Chapter 18: Amongst the Rubble

Aragorn was roughly pushed back into the cell with Legolas and as he rushed over to the cell bars to make a move to escape, they slammed shut. He hit at the bars with all his might. Legolas stood behind him, his eyes full of fear.

"What has happened?" he asked.

Aragorn sighed. "She is not well, she is not safe! That Easterling!"

Legolas felt his skin chill. "What has happened?!"

"He will not keep her alive much longer, we need to find a way out."

"There are no way out of these cells, our dungeons are very well made."

Aragorn lost his patience. "How well made could they have been when a creature such as Gollum escaped from them once?!" he shouted.

Legolas was at a loss for words. A large rumbling was heard outside and the cell shook. They were in complete darkness, for all light had disappeared when the cell had shaken.

"The earth shakes!" exclaimed Legolas.

Aragorn grabbed on to the cell bars. "They have come!" His voice held hope in it.

Fighting could be heard in the distance. Shouts and screams. Finally light returned to the cell and the door opened. Aragorn took a step back and when he saw the faces of Elladan and Elrohir approach him he could not help but smile and embrace them. "What has taken you so long?!"

"We told you..." began Elrohir but he stopped mid-sentence when he looked over to Legolas.

"We need to find Aurel." Legolas's face was ashen.

They all looked at each other briefly before rushing out of the cell and out of the dungeons. They hid behind some columns as they could see fighting ahead and Aragorn and Legolas were without weapons.

"How is this possible?" asked Legolas, still looking ashen and confused.

"Gondor, Rohan and whoever else we could gather from Imladris have come to aid us." Said Elladan.

Legolas did not understand how help was gathered so quickly.

"Explanations can wait for another moment." Said Aragorn and he looked out. "We should move." He pointed to another safe place across the way.

"I need to get to Aurel." Said Legolas without emotion.

"First weapons." Said Elrohir.

They all ran over to the next safe place. A few dead easterlings lay next to them. Aragorn grabbed their spears and knives. "Here." He handed the knives to Legolas. "Would you have any idea where Lachnen could have taken her?"

Legolas tried to hide the sheer panic and terror that was flowing through him and nodded. "Back to our private chambers."

Elladan looked at Legolas. "You can sense something is wrong."

Legolas looked at him. "Yes. But not from her."

"From the child?" asked Elrohir. Legolas nodded. Elrohir looked at Elladan. "Go with Legolas and find Aurel."

Before leaving one another's side, Aragorn looked to Legolas. "Whatever fear is in your mind, put it behind you Legolas. Fear has no place in moments like these. You will be a father soon."

Legolas's nodded and rushed off with Elladan as they headed towards where they knew they would find her.

Her head felt light and heavy at the same time. She could feel pain, but she did not know where from. She could hear Ene's voice calling out to her.

"Naneth?"

How confusing it was for Aurel to hear Ene speak to her in terms of endearment to terms of hate from one moment to the next. She sat up and placed her hand upon her head. "What have you done?" Assuming that her latest predicament was her doing.

"We are under attack." Replied Ene.

"From whom?"

"As if you do not know." Said Lachnen.

Aurel looked up at him. "How could I..." A powerful flow of pain came forth and she felt as if she had been stabbed through with a sword. After a few moments she realized she had not been. Her ears were buzzing as she tried to concentrate. Ene placed a gentle hand on Aurel's shoulder. Aurel now looked at her. "I need to get to my chambers. My son wants to be born...sooner than expected."

Ene nodded and made a move to help her stand but Lachnen stopped her. "Stupid girl! What do you think you do? She will not part my side."

"But..." Ene looked wounded.

"But nothing, she does not part from me!"

"Ene please! Or else he will born here where it is not safe, I do not ask for much! Please! Just somewhere safer than..." Another wave of pain and Aurel had to use all of her strength not to scream out.

Ene looked at Lachnen. "If she or the child are harmed we have nothing to bargain with."

Lachnen looked at Aurel, contemplating whether or not to move her. "How far from here?"

"Not far." Ene took that as her cue to help Aurel. She helped her stand and they slowly and carefully began their walk towards the bedchamber.

By the time they had reached the bedchamber Aurel was getting pains nearly every moment. She held on to Ene very tightly, she had never experienced this type of pain, not while awake anyway, and not for very long. She wished for Legolas, she wished they were not parted, she wished she would have never left and then another wave of pain hit her. When they reached inside Aurel was glad to see her bed, though it was dark the rumblings did not seem to affect the chamber much. Ene helped her onto the bed while Lachnen made sure to check all doors were locked.

Aurel held onto Ene's hand. "You are going to have to help me...we will need..." pain. She winced and nearly broke Ene's hand.

Ene yelped and pulled her hand away.

"Forgive me Ene! Please... we need light...and warm water...cloths, you can find all in the bathing room...you know."

"I have never assisted in a birth."

"It does not matter, I cannot do this alone." She took deep breaths and decided to get onto her hands and knees which was more of cumbersome tasked than planned with one arm in a sling.

Ene shook her head.

"Ene I trained you in the arts of healing!" Said Aurel frustrated at her helplessness.

Lachnen circled around the room like a prowling warg. He kept a tight grip on his sword as he watched over Ene and Aurel.

Aurel could feel another wave of pain coming. "I will not be able to delegate much longer..." She grabbed the blankets on the bed tightly. The pain was becoming unbearable and she did not feel as if she had the strength. "Please Ene!" She screamed at her.

Suddenly as Aurel was trying to control her reactions to the pain that was consuming her she heard scuffling. She heard a sword drop to the ground. She looked up to see that Lachnen had been knocked unconscious onto the floor but before she had could figure out what was happening, Ene had picked up Lachnen's sword. "Stay back!" she yelled, but to whom, Aurel did not know.

Again in a blur as Aurel tried to control her breathing she thought she saw someone pulling at Ene, and a large thud was made as Ene hit the floor, the sword after, then more scuffling. Aurel tried to move herself away from whatever was happening but a hand reached out to her and as soon as it touched her hand she felt deliriously happy. She knew that touch well, it was Legolas's hand! She sat up, for a moment the pain was substituted by sheer joy. He climbed up onto the bed and held her.

"Our son wants to be born." She said hurriedly.

He nodded. "I know." He looked at her and noticed the wound on her head. "You are bleeding."

She shook her head as another wave of pain was around her. "That does not matter..." She squeezed his arms so tight that he thought his arms may break. "What have you done with, Ene?"

"Nothing. She ran away after I rendered Lachnen useless, Elladan has gone after her."

"I need water, and cloths..hurry."

He managed to gather some cloths and water while Aurel felt the child wanting to move outwards. She breathed heavily, and looked over to see Lachnen stirring, her heart sped up even further. "Legolas, he wakes!" She yelled to him and then gave out a painful moan of her own.

Legolas dropped the water and cloths, tackled Lachnen and pinned him down. Aurel could not contain herself any longer, she had to push, so while Lachnen and Legolas duelled in front of her, she gave birth to hers and Legolas's son.

Her screams were masked by the fighting of the two strong elves before her, the baby's cries were also masked by their fighting, and while Aurel, could barely move, she gathered the child in her arms. She needed to get somewhere safe, if there was somewhere in Eryn Lasgalen that was safe anymore. She pitied the fact that their son had been born under such violent conditions. She soothed him as she cradled him close to her. She tried to move herself slowly off the bed only to be gathered by a pair of arms.

"Do not move." Said Aragorn. She saw a flash pass her by, it was Elrohir, and he went to Legolas's aid. She tried to move again. "I said do not move." And he took out a dagger and cut the cord that bound her and the child. He took one of the cloths that was on the floor and wrapped it around her and the child so that they were wrapped together and so she did not lose grip on him. The child was now nestled to her. "Do not worry he will be safe that way."

It was then that she finally let out tears, but she did not know what for, joy, sadness, fear? She cried anyway and Aragorn held her briefly. "Now we have to move, and you are in no condition, but I am afraid you will have to."

Aurel, still crying, nodded and tried to stand, she felt herself bleeding. She looked to Aragorn in panic. She could hear that there was still fighting going on.

He quickly and steadily moved her out of the room, through the secret passageway.

"I can feel that I still bleed."

"The birthing is not done." He said quietly.

She felt no pain, just tiredness, and when they finally came out into the light she saw what had been making the sounds, in a few weeks, the palace of Eryn Lasgalen was nearly completely shattered to the ground. She stopped for the mere awe of it, she had no time to mourn. She felt Aragorn tug at her arm. "Come."

She shook her head. "I cannot. I ask my legs to move, but they are frozen, I feel as if they are about to give way."

He looked at the trail of blood they were leaving behind, she was losing blood quickly.

"Take my son, get him somewhere safe." She said and she knew she was much too tired to go any further.

"I cannot do that." Said Aragorn and without hesitation picked her up in his arms and continued to walk, towards the houses of healing where some of the healers that had been spared from the Easterlings were awaiting. Around them, there was no more threat of Easterlings. What was one kingdom against three? One was powerful enough to destroy, but not powerful enough to overcome, so amongst the rubble, the dead bodies of many a great people, Aragorn treaded carefully, while Aurel finally took the time to rest and just took in the sound of Aragorn's heart.

"My sweet, Estel." She said ever so quietly, so that none save Aragorn could hear her and it made his heart ache.