Ranger of the South ➵ LORD OF THE RINGS

↠ T H I R T Y - F O U R : a proposal

Slash. Slash. Slash. I did not know how long we had been fighting. I did not know how many of us were already dead. I did not know how many orcs were left. In fact, I didn't know much.

But I did know that for every Orc I killed, three seemed to fill its place. They were just too many. And although my skills were better than theirs, their numbers were ten times, no hundred times more than ours. We were doomed from the start.

"Keira, watch out!" Beregond said, and I barely avoided my own decapitation.

"Thanks!" I panted. "How are you doing?"

He was sweating all over and I could tell he had several wounds across his entire body, but he merely shrugged his shoulders. "I can do this all day."

I grinned, slashed another Orc and said, "Good to know we can count on you for that."

We were driven apart and I noticed Aragorn fighting closer to me.

"Keira—there is—something—I want—to ask you," he said, in between killing orcs.

"You think now is a good time?" I questioned him, ducking to avoid what would be my twelfth near death experience that day.

"I'm afraid now might be the only time," Aragorn confessed, killing an orc that tried to sneak up on me.

"All right, go on," I said.

"I've been thinking," Aragorn began, as we danced around each other, having each other's back. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"That might come true if Frodo doesn't destroy the Ring," I said. "Then, we'll all die here."

"Just pretend that Frodo succeeds," Aragorn said. "Would you marry me then?"

I hesitated and it would have gotten me killed if Carden hadn't been there. He quickly lifted the Orc from the ground and threw him away. I turned to Aragorn.

"What?"

"Keira Strongbow, I have loved you the moment I saw you," he said, slashing through an orc. "I cannot imagine a life where you are not by my side." He blocked an incoming attack. "I will love and admire you every day and I will love Thrain and Lúthien as if they were my own." He ducked and plunged his sword through the torso of an orc. "Will you do me the absolute honor and make me the happiest man in the world by marrying me?"

He was standing in front of me now as everything around us was forgotten for this mere moment.

"Are you proposing to me because we're going to die?" I questioned him.

"I know timing has not been my best—"

He was cut off when an orc came in between us and we were divided once more.

It seemed to go one for ages. My muscles aged, I was drenched in both sweat and blood.

"Amad!" Lúthien exclaimed. Something in her voice made me turn around. She was fighting off four orcs at the time, but her arm was bleeding heavily. I quickly finished off the orc I was fighting with, a sudden feeling of adrenaline entering my veins and sprinted over towards her. I lunged my sword into the orc's torso from behind before pulling it out again. I then twirled around to decapitate the second orc. Lúthien used my distraction to finish off the third and fourth orc.

"Are you all right?" I asked, my voice filled with worry as I looked at the wound on her arm. It seemed to be deep.

"I'm fine," Lúthien said, pulling her arm from my grip. "You can look at it when this is over."

The way she said it gave me hope that maybe we would survive this after all.

A roar was heard behind me and I turned around to see a cave troll attacking Aragorn.

"Go and help him," Lúthien said, following my gaze. "I'm going to try and find Thrain."

I nodded, trusting she'd be all right, before making my way towards Aragorn, but I wasn't gaining much ground. A sudden fear entered my body. What if I didn't get to him in time? What if I was too late? Again?

Aragorn was fighting the cave troll desperately, but I could tell he was on the very edge of his energy.

Suddenly, Aragorn tripped and fell to the ground. The troll put his foot on his chest. Aragorn took out his knife and stabbed the foot.

"Nooo!" I shouted, slashing and killing off orcs as I went. "Aragorn!"

And then, a screech was heard. Everyone stopped fighting and turned to look at Mount Doom. The Eye was screeching and groaning with a terrible sound. The tower of Barad Dûr began to collapse. The Eye of Sauron exploded, sending a huge shockwave outwards.

"Frodo!" I could hear Merry shout. "Frodo!"

And Sam, I mentally added, beginning to smile, but it was faded away quickly when Mount Doom erupted. How would Frodo and Sam ever escape that? There must be—

"Carden!" I yelled, both physically and mentally.

The hippogriff landed in front of me and I quickly climbed onto his back. "We need to get to Frodo and Sam. We need to get them out of there."

"At your service," Carden said, trying to hide his tiredness.

"It's almost over, my friend," I said, petting his neck as we took off.

Finding them was easier than I thought. Both of them were lying on a rock—looking absolutely exhausted, thin and dirty.

Carden landed onto the rock next to them and I jumped off.

"Sam! Frodo!"

"Keira?" Sam said, his face wet from tears as he looked up from Frodo, who's head was laying on his lap. "Is that really you?"

"It is, Sam," I said, kneeling down beside them, "and I'm taking you home."

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the long wait & the rather short chapter but I only have two (I guess) more chapters to write before this is over!

I hope everyone is doing okay & thanks for sticking around!

Sooooo Aragorn finally popped the question, but sure he could have picked a better moment hahaha

Anyway, thanks for reading & I'll see you in the next chapter which will be out soon! :)