Disclaimer: YES!! MWHAHAH!! I DO OWN LORD OF THE RINGS!!! MWHAHAHAHA!!! ahem I lied.

VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE (everyone must read!!): Hello, my lovely reviewers and friends! Once again, I'm sorry for the long update. But I have some important news for you regarding my other updates and ahem when they will be posted. Here's the thing:

a) I tried out and got into my school's swing choir.

b) I tried out and got a main character role in my school musical.

c) I have 8 other choir concerts besides those involving the above.

d) I want to start writing original stories—not just fanfiction.

e) I quit my job.

Because of the swing choir and the musical, I will be staying after school every day until at least 5:30pm until Thanksgiving. But because I quit my job, I will have time to write, but it will be limited to a few hours each weekend, because…you know, I want a life other than typing furiously at my computer everyday. Oh, and on top of that, my friend somehow convinced me to start going to join his youth group and start going to church…but that's not final. I have to have a talk with him about our relationship and exactly what he wants out of it (he's the one I've had a crush on for like a year now—many of you know this) and I'm not sure how the outcome will be. So I'm really busy this year, and although I will try to update every week..eh…you get my drift. About the original story thing…I'm gonna try to squeeze it in, but right now I'm still developing some of my short stories, so fanfic is still my first priority when it comes to writing. I want to finish the Cheating Darkness Trilogy and The Well of Souls by the end of the school year. After that, it's probably the end of my writing, at least until I go to college and get comfortable enough there to start writing again.

I hope you all understand. I wish I could spend all my time writing stories for you wonderful people to read…but right now I have other priorities. It's my senior year in high school, and I'm determined to make it the best year I've had. So I hope I'll have the next chapter up within two weeks. Thank you for your patience and PLEASE KEEP REVIEWS COMING!!!

I love you all so much…you guys have made a dream I've had since I was twelve come true! I used to read Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfiction way back when and think "I wish I could do that…" and you guys have made it possible!! So thank you again! See you next update.

Roseblade

((((((((((((((Chapter 13))))))))))))))

Eressa shook. She couldn't tell whether she shook from the cold of the stone she lay on or from her fear. Likely it was both.

The black creature had taken her to a different place. When she awoke, she found herself inside a barred cell with many cruel instruments hanging from the walls and ceiling. And to add to her already paralyzing fear, staring hungrily at her through the bars were some of the most disgusting, frightening looking creatures she'd ever seen. Orcs.

"She looks a-tasssty." Drawled one slowly, his black tongue snaking out from between his sharp, yellow teeth. "I'm a-starvin'."

Eressa's eyes darted around fearfully. Thank the gods that there were iron bars separating her from the monsters.

"What's your name, pretty thing?" Taunted another of them. "You afraid, pretty?"

Eressa narrowed her eyes and looked away. Couldn't they tell? Eressa felt the tears slip down her cheeks. Where was she? Where was Legolas? Could he find her before something terrible happened to her?

Legolas…I'm so scared…help me. She called out again. This time her Prince didn't answer her prayers.

Suddenly, the orcs were sent scuffling away when a larger, darker figure appeared behind them. It was the black, faceless creature. Immediately Eressa scooted to the furthest corner of the cell and hugged her knees to her chest as best she could with her large stomach. She closed her eyes as the creature stood outside the bars, it's eyes burning into her flesh.

She suddenly heard it's voice. "Do you not know why you are here, woman?" It hissed threateningly.

Eressa didn't even look up, much less answer. The sound of it's voice was enough to make the tears flow freely now.

The creature didn't like it's questions to be ignored. Especially by one so feeble. It became angry, and it's scream filled the room. Eressa screamed as well and covered her aching ears.

"Stop it! Stop it!" She cried desperately. "Leave me alone!"

The creature calmed and cocked it's hooded head. "We cannot." It replied with pleaure. "You are the key to The Master's resurrection."

Resurrection? What was it talking about? Eressa threw up her head and cast a hateful glance at the thing, which merely continued.

"The child will bring the end." It explained. "Does that sound familiar to you?"

Eressa stopped her weeping and thought a moment, not wanting to, but not being able to help it. She suddenly remembered the night when Sauron had possessed Legolas and forced him to write that phrase on the wall. She looked up at the creature, confused and frightened.

It seemed to smile at her, even without a face. There was a feeling of absolute dread growing inside Eressa's chest, like a deadly plant. With a shaky breath, she asked:

"What child is this?"

The black creature paused, relishing the fear that escaped the girl in waves. Then it answered, and it was the worst possible answer for Eressa to hear.

"Yours." It rasped, the word echoing eerily off the walls and floor to Eressa's ears. She gasped and grasped her stomach.

"You lie!" She screamed, startling both herself and the creature.

The thing laughed, it's evil glee apparent in it's tone as it spoke again to her. "A lie it is not."

Eressa wiped the tears from her face only to have more replace them. "You lie…" She whispered again. "It's my child…"

'You will love me as you love yourself…You should know me, for you will bring me back to this world…You will bring me back what is mine.'

Eressa suddenly understood the whole truth. She suddenly realized why Sauron's ghost had plagued she and Legolas for so long and then suddenly disappeared. She understood everything.

Sauron was her child. Eressa shook terribly as she looked down at her swollen stomach. Or at least, he would grow to be. That was what the dreams and the writings had meant. That was what Sauron had fortold.

He was right…Eressa thought. My child…if it is Sauron…I still love him.

Hathol sat atop his horse beside Prince Legolas. They were about a mile and a half away from the palace entrance, standing on a bare hill top. It was daylight now. Hathol looked towards his friend seriously.

"Are you sure they took her to Dol Guldor?" He asked. Legolas didn't look back at him.

"Where else would a Ringwraith take my wife?" He asked coldly.

Hathol sighed and looked out past the dark shapes looming out of the forest, the Mountains of Mirkwood. Not far past it he could barely see a small dark tower, jutting out of the greenery, marking the exact place of their enemy's fortress. Hathol looked over to Legolas again. His face was expressionless, but the rest of his body betrayed him. He was shaking visibly and his hands gripped his horse's reins so tightly that his knuckles had turned to white.

Hathol narrowed his eyes and looked ahead once more. "We'll find her and bring her back, Legolas."

Legolas lowered his head and said nothing. Hathol nodded and turned his horse back, facing in the opposite direction. He withdrew his long sword from the sheath that hung on his horse's side.

"We ride to war!" He bellowed before turning back.

Legolas started his horse and he and the captain of the guard rode down the hill. Following them was the largest army Mirkwood had released since the Last Alliance. A thousand elves rode on horseback, waving flags and banners of their homeland.

Hathol looked back at his armies. "Why did you call for such a force, Legolas? How many orcs and evil things can reside in that tiny fortress?"

Legolas closed his eyes and winced. He was not in the mood for answering questions, but it was his responsibility to tell. "Hathol, a while back, when Eressa and I were still prisoners, Sauron visited us."

"What?" The statement surprised his friend so much he almost stopped his horse.

"He left us with riddles and darkness in our minds. We didn't know why. But now I do." Legolas continued. "He said 'The Child will bring The End'. Do you know what that means, Hathol?"

Hathol's eyes narrowed and he shook his head.

"That was the first night Eressa and I made love. Don't you see? Sauron knew what was going to happen between Eressa and I. He fueled it using our fear. He made us turn to each other for comfort and so made us fall in love. He did it all for a reason."

Hathol's eyes now widened, fear shining in them. "What reason is that?"

Legolas gritted his teeth in anger. "When Eressa became pregnant the threats suddenly disappeared. I never thought anything of it until I came back…I should have done something."

"Legolas…"

"Don't! Don't you understand, Hathol?!" Legolas almost yelled, stopping his horse abruptly. "That 'child' Sauron was speaking about is my child. Mine! That is why he waited to capture Eressa until she was ready to give birth."

"He's not going to kill her?"

Legolas shook his head. He had a very hard time not bursting in to tears of absolute fear as he spoke his next words. "They are going to do much worse."

Hathol looked back at the soldiers. Some of them were avoiding his eyes. He knew that they had overheard Legolas's emotional display. His eyes hardened and he lightly tapped the sides of his horse with his feet, urging it to go faster.

"Come about!" He ordered in a mighty voice, startling Legolas. "Ride faster! We must get there by nightfall!"

Hathol turned back and met the eyes of his friend. Legolas stared at him, baffled. "At the pace we were going it would have taken two days." He explained. "Don't you want to get there in time?"

Legolas nodded, but he said nothing. Suddenly, there was the blast of a horn. It started the horses and some of the soldiers fought to keep theirs under control.

"That is a Rivendell horn." Hathol gasped. "Lord Elrond?"

Legolas turned back and saw a group of white horses appear from beneath the trees. Lord Elrond was riding at the head of them. Elladan, Elrohir, and Estel were at the rear. They rode quickly up the hill and back down to where Hathol and Legolas were waiting.

"What is it?" Legolas asked, impatiently. "We cannot afford delays."

Lord Elrond's expression was serious. "Legolas, there has been a change in events. A terrible…"

"Just tell me what it is, Elrond!" Legolas ordered.

Elladan and his brothers gasped at their friend's snapping and waited to see what their father would say.

The old elven lord threw back his robes and revealed a roll of scrolls underneath his arm. He handed one to Legolas. "Read it." He ordered.

Legolas looked at his elder with question and then quickly opened the scroll and began to read. Hathol could not see the tiny print he was reading, but he watched as his friend's eyes grew wider and wider with fear until he reached the bottom of the page. Legolas let the scroll roll up on itself before looking up at the others watching him.

"What is this?" He whispered, fear gripping his heart. "Where did you get it?"

Lord Elrond swallowed and then spoke. "It is a prophecy, Legolas. I foresaw darkness in you're future and asked a servant of mine to do some research for me. He just arrived with these." He gestured to the scrolls. "You read it. It predicts that an elven Prince will fall in love with a human and have a child. Sound familiar?"

Legolas looked back at the scroll. "Who wrote this?"

The other elf shook his head. "I do not know." He took out another scroll from beneath his arm. "Read this one."

Legolas looked quizzically at the new scroll, but then traded it. He read part of it, but only got so far before it dropped from his hands. "No." The tiny whisper barely escaped his lips.

"What?" Hathol asked, not able to resist not knowing any more.

Legolas shook his head. "It's a lie…that can't be it."

Lord Elrond hopped off his horse and picked the scroll up off the wet ground. He held it in front of him and began to read, translating from the ancient elvish.

"On the 1st day of the 8th month the Child will be born. Not an ordinary child he shall be, but born into darkness and despair and death. Sauron with his evil magic will become it, and in doing so will become real once more. And his malice will be greater than what has ever been seen before, whether by elf, or man, or any other creature."

"Become it?" Elladan asked. "What does that mean?"

Elrond climbed back on his horse. "It means that Sauron's spirit will likely be born back into the form of Legolas's child. That is why he and Eressa were tormented…that is why the Nazgul has taken her."

Legolas kept shaking his head. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead. "It's not true…it can't be true."

Hathol looked at his friend and then back at Lord Elrond. The old elf smiled grimly. "Just because one of our ancestors wrote it doesn't mean it can't be broken. We can stop it."

Legolas's eyes dropped. "Are you sure?"

"We must try." Elrohir said.

"Then it is best that we get going," Hathol declared. He started to ride away but Legolas's sudden stricken voice stopped him.

"Wait!" The Prince cried. "Elrond…are you telling me that my wife is pregnant with Sauron? His spirit in my unborn child's body?

Elrond looked down for a moment. "The parchment states that there is a delicate procedure that must take place to allow Sauron's spirit to take over the child's body, after birth. It can only take place at night, and on one night: the night of August 1st."

"What day is it?" Estel asked.

"August 1st." Elladan answered. "We have until tonight."

"If we disrupt the procedure Eressa and her child will be saved. If not…" Lord Elrond let his voice trail off. "…the only other choice is to kill Eressa or the child."

Legolas's head shot up, his blue eyes blazing like an icy fire. "You will do no such thing!" He said, his voice very dangerous.

Lord Elrond looked sternly upon the Prince. "Legolas, I did not say that..."

"I do not care what you said!" Legolas snapped. He turned towards the army. "WE RIDE TO WAR!" He called out, his voice echoing over the trees. He turned back, his volume diminishing. "I will save my wife and my child."

Legolas closed his eyes and then opened them. Then he said in a very quiet voice: "And if anyone trys to harm either Eressa or my child, even if it is Sauron—I will kill them." He looked toward Elrond and his group.

"No exceptions."

(((((((((((((((Personal thing))))))))))))))))

Whew. This was a hard chapter to write. I'm glad it's over. Now for some mayhem.