i no own lotr people... riana, cri, and cerien are mine, so no stealing! oh, yeah, and if you want to know what Riana's dragon form looks like, it's similar to this (http:/ media. / image / horse%20like%20dragon / mustangs_rule / ) only different colors :D and minus the spaces... hopefully the link will work... *crosses fingers*
Chapter Twenty-Five: A Long Night (Part II)
Legolas slowly moved closer to me, his blue eyes dancing around as he tried to take in the entirety of my dragon form. I lowered my head until I was staring him straight in the eyes. Gently, I nudged him with my nose, my breath causing his hair to fly off his shoulders for a second. He met my much larger gaze as steadily has he had before; this surprised me, as I was fairly certain that Elves and dragons do not have the happiest of histories together. His feather-light touch on my scaly nose brought me back to the present.
"This is… incredible, Rianadra." He gently stroked the scales, and I started purring. The rumbling rose from deep in my chest, vibrating out to his hand. He smiled up at me, laughter in his eyes. He scratched under my chin and I nearly plopped down at rolled over like a dog. He laughed softly; I raised an eyebrow ridge at him. "How do we know so little about your kind?" he asked after a moment in wonder. I raised my wings slightly in a shrug along with a quiet growl that was supposed to translate to, "I don't know." He scratched my nose again, and then added, "What was it you were saying about flying?"
The quiet growl turned into a low rumble, a sort of dragon laugh, as I nodded. He smiled, still rubbing circles on the tip of my nose. I shook my head slightly, and lightly took his sleeve in my tooth. I tugged him over to my shoulder where one would mount on a horse. Then I jerked my head slightly, telling him to climb up there and settle where my wings joined my shoulders; he carefully climbed on and settled in exactly the right spot. He shifted around for a minute, clearly unsure of what to do next. I shook my neck, arching it up so my mane touched his fingers. He seemed to get the idea, as I felt his hands firmly grip the silvery strands of my mane.
I glanced back at him with one large eye, wondering if he was ready. He looked a little nervous, but he nodded once. I grinned at him, which only seemed to make him more nervous then I reared back onto my hind legs, my wings spreading out behind me. With a roar that I was pretty sure the Men in the Keep could hear me, I leaped into the sky. From my back, I heard Legolas let out an un-Elf-like whoop as we shot into the sky.
I soared back over the mountains instead of over the Keep, staying low for a time, until I was sure we were out of their sight. Then I headed up into the darkening sky. Legolas kept his grip firm in my mane, his legs tight around my belly. Every once in a while I would glance back at him, to make sure he was all right. The Elf's face slowly went from borderline terrified to wonder to awe and finally to pure happiness. I felt a similar feeling in the bottom of my belly, and I knew I had been right to do this. He had needed to get away and find something to completely distract him. And flying always did that for me; I had assumed- rightfully, it seemed- that it may do the same for him.
We flew into the sunset, the glow turning my grey-purple scales to gold. Every once in a while, I felt him let go of my mane; I roared in response whenever he did. Finally, as the sun sank below the mountains, I turned back towards the Keep. And now that the Elf was feeling confident enough to let go of my mane, I decided I could have some fun on the way back.
As we headed back, I started heading straight up and felt him grip my mane again, tighter this time. At the very top of the rise, I angled down and closed my wings tight to my body. "Rianadr-" before he could finish, I started diving and whatever he was going to say was lost in the roar of the wind rushing through my ears, flattening my mane to my neck. We fell faster and faster; I heard him start to yell behind me. I roared again, sharing my excitement. At the very bottom, my wings flew out again and I rolled over in the air. Legolas yelled behind me.
Eventually, though, I ran out of terrifying tricks to try on the Elf and just flew back to the Keep, landing in the same hidden courtyard I had taken off from. Legolas climbed off my back looking oddly wobbly. I tilted my head in askance; he just shook his head, running his hands through his hair. I nudged him again, trying to tell him to step back a little. He moved away from me to lean against the nearest wall. I laughed softly but chose to remain in my dragon form, eyeing him carefully. He sighed.
"I assume you want me to go talk to Aragorn now?" I bobbed my head and he sighed. "Very well, Rianadra. Are you going to change back?" I shook my head, making a deep rumbling. "I am going to assume there is some sort of reason for this?" he gestured to my dragon form. Again, I nodded. "Very well, then. Where will you be?" I looked back over my shoulder at the mountains. "You will return when the battle starts?" I just gave him a look and nudged him a little less gently. He acquiesced with very little grace and left.
(yes, another time skip…. i'm seriously getting tired of these, but… yeah, no…)
Roars split the still night air, and I jerked to attention. Full night had fallen, and a steady rain was falling. Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing the great cries of ten thousand Uruk-Hais. I tilted my head, listening closely. I did not hear the sounds of battle, so I assumed the actual fight had not started yet.
Slowly, I made my way to the edge of the mountain and looked out across the Keep and the formerly empty Vale. The tiny glows of torches reflected off the armor of the Men and showed me the writhing mass of Uruks in the valley. They were arranged in something resembling order, and I could see the ranks going as far back as the edge of the valley in the distance. There were far too many of them for three hundred Men to fight alone. I rose, stretching my wings as I watched.
The Uruks were still making noise, apparently attempting to frighten the Men, most likely to weaken them before they actually attacked. I inched closer to the edge, trying to decide when would be the best moment to announce the presence of a dragon to everyone down there. My entire body trembled with the urge to soar down there with no regard for my own safety and start roasting me some Orcs. But I held myself back through sheer force of will. I had to wait for the best moment; if I moved too soon, it would most likely do more harm than good.
While I was debating this, the roars of the Uruk-Hai below me changed from challenging to raging. I returned my attention to the Vale in time to see a single Uruk fall as the others around it screamed their fury to the sky. My entire body went tense as I heard a single cry rise above the others and they all steamed towards the wall. My head moved over the edge of the outcrop I was on. Down below me, Uruks began to fall as several Men released volley after volley of arrows. I raised my wings as the rain began to fall heavier. The scene below me gradually grew worse as the Uruks finally closed in on the wall.
Ladders rose from the horde of Uruk-Hai below the wall, and I heard the shouts of Men below me. Streams of the black creatures shot up the ladders as soon as they landed on the wall and then the true battle began. I sat where I was, listening to the screams of dying Men and Uruks. The scene below me changed constantly as the forms moved and shifted around, never staying the same. More and more ladders rose to fall against the wall, allowing hundreds of Uruks access to the wall. I trembled; even as I watched the Men actually hold their own.
This was too easy. There had to be something else, something that I couldn't see. I watched closely, ignoring the battle on the wall, trying to find that one thing I was missing.
Then I saw it: a deliberate shift to the pattern. The Uruks had moved to create a single path through their ranks, giving just enough room between them for two of their own to run through. The two were carrying something between them that I could not quite see. But I did not need to see it; I knew it was dangerous to the Men on the wall. This was the opportune moment.
I dove from the cliffs with a great cry and a small spout of flame. Uruks screamed below me as they saw me, and Men leaped down, with cries of fear. I ignored both, heading straight for the two Uruks moving down the single lane towards the wall. The creatures around them screeched warnings, but the two did not heed them. So they did nothing to avoid me as I came out of the sky, roaring flame out at them. I swooped over them, preparing to make another run around. Before I could, however, something slammed into my left hind leg. I howled in pain but did not change direction. As soon as I could, I peeked back around to see an Uruk spear hanging from the great muscle in my lower leg. I snarled.
Those idiotic creatures were going to pay for that. I landed briefly on the edge of a hill and turned to grip the spear tightly in my teeth; with a deep breath, I yanked it out. Through the spear came a great gout of flame along with a screech the likes of which I had never made before. Whimpering, I turned back to the battle, spotting several companies of Uruks coming at me. Snarling fiercely, I leaped into the air again, a little unbalanced because of the wound in my leg. Despite that, I was nowhere near out for good. I had plenty of fire left in me, and more than enough fight.
Just as I moved to engage in battle again, a great explosion sounded through the night. My head spun back around to the wall, fury building as I saw great stones fly through the air. I had stopped one pair, but apparently there had been another; only one was enough to destroy the wall. Water spewed out through the opening as Uruks fought their way past it. I screamed a challenge and shot towards the gap in the wall. By the time I reached it, there was a company of defenders preparing to fight back. Aragorn stood before a troop of- surprisingly- Elves, shouting orders in Elvish.
"Herio!" he cried, rushing forward with his sword flashing by his side. The Elves followed him, their naked swords gleaming in the torchlight. Their war cries echoed through the tiny space as they raced towards the approaching Uruks. I soared above them, hurling fire at the Uruks. Some of the Elves seemed nervous having me around, but, luckily, they were not frightened enough to ignore the larger threat and attack me.
I ignored them; they were nowhere near as dangerous as the hordes of Orcs that were still pouring through the hole in the Deeping Wall. Flame spouted from me into them; my tail acted like a mace, slamming them away from me and smashing armor and Orc-skulls. The Elves and Aragorn were holding their own as best they could, but there were too many. Eventually, they would be overrun. Apparently, someone on the wall thought the same.
"Aragorn!" I recognized the voice as that of the King after a couple of seconds, "Pull back to the Keep! Get your men out of there!" Aragorn started yelling in Elvish again, and I assumed he was ordering his men to retreat. He and a couple of Elves pulled Gimli from the fray, ignoring the Dwarf's angry retorts.
I stayed where I was, covering their retreat as best I could. Fire exploded out of me as I fought them. I clawed at some, lifting them into the sky before dropping them, snapping with serrated teeth, and whipping out with my tail.
I had forgotten how awesome it was to fight in my dragon form. It had been far too long since I had been able to take this form. Despite the pain of my injury, I was still able to hold back over a thousand Uruk-Hai as they continuously poured through the break in the wall.
A cry from the gate caught my attention briefly, and I spotted Aragorn and Gimli defending the broken gate by themselves. I glanced back, debating whether I should leave the wall undefended and help the Man and Dwarf or stay. A swift glance at the gate showed my companions doing fairly well for themselves, which solidified my decision. I stayed by the wall.
The battle moved still before me as I allowed bottled up fury to explode from me, giving this form power greater than even it normally had. Flames shot from my jaws, and my talons glowed red-hot. I sliced through Uruks, roasted them, and generally wreaked havoc. I thought then that perhaps we had a chance of victory, but then I heard a cry from the gate,
"They have broken through!"