Title: Defeated
Author: Dreamdancer
E-mail: Dreamdancer@tekken.cc
Author's Note: An important change has been made!! Aragorn is in the dungeons of Orthanc, not Mordor. Yeah…that'll be important later…
And I've had a question about the roMance. It's coming. ^_~ I'm not sure if I'll include the pairings in the summary yet…I kinda would like to wait until it gets started… And about Arwen…well we'll just have to see if she's alive and if she and Aragorn will be the ones to end up together, won't we? ^_~ And don't worry, the hobbits aren't forgotten…they will play major parts in this…
Enjoy!
Aragorn felt the blade he was holding tremble in his faltering grip, and the sweat on his forehead drip into his eyes. They would enter his cell soon. The three orcs…and he did not think he could face them. He felt anger toward them, yes, hatred even, but fear moreso. He had spent too much time at their mercy, feeling the sting of their weapons and their torture. They had worn him down, yes, they had defeated him weeks ago. His knees wobbled and then he fell.
"Legolas, I cannot fight," he whispered, hearing the dreadful footfalls come closer and closer. He had long ago counted how Many it would take before they would reach his cell. Eighty more paces, he knew it, they were just turning the corner…even through the dwarf's howling he could hear their steps, each footfall a reminder of the coming pain. Seventy now…no, that was too soon. They would be upon him, and they would torture him, he knew it! Worse than before, so much worse. He squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them, the hope in them gone. "Replace my chains!" he begged, turning to the Elf with cold urgency in his voice. He feared what they would do to him if they saw him free, but even more he feared what they had already done to him, what they had been able to reduce him to, yet this shame was nothing compared to his dread.
The Elf studied him, surprised. "What?" he gasped, his blue eyes widening. "You want…?"
"Chain me! Before they return! Or I shall slay you!" The Man cried, raising his blade up high. Sixty more, just sixty more steps…
Legolas stared. He had not expected the supposed savior of the Rebellion to be such a coward. Perhaps he had the wrong Man…?
"You don't…want to be free?" Greenleaf licked his lips. This was not good. He could not take on all the Orcs of Orthanc on his own, it would be difficult enough with Aragorn fighting on his side, but dragging him along unwillingly would be impossible! His heart began to pound in his ears and horrid tales of what Orcs do to Elves for pleasure flickered through the back of his mind.
"Damn you, no! There is nothing left for me! They are coming, quickly do as I say! There is no way for us to leave here! There is no hope!" Forty-three more paces!!
"No hope?" Legolas' mind was frantically searching for a way to reason with Aragorn. "Hope…I thought your name was once Estel, what, have you let the Orcs take even your namesake from you?"
Aragorn's eyes flashed. "All "hope" for me vanished with the fall of my Elvish home, and the fading of the Undomiel. I have no Elvish name. I failed them. I am just a prisoner. Your foolish words mean nothing! Sauron has defeated all hope…has stolen mine…" His voice faded. He knew the Elf would not do as he asked…and suddenly didn't care. Maybe they would kill Aragorn in their anger…he didn't want to live…not without Arwen.
He closed his eyes, imagining her face.
Thirty-five more paces.
"The fading…of the Undomiel?" The Man was in grief, Legolas could see that. He had known it from the start. Unless the grief was lifted, neither would escape. Aragorn spoke of his lover, Elrond's daughter, and Legolas had heard tales of their love before. He spoke quickly, his voice urgent. "So, when I leave here, I suppose I should tell Arwen Evenstar that her beloved Estel chose the company of orcs over hers?"
Twenty more paces.
"Arwen is dead!" Aragorn stared at Legolas. He had seen her die…hadn't he?
Legolas was temporarily shocked. So, the Evenstar had fallen, had she? He had counted on Aragorn being as unsure about her whereabouts as he was. He could hear the orcs coming, they could not be more than ten paces from reaching the cell.
"Isn't she dead? I'm…not sure…I…can't…remember." Aragorn looked at the Elf with hope in his eyes.
They had reached the door. "She waits for you in the Shire, King of Men. Will you not fight for her?!" Legolas asked as the door flung open. He pulled two arrows out of his quiver as quick as lightning and shot them at the incoming Orcs. The two he aimed at fell, but the third roared an alarm, and Legolas felt panic surge through his veins. Of course there had been three Orcs. He had seen them before. But his mind was clouded by the atmosphere as well as the falsehood he had just uttered, and he had only shot at the two. Perhaps it was not untrue, he told himself, perhaps Arwen was there, safe, along with everyone else.
Aragorn felt something in him stir as he heard the tall silver-haired Elf tell him that Arwen lived. Then, when he saw Legolas shoot two arrows, and, simultaneously, kill Grumm and Krul, his fear of torture washed away. Why had he believed the Orcs when they said Arwen had been slain? They were servants of Evil, they had lied, and they were mortal, just as mortal as he.
Aragorn's eyes burned with pent-up anger and pain as he rushed at Frualg, the remaining Orc, screaming, his sword held forward, shining in rebellion against the dark of the dungeon. He plunged it into the Orc's neck, silencing his call of alarm, spraying blood upon the walls. The Orc's eyes were wide, and a strange sound was coming out of his torn neck. Distantly, Aragorn was aware of Legolas shooting arrows above his head, at Orcs gathering behind Frualg, but he did not remove his sword from his torturer's body until the light of life left his cruel eyes.
Orcs were piling in the doorway of the cell, coming in too fast for Legolas to handle. Aragorn fought the ones that made it past the doorway, but he had been out of practice for over a year. His sword fighting skills were not at their best, and Legolas wondered suddenly if this had not all been in vain.
A loud bang issued from somewhere close, and the entire dungeon shuddered. For a moment, all fighting ceased. Legolas used this time to pick off one of the three orcs surrounding Aragorn, flipping his silvery tresses away from his eyes. As he did so, another bang sounded from just beyond the doorway, and Orcish cries of agony along with pieces of flesh and putrid smoke assaulted Aragorn and Legolas at once. Light illuminated the dungeon, and sparkles of all colors flew through the air, raining down on the combatants from the low ceiling.
"I told ya I'd have ye all dead. Ya didna believe me now, did ya?" a Dwarvish voice boomed. Legolas could barely make out his form, but he was standing behind the twenty or so remaining orcs, axe raised, and toothy grin flashing.
Legolas did not stop to question the sudden ally, shooting arrows as quickly as possible. He kept as eye on Aragorn all the while, noting with relief that his swordsManship seemed to be slowly improving. As the Man fought, Legolas could see the shape of his muscles moving under his taut skin. His eyes shone with power, and Legolas realized that the Man had been, at least in spirit, restored to his former self.
"I suppose love is just as powerful as Father says," Legolas mused to himself.
Within minutes, the remaining Orcs were vanquished, due much to the Dwarf's help. About fifty Orcish bodies had been obliterated by that…thing he did. There were of course, perhaps thousands more Orcs on the remaining floors.
After the fighting, the Dwarf and Elf stared at each other, while Aragorn ran to his new ally out of breath.
"Who are you? What was that you did?" he gasped, putting his hands on his knees, staring at the shorter creature.
"I am Gimli, son of Gloin, and those were fireworks," he announced, eying the Man warily. "Courtesy of Gandalf the Gray. I kept 'em hidden from those fools and used em to break outta me cell…then I used some more as weapons. Turned out nice, didn't it?"
"Gandalf? You know him?" Legolas said, surprised.
"Know him? Ye durn fool! He sent me here, Legolas, ya durned Elf!"
"How do you know my name?" The Elf asked suspiciously, fingering the arrow he had notched on his bowstring.
"Know yer…" The Dwarf was trembling in anger to the point that his beard was shaking. "Didn't ya read the message? At the Prancing Pony? Ter WAIT FOR ME?!?!"
"Oh that." Legolas smiled faintly. "So that's why your name sounds familiar. Yes, I remember now. It was from Gandalf saying to meet a dwarf with your name and description." He paused for a second and frowned at the Dwarf. "I thought it was a joke."
Gimli fell over.
"This is all nice and good," Aragorn interrupted, "but we should move. I have no doubt that the explosion was felt on other floors. They will be inspecting this area."
"Eh, it's no trouble," Gimli announced proudly, getting up and removing Orcish entrails and dust from his clothing. "There was more than one reason the Istari wanted me here. I'm a dwarf, and as you will see, unlike this tree-loving Elf, I know about stone. And this here place is made all up of stone. Many passages have been opened and resealed…I can find them and using the remaining explosives, get us out of here without trouble."
"Then how bout you get to it, instead of rambling?" Legolas growled, put off by the insult.
Gimli smiled and set off to work, telling Legolas to stand guard at the stairs.
Aragorn caught Legolas' arm as he passed and whispered to him, "Thank you. Without you, I would be stuck here for the rest of my days, never to see Arwen again." He turned away, emotion silencing him for a moment. "You don't know…how much happiness you have given me."
And to Aragorn's surprise, Legolas did not acknowledge his thanks, but walked to his post and strung an arrow with a strange expression on his face.
"I should tell him the truth now," he thought.
But he felt a strange unwillingness to risk the Man's displeasure with him.
"It must be this dungeon," Greenleaf thought uncertainly, and he glanced at Aragorn from the corner of his eye, who was thoughtfully studying him as well.
Author's Note: Uhhh, was that confusing? Please tell me if it was. ^_^
Next chapter we reunite with a very sad Sam.