This chapter is dedicated to Deadly_KittyZ. Thank you for the votes, it means a lot to me. So this chapter is for you.
And it's a long one. Get ready.
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The pounding of my heart consumed my eardrums as his cold eyes bore into mine. Our swords pressed against each other. My muscles trembled against his inhuman strength
I could feel my willpower begin to falter.
My strength caved in, and I only just managed to avoid the swing of his golden sword as I side-stepped.
Maeglor didn't give me a chance to catch my breath.
Every attack he made was calculated and ruthless, and every strike that I made was effortlessly deflected. Fighting against him was different. It was much more draining. His technique was immaculate and yet, dripping with raw power.
He did not fight like an elf. He fought like a shadow.
Gradually, my adrenaline began fading into weariness. It made my blood boil that even after almost five centuries of training, he still had the upper hand.
He swung his sword in an arc. I let all my weight fall onto my back leg as I leant back, narrowly dodging his swing.
An image of Maladros in flames flashed across my vision.
Pushing off that foot like a spring, I leapt forwards. My muscles burned.
He ducked beneath the blade, but I sent a kick towards him, sending him stumbling back. I raised my sword. Suddenly, another image flashed across my mind.
Two elflings lying on the grass beneath the endless expanse of night sky, gazing at the stars above. Together.
And I froze.
I felt his foot sweep mine out from beneath me, and I fell.
My head cracked against the stone beneath me, sending black spots dancing across my vision. My sword clattered out of my grasp.
I began to pull myself up, only to freeze at the cold touch of metal against my neck. The sharp point of Maeglor's blade pressed against my skin, a small sharp pain prickling from that spot.
My breaths fell from my lips in shallow pants.
He kicked my sword further away out of reach of my fingers, tilting my head up with the point of his sword.
"That was not the welcome I was expecting from an old friend."
Maeglor's lips were curled into a smile, his complexion so painfully familiar.
My elbows propped my shoulders off the ground.
"If you are here to kill me, do not waste my time." I glared at him. "Or better yet, let your beast do it. You lack the courage."
The dark elf pressed his sword harder against my neck. A sharp and biting pain bloomed from the wound, and I stifled a wince as I felt the familiar warmth of blood trickling out.
"I have the honour to fight you myself." He replied unflinchingly. "I do not let others do my job for me."
Rage jolted through my veins.
"Honour?" I spat. "What honour was to be found in murdering children in their beds? What honour was there in taking the lives of countless innocents? No. You have no honour, hû ú-gaun (cowardly dog)."
I almost expected him to slit my throat then and there, but Maeglor didn't seem to mind my words.
"Do you want to know why, Glaurielle?" He asked, almost teasingly.
"Yes, Maeglor." I clenched my jaw. "Tell me why you betrayed your kingdom, your people...tell me why you betrayed me."
A malicious smile crossed his expression.
"On the contrary, I did it for you."
I felt sick to my stomach, and a wave of nausea hit me.
"The dark lord came to me with a proposition. If I helped him with his cause, he promised me you. I came here today to liberate you."
I had the sudden urge to throw up as disgust rippled through my body. I tried to get out from beneath him, only for the blade to dig deeper in my neck. Any deeper and I would bleed to death outside Helms Deep.
"Y-You're ill Maeglor..." I spat, "...ill and deranged. You have not won yet, and you never will."
He chuckled dangerously.
"I would not speak so soon, Glaurielle. You should know what is coming: an army large enough to wipe out this entire kingdom, ten thousand strong. They should arrive by nightfall."
He drew in a breath of satisfaction.
"That is when the banners of men will finally fall."
My blood ran cold. There were children trapped in that fortress, women, men, lovers, mothers, fathers; it would be Maladros all over again.
Maeglor smirked. "It is over. All hope for mankind is lost."
Not unless I can warn them. I refused to let Maeglor destroy another kingdom.
I was frantically running through ways to escape in my mind when suddenly, I heard a familiar growl.
Maeglor turned to look. In his moment of distraction, I pulled out my hairpin, feeling my hair fall loose. In the blink of an eye, I pressed down on the opal, before jamming the blade into his side.
He let out a cry of pain.
Taking advantage of his surprise, I shoved him off, before picking up my sword and making my way to Aldion's side. His large canines were bared as a low growl rumbled from his throat. I immediately felt safer by his side.
The warg leapt to its feet, returning a snarl at Aldion. But it dared not challenge the beast of the Valar, who growled back as I wiped down the hairpiece before pinning it back in my hair.
From beside his warg, Maeglor inspected the puncture wound on his side, before looking back up at me.
"I am impressed, Elle."
I flinched.
His old nickname for me.
Hearing it made my blood boil, and yet, it sent a pang of pain in my heart. No one else ever called me that. I felt every muscle in my body tense.
"I should kill you where you stand for what you did to us, Maeglor." My tone was harsh.
"So why didn't you?" His eyes glinted. "You had the opportunity, but you hesitated."
I didn't know why either.
I felt my grip around the helm of my sword tighten, readying my body for another fight. However, in one swift motion, he mounted his warg.
"Sooner or later, when the pillars of the old world crumble into dust..."
His lips curled into a venomous grin, and a chill ran down my spine, like a spider was crawling down it.
"...then, you will join me."
With those words, he took off.
Aldion snarled, but I held my hand out. There was no point. Indeed, I felt the urge to pursue him, to knock him to the ground and cut his throat with my mother's blade until I avenged the death of my people.
But as I watched his shape on the horizon grow smaller and smaller, I knew that there were more important matters at hand than to satisfy my own vendetta.
I needed to warn the people about what was coming.
I turned back once more. Maeglor disappeared behind the rugged mountains.
Only then did I notice the trembling of my hands, the pounding of my heart, the way my breaths seized uncontrollably. It was a warzone in my mind as wave after wave of raw emotion was unleashed.
This was exactly what he wanted. He knew seeing him again would have this effect.
Blood dripped from the deep gash on my neck, staining my clothes. It wasn't deep enough to kill me, but I could feel my energy begin to drain. But somehow, I knew his intention wasn't to kill me. I wouldn't have been standing there if it was.
I grit my teeth. I would have to heal it later. I needed to get back to the fortress.
Mounting onto Aldion's back, we set off.
The gates of Helm's Deep were pulled open at our arrival.
"Where's the king?" I demanded as I pulled Aldion to a halt before the guards.
"Uh...he is in the hall, but...my lady, are y-"
Before he could finish his sentence, I urged Aldion forwards.
Aldion's paws padded soundlessly as we sped along the paths of the fortress. We navigated through the people milling around, dodging passerbyers and ignoring the stares of the crowd.
By nightfall, I would be the very least of their worries.
The entrance of the great hall was littered with weapons and recuperating soldiers. The atmosphere was sombre, and I could feel the stares of the people on my bloodied appearance.
I dismounted before making my way towards the entrance, catching sight of Legolas' golden hair.
"Legol-"
I froze, my words falling into silence. Beside the elf stood a man.
I took in his rough appearance, his ragged clothes and the glittering silver ring that sat on his left hand.
Aragorn.
At that moment, all other thoughts were banished from my mind. He was back. My brother was...alive.
I ran up to him, throwing my arms around him and pulling him into a deep embrace.
"Man agóreg, pen-channas!"
(What did you do, you idiot!)
A breath of relief fell from my lips as the weight of a thousand worlds was lifted ever so slightly off my shoulders.
Chuckling, my brother returned the embrace before pulling away, only for his face to fall instantly upon seeing the blood.
"Daeriel, you're hurt," he frowned, eyeing the bleeding wound on my neck.
The pain resurfaced, and along with it, my previous thoughts about what just happened.
I bit back a wince of pain.
"I can heal it, muindor (brother)." I dusted my clothes off. "There are much more important matters at hand right now."
Legolas, ignoring my words, gently brushed back my ebony hair, revealing the grisly extent of the wound.
"What happened?" He immediately asked, his blue eyes meeting mine, his tone full of concern.
I looked down, swallowing. "It does not matter what happened."
Aragorn also examined the wound.
Dust and mud had become enmeshed with my flesh and I just knew it would be painful to clean. Every movement of my neck stung intensely.
His brows furrowed, and I noticed his jaw clench.
"It does if someone was able to injure you to this extent, Daeriel. Who...who did this to you?"
I lowered my voice, brushing away his hands. Sharply drawing in a breath, I shook my head, trying to regain my composure.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is that at least ten thousand Uruk Hai are marching towards here as we speak." My voice was grave. "All of Isengard is emptied."
"What? How do you know?" Legolas asked.
"I just...do." I ran my fingers through my hair. "You just need to trust me. Isengard is coming."
Aragorn's disbelief faded into a grave understanding as he took in the information. "It must be an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of men."
Maeglor's words stung in my mind as I nodded.
"We must inform the king."
I stepped forwards to enter the hall, but Legolas stopped me.
Daeriel, your face is pale and your clothes are bloodied. You need to heal and rest."
Aragorn nodded in agreement.
"If what you are saying is true, then tonight may very well be the biggest battle of our lives."
He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Save your strength. I will let the king know."
I sighed, reluctantly agreeing.
Aragorn nodded, before pushing open the large oaken doors of the hall. I watched as they swung shut after him. I had trust in my brother, that he would not let me down.
"Come on," Legolas gestured, "you may have the gift of healing, but that wound still needs to be cleaned."
I scoffed, but followed after the elf prince anyway.
As he retrieved a bowl of water, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were a dull green, like a leaf that had fallen too early for the hues of autumn, cursed to be trampled upon and forgotten. My hair was a disheveled mess, and my tunic was stained with blood and dirt.
I winced, running my fingers gingerly over the bloodied wound, the constant throbbing turning into sharp spikes of pain that shot up my neck.
I turned away from my reflection. Perhaps it was in denial; that I refused to come to terms with how much influence Maeglor still held over me. Or perhaps it was because I loathed the helplessness that I saw in the girl that stood before me.
I sat myself on the staircase that overlooked the keep, out of the way. The cold breeze prickled against my skin, taking hold of my ebony locks as I gazed out towards the valley. The landscape was bleak and colourless, mirroring my thoughts.
Legolas knelt beside me, setting down the bowl of water and a piece of cloth.
"Legolas, I can do it myself." I sighed. "Go help with preparations, they will need you."
"They will need you too, Daeriel." He simply replied as he dipped the cloth into the water before wringing it out. "I don't want it to become infected."
Gently, he brushed my hair back over my shoulders, his sapphire blue eyes concentrating on my wound. Taking the cloth, he gently dabbed at the wound with his deft fingers. I winced as I felt the grains of dirt scrape along my raw skin. He quietly apologised, his brows furrowed as he continued.
The elf prince sighed,.
"Daeriel, who did this to you?"
He shifted his gaze up from my wounds, his concerned eyes meeting mine.
I swallowed.
"Legolas, I...I can't..."
My voice came out softer than I would have liked.
"Daeriel, you have a wound so severe that it should kill any man. Who hurt you?"
I understood his words. I really did. I just did not know how I could possibly tell anyone of my past.
How could I tell him of the twisted story that I had become entwined in. Maeglor was my greatest secret, and my greatest shame. Because of my weakness towards him, Maladros fell, and it was that same weakness that I could still see in myself today.
"My past is mine to bear and mine alone," I replied.
"If you give us nothing, how do you expect your brother, myself, everyone, how do we help you?"
"Then don't," I snapped.
I was slightly taken aback by the coldness of my own tone. But I could not take back what I said.
There was a moment of silence between us.
Legolas nodded, dropping the cloth back into the bowl with a splash.
"The wound is clean, so you can heal it now."
The distance between us immediately increased as he stood to his feet, the westward wind fluttering through his golden strands.
"Legolas, I-"
He interrupted me.
"No, Daeriel, it's alright." His eyes were colder now as he picked up the bowl of water, "Do not let our desire to help you get in your way."
And with those words, he turned and left, his poised footsteps echoing into silence. I was left sitting on the staircase, the barren landscape of the gorge stretching out before me.
I was alone again.
I brought my hands up to my temple, running them through my ebony locks with a sigh of frustration. Everything was falling apart.
And the battle had not even begun yet.