Disclaimer: I own nothing.

((((((((((((((Chapter 15)))))))))))))))))

Hathol rode in silence beside his friend and Prince. He fought the urge to speak to him, but could not resist glancing at him as they rode forward. He watched as Legolas didn't so much as squint in the light of the sunset, looking darkly ahead of him. Glancing downward, Hathol saw that Legolas gripped the reigns of his horse so tightly, his knuckles became white.

The elven army was marching steadily up the swollen patch of land that lay just before the walls of Dol Guldor. The side of this mound of earth plunged violently downward at its highest point, sinking into a dark, dead plain, on which the dark fortress stood. Hathol blinked in the fading sunlight and saw the needle-like peak of the tower rising up from the top of the hill.

Hathol was trying to think of a battle plan as quickly as he could. The Archers would stay at the top of the hill, firing downward at the enemy…the rest of the army would split up, ride down, and attack from either side, effectively trapping the enemy against the cliff.

I wonder what number of orcs we will have to put up against…He wondered.

"Lord Hathol?" Came a voice from his left.

The elven commander turned and saw Lord Elrond's youngest child—the adopted human, Aragorn. There was worry crossing his face.

"Sir Aragorn…" Hathol said. "I knew that your father and brothers were staying with us…I did not think you were."

The young man smiled grimly. He turned back and looked at his foster father and brothers. "I will not simply stand by and watch while my friends and family go off to battle."

Hathol nodded. "Then it pleases me to have you fighting amongst us."

"Thank you for that," Aragorn answered quickly. "But…"

"But what?"

The young human leaned in closer, and Hathol did the same our of reflex. Aragorn hesitated. "This will be my first real battle. I…I am afraid."

Hathol leaned back. "So?"

Aragorn blinked. "Is that alright?"

"Of course it is alright." Hathol answered. "I too, am afraid, and I have fought many battles before this one."

"But you do not show it." Said the young man.

Hathol smiled and then turned. The company was nearing the top of the rise. "I have had much practice." With a flick of his wrist, Hathol's horse whirled around to face his army. "Halt!"

Every elf stopped. Hathol looked toward Legolas, who had also halted, but did not turn. In all reality, the King's sons were in charge of defending the kingdom, and Hathol had really been second in command—but Legolas did not seem to want that responsibility right now.

Hathol turned back and opened his mouth to begin shouting orders.

"Hathol." Legolas suddenly whispered. It was not a loud whisper, but somehow it reached the other elf's ears.

The elven commander turned his horse around and approached his friend once more. "Legolas?"

Legolas didn't look at him. His eyes filled with worry and fear quickly. "Do you not hear it?"

Hathol was silent for a moment. "Hear what?"

"Look over the edge."

The command was soft and simple. Hathol wanted to tell Legolas that he was wasting precious time, but hopped off his horse, walked the short distance to the top of the hill and looked over anyway. What he saw astounded him.

The fortress of Dol Guldor rose like a dark spike over dead and rotting trees. There was a vast dusty desert a hundred feet below him, and the earth was cast in shadow. Hathol saw masses of tiny dark shapes moving about the floor of the valley like ants. They clumped together around the walls of the tower like bloodstains. Orcs. There were thousands of them.

Hathol stepped back quickly, shocked. He'd never seen, in all his life, an army of such numbers. He turned towards Legolas and exchanged his fearful look with his friend.

"What did you hear?" He asked. "I cannot hear anything that would give away what I just saw."

Legolas blinked. "I do not know…Hathol…you will not believe me."

"Legolas, tell me."

Legolas looked down at his friend and said in a voice as hard and dead as the dirt below them: "I think Ithilion told me."

"You're brother is dead, Legolas." Hathol said.

Legolas's eyes fluttered downward. "I know. But I heard him."

Hathol drew in a breath. Legolas was not lying. He really must have heard his brother's voice…or else he was going insane with worry. Hathol did not even stop to consider the latter. He turned back to the army.

"We split up here. All Archers stay here and fire at will at the enemy. Half of the footsoldiers will follow me to the right, down the pass to the enemy, the other half will do the same on the left, following Lord Legolas."

The Prince's head shot up and around. "Cancel that order!" He suddenly said.

Hathol turned to face him. "Why?"

Legolas turned his horse. "I did not come here to fight a battle. I came here to save Eressa, and so that is what I'm going to do. I don't want anybody following me."

"Then who will the rest of the army follow?" Hathol questioned.

Legolas's mouth closed into a straight line and then he spoke. "Lord Elrond has fought many battles before and won. Let them follow him."

With that the Prince turned away, and wouldn't say another word, no matter how Hathol tried to persuade him. After many futile attempts, Lord Elrond put a hand on the commander's shoulder.

"Do not worry about you're friend, Hathol." The old elf said. "I will gladly lead you're army."

"But Legolas…" Hathol argued.

"Legolas knows in his heart what he will do. I think it is best to trust him."

Hathol stared at the other elf. Trust Legolas? When he was like this? He couldn't know what he was doing! He would certainly be killed if he tried to save Eressa alone.

"I cannot." Hathol said. "I will not. Legolas is going to get himself killed—or worse."

"Trust me and trust him." Lord Elrond replied sternly. "We are wasting time here. Call the armies over, lead them to war. I will do the same in Legolas's place, and he can do as he wishes."

"He will kill himself." Hathol repeated stubbornly.

The older elf turned away without answering. When Hathol didn't address the elven troops, he did himself. They were separated quickly, and it was not long before Hathol was watching the figure of Legolas on his horse grow smaller and smaller as he rode down the hill, followed by half-a thousand soldiers. Hathol signed and looked away for a moment.

When he turned back, Legolas was gone.

Eressa screamed and cried. It hurt so much. It was as if the child in side her was splitting her body in two—but she was not having the baby. It did not please the faceless creature.

"Foolish human!" It cursed in the black speech a few times.

One of the orcs that had carried Eressa in blinked. "Maybe its-a too ssssoon." It spat.

The faceless creature roared in rage. It swung around and stuck it's spiked hand into the orc's bloated gut. The other creature screamed and wailed as the armored fingers slashed it open, killing it.

"WHY IS IT NOT HAPPENING!" The black thing screeched again. It whipped it's hooded head to Eressa, who was gasping for breath. "You are fighting it." It suddenly accused, lowering it's voice to a deadly whisper.

Eressa blinked as the creature advanced towards her.

"You dare to defy your fate!" The creature rasped. "The fate that The Master has given you!"

Eressa felt more tears spill out of her eyes as the creature clamped his hands onto her throat. "No! NO!" She cried. "I'm not! Oh, Gods save me…"

The creature let the girl loose and then backed away, raising it's now bloodied hands above her. "We need a more potent spell, perhaps…" It said to itself, and then began to chant the dark language.

Eressa screamed again. With each word the faceless creature spoke the pressure in her body increased, and her pain became more unbearable. The thing was using spells to try to encourage the birth. She felt the child inside her move again.

Please let it not be born here…She prayed. Not in this place…

A new wave of pain overtook her, and Eressa bit into her lower lip to keep from crying out. She turned her head to the side and grasped the edges of the table with her hands. More pain—she gritted her teeth.

Suddenly the chanting stopped, and Eressa felt the pain leave. She heard a sound. She turned her head again and saw that the black creature had turned and was looking off towards a wall. It had heard the sound too. It screamed in anger.

"THEY HAVE COME ALREADY!" It boomed. All the orcs in the room began scrambling about. "GET OUTSIDE!"

Eressa blinked. They? Who? The elven army? Legolas! He really had come for her! She found herself smiling as the creature turned back to her. Again it's hands were at her neck, threatening to close off her air.

"You are glad, I see." It said as the last of the orcs left the room. "You think that you will be saved. Your hope is foolish."

The creature paced back and forth. "If you do not deliver the child before the night is over, I may have to cut you open and do it myself."

Eressa gasped as the thing ran it's bloodied hand down the length of her body, to her stomach, and tapped its sharp fingers against her flesh. "Fortunately for you, we still have time."

With that, it began to chant again. Eressa fought back a scream that threatened to tear open her throat. She bit more deeply into her lip and tasted her own blood.

(((((((((((((((Personal thingy)))))))))))))))))

Sorry for the late update everybody! Musical is taking up so much of my time, and next week is homecoming…and then the next weekend I'll be gone for an Honors Choir thing. So you might not hear from me for a while. I'm not giving up! I swear!

Sigh…and hey, all you peeps who are in college? Was is sooo incredibly stressful filling out all your apps too? I think my face is wrinkling prematurely from all this. Sigh.

Well, thanks you guys for sticking by me! I love you all!