The Jewel of Mirkwood

Chapter 132

Silently he sat astride his horse surveying the carnage below him. Through the rain he could see the torches of the camps flickering shadows across the desolately open plains. Gone was the soft smell of grass and wild flowers upon the breeze that he had once known. Now only the foul stench of blood and mud filled the wind. The trees all about him whispered the pain that had passed before them the last few days. The once pure rivers of the eastern plain now ran crimson with the blood of the fallen. Convulsively he swallowed as the wind picked up the cries of the injured intermingled with the war screams of the orcs. It was a sight that was all too familiar to him, a sight he had lived through before. Painful memories tugged at his guilt, for those already dead their coming would be to little, to late. Closing his eyes to the rain and tilting his head skyward he sent a gentle prayer to the valar something he had not done in millennia.

The sound of a horse riding up beside him brought some composure back to him. Tilting his head to the side he smiled grimly at the regal elf before him, similarly dressed as himself although the colours and banners differed gly. ly. They had stood here before gazing at one another in defiant silence, neither willing to budge for the sake of their pride. This time however it would be different and without thought he lowered his head in respect for the king before him. With one final glance behind him he spoke softly to the newcomer.

“My army is yours to command as you will my Lord.” Every word he spoke was like a blow to the face, the smile which followed from the king twisted the knife further into his heart. After millennia of defiance he had given it all up for the belief that one elf alone would deliver them all from the fate that had once befallen their ancestors. With a nod of his head the king placed a gentle hand upon the shoulder of his ally silently acknowledging the enormity of his sacrifice.

“I will not lead us to ruin as my father once did. We do this for Legolas and the future of our children.” Silently they nodded in mutual understanding before the blonde haired lord secured his armour and took his place amongst the ranks of his own men, relinquishing the last of his control. Turning about the king faced the formidable army before him their fear barely concealed by the layers of armour and the soaking rain. Some had been here before, witnessing first hand the pain of war while others had only read about such times in the scriptures of old, yet to be haunted by the faces of their dead friends. Taking a steeling breath the king let out a bellowing roar the two distinctively different armies coming together in a massive sea of silver blue and emerald green. It would be a sight none would ever forget.

An elvish horn sounded through the ranks and with his sword held high above his head the King lead the charge down towards the carnage of the killing fields below, his elvish war cry echoed by the army that flowed like a raging river down after him…

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The horn. A sound that Glorfindel had never heard sound so sweet before echoed across the field momentarily catching everyone’s attention as all who were able looked to the eastern border. A sea of blue and green swept out from the hills bringing with them cries of joy from the embattled troops still fending off the black masses on the front. Relief washed over Glorfindel like a tidal wave spurring life into his fatigued body.

“They have come.” Elrond’s gasped whisper was barely audible above the screeching cries of the orcs as the sea from the borders swept into the heart of their army. Renewed strength swept into the bodies of those still fighting and with every ounce of rt rrt renewed their attack this time with more vigore.

“Yes they have come but at what price?” Glorfindel looked knowingly across at Elrond both aware of the sacrifice one realm must have made to the other to bring about such a union of forces. Yet now was not the time to ponder on such things not when the orcs were so vulnerable having the their leaders and where now being scattered about by the elvan armies. For the first time in days it seemed the elves had the upper hand as the orcs began to scatter and retreat back towards their fort at the far side of the fields.

Fighting side-by-side Elrond and Glorfindel hacked and chopped their way through the orcs their frenzied mass making slaying them much easier. As they had done in war before the seneschal and his lord made sport from their numbersbodibodies they left in their wake, joking and laughing with one another the rift between them momentarily forgotten in the light of a possible victory. An unexpected horseman however came between them however his identity concealed until he spoke.

“Haldir!” Glorfindel cried in breathless wonder as the march warden joined both lords in their personal campaigainsainst the confused orcs, hacking and slashing his way through the bodies as he brought his message.

“We are to take their encampment and burn it to the ground, shall you join us?” Elrond and Glorfindel both smiled at one another across the top of Haldir before each nodded their acceptance. Haldir grabbed a torch from one of the passing orcs as he slashed its head from its shoulders. With the lit torch in his hands Haldir led Elrond and Glorfindel at speed through the defiled ranks of the orcs the army having dissipated into small vulnerable groups that were being swiftly taken care of by the reinforcements from Lorien and Mirkwood. Gathering more elves as the rode Haldir was the first to burst through the gates of the orc encampment on the far side of the field. Meeting little resistance from the fleeing orcs Haldir began to set alight everything in sight. Being creatures of destruction the orcs had left little or no vegetation within their encampment the trees onc once stood on the side of the hills brought to the ground to make weapons for the foul army. Glorfindel and Elrond having secured torches for themselves began to do the same taking delight in seeing the heart of the orc population being consumed by the flames that have birth to them in the first place. It would be a sweet victory for most who had endured such hardships in the last weeks.

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With the rising of the red sun as morning broke across the horizon the last of the orcs were being rounded up by patrols. The rain clouds were finally breaking up after weeks of torrential rain allowing the blue sky to illuminate the field of battle in a strange yellow glow. There was still smoke rising from the south where the orc encampment had been razed to the ground but it was clear grey wisps nothing compared to the black tar of the fires that had burned there before.

From a muddy hill, striped of grass in the war Glorfindel surveyed the brown muddy pit of the killing field. The ground was littered with bodies of many shapes and sizes, amongst those of the orcs lay those of the fallen elves. Not caring for their fatigue or injuries the elves had now begun to stray onto the fields. Searching for those still alive and lifting the bodies of their dead and carrying them with loving respect back to their forest encampment to the north. The carnage had been unimaginable, the loss of lives so great. Though the victory had come it had come to late for so many, just as it had done in the last alliance. Generations had been wiped out and were now lying muddied and foul beside their murders. It was heartbreaking GlorGlorfindel bowed his head to his chest as grief tore through his fatigued body. He had not taken rest for weeks and now in the face of victory he could do nothing but allow his body to begin to ache. Every scratch, bruise and wound now began to throb mercilessly; the pain of his leg wound having shut it out for so long now brought him to his knees in agony. The only light he could manage to find in the desolate landscape was that he knew Legolas was not among those lying dead in the field. In the attack Glorfindel had lost touch with Legolas and while he desperately wanted to contact his lover via their connection to find out how he was the seneschal was just too fatigued to manage the effort. The beautiful blue sky above him was the last image Glorfindel saw before he collapsed face first into the muddy hill he had been standing on….

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(A/n) Sorry it's only one chapter today I got caught up watching the extended edn ofn of TTT and I forgot about the update....which tends to happen when I've had three hours of perving on Orlando BLoom.

To answer some questions thrown my way. I think I mentioned near the begining that Arwen spent all of her time with the Lady Galadrial in Lorien, I didn't cut her out I've just simply disposed of her cause she's not an essential part of the plot.....sorry for all of you who wanted a little elf princess action but women just aren't my forte.

Please don't go panicing about me killing anyone off, I've worked to hard on these damn characters to give them deaths, spectacular or not.....although someone is going to be hanging in the balance for a few days.....

As for Leggy well we'll get to him soon enough........after we see what Lorien and Mirkwood have to say for themselves.

As always there's no pressure to review it's just nice if you do so, plus it strokes my muse who is extremely testy at times and ensures faster updates. *smiles sweetly* Plus you've got my email if you want to contact me about anything.

Apart from that keep close to your computer cause we're nearly home free..........hope you enjoy the update.

RIFFRAFF