Disclaimer: I only own my OCs. The rest belong to Tolkien or Bethesda.
A/N: Did I mention I'm on Christmas holidays now? MERRY CHRISTMAS FOR TOMORROW! Yep, I got another one in before Christmas. Feeling proud (and also slightly ill, which is a bummer, but, you know, life's a bitch).
BIG thanks to: Lets Random, Ash-Gabrielle and The Allseer for favouriting/following.
Review Response(s):
gabiey: It's fine - nice to have you back ;) Merry Christmas!
Ny'Kle: Rage works in two ways...
Mac Gustah: You, my friend, are crazy... Just sayin'. Also, Eyra is the dragon language word for Aedra, so they're the exact same thing :3 (P.S. There's a mammoth traipsing around town at the mo - could it be yours?). Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Also, I'm keeping Fluffy. No hard feelings and all that, but... you know... mammoths are cool.
Pietersielie: I am so sorry, my shame is just... completely non-existent. On the plus side, torture over :) Merry Christmas!
Chapter 36:
The uruk-hai army stretched before them, calling out war cries and bashing their weapons on their shields. The men of Rohan, along with the elves of Lothlórien and the remnants of Lord Elrond's Fellowship of the Ring, were stood still and silent on the battlements of Helm's Deep, watching the uruks as they flaunted the vastness of their army.
Aragorn, having become a commander of the army of men, was walking among them, offering no words of comfort, however his presence alone brought with it a sense of reassurance.
Ghardaz was stood on Gimli's left, holding his dual war axes in hand, ignoring the steady throb of his wound from before. On Gimli's other side was Legolas, who was holding onto his bow. Their dwarf friend was... having a slight problem with the battlements. "You could have picked a better spot," he grumbled, unable to see over the stone due to his height. Aragorn suddenly appeared behind them and stopped, looking over Gimli's head at the large force that faced them, snarling and roaring. Gimli glanced up at him. "Well, lad, whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night."
Legolas turned and offered the man a weak smile. "You're friends are with you, Aragorn."
Aragorn nodded grimly and walked away without a word, his face hard. Lightning sudden flashed across the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Ghardaz' face twitched slightly when the first drop of rain hit his skin, but was otherwise nonchalant about the unexpected weather. The rain fell slow at first, bouncing off the metal armour everyone wore, before quickly becoming a heavy downpour that made the armour of both armies sing in challenge to one another.
Ghardaz pursed his lips. "It's as if the Gods themselves have picked their sides," he grumbled.
"Maybe they have," Legolas replied. "Middle Earth is their world - perhaps this war is serious enough for it to become necessary that they intervene."
Aragorn's voice suddenly called out from further along the Deeping Wall. "A eruchîn, ú-dano i faelas a hyn an uben tanatha le faelas! (Show them no mercy, for you shall receive none!)"
Gimli tried to jump to see over the wall, then turned to snap at the elf in his frustration. "What's happening out there?"
"Shall I describe it to you?" Legolas asked as rain dripped off his face, a smile twitching onto his lips. "Or would you like me to find you a box?" Gimli laughed, though Ghardaz couldn't say for certain if it was genuine.
With a silent order, the men and elves defending Helm's Deep loaded their bows and drew them back, ready to fire. For a few tense moments the army was still, but then one of the soldiers loosed his arrow and it landed in the neck of an uruk. A clean shot, Ghardaz noted idly, but fired at the wrong time.
"Dartho! (Hold!)"
The uruk fell to the ground, dead. The others growled ferociously at the death of their ally. The captain uruk, who was stood tall above his army, thrust forward his weapon and hollered, and the uruk-hai advanced upon the fortress at a run.
The battle for Helm's Deep had begun.
...
The moment Ira's body was engulfed by the bright blue flame, Alduin let his rage take over. He launched himself forward, sword slicing effortlessly through the air, and Fankil had only just enough time to dodge out of the way. He scrambled for his heavy blade, and then lowered into a defensive crouch, blade held up by his ear. He sneered.
"You are a helpless, puny creature," he snarled, eyes suddenly blazing red.
"And you are a fallen maia trapped in a mountain," Alduin retorted, unfazed by the insult. "Nowhere to run. No one to receive help from. It is just you and I." The aching desire for vengeance rose in his heart, and he swung again, not giving Fankil enough time to prepare before he launched a second attack that hit Fankil's shoulder, Alduin's blade sinking two inches into skin before Fankil twisted away, crying out in pain.
He dropped his blade and then more of his feral appearance came to light. His skin became a grotesque grey, his hands became clawed, his feet stretched and grew, resembling the talons of a bird of prey. His clothes melted away, only to be replaced black armour made of a strange metal Alduin had never seen before. Shadows started to morph and shift around him, until Fankil was framed by writhing darkness. His eyes started to glow, and his teeth lengthened until they were as sharp as knives.
An orcish snarl left Fankil's lips, and he sprung forward, claws outstretched. Alduin could tell as he spun out of the way that the wound he had inflicted on this creature was limiting the movements in one of his arms. Alduin slashed down with his sword, only for his blade to bounce off the metal armour as if he had struck stone.
Fankil turned and was about to attack again, but then he stilled and straightened, a smug, toothy grin appearing on his face. Behind him, Alduin noticed the blue flames were shifting, indicating movement. Slowly, dreading the sight he was about to bear witness to, Alduin turned.
Ira's eyes were glowing, just like Fankil's, but they were blue. Her hands were wreathed with blue flames, and her armour was starting to glow red from the heat coming off of Ira's form. It started to get scorched and burnt away, leaving uneven holes, showing her skin underneath.
Ira flexed her hands, and suddenly the shackles that were binding her to the wall opened with a snap. Slowly, and with all the grace and elegance of a Queen, the Dragonborn rose. Her face betrayed no emotion as she held her hand out. As if controlled by some unseen force, her sword shot into her waiting palm.
"Behold," Fankil said, his voice now gravelly, "the true power of you Father's kind. The power of the Aedra in her hands, and in mine. She is my servant now. She is bound to my will." An air of finality coated Fankil's voice when he said, "Kill him."
Without further encouragement, Ira sprung forward, her sword singing as it whipped through the air. Alduin's own blade rose to meet it, and the two swords locked together. Ira's face was burning hot, and Alduin's could feel his skin sizzling with the intensity of the heat. Only his inborn dragon kept his skin from blistering.
"What has he done to you?" Alduin murmured sorrowfully even as he began to use his weight to push Ira back. A snarl left her lips, and she suddenly spun away, causing Alduin to stumble slightly, only to then get kicked - hard - in the back. He landed in a crouch, and raised his sword, desperation crawling at his heart as he fought to find a way to bring Ira back to herself.
"Hinoblaan los lov, kul do Bormah, (Your end is near, son of Akatosh,)" Ira snarled, stalking closer. Alduin, in that moment, was struck by a strange sensation. It was as if his entire body was being taken over. Power flooded his limbs, and he when he stood, his body acted of its own accord.
Alduin's lips moved, forming words he himself would never think of. "Ko hin klov los ulfah do viidost. Nii fen ag hin hah. Nii fen kroved hin hil. Krif nii. Gunaar tol malur do hi. Dreh ni vos nii wah imaar hi. Hi los in do hin suleyk. Krif nii! (In your head is a creature of poison. It will burn your mind. It will corrupt your heart. Fight it. Crush that part of you. Do not allow it to control you. You are the master of your power. Fight it!)"
Ira blinked, and the light in her eyes started to recede. From behind her, Fankil snarled and stretched out a clawed hand to her, but in a whirl of movement too fast for Alduin to properly see, Ira had spun, caught Fankil's wrist, and threw him against the wall. Fankil was still recovering when Ira grasped hold of one of his wrists and snapped it into one of the manacles on the wall. The other was quick to follow.
Feeling the power in him die down, Alduin slowly got to his feet, sword limp in his hand. The blue flames surrounding Ira's body faded, and she let out a weak breath as her body slumped, completely drained. Alduin darted forward to catch her, ignoring the writhing figure of Fankil as he fought against his restraints.
Ira's bleary eyes met his, and she let out a soft smile. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
Alduin frowned. "For what?"
"I wasn't strong enough."
Shaking his head, Alduin said, "No one could have fought off his power. Do not beat yourself up about that."
Ira smiled sadly, but shook her head. "Not that," she muttered, before she weakly grabbed his hand and pressed it against her far side. Alduin's eyes widened when he felt the hot, sticky blood that was seeping from her body. "Turns out Fankil has sharp claws," she croaked, attempting to make a joke of the situation, but her voice was weak and carried no conviction whatsoever. Ira's bloody hand stretched out to cradle Alduin's face. "Finish what I started," she whispered. "Perhaps the Eyra will prove powerful enough to accept me in Sovngarde when the time comes."
Alduin's hands held Ira's face, eyes desperate. "You are not going to die, you hear me? I won't allow it."
Ira laughed breathlessly, the fire in her eyes starting to fade. "When have I ever done as I was told?"
Alduin's eyebrows pinched together, pain filling every inch of his body. This was not the same pain he was used to. This was not the same sorrow he felt for others. This was debilitating in its agonising strength. His heart felt like it was enclosed in a cell of ice, aching to be let go, only to instead be torn in two. "Don't give up, dii lokzii do dinok (my angel of death), I beg you."
Eyes lifting to the ceiling, Ira frowned slightly. "We had plans," she mumbled. "We were going to settle down, raise a family." Her lips pursed, and then she let out a weak whisper. "I don't want to miss that." She turned her head, and her eyes suddenly were ablaze again, the determination roaring through her veins. Alduin grinned, and she grinned back. "End it," she said, voice firm. "Perhaps the Gods will be merciful to me - perhaps they will allow me to indulge in my selfish wants."
"We have a world to save first," Alduin reminded her.
The Dragonborn let out a dramatic sigh. "There's always something."
Alduin pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, before slowly standing, picking up his sword as he went. His anger returned in full as he gazed at Fankil, cloaked only in his human body, who had his head lowered.
"It would seem my end has finally arrived," Fankil muttered. He snorted. "About time."
A particularly loud and violent rumble shook the mountain, and Fankil raised his head as dust and small stones began to tumble from the roof above his head, but Alduin did not move. His dragon was bellowing out in his veins - it could sense its freedom was near. It wanted to be on the front lines when it happened.
"For all the power you have, all the pain you've caused," Alduin seethed, his voice biting and harsh, "you truly are just a petty, puny creature. You are nothing more than an ant beneath my boot."
"And you are nothing more than a mindless beast that makes play he's a God," Fankil snapped.
"Oh no," Alduin growled, crouching down before the fallen maia who glared resolutely at him. "That is what you are." He smirked. "There is a reason your previous Master left you to rot in these rocks. You are nothing. Not to him. Not to anyone. And now you will die the death you deserve." Standing, Alduin arched his blade with all the strength he could muster, and Fankil's head went flying across the room. Instead of blood, a rainbow of yellow, pink, purple and blue shot out from his body, gushing out before it dispersed into nothing.
Then came the rush. The power. The energy. Alduin felt it fill his bones, felt all his injuries and aches burn away as if they were nothing. His body felt like it had been born anew. By his side, Ira steadily climbed to her feet, eyes ablaze with fire. She grinned wickedly at him.
"Let's go kill some orcs," she said, before she raced out of the room and threw herself off of the closest ledge. Alduin followed, feeling the comforting crack and groan of his bones as his body lengthened, his skin hardened, and wings sprouted from his back.
He let loose a roar that shook the earth for miles around, and the orcs beneath his quailed in terror as two more dragons fell upon them in a flash of fire, talons and raging fury.
Did anyone notice the references in this chapter? I'll give you a hint: Star Wars and the Avengers. I've watched both really recently.
Merry Christmas to you all, my lovelies, and, as always, until next time! :)