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L U M O R N E L

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I gazed up at the tall, tall tree, closing the journal I was reading from. Apparently, I once had a strange mirror in my possession, where it was now, I wasn't sure. I would have to ask Legolas about it. But he was somewhere up in the branches, searching for any signs of the enemy we hunted. He knew, just by simply laying a hand on the tree, that it was the largest one in this section of forest. I was tempted to call up to him, but held my tongue

It was still early morning, early enough that a few members of our party were still asleep—a rare treat. The past two days we had all only camped for a few hours, then set off again with the moon still watching over us. I knew we had been traveling longer than that but... I could not remember before.

With the help of Aragorn, Legolas, and a small journal, I was able to recall upon a few things from the last several weeks. Although, I couldn't remember the things they told me or the things I read as experiences of my own. Yesterday I could remember up to four prior days. Today... only two.

Actually, it was more like one and a half.

We had set out from a place called the Western Hope, traveled two weeks with little problem, and finally came upon our destination: Erynbâr. Well, we were a few hours travel from it. To me, it felt as if we were already there.

Our company of twenty-one couldn't stop talking about it or about the plan we were to carry out. Only a few hours prior, Dever had gone before us to scout out the small town.

I hoped with all my being that the information that he had gathered—that Alagosson would be in Erynbâr—was right. I didn't have more time. If I was going to accomplish anything before my time ran out, I wanted it to be this. I have to accomplish one good thing before I go. One thing to help.

Legolas jumped down, startling me out of my thoughts. He smiled as if he knew I had been stuck in my head.

"Anything?" I asked.

He shook his head, gazing in the direction of Erynbâr as if he could see it through the trees. "The town is quiet. Not even a soul is out in the breeze."

My blood chilled. No one out?

Aragorn, who stood next to me, also fell silent. Well, silenter.

I hoped Dever returned soon.

"Ill news this is," Aragorn pondered, gazing in the direction of the hidden town. "I hope we are not too late."

"No—" I jumped at the new voice, seeming to appear out of nowhere.

Dever looked strangely at me, but his lips then tightened, as if he were holding back a smile. I bit my lip and looked away. He wore drab-colored clothing to blend with the shadowed forest and a coat to ward against winter's chill, his dark hair helping with his disguise even more. And his footfalls were nearly as silent as an elf's.

"No," he continued, "we are not too late. Though if we wait here any longer we will be. Alagosson is in Erynbâr right now."

He hesitated for a moment, a slow-burning rage entering his eyes. "A contingent of mercenaries were ordered to sail towards Calembel down the Ciril. Alagosson and a handful of soldiers are staying behind."

Legolas inhaled sharply. "That is Orhallon's city."

Aragorn nodded. "And they supply us with news from distant lands."

Troubled, Aragorn turned to me. "Calembel may be under the guise of a trading crossroads but the city is a refuge for the peoples of the Western Hope. Should the need ever arise, we would evacuate to the city."

Horror dawned on me. "And if the enemy overtakes Calembel..."

He nodded.

Shuddering, I eyed Legolas, who already had his eyes upon me. Although I could only remember being a friend to him for a day and a half, the connection we must have built before then was tangible. Maybe not made of the strongest material, but strong nonetheless.

I moved a little closer to him.

"Was it stated as to when the enemy is to sail?"

Dever looked off into the treetops, seeing and hearing things from several hours before. "No. There was no time given. But they were told to gather all those who lie hiding in their homes and to search the edges of the forest first. My lord, if I had a say in the matter, I'd say that it may take them an hour to do it. It took me a little more than that to reach Erynbâr."

Aragorn's gray eyes narrowed in thought and he then turned towards the now awakening soldiers.

"Take with you half my soldiers and then bound ahead to Aglon e Luntion with all haste. The trees should provide a way to board their boat."

Dever nodded curtly. He and Aragorn then went to discuss who would go with whom. The small camp erupted into a flurry of activity. It only took a few short moments for us to be moving once more.

I again met gazes with Legolas. Lifting my chin, I straightened my shoulders. I'm ready.

Legolas nodded slightly and, picking up his bow, he took those first few steps with me as we set forth to the adversary ahead.

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The town was silent.

Not even a bird twittered in the dead trees around us, nor any dogs barked.

I struggled not to shift uncomfortably, lest I give away our position. But these leaves! The piney bush Legolas, Aragorn, some other elf, and I were hidden in may have obscured our presence but they wouldn't leave the skin on my neck alone!

I eyed my companions, but they seemed unfazed to nature's ticklish hands. I turned my scowl ahead.

The soldiers that had not gone with Dever laid in wait around the outskirts of the town square, just within the forest's borders. I couldn't see them, except for the slight moving of branches, though that may have just been the cold wind.

Gritting my teeth, I turned my eyes to the barren square. A man, laden with knives, sat on a bench sketching something in the dirt. A woman leaned against a building, her blond hair swaying loosely in the bitter breeze. Every now and then, they would glance towards the entrance of the storefront.

Alagosson was in there.

He hadn't shown himself yet, but Dever's intel hinted that he was in the building.

I tried peering into the store through the glass window but the window was too reflective. Immediately, I thought back to what I had read this morning, about the strange mirror I once had—

Aragorn stood into a crouch, the bush barely rattling. He raised a hand and signaled us forward. As one, ten of us crept from the shadows, slinking our way towards the Square of Erynbâr.

As the plan implied, we hid ourselves behind buildings, the short and squat wooden structures hiding us from view. My breath coalesced as cold fog before me, seeming as tense as me as we waited. Until...

Something heavy hit the soft dirt in the Square. Blood gargled in the throat of someone, shortly followed by one last thud. A body hitting the ground.

The tension rolled out into what seemed like eternity. The air even held its breath. My palms glowed softly—I clenched them closed.

At my movement, Legolas laid a hand upon my arm, firm and steadying. Comforting.

Our gazes met and despite the fear crawling up my throat, I blushed and looked away—

A man rounded the corner—

"My lord," he said breathlessly, saluting Aragorn. "Those stationed in the square have been disposed of. There was another to the north and one to the west and they have been taken care of as well..." He stopped to catch his breath and checked over his shoulder. Quickly, realizing that Alagosson could walk out of that storefront at any moment, he hid himself as well.

"We checked south and east too, but found no one stationed there."

Aragorn nodded thoughtfully. "Lumornel, tell me what you see in the square."

I bit my cheek and, after a moment of hesitation, I peeked around the corner. The wood grain of the building bit into my hands as I leaned around and...

And nothing. Only a few drops of ruby blood marred the green grass. I briefly wondered where the bodies had gone—

The store's door opened, almost as quiet as a field mouse. And out came an elf, dark hair tied behind his nape, skin as pale as the moon, his gray eyes as light as dawn.

Despite the quiet opening of the door, he hauled a woman out by her brown hair. Something dark trickled from her temple, her eyes puffy and red.

I gritted my teeth, my nails biting into the wood of the building. Aragorn prodded my shoulder.

But I was frozen still, rooted to the ground in anger and horror. The woman weekly batted at the ellon's hands, her tearful eyes dazed and far away.

A man followed Alagosson into the square, visage grim. Following behind was a meek elleth and another more sallow elleth with brown hair. Behind them was yet another soldier... who carried a small boy, and... I nearly cursed under my breath... following the last soldier was an uur rauko.

I quickly folded myself back around the building, blood thoroughly chilled.

Aragorn waited expectantly.

"Alagosson has two civilians, a young woman and a small boy, can't be older than seven, followed by two soldiers, two ellith with no weapons... that I can see, and... and an uur rauko."

Aragorn's eyes widened. "Just one."

I nodded. And while he pondered, I again peeked around the corner.

Blood nearly covered half the woman's face, mixing into her hair. She was whimpering. She couldn't have been older than nineteen. The second soldier roughly handled the boy, moving in front of the woman. The child remained silent, but his wide blue eyes betrayed his fear.

The woman tried to stand, stumbling only a step before Alagosson sent her sprawling to the ground. The boy was taken to one of the stray tables. And one of his small hands was splayed atop the wood, a knife positioned above one of his small fingers.

"No." The woman's whimper was barely more than a whisper. But it hit me louder than a scream.

The boy began to cry.

I turned back to the others.

"What?" Legolas said. "What is it?"

"They're... they're going to cut off the boy's fingers." The very air I inhaled seemed tense with grief—and anger.

Legolas, somehow, saw the roiling emotions underneath my surface.

Or maybe it was the glow coming from my hands and wrists.

"Lumornel, let's make a plan first, you cannot go running out there—"

"If we wait any longer then that boy will have one less finger," I hissed. I turned to Aragorn, daring him to object.

"Legolas is—"

Aragorn broke off, his usually stoic visage paling. I turned around and—

—and two more uur rauko waltzed into the square.

That made three. Three fire demons.

I inhaled sharply. How are we going to fight those and the soldiers?

"No! Please don't! I don't know anything, I promise I don't know!"

I rounded on Aragorn at the woman's cry. "You can't just stand there and not act," I hissed, struggling to keep my voice low. "They are torturing that poor woman."

Aragorn's gray eyes slid from me to the uur rauko and back. They were hard, but something mournful was in them. "There are three uur rauko out there. I want to rescue those people as much as you do, but if we go out there unprepared many of my soldiers will die. You may die."

I stared long and hard at him. Could he not understand? "You don't get it? I'm going to be gone in a matter of a day, probably less. I'm already as good as dead." I shook my head and took a step back. "Alagosson will think I am alone, so you have the element of surprise if you wait to ambush."

With that, I turned from them and moved towards the clearing once more. The woman needed me, the boy too, and I couldn't just stand there and let them be tormented.

Legolas lunged for me as I took the first step, Aragorn swore, but I was already delving into the energy within me. Legolas cried out as his hand touched my alight arm.

I stepped fully into the clearing, heart pounding in my ears, arms a-glow. My light, though not very vibrant, shone like a beacon across the square. I struggled not to let it grow brighter, nor harmful. It was a beast that I could barely control. It illuminated the enemy's faces, glimmered in the woman and boy's eyes.

Alagosson paused mid-snarl, head swiveling up in my direction.

And his mouth fell open.

Wide-eyed, his hand fell out of the woman's mane and he stood. Dark hair fell over his shoulder, reaching just below the collarbone—abnormally short for an elf. His eyes, wide and fixated on me, were ghostly, his skin pale. He looked like he was passing into another world.

His strange eyes flitted to those with him, but he then straightened, all the surprise wiped from his fair face. He motioned for a soldier to hold the woman, then stepped around her, advancing a few steps and stopped. He waited expectantly, visage cool and refined.

Despite the soft light wisping off my hands, my arms, I hesitated. This elf was different... With skin and fea of a ghost, offset by dark boots, gear, and hair, he was something truly disturbing. He seemed sick, like an illness was eating at him from the inside out, taking away any color he once possessed. And he stood there as if challenging me, all without laying a hand on his sword or speaking a word.

Raising my chin, I went forward—and at that moment, dark wispiness of ever-night black began to seep from his skin, coalescing as a phantom's shadow. A deep coldness settled within my stomach, the hairs on my neck rose.

Valar.

"I thought you had died." Even his voice, deep and smooth, was somehow cold.

My eyes kept latching onto those shadows, no matter how much I tried to look into his eyes. They were such an opposite of what I had within me, it was something of pure malevolence. A shudder rolled through me. I immediately wished I hadn't, for those shadows lashed out at the weakness.

I flared my light in response, but I barely had control over it. Too much light came forth, fear dug too deep into the brilliance, and it went forth blindly. A smattering of light flared out in an arc, deflecting the darkness, but most of the power deflected too far off. Alagosson stood unscathed.

I gritted my teeth, took a step forward.

This elf was wreaking havoc across Middle-earth. It was because of him that Aragorn's child couldn't grow up playing in a field freely and the reason why so many people lived in fear. He was the reason why a young woman was forced with the prospect of watching a little boy have his fingers severed off.

Alagosson leisurely pulled a knife from his waist, flipping it deliberately from finger to finger, wreathing it in a dark, thin veil. "Why are you here?"

His eyes flicked up to me—and his brows scrunched together in confusion. His gaze went from the knife to my face. Blinking, he slowly put the knife away. But those shadows still clung to his skin.

"I think the answer is obvious," I said, gazing behind him to where the woman's wide eyes took me in. Tears flowed freely down her face. She was only a few strides away. If I lost control over my light again... I pushed images of her blackened corpse away, lessened the hold I had on my power. But I still let a glow into my palms, although I doubted that with the adrenaline and cold fear coursing through my veins I would have been able to keep the glow away.

He said nothing, but that small, sly smirk faded away. In its place was a slight frown, his ghostly eyes staring at me like I was some strange dilemma. The shadows churned in swirls of deepest black, clinging still close to him. He may have had control of the entity, but the whorls still tried to leap out in malice.

The hairs on the back of my neck wouldn't go down.

Still, he made no noise. So I advanced again—

His finger flicked and—

One of his soldiers strode for me, knife out and ready. I turned, flaring the light only a little brighter—

Deathly cold took me from behind, a cold so deep that the air literally was stolen from my lungs. Looking down, I saw velvet shadows slinking quickly over my shoulders, overtaking me so quickly I barely had time to call upon the light before the black bound my hands—

The soldier knocked me to my knees, little bits of rock shredding through my trousers.

"No!" I tried to shake him, but his hold was too strong, my hands too constricted. He took hold of my wrists, producing a chain of rope. Almost as soon as his hands encased my wrists, the darkness vanished, along with the chilling shiver and uneasiness that came with it—and the soldier quickly twisted my hands behind me, binding them.

The darkness descended again, creating a scarf of dread around my neck.

Alagosson now stood before me. It was so tempting to try to spit up into his face, but one glance at the boy and woman cut me short. And then I remembered—Aragorn and the others were still in hiding.

I splayed one hand wide open behind my back, signaling for them to stay put.

I can take of the situation, there's still a chance yet. At the very least I can yank some information out of him.

Stay, I pleaded. Just stay there.

"How did you find us?" He stood so close, so tall, that I had to crane my head back to simply see his face. Those ghastly eyes pierced mine, his shadows already wreathing my shoulders, slinking down my arms. An involuntary shiver raced through me.

I again glanced at the young woman and boy... I wanted to call upon my light, even though my sense of it within was somewhat muddled by the shadows clinging to my skin. But I knew, I just knew that if I managed to pull it through the murky veil, I'd have to use too much strength. And it would come out brightly, rashly. Dangerously.

So I would have to remain dim. For now.

"I was traveling," I answered, hand still splayed wide. "And I heard the woman's cries."

"Travelling?" He mused. "Or following?"

He looked up from my face, casually surveying the town around us. "Are any of your friends dallying about?"

A shot of winter ran as quick as ice through my veins. He couldn't have guessed—I'm supposed to be hated, hated enough not to have friends—

I struggled briefly with my binds, trying without any real meaning to throw off the man. "No. I was traveling through to the north when I heard the woman. I merely came to investigate, not be thrown in chains."

His cool eyes narrowed in on me, seeing things that I could not. It seemed like half an eternity as he stood there, hands behind his back, assessing me, though it couldn't have been more than a few seconds.

"The Western Hope must be nearby." The words were barely a whisper, so soft I was sure the mortal's ears who stood by my side couldn't detect the words. Words that held realization and a mix of hope and... dread. And though he was as silent as a moonless night, I knew his words were directed at me.

I couldn't stop from stiffening.

I saw in his eyes the affirmation my body had involuntarily given him, like a soft spark of vitality lighting behind the hazy cloud of paleness in his too wraith-like eyes.

No.

He turned, angling himself slightly away, seemingly oblivious to the panic that now coursed through me. Or saw and chose to ignore. I struggled not to burst into a vibrant glow, though it wasn't hard to hold back with the darkness encasing my shoulders.

The meek elleth was walking in our direction and... an orc, coming from the direction of where the houses sprawled themselves through the woods, came lumbering towards us. The creature winced and scowled as the sun beat down on it.

Both the elleth and the orc met Alagosson at the same time. The orc glanced at me, leveling a fierce scowl in my direction, though he angled his body slightly away as if wary. Good. And the elleth... Her vibrant green eyes locked onto me, so steely, so cold and calculating that I could hardly breathe. Those irises... they weren't like the leaf green of my own, but rather like deep emeralds, sparkling and hard, glimmering like true cut gems. Suddenly, she didn't seem so weak... as if that meekness had only been a façade.

It was only when her hard gaze left mine for the orc's was I able to breathe. The open hand behind my back shook.

"We searched all houses," the orc said, voice gruff and struggling for the right words. I glanced at the two elves it conversed with, wondering which one, or if it were both, that could not speak Black Speech. "We could not find strange mirror, only ordinary ones."

Mirror...

I jolted, eyes widening. A mirror, they're looking for my mirror!

The elleth's eyes were on me, hard as ever. Her eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly and she pushed past both the orc and Alagosson until she stood just before me. Her fea was so bright, so, so strange... colorful and yet... twisted.

She was a good head shorter than Alagosson, yet she seemed to stand as tall as a lofty tower, her meek act completely shed. Like it was a coat she liked to wear.

"Of course you have it," she said, emerald eyes narrowing. "Give it to me."

"I don't have it."

One of her perfect red brows rose. "Do you think I believe that?"

She pulled a knife from her sleeve, stuck it under my chin. One wrong move and I would be tasting that blade on my tongue. "Where is it?"

Caught in a burst of panic, and knowing she would never accept my denial, I burst out with the only thing that could have stopped her from impaling my head.

"Your forces will never make it to Calembel."

Again, that arched eyebrow.

"A force of soldiers are on their way to burn that ship headed for Calembel as we speak."

"How many?"

They'll make it, they're probably already on the boat, I thought as horror, dread, and anger—towards myself—flooded through me as I realized what I just did. What I had revealed in more than just a simple group of soldiers killing mercenaries.

"How many?" Her knife pressed harder, her voice pressed sharper.

"Eleven," I breathed.

"Eleven?" She nearly laughed, hair spilling over her shoulder as she straightened.

"They're really good soldiers," I whispered. "The best."

She eyed me carefully then turned to Alagosson. "Go."

He nodded then—

Then he placed a fist over his heart and bowed.

What?!

Alagosson bounded away, strong legs taking him far. The uur rauko followed.

Dread, for some unknown reason, weighed me down. Made my shoulders droop, made my expression sag.

The elleth barely watched him go, instead, her emerald eyes quickly surveyed her remaining forces; another elleth and two soldiers and one orc. But her eyes drifted to the edge of the forest, not far from the Square and—

A group of orcs, maybe ten strong, stood within the shadows.

Her gaze then, finally, landed on me. Her lips remained still, caught in the middle of a frown and inquisitive twist. Her glorious, long red hair fluttered in the winter's breeze. Fire playing within cold's playful air.

The shadows around my collar vanished—

Light burst out from me.

Startled, I quickly pulled in the power that I had been pulling on that was once hindered by the darkness. Once gone, the elleth stood unscathed. How?

She merely squinted, eyes returning to their normal size once the light was gone.

The small diameter of ground around me was blackened.

I immediately searched around for the faces of the boy and woman—they were okay. Pale and more than a little frightened, but unharmed. I let out a breath.

But just then, one of the elleth's soldiers unsheathed his sword as did the one next to my side. Their eyes leveled on something behind me.

The elleth shifted her emerald gaze to me, thoughts visibly churning just behind her cool visage.

"You shouldn't complicate matters, prophecy-written," she said, her voice as smooth as satin and yet as rough as a rock weathered by a millennium of rough winds. "You'll only inflame the harrowing future that awaits your world."

I itched to look behind me, struggled against the want to stand up, to alleviate the pain the rocks wrought against my knees but...

"What?" I breathed.

The beautiful elleth rolled those jeweled eyes and then yanked me to my feet. Her pale hands patted down my jacket, all the way down my legs. She began checking my pockets.

"You really think that if I had what you were looking for, I would have it on me?"

In the span of time it takes for a hummingbird to flap its wings, her hands shot up and pushed me square in the chest. I fell in a heap, right on my bound hands.

Pain shot up through my arms, my back, my shoulders where some wound from long ago was still healing. She proceeded to yank my boots off, shaking them to empty their contents. A dagger from my boot-sheath clattered to the ground.

"I would be a fool not to examine what lies in front of me."

I gasped up at the clear sky, struggling to take in a proper breath. Finally, I managed to sit up just as she threw my shoes aside, surveying whatever lay behind me. As she did so, the clear winter-gray sky framed her perfectly fire hair. It's voluminous waves cascading around her, despite half of it having been braided into an updo. It seemed almost like an unceremonious crown, a signet of her title. And her gray and dark green clothing seemed to almost praise her body, showing off strong muscles, vambraces and boots to gird her movements, a cloak to adorn her sturdy shoulders and to shield her from prying eyes.

She was otherworldly, a goddess of strength and determination.

How, how had I ever thought her weak?

"Who are you?"

The elleth glanced at me, her eyes once again stunning me. Her rosy lips titled into a careful smirk. "I believe you know."

That smile widened until it was almost a chuckle. "Duvaineth isn't the only one who excels at acting."

Finally, she did laugh, shaking her head and holding her hand out to the side. "I even gave you my name."

Dark shadows pulled themselves out of the bright air, coalescing in her hand, until... until a dark sword glistened like it was made from Arda's blackest coal, nestled in her pale hand.

I gaped, feeling all the warmth drain from my face. The sword seemed to be made out of night itself, thick with gleaming judgment, blade promising justice and a terrible end. And despite that, it was beautiful and dreadful all at the same time. Its blade was made from the darkest of materials, barely reflecting sunlight, instead reflecting something more than the day's sunny rays. The hilt didn't have a constant shape, instead it seemed almost unnatural to look at. From the corner of my eye it had a steady structure, but straight on it was a shifting form in its shadowy blackness.

The weapon didn't give off an aura of menacing evil, rather a sense of fateful conviction. It seemed to be a symbol of doom to those who have wronged. And somehow... the sword was familiar. As if some unknown part of my mind was drawn to it, like how a drunk is drawn to a bottle. Or how a priest is drawn to spread wisdom.

Her other hand reached over and wrapped around the hilt, breaking me out of my trance.

"Where is it?"

"I—I don't—"

Her hard eyes shifted upward and she sidestepped just as an arrow whizzed past where she had stood merely a moment before.

I twisted my head around and—and Legolas was running towards me, fierce eyes leveled on the elleth, fingers already splayed across his bow with an arrow at the ready. Behind him, Aragorn and the seven others were battling the two soldiers and the pack of orcs. Already, two orcs were a heap on the ground.

"I don't need you alive to find it."

I whipped back around to the elleth, strange sword in her hand. Her fiery hair whipped around her as the cold gale picked up, creating a halo of damnation around her head. She didn't seem angry, nor was a killing glint in her eyes, instead she seemed... resolute. Like she knew she would do whatever was absolutely necessary to complete her plans, even if it meant damning herself to be under Manwë's scornful gaze. It terrified me.

I struggled to get up, trying but failing to break the bonds around my wrists—she placed a foot on my knee, put her weight on it. I clenched my teeth to prevent myself from crying out.

"It may prove to be difficult, but can be done. Or..." she glanced up. "I can kill him. Will the threat of his death provoke you to tell me? Or shall I torture him instead, make him curse your name for not allowing me to kill him?"

Although I barely knew the ellon, I leveled a glare that could've cooked an oliphant.

"You touch him, you're dead."

Her lips thinned to a line, but that steely resolve returned and her grip tightened on that sword once more. As if about to swing—

Another arrow flew, one that she easily dodged but—

She dodged right into the path of a second arrow, wooden shaft burying itself into her shoulder almost to the fletchings. As soon as her rose lips parted in a gasp, cool fingers touched my hands, a sharp tug pulled on my wrists, and suddenly my hands were free. No sooner had my hands fallen apart was I hauled up and onto my feet.

No sooner had the elleth rearranged her features into a painless mask had Legolas pushed himself in front of me, brandishing a sword.

Their blades struck with a clang, Legolas lunging with precise movement, the elleth effortlessly blocking. As if that hulking sword weighed nothing but a bundle of feathers.

Their swords clanged once more and as they pressed against the other, the elleth grinned. It was a cat's grin, wide and knowing. My blood went cold.

As soon as their blades moved apart, I was pulling out mine, stepping closer—

The elleth struck Legolas's sword once again—and his weapon shattered. A dozen glittering pieces exploded about and fell in a metal rain.

Somehow I didn't freeze, somehow I moved as if the impossible hadn't just happened. And as if I hadn't seen what the elleth had just done, I grabbed Legolas's wrist, pushed in front of the stunned elf, and raised my sword against the oncoming onslaught.

The black sword cleaved right through my own.

I stupidly stared at the hilt in my hand, broken blade sharp and glinting.

The elleth shook her head, an amused smile playing on her lips that soon dissipated into coolness once more.

I heard Legolas grunt behind me, heard the almost silent unsheathing of a dagger as he once more pushed himself in front of me. Trying in desperation to protect me.

He ducked beneath a swing of the sword, dodged as the elleth lunged, the sword coming so close to his side I was sure she stuck him. But he moved inside the elleth's defenses, dagger held in hand.

Just as he angled the dagger upwards, ready to thrust it in between the ribs, right into the heart, she stomped on his foot. She butted her head so sharply against his that he teetered on his heels, her elbow to the chest sending him tumbling backward. He collided with me, and tried as I might to catch him, I thundered to the ground with him on top of me.

The elleth advanced, her perfectly gray-booted feet coming quickly to us as she brought the sword up, point facing towards the soil. Toward our fallen bodies—

A raised a hand, calling forth the light, and sent her flying backwards with a burst of bright, bright energy.

"Legolas! Lumornel!"

Thundering feet came to a stop near my head and Aragorn reached down to help Legolas to his feet, then helped me up as well. The man had a gash on his right temple, sweat mingling with the blood and down through his brows. Behind him came most of the soldiers, only a couple still engaged with a singular enemy soldier. As I watched, the enemy was felled, his dark blood pouring on the cold, dying grass.

Hardly a minute had passed before they had joined our group. I noticed with relief that we had all survived—

The elleth!

She was already on her feet, about maybe ten long strides away with that other elleth by her side, dark gaze leveled on us. Ten strong against two... I could see her contemplating that challenge and with that sword, I bet she really could win, if she tried. But her emerald eyes landed on me, glanced at my still glowing palms, and hesitated. She scowled.

"I will get my way!" She yelled, seeming to direct the words right at me. "There is nothing you can do to stop what is coming."

And with that, she turned and ran right out of sight. It was hard, impossible, to see her as a coward turned-tail with her flaming crown of hair, those jeweled eyes, that resolve and determination running as steel through her muscle-lined bones. It was hard to feel anything but defeat as she ran away, that other brown-haired elleth right on her heel.

"Who is she?" Aragorn asked.

I stared at that spot where she disappeared. The corner of the wooden building seemed like an empty void, devoid of the fiery, tenacious elleth.

"I don't know."

There was a moment of silence, but then the soldiers began to talk amongst themselves, still high on the adrenaline of battle. One asked if we were to pursue the ellith, but Aragorn must've seen what that sword could do, for he said no.

Troubled, I turned to Legolas—

Only to find him standing there, staring at the spot the ellith disappeared around. His eyes were wide.

"Legolas?"

"You knew that elleth."

I nearly jumped with anticipation. "Who is she?"

He shook his head, just slightly. "Not the redhead. The brunette."

I furrowed my eyebrows, deflating. "Oh."

Aragorn stepped up to join us, glancing in the ellith's direction. "Then who is she?"

Legolas's blue eyes connected with mine. "Braiglach."

I hesitated, a constricting bloom of frustration bubbling up inside of me. I had no idea who that was.

Reading me easily, Legolas explained. "She trained you in Lothlorien. She even left you a letter, though you..." he trailed off. I connected the dots.

"Then why would she be with... with her."

He shook his head, once again glancing at the building corner. "I do not know."

:::::::

That night, we sat around a small campfire. The warmth and glow it provided, along with the roasted rabbits and birds hanging over its flames, was a rare and appreciated treat. Apparently, we had not had the time nor safety to have one in the past few weeks.

But even now, in the glow of the fire's security, I did not feel remotely safe. An edge of panic waited at the borders of my mind.

My hands clutched the waterskin in my lap like a lifeline, one ear tuned in on the tales and conversations the others spoke, the other lost to the ramblings of my worrying mind.

For the soldiers were speaking about this morning, of a soldier named Dever, who sat across from me, and of his parting with ten others. I couldn't remember it.

Nor could I remember the rising of today's sun or even the woods before Erynbâr.

"Lumornel?"

Legolas gently touched my hands, long slender fingers reminding me that a waterskin was not supposed to be crushed.

"I can't remember anything before the town square of Erynbâr." My words were barely spoken loud enough to be heard. But Legolas stilled.

I closed my eyes, clenching them against the tears that were threatening to come.

How long ago was the Square? Not even ten hours?

My hands gripped the waterskin tighter.

Legolas slowly pried one of my hands off the skin and in one sinuous motion, Legolas moved even closer and tucked that hand into the crook of his elbow, as if we were on a stroll, not sitting in the cold grass. His chest rose heavily, as if he were containing a weary sigh.

His blue eyes gazed into the fire, then around at the laughing men, and finally, at me. "Enjoy this moment, Lum."

He took in another deep breath and gripped my arm tighter, firmer. "Listen only to the men and their tales, listen to the crackling of the fire and it's logs, hear the night's sounds of the forest and the cooing creatures of Yavanna and Elbereth. Listen to my breathing and my voice, here the wind and feel it on your skin."

He paused, taking another breath.

"Feel my arm under your hand, feel my warmth beside you." He seemed to lean closer. "Focus on the fire's glow and those of us around you. Don't think about anything else but the now."

"But—"

"No. It's no use worrying, Lum. It'll only make it worse." His voice was tight and I looked at him to see tears in his eyes, not yet fallen.

"Just focus on this moment."

I nodded and gripped his arm tighter, forcing myself to look away from him. Tears popped into my eyes, but I made myself focus on his warmth at my side and bask in the fire's glow and the men's soft rumble of voices.

Despite myself, despite only knowing the elf for what I knew to be ten hours but what felt like much more, despite all that I leaned my head against his shoulder. And for a while, we remained like that.

The fire had died down and several of the men had cocooned themselves in their blankets when Legolas finally spoke.

"I wish you could sing."

I almost laughed, but the sadness and weight of the coming end stopped me. "What?" I asked instead.

"In all the old tales, the women and ellith had voices that could sway even the most beastly of men. And yet, despite you being almost perfect in every way and are guaranteed to have stories told in your name, you cannot hold even a single tune without wavering off-key."

I frowned. "I could maybe speak a song to you instead."

He sighed, shook his head against mine, his cheek musing up my hair, and repeated himself once more. "I wish you could sing."

:::::::

I drifted out of the dreaming fog of elven sleep, awakening with Lumornel's soft white hair under my cheek. The sun was just peeking above the horizon, bouncing off the sleeping trunks of trees and illuminating us through the winter veil of branches. Already a few men were milling about, quietly discussing the day before and what they were to hunt for breakfast. It was always the day after a completed mission that was the most lively. Luxuries were partaken of, the promise of returning home on the mind.

Although Alagosson wasn't defeated, the men didn't have the forlorn air of failure milling about them. Instead, the excitement of the unraveling of a new mysterious enemy was at the forefront of their minds.

A new enemy should not instill this much excitement, I thought, trying very hard not to scowl. They should be feeling the weight of a new worry on their shoulders.

But despite knowing what I should feel, I couldn't help but feel that slight buzz of enthusiasm in my own veins. Nine years of a stalemate with the same enemy finally broken. We still may be in a stalemate, but we no longer had the same enemy. Or rather, the enemy still remained, but a new face was at the forefront.

And then there were their glances at Lumornel, even now as she slept. They had seen her put herself at risk for them and for the woman and boy who were now in their homes. Safe because of what Lumornel had done. They had seen her use her light and fight the enemy.

There was still some fear in their eyes when they looked at her and they still edged around her, but there wasn't nearly quite as much anxiety in their forms now. It was a small victory but a victory nonetheless.

The slight smile that touched my lips faded as memories of last night resurfaced.

And just at that moment, Lumornel stood up. She stood so fast and abruptly, her head knocked against my own, jarring my teeth.

She glanced around, then turned in a half-circle, allowing me to see her face. Her eyes—they were wide, taking everything in. But her brows were pushed together in fear.

"Lumornel?"

Her green gaze darted to me.

"Where am I?" Her voice quavered.

My stomach dropped. No...

"Where am I?!" She repeated, louder. Lumornel stepped closer, such fear in her eyes as she repeated. "Please, where am—"

She straightened, blinking, her white hair bouncing as she looked around. Her face took on confusion, and then fear once again.

"Where am I?" She whispered. Then her eyes saw me and she took a step back, hands raised cautiously. "Who are you?"

My chest seemed to cleave in two.

I swallowed the pain, completely ignored it. It was something I had gotten good at. Instead, I stood slowly and took a cautious step forward. "Lumor—"

Her expression cleared again, her eyes blinking and—confusion and fear, pure unadulterated fear shone again on her face. Her gaze, already focused in my direction, snapped clearly into perspective on me.

"W-who are you?"

She's forgetting, over and over.

My heart seemed to literally be breaking, tearing itself apart.

"Lumornel," I begged, clenching my jaw. "It's L—"

Her expression changed again, cycling through the emotions as she forgot the last few moments. She tripped over one of the fire ring's rocks as she tried to get away, falling over onto her backside. I lurched forward in an attempt to catch her. "No. Get away from me. W-where am I?"

Someone came to stand at my side. Quickly, I glanced over to see Aragorn, gazing down at Lumornel, a pained expression written all over his face.

"What do we do?" I whispered.

"I don't know."

Barely containing the scream that was building in my chest, I swooped down and grabbed hold of her, holding her back to my chest. She thrashed in my arms—I held tighter.

I'm not losing you, not again.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and holding her tight against her thrashings, I buried my cheek against her head.

"Gi barn, Lumornel, gi barn." Despite my words, she continued to cry out in fear.

"Gi barn... Gi barn."

Somewhere amidst the throes of her end of memory, she switched into Sindarin.

"Lethio nin!" She cried. "Lethio—"

She went still, if only for the span of a breath, and it began all over again.

I could feel hot tears streaming down my cheeks, mingling with her hair, but I didn't care. I only held her tight and whispered comforts as I lost her again and again and again until finally—

She went limp.

No.

I held her tighter, if only to hold on to her presence. But she didn't move, nor did she return to her cries of fear. Numbly, I released my hold on her. I took in one final, deep, agonizing breath before I pulled back.

"She's not dead, Legolas," Aragorn said. "There's still breath in her lungs."

More quickly than I could move, he took her from my tight arms and laid her out on the cold grass, my heart thumping hard in my chest. I moved to my knees, hands gingerly touching her face. She looked like a porcelain doll, limp and pale from fear, lashes glistening from tears.

Her eyes moved rapidly under her lids, as if she were dreaming and seeing as fast as the wind.

She did not wake.

:::::::

Gi barn
↳ You are safe

Lethio nín
↳ Release me

^^so I kinda had to piece together the phrase "gi barn" so I'm not positive that it's correct.

Also... you like??

I'm so happy you got to read this; I spent so much trying to get it right, so much time imagining. Just ahhhh and all that sadness near the end?? Ahhhhh yesterday when I posted on my convo board I was trying so hard not to say that I was sad because of what I was writingggg.

But now... I spent so much time imagining this chapter that I'm not quite sure how to go about writing chapter 24... I'll figure it out.

( and the song "when am I gonna lose you" by Local Natives reminds me of Legolas, if he was singing it to Lum )

Also, important little note here: I am going way off of Tolkien's works. Obviously I'm still using his world and his characters (and I pulled something deep out of lore that will be revealed later), but as for the story's antagonist... the bad guy is all my creation. And also that sword.  As we go I'll try to clarify in these end notes what's canon and what's not. If I forget, remind me.

Also. Someone I work with... a at nuRSING HOME is positive for Covid 🙃 let's hope I don't get it. I got tested yesterday so wooooo 🙃🙃