A/N: If you think the fight should have ended differently, please leave a review explaining why.
From within the smog and fire of Mount Doom, the sound of a hammer rang out. The Nine felt a strange twinge within them every time the hammer struck, as though their rings were telling them something. But it was not their place to question, only to stand guard while their master finished his newest creation. With a final strike of a hammer, Sauron beheld his newest creation, a small ring. Such a small thing, but it was to be key in a new conquest.
"Nugu gurunkilu bard gurutu...ni ma"
Elsa's face held a frown as she looked at the land they were to be making land at. The maps had said it was green and fertile from its volcanic ash, but this place was everything but. She could see an enormous volcano, but it was spewing smog and ash, choking the air in a black embrace. The ground in the shadow of the volcano was hardly any better, there was no green, just scorched earth. Perhaps this wasn't the best place to visit first. As the sorceress prepared to turn the ice ship about, she felt a stab of doubt. Anna had picked out this place from all others on the map and planned around it, it would be wrong to make such a decision without Anna's knowledge. And that was how Elsa found herself landing the ship on the beach, conjuring winds to blow away the smoke and ash that seemed to be everywhere while simultaneously not rocking the boat too much so as to not wake Anna. At the very least the night was peaceful with no storms or blizzards.
Anna's sleep, on the other hand, was not peaceful. Edmund, the other her, her darkness, all of it, it was in her dreams constantly. She could feel blood on her hands, Elsa's blood. The pleasure she had felt when she nearly killed Elsa.
"It was all Edmund's fault" Anna told herself, her rationalization being met with more images of the evil her body had wrought. But this time, there was worse. She could see someone tearing Elsa apart, like a savage animal. It was impossible to tell anything about the figure attacking Elsa, it wore a long black cloak with a hood that completely covered its face. But the screeches emanating from its hidden mouth were anything but human. A black dagger in hand of the creature plunged into Elsa's chest time and time again, rending flesh like paper before eventually dropping her like a doll. "I didn't do it, I didn't do it" Anna pleaded, taking steps backwards from the creature as it stalked towards her.
"I did it, I did it" the creature responded in a feminine voice as it prepared to pull back its hood. The instant it did so, Anna's vision was filled with the vision of an enormous, black armored man. The man reached for her and Anna felt her flesh sizzle from his burning hot armor.
Anna awoke with a scream, her eyes wide and looking around for the hooded figure and armored man. Nowhere to be found. Anna let her rising heartrate calm and stood still, petrified by what she had seen. This dream was different, it was too real. A part of Anna suggested that these were her subconscious desires, but she quashed that thought instantly. No, it was just a dream.
"Well, at least it wasn't Edmund again" Anna mumbled to herself, looking around at the icy walls that made up the room on the icy ship. As she gazed around, her eye fell upon a ring that lay upon her blankets. Rather, what was left of them. The blanket had been burnt to a crisp and the culprit was clear as Anna saw the black flames that had only just sputtered out in her hands. Maybe talking to Elsa about it wouldn't be a bad idea. Still, she was less disturbed than usual as her gaze was drawn to the ring. It hadn't been there last night, how had it come to be there? Perhaps Elsa had left it? Yes, it must have been Elsa. Anna let her fingers cross over the ring and grab it, bringing it closer to her eye. It was as ordinary a ring as could be, with no lettering or gemstones within it. But there was still a haunting beauty to it. Almost like Elsa. Well, if this was a gift, it would be rude not to accept. And so Anna found herself slipping the ring on to her finger.
From his Fellbeast in the sky the Witchking of Angmar fingered his Morgul blade, grumbling to himself as he felt the presence of someone with a ring of power. He had wanted to drive the dagger into the woman's breast, but Sauron had forbade it. She was to be the key player in the defeat of the Dark Lord's only rival. Despite being subservient to the Dark Lord, the Witchking couldn't help but feel cheated. Bah, his feelings did not matter. Sheathing his blade he gave a kick to his winged mount and flew towards Durthang as commanded. The Witchking felt some comfort in the fact that with the ring of power planted and her will harried by nightmares, it would be impossible for her to challenge his master's will. After all, the Witchking knew first hand the power of a magic ring.
"Ah, you're awake, Anna" Elsa called up as she saw Anna walking down a set of icy stairs that connected the ship to the land. As soon as the younger touched the sand, Elsa waved her hand and the ship dissipated into the air, little more than snowflakes. Anna looked around in confusion at the black sky and ashy mountains that seemed to fill the land.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Anna asked, unwrapping her cloak and fanning herself with her hands. Even though the land should by all rights be cold due to the ash blocking the Sun, the air was hot and heavy, almost like being in a boiler room. As Anna turned to look at Elsa she noticed that Elsa was shifting about a bit more than usual. Of course, this reminded her of the false memories planted by Markus. "I mean, the map said it was green"
"I don't see any green. Unless the volcano is only spitting in one direction, I doubt there's any on the other side either" Elsa replied, shooting up a small cloud to drop snowflakes on them. "Maybe we should leave". Anna prepared a protest, but couldn't think of anything to say other than she had wanted to see this supposedly fertile land beneath the shadow of the mountain. A spear of inspiration came to her in an instant and she blurted it out.
"I need to train my powers here" Anna spit out, getting an odd look from Elsa and blood rush to her cheeks. Why had she said that? She didn't need to bother Elsa with this, it wasn't worth it. Where had that idea even come from?
"Powers?" Elsa questioned, stepping closer to the shorter woman and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Please explain" Elsa said with a smile, quelling Anna's fears for the moment.
"After...Edmund, I've been getting nightmares. And when I wake up..." Anna stuttered through her words, the fearful memories too strong for her to say. She should just be quiet. No! Not again! Anna felt a surge of confidence. She had nothing to fear, this was Elsa in front of her. Mustering her courage, she stepped away from Elsa to show the elder what her mouth could not say. With a cry, a surge of black flame shot from her hands. Right towards Elsa. Elsa's eyes widened and she masterfully created a shield of ice, deflecting all of the fire. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to do that. They're a lot smaller than that usually" Anna excused, her voice panicked.
"No, no, it's fine. Control is hard. What interests me more is the how" Elsa noted, breaking apart the icy shield and scrutinizing Anna's hands. Her eyes fell upon the ring as she did so. But to Elsa, it did not look like a plain band. It was marked with crests of Arendelle. Clearly some sort of family heirloom that Agdar had given his daughter. She did not suspect and because of that, the magic fooled her. "Perhaps Edmund left more inside of you than what we thought" Elsa spoke with a frown, the memory leaving a bad taste in her mouth. Or perhaps that was just the damnable ash that continued falling from the sky. She had forgotten to maintain her snowcloud.
"The how isn't important, this isn't a science project. I just need to control it and this is the perfect place to do it!" Anna snapped, causing Elsa to recoil somewhat at Anna's sudden aggressiveness. This was a good sign at least, Anna wasn't as afraid.
"Yes, I can see how you'd think that. Well, I brought out all the supplies, so we can camp here on the beach" Elsa said, preparing to make a camp ground with her magic.
"Actually, I was thinking maybe we could move further inland? There might be caves to help against the ash" Anna suggested, enjoying the lack of fear she was feeling. Edmund couldn't control her anymore. Heck, she might even be stronger than him with these new powers. Wait, why was that important? No, it wasn't. She must have hit her head while sleeping, she felt like a totally different person.
"Anna, I-" Elsa started, completely flabbergasted at Anna's recovery. This was impossible, from what she had heard. Was Anna simply that resilient? Yes, that must be it. "Well, alright. Let's walk there, maybe the scenery you wanted to see is in the mountains" Elsa spoke, taking Anna by the hand and firmly squeezing it. It was unfortunate for both of them that humans see what they want to believe
"They're entering Mordor through the northeastern corner, m'lord" a small orc reported, the green creature sweating from the sprinting he had to do whilst scouting and spying. "Should I tell the boys to herd them?" the orc asked, remembering the plan set out by the Nazgul.
"No. They're heading in the correct direction. Keep watch on them" the Witchking replied, getting a bow from the spy in return just before the creature ran off to fulfill his orders. The humans had been blind to the return of Sauron. It was time to open their eyes