Chapter Fourteen Wonders Never Cease
Thranduil stood there horrified as the Figure of Melkor changed into a large beast engulfed in flames. He quickly glanced at Glorfindel whose face had gone as white as a ghost. He saw the golden haired elf lord blanch and swallow hard. Gulping, Thranduil took a step back and held his sword in front of him protectively.
"No!" Glorfindel growled. "He is mine!" The balrog slayer charged forward and struck at the beast, slicing his sword through the air with practiced ease. A move Thranduil had never seen anyone perform before. The king of Mirkwood stood back dumbfounded as he watched.
Glorfindel's sword flew through the air aimed directly at the monsters throat, slicing across it quickly and accurately. The beast howled in rage, and flung his arms out knocking the golden haired elf to the ground.
Glorfindel felt his lungs heave trying to gain the air back, and he gasped with the effort. Pushing himself to his feet, he growled at the thing in an insane rage. Standing with his feet planted firmly on the ground, Glorfindel crouched low, taunting the monster. Grinning, he waved at the beast daring him to come forward.
The balrog charged forward, arms flying through the air. Glorfindel ducked stabbing his sword to his left as he did so, catching the beast in the side. The monster roared in fury and struck out with his tail, catching Glorfindel's feet, knocking him down onto his back. The tail raised and sharply lowered. Glorfindel rolled out of the way, his eyes darting to where the tail had just missed his head.
Jumping nimbly to his feet, Glorfindel swung his sword at the tail and cut it off. A screech of pain filled the air, and Glorfindel grinned again. Without missing a beat, Glorfindel sliced through the air with his sword, and struck once again at the beasts throat. A howl of rage, and anger filled his ears. The beast turned and knocked the elf lord back again. Glorfindel heard the familiar crack of ribs breaking, but ignored the burning sensation in his chest. Scrambling to his feet, Glorfindel charged the monster again. He stabbed at the monster with a right thrust, the beast seeing this turned to his right. Just as the golden haired elf lord had predicted, he pulled back his right thrust and switch it to a left, catching the best in the chest.
A screech of anger almost blew his eardrums, and he danced back out of the beasts reach. Wincing against the noise, Glorfindel was amazed that his ears could take so much.
Thranduil watched horrified at the battle that took place in front of him. Seeing Glorfindel battle this beast, was something he knew he would never forget. He had seen many battles, been in far too many. Watching in silence at the battle in front of him he knew he would never want to cross blades with the golden haired elf. If it had ever come to it, Thranduil knew instantly he would lay his sword at Glorfindel's feet and kneel before him. It was one battle, the king of Mirkwood knew he would never long for.
The skill Glorfindel used with the sword, made the King's guards seem like amateurs. The play and quickness that the sword danced to, showed Thranduil that this ancient art had been lost many years ago. Thranduil stepped back even more; to make sure he was completely out of the way of the fighting duo. There was no way he wanted to get in the middle of that particular fight.
Glorfindel darted forward, twisting in mid air, and his sword singing with the force of his thrust. Taken by surprise, Melkor had no time to block the ferocious attack. As the sword connected with his midsection, he felt an overwhelming presence flood his mind confusing him more. With a cry of rage and pain, Melkor vanished into thin air.
Stumbling, Glorfindel fell to the earth, his sword flying out of his hand. Pushing himself onto his knees, the golden haired elf lord looked around him bewildered. He pushed himself to his feet and glanced back at Thranduil, almost accusingly, as if it were the king of Mirkwood who had made his foe disappear.
Holding his hands up, Thranduil raised his eyebrows. "Don't look at me!"
Shaking his head, Glorfindel chuckled. "My apologies. What happened?"
Shrugging, Thranduil glanced around the clearing. "I am uncertain. You struck him down it seems."
"No, something else did that." Glorfindel sighed.
Glorfindel looked at the injured party and made sure they were all right before turning to the king again. A black presence flooded his brain and he stopped quickly. Darkness quickly descended on them, and Glorfindel gasped from the heaviness that suddenly filled the forest. The golden haired elf lord stepped back from his position and pulled the king back with him.
"Evil grows." Glancing around him in horror, he raced to the immobile members of the camp. "Quickly, we must get out of here!" He shouted.
The air seemed to spark with intensity. Sizzling invisible fire wilted the trees around them. Thranduil gaped, stunned. The trees turned black withering under the touch of evil that was quickly spreading around them. The leaves turned blood red, some falling to the earth in misery. The lush bushes turned to death; leaves falling off them faster then the eye could follow. The healthy brown bark on the trees turned a murky greenish colour.
"Valar!" Thranduil hissed. He spun around and quickly lifted Elrond into his arms. "Grab Elrohir, we must make haste."
Glorfindel gathered the small frail child into his arms, and spurted into a run after the king. "What of the others?"
"We will return for them, come!"
They raced through the now dying foliage quickly making their way to safety before the evil descended upon them.
Gandalf gasped suddenly, causing Celebrían to glance up worried. "What is it?" She cried.
Gandalf did not respond, only seemed to grow within the light surrounding him. The intensity of the glow caused Celebrían to shield her eyes. "Quickly, now." Gandalf whispered, watching the elves in his mind. "Make haste!"
"What is it, Gandalf?" The golden haired woman shouted. The air grew thick, sizzling with power she had only experienced once in her life. Her mother once used power so great to hide the forest of Lothlorien from the world. If she thought she had been frightened then, she was terrified now. She felt the evil descend upon the house of her husband.
She wrapped her arms around her sons small frame and whispered a prayer to the Valar. Shivering from the sudden cold that seeped through her veins, Celebrían stood, placing her sons form back onto the ground carefully. Curling her lip in anger, she darted from the room without making a sound.
She raced down the stairs and out the front door. Celebrían wasn't sure where she was going, but looking to the sky and seeing black clouds looming above the forest on the borders of Rivendell, she knew that was where she would find her husband. She lifted her skirt and raced down the dirt path. The trees cried out to her to stop, but she ignored them. Instead she raced onward. She took a quick look at a small glittering pool as she raced past, and darted to the right onto another path.
Celebrían broke through the trees and stopped quickly, gasping at the darkness that loomed in front of her. Catching her breath in her throat, she looked to her right and saw a river. Looking past the river she caught sight of a tower from the old wing of her home. Turning her eyes forward again, she noticed the blackness engulfing the forest.
Crying out, she raced forward. She caught sight of someone breaking through the forest, and noticed it to be Glorfindel and the king. She ran even harder towards them. Celebrían caught sight of who they were carrying and gave out a cry.
"Lady, you should not be here!" Glorfindel shook his head, handing Elrohir to her.
She gathered her son into her arms and knelt down rocking back and forth, tears falling from her blue eyes. Thranduil walked up beside her and lowered Elrond beside her. "Stay here. We will return, there are more within." Without another word, Glorfindel and Thranduil raced back into the woods.
She silently sat there, her right arm wrapped protectively around her son, and her left hand sitting on her husbands chest. Her eyes travelled towards the forest and horrified, she watched as blackness descended upon it engulfing its entirety with its evil.