Chapter 14

Well now that's over,

I see your motives inside, decisions to hide,

Back off, we'll take you on,

Headstrong to take on anyone,

I know that you are wrong'

And this is not where you belong.

Trapt.

The small group gathered at the edge of the forest. After here, they would be entering Mordor itself and there would be nothing but rock and gravel to conceal them. They had all changed – from the greens and browns of the forest into dull grays and blacks of their surroundings.

Two hours before sunrise, Aragorn had awoken the group and they had begun preparing for their battle. They had agreed to go in during the daylight, as that was the time when they hoped that the evil would be at its weakest. The quartet had grouped together and Aragorn, being the most skilled when it came to strategizing fights suggested that they split up into groups of two and enter one from the left and the other from the right. Then, they would comb their way to the center and fan back out to the other sides.

They agreed that it was a good plan and they split up, Haldir and Erúvë took the left and Legolas and Aragorn took the right.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The creature opened its eyes for the first time and looked around. Its orbs glowed red in the fading dark and it clawed its way to the top of the earth. When it emerged, it paused and sniffed the air. It's lips pulled back from its long teeth in a feral grin and yellow saliva dripped from them.

The master's enemies were here. They thought that by coming here they could defeat the fate that Sauron had planned for them, but in doing so, they had only hastened their demise. A great taloned foot raked the air and the creature began moving towards its prey.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ouch! Watch your clumsy feet!" Aragorn hissed.

"I'll have you know that elves are graceful beings and are never clumsy," Legolas retorted.

"Who lied to you?" Aragorn grumbled as he pushed the elf back a couple of paces. "Plus your feet are big."

Legolas felt that that statement did not deserve an answer and proceeded to elbow his way past his friend and take the lead. He had his bow out and arrow drawn and silently, he slipped over the ruins of Mordor. The place was a mess. There was a deep chasm where the ground had collapsed when Sauron had finally been defeated and Legolas' otherworldly senses allowed him to hear the ghostly wails of the souls of the orcs and Uruk-hai that had been killed when their master was brought low.

He shivered slightly and turned to Aragorn. "This place reeks of death and despair, Estel. Let us finish our business quickly and leave here. I confess that I do not relish the idea of spending a night in these forsaken lands."

Aragorn nodded. "I know how you feel my mellon nin. This place gives me chills. I feel as if we are being watched."

"Ghosts, Estel. The spirits of those slain here remain still. This place is like a giant trap, keeping all that perish here forever."

Aragorn gritted his teeth as a cold wind blew over him. "Let us just finish our business and get out of this place. I just hope that Haldir and Erúvë are all right."

"I'm sure they are," his partner assured him. "They are both strong, skilled fighters. Not to worry."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

At that same time, the two elvish siblings were carrying on a conversation, unaware that the monster had targeted them.

"So sister," Haldir said. "You and the Mirkwood prince looked pretty comfortable back there by the river. Want to tell me what's going on?"

Erúvë frowned and looked away. "He wants nothing to do with me," she informed the taller Elf.

"And why not?" Haldir flared in anger. "Does he feel that he is too good for you?"

"Legolas trusts no woman, Haldir – not even me," she informed him sadly. "And as long as he cannot bring himself to do so, there is no future for the both of us."

"Nonsense!" Haldir argued. "If you want something Erúvë, you have got to work to get it. Nothing worth having ever came along easily. Are you telling me that he means so little to you that you would rather let him go forever just because of a little issue that he has? You have to make him trust you, Erúvë! It might take a while – years even but through perseverance, you can do it!"

Erúvë laughed at him. "I thought that you wanted to kill him for touching me," she teased.

"I still do," he retorted. "But then, you would probably separate my head from my shoulders."

She lightly socked him in the arm. "What a charming idea. I do believe that you talk too much brother dear."

He laughed and slung an am around her shoulders. Suddenly, Erúvë halted. "What is that awful noise?" she asked, startled.

Haldir listened. He heard a wailing unlike anything that he had ever experienced before. It was bitter and seemed to pierce his very soul. It was the sound of thousands of lost spirits crying out for help. He wanted to clap his hands over his ears but knew that doing so would not help. He took his sister's hand. "Come, Erúvë, let us finish our business in this place of death, so that we can leave posthaste."

They walked on, and yet, their elven senses were unable to warn them. As they rounded the corner, something gave a vicious roar and charged. Haldir was flung aside like a rag doll. He hit a boulder and was knocked unconscious.

Erúvë screamed as she saw her brother collapse. She drew her sword and faced their attacker. What she saw made the blood drain from her face and she sent a silent prayer to the Valar. She was going to die on this day without some divine intervention.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"What was that?" Legolas cried out in alarm.

"What?" Aragorn asked. He had heard nothing.

"It was a scream and it sounded like Erúvë." He turned in the direction that he had heard the noise from and began running. "Come on Estel! I think something has happened to our friends."

7