A/N: I own nothing
**Chapter 37**
***Deirdre's POV***
The gates which had closed after the arrival of the Mouth of Sauron slowly began to open and behind the wall thousands upon thousands of Orcs could be seen marching towards the entrance. After looking at the mass approaching our army Aragorn began slowly backing his horse back towards the bulk of our army.
"Pull back! Pull back!" Aragorn called out.
I turned my horse back around and spurred Bladen on, returning back to the front lines and turning to look at Aragorn at the head of our army. The massive army of Orcs began to spread out, surrounding our seemingly tiny army.
"Hold your ground! Hold your ground!" Aragorn ordered as he watched the soldiers around us getting nervous.
I glanced over to my left side and saw Legolas sitting aside his horse with Gimli settled behind him. He looked over to me and our eyes met for a moment, but with a brief smile, we both turned our attention back towards Aragorn.
"Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers. I see it in your eyes, the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day!" Aragorn spoke, drawing the attention of everyone in our army and a hush fell over the men. "An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight!"
The passion in his voice flowed out among the army, sending a chill down my spine as I watched Aragorn speak to his men. Power radiated out from the heir as he roused the spirits of the army.
"By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand! Men of the West!" Aragorn's voice rang out loudly, rousing a cheer from the army.
The cheer rang out through our army, calling for battle as the sound of swords being unsheathed filled the air. Everyone who had ridden a horse to the black gates now began to dismount, bidding farewell to the last hope of escape. I swung my leg off of Bladen and slid down to his side. One hand grasped the reins while the other stroked his mane.
"We will make it through this, my friend." I whispered into his ear before sending him with the other horses from our party to the center of our army.
I watched the horses disappear behind the forms of a few thousand men before turning back to see Aragorn at the head of our army with his sword drawn.
"Never thought I'd die standing side by side with an elf." Gimli's gruff voice drew my attention to the dwarf standing on the other side of the elf that I loved.
"What about dying side by side with a friend?" Legolas asked, a slight hint of a smile in his tone.
"Aye," Gimli responded, nodding his head. "That I could do."
My eyes travelled the form of Legolas as he stood strong with his bow already drawn and held in his left hand. Acting on an impulse I grabbed his right hand and pulled him to me, pressing our lips together and wrapping my arm around his neck. He responded after half a moment, deepening the kiss and holding me tightly against him.
"You aren't nervous, are you melethnin?" he questioned staring at me with his deep blue eyes.
"Me? Nervous?" I questioned lightly, before shaking my head. "Nah, that was just for good luck."
A grin spread on his face as he softly kissed me once more before we stepped away from our embrace. My hands drifted from his arms to my bow, resting on my back and I pulled it free, drawing an arrow from my quiver as I did so. Notching the arrow in my bow and taking aim at one of the Orcs in front of me, my eyes travelled over towards Aragorn who stood with Anduril drawn and readied. He moved slowly forward in the front of the army, staring mesmerized at the army of Orcs before us. Before looking back over his shoulder with a sad smile on his face.
"For Frodo." He softly said, just loud enough for us to hear him.
I glanced quickly over to Saffy who stood to my right and met eyes with her, a slight smile across my face as I nodded to her before quietly saying.
"For pony."
And with that as my battle cry, I took off running just after Pippin and Merry. The rest of the army racing towards death and destruction in the onslaught with the Orcs, behind me. The arrow in my bow flew forward, finding a home in the windpipe of the Orc that I had aimed at, felling it instantly.
My hand reached back and drew another arrow and I repeated the motion, causing several of the Orcs to drop before our forces even clashed. When I had almost reached the opposing army, I replaced my bow before drawing both of my swords. The metal was comfortable in my hands, as though it was an old friend. I smirked at the thought, before plunging a sword into the chest of the nearest Orc.
All around me, the sounds of death rang. My blades danced through the flesh of numerous Orcs as one by one they fell before me. The odor of iron filled the air and my lungs as I breathed in the death on the field. I thrust my sword into the belly of the next Orc and heard the gurgle of blood in its throat as I wrenched my sword and it fell to the ground. I moved in a whirlwind, leaving a trail of bloodied corpses around me.
A Nazgul cry rent the air along with the sound of men screaming as they were lifted into the air by the fell beasts carrying the ring wraiths. I glanced up into the sky, watching the air with a twinge of fear, before the Nazgul mounts were suddenly engaged in an aerial battle with what had to be the eagles.
I sliced my way through the Orcs, feeling the spray of black blood from their veins as I slit the throat of yet another Orc. My eyes raced quickly over the area around me, there were an endless amount of Orcs still pouring from the mouth of the gates to Mordor and corpses scattered across the ground made it uneven footing. Massive shapes moved throughout the battlefield, sending a few soldiers both Orc and mortal flying away from them. The hulking masses of the cave trolls waded through the skirmish like it was water and let out ghastly roars as they swung their clubs back and forth.
About two hundred feet from me, was the nearest cave troll who was making its way towards Aragorn. He paused as the cave troll gave another cry and his head paused facing the troll. I began to move in that direction, dragging my sword through the muscle of one of the Orcs as I cleaved from the shoulder through to its' mid-chest.
My muscles are burning from the strain of battle and the new flesh covering my wounds is pulled beyond tight. But still I clashed blades with the Orcs and sever heads from bodies, leaving about me a wake of death. My eyes flash to where the cave troll has just sent Aragorn sprawling onto his back.
After burying my blades into the sides of Orcs and leaving their bodies leaking black blood, I run to where the cave troll is sneering down at Aragorn, its foot pressing against his chest as he struggles to breathe and free himself. He pulls a knife and buries it in the think hide of its massive foot. Running behind the troll, I raked my swords from its knee upwards, slicing into the muscle of the hamstring. Its cry of anguish accompanies the sound of shrieking in the air as the wraiths have fled the battlefield and are trying desperately to reach the mountain of fire. With a harsh kick to the calf of the troll, it stumbles from its place, foot slipping from Aragorn harmlessly.
My swords danced across the tenuous muscle at the back of its ankle and it collapses like Achilles in a bout of anguish. I give a wink to Aragorn as he struggles to stand, grasping Anduril as he rises and sends it into the chest of a nearby Orc. I turn from him to continue fighting, but before I can find the next opponent the ground shakes as the eye of Sauron gives off a painful screech. My hands fly to my ears as the noise rings out, leaving me flinching from the sound. A tremor passes through the ground as the army of Orcs give off terrified sounds and abandon the fight in search of safer ground.
On the horizon, the dark tower begins to collapse with the eye looking around frantically from the lowering top. A tremendous sound like the shaking of the earth thunders through the world as Mount Doom erupts, lava blasting into the air and streaking down the sides of the mountain like deadly orange paint.
Sounds of cheering for "Frodo" come from the mouths of the Halflings as the tower of Barad-dur finally collapses to the ground and the eye of Sauron explodes with a shockwave. Metal is crumbling from the black gates and bright smiles cover the faces of all our army.
I glance over at Aragorn, whose face holds no smile instead horror coats his expression. Pippin gives off an anguished cry of Frodo, tears thick in his voice.
"Gandalf," I cry as I slip my swords back into their sheaths and I race for the wizard. "The eagles. You have to get the eagles to rescue Frodo and Sam."
The wizard looks at me with tear tracks running through the battle grime that is coating his face. Misery apparent in his eyes.
"They are still alive, Gandalf. Near mount doom, but far enough away that they won't be harmed by the lava. They need our help." I spoke desperately, remembering the scene in the film where Frodo and Sam lay on the rock surrounded by a sea of lava.
"Very well," Gandalf said the slightest hint of hope in his voice. "We shall search for them. Though I fear the worst."
With a soft whistle from Gandalf one of the eagles swoops elegantly down to the ground landing gently beside Gandalf. The wizard looks at our group before mounting the eagle and taking off as he speaks quietly to the eagle.
Legolas approaches, wrapping his arms around me from behind as he buries his face in the side of my neck.
"Don't worry melethnin." I comfort, bringing my hand back to his head. "Soon all of us will be back in Minas Tirith and the only thing that we will have to worry about it keeping the hobbits from eating the new king out of house and home."
"You seem quite positive that Frodo and Sam will be fine." Legolas countered lifting his head and pulling me even closer against him.
"Of course I am. Though there is one thing that I'm interested in." I opened causing Legolas and the others to turn and look at me. "So this entire quest was incredibly dangerous and it took ages for Frodo to get to Mount Doom. My question is: Why didn't we just have one of the eagles carry Frodo over the plains and to the doorstep where Frodo could throw the ring in?"
**End Chapter 37**
Sorry if this chapter seems strange, it doesn't feel like I wrote it the same way that I wrote the others. And I know that it's late in posting and shorter than normal, but I really wanted to get it posted for your guys and I have been really busy with both work and school. And the last line is something that I've kind of been thinking about for a while. Admittedly it would make a horrid story if that solved all the problems, but it would have been much simpler.
Well, read and review please and tell me what you think.