Disclaimer: see chapter one, part one.
Chapter twenty one: The Plains.
They stared in horror and awe at the remains of the dead dragon. The fleas continued to buzz around the carcass, ignoring the newcomers. As they inspected the other wounds, they saw more beetles, lavers and other vultures gnawing away the old dragon's meat.
"What could have made those injuries," Feavair asked, dreading the answer.
"Another dragon" he said simply and slid his swords back in their hilts. He then grabbed the torch and took a few steps further into the cave.
"There is another opening here…I can feel a draft" he said.
Feavair just stared fixated on the dead body. She had never seen a dragon before, few had, but she had heard stories about their viciousness and fiery wrath. Could the flickering light she had seen, bee the dragon's spirit, was it still trapped here in this cave.
"Come on" Legolas said and grabbed her arm gently. "Let us go back"
They started to walk away; she could sense the lifeless eye sockets follow them as the body disappeared in the darkness.
What bothered Legolas the most was that there was still meat on the dragon; it was still decaying which meant that it could not have been killed long ago. He shuddered at the thought
"Are you sure that it was killed by another dragon?" he heard Feavair ask suddenly.
"Nay, but I do not think that creature was killed by orcs, you saw those marks, it has to be a dragon, or another large monster" he took a deep breath before he continued, "That means that the killer could still be around"
"What shall we do?" she asked and fumbled with her damp sleeve.
"We shall get out of here, as quickly as possible"
The fire was still alive when they returned to the cave entrance, outside the rain had lessened and an uneasy fog had settled over the land. High upon the sky a hoarse crow cracked the silence; it was the first sign of animals she had seen since Sam cooked the rabbit.
The thought of the rabbit stew made her stomach rumble and she placed a hand on her abdomen. When was the last time she had tasted food? The last days up the mountain was just a foggy memory, all she remembered was walking in the darkness, led by Frodo`s hand.
Legolas started to roam through his package to see what supplies they had. Two water bottles, one empty, and the other only half full. He handed it to Feavair, and she drank some, then he emptied it. Then he walked outside and placed the bottles there, hoping to catch some rain.
Besides the water bottles, he had a small knife, some flint, a blanked; some rope a little dried fruit, meat, and two lembas bread. ' We can go one week on these supplies' he thought. He broke the lembas bread in two and handed her half of it, and then took the other one himself.
They sat on opposite sides and stared into the fire, she still with his cloak around her shoulders, and he had wrapped the blanked around him self. Their clothes were still damp from the rain and the draft blew angrily through the cave.
He heard her heave a sigh, then she walked over to him and set next to him, so close he could feel the chill from her body. He draped his blanked over both of them, and she smiled slightly and then laid her head on his shoulders. Then, they sat like that in silence, their breathing in rhythm, watching the rain, hearing the small cracks from the fire.
It did not stop raining until the moon appeared on the sky. Feavair`s breathing had slowed down, and a couple of hours ago she had fallen a sleep and even he had dozed off. Whatever had happened to them, must have strained her body, he thought as he watched the sky clear. She had slept for hours, and elves usually went days without sleeping.
"I think we should move" he spoke a few minutes later when her eyes fluttered open."We have lost a day's march already"
"I…..I do not want to cross Shelob's lair" she stuttered as she followed his gaze across the plains. Now as the fog had lifted, they could see the Tower of Cirith Ungol standing silently and luminous.
"The Great Spider is dead, you do not need to worry" he assured her.
"How? We nearly managed to escape her net, and she followed us and almost dragged us back into her cave"
He was about to tell her about T'quel, when suddenly a great howl ripped through the sky. They both jumped to their legs and walked outside.
"Orc?" she asked, as silence continued to rule, Legolas nodded slowly and let his keen eyes scan the area outside, but even in the remains of the fog he had trouble spotting movements.
"Then they are still here," she said slowly.
"Yes, let us move, I do not feel safe here any more" he said, and started to toss mud on the fire and picked up their half filled water bottles.
They were ready to leave the cave, and had just stared walking, when Legolas stopped, bent down and started to untie the lazes around his shoes.
"What are you doing?" Feavair asked.
"You need the shoes more then I," he said. She put a hand on his arm, and shook his head.
"No, you need them as much as I do"
"Then I will carry you," he stated.
"That will only slow us down, and we have little time to waist," she answered calmly
He sighed deeply, a small smile playing on his lips, he knew she could be really stubborn and if she first set her mind to something, there was no stopping her. How else would she have managed to go through everything? Only a strong mind could acknowledge their own death.
"At least let me make you some foot wear," he said. Then he sat down, took out his knife, the blanked and the ropes. Feavair watched him as he started to cut the thick fabric; he worked quickly and in silence and a few minutes later she the blanket firmly wrapped around her foot.
"Now, let us go" he said and took her hand.
"I…I still do not want to cross through the spider's den" she stuttered slowly.
"Then we must go through the gates at Morannon and then walk along the mountain until we reach the river" he paused and looked at her. The thought of entering the cave again obviously scared her, and if he could prevent it, he never wanted her to feel fear again.
"But that journey will take a fortnight and…" he trailed off and she knew what he was going to say, that they did not have supplies to survive that journey.
"T…. then" she took a deep breath and swallowed back her fear "then we shall have to cross it" He reached out a hand and gently touched the side of her face and wiped away some hair.
"Fear not A'mael, I will never leave you again" then he gently placed a kiss on her forehead, before taking her hand and leading them across the rocky plains.
The fog made it almost impossible to see she clutched his hand, afraid to loose him in the darkness. They walked slowly time seemed to stand still. She felt nothing except the cold draft and the slick fog, eating them up.
She could not explain how unbelievable happy she was, and how guilty she felt. She should have not have given into Boromir so easy, she should have fought stronger for her right to keep her own faith. Although the truth was, she had never really wanted it, not since she met Legolas.
Now she was guilt driven because she felt happy, for the reason that she was with her lover. What about those who had waited for his return, what about his brother, how was she going to face him again. What about all the other people, their fates had been in her hands. How could she explain it to them.
Her mother, she had betrayed her kin and all the people of Middle-earth, she had hoped to rule the darkness, and she had… Did Lord Laivindur know about what her mother had done? Did anybody really know the truth?
Those thoughts haunted her as they walked in stillness, he leading her. Silence seemed to be what ruled them now, it was not an uncomftable silence, it was just a quiet content that they were together, that they were alive. She wished they could talk, as they used to, without thinking about everything they had been through. Maybe they did not have any words to put on those things they had witnessed and felt.
The knowledge that something, strong enough to kill a dragon, was in the same part of the country as them, trapped between the mountains, was very troubling. Could it be another creature, another evidence of Sauron's power that skulked around. Was another Balrog or Shelob waiting for them?
The scream they had heard just before nightfall did nothing to ease his mind. It could be a lonely orc that had, somehow, survived the turmoil, he did not think so.
He turned around and looked at Feavair, her eyes were fixated on the path they were walking, and she seemed deep in thoughts. He was worried; she did not look well. She was to thin, to pale and seemed tired. He needed to take her away from these stony and dark mountains; she needed to see the clear sky, stars and the woods again. He could feel it himself as well; the tugging at his heart, the looming shadows that still lingered in the land was slowly consuming them.
He turned his gaze to the road ahead, there was something else that bothered him. He could not escape the feeling that they were being followed.
When Feavair had travelled with Sam and Frodo, they had followed the narrow trail along the mountainside. It had taken them more then a weak to get to Mount Doom. Now they were crossing the plains, witnessing the fall of the Dark Lord.
What the two elves did not know was that two days after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, on March 25, 3019, Aragorn led forth an army to challenge Sauron at his own black front door. The numbers were clearly documented as 1000 cavalry and 6000 infantry. Aragorn burned the bridge and to Minas Morgul and left guards at the Crossroads in case enemies came through the Morgul Pass or up the south road.
When they army reached the desolation of the Morraron, the spirits of many left faltered and he sent them southwest to recapture Cair Andros. Between the remaining troops and those left at the Cross-roads, there were about 6000 soldiers.
After the departure of the emissary at the Black gate, the host of Gondor faced forces ten times, and more then ten times their power. In desperate to meet the onslaughter, Aragorn placed his troops in rings around the two great hills of rubble opposite of the gate.
On the left stood the sons of Elrond and then Dùnedain with Gandalf the White. On the hill to his right were Èomer and Imrahill with the knights of Dol Amroth and with them stood Pippin and Beregond.
They were quickly surrounded by enemies; orcs and streamed down from the mountain slopes and Easterlings marched from beyond the northern tower. Trolls also fought, but were viscously overcome, by the forces of Gondor. The Great Eagles swooped down and drew the Nazgûl back to Mt. Doom were they disappeared in fiery holocaust. Then the creatures of Sauron destroyed them self and left only the Men of Rhûn and Harad to do battle, most of them fled or surrender.
Feavair was lucky that they did not choose to walk the old battle lands by the Black Gate. The anguish and horrors that haunted those plains were worse then the ghosts in Moria and her fear for the Spider's net.
Thank you for reading and thanks for your review.