Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to Tolkien or his books..Those belong to him. I own However the OC and the plot and of course the Dragon in this story. No money is made from this work of Fiction
Warning: Character death, but only temporary.
Chapter Fourty-Six: Battling the Balragon...
Arlothiyenne stood with her father, Haldir and both his brothers by her side. All of the armies of the three elven realms before them.
The march of the enemy sounded as drums upon the ground. Wildmen, goblins, Orc, Uruk-hai of Isengard, and Spiders descendants of Shelob came into the open field below the foot hills of Dol Guldor. The air was filled with shadow, the fear of all those standing against it, began to permeate the land. The Sky blackened deeper than the nameless abyss.
Arlothiyenne's heart began to change, her mind clouded with a blood thirst unlike anything she had ever felt before. No fear, but that of anticipation came. The power within her began to hum, and brew like a raging river. It was not toward the enemy approaching the army, but that of what was to come.
The armies of Sauron attacked in waves. First the Wildmen, then the goblins, Orc, and Uruk-Hai. Elves fought against the attackers, slaying all that advanced, the sound of metal on metal, the wisping of arrows as they flew in unison.
Arlothiyenne felt the approach of her own personal demon. The one she was to fight, the Balragon. His power lust thrummed with her, her mind filled with its voice. It knew she was there, waiting, watching for him. He taunted her with words, it filled her mind with its anger. Her breath became ragged as she felt it nearing the field. Its closeness, though those near her did not know it. She closed her eyes, her mind began to fill with light, and the words of the Valar rang through her.
"We are with you young one, your protectors are at hand and the time is near. Clear your mind, feel our love, our trust in you. Let it be a direction for you to follow and bring you the liberation needed in this task. Free yourself and feel the power" The voice rang in her head.
Felt it, she did. The core power began to grow, like flames with the wind. Higher and higher the flame grew until it nearly consumed her.
Haldir, Rumil, Orophin and Lord Celeborn felt the static of power near them and looked to Arlothiyenne, finding that she now was fully engulfed with flames. The flames were translucent, never consuming, but burned steady and bright. Up until now, Haldir had seen similar from her, but this time it was different. Instead of blazing orange, she was a cool blue and purple flames.
"The hottest fire. That is what it is. To advance we must clear the way to the center." Celeborn said in awe of the beauty of color.
"How is that we are not affected by the heat?" Rumil asked reveling in the beauty of the flames.
"We are her protectors, brother. We are immune to it." Orophin answered only staring at her with great admiration.
Haldir spoke to Arlothiyenne. "Arlo, the time is near. Is it coming?" He asked her already knowing.
She heard his voice, recognized it, but felt no emotions. Her eyes moved to his, slowly and without feeling. Flatly, her voice sounded, in her entranced state, it was not like her normal voice at all, but deeper and more unfeeling. "Follow me!" she turned her emotionless eyes back to the land before her and began walking.
Her protectors walked two on each side, protecting her as they walked through the battling armies. As if by some unseen force, the way cleared and a low-lying energy surrounded the five. Swords drawn they walked attacking all those foes that felt brave enough to try to reach Arlothiyenne.
Arlothiyenne walked forward, her feet carrying her closer to the back of the battle line, where the spiders were waiting, protecting their most valued weapon. Balragon. Arlothiyenne grabbed the hilt of her sword, pulled. The sound of sharpening metal in the sheath permeated the senses of all near her.
Seeing her advancing, the spiders moved in, spitting their venom and attacking all elves in the vicinity. One came forward, but with the flash of her sword it backed away, but only for a moment, then came at her again. One thrust, she fought it, as Haldir and the others fought the smaller scout spiders. One by one she fought them. Until all that was left gave up their fight and fought more easy prey, the army of Elves.
Arlothiyenne stopped and closed her eyes. She heard the Balragon's earth thundering roar. Then felt the earth began to shake as it walked closer, the vibration resonating within her soul. It was time. Opening her eyes, she looked around her, the elves were still fighting. Most of the enemy around her had fallen, but her protectors and other elves fought to keep her path safe. She felt nothing.
She looked to Celeborn, Thranduil and many of his own army were coming near. She held up a hand to halt them. "Get the armies back. HE comes for me!" she told him. Haldir raised his sword in unison with Celeborn and his brothers. Thranduil looked to her, nodded and turned, he began ordering the armies to fall back. On the other side of the field, Lord Glorfindel, and Lord Elrond did the same. The elven armies were still behind them fighting the enemy.
Arlothiyenne closed her eyes again, he was closer, his mind connected to hers. 'I am coming.' he told her, his voice unearthly thick and raspy, "Prepare to meet your doom, little she-elf!" A flash of images came. She saw his eyes, they were like Sauron's, full of fire and malice.
Her eyes opened, her head snapped to the highest peak of Dol Guldor. Dark clouds began to form,= on the Eastern side. A thundering roar sounded again and all on the battle field stopped fighting and stared.
Haldir looked to watch what was coming, no fear did he feel, only anticipation. Celeborn, Rumil, Orophin moved closer to Arlothiyenne. Haldir only stared into the horizon.
The beast rose from the cloud. His body massive even from the distance. His black and iridescent scales shined in the clouded sunlight. The wing span doubled his body mass when outstretched. His whip-like tail, its length longer than his body by three times, burned like fire. Upon his head, the flaming horns of the balrog that laid within the beast's body. His eyes blazed fiery orange and red, like the pits of hell. He roared again in his thunderous way, this time causing the enemies of both sides to tremble. Balragon at this moment took to flight landing upon the ground below causing it to shake as he landed. Many of the foes that remained either continued to fight, or caused them to run away. Such a fearful thing this beast was, that even his counterparts, his fellow fighters would flee. The Balragon set his sights on Arlothiyenne, let out a massive roar with flames causing all both good and evil to perish in the flame.
Arlothiyenne feared him NOT. She held her head high as her mind became consumed with his taunting words. 'Your power has no hold over me, little she-elf. Death is upon you, and all that oppose me!' he spoke in her mind.
She spoke to him, her voice resonating the entire field. "Go back to the abyss from which you were forged from, you vile, filthy beast. Middle Earth, is free!" venomously she told him. Haldir and the other took their stance to help aid her. Her hands began to burn and resonate the power in them. She looked at her hands, the crystals lining the palms began to brightened to a glowing orange.
The massive whip-like tail of the beast came at her. Fast as lightning, she reacted as he struck his tail towards her, taking up her sword higher, she brought the blade down before it could hit her. The blade glowed fire red, slicing through it clean, and straight. The Balragon hissed and howled in pain, his mouth opened as the flames came out. He became angry.
Seeing the flame coming toward her, Arlothiyenne erected a field of energy with her hands, repelling the massive ball. She glared at him, her anger rising. She felt the power rise up more, her body feeling as though it was on fire.
'You may have wounded me, but you will not defeat me, little She-elf!' Balragon said with an evil laughter in his voice.
The creature rose up onto his hind legs, towering over her and her protectors as if to instill fear, but there was no fear in any of them. His massive height, in a way seemed to be a weakness. In an act of sheer brazen attempt, Arlothiyenne broke into a run, ignoring all her called after her telling her to come back. She ran fast getting closer to the Balragon, looking up at him all the hate for this foul THING rising up in her. Boiling with the feeling of hatred, she shot bolts of fire into his giant belly. He howled out in pain, flames pouring from his mouth as he roared.
He felt to the ground back onto all fours. Just when all would think he would crush her, she moved out of his way and ran back towards Haldir and the others. With swords drawn and ready to strike, they all fought. Tail whipping, the beast knocked down both its own minions and the elves fighting alike. It was at this moment, the remaining Orc and goblins saw opportunity to try and destroy the small elven female. They came at her full force, but they were no match for Haldir, Rumil, Orophin and Celeborn. With lightning speed, the four fought back to keep the enemy at bay.
She turned to the creature, the images from his mind flashed before her. The visions of what would come, should she fail to defeat him. Her people would become the slaves of the earth, tortured and mutilated. The free folk, would become like animals, wild and rabid. The sight was hideous, but she only shook the images from her mind. She scowled at Balragon, her chin held high. "Your vile visions and imagery, will not cause me to falter, you creature of evil! The Valar is with me. Their will is my command." she said.
She sheathed her sword, held up her hands, the crystal palm guards pointed toward the creature. She closed her eyes and began an assault, using every element she could wield. Starting with the ice, she froze him, then blasted lightning strikes into his eyes, but his fire soul thawed him out. He was blinded for many moments.
The next wave came, Arlothiyenne concentrated on the cliff side, the massive boulders she lifted and shot them down upon him, knocking him over. It slowed him down, but he returned standing shooting fire from his mouth and nose, his whip tail of fire came at her again, she took out her sword and cut off more of it leaving nothing but a stump. The Beast screeched out again, his pain shown in his rage. He began to attack all, including his own allies. The winged Nazguls flew, their riders bringing them closer to the armies below, picking up many, only to drop them to the ground again.
He spanned his wings and was soon assaulted by full volleys of arrows, embedding them deeply within the membranes of his wings, leaving holes and tears. He would not be able to fly now.
The creature was strong, but the one thing, she saw was a weakness in his scales. Tightly they were all over his body, but not upon his neck. She turned to Haldir and the others as the full assault of the arrows took place. "His neck, there is a weak spot. He will be weakened if that spot is attacked." she said.
Haldir seeing the spot she spoke of, threw down his sword then grabbing his bow and began shooting the arrows embedding them in the small spot. Orophin and Rumil saw what he was doing and joined him.
The beast began to fight back as the arrows continued to assault him, but he was beginning to get weaker. His voice sounded in her head, but the speech was garbled and undecipherable. A whisper if one could call it something. She began to approach him with Haldir and the others behind her with swords still held high. Around them, the enemy still fought, but only a few, the battle was winding down. Soon after moments of him staggering for his bearings, the beast fell to the ground and laid there. His voice continued to whisper within her head and she looked at him with her head cocked in curiosity. The words. They sounded almost like pleading or begging. Or...fighting between one another. Strange it was hearing this beast of evil doing this. It was almost as if there were two fighting. It donned on her. Could the dragon and the balrog be fighting one another?
The thought of him fighting himself was almost too much, but a feeling came that bewildered her more. She felt his fear. It resonated from him loud and clear. It rolled through his soul and into hers. This mighty evil creature felt fear. Fear that no one could have possibly imagined. She studied him a moment. Something this big and made to do his Dark Lord's evil felt the one thing he was made to instill in others. Impossible. She looked deeper into his mind. There an innocent feeling, childlike even came out. This dragon was a good dragon, born to be good but only made evil by his masters. That innocence and good was fighting the demonic side. In his heart, she felt, he wanted peace and to end all suffering. His soul was pure, even with the demon trapped inside. This made Arlothiyenne sad, a good soul should never be trapped. It reminded her of the elf stuck within the Orc. She wanted to release him.
Her view of him changed instantly. He may have been altered for evil, but his soul was beautiful. Seeing the beauty deep within him, she looked at him on the outside. He was beautiful in all. His outer body was also beautiful, his scales tougher than iron, black as pitch with a side of iridescence when the light hit. His face and snout were ordinary, but also in a way extraordinary. He was a living, breathing being, who though looked evil, was not and deserved respect. He was unique, unusual and never seen before. He weakly flared out, his nostrils smoked, his eyes lit as flames for one moment then extinguished. The blood flowed from his wings and his body, looked like molten rock and dripped singing and sizzling upon the ground. He roared weakly as he lay dying. If she did anything, now was the time.
Arlothiyenne looked at him again, her heart suddenly despaired for what she had to do. Elves valued all life, including that of their foes, life was a gift. She walked a little closer to him, and spoke to him. "I am sorry, friend, but I cannot allow you to go on. You were built for one reason. To destroy. I feel you are fighting what is within you. Confused of what you are. I shall give you the peace you deserve." she told him, her arms held high to show him she would not hurt him anymore. The beast twitched som, the balrog, though still in him, was losing and the dragon's heart was stronger. She approached him and closed her eyes.
Inside the dragon's mind, she saw the balrog, his anger and fury burning within. The balrog in attempt to regain controll pulled out a ball of fire and threw it. The Dragon roared out in pain, then became more alive.
Celeborn looked back in that moment. "Arlothiyenne, step back! He is about to rise!" she heard her father call out. She didn't move.
"Arlo!" Haldir cried in fear for her.
"Balrog! Leave this beast!" she screamed out.
"No" was the low roar he let out. The Balragon began to whip around, thrashing, fighting all that was near him. The fighting around her and the beast gathered strength once more. Arlothiyenne stood there, her arms now raised, the power surged through her again and began shooting from her hands. Her body heated again, this time she glowed more brightly. She felt herself leave her own body and now look down upon herself. But it only lasted a few moments, before she swooped back into herself, her mind then connected to her mother.
In Lorien...
Galadriel stood at her mirror, her eyes fixed upon the battle raging there. The necklace she wore began to glow with power as Arlothiyenne's stone in her diadem did. She removed Nenya and cast it into the waters.
Her mind connected to her daughter. "Arlothiyenne, hear me daughter!" she spoke. "Repeat what I say" she commanded.
In the mirror, Arlothiyenne nodded. She stopped moving. Closing her eyes to concentrate. In unison they chanted the words of prayer. "Valar, thy will be done. I am the beacon of your will, judge of the people, child of light. Hear me, use me." they spoke. She listened as Arlothiyenne's voice sounded through the mirror.
The winds began to change, blowing from the mirror swirling around and around. Arlothiyenne's hair whirled in the winds that came around her. "Repeat it over and over again." she commanded her again. Arlothiyenne did.
The waters began to change colors, the light from it building in brightness. Galadriel closed her eyes, began to chant, as Arlothiyenne repeated the words over and over again.
Battle Field...
Arlothiyenne heard her mother's words. The air about her began to electrify. She felt the wind pick up, she raised her hands to the air, her voice rising up, and becoming louder than the battle that raged around her. All others left her presence as she began to concentrate on the task at hand. She had to bring the beast down, before the walls of Dol Guldor could fall.
She chanted the words over and over again. Until she felt the power rise higher and higher within her. She felt the heat rising, felt the burn.
The Beast roared and howled in pain, the power in her was steady now, moving through her, pulsating like the blood the coursed through her veins. She opened her eyes and stared at the beast, No fear did she feel, no emotion. All others gone from her.
Her conscious mind felt her body walk toward the beast, but she was unable to stop it. The beast thrashed again, the power shooting from her, assaulted him repeatedly. She Felt the arrows of her protectors whipping past her head, saw the arrows embed within the beast's body.
The beast weakened and began to stop fighting again. She walked up to him, his head bowed upon the ground, he was bleeding badly, quickly it was draining from him. She stared him in his massive eye. His soul black as pitch and full of rage, she scowled up at him.
"You will reap now what you have sown, beast. Know that this creature's body, for which you live within will be no more. Go back to the abyss where you belong!' with that she reached out and placed both hands upon his snout.
Closed her eyes and felt all the knowledge it knew, all the pain and hurt, the evil in its purest form within her. She absorbed it, all of it. When she was done, she was weakened, and pulled away from it. Her breathing labored, her soul overran with it, she began to stagger and sway, becoming dizzy.
She looked up and saw Haldir, his brothers, and her father fighting orcs, trying to keep them from getting to her. She turned to the beast, and saw that it was still alive but only an empty shell.
She began to whisper. "Valar, give me strength. Thy will be done." she looked up.
She breathed in a heavy breath and let it out. Falling to her knees she waited for a second wave of strength. It came, like a rushing wind that slowly built itself.
Her mind became filled with the voices of her mother and others, whom she did not know. She looked up, her head whipped to the side as she felt the presence of something near her. An orc, a big one. She grabbed her sword and ran it through his body, soon another one came at her, but was dispatched when Haldir advanced toward her, killing all that tried to get to her. Orophin and Rumil were now in front her fighting off more and more of the advancing goblins while her ada fought off a wildman.
She stood up, and walked near the beast again. She called out. "Naneth, it is time to rid this place of the evil. Cleanse it. I feel the power growing more in me. Not like before." she told her in her mind. Her mother responded.
"Nenya is in the mirror, it is my connection to you. Whatever your instincts tell you, do it." she said.
Arlothiyenne stood there, the wind rising again, the fire within her building more inside than before. The sounds of battle were drowned out.
"By the light of Earendil's star, shall the land be brightened. Like the fresh waters of a mountain stream shall the lands be cleaned. Like the innocence of a child shall the land remain at peace. Valar take the evil that plagues the land, and throw them to the abyss!" Galadriel spoke.
Arlothiyenne felt the need to kneel come upon her. She placed her hands flat upon the ground, the evil around she felt began to seep through her, but her heart was pure, it did not affect her as most would think, it made her more angry that such things, creatures and horrific things lived. The Balragon's breath hitched, it was near death, too weak to fight her. The balrog had lost. She felt the energies from all the creatures on the battle field begin to build in her.
Galadriel began to transfer some powers through Arlothiyenne's mind, causing such a clarity unlike anything she had ever felt. Arlothiyenne remained kneeling, her eyes closed as she listened to all the heart beats around her. The land was crying out for vengeance against the enemy. She whispered to it, to open up, let it out. To allow the cleansing and healing to seep into it.
She reached for her sword, the sound of metal unsheathing came to her ears. She stood, but only for a moment. She grabbed the hilt with both hands, the blade pointed to the ground.
In her head, her mother's voice began to chant in ancient Quenyan, the chant for cleansing.
The power built to a level unlike before in Arlothiyenne. Her rage, anger, and despair took over. In a loud growl, with all the energy she had behind it, Arlothiyenne thrust her sword into the ground.
The battlefield was silent. The fighting stopped and all stared at her. In the distance a low rumble could be heard. Arlothiyenne looked up, her protectors nearby guarding her, watching the orcs. Some became fearful and began to run in all directions but some were so stunned to fear, they were frozen.
The rumble grew louder, the ground shook mightily. Massive tears within the soil came as the ground ripped in half. The enemy began to fall into the massive ground breaks, but the elves remained untouched. You could hear the screams of those that fell.
Feeling her strength waning, Arlothiyenne fell to her knees, her body feeling as though a mountain laid upon her, she grabbed a hold of her sword. She threw it to the side. The last to go was the Balragon who in his last breath fell in to the ground. Once all was gone, Arlothiyenne, placed her hands to the ground again, this time, the final power, the one buried deep within her came.
She circled her hands around feeling for the place where the most damage was done to the earth, and began to concentrate on it. She felt the land pull together, fast it did, until the rock, soul, roots, and the lands was anew.
When the wounds of the earth was healed. One task was needed. The light rose high, and a peace came on her in the moment that the light emanated from her .Bright, blinding light, white, pure, and full of hope.
Haldir and the other stood there watching what had just happened. Fear for Arlothiyenne rose.
The blinding light came, her body began to levitate some but only sightly. The light shot from her chest, her eyes, her hands, her head. Then in a rush, she was dropped to the ground, and the light rushed upon the ground, leaving lush green and brightness behind it. Within moments, the woods were bright, green and healthy again. A great applause sounded from the Mirkwood elves, but four became saddened.
Haldir saw her lying there lifeless, her hair had changed back to its former darken color. He threw down his sword to reach her side.
He fell to his knees, picked her up into his arms and held her tight. Her eyes opened weakly, but only for a moment. In a whisper she spoke only his name. "Haldir." then she was gone.
Haldir felt as though the world had been stripped from him. His heart ached. In that pain, his grief came hard and fast. "Arlothiyenne! NO! My love, come back to me!" he screamed out.
King Thranduil, Celeborn, Rumil and Orophin fell to their knees beside the Marchwarden looking down at the one that saved them all. She laid there, lifeless, and paler than they had ever seen her.
Little did they know what was to come next.
Note: Two and Half years and I finally finished it! Whew! That was a long time. It has taken me a Long time to get to this one, I hope you all review and tell me how I did. Battle scenes are not my cup of tea, so hope I did it justice.
