Against all Odds {Middle-Earth fanfic}

Chapter Fifty-Three

Nikandros watched weakly as the group fought. His face hardened with anger as he saw the master use the jewel to aid him in fighting Thea. Clenching his teeth, he slid the dagger out of his stomach. Blood gushed out, and Nikandros applied as much pressure as he could with his left hand. Holding the dagger in his right hand, he hurled it at the master with as much force as he could muster. The master didn't see it coming, and lifted his sword to finish Thea off. As the sword came down, Nikandros's dagger came out of nowhere, shattering his gem, then falling to the floor. The Master's eyes widened with unbelief, and he forgot about Thea for a few seconds, then his face clouded in anger, and he again raised his sword to kill Thea.

Thea almost froze when she saw the shattered pieces of gem. Then, finding her strength, she thrust her sword into his exposed stomach, disregarding the Master's own blade that came down and sliced into her shoulder. Using Alicia's distraction, Ulric thrust at her unprotected back, killing her. He sank into the floor, exhausted physically and mentally.

The Master sank to his knees, and clutched his wound. He glared at Thea, and reached down to pick up his sword, but couldn't lift it. His world then went black, and he toppled over.

Thea also fell to her knees as she dropped her sword and clutched her shoulder.

The doors to the room burst open and many guards ran in, brandishing their weapons. The captain, Fendrel, surveyed the room in astonishment and ran over to Ulric when he found him.

He bent down before him, "My lord? What has happened? Are you well?" He asked.

Ulric gave a tired grin, and started laughing, his shoulders shaking, "I'm fine. Wonderful timing though." He joked. Then he became serious again, remembering Thea and Nikandros, "I need healers here, now." He ordered Fendrel.

Fendrel nodded, "Yes, sir. Right away." He turned back to his soldiers, "Go get some healers! Now!" He yelled. Instantly, two soldiers left to fetch them.

Thea glanced over at the master and let out a breath when she realized he was dead. She grit her teeth and half crawled, half walked over to where Nikandros lay. She gasped for breath as she checked to make sure he was breathing. With great relief, she saw that he was breathing, but shallowly.

Ulric walked quickly over to the two assassins, ripping part of his tunic and binding it tightly around Nikandros' wound. He ripped another piece off, and turned to Thea, "Here, let me help you until healers arrive." He offered. Thea nodded numbly, still staring at Nikandros. She glanced down at her hands, noticing they were still covered in blood as she wiped them on her ripped dress.

Using the piece of cloth, Ulric pressed it against Thea's shoulder, staunching the flow of blood.

Not long after, the two guards came back with four healers. Also, Xene ran into the room with them, looking extremely vexed.

Ulric smile broadened as he saw Xene, "Xene!" He exclaimed, delightedly. He stood up and went over to her.

"Ulric!" she cried and rushed over to him. Xene held onto him tightly. "I was so worried about you." The tears started streaming down her face, and she started sobbing.

"Shh, it's okay." Ulric soothed, "Everything's alright now."

Xene took a few deep breaths, then stepped back. "Are you all right? Did you get injured? The healers are here if you need them for anything, even little scratches," she fussed over him. For the first time, she noticed Nikandros and Thea. "What are they doing here? Why aren't they in the dungeons for attempting to kill you?" she asked Ulric in rapid fire.

"I'm fine. And about the assassins, well, I've pardoned them." Ulric responded, trying to remember the questions, "Anything else?" He teased.

Xene frowned and turned back toward Ulric. "Yes. Why did you pardon them?" she asked, totally missing his teasing.