Okay, I'm back again! Here's another chapter, though it may be shorter than normal. I can't believe I'm almost done!

Also, I will be going back to school soon, so that means you'll probably have to wait a little longer for chapters to be published. But don't worry, this story will continue on!

Anyways, I don't own anything other than Kayden, Peyton, Robin, and their craziness.

Chapter 33: Together Again

"Thirty, Legolas!"

Gimli shouted out his score as he sprinted to where the elf stood on the battlefield, swinging his axe around madly. Legolas smirked in reply, swiftly notching an arrow and launching it straight into an oncoming orc's chest.

"Thirty-two, my friend," he stated proudly.

"Thirty-three!" Kayden yelled, wrenching her swords from the gut of an orc. While she and Peyton were chasing down a mûmak, the duo had been separated, and the elleth now found herself fighting alongside Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. The four battled their hardest against the orcs and Haradrim, successfully making headway into the field and towards the city. Transparent green soldiers swirled around them, felling opponents left and right.

Suddenly, Gimli whirled around, darting away from his current position. "Legolas!" he cried, frantically gesturing behind the ellon.

Kayden turned to see what Gimli's commotion was about and immediately stiffened at the sight. One lone mûmak was charging towards them, a wooden tower swaying on its back as its giant footsteps trembled the earth. Legolas, completely unfazed by the beast's sudden appearance, swiftly began running at it, swinging onto its long ivory tusk.

Kayden watched in horror as the elf nimbly dodged the mûmak's trunk as it swatted at him before leaping onto the beast's foreleg and using a dangling rope to swing onto its backside. How the heck was he able to do that?

Her incredulous stream of thoughts was broken as Aragorn's voice snapped through her ears. "Kayden, behind you!"

Kayden spun around only to feel a massive ball of fur crash into her, sending her tumbling painfully into the earth. The snarling, hideous face of a warg loomed over her, its sharp claws digging into her shoulders. The elleth swiftly dodged the warg's strike, twisting beneath the beast's belly to deliver a firm kick to its stomach. The warg yelped at the blow, losing its focus for just enough time to allow Kayden to roll out from under the creature. Angered by the loss of its prey, the warg charged again, but this time, Kayden was ready, She agilely leapt onto the beast's back as it rushed towards her, driving both Veryan and Brethil into its hide. With an anguished roar, the warg tumbled to the ground, Kayden falling along with it.

Picking herself up from the dirt, Kayden watched in awe as Legolas successfully brought down the giant mûmak, elegantly sliding down its trunk as it fell. A small grin made its way onto the Elf's face at his job well done. Gimli, meanwhile, was gaping at his competitor, his eyes widening beneath his bushy red eyebrows. When he finally regained his composure, all he could do was glare at the Elf.

"That still only counts as one!"

~o*o*o*o~

Peyton sprinted across the plain, yelling Kayden's name as she searched for her friend. Seriously, attempting to bring down that mûmak was a REALLY bad idea. Ghostly green soldiers swirled around her as she ran, weaving around the dead bodies of orcs and men littering the fields. The battle was winding down, thanks to the timely arrival of the Army of the Dead. The remaining orcs and Haradrim quickly retreated from the fields, running towards the red haze of Mordor. Peyton smiled tiredly at their withdrawal; she didn't know how much longer she could last.

A few yards away, a familiar figure clad in blue and gray walked among the fields, she too searching for her friends. Peyton's face brightened considerably when she saw her, bolting to where she stood.

"Kayden!"

The elleth whirled around, beaming as she saw her best friend running towards her. "Peyton! You're alright!"

Peyton crossed her arms, giving Kayden a playfully annoyed glare. "Oh, come on, you don't think I'm that bad of a fighter, do you?"

"Nah, you just always seem to make stupid decisions," Kayden replied, grinning cheekily at Peyton's glare.

"Like when?"

"Well, let's see, there was that time when you jumped off the broken wall of Helm's Deep into a charging hoard of Uruks with Gimli…Oh, and trying to attack that mûmak was your idea…" The elleth poked Peyton's chest for emphasis, a joking smile on her face.

"Okay, fine, I get it!" Peyton threw her hands into the air in defeat. "But you're the one who keeps disappearing on me!"

Kayden chuckled. "Fair enough." She playfully punched Peyton's shoulder, eliciting a small "ow" from her friend. "Now come on, we need to get cleaned up. Robin's probably waiting for us."

~o*o*o*o~

"Merry!"

"Kayden!"

"Peyton!"

"MERRY!"

The shouts of the two hobbits echoed across the battlefield as they ran about, searching for their friend. Every so often they would halt, poking at the dead bodies and hoping beyond hop that their companions weren't among them. Eventually, the duo saw a familiar emerald gleam among the grasses and quickly rushed towards it.

"Oh no," Robin breathed, staring down at what they had found.

It was one of the Elven cloaks of Lothlórien, its shining leaf brooch still twinkling in the dim sunlight. The grey cloth was torn and tattered in some parts, but still, none of their friends would have willingly discarded it.

Pippin's eyes were wide with worry as he turned to Robin. "We have to find them!"

Robin nodded frantically. "You go that way, I'll go this way!" she ordered, gesturing wildly in two different directions. Pippin quickly agreed, and the two parted ways, speeding over the dry brown grass. Robin had to find them, find him.

Over the past few days, Robin had noticed something. She not only missed Kayden and Peyton, but she also missed Merry as well. There seemed to be this...connection between them that had begun as a small friendship. But soon it grew, the bond between them becoming tighter and stronger without them noticing. Once they had separated, one traveling to Gondor, the other riding with Rohan, the link between them had stretched, causing Robin to miss his companionship greatly. She didn't know it, but Merry felt the same way too.

"MERRY!" Robin screamed at the top of her lungs, searching amongst the crowds for the small body of the hobbit. "Where are you?" she muttered, stopping by one of the mûmakil carcasses to catch her breath. Her warm brown eyes darted around the area, scanning the bodies for any signs of familiarity. Finally, they landed on a head of curly hair poking out from beneath an orc corpse.

Merry! Robin's eyes brightened with hope, and she hurriedly dropped onto her knees beside him. With all of her might, she shoved the orc body away from her, the corpse rolling away to reveal the blond hobbit. Merry lay unmoving, his face and armor covered in sweat and grime. A trail of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

"Merry!" Robin cried, shaking him gently. "Merry, wake up!"

Slowly, one green eye cracked open, then the other, and the young hobbit's chest began to slowly rise and fall again. "Robin," he breathed. "Is that you?"

Robin nodded happily, a relieved and joyful grin spreading across her face. "Yes, Merry, it's me. I'm right here." Softly, she lifted him into a sitting position, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace. "And I don't plan on leaving you any time soon."

A weak smile tugged at Merry's lips as he leaned his neck forward onto her shoulder, returning the hug. "I missed you, Robin."

"I missed you too, Merry," Robin replied, releasing him from her arms. "Now, come on, let's get you to the Houses."

~o*o*o*o~

Peyton sat on the cool stone steps inside the Houses of Healing, gazing wearily at her surroundings. Aragorn strode this way and that, attending to several patients, a bowl of water and athelas leaves always at his side. Absentmindedly, she scratched at the bandages on her arm, wondering where Kayden and Robin were. The former had gone off with Legolas and Gimli a while ago, the Dwarf muttering incoherently about scores and whatnot, and Robin was unfortunately nowhere to be found. This greatly worried Peyton, but she was honestly too tired to run about the wreckage of the city to search for her.

Her roving green eyes settled to a cot over to her right where Ėowyn lay sleeping, her brother watching nervously over her. Peyton had a near heart attack when she found Ėowyn lying unmoving in the Houses of Healing, Aragorn gently tending to her. Thankfully, the shieldmaiden did awaken, and Peyton exchanged a few words with her before she fell back to sleep.

"Peyton?"

Peyton quickly turned at the soft voice behind her calling her name. A huge grin broke out across her face as she saw the small, hairy-footed owner of the voice.

"Robin!" Peyton cried, leaping up and rushing over to her. Immediately, she dropped onto her knees and pulled her other best friend into a massive hug. "You're alright!"

Robin nodded, wrapping her arms tightly around the human. "You're alive!"

Peyton pulled out of the hug, laughter twinkling in her eyes. "Seriously, why does everyone doubt my fighting ability?"

Robin chuckled at this before looking her friend over. Peyton was covered in grime, much like Merry was, her armor stained with what looked like blood. Fatigue shone through her eyes, and yet still a smile was on her face. "Well, I'm glad to see you haven't changed too much, Peyton." The hobbit then proceeded to look about the room, searching for the last person she needed to find. "Hey, where's Kayden?"

"You know what? I honestly don't know." Peyton rose to her feet, gazing down at her friend. "Come on, let's go find her. I think she's probably with Legolas and Gimli."

It didn't take long for the pair to follow the noise of merry laughter to one of the benches a little ways away from the Houses of Healing, where two Elves and a Dwarf all sat.

"Oy, lassie, I think there's someone here to see you," Gimli remarked, gesturing to the duo standing a few yard away.

A joyful light sparked in her deep blue eyes. "Robin!" she cried, nearly tackling her little friend in a hug.

Peyton coughed lightly, mock glaring at the hobbit and the elleth. "Aren't you two forgetting someone?"

Robin and Kayden glanced at each other, mischievous grins mirrored on their faces. As one, they pounced onto Peyton, knocking her to the ground. Peals of jubilant laughter followed as the three playfully wrestled with each other, and even Legolas and Gimli let out a chuckle at their expense. For now, right at this moment, everything was perfect.

Whoo! Battle of the Black Gates coming up soon! I can't wait!

Please review!