Hello everyone! Finally, I am back! This chapter was giving me such a hard time for various reasons. It's another filler chapter, so it's not as long as I'd like it to be. But I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I only own Kayden, Peyton, and Robin.

Chapter 31: Friends in my Heart

SCREEEEE!

Robin and Pippin yelped as the Ringwraiths swooped over the city, shrieking their foul cries. The two hobbits pressed their hands to their ears in an attempt to block out the noise as they raced through the city. Rubble littered the streets, huge boulders that were once walls littering their path. The din of soldiers shouting orders blared around them, but the deep, booming voice of Gandalf rose above all.

"Send these foul beasts into the abyss!" he bellowed from the wall. "Stand your ground! Do not give in to fear!"

Gandalf's last command was quite hard for many to do, in Robin's opinion. The Ringwriaths terrorized the city on their Fell Beasts, their cries seemingly instilling fear inside of the fighters. Robin nearly collapsed in fright as another wraith swooped over their level, screeching its bone-chilling cry.

"Come on, Robin!" Pippin urged, hands firmly placed over his ears.

Robin leaned against the wall, shaking violently and eyes clenched shut. "I-I don't t-think I can!" she stuttered.

Pippin strode to her side, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "You have to, Robin," he stated. "Think of everyone out there fighting…the soldiers, Gandalf, Aragorn, Peyton, Merry…"

At the mention of Merry's name, something flared inside Robin's chest, warmth rising up throughout her body. She realized that Pippin was right, they had a reason to be fighting, and she wasn't about to let those people, especially Merry, down. Her eyes snapped open, courage welling up inside of her. Robin gave Pippin a quick nod, and the two hobbits dashed through the battle, both drawing their blades. "Quick, let's find Gandalf!" Robin shouted.

The two hobbits raced through the battlefield, occasionally viewing the expanse of black before the walls of the city. Huge towers rose out of the masses, allowing orcs to climb onto the wall and fight the soldiers directly. Robin and Pippin eventually made it to the wall, where the White Wizard stood, sword and staff in hand, furiously striking the oncoming hoard.

"Fight them back!" he commanded to the soldiers. Gandalf then turned to see Robin and Pippin running towards him. "Go back, you two! This is no place for a hobbit!"

"But we have to fight!" Robin protested. Suddenly, an orc leapt towards them from a nearby tower, dirty and rank with blood. Without thinking, Robin dove out of the way, dragging Pippin with her. The two hobbits briefly glanced at each other, and then, with a loud cry, they charged forward, their short swords impaling the foul creature through the stomach.

An impressed smile flickered across Gandalf's face. "Hobbits will always continue to surprise me," he remarked, his face then become serious. "Now go, back up the hill, both of you!"

Not daring to disobey Gandalf, Robin and Pippin nodded and began sprinting off the wall and back to the Citadel. But as they ran, the two hobbits could hear the orcs chanting below.

"GROND! GROND! GROND!"

Robin shuddered, knowing that whatever the orcs were chanting about, it could not be good.

~o*o*o*o~

Kayden, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli stood on the banks of the river, watching as the fleet of Corsair ship slowly approached them. Their leathery black sails flapped in the wind like great dragon wings, carrying their gray boats across the murky waters of the Anduin. Kayden could see several hard-looking men dressed in black armor filling the top decks of the ships.

"Halt!" Aragorn called out to the Corsairs once they were within earshot. "You may go no further. You will not enter the kingdom of Gondor."

The crew howled with laughter at the Ranger's command. "Who're you to deny us passage?" the boson of the nearest ship shouted back.

Aragorn glanced over at Legolas, who stood on the other side of Gimli. "Legolas, fire a warning shot past the boson's ear," he muttered. Legolas nodded, swiftly notching an arrow and pulling the taut string back.

"Mind your aim!" Gimli whispered, gently nudging the bottom of Legolas's bow with the butt of his axe. Unfortunately, the slightest motion can change the course of the arrow, and Legolas wasn't able to correct his aim before he released the shot, the arrow sailing over the river and directly into a mercenary standing beside the boson.

Kayden slapped her face into her palm, shaking her head at the dwarf's antics, while Legolas glared at said dwarf. Gimli cringed beneath the Elf's piercing gaze and did his best to try and cover his mistake. "That's right! We warned you!" Gimli shouted to the Corsairs. "Um…prepare to be boarded!"

The mercenaries cackled at the ridiculous statement. "Boarded?" they taunted as they continued sailing by. "By you and whose army?"

Kayden glanced over at Aragorn, a smirk forming on her face. Aragorn nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "This army," he announced, and with a blast of wind, the Army of the Dead materialized behind them in all of their ghostly green splendor. With a terrifying battlecry, the King of the Dead charged forward towards the Corsairs, the laughs of the mercenaries quickly become shouts of fear. Kayden's hair whipped around her face as the Army of the Dead followed their leader, the occasional soldier passing through her body.

Within minutes, all of the ships were devoid of mercenaries, the decks still and silent. Aragorn turned to his companions as one boat came close enough to the shore for them to board.

"Come," he instructed. "We go to aid Gondor."

~o*o*o*o~

Meanwhile, Peyton was also traveling to the White City's aid. She, Ėowyn, and Merry stood together amidst the Rohirrim as they rested while a few others, led by Ėomer, scouted. The three of them had removed their helmets for the time being, assured that in all the hustle and bustle of the soldiers, no one would bother to look their way and recognize them.

Peyton sighed, fiddling with her armor. Both she and Ėowyn had "borrowed" some spare Rohirrim armor and dressed like two ordinary Rohirrim soldiers so they may ride to battle. Both had their respective weapons, Ėowyn's sword and Peyton's bow, strapped onto their person, ready for war. Ėowyn had also insisted that Merry join them, since he too was not permitted to fight.

Currently, Merry was perched on a rock, silently chewing on a sandwich (hobbits and their unquenchable appetites). Ėowyn was pacing, her long flaxen hair floating gently in the wind. An anxious expression was on her face, no doubt mirrored on Peyton's visage.

"Do you think we will make it in time?" Peyton asked, biting her lip.

"I do not know, Peyton," Ėowyn answered gravely. "I do not know." The shieldmaiden heaved a sigh turning to look at her companions. "But we must have courage. Courage for our friends and for the battle that is to come."

Peyton nodded, sitting on the rock beside Merry. The hobbit smiled gently at her. "I…I know that we alone can't save Middle-Earth," he began, twiddling his thumbs. "But our friends need our help. Pippin, Sam, Frodo, Robin…" Merry trailed off in thought for a moment. "More than anything, I wish I could see them all again. That's the reason why I'm fighting."

A grin slowly spread across Peyton's face. "That's a very good reason, Merry," she replied, rising to her feet. "I think that's why I'm fighting too."

~o*o*o*o~

Kayden leaned against the edge of the ship, watching silently as the riverbank passed by. The sky was covered in a dull haze, making everything seem dismal. A small sigh escaped her lips as she felt a presence come beside her. "Does something trouble you?" the familiar voice of Legolas asked.

"I hope Peyton and Robin are alright," Kayden remarked. "Back home, we were nearly inseparable. But now, they're both somewhere I'm not, and I have no way of talking to them, to see if they're okay."

"The bonds of fellowship between the three of you are incredibly strong," Legolas stated. "Your friends give you courage and strength, and there is no doubt that you give them that as well." He gently clasped her shoulder. "And you may be separated by many leagues, but they will always be with you, in your heart. You will know if one falls; your heart will tell you so."

Kayden turned to Legolas, a thoughtful expression on her face. "What chance do you think we have of winning against Sauron?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of the ellon's lips. "What does your heart tell you?"

The elleth paused for a minute. "That we have a chance," she finally answered. "A small chance, but a chance nonetheless."

Legolas nodded. "Yes. We must have hope."

~o*o*o*o~

So apparently, "Grond" was a battering ram. A massive battering ram shaped like a wolf's head and spewing fire everywhere. The thundering boom of Grond beating against the gates of Minas Tirith echoed throughout the entire city. Robin and Pippin watched with dismay as evening darkened to night, and flaming rocks were hurled at the city walls, effectively crushing them. Eventually, Robin couldn't take the sight of the city being ruined any longer.

"I'm going to go check on Faramir," she whispered, leaving Pippin in the courtyard. Hurriedly, Robin walked to the Houses of Healing, where Gandalf had instructed the guards to take the wounded Faramir. She took a few wrong turns on the way there, but eventually, she found the cool stone hall lined with beds.

Upon entering the Houses of Healing, she found it completely deserted, not a soul in sight. "Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing strangely against the stone walls. "Faramir?" Robin rushed through the rows of beds, looking for any sign of the Steward's son. When she reached the very end, she saw that the last bed's covers were askew, indicating that someone had been lying there.

"Where did Faramir go?" she mused aloud. After a moment, she broke out into a run. "I need to tell Pippin!" Robin raced to the courtyard as fast as she could, her bare, hairy feet pounding against the stone. "Pippin!" she cried, only to find that he had gone missing as well.

"Where did he go?" she wondered aloud. After a few moments of thought, Robin still could not find an answer to her question. There was one person who would know what to do, though, but she certainly did not want to go where he was. After all, Gandalf was in the lower levels, which currently were billowing smoke and flames.

But she needed to speak with him. Faramir and Pippin's disappearances were no light matter. So, with a deep breath, she broke into a run, charging into the chaos below. Suddenly, an immense boom was heard, and Robin could hear the orcs beginning to swarm the city. "Retreat!" the deep voice of Gandalf bellowed from the first level. "Retreat to the second level!"

Immediately, Robin increased her pace, going into an all-out sprint. Eventually, she reached the lower levels, flames, smoke, and blood swirling around her. "GANDALF!" she shouted desperately, fighting the waves of soldiers retreating. "GANDALF!" Robin thought she heard Pippin a ways away, he too calling for the White Wizard.

Suddenly, Robin heard a whimpering to her right. The hobbit turned to see a young girl, maybe around six years old, peeking out from behind a wooden door, the door collapsing in and obstructing the way out. "Hold on," Robin called out to the little girl, rushing to the door. She swiftly drew the knife Lady Galadriel had gifted her and began hacking away at the wood, eventually breaking enough away so that the young girl could free herself.

"Come on!" Robin shouted, seizing her hand and breaking into a run. The little girl quickly sped up her pace, and the two dashed through the city, dodging rubble and debris as it flew past. The sounds of the orcs drew steadily nearer as the pair charged through the gates to the next level. A mass of soldiers swirled around them, bringing materials to barricade the door.

Robin ducked into an abandoned alleyway where they wouldn't be bothered by the soldiers. "Are you alright?" the hobbit asked the young girl, examining her for injuries. There were a few nicks and bruises, but nothing serious.

The young girl nodded, a smile beginning to form on her face. "T-thank you," she stated, giving Robin a hug.

Robin, quite shocked, awkwardly patted her back. "You're welcome. Now go; run up to the higher levels. You should be safer there." The little girl nodded before speeding off. Robin watched her retreating back for a while, hoping that she and everyone else would be alright. As far as she could tell, they were fighting a losing battle, and if help didn't come soon, no one would be safe.

Sighing, Robin gazed up at the sky, soft rays of sunlight beginning to peek over the tops of the buildings. She jumped in surprise a shadow passed over her, the hobbit cringing in terror as the King of all Nazgûl swooped over the city, headed for the Citadel. A sense of dread washed over her as she watched the Fell Beast soar higher into the city.

Suddenly, an immense horn blast shook the air, not loud and menacing like the call of the orcs, but deep and friendly, a hopeful note to its cry.

Rohan had arrived.

So, in case any of you are confused as to what happened to Faramir: yes, loopy old Denethor did try to burn him, and Gandalf and Pippin did save him, but Robin just wasn't there to see it. Therefore, it's not included in the story, because frankly, I can't write loopy Denethor! I do like calling him loopy, though. That's fun. :)

Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Please review!