AN: A little note here. I'm looking for a beta reader for this story or Estel or When dusk meets dawn. I just need someone somewhat learned in Tolkien and such. Please email me, if you want to do this. Thanks, back to Elrond now. Whatever has happened to our favorite Elf…
Chapter 14
Elrond could feel the cold clench of despair upon his heart. He tried to fight it, knowing if he lapsed into the anguish, he would become like them, or find his soul in Mandos.
*I will not become like them. I must hold on.
He could hear the racket the orcs were making. He pulled his tired, bleeding and broken body close to himself, wincing at the onslaught of pain. He looked down at his abdomen, seeing the bones nearly poking out. He eased himself again into a lying position, trying to hold back a sob at the pain. No healing words could come.
*Blessed Eru, either let me die here and now, or save me. For I would wish an eternity in Mandos, then the life of an orc.
~*~
" Ereinion, the men must rest. Three days and nights have passed, yet we still pursue them."
Ereinion glanced back.
" They are Elves. They should be trained in dream walking and the ability to eat upon horseback. We will not rest until we catch up to the orcs."
" Tis for naught," Círdan said softly.
Ereinion shook his head, hating the tears that bit at his eyes. He looked down at the reforged sword hanging by his side.
" This is justice. Justice for them killing our people."
" This is revenge for nature's course."
Ereinion looked back at Círdan pulling his horse beside the Elf's.
" I care not what you call it. I am the king. What I say goes."
Círdan nodded, dropping his head slightly. Celeborn ran up, mounting again, and looking back at the tired Elves.
" Hurry, we ride their yester-steps."
~*~
" Are ya sure we can't et 'im? Looks pretty tasty to me."
" He's all bone. Go find s'mething else."
Elrond was roused by their angry yells. His gaze was suddenly entranced by a glint of silver, so close to him. His dagger lay nearby and it was calling to him. Calling for him to plunge it into his breast and be done with it. Elrond unfurled his tightly clenched fingers, trying to claim back his knife.
*Would Ereinion condone this? Finding you dead at the hands of your own knife?
Elrond finally grasped it.
*He would understand.
~*~
Ereinion did not take Aeglos from his side, instead unsheathing Elrond's sword. He turned to the group.
" I want everyone of them dead. Search for any Elvish survivors," Ereinion turned as the Elves began to get in position, continuing softly to himself, " Blood will fall. Heads will roll. Justice will be dealt."
~*~
Battle cries came. Elrond placed the tip of the dagger just below his collarbone, prepared to push the knife in slantways.
*Twill puncture the heart causing death in less than a minute as I bleed internally to death until my heart finally gives up and stops.
Elrond took a deep breath, well aware it would be one of his last. He slowly exhaled.
*Long live the Eldar.
~*~
" Pursue them," Ereinion yelled, seeing the orcs running.
Elves leapt after them, led by Glorfindel. Arrows whizzed after the fleeing orcs. Círdan and Celeborn came to Ereinion's side, almost wearily.
" Glorfindel promises the head of the leader."
Ereinion cleaned Elrond's sword with one quick sweep.
" I would rather a body of a certain Elf, preferably alive," he sighed, " Pile the orc carcesses over there. Take great care to discern whether it is Elf or orc."
" Maybe," Círdan began.
" Círdan, do not speak more despair," Celeborn interrupted, " Elrond has a strong spirit. He would kill himself before…"
Celeborn trailed off. Ereinion's face bore that of pure horror.
" Kill himself?" Ereinion kicked the ground viciously with a loud yell.
Many Elves glanced their way, watching the king angrily kick an orc carcess. The dead body flew into a tree. Ereinion turned, putting a hand to his head as Elves carried by an orc.
" Precious Eru, put that down," Celeborn suddenly turned.
The Elves dropped the orc unceremoniously.
" Be careful," Celeborn glared at them.
He bent beside the "orc", pulling his tunic to clean off a bloody hilt. Celeborn looked up at Ereinion and Círdan.
" Unless one of you also found Elrond's dagger, Elrond has to be alive. This is his."
Círdan cleaned off the "orc's" face. Ereinion gave a sharp gasp.
" Elrond?"
A knife lay to the hilt in his chest, Elrond's own dagger. Celeborn checked for a pulse.
" He is not dead."
" Elrond, can you open your eyes?" Círdan asked soothingly.
Elrond's cracked and bleeding lips formed one word: no.
" Why?"
" Hurt," came the cracked whisper.
Celeborn massaged his head. He motioned to a couple Elves.
" Help me move him. We must return him to Lindon as soon as we can."
" We are four days from Lindon," Círdan said softly, " They have nearly broken him in spirit and body. We have not the skill for this. Your wife is better skilled than the both of us."
Celeborn closed his eyes. Miles away, Galadriel was pulled from her slumber at the despair that haunted her. Celeborn opened his eyes.
" She is coming."
" Is he going to die?" Ereinion asked, helping to pick up Elrond.
" No," came Elrond's whisper.
Celeborn and Círdan refused to meet anyone's eyes.
~*~
It was morning when Galadriel arrived at the camp. She bent over the sleeping Elrond, surveying the intensity of the wound.
" He is barely alive," she whispered, her eyes turning to her exhausted husband, " Go. Sleep."
" The knife," Celeborn motioned to it wearily, " I must remove it. I waited for you to come. I did not know if it would matter."
Galadriel reached out a hand, touching her husband's arms and drawing herself close to him.
" There is still hope. I just pray the Elessar heals all things, and not just the plant life."
Celeborn glanced up at the silent Ereinion in the doorway. He motioned the king inside.
" Aid me, Ereinion," Celeborn pressed pieces of cloth into Ereinion's hands, " Press them into the wound after I remove the knife."
~*~
Elrond was far away hovering in a land somewhere between Mandos and wakefulness, a land of dreams. There was no pain, nor fear. There was absolutely nothing, but his memories. The good times played over and over, like a play upon a stage. Elrond beheld his own figure to be that of a young child's and beside him, his brother skipped joyfully, singing a song.
" Welcome, welcome. You have finally come. They said you would."
Elrond's eyes opened a bit more as another, a teen joined them, along with a gorgeous girl.
" Hello, Elrond."
" Where am I? And who are you?"
" You are home. Give up your immortaility. Do you really wish to be bound to this land? Come, Father Ilúvatar awaits us."
Elrond's mouth fell open.
" You are Lúthien, and you Beren?"
The two nodded.
" Welcome to the halls of Men. Come away from the threshold and into its glory. We have been waiting for you," Beren bid.
Elrond's eyes lit up, looking at his brother. Pain convulsed through his body, making him fall to his knees. The last thing he remembered was seeing Elros' pained face as his brother desperately tried to keep him there.
~*~
Galadriel's eyes flew open with a shaky breath as the knife was pulled. Celeborn caught sight of her hand to her heart.
" I am sorry. I did not know," he said softly.
Galadriel shook her head.
" It is not that. He is gone"
" Gone?" Ereinion's voice rose, " What do you mean gone?"
" I cannot find him in his dreams. His fëa is out of the body."
" What?"
Galadriel looked at her husband with a look of long suffering.
*Either you have him drink something that puts him to sleep for a long, long time, or I will knock him out myself with my own tatics.
Celeborn took Ereinion's arm smoothly with a smile.
*I believe he would appreciate it if I did not submit him to that torture. Excuse us. I believe I just happen to have a sleep serum in my bag.
Galadriel leaned over Elrond, gently caressing his hair and then face. She leaned down beside his ear, as if he could hear her.
" You know the way back here, Elrond. I pray you find your way. Follow your heart, iôn-nin."
~*~
" Why are you here?"
Elrond turned, but no one was there. There was nothing but unfailing darkness, so unlike what he had just visited. He rose, or so thought he did. The darkness never faded and in the silence, a faint crying could be heard.
" Do not bother looking for me. You will never find me. I cannot see you either, but I know you are there. I have had millenias to fine tune that talent."
" Where am I?"
" Neither here nor there."
" You speak in riddles."
" So what if I do? Come inside. Do not linger on the threshold. That is rude."
Elrond did not move.
" Why are you here?"
A low chuckle was heard.
" I am an enemy of the Valar."
" Tell me your name."
" Name?" the man laughed, " I am no one here. We are all no one. Stripped of our identity, we wait here, awaiting their mercy which I shall never find for I am too proud to accept it."
Elrond shook his head slightly, utterly confused at the riddler's words.
" What crime didst thee commit?"
" I left."
" Left where?"
The voice became defensive.
" You ask too many questions, Elfling."
" Tis the way I was taught. I await your answers."
The voice was silent. The wails were becoming louder as the time went on.
" They are coming for you, lingerer upon the door step. They will take you back there, away from here."
Elrond was utterly confused. He tried to rub his head.
" I do not understand. There must have been something you did to deserve this."
" Do you wish to know the truth? All I wanted was what was rightfully mine. Rightfully mine, by Eru," Elrond thought that had he been able to see the speaker, a fist would have been planted against the speaker's other open palm, " I created the beautifulest of works. Three stones that hold the fates of the sky, water and earth. When I lost them, I wanted only her by my side. Beautiful Nerwen. None will ever match her in beauty. She looked just like my stones, so fair, beautiful, unpredicatable. How I wish I had taken her here with me."
" I know your name," Elrond began to speak.
And then it was all gone. It was nothing more than a hazy dream, never knowing that he had brushed the threshold of Mandos talking to one confined there until the end.
~*~
Galadriel looked up at Celeborn and then Glorfindel.
" Has Ereinion woken yet?" Galadriel asked softly.
Glorfindel looked over before shaking his head.
" He is waking," Galadriel said softly.
A soft groan came from the patient.
" Elrond?"
Galadriel took the grunt to mean yes.
" Can you open your eyes for me?"
Elrond slowly opened his eyes, letting them flutter slightly until light broke through. He looked up at Glorfindel.
" I was right."
Glorfindel almost yelled. Elrond was joking at a time like this. Glorfindel managed a smile.
" Yes you were, mellon-nin."
Elrond turned his eyes to Galadriel.
" Nerwen," he said softly.
Galadriel stiffened.
" Why do you call me that, Elrond?"
" He spoke of you. Spoke of Nerwen. This Elf or man. I saw Elros first. I saw him with Beren and Lúthien. The Halls of Men are with Ilúvatar. They bid me to come hither and then it all faded and I met him. This Elf that spoke of you and three stones," Elrond closed his eyes, face flushing at his stupidity, " Fëanor."
Galadriel laid her palm upon his forehead.
" You do have a fever."
" I was not hallucinating," Elrond protested mildly.
Galadriel's eyes teared up. He looked so young, lying there against the makeshift cot. He was so bruised and battered. His eyes spoke volumes of the torture they had put him through. Galadriel brushed his hair away. At least they had spared his innocence. He would have been truly dead had they taken that.
" How did you find me?" Elrond ventured to ask, " Ereinion is not here, is he?"
" He is; and we found you with your knife in your chest. Do you care to explain it?"
No one noticed the groggy Ereinion beginning to rise and sit up. Ereinion came to immediate attention seeing Elrond awake. He silently moved, so as not to disturb them, nor make them realize he was awake.
" I was despairing. They were going to make me one of them. I would rather die, so I took my knife and," Elrond motioned to the bound wound with his head.
Galadriel brushed his hair again in a motherly fashion. No one save Celeborn knew how scared she had been that she would lose another of the children she had fostered. Galadriel glanced over at the sleeping form of Ereinion. These two were the two children she had left. Lúthien and Elros had died, while Idril, Elwing and Eärendil had sailed over the Sea.
" You were nearly dead, Elrond. Could you not heal yourself?"
" I could not utter any words the pain was so…" Elrond searched for a word, " smarting, I guess, with lack of a better word?"
Galadriel ruffled his dark hair, seeing him beginning to grow weary even from that little interaction.
" Sleep. You need your strength to battle this."
Elrond smiled slightly.
" Promise me something, Elrond."
" Hmm?" he asked through half-open eyes.
" Take no steps over thresholds, no matter who bids you in."
He squeezed her hand before his face was overcome with pain and then peace. Galadriel brushed a shaky hand over his face, before kissing his temple and then forehead. She rose, putting a hand to her head. Celeborn quickly opened his arms to her, escorting her just outside. Glorfindel remained by the sleeping Elrond, making no sign that he could still hear the couple's words.
" Galadriel, Altáriel, melmë-nya," Celeborn whispered softly, " Man ná ta (What is it-Q)?"
Galadriel shook her head, leaning into him.
" He will not survive the night."
Glorfindel dropped his head. He clasped the sleeping Elf's hand.
" Come now, Elrond. I have never lost an Elf in any skirmish I have attempted. Even the last one. Those that died were of Círdan's people. Please do not fail me or Ereinion. I know there is strength in there somewhere. Fight."
Galadriel and Celeborn both saw the tears in Glorfindel's eyes. Galadriel shook her head.
" Even now he fades."
AN: Well? What are y'all thinking? R/R!! Please!!