A/N: I don't own anything.
**Chapter 33**
***Saffy's POV***
Morning had come and still we stood on the deck of our stolen ships waiting to arrive at Osgiliath so that we could head into battle and help Gondor. I stood along the railing, with my weapons and armor strapped on and a piece of Lembas in my hand as I stared out in the direction that we were heading.
"You're worried about her." Nimiwen's voice broke through my silence and I looked away from the empty waters and the distant buildings of Osgiliath.
"Yes. Undoubtedly, she will be racing into battle even as we speak." I responded looking into Nimiwen's blue eyes while my own filled with worry.
"You and Deirdre know more about what will happen in the battle than any other. Yet you still fear for her. Do you doubt her and think that she would put herself in a position where certain death was all that awaited her?" she asked, brushing my hair aside and behind my ear in a movement that she knew soothed me.
"I do know what is going to happen though. All of the people dying. I may know the fate of some of the people, but many others like Deirdre I do not know and I cannot help but worry." I replied, my gaze turning back out onto the misty waters.
In the distance, there were docks with broken buildings burning above. I could somewhat make out the shapes of what had to be Orcs along the side of the docks. They were waiting for the mercenaries to come as reinforcements.
"Deirdre will be fine. You need to focus on the battle ahead, otherwise you may find yourself injured by an Orc." Nimiwen reminded me, wrapping her arms around my waist as we both looked on to the broken city ahead.
It was nearing midday when we were finally close enough that we ducked down to hide ourselves behind the railing. Aragorn held his finger to his lips to tell us all to be quiet and we followed his orders.
"Late as usual, pirate scum." A rough voice that belonged to an Orc called out from the dock where the ghosts had stopped our ship. "There's knife-work here that needs doing. Come on, you sea-rats. Get off your ships."
I pressed a quick kiss to Nimiwen's lips before turning to see Aragorn with a smirk on his face. He was the first to rise up from behind the railing and jump off of the ship onto the dock in front of the Orcs, quickly followed by the other four of us.
Drawing both of my weapons, I looked to see that the Orcs looked shocked to see only five people leave the ships and none of us looked like pirates. With a vicious sneer the leader of the Orcs motioned with his head to advance on us. Confidently, we strode forward following Aragorn who was swaggering forward with his sword held high.
"There's plenty for the both of us." Gimli commented with a smile in his voice. "May the best Dwarf win."
The five of us advanced on the army of Orcs before us, watching as they turned from confident to fearful when the army of the dead passed our group and advanced on them. The sound of arrows flying past came from both where Legolas and Nimiwen were as we moved in battle. Several of the Oliphants were taken down by the ghost army as they swarmed them like ghastly green maggots. My swords worked as extensions from my arms as I sliced my way through the army, leaving behind me a trail of corpses and black blood dripping from my swords.
"Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen." Legolas counted aloud as he sent his arrows into Orcs and Haradrim and they fell to the ground dead.
The shape of a grotesque Orc with tumors and growths covering up most of his features, so that he looked kind of like a pig, stood over a fallen warrior on the ground beside the corpse of the Nazgul mount with his sword raised to deal a death blow. I assumed that Merry was near here, as was Eowyn but they would be found after the battle when Eomer and Pippin came out looking. Right now, my mind was more focused on the battle as the misshapen Orc was slain by a combination of Legolas and Gimli. Both of whom looked at the other with a look of annoyance for taking their kill. I rolled my eyes as I plunged a blade into the neck of an Orc.
"Legolas!" Aragorn called out, his eyes focused upon the Oliphant that was headed straight toward us.
Without responding, Legolas raced over to the Oliphant and began scaling its hind leg using the arrows that were stuck in its hide as steps. I turned away, slicing through a few more enemies before I heard the crash as the massive structure that had been built atop the Oliphant to hold its passengers fell to the ground. Turning, I watched as Legolas shot a couple arrows into the brain stem of the beast before he slid down its trunk and landed with a smirk on his face before Gimli.
"That still only counts as one!" Gimli gruffly growled at Legolas before turning away and killing an Orc with his axe.
I laughed as I plunged one of my swords into another Orc's chest while I blocked another blow with the other. I moved so that I stood behind the Orc that had tried to kill me and dragged my sword across its throat slitting it open and causing the blood to pour out.
We continued to cut our way through the army leaving death and destruction behind us among the ranks of the Orcs. Between the three forces, Rohan, Gondor, and our dead army the armies of Mordor were almost entirely annihilated. Looking up at the White City which had been blackened by the fire and destruction, all the damage seemed to disappear as I watched the green army cover over cleansing the city of the Orcs that had breached its walls.
The sounds of battle died down as all of the Orcs were finally finished off. I raced over to where I had seen Nimiwen; she had just put her bow back onto her back when I arrived. Rushing into her arms we embraced as the other members of our party gathered around us. After pressing a kiss against her lips, I pulled away with a smile on my face and began looking her over for injuries.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I haven't seen you in a while." I heard Pippin's voice coming from a short ways away.
I pulled out of Nimiwen's arms and raced over meeting him as he ran to embrace me. I picked him up and spun him around as we hugged. Then when I put him back down, I smoothed his hair out the way, checking him over for injuries as well.
"I'm so glad to see you." I told him, hugging him once more.
"Release us." Came the voice of the King of the Dead, he and his army had gathered around our group on the battle field waiting for freedom.
"Bad idea," Gimli commented to Aragorn. "Very handy in a tight spot these lads, despite the fact they are dead."
At his words, the king of the dead snarled at Gimli before turning his gaze towards Aragorn, practically begging for him to release them with his eyes.
"You gave us your word." The king reminded Aragorn, wanting so badly to finally be able to rest in peace.
"I hold your oaths fulfilled." Aragorn announced, looking at the dead king. "Go now, be in peace."
Returning to Nimiwen, I wrapped my arms around her as we watched the army of the dead slowly dissipate with smiles on their faces. Within seconds they were gone, leaving nothing but the corpses and wounded behind.
"Come, it is time to look for our friends." Gandalf declares, his eyes ranging over our group and not seeing Deirdre or Merry with us.
**Deirdre's POV**
Pain. The world was nothing but pain. I was currently at the point where I was wondering when I was going to have bled out enough to at least pass out, hoping that maybe that would be a temporary relief from the pain. But even though I could feel the blood leaking out of my body and slowly staining the ground beneath, it was not enough to let me pass into a pain-free sleep. At first it had been simply a wave of agony, encompassing my entire being. But now, I could feel the agony in every single cut. Feel the way that my muscles shifted around the blades that sliced through my flesh. I could even feel the bones in my hand grinding against one another in protest as I attempted to move my fingers. I closed my eyes to block out the brightness of the sun and hold back the tears from the pain that were forming in my eyes.
"Deirdre!" A male voice called, but I was too focused on blocking out the pain to be able to identify who was calling for me. "Deirdre!"
Every time that the voice called I moved farther and farther from the realm of sleep. That was where I wanted to be the most, anything to kill the pain that filled my body. Footsteps moving closer to me and the voice calling my name grew louder.
"Deirdre!" He called once more, growing louder as he raced over towards me. "Oh, Deirdre. Wake up, please. You have to wake up."
My eyes fluttered open, hoping to find Legolas looking down at me, comforting me. But once my eyes adjusted to the bright light, it was not Legolas that I saw. Instead, Eomer was by my side, holding my face in his rough hands.
"Can I go back to sleep now?" I questioned in a voice that sounded like gravel and nothing like my own.
"Deirdre, stay with me. I'm going to get you some help. But you need to hold on." Eomer insisted, slapping my face slightly as my eyelids drooped.
"Eomer?" I questioned causing him to smile and lean forward more. "You still smell like horse."
He laughed at this before his eyes regained their serious tone. A thought struck me then. If he was here watching over me, then who was finding Eowyn, after all she was in worse shape than I was.
"That right there is why you have to stay awake. I still have to get some payback for your insults." He smiled down at me sadly. "I'm going to go get you some help."
He stood up to leave me but I raised my right arm, grabbing onto his ankle. Pain seared through my body, blinding me temporarily, my blood spilling faster from my side as I moved.
"No. Theoden. You need to go see Theoden." I insisted, making him drop back down to his knees beside me and stare me straight in the eyes with a worried expression. "Theoden. Dead. Eowyn injured by his side."
My sentences were growing choppier as it took more effort and pain to talk now than it did before. His eyes snapped away from me and began surveying our surroundings looking for his sister and uncle. When his head stopped turning, I figured that he had found where they were. He looked back down at me, torn between keeping me conscious and going to his family.
"Go!" I urged him as strongly as I could. "I'll just be here resting."
He nodded his head before disappearing over in the direction that he been looking in. My breath left me as I closed my eyes once more, not wanting to feel the pain I tried to quiet my mind so that I could rest. Just as I was on the brink of sleep, a familiar voice jarred me awake.
"Deirdre!" Saffy's voice called. "Oh god, Legolas I found her."
I heard Saffy kneel down by my side, her hands automatically going to hold my face as most of the rest of my body was injured in some way, mostly from my swords and the shrapnel from the Witch King. Seriously, he exploded like that pile of stakes in the carriage in Van Helsing.
"Di," she called once more turning my head to face her. "Come on, Di. Wake up. Don't you dare leave me here."
My eyes cracked open and I looked up to see Saffy leaning over me, her blue eyes filled to the brim with barely held back tears and her cheeks were still flushed, probably from the fight.
"I aint going anywhere." I responded in a dry voice, my eyes lingered on her tears and I frowned. "No crying now. I'm not going to cry and you're going to make me here."
She nodded her head silently and moved her hands so that she was holding onto my right hand, while it didn't hurt as much as it would have if she held my left but it still wasn't exactly a happy feeling. Saffy gave me a watery smile as she held my hand and her eyes ranged over my injuries taking them all in.
"Please don't laugh that I got stabbed by my own swords." I mumbled, my voice growing weaker as finally the world around me began to grow dark. The edge of my vision was turning black.
"I wouldn't dream of it." She replied, giving me her best attempt at a smile.
My eyelids fluttered a little, the blood loss was finally getting to me. It had been flowing in a steady stream with a hint of acceleration every time that I breathed. Just as my eyes were losing focus and about to shut, I saw a trace of blonde hair that I was almost positive was Legolas.
"I love you." I whispered right before my eyes closed and I gave way to the darkness for a reprieve from the pain.
***Saffy's POV***
Legolas was finally coming over, he had been searching through a pile of bodies several hundred feet away looking for Deirdre, but when I called he began rushing over. I glanced down at Deirdre one last time, giving her a smile to let her know that Legolas was on his way. And just as he arrived, she looked at where he was and whispered "I love you" before closing her eyes.
"No, Di! Wake up, DiDi you are not allowed to go to sleep. Come on, wake up." I yelled smacking her cheeks lightly but it did no good. Her eyes remained shut and her breath was coming irregularly.
"Deirdre?" Legolas asked his eyes filling with tears as he caressed her face, trying to get a response out of her. "Wake up. It's going to be alright. Don't worry, we are going to take care of you."
"Aragorn!" I called out, looking up to find our ranger friend a little distance away. "Aragorn, help!"
Aragorn rushed over, looking down at Di worriedly as he eyed the swords that protruded from her flesh. He dropped down to his knees and immediately set to work on the sword that was lodged in her side. Thankfully, I don't think that it pierced her organs at all and only sliced the very edge of her side.
"Saffron, when I pull the sword from her side I need you to put pressure on the wound to try and stop the bleeding. Can you do that?" Aragorn asked, going entirely into professional medic tone.
I nodded my head and as soon as he pulled the sword out my hands raced to where the wound was, trying to staunch the blood with my hands. As soon as my hands were in place though, I noticed that the blood wasn't flowing. I carefully lifted one of my hands to look at the wound. Instead of it being red and leaking blood, over the wound was a layer of congealed black blood.
"Aragorn, look at this." I showed him the wound and his face darkened.
Within a second, he yanked the other sword from her shoulder and we watched in amazement as it congealed with the same black blood as the other wound.
"Let's get her inside to the house of healing and see what they can do to help her." Aragorn instructed, as Legolas picked her up and we began our trek into the city to find the houses of healing.
**End Chapter 33**
There it is, hope that you won't hate me for leaving it off with Deirdre like this. The next chapter will be up within the next week.
Read and Review please XD