A/N: As always, I own nothing.
***Chapter 11***
**Saffy's POV**
Dawn. The sun was slowly rising at the prow of our flagship. As far as we could tell it had only been a day within the caves of the dead, yet we had already spent two days upon this ship and now the sun was rising once more. The Rohirrim would be riding to battle at the Pelennor fields this morning, where our friends would fight for the fate of Middle Earth. And we were still on this boat waiting to get there.
"How long have you been awake, my love?" Nimiwen's words brushed against my neck, her arms tightening around me.
"Didn't sleep well, too anxious." I replied, attempting to evade the question.
"You should have gotten more rest, there is a great battle waiting for us. It won't do to have you ill prepared." She stated, turning me around in her arms to look me in the eyes.
It was amazing how serious her beautiful blue eyes could be. They reflected the light from the newly rising sun, causing them to blaze with passion. I know it probably isn't the ideal time to be thinking about it, but the way that the light danced upon her hair in the early morning light made me want to rise with the dawn every day.
"Who could have slept when there was someone so beautiful holding me." I retorted in a loving manner, my tone lighthearted.
"I certainly did and I had someone lovelier than the sun and moon in my arms." She responded with a gentle laugh.
I'm sure that my face turned bright red with that, hopefully the sunlight was blinding enough in her eyes to hide that fact. It was shocking how she could be both this incredible warrior yet also be as gentle as a dove. Her voice was wondrous when she chose to sing, yet she always wanted to hear me instead. It seemed that every single day that I spent with her, I just fell for her more and more.
I reached up to brush a lock of her hair back behind her ear, savoring the feeling of the softness between my fingers. As I exposed her pointed ear, a sweet smile spread across her rose-colored lips. Just then a cough sounded from my right side.
"Are you ladies ready for the battle today?" Aragorn questioned. "Or would you like some more alone time?"
I rolled my eyes, pulling out of Nimiwen's arms to reattach my swords to my waist. Then I turned to face Aragorn, whilst fastening the brooch on my cloak.
"We're ready whenever you are, Aragorn. That is, unless you would rather disappear below deck once more for a few more hours of beauty rest." I teased the ranger in return.
"If everyone here is ready then, I'm in the mood to kill some orcs." Legolas' voice sounded from the passageway below deck.
I was almost shocked to hear Legolas sounding so lighthearted. He had been quiet and melancholy for days now, shocked by Di's betrayal. But it seemed that he was turning those emotions into something productive, even if it is anger.
"Glad to see you're in a sporting mood, laddie. It would seem unfair to out-count you when you weren't in any shape to compete." Gimli announced with a laugh as he stepped out onto the deck, his axe glittering in the morning light.
"My dear friend, you think you have a chance in beating my tally. There will be no funneling of your opponent this time." Legolas scolded teasingly, his voice filled with laughter.
Gimli humphed, offended by the elfs comment yet unable to respond as Aragorn cleared his throat. I glanced away from the scene between Gimli and Legolas to see the King of the dead standing before us. The army of the dead had been steering the ships safely to the harbor in Osgiliath, so that we living could rest and not be wearied before the battle. Plus there were only five of us and around fifty ships.
"We are nearing the harbor, my scouts have seen the battle has already begun. We will arrive before midday." The King told Aragorn in a straightforward manner.
Aragorn nodded to the King, his eyes moving back towards the horizon where the silhouette of Osgiliath rose up against the water. The King returned to standing among the misty green shapes that were sailing the ship.
"Are you all prepared for the battle ahead?" Aragorn questioned, receiving nods of agreement from us all. "Then let us hope we can turn the tide against Sauron's forces."
With that rather grim statement, Aragorn headed towards the prow of the ship, where he anxiously awaited the arrival at Osgiliath. I have to say, as far as motivational speeches went, that one wasn't great. It was definitely a skill that he needed to work on a little more. Then again, perhaps he thought that since it was just us and that we knew precisely what kind of a situation we were walking into, that the pep talk wasn't as important. However, it definitely would have helped.
There was a bundle of nerves in my stomach, growing thicker with each passing moment. So I took a deep breath and sat down, pulling out the whetstone that Nimiwen had given me back in Lothlorien and beginning to sharpen one of my swords. The sound of the blade against the stone was calming in a strange way, even though I was preparing the sword for battle; it was an almost beautiful ringing sound.
The sun moved slowly higher and higher up the horizon, raising towards the sky. It was just past midway to the center of the sky when Nimiwen stopped sharpening her sword as well and approached me. She rested her hand on my shoulder, causing me to halt in my work.
"We are nearly there. It's time to prepare for our departure." She stated calmly, slipping back into the mannerisms she used prior to the battle of Helm's deep.
I nodded my head, returning my whetstone to the small pouch it resided in at my side. I fidgeted with the armor that I was still wearing. We had expected to land at the harbor in the middle of the night, and so I had kept it on all night. Then headed toward the railing of the ship on the side we would face the land when docking.
But before I took two steps, Nimiwen took my hand and held me back for a moment. Her eyes were filled with concern and affection, causing my heart to drop further into my stomach. I could see within her the fear that one of us would not live out the day.
"Whatever happens on that plain, whether we win or lose. Live or die." Her voice faltered on those words, but she never looked away from me. "Remember that I love you."
A tear fell from my eyes, streaming down my cheek. Before I grabbed her and pulled her in tight, our lips clashing in a furious kiss. I grabbed the back of her neck holding her tighter to me, because I never wanted to let her go. Not when there was danger and death waiting for us off of the ship. Yet as the ship ground to a halt, the anchor dropping from the ship and ending our movement; I knew that I had to trust we would get through it.
"Race you to the walls of Minas Tirith?" I asked in a whisper, not wanting the Orcs to know that it wasn't the Southrons upon the ships.
She nodded her head, a slight smile spreading across her face. Then together in a crouch we both maneuvered over towards the edge of the ship where our companions waited, weapons drawn and battle ready.
"Late as usual, you pirate scum." A nasally voice cried, tone thick with annoyance. "There's knifework here needs doing. Come on, you sea rats, get off your ships."
Aragorn glanced over his shoulder back at our party shrugging, as though to say 'well, you asked for it'. Before he stood up and jumped over the railing thudding solidly against the harbor ground. Gimli and Legolas gave each other brief grins before following the ranger over onto the land. My eyes met Nimiwen's, finding reassurance there before we rose and hopped over the railing. The wind catching my loose hair on the descent to the ground.
We had formed a 'v' with Aragorn at the head of our party, Anduril drawn and ready for blood. He began to move forward, leaving Gimli and Legolas to cover his sides, while Nimiwen and I guarded each of their outer sides.
"There's plenty for the both of us." Gimli's voice growled out happily. "May the best Dwarf win."
Those words seemed enough to make the awaiting Orcs move towards our party, weapons at the ready. I drew both my swords in a flash, the blades singing as they were released from their sheaths. As we moved forward, I felt the creeping chill of the ghosts racing ahead to smother our enemies.
The scent of blood filled the air, so thick that it overpowered the smell of the water. My swords went into action, as I began slicing into the Orcs before me. Moving forward, I dragged my blades across the throats of two orcs, spurting blood onto the ground before thrusting both blades into other orcs on either side. The weight of the swords in my hands was familiar, no longer heavy with every swing, but instead they seemed to grow lighter with the adrenaline rushing through my veins.
I spun to catch a sword with my right blade before thrusting the left into the attacking orc. Dodge. Parry. Thrust. Repeat. The actions were becoming automatic, the sound of my blades piercing flesh melding with the blood curdling cries of the dying. The ground was rumbling from footsteps and hoofbeats. While war horns joined the cacophony of war. Somewhere in the mix, wingbeats filled the air, causing a stir of wind to brush past. Yet I hardly had time to be concerned as what appeared to be an elephant collapsed nearly atop my head, causing me to dive away from the collapsing mass. Glancing up from my place on the ground, I saw Legolas looking smug at Gimli standing at the tip of the elephant's trunk.
"That still only counts as one." Gimli refuted angrily at the sight of Legolas before the elephant.
"Hey, watch where you're dropping those things. Nearly landed on my head." I shouted over, before returning to slicing through orcs and southroners.
"Just try to stay on your feet." Legolas called back, firing an arrow into the forehead of another elephant driver.
I rolled my eyes before bringing my sword across the neck of an orc, only to realize that Nimiwen had her sword through its chest from behind. She smirked at me, withdrawing her blade and causing the orc to collapse to the ground in a gurgling heap. Another death knell filled the air, followed by a feminine cry. Immediately, I turned to find the source of the sound. There should only be three women in this battle: Nimiwen, myself, and Eowyn.
There had been a sharp wind, sweeping out from where the body of a Nazgul beast laid. Amongst the crumpled ruins surrounding it was the trapped body of King Theoden, his eyes open in death, and beside him the unconscious form of Eowyn. Her helmet was tossed away to the side and there were no weapons on her person.
Dropping my swords to the ground, I turned her over. Her chest didn't seem to be moving and there were cuts across her face. My fingers swiftly found her pulse point, thankfully feeling the throb of her heart beat. Leaning in close, I discovered that even though her chest wasn't showing the signs there was some oxygen flow.
"Nimiwen, find Eomer. Eowyn is in dire need of assistance." I called over to her, barely glancing away from my injured friend.
The sounds of battle were slowly dying away and were replaced by the sweeping sounds of the ghost army. Green mist swept over the entire battlefield. Taking a moment away from Eowyn, I ensured that Theoden had fallen. Blood stained the corners of his mouth and there was an unsettling stillness within his form. With a weary sigh, I shifted back over to Eowyn checking to make sure that her condition hadn't worsened.
"Saffron?" I heard Eomer calling, his voice filled with worry and confusion.
"Over here, Eomer." I responded, causing him to rush over. "Eowyn is badly injured and needs to be taken to the house of healing."
I glanced up at the warrior to find grief written all over his face as he gazed upon his sister. Yet when he glanced away from her from, he looked in the direction of Theoden. A gasp tore from his mouth and he dropped to his knees.
"Eomer, I know you are grieving. But you must get Eowyn to healers, there is nothing you can do for your uncle." I convinced Eomer, trying to express urgency in a calm manner.
In a numb fashion, Eomer nodded his head. Then ever so carefully, he lifted his sister into his arms and began his trek towards the white city, where the green mist had covered the stone walls and buildings. With that settled, I grabbed my swords and re-sheathed them; no longer fearing attack as our enemies had been wiped out by the ghosts. My gaze swept over the ground around the Nazgul beast once more, as I knew Merry would be nearby where Eowyn was. Or at least I hoped so.
After a few minutes of looking, I spied an orc body slightly lifted off of the ground by what appeared to be a fallen rider of Rohan. Shoving the orc body to the side, I saw a small form which was the appropriate size for a hobbit. The hair was a strawberry blonde, but he was still turned over so I couldn't see his face. With a swift movement, I flipped the form over to see Merry's sleeping face. His chest rose and fell steadily and there were only a few scrapes and bruises covering his visible skin. As gently as I could, I lifted the hobbit into my arms. Thankfully between my time in middle earth and his light weight, I could carry him easily.
As I glanced back over my shoulder to see Aragorn speaking to the ghosts with my companions at his side, I caught eyes with Nimiwen. Beginning to walk away, I saw that Nimiwen had pointed me out and that I was carrying a bundle of Merry. Then she slipped away from the others, running to catch up to me. Slowly, I made my way towards the white city.
***End Chapter 11***
Hey, I hope that you like the chapter. I'm trying to write more often. So if you all wouldn't mind giving me some feedback, I would really appreciate it.
Read and review please.