Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.

Chapter 20

Eressa moaned and bit more deeply into her already bloodied lip. What was happening to her? Was childbirth really this painful? The contractions came in small, short bursts, but the pain seemed unbearable. There was a pressure building inside her womb, and Eressa feared that if she moved even the slightest bit, she could burst open.

The sounds of the battle outside were beginning to diminish. Eressa was glad, but also worried, for she knew not the victor. Was it her beloved? Or the evil things that brought her here? Her questions were left unanswered as another pain blossomed in her belly, like a poisonous flower. She bit into her lower lip again, but this time could not help but cry out.

Eressa closed her eyes tightly and clenched her teeth and fists as the contraction passed. As soon as it was gone, her tensed body collapsed on the cold stone, exhausted. She was allowed a few breaths of cool air as she tried to remember her mother and what she had said about childbirth.

But Eressa's mother had been a mere nurse, not a midwife. She knew some vital things that she had taught her daughter before she had been sold away, but those things were few and in her panic Eressa found if difficult to think of anything other than the pain she was feeling.

Breathing…she suddenly thought. I have to breath more steadily.

As she felt the pressure and the next burst of pain building up inside her womb, Eressa concentrated hard on relaxing and breathing normally. It was a notoriously difficult task by itself, but she worked hard not to tense any part of her body as the contraction rolled over her like a steady wave.

Eressa!

Eressa's deep thought was shattered in an instant. Had she just imagined someone shout her name, or had the voice actually been real? Straining her ears, she listened and hoped for the latter.

After a few moments, a voice reached her. It was stressed and barely audible, but she knew who the voice belonged to.

"Eressa…"

The girl's hope suddenly soared and she forgot that she was in labor and bond with black magic to the table. Eressa's body jolted as she shouted her husband's name.

"LEGOLAS!!" She cried. "I'm HERE—oh."

Eressa gasped as her body responded to the hasty movement and went into another contraction. This time she could not relax herself, but she again heard Legolas call to her.

"Eressa!" The voice remained distant. "Where are you?"

Eressa gritted her teeth tightly. She didn't want to have to shout again, but what choice did she have? If Legolas didn't find her they might not get out in time…

"I'm in the tower!" She called, pain gripping her voice. "Hurry!"

For a moment there was no answer and Eressa was afraid she had imagined the whole thing. But then her lover's call came again.

"Eressa…keep speaking to me…I'll find you." The voice drifted in and hung on the air like a sort of smoke.

The girl winced and tightly shut her eyes. "I CAN'T!" She cried loudly at the peak of a contraction. "THE BABY! IT'S HURTING ME!"

This time there was no answer, and Eressa fell back on the stone in cold agony. It's going to kill me…she thought with fright. My own child is going to kill me.

lllllllllllllllllllllllll!

Legolas ran like a spooked deer through the dark corridors, desperate to find the crevice where Eressa's voice had leaked. He opened every door he could, and those he could not open, he forced open with his body.

Looking ahead and squinting his keen eyes, Legolas saw a large iron door at the end of one of the halls. He paused briefly, and then raced towards it. His fist pounded on the metal with the fury of a fierce warg.

"ERESSA!" He bellowed. "ARE YOU IN THERE?"

Legolas put his ear to the door and listened. What he first heard was not an answer, but a painful whimper. Then a soft, exhausted voice: "Legolas?"

"ERESSA!" Legolas shouted again, overjoyed at finally locating his beloved. He pounded on the door more furiously, and shoved his weight against the door in his haste to open it.

"Legolas…a-are you there?" Eressa's choked whisper came through to him again.

"I'm here, melamin." Legolas answered with delight. "I just can't get the door to—oh."

The Prince looked down and realized that in his excitement, he had failed to notice that there was a lock fixed to the door. A heavy, iron lock. Legolas leaned closer and inspected it. He tried to use his fingers to pry it open, but as he expected, it didn't budge.

"ERESSA!" He called yet again. "I'll be there in a moment!"

There was no answer, and Legolas's brow knotted. Was Eressa in pain? What had those vile creatures done to her? His unanswered questions brought anger to his mind and he quickly turned around and seized another torch from the wall. Holding the torch out in front of him, he used it to heat the iron lock.

If it's heated to the right temperature and then I hit it hard enough with my sword, it just might break. He hypothesized. Otherwise, I'll have to find another way inside.

Legolas waited and watched as the lock began to glow with red, blazing heat. He waited a moment longer, and then raised his sword.

Please work. He prayed.

With a mighty clang, the elf Prince smashed the blade of his sword down into the red-hot metal. The lock broke right in half, and Legolas dropped the torch and slammed the door open.

"Eressa!" He cried softly as his eyes fell upon his lover. He rushed up to her panting, sweaty form and wiped a few strands of matted hair away from her beautiful eyes. "Eressa?"

The girl smiled. "Oh, Legolas…I knew you'd come for me---AHH!"

Suddenly Eressa ground her teeth together and shut her eyes tightly. Legolas panicked at the her sudden pain, thinking his touch had caused it. He backed away fearfully, but Eressa's voice pleaded with him.

"Legolas…" She whimpered, trying to reach for him with her nearest hand. She still could not break the bonds set around her by the Ringwraith. "Legolas…"

Legolas slowly walked back up to her and cupped her face in his hands as she began to calm down. New beads of sweat had formed on her brow.

"Eressa…what is it? You're alright now, I've got you. I'm here." He said in his most comforting tone. "Can you move?"

The girl in his arms shook her head. "Legolas…the—the baby…" Her words came out in short gasps, and suddenly the elf prince realized.

"The baby?" He repeated in shock. He looked at his lover's swollen abdomen.

Legolas cursed and quickly placed his arms under Eressa's shoulders and knees. He lifted her up off the table, and in doing so, broke the bonds that had held her there for so long. Eressa fell limp in his arms, her head gently resting on his chest.

"I'm going to get you out of here." He said to her sincerely. "Everything's alright now."

Eressa didn't open her eyes, but she smiled. It was all the answer Legolas needed. They had to get away from this dreadful place. If they didn't, there was still a chance that their child would be born into a corrupted and vile form of Sauron. Legolas would die before he let that happen.

As fast as he could run with a pregnant woman in his arms, Legolas flew as if the ghost of Sauron was clinging to his heels. Legolas was convinced that that was the exact situation. Indeed, it was the truth. The elf prince wove through the vast labyrinth of black halls and corridors, remembering perfectly how he'd entered and which paths led to the outside. Eressa didn't move in his arms, for his touch seemed to calm both her spirit and her body, and she had no more contractions.

"We're almost out, Eressa." Legolas panted as he paused to catch his breath, two hallways stretching out before him. "You don't need to worry anymore."

The girl in his arms shifted but a little, but only sighed in reply. Legolas was satisfied with that, for now, at least. Eressa was exhausted. He wondered what had happened to her while she was captive in this dark palace. He knew it must have been terrible for her. He blamed himself.

Sighing, Legolas turned and rushed as best he could down the hallway he'd entered from. The door to the outside was just a few yards away. The elf prince slowed little, but simply leapt up off the floor when he neared the door, and kicked the door open. Legolas landed on the ground outside as smoothly as a cat, his wife still resting in his arms.

Then Legolas stood up, and what he saw both filled him with joy and filled him with fear.

Through the huge, arched gate, Legolas saw that the elven army had won the battle. There were still a few orcs that continued fighting, but they were quickly being overcome. However, in the center of it all, evil had one small victory.

"Hathol…" Legolas gasped in horror. "Oh Valar…"

Legolas's friend lay still on the ground, the triumphant Nazgul not far away. Blood was seeping through a round hole that had been torn in the elf's armor and flesh. Legolas was more than a hundred feet away, but even from that distance, he could see that the damage was fatal. Through the gaping tear in the elf general's flesh Legolas could see his throbbing intestines, what appeared to be the liver, and the bloody remains of muscles, veins, and tissue that hung from outside the wound. Legolas felt his knees begin to quake, and he fell to the ground before he leaned over and became sick.

Eressa was awakened from her sleep-like state at the sudden drop to the ground. She didn't feel any contractions, however, and the pressure in her abdomen remained constant. She opened her eyes and saw Legolas leaning to the side, wiping his mouth and looking terribly pale.

"Legolas!" She cried as she flung her arms around his shoulders. "What is it?"

The elf prince gave Eressa the most frightening look she'd ever seen. The he took his hand and pressed her head to his chest tightly.

"Don't look, melamin." He said shakily.

Eressa heard him but tried to look anyway. Legolas's hand held her still.

"Le…Legolas?" She asked, beginning to cry, for it distressed her more than ever to see her lover like this. "Legolas, what is going on?"

Legolas didn't answer and continued staring at the body of his friend.

I shouldn't have left him to fight alone…He thought with despair. Hathol, how will you ever forgive me?

Suddenly Hathol's body moved. Legolas's breath caught painfully in his throat as he realized—his friend was still alive. And the Nazgul was coming for him again. Hathol didn't seem to notice his impending death above him as he turned his head towards the arched gate, and directly at Legolas and Eressa. The elf general's already-glazed eyes widened at the site of them.

Even from far away, and with the sounds of battle still around him, Legolas could see Hathol's words form upon his lips.

"Legolas?" The near-dead elf spoke, just as the Ringwraith stood above him, it's sword aloft.

The Nazgul paused, it's sword still held shining in the night air. It followed it's victim's gaze and laid it's hatred-filled eyes on the Prince and Princess of Mirkwood.

Legolas felt the eyes upon him and sprang up, Eressa still clinging to him tightly. He watched as the creature bristled and then screamed.

"FILTHY ELF!!" It cried as it stepped over Hathol's body and towards the couple. "DO YOU NOT KNOW YOUR FATE?!"

The creature's wrathful screech told Eressa all she needed to know. She didn't even think before her body began to panic again. She started to scream as well.

"No, Eressa!" Legolas ordered. He looked with desperation for someplace to run, someplace to hide, but there was none except for the castle. And if he entered there again, he knew that neither he nor Eressa would come out alive. The Nazgul came closer, it's seething voice passing all sorts of black curses and threats into the air. Legolas began to shake.

This cannot be it…He thought. This cannot be our fate.

He looked up to the sky and prayed for the Valar, for his brother, Ithilion, and for Hathol. Something answered him, for the Wraith suddenly paused. And Legolas felt a surge of power through his veins, like he had never felt before. Slowly, he leaned down and set Eressa on the ground. She panicked even more when he did.

"Legolas? LEGOLAS!!" She cried and tears flooded over her cheeks, for she could now turn her head and see that death was not far away. "LEGOLAS, DON'T LEAVE ME!!"

Legolas blinked and looked away from his enemy for a moment to gaze at his love's frightened face and shaking body. "I will not be gone for long." He answered quietly before standing up again.

"LEGOLAS!" The girl screamed. "LEGOLAS, NO!!"

Legolas didn't answer and stepped around his wife. He walked towards the Wraith, and the Wraith towards him. The elf prince drew his sword, and the blade seemed to hum with life, as if his body and the weapon were one.

The duo paused just a few yards from each other.

Legolas stared the Nazgul in the face, it's black hood hiding it's identity but not it's rage. The creature sneered back.

"Come after me, elf princling…" It hissed, it's voice surprisingly soft. "Come and seal your fate, or are you afraid?"

Legolas did nothing but stand a little higher at the Nazgul's remark, but then said: "I will come. And you will be sorry you asked."

Nothing more was said before Legolas bolted forward, and all the weakness he had felt before seemed to shed like layers of dead skin. He was unstoppable, and his body cut through the air as if he himself was a weapon.

With a leap and a mighty cry, the elf Prince swung at the creature with terrific force. The blow was blocked, but just barely. The Nazgul staggered back, surprised by the strength of the elf before it. It was not given much time to recover.

Legolas twirled around with the grace of a dancer, smashing his sword against the Ringwraith's intentionally. He then turned round the face the creature, and at the same time, reached for his last dagger with his free hand. In a movement to quick for a human eye to follow, he drove the dagger deep into the Nazgul's chest.

The creature screamed, louder and more angry than ever. Another puff of dark smoke escaped through its large wound. But rather than reach to pull the weapon out, the Nazgul simply charged, swinging it's sword like a madman.

Legolas saw every move the creature made as if in slow motion. He blocked each blow with perfect precision and dealt a few of his own, succeeding in cutting the Nazgul and drawing out more of that putrid, black fog.

Finally, the Ringwraith backed away. It was confused now, and it knew that the elf knew it was, which in turn made it rage with anger. But looking past the Prince, the Nazgul knew exactly what it would take to kill the elf. It lowered it's sword and stretched out it's free hand. It began to chant.

Legolas knotted his brow and began to turn, but he knew what the Nazgul was doing just as soon as he heard Eressa's scream.

"ERESSA!" He cried, turning around and watching as his wife doubled over on the ground, writhing with pain. "NOO!"

There was a flash of black and silver to his left, and Legolas suddenly realized his mistake. He gasped as the Nazgul's blade slipped cleanly into the flesh of his shoulder and then dropped to the ground. His sword dropped with him, but before the elf prince could reach for it, the Nazgul slammed it's iron-clad foot down and shattered the blade into many pieces, too small to be used for weapons.

Legolas held his bleeding shoulder and scurried away on his hands and feet as the Nazgul descended upon him. Through the creatures black, billowing robes he caught a glimpse of Hathol, who was still watching on with glazed, unfocused eyes.

Valar, no…The elf prince thought. This cannot be my fate.

Legolas shook as he struggled to get up quickly, but his blood was upon the ground, and he slipped. The blade of the Nazgul was fixed against his throat before he could stand fully up.

The elf winced as he felt the cold, jagged metal scrape against the soft flesh against his neck, drawing a thin line on his white skin. The Nazgul laughed one final time, glorifying the moment.

"Your head will make an attractive ornament." It said cruelly as it drew back it's sword, ready to lob off the elf's head. Legolas stood still, for he knew there was nothing he could do. He closed his eyes.

"Legolas!" Suddenly a familiar cry cut through the dark, and the prince's eyes popped open, looking past the Ringwraith's upheld arm and blade.

Fifty feet away and not far from where Hathol's body lay, Lord Elrond and his sons rushed towards him. Legolas felt his heart flutter with a ray of hope before he saw the sword of the Nazgul begin to race toward his neck, ripping through the air and ready to kill. Legolas braced for the strike, but kept his eyes affixed on Elrond's form.

Lord Elrond's body suddenly stopped, his heels digging deep into the bloodstained dirt. He saw the enemy's sword raise and then descend on the helpless Legolas. The evil sword sang out a song of triumph and seemed to draw a dark line of blood in the air as it neared the Prince's neck.

Elrond reached inside his armor and pulled up a long, thin knife. He didn't even bother to aim before he drew back his own arm and hurled it, his eyes meeting with Legolas's, and all at once Legolas understood that his fate had not yet been sealed.

Faster than lightning has ever graced the sky, Legolas's hand flew up, just as the thrown dagger whizzed past the Nazgul's head and towards him. His fingers closed around it's hilt perfectly, and he plunged the gleaming spike through the Ringwraith's none-existent face.

The Nazgul screamed as black smoke poured out from under it's hood. It's sword dropped harmlessly from it's hand, mere inches away from it's intended target. The sword landed with a thud in the dirt at the elf's side. The Nazgul held it's head in it's clawed hands and shrieked again as it's body began to dissolve.

Legolas fell straight back, his strength leaving him quickly. He nearly fainted, and he watched as the black fog rose from the Nazgul's now empty robes. The piercing screaming ceased, and the black mass floated upward, and then disappeared altogether into the night. It was gone.

Lord Elrond was suddenly above the Prince, leaning down and speaking to him.

"Legolas!" He called. "Legolas! Are you alright?"

The Prince blinked, unbelieving, at the elder elf's face. "Yes…I am." He shook his head, trying to clear it. "Is it over?"

The old elf smiled. "It is over now, Legolas."

Their conversation was cut short by the harsh whimper that came from further away. Both elves turned to see Eressa, still on the ground as Legolas had left her, but her face marred with pain.

"Legolas!" She cried. "Legolas!"

The Prince was up and by her side in an instant, and Lord Elrond was close behind. Legolas scooped Eressa up and hugged her small body to him, but she only cried more.

"Eressa…It's over now, it's done!" Legolas told her, trying in vain to comfort her. "The evil is dead. You're safe."

The girl moaned and nodded weakly as her small hand crawled up Legolas's chest, to his tunic collar, and her fingers gripped the fabric with a strength Legolas didn't know she had. Lord Elrond placed a hand on Legolas's uninjured shoulder and squeezed.

"Legolas, she's having the child." He said to the younger elf who stared back up at him. "We must get her out of this evil place."

The Prince's eyes grew wider and then suddenly narrowed. "But…but the spells should be broken! The evil is gone!"

"Legolas." The old elf lord said in a stern tone. "We must get her out of here."

Legolas gritted his teeth and turned back to his wife, who was still weeping in his arms. Her grip on his collar loosened a little as the contraction passed.

"Melamin?" He asked in a soft, sweet voice. "Are you alright now?"

Eressa opened her eyes and Legolas thought he saw a million stars spill from them. Her voice was shaking. "Legolas…I don't think I can…"

"Eressa…I'm going to move you. If it causes you pain, tell me and I won't carry you another step." Legolas promised, shooting Elrond a pleading glance. The older elf nodded and began to walk away.

Once again Legolas carried Eressa out into the open. They had barely passed under the gate when Legolas set eyes on Hathol once more.

Oh, Valar…he thought.

The sons of Elrond were surrounding him, as well as Estel and many other soldiers. They were busy applying pressure to the huge wound in the center of his body. Even so, they must have all known that their efforts were fruitless. Even Hathol could see that.

Legolas gasped when he heard his friend's voice. He could still speak. He didn't want Eressa to see what had become of Mirkwood's greatest fighter, but he couldn't abandon his best friend at his the time of his death either.

"Give her to me." Lord Elrond's voice rang in the Prince's ear. "I'll hold her."

The elf Prince turned towards the older lord. He looked at Elrond and then at the still girl in his arms. Legolas sighed and then passed his wife into the other elf's arms. The movement was so smooth that Eressa barely noticed the difference. She rested her head against the chest of Elrond just the same as she had Legolas. It took every ounce of willpower in Legolas's body not to take her back, but instead to turn and kneel beside his friend.

"Hathol." Legolas whispered. He gazed upon the face of his friend and then across his body to Elladan, Elrohir, and Estel. Their hands and tunics were covered in the elf general's blood. They had since given up trying to close the wound and now just knelt in their friend's blood, providing company to their dying comrade until he passed. Estel was near tears, and he was trying with desperation to wipe the blood from his palms.

The Prince's friend opened his eyes. They smiled at Legolas. "How are you, mellon nin?" He asked slowly and softly. There was blood at the corners of his lips.

Legolas felt his eyes begin to tear. "Hathol…" He repeated again. "…how can you…how could…"

"How is Eressa?" The dying elf interrupted. He could speak remarkably well despite his condition. "And…the baby?"

The question startled Legolas, and he couldn't speak for a moment. "She…she's alright." He finally answered. "Lord Elrond says that the baby will be born shortly."

Hathol grinned slightly, and his teeth were smeared with red. "I am glad." He said simply. "It is good to hear…" The general's eyes glazed for a moment, and he gasped, but then it was gone. "Legolas…I cannot see you."

Legolas choked back a sob as he took his friend's hand and leaned closer. "I'm here. Hathol…thank you…"

Hathol's chest hitched, and he gasped. "There…you do not need to thank me." His eyes glazed once more. "I am…hon…honored…" The elf general closed his eyes.

"HATHOL!!" Elrohir cried.

The elf's eyes fluttered open again, and they were frighteningly pale. "Legolas?" He asked.

"Yes, Hathol?" Legolas answered.

"Do…me a…favor." The elf was trying hard now to get words out of his mouth, but instead of words, blood escaped. "My…sword."

"Hathol?"

"I am…a..a warrior…" Hathol continued. "…I wan…want to…die with…my sword in hand."

Legolas at once understood. He looked up into the crowd of soldiers. "One of you fetch Lord Hathol's sword!" He shouted. "And be quick!"

There was a great deal of hustle and bustle in the crowd before one elf handed Legolas the sword of the general. Legolas released Hathol's hand from his own and placed the hilt against the elf's palm. Because his arm was broken, Hathol had not the strength to lift the sword up and press it against his chest. Legolas gingerly helped him, careful not to hurt him.

Once Hathol was satisfied, he smiled one last time. His eyes now were completely unfocused, and his irises had been bleached of color. But he looked content anyway.

"Thank you." Hathol managed to say all in one breath. "I…I…will be…"

Suddenly Hathol's eyes widened, so large they were almost completely round. His back arched partially off the ground and a wet, sick sound came out of his throat. Legolas watched in tears as his friend's body slowly slumped. Hathol's white eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and the blood from his wound stopped flowing.

"Oh Valar." Elladan whispered loudly. He too was crying.

Legolas gasped and felt a tear slip out of his eyes. He closed them and recited a silent prayer for his friend. His prayer was quickly interrupted by a woman's scream.

The Prince's head shot up. "Eressa!" Legolas stood and raced to his wife.

Lord Elrond had set her on the ground, and was trying to use his powers to calm her. But another contraction had come, and Eressa's pain couldn't be calmed by anything.

"Eressa!" Legolas called to her as he quickly sat by her side once more. He looked to Elrond. "What did you do to her?"

The older elf looked at the Prince with calm eyes. "I did nothing of course. The contractions will become faster and closer together as…"

"What?!" Legolas shouted over another once of Eressa's screams. "But…she…she is not…"

"Legolas!" Elrond said, commanding the elf's attention. "Listen to me. I'm not sure what happened inside, but right now Eressa's in labor. Do you understand?"

Legolas was at a loss for words but nodded. Elrond continued and placed a hand on the girl's sweaty brow.

"I suspect the Nazgul used a sort of black magic on her. It has induced the labor." He said, strangely calm.

Legolas blinked. "Can't we…can't we stop it?" He asked stupidly.

A small, amused smile appeared on Elrond's face. "No, Legolas, of course not."

Legolas shook his head and looked down at the moaning thing that Eressa had become. Her tear-stained face, her cries, he couldn't stand to see her like this.

"The best you can do is to comfort her, Legolas." Elrond advised him.

Elrond's sons walked slowly up and frowned at the scene. Elladan and Elrohir knelt beside their father, but Estel stood on the side of Legolas, watching nervously.

Elladan's eyes darted nervously between his father and Legolas. "Is it…time?" He asked almost hesitantly.

The older elf nodded, and Legolas just reached down and grasped Eressa's hands. She squeezed and gritted her teeth. "Legolas…"

Legolas tried to smile at her as she opened her eyes. "Eressa…darling, it's alright."

The girl didn't smile back. "It hurts so much…" She said.

"It is the way of nature." Lord Elrond answered. "Childbirth is painful."

Eressa looked at the older elf pleadingly, and then at Legolas, but she seemed to understand. However, her husband didn't.

"Can't…can't you move?" Legolas asked. He didn't want his child to be born in this place…at the center of a battlefield. He didn't want it.

Eressa must had felt another contraction coming on, because she lost her temper awfully quickly. "NO, Legolas!" She shouted in pain. "The baby is coming NOW!"

Legolas was taken aback by his wife's sudden temper tantrum, but he nodded. "Alright. Alright." He said.

Eressa's sudden anger passed as quickly as it had come. "Le…Legolas?"

"Yes?"

The girl's brow furrowed with worry. "I'm afraid…I don't know how to do this!"

Legolas managed a smile. "Everything's going to be fine, melamin."

He wished he was as confident as he sounded.

ooooooooooo Personal thing oooooooooooo!

What a crappy ending! But you know…how long is this chappy…thirteen pages? Wow. I hope you guys like it! You deserved it! Oh, and don't worry, Deana. The baby will be in the next chappy! Yay! I love you guys!