A/N: Sadly, I do not own LOTR.

***Chapter 7***

**Deirdre's POV**

Euphoria settled over me as the tension dissipated from my muscles. The burning from hard use filled the tissue, but it felt almost pleasant. Blood dripped from the swords in my hands, striking the ground with a dulled plop. I smirked as I turned away from the injured orcs behind me; none were fatally wounded but each and every one of them bled from my blades.

"Mistress," Morwen's voice cut through the air, she stood to the side of the training grounds with a towel and pitcher held in her grasp. "You have some blood on your face."

I strode over to her, sheathing my swords in the process. My fingers found their way to my face and I could feel the damp specks of Orc blood resting on my skin. When I reached her, the woman handed me the towel which had been slightly dampened with water. After wiping the sweat and blood from my face, I took the proffered pitcher and downed a gulp of the cool liquid.

"Shall we return to our chambers, Morwen?" I questioned, my voice smooth having lost the harsh edge because my anger was slightly culled at the moment.

"Of course, Mistress." She replied kindly, walking by my side as we left behind the carnage of the training field.

**Saffron's POV**

"Sitting here and waiting for the beacon to light isn't going to do anything, you know that right?" Nimiwen's voice cut through the silence which filled the air.

"There is no harm in having a second pair of eyes watching." I replied somewhat curtly, my temper had frayed slightly from the long days of waiting for the fire in the distance.

"Saffy, you have to get up and do something." Nimiwen reiterated she had made this argument most every day since I began my watch.

It had been nearly a week since Pippin had ridden away with Gandalf to warn the steward what was to come. And still there was no sign of any cry for aid. Admittedly it took several days for them to reach the white city, but the seemingly endless waiting was beginning to wear on my mind. Going from one dangerous situation to another in quick succession was infinitely preferable to sitting around waiting for the next catastrophe to hit.

"Nimiwen, I'm fine. I just want the beacon to light as fast as possible so we can get Di back." I let the words escape my lips before the thought finished crossing my mind and I felt the keen sting of betrayal once more.

As much as I was attempting to keep hope that Deirdre was still on our side and just trapped in Mordor now instead of Isenguard, it just dimmed each and every day. And saying her name out loud just reinforced the fact that she wasn't here.

With a sigh, I heard Nimiwen walk away, returning to the great hall. A hint of guilt swelled within my chest, encasing my heart in iron. Instead of spending these idle days with my loved ones and friends, I was waiting to spring back into the fray once more and risk death. A small part of my mind whispered that someone had to make up for what was happening. That if Di had abandoned our cause then someone else had to fight even harder against Mordor to overcome them. But I tried to push those thoughts away again.

My eyes traced the horizon once more, dancing over the peaks of the mountains which contained the beacon tower. Some miniscule flash caught my attention and instinctively my head turned to find the disturbance in my view. It was much like the way that when you hear a noise, like a car crash, you just know exactly where to look. A slowly engulfing orange shape began to form on the peak of a mountain. With wide eyes, I jumped up from my place and took off running towards the golden hall.

"Aragorn!" I called, catching the wind which spasmed out from his racing path and brushed against me.

He glanced back over his shoulder as he sprinted through the city, and somehow jumped over a pile of hay without looking at it, flashing a smile at me. If there is anything to be said about rangers, it was that their stamina was incredible. I tried to keep a pace that was close to his, though I'm sure that I was failing, as I rushed through the wake which the ranger caused.

Silence in the golden hall was broken by my ragged breathing as I tore into the building. With barely a glance from Theoden, he turned his gaze back to the panting ranger.

"And Rohan will answer." Theoden proclaimed, causing an immediate stir to arise within the room. "Muster the Rohirrim. Assemble the army at Dunharrow, as many men as can be found. You have two days."

With a nod of his head and a slight smile, Eomer began to move from the room to follow the orders of the king. A few of the other soldiers who had been waiting at the additional entrances to the hall moved as well, following their captain. Yet all were halted by what the king stated next.

"On the third, we ride for war." Theoden's voice rang magnanimously through the room.

The king quit the room quickly, going to prepare himself for war. With a quick smile Aragorn departed with a quiet Legolas following after him. For a moment, it seemed as though I was alone within the golden hall. That is, until Nimiwen stepped out from beside one of the great columns which lined the room.

"So it has come to pass already. That we are called upon to ride to war once more." Nimiwen stated, approaching me and taking one of my hands within her own. "Why were you so hopeful for this to come sooner? Waiting for the beacons to light for the past four days and nights?"

"Because with any luck, the sooner that we ride to war, the sooner that it ends." I responded, smiling before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"Let us hope that you are right. I look forward to the time when war does not rule our lives." She returned, a sweet smile resting upon her lips.

Hand in hand, we strode from the royal hall and into the chaos which overwhelmed the streets of Edoras. There was commotion everywhere, as the order for war had clearly been proclaimed. There were young women, weeping as they bid farewell to their lovers, brothers, and friends. Children cried as their mothers shooed them back inside so that they could prepare for their husbands' departure.

"Excuse me!" Merry's lilting voice sliced through the commotion as he approached Theoden with his sword in his hands. "I have a sword. Please accept it. I offer you my service, Theoden King."

The hobbit dropped to his knees, proffering his blade to the king. After a short pause, Theoden laid his hand on Merry's shoulder before raising the hobbit back to his feet.

"And I gladly accept it." The king responded as he smiled down at the young warrior now in his service. "You shall be Meriadoc, esquire of Rohan."

With a grin, the hobbit bowed and left the king to fetch his pony so that he could ride to Dunharrow. Nimiwen raced off to the stables as well, retrieving our horses as my eyes searched the crowd for our friends. I espied Legolas and Gimli resting upon their horse with Aragorn sitting aside Brego beside them. Maneuvering through the crowd, I made my way to where our group stood.

"Are you prepared to ride once more into battle, Saffron?" Aragorn asked, concern tinting his voice.

"Do you doubt my skill in battle, my friend?" I questioned in a teasing voice.

"Of course not, I trained you myself." He stated proudly, dropping the topic.

Nimiwen returned to our group holding two sets of reins in her hand, one for her horse and the other for mine. I mounted my steed Aldren, now resting at the same level as all the others. Gimli surveyed the swarm of horse riders which surrounded our party before letting out a snort.

"Horsemen! I wish I could muster an army of Dwarves, fully armed and filthy." Gimli stated proudly, eyeing with disdain the fact that everyone was astride a horse.

I was slightly worried about how common infection was among the Dwarf people, considering that most of Gimli's comments about his people was based around their lack of hygiene, which he was more than proud of. Shaking the thought from my head, I let my thoughts return to the conversation around me.

"Your kinsmen may have no need to ride to war. I fear war already marches on their own lands." Legolas stated solemnly, his voice flat with sadness.

"Now is the hour, Riders of Rohan. Oaths you have taken. Now fulfill them all, to Lord and Land." Eomer's voice roared through the army which surrounded us, drawing a surge of energy from the hearts of the soldiers preparing them for what was to come.

"To the ending of war." I muttered, knowing that the only person who was going to be able to hear me was Nimiwen as she was the closest to me.

With a great cry our army surged forward, moving one step closer to battle.

***End Chapter 7***

There it is, sorry that I haven't gotten it up sooner. But to be perfectly frank I have finals next week, so I've been kinda stressing over those. Also, for those of you who are interested the name of Saffron's horse means "old king", it's an Olde English name.

Please Read and Review. The more reviews I get the quicker I am likely to update.