita asked and Gandalf turned and looked at them.

"Peregrin Took! Go back to the Citadel!" Gandalf shouted.

"They called us out to fight," Pippin argued but Carita shook her head and pulled him back as orcs descended on them. Gandalf and Carita fought them off while Pippin watched with wide eyes.

"This is no place for a hobbit!" Gandalf shouted as they continued to fight.

"You should not be out here," Carita said as she pulled her blade from an orc and turned to look at the hobbit, black blood from one of her fallen enemies smeared on her face. However, Pippin took no heed of her words and drew his sword and stabbed an orc that nearly killed Gandalf. Both the wizard and the Maia looked at him surprised.

"Guard of the Citadel indeed! Now, back up the hill, quickly. Quick!" Gandalf shouted and looked at Carita. "Keep them fighting," Gandalf said. "Their fear is overpowering."

"We are out numbered, Gandalf," Carita said. "We will not last much longer."

"We will hold our lines, Carita," Gandalf told her firmly. "We must." Carita took a deep breath and nodded before she turned and battled her way down the line.

Night was upon them, and the battled raged on. Carita raised her sword and brought down yet another enemy when her attention was drawn by chanting. She looked over the wall to see large trolls bringing forth something that she knew would not aid the Gondorians in the battle; a flame wielding iron battering ram.

"Grond! Grond!" the orcs below chanted and she turned her attention to Gandalf, who was now on top Shadowfax, leading a large group of soldiers down to the gate.

"Back to the gate! Hurry!" Gandalf shouted and Carita looked at him before she whistled for Moonlight and he charged over to her. She swung herself onto his back.

"Mind your positions and let nothing take you from them!" Carita shouted to the men before she turned Moonlight and followed Gandalf, her heart racing as she did so.

"Steady! Steady!" the wizard shouted as he sat on top of Shadowfax in the middle of slew of heavily armed soldiers before the gate door that shook as the large battering ram struck it over and over again. Carita urged Moonlight through the men and stopped her horse next to Gandalf as the wolf's head broke through the top portion of the door. Gandalf glanced at her and then at the gate once more. "You are soldiers of Gondor! No matter what comes through that gate, you will stand your ground," Gandalf ordered and Carita's grip on her sword tightened.

"Today, my friend, is the day that decides our fate," Carita said. "Shall it be glorious?" she asked and Gandalf looked at her.

"That is in our own hands, Carita," Gandalf said and Carita nodded as the gate door was shattered and Mordor orcs, trolls, and the like poured into the city and so their battle for life continued.

The dawn came and the first level of the city was lost. "Retreat! The city is breached! Fall back to the second Level! Get the women and children out! Get them out! Retreat!" Gandalf shouted as he rode on top Shadowfax. Carita rode on top Moonlight, right behind the wizard. "Take them down! Fight! Fight to the last man. Fight for your lives!"

"Gandalf, the orcs are too many," Carita said as she stopped next to him. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes scanned the soldiers fighting. The wizard gripped his staff tightly and looked around. "Our only hope is that King Theoden and his riders will arrive soon."

"Gandalf! Carita!" came Pippin's voice over the sounds of battle and with wide eyes Carita looked at the small hobbit as he stopped next to Shadowfax, breathless. "Denethor has lost his mind! He's burning Faramir alive!"

"What?" Carita demanded and Gandalf grasped Pippin.

"Up! Quickly!" Gandalf said as he pulled the hobbit onto his horse and rode away, with Carita following right behind them. However, as they entered through an archway, Moonlight reared back. Carita kept control and looked ahead to see Gandalf stopped, and then a sight that sent chills down her spine.

"Go back to the abyss. Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your master," Gandalf shouted to the Witch King of the Nazgul.

"Do you not know death when you see it, old man?" the Witch King hissed, and Pippin cried out but Carita swallowed her fear and moved Moonlight forward.

"You have no power to take him," Carita said and the Witch King's eyes fell on her. His winged beasts head raised and let out a screech. The Witch King laughed and drew his sword.

"And you have no power to defeat me, Maia," he hissed before he raised his sword into the sky. "This is my hour." Carita's eyes narrowed as his sword caught on fire and the dark clouds swirled around it. He let out a screech breaking Gandalf's staff and causing Shadowfax and Moonlight to rear back once again sending their riders crashing onto the ground.

Carita was thrown several feet before she rolled and came to a stop next to Gandalf her sword upon the ground far from her reach. However, her sword was far from her mind as the world spun around her. Pippin was to his feet, but Carita and Gandalf remained on the ground.

"Gandalf! Carita!" the hobbit exclaimed before he drew his sword and moved forward only to scamper back when the Witch King's beast reared his head up and roared. Carita whimpered and slowly raised her head as Gandalf did the same and looked at the Witch King.

"You have failed. The world of Men will fall," the Witch King hissed.

"It will not fall," Carita whispered as she struggled up.

"I can smell your fear," the Witch King told her. "I can smell it even stronger now than ever before." Carita narrowed her eyes and continued to struggle up, but she was suddenly very weak. However, the Witch King drew back his sword to strike them down. Suddenly, horns in the distance stopped the Witch King from following through. The horns sounded again and the Witch King looked out over the field before he urged his beast away. Carita was on her feet before Gandalf, and she helped the wizard up.

"Carita," Gandalf said hoarsely and she looked at him. "Remain here." Gandalf moved to Shadowfax and took Pippin with him. They road off without so much as another word to her and Carita sighed before she moved to the wall and looked out. Tears came to her eyes as she smiled. Rohan had arrived.