Legacy of the Ring
Echo the Nymph
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 30
As the huntresses moved off, the others banded together against Sauron. Still, the powers of the One Ring caused great destruction for those of the light. Valiantly, they fought on in the attempt to protect Arda from him.
A sharp cry came from the battling huntresses, distracting Sauron. His daughter lay on the ground, unconscious. This was just what was needed. Frodo was nearest to the Dark Lord and used Sting to slice the ring finger from Sauron's hand. Sauron bellowed in pain and rage, somehow managing to hold his physical form. He chased after the fleeing hobbit.
Phoenix soared passed him at the canter. Talitha swooped over her friend, grabbed him and deposited him on her huntress's back. "Hold on tight, Frodo. I'm going to gallop." Her tense, terse tone was not meant for him. All it did was show that she was dealing with the battle as only a huntress could.
"Gallop?! What have you been doing?!" He yelped, holding on tighter. Approvingly, his arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Cantering. Now hold on." She shot forward as if she'd just sprung from a gate. Frodo leaned into her motion, hanging on like a leach. Subconsciously, he directed her to the smoking mountain. Even over the rough black and wasted lands, her pace and agility never failed her.
Sauron was still chasing them in the attempt to recover his ring. An arrow whined through the air and struck his thigh, nearly causing him to fall. Another burst of speed came from Phoenix as she charged up the steep path and to the chamber holding the fiery pit of Mount Doom.
Frodo slid off and threw the ring into the fire before it could lay any claim on him. Once already he'd been through the darkness of the ring and would not willingly put himself through that again. Phoenix shoved him aside as an enraged Sauron thrust his sword at them. A pained scream erupted from her as she was stabbed in her upper left front leg.
She pushed in away, causing him to loose his footing on the loose stone. Sauron fell into the fiery chasm, riding Middle-Earth of himself. Phoenix moved away from the cliff before her leg gave out on her and she collapsed.
Frodo sheathed Sting and ran to her. "Phoenix, what do I do?'
She met his gaze. "Let it bleed for a little while longer. There was something on his sword and bleeding will help clean the wound." The huntress was breathing heavily; the toxin was spreading faster than what she was bleeding. "Frodo, put pressure just above the wound."
He leaned his weight into his hands against her foreleg, stanching the flow of blood. "You've got a fever." The hobbit kept the pressure up, hesitating a tiny bit.
"I've noticed. No! Don't let up!"
Frodo flinched at the force of her command. Foot steps raced up to them over the stone and dirt of the path. A startled and slightly winded gasp reached their ears. "What happened?" Aragorn cried.
"I was stabbed." Phoenix replied through gritted teeth. The Dunedain knelt by her injured leg to clean it. Only then did she notice Lord Elrond standing nearby. At Aragorn's signal, Frodo gradually let up on the pressure that he had been placing on her leg.
Lord Elrond gazed at her quietly. There was something about her that even now reminded him of Prairie Song. The same powers were deep within her and stronger than what her ancestress's had been. It was a great untrained magic; the powers of a... Maia?
The rest of the Fellowship dashed up the road just in time to hear him speaking.
"Phoenix, you're hiding something. What is going on?"
She bit her lip when Aragorn made sure that there were no shards of metal in the wound. "Do you remember when I summoned the army?" The others nodded.
"Prairie Song did the same thing to regather the Last Alliance." Lord Elrond recalled.
Phoenix glanced from one to another. "That was the first time I realized that I was not an average huntress."
"What huntress is average?" Pippin jibed. A few glares quieted him.
"The night I was called to the West," she continued, "I learned that Prairie Song had been a Maia, one who had accepted the Gift of Men." Her expression became greatly troubled. She didn't understand what had influenced her ancestress's choice. "She used her abilities to help all she called friend. And even with all of that danger, she lived long. Manwe told me, that as her direct descendant, I had to choose: the Gift of Men or the Life of a Maia." A sob escaped her as tears began to stream down her face. Her friends were surprised, few things could make her break down like this. "I saw what would happen should I not choose soon enough, or if I chose mortality. Sauron would've won and all of you would have been killed. So I chose to become a Maia. There was still a chance of death and failure, but it was not as much of a threat. I did this not only for you, but for all of Arda." The huntress wiped the tears from her face with a single graceful motion.
Her friends were shocked. Phoenix had given up a mortal life, a life that would end as those of men did. She had sacrificed her old way of life to save them and Arda from darkness.
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Pippin demanded. Surprise laced his startled tone and curiosity was heard underneath it.
A gentle, friendly smile graced her face. "I didn't want anyone to expect the impossible of me. Something deep within said this was better from everyone." Her expression collapsed into one of true sorrow. She hadn't liked deceiving them in such a way. "I would understand if you just left me."
Gandalf stepped up to her, looking into her vivid eyes. They held the fear and worry that those she held dear would indeed leave her where she lay and never speak to her again. Yet still, they shone with courage. She respected them enough to give them a choice about being her friends or not. "That isn't going to happen, Phoenix. We know you for who you are, not what you hold within. Friendship is not forsaken among us." His declaration was echoed by the others as they declared their intentions. Never would she be alone in Arda.
Echo the Nymph
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 30
As the huntresses moved off, the others banded together against Sauron. Still, the powers of the One Ring caused great destruction for those of the light. Valiantly, they fought on in the attempt to protect Arda from him.
A sharp cry came from the battling huntresses, distracting Sauron. His daughter lay on the ground, unconscious. This was just what was needed. Frodo was nearest to the Dark Lord and used Sting to slice the ring finger from Sauron's hand. Sauron bellowed in pain and rage, somehow managing to hold his physical form. He chased after the fleeing hobbit.
Phoenix soared passed him at the canter. Talitha swooped over her friend, grabbed him and deposited him on her huntress's back. "Hold on tight, Frodo. I'm going to gallop." Her tense, terse tone was not meant for him. All it did was show that she was dealing with the battle as only a huntress could.
"Gallop?! What have you been doing?!" He yelped, holding on tighter. Approvingly, his arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Cantering. Now hold on." She shot forward as if she'd just sprung from a gate. Frodo leaned into her motion, hanging on like a leach. Subconsciously, he directed her to the smoking mountain. Even over the rough black and wasted lands, her pace and agility never failed her.
Sauron was still chasing them in the attempt to recover his ring. An arrow whined through the air and struck his thigh, nearly causing him to fall. Another burst of speed came from Phoenix as she charged up the steep path and to the chamber holding the fiery pit of Mount Doom.
Frodo slid off and threw the ring into the fire before it could lay any claim on him. Once already he'd been through the darkness of the ring and would not willingly put himself through that again. Phoenix shoved him aside as an enraged Sauron thrust his sword at them. A pained scream erupted from her as she was stabbed in her upper left front leg.
She pushed in away, causing him to loose his footing on the loose stone. Sauron fell into the fiery chasm, riding Middle-Earth of himself. Phoenix moved away from the cliff before her leg gave out on her and she collapsed.
Frodo sheathed Sting and ran to her. "Phoenix, what do I do?'
She met his gaze. "Let it bleed for a little while longer. There was something on his sword and bleeding will help clean the wound." The huntress was breathing heavily; the toxin was spreading faster than what she was bleeding. "Frodo, put pressure just above the wound."
He leaned his weight into his hands against her foreleg, stanching the flow of blood. "You've got a fever." The hobbit kept the pressure up, hesitating a tiny bit.
"I've noticed. No! Don't let up!"
Frodo flinched at the force of her command. Foot steps raced up to them over the stone and dirt of the path. A startled and slightly winded gasp reached their ears. "What happened?" Aragorn cried.
"I was stabbed." Phoenix replied through gritted teeth. The Dunedain knelt by her injured leg to clean it. Only then did she notice Lord Elrond standing nearby. At Aragorn's signal, Frodo gradually let up on the pressure that he had been placing on her leg.
Lord Elrond gazed at her quietly. There was something about her that even now reminded him of Prairie Song. The same powers were deep within her and stronger than what her ancestress's had been. It was a great untrained magic; the powers of a... Maia?
The rest of the Fellowship dashed up the road just in time to hear him speaking.
"Phoenix, you're hiding something. What is going on?"
She bit her lip when Aragorn made sure that there were no shards of metal in the wound. "Do you remember when I summoned the army?" The others nodded.
"Prairie Song did the same thing to regather the Last Alliance." Lord Elrond recalled.
Phoenix glanced from one to another. "That was the first time I realized that I was not an average huntress."
"What huntress is average?" Pippin jibed. A few glares quieted him.
"The night I was called to the West," she continued, "I learned that Prairie Song had been a Maia, one who had accepted the Gift of Men." Her expression became greatly troubled. She didn't understand what had influenced her ancestress's choice. "She used her abilities to help all she called friend. And even with all of that danger, she lived long. Manwe told me, that as her direct descendant, I had to choose: the Gift of Men or the Life of a Maia." A sob escaped her as tears began to stream down her face. Her friends were surprised, few things could make her break down like this. "I saw what would happen should I not choose soon enough, or if I chose mortality. Sauron would've won and all of you would have been killed. So I chose to become a Maia. There was still a chance of death and failure, but it was not as much of a threat. I did this not only for you, but for all of Arda." The huntress wiped the tears from her face with a single graceful motion.
Her friends were shocked. Phoenix had given up a mortal life, a life that would end as those of men did. She had sacrificed her old way of life to save them and Arda from darkness.
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Pippin demanded. Surprise laced his startled tone and curiosity was heard underneath it.
A gentle, friendly smile graced her face. "I didn't want anyone to expect the impossible of me. Something deep within said this was better from everyone." Her expression collapsed into one of true sorrow. She hadn't liked deceiving them in such a way. "I would understand if you just left me."
Gandalf stepped up to her, looking into her vivid eyes. They held the fear and worry that those she held dear would indeed leave her where she lay and never speak to her again. Yet still, they shone with courage. She respected them enough to give them a choice about being her friends or not. "That isn't going to happen, Phoenix. We know you for who you are, not what you hold within. Friendship is not forsaken among us." His declaration was echoed by the others as they declared their intentions. Never would she be alone in Arda.