Angel's Curse

By: Minyalaithien

Disclaimer: I don't own LotR or it's characters… darn. Allaina is my own fictional character.

Chapter 6: Angel's Rescue

She brushed his hair away from his face and shook her head. "Then it was true…" she said as she began to cry. Desperately, Allaina pulled arrows out of Zelgatis' body, leaving trails of dried blood.

Legolas crouched beside her and laid his hand on top of hers. "He is gone, Allaina."

"But why did he have to die?! He had to pay for my choice," she screamed at Legolas.

Legolas took off his cloak and put it around Allaina's shoulders. He took Zelgatis in his arms and walked to the river silently. Allaina looked at the ground where Zelgatis was and gasped.

"Legolas," she said as she picked up a small piece of gold that glinted in the afternoon sun, "I have found it."

The elvish prince nodded to her and laid Zelgatis' body in the river. He walked back to Allaina and unfastened a chain around his neck. He took the ring and slid it on the chain. Allaina looked into the distant forest and stood. Legolas looked up at her curiously. "What is it?"

"I do not know. I heard something," she started to slowly walk up to the trees, but Legolas grabbed her wrist.

"Stay here," he said as he pocketed the ring and got up. He took his bow and arrow in his hand as he noticed many creatures grinning at them from beyond the treeline. Legolas bared his teeth menacingly. "Orcs."

The orcs stepped into the clearing and walked around the two elves, encircling them. "Stay close," Legolas said to Allaina, who stayed against his back. Allaina stole his dagger off his belt and warned the Orcs away from her. Legolas yelled in elvish for the two elves to attack. Allaina sliced his dagger through many orcs as she heard his arrows slice through the air. Dozens of orcs attacked them, and for a while they were able to fend them off. A small orc knocked Allaina down and threatened her with his dagger. He grinned at her as drool dripped down his face onto her neck. She almost screamed when Legolas shot an arrow into it's throat and kicked it away from her.

"Get up! Quick!" he yelled as the Orcs kept attacking. Legolas aimed two arrows at oncoming orcs and shot them with ease. "Here," he said in elvish as he tossed her the ring. "Use it and get out of here." Allaina caught the golden ring and slipped in on her finger.

"What does it do?" she asked.

Legolas fought off many more of the dark creatures then turned to Allaina. "Run! Get away from here now!" Allaina paused, then ran quickly away from the site. She had enough time to turn around and watch as Legolas was overpowered by the orcs.

*

Legolas ordered Allaina to run, although he could not see her leave, he trusted her to do so. He was overtaken by six orcs. One ran behind him and hit him on the back. Legolas dropped his weapon and two more took hold of his wrists and held them behind his head. Another walked in front of him and kicked him again and again in the stomach until he fell to his knees. The orc pulled his head back by his blond hair and glared at him.

"Where is the ring?" the orc said to him.

"I know not." Legolas glared back.

"I will ask you again, Elf. Where is the ring?"

"Bite your tongue," Legolas replied.

"You will be biting your tongue when I am done with you!"

"You will not find it," Legolas smirked at the lead orc.

The creature dug his fingernails into the back of Legolas' head and shoved his face into the ashy ground, while speaking to the other orcs, who kept him pinned. "Search him." Two orcs searched for the ring, but, not able to find it, they decided to hold Legolas captive. His hands were tied behind his back and he was drug away with the orcs, ordered to follow them to a cave in the mountains of Emyn Muil.

*

Allaina picked up Legolas' bow and arrow and followed the orcs through the trees a distance away. They ran for miles, making Legolas run with them; if he did not run his back was hit with a leather whip. Allaina knew she couldn't leave him in the possession of these creatures so she decided to follow them for as long as she could. After hours and hours of following them, they reached a barren rocky land. The orcs entered a cave and traveled quickly in the darkness. They kicked the elvish prince until he could not walk. They tied Legolas' hands to the roof and tied his ankles together. The elf glared evilly at any orc who came near him. He spat on them, but was only punched in return. They gagged him with a piece of leather and blindfolded his blue eyes, still beating him as they did this.

Allaina hid behind the walls of the cave and waited until the orcs decided to rest. A dozen scattered onto the ground in their own areas to rest. Two were assigned to guard Legolas. Allaina sneaked up beside the two, who were unable to see her. She slid a dagger out of ones belt and slashed it's throat. Before the other noticed, she came to it and slashed it's throat along with it. She untied Legolas' ankles and reached above him to cut his bloody wrists down. He fell to his hands and knees and took the gag and blindfold off and looked around. He coughed up blood and grabbed his stomach. Allaina put a hand on his shoulder, surprising him. She crouched over, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Can you not see me," she asked.

Legolas looked akwardly towards the direction of her voice. He whispered, "take the ring off." She did and Legolas looked at her relieved. "You had that on and did not know what it did?"

Allaina shook her head.

"Let us leave this cave," said Legolas as he stretched and crepted out of the cave with Allaina behind him. Allaina picked up his bow and arrow from where she had hid them and handed them to Legolas, as she followed him into the mountains of Emyn Muil and down to the edge of the Dead Marshes as it turned to night. Legolas had been struggling to stand for some time and kept putting his arm to his stomach. Allaina noticed this and made him stop. She had seen what he had gone through and knew he did not have much strength. She stopped him at the edge of some muddy marshes. Allaina wrapped his cloak around his shoulders and told him to rest. The tall elf lye down and coughed. He kept his hand on his stomach and groaned from the punches the orcs laid on him. For two hours, the two stayed there. Legolas slowly came around.

After Legolas was well rested, he guided her through the marshes, carefully trying not to touch the water. As they got deeper into the marsh, Allaina noticed a faint glow above the deeper areas. She stared at it curiously, then turned to it, wondering what it was. Legolas continued on his way, thinking she was behind him the whole time.

The princess waded into the deep dark water and came close enough to see it was a faint glow of a lantern. But as she neared it, the lantern faded away and underneath the water lay a pale shape. She came up to the thing under the water and reached down to touch it. The thing sprang out of the water and hissed loudly at her. Allaina screamed as it drug her into the dark water with it. Deep brown water splashed around her as she struggled to get out of the pale hands of the figure in the water.

Legolas turned around as he heard her scream. He followed the sound of splashing water into a deep area of the marsh. He could not see anything, but yelled her name trying to find her. Over and over again he called to her but there was no reply. He waded into the water and searched for a sign of her. He found the glow of a lantern, which grew brighter as he came closer to it. He swam out to it, and noticed air bubbles coming out of the water beneath him. Carefully, he held his breath and dived into the deep muddy water.

Allaina struggled and slowly ran out of air. She tried to get free of the creature but it held her down, sliding deeper and deeper into the depths, baring it's spiky teeth the whole way at her. It's pale skin illuminated the water around her. Allaina looked around and saw the rotten flesh of dead men and elves surrounding her. She choked as water invaded her lungs and brought her to darkness.

Legolas dived deeper and deeper, only thinking of finding Allaina. He grabbed blindly into the water around him, only clawing onto bones and flesh of long dead corpses. Finally, Legolas found her staring into the depths as if her soul was gone. He took his dagger from his belt loop and stabbed the pale goblin, ripping his skin from his bones, as it screamed into the water and painfully died. Legolas took Allaina's body in his arm and swam quickly to the surface. He happily took in air as he swam to land. He drug Allaina onto the land and listened for breathing. As he did not find any, he laid his hands in the center of her chest, trying to push the water out of her lungs. He continued this but she did not move. Legolas put his hands to her face and slapped her. Desperately, Legolas pushed on her chest with his strong hands.

Allaina woke, gasping for air and choking on the water. She rolled onto her side and coughed up the mud as Legolas looked at her relieved. She rolled over and squinted her eyes. "I do not want to be here anymore," she said shakily.

Legolas nodded. "Do you have the ring?" Allaina showed him the ring, which hung on his chain around her neck. "Good. We must hurry. That thing was a creature of the dead. It was probably after the ring." Legolas got up and helped Allaina up. They hurried away from the Dead Marshes and into another new land.

The two slowly marched to the Crossroads, where they looked upon the mountains of Mordor. The sky behind it was feircly red and danced as if there was a huge fire growing steadily as they came closer.

"This is it. The Crossroads. This is where you make your final decision. Do you want to go on?" Legolas walked in front of Allaina.

She stared at the red clouds over the mountains and breathed deeply. She could smell smoke, orcs, even death had a scent this close to Mordor. She smiled sadly at the warrior in front of her and nodded. "I am ready to go on. I will not fail, because I still have to find my sister. I will not die as long as I know in my heart she is alive. Plus," she softened her tone, "you are strong. And you are a skilled Elf at your bow. With you here, I will be more confident."

"I'll do my best for you, princess," Legolas said and bowed his head to her, smiling. "We'll both do our best."