Author's Note: Thanks to TheThingsThatMakeMeAlsoBreakMe, who is the singular reason why haven't given up hope on this fic! You rock!

Also it's the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year) which is why I have been absent for the last few days. Spending time with the family

Chapter 9 : Inferno

It blotted out the sun with its terrific large wings. Sinister spikes and spines protruded from various parts of its body. Unlike Smaug, Smauke was perfect. Every scale was in place, every space encrusted with precious gems. Its hide was tougher than plated reinforced mithril armor. Its huge charcoal body seemed to fill the sky. Its blood red eyes seemed to command all gazes.

Smauke took a deep breath, his belly glowed honey yellow. He breathed out a bright blue flame into the air. It wasn't aiming for anything particularly. It was like he was signaling for something. Because he was. Following the blue flame, there was the sound of quick marching.

"Fall back now" Thranduil demanded. He felt a dreaded knot in his stomach

They saw the forest in the distance. They turned to run, but it was hopeless. A line of spiders came out first. They were followed by a battalion of Orcs. Then the goblins appeared behind them. In the sky two more dragons appeared out of Smauke's shadow. Truly every last member of the remnant resistance was there and in combination they were hardly considered a 'remnant' at all.

Their sole goal was to disarm the girl, and capture her. The Accursed Elm had plans for her. They needed a new fallen Istari to lead their cause, a new person to sit on the throne of Barad-dûr. Sauron was slain, Saruman impaled, Radagast hardly a candidate. But the girl, she had light and darkness, bravery and fear. She could be swayed as she had been once before.

"Bring her to me, and we will arise anew from the ashes of our defeat. We will have the last victory" The Elm hummed.

Cynder flanked Smauke on his right side. He was a head shorter then Smauke. He was bright green with pale blue eyes. He blew a yellow flame into the air. Immediately the spiders charged forward. Whysp flanked Smauke on the left. He was the smallest of the three, a whole wing length shorter than Smauke. He blew an orange flame. The Goblins and Orcs charged on cue.

The nine gave up their running, they would face their demise with bravery. They surrounded Vera on all sides, hoping to protect her for as long as they possibly could. Vera refused the protection and took the lead. She lit a bright light with her scepter. The Spiders momentarily fell back. They hated that light.

But, the onslaught would come. It would not be stopped.

It was then that the Giant Eagles made their convenient appearance. As they always liked to save the day at the last second. They thought it would make them sound better in the songs, but it really made them sound like tardy silly late comers.

They had Elves on their backs. The Elves of Lothlórien had come to even the odds. To lead their charge, none other than the lady of light, Galadriel. She raised her hand. When she lowered it the Eagles dove downwards, dropping large rocks on the enemy. The remnant did not expect this much of a battle, they were surprised.

Smauke dived into the flock of Eagles. He shot a purple flame at them. They swiftly eluded the flame by the length of their partially singed feathers. They then flew around the great beast in an arrow head formation. Whysp and Cynder covered Smauke as he landed. They kept the Eagles off his tail, literally.

His goal was to get to the girl and take off with her. She still had her scepter and it was defining the battle. The Spiders and Orcs retreated from it. Smauke, however, was not afraid of the light. He marched forward. He breathed heated flames at any who crossed his path. They quickly retreated from his breath. The Girl finally came into his view.

The eight set themselves around her despite her reluctance. Balin, Bard and Elrond dealt with the Spiders flanking the left side of them. Merry, Pippen and Mellon aggressively tore at the Orcs coming from the north. Éomer and Thranduil struck down any Goblins coming nearing them on the right. The Dragon approached on the right.

Thranduil was in his way, barring him from to her. Smauke forced an exceedingly scaulding flame to brew in his belly. It was then that a foolish Goblin shot an arrow directly at Vera's heart. Again I should remind you that Goblins are notoriously bad shots. He was actually aiming for an Éomer six feet away from himself.

Thranduil did not see it for he had his face turned to the Dragon. It was the Smauke that saw it all. It was not the plan, it was not the victory they wanted. It would be a far greater victory for them then the mere slaying of the girl.

In a swift motion, he swung his massive tale past Thranduil. Thranduil turned to see what the tail was aiming for. He was beyond surprised at what he witnessed. An arrow directly aimed for Vera's heart stopped short, being deflected by Smauke's spiked tail.

"What in the name of the Valar?" Thranduil managed to utter. That didn't make sense at all. Thranduil couldn't understand why Smauke had saved the girl. In that moment he realized how little he knew of the enemy.

Everything happened so fast after that. Smauke released a flame that could melt steel right at Thranduil. Vera caught sight of this and stepped in front. She raised her scepter to hold back the flames.

"Go back foul beast. You will not… you will not…. YOU SHALL NOT PASS" Vera screamed. (Istari are rather theatrical)

The force however was too great, the scepter withstood for a moment then flung to the side out of Vera's hand. Smauke with his great claw, sensing that the girl was disarmed, snatched her up.

Smauke took flight again. No amount of arrows would return her to them. He had won. Then all three dragons blew out bright white flames. Victory.

The Elves continued to fight, but the enemy quickly retreated back into the forest. The Elves had thought that they had won, but then Galadriel saw Thranduil fall to his knees.

"What is wrong?" She asked panicked.

"She's gone, they took her" Thranduil managed to say, face in hands.

The Elves had been defeated. Perhaps that word was too kind, they had been ruined, decimated, and destroyed. All was lost, mist, dust.

-Three days later in the ruins of Barad-dûr -

Vera awoke. Her eyes fluttered open. The scene before her was right out of the shadows of her nightmares. She had been captured again. It was a dark and dank little chamber that she was stuck in. It smelt of blood and fear. She struggled to lift her hands, realizing she had been chained up to the floor. She thought that she was all alone.

Memories of the last time she was captured entered her mind. The most prominent feature was the hot pokers that they stuck her with. Or perhaps it was the jeering faces of her captors. Or the unbearable loneliness that she felt when they forgot about her, leaving her cold decimated body to rot.

She fought with her emotions. She tried hard to fight them back. She would not cry despite the overwhelming urge to. She instead took a shaky breath. I will not fail this time

"I will not repeat my mistake. I will die if I must" Vera said with a will of Iron.

"You made me….and hated me. Now I will unmake you" A deep voice said.

"Who's there" Vera said into the darkness. Her voice shook with fear.

"Don't you recognize me… Mother?" The Elm spoke. It said the word mother with hatred.

Vera recognized it at last. It was the voice of the Accursed one. She closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself.

"I had greatly hoped that you were dead" She said as strongly as she could muster.

The Accursed Tree responded angrily and venomously. It had lived a conflicted live, spurned by its creator, reviled by its own purpose.

"IS THAT ANYWAY TO SPEAK TO YOUR CHILD" He cried out. He was bitter and angry. How was he to go on, all he had left was the hope for revenge.

"Did you greet my brothers alike? I doubt it. You probably lulled them with songs of love." He accused. "They are no more worthy than me. I deserved your love and I will have it soon enough"

"You will never have me" Vera said. It was not the voice of one arguing with another, it was voice of one absolutely adamantly sure.

"We shall see" The Elm answered. His voice equally adamant.

The troupe and elves managed to regroup in Lothlórien, sans their most important member. Thranduil didn't make any attempt to speak with anyone. He took all the blame upon himself. Though in truth, each of them had done the same. Mellon would ever so often let a whimper escape, it betrayed his true feelings. He knew what it was like to be a captive of others, at their whim and mercy. He was beyond sad at the situation.

Besides that, it was a quiet trip, the slow precession of the defeated.

They didn't suffer any losses surprisingly. A few were hit with arrows, a few sustained wounds of the sword, a few had spider bites. Yet luckily, in the end, not one life was lost. They thought it lucky but in fact it was because they misunderstood the goal of the remnant. The enemy had wanted the girl all along.

When they made it to Lothlórien, what remained of the nine joined in a council chamber. They had to have a plan. There must have been a way to restore what was lost. It was a grievous feeling in the air.

"Where could they have taken her" Galadriel asked, seated at the head of the council.

Bah, these council meetings were useless. There was nothing to be done.

"She is lost, there is no victory for us" Elrond said sadly.

"Why did they not simply kill her? They instead kidnapped her. What could be the meaning behind that?" Balin asked. He was truly as worthy as Thorn II Oakenshield, as I had stated previously.

"I think our enemy has had a greater goal since the beginning" Galadriel began "I have seen in the waters, two paths. One in light and the other in shadows"

All eyes focused on her.

"Their plan is to seat her upon the throne of Barad-dûr. She is not like Sauron and Sarumon. If she is to take their place among the fallen, she will not fail. She will defeat us" Galadriel said gravely.

"Why did we not lock her up in the first place! Such a threat she possesses!" Bard II loudly claimed. Men are quite short sighted.

"It was because I believed in the second path. If she takes the mantle of good, she will not fail. What darkness remains will be forever purged. We have everlasting peace. I took that chance" Galadriel defended.

"How shall we reclaim her. Mordor is a fortress" Elrond said sternly

"It has been done before, and we can do it again" Balin said bravely.

"Yea, well get her back" Pippen belted.

"No matter what!" Merry blasted.

They spoke hearty words, but in truth their hearts felt little of the strength of it. They had just been to war, it had hardly been two years. They had hoped there would be peace and prosperity. Many Elves were considering to have children again. This was a hard blow.

Every remained sullen and silent for a long moment. Then they heard whistling in the hall. It grew louder and louder. It was accompanied by heavy footsteps. The doors to the room opened. Many faces lit up at the sight of the newcomer. Perhaps not all was lost after all.

In the doorway, the silhouette of Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry.