Four days left of school and I am free. Thank the Valar! Maybe that will mean quicker updates.
Heh. Right. (Yup, just as I said. I'm now out of school. And you see that first paragraph there? That's all I got done in four days. Go me.)
And yes, this chapter is shorter than others. You'll see why.
XX
Chapter 45- Our Fate
"Can you be positive of this?" Norui questioned as he gripped the bewildered elleth's shoulders, shaking her slightly. Jaimea and Legolas, along with the Muru child, had just returned to the large room only to be bombarded with questions from the others. The elleth had not yet recovered from her shock of seeing the Crown Prince, even after much persuasion that she still lived and that she wasn't in a dream.
"Jaimea!" He called again, snapping her out of her daze-like state. She blinked rapidly and nodded.
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes, my lord." She replied quickly though her voice quivered.
"Then we must prepare!" The dark haired ellon exclaimed as he faced his companions, pulling forth the confidence that was stored inside him, "Gather your weapons, and we shall finish what we came here for."
The Crown Prince watched on in satisfaction and relief as his comrades jumped to their task without a question. Still, he feared rejection from them- he could not help it. It was inevitable to feel that way. But when he saw his two sisters, Arwen, and Jaimea watching from the side, he furrowed his brow questioningly. Were they not to fight?
"Lothron," He called, "Why aren't you getting your sword?" She turned to him with a small smile.
"King Judeqir does not wish us to fight. I am not sure why- perhaps it is not normal for women of their country to take up arms." She answered and his frown deepened.
"But we are fighting for our Ada and for out people." He said and the elleth shrugged at this.
"We are guests here and we must abide his rules." She came towards him, still smiling, and placed a sisterly kiss on his cheek, "Be careful, alright? We have lost you once- we do not need to go through it again."
He smiled and placed his hand on her cheek, "Do not worry, Gwathel. I will be fine."
Melyanna then came forward, placing a kiss on his cheek and showering him with the same comments her sister had just said and Norui reassured her, smiling all the while. He watched his friends speak in hushed voices among each other, wishing each other safety though he doubted that there would be much difficulty. He could not explain it, but he had a strong feeling that they would prevail in the end. He only wished that, as he watched his sisters kiss their lovers goodbye; that his own lady were there with him.
He opened his mouth to call his friends' attentions once again but stopped short when he spotted his young brother in the corner, his arms wrapped protectively around the maiden he had grown to love. Surprised, he was, to find that they still had affection for one another after he, himself, had strictly forbidden them to begin courting.
Legolas suddenly turned his attention towards him and the Crown Prince saw him hesitate for a moment, tightening his hold on the elleth. His cerulean eyes dared him to question him but Norui only smiled warmly at them both, and turned his attention away.
"Are we all ready?" He questioned and they all nodded. Without another word, the males broke from their ladies' arms, their blades gripped tightly in their hands, and they filed silently out the door. When the door closed with a click, those left inside were enveloped in near complete darkness.
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Uhako cried out as he was once more slammed against the wall. It seemed that as he fought, the lady did not lose strength as he did, but only gained it. Her face was fierce as she attacked him again and again and he had to wonder where the sudden power came from, it was even sudden at all. Her footsteps thundered in his ears as she approached him, and he groaned.
"What, Uhako, are you tired already?" She growled, "I thought you would be stronger than this but perhaps I was wrong." She raised her sword to cast him down but she was suddenly slashed from the side.
Instinctively, she brought her hands to her bleeding wound, dropping her sword to the ground. Her dark eyes glanced up to find her attacker and saw the tall, silver haired prince standing before her, posed in a defensive position.
"Ah, the mute one!" She laughed, quickly shaking off the pain at her side, "The mute one has come to rescue you!"
"Mute, I was," Tarmikos said, narrowing his eyes, "But no longer."
Turwaithiel's eyes widened in surprise, so much so that her anger nearly left her. The prince couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from twitching upwards into a smirk. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Uhako had begun to come to his feet once again. The lady must have noticed this, too, for she suddenly spun to face him with a scowl.
"I see how it is." She sneered, "Gang up on the lady, right? How gentlemanly of you."
Both males watched on with dread as the golden light overtook her body and once it cleared, a large, black creature stood in her place. Long fangs were bared at the two of them and its black coat blended her in with the shadows almost perfectly. Yellows eyes gleamed dangerously at them, its thick tail twitching back and forth. Tarmikos's eyes widened.
"Oqueri…"
A ferocious growl ripped from her throat as she lunged forward, claws extended. With a gasp, Uhako quickly rolled to the side, just avoiding being slashed through. He came to stand beside Tarmikos, his sword held tightly in his grip, and he swallowed hard. Next to the prince, he felt so weak and terrified while the other Muru radiated only confidence and strength.
Both saw the creature's muscles tense in her body and they backed away, waiting for the inevitable pounce. When it came, the dark haired Muru dodged it to the side but Tarmikos raised his blade, catching the beast and bringing it to a halt. Gritting his teeth, he put forth all his energy to shove her off of him, sending her flying down the hall only to see her leap back up and come charging back at him.
"A little help would be nice, Uhako!" He shouted as he beat back the creature once again, "I save your hide, you save mine!"
The dark haired Muru stared dumbfounded for a moment, astounded that the prince was there to help him. He had doubted that the elleth he had saved would even seek help for him bu eemed he had been wrong. And the fact that the prince of the Muruien kingdom was the one to aide him baffled him even more.
"Uhako!" Tarmikos called again as he slashed at the animal, catching it just barely on the chest. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Uhako steadied himself and rushed forward to lend his help.
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The silent elves cringed with every step their human companion made. It seemed his movements were even louder in the empty hall, despite his best efforts to stay quiet. Their senses were in high gear as they scanned the dark corridor, just waiting for anything to jump out at them. Speech was cut to a minimum and words were only exchanged if it was of utmost importance.
Legolas walked ahead of them all, leading them as quickly as he could to where he knew the fight was taking place. As they drew closer, the sound of battle reached their ears and they fingered their weapons anxiously. The blood in their bodies pounded hard in their ears as their excitement escalated.
A sudden movement down another hall stopped them in their tracks, and the tension escalated. For a moment, their previous objective was forgotten until Elrohir straightened, running his fingers through his dark hair.
"Estel, you should go see what is down there." He said in a whisper and the man blanched.
"Why me?" He retorted, taking a step away from his foster brother. Elladan rolled his eyes in annoyance before shoving him forwards.
"Go on, I will follow you." He said just as quietly. Estel shot him a skeptical glance, "I promise." The elf said. Finally, the human grunted under his breath and gave him a nod. The dark haired elf smiled slightly before heading off down the other corridor, his brother following reluctantly behind.
The rest of the group watched with bated breath as they disappeared down the hall, blending in with the shadows. Their footsteps faded into nothing and they all released the breath they had been holding.
"Shall we continue?" Norui questioned and the other two nodded. The Crown Prince took a deep sigh, "Go on, Legolas." Immediately, the young elf continued down the hall and the sounds of battle drew near. A shout rang out in the air in a voice the two princes did not recognize but they said nothing. And then another sound caught their ears, a fierce and wild call that made a shiver shoot down their spines. What now, Legolas muttered to himself.
Suddenly, the small yet aggressive battle appeared in front of them and they took a moment to assess the situation. Pinned underneath the black creature was a dark haired Muru, trying desperately to keep the beast's jaws from his neck. He was bleeding at various parts of his body, his clothing torn into shreds. Slumped against the wall, clutching at his wounded chest with a grimace, was the silver haired prince.
"I thought we were fighting Turwaithiel!" Elrohir exclaimed with fright as he stared at the creature, his wide eyes never wavering. The sudden outburst caught the animal's attention and it looked up at the same group, baring its fangs with a deadly growl. It leaped towards them with its claws extended, its previous prey forgotten.
As if it were second nature, Norui thrust out his sword without thought. The weight of the creature fell upon him and he stumbled back, but the blade had stuck through the animal's shoulder and it let out a sickening shriek. It thrashed violently, struggling to break free, but Legolas leapt forward and slashed across its back. This only angered it more and it swatted at him, sweeping his legs out from underneath of him. His head cracked against the floor and his vision swam. He vaguely heard his brother give a mighty yell before the Crown Prince threw the creature from his body.
He was barely aware of Elrohir rushing past him to help his comrades, before he himself leapt up to join in the fight.
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The sounds of battle carried down the halls, dragging the concentration of both man and elf from the task at hand to their friends. Elladan tried his best to shut out the noises while subconsciously running his fingers over the engraving on the hilt of his sword. Estel kept glancing back behind himself, half expecting to see something sneaking up the hall. He nearly jumped out of his skin when his foster brother touched him on the shoulder, earning himself a questioning glance.
"What is it?" The man asked, clearing his throat.
"I don't think anything is down here." The elf replied quietly, "It might have been our imaginations. We should go back and help them." Estel nodded.
"Alright." He said, "Anything to keep my mind from straying into dark areas." At this, Elladan smirked and made to turn around, but two figures hunched over against the wall caught his eye and he stopped. The human noticed the half-elf's hesitation and froze, his eyes wide.
"What now?" He muttered. The elf remained silent for a moment before taking a sharp inhale of breath.
"Come." He said hurriedly before striding quickly down the hall, his gray eyes never straying from his target. Estel followed behind him, trying desperately to see what his brother did.
As they drew closer, he could discern the two people against the wall and his eyes widened in shock, "Ricamros? Lady Iaurtondariel?" He breathed before hurrying ahead of the elf and kneeling down beside them and placing a hand on the Muru's shoulder, "What has happened to you?"
Slowly, the prince pried his eyes open and managed to focus on the one in front of him, blinking rapidly. His lips parted slightly as if to speak but no words came out.
"Ricamros?" Elladan called and the silver haired Muru cast his attention on the elf, furrowing his brow slightly, "What happened?"
"She…she needs help." The prince said weakly, "Help her."
"But what about you?" The elf commented as his eyes wandered to the wound on the Muru's leg, "You are injured as well." Ricamros shook his head.
"No, I am fine. Help her first." With that, he sighed softly and let his eyes shut, his head lolling slightly to the side. Estel glanced up to his brother questioningly, but then immediately turned his attention to the wounded pair on the floor. He suddenly found that any previous anxieties he had for his friends were suddenly forgotten, his skills of a healer taking over.
"We should take them back to his chambers with the ladies. Perhaps Arwen would be able to help in healing them; she is has more skill in this than I." The man suggested as he began to carefully remove the elleth from the prince's hold, "Besides, we cannot do much for them here."
Elladan nodded and replied, "Yes, that is a good idea. Though I am more curious as to what happened to them, and why no one else was aware of it until now."
"Perhaps it was Eruko." Estel said as he brought Iaurtondariel to her feet. Quickly, he scooped her up in his arms with her arm slung over his shoulder. The elf brought Ricamros to his feet and let him lean against himself, supporting his weight.
"Considering all of the possibilities, that is the most likely. After all, who else in this city would want to harm their prince?" He replied as he hurried after his foster brother, "If that is the case, then there is only one question on my mind right now."
"And what is that?" Elladan gave him a sidelong glance.
"Where is he now?"
The human fell silent at this and let his gaze fall to the lady in his arms. What his brother had said made his blood run cold and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He suddenly felt as if dark eyes were watching him from every corner, just waiting for his senses to slacken and then they would pounce. His grip on the elleth tightened unconsciously.
"I also wonder if the king has managed to lower the Muruien powers yet." Elladan commented, bringing the man from his thoughts with a jolt. Estel cleared his throat softly and nodded.
"That would be very helpful." He said, and then fell silent. A few moments later, a soft chuckle escaped the elf's lips and the human gave him a questioning look.
"I have to wonder if Ada has gone mad with worry yet." He mused, a small twinkle in his eye, "Or if he has murdered Lord Glorfindel and Lord Erestor in his anxiety." Estel allowed a small chuckle.
"Perhaps, though I am sure they would much rather prefer Ada's wrath than the taunting of Espenshade any day."
"Indeed!" The half-elf laughed, "I can only imagine the look on their faces when they find they have been pecked at and annoyed by a woman for all these years!"
"If we ever get out of here, that is." Estel said and the light atmosphere quickly diminished, frowns replaced the smiles on their lips.
"We will, Estel." Elladan stated, "We will win this."
The two brothers fell into silence once more and they cautiously made their way back to the prince's sleeping chamber, eyes and ears alert. Time seemed to pass by slowly as they meandered back down the halls. They let out a sigh of relief when they finally arrived at their destination. But as soon as they stepped in the door, they found themselves bombarded with frantic questions from their female companions.
"What happened?" Melyanna questioned, "What happened to Ricamros and Iaurtondariel?"
"Never mind that!" Lothron exclaimed, "What of Norui and Legolas? And Elrohir?"
The interrogation continued as they made their way to the two beds, placing the elleth on one and the Muru on the other. Elladan turned to his sister.
"I would like you and Lothron to help these two in any way you can." He said and they all hushed, "We are not sure what has happened to them, nor are we sure of the full extent of their injuries. We found them lying in the hall but could get nothing from them."
"They were not able to tell you who did this to them?" Arwen questioned as she went over to examine the silver haired prince, placing her hand gently on his warm forehead.
"No." Estel answered, "The lady was unconscious and he could barely form coherent sentences." The elleth seemed to accept this reason and she went silent, quickly assessing the state the prince was now in. Lothron quickly jumped into checking over Iaurtondariel, a small frown on her lips.
"Will you stay here?" Melyanna asked quietly as she came up beside the ellon, gazing up at him. He met her emerald eyes and smiled, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips.
"You know very well that I cannot sit here, knowing that my friends are having all the fun." He replied with a small grin, earning himself a chuckle.
"Aye, I do." She said, her smile slowly fading, "Though I cannot help but worry for you."
"What of your brothers? Surely, you worry for them."
"Of course I do. It is my job."
"And yet you allow yourself to be concerned for me in particular. Why?"
"Because I love you, more than anything else in all of Arda." She said this with a small smile and Elladan returned it with his own, leaning down slowly to claim her lips.
"Alright, brother, enough of that!" Estel exclaimed, grinning slightly, and the two elves pulled away from another, a faint pink tingle appearing on their cheeks, "If you try that again, Elladan, I will have no choice but to kiss your sister."
The ellon blanched at this, but then narrowed his eyes, "You keep away from her, mortal." Despite the seriousness of his voice, he could not keep the corners of his lips from twitching upwards. Arwen rolled her eyes at this display but continued on with her task. Elladan shot his brother a warning yet playful glance, then turned towards the door, "We should leave, Estel. Our friends will need us."
"Actually, I would prefer to stay here." The man answered, moving towards the dark haired elleth who tended the prince, "Our skills can be of use here as well."
"But they may need us!" The elf cried, tossing his hands in the air.
"I don't think you need worry." A voice piqued up from the other end of the room. Elladan and Estel glanced in the direction of the voice to find the small form of Jaimea with the young Muru child still hiding behind her, "Espenshade is on her way to help them."
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The air whistled past the golden falcon as she soared through the air, her small body perfectly streamlined. Her bright eyes pierced the darkness as she expertly navigating the winding halls of the palace. She increased her speed when the sounds of a fight drew closer and she could think of nothing else, except to aide her companions.
When she finally came upon them, she did not even bother to land. Instead, the golden light engulfed her as she flew towards them and by the time she had landed, she was falcon no more. The others, including the black beast, had frozen in the places at the sight of her. Two long sheaths decorated with rich gems of sapphire and emerald crisscrossed on her back, concealing matching golden scimitars. She had exchanged her dark gown for the weather-beaten tunic and leggings, and her golden hair now ran in a plait down her back.
Upon seeing the animal, Espenshade swallowed hard but held her resolve; the creature was larger than any normal Oqueri would have been naturally. Its claws were longer and sharper, and its fangs were more deadly. A single blow to the back from its massive paw would shatter even the back of the strongest man alive.
But the Muru shook this off as she drew her blades out in front of her, quickly dropping into a defensive position. She could feel the gazes of her companions on her back but she did not turn to face them, only narrowing her eyes at the Oqueri and saying to the others, "Well, are you going to fight or not?"
At those words, they leapt into battle with the single creature, their weapons held high above their head. At the arrival of the female, they seemed to find their strength renewed and they fought twice as hard, quickly pushing the beast into a corner. As any animal would, it lashed out at them wildly in its frenzy, baring its teeth and growling angrily.
It was Uhako who came forward with his sword raised up high above his head, ready to cast the Oqueri down. He could feel the eyes of the others upon his back, waiting for the final blow, but as he stared into its eyes, he found himself hesitating. This was his love that he was about to kill, he realized, even if she seemed ready to kill him, too. If not for the five waiting behind him, he would have walked away but now they were only expecting it of him. Something that he could not do.
Shutting his eyes tight and lowering his head, he brought his blade back down to his side and allowed the tension to leave his body. He immediately heard the others gasp at his action and take a few steps toward him.
"Uhako, what are you doing!" Norui growled, "You are supposed to-"
With a great roar, the beast leapt forward and knocked the Muru from his feet, effectively pinning him underneath. His head crashed against the floor and he found his vision swirling before him. The vibrations of the others' footsteps pounded in his ears yet he could not make sense of it. Before he knew it, the weight of the animal left him and the shouts of his 'companions' reached his ears.
Uhako was not aware of how long he lay there, listening to the sounds of the fight as they continued to drag on. He was about to gather the strength to sit up but another presence soon washed over his being, and his insides ran cold. He knew this feeling well but it brought him no comfort. Only fear.
He opened his bleary eyes and saw that everyone else seemed to notice this as well, for they stood rigid and glanced around warily. Suddenly, he felt the one who knew so well manifest behind him and his whole body froze with apprehension. His reaction was shared throughout everyone else, including the animal, but he also sensed something else from two of the three elves: hatred. Pure hatred radiated from their lithe bodies as they gazed upon the new being. Uhako briefly wondered the cause of this before he found himself lifted to his feet, and his head spun from the sudden movement. He grimaced- his master had come.
The companions said nothing as they gazed upon the cloaked being, and they were unnerved. Tall, he was, and dark; so much so that they could not even see his face from where they stood. From him radiated only ill intent and malice. But what frightened and confused them all the most was that even though they could not see his face, they could sense the smirk upon his lips.
After a few long moments, he took a small step forward and bowed his head slightly, saying, "Finally, we meet. Long have I been awaiting you." No one replied to him, as though they feared that if they spoke, he would cast a spell upon them, "So, will now one greet me?" Still no one answered.
Shaking his head, Eruko crossed his arms and continued, "You have traveled so long and far, yet now you will not speak to the one that you have searched for. Where is the decency is that?"
"We are not here to exchange meaningless words with you." Norui growled, "But to permanently remove your head from your shoulders."
"You think your words frighten me?" Eruko laughed, "You in particular should know very well that I can simply snap my fingers," He did just that, and a dark red barrier appeared around his body, "And my shield goes up, preventing you from getting anywhere near me." The elf seemed to falter at this but attempted to hide it behind a scowl.
But what the Muru didn't mention was that he was having extreme difficulties keeping the protective shield up, let alone even creating it. After his encounter with the prince and the woman, he had been busy trying to figure out exactly why his power was waning. But when he had sensed his servants were having difficulties- yet again, he added- he gave up his experimenting and hurried to their aide. But he knew that he would do little good, for he knew that he would not be able to withstand one blow to the shield without losing his grasp on it. He chewed on his bottom lip tentatively and he knew that they could probably sense his apprehension, even if they did not know the reason for it. But he shrugged it off- he would have to bluff.
The shield subsided quickly and he took a step back, mostly from the strength that he had now lost. Shaking it off again, he managed a smile.
"So, what shall you do, o High Prince of the Wood Elves? With no trees around for you to scamper up into for protection, you must feel out of your element." Both Legolas and Norui found that their anger escalated even further at this comment. The cloaked Muru held himself higher, his confidence boosted.
"You ignore us." Elrohir said, tightening his grip on his blade, "Why?"
"Because I take particular interest in this elf. It is said once in the grips of a Muru, escape is impossible. Yet he has defied this, and I am curious to find out how." He replied casually, "Plus, I know that I can hurt him greater than I can hurt any of you."
The Crown Prince felt a shiver shoot up his spine at the Muru's words, and he felt his stomach flip in his body. He had a strange feeling that Eruko meant 'hurt' in a different way entirely. He was almost reluctant to ask what he meant but found his curiosity got the better of him and he questioned bitterly, "What do you mean?" The Muru crossed his arms.
"Let us just say that I greatly enjoyed tormenting a certain lady until she collapsed from her agony, a lady that you know well. Very, very well." He shrugged, "Though she did last much longer than I expected her to, I admit."
The ellon's body ran cold as his worse fears came to life. Every sound around him became a blur and his mouth went dry. All of his muscles seemed to melt beneath him and he barely caught himself before falling to the floor. She could not be dead, he whispered to himself, it was not possible…she was meant to live forever! He would die without her! He needed her!
"I do not believe you." He said, his voice hardly above a whisper though more chilling than anyone had ever heard before, "You lie. She still lives."
"Believe what you like but no matter how much you run from it, you must except it in the end." He retorted without missing a beat, as if he knew this would be his response. A twisted grin came upon his lips at the defeated look on the Crown Prince's face- his bluff was working.
"Well, enough of this." He turned to Uhako who stood by his side, frozen, "Uhako, Turwaithiel, take care of them for me. I do not have time to waste my strength on them." He made to leave but stopped in his tracks at the sound of a new voice.
"You have not the time, or simply you do not the strength to take on all of us at one?" The silver haired prince called, his navy eyes turned cold and hard as steel. Legolas gaped at the Muru, shock evident in his features, while Espenshade only gazed upon him with a small smile on her lips. Once again, Eruko turned to them and they could sense the amused look on his face.
"I see you have taken advantage of your newfound skill, Prince Tarmikos." He grinned, "Though I cannot say that you are using it to your benefit." He thrust his hand forward, his fingers curled into an unnatural position, and the Muru gasped in pain. The burning feeling in his throat had returned and he dropped his blade, grasping at his neck. But as quickly as it had come, it dissipated and the pain left him. Eruko snickered, "Choose your words wisely, prince, for I can take away your words as easily as I gave them back to you. Now, Uhako, do as I say!"
Uhako glanced upon his master, biting his lips nervously. His head still spun slightly but his senses had returned to him. But as the cloaked Muru brushed past him, he suddenly remembered that he was the one he hated above all else, the one who had placed him in this position. He gritted his teeth together.
"No." He declared, his eyes narrowing, "I will no longer bend to your will."
As he turned back to face him, Eruko took in a sharp breath of irritation, "Is that so? Well," The dark haired Muru did not have time to register his master raise his hand and smack him across the face with such a force that send him to his back, "Then you shall share the same fate as them. Turwaithiel!"
A fierce roar came forth from the forgotten Oqueri and she sprang forward, landing once more on the Muru. Even as the others rushed forward to help, he felt her claws digging deeply into his chest and nothing but betrayal washed over him. So far entangled, she was, in Eruko's lies that she could not longer see the difference between right and wrong. Her mind had been made up and that would never change. He could barely make out the footsteps of the retreating Muru above the growls of the animal.
The singing of a blade flying through the air seemed to pierce through the sound of the Oqueri, but was suddenly silenced with a thud. He heard his former master stop quickly, turning around to gaze upon them once again.
Quivering in the wall was a long scimitar with the Muru's black robes trapped beneath it. Eruko's eyes trailed along the blade and up to the hilt, before glaring in the direction of the female Muru. Without hesitation, he pulled the weapon from the wall and held it before him.
"There is a thin line between bravery and foolishness, my lady." He said, his voice grave, "And I believe that you have just crossed that line."
At ten times the speed it had been thrown, Eruko flung the sword back towards them with amazing force. Espenshade had not the time to dodge it before it lodged her shoulder and pierced out the other side. Her scream echoed throughout the hall, sending blood-curdling chills down the spines. Tarmikos said nothing, his voice stolen away, as he rushed to her side, dropping his sword to the ground.
And that was when Eruko made his move. The others did not even have time to register his sudden movements before finding themselves cast to the ground.
A new and terrifying strength seemed to possess the Muru as he quickly beat them down without even touching them. With a flick of his wrist, he was able to toss them away like rag dolls, exerting little effort. Elrohir reached blindly for his weapon but felt a weight land upon his back and he grimaced, his hands curling into tight fists. Claws suddenly dug into his shoulders and he cried out from the pain, his mind running recklessly with horrifying thoughts. This weight was quickly removed though and he saw the golden haired ellon not far away, wrestling with the black creature. Shaking off his fear, he leapt to his feet and swung at the beast, effectively cutting a long gash in its side. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Crown Prince coming shakily to his feet with his blade held limply in his hands before being cast down to the ground again.
Gritting his teeth, the Noldo elf plunged his sword deep into the side of the Oqueri and it screamed in pain, thrashing on the ground in its desperate attempt to remove the blade. Legolas quickly came to his feet, ignoring the pain he now felt all over his body.
"Finish it!" He shouted to Elrohir before rushing to aide his brother. Glaring down at the withering creature, he did not hesitate to do as his friend commanded.
"Farewell, my lady." He thrust his blade down into its chest and it jerked briefly before going still. He managed a triumphant smirk before glancing around.
Norui and Legolas were trying desperately to get near the cloaked Muru but had no luck. They would get within five feet of him before the dark red barrier would burst out from him, painfully sending them back to the ground. The Muru prince still stood guard over his wounded sister, completely oblivious to anything else around him. The dark haired ellon then noticed the Muru on the floor, motionless and bleeding profusely from his wounds. He swallowed hard, fearing the worst.
Quickly assessing each situation, he made up his mind and retrieved his blade from the ground. His gray eyes locked upon the battle at hand and he waited for the perfect moment to strike. His hardened muscles twitched before he sprang forward.
Eruko saw the Noldo charging towards him and he panicked. Without a thought, he roughly kicked away the two wood elves and forced up his shield, quickly draining any strength he might have had left. Elrohir crashed into the barrier and upon impact; it felt as if his skin were on fire. He was thrust backwards, skidding upon the ground, and painful tears sprung from the corners of his eyes. The burning feeling continued to spread up his body and he swiped frantically at his legs, arms, and torso but found no relief.
"Do not rub it!" He heard someone yell, though he could not discern the owner of the voice, "It will only make it worse!" Reluctantly, the Noldo placed his hands at his sides though he still trembled violently from the pain.
A momentary pause seemed to commence when both sides stopped in their fighting. Eruko breathed heavily, his legs shaking beneath him. But even still, he chuckled under his breath, "You put up no fight." He said, "My victory and your death is inevitable."
"You speak confidently for one who is weakening as well." Tarmikos growled, tightening his hold on the Muru in his arms, "Do not think you hide it, Eruko! Even as we speak, my father is placing his spell that will shed all Muruien of their powers. Very soon, you will be defenseless."
"Your father works too slow, prince! By the time he completes his 'spell', you will be dead and I will be long gone." Eruko hissed, quickly standing up to his full height in an attempt to show off his 'strength'.
"Your lies deceive no one!" The prince continued, "I can feel it in my own body. I can feel my powers being slowly drained from me. I know that you are no different."
The cloaked Muru fell silent, grinding his teeth together in agitation. He had forgotten about those details; being a Muru himself, the prince would feel the change as well. He mentally slapped himself but he refused to let this get in the way. A haughty smirk came upon his lips and he quickly thrust up his shield, just to prove that he was feeling nothing. Tarmikos said nothing more, only glared.
And so the fighting began once more. Elvish blades sung as they sliced the air but were continuously beat back. Even with three upon him, Eruko seemed impossible to defeat. No matter how hard they hit him, he quickly sidestepped the attack and returned it with his own more powerful assault.
The mahogany haired prince then took his turn, putting every force of energy he had into the blow, though he knew it would only be deflected. He prepared himself to be thrown back but instead, found himself falling forward with his blade outstretched. He could sense Eruko's panic when the barrier failed to appear and he narrowly missed being cloven in two. Instead, the edge of the blade had swiped down his side and they froze as his cloak slid from his body.
The weakening comrades were not sure if they were to be amazed by the sight before them, or terrified. Before them now stood a being that could not have been Muru, though so obviously was.
Thin legs, covered in brown fur, were shaped in the manner of a horse's and two black hooves took the place of feet. He was clad in a brown tunic that reached to where his knees were supposed to be but the skin that was visible was covered in black stripes. They ran in a pattern down his arms to the tips of his fingers, as well as along his neck and the sides of his face. Matching black stripes mingled with his light brown hair that came only to his shoulders. But what awed them all the most was a pair of magnificent golden-brown wings that stretched from fingertip to fingertip. The feathers shimmered in the faint moonlight and mingled together perfectly. Eruko's cold navy eyes narrowed as they gazed upon them. Quickly, the great wings folded together and disappeared behind his back. Looking at his front, one would never guess of the abnormality.
After a long moment, Tarmikos spoke, "So, that is the result of my father's punishment. A mutant." He scoffed, "Not nearly enough for the crime you committed."
"That blasted king of yours is lucky that I found a way to hide those bloody curses on my back!" The malformed Muru shouted in anger, his fists clenching, "If not for this new incantation, they and every other mutation on me would be hidden!"
"Ah, so you admit that you are being affected."
The Muru stared in shock at the smirking prince, and he felt his blood boil. How dare he trick him into revealing his weakness! Rage flowed throughout his body and he subconsciously extended his wings threateningly. The others took cautious steps back when they sensed his escalating anger.
"How dare you accuse me of being weak!" He screamed, "I feel nothing!" With a cry of outrage, he threw forth the last of his strength towards them. Their cries of agony echoed in the halls and it felt as if their skin was being torn from their bodies. Even the unconscious Espenshade seem affected as her cries mingled with the others. Windowpanes shattered from the magnitude of the blow and fell upon the two Muruien. The shards embedded themselves in their flesh and they gritted their teeth against the pain.
Bleary eyed, they watched him defenselessly as he prepared to deliver the final attack. Nothing made sense anymore as they saw their lives flash before their eyes. Their limbs shook beneath them and a shrill buzz rang in their ears. So this was how they were to die…
XXXXX
:cackles to herself: Cliffy, or no?
Well, I was going to write more but as soon as I typed in that last sentence, I thought, "You know, that would be a nice place to end. Bwahaha." I was intending to write more but…I like this ending better. It would be fun to just end the story here but I have so much more I want to do. After all, it isn't often the bad guys win, bwahaha.
I'm trying something new, something like an incentive. Review, and you get a one -shot that I wrote and never will be posted on ever. Each one will feature one or more of my characters. I will have a new one for each update. This one features Legolas, Norui, and Espenshade. (pyvrebaal, you've read this already. eheh.)All you have to do is review…and give me your email if you are anonymous.
I've found my source for inspiration: Latin music. I will now buy millions of Latin CDs and listen to those while writing. Anywho, thanks for reading. :evil smile:
Until Next Time,
Manwathiel
