*italics indicates the Avarin language being spoken
*A/N: I do not plan for this to be a long story, more a novella for background for another story I have in mind. I own nothing that pertains to LOTR all rights go to JRR Tolkien. I have taken it upon myself to change a few things in the timeline of the events of Arda.
Chapter 2
When the Battle's over
Y.T. 1425 (Year of the Trees)
With a final cry, she felt her sword pierce the flesh of the enemy before her and she stumbled forward. Elarinya pulled her sword free, tripping over the bodies under her feet. Her mind was numb, her body exhausted. As she had feared, her father's plan had not gone as planned. The orc scouts had spotted his troops and meet them head on, they also had time to gather their other camp. But they only sent some, the rest marched on Aelion. She and her warriors were greatly outnumbered, and to make matters worse, they fought with Easterlings. They had little warning. From the moment they were upon them, Elarinya advanced on the enemy, her mind focused only on cutting down her foes, keeping her home safe.
Spinning, she made to meet the next orc or Easterling, but found no answering battle cry or raised weapon. The sword meet only open air, causing her to stagger again. Slowly, her mind started to open from the focus of battle, taking in the scene around her. Bodies littered the sand, blood pooled on the ground, and the wails of the injured assailed her ears. Elarinya looked down, a gurgling noise catching her attention. It was the Easterling she had just brought down, his small hands clutching at the abdominal wound, blood spurting from his mouth as he tried to speak. She was struck dumb. He was so young, no more than a child, his life taken much too soon. Bile rose in her throat, sickened at the death she had wrought. Had many children had she killed this morn? As many as had tried to kill her, an inner voice spoke, but to no avail. There had been countless battles she had engaged in over the years, very few against the Easterlings, but never had she killed someone so young. Turning away she vomited, looking into yet another face of one much too young to die, one who should not even know the troubles of war, no matter if they were her enemy.
Elladyr, her star strike, landed lightly on her shoulder, hooting affectionately against her cheek, displacing the streaks of tears, she had not realized she had shed. Jumping slightly, she forced herself into composure. A seasoned warrior and leader, she could show no weakness here. Turning her back to where she saw the movement of others, she quickly wiped away the tears, blood and dirt from her hands covering their tracks on her cheeks.
"Thank you for you comfort my friend." She spoke in Avarin, she told the owl, stroking his feathered head. Taking a deep breath, she stood tall, shoulder erect and walked to where the others where now gathering. Elarinya walked between bodies or orc, Easterlings, and her comrades, a battle constantly waging over her control.
Ellethwen was the first to approach her. "My lady."
"Ellethwen." She nodded her head in acknowledgement, forcing a neutral façade.
"We have suffered many casualties, only a handful remain, and most are wounded. The enemy is defeated."
Elarinya could hear the struggle in her voice, and knew well her friend's struggle, but she offered no comfort. They were yet in danger. They knew not how the others faired and whether more enemies marched upon them.
"Meldiriel," She called to her other friend, who answered promptly.
"Find those who can serve as scouts. We need to know our perimeter is clear and what dangers approach. Ellethwen, begin gathering those who are injured. Those who are able, get them to the camp for treatment."
"What of you my lady?" Meldiriel asked, worry on her brow.
"I will do what I must, I will give mercy to those that wish it." She cringed inwardly at the thought, dreading it. But as the highest-ranking officer and the leader of her people, it was her duty.
"I will help you, my lady," Faelon spoke, walking up to their group, "No one should bear that duty alone."
She considered the guard's grey eyes, knowing he had accompanied her father doing the same task many times before, only now her father was not here. Elarinya nodded in consent, not trusting her voice now.
No one else spoke. There was little else to say as they each went to begin their given tasks.
Elarinya knelt by yet another mortally wounded elf, the ellon one of Veryan's soldiers. He boasted a gaping wound to his chest, she was not sure how he still drew breath. "I shall grant you mercy should you wish it." She spoke her voice calm and soothing for the dying ellon.
"m..me…mercy" he sputtered, spitting blood on her face, she felt the warm of it drip down her nose and running across her lips, a bitter taste of iron erupting in her mouth.
Closing her eyes, she placed her sword over his heart. She chanted to herself—'be strong, show no emotion, be strong, I ca do this…I must do this.'
Elarinya plunged the sword through his heart. She heard his grunt, and then the sigh as he took his last breath, his suffering over, his passing instant.
"May the blessings of light be upon you,
Light without and light within.
And in all your comings and goings,
May brooks and trees and singing hills
Join in the chorus too.
And every gentle wind that blows
Until the day we meet again in the
Halls of our Eru Ilúvatar"
She felt as if a piece of her fëa was somehow lost and broken. For the first time in her long life she had taken the life of a human and that of her kin. Elarinya knew she would not be the same from this day forth. Before, she had seen her position as a shield maiden of her people as glorious, something to be proud of and worth boasting of. Now she saw it as a burden a duty to her people. It would make her a shadow of her former self. To be a shield maiden was not a title to boast and flaunt around as she had been ought to do. It was so much more. There would be no taking back her innocence.
Faelon placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as they walked back towards camp, the battlefield silent in death. The guard stayed silent, seeing the change in his young charge that she felt and clashed with internally. Would that she should not have to face such times, but the evil of Morgoth left no room for softness in their kingdom. His princess had grown more in the past hours than she had in her previous thousand years. However, it should have been their king leading their victory not his daughter. All the survivors, he knew had one thought on their mind—what became of their other warriors? It occupied most thoughts as much as their grief did. Hope was threadbare. All they could do now was wait.
Elarinya was not sure how much time had when a rider was spotted on the horizon and the alarm went out. All those able, picked up arms and rushed to the edge of camp.
"Calanon", She called, whistling for her steed. Faelon, Ellethwen, and Meldiriel doing the same. "Elladyr, fly ahead." The bay stallion galloped to her side, and she swung herself upon his bareback, kicking him to meet the rider on the hill. The horse's powerful hindquarters carried them over the bloodied sand with ease, his tail held high in the air from his high set croup. Calanon's nostrils flared from the scent of blood, making his dished face more pronounced.
"Be it friend or foe? Can you tell?" Elarinya asked Faelon as they drew closer to the rider.
"I believe they are friend, the rider is not an orc and dressed differently from that of the Easterlings." He replied.
"Hail! My lady!" The clear voice rang out.
"Veryan!" She breathed out a sigh of relief, urging the horse under her faster.
As they drew even they greeted each other, hands gripping shoulders and dipped heads. Veryan studied their wearied and dirtied faces, his eyes resting longest on his young charge. He saw the shadows flickering in the elleth's eyes, he saw the brokenness beneath the surface. Reaching out a hand, he cupped her face, "What happened?"
Choking back the sobs she wanted to spill, she forced a calm she did not feel, knowing she was fooling the ellon that helped raise her and train her, "The second orc party came for Aelion with a host of Easterlings. They have been defeated…at great cost."
"How many?"
"There are seventy-five of us left, thirty-two with serious injury. We cannot fend off another strike. And you? What happened, you look terrible."
"We were spotted by orc scouts early on, as you feared would happen. The orc camp emptied, catching us off guard, their reinforcements came quickly. We took a loss, but not as severe as your own, we outnumbered our foe greatly, but we did not expect the aid of the Easterlings as well."
How she wanted to ask of her father, but she feared seeming weak, so she kept quiet, merely nodding her head at the news. They had lost so many kin in so few hours, the anguish was almost too much to bare. Her heart felt so heavy, her guilt adding to the weight. How much more could she take?
"Your father is working to regroup our people, treat the wounded, and return to camp. I shall return to him and give him the grievous news." Veryan informed her, knowing she sought knowledge on his wellbeing, even if she would not ask.
"We shall await your return with great anticipation." Elarinya respond, her heart a bit lighter knowing her father was alive.
Turning her mount, her party galloped back to their camp, hopefully the news that the others fared better would light hope back into her people's heart.
Hours she spent helping to treat and heal the injured, until the daylight faded behind the horizon and exhaustion finally claimed her body. She did not wake as Faelon carried her to her tent, nor did she stir as he covered her with the blanket on her bedding. Her dreams once again took her far away.
The waves crashed angrily against the rocky coast, their spray soaking the sheer cliff. Mist rose over the coast, veiling their anger from the world, except from the lone figure standing upon the edge, his long dark hair dancing in the wind. His song slowly drifted over the land filling her mind.
'When I'm alone
I dream on the horizon
and words fail;
yes, I know there is no light
in a land where the sun is absent,
if you are not with me, with me.
At the edge
show everyone my heart
which you set alight;
enclose within me
the light you
encountered on the journey.
Time to say goodbye
to countries I never
saw and shared with you,
now, yes, I shall experience them.
I'll go with you
on ships across seas
which, I know,
no, no, exist no longer.
It's time to say goodbye…
When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
And words fail,
and, Yes, I know
that you are with me;
you, my moon, are here with me,
my sun, you are here with me,
with me, with me, with me.
Time to say goodbye
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
now, yes, I shall experience them.
I'll go with you
On ships across seas
which, I know,
no, no, exist no longer,
with you I shall experience them again.
I'll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
with you I shall experience them again.
I'll go with you,
I with you.'
…
The song at the end, all credits go to Andrea Bocelli- Time to Say Goodbye. I only modified a few words.