Welcome back to TBFF! Thanks for joining me once again! A special note of gratitude goes out to Arwan, Addy White, GuildedButterfly, mystarlight, and PrettyRecklessLaura for reviewing the last chapter! Thank you also for being so respectful with your reviews. Honestly, I was a little scared to post the previous chapter because I know how Haldir fans can sometimes react to his tragic death (myself included), but I appreciate that no one got too upset with me in the reviews. It was greatly appreciated friends, thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Lord of the Rings or Tolkien Enterprises.
ooOoo
To Be Forever Faithful
By: Ponytail Goddess
Chapter 47: A Call to Arms
"No," Belegwen whispered, her face scrunching up in pain as she realized that Haldir was no longer breathing. Her voice went up in pitch as deep emotions coursed through her mind. "No, no, no!"
Within her mind's eye, Belegwen found herself slowly leaning over the armor-clad body her husband left behind as her entire being shook with uncontrollable sobs. She gently rested her forehead on the breastplate of his armor as the agony of his untimely death overtook her.
Belegwen had hoped above all hopes that this would not happen. She had wanted Haldir's dreams to have been exactly that—dreams. However, they had been more than mere dreams; they had foretold a terrible tragedy and an untimely fate that had never been intended for elves. Death was appalling, the fate of the second-born, not the elves…
Haldir was gone though and Belegwen did not know how she would go on without him.
The pain she was feeling in his arm and back had simply disappeared, just like all of his thoughts and emotions. There was nothing left of the connection between them. The silent emptiness was a void in Belegwen's mind. It was much worse than when she had put up the mental wall because she knew this time, it was permanent. No part of him remained with her now, other than the shell of a body he used to occupy, which she leaned against as she wept.
Oh dear Vala, would his body remain in her mind for all time because of their bond? Belegwen cringed at the thought of looking upon him this way every day for thousands of years. She desperately hoped it would not be so. There would be no peace for her if he remained here forevermore.
As it was, Belegwen was already fighting against her own spirit, which was trying its best to tug its way out of her body, as if it wished to immediately follow him to the Halls of Mandos. She knew no one would blame her if she allowed herself to wither away, as many Eldarin wives and husbands gave into this temptation when they lost their beloved. It would be so easy to let go of her body and drift into the sea now. Belegwen could practically hear it again, as she had when Erthalion brought her to the brink of death. The gentle waves were washing against her ears in greeting, lulling her to let go of herself and drift peacefully away into nothingness.
Belegwen knew she had to resist though, as Haldir's tiny son was still resting within her and she could not die now without taking the little ellon along with her. No, she had been blessed with a small part of Haldir that remained within her and she would not allow the elfling to enter the Halls because of her own hopelessness and desperation. Belegwen would stay alive on behalf of the ellon, so he could be born and walk amongst the mellryn as his adar once had. How beautiful that would be…
If only Haldir had lived to witness it by her side.
Oh dear, what would she do without him?! Belegwen had spent most of her life putting distance between herself and others for self-preservation purposes. She had even spent her youngest years distancing herself from Haldir, as she had known Lord Celeborn was trying to marry her off and Haldir had been one of the potential candidates to receive her hand. Stupidly though, she did not have even the slightest inclination at the time that he had desired her thusly and had said some incredibly hurtful things to him because of it.
Haldir was the ellon Lady Galadriel had spoken about on the night Lord Celeborn and Annondel had met with her about leaving the wardens. Her words had been laced with a great truth as well—Haldir would have accepted her as she was in those days. He had loved her greatly back then, but had indeed proven himself to be even more worthy of her in the last year.
While it was now obvious Haldir would have done anything to make her happy when he was younger, he would have only allowed her to be a warden begrudgingly, as it was not the life he wanted for his wife. However, Haldir had recently made it clear that he wanted her as his second and enjoyed fighting by her side. In his last few weeks of life, he even said he desired for her to be a marchwarden alongside him. His exact words rang through her mind once more…
"I want you by my side Belegwen. You have earned your position and it is where you belong."
No one other than Lady Galadriel had accepted her decision to fight and defend as readily as Haldir. Now that she had seen the memories of their youth from his perspective, Belegwen knew how selfless Haldir truly was. He had fallen in love with her when she was naïve and headstrong, yet somehow he did not mind these terrible flaws of hers. Instead, his concern had always been for her safety and desires. Haldir had placed more importance on her happiness than he had on his own for several millennia now. He wanted her to smile and have a joyful life above all else.
When he made his declaration to her earlier tonight, Belegwen had only clung to the first three words of his statement. Haldir had said, "I love you. I always I have… and I always will." The 'I love you' part seemed to be the most important part at the time. However, this new revelation had made the second sentence more important. Haldir had loved her for nearly his entire life and had proclaimed he would love her forever.
Haldir would love her forever.
Forever.
Oh blessed Valar, how had this happened?!
Belegwen could hardly believe the depth of emotion Haldir held for her. She was even allowed to feel it once after he rescued her from Erthalion. She had felt his love for her through the makeshift wall she erected between their minds; it had been her lame attempt to stifle their bond's power to prevent him from finding out about the elfling. His love was so strong though, it passed right through the wall and filled her up with a warmth she had never felt before. It was unimaginable how powerful and deep his love was for her; Belegwen could scarcely believe it was real!
How could she live without it now? How could she live without him?!
Shivering with pain, Belegwen forced herself to sit up and then looked at his pallid face. With a shaky hand, she gently closed his lifeless cerulean eyes and then used the bottom of her healing robes to wipe the blood from his mouth and face, taking the time to gently close his jaw and lips so he looked more dignified. Belegwen knew Haldir had his pride, therefore she would not allow him to look anything other than his best, even in death. Once she moved his arms to his sides, she felt satisfied with what she saw and relaxed a bit.
"I will also love you forever, hervenn." She choked out through her tears, caressing his face softly. "I am sorry I did not realize it sooner. I am sorry I made you wait."
Leaning down again, she kissed his forehead once more, then lingered at his lips, whispering desperately against them, "This is not how this was supposed to end Haldir. This is not what I wanted for us."
She kissed his lips briefly, then sat up and buried her face in her bloodstained hands, yearning for the future she desired. How quickly Haldir had become a part of it! Belegwen's most recent dream was to enjoy the rest of her years as a marchwarden after marrying Haldir. Then, the two of them would spend their life together raising their son in Lothlorien. It was simple, yes, but Belegwen had briefly felt it would come to fruition, though it had seemed impossible for so long. Oh, how wonderful it would have been!
Belegwen's dream would never come to pass though.
"I am not ready to part with you yet! Please come back…" She begged almost silently as her abdominal muscles seized up tightly while she bawled uncontrollably. "Please!"
He did not come back though. Belegwen had cried for so long now that she felt ill. She could no longer bear to look at him and turned her back to his body, crossing her legs and leaning over her bulging stomach as she wailed over his loss. She felt so alone and empty without him.
Eventually, she noticed something peculiar was happening though. It started out as an uncomfortable feeling. Belegwen got the oddest impression that she was being watched from within her own mind. Quickly wiping her tears onto her damp sleeves, Belegwen felt slightly paranoid as she looked around her mind's eye. Other than Haldir, no one else had ever accessed her mind before other than Lady Galadriel, but she was always quick to announce herself.
It was not the lady… not this time.
When she turned around to look at Haldir, he was still right where she left him and was unmoved from the position she put him in. Something had changed though and Belegwen knew it. She could feel energy in the air, similar to what she felt when she heard the voices in her head while in Caras Galadhon.
The air grew thick around her, which was surprisingly noticeable even within her mind's eye. The atmosphere around her crackled with electricity. Whoever was causing this had immeasurable power; power Belegwen did not understand.
It frightened her.
A cold wind started to blow in her mind's eye and Belegwen stood up as she anticipated the arrival of someone else within her mind. Her unbound hair and bloody robes blew haphazardly behind her as she stared in the direction of the wind's source, trying to catch a glimpse of its creator.
A flash of twin grey eyes elicited a gasp from her as she saw a vision of them opening up inside her mind before they disappeared as mysteriously as they arrived. They looked familiar to Belegwen, but she could not quite place them.
"Belegwen," a voice on the wind whispered slowly, drawing out each syllable of her name emphatically. The voice sounded far away, but she could tell the presence was getting much closer to her. The winds were picking up as well and Belegwen held up one of her arms to block her eyes from the violent storm that was blowing around her.
The grey eyes flashed again; this time they were enlarged and staring at her as she struggled to stand against the force of the wind, which was growing stronger with every passing moment. Belegwen struggled to breathe, fearing whatever was about to appear.
Then, a loud crack resounded through the air and another elf abruptly appeared in her mind. Belegwen lowered her arm and gasped as she saw someone most unexpected standing before her.
"Heledhril?! How is this possible?" Belegwen asked in shock. Haldir had been in her mind's eye because of their marriage bond, but Belegwen had not expected anyone else to be able to enter her mind!
"I am sorry Belegwen, but there is little time to explain this. Needless to say, I am an ellon with the gift, though I do not tend to reveal it to others. This ability has often helped me to protect and serve as a warden though, which is why I am choosing to use it now." He said, not really revealing much in the way of answers.
Belegwen found herself perplexed by how Heledhril sounded. Somehow his voice was both coming from his mouth, as well as surrounding her in the air. It was very disconcerting.
As Belegwen thought through his words, she suddenly realized how many times the mysterious voice, which she now knew belonged to Heledhril, had helped her. It was Heledhril who had told her to trip Erthalion while he strangled her during the sword lesson. It was Heledhril who had warned her not to touch Erthalion, lest he remember his reasons for hating her when Belegwen made him take his oath before the Valar.
It was also Heledhril who had run out to save her from Erthalion in the middle of the night when he approached her on the training grounds. Heledhril had not even taken the time to get fully dressed, but had brought his sword with him. It had seemed odd at the time, but now Belegwen knew why.
Heledhril was protecting her. It all made sense now.
"Why have you come?" Belegwen asked, staring at his eyes, which almost appeared to be glowing with power. She had never seen this side of Heledhril and felt rather intimidated by him suddenly.
"Belegwen, I have come to beg for your help." He said, glancing from her face down to Haldir's body, which was lying behind her in the dark confines of her mind. "Since Haldir has fallen, Gilhoth has not been able to successfully lead the soldiers. He is not ready for this post, Belegwen! I implore you to come to our aid!"
"It is not that simple, Heledhril-" Belegwen started, only to be interrupted by a haunted look on his face and several foreboding words spoken with desperation.
"Please Belegwen! You have not seen what I have on this night! Very few of the soldiers understand the commands the men make of them and they are falling because of it! Gilhoth does not speak Westron and he cannot translate what they say or interpret their moves." He said, then grabbed both of her upper arms for emphasis. "You can though. You have what it takes to save us!" He exclaimed, hope filling his voice.
"I cannot do it this time Heledhril. You do not understand-" She started, only to be stopped by his hand suddenly gripping her forehead.
"Let me show you," he said and suddenly, she was looking through his eyes at the battle, just as she had a while ago with Haldir.
The fighting had moved indoors with orcs and uruk-hai infiltrating numerous doorways and spilling into the keep. Large torches lit up the area and the clashing of many swords echoed through the entryway and massive hall. Between that and the screams of the injured, the sounds of the battle were nearly deafening.
The hall was filling with bodies fast. Many men, elves and orcs were fighting in very close proximity to one another; they were dangerously close. Belegwen watched as an elf got his arm clipped by an older man wielding a sword against an orc simply because he was too close to him.
The elves and men were losing. It was obvious the orcs and uruk-hai outnumbered them greatly as more and more poured into the keep. One by one, Belegwen watched elves and men alike fall to the hoards, which surrounded them. As they overcame more soldiers, the orcs drew closer and closer to the great hall, which led to the caves housing the women and children.
Heledhril was moving quickly through the crowd with a sword drawn in one hand and a long knife in the other. Without hesitation, he took down orc after orc, catching many by surprise and purposefully engaging a few who had been watching him, wanting to take out the elf who seemed to be successfully destroying the masses. Even Heledhril was getting jostled though as more and more orcs poured into the entryway. The space was filling up fast and the number of men and elves were starting to dwindle.
Belegwen shrieked as she saw a large uruk-hai approach Kirnen, one of the youngest wardens of the Galadhrim who had testified against her at the council meeting. She could tell Kirnen did not see his enemy, as he was busy fighting two other orcs, which were bearing down on him. The uruk-hai showed no mercy and beheaded the young warden immediately, quickly moving over to a small group of struggling men, only to repeat the action.
Kirnen's body was left as a lifeless, bleeding mass on the floor and was immediately smashed beneath the feet of others who were skirmishing around them. Belegwen felt a tear run down her cheek and her heart skipped several beats at the sight. Kirnen was young and had barely qualified as a warden in time to make this journey. Now he was not only gone, but completely decimated.
Breathing heavily as grief assaulted her mind, Belegwen looked across the floor to see the bodies of several other elves she knew, as well as those of many men. Belegwen froze in shock as she caught sight of one child whom she had assisted in swordplay lying twisted and lifeless on the ground. All the lifeless bodies were being trampled as orcs filled the hall; there was no respect being shown to their remains. Instead, they were just flattened into the floor as more bodies toppled onto them.
The men were commanding their soldiers to fall back again and many of them were starting to make their way into the great hall. Very few of the elves spoke Westron though and the command was not being interpreted to them. They were continuing to fight and were not trying to exit the entryway at all.
As Heledhril found a short lull in his warpath, he scanned the entire room and Gilhoth finally came into view. Belegwen was immediately horrified by the look of fear and alarm on his face. Gilhoth was fighting, but was not whistling or shouting out commands as he should have been. His expression made it apparent that he still felt responsible for everything that was going on around him. It was unfair though, as he had not been given the appropriate amount of training to be successful tonight.
He had assumed Belegwen's mantle far too soon and was now paying the price, as were all the elves that were not receiving directions from a leader. They needed to retreat soon or they would all be lost.
Something had to be done. In her heart, Belegwen knew that she was the only one who could do it.
"But what of the elfling…" Belegwen thought to herself as she opened her eyes and found herself back within her mind's eye, staring at this very discomforting version of her protégé, who literally glowed with unforeseen power. "I told Haldir I would keep the elfling safe!"
Indeed, Haldir's words repeated themselves in her mind as she remembered what he said to her after they made love in the medical cart. "I would have you stay close to Linedhel during the battle and assist him rather than fight. Will you do this?"
Belegwen had agreed to it at the time and replied, "I suppose it would probably be for the best."
What if it was not the best course of action though? What if Belegwen could prevent several of the elves from dying during the battle? What if Belegwen could save some by heralding them into the great hall? Was the number of lives at stake worth the risk?
Could she truly say that her life and the life of her elfling were more important than the lives of the soldiers? A tear fell from Belegwen's eye because she knew the answer. Of course she and the elfling were no more important than any of the other elves. It was selfish of her to stay down here and do nothing when she was needed out there and had the capability of leading them.
Considering the state of the battle, she was no longer certain whether or not she would stay safe by remaining in the caves. Would not the orcs and uruk-hai make it all the way to the caves if the battle was lost? Would she not have to face them anyway if they made it past the great hall?
Belegwen cringed at the thought, but it was true. If they got into the cave, she would have to fight regardless, as would all of the other defenseless women and children…
"Oh dearest Valar," she begged mentally, "Not that!"
Belegwen knew there would be a massacre if the orcs and uruk-hai made it down here. The women and children were unarmed and untrained; it was the worst possible thing that could happen in this battle and Belegwen knew she could not defend them all on her own, though she knew if it happened, she would try. It was her duty, after all, to protect and defend. She had sworn to do those things when she became a warden.
Had she lost sight of that somehow? Had her concern for herself and her elfling grown too great? Was not her duty also of great importance?
How could she have forgotten her duty?! She was a marchwarden, for Vala's sake!
Belegwen had even promised her duty to Haldir, back in Caras Galadhon the night before they left for this wretched battle. In her panic over hearing his thoughts about dying, Haldir had said, "If something should happen to me, you must lead; you know this. I trust you to do this and you must promise me you will, no matter how terrible you feel. We have sworn ourselves to this duty before all else and we must see it through to the very end. You are ready for such feats if the need should arise. Now promise me you will do this."
"I promise Haldir," she had said, "I promise that if you should fall, I will push my emotions aside and lead as you have trained me."
While she still felt terribly conflicted about the elfling, Belegwen knew what she must do. Heledhril's grey eyes were gleaming with hope and Belegwen knew she could not let him down.
Belegwen would attend to her duty as she always had. She had chosen the life of a warden first and a warden she would be…
… no matter how terrible the cost.
"I will do it. I will come out and lead." She whispered, looking at her feet in utter defeat. She was scared for her elfling and she knew this was a horrible risk. She had to though; there was no one else. Quickly, she said a prayer of protection for him to Eru Iluvatar himself, begging him to preserve the life of her unborn ellon, no matter what fate befell her tonight.
"Praise the Valar!" Heledhril cried out in response. "Hurry please!"
With a crack of lightning and a gale of wind swirling around him, he was gone.
"Forgive me Haldir…" She murmured as she looked once more upon his dead body within her mind's eye. "Forgive me for what I am about to do."
ooOoo
"Belegwen… Belegwen!" she vaguely heard as the world around her started to come into view again. Her vision was blurry at first, but then started to come into focus. She saw two elves kneeling over her with worried looks on their faces. Squinting a bit in the dim light of the cavern, Belegwen could make out that one of them was Linedhel and the other, who was fanning her face with a white china plate, was Esgalamon.
Linedhel was the first to speak. "Oh, thank the Valar; you have returned! Belegwen, you passed out and then stopped breathing for a few minutes." He exclaimed. "I thought perhaps you followed Haldir to…" He began, then trailed off before finishing the thought, as if he could not bear to say it out loud.
Belegwen was glad he had not. She needed to focus on her duty and thinking about Haldir's fate would only make things harder. She laid there in silence for a minute more until her thoughts seemed clearer and she remembered Heledhril's words:
"Hurry please!"
Cursing under her breath, Belegwen forced herself to sit up and immediately felt the firm hands of both ellyn trying to gently guide her back down to the floor. "Belegwen, you have suffered a terrible trauma tonight. It would best if you rested for a while." Esgalamon said.
Belegwen resisted forcefully though, yanking her arms away from both of them expediently and rushing to her feet. Reorienting herself to the room, Belegwen quickly caught sight of the healing cart and ran over to it, climbing into the back and pulling the curtain closed behind her so she could change into her armor.
She heard Linedhel's voice speaking to her as she quickly attempted to don her armor for the first time in over a month. "Belegwen, you need to come back and lay down. Rest would be the best thing for you right-oh!" He said as he pulled open the curtain, only to exclaim with surprise as he found her half dressed and scrambling to put on her armor. Linedhel pulled the curtain closed again reflexively, though he was seemingly alarmed by what he saw.
"Belegwen, what in the name of the Valar are you doing?! Please tell me this is not what it looks like!" He exclaimed with an anxious voice. Belegwen thought it was pretty obvious what she was doing, so she did not bother to answer his query, but instead hurried to put on piece after piece of her armor.
Everything still fit with the exception of the bodice, which now hung open fairly obviously because of her pregnant stomach. There was definitely no way she was going to be able to latch the armor now, so she resigned herself to letting it hang open. It was the best she could do. Working as fast as she could, Belegwen braided her hair with even less care than she used in Caras Galadhon and was certain it looked messy and unkempt, but at least it was out of her eyes.
Belegwen's sword belt also did not fit, so she simply grabbed up Nimrodel in her hand. She would need it the entire time she was out there anyway, so the belt no longer mattered. Pulling back the curtain, Belegwen was met with the two distressed elves once again.
"Belegwen, this is ill-advised! You are pregnant; you must not go!" Esgalamon argued as she pushed past him and Linedhel, easily climbing down to the floor.
"Please, Belegwen! Do not do this! I implore you to stay here and stay safe!" Linedhel begged, his hand reaching for her shoulder as she made to leave.
"Haldir has fallen and I am needed. I must go and fulfill my duty!" She exclaimed, then violently pushed past them and ran up the stairs towards the entrance to the great hall, purposefully ignoring their horrified screams for her to come back.
ooOoo
Rumil was very worried. He had followed Haldir's command and went inside, but much time had passed since then and he had yet to see his brother enter the fortress. In fact, all he could see coming in now was a massive hoard of orcs and uruk-hai. They were not scary in and of themselves, but the sheer amount of them was frightening. Rumil had never in his wildest dreams imagined fighting off so many at once.
"Where is he?" He muttered under his breath after killing yet another foul beast, pressing his foot down on the orc he had impaled so he could pull his sword from its carcass. He glanced around the entryway, trying not to look for too long, lest his distraction become a fatal flaw. Rumil did not see Haldir anywhere though and his heart pounded quickly as he started to fear the worst.
Suddenly, an uruk-hai ran towards him with a mace. Rumil jumped away from the beast as it tried to bring the mace down on his head. It landed loudly on the floor instead, providing Rumil with just enough time to turn and slide his sword beneath the monster's head and slit his throat. The uruk-hai screamed as he passed, blue blood spurting everywhere as Rumil forced its foul body to the ground and started to look around again.
Though he searched for his brother, someone on the other side of the room suddenly caught his eye. Someone unexpected. "Oh, for the love of-" He said, then cursed loudly and quickly set to work crossing the room, felling orc after orc to clear a pathway towards his sister.
"Belegwen!" He shouted with frustration, knowing what precious treasure she carried within her, "Go back! You should not be here!" Immediately, he found himself attacking an orc that had attempted to approach her, shouting menacingly as he ran the orc through with one mighty gouge of his sword.
"No! The soldiers need my help!" She cried, swinging her sword viciously above her head in a circular motion before bringing it down and beheading two orcs beside her, utilizing an incredible amount of effort for someone who was pregnant. Belegwen then slashed at the next two who came her way, gashing their faces brutally with her sword as they shrieked in pain. Dark blue blood dripped down her face as she turned to look at him. Hastily, his free hand reached out to grab her shoulder.
"Haldir will not approve of this! You must leave at once!" He insisted vehemently. Rumil cringed at the broken look she shot him after hearing his words though. His heart immediately sank and he knew what had happened before she even said it.
"Haldir is dead," Belegwen said in a low voice that was nearly unrecognizable as her own. Rumil's chest abruptly felt cold and he barely heard her next words as pain and regret swept through his entire being. "Gilhoth needs me. Help me find him."
"No!" He hissed angrily, entwining his arm with hers tightly. "I promised Haldir I would protect you if he passed! You are going back into the caves!" He said, then started to pull her back towards the great hall with his sword in front of him, ready to clear a path if necessary. Immediately, he felt her pull back against him as she pushed her arm out of his strong grip.
Rumil whirled around to grab her once more, only to feel her hand grab him by the collar of his armor. Belegwen viciously pulled his face down so it was right next to her own. He could feel her panting breaths against his face and immediately locked eyes with her. She was absolutely livid, which was enough to make Rumil pause and hear what she had to say.
"You will help me get to Gilhoth or you will stand down warden." She said with an unyielding intensity that left no questions in his mind as to the identity of the elleth standing before him. This was no longer his best friend looking at him, but the marchwarden of Lothlorien. She expected… no, demanded obedience. "That is an order!" She shouted, despite the fact that he was right in front of her face.
Frightened of this new and very unfamiliar side of his friend, Rumil nodded once and then she let go of him. He watched in horror as she screamed viciously and attacked a few orcs who were approaching her from behind. Immediately, Rumil was at her side to help, pushing orcs away from her with his elbow and onto the ground where he could easily finish them off with his sword.
He turned around again and found more orcs closing in on them. Rumil grunted as he kicked one to the ground and beheaded the other, carefully avoiding Belegwen, who instantaneously impaled and killed the orc he had sent tumbling to the floor. "Back to back!" He heard Belegwen scream to the soldiers. "Back to back!"
Her whistle command rang out after she said it once again and Rumil watched in amazement as the remaining elves did as she commanded even though she had been disgraced. In this, the most deadly of moments, it did not seem to matter whether or not Belegwen had broken the rules with Haldir though—the soldiers needed a leader and she had stepped up to do it.
They listened.
They followed.
They obeyed.
"I must get to the other side of the entryway. The elves furthest from the great hall must be evacuated first if we hope to have any survive. Gilhoth must also be located." Rumil heard Belegwen say as he fought back to back with her. Their swords clanged and clashed as they vanquished orc after orc, guarding one another as best they could from unexpected attacks.
"I will not leave you!" Rumil vowed and then cried out, "Let us go together!"
He gripped his sword with two hands and slashed at the feet of multiple orcs to surprise them. Screams rang out around the pair as they started moving sideways through the crowd. Rumil blocked as many attacks against Belegwen as he could, trying to do everything within his power to keep her and the elfling safe. Together, they started to cut a path towards the front entryway, the very place where most of the orcs were running in.
ooOoo
Erthalion scowled at the sight. Even though the council had removed her title, the soldiers were still listening to Belegwen and obeying her commands! She had come out of nowhere and taken command over the ranks and they had all listened to her as if she was the marchwarden!
She was not the marchwarden though and never should have been!
It should have been him!
Instead, he was now being watched and resented by all of the soldiers, despite his obvious talent and strength. Haldir had ordered two wardens to watch over him at all times and keep him away from his precious Belegwen. Oh, it had been obvious Haldir had feelings for her when he threatened to kill him. Erthalion had already suspected it though because of the rumor about their kiss in the forest, which had spread through the ranks like wildfire.
Haldir thought he could keep Erthalion from his plans for Belegwen, but Haldir had been wrong. Earlier in the night, Erthalion had watched as an orc approached Haldir from behind and had chosen to do nothing as the beast inflicted a final, killing blow upon the marchwarden's back, bringing him quickly to the ground and swiftly to death. With Haldir conveniently out of the way, it would be all too easy now to complete his plan.
The soldiers who were guarding him tonight were young and inexperienced, which was also to Erthalion's advantage. Haldir had assigned two of the youngest wardens, Linros and Kirnen, to keep watch over him during the battle. Once Haldir had fallen, Erthalion had started moving faster through the crowd of orcs and had lost Kirnen right away. The youngling had been desperately fighting off three orcs when Erthalion slipped away from him in the crowd, zigzagging around until he was no longer within sight.
Linros, however, was proving to be a problem. Erthalion had tried to do the exact same thing to him, but Linros had pushed through the maddening crowd and lingered by his side even now. The youngling had spirit, that much was true, but Erthalion knew the time was right to make his move against Belegwen and he could not accomplish that when someone was watching him.
Something had to be done.
In a last ditch effort, Erthalion tried to run away from Linros and towards Belegwen one last time, but was stopped when Linros grabbed his arm and forcefully pulled him back towards the wall. "You are not allowed to approach her!" He shouted over the noise of metal hitting metal surrounding them. The expression on Linros' face told him that he knew what Erthalion was up to and that he would do everything in his power to prevent him from getting to Belegwen.
That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all.
While Linros was still securely holding his arm, Erthalion chose to use the arm he was holding to push Linros forcefully against the brick wall of the keep. Linros shouted with surprise as Erthalion ripped his hand away from Linros' grip while pressing him tightly against the wall with his other hand. Erthalion's sword rose up and flashed before his eyes, then headed straight towards Linros' chest.
The young soldier had seen what was about to happen and struggled against Erthalion's iron grip as he attempted to bring the sword down on him. Linros leaned as hard as he could to the right and the sword missed his chest and impaled his shoulder instead, passing straight through it and banging into the wall behind him.
A blood-curdling scream escaped his lips as Linros stared in shock at the sword protruding from his shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound as Erthalion pulled his sword out of him. He had not killed him, but the wound seemed to be bad enough to deter him, which was all Erthalion needed for now. He watched as Linros slid down the wall into a seated position, leaving a wet red mark on the wall as descended. The youngling was panicking, screaming once again and clutching his injured shoulder with his good arm.
Satisfied with himself, Erthalion turned and started to fight his way through the crowd towards Belegwen…
She was next.
ooOoo
Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I love hearing from my readers!
Just a heads up, I am a teacher who is getting ready to go back to school next week. I've been enjoying providing you with fairly regular updates this summer, but it is about to come to a close because real life is beckoning me once again. I will try to give you one more regular update before I go back to work so I don't leave you hanging in a really suspenseful spot in the story. After that though, the updates will probably be more sporadic and slow. My goal is to finish this fanfic before the end of 2020. I'm anticipating having somewhere in the vicinity of 55 chapters total.
-P.G.