Silverhelm: A Tale of Two Enemies

Alive Beyond Hope, Abandoned Beyond Search

Alright, so if you remember, in the last chapter, Lyrasael left Legolas for dead. The story continues immediately where it left off. Let me take this chance to say that Grammarly is stupid and I keep it around just for laughs.

"Lyrasael." I heard Legolas call out. He expected I would help him? He was sorely mistaken. But I couldn't ignore the call. I waited, my hand on the archway leading out, not willing to go back nor able to go forward.

"Please... forgive me..." Forgive him?! He would have to beg before the Ring of Doom for forgiveness. But I could not ignore his pleading voice. In the dim light, I could see he was lying curled up next to the wall. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and he didn't seem to be breathing. Had I heard his last words? Good riddance.

I turned to leave but something compelled me to stay, some voice in my head I had not heard for sixty years. I hastened to the fallen prince's side. Rolling him onto his back, I laid a hand on his chest. He was alive, but barely. Closing my eyes and bowing my head, I started to sing a healing-spell that Arwen had taught me when I first left Rivendell on my own. Halfway through the spell, I opened my eyes. Legolas' chest was rising and falling. He was alive.

"Menno o nin na hon, i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth. Beleg ar-edhel, hin-Iluvatar, fea pedo a kel nen," I finished. As the spell ended, his eyes fluttered open and he gasped for breath.

"Lyrasael." I took my hand off his chest. "You came back."

"I would not let a dragon do what I swore to do," I spat, my anger returning. "Get up. Two hours are nearly up."

He tried to rise to a sitting position but hissed in pain. I outstretched an arm to him and he took it. I pulled him up and walked towards the door, leaving him looking at my back. "Keep your knives out," I called over my shoulder. "There is no knowing what may wait ahead."

I waited by the door of the rocky chamber while he retrieved his knives and bow. I then strode out with him behind my, leaving the dragon carcass to rot aside.

I had not left the cavern emptyhanded, however. When Legolas and I reached the great pillared hall where we had separated, I took something out of my pocket. Two somethings. Before leaving the chamber, after I had killed the dragon, I had pried off two of its scales to keep. Now, I gave one to Legolas.

"This is a dragon scale," he said, the sentence sounding like a question.

"To keep. As a trophy," I responded briefly.

"But... I didn't kill it! It is yours." He tried to hand it back to me. I did not take it.

"You helped. It is yours for what you went through." I kept walking.

"You went through worse. You ran straight at the jaws spewing fire at you, I saw you!"

"Legolas, I am trying to be noble and civil with you. Just TAKE it!"

He reluctantly took the scale back, muttering, "Nice attempt, but I think you need to work on your civilness a little..."

I snorted and continued searching for my bow. There it was, lying at the base of a pillar. I picked it up and slung it over my shoulder, looking around for the next thing I had to find: the way out.

"Do you remember which way?" a soft voice behind asked.

"Let me think..." I closed my eyes and remembered my previous trip to Khazad-dum. It was just three years ago when I had been here. The exit to this hall had been between two pillars shaped like dwarf-kings. There had once been a path lined with ornately carved pillars leading to this gateway, but many pillars had crumbled with age since I had last been here. "Its this way," I said, heading towards the remains of what used to be two proud dwarf kings, tall and strong, each with an ax, guarding the exit. The sight of these statues sent a shiver of memories through my head. I pushed them aside.