Chapter Sixteen: Light Undiminished
A/N: Quick update, anyone? I'm so very sorry again for such a long wait on the last chapter, and for how much of a mess my brain is right now. I'm sure everything is reading as very scatterbrained and rushed. :( This one slows us down quite a bit since we're wrapping up Two Towers content a lot earlier than I originally planned. (Yay, remembering the canon plot out of order and scrambling to readjust!) It'll focus a bit more on character interactions and relationships.
"Are you alright, Talion?"
Sam's question startled Talion out of his thoughts. On they travelled towards Cirith Ungol, trees starting to thin as the land became almost devoid of color, walls and cliffs of rock beginning to emerge. He turned to the hobbit with an unreadable expression, and Sam's eyes widened at the paleness of his skin and dullness of his eyes, a strong gust of wind blowing his hood over his head. The pair had fallen back a few steps from Frodo and Gollum. Talion shook his head.
"Isildur's Ring is always calling to me, mocking me, showing me futures where the Nazgul bring the world to ruin at Sauron's side. I would cease to be myself. I would have no memory of who I am or the people I cared about. I wouldn't feel the pain of loss or despair, worry or fear. Just… darkness. That is where my mind has dwelled as of late."
Sam swallowed, and Talion sighed.
"Is… Is the same thing happening to Mr. Frodo?"
Brief flashes of Frodo staring unblinkingly at the One Ring after a sleepless night filled his vision. The way Frodo constantly checked to make sure it was hidden under his shirt, how he had begun to keep more to himself, hand clutching the chain protectively, obsessively.
"The One Ring longs to be reunited with Sauron. It calls to any who possess it with promises of power unending. The closer we get to Mordor, the worse it will get." He clenched his fist that wore Isildur's Ring with a frown. "I have worn this Ring for decades. My departure from Mordor gave me more time than I deserved to retain what was left of the man I once was…" He gave a sad smile. "Eltariel once asked me how much of myself I was willing to lose, fighting against my inner darkness. I told her as much as it takes, even if it meant destroying my soul. And yet… I find that very thought the most frightening of all now. How pitiful of me."
A long silence stretched between them after that, and it was Sam who next spoke with a determined look in his eyes.
"You're afraid because you don't want to lose who you are. Because you've spent all this time saving people, protecting them. Losing your soul would mean hurting them, maybe even killing them. You didn't put on the Ring for the fame or the glory. You put it on because it gave you the best chance at keeping everyone safe, even if it meant putting yourself in the most danger of all." Talion looked to him in surprise, heart feeling a little lighter at Sam's reassuring smile. "It's not pitiful to be afraid, Talion. It's not pitiful to want to help others. It's brave. Noble, even."
Talion gave a soft and genuine laugh then. Brave? Noble? He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt that way about himself.
"I see now why Frodo speaks so highly of you, Sam. You are his light in all of this darkness. You keep him going, and remind him of the good in the world. You give him hope when he has none, and when his strength wavers you are always there." Sam looked away bashfully. "We're quite lucky to have you with us."
"I'm just a gardener from the Shire, Talion. Frodo is the one who carries the Ring."
"A great burden to bear. But even greater is the burden of watching the person you knew slowly change because of the dark magic threatening to swallow them whole." They looked back at Frodo and Gollum. "Gollum was a person once, with a life, friends, a home. But the Ring shattered his mind, changed him into something unrecognizable. A small part of who he once was is in there. But the rest of him wants only the One Ring, and will do anything to get it."
"Mr. Frodo trusts him," Sam pointed out. "He thinks the beast is a simple guide with an unfortunate past, but I know he's just pretending!"
Talion watched Gollum talk excitedly to Frodo, heard Frodo laugh and saw him nod with a smile on his face. It was the most carefree he'd ever seen either of them.
"He wants to help him. He sees the good in him and he wants to protect it. He also knows Gollum understands the struggles he's facing. If there's any talk of the One Ring, he will take Gollum at his word, and Gollum probably knows that."
Sam followed Talion's gaze, averting his eyes at the way they laughed and conversed like old friends. He wouldn't deny it stung, but he was grateful that Frodo could find something to be happy about on their long, dark journey.
"So what do we do?"
Talion took a deep, shuddering breath as his eyes locked with Frodo's as he looked back, then on the chain around his neck glinting in what little light there was. It pulled him forward and demanded all of his focus, and then two voices recited: Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul—
"Ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul," Talion finished quietly, barely a whisper.
Isildur's Ring burned brightly and fiercely on his hand, agonizingly so, and Talion stumbled to his knees, eyes squeezed shut with a shout, three cries of concern distant echoes to his ears.
"Talion!"
His eyes snapped open, immediately fixed on the sight of Celebrimbor struggling in Sauron's grip, an arm around his throat as he held him from behind, memories in the endless void around them swirling too quickly to recognize. Sauron gave a dark chuckle as Talion rushed forward, only to collapse in pain as Isildur's Ring burned hot enough to set his hand ablaze, loud whispers in Black Speech and Quenya bombarding him from places unknown. The grin Talion received only made the sinking pit of dread in his stomach worse as Sauron revealed a dagger in his robes, pointing it at Celebrimbor's heart. A spectral hand weakly reached out in a silent plea, but Talion couldn't move, drowning in too many sensations to do much more than keep his eyes open as he screamed.
"I told you I would be waiting for you to fail your battle with the darkness within."
Even through all of the noise, Sauron's voice rang clear. Taunting. Nonchalant. Arrogant. Cruel.
"You rely so much on your lover. You cling to that powerless trinket he forged like a child does their favorite toy. Wouldn't it be a shame…" Sauron slowly dug the dagger into Celebrimbor's chest with a sigh of satisfaction as he heard the elf lord shout. "If something happened to him?"
"No!" Talion cried out, and he felt the whispers and the pain start to recede just enough to finally take a full breath.
"You are no match for me in your current state. You know this. If it is vengeance you seek, one of your hobbit companions wields the Ring that just might give you a chance at achieving that. Or…" Isildur's Ring glowed and flashed a fiery red-orange, and Talion's eyes were drawn to it. "You can serve me as one of the Nine, as you were meant to when you released Isildur from my service and took his place." He slid the dagger the rest of the way through Celebrimbor's chest, the wraith collapsing at his feet. "The Undying, powerful enough to rival the Witch King of Angmar himself."
"Powerful enough to replace him?"
Talion's voice warped unnaturally as he asked the question, the icy blue of his eyes swirling into the shade of flames as he pulled himself up onto his hands and knees, the pain almost completely gone. Sauron kneeled next to him, his evil grin softening to something one could mistake as a kind smile as he cupped Talion's cheek, prompting him to look up.
"I could ask for no one better." He carefully pulled Talion to his feet, the memories around them slowing enough to be recognizable. "You have fought so long and hard. You have done your best. You have made a difference in the lives of many." His eyes shined with unmistakable excitement and anticipation. "Don't you think you have earned your rest?"
That question compelled Talion to focus on the memory over Sauron's shoulder.
A vengeful and mourning Talion stood atop the Black Gate in the wraith world, Celebrimbor appearing to him, weary and hopeful.
"The Black Hand of Sauron is dead. The Hither Shore is calling us." He watched Talion walk over to Urfael, holding it firmly in his hands, not responding. "This is no longer our battle. I tried fighting him. It can't be done."
Talion gently planted Urfael at his feet, his hands resting on the pommel, looking Celebrimbor in the eyes.
"Could you really rest for all of eternity, knowing that you had the chance to stop him but did nothing?"
They both looked to Mount Doom glowing brightly in the distance, minds made up. Talion sheathed his weapons, walking to the edge of the wall with purpose, eyes glowing with determination.
"The time has come for a new Ring."
The New Ring flared with a comforting warmth around his neck as he looked back to Sauron, who was still waiting for an answer, Sauron's dagger lying abandoned on the ground, Celebrimbor nowhere in sight. Talion kneeled at Sauron's feet, much to the other's delight, bowing his head and closing his eyes as words he heard long ago flowed from his lips.
"Natha tognir in ainn i'warth, dangarnen." Sauron's smile fell, replaced by an outraged scowl that would strike fear into the heart of most. But not Talion, who looked up at him then, and Sauron saw Celebrimbor as well, as if the two were bound to each other once more. "Ochedin Valannor an adleithad nor e Dúath ah an noded rammas en-Ardhon. Mi chant e-Morchir natha le calad arphígad."
"The Halflings will perish on your watch, and you will beg for a death you can never have when the time comes. You cannot defeat me."
Talion smirked, Acharn suddenly gripped firmly in his hand. The dagger swiftly pierced through Sauron's chin and exited at the top of his head. He gave a shocked gasp, and Talion twisted it for good measure. Shelob's vision of his fall in the plains of Gorgoroth came to mind as the form of Sauron before him slowly disappeared in a wave of flames. Acharn clattered to the ground as his vision swam and his head spun, three words leaving him as he lost consciousness.
"We already have."
XxX
She was back on the top of Barad-dur, dressed in armor that had seen better days, chains binding her magic and movements reminding her of her failure with each passing day. Blurred was her vision, ears softly ringing as she came to. Her normally vivid memory was infected with fear, with agony, with a rabid panic that had her blinking away crucial moments in favor of avoiding reliving them. She saw Talion scoop the New Ring into his hand from a few feet away from her, the mithril glowing bright blue at his touch, before she found herself in his arms, the two of them soaring through the air as he leapt off the tower.
Her eyes flickered shut as she swam in and out of half-consciousness, wondering if she would survive the trip. She had the strangest dreams, of a beautiful woman she'd never met, and a young man. The Talion in her dreams was younger, happier. Alive. He called the woman Ioreth and the man Dirhael. They were his wife and son. The bright memories soon turned dark, the two lying in pools of their own blood, throats slit by the Black Hand of Sauron. Talion stood over them, begging for it to not be real, for the ability to bring them back.
The next time she could partially open her eyes for a brief time she saw present day Talion, green wraith magic flowing from him in waves and into her. It filled her with strength. With life. Her eyes slipped shut again…
Eltariel gasped softly awake, eyes snapping open as she sat up without a thought, unable to hold back a whimper of pain at the half healed stab wound going through her back and chest. She didn't recognize her surroundings, only the worried and disbelieving face that greeted her from across the room, immediately rushing to her side.
"Eltariel?" Haldir whispered, hands hovering a hairsbreadth away from her face, afraid that he was seeing things.
"Haldir," she replied with a relieved smile. "Are you hurt? What happened at the battle?"
He didn't answer her, hands finally cupping her face before he pulled her into a gentle embrace.
"I don't understand." He drew back, eyes scanning her features for answers. "You perished in my arms days ago. No one should be able to survive a blow like that."
Eltariel looked down at her chest, at the wound that had felled her in battle. A small rune was glowing a soft green at the edge of her torso. Cuivië. Life. Awakening. Talion's Ringwraith magic, she realized with a start. When she focused on it, she could feel a distant, but present connection. What she thought was a sigh of relief echoed in her mind from it, and she gave a short laugh of disbelief. Haldir followed her eyes, his own widening when he saw.
"It seems Talion has been looking out for me from the start." The rune glowed blindingly bright before fading out of sight, magic lightly thrumming beneath Eltariel's skin. She took in Haldir's ragged, exhausted appearance with a frown. "You haven't rested," she observed worriedly, before her eyes flitted around the room. "Where are we?"
"We returned to Rohan after the battle. Mithrandir came, with the aid of Eomer and his men. They drove the rest of the Uruks out of Helm's Deep. I insisted on bringing you back as well, and told the rest of our people to return to Lothlorien without me if they wished." Haldir took a seat next to Eltariel on the table she was occupying, staring out of the window at the rising sun. "Your Fellowship companions chased the remaining Uruks to Fangorn, no doubt heading to Isengard to finish matters with Saruman. After that, I assume they will go where they next expect an attack. Gondor, most likely. Sauron would see Minas Tirith burn, and the last hopes of men with it."
His eyes were the color of the skies, she noticed, clear and bright in the early morning light. Full of worry, and sorrow. Haunted.
"They will attack with a force even stronger than the one we faced. Does the fate of Middle-earth also rest with us? To hold the line of defense until the Halflings complete their quest?" He averted his gaze to the bandages covering Eltariel's wound. "To watch more people we care about die?"
"I am still here," Eltariel told him, a hand tightly grasping his as proof. His eyes flew to their intertwined fingers. "And I am still fighting for a world without Sauron. For the ones we have lost, the ones we hold dear, the ones we wish to protect. I have seen darkness unending. I have felt hopelessness so great that there would be no greater mercy than death." He met her eyes in horror, and she smiled soothingly. "I know what we are at risk of losing, who we are at risk of losing. And I do not fear what is to come."
Her hair was longer than he remembered, but just as unkempt as it had been when they were children running through the forest looking for trouble. He squeezed her hand back with a slow nod, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Promise me something, gwinig."
Eltariel scoffed at the nickname.
"I am not so little anymore."
That got a chuckle out of both of them before their expressions turned serious once more.
"Promise me that you will live." She looked to him in wonder as he blinked away a tear, then another. One got caught in his lashes, shimmering like a bright gemstone in the sunlight. Eltariel laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as he pulled her into his arms. She felt the tear land on her cheek, and her eyes watered at how broken his voice had become. "I cannot bear to lose you a third time."
"Then you must live as well," she responded, the words whispered into his collarbone just loud enough for him to hear. "I would not be here if not for you, and a life without you is not one I want to live. Never again."
"Then let us fight alongside men until the Enemy is slain and their people safe… And then let us sail to a place where we never have to be parted from each other."
XxX
The top of Barad-dur looked unchanged since the last time Talion had been there. The Sauron he had stabbed laid lifeless in the chains that Eltariel had been in. He looked to the door of the tower to see Celebrimbor watching him, an unreadable expression on his face. Talion walked towards him, stopping when he was within arm's length. Celebrimbor's spectral form was ravaged by time and pain once more, Talion's closer to before he left Mordor, when he was near the end of his rope. Yet they looked at each other no differently.
"Sauron's hold on Isildur's Ring is now weak and failing. He used our connection to get to you before I realized what was happening. The One Ring and Isildur's Ring working in tandem gave him more power. I thought I…"
I thought I'd lost you.
Talion shook his head, holding out his hand for Celebrimbor to take as they walked to the edge of the tower. An army of Uruks larger than either of them had ever seen marched towards the Black Gate, weapons and vehicles of war in tow, proudly flying the colors of the Enemy. Their own numbers had been fewer than expected when Talion had first departed Mordor. Would they even hold a candle to a force like that?
Mount Doom hissed and bubbled across the plains. Talion's mind briefly flashed back to when they crafted the New Ring all those years ago, and the chaos that had followed immediately after. And then it lingered on when Celebrimbor gave the New Ring to Eltariel as they went to face Sauron in what they'd hoped at the time was their final encounter. His lips quirked upward sadly.
"We would have defeated him had we gone together," Talion told him, even though he knew Celebrimbor shared his memories, knew everything that he did. "He would have fallen under our control."
"We would have unleashed a reign just as horrible as his upon all of Middle-earth… And we would not have gotten this."
He brought Talion's hand to his lips, and Talion leaned his head against Celebrimbor's, laughing quietly as spectral strands fell in his eyes.
"No, we wouldn't have."
Barad-dur was far from romantic, but the gentle, warm breeze and sky lit by the ancient fires of Mount Doom would do until they could have this properly.
"His armies march for Gondor, for Minas Tirith, against the newly proclaimed King and his allies from across the lands. His gaze is ever searching for you, for Frodo and the One Ring. When you reach Mordor and he awakens, I will hold his attention for as long as I am able."
They had still yet to reach Mordor, Talion realized, though they were very close. Even knowing he would have the advantage in the lands under his protection, the exhaustion of his travels settled into him in an instant, and Celebrimbor let him lean his weight against him.
"I'm tired, Celebrimbor," he murmured. "I'm tired of fighting, of despairing and then finding hope, only to despair once again. I'm so tired." A thumb stroked lightly across his knuckles in reply.
"I know. You and Frodo both carry heavy burdens, burdens that never should have been yours to bear in the first place. Yet no one else would have the strength to do so, to see this journey to its end despite the danger and impossible odds stacked against them. And you made me a promise, did you not?"
Talion whispered, "Yes."
"Should you waver, remember the words you spoke atop this very place to me as you began your journey. Remember what you're fighting for."
"I do. I will. And…" He felt his consciousness start to return, and yet he did not despair as he usually would, that the two of them were out of time once again. Instead he felt more hopeful than he had in a very long time. Happy, even. "Melinye, Celebrimbor."
Celebrimbor grinned.
"And I you, melda."
XxX
"Leave him! There's no time!"
"Talion knows Mordor better than anyone, Smeagol, and I will not leave him behind when he has come this far with us."
"But we must hurry, master! No time to waste on stupid rangers!"
"Hey! That 'stupid ranger' has saved our lives over and over again! We're not going anywhere until he wakes up, you hear me?!"
"Nasty hobbit! Waiting means they finds us. Waiting means they kills us!"
Talion's head was pounding as he came to, eyes fixed on the ashen gray skies before eventually landing on the arguing trio.
"Then it's a good thing you won't be waiting much longer."
Sam and Frodo ran over to him with relieved shouts of his name at the sound of his voice, distorted as it was, helping him sit up as he attempted to get himself together.
"You collapsed earlier, started having a fit and kicking and screaming in your sleep," Sam explained. "Then you got all quiet and still. We didn't know when you'd wake up."
"You were murmuring in Elvish. 'The Bringer of Gifts, the Betrayer, shall be unmade.' And 'In place of the Dark Lord, you shall have light undiminished.' You spoke of Sauron."
Talion nodded at Frodo.
"I did. I spoke to Sauron. He used my connection with Celebrimbor during a moment of weakness as an opportunity to potentially break my will. Fortunately, he did not." He raised his hand to see the dulled gemstone of Isildur's Ring, blessedly silent. "The Ring's magic remains, but its hold over me is hanging on by the barest of threads."
"Then you can take it off?" Sam asked.
"Not until I have the means to destroy it." He looked to Frodo, Sam and Gollum's eyes following his. "I have halted us for long enough, and our work is not yet done. Lead on."
Frodo turned to Gollum, who gave Talion the briefest of glares before continuing down the path, the other three not far behind him. It would be some time before one of them spoke again, the exact passage of time difficult to track with the unchanging sky above them.
"These stairs he says we're going to… Where do they lead?"
"To the top of Cirith Ungol," Talion answered Sam. "No doubt he will want us to travel through the tunnels where Shelob resides, in the hopes that she will be your undoing. But we will not meet our deaths at her hands."
They saw Gollum stop up ahead, gesturing for them to come closer, and when they did Talion felt his heart clench as he took in the familiar sight, the once proud and bright place now lifeless and cursed, its towering walls dimly lit a sickly shade.
"The Dead City," Gollum confirmed, hurrying forward and directing them towards a wall of rock that appeared without end, a winding staircase of stone following it. "Look. We have found it! The way into Mordor: the secret stair."
Gollum started climbing first, Sam not far behind. Talion waited for Frodo, but he made no moves to follow. Instead he seemed pulled towards the gate of the city, feet moving of their own accord across the bridge as a hand clutched at the chain around his neck. Sam and Gollum shouted in alarm. Talion hissed as he heard the whispers no doubt inviting Frodo closer, running after him and ignoring the way Isildur's Ring was feebly trying to flare back to life. He picked Frodo up from behind, feeling him struggle in his grip, voice almost trance-like as he said, "They're calling to me."
"They call to us both, but we won't make it to Mount Doom if we answer them!"
Talion managed to wrangle him back to the bottom of the rock wall when blood curdling shrieks filled the air, green wraith magic swirling around the tower of Minas Morgul and shooting into the air with a crash of thunder and lightning, stirring up harsh gusts of wind. The roar of a fellbeast had Gollum and the hobbits on the ground, clutching their ears, and Frodo at his wound from the morgul blade, while Talion laid eyes on the Witch King of Angmar leading the Uruks emerging from the city onward, flying at the front of the group. They took a few moments to regroup before Gollum ushered them up again, this time followed by Frodo, then Sam, with Talion bringing up the rear in case any of them fell. The Uruks marched on below them all the while, unaware of their presence.
Talion felt the rune he'd placed on Eltariel after first rescuing her many months ago activate, the image of her falling in battle from Shelob's last vision no longer weighing on his mind. It brought him a brief moment of comfort after the last several tumultuous hours.
He steadied Sam when he briefly lost his footing, a firm hand on his back allowing the hobbit to readjust and continue moving. Gollum had reached the top fast, holding a hand out to Frodo as he neared with a sincere expression on his face that morphed to greed and treachery in the blink of an eye. Talion didn't even have to guess what had caused the change in him, leaping upwards several paces with the help of his wraith magic, steadying Frodo before pulling them both up onto level ground. He met Gollum's glower with one of his own, holding out his hand to pull Sam up when he was within reach, not noticing Gollum's hushed whispers in Frodo's ear while his back was turned.
"We'll need to rest after that climb," Sam told him, Frodo already lying down, eyes falling shut.
Gollum looked ready to keep moving, but even he needed to take a break every now and then. Talion weighed the risks of leaving them for even a moment.
"I'll go on ahead to send word to my warchiefs of the situation, and to make sure the path ahead is clear." He rounded on Gollum with a cold stare. "If anything happens to them I will throw you into the fires of Mount Doom myself. Do you understand?"
Gollum growled, "Smeagol looks after the master and the fat hobbit. He does not harm them."
"Keep an eye on him."
He directed this at Sam, who nodded as Talion left, letting his magic make his steps lighter, faster, quieter. He stopped when he saw a patrol of Uruks making their way back towards the stronghold in the distance, and among their number…
"Amug!"
The warchief froze, squawking in disbelief as Talion approached, rushing to kneel.
"My Lord, you return! How was your search for the One Ring?"
"There is no time for pleasantries. I need you to relay this message to your troops as I travel to the remaining strongholds: Prepare every available Uruk for war. We march on the Black Gate by tomorrow's end to help determine the fate of Middle-earth. Show the servants of Sauron no mercy."
He raised his fist in the air as it swirled with blue magic, Luinil giving a greeting screech as Talion shadow mounted her, soaring further into the land. Over the fiery plains of Gorgoroth, the snowy peaks of Seregost, and the Sea of Nurnen he flew, at a speed he didn't think possible for fire drakes. Bruz was quite happy to see him, Ur-Edin relieved. Skak bowed respectfully when Talion reached Nurnen, even the beauty there starting to wither and fade as darkness continued to thicken and spread across Mordor.
"Scouts told me of your arrival as you were over the water, My Lord. We've been mobilizing fleets all day. Something told me there was a fight ahead."
Talion beamed.
"Always prepared," he remarked proudly.
"The strongholds have been fending off attacks since the moment you left. Seregost suffered the worst of it. Thousands of Uruks have travelled to the Black Gate, and not too long ago the ones attacking us did as well. Things have been much too quiet out here. Which means a battle is coming… Right?"
"One is," Talion confirmed. "Sauron is sending all of his forces in Mordor to the Black Gate. Some of them will be the force that attacks Minas Tirith. He wishes to have dominion over all, starting with the world of men. We cannot let that happen."
"We'll set sail tonight, since we have the longest journey." Talion nodded in approval, getting ready to take off when Skak stopped him. "Wait!" His favorite warchief grinned. "It's good to have you back, Lord."
Talion nodded to him, urging Luinil to fly as fast as possible back to Cirith Ungol. When the winding stairs were in sight Talion was dismayed to see Sam by himself, beginning the climb back down. Sam nearly lost his grip when he spotted Talion, who hovered next to him.
"Where are Frodo and Gollum?"
"They left. That mangy creature poisoned Frodo against me. He told me to head back to the Shire, and he left without me. What use am I to him now?"
"Frodo would not have made it this far without you, and he will make it no further if Gollum has anything to say about it. We must go after them."
Talion held out a hand to Sam, and after a few moments of hesitation he took it. Luinil flew them back up and dropped them off at the entrance to Shelob's tunnels not a minute later. She flew off and returned with an Uruk that was clearly no ally, disappearing into the murky sky. Talion roughly grabbed the Uruk's head, feeling familiar branding magic and a mental link establish, a glowing green handprint on his face. Sam made a startled sound at the sight, and Talion sighed.
"I have a feeling I know why Gollum is leading him down into the tunnels. Shelob will need to feed, and something tells me she hasn't in a very long time."
He urged the Uruk ahead, he and Sam following closely behind. The tunnels were infested with messy webs, skeletal remains, and drained corpses strung up along the ceiling. He and Sam began hacking through a wall of webbing, their blood running cold as they heard a terrified scream.
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam exclaimed, swinging his sword faster, harsher.
Talion took a few steps back, summoning Azkar for the first time in a while. The tip of the spectral arrow burst into flames when it was nocked, and Talion warned Sam to move out of the way as it flew through the air. The wall of webbing burst into flames with a small explosion, quickly melting and clearing the way ahead. The three rushed forward, Talion shooting down all of the walls of webs that blocked their path, growing more impatient with every arrow used. After what felt like an eternity they found themselves outside, Frodo frantically reaching for Sting as Shelob, in her spider form, advanced menacingly. Talion's eyes fell on an object out of place that he soon recognized.
"Sam! The Light of Eärendil!" Sam spotted the phial, darting over to it as Talion rushed over to Frodo. "Shelob!" The spider paused at the familiar voice, hissing at Talion in warning. "You know Frodo needs to live! You know what you risk by killing him!"
"It takes but one person to carry the Ring! Why should the other not become my feast?"
Her voice was warped by hunger and exhaustion, desperation and anger, as she prepared to attack again. It was then that Sam dove in front of them with the phial, Shelob shrieking in agony as it blinded her. Talion lowered Sam's arm as she cowered against the Light, backing away. He called the dominated Uruk forward, and her eight eyes locked on him with a predatory gleam when they opened again.
"I brought you food. Leave the hobbits be and he is yours."
She made a grumbling sound of consideration before her stance relaxed, taking a few steps away as Sam helped a trembling and tearfully apologizing Frodo to his feet. Talion sent the Uruk her way, severing their connection and watching with mild satisfaction as he screamed in terror before pincors pireced his flesh. Shelob drained the body of blood greedily, hastily, her body shifting into its more humanoid form as she took her last gulp, crimson staining her chin as she fell to her knees at the now corpse. Her breaths were heavy and quick, eyes unfocused for a few moments as the hunger receded and some of her strength was restored. She met Talion's gaze gratefully, struggling to her feet.
"I didn't realize things had gotten that bad."
"Sauron knows I dwell here. He knows better than to send anyone through my domain. So he didn't, and I made it by on whatever unfortunate creatures wandered in. I felt almost driven to madness." She looked at Talion then, really looked at him. "You come for the final vision before the end of your journey, as darkness closes in around you."
"If you are able to grant it."
"I told you I could not see clearly past your arrival in Mordor. That has not changed."
"Show me anyway. Please," he added, and a whirlwind of images flooded his mind as she laid her hand on his cheek.
Flashes of Minas Tirith in flames as an insurmountable force of Uruks, Ologs, and Easterlings marched on the White City. Nazgul descended upon the Pelennor Fields, the Witch King at their helm.
Chaos erupted at the Black Gate, a sea of warring bodies flooding the space that lay between Mordor and Gondor.
Frodo, Sam, and Gollum reaching the cavern of Mount Doom, the One Ring dangling from its chain just over the edge, begging to be possessed and kept safe in whispers of Black Speech.
Talion falling off the back of a fellbeast struck down by a fireball, heat scorching him through his armor, Isildur's Ring slipping from his finger, the wound in his throat opening back up. The ground rushed to meet him as a streak of light flew through the air from Barad-dur. Celebrimbor was reaching for him, calling out his name, their fingertips almost brushing, just a hairsbreadth apart…
Talion gasped back to the present, Shelob slowly lowering her hand, panting from the use of her power. Sam and Frodo watched on warily.
"Sauron knows you are here. You must travel with great caution and avoid his sight. The way across Gorgoroth is dangerous still. It is not just your numbers that march to battle."
Her magic swirled around her as she prepared to disappear from sight, but Talion stopped her.
"Wait!" Shelob paused. "What is beyond the fall?"
She smiled sadly at him.
"I do not know. Perhaps, for the first time, I can find out with everyone else."
She vanished in a swirl of black tendrils of magic, her voice a whisper in the wind. Go safely and swiftly. May you all find the endings you seek.
**Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul = One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them
**Ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul = One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
**Natha tognir in ainn i'warth, dangarnen = The Bringer of Gifts, the Betrayer shall be unmade
**Ochedin Valannor an adleithad nor e Dúath ah an noded rammas en-Ardhon. Mi chant e-Morchir natha le calad arphígad = I renounce the Blessed Realm to redeem the Land of Shadow. In place of the Dark Lord you shall have light undiminished.
**gwinig = little one
**Melinye = I love you
**melda = beloved