Chapter Nine: War Cries Sound

*The company made their way through the sea of people. Campfires and tents were set up, weapons were being sharpened, and men were preparing for a battle to end all battles. It took them almost five minutes, but soon enough the Fellowship caught sight of a familiar face.

“So the Fellowship has made it to Mount Doom.” Elrond smiled as he looked upon the nine. They had come so far and done so many great things. It was hard for him to comprehend even for a second what the trials of their journey must have been. And now here they all were, tired and travel worn, yet ready to fight one last battle.

“Yes, Lord Elrond, we have.” Gandalf bowed his head in respect.

“I see that Frodo still carries with him the ring. I am greatly in debt to you, halfling, for you have done us all a great service in carrying that ring here.”

“I will not say it was easy, but I have had the best of company along the way and am grateful for them.” Frodo told Elrond. Elrond smiled.

“I see there are nine of you. Yet Gandalf told me Boromir had passed away. Has he come back from the dead?” Elrond asked, spying the unfamiliar figure with the Fellowship.

Serein scowled. She had hoped he wouldn’t notice her. She had even put her hood up to keep from being seen. Long ago, during the first War of the Ring, she had met with Elrond. In fact, he had been her father’s brother. Her uncle. Yet If she revealed herself to him, she did not know how he would react. As far as she knew, he thought of her as dead, a lost soul within the legend of a dead elfin kingdom.

“No, he has not.” Legolas responded. He would have spoken more, yet Serein placed her hand upon his shoulder to silence him.

“Lord Elrond. I have joined the Fellowship and am willing to lay my life down for our cause. I am prepared to fight. That is all that matters.”

“Joined the Fellowship?” Elrond spoke, more to himself than to the others.

“I have proven myself worthy in battle before, and intend upon doing so again.” She said, hoping he would then leave her be.

“You sound young for such an adventure. Why not drop your hood? You are among friends here.” Elrond’s interest was only further peeked.

“Elrond! The orcs are gathering at the base of the mountain!” A human called from a vantage point on a hill.

“It seems we have no more time for games. Have you plan in mind for getting Frodo to the inside core of the mountain?” Elrond asked.

“Myself and Gandalf will make sure he gets into the mountain personally. The rest of the Fellowship will join their race and fight.” Aragorn stated commandingly.

“What of us?” Sam cried out.

“You stay with the elves! They can protect you better than we can while we try for the mountain.” Gandalf told them.

“But Master Frodo…”

“Will be fine Sam. Stay here with us.” Serein placed her hand upon his shoulder and pulled him back. She did the same with Merry and Pippin.

“Perhaps we should chance putting them in a tree for their safety during the fight?” Legolas toyed with the idea.

“No sir, not us!” Merry announced.

“Agreed! We fight!” Pippin drew his sword and mocked slashed with it a few times, bringing a brief smile to everyone’s faces.

“Sam? Stay or hide?”

“Stay. I’ll fight for Mister Frodo then if I can’t go with him.”

“Very well.” Elrond nodded.

“Elrond!” A familiar voice caught Legolas’ sensitive ears. “Elrond! Have the Fellowship…” The voice dwindled as the person neared and saw that the Fellowship had indeed arrived. Elrond turned to the Fellowship.

“I don’t believe you’ve all met Lord Thranduil, King of the elves of Mirkwood.”

“Legolas! Home from your quest so soon? I thought you wanted a lifetime of adventure. Yet it has only been six months and already you grow weary of it.” Thranduil laughed good naturedly. Serein smiled. Legolas’ sense of humor had come from his father, that much was for certain.

“Father.” Legolas acknowledged his father in a slightly mocking tone. “It’s nice to see you too.” The Fellowship laughed.

“You will tell me f your travels later. Now we prepare for war.” Thranduil’s mood became serious.

“Is everything in order?” Elrond asked him.

“Yes. The humans are taking the center fold. To the left are the dwarves, axes, knives, and swords ready for battle, and to the right, our own battalion is ready. The archers are in position as well.” Thranduil ticked of the list carefully, checking over his own words as he spoke them.

“ Very well then. Fellowship, it is time. Frodo, Aragorn, Gandalf, the best of luck to you. As for the rest of you, join your ranks and prepare for the battle to commence.”

“Very well then. The dwarves are to the far left did you say? Then I must walk a deal first. Serein, because you go to join the humans, care to walk with me?” Gimli addressed her.

“No.” Her voice made the Fellowship turn. Slowly she lowered the midnight blue crushed velvet hood from her head and looked up. “I cannot.” No one spoke for a moment. Then, very hesitantly, Pippin, forever curious, opened his mouth.

“Why not?”

“Because I do not belong with the humans.”

“Serein?” Elrond whispered.

“Hello Uncle Elrond. It has been a while.” She nodded to him grimly. So her secret was out.

“Uncle?” Spat Gimli.

“Serein.” Elrond whispered again. “But you…”

“Yes, I know. Died in Haze four thousand years ago. Yet I am here now, so to the battle field I go once more, my sword drawn ready to strike once again at the evil of Sauron.”

“Wait.” Sam stopped them. “You two are related? But, that would make Serein an…”

“Yes, you can say it. I’m an elf.” She pushed up her golden locks to reveal her pointed and sensitive ears. “I didn’t think it was a catching disease, after all, if it was, would you have already caught it from Legolas?” She smirked slightly.

“Then all this time, where were you, my dear niece?” Elrond approached Serein and opened his arms to envelope her in a hug. She did not return it at first, but after a few moments, she gave a light squeeze in response.

“My whereabouts are a long tale, one I hope to live to tell. But not here, and now. Later, after this battle has been won.”

“Don’t be so over confident.” Aragorn said quietly. If she was Elrond’s niece, did it make her his adopted cousin?

“I am not being over confident, I am being positive. I lived through the first War of the Ring quite well, and intend to live through the second one as well.”

“You’re that old?” Merry gasped in shock.

“I am, and older.” She laughed slightly. Then she straightened and sighed. “Come now, the battle draws near.”

“She is right.” Thranduil nodded. He did not know the full story, but could assume the others had though her to be human throughout their journey. What a shock it would have been for him as well.

“Very well then.” Elrond said and rode off to speak to someone. Gimli nodded, and left for his part of the battle field. The hobbits stood with their back to a tree, one in which three archers stood and served as cover fire just in case.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Legolas came up from behind Serein. She turned around in shock.

“Everyone assumed. I figured it was easier to let them assume.”

“Serein. Where are you from? Not Mirkwood, and I would have remembered you at Rivendell- you would have captivated me instantly there. But then you are not from Lothlorien either. So then, where…?”

“Captivated you? Me? Somehow I do not understand what you mean when you say that.” She left her eyes diverted, yet looked upon his face out of the corners of them.

“Never mind.” Legolas blushed. “What I meant was, where did you come from? And why did you not tell me you were an elf?”

“Can we please discuss this matter later?” She asked him, blowing him off.

“Serein!” Legolas called her name more forcefully. This time she looked up with something in her eyes that Legolas couldn’t identify. He worried for her. She looked as if she was planning something rash.

Thranduil watched the interlude and recognized something in his son’s eye. Something that he had never seen in them. His son seemed different, that was for sure. More mature, and dare he hope, worried for the maiden who had joined them? Nodding, he continued to watch the two together. The real question had yet to be answered. No matter where she was from, was she a person worthy for his son’s care?

“Legolas, please, not now. I promise to tell you everything after the battle. But for now, allow me to concentrate?” She begged. She did not want to go into this right now. She saw him sigh and knew what his answer would be.

“Very well then. But don’t you dare get yourself killed during this battle! I want to know everything, and if your dead, you can’t tell me!” He smirked. She smirked back.

“Deal.” Suddenly a wave of silence filled the air. Elrond rode to the center of the battle field. The orcs began coming their way. Serein drew her sword, Legolas climbed a tree and readied his bow. The horn of Gondor blew, and the archers let their arrows sore. Through the sky like a rain of death, the arrows rained, striking down the first wave of orcs.

The archers reloaded, but the orcs had already made their way into the good allied army and initiated hand to hand combat. Serein faced her first orc. A smaller one, he snarled and slobbered. Then he pounced for her. Ripping at her flesh with his claws, she managed to connect her elbow with it’s skull. She then kicked it in the face and drew her sword to finish the job. One after another came.

Nothing changed for the first twenty minutes of the fight. The orcs began to lessen, as did the numbers of the allies. Humans were falling, elves dying, dwarves were being struck down. The allies that had once been separated by race soon mixed. An elf saved the life of a dwarf, a dwarf saved a human, and the human saved an elf. A cycle began to be seen throughout the battle field. Instead of the elves and dwarves bickering, they fought side by side. The war had not only stopped their enemy Sauron, but stopped each other from being enemies as well. Middle-Earth cried, and rejoiced. It had taken a war of immense proportion to bring together the feuding races.

But soon the joy wore off. Bodies littered the field. Blood smeared upon all of the fighters. The orcs were numerous and never lost their energy, but the allied of good were slowly tiring. The soldiers began to make sloppy mistakes, forgetting to keep guard and the left while striking on the right, not looking behind themselves. And the orcs slowly picked them off.

Serein stood brushing beads of sweat from her forehead. Blood smeared on her cheek, and her tunic was soaked. Her hair was disheveled and a few places it had been cut down. But she kept fighting. An orc rushed her. She drew her sword. The metal clashed. First a half crescent, then a full crescent, and a backwards crescent straight into the blackened heart of the orc. For good measure, she pushed the sword in deeper, then with much effort, pulled it out and in one fowl swoop, severed the head of the orc from the body she had just pierced. The head of the dead orc fell to the ground and rolled for a bit, stopping and just looking at her with cold, black, dead eyes. The body fell, crumpling to the side soon after. One less orc.

The battle noise dimmed and all around her she watched the others fight, as if in a haze of mist where the enemy could not see her, yet she could see them. Men fighting, screaming as they were sliced down. Orcs grunting as they fought. Clashing of the metal upon metal. She could hear the flesh rip and bone crunch as she watched a dwarf rip an ax through the skull of an orc. All around her the darkness called. She turned around and saw that an orc had snuck up behind her while she had been in her haze. The orc lifted his arms to strike, and she breathed a pray to Valor that if this was the end, at least Elrond would send people looking for her lost kingdom, thinking perhaps it still lived.

“Serein!” A battle worn voice cried. She waited for the orc to strike. The deadly blow never came. Opening her eyes, she saw that before her stood the orc, head lolled to one side, a look of pure agony etched into its face. Through the throat of the vile creature protruded a single arrow.

“Legolas.” She breathed. Turning around, she could see his form making its way through the fighters towards her. He reached her and stopped.

“Are you alright?” He breathed. She spoke not, but nodded. Then she raised her sword. “Serein?” He asked out of confusion. She advanced on him quickly, and he just stood still. Was she truly going to kill him? He heard her cry out in frustration and push him to the side. Her sword delved deep into the stomach of an orc that had slipped up behind him.

Breathing heavily, she retracted her sword and looked at the blade. It was no longer silver, but forever stained black with the tainted blood of the orc. New, black blood dripped from the blade.

“I should be asking if your alright?” She smirked at him. He looked at her stunned, then smirked as well.

“You have talent.” He nodded.

“As do you. And a good eye.” He watched her eyes as they surveyed the scene.

“Go back to your tree, you were safer up there.” She told him.

“I believe I could be of better use down here now. I can’t aim with so many people in the way.”

“You did for me.”

“I had a reason.” Their eyes met in the heat of the battle. But Serein could not stand the heat that his gaze radiated and was forced to tear her eyes away.

“Come then. Draw your sword and fight.” She told him. He nodded, and soon the two were fighting, back to back.

A great light shot up into the blackened sky and a for a moment the battle paused, so that all could make sense of what the true battle was. Serein and Legolas stood next to each other, searching for the source of the light. They gazed out over the horizon and found Gandalf was perched on a rock outcropping, arms raised to the sky, chanting his magic over the mountain. Their elfish ears picked up his voice as the wind carried it over towards them.

“Yenillor morne tuliante I quettar tercano! Tiro el eria e mor mornie alantie!” He chanted in elfish an old spell that many had long since forgotten.

“What is he saying?” The two elves looked over and found Gimli had made his way to them as well.

“ ‘Out of the black years come the words, the herald of death. Look, a star rises out of the darkness, darkness had fallen.’” Serein murmured, listening to his words as he repeated them over and over.

“What does that rubbish mean?” Legolas almost smiled over his friend.

“Its an old elfin spell. No one has used it in over four centuries.” He told Gimli.

“What is it’s purpose?”

“It will help to keep the Dark Lord from catching Frodo. Gandalf is blinding Sauron’s eye. But it will not be enough on its own…” Serein mumbled.

“She’s right.” Legolas said. “Gandalf is too tired from his physical battle, he doesn’t have the strength to hold the spell for long. And when he drops it, Sauron will be able to find Frodo. The ring will be as good as in his hands!”

“Can we help him?” Pippin asked. The hobbits, too, it seemed, had made their way through the heavy fighting over to the Fellowship. They had overheard what Legolas and Serein had said of Gandalf and his spell.

“No. Unless we know any magic, we cannot help him in his spell.” Legolas stated. His comment made the wheels in Serein’s mind begin to turn. She herself had no magical power, but the Gemstone of Haze was a powerful magical trinket. Perhaps if she added it to Gandalf’s power, it would amplify his. Wait, this was the through if a mad person! She had risked her life to re-steal the Gemstone so she could save her home, her kingdom and her people, not these people! But if she helped Gandalf, she would be in turn helping her own home too, just more indirectly. But her kingdom needed the trinket… but the whole of Middle-Earth needed it… but her kingdom…

“Serein? Serein? Where are you going? Serein!” Legolas shouted to her as she raced through fights and dodged weapons and arrows.

“What does that fool of an elf think she’s going to do now?” Gimli yelled.

“Where’s my niece going?” Elrond yelled as he and Thranduil joined them.

“We don’t know, she just up and took off.” Merry told them.

“Serein!” Legolas was fed up with calling to her. “Gimli, come on! She’ll get herself killed the way she’s running! Let’s go!”

“Right.” The elf and dwarf took off after the seemingly possessed elfin woman.*

~~~Oh! It’s really heating up now! Don’t you just wish you knew what was going to happen? Review and find out!~~~