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Pharazon sat on his new golden throne on his flagship Alcarondas. The bay of Eldalonde was filled with great ships. The Great Armament was finished and only waiting for the King order to leave.
In the middle of the day the last ships arrived from the north. The captain of the flagship signaled to Alcarondas, that he wanted to see the King urgently. It was difficult to navigate between the many ships, but finally he made into a distance where they could shout to Ar-Pharazon.
The captain shouted; "Elendil has betrayed us! His ships left at the Forostar cape during the night. We followed them and rounded the cape of Orrostar, but they were at and kept a large distance between. The last morning, we spotted at last four ships in the horizon heading north. We decided to join our king here instead of following them!"
Pharazon was furious; "Elendil!" He shouted into the air.
He then looked at the captain. He said; "you too have failed me and you do not deserve to follow us to Aman. I order you to find a suitable replacement as captain on your own ship and then return to Armenelos with a handful of your men. Go to the prison of Ar-Adunakhor and take the son of Isildur to the alter of Melkor and kill them. Only if you do this I will spare your life upon returning."
The captain had no other option but to obey his King.
The captain on Alcarondas said to the King; "what if he returns?"
Pharazon answered; "he will sail to his friends in Lindon. If he ever returns he will find a Kingdom worthy of Melkors reign."
Pharazon gave signal for the armada to leave for the west, and gradually the bay was emptied for ships.
In the hills west of Romenna, three riders saw there were still four great ships in the harbor. In the distance a fifth ship returned from the sea to the harbor.
One of them said; "should they not all have left for Eldalonde?"
Another said; "There are the ships of the elendili. They have black sails."
The last said; "I recognized the ship in the bay from when it left. It is the flagship of Anarion, son of Elendil. He had returned instead of helping the King. We should alert Armenelos and deal with these traitors.
They rode towards Armenelos, but quickly found a dozen warriors waiting for them on the road.
One of the strangers said; "stop men of Armenelos, we will not allow you to pass! Lay down your weapon and follow us!"
The man who had recognized Anarions ship said; "we sacrifice traitors on the altar of Melkor!"
He drew his sword but was quickly hit by several arrows and fell dead to the ground. His two companions surrendered, and they were escorted back to Romenna.
In the prison of Adunakhor, Isildur was alone in his cell. He was half asleep and slowly opened his eyes. Sauron was in his cell.
Isildur was shocked and got up to protect himself, but he was in chains, and could do little. Sauron approached him slowly; he took his hand and put it around Isildurs neck.
He said; "Son of Elendil, do you still reject my friendship."
Isildur looked around the room. In the door the prison guard stood, it was clear that he had fallen under Saurons command.
He gathered all his courage.
"In the end you will lose;" he said.
Sauron held him. He could kill him instantly, but he did not.
He said; "it is strange. I often sense what is the fate of others, but in your I see both a worthy opponent and my savior. I cannot understand this."
Isildur could not answer, he tried to look into Saurons eyes.
Sauron finally said; "maybe we should let others decide your fate.
He released Isildur of his grip and left the cell, followed by the guard. Isildur was again alone.
Isildur sat for hours alone, trying to understand why he was left alive. He then heard men entering the prison.
The Captain of the ship following Elendil appeared in the door with his sword drawn.
He said; "are you the son of Elendil?"
Isildur answered; "who ask?"
The captain answered; "the one who have come to claim your life to protect his own."
He would step into the cell to kill Isildur, but before he reacted he was hit by an arrow to his throat. He fell dead into the prison cell.
Anarion appeared in the door. He said; "I trust you never though I would leave you behind brother."
He held forward the keys to the chain. The two brothers greeted each other after many years. Anarion told Isildur of Elendils departure and the plan for escape from Numenor. He also told Isildur that his wife was in Romenna and his own wife was sick and in labor.
Anarion had arrived with many men from Romenna. They freed all the prisoners of Pharazon and wanted to leave for Romenna again.
However, Isildur said; "ride to Romenna and save as many as you can, including your wife and your children, both your daughters and your unborn child. I will follow you shortly, but there is one last task for me to perform."
Anarion said; "I accept your which brother but be aware for him who is now free to terrorize us all. However take this, so I will know where to find you."
He gave Isildur one of the Palantiri.
Thus, Isildur rode alone towards Armenelos while Anarion headed for Romenna with the men and prisoners.
When Anarion arrived in Romenna, he ordered the faitfuls there to enter the remaining ships.
He headed to his home north of Romenna and found Vorondome, the wife of Isildur there, with his three daughters and a holding a newborn child in her hands.
Vorondome said; "meet your son, Anarion."
Anarion was surprised, he slowly approached Vorondome and looked at his son.
He said; "strange, he will be the last free man born in Numenor."
He then looked at Vorondome and she new what he longed for.
Vorondome said; "I have the worst of tasks. To tell you that your wife did not survive the childbirth. I am so sorry that you had to experience this, unknown to Numenor. But the dark skies lay upon us in these days.
Anarion fell to his knees and cried; "help me;" he begged.
Vorondome said; "I will; let us leave now. I will take care of your son. My husband is strong and will survive. He will follow us!"
Anarion sat the house of Elendil in Romenna on fire with the body od his wife inside. He then filled two more ships and left for the east. Three ships was left in Romenna guarded by the Elendilid and gradually being filled with refugees coming to Romenna.
Isildur arrived in Armenelos. The capital was in chaos and he reached the King's house unopposed.
In the Throne Room, he found Miriel alone.
He bowed for her and said; "my queen, I bear a message from my father; that he has escaped Numenor and will build a kingdom for the faitfuls in Middle Earth."
Miriel smiled for a last time; "I am so glad to hear this, young Isildur. I lost hope when Amandil and Elentir did not return, but now I know the line of Elros will survive."
Isildur said; "come with us, please! We still have ships in Romenna."
Miriel said; "no Isildur! Listen to the screams from the temple. It is not from frighten soles being slaughtered on altar Melkor, but from Numenoreans voluntarily given up their life and throwing their hroa into the flames. I must try to stop this madness."
Isildur said; "you have no stake in this!"
Miriel answered; "not now perhaps, but if Sauron win I will."
Isildur did not understand and Miriel understood this.
She said; "the King once gave me three promises; he would not tough the Eldar, he would not touch the elendili and he would not touch me. He wanted to kill you, and he want to conquer Aman and before he left he also broke his third promise."
Isildur tried to understand what the Queen said.
"I carry his child, Isildur! A child that will rule under Ar-Pharazon and the high priest in a new world;" she said.
Isildur was speechless. After a while the queen continued.
"I thought I was too old, but the King had ordered me on a cure supplied by the high priest;" she said.
Miriel held a pause then she continues; "perhaps it is not even the child of Pharazon the Golden;" she shortly laughed, but not from joy and Isildurs blood froze.
The Queen calmed down and said; "so now you understand , why I have to stay and share fate with the Numenoreans."
Isildur could not speak. He held forward one of the Palantiri, which Anarion had given to him. He gave it to Miriel.
Then he quickly turned around and left the King house. As he left Armenelos, he shortly saw into the temple. People in trance walked to the edge of the fire, and without stopping threw themselves into it.
Then Isildur headed for Romenna. The there ships were almost filled. Isildur ordered them to depart, but one of them should sail along the northside of Romenna Bay.
He then rode to the place where he planted the sapling of Nimloth and dug it free. He found a small boat and sailed it to the great ship holding on to the sapling. He was the last man to leave Numenor for Middle Earth.
Pharazon armada had lost sight of Numenor. For days they had been looking west, but seen nothing. However one night a distance light appeared on the sky.
"The tower of Avallone!" Ar-Pharazon declared; "our journey has not been in vain."
Meanwhile Miriel sat in the throne in Armenelos. She had the palantiri next to her at the throne. She concealed it with her dress. She fell asleep
When she woke Sauron was standing in front of her.
She showed little fear, only hate.
"What is your business here?" she said; "if it is my life then take it quickly. I will spend no tears of fear on you."
Sauron smiled deviously. He said; "no my queen. You life is not for me to take, but I will take this.
He quickly jumper on top of the Thone above Miriel and grabbed Dramborleg; the axe which has been there for three millenniums.
Sauron held it; "the legend has it, this axe slayed three balrogs and the orc Othrod at the fall of Gondolin. However, I will not use it to kill."
He looked at Miriel and continued; "Underneath this great mountain, I will find simila with this axe. I will then be able to create an army of thousands of immortal men. I offer the queen of Numenor a high place among them!"
Miriel stood firm; "I will not accept any gift from you. You think you have won, but you have not! As we speak Elendil and his sons are escaping Numenor. They will bring the blood of Elros to Middle Earth."
Sauron then said; "I will deal with them later. remember, my lady, you are all just human."
He took Dramborleg and left the room.
Ar-Pharazons armada reached Tol Eressea. The ships were so numerous that it surrounded the island.
The Numenoreans could not see any elves on the island and the shores ahead were silent and empty. The weather was fine, and there were no omens in the skies. The King ordered the ships to stop and the ships reefed their sails.
Pharazon looked at the mountains of Valinor. There was a low pass in front of them. There was a hill to the north, which seems to have construction not build by nature.
"Tuna!" Pharazon said loud; "the hill upon which the city of Tirion is located."
The sailors awaited the King's command, but the King hesitated.
"Shall we continue, sire!" The captain of Alcarondas asked. He saw the doubt in Pharazons eyes and said; "there is still time to return. We have not claimed any sovereignty here, yet."
Pharazon stood silence a long time as the sun passed midday.
Finally, the King said; "We will claim these lands as ours!"
He ordered the rest of the fleet to await his orders. Then he ordered boat to be set into the water and filled with warriors from Alcarondas. The King himself also entered one of the small boats what had been attached to the side of the great ships.
The boats sail towards to shore until the ran aground. Pharazon jumped into the water and waded onto the beach as the first person. There he fell to his knees; he picked up san and let it run through his fingers.
"I claim this land in the name of Numenor;" he shouted.
"Let the rest of our ships remain in the bay. Vi will travel to Tirion to meet their rulers. If they accept our presence here, there will be no need for us to show out power;" the King ordered.
Sauron had reached the summit of Meneltarma. He took Dramborleg and hammered on the solid rocks. They all broke to the force of Dramborleg.
Manwe and Varda looked from Taniquetil.
Varda said; "this will be the end for the life that the Edain have known until now."
Manwe added; "We did not give the second born the gift of death. It is for him who did to judge them. In this matter we will lay down over power and leave it to Iluvatar."
Pharazon and his few troops at the hills below Tuna and next to the great mountain range of Valinor. He looked across the vale where they had landed and to the top of Taniquetil. He saw Manwe. The vala pointed to the sky behind the Numenoreans and Pharazon turned around. Dozens of rocks was rolling down the mountain and filled the vale. Crushing Pharazon and his men.
"They will remain there, until Dagor Dargorath;" he stated.
The weather immediately changed thunder and lightning hit the King armada. Huge waves surrounded the ships and dragged them onto the ocean and then into the deep water. The all vanished from the surface one after another. And finally, Valinor and Tol Eressea lay in silences as nothing had disturbed them. All Numenoreans on the ships had perished.
The ground under Sauron started to shake and he lost footstep. Dramborleg fell into a ravine. Sauron was overwhelmed with fear and abolished his project and started to run down Meneltarma. As he looked back he saw fire coming from the mountains top and large stone being thrown into the air. One of them hit his temple and made the dome sink into ruins.
Slowly the water consumed Numenor. The many people remaining were taken by the water crushed by the stones from Meneltarma.
Tar-Miriel was frighten and ran outside the King House before it too was destroyed. She climbed Meneltarma avoiding the fire. Once she looked back and saw the destruction of the once beautiful country. She stopped and sat down. She took forward the Palantir looked into it. She first saw Elendil, then Isildur and finally Anarion all on their ships. However, a rock hic her and she lost the stone. The water had reached Meneltarma and started to climb up the mountain side.
As Miriel climbed, she realized she was the last person alive in Numenor. As she reached the top, the water was only a hundred feet below her.
"Eru forgive us;" she shouted, but in vain as there were noting but the furious sea eating the mountain.
She looked as the sea, and in the middle of debris from Numenor, she saw Sauron. He was floating as was his body made of wood.
Miriel shouted with her last resources; "Help me!" o her surprise Sauron heard her. He lifted his head while floating on the waves. "No! Miriel, you have had your chance."
And the water finally, swallowed Miriel as the last person of Numenor.
