Two Bows (A Legolas/OC fanfic)

The Black Gate

After conversing with Éowyn, I left her to her thoughts, and taking my weapons, I left for the throne room, where Aragorn told me they would be.

It took a few minutes to find it, after taking many wrong turns. But I finally spotted the huge double doors and pushed them open.

Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn, Gandalf and Éomer were all standing-or sitting in Gimli's case- around the room.
They seemed to be emerged in an important conversation.
But they all stopped and turned to me when I walked in.

"Now that looks like the Ryanne I know!" Legolas motioned to my weapons, and hugged me again.

"Yes, Ryanne you should hear this." Aragorn told me. I nodded, still holding Legolas's hand.
"What seems to be the problem?"

Gandalf turned to me, his old face looking very worried and perplexed.
"Frodo has passed beyond my sight." He spoke low and slowly, but I heard everything he said. "The darkness is deepening."

At this, my heart rate sped up.
After all we had been through, Frodo couldn't fail us now. He couldn't.
I breathed in deeply and let it out before speaking.
"If Sauron had the ring, we would know."

Gandalf looked at me seriously.
"It is only a matter of time. He has been defeated once, but behind Mordor's walls, he is regrouping."

The wizard was right. Of course he was right. But we couldn't just give up. I remembered what I said to Éowyn.

"We are going to get to that mountain, and we are going to win."

I wished I believed that more.

Then Gimli, from the top of the stairs leading to the throne, spoke up.
"Why should we care?" He took a long draw from his pipe. "Let him rot! Why does it matter to us?"

I sighed. Gimli obviously didn't understand that we couldn't do that.

"Sooner or later Gimli, Sauron and his
army will attack again." I spoke calmly, even though I didn't feel it.

The Dwarf didn't seem to hear me.

But before I could open my mouth to say it louder, or perhaps say something more harsh, Gandalf interrupted

"Because, Master Dwarf, ten thousand Orcs stand between Frodo and Mount Doom."

Gimli seemed to hear that.

Then Gandalf sighed. "I've sent him to his death."
I didn't fully agree with that, there was a slim chance that both Hobbits could make it out of this alive. But they needed to be brave and willing to sacrifice anything.
And I believed that they could do so.

"No, there is still hope for Frodo." Aragorn said, voicing my thoughts.
"All he needs is time and a safe way to cross the Plains of Gorgoroth. And we might be able to give him that."

I frowned. What was he thinking about doing? Knowing Aragorn, it could be anything.

Gimli grunted from across the room.
"How would we be able to do that?"
He seemed sour.

Aragorn turned to look at him.
"We need to draw out his armies, empty his lands. Then, we need to gather our full strength and march to the Black Gate."

The Black Gate. I mentally shivered. I had no desire to go there, and I'm sure nobody else did either.

"We cannot achieve victory by the strength of arms."
Éomer said, speaking for the first time since I walked in.

He was right on that. Our army was nothing compared to Sauron's army, we would loose. There was no doubt in that. Unless Frodo destroyed the ring. But those chances were very small, and decreasing as they got closer to the mountain.