Walking In Worlds Beyond (A Lord of the Rings Fanfic)

Chapter 9

Glorfindel reacted instantly, face darkening to a mask of cold, controlled rage. The air around him seemed to thicken as a frightful power rolled off him.

Ordinarily, Emily would have been frightened by such presence contorting her typically jovial teacher's demeanor, but on this occasion, she was grateful to witness it. The reassurance sweeping along with the wrathful warrior made her beyond confident that no harm would come to her and that the man was going to be dealt with swiftly.

Swallowing hard, she peered around Thranduil's tall form and watched Glorfindel stride forwards. He called out a clipped command in elvish, motioning his guards to seize the man.

The human seemed to have guessed that it was only a matter of time before this happened after he and Emily recognized each other.

In a fit of desperation, for there was nowhere to go to escape, the man drew his short sword, roaring as he tried and failed to take a hostage, sending people stumbling and scattering away from him with cries of confusion to take refuge behind the guards.

A crazed laugh escaped his lips, washing away any remnant of feigned pleasantness and he swung with expertise at the elven guard approaching him, a blood lust glowing in his eyes.

Horrified and transfixed, Emily watched the squirmish as the sound of swords clashing rang out through the courtyard.

The man was formattable and appeared to handle a sword like one trained from a young age.

The first guard was taken by surprise and got knocked back as he blocked the sword strike. The second guard was upon the man in seconds deflecting his blows with ferocious speed, yet even she received a deep gash to her leg when the human dealt a lucky strike.

When the elleth cried out angrily in pain, Emily took an involuntary step forwards, recognizing the guard as one of the females who had been in the elvish party that met them on the river banks days ago. She couldn't remember her name, but she knew she was the one that had lent her the tunic.

Irrationally, Emily had an urgent drive to help her! To do something! Anything!

Her feet stumbled another step and seconds later an arm blocked her path forwards, jerking her back into reason.

Quickly looking up at the owner, she locked eyes with Thranduil, and, for once instead of being afraid, she wordlessly pleaded for him to help the elleth.

"Stay." Thranduil told her softly, "They are well equipped to handle him. She is not alone nor underskilled. Look."

Sure enough, Thranduil was right. Glorfindel and the other guards who were not surrounding the other human refugees (in case of their interference) had come to her aid, not that she needed it. Before Glorfindel could even step in beside her to assist in apprehending the man, she managed to disarm him and smash him in the face with the butt of her sword, knocking him to the ground.

He fell with a thud and a long string of cursing.

Glorfindel pinned him down, forced his arms behind him, and tied them with rope. All the while the man roared and called down all hellfire upon them, raving around at the crowd like a lunatic about curses, magic, and revenge until his eyes fell on Emily.

He grew still for a moment before smiling coldly at her as Glorfindel and another guard hauled him to his feet.

"You watch yourself, girl." He said with an unnerving calm after such a wild, spitting frenzy. "All you had to do was stay quiet and I would have let you be, going on my way peacefully...but you just had to open your mouth, didn't you? They can't hold me forever, and you're the first I'll be coming for when I get free. Mark my words."