Previously: Théoden looked to him, "As long as you can give me!"

"Elvish"

Thoughts

Flashback

"Voice over"

Aragorn and Gimli nodded as they slipped out a side exit and stood on a ledge just to the side of the main gate. Aragorn peeked over, seeing the large band of Uruk-hai storming the gate.

"Come on! We can take 'em!" Gimli growled as Aragorn glanced down, "It's a long way."

Gimli took a peek and then stepped back before mumbling, "Toss me."

Aragorn looked at him shocked, "What?"

"I cannot jump the distance! You'll have to toss me!" Gimli replied before Aragorn nodded slowly and then turned to grab the Dwarf.

"Oh!" Gimli stayed Aragorn's hand, "Don't tell the Elf or the Wolf."

"Not a word," Aragorn grinned before he tossed Gimli to the head of the causeway and then leaped over.

Gimli made quick work of killing the Uruk-hai, "ARGH!"

On the other side of the gate, Théoden ordered his men, "Shore up the door!"

Men were bracing the gate with wood and nails while Aragorn and Gimli continued to fight off the Uruk-hai just outside with Axel and Haldir. Meanwhile, the Uruk-hai loaded and fired enormous hooks over the battlements. Hundreds of Uruk-hai climbed onto super-ladders as they were pulled up towards the walls, the super-ladders locking onto the edge of the battlements with their steel grips. Legolas took aim as another super-ladder was being pulled up and shot away one of the ropes. The ladder fell back onto the Uruk-hai army.

Théoden shouted through a crack in the gate, "Gimli! Aragorn! Axel! Get out of there!"

Legolas called to them from the top of the battlements, "Aragorn! Haldir!" before he threw them a rope.

Aragorn grabbed Gimli in one hand and the rope with the other as they were pulled up the wall. Haldir and Axel didn't make it in time and just then the Uruk-hai loaded and fired enormous hooks over the battlements. Axel looked around and put Haldir on his back before climbing up the side of the wall on broken pieces sticking out of the stone as he clambered onto the top of the wall.

Théoden shouted to his soldiers, "Pull everybody back! Pull them back! They've broken through! The castle is breached. Retreat! Retreat!"

Aragorn yelled, "Hurry! Inside! Get them inside!"

They all ran toward the keep, Legolas firing two arrows into the Uruk-hai army as he went with Axel and Haldir.

Treebeard was walking through the forest, carrying Merry and Pippin who looked dejected, "I will leave you at the western borders of the forest. You can make your way north to your homeland from there."

Pippin suddenly looked up with a gleam in his eyes, "Wait! Stop! Stop!"

Treebeard came to a stop, "Turn around. Turn around. Take us south!"

"South? But that will lead you past Isengard," Treebeard groaned, confused as Pippin nodded, "Yes. Exactly. If we go south we can slip past Saruman unnoticed. The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm. It's the last thing he'll expect."

"Mmmm. That doesn't make sense to me. But then, you are very small. Perhaps you're right. South it is then. Hold on, little Shirelings. I always like going south. Somehow it feels like going downhill," Treebeard nodded before changing direction.

"Are you mad? We'll be caught!" Merry hissed as Pippin shook his head, "No we won't. Not this time."

Treebeard, Merry, and Pippin came to the southern edge of the forest later on as Treebeard was telling a story, "... And a little family of field mice that climb up sometimes and they tickle me awfully. They're always trying to get somewhere where they – Oh!"

He stopped as he saw the desolated landscape of tree stumps that used to be forested grounds, "Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn."

"I'm sorry, Treebeard," Pippin said as Treebeard sighed with tears in his eyes, "They had voices of their own," his gaze turned to the treeless Isengard and its smoking caverns, "Saruman! A wizard should know better!"

He let out a ferocious roar that echoed through the forest, "There is no curse in Elvish, Entish or the tongues of men for this treachery. My business is with Isengard tonight. With rock and stone!"

Merry and Pippin turned around as they hear rumbles from the forest.

They saw many Ents emerging and marching toward them as Merry grinned, "Yes!"

"Hoorarooom... Come, my friends. The Ents are going to war. It is likely that we go to our doom. Last march of the Ents!" Treebeard roared.

Osgiliath was still under siege as Faramir and company arrived, dodging arrows and falling rocks.

"Faramir, Orcs have taken the eastern shore. Their numbers are too great. By nightfall we'll be overrun," Madril grimaced.

Frodo suddenly seems stricken as Sam cried out, "Mr. Frodo!"

"It's calling to him, Sam. His eye is almost on me," Frodo whined as Sam flustered, "Hold on, Mr. Frodo… You'll be alright..."

Frodo saw that Sam was speaking to him but he heard nothing, his senses were overcome.

"Take them to my father. Tell him Faramir sends a mighty gift. A weapon that will change our fortunes in this war," Faramir grinned but Sam broke away as they were being led away, "Do you want to know what happened to Boromir? He tried to take the Ring from Frodo! After swearing an oath to protect him, he tried to kill him! The Ring drove your brother mad!"

"Watch out!" a ranger shouted as a boulder crashed into a tower overhead and shattered it.

Suddenly, Frodo's eyes rolled up and he stared at Faramir strangely as Sam asked, "Mr. Frodo?"

Frodo replied in a faraway voice, "They're here. They've come."

Faramir looked up, "NAZGÛL!"

He grabbed the hobbits and thrust them into a corner, "Stay here. Keep out of sight," before turning To his men, "Take cover!"

Banners of the White Hand were flying from the battlements of Helm's Deep and the Hornburg was overrun with Uruk-hai.

Théoden and company were in the hall of the keep, "The fortress is taken. It is over."

Aragorn was carrying a table with Legolas to shore up the door of the hall, "You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it! They still defend it! They have died defending it!"

In the Glittering Caves, the women and children cried in fear as they heard the battering ram banging on the door.

"Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Aragorn asked and there was no answer, "Is there no other way?"

Gamling hesitated before answering, "There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far. The Uruk-hai are too many."

"Send word for the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance," Aragorn ordered as Théoden sighed, "So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?"

Aragorn paused, "Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them."

A light of determination shown in Théoden's eyes, "For death and glory."

"For Rohan. For your people," Aragorn shook his head in reply as Gimli looked towards the horizon, "The sun is rising."

Aragorn looked up at a window to see faint light streaming through as he recalled Gandalf's words.

Théoden glanced down before looking up at Aragorn with a smile, "Yes. Yes! The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep one last time!"

"Yes!" Gimli shouted triumphantly before running up the steps to the horn of Helm Hammerhand.

"Let this be the hour when we draw swords together. Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath! Now for ruin! And a red dawn!" Théoden shouted as he mounted his horse and put on his helmet.

The sound of the horn rumbled through Helm's Deep as Gimli blew with gusto and Axel grinned as he looked to Legolas, "Come on! It's time for the fun to start."

Keira looked over at the two and sighed, "And how exactly are you going to ride out with them?"

"As a wolf, bird brain," Axel replied as Keira punched him in the arm, "You only get as big as a pony!"

"Ah! And that's where you're wrong, come Haldir!" Axel grinned as he dragged the confused elf towards the doors.

He breathed in deeply before shifting into the same form he had in the Mines of Moria. He was as tall as a Stallion horse with strips of green in his black fur and black fire surrounding his paws, his fur bleeding a bit into the shadows.

"FORTH EORLINGAS!" Théoden led the charge out of the keep into the Hornburg, slashing away at the Uruk-hai as they go.

Axel grinned before grabbing Haldir with his mouth, by the collar of his armor, and tossed him onto his back as he ran out the door. Without pause, they stormed out of the gate and down the Causeway, right into the column of the waiting, Uruk-hai.

In the midst of battle, Aragorn looked east and saw a white rider against the rising sun, "Gandalf."

Gandalf looked down into the valley below, "Théoden king stands alone."

Éomer came up from behind, "Not alone," he raised a hand, "Rohirrim!"

Riders moved up behind Éomer as Théoden looked to the east, "Éomer!"

"To the king!" Éomer shouted as the Rohirrim and the White Rider charge down the slope.

Half the Uruk-hai army turned to face the challenge and bore their spears down towards the riders. As the riders drew closer, the sun rose behind them, momentarily blinding the Uruk-hai who raised their hands (and spears) to shield their eyes. The riders crashed right into the Uruk-hai and engaged them in battle.

The Ents were stomping over Isengard, swinging their huge limbs, throwing and stamping on Orcs and rolling huge boulders over the ground. An Ent was pulled down with chains by some Orcs, who immediately jumped on and hacked away at his wooden limbs. Saruman rushed out onto the balcony of Orthanc and stared at the pandemonium in incredulity.

Merry and Pippin also threw stones at Orcs, their aims true as Pippin grinned, "Yes!"

"A hit. A fine hit!" Treebeard laughed as two Ents rocked a wooden structure and pushed it over into the caverns below, smashing against the rock.

Some Orcs fired flamed-tipped arrows at an Ent, setting him on fire as Saruman continued to look about from his balcony, helpless.

Some Ents were now breaking away at a dam as Treebeard shouted, "Break the dam! Release the river!"

The dam was soon broken and Saruman looked up to see the river rushing down the slope towards Isengard, washing away Orcs and wooden structures in its path.

"Pippin, hold on!" Merry shouted as the hobbits tightened their hold on top of Treebeard.

"Hold on, little hobbits!" Treebeard braced himself against the flood.

As the water rushed over Isengard, an Ent rushed in and thrust his burning body into the water. The water rushed into the caverns, washing away the bridges, mechanisms and structures within.

Frodo walked slowly away from the safe corner as Gondorian Rangers were still running about, defending their stations.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?!" Sam shouted as Frodo walked up some stairs and stood on a bridge.

A Nazgûl on a Fell beast emerged in front of him and Frodo stared at the Nazgûl fixated, feeling the call of the Ring, he held it up. Faramir watches the unfolding tableau from below as Frodo moved to put the Ring on his finger and the Nazgûl flew closer and closer, Sam ran up and knocked Frodo over. Faramir released an arrow and shot the Fell Beast as Frodo and Sam rolled down the stairs.

As they came to a stop at the bottom, Frodo held Sam in a death grip, yelled, and pointed Sting at his throat, his eyes livid with madness and anger that someone would try to take the Ring away, "Aaarrgghh!"

Sam looked at him with tears running down his face, "It's me. It's your Sam. Don't you know your Sam?"

The madness soon faded and recognition returned to Frodo's eyes as he realized what he nearly did and was overcome. Stumbling backward, he collapsed against a wall and Sting fell to the ground with a clang.

Sam got up slowly as Frodo said slowly and with despair, "I can't do this, Sam."

Sam sighed, getting up slowly, "I know. It's all wrong. By rights, we shouldn't even be here. But we are," he stood and leaned against a wall, looking out into the distance, "It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?

Images of the riders winning the battle against the Uruk-hai at Helm's Deep as Théoden shouted in triumph, Victory! We have victory!" he raised his sword with a victorious cry. The women and children welcomed the men as they return. Éowyn ran up to Axel after he shifted back and embraced him, crying tears of relief. Isengard was flooded and Merry and Pippin looked on from their perch on Treebeard. On the balcony, Saruman stumbled back into his chamber.

Sam continued, "But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something."

Frodo looked up at Sam and asked weakly, "What are we holding on to, Sam?"

"There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for," Sam replied, confidently and standing in a corner, even Gollum seemed moved.

Faramir walked over and came to kneel in front of Frodo, "I think at last we understand one another, Frodo Baggins."

"You know the laws of our country, the laws of your father. If you let them go, your life will be forfeit," Madril warned as Faramir snapped, "Then it is forfeit. Release them."

Sam shook the ranger's hand from his shoulder and Frodo looked up at Faramir with gladness.

Over in the realm of Rohan, Gandalf, Théoden, and company rode to the top of a slope, looking towards the Mountain of Fire in the distance as Gandalf sighed, "Sauron's wrath will be terrible, his retribution swift. The battle for Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle-earth is about to begin. All our hopes now lie with two little hobbits. Somewhere in the wilderness."

Axel looked over at the wizard with a smile, "Do you doubt their strength?"

"Of course not, I fear for their safety," Gandalf replied gravely but Axel rolled his eyes as he flicked the wizard in the forehead, "Have faith Gandalf, they will be fine."

Axel, Gandalf, Keira, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, and Théoden rode back to the grand city, ready for a night of rest. Once there, they went back to the rooms they had been given but Legolas stopped Axel as he was brushing Banethfael, his beautiful Clydesdale.

"Axel?" Legolas called out as he approached the wolfish man.

"Yes?" Axel replied with a small smile, placing the brush down as he gently patted the huge horse's neck.

"What you said yesterday-" Legolas began but Axel cut him off as he began to walk away, "Don't worry about it, alright?"

"Why should I not? You said that I was your mate. What did you mean?" Legolas frowned as he quickly reached out and grabbed Axel by the arm, stopping him.

Axel sighed as he turned back to the elf, "I meant just what I said. The Valar chose you to be my One. I have been looking for you since the Royals chose me to go to that Meeting in Rivendell."

Legolas gaped at him, "That long? You have been looking for me for that long? How did you know?"

"Remember when you almost fell from the trail on Carahdras?" Axel asked and the elf nodded as the wolf King continued, "It was after I pulled you to the mountainside. I knew from the moment my hand touched your shoulder."

"And you waited this long to tell me... Why?" Legolas asked softly, gently pulling Axel closer to him.

Axel tried to pull away but he couldn't resist his mate, "Because I didn't know if you would die. I needed to know if you wanted to be with me... I need to know if you do and if you would accept Iriadelle as your child."

Legolas sighed as he pulled Axel close to his chest, hugging him, "Oh Axel, I want to be by your side. I have since you saved my life and, of course, I would accept Iriadelle. I would treat her as my own, like a daughter."

"You would? You mean it?" Axel asked not wanting to have too much hope but he couldn't help the small amount of hope that trailed into his words.

"I do," Legolas smiled and Axel hugged him back, a wide grin on his face as he burrowed his face into the elf's chest.

Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam were walking through the woods, away from Osgiliath as Sam spoke up, "I wonder if we'll ever be put into songs or tales."

Frodo looked at him, amused, "What?"

Sam shrugged as he continued speaking, "I wonder if people will ever say, 'let's hear about Frodo and the Ring.' And they'll say 'yes, that's one of my favorite stories. Frodo was really courageous, wasn't he, dad.' 'Yes, my boy, the most famous of hobbits. And that's saying a lot.'"

Frodo smiled back at him, "Huh, you left out one of the chief characters – Samwise the Brave. I want to hear more about Sam."

Frodo turned to look at Sam, "Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam."

"Now Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't make fun. I was being serious," Sam frowned as Frodo smiled, "So was I."

He turned to walk on as Sam grinned, dreamily, "Samwise the Brave," he gave his backpack a heave and followed Frodo.

Gollum was crouching a short distance away as Frodo shouted to him, "Sméagol!"

Sam rolled his eyes, "We're not gonna wait for you. Come on!"

Sméagol whimpered to himself, "Master... Master looks after us. Master wouldn't hurt us."

Gollum growled out, "Master broke his promise."

"Don't ask Sméagol. Poor, poor Sméagol," Sméagol frowned as Gollum snapped, "Master betrayed us! Wicked, tricksy, false. We ought to wring his filthy little neck."

He twisted the branch of a tree, "Kill him! Kill him! Kill them both. And then we take the precious and we be the master."

Sméagol scuttled and hid behind a tree, "The fat hobbit, he knows. Eyes always watching."

"Then we stabs them out. Put out his eyeses. And make HIM crawl," Gollum grinned as Sméagol bit on his finger and nodded eagerly, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Kill them both," Gollum growled darkly.

"Yes! No no!" Sméagol whined, frightened as he backed away against a tree, "It's too risky, it's too risky."

He looked in the direction of the hobbits as Sam shouted, "Where's he gone? Hey Gollum, where are you?"

Frodo furrowed his brow as he looked around, "Sméagol?"

Gollum spoke softly and sinisterly, "We could let HER do it."

Sméagol straightened a bit and nodded, "Yes. She could do it."

"Yes, precious she could. And then we takes it once they're dead," Gollum grinned as Sméagol spoke weakly, "Once they're dead…"

"Shh…" Gollum hissed as he popped out from hiding in front of the hobbits and Sméagol smiled, "Come on, hobbits. Long ways to go yet. Sméagol will show you the way."

He turned to walk on, with Frodo and Sam following behind as Gollum grinned, "Follow me."

Sam and Frodo look over the forest and Ephel Dúath and saw the desolation of Mordor. To the left was the glowing Eye of Sauron atop Barad-dûr, and to the right was the fiery Mount Doom. Three Fell Beasts circled the dark skies as lightning flashed and the three continued their journey.

Author's Note: Okay, so surprisingly, that's the end of the second movie! And thus, that's the end of Eagles of the Light unfortunately but that's my fault since I left out parts from where Sam and Frodo are (Because I'm stupid). Anyway, see you guys next time in Horses of Shadow! Bye~