At first, Talion had to shield his eyes from the warm light in front of him, too accustomed to the darkness to realize that the light did not burn him, but rather enveloped and welcomed him with gentle care. Talion looked straight ahead, hearing the voices of the fallen. But this time, they weren't pleading; they were calling him to join them, to finally be at peace, to join those mourned in eternal bliss. This was his only chance.
As Talion went to take a step forward, he heard something he never expected. Where had he heard that voice before?
"...In these difficult times, you were the Lord we needed, boss. Down to earth and real. You showed us what you've learned in life - the value of even our miserable lives and the importance of the simple things. You were humble about your mistakes, but so bold in your will to free us and show us how to love ourselves once more. That's the example we pledge to uphold. We'd be happier if you were here to guide us again, boss... We- we-..."
The rough voice halted, and a heavy sigh was heard, as if trying to find the right words to say. Talion felt a ghost of a touch on his hand.
"We know you wanted this from the very start, boss, but we thought... we hoped that, in the end, you would see us as your people and guide us as the king we always saw you as."
Talion felt stunned to the deepest part of his being, to the point where he dared not move an inch in case it would somehow break the spell. For what felt like an eternity, he listened to every voice that sailed on the gentle breeze.
"...you truly listened, boss, not like the other Black Lords..."
"...you were the only one who ever saw us for what we could be..."
"...remember, that we would move heaven and earth for you..."
"...is there a way we can ever rise and be at least a fraction of what, in the end, you were to us..."
"...we don't know what to do now, boss..."
"PLEASE, boss, we need you..."
"...sometimes, the memory of you makes me... .... ...sad..."
"...you could still come back, boss, you do have the power..."
"Would you return for them?"
The new presence surprised him slightly.
"Shelob?"
"Would you return after all that happened?"
Talion turned around to be greeted by the spider herself in her true form.
"I-..."
"You don't have to answer the call. They'll understand."
"Even if I could, I'd only return to bleed out again. There's nothing left to keep me alive."
The spider shifted slightly.
"What if there is?"
"...How?"
"I cannot say."
Talion looked back into the light.
"This is my only chance, isn't it?"
Shelob looked almost mournful.
"I'm dying, Talion. Middle-earth still needs someone to keep the balance, and the orcs need someone to lead them."
Talion closed his eyes.
"I ask you once more, Talion of the Black Gate, how much are you willing to sacrifice?... After all that's happened, after all that you've been through, will you answer the call once more?"
A moment of relative silence followed.
"You're dying?"
Shelob smiled tiredly.
"Sacrifices must be made, and if my death means determination for those who destroyed the One, then so be it."
When Talion faced her once more, she was in her more human form, her head split open but not bleeding.
"We may have fulfilled our purposes, but unlike me, you can still do more. With the last of my essence, I can give you unending life once more."
Talion looked away, deep in thought.
"How much are you willing to sacrifice... for them?"
Talion straightened in front of Shelob, adjusting his armor before looking at her, for the first time, straight in the eyes, determination burning within them.
"Everything."
YOU ARE READING
Kingdom of the fallen
Fanfiction***UNDER EDITTING*** As a ranger of Gondor, Talion was slaughtered on the Black Gate with everyone he ever loved. However, Talion did not find peace in death. He was cursed, and resurrected, by a powerful wraith Celebrimbor, who reforged him into an...
