Hunter of the Rings

Chapter 32

Such a battle was large and bloody, yet it was completely different to the one they had experienced back at Gondor; they were completely consumed by the orcs as they attacked, surrounded by their foe from all areas with a quickly fading hope for victory. They were facing orcs and trolls, all strong and out for blood. And to make matters worse, they were aided from the sky; the Nazgûl flew over the Black Gate and descended upon the battle below, snatching up unaware soldiers and tearing them apart, sending the pieces back to their own with force. As Gandalf fought, an unusual movement caught his attention; he removed the head of the orc he was fighting and turned towards it. It was a moth, flying in front of his face; it was in that very moment that, as the wizard's face brightened, the sound of bird cries could be heard. Several eagles appeared from beyond the clouds, attacking the Nazgûl and returning the nasty treatment they held for the brave soldiers below. It was not just Gandalf who noticed the aid in the sky, for he could hear some calling "eagles! The eagles are coming!" with joy and a new found hope. While the Nazgûl beasts and the eagles fought, the battle below continued. Aragorn turned to find a huge troll, covered in armour, heading straight for him! Blocking the beasts blows the best he could, the man was soon thrown to the ground with a pained thud, but he refused to loose his grip on his sword. From across the battlefield, Legolas caught sight of the violent interaction and his worry merely grew; his eyes widened in horror as he tried to make his way to his fallen friend, rushing as he fought any opposing orcs that got in his way. The troll, letting out a tremendous roar, stomped his stone like foot down upon the man's chest; Aragorn struggled against the sudden weight, restricting his breathing as he tried to move out from its way. 

Pulling out his dagger from his side, Aragorn was swift as he lodged the blade into the beast's stone-like foot with as much force and strength as he could muster. In the very same moment, Legolas managed to finally fight his way through the battle and reach his outnumbered friend; he kicked up and jumped onto the trolls back, repeatedly slashing and stabbing at the creatures back, head and neck until it began to fall and away from the man beneath it, trying to reach for the offending elf. With the terrible weight leaving his aching body, Aragorn wasted not a single second as he rolled out from under the foot before it could return and climbed to his feet, copying his friends actions as he attacked the troll from below. Only once Legolas had a good swipe under the beast's helmet, just below its neck, did it finally begin to fall! Jumping aware seconds before he would have been crushed, the elf had no time to breathe before the pair were thrown back into the centre of the fight; they were surrounded by orcs, more than any would be comfortable with. And every time they killed and got rid of one, three more approached and replaced their fallen comrade! "Still alive I see" Aragorn called out, blocking an axe from striking his face before thrusting his blade into the offending orc's chest; Legolas merely chuckled as he kicked at a nearby attacker, slashing his sword at another's chest "as are you...barely" he replied with an amused grin. He wasn't wrong, for either of them; they were battered and bruised, even the elegant and beautiful elf had dirt and blood on his face and clothes. It was a horrible truth to accept, but the battle was turning into a struggle as any hope that they had previously felt was quickly fading. 'Please, Maddie...you can do this' Aragorn's thought cast back to the girl as he caught sight of the Eye of Sauron; it was trained on him, watching on with amusement as if  such entertainment 'save us, my darling girl...and return to me' he pleaded, even to the gods themselves with what hope remained.

'Need...need to reach the entrance...just need to get to the entrance' Maddie told herself, pushing on as she climbed up along the mountainside of Mount Doom, though her mind was battling fazed and fogged. She cradled her throbbing arm to her chest, ignoring the pain Gollum's attack had caused, much like she did for the rest of her already aching and suffering body. She hadn't stopped running, as much as she wished to; the sudden burst of energy given to her was not to be wasted, she demanded that of herself. And it was not, for finally, the girl found herself standing before the entrance to the Crack of Doom; it was a haunting place to behold, Maddie thought to herself as she stared at the pathway before her as an eery chill ran down her spine. The teenager glanced behind her shoulder, taking in all she could see as she turned; it showed Mordor to be the dark and corrupt place she had experienced, but in the distance, her eyes caught sight of the Barad-dûr tower. The Eye of Sauron sat at the very top, almost as if it were floating in mid air; it was the only light Maddie could find for as , but its gaze remained staring down at whatever had caught it's attention over in the North. Maddie squinted her eyes to try to catch sight of what could contain the evil's attention, but her vision once again failed her; it blurred and doubled, forcing her to close her eyes till it eventually corrected. Well, mostly anyway. Taking a deep pain stained breath, Maddie returned her focus to the entrance and, with a mixture of determination and reluctance, she took her first steps inside the Crack of Doom.