It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. – The Return of the King
Hooves thundered across the rocky wastelands, as the small army rode towards Minas Morgul. The horses rode at a steady clip, their flanks coated with a light sweat worked. The early morning light cast long shadows over the land, and the light appeared fainter in Mordor, with none of its usual radiance.
Minas Morgul jutted into the sky up ahead, a towering edifice that shimmered with a ghostly glow in the dawn's light. The army had been marching for a few hours by this time; during a pre-dawn meeting, the King had met with advisors to finalize the last-minute strategy for the battle today. King Aragorn wanted to give his men as much daylight as possible; though the shadow creatures would still have mobility, it would hopefully be limited under the noonday sun.
Below, those at the front of the army turned around a rocky hill and spotted the cursed city. Soldiers straightened in their saddles and adjusted their grip on spears and swords as they caught sight of their target. The entire army was horseback, but not by choice. The dwarves that accompanied those from Rohan had protested vehemently against going saddleback, and many were hopping off of their mounts where they rode double with the men as Minas Morgul appeared.
Harry looked down at a familiar silhouette below. Gimli had grumbled when paired on a horse with Legolas, but the dwarf remained seated while some of his brethren now opted to walk. Perhaps he saw wisdom in conserving energy before the battle.
Harry wished that Gimli would dismount, though. Legolas hadn't spoken to Harry since he revealed his secret, and Harry had been trying to give the elf space. Yet he was growing concerned about the ever-growing rift between them. He hoped Gimli had spoken with Legolas on the ride; Gimli had certainly taken the discovery in stride and still treated Harry the same as before. Yet Gimli remained on the horse, and Harry kept his distance in the air.
Instead, Harry tried to look for areas where there might be a surprise attack. It was nearly impossible in the morning light; the sun cast long shadows over nearly every part of the land.
A horse whinnied and reared, breaking the quiet.
There!
Harry saw a shadow twist and extend, solidifying into a shape that launched itself at the horse. Soon the ground became a writhing mess of shadows as more creatures emerged below the horses' legs and attacked their underbellies. Men and dwarves hastily unsheathed their swords and axes to begin fighting back to protect their mounts, but more horses shrieked and bucked under the onslaught.
"Head for the citadel!" the king yelled, his voice rising above the whinnying of horses and clang of swords. "We must destroy them at the source."
Some horses charged ahead; those who could not continued to rear and lash out against the shadow creatures. Harry hesitated, wondering if he should help. Then he saw the horse that bore Gimli and Legolas streak past the melee below and towards the city of Minas Morgul. He wheeled around and followed, determined to ensure his friends remained safe.
It was chaos.
Harry had lost sight of Gandalf; he had last seen the wizard at the gates of the city, fighting to keep the way open for more of Aragorn's men to pour through. He had tried to direct the army to the cavern beneath Minas Morgul, but much of the fighting remained spread out across the city.
Below, Legolas and Gimli had finally reached the citadel along with a group of men from Gondor. Orcs and Uruk-hai guarded the entrance; the fighting was fiercely concentrated around the large steel doors, as their bulk effectively stopped anyone from sneaking through. As Harry watched, he saw a handful of shadow creatures appear behind the small army and begin to attack at the rear of the fighting, causing soldiers to curse and turn around to fight on two fronts.
Two could play that game, Harry thought. He dove into a shadowed alcove of Minas Morgul and reappeared behind the entranceway. The orcs and Uruk-hai were even more concentrated here; if a soldier managed to get one foot through the door, they would be met with even more resistance.
Harry flew deeper into the citadel, finding a partially-hidden area behind a door left half-way open. He quickly glanced around, but all of the attention was focused on the fighting at the doorway. Harry quickly transformed and concentrated on one of the few wandless spells he knew. He closed his eyes, trying to visualize the spell being cast in a wide net, instead of targeting a specific orc.
"Expelliarmus!" he cried.
Swords flew through the air, some being propelled out of the hands of one orc only to be buried in its neighbor. Orcs screamed in pain or bellowed in anger as their weapons flew out of their grasp. In the moment of panic, Aragorn's forces seized on the brief period of uncertainty and pushed forward. Men broke through the ranks and spilled into the building.
Immediately, groups began to spread out to try and cover more ground before their enemies could regroup.
"Go downstairs," Harry yelled, gesturing towards the path he had found in his prior reconnaissance mission here. A few men started towards the stairs, but most others remained caught up in the fighting or ventured down corridors on the main floor.
"This way," another voice bellowed. Gimli strode forward with a group of fighters following him. The dwarf held a bloodied ax, but he barely stopped to engage with an orc that ran towards him. He hit the creature with a powerful blow and continued. "Come! We must use this chance!"
More men began to congregate around him, forming back into a single-minded mass of fighters instead of scattering within the keep. The group pushed their way into the staircase and ran down the stairs. Harry hesitated before following. He looked wildly around the room. Where was Legolas? The elf had been with Gimli outside, but Harry didn't see him now.
More men were fighting their way into the building, but their progress was also noticed by the enemy. The orcs and Uruk-hai had regrouped and began to block the doors once more, and familiar shapes began emerging from the shadows. Some of the creatures attacked the men in the entryway, while others crept down the stairwell.
Harry transformed back into Eclipse and threw himself into the shadows as well. He re-emerged in the cavern below. There, Gimli's party was quickly becoming surrounded by the creatures. The floor swarmed and flickered as the creatures attacked and melted away from any retaliatory strikes… only to reappear behind a different soldier.
While the creatures had an obvious advantage, the soldiers were learning to attack together. Harry watched as a couple of men successfully stabbed a shadow creature to death, its still form giving one last half-hearted flicker before coming to rest motionless on the floor. Yet the creature's death was only one out of many attacking, and the low light in the cavern made most of the attacks miss their mark. They needed help.
Harry pivoted again, shifting back to the city's edge. The remainder of the army seemed to have entered the city and Gandalf was no longer at the gates. He flew in one circle, then another, frantically looking for a familiar pointy hat in the crowds below.
There!
Harry swooped down and transformed in a single motion.
"They need your help," he said, and unceremoniously grabbed Gandalf's arm. Before the wizard could react, Harry turned sharply on one foot and Apparated with a crack. Both wizards reappeared in the caverns, where the shadow creatures seemed to loom in the dim light.
Gandalf didn't hesitate. He raised his staff and shouted a word that seemed to echo through the chamber. As the staff slammed into the ground, a brilliant ball of light burst into existence and grew in size and intensity until a miniature sun appeared to hang from the ceiling of the chamber.
The shadow creatures hissed in displeasure at the bright burst of light, and then in pain as the soldiers' swords finally found their marks.
Under the harsh glare, light glinted off of a familiar set of golden hair and Harry heard voices that made his heart soar.
"Fifteen!" "Nineteen!"
Across the cavern, Harry saw Legolas and Gimli fighting side-by-side. They had almost reached the vats that created the shadow creatures, but a group of orcs stood in the way. Harry quickly Apparated over; the sharp crack of his arrival earned a quick nod from Gimli, but Legolas only gave an indecipherable look and turned back to the battle.
"Sixteen!" Gimli cried and plunged into the thickest part of the swarm of Orcs.
Harry was horrified. Both Legolas and Gimli took a light-hearted view towards battle, but at the very least they ought to stay together. Harry looked at the space where Gimli disappeared and then back to Legolas, feeling conflicted.
"Twenty!" Legolas cried as he used a long knife to slice at an orc that had crept too close. While the elf preferred to use his bow, the close quarters fighting made him rely more and more on a knife to defend himself.
Harry quickly used a wandless Expelliarmus on the orc and then turned to where Gimli had disappeared. He could guess at the general location of the dwarf by the loud war cry Gimli just uttered in response to Legolas' count. As Harry worked to disarm the attackers, more soldiers joined the fighting by the vats. Soon, a handful of men had opened up a path to Gimli and Harry gave a brief sigh of relief at seeing the dwarf unharmed.
His relief was short-lived; while Gimli found additional support, Harry turned to help Legolas once more and saw a shadow creature emerge from behind Legolas. It held a dagger in its long sinewy hand and thrust it towards Legolas.
"Look out!" Harry cried but he was too far away.
Legolas must have sensed the creature, for he twisted out of the way at the last possible second. But the second of inattention caused the orc that Legolas had been fighting to press forward and thrust its sword into the elf's torso.
Harry apparated to Legolas's side as the elf fell to the ground. Harry's heart leapt into his throat as he frantically reached out with his hands to try and stem the bleeding. The blood made it slippery and difficult for his hands to find purchase, while Legolas's clothes became stained in a dark red. He kept trying to apply pressure for another long second, until the shock wore off and his brain kicked in.
Tears, he needed tears! His hands wouldn't help Legolas, but tears would. Harry fluidly transformed into Eclipse. The tears came faster than they ever had before, as his thoughts were consumed with worry for the elf. Let him be alright, let him be alright . Harry thought desperately. Just please, don't let him die!
One tear fell, then another and another until Harry was crying in earnest.
"Eclipse?" Legolas murmured in confusion. He opened his eyes and stared with wonder at the cut that began to seal itself shut.
But Harry wasn't the only one who watched the elf fall. Several orcs had seen the elf fall and the bird crouch over him. They had not wasted that time in closing the distance, and Legolas's eyes widened with alarm as he saw what approached.
"Behind you," he said urgently, and Harry whipped his head up, tears flying through the air, as he turned to face the attackers. Harry's mind raced as he quickly assessed the situation. It did not look promising. But Harry had survived worse than this – and he would do anything to keep the elf from harm. Letting out angry clicks, he was going to launch himself at the creatures when someone else did it for him. The being made short work of the creatures, knocking them unconscious with a rusty sword.
It was a naked man. His skin was caked with filth and blood, and his body seemed vaguely deformed.
The man swallowed thickly. "I can – I can think again."
He licked his cracked lips and looked up at Harry, with a slightly off look in his eyes. It was the same look Sirius sometimes wore when he was thinking of Azkaban. A not-all-there sort of look. He looked down to his finger in fascination, moving them slowly as they obeyed his commands. "I -" he trailed off. "I'm sorry. Hurt him." The words came out strangely, with an accent. Harry didn't look where the man's fingers were gesturing. He knew who was behind him. Legolas.
" You were the…orc?" Harry asked hesitantly. Were the orcs created just as these shadow creatures were? From something previously whole?
Legolas let out a gasp as he heard the man speak.
"Please" the being begged hoarsely, "The others... we were all elf or man before the Wizard came. And then there was pain, pain, pain, pain..." his voice trailed off in a singsong. The man – or elf? – slowly sank in on himself and rocked on his heels on the ground.
Harry glanced at Legolas to double-check that he was healed. The elf looked ashen.
"There were tales," he whispered, his eyes unable to tear themselves away from the man. "Ever since Morgoth. Of how prisoners were twisted beyond recognition. Of how the Orcs and Uruk-hai weren't truly created from scratch, they were molded from other beings. Have we been killing elves all along?"
Harry sucked in a breath. There was only one way to find out. He launched himself into the air, wings straining to get aloft in the cramped space. Once he was above the fighting, Harry started a soft, mournful trill. He sang his pain and tears coursed freely, first a few and then a fountain.
As Harry flew over the cavernous hallway, his teardrops landed on orcs, Uruk-hai, and the shadow creatures. A single tear seemed to slow them down, but those who received multiple tears folded in on themselves and slowly transformed. Some of the newly transformed men continued to attack, disregarding their new look; but many more fled or simply stood transfixed, prodding their new features in disbelief.
So concentrated was Harry on crying and staying aloft, that he hardly noticed when his wings became more and more sluggish or that he had started dipping erratically from the air. All he knew was that he had to help as many of these creatures as he could. It wasn't until his vision – which had been clouded by tears – began to swim with darkness did Harry realize he was falling.
His last conscious thought was of hands cushioning his fall, curling around to cradle him.