JediKnightBalthasar: AHH! *looks around frantically for an ice pack* Call the emergency room! My reviewers are loosing fingers! *grabs Super-Glue and tries to put glue on JediKnightBalthasar's fingers* Don't worry, this won't hurt… much. *insane grin*
You're whacking my poor Aragorn so much! You're going to give him a concussion! *tries to suppress a giggle*
Exiled-Knight: ^_^ Aragorn? Power-hungry? Yeah, mystical, magical winged objects can do that to you… especially if they can defeat things that are big and… large. *confused look on face* Aragorn! Stop looking at my horsie! *drags Aragorn away from pulling a brown horse's ears* We have orders not to look power-crazy in Chapter 8! Now, look injured.
Aragorn: *_* Ouchies!
Good, good. More Aragorn ouchies is a good thing, right? ^_^
A/N: Trinity! *is still running from room to room* Get over here! *blows Horn of Gondor* Aargh! *Boromir comes in*
Boromir: That is MY horn! *author hits Boromir*
*Boromir falls in fish tank*
Chapter Eight: Fighting Fire with Fire
The drake's massive head smashed the rock walls of the fortress to pieces. It roared in delight and dove at some unprotected elves, snapping them into its mouth.
The Warg-Orcs began pouring into the gaping hole, roaring. The defenders raised their weapons to meet the charge bravely. The drake took to the skies again, going into a dive bomb towards the defenders.
The scaly body rammed into the center of the crowd, its mass crushing battlers on both sides. The shock threw many bodies far across the battlefield.
Aragorn jumped out of the way as an enormous, scaly tail swung in his direction. The drake focused its gaze on Legolas, who was dueling with a Warg-Orc. It roared and started towards the wounded elf, the smell of the elf's blood sending it into a frenzy.
"LEGOLAS!" Aragorn screamed. "LOOK OUT!" Legolas heard his cry and dropped to the ground to avoid a swinging claw. The claw caught the Warg-Orc in midswing.
Legolas turned and ran as the drake thrust its jaws towards the elf. Aragorn shot a carefully aimed arrow at the drake's eye. The arrow bounced off the dragon scales surrounding the eye, mere millimeters off.
Aragorn cursed and ran as the drake turned its deadly gaze on him. He ran up a hill and slid to the bottom on the other side, panting hard. On a hill above him, a red standard bearing a white, roaring sabretooth tiger.
Díable watched the Ranger slide behind a hill, the drake pursuing him. The man's gaze elevated to the standard and he sucked in a breath.
Jinjer stood at Díable's side, grinning at Aragorn. Aragorn gritted his teeth and shot his final remaining arrow into Díable's unprotected arm.
Jinjer gave an alarmed cry and ran down the hill. The drake, having lost track of its prey, turned back towards Legolas. Aragorn stared at Jinjer in disbelief as the girl's dagger tore through his flesh and sunk into the muddy grass.
She raked one of her well-formed Warg paws across Aragorn's cheek, drawing a hiss of pain and surprise as she changed fully back into her true form. Taking the King's arm in her jaws, she yanked it sharply.
Aragorn heard the loud pop and felt fiery hot pains shooting up his shoulder, knowing it to be dislocated. The Warg-Orc, his adopted daughter, dropped his arm and bared her razor sharp teeth, lunging for his throat.
"Creature!" someone called. Jinjer, Ashlynn, looked up, her bloodied upper lip curling back in a ferocious snarl. A throwing axe flew into her side, causing the animal to yelp and fall still.
Aragorn looked up. From atop the hill, the sun was rising, illuminating the outline of a dwarf. "GIMLI!" he cried.
Gimli raised his axe into the air. Dwarves poured around the hill, roaring their battle cries and charging the battlefield. Gimli stooped over Aragorn and yanked the dagger out of his shoulder. Aragorn's body jerked and his head lolled off to the side.
"What happened to you?" Gimli asked gruffly, but Aragorn never got a chance to answer.
A loud bellow blew blood-scented breath onto the two beings. The fire drake stared down at them, its reptilian eyes gleaming. Gimli stood up.
"Bring your pretty face this way!" Gimli shouted.
The drake bent its neck and opened its blood red jaws. Suddenly, a blast of wind blew against it and it looked up, momentarily distracted.
Aragorn wiped blood from his eyes.
Gimli's eyes widened with disbelief.
Atop the ridge, a horse and rider sat. The horse was a gleaming sorrel sheen and wore no saddle, bridle, or halter. In fact, it was completely unrestrained.
The horse danced in place, spinning in a circle. Its massive silver wings caught rays of the newly rising sun, creating a blinding flash. Its rider raised a sword high into the air, the blade gleaming brightly.
"W-winged horse?" Gimli stammered. The drake roared, delighted to have found a new plaything.
"Trinity!" Aragorn screamed as he finally recognized the girl. Trinity nudged the horse and it flapped its wings, blasting into the air as if she were the swiftest of falcons.
"One of the locals in that town outside the forest saw one just the other day," Legolas said.
"Good, but I have one question," Aragorn scratched his head. "What do we do with the animal? We certainly can't tame it."
Legolas said nothing looking slightly confused. "I remember reading a book in Lord Elrond's library once," Aragorn continued. "I came across a little poem sort of parchment in he binding. I do not remember most of it, save the line; the true princess shall tame the beast- or something like that. I don't even know where it came from or if it is authentic. We would be taking a great risk."
"Aragorn," Legolas said in exasperation. "That sounds tasteless and stupid, but I expect that you are right, as you usually are. We should look over that parchment. We can return to Rivendell and retrieve the parchment and your daughter..."
"Once again, dear elf, you are acting off of my memory, which, may I remind you, is not perfect..."
Aragorn slapped his forehead. "Hey! Do you want to injure yourself more?" Gimli said gruffly.
"Gimli! It's her!"
Gimli gave Aragorn a concerned look. "Yes, Aragorn, a girl has arrived on a winged horse. Talk sense, dense human."
"No! It's like that prophecy said! The true princess shall tame the beast. She is riding that beast!"
Langaresh whinnied shrilly, her sharp hooves slicing through the air inches away from the drake's eyes. The drake roared with anger and clawed at the horse.
With a soft nudge from her rider, the horse dropped and went into a dizzying nosedive, racing down the drake's exposed belly. Her sharp hooves ripped through the drake's hide, blood bubbling from the wound.
The drake stooped its head to look at the wound, appalled that something so small could do so much damage. It looked up sharply, but too late to save itself. Trinity plunged her sword deep into its right eye.
The massive body roared in agony and fell to the ground. Gimli gave a war cry and hacked at it until it lay stone dead.
"Trinity, I'm so sorry," Aragorn muttered. His shoulders throbbed and the scratches on his cheek were smarting painfully. "I didn't mean-" He broke off when he noticed Trinity staring intently at the body of Ashlynn.
"Did you kill her?" she asked Gimli, who nodded. "Dumb dwarf. That was my job."
"Excuse me!" Gimli retorted.
"And you," Trinity eyed Aragorn. "You stole my horse. If you weren't my father and a complete troll-brain, I'd probably get angry." She punctuated this last sentence with a wry grin.
Díable tore down the hill, flogging his horse to run faster from the body of his daughter and his former commander.
"Díable!" someone screamed. Díable kept running and heard a loud exclamation of disgust. "Just wait until I catch you!"
Díable kicked his horse again, looking back to see an extremely furious Trinity galloping after him on her winged mare, a look of fury written on her face.
She jumped from her horse and tackled him to the ground. Díable jumped up, whipping out his sword and swinging at her. She dodged just barely, the point cutting through her upper arm. She squealed and kicked his kneecap with the ball of her foot.
Díable stifled a cry of pain and jumped back from Trinity, glaring at her.
"Trinity!" Aragorn bellowed. "Get back here!" He jumped to his feet, ignoring the burning pain in his shoulders and took up close pursuit.
"Aragorn," Gimli thundered. "That commander may be cowardly, but he may still be too much for you to handle alone!"
"So come with me!" came the fierce reply.
Gimli snorted with irritation but lumbered after the sprinting king.
Ashlynn stirred, pain flashing through her side where the throwing axe had speared her beloved flesh. She growled and stumbled to her feet, looking around at the battlefield and the remains of a fire drake.
Ashlynn looked toward the spot where Aragorn had been. She curled up her lip. A puddle of blood clearly marked the spot where he was previously laid. She glared into the distance and padded after the clearly marked trail of crushed grass that he had created while running away.
"So where's Dart?" Trinity asked, lunging at Díable.
"Dart?" Díable parried her blow and swung his fist at her. "Just a patsy."
The fist connected with Trinity's jaw. She snarled and spat out blood, falling backwards. Díable grinned and brought his sword down for a killing blow, taking full advantage of the momentary hole in her defense.
From nowhere, a sword collided with Díable's, sending it clanging to the ground. Aragorn Elessar Telcontar leapt between Díable and Trinity, rage blotting out the pain in his body, and stabbed Anduril through Díable's stomach.
Díable fell to the ground, his face a mask of surprise and pain, blood gushing from his belly. Aragorn bent down to check his pulse.
Ashlynn saw her father fall and almost rushed forward to rip the killer to shreds. She retrained herself and grinned thinly, drawing a long, lethal knife from her belt. Rushing forward would only reward her with a painful death. One needed strategy to defeat one's enemy…
"He's dead," Aragorn confirmed heavily. "Are you alright?"
Trinity gazed at him with amazement that quickly turned to a wide-eyed gasp of shock as the Warg-Orc leapt from the shadows, blade drawn. She lunged forward and tackled Aragorn out of the beast's path, raising her sword.
Ashlynn slid to a halt and turned around for another charge. Trinity saw the rapid approach of the animal and slashed with her sword. Ashlynn feinted left, darting past Trinity, but tripped over a large object, stumbling to the ground. The deadly blade came swishing down through her neck…
The beast fell lifeless to the floor.