A/N: Guess what everybody? LAST CHAPTER!!!!! Oh well, please review..
A/N: Credit for this chapter: Shadow of Stargate for his AMAZING idea for
the ending. Thank you and all the rest of my friends and reviewers.
Chapter 17: Before the Sun Sets
Dorlas lay sprawled on the floor of the underground lair in a puddle of his own blood. Amargwaith stood over him, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"You should have known better than to defy me, Dorlas, and now, you will die because of your idiocy."
Dorlas' vision swam. His fingers were numbed, and his nostrils and mouth were filled with the pungent, metallic smell and taste of blood. All senses were dulled but his hearing, and he heard the last thing Amargwaith said with amazing clarity.
"I may die," the Human managed to croak, "but if I go, you're coming with me!" Dorlas pulled himself to his knees, pried the blade from his own stomach, and plunged it into his former mentor's chest.
Amargwaith let out a half-gasp of shock and pain as the dagger pierced his heart, then fell dead on the floor. With his last vestiges of strength, Dorlas pulled himself about ground and began making his own painful way to Caras Galadon.
~~~~~~~
"Haldir!"
The march-warden turned his head sharply at the sound of his name. "What is it?"
The boarder guard who had called him pointed towards the horizon. "It's a Human; he looks badly wounded."
"Eru!" hissed Haldir. "It's Dorlas!" At least he hoped it was Dorlas. There was a chance it was Amargwaith in another disguise, but the way he was dragging himself along the ground left it highly unlikely that this was a surprise attack. He shuddered at the memory of Galadriel's warning. "Before the sun sets, another will die." Was Dorlas the one foreshadowed?
Quickly, he signaled three other Elves to accompany him and made his way to where the Man's crippled form struggled to make it to the city.
Haldir reached him first. One look in his eyes told him it was, indeed, Dorlas. "My gods!" the Elf whispered to him. "What did Amargwaith do to you?"
"The same thing he did to me, only I think my job was a bit cleaner." Dorlas attempted a laugh that ended in a gurgling cough. A trickle of blood ran out of the corner of his mouth.
"You mean. Amargwaith is. dead?"
Dorlas nodded, grimacing in pain.
Haldir nodded back and smiled. Turning to his soldiers, he said, "Get this Man into the infirmary. I'm going to fetch Galadriel." That said, he turned and sped off to find the Lady of the Wood.
~~~~~~~
"Hiril nin!" Haldir said breathlessly as he skidded to a stop in front of Galdriel and Celeborn's quarters. "Your prophecy has come true!"
Galadriel turned towardsher march warden with full attention. "Who?"
"Amargwaith"
Her eyes grew wide with excitement. "Amargwaith? Oh, thank the Valar!" She stopped, a bit ashamed of herself that she was praising the death of a fellow Elf. "How did it happen?"
"Dorlas did it," Haldir's expression became a grave on, "but not without sustaining considerable damage. I'm afraid he may not live much longer."
"Take me to him!" Galadriel ordered, and the two Elves headed toward the infirmary and their injured savior.
Once there, Galadriel headed straight for the bed on which dorlas had been placed. Seregwen, who had seen the Human being carried through the trees, was already there and Haldir took his place on the other side of the bed. He clasped her hand reassuringly but both their eyes were riveted on the bloody form in front of them.
Galadriel ordered some herbs be brought to her by one of the healers. She mixed them together and rubbed some on the wound and mixed the rest with water and made Dorlas drink it.
"Galadriel," Dorlas told her once she was done, "You need not waste any time on me. I've killed Amargwaith. My purpose on Middle-earth has been fulfilled. I'm ready for whatever comes next. Besides, I doubt that even the innate healing power of the Elves can save me now," he coughed up more blood. "Thank you, My Lady. for everything. I must sleep now."
"No, Dorlas," Galadriel whispered as Dorlas dropped into unconsciencness, "Thank you."
~~~~~~~
Dorlas died after the sun set. The healers were surprised he'd lasted as long as he did. Seregwen stayed to help prepare the body for a while, but feeling uncomfortable about handling the body of one she had known (although it had been for a very short time) in life, she excused herself and went outside to look at the stars beginning to show themselves in the darkening sky.
Haldir came out shortly after and put a comforting arm around his wife's waist.
She hadn't noticed the tears that had begun to fall until she turned and looked into his eyes. "It's over then, isn't it?" she asked. "No more death? No more destruction?"
Haldir smiled slightly and nodded, wiping away her tears with his finger. He kissed Seregwen gently on the lips, then pulled her closer and kissed her again. Longer this time with more passion.
Seregwen was right; it was over. Lives had been lost, but they had died valiantly. Finally, life could continue as before. For them, at least. Orophin and Dorlas couldn't, but both Haldir and Seregwen knew that they were with them even in death.
Above the couple, stars continued to appear, but two stars were there that had not been there before. They were right next to the star that had appeared over 1000 years ago when Amargwaith had claimed his first victim.
Chapter 17: Before the Sun Sets
Dorlas lay sprawled on the floor of the underground lair in a puddle of his own blood. Amargwaith stood over him, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"You should have known better than to defy me, Dorlas, and now, you will die because of your idiocy."
Dorlas' vision swam. His fingers were numbed, and his nostrils and mouth were filled with the pungent, metallic smell and taste of blood. All senses were dulled but his hearing, and he heard the last thing Amargwaith said with amazing clarity.
"I may die," the Human managed to croak, "but if I go, you're coming with me!" Dorlas pulled himself to his knees, pried the blade from his own stomach, and plunged it into his former mentor's chest.
Amargwaith let out a half-gasp of shock and pain as the dagger pierced his heart, then fell dead on the floor. With his last vestiges of strength, Dorlas pulled himself about ground and began making his own painful way to Caras Galadon.
~~~~~~~
"Haldir!"
The march-warden turned his head sharply at the sound of his name. "What is it?"
The boarder guard who had called him pointed towards the horizon. "It's a Human; he looks badly wounded."
"Eru!" hissed Haldir. "It's Dorlas!" At least he hoped it was Dorlas. There was a chance it was Amargwaith in another disguise, but the way he was dragging himself along the ground left it highly unlikely that this was a surprise attack. He shuddered at the memory of Galadriel's warning. "Before the sun sets, another will die." Was Dorlas the one foreshadowed?
Quickly, he signaled three other Elves to accompany him and made his way to where the Man's crippled form struggled to make it to the city.
Haldir reached him first. One look in his eyes told him it was, indeed, Dorlas. "My gods!" the Elf whispered to him. "What did Amargwaith do to you?"
"The same thing he did to me, only I think my job was a bit cleaner." Dorlas attempted a laugh that ended in a gurgling cough. A trickle of blood ran out of the corner of his mouth.
"You mean. Amargwaith is. dead?"
Dorlas nodded, grimacing in pain.
Haldir nodded back and smiled. Turning to his soldiers, he said, "Get this Man into the infirmary. I'm going to fetch Galadriel." That said, he turned and sped off to find the Lady of the Wood.
~~~~~~~
"Hiril nin!" Haldir said breathlessly as he skidded to a stop in front of Galdriel and Celeborn's quarters. "Your prophecy has come true!"
Galadriel turned towardsher march warden with full attention. "Who?"
"Amargwaith"
Her eyes grew wide with excitement. "Amargwaith? Oh, thank the Valar!" She stopped, a bit ashamed of herself that she was praising the death of a fellow Elf. "How did it happen?"
"Dorlas did it," Haldir's expression became a grave on, "but not without sustaining considerable damage. I'm afraid he may not live much longer."
"Take me to him!" Galadriel ordered, and the two Elves headed toward the infirmary and their injured savior.
Once there, Galadriel headed straight for the bed on which dorlas had been placed. Seregwen, who had seen the Human being carried through the trees, was already there and Haldir took his place on the other side of the bed. He clasped her hand reassuringly but both their eyes were riveted on the bloody form in front of them.
Galadriel ordered some herbs be brought to her by one of the healers. She mixed them together and rubbed some on the wound and mixed the rest with water and made Dorlas drink it.
"Galadriel," Dorlas told her once she was done, "You need not waste any time on me. I've killed Amargwaith. My purpose on Middle-earth has been fulfilled. I'm ready for whatever comes next. Besides, I doubt that even the innate healing power of the Elves can save me now," he coughed up more blood. "Thank you, My Lady. for everything. I must sleep now."
"No, Dorlas," Galadriel whispered as Dorlas dropped into unconsciencness, "Thank you."
~~~~~~~
Dorlas died after the sun set. The healers were surprised he'd lasted as long as he did. Seregwen stayed to help prepare the body for a while, but feeling uncomfortable about handling the body of one she had known (although it had been for a very short time) in life, she excused herself and went outside to look at the stars beginning to show themselves in the darkening sky.
Haldir came out shortly after and put a comforting arm around his wife's waist.
She hadn't noticed the tears that had begun to fall until she turned and looked into his eyes. "It's over then, isn't it?" she asked. "No more death? No more destruction?"
Haldir smiled slightly and nodded, wiping away her tears with his finger. He kissed Seregwen gently on the lips, then pulled her closer and kissed her again. Longer this time with more passion.
Seregwen was right; it was over. Lives had been lost, but they had died valiantly. Finally, life could continue as before. For them, at least. Orophin and Dorlas couldn't, but both Haldir and Seregwen knew that they were with them even in death.
Above the couple, stars continued to appear, but two stars were there that had not been there before. They were right next to the star that had appeared over 1000 years ago when Amargwaith had claimed his first victim.