A Song of Light and Power
The sun was swiftly descending to the horizon and her friend was nowhere to be seen. That stag! she sighed. Only melodious laughter was to be heard from the house and she smiled at the adorable voice which rang above all. But her smile soon dimmed; something hurt in the farthest corner of her mind. The only parent she ever had was her Ada, and he wasn't her true father. Never did Erenien doubt his love. Yet, incidents like these left a hole, one which may never truly heal, at least not in this mortal realm.
As evening gave way to twilight, from her place on the veranda she swept one last glance across the thick greenery that surrounded the house. As one of the branches of a tree swayed, her eyes caught a faint glow, far away. Curiosity got the better of her. She stepped out into the courtyard and peeked through the greenery, eyes wandering across the plain and into the trees casting dark shadows on the horizon. Not one, but there were many flickering lights which seemed to be carried by dark emptiness?
Erenien stood there, squinting at the flickering lights. Finally, the bearers of the light stepped out from under the trees. On the plain, in the faint glow still lingering in the west, their forms became more discernible- the heralds of death. At every passing moment they advanced in her direction, crossing the plain. Erenien inhaled sharply. She rushed into the house, feet barely touching the cobblestone.
"Orcs! Orcs are coming," she yelled.
None of them paid any attention to her. "Can't any of you hear me? Orcs are coming. They will be here soon. Run!" No response even when she jumped in front of the child's mother.
"Are you people really deaf? This is no time for playing. Listen to me," she shouted at the top of her lungs again, to no effect.
FINE! Even if you people do not care for the safety of your child, I do. None of you know what they are capable of.
She rummaged through the kitchen to find a possible weapon. There were only knives, no swords or bows or any other weapons. She took two knives which looked reasonably sharp and rushed back to the courtyard and peered into the darkness. Much to her horror, firelight danced at the foot of the hill and some had already begun ascending, but only at a slow pace demanded by their bulky bodies. Hairs stood up at the nape of her neck and she gulped, her whole body threatening to collapse with the onslaught of memories. Despite the creeping cold, sweat beads dotted her forehead and wetted her palms. She looked down at her trembling hands and gripped the knives tight, in a desperate attempt to stop the shivering.
Stay strong, Eryn. You have to, no matter what.
They were heavily at odds with too many of the orcs against the six of them. Erenien went back in and with shaking hands, firmly shut the doors and locked the bolts. The first one of the group to hear the fray was the brother of the ellon, whose name she found to be Amdirin, who hurried to barricade the door. Suddenly, panic spread through the family.
"Hanno, what is it?" the child's father asked Amdirin, panic slowly creeping in his features.
"Yrch," he muttered, eyes gleaming in hatred.
"Anoriel, take Aerien and leave with nana and Laswen," the child's father breathed to his wife, glancing at the sleeping form of his child resting peacefully in the arms of his sister.
"No! They are coming for me, Calemir. It is me who must face them. You leave with them," her reply was stern.
"I will not leave you to face them alone," Calemir said, grasping his wife by her shoulders.
"You must. For the sake of our child, go with them," her voice was more pleading than before.
"I will not!"
"Could you stop arguing at this hour? The enemy is at our doorsteps. Take the child away now or all of us will die," Enya interjected.
"Fine!" Calemir said. "Amdirin, Laswen, take Aerien. Nana, go with them."
"I cannot not leave you, son," his mother objected.
"Nana, please, take Aerien to safety, for our sake."
She reluctantly agreed and embraced her son and daughter-in-law. Both parents bid farewell to their child. The last kisses Aerien received were wet with tears. This could be the last time they see their baby, Erenien thought painfully. The trio took the sleeping child and rushed to the back door, her parents in tow. When they came back, they were carrying swords. Erenien watched with growing horror, the flash of firelight on the blades and the hideous shadows dancing through the window-panes, the sight itself quickening the thrum of her heart.
A loud noise. Something rammed against the doors, which threatened to fall off. She gripped her knives tight and let out a silent prayer which seemed to be her last one as well. Ae Eru! At least please save the others. Beside her, she saw both Anoriel and Calemir clasp their hands. Erenien nearly screamed when the glass of a window shattered just to her right.
With a loud crack, the door broke. There was a rush of orcs, through both the doors and the now broken windows. Knives angled in her hands, ready to strike the first blow.
Suddenly, there was a song. An explosion of both light and power. Anoriel sang and tendrils of golden light left her raised hand. Like the mighty waves of the stormy sea, the power it contained pushed the orcs away. Erenien shut her eyes tightly against the blinding light. The song carried on. Waves upon waves of power hit the invading orcs. As moments passed by, the strength of Anoriel wavered. Her song faltered. Its notes only retarded their enemies, for there were many to replace the fallen ones. Orcs swarmed in with all their wrath concentrated on the couple. Anoriel's sword sang for her when her voice couldn't. The emblem of the golden sun embossed on its mithril hilt shone in her light.
The couple was soon surrounded. Erenien pushed against the orcs, her knives swinging wildly, apparently with no effect. She was always pushed back, to a corner. Her face contorted in shock and utter helplessness as a cry of pain erupted from the midst of the orcs.
Calemir fought still, clutching his side where the orc blade had stabbed. His weakened defense didn't last long. Another blow to the back of his leg brought him to his knees. Anorsel turned abruptly to shield him, breaking their last defense.
From the corner she was pushed off to, Erenien saw them kneeling on the ground, bound by chains. For a moment she locked eyes with the lady and saw the fire that burnt in there, of both gold and silver.
Someone entered. The sight itself made Erenien's stomach turn. As if by instinct, she cowered behind a chair, the action itself causing her to feel disgusted with herself. But the fear was all too engulfing. It was him, the orc chief from Dol Guldur. Whether he saw Erenien, he didn't care, for his entire attention was turned upon the captives. Words were exchanged between them which Erenien couldn't catch amidst the screeching of orcs in their assumed victory. A sudden stillness crept up in the couple's faces. Her eyes caught only the sudden flash of a silvery glint and the glimmer of one last drop at the edge of Calemir's eyes before their light was burnt out.
Erenien bit down hard on her fist as beads of red splattered across Anoriel's white dress. The sword was raised up and its edge was painted red. Loud screeches rose up at its sight. Anoriel stared at the still form of her husband and closed her eyes. One silvery drop cut through her cheek, bidding silent farewell. The orc chief took Anoriel by the hair. Erenien couldn't utter another sound when his blade slowly drew a trailing line at the tender skin of her throat. Slowly, the light of her eyes bled out.
There was a victorious roar, as the elleth fell, clutching her throat. Erenien sank to the ground, her knees giving away finally. It was too much. Bile tasted at the back of her throat at the sight of pooling blood. Erenien hugged her knees and wept, not caring whether the orcs would find her. One by one, they left the house. Unable to stand straight, Erenien crawled to where Anoriel was still gasping for empty air. At last, the lady stilled. Erenien had wanted to scream but her voice refused to comply. Instead, she sent her thoughts up high, to the throne of Ilúvatar.
Why...? Why did you let this happen? Why did you abandon them in the hour of their need...?
Note
Hello! First of all, THANK YOU to all those who made it up until here. How was the chapter? Did you feel your blood rushing or was it just a piece of cake? Erenien is a mess now, but I hope you like her, right? I know I have been silent throughout the fic. It is finally time to break it, I think. How was the story up until now? I am eager to know how you felt about it. How about a review? Even just a word from you would be much appreciated. I hope I haven't been boring you. But don't hesitate to tell me if you felt so, and I shall do something about it. And those who don't have an account can also post guest reviews. Eagerly waiting for your suggestions.
Sincerely, Elenáre