"Where are they?"
"Our boys scared 'em off, eh?" Titus joked.
"Unlikely, orcs are probably twiddling with their cocks behind that gate." Rin joined in.
"Maybe they're taking a shit and looked the other way."
"That's quite enough, ya two. Try not to kill each other while we're gone." Aéd warned before riding beside Aragorn.
Aragorn, Aéd, Boromir, Éomer and Merry, Gandalf and Pippin, Legolas and Gimli stopped their mounts in front of the Black Gate.
"Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth! Let justice be done upon him!"
~Line Break~
Aragorn and company retreated from the Black Gate. Titus noticed the solemn looks of his comrades. He looked up at Boromir and asked "What happened?"
Boromir remained silent and nodded to Gandalf. The White Wizard showed Titus the Mithril shirt.
"No." The grip on his Gladius tightened and he could feel rage brew within him.
"Hold your ground! Hold your ground!" Aragorn ordered "Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers! I seein your eyesthe same fear that would take theheartof me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends, and break all bonds of fellowship, butit is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, butit is not this day! This day we fight!"
Titus turned to the gathered army and said "Beyond this gate lies our enemy, yet their army still outnumbers us... but I will not let this hinder our spirits. On this day... Sauron will feel the wrath of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. This day marks our final stand against the cruelty of this Dark Lord. Today... Middle-Earth will be free!" Shouts of agreement came from the invigorated soldiers. Swords banged on their shields, banners held high as the Men of Gondor and Rohan prepare themselves for the fight of their lives.
Everything died down as the Black Gate opened and the orcs swarmed out, encircling the army. Titus snarled and slammed his blade against his shield. The other Shieldmen followed suit, calling out for orc blood.
Sauron's Eye turned it's gaze towards them, specifically, Aragorn. The soldiers ceased their actions as they saw Aragorn gaze back at the Eye. He then turned to look at the Fellowship in the eyes.
"For Frodo."
He turned back to the orcs and charged. The Fellowship followed after him, but it was Titus who drew first blood. He roared and lunged, using his shield to tackle the orc and pinned him to the ground. He quickly stabbed the orc in the neck. The army of Men followed after, cutting down orcs and Uruks in their way. The Battle at the Black Gate has begun.
~Line Break~
"Rrrraaaggghhh!"
Aéd swung his Claymore left and right, cutting through orcs like it was nothing. He towered over orcs and Uruks, a lot feared to go near him yet their master demands it and all of them met their end at the Highlander of Clan MacGillivray Rin was like a tornado of blades, never stopping no matter how much she was bathed in orc blood. Her katanas were a blur to the orcs, cutting off limbs and heads. Leaving none of them time to scream in pain as the One-eyed Dragon of Death tore through their ranks. Titus roared as he tore through another orc. His helmet was gone, his blood-soaked face and manic grin was bare for everyone to see. His maniacal laughter sent chills to some of the more cowardly orcs while his confidence inspires his fellow soldiers. Aragorn cut down an orc and kicked a second one to Boromir's direction. Boromir saw the stumbling orc then cut his midsection followed by a cut to the neck. An Uruk swung at Boromir and missed. Boromir then shoulder-bashed the Uruk and sent it sprawling to the ground. He tried to stand up only for an axe to split his head in two. Gimli pulled his weapon free and tripped a charging orc with his axe. He then punched an Uruk in the gut, staggering him. Legolas pulled out an arrow and stabbed the staggering Uruk in the back of his neck. Using the same arrow, he fired it at an orc that was behind Gandalf. The White Wizard turned around and nodded his thanks before using his staff to hit an orc on the back of his head. He swung the staff around in a circle and knocked back the orcs surrounding him. Merry and Pippin used their size to avoid their enemies swings. An orc pushed them back and snarled. They cut both orc's legs and forced him to kneel. They then stabbed the orc in his neck before kicking him off.
As the battle raged on, a piercing shriek cut through the battlefield. The Nazgûl and their Fellbeasts have arrived. Their unholy shrieks sent fear to the Men's hearts and dropped a small part of their morale. But the Wizard saw something familiar fly into his vision. A single moth flew across the battlefield, untouched by the carnage around it. The Wizard's face brightened and he looked to the skies.
A sound rang throughout the battlefield that Titus couldn't believe his ears.
"It can't be." He muttered and looked to the sky just in time to see giant eagles flying overhead. The eagles attacked the Nazgûl and their mounts, keeping them away from the forces below. Titus grinned before charging at the orcs.
"Legio Aeterna Victrix!"
Titus rallied a company of soldiers and charged the enemy lines. As the group charged, an eagle can be seen flying above them. It's screech managed to lower the orc's morale.
On the other side of the battlefield, however, things weren't looking so well. Aragorn turned to see an armored troll roar at him. Aragorn, Boromir and Rin ran to engage the troll. The three dodged it's massive swing and managed to connect a few swings of their own. Unfortunately, this only angered the troll. It backhanded Boromir and grabbed Rin. It roared at her but Rin threw one of her katanas at it's eye. It roared in pain before throwing Rin away and setting it's sights on Aragorn. The troll grabbed Aragorn and threw him on the ground. It then brought it's foot down on Aragorn and roared. The King took out his dagger and repeatedly stabbed the troll's foot. It didn't seem to do anything to it, only making it angrier. It raised it's weapon but was distracted by a battle cry. Aéd ran past the orcs and cut the beast's leg. The troll cried out and lifted it's foot from the trapped King. It set it's angry gaze at the Highlander and backhanded Aéd, sending him flying. The troll roared and turned to the recovering Aragorn. It stomped it's way to him but stopped as loud cry rang throughout Mordor. Sauron's forces looked to the Eye before fleeing. The soldiers of Gondor and Rohan looked on, confused at their enemies sudden retreat. The Eye slowly started disappear, screaming as if it was in pain. The tower then began to crumble before the Eye disappeared completely and let out a shockwave across the battlefield. The tower of Barad-dûr fell and the Black Gate of Mordor crumbled into ruin. The ground around Sauron's forces caved in but the Men was saved.
"Frodo! Frodo!"
Their celebrations were short-lived when Mount Doom erupted, killing the Nazgûl and maybe their friends as well.
"Frodo... no."
Titus let Rin lean on him while Aéd fell to his knees in exhaustion. The three of them could only watch as the lava slowly crawl down the mountain.
"Jupiter, please... save the Hobbits. Please."
~Line Break~
The Men of West decided to rest after the battle and await the return of their King from Mount Doom. Titus, Rin and Aéd were being treated for their wounds while Boromir was busy taking command in Aragorn's stead.
"It's over." Titus started. His armor and tunic were off. All that's left was his bracers, belt, trousers and greaves. His arms and face had blood and mud staining them "Gods, it's as hot as Vulcan's dick."
"What'd you expect? We're near a fucking volcano that just erupted. Of course it's gonna be hot." Rin replied. She was left with her chest wraps and hakama. Like Titus, her body was covered in bruises, blood and mud.
Aéd sighed and craned his neck "Aye, if the heat's not killing me, this fucking neck will. Ahh, I'm too old for this shit."
Titus and Rin laughed at that. Titus pulled out a waterskin and took a big sip of wine. Rin looked at him and raised an eyebrow "Is that wine?"
"Ahhh, yup."
"Mind sharing?"
Titus handed the waterskin to Rin and the Aramusha drank the liquor. Aéd sat by them and Rin handed him the waterskin. As Aéd took a drink, Boromir sat next to him.
"They have yet to return." He saw the waterskin and asked "Titus, is that the same wine we drank last time?"
"Yup. You still remember what I said?"
Boromir sighed at the wine's flavor before handing Titus the waterskin.
"Fuck Mordor."
The two laughed heartily as they remembered the drunken conversations they had. Meanwhile, Rin and Aéd were at a lost. The two looked at each other and shrugged, they didn't give a shit about what they were talking about. Let drunken fools be drunken fools.
An eagle's screech interrupted the men's laughter and everyone looked to the sky. Aéd saw two eagles carrying something.
"They found them." The Highlander whispered but it was loud enough for his companions to hear.
"They're heading for Minas Tirith." Boromir stared at them and said "We must ride now!"
Titus turned to the army "Alright, you slobs. Move your arses! We're heading back to the city! Double time!"
As the four left to their horses, hope was rekindled in their hearts. They will see the Fellowship whole again. Together, they will see Middle-Earth free.