((23rd April, T.A 2941))
I groaned, my hand coming up to rub the back of my head and came away with flecks of dried blood. I pushed myself up on my elbows and out of the face plant I was in. My head swam slightly, but I managed to sit up without too much of a problem. I took a moment to look around and find I'd been left in the store cupboard, although the packs I'd been filling were nowhere in sight. I sighed and used the wall to help me stand, wondering how long I'd been out. With that something sickening also came to me; was Gandalf alright?
I quickly rushed through the ruin to the courtyard where the Gandalf was being suspended and found that an orc had brought his cage down and had pulled him out. I crouched in the shadows, picking up a large rock. Sticking to the shadows and trying to keep the orc's back to me, I crept until I was as close to it as I thought I could get. Then, when I guessed the timing to be right, I rushed towards the orc and swung the rock at his head. Obviously I didn't swing hard enough as he turned, letting go of Gandalf, and instead slapped me so hard that I fell unconscious for a second and woke up sprawled on the floor.
I wasn't giving up though. I saw that Gandalf was now being held with his hand on a stone table and the thing was just reaching for a sword, so I quickly stood and lunged for it again. First I tried to get the sword myself, but then I changed tactic and just tried to keep him from taking Narya. I had no weapon and the orc was far stronger than me, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to try. After a very brief tussle, I got it so mad that it picked me up by the neck and threw me against a wall. I lay there helpless as it sneered and went back to its work.
Just then, a woman appeared coming up the steps with long silver-blonde hair. She wore a long flowing white dress and walking purposefully through the ruins towards Gandalf with no fear. I noticed as she passed where I lay a beautiful ring of silver and a clear white gem. The ring told me who she was; the Lady Galadriel. So bright white an image was she that she seemed to glow in the gloom.
"I have come for Mithrandir." She said confidently. "And I will leave with him." The orc threw Gandalf down, and I quickly saw he didn't have the strength to get up anymore, then it advanced on her.
"If you try to stop me," she continued, "then I will destroy you."
The orc lunged for her, sword raised over its head. With a simple flick of her wrist, Galadriel made the orc explode, sending a wave of bright white magic through the ruins. It hit me like a ton of bricks, pushing me back into the wall behind me and I thought I felt my heart stop for a brief moment as it passed through me. She tenderly picked the unconscious Gandalf up and began walking out of the ruins, carrying the wizard as if he weighed next to nothing.
"Shre nazg golugranu kilmi-nudu," came the voice I knew to belong to Sauron. I quickly ducked into a dark corner behind a few surviving arches to hide, hoping to be overlooked. "Ombi Kuzd-durbagu gundum-ishi,"
"Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die." she finished as she stopped dead, having only managed to cross the bridge that linked the gate to the main ruins, fear finally showing openly on her face.
What I could only describe as ghosts appeared surrounding her, nine of them in total and each bearing a sword; the Nazgûl. I drew further back into the darkness, praying that I would be left alone even if I had to remain as the shadow's plaything. She backed away into the centre of the courtyard as they closed in on her, two of them moving to stand just in front of my hiding place, where she sank to her knees and placed Gandalf on the ground.
"Dunik gang nagi," said the shadow, the ghosts still drawing in. "Ommi dishrugi. Ash il, burzum eshi."
"I am not alone." she replied, looking up defiantly towards the gate.
Close to me from the direction she had come, appeared an elf dressed in bronze armour and chainmail with long dark hair kept back from his face with a gold circlet. Across the other side of the courtyard came a man with long white hair and beard in white robes holding a black staff. The man I could easily identify by the staff; Saruman. The Nazgûl turned towards them as they appeared, and I watched the elf draw a sword from his side.
"Are you in need of assistance, my lady?" asked Saruman, causing two of the wraiths to move closer to him.
"You should have stayed dead." said the elf, stepping forward.
Both of then began to battle the wraiths who were strangely solid enough that they could block blows. Saruman used magic burst from his staff rather than a sword, and although both could knock the wraiths down they continued to get back up and jump at them again. The only place of calm seemed to be right in the centre with Galadriel, and I made a decision to run for her. She and Gandalf were my hope and my light, sat together in the centre of the darkness and chaos, and I prayed that I would be able to escape unharmed with them.
I stepped out from the shadows, probably appearing as much a part of them as the wraiths had, and was about to make a run for the centre when I found my path blocked. Before me stood one of the Nine with sword outstretched, and I quickly took a step backwards. It kept moving towards me slowly, taking his time as he knew I had nowhere to run. Suddenly, he was forced aside as the elf beat him away. He stood staring at me for a moment, clearly wondering from where I had appeared, and I saw another of those things coming behind him. Without thinking, I pushed him to one side and unintentionally put myself in his place.
I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder before the sword was pulled out and the wraith was gone. The elf continued his assault on the wraiths with Saruman while I slipped down the pillar of an archway to rest on the floor. I could feel ice seeping into me with each breath, a cold like nothing I had felt before. My arm ached, and when I put my hand to the wound it came away covered in blood. I pressed my hand back on the wound, hoping to help stem the blood flow a little. I watched Galadriel and Gandalf intently, afraid that if I looked away that they might vanish into the shadows, and she leaned down and kissed him tenderly on his forehead. I saw life return to him and the two began speaking quietly.
Suddenly among the chaos there was a sledge led by a team of rabbits. The man driving them was dirty and worn. His hair and beard were brown and there was something that looked like mould growing on one side. He wore a brown hat, long tatty brown robes and carried in one hand a wooden staff; Radagast. He spoke quickly with Galadriel, who helped Gandalf onto the sledge. Gandalf seemed to not want to leave, having seen Galadriel nearly collapse herself seeming very tired, but the sledge moved off leaving her behind in the midst of the battle.
At seeing her collapse, I attempted to stand to reach her. I only just managed to get off the ground before I slumped back down from the effort. I was still determined to reach her, and seen as the others had moved the fight to the edge of the ruins I had a clear path to crawl to her. I managed to get half way when everything suddenly became silent save for the deep breathing of those that had been fighting. I watched as they looked around shocked, not quite believing that the wraiths had gone. The elf quickly moved to Galadriel, crouching down beside her while Saruman simply began to relax.
Almost right on cue the gateway crumbled away, and in its place was an eye made of fire. There was something compelling about the eye, so much so that I couldn't look away. I found that some of the ice melted away from around the wound and a little of the pain, but there was a part of me that knew this was simply an illusion. I found myself starting to stand against my own will, and I fought fiercely as I felt the urge to walk closer to the eye, to give myself to its will. Thoughts of power and taking what was owed to me swarmed through my head, thoughts that were alien to me and yet felt like they had always been there. I fought to keep from walking and from these thoughts, trying to keep them from overwhelming me.
"Ies garan." the eye said, but it was a deep silky voice that sounded in my head. "It has begun. I can feel you fading and soon you will give yourself freely to me. You cannot fight the darkness; it is a part of you and always will be."
"No," I muttered. I shifted all of my focus to halting my slow progress forward, which left his plans to go swirling through my head. I saw the Nine appear before their master and begin to advance on us as the elf and Saruman faltered before them, overcome as I was by his strength. "No," I muttered again as the pain began to return with a growing numbness.
Just then Galadriel rose, and whereas before she had been pale and shone in the darkness, now it was as if I was seeing the negative image of her and she was terrible to behold. The Nine fled before her as she held aloft a small vial. "You have no power here," she called as the others shrank back and the eye increased its assault. "servant of Morgoth. You are nameless, faceless, formless. Go back to the void from whence you came!"
There was a flash of light as the eye was banished, the fire fleeing off into the distance. Galadriel stumbled backwards, clearly exhausted, to be caught by the elf. He muttered something in elvish that I didn't understand as he sat her down in his arms. The ice returned full force and I too sank to the ground quietly in the centre of the courtyard as pain flooded my senses.
"The spirit of Sauron endured." said Galadriel.
"And has been banished." added Saruman.
"He will flee into the East." she said.
"Gondor should be warned. They must set a watch on the walls of Mordor." said the elf as he stood, Galadriel clinging tightly to his hand to prevent herself from collapsing again.
"No," replied Saruman instantly, before softening "Look after the Lady Galadriel, she has spent much of her power; her strength is failing. Take her to Lothlórien."
"My Lord Saruman, he must be hunted down and destroyed once and for all." insisted the elf.
"Without the Ring of Power, Sauron can never again hold dominion over Middle-Earth." replied Saruman. "Go now, leave Sauron to me." He dismissed them with a turn.
The elf turned and almost did a double take as he saw me collapsed on the ground. I could see that although he had seen me before, he was shocked to find another among the ruins. I tried to sit up, grunting a little in pain enough that Saruman turned around to see what was going on. He appeared very curious, moving closer and whispering something to the other two as I collapsed unsuccessful in my attempt. Galadriel nodded to the elf, clearly given her consent for him to leave her for a moment. He made sure that she was alright before walking over to me and kneeling. I saw Saruman tighten his grip a little on his stuff, mistrust clearly evident on his face.
"Let me see, child." he said kindly but firmly, removing my hand from the wound. He inspected it closely, his expression becoming sterner as he started muttering something. Whatever he was doing, it seemed to be working as feeling began coming back into my arm. I saw a ring on his hand, gold with a deep blue sapphire, and knew it to be the third of the three; Vilya. Seeing that, I knew the elf to in fact be Elrond.
"Gandalf said help would come." I said, staring intently into his grey eyes. "I'm sorry about your other friend though."
"Other friend?" he asked, clearly confused. "There was someone else here?"
"Yes. He was half mad when I saw him. His name was..." I began, closing my eyes as I turned the conversation between him and Gandalf over in my head, remembering him talking about Thorin and Gandalf telling his son he loved him. "Thrain." I said eventually as I finally remember the story. "Yes, Thrain." He turned back to look at the other two and I saw concern flash through the Galadriel's eyes.
"We should not stay here." commented Saruman after a few moments.
"The wound is deep." he replied.
"He is right," I said as pain flared in my shoulder. "cannot stay here..." My eyes drooped for a moment, my head swirling with pain.
When my eyes opened once more, I found that I was being held upright by the man in bronze. He looked at me closely, his gaze boring into me. "You are in no condition to be going anywhere."
It was my turn to look stern. "I'm not staying here a moment longer than necessary." I said as I grasped his arm and tried to stand.
It was easier going than when I had first been stabbed, although this time I did have help. I wondered if it was also partially due to whatever Elrond had done to make the pain recede before, or possible the lack of Sauron's presence in the ruins. My legs shook slightly when I was left to stand by myself, and I saw Elrond look at me dubiously as I took a step forward. I quickly steadied myself as a wobbled a little, taking a sharp breath when I moved my shoulder a little too much to do so.
Still seeming unsatisfied, Elrond muttered something to Saruman and the wizard came and stood by me as Elrond helped Galadriel rise. Saruman offered out his arm for me to lean on, but I quickly took a step away from him and nearly fell again. He narrowed his eyes at me, hand tightening once again on his staff. He seemed to stare into my soul then, and I wondered if he realised I knew something about him that I shouldn't. I turned away quickly under his gaze, hoping that I was imagining things, and I noticed a curious glance pass between the two elves.
The four of us began walking out of the ruins in silence, and somehow I wondered why I wasn't being put through twenty questions. I shrugged it off, knowing that it would likely come later. Saruman led the way, his staff clicking lightly on the stone as we walked, the only sound other than Elrond's armour and my shaky breathing. My eyes darted everywhere as we walked, expecting orcs to be lurking somewhere in the shadows. I knew there had to be more left here than just the one Galadriel had dealt with trying to take Narya.
We continued on, and I began to feel my legs become weaker as pain grew again in my shoulder. My head began to swim, and though at first I tried to keep putting one foot in front of the other, eventually I had to stop and lean against a wall to keep from keeling over. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to push the pain and cold to the back of my mind as I shivered slightly. I was vaguely aware of the others stopping around me and heard muttered elvish, although it came to me as if I was underwater.
"I'm fine," I said, more to myself than anything else, "it's just everything catching up to me at once."
I opened my eyes and turned to the elves, seeing worried expressions on both their faces. I could have sworn that they also appeared to glow slightly. I closed my eyes, shaking my head to clear it, before looking back at them to find whatever it was had vanished. My expression probably then changed to mirror theirs as I noticed Galadriel leaning heavily on Elrond. I made a decision in that moment; no matter what was going on with me, she needed to get out of Dol Guldur as quickly as possible. I turned away from them and took another deep breath, pushing the cold and pain further into the back of my mind, before standing up straight again.
I turned to look back at the elves again and nodded once, giving a small smile that barely made my lips twitch. "I'm fine." I repeated, although with more conviction than before.
We carried on again, and soon we came to an old door way through which I could see trees. I quickened my pace slightly, seeing my freedom for the first time in… well, I didn't know how long. That was my biggest mistake however, as when my mind moved from keeping everything at bay the pain and cold rushed back at me full force. I swayed as I walked and then my legs gave out under me. I gasped as I used my arms to help ease the fall, pain shooting up my otherwise numb left arm. I quickly tried to stand again, knowing just how close we were to being safe.
"Come on, just a little more. You can do it." I muttered through gritted teeth, pushing myself up shakily from the ground.
I felt someone being to help me and saw white robes close by; Saruman. I jerked back as if I 'd been burnt, not being able to accept help from him. I glared up at him, the only thoughts going through my head those of how he was going to betray Middle Earth and side with Sauron. As stupid as it was, there was no way I was going to let him help me, I'd rather stay where I was. He moved away from me, and a moment later I felt a different touch on my other side. I knew it had to be Elrond, and this time I accepted the help.
I was on my feet again, although even more unsteady than before. I didn't let go of Elrond's arm and he kept a firm grip on me as my world titled and tossed before my eyes as if I was on a boat in a storm. I could feel how unsteady my legs felt even as he held me upright, and I knew instantly that if I took a single step I'd be on the floor again. I also vaguely registered that I was shivering slightly.
"Can you walk?" he asked, sounding as if he was talking to me from the other side of the ruins.
"No" I breathed, the single word seeming so final in my ears. I clenched my teeth as together as another burst of pain came to my shoulder, my eyes suddenly feeling very heavy and my head light.
Elrond glanced behind him and seemed to motion Galadriel and Saruman on, before turning back to me. "We are nearly out, there are horses nearby." He said. "You just need to stay awake and lean on me; we'll take this one step at a time."
I went to take a step forward, one of his arms quickly moving around my back to help me move forward, the other at my side for me to lean on. He nodded encouragement, and I took another step, and then another a little quicker. After another small step, pain shot through my entire left arm and it took everything I had not to shout out. I stood for a second, my eyes becoming heavier. I knew I couldn't wait any longer and had to keep moving before the pain cam again. I went to take another step, but felt my world tilt to one side and my eyes drop as I fell to darkness…
Translations:
Shre nazg golugranu kilmi-nudu - Three rings for the elven lords under the sky
Ombi Kuzd-durbagu gundum-ishi - Seven for the Dwarven kings in their halls of stone.
Dunik gang nagi - You cannot fight the shadow.
Ommi dishrugi. - Even now you fade.
Ash il, burzum eshi. - One light, alone in the darkness.
Ies garan - It has begun.
Speech Key:
Normal = Common Speech/Westron
Bold = Black Speech (mainly used by orcs or other things of Morgoth or Sauron)
Italics = Elven languages (Sindarin or Quenya)
Bold Italics = Another language I'm not telling you yet :D
Underlined = Not a language, but still something I'm not telling you yet :)
