Chapter Nineteen
As the sun set that same day, Legolas and the others came upon the caves that Aragorn had mentioned.
The group quickly convened to discuss a plan of attack.
"We should enter, kill them, take Dara back, and leave," Elladan stated simply.
"We should enter, maim them fatally, take Dara back, and leave them to die whilst writhing in pain," said Legolas.
"We will sneak in, and make a silent attack. Some of you will go to find Princess Daralis, and the rest of us will finish the Orcs off," Glorfindel said.
They made plans of attack, and prepared to enter.
Daralis felt warmth around her. A stark contrast to her usual surroundings, she wanted to look around, but knew that she could not interrupt her process.
Besides, she reasoned, it was completely possible that she was radiating the heat from her own body. She felt feverish, and it was as if her soul and mind were being doused in flame, and yet still not burned.
The heat had progressively gotten warmer and warmer to the point where she could hardly take note of her surroundings, and at this point it was passing the realm of comfort.
She twitched.
The two Orc guards at the mouth of the main cave heard whizzing. Before they could register the noise, Legolas' arrows were lodged three each in their chests, and they were being passed by a number of Elves.
The group went silently into the main cavern, but it was impossible to miss them. A factory of Orcs rolled boulders, yelled, pulled huge carts of metal, and fought amongst each other. There were approximately 300 of them.
Legolas and Elladan began fighting their way through the mass, trying to reach the glowing archway that led deeper into the caverns in a search for Daralis.
"Well," began Aragorn, "If we each kill about 22, we shall have them all down" With that, he went into the foray, beginning his count.
He was followed by the rest of the group, who pulled out swords and bows and began to slay the huge force of Orcs who were almost certainly poised at the edge of their realms.
Elladan and Legolas made their way deeper into the intricate maze of caverns, the sound of their companions' fighting growing more and more faint as they did so.
Elladan was rushing ahead heedlessly, at times physically held back by Legolas.
At one point, he almost walked directly into the arms of a waiting Orc before Legolas shot it.
"Elladan! You must be more careful. You shall be absolutely no use whatsoever to my daughter if you find yourself captured before you can reach her."
"Are you not worried?" Elladan asked incredulously and a bit too loudly.
"Of course I am worried," Legolas hissed, "which is why I consider this mission too important to be so ignorant of my surroundings." His words seemed to break something inside of Elladan.
"I cannot see anything but her face, Legolas," Elladan admitted, sliding down the wall. "I have not for some time now. I admonished Elrohir for trying to help me, and now I act as if I have no skill in field battle. I do not know what I am doing anymore I am only driven by the fear that she should return with her mind spoiled and comprehension skewed. I know not what to do, Legolas. I have lost myself to Daralis completely." Legolas began to understand Elladan's sentiment for his daughter, and knew what he needed to hear.
"The fate of your mother, Elladan," Legolas began, "shall not be the fate of Daralis Isolde. We will find her this night. All I ask is that you be more careful. I will need your help before the end." He reached his hand out to help Elladan up.
The two continued, while the air around them became progressively warmer. They were quickly approaching the center of the compound, where they were both sure that they would find Daralis.
Legolas faintly heard screaming, while Elladan began to smell the rancid flesh of an Orc.
"Elladan. Do you hear that?" Elladan strained his ears, and did hear a female screeching somewhere off in the distance.
"I do. Do you smell that?" Legolas sniffed at the air, and his eyebrows went into a downward slant.
"I do. We are getting closer."
Daralis was now twitching violently as heat engulfed her. The sounds of screaming and arguing floated in and out of her mind, but it was incomprehensible to her.
"What is wrong with her?!" Ontare screamed hysterically at the Orc who kept attempting to hold Daralis still.
"I cannot say, but it is strong," he poofed out as he received a knee to his stomach.
"STOP HER!" Ontare let out a screaming wail. Her power was falling apart in front of her, held in the body of the brat shaking on the bed.
Legolas and Elladan, who were standing at the door of the entrance to the deepest cavern, could distinctly hear arguing. A female, not Daralis, was screaming at an unknown source, and when she received her reply, screamed again. There was something wrong with someone, and both of the Elves had a cold impression as to which it was. They heard moaning, and pushed the door open.
The sight that reached them was horrifying. All they could do was stare, mesmerized.
Daralis began to convulse violently on the bed, twisting her torso and flailing her legs uncontrollably. Moans began to escape her throat, getting louder and louder. Flames were licking at her very core, getting more and more painful. She felt as if she were being tortured, and tried to move away from it.
It was worse, still worse, until she felt herself break.
She arched her back unnaturally and screamed a high, wailing cry before collapsing into darkness.
Princess Daralis of Mirkwood was now a full Elf.
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