We are nearing the end of this fic, probably something i should have finished before my hiatus but oh well.
to recap: Eleryna has just entered Mordor after nearly being attacked by Boromir who was struck down by Shelob. Eleryna is the granddaughter of Galadriel and bears the Ring instead of Frodo from whom she stole it to ensure the task was done.
bold-italic font is Elvish
Enjoy!
Several days had passed since she had last looked at the sky. The Ring weighed her down, dragging her head down when she wanted to look up, to see if the sky had cleared of Sauron's darkness. The darkness, she knew, was fueled by some other force, locked away ages ago, before even her father was born. The only one of her family to have seen that darkness was her grandmother. If Sauron won, that darkness would take control of the world. That darkness, a fallen god named Morgoth, had the power to reach the heavens and Valinor.
She had backtracked to the mountains and was trying a different route to the mountains. She looked toward the west. The battle went badly, she knew. Her heart told her that Minas Tirith had fallen. She didn't know about Aragorn and the remaining Fellowship members. She worried about Legolas. She began to regret her decision to take the Ring. At the moment, she felt useless. She couldn't be sure that she would destroy the Ring. Not when at every turn, she had been turned back to where she couldn't get closer to her goal, to Mount Doom.
"Don't think like that," she whispered to herself. "You will get through this. You will."
She hid in the shadows again as another company of Orcs marched past her on their way to Udûn. She decided to follow them. Maybe she could get through undetected. She didn't get far when, in her wariness, she tripped and fell into the Orc in front of her. The Orc turned and recognized her as an Elf and his blade flashed in the faint light.
Eleryna sat up, a hand over her mouth to muffle the scream. She checked herself and then looked around. She was only a day away from where she had left Boromir. She hadn't tried to make it to the mountain yet. She had barely gotten past the tower where she was sure the blocked passage led. Not that it really mattered how long she had been in Mordor. What did was the fact that she was in Mordor and she had a job to do. Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep again, she packed up her small camp and looked out of the crude shelter she had managed to make. There was no one in sight and so she stood and began moving again.
Eleryna kept her knives loose in their sheaths, determined not to be caught off guard. Her vision had served to remind her that she was always in danger and that she needed to stay vigilant. It would do her no good to be caught now, not when she was so close. She stopped and drew one of her knives when she felt eyes on her. She turned sharply enough to catch a glimpse of a figure scurrying away. She knew the figure and its walk. Gollum. She had thought him long dead by now. It was because of him the Riders knew where to find Frodo. It was another of the reasons she had taken the Ring. The Hobbit would have been looked for sooner than she had been. Though, she had already been in danger and so had taken a great risk in taking the Ring from the Hobbit. She could have volunteered to go with the Fellowship, but she wouldn't have been sure she would be able to stay with Frodo. She had been picked up by the Orcs in Parth Galen and had to be saved by the Rohirrim which had started her towards something else before she could get back to her task with the Ring.
Eleryna looked in the direction Gollum had gone and decided to keep one of her knives loose and her bow handy. There was no king's order to keep him alive now. He was a threat to her as long as she bore the Ring. She turned back towards the mountain and began walking. She had a long way to go.
Legolas looked out across the fields, still burning from the battle a few days ago. He, Gimli, and Haldir had followed Aragorn and the Gray Company through the Paths of the Dead where Aragorn began his role as King of Gondor, a ranger no longer. In the tents behind him, the commanders debated this matter and that with Aragorn and Gandalf. Legolas and Gimli were decided to follow Aragorn to the end of the journey, whatever and wherever it be. Haldir had the chance to return to Lórien, but refused until he could see Eleryna safely returned there. Legolas did not argue with him. Both Elves knew that Eleryna would need to heal after this and the best place would be in the Light of Lórien, where the darkness could not get to. At least he hoped that was the case. Haldir had gotten word from his brother when they were in Helm's Deep that Lórien was preparing for an invasion. Haldir had divulged this information after they had left the Paths of the Dead. Legolas worried for his father, though, there was little that could be done for him from Gondor.
His thoughts tuned to his wife. He had not seen her since the victory in Helm's Deep weeks ago. He missed her. But he also understood why she had done what she did. She was the granddaughter of the Lady and that came with responsibilities of its own along with the fact that Eleryna, should she survive, would become the new Lady once her grandmother sailed.
"One light in the darkness." Haldir suddenly said from Legolas's side. The Elf prince didn't move.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Legolas asked after a moment.
"It is what Lady Galadriel had told me one time. Lady Eleryna had taken off again and it was one of the few times that I could not find her." Legolas chuckled. He had had plenty of those experiences with his wife when she first moved to Mirkwood. "I couldn't think of anywhere she could have gone within the realm. The Lady found me at the gates, sitting outside them actually, ashamed that I had lost Eleryna. 'She is but one light in the darkness' the Lady told me. I didn't know what it meant then. I think I know now. There is darkness in this world and each person is a light, or has a light. Some lights are brighter than others. Lady Eleryna, for instance, is one of the brightest. But she is one light against the darkness of Sauron. But sometimes, one light is all that is needed."
"Very poetic from one such as you." Legolas replied. "Did you ever find her?"
"I did. For some strange reason, darkness had made me think of Moria. I found Lady Eleryna perched in a tree, on watch, on the northern edge of the forest. She was confused at my worry. Apparently she had told me that she had offered to take the watch of a guard who's baby was about to be born and he wanted to be there." Legolas and Haldir laughed. Legolas couldn't help but realizing that it was exactly the thing Eleryna would do. She cared for others. It was one of her strengths, and a fault. She had done several things of the same sort in Mirkwood once she got to know the place.
"Please, Ryna, come back to me."
"Legolas," Gimli's rough voice interrupted his thoughts. The Elf turned to the Dwarf, bringing a taunt to his tongue but decided against voicing it.
"What is it, Gimli?"
"It has been decided. In the morning, we march to Mordor. It is the feeling of all that, even if we die, that it will give the Ring-bearer a chance to complete her task."
"A diversion then."
"Aye. If we can keep the eye fixed on us, the commanders and Gandalf believe that she will have a chance."
"Very well. We will be ready." Haldir answered for the two Elves. Gimli nodded and walked away. Legolas and Haldir looked at each other and then back to the darkness that rested of the mountains in the east.
Eleryna drug her head up to look at the faint sunlight streaming into the land of Mordor. When the light had first broke six days ago, she had been able to find hope. But now that hope was a distant memory in the ever crushing blackness of Mordor. She had made it through the camps of Men and Orcs camped across the fields of Gorgoroth, somehow. She was now closer to the mountain than she had ever dared dream of being. She had never thought that she would be in this land at all. It was a dark land and not one that she wanted to be in. But she had entered it willingly and with a task to do.
Shifting rocks drew her attention to the rock shelf above her. There was nothing there, but she was not easily fooled. She drew one of her knives and looked around her. With a jolt, she realized that she was near the foot of the mountain, her goal. She was so close. She turned to look around her and saw the tower yards to her left. She had been so distracted by her doubt that she would have walked right into Sauron's hands if she had turned that way. Her eyes went up the black tower to the top where she had always seen the eye. It was still there, burning as it had since the day it had sprung to life years ago. However, the flame seemed to be dimmer, as if the entire spirit of Sauron was not in the tower, but elsewhere. She shuddered at the thought and continued hiking up the mountain, looking for a road, knowing that a dark lord would not be climbing to get to his special place.
Another shifting of rock was all the warning she had before Gollum's thin form tackled her to the ground, her knife flying from her hand. He was strong enough to do it on his own, though he would have had a difficult time had Eleryna been at full strength and wasn't weighed down by the Ring around her neck. With effort, Eleryna managed to throw him off her, flipping him over her head and onto his back. Eleryna rolled to her knees in time to catch the creature, his hands reaching for her throat. She kicked him back and scrambled for her fallen blade. Gollum jumped onto her back and pawed through her hair to get at the chain. She knew that if he got a hold of it, he could kill her. She couldn't die yet. She had to finish her task.
"Gilthoniel A Elbereth!" The cry came unbidden to her lips, but she didn't hold it back. Nor did she hold back the power inherent to her by blood. The power gave her newfound strength and she managed to reach around and pull Gollum off of her and onto the road next to them. Eleryna felt the eye settle lazily on her, drawn by her power before suddenly turning to the Black Gates. Eleryna ignored it and grabbed her blade, getting to her feet smoothly. Gollum tried to knock her down again. She kicked him away and waited. He crouched and watched her. This was it, the final decision between the two of them. She hoped Gollum would just go away, decide he didn't want to die. She knew his decision the moment he started moving. He jumped at her. She positioned her knife to where he would fall on it. He did and died as his dead weight dragged the blade down. Eleryna watched as the body fell from her blade and sighed. Several people had hoped for this creature's redemption, something that he would now not receive. That chance had been taken from him the moment he found the Ring. It was time for that corruption to end.
Eleryna turned from the body and ran up the path to the mountain, knife in hand and the battle cry on her lips. She skidded to a stop just before the wide area, the Crack of Doom. In the glare of the red light stood a figure she knew well. He turned. His tan skin was ashen and his blonde hair had a darker tint to it. He smiled at her.
"Greetings, Daughter of Elrond. I believe you have something that belongs to me." Sauron said with Boromir's voice and mouth.
I am beginning to learn that I am far more evil to my Lord of the Ring characters than I am the others. Hmmmm
Thanks for reading and please review