"Now is the hour, Riders of Rohan, oaths you have taken! Now, fulfill them all! To Lord and Land!"
Rin watched as Éomer finished his speech. She saw Éowyn cover the sword, strapped to her saddle, with a blanket.
'That woman's got guts.' She thought.
She turned back to her own mount and secured everything she needs.
Something caught her eye in one of her packs. She reached in and pulled out a little drawing of her made by Akane.
A small smile crept to her face as she thought about her daughter.
'Just wait a little longer, my little tenshi. Mama will be home soon.' She thought before kissing drawing and placing it back in her pack.
She climbed the saddle and fell in line with the rest of the horsemen.
In Dunharrow, the armies of Rohan will gather. Gondor calls for aid, Rohan has answered.
~Line Break~
"Again! On my command, Testudo!"
Five squares consisting of fifty six Gondorian Shieldmen simultaneously did what they were instructed to.
Titus gave a satisfied hum and nodded to the column of soldiers on his left.
The soldiers fired their arrows and the failed to penetrate the shield formation.
Titus gave a satisfied nod and ordered "Square Formation!"
The Shieldmen dropped their shields and formed a hollow square.
Titus inspected the formation and blew the whistle.
The Gondorians lowered their shields and returned to their normal formation. They stared ahead in full attention.
"Good work. You boys learn fast. I expect nothing less from the Men who fought and held off the forces of Mordor for a long time. Share the tactics I've taught with the rest of your army and we will grind those orcs into dust! Now, you know what these orcs are like. They are a race of rabid bastards who would fight us tooth and nail! They would feast on your fallen brethren and destroy everything you hold dear! Gondor is order! Gondor is power! In this land, you are Gondor!"
"Centurion Valerius! The orcs have taken Osgiliath! Our men flee but the Nazgûl trail them with their Fellbeasts!" A soldier yelled as he came running to them.
Titus grimaced before calling for the archers "Archers, with me! To the wall! If those flying bastards come close to the city, you will shoot them down. The riders maybe immortal but their beasts are not. Thern!"
The soldier who gave him the news saluted. He placed a hand on his shoulder and said "Find Gandalf. Tell him that Osgiliath has fallen."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Alright, archers! With me, move!"
Titus and a column of archers made way to the city's first wall.
When they got there, Titus ordered his men to ready their bows. The soldiers from Osgiliath ran and ride as the Nazgûl attacked them with their Fellbeasts.
"If they get close to the city, fire a volley on my mark."
"Sir!" Thern yelled as he pointed at Pelennor Fields "It's Mithrandir!"
Titus saw Gandalf, and Pippin, ride Shadowfax towards the retreating Gondorians. He raised his staff and an intense light emitted from it. The light scared away the Nazgûl and stopped any further attempts at attacking the Gondorians.
Titus let out a sigh and ordered the archers to lower their bows. He realized that some of Minas Tirith's citizens had come to the walls as well.
He watched as Gandalf rode with the Gondorians back to the city. He turned around and made his way to the courtyard.
~Line Break~
"That fucking fool!"
Titus cursed Denethor as he watched Faramir lead his men to retake the city of Osgiliath. He knows the man is being sent to his death. With that kind of numbers, there won't even be a battle. Only slaughter. It has only been three days since Faramir returned from Osgiliath and now this happens. Titus shook his head.
'What a fucking mess.' He thought bitterly.
Boromir stared in sadness at his brother's retreating form. The Centurion can see the pain in the man's eyes, knowing the fate that awaits his brother. No matter what Boromir said, Denethor would not relent.
They were far but Titus can still see what was happening. Faramir led the charge only for the cavalry to be struck down by the orc's filthy arrows.
He slammed his fist on the stone in front of him as he saw the orcs take the bodies of the dead.
'The filthy bastards would either eat them or desecrate their bodies. Now, a man loses his brother all because of a madman's hatred for his son. Pathetic.' He sneered and left for then training grounds. Hoping to vent off some steam.
Boromir sank to his knees and punched the ground in grief.
Titus saw this and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. He slowly helped him up his feet to bring the news to Denethor.
"When the bastards start their siege on this place, we will make them pay. If our blades dull, then we will use our hands. We will slay every orc until our bodies finally give in. If you want blood, I will give you as much filthy, orc blood you need. Mark my words, Boromir... They will pay."
~Line Break~
"How many scorpios have the craftsmen made?"
The Centurion asked as he stared at the craftsmen at work.
"At least sixteen, Sir. Thankfully, we had materials and the manpower to build them." Elmas, a Gondorian Soldier that Titus assigned as his Optio, replied.
"Good. Have them-" He was interrupted by the sound of a terrible horn.
Titus and Elmas stared at each other before running to the wall.
There they saw the massive army of Mordor. He saw siege engines, trolls, etc. It was an army with the purpose similar to Saruman's Uruks. The total destruction of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth.
He turned to Elmas with a determined look on his face "Tell the men to set up the Scorpios. It doesn't matter if it's still too few for my liking, just get it done."
"Understood, sir!"
He then addressed Thern "Thern. I want you to tell those trebuchets to light up the pots. Let's see if those Siege Towers can withstand fire."
"Yes, sir!"
"Open the gate!"
Titus widened his eyes at what he saw. The orcs tied Faramir, who had two arrows that pierced his armor, to his horse and had it dragged him towards Minas Tirith.
The gates opened and Boromir was the first to reach his brother. The Gondorian Captain held his brother in his arms and screamed in anguish.
Titus clenched his fist and snarled as he watched Faramir's body rushed to Denethor.
He turned back and caught sight of a pale and malformed orc with a limp. It was snarling as it caught him staring and glared back.
The two glared at each other and Titus found a new player in the board.
'Come on, you filthy, pale bastard. What's your next move going to be? Hm?' He thought as he continued to glare at the orc.