Chapter 18
Lord of Darkness
Author's Note: This chapter is probably one of my favorite. There's a Blind Guardian song featured in this chapter for a specific purpose. If you want the full effect, I suggest you listen to it while reading :). There are some "trigger" worthy scenes in here, so keep that in mind while you're reading. While you do that, remember why this story's rated M.
Have fun!
The plan had been fool proof.
Brianna's idea to execute a sneaky way to make it to the end of the Small Pass then use a complicated runic equation to transport them to the banks of the Anduin would have worked. The problem was expectations. Brianna had known Erebus' people were looking for her in particular, but she hadn't thought him smart enough to use the one animal that could locate her.
Dark grey clouds dusted into the cracks of the pass. Their collective vision was impaired which forced Brianna to rely solely on her extra senses in the air, its moisture, and the ground, itself. Glorfindel knew when they made it to the end of the pass, so they remained within its high walls while Brianna searched through her notes for the equation she kept on hand for purposes such as this. This, of course, is when her senses spiked with awareness of a particular being that had been known to Greek Mythology as daimons. They were made up of a myriad of dark elemental creatures with various terrible powers meant to harm and destroy only. Erebus was intelligent enough to use the ones connected to Enith Gilthaes. Those daimons were expert trackers in most regards, but they loved to feed off of the cellular energy of a person - elven or not - who held a direct connection with the element. Brianna happened to be a prime target in that regard.
She only finished the first set of equations when the daimons attacked. Brianna had just enough time to figure out something was wrong before they were overwhelmed by the essence-sucking beasts. Daimons, as mentioned earlier, varied by type. These happened to resemble emaciated women with long stringy hair that seemed to have been practically made of tar. Their purple eyes were the first things she saw from the gloom of the dim late afternoon as they gleamed down at them with their hungry expressions. The sight made her heart jump into her throat.
They went for her first, of course, and Brianna hastily destroyed the ground around her to cover up the tell-tale runic marks that would have given away their purpose. Arwen surprised her when she whirled upon the first wave before Glorfindel had thought to draw his sword and lopped the first two daimon's heads off in two swift slashes of her long, slender blade. The older elf lord followed closely behind his betrothed, a long broad sword gleaming with an almost other worldly light. Elrohir and Elladan drew their bows and moved like twin lightening bolts slapping away the oncoming creatures and successfully following through with an arrow into their hearts.
Brianna drew her long knives from their sheaths at her sides and moved towards the next oncoming group. She stabbed one in the heart, twisted, and decapitated another one. The blade flipped out of the one she stabbed and slashed at the neck of another one. This one was slightly smarter than the first two had been and managed to lurch out of her way. Releasing a feral growl, Brianna flipped around and kicked it's feet out from under it. As the daimon thudded against the rocky earth Brianna's knife flashed and plunged past it's ribcage and into its heart.
"Make for the entrance! Get out into the open!" Glorfindel yelled over the din of moaning.
Brianna didn't think twice about waiting for the rest of the group. She threw herself at the twenty or so daimen blocking their way out and viciously slaughtered each and every one of them. Sickly green and yellow blood coated her arms and legs. Her eyes flashed as one particularly evil looking daimon grabbed her by the braid and pulled her head around. A pained hiss escaped her lips then turned into a grunt as she lifted her knife and slashed it twice across the thing's neck. The body crumbled into dust as its head rolled into the feet of another daimon. Two arrows found their mark in its heart. She threw a nod over her shoulder to whoever fired the arrow and threw a violent gust of wind at the remaining daimon at the pass's entrance. They blew threw the opening and allowed her and what she assumed was the rest of the group to pass through.
They ran north instead of south to where Brianna felt the growth of a copse of trees and no sign of their enemies lurking in the background. She bent the light around them and tried to hide them as best she could. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she tried to concentrate on more things at once - trying to keep all of them alive. The small gathering of trees appeared in the distant foreground and grew larger as they approached. Brianna didn't slow, she didn't stop concentrating on the light and on the whereabouts of their attackers, until they were deep into the cover of the tree canopy.
When she turned only Elrohir and Elladan stared back at her. It only took the twins a moment to realize what she had. Two if their group were missing. Arwen and Glorfindel were nowhere to be found.
Arwen knew where she was. She was hiding in a very small cave on the side of the mountain watching a tall elf approach a barely conscious Glorfindel. He wasn't like any elf she'd seen before. His hair was a sickly pale - like curdled milk - and his eyes were red like blood. He swatted away the two creatures Brianna termed as daimon like they were little more than flies. His sapphire hand reached down and grabbed Glorfindel's head and jerked it from it's limp lull. He forced him to meet his gaze and grinned like a feral cat.
"Well, well! This is exciting! I've caught one of the good doctor's original companions from the fjord! I'm quite pleased with this special turn of events," he said in a voice like smooth honey and soft caresses.
Arwen felt the magic of that voice and forced it away from her subconscious. Softly, hoping no one would hear, she hummed a tune for protection that her father had taught her. Glorfindel chuckled weakly and caused her heart to constrict painfully in her chest.
"And I remember you are named Erebus," he rasped.
Arwen saw her love's body shake from the attack it had recently been under. This Erebus bared his teeth and kicked his stomach. Glorfindel gasped and sagged. He wasn't allowed to fall; however, as Erebus continued to have hold of his hair. She heard him gasp in pain and watched violent tremors wrack his body.
Tears pricked her eyes, but she willed them away. The song needed to continue. If she fell to this elf's voice then there was no hope for them. Arwen forced herself to remain calm, collected, and to continue the song.
I am of the blood of Luthien Tinuviel. I am as close to her likeness as any before me. I must remain strong in the face of this evil. If Tinuviel can defy Morgoth then I can defy the false beauty of this dark one's voice, she told herself.
She wasn't Luthien. She couldn't shroud herself with song and move invisibly among her enemies to whisk her love away. There was so much she couldn't do, but wished was possible in that moment her voice almost faltered. Determination alone kept her concentration from waning.
"I'm sure you do," Erebus said and Arwen started by how gruff his voice turned, "and I'm sure you remember why I came for you in the first place. I seek a pretty elf maiden by the name of Doctor Brianna Davis. I know she is in your company. I know her purpose is to hunt us and sniff out our plans. She has such the lovely reputation and my lord would prefer she no longer be a threat."
Glorfindel spat in his face. Arwen wasn't sure where he found the strength to do so, but he did. He had killed a Balrog in the past, she knew, but it seemed that whatever sort of creature a daimon was it's touch and bite caused great weakness in its victim. Brianna had likely known that which explained her command to run.
A shudder trembled the length of her spine. The memory of Brianna fighting those creatures was something she didn't want to see again. It struck Arwen, in that moment, that Brianna had held back when they trained. The way she fought was feral, merciless, and very calculating.
Erebus shoved Glorfindel to the ground and nodded to three elves that approached him from behind, "Take him to our camp. I'll be interested in seeing what I can squeeze out of this lord's pretty blond head."
Arwen observed the three elves and felt more stunned than horrified by their appearance. All three were tall. One was female. Each had different shades of black, white, or grey skin. The female's skin was white - near translucent - and her hair was black as pitch. Yellow eyes gleamed at Glorfindel as dark red lips quirked into a hungry smile. Arwen reminded herself to keep her cool, reminded herself that she couldn't do more than remained concealed, and reminded herself that Brianna and her brothers would have noticed them missing and look for them.
They must have escaped, she thought.
It was in that moment Erebus turned to look directly at her and Arwen's voice cracked. He smiled, red eyes flashing, as he took a step towards her. Arwen froze as his laugh pieced her carefully woven cocoon of magic and caused her body to flush from head to toe.
"My day must be getting better. Here we have a pretty little lost elf maiden," he purred.
Arwen felt his spell descend on her psyche as she realized she was caught. Erebus knelt before and placed a marbled hand on her neck. She shuddered as fear and something else completely foreign to her overcame her.
"I think you're with blondie, is that right, my pet?" He asked.
To her horror, Arwen found herself nodding her head. She couldn't stop herself and the more he spoke the more her self slipped further away into the dream realm - to watch and never interact. Arwen did the last thing she could think of. As Erebus worked his fell magic she drew the most powerful song she could think of into her mind and created a great wall - blocking anymore attempts to gather information from her.
Brianna opened her eyes and looked at the twin sons of Lord Elrond gravely. While she hadn't been able to see what exactly went on, she had been able to feel it and hear it in the earth and wind. What had been revealed to her chilled her to the bone.
"They have them. Glorfindel's weak from the daimon attack and the bastard, Erebus, has put Arwen under a spell," she said softly.
Elrohir's expression turned dark, "We should not have allowed our sister to come."
Brianna glared at him, "If we didn't we would have had more trouble getting out of that daimon attack. Stop being stupid and help me think. We need to save them and I need to figure out a way to get us to the Anduin!"
Elladan, surprisingly, was the more reasonable of the two, "It's too late for this argument, brother. Lady Brianna is correct in saying we must think of the present moment. This Erebus is after her and will likely try to get information out of them. We must rescue them before too much damage is done."
Brianna leaned against the closest tree and closed her eyes. The day's events left her feeling drained and ready to return to the wonderful world if dreams and sleep. It was a fanciful notion - a part of her that craved normalcy and peace and rejected the need to fight - but she allowed it to enter her mind for a moment and then gently shoved it away.
She opened her eyes and met the gazes of Elrohir and Elladan, "There are runes that can make it impossible for the daimons to notice us. They'll only last so long, but long enough to get us into their camp and rescue Arwen and Glorfindel."
Elrohir looked contemplative before inclining his head, "My brother and I will lead the attack."
"And I will make sure Glorfindel and Arwen are in my runic circle while I work on it," Brianna said.
"That will be a gamble," Elladan remarked.
Brianna shrugged, "We need to get out of here quickly. If we wait they will hunt us again. I want our scents to be cold for several days before they find it again. Hopefully by then we'll be gone."
Elladan seemed to consider this for a moment before he, too, nodded his consent, "We will need to be the ones who distract them. You will need to be prepared. Can you have this equation completely prepared?"
Brianna nodded, "As prepared as I can make it."
Elrohir stood from where he knelt and shouldered his bow, "Take fifteen minutes to prepare, then we will move. Time is of the essence."
Brianna pursed her lips, but nodded all the same. The sentiment was shared and it disappointed her to find that Elrohir and Elladan assumed such wasn't the case. It didn't surprise her that they didn't know. Aragorn didn't know every dark thing about her and she told him a part of it. Not the whole, never the whole, lest he think less of her for how broken she'd been in the past and how broken it still made her.
She closed her eyes again and created the image if a blank sheet of paper in her mind. Then she allowed the runic equation to slowly fade into view on that paper and begin the process of imprinting on the landscape of her memory. They wanted it fast. She'd make sure she delivered.
Glorfindel had known he was locked in a nightmare of pain and weakness, but he hadn't been prepared for the moment when Arwen was brought into the camp by a smug Erebus. One evil hand grasped the back of her neck, but didn't force her movement forward. She approached him willingly, eyes blank and all muscles relaxed. A strangled cry pushed past his lips and he struggled against his bonds.
"Release her, swine!" He hissed.
Erebus chuckled and took his hand away from her neck to trail it along her arm. Glorfindel froze, heart thudding wildly against his chest. The knight elf grinned at him and leaned over to sniff Arwen's hair.
"I'd debated how I could use her. Clever little minx blocked her mind from me, so I knew I couldn't use her for information. You; however, happen to love this girl and I suspect you will do anything to keep her from harm. How about a deal? If you tell me what I want to know about the good doctor, I won't take your beloved in front of you?" He purred.
Glorfindel felt sick. In his eight thousand years of living he'd never been met with such a horrifying reality. He'd never loved anyone the way he loved Arwen. Erebus, it seemed, wasn't one to use the knife to torture and kill. His method was worse and would destroy the both of them. But, he couldn't - wouldn't - reveal anything even for her. If he did, if he gave into the pain and the fear, then more would be lost than Arwen's virginity and his sanity. Saving her wasn't worth the world.
His eyes narrowed.
But if Erebus doesn't think there won't be retribution for this, he is a bigger fool than I thought, he thought.
Glorfindel's strength was returning. It would clearly be a slow process, but he felt it all the same. Erebus' first mistake was assuming that he would remain weak for a certain amount of time. Believing so was folly as he was a Balrog Slayer, one of the elves of Gondolin, and powerful enough to resist Sauron and The Nine. No, Erebus made a grave error by assuming Glorfindel wouldn't be able to use the weapons still strapped to his side, leg, and back.
"Forgive me, Arwen," he said softly, hoping she would hear him.
Her blank eyes didn't give any indication that she'd heard him. It made his heart break. It would kill him, he knew, to let this happen, to allow them to hurt her in this way, but revealing all was our of the question.
Erebus cackled and glanced down at Arwen, "Did you hear that, pet? Your lover doesn't seem to care for you enough to protect you!"
Glorfindel closed his eyes and looked away for a moment to regain composure. He needed that moment to remember the spark in her eyes, her smile, her gentle heart, and how determined she was to protect him and help her friend. Would she want him to let this happen? No. Would she accept it? He hoped so. Would she forgive him? He wouldn't blame her if she never did.
"I love you, Arwen," he whispered and opened his eyes, determined to watch the evil he was about to let happen.
Brianna watched from the trees and could practically feel the conflicting emotions radiating from Elrohir and Elladan as their sister stood before a weak and tied up Glorfindel about to get raped. Erebus' hands wondered her covered body clearly anticipating the act. She understood why they were so conflicted. Artemis had placed her in similar situations time and time again that left her feeling disgusted with herself and her aunt while also trying to figure out what was best. Glorfindel loved Arwen, it was as clear as day to her as his eyes flashed with both despair and rage, and Brianna had little doubt the elf lord would enact retribution once his strength returned. If Erebus didn't decide to kill him first.
She turned her eyes to Arwen. If she had erected a mental wall against him then there was a possibility that the majority of her mind was susceptible to being coaxed out. It took a moment for her to dispel the discomfort at invading her very private place. It took another moment to settle into a place where she could reach out with her mind and touch Arwen's.
On earth, all elves had some ability to touch minds. Very few had the power to influence minds that were not their own. Magic of mentality was an aspect of enith gilthaes and one Brianna never felt completely comfortable learning let alone using. With the way Erebus' curse wrapped itself around Arwen's senses, entering the elleth's mind was the only thing she could do that would enable her to be freed.
Brianna breathed and began to search for a way in. A way in made itself known - a small chink in Erebus' dark enchantment - and she slipped through that crack and searched for a way to contact her. Erebus had done a number on her surface thoughts, emotions, and desire to please. She felt the constant state of euphoria she was in and caught the orders Erebus gave her echoed in her mind as thoughts. There real Arwen was there. Nestled in the back of her mind and encased in a song Brianna didn't recognize.
"Arwen!" She called into that song.
There was no response from Arwen or Erebus. Brianna fought away the waves of frustration that threatened to overwhelm her that moment and took a moment to think. Arwen's magic was song. Song seemed to be a magic the elves in Arda learned. There was certainly an echo of it whenever she used the elements and the moments Brianna had sung to the elves…
"I'm going about this all wrong, yes?" She asked the unresponsive Arwen, "There's only one way to reach you."
What was a good one? Something classical? No, none that she knew off the top of her head. Pop was out of the question and so was most rock. Metal; however, could be both pleasant and jarring if she picked the right person. There was one she had in mind though how effective it would be she didn't know.
The music began: rain the the storm. She remembered the soft picks of the electric guitar and began to sing:
"To the gods of the north I pray,
"And raise my cup for the fallen ones!
"Then I cry,
"In Valhalla they'll sing!"
The jarring sound of the electric guitar chords, drums, and the myriad of other instruments Blind Guardian used brought Arwen's interest, but didn't succeed in bringing her out of herself. Brianna heard the faltered note in the song before she picked it up again. She moved closer to where that song of adamant held and directed hers to form a cocoon around it. Erebus wouldn't be able to break through, but it would allow her to coax Arwen out of her shell safely.
"Rain
"Red blood keeps pouring down
"Come Valkyries, join me on that final ride
"Here I lie bleeding
"Odin, I await thee
"The battle rages on
"New lines they're weaving
"The future, the past and the present
"They're one
"They will reveal their mask
"To show me a way to survive
"This bitter war."
"Soon it will be over
"He will be the one
"We'll weave in
"And terror will now rule these lands
"When the battle is lost
"And the slain ones are chosen
"Valkyries will guide us home
"When the battle is lost
"And the slain ones are chosen
"Valkyries will guide us home!"
It was strange. It was as if Arwen knew her voice, but didn't quite want to believe that Brianna had come. The elder elf maid's song remained steadfast despite it perking up at her voice and the strange instruments Brianna introduced to her.
"Destiny
"A spinning wheel
"The path of glory
"Round and round
"Come join us
"On your final ride to Asgard
"Let's move on fast
"Our father awaits
"So let's heed the final call
"For now
"We leave this world behind
"It's over
"All glory to the brave
"Still blood will rain
"Through storm and fire
"Let war winds reign
"It's the feast for the crows."
"Follow the light, the light
"Just follow the light, the light
"Or fade away
"Soon it will be over
"He will be the one
"We'll weave in
"And terror will now rule these lands."
"When the battle is lost
"And the slain ones are chosen
"Valkyries will guide us home
"When the battle is lost
"And the slain ones are chosen
"Valkyries will guide us home!"
From somewhere beyond, in the part of her that remained in her body, she felt the beginnings of an ear splitting headache piece the comfort of her head. It was a side effect of Mind Magic; especially when one added the instrumentals of music they were trying to convey to another person. The stress of keeping Erebus both away from Arwen and non-the-wiser to Brianna's presence. If this rescue was going to succeed they needed Arwen fully conscious and cooperative.
"We'll keep on weaving
"We're crushing through lines
"With our battering swords
"We're marching on
"Assign the brave
"To survive
"This bitter war
"Soon it will be over
"He will be the one
"We'll weave in
"And terror will now rule these lands."
"When the battle is lost
"And the slain ones are chosen
"Valkyries will guide us home
"When the battle is lost
"And the slain ones are chosen
"The Valkyries will guide us home
"We'll heed the final call
"A call to arms
"The Valkyries will guide us home!"
Finally, for a reason Brianna never fully understood, Arwen's song ended and the image of the daughter of Elrond stood before her in what Brianna could only guess was how she saw herself. There was something subdued about her beauty, as if she thought herself less than what she really was. Her friend's expression was both impressed and confused and as Brianna ended the song she stepped forward.
"Then finally I hear them say
"Carry on
"For Valhalla awaits you."
(Valkyries by Blind Guardian. Album: At the Edge of Time, 2010)
Once the music faded Brianna allowed the curse to creep closer. Arwen, alarmed, stepped back and tried to begin another song. Brianna resorted to the opening of a Metallica song to shut her up. Stunned, stricken, and clearly afraid Arwen merely gaped at her.
"Stop this, Arwen! If you can hold the bastard back, you can kick him out of your head! Do you know what he's going to do? You realize Glorfindel will have to watch him hurt you just to break him? Wake up!" She snapped.
The curse approached. Brianna stepped forward and slapped Arwen across one cheek. She let out a startled shriek and staggered away from her. Brianna grabbed her shoulders to keep her from retreating further.
"Stand up to him! Fight him! If you don't he will rape you! Fight! It's your mind, your body, take it back!"
Something seemed to change within her. Arwen's eyes, once scared and uncertain, hardened. Thoughts echoed past her subconscious and into the forefront of her mind. The curse tried to devour them, but found that those thoughts fought back. Brianna watched as Arwen began to fight, wrestle, and then finally, with a sudden strong note that pulsed through her mind, and then pushed Erebus out of her. Brianna departed back into her body then to watch as Erebus' hand slid down to the lacings of Arwen's vest. Awareness faded back into her eyes and, as those blue figure pads undid the strings at the top of her lacings, she whirled around and elbowed him in the throat - a move Brianna had taught her back in Rivendell.
Brianna smirked and gave Elrohir and Elladan the signal to attack.
Arwen's awareness completely faded back into reality when she turned around and drew her knife from her belt to attempt to stab it into Erebus' stomach. He wisely stepped away and began pooling thick, black tendrils of darkness into his hand. That was around the time an arrow thudded into his chest right where his heart should have been.
The dark one hissed and turned his attack in the direction of the arrow, but Arwen shoved him into the crowd of daimen and two of the other knight elves in the group. He staggered into them, but remained upright and whirled on her with a snarl marring his face. Elladan stepped from the shadows, twin blades drawn and ready to kill. Elrohir stepped out from the shadows a moment later, arrow drawn back and ready to strike. They were severely outnumbered, but a certain glint in their eyes told her that they'd been privy to Erebus' intentions and were out for blood.
As they engaged the enemy, Arwen hesitated. She could fight, but Glorfindel was hurt. Something stirred in her navel and she turned, responding to a call that went beyond her love for him and echoed within a part of her that always existed, but was rarely acknowledged. Her love looked stronger than he had before, but his body had clearly gone through additional abuse at the knight elves' hands. Carefully, she knelt before him and used her knife to release him from his bonds.
Glorfindel sagged forward and wrapped his arms around her, face buried in the crook of her neck. She returned his embrace and allowed herself to feel the comfort of his arms around her before gently pushing him away.
"We must go," she said.
"Arwen -."
"No, mellon nin, you're injured. Let my brothers rescue us," she said.
"Not needed."
They started and looked to find Brianna beside them. When had she moved? The elven queen grinned, knelt to the ground, and closed her eyes.
"Stay behind me and don't move. We've modified the original plan to make sure we get everyone to safety," she said.
Arwen watched, fascinated, as Brianna held out her arms and moved the earth. Runes from her world etched themselves deep into the dirt. They were the runes from before, when Brianna had first attempted the move from the pass to the Anduin. Parts of what she assumed were numbers had already been modified to accommodate the new location. A second and third line appeared, bending around into a circle around them. The air sparked.
"Elrohir! Elladan! Get over here!" She called.
They did just as the fourth line was etched into the ground. Arwen blinked and the world moved. It rushed past her in a jumble of colors and sparks. When the world stopped moving Arwen found herself surrounded by water gently rushing past her in a lazy current. She looked around. They were in the shallow end of a great river's west bank.
"Oops, math was a bit off," Brianna remarked.
Glorfindel laughed. It sounded only a little forced to Arwen's ears, but after the terror he'd experienced only moments earlier, the fact didn't surprise her. Arwen helped her fiancée to his feet.
"We are here. This is the Anduin," Glorfindel said.
Brianna released an audible sigh, "Oh good! I'd hate for that not to be the case."
Arwen smiled and helped Glorfindel out of the water. Brianna and her brothers followed closely behind. All three of them looked tense as they glanced around. Brianna's eyes looked slightly vacant. This signaled to Arwen that she was using her magic to check for their enemies. Once Brianna stepped onto the bank her eyes regained their focus and a little tension left her.
"We're safe for now, but we'll need to move soon. Erebus can track us if he puts his mind to it, so we best be far from here soon," she said.
"Glorfindel will need at least another hour," Elrohir said.
Brianna nodded, "I'm aware of that. We should be able to have that hour. Until then, I'll protect the area with runes to make tracking us just a little bit more difficult."
She moved away from them and began checking the perimeter. Arwen watched her for a moment before turning her full attention to Glorfindel. His head was tilted away from her, eyes downcast. It made her heart bleed. To be placed in the position he was in only to later face both relief and regret, must have hurt him more than she could fathom.
"Thank you, my love, for not giving in," she whispered as she helped him to the ground and began checking the wounds on his body.
His green eyes darted to her, startled, "Arwen. Do not thank me for what I did. Please."
She met his gaze and hissed, "If you had said anything you would not be the one I love. Don't you dare apologize for choosing the world before me!"
Despair seemed to overcome him then and he reached up his hand to cup her cheek. Arwen didn't flinch away from his grasp, but continued to meet those beautiful green eyes. Her hard expression softened and she leaned into his touch.
"Forgive me, Arwen. I… I couldn't protect you from him. He was… he was going to hurt you. I could do nothing," he whispered.
"I know."
They gazed at each other, eyes sad, but Arwen tried to convey understanding as well. She understood they were in dark times. She knew their decisions would be difficult and heart wrenching. She knew that there was a high chance of dying, or worse. She knew and accepted it for what it was because the thought of being parted from him, waiting for his return to Rivendell and never knowing what had happened if he never returned, was something she couldn't bare.
"I love you," he whispered.
"And I you," she returned softly before placing a chaste kiss tenderly on his lips.
Arwen/Glorfindel is probably my new OTP. I don't know why, but for some reason this just fits.