Beginning of this chapter is dedicated to Lana G who gave me the idea when I actually had no clue how to start the chapter. Well I did but it was not nearly as exciting as this.
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Legolas gasped and jerked back when a blinding pain erupted at the front of his head towards his brow. He pressed the heels of his hands against his forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut as images flashed before his eyes. The black-scaled dragon with blood red scars loomed above him and lunged at him with his sharp teeth bared. Sharp claws scraped across his chest and he cried out at the sudden sharp pain before whimpering. He heard people yelling at him but the words jumbled together to create a confusing mess. He felt somebody strong pin him to the ground and hot breathe breathing down on him that smelled of sulfur.
Sauros trapped the struggling elf under his front paw and dug his talons into the ground to press the elf against the dirt with the fleshy part of his paw. A look to the other travelers told them to stay back and let the dragon deal with this. Sauros seemed to grow in size and his talons lengthened to dig further into the dirt around the elf. His teeth sharpened and lengthened as he pulled himself up in size and towered over everyone.
"Yeesh baruck n'eumba esh. Harupę nia eldar unt sarut ba valud, Glaurung, " Sauros ordered with a booming voice that seemed to shake the ground.
His dark eyes bore into the blonde archer as he snarled in anger. Sauros' wings fanned out beside him and cast a shadow over the area against the bright moonlight. A screeching cry echoed across the land to startle everyone except the dragon and elf that ignored the sound. A cluster of birds flew from their perches in the tree at the sharp sound and flew away into the night. Sauros carefully folded his wings against his body and leaned down to look closer to the elf.
Legolas' eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times to focus on the large red head directly in front of him. His gaze slowly traveled around and saw the worried onlookers at the side before turning back to Sauros. The elf's blue eyes held a shadow that would slowly fade within a day or two, Sauros hoped, and he was paler than normal for the Silvan elves but nothing to worry about. Sauros slowly retracted his talons but refrained from removing his grip on the elf before speaking and ensuring that Glaurung had released his hold.
"Look to me, Legolas. Let me see your soul," Sauros ordered softly and waited as the elf locked gazes with the dragon.
Sauros altered his voice and used a power that was passed along to all dragons, but rarely used. At least he never used it, except on very special times when it was absolutely necessary. Legolas' face slackened and his eyes glazed over, almost as if the elf traveled in elven dreams but continued to hold Sauros' gaze. The power that Sauros used was the ability to control a person's mind and read it, if the person looked into a dragon's eyes. The dragon broke down the simple barrier guarding the elf's thoughts and mind before searching for any remnants of Glaurung and his evil. Finding none, he gently pushed the elf into a deep sleep to allow him to rest before withdrawing entirely from the elf's mind. He lifted his paw from the elf's body and looked over to Elladan.
"It was a reaction to hearing Glaurung's name that sent him into that attack. He will be fine once he awakens," he said as Elladan lifted Legolas and carried him to a bedroll.
Elladan checked Legolas over quickly before pulling a blanket up to cover the lithe archer. He moved to check Aragorn before going back to the small circle of travelers that were clustering around the fire Elrohir had built. Sauros stared into the fire as Elladan settled himself beside his twin and waited for the dragon to start.
"When Arda was created, Ilúvatar made an opposite for everything. Day had night, good had bad, woman had man. There were also good dragons and bad dragons to balance out each other. Glaurung was the first dragon to be seen, he was called the Father of Dragons, and he came forth from Angband. Along with Glaurung, there was Ancalagon, Scatha, and Smaug. Glaurung was the vanguard of Morgoth's forces and devastated the battlefields when he grew to full size. Eventually, Glaurung meet his death by Túrin's black sword Gurthang in the Forest of Brethil.
"Ancalagon was killed when Eärendil came through the sky in Vingilot and slew Ancalagon with the held of Thorondor and the Eagles.
"Scatha infested the Grey Mountains of the north and was later slain by Fram son of Frumgar in the early days of the Éothéod. Smaug settled himself in the ruined halls of Erebor and was eventually slain by Bard, a descendant of Girion of Dale."
"But you said that Glaurung meet his death by Túrin. How can he be harming Legolas and Aragorn?" Lina asked as Sauros turned to look at her.
"I honestly do not know the answer to that. I assume that before Morgoth was destroyed, he somehow ensured that Glaurung would reside on this plane of being even after his death. It would have been almost impossible, but very probable. Morgoth had the strength and power to do it if he so wished. The others and I have a theory on how it may have been done but we can not be exactly sure of how it was done."
"I would assume that a bit of black magic would be included," Glorfindel suggested and Sauros nodded.
"Most definitely; a good bit. The theory is that Glaurung's body was placed in a magically protected area to prevent him from leaving the protected place too early when he revived. He would rejuvenate slowly by feeding off the souls of people; humans, elves, dwarves, anything that was captured and brought to his dwelling. The servants that did this were called the Order of Glaurung; they are servants of the Dark Lord. At nights they go out and bring victims to Glaurung so he can feed off their souls. The victims are wanders, vagabonds, and criminals, people that will not be noticed if they are gone. Their souls are not entirely taken but he feeds off them continuously and they are trapped or earth-bound. They are not allowed to travel to Mandos."
"The first night after Aragorn and I departed from Imladris, he had an out-of-body experience almost. He said that voices told him that he had to save them and set them free. The voices said that 'he' would kill them and then something attacked Aragorn. That next morning when I woke him, his back was bloody and mauled," Glorfindel said slowly as he remembered the incident that seemed so long ago.
"What did the marks look like?" Sauros asked and Glorfindel stood up to walk over to the unconscious human.
The others followed as Elladan helped Glorfindel careful roll Aragorn onto his stomach and pull up his shirt. The slashes were just starting to heal and were still pink from the healing flesh. Sauros extended his claws and carefully placed his sharp talons in the pink grooves. The distance and shaping matched perfectly to prove that it was a dragon that had marked Aragorn's back that night and everyone silently agreed that it was Glaurung's doing or another dragon.
"Will Glaurung be able to leave his sanctuary?"
"I assume so. Why go through all the trouble if the end product is not to get out into the world again? It must be getting near the time and the lost souls are trying to stop him by informing someone. Aragorn is the King of Men; it is understandable why the lost souls would have sought him out," Sauros said as Elladan pulled Aragorn's shirt back down and rolled him back onto his back.
"What do we have to do to stop Glaurung?" Elrohir asked as he ran a hand through his dark locks.
It was rare that the twin sons of Elrond physically showed their frustration. At most times, it seemed that they had control of every situation that they found themselves in, but after traveling with Aragorn and Legolas, that had changed. They were known as the stoic, calm, and precise warriors that the elves were legendary for and the stories were told about. Interestingly enough, Aragorn was the only one that could cause the twins to break that image and succeed in pissing them off beyond belief. Aragorn actually made it an art that was calculated and definite whenever he was home at Imladris. His elven instructors would almost have a mental breakdown when they had to work with the young human and try to instruct him during his lessons and training. His brothers almost wanted to pull their long hair out of their heads when Aragorn pushed the envelope and his luck to the farthest extent.
"Defeat Glaurung once and for all. Ensure that he does not return to full strength and turn the tide of power to Mordor and the Dark Lord. If that happens, then the free people of Middle Earth will be hard pressed to defeat them," Sauros said quietly and flicked his tail side to side.
"Where does Glaurung lay rest?" Glorfindel asked as he tossed another piece of wood onto the warm fire.
"I do not know. Aragorn's visions might be trying to lead him to the location. It seems logical."
"Perhaps, it would be better if we finish discussing this in the morning. Aragorn and Legolas may be awake by then and we could include them into this conversation. They may know some other bit of information that would aide us in deciphering this mystery," Lina suggested and cast a glance up towards the dark sky.
"I agree with Lina. We could all use some rest after today," Elrohir said and the others agreed.
Everyone scattered around the campsite and eventually each fell asleep except for the twins that were the watch for the night. They both sat next to each other by the fire and listened to the quiet surrounding forest.
"Why is it always Aragorn that gets into this type of mess?" Elrohir asked, curious.
"I have no clue. Wish I did though. Whenever he becomes King, I certainly hope his reign is not as exciting as his earlier years. If they are then the world of Men will be doomed to constant angst," Elladan said flatly before glancing over at Elrohir.
The younger of the twins raised his eyebrows and the two stared at each other for a moment before chuckling softly.
Aragorn softly groaned to himself as he pushed aside the darkness that seemed to override all his senses. He had the sudden notion that he really shouldn't wake up and that something bad was waiting for him. He had no clue why he was thinking this but it seemed to be very important to his current state of being. Perhaps a huge troll was looming over him waiting for him to wake up and so he could be cooked and served for dinner. Or maybe a huge group of orcs was waiting for him to gain consciousness again so they could torture him endlessly and introduce new forms of pain that he never conceived of before. Mayhap that he was already dead and was resting in Mandos, awaiting judgment. He cracked his eyes open and focused on the heads that leaned over him.
It was worse than he expected, much worse. It was his brothers, Glorfindel, and Legolas. Valar, it could not get any worse than this. Could he pretend to be dead and hopefully sneak off at the appropriate time? The look that Legolas was shooting him would probably kill him if he kept up the constant intensity. The sneaking off wouldn't work; they already knew that he was conscious. Maybe he could drug them that night and escape after they already served him the first round of lectures he was expecting from every single one of them.
"I knew that I should not have awoken," he muttered, not caring if the elves heard him with their acute hearing.
"You should not have gotten into trouble in the first place. And you have gotten yourself into some big trouble. Bigger than normal," Elladan said sternly as he sat back to allow Elrohir to help their brother sit up.
"What exactly have I gotten myself into, pray tell," Aragorn said and flinched as his bruised ribs protested at the movement.
"A very old and powerful dragon that was a servant of the Dark Lord Morgoth. I would assume that he is now serving under Sauron since he is the current Dark Lord," Sauros answered from across the small clearing where he sat with Lina.
"Marvelous, just my luck."
"You ignorant dunedain. Why did you leave Glorfindel and me at the town? Did you ever think of what your brothers and father would do to us if we came back without you? Not even knowing where you had gone off to this time? I would rather face Lord Sauron face to face before facing an irate Elrond and twins," Legolas snapped in a huff.
"Excuse me?" Elladan asked and looked over at the Mirkwood elf as his eyebrows arched upwards.
"Sorry; I meant that in the best way possible. Really."
"I am sure. You had better watch your back Thranduillion," Elladan stated before turning back to Aragorn. "How are you feeling?"
"Well enough to know that I do not need you mothering me. Help me to stand up and I will be much better," he said and started to get his feet under him.
"I must wonder if the other men of your line were as stubborn as you," Glorfindel muttered as he rolled his eyes.
"Probably worse," Elrohir stated as Aragorn glared at the elves surrounding him.
"Just tell me what happened and I will allow all of you to keep your heads attached to your bodies."
"Someone is in a bad mood," Elladan commented and departed to fix Aragorn something to eat.
Elrohir, Legolas, and Glorfindel launched into telling Aragorn what all happened since they found him and what Sauros had told them. Aragorn listened quietly while they informed him of Glaurung and what all had occurred before his time. He agreed when they came to the conclusion that the voices he heard several nights ago were the lost souls trying to inform him of Glaurung. When they were done, he looked out at the surrounding forest before glancing up at the sun that rested high in the sky. He didn't really know how to react to the news that they just told him. He was glad that the visions were coming to him for a reason and he just wasn't losing his mind. Ask the twins, Legolas, or Glorfindel that and they would beg to differ. But that wasn't the current issue that the human was thinking about. Did he think that he could go up against this imposing dragon that was about fifty times his size? Did he really want to? Why couldn't his life be easy? Like being a simple farmer or a soldier that was lost amid hundreds of other soldiers. Every second of every day, his destiny weighed heavily upon his mind and conscious. It determined his actions and responses to different situations that he encountered daily.
Everyone had faith in him and in the power and strength that resided in his blood. With faith breeds hope. Estel. He was hope; hope, lost in a world where men killed other men and evil was bred in the darkest shadows. Evil lurked around every corner and was evident every day to anyone that looked with opened eyes. The evil was even on him. The scars on his back and chest were just the physical signs; the emotional signs were just as harsh and ran just as deep if not deeper. How could they have hope in him, when the hope he held for himself was wavering?
He glanced over at Elladan as he sat next to him on the ground. Aragorn sighed to himself and put his self-doubts behind him before turning his mind to the issue at hand.
"How soon can we be ready to leave for Annúminas?"
Yeesh baruck n'eumba esh. Harupę nia eldar unt sarut ba valud, Glaurung. --I command thee to obey me. Release this eldar and return to your darkness, Glaurung.
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I hope everyone is doing well and in the mood to read. I must apologize for taking so long in getting this chapter out to everyone. I was lazy. That is my reason; I was just flat out lazy and did not write. There, now that you have the reason. Here is the new chapter, I am sorry if it is a bit shorter than normal but I know that it has been some time since I updated and this was a good length so I went ahead and posted it. I promise that the next chapter will be nice and long. Please review for me and see you at the next update.
Deana- I just have to say first off that I am loving your story. Can not really remember the title as of this moment but I do love it. Please hurry with a new chapter. Okay, on to other things. I am just going to be so bad on all the characters in this story. I mean, we are talking: blood, gore, tears, anger, and everything else you can think of. It is just so much fun to write about it.
Roccovende- That Super-bowl party sounds kickass! I would have a blast at that party, man! So, yeah, my friend has vowed to never drink that much again. I just roll my eyes and nod my head: "Sure Katie, what ever you say." Heehee, I am so mean. Anyway, Poppy the plot-bunny is curled up in my wire rack with all my books and school stuff taking his much deserved rest. I kept pushing him to give me more on the story and would not let him rest. He is resting now; poor plot-bunny can not hold his liqueur/spirits very well. Sauros will seem a bit different towards the end of the story than from the first story. I have *clears throat* added a few other things that you will find out towards the end of the story. Dangit, I already have a story plot idea ready for the one after this one. If I decide to write it. PANTHERS KICKED EAGLES' ASS!
Frodo16424- Sauros is the dragon! I just love him to death, I do, really. This is the Aragorn we all love and adore, always getting into trouble. I think it goes both ways actually.
Kandice- *blushes* Well, thank you very much for the compliment. I always love hearing from my reviewers when they try to put their feelings into words. Why did you spend all day lying in a pool of bad smelling mineral water? Just a simple, curious question. I tried to think of an answer myself but I did not get very far.
SilverKnight7- I only drink lattes. I had a sugar-free vanilla latte earlier this morning before my classes started. I need that little extra boost to wake me up and make me coherent.
Gwyn- Heehee, Astro is kind of my stuff animal. He is in the shape of a star, is blue, plushy, and has little horns. His name came from a techno club that I use to visit regularly and was well known there; I got him the afternoon before I went to the club that night. He was in my car and I needed a name for him so I looked at the club and decided to name him Astro. He can be a great pillow to sleep on.
Cloud-123- Yeah! Another review! Heehee, hope you like the new chapter.
Isadora2- Ssssshhhhh!!!!!!! You were not supposed to notice that! *holds finger over lips* I am sticking to the story that he accidentally bit the inside of his cheek badly and is spitting out that blood. I apologize for the minor medical error. I figured that I injured him in the first chapter, then the slashes from the out-of-body experience, then the orcs brew and arrow wound, then emotional damage with the mudslide, then the other group of orcs, I figured that I will not damage him much in this chapter. I was having an indecisive moment *shrugs shoulders*.
Grumpy- I might actually write that later on in the story. It will be a little bit different but still have the same kind of basis. *rubs hands together while evilly grinning* Well, anyway, onto other reviewers.
Dha-Gal- Oh my, I can not believe it! You actually got to beta for me on this chapter! It is a shock and amazement! First time since…what…chapter 9 or 10? Anyway, poor Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas having to take care of you and reviewing all of your stories. That is cruel and unusual punish on its own.
Star-Stallion- Well, diola lle mellonin. I like to think that I write nicely, my professors are the only ones that do not like how I write. English professors are pretty much useless. Can not say that too loudly; my roommate is majoring in English. Eeep!
Lana G- Did you read the beginning of the chapter? Eh, eh, eh *poking at you*. The beginning I had in mind just plain ole sucked so I did 'take' your offered idea and I have to say hannon lle. It worked out marvelously.
Elvendancer- I have been keeping sane hours as of late. Probably because I have classes again and I am usually tired enough as it is when I do get near my bed. I just crash into it. I have been getting my sleep…acting just like my mum. Heehee.
Ringmarciel- The fanfiction.net Elrond is so much nicer and calmer. Much more loving too. I really wish they had Elladan and Elrohir in the movies; I really wanted to see who they would cast as the twins.
Catmint- Glorfindel is like the comic relief of the entire group. I just love him to death. Well, thank you very much for the compliment, mellonin. I always love hearing them.
Elven Kitten- I know it does suck that penguins are not allowed in my dorm. He would have had a blast.
Snow-Glory- I toned down Legolas' tirade a bit. I knew that everyone else wanted a piece of him so Legolas took his share and passed him on to the next person to lecture him. Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out to you. I apologize from the bottom of my heart.
Legalady- I have realized that I have never killed a character off in my stories. Maybe I should write one of those stories that a main character dies. I will have to think about that.
Lauren- I looked over the 'angst' line that you had a worry with. I tired to rewrite it or reword it but it just did not have the same effect to me. I honestly tried to correct it for you; I feel so bad now that I did not. Are you mad at me for not fixing it? *whimper*
