***Chapter 15***

**Deirdre's POV**

They had rejected the deal, her chance to save them without any repercussions. That was all she had wanted, her once friends not dead on the field of battle. A thought flitted across my mind and I had to take my mount higher into the sky to speak with the other commanders of what I had already spoken of with the Mouth. But seeing how the head of the captain was laying on the ground, I figured that that conversation had been pointless.

I spied Khamul, who had taken over as leader of the wraiths since the witch-king had fallen. Flying over to his mount, I quickly gained his attention.

"The battle will commence shortly and I am need elsewhere." I began, causing Khamul to nod his armoured head. "Take the wizard and his party alive if possible, I'm sure Lord Sauron will want to deal with them himself or get their allegiance."

"Do you believe that wise, my lady?" Khamul questioned, his voice hissing out from his shadowed face.

"If I did not believe it wise I would not have brought it to your attention." I hissed out. "Now you will follow my instructions and bring them captive."

"Yes, my lady." Khamul responded.

"Good, now pass it onto your fellows and your soldiers." I ordered. "And tell the other wraiths to try not to get killed."

Without waiting for a response to that I flew my beast away from the Nazgul lord and back over the gate. The Tower of Barad-dur was nestled a ways back from the gate, yet I could see that the eye was fixed upon the armies converging just beyond the gate. But I flew passed the tower, continuing on to the mountain of fire itself.

Against the side of the mountain slowly making their way up were the rough shapes of two beings. The grey of the cloaks made it hard to realize that they were not simply rocks, yet there was a tell tale ginger head which let me know I was on the right path. There was another pale creature climbing after them though, the form was not familiar to me, yet I thought I knew it to be Gollum. A smirk found it's way on my face as I landed my mount a ways away from the figures that I had seen before.

**Frodo's POV**

It was so heavy now, the chain was hot and cut against my neck. It hurt so much to move that I just wanted to lay down. I was tired. So Sam, my faithful Sam lifted me onto his back. It was slow going up the mountain, heat making me delirious.

I wanted to sleep yet when I closed my eyes dark visions filled my mind. I could not remember the last time that I had slept for more than a few minutes. And the last time that I had found any peace in sleep was before we split from the rest of our fellowship.

"Look Mr. Frodo, a doorway." Sam's voice pulls me from my exhausted thoughts. "We're almost there."

I was so glad to hear those words from his mouth. The pull had gotten so much greater with every step that we went forward, making me want to collapse from the pressure of it. Yet Sam had brought me so far, we were almost rid of it.

"Clever hobbits to climb so high." A familiar voice sounded from above, causing Sam to come to a stop.

Suddenly a weight drops down on me and pulls me from Sam's back. As much as I tried to fight against the hands that were searching desperately for the chain around my neck.

"Musn't go that way. Musn't hurt the precious." Gollum cried desperately, the kindness from before was gone and the madness had returned.

"You swore." I yelled back at him, trying to get his hands off of me. "You swore on the precious." He laughed at me. "Smeagol promised."

"Smeagol lied." He returned to my pleas with a vicious sneer.

Suddenly something knocked Smeagol off of me, expecting Sam I was shocked to turn and see Deirdre, her sword raised in her hand. She had knocked Gollum off of me and her sword was coated in his blood. I couldn't fully bring myself to dislike her for striking him back, he was no longer my friend. His sobs reached me yet they were distant. I only saw her.

I don't know what it was, but she looked angelic. Her hair flowed behind her as she slipped her sword back into its sheath. She walked toward me, her face gentle and she radiated the same light that Arwen had so long ago when I was brought to Rivendell. She was light against the darkness of her gown. She knelt down beside me and worry shone on her face.

"Frodo?" she asked, her voice questioning if I was alright.

A wave of exhaustion swept over me as she lifted my upper body into her arms, resting my head against her bicep. I struggled to keep my eyes open, yet she seemed so bright. Then she started to sing, softly at first her voice barely reaching my ears. But soon enough it was stronger and I recognized the song as one that she had sung to me before, telling me to go to sleep that she would be there for me. I could feel the exhaustion grow as sleep began to tug at my mind. As the song came to an end I simply let go. Forgetting the task that was required of me, the danger that was all around. I knew that Deirdre would take care of everything, and just sunk into the calm of sleep.

**Sam's POV**

I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it. Deirdre had saved them from Gollum, who now lay dead against a boulder his blood soaking into the dark soil of Mordor. She had come from nowhere, wearing black metal armor and some sort of war dress. She was pale against it, her face was harsh when she struck down Gollum. Yet now she was cradling Frodo in her arms with all the care of a mother. Her face had softened when she sang to him so she looked like she did back in Lothlorien.

But why was she here? He couldn't help but raise the question. How had she found them? How had she made it through the black gate without falling to the swords of the orcs. And where did she get that armor? His thoughts continued to range over this as she finished singing to Frodo, leaving his dark-haired friend sleeping peacefully in her arms.

He watched as her hand moved from Frodo's face down to his neck and then finally to the chain that hung there. Even from a few feet away I could see the marks on his neck from the chain. Her fingers danced across the chain, finally finding the gold ring which hung there. A frown crossed her face when she touched it.

For a moment she paused, frozen at the contact with the one ring. He thought she might get up from the ground at the moment and throw the ring into the mountain herself. But then her face hardened and she removed the chain from Frodo's neck. Holding it up before her. She gently laid Frodo on the ground, keeping the chain within her grasp.

"Deirdre?" I asked, causing her to turn and look at me. Her face was hard and her eyes deprived of the warmth they had held moments earlier. "What are you doing?"

Confusion seemed to spread across her face for just a moment before a smirk broke out.

"Don't worry, Sam. I will take care of everything." She told me, not answering me. "Why don't you lay down and sleep like Frodo? You must be tired."

"I wont sleep until that ring is destroyed." I answered calmly.

She came closer to me. Her hand smoothing the curls of my hair. A smile came onto her face, but it didn't feel right. "Good night, Sam."

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in my temple and my vision went black as I fell to the ground.

***End Chapter***

So theres that one. I hope you all enjoy it. Please Read and Review