Always and Forever (Sequel to "Love of Another Kind")

Chapter 15: Finally Free

~ The Nazg�l Attack ~
Faramir and everyone arrive in Osgiliath. The soldiers there are shooting arrows at the opposite shore. Rocks are being hurled back at them.
"Faramir! Orcs have taken the eastern shore. Their numbers are too great. By nightfall we will be overrun." Madril explains, walking up to Faramir.
Frodo seems to stumble, he is affected by something.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asks looking back at him concerned.
"It's calling to him, Sam. His Eye is almost on me." Frodo replied, the Ring's music is ringing in his ears.
"Hold on, Mr. Frodo. You'll be all right." Sam faintly smiles. Frodo cannot hear Sam, but sees that his lips are moving, he looks worried. Faramir looks at the hobbits and talks to Madril
"Take them to my father." Faramir tells Madril as the soldiers take them by the hobbits. Faramir looks at Madril, "Tell him Faramir sends a mighty gift." he looks at Sam, "A weapon that will change our fortunes
in this war." he walks off.
"Do you want to know what happened to Boromir?" Sam stopped and shouted after Faramir. Faramir stops and walks back, "You want to know why your brother died? He tried to take the Ring from Frodo after swearing an oath to protect him!" Faramir looks shocked, "He tried to kill him! The Ring drove your brother mad!"
"Watch out!" a soldier exclaimed as at that moment a stone is hurled at a tower behind them. Frodo's eyes glaze over, he hears the sound of the fell beast's wings.
"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked.
"They're here." Frodo gulped, petrified. Faramir looks at Frodo confused
"They've come." Frodo stuttured as Faramir looks frantically upwards at the sound of the beating wings, and then hears the Nazgul screeches
"Nazgul!" Faramir exclaimed, frantic. A Nazgul on his fell beast flies over the city. Frodo looks up at the sky. Faramir grabs him and drags him under cover, with Gollum and Sam.
"Stay here. Keep out of sight." Faramir demanded, he runs out, "Take cover!"

~ Forth Eorlingas ~

At Helms Deep the banners of Saruman, black, bearing his white hand at flying on the Hornburg. It is daylight and the Uruk-hai are using their ram to batter down the Great Hall doors. Men are running to barricade it from behind.

"The fortress is taken. It is over." Theoden sighed.
"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it. They still defend it. They have died defending it." Aragorn explained running with Legolas to carry more barricades to the door. The women and children in the caves cry out as they hear the battering ram
"They are breaking in!" a woman screamed, "They're past the door!"
"Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Aragorn asked, looking at Theoden. Theoden does not answer but looks at the floor.
"Is there no other way?" Aragorn asked, again insistently.
"There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far. The Uruk-hai are too many." Rhiannon answered for Gamling and Theoden. The uruk-hai continue to batter the doors
"Tell the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance!" Aragorn explained, putting his hand on Rhiannon's shoulder, speaking to Gamling.
"So much death."Theoden said, dreamily. Aragorn, Rhiannon and Gamling look at him quizically, "What can Men do against such reckless hate?"
The Uruk-hai ram the door again. Aragorn pauses to think, "Ride out with me." Theoden turns to look at him, "Ride out and meet them."
"For death and glory." Theoden stated.
"For Rohan. For your people." Aragorn added.
"The sun is rising." Gimli observed as Aragorn looks to the window.
He hears Gandalf's voice,"Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn......look to the east."
"Yes.........Yes.........The horn of Helm Hammerhand......shall sound in the Deep......one last time." Theoden added.
"Yes!" Gimli smiled, weakly as the door is broken down
"Let this be the hour when we draw swords together." Theoden stated, placing a hand on Aragorn's shoulder. Gimli leaves to blow the horn of the Helm Hammerhand.
As it sounds Theoden speaks, "Fell deeds, awake. Now for wrath......now for ruin and a red dawn." Aragorn draws his sword. Theoden puts on his helmet. Gimli blows the horn. The Uruk-hai break through the inner door. Theoden, mounted on his horse, next to Aragorn and Legolas raises his sword in the air
"Forth Eorlingas!" Theoden demanded. They gallop through the masses of Uruk-hai through the hall, killing those in their path. Gimli sounds the horn again, as they leave Helms Deep and ride onto the causeway where thousands of Uruk-hai still crowded. Suddenly Aragorn is drawn to a white light and looks up. Gandalf appears on top of the hill top next to Helms Deep riding Shadowfax who rears.
"Gandalf." Aragorn whispers.
"Theoden King stands alone." Gandalf states looking down on Helms Deep.
"Not alone." Eomer rides up behind him, raising his sword, "Rohirrim!" The Rohirrim ride up behind Eomer. The Uruk-hai stop fighting and look up.
"Eomer." Theoden smiled.
"To the king!" Eomer shouted. Eomer, Gandalf and the Rohirrim ride down the steep hill towards the Uruks who surge forward holding their spears in front of them. As Gandalf nears the uruks he sends out a bright white light from his staff, blinding the uruk-hai. They ride over the uruk-hai and into their masses, killing and fighting.

~ The Flooding of Isengard ~

Back at Isengard the Ents are throwing rocks at the orcs, sweeping them away with their feet, stamping on them. The orcs attempt to pull down one Ent with a rope around his neck, but Treebeard throws a rock at them killing them. Saruman rushes out to his balcony looking down at the scene below him in amazement. Merry and Pippin throw rocks killing orcs.

"Yes!" Pippin smiled, proud of himself.
"A hit. A fine hit." Treebeard encouraged. The Ents throw the wooden towers into the pits. Some orcs use flamed arrows to set light to one of the Ents. Saruman looks from side to side very anxiously. The Ents throw rocks at Isengard. One Ent pulls at the supports holding the damed river.
"Break the dam! Release the river!" Treebeard demanded. The Ent pulls again at the supports and the water starts to flow through the wall as the dam collapses. Millions of gallons of water rush down the hillside towards Isengard as the Ents move out of the way. Saurman looks on.
"Pippin! Hold on!" Merry shouts to Pippin. The Ents brace themselves against the rush of water.
"Hold on, little Hobbits." Treebeard exclaimed. The Ent on fire walks towards the water and puts it head into it, putting out the fire. The water fills up the pits and surrounds Isengard with water as Saurman looks on

~ The Tales that Really Mattered ~

Back in Osgiliath Frodo hears the calling of the Ring. He walks out from where they are hidden.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked as a Nazgul flies over Osgiliath.
"Where are you going?" Sam asked again. Frodo stands on top of a wall. As he stand there a Nazgul flies up in front of him. Frodo holds out the Ring to it. Faramir looks up to see the Nazgul close to Frodo. Frodo closes his eyes and starts to put the Ring on. Sam rushes up the steps to him. As the beast reaches out to grab Frodo, Sam grabs him from behind and Faramir fires an arrow into the beast, who flies back screeching. Sam and Frodo tumble down the stairs holding onto each other. They collapse in a heap at the bottom. Frodo rolls Sam underneath him and quickly withdraws Sting, holding it at Sam's throat.
"It's me. It's your Sam. Don't you know your Sam?" Sam urged. With gradual realisation Frodo sits back dropping Sting on the floor. He slumps back against a wall as Sam sits up.
"I can't do this, Sam." Frodo whispered.
"I know. It's all wrong." Sam states getting to his feet. He leans against a wall looking out at Osgiliath, "By rights, we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered." he watches a Nazgul fly away, "Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end.....because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was...... when so much bad had happened?"
Frodo sits panting, tears in his eyes.
"Victory! We have victory!" Thedoden excalimed raising his sword in joy as the Uurk-hai run away
"But in the end, it's only a passing thing...... this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you......that meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now." Sam soothed Frodo as Gandalf kills another Uruk-hai and smiles. Aragorn pauses and smiles. The flood water continues to flow into the Isengard dungeons and Merry and Pippin look relieved. Saruman backs back into his tower.
"Folk in those stories......had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going......because they were holding on to something." Sam continued.
"What are we holding on to, Sam?" Frodo asked.Sam turned to look at Frodo. Gollum looks on sadly. Sam lifts Frodo to his feet.
"That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for." Sam replied. Frodo just stares at Sam. Gollum looks solemn and drops his eyes. Faramir appears, walking up to them, and kneels down beside Frodo. Madril and the other soliders appear behind Sam and Frodo.
"I think at last we understand one another, Frodo Baggins." Faramir stated, standing up.
"You know the laws of our country, the laws of your father. If you let them go, your life will be forfeit." Madril exclaimed as Frodo and Sam look worried.
Faramir pauses, "Then it is forfeit. Release them." Frodo looks relieved and Sam happily brushes a soldier's hand from his shoulder.