Chapter 9
Naurrîn was quite the sight up on the wall. The only woman out in the open, she had Zefron and Gimli to thank for that. Haldir was very hardheaded about letting his baby sister (figuratively speaking of course) fight alongside him and the other elves and men in battle. Rumil and Orophin weren't that hard to convince after Zefron demonstrated the enchanted sword, and after awhile Haldir finally said yes too.
"Zef, I am scared." Naurrîn whispered, trying not to let Rumil and his brothers hear but they did somehow.
"Then what are you doing here? You can still go into the caves you know." Haldir stated, marching with his fellow elves to the outer wall. Naurrîn shook her head stubbornly and kept her gaze forwards.
"I will not abandon everyone whom I love like I had when I was younger, I am fighting and there is nothing you can do to stop me." Naurrîn's unique coloured eyes glistened with unshed tears as Rumil put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"Stay near me and I will protect you little sister." He stated. Naurrîn nodded.
"What of you Zef? Are you going to protect me too?" Naurrîn questioned, making Haldir glare at Zefron.
"I cannot make any promises mellon-nîn, I have my own problems to worry about." The elven wizard replied in a monotone voice. Naurrîn looked at him with confusion plastered onto her tanned face.
"What do you mean Zef? What happened? Did you see something?" Naurrîn kept bombarding him with questions that he wouldn't even try to answer.
"Leave him alone Naurrîn, I am sure Zefron has better things to think about than little old you." Orophin said teasingly. Naurrîn punched him jokingly on the shoulder seeing as he did have him armor already on.
"Oh you are very funny Orophin, very funny indeed." Naurrîn muttered, walking up onto the wall with her fellow elves. Zefron remained quiet as he thought of how to make his double spell stronger and only one thought kept repeating inside him mind… using the spell in Black Tongue.
"Why thank you very much," Orophin said with a small bow.
"Why, may I ask, do you not have a quiver of arrows with you Naurrîn?" Haldir asked, looking over Naurrîn's choice of weapons. Two daggers in their sheaths around her slim waist and her brother's now enchanted sword in its sheath over her right shoulder (a little trait she had picked up from a certain elven wizard).
"Because I do not like that weapon Haldir and do not harass me about that. I now know that I need to pay attention to all of my classes from now on." Naurrîn replied, glancing over at Zefron who was rubbing his left arm in remembrance subconsciously.
"Are you alright Zefron? You look a bit distracted." Rumil stated, looking over the elven wizard. Zefron turned his head towards the small group as they came to a halt in their positions on the wall.
"I am a bit distracted but quite alright… for now." Zefron muttered the last part of his response, luckily no one heard it.
"(Do not give them mercy, for you shall receive none!)" Aragorn called out as the army of uruk-hai came closer and closer to the keep. Rain started falling, slowly at first but it began to fall harder it seemed as they drew nearer. Zefron wrinkled his nose at the stench that was radiating off the foul creatures of Saruman; it was a painful memorabilia.
"Remember to stay close to me Naurrîn," Haldir said. Naurrîn rolled her unique coloured eyes, and nodded in response. Zefron was about to load his bow when he felt a vision slowly creep up on him. Naurrîn turned around to face the elven wizard when she saw that his eyes were now glowing red and waited impatiently for him to finish seeing the future.
"What did you see?" Naurrîn demanded once Zefron's eyes returned to their normal colour.
"Whatever you do, do not let Haldir out of your sight if you want him to live." He replied quietly; Naurrîn placed a hand over her mouth and gasped.
"You mean…?" she never got to finish as Aragorn shouted more orders in elvish and they were quick to obey them. Zefron ignored the throbbing pain his left shoulder was giving him and loaded his bow, enchanting the arrow quietly.
"(Their armor is weak under the arms and around the neck.)" Legolas said quietly to his fellow elves, knowing that they would be able to hear him.
"(Release the arrows!)" Aragorn yelled. Thousands of arrows were released and found their targets on the battlefield. Zefron's arrow, however, brought a bolt of lightning down and killed three at a time.
"Showoff," Rumil muttered, notching another arrow. Zefron wasn't paying attention to anything else going on around him, just the army and stopping them without having to use his double spell. Naurrîn started pacing, while making sure she didn't get hit by any arrows of course, while waiting for the ladders to come up. But then the uruk-hai started to return fire with their crude crossbows and badly made arrows, causing elves to fall left and right.
Zefron stopped firing his magic arrows and looked around him sadly, they were loosing too many elves, to fast… there was no way around it. He would have to do the spell.
"Naurrîn!" Zefron called the young elleth over to him. She was quick to obey as she whipped around to face the wizard.
"What do you want? It is in the middle of the battle for Eru's sake!" Naurrîn replied.
"Naurrîn, make sure that you and Zef do not die of grief over me alright?" Zefron asked, tears shining in his deep blue eyes. Naurrîn nearly stopped breathing.
"What do you mean, what are you saying Zef?" Naurrîn's voice was cracking as she replied. Zefron changed his bow into a staff and jumped up onto the stone railing.
"This must be done Naurrîn, I am sorry." He whispered before jumping off towards the ground below.
"Zef! NO!" Naurrîn cried, running over to take the elf's place. She looked franticly down on the ground below for any sign of the black cloaked figure, but it was to dark out for her to see anything properly, even with her keen elven eyes.
"Leave him Naurrîn, he made his own choice and you will not make the same." Haldir ordered, as Naurrîn was about to jump after him. Naurrîn's eyes filled tears as she looked down at the ground one more time before getting her head back into the plan ahead.
From down on the ground, Zefron got up slowly and healed what would have been a broken leg to anyone else but himself.
"If I live through this Naurrîn is going to kill me." Zefron stated out loud, getting up slowly as to not draw too much attention to himself until he started the spell.
"All those who are elves upon this field of death, may you rise up as double and help the others defeat these foul creatures." Zefron commanded, holding his staff out in front of him, sticking it in the groundin front of him. His dark words echoed off the rocky walls and sent chills up Naurrîn's spine. Naurrîn squinted down below as she started to see a gray mist start to appear.
"What is happening down there?" Rumil demanded, watching the mist slowly begin to turn into doubles of all the elves.
"Make sure that not a single uruk-hai touches him or else the spell will become undone and we will all perish." Naurrîn stated through clenched teeth, she knew that he would never try something so complex in the level of magic with his little expertise. Rumil nodded and continued to shoot arrows at all of the creatures that came near Zefron.
What is that imbecile doing? Naurrîn thought to herself, glaring at the wizard.
Zefron's little army began to take shape after a few seconds and was slowly making it's way towards the uruk-hai.
"Destroy all that you can." Zefron ordered, waving his hand towards the creatures as they drew nearer to the keep. The doubles began to march outwards and slay all in their path, with the help of the real elves and their arrows.
"Is he trying to hog all the battle?" Rumil asked Naurrîn as he kept firing arrows. Naurrîn began pacing again, waiting for the ladders to go up. She thought she didn't have to fight after awhile, but then something happened… one of the archers on the opposing side had a red arrow.
Naurrîn rolled her eyes at her older "brother" but something caught her attention in the crowd of darkness, it was a glowing red arrow. Her breath was caught in her throat as she watched it happen in slow motion, the archer taking aim at the struggling wizard, the arrow being shot and piercing Zefron's already injured left arm and the spell quickly diminishing into nothing.
"Zef!" Naurrîn yelled as the uruk-hai began to bring ladders. She didn't know what to do really; she unsheathed her sword and kept scanning the ground to see if Zefron was still alive.
"(Ladders!)" Aragorn called out to the elves.
"State the obvious," Naurrîn muttered. She swung her enchanted sword around a few times and waited for the first orc to come her way.
"(Swords, swords!)" Aragorn yelled out to all that would be able to hear. That's when an idea came to her, she had a silver whistle for Templa, she could call her into battle and ride her down and retrieve Zefron!
"Rumil!" she called over the youngest brother. "Make sure that Haldir does not get injured." Rumil looked at her strangely, but didn't question her as the first ladder came up and Gimli killed it quickly. Naurrîn took out the little whistle from its place around her neck and blew into it. Templa had been in the stables pacing around, waiting for her master when she heard Naurrîn's whistle. She kicked down the stall door and went running towards the owner of the special whistle.
Down below, Zefron was struggling to stay conscious while still having a shield spell on him. He still had the red arrow logged in his left arm seeing as he had no strength left over from the two spells to take it out, the poison was working fast to try and kill him.
"Templa!" Naurrîn called from above, seeing the great black horse gallop on air over to her. She was pushing ladders over on her way over, just so she could be help in the battle.
"Come Templa, we need to save Zef. The red arrow is out there." Naurrîn whispered to the horse, before jumping onto her back. The two quickly flew down to the ground while dodging arrows and swords from the enemy. Nearly as soon as Templa landed, uruk-hai began to swarm around them. Naurrîn jumped off and ran over to the fallen wizard while Templa fought off the foul creatures with her hooves and great-feathered wings.
"Zef are you alright? Zef? Oh for Eru's sake Zef wake up, wake up." Naurrîn said, her voice cracking with emotion as she tried to revive the wizard by shaking him. Zefron stirred and swat her hand away as she tried to remove the arrow.
"In the name of the Valar, Naurrîn, leave me alone." Zefron managed to mutter as his eyes fluttered open. Naurrîn gave a cry of joy and gave the wizard a hug the best she could while he was still lying in the mud, she used that opportune moment to also rip out the arrow. Zefron tried to keep the pain held up inside him as he bit his lip and let out a small whimper.
"Zef, we need to get you up to safer ground or else you will die." Naurrîn stated, helping the wizard up to sitting position. Zefron clutched his left arm close to his body and muttered a few elven curses as Naurrîn helped his over to Templa where he managed to put a shield spell around the three after Naurrîn picked up his staff and gave it to him. The ball part of it a lighter black than before.
"How is the wizard faring?" Theoden asked, once the two elves and flying horse reached the top of the keep. Naurrîn jumped down and faced the king.
"The red arrow's poison is working quickly, I need a few herbs to stop it from spreading any further." Naurrîn demanded, helping a weakened Zefron off Templa.
"Alright, but hurry back. We have a battle going on here!" Theoden shouted after the two elves as they ran – well Naurrîn ran, Zefron was getting towed along by a very angry elleth – towards the rooms in search of herbs to stop the poison.
It took only a few minutes to find the correct herb – no thanks to Naurrîn – and a few moments more for Naurrîn to bandage the wound with the herb correctly placed. Not a moment too late too, for the wall had just been breached.
"You take Templa and see if the brothers are alright, I will remain out of the battle from now on." Zefron said, as they reached the outside where the uruk-hai began to file into the Keep. Naurrîn nodded her head, with her unique coloured hair bouncing in its braid along with it, before jumping onto the horse and galloping down to the battle below.
"Lord Zefron," Theoden said, Zefron whirled around to face the king, clutching his staff close to his chest along with his left arm.
"Yes, King Theoden." Zefron replied in a monotone voice.
"Why are you here and not down defending the kingdom like I commanded?" Zefron's eyes flashed red for a few seconds and turned back to their original colour.
"Can you not see that I am injured?" Zefron yelled more than asked. "I risked my life already for your bloody kingdom and nearly killed myself!"
"Very well, it is only elves that are dying at the moment." Theoden said, almost as if someone else was controlling him. Zefron glanced down to the battlefield where Templa had just landed and Naurrîn jumped off to join in with the fighting.
"Alright, I will do it." Zefron replied through clenched teeth as he walked over to the edge of the outer wall and stood his staff upright in front of him. He let it go and placed his arms on either side of him with his palms facing outwards, even though it was very difficult to do so with his badly injured left arm. He said the spell in the Black Tongue, louder this time, and before anyone could even blink the army of doubles were there in the spot in front of the Keep, making sure that no more uruk-hai entered the hole.
"That empty-headed moron!" Naurrîn called out, slicing the head off of another uruk-hai as she saw Zefron's spell and the white mist it was producing. She was about to call Templa over so she could go up there and give the wizard a piece of her mind when something caught her eye… it was a white vortex-type-thing that Zefron's staff was creating. It was spinning around now, in front of the young elven wizard as the spell began to get stronger and triples began to slowly appear.
"What is happening?" Legolas yelled to the elleth.
"I have absolutely no idea whatsoever!" was the reply.
From up top, Zefron was struggling greatly with this new power surge running through his body. The ball on the end of Zefron's staff was swirling with black and gray as his magic skill and usage grew immense enough for his level to go up. With one final flash of light, the spell ended and Zefron fell to the ground, unconscious with his new coloured staff and hairstreak, gray.
Naurrîn watched in horror from down below as the uruk-hai began to take over the breached wall. She watched Legolas take out his deadly daggers and begin to kill everything that was in his path… and also an uruk-hai, Gimli was shouting out numbers as he killed the foul creatures with his axe. Naurrîn gripped the handle of her enchanted sword tightly as she began to swing it in random directions, knowing that it would kill only uruk-hai and heal elves.
"Aragorn! Pull back to the Keep! Get your men out of there!" Theoden yelled down to the future king of Gondor. It was then, when Aragorn was yelling for everyone to go to he Keep, did she remember Zefron's told vision.
"(Haldir! To the Keep!)" Aragorn yelled out, breaking Naurrîn's train of thought. While Gimli was being lead away by Legolas and Orophin, Naurrîn ran up the stairs so that she could protect Haldir.
"(To the Keep!)" Haldir called out to his fellow elves. He blocked the blow of one uruk-hai, but was hit by another.
"Haldir! No!" Naurrîn screamed, seeing an uruk-hai come up behind her eldest brother and get ready to give the final blow. With a cry of exasperation, Naurrîn threw her sword as hard as she could at the creature behind Haldir, killing it immediately. Blood was still flowing freely from the wound he received in his side as Naurrîn ran over to him.
"You saved me." Haldir whispered as Naurrîn helped him up.
"You saved me once, I was merely returning the favour." Naurrîn replied, tears threatening to spill over as she looked at her brother.
"We need to reach the Keep, before we both perish." Haldir said. Naurrîn nodded and grabbed her real brother's sword before helping Haldir and herself to the Keep.
"The gate will not hold much longer." Rumil stated, running over to Haldir and Naurrîn as they reached the Keep. "Are you hurt, Haldir?"
"No, I can still…" Haldir started to reply when Naurrîn interrupted.
"What! You are not fighting Haldir; you are injured and more stubborn than Zef! You are not fighting anymore!" she nearly screamed. Haldir was about to say something when Naurrîn's eyes suddenly went very large and she ran over to an unmoving figure garbed in a gray robe.
"Oh Valar Zef, please wake up." Naurrîn whispered, checking over Zefron's fallen form.
"Will you stop shaking me and help me up?" Zefron muttered; his eyes fluttering open once again.
"Zef, you changed colour. You are a gray now." Naurrîn stated, looking at the ball on the end of Zefron's staff, which was also gray. Zefron smiled weakly and got up with the help of both Naurrîn and Rumil, who ran over when he saw whom it was.
"I can fight now, I am much stronger than I was before as a black." Zefron stated stubbornly.
"Forget it! Both you and Haldir are going inside where you are going to rest and forget about fighting." Naurrîn demanded. Orophin dragged a weak Haldir towards the fortress, while Naurrîn and Rumil were trying to do the same with Zefron.
"I must do this Naurrîn, I have orders and I must fulfill them." Zefron said, looking down to the gate where Theoden was. Naurrîn followed his gaze and felt herself nearly burst when she saw who had given the order.
"Do I need to knock you out again Naurrîn? I must do this, for Eru's sake Naurrîn I must do this!" Zefron pleaded, shaking off Rumil's helping hand.
"Alright, go and kill yourself. See if I care!" Naurrîn called after the wizard as he stumbled over to the outer wall.
"That idiot, Zef knows that we will both fade if death is brought…" Naurrîn muttered out loud, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. Rumil was about to say something when he saw ladders begin to be set up along the wall.
"Naurrîn, I want you to go into the stronghold of the Keep. Now!" Rumil said firmly as Naurrîn tried to protest. "I do not want you to die Naurrîn, Orophin and I will do our best to keep Zefron safe and out of harms way while doing it for ourselves too." He gave her a kiss on the top of her head before running off to help the Rohirim with Orophin hot on his heels. Naurrîn sighed and walked into the stronghold where Haldir was.
"Where is Naurrîn?" was the first thing that Zefron asked, shooting a magic arrow at the mass of uruk-hai as the two brothers ran up behind him.
"She is with Haldir, in the stronghold. Perhaps you should go there too, you do not look very well." Rumil replied, looking the wizard over carefully. Zefron winced as he shot another arrow.
"I cannot, I have orders and I must obey them." He replied through clenched teeth, clutching his badly wounded arm to his chest. Orophin was about to say something when Theoden's orders rang above them.
"They have broken through, fall back to the fortress! Retreat, retreat!" he called out.
"Come Zefron, we mustn't linger." Rumil said, rushing after his brother. Zefron nodded and turned his staff back into a bow; he was about to run when something happened… he had another vision. It took another few minutes before it ended, and when it did all of his strength was gone and he fell to the ground, unconscious with only a small spell of invisibility surrounding him.
Inside the fortress…
Naurrîn was pacing impatiently, while watching the men and remaining elves bar the last gate.
"The fortress is taken, it is over." Theoden said, looking over at the door where a few guards, Legolas, Rumil and Orophin were trying to block it from the uruk-hai.
"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it! They have sealed it, they have died defending it!" Aragorn yelled. It was only then that Naurrîn realized something.
"Rumil!" Naurrîn looked at her older brother in a panic, Rumil immediately ran to her side. "Where is Zef?" It was then Rumil's turn to look panicked.
"He is not here?" he squeaked out.
"The horn of Helm Hammerhand will sound in the Deep, one last time!" Theoden's voice broke through theirs.
"Retrieve the horses!" Aragorn called out.
"Where, in the name of the Valar, is Zef!" Naurrîn screamed, grabbing Rumil's tunic and shaking him. Templa snorted and nudged Orophin's shoulder in question too.
"I thought he came in after Rumil and I." Orophin said, taking the reigns of a horse from a solder. Templa would have killed him right there and then if Naurrîn hadn't grabbed her reigns and pulled her to the line.
"First we fight and destroy the foul creatures… THEN we can hurt Rumil and Orophin." Naurrîn stated, jumping onto the black mare and unsheathing her enchanted sword. Rumil and Orophin exchanged worried glances as the banging outside the door grew more persistent and loud.
"Now for wrath, now for ruin, and for a red dawn!" Naurrîn tightened the grip on her sword as the sound of the horn. "Forth Eorlingas!"
The door burst open and uruk-hai began streaming in, only to be intercepted by the hooves and blades of the Rohirim and elves of Lothlórien and Rivendell. Naurrîn's blade began to glow a light blue as the spell began to take a stronger toll on her. Now just by touching the foul creatures it killed them.
It took not but a few minutes of battle before something up on the cliff distracted Naurrîn from fighting.
"Gandalf? We won Templa, we have won for sure now." Naurrîn said, tears forming in her aqua/hazel eyes as Eomer and Gandalf rode down the hill with the army of outcasts behind them.
"Fly up to the top now Templa, we must find Zef." Naurrîn said to the winged black mare. Templa nodded her head and quickly grew her wings, flying up to the top of the Keep where the uruk-hai were either dead or running away.
"Where is she going?" Legolas asked, turning to Rumil and Orophin.
"She is searching for Zefron, he never came inside when the uruk-hai had taken over." Rumil replied, looking up at Naurrîn with a saddened expression on his face instead of his usual cheerful one.
"Zef? Zef, please do not leave me, please." Naurrîn said, searching through the many dead bodies for her best friend. Templa used her nose and sniffed on the ground for Zefron's scent and went wild when she did find it.
"Oh Valar Zef!" Naurrîn covered her mouth with her hand as Zefron's spell stopped.
"Is he alright, Naurrîn?" Rumil asked, walking slowly up behind the unique elleth. Templa put out one of her wings to stop him from going any further.
"Do not come near. Templa, go fetch Gandalf, he will know what to do." Naurrîn said, looking the young wizard over carefully. She nearly fainted when she realized that his eyes were closed, his breathing shallow and the wounds on his arm were not the only wounds he had received. There were also many others that he probably got when he tried to do the double spells.
"Naurrîn, why can I not help?" Rumil took another step closer and immediately regretted it as Naurrîn jumped up and swung her sword around, nearly beheading him.
"Because I said so, only Gandalf will be able to help." Naurrîn stated stubbornly, sheathing her sword and turning back around.
"I am not sure if I will even be able to help, young elleth." Gandalf admitted, walking over from flying on Templa. Naurrîn looked at the older wizard with wide eyes.
"What?" she managed to squeak out.
"Zefron may not live through changing colours and his wounds. His type of wizard changes from black to gray, to white, to all three, when they use up a certain amount of magic. But I am afraid that Zefron was very weak at the time of his changing, he has a slim chance of living, Naurrîn." Gandalf said, looking over the young elven wizard. Naurrîn couldn't move, or speak for that matter.
"Are you alright Naurrîn?" Rumil questioned, taking a step towards the stunned elleth. Naurrîn let out a small squeak and fell to the ground in a dead faint.
Legolas's Girl 9: Thank you very much; my English class is doing poetry so that's pretty much where it came from.
Jousting Elf with a Sabre: Thank ya very much.
DarkAngelPearl: you'd best feel special; I was up at 5 this morning to finish this chappie! Hope y'all like it!
Oh and people! The next chapter in this fic is the last chapter! Then it's off to the third one!