I cannot say how happy I am to have finished this chapter. Only two more chapters to go!
Okay, I want to see what you guys think. How do you think the story should end? I kind of have an idea already, but I want to know what you think. So tell me! Who knows, I may actually include it in my story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. I want to be there in Middle-Earth, though.
Chapter 35: Enter the Void
Kayden rode near the head of the armies as they began their march to the Black Gate of Mordor, Peyton and Robin both on Greystorm beside her. The company hardly spoke at all, the only noises being the clanking of armor and the stomp of hooves. Peyton and Robin rode together on Greystorm beside her, and a little ways ahead was Aragorn, the standard of the Seven Stars and the White Tree fluttering in the wind behind him. The rest of the Fellowship was close behind him, as was Ėomer. Every little detail seemed to be magnified tenfold, possibly due to the anxiety rippling through their bodies.
After several hours, the Black Gate of Mordor came into view. It was massive, taller than most buildings Kayden had seen in Middle Earth, made of jagged, rusted black iron. Two seemingly unmanned sentry towers flanked the sides of the gate, each topped with four menacing prongs. A row of ominous black spikes crowned the gates, looming ominously over them. The armies of Rohan and Gondor gathered in one large circle in front of the gate, most soldiers wide-eyed with fear and nervousness.
Aragorn glanced at his companions before slowly advancing towards the gate. Without any prompt, the rest of the Fellowship plus Ėomer followed, stopping only a few yards away from the gates. "Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth!" Aragorn cried, staring up at the top of the gates. "Let justice be done upon him!"
For one long moment, there was absolute silence. But then, the ground began to shake, the black wall before them rumbling ominously as the gates opened just a sliver. Slowly, a lone rider, clad in all black, emerged out from the black land. His horse bore spiked metal armor across its thin, skeletal body, constantly twisting and whinnying softly in discomfort.
All that could be seen of the rider was his twisted mouth, his teeth large, yellow, and rotten. A menacing helm covered the rest of his visage, black iron engraved with foul words one cannot even describe. "My Master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome," the rider announced in an eerie, rough voice that sounded like he had eaten gravel. Kayden's grip on her sword tightened at the sight of the foul creature, the whole company regarding the Mouth of Sauron in disgust.
When no one responded to his words, the Mouth of Sauron twisted his head from side to side, seemingly observing the company from beneath his helm. "Is there any is this rout to treat with me?"
"We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed," Gandalf retorted, his voice commanding power and authority. "Tell your Master this: the armies of Mordor must disband, and he is to depart these lands, never to return."
The Mouth of Sauron whipped his head in the direction of the Wizard, his horrid mouth opening wide into a mocking sneer. "Old Greybeard," he taunted. "I have a token I was bidden to show thee." From beneath the folds of his black robes, the Mouth wrenched out a shining mail shirt made of fine links. Robin's eyes widened, her hand clamping over her mouth.
"Frodo," Pippin whispered from atop Shadowfax, obviously distressed. The Mouth tossed the mithril shirt to Gandalf, who caught them, silent and stunned. Tears began to well in Pippin's eyes as the Wizard handed him the shirt. "Frodo!"
"Silence," Gandalf commanded quietly.
"This can't be happening." Kayden shook her head, her voice dull and hopeless. "It can't!"
"Silence!" Gandalf repeated, louder this time, but he too was on the verge of tears. Their one last hope was seemingly lost, the one thing they had been clinging onto this entire time.
The Mouth smirked; this was exactly what he wanted to see. "Ah, the Halfling was dear to thee, I see. Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host. Who would have thought one so small could endure so much pain?" His rotten mouth once more formed into a horrific mock of a smile. "And he did, Gandalf. He did."
That was the last straw for Peyton. She glared furiously at the Mouth, her eyes glazed with tears. "Shut up."
The Mouth of Sauron snapped his head in Peyton's direction. "What did you say?"
"I said SHUT UP!" Peyton screamed. Her grip on her bow tightened, and faster than any elf could have done, she drew a mallorn arrow of the Golden Wood and shot it near the hooves of the horse, causing the despicable creature to rear in fright. "That was a warning," she hissed.
The Mouth of Sauron seemed to quail beneath the grim gazes of the company, and swiftly, he whipped his steed around, galloping as fast as he could back to Cirith Gorgor. "I guess that concludes negations," Gimli muttered gloomily from behind Legolas.
Aragorn continued to gaze coldly at the gate before whirling around to face the company. "I do not believe Frodo is dead," he declared fiercely. "I will not!"
Suddenly, a monstrous rumble was heard, followed by the sounds of several marching feet. Kayden turned to see the Black Gates opening wider, a black mass of orcs marching towards the small company. "Aragorn!" she cried. "We need to pull back!"
Aragorn nodded, spurring Brego into a gallop back towards the troops. As the group neared the soldiers, they could see their eyes filled with fright, their shields shifting nervously in their hands as they watched the horde of orcs draw nearer. "Hold you ground!" Aragorn bellowed, riding to the front of the men. "Hold your ground!"
With a loud ring, Aragorn drew his sword, studying the men gathered before him. "Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers! I see 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! 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! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you STAND, MEN OF THE WEST!"
A fierce look came over Aragorn's face, and as Brego triumphantly reared up, Aragorn thrust his sword, Andúril, Flame of the West, into the air. Kayden's gaze was fixed upon her friend, and she could tell something had changed. The blood of his ancestors shone through his eyes, displaying a power and strength not seen in Middle-Earth for hundreds of years. No longer was he the shadowy Ranger she had met in the forests of Bree-land so long ago. He was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Heir of Isildur and of the throne of Gondor.
A loud cheer erupted from the men, and with a resounding ring of metal, the Army of the West drew their swords, courage shining across each of their faces. "He shall make a great king," Ėomer remarked quietly.
Peyton nodded, a small smile stretching across her face. "Yes, yes he will."
As the army of orcs drew nearer, all those riding on horses dismounted, feeling much more comfortable fighting at level with their comrades. Kayden, Robin, and Peyton stood together near Merry and Pippin, their weapons draw and at the ready.
"Well," Peyton remarked, gripping her bow tightly. "It was nice knowing you two."
Kayden smiled weakly. "Yeah." She twirled Veryan in her hand absentmindedly. "I guess we never got to have our spring break, huh?"
"No," Robin replied, staring at her dagger. "But we did get something better." All as one, the three glanced over at Aragorn, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Gimli, Ėomer – all their friends they had made on this journey. Nothing could compare to the experiences they had, and nothing could ever replace it.
Peyton grinned, pulling an arrow from her quiver. "So, are you ready?"
Both hobbit and Elf nodded. "Ready."
Their attention then was drawn to Aragorn, who slowly stepped forward. His sword, previously held at the ready, fell to his side as he gazed intently at the tall, black tower in the distance, a fiery red orb atop its black spires. For a good, long minute, Aragorn just stood there, staring at the flaming red Eye of Sauron.
But then he turned back towards the armies, his eyes rimmed with tears. The tiniest of smiles appeared on his face, and Aragorn whispered two words, meant only for the Fellowship.
"For Frodo."
With a loud, courageous cry, Aragorn charged forward alone into the awaiting mass of orcs. Pippin, Merry, and Robin soon followed, each screaming their own battlecries. Kayden and Peyton were not far behind, leading all the rest as together, they plunged into the sea of orcs.
And thus did the final battle for Middle-Earth begin.
~o*o*o*o~
The battle raged on, more ferocious and vicious than any they had seen yet. But no one seemed to back down. Everyone seemed to understand that this was the final, deciding fight, the battle that determined Sauron's victory or defeat. Kayden, Peyton, and Robin fought fiercely, drawing on wells of strength they didn't know they had.
Robin stayed close to Merry and Pippin, the three slipping unnoticed beneath the orcs' gazes. Many had even tripped over the Halflings, giving the trio a chance to attack them from behind.
Peyton had resorted to using her dagger yet again, the close range unsuitable for arrows. She stood back to back with Gimli as the Dwarf swung his axes about like a madman, felling orcs left and right. Legolas and Kayden were not far away, the former swiftly slicing through enemies with his dual knives, the latter wielding her twin swords with surprising skill.
"SCREEEEE!"
A very familiar ear-splitting screech filled theirs ears as the Nazgûl swooped down upon them, riding upon their fell beasts. Peyton was about to dive to the ground as one flew dangerously close to where she stood, but suddenly, another great winged creature collided with it, engaging the beast in aerial combat.
"The eagles!" Pippin cheered. "The eagles are coming!"
Peyton, along with several others, stared at the sky in awe as a flock of giant eagles soared over the battlefield, their golden brown plumage fluttering in the wind as they charged towards the Black Riders. Shrieks of outrage and fear coming from beneath the hoods of the Nazgûl as one by one, the eagles tore them down from the sky.
Heartened by the defeat of the Nazgûl, the armies of the West continued their fight, never ceasing. Dozens of orcs seemed to fall every minute, yet it seemed like the tide of orcs would not end. Peyton panted heavily as she wrenched her sword from the chest of an orc; if this didn't stop soon, the soldiers would drop from exhaustion.
Then, without warning, something quite solid and extremely heavy crashed into Peyton's back, sending her flying to the ground. A familiar hand latched onto hers, yanking her up from the ground, her greens eyes meeting worried blue ones.
"Are you alright, Peyton?" Kayden asked concernedly.
Peyton gave her friend a swift nod. "Yeah, I'm…"
Her words died on her lips as a loud, rumbling bellow sounded from behind them, an animalistic roar the pair hadn't heard since the battle in Moria. Peyton tensed, not daring to turn around. "Oh, please tell me they don't have a cave troll!"
"They don't," Kayden replied, her grip tightening on her swords as she viewed the sight before her. "They have two."
"Two?" Peyton gasped, whirling around in shock, and sure enough, two massive trolls, both covered in spiked black iron, charged through the masses, growling and roaring as they tossed Men and orc alike aside.
A fierce smile suddenly appeared on Kayden's face. "Come on!" she shouted, and without another word, she charged at the troll, her teeth gritted together in a vicious expression.
Swiftly notching an arrow on her bow, Peyton followed her friend, firing a shot straight at the troll's exposed head. The beast roared in agony, flailing around in a desperate attempt to find its attacker. Kayden seized the opportunity, leaping onto the troll's arm as it swung towards the ground. Quickly, the elleth clambered to the troll's shoulders, using the beast's armor as footholds. Brethil and Veryan flashed in the air as Kayden plunged them into the troll's neck. The beast screeched in agony, thrashing about before falling to the ground, unmoving.
Kayden leapt off the beast's back as it fell, smiling triumphantly at Peyton. ""Excellent work, my friend," she commented, notching another arrow on her bow. "Now let's finish this." Kayden silently nodded, stepping into a battle stance and facing the ring of orcs surrounding them.
Suddenly, a thunderous rumble shook the air. A bright flare burst from the top of the tower of Barad-dûr, and an ear-splitting screech far worse than those of the Nazgûl echoed across the black lands of Mordor. The armies of Mordor stood frozen in fear as the Eye of Sauron began to pulse dangerously. Then the orcs, much to everyone's surprise, began to flee, terrified howling filling the air.
Time seemed to slow down. Black clouds swirled around the Eye as it groaned and shrieked in fright and anger. The tower of Barad-dûr slowly began to crumble away, falling, falling, falling to the ground. The Eye itself seemed to shrink, becoming smaller and smaller until, as it neared the ground, it exploded, sending a massive shockwave across the land.
Finally, the Dark Lord Sauron was defeated.
Kayden felt emotion surge through her, thrusting one of her swords into the air with a jubilant cry. Peyton jumped up and down like a madman, whooping and hollering victory at the top of their lungs. Robin and Merry pulled each other into a joyous embrace, happy tears streaming down their faces, each cheering Frodo's name at the top of their lungs.
All around them, the ground of Mordor began to crack, the orcs standing upon it quickly falling into a dark abyss as the ground collapsed beneath them. Another thunderous rumble echoed across the plains as Mount Doom exploded, launching fiery lava and rock high into the air.
Every single member of the Fellowship stopped and stared, their celebrations coming to a screeching halt. The weight of fear and dread dropped like an anvil in Peyton's stomach as she began to comprehend what was happening. Mount Doom, where Frodo and Sam were, was exploding.
Frodo and Sam, the two hobbits whom she had first met when she came to Middle-Earth, the two who dared venture into Mordor alone, two of the bravest people Peyton would ever meet, were undoubtedly gone. There could be no question about their fate now.
Kayden gazed at her friends, watching as a look of shock and grief quickly replaced the visage of ecstasy on Peyton's face. Robin and Merry were near, the two still locked in an embrace, but Kayden could tell that this was no longer a hug of victory. Concern and distress lit up in Aragorn's eyes, and Kayden could see shining tears beginning to fall down Gandalf's cheeks. The elleth turned her eyes to Mount Doom, tears beginning to trace wet paths down her face.
We won the war, she mused, but at what cost?
Alright, we're nearing the end of the tale! So remember, tell me how you want the story to end!
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