Estateillio

the Balrog

• There had been a time when balrogs were still numerous and quite a common sight on a battle field larger than a skirmish and Estateillio had been born in it, fought some of its battles, and later she had hunted down most of the surviving Úmaiar and slayed them.

• But this was different. During the First Age the Ñoldor had developed a strategy to take down the fiery beasts quickly, consisting of five to ten capable elves taking turns attacking and supporting the others with magic, and during the early Third Age, when Estateillio had fought alone, she had used the speed of four minds working collectively and a great deal of magic, so much that she had at one point - accidentally - torn down half a mountain and fainted afterwards from exhaustion.

• Now she had only one companion who was not the greatest in face-to-face combat with such foe, though his magic was helpful, for it was not advisable for her to use her own, and a foe that was extremely angry and barely focused on said companion, but rather turned its full attention towards the elleth.

• It was a personal grudge, she thought. The balrog was quite scarred and perhaps one of the scars had been made by her own blade, probably during her younger years, for that were the only times she had fought one of the fallen Maiar and not managed to kill them. In Thargelion and on the Anfauglith, though she was sure that the balrog she had briefly fought during the fifth battle had fallen later to the blades of her kin, while she had gathered a few riders to lead a charge at a group of orcs that troubled the Easterlings.

• There was no time though for dark memories to arise, held at bay by adrenaline.

• A whip cracked, the thin rope of fire aimed at her head, but the flames only scorched the stone where she had stood but a second ago and she straightened from the roll that had brought her closer to the fell beast, too close for it to hit her with its sword, and after another step she was within range and she plunged Helfarth almost vertically into its thigh, the sharp tip grazing the bone just above the knee as she used it to boost herself up and deeply embedded Narth in its belly, aiming the blade upwards.

• And then she all but ripped her swords out, jumping backwards as the balrog started roaring and shaking and a well aimed ball of magic from Mithrandir threw it back a bit, against a pillar and it lashed out, the whip cutting through another and the sword striking a third, but obviously that had not done it, for the wounds already started closing up again, slower though than she was used to seeing from other balrogs, and thus Estateillio went in for the killing blow, Mithrandir holding the slightly bedazzled creature down with magic.

• But then one of the pillars collapsed, raining stone and dust upon them and in her surprise she halted, hesitated, because even though the large columns had been damaged, they were dwarven work and thus should not have been so easily destroyed.

• And then the balrog rose, free from Mithrandir's spell, for the Istar was as confused as the elleth, and it cracked its whip and she realised the threat too late, for she had turned her attention from her foe to find the cause for the collapse, and she raised her arm in an attempt to avoid injury to her head and the fiery rope wrapped around her forearm.

• The heat could not injure her skin, that at least she had been able to do with her magic, but it could affect her vambraces, the silver metal heating up and softening. And she swung Helfarth, severing the whip and sending what little of Smaug's energy she didn't need to make her blades heat-resisting through the line of fire to shock her foe and it reached the balrog at the same time Mithrandir's magic did and it dropped the weapon and roared and the now loose tips slipped from her arm and fell to the grounds and the fire burned out.

• A chunk of stone fell from the ceiling, hitting one of the already damaged pillars and causing it to topple over and crush into another and the whole ground shook as more debris fell and while Hráven and Halieth stayed vigilant and avoided falling rocks, Estamíriel inspected what happened above and she found great cracks in the ceiling and a meddling power unknown to her as they had expected.

• "Felco taltas! (The cave is collapsing!)", she cried out, backing away as Mithrandir took control of one of the falling stones and hurled it at the balrog, crushing one of its wings and getting it stuck underneath, and he concluded: "Maurarn auta. (We need to leave.)"

• But Estateillio hesitated, for the balrog was not yet dead. "Nás yú raxëa. Hí nás haudhrya (It's too dangerous. Here is its (the balrog's) grave)", Gandalf cautioned and as more rocks started falling, she turned away and quickly the two strode to the exit, joining the fellowship again and urging them on to the bridge of Khazad-Dûm and subsequently fresh air and daylight.

• They had not walked for a full minute when the shaking subsided and then Estateillio stated: "The pillars should not have collapsed. Someone was meddling, I have felt their power."

• "I know. But there is little to be done about that now, our foe is dead and we are one step closer to Mordor", Gandalf mused, leading the group once again with his light while the elleth brought up the rear.

• "I fear that they might decide to meddle some more. What if they didn't mean to hit the balrog, but us?", Estateillio considered as they entered a large cavern with many bridges and stairs.

• "I think they would have made the tunnels cave in if our death was their goal", the Istar rationalized, leading the fellowship down a flight of stairs. "Not every foe wants to kill you on sight. Some try to trap you and make you suffer", she spoke bitterly.

• And then, faintly, her keen elvish hearing made out the sound of an angry roar and she halted and again there was the presence of shadow and flame and unending malice as the balrog followed them through the debris of the great hall.

• "Cuitas."

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Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoyed!
"Úmaiar" are evil spirits who served Morgoth and the name is often used to refer to balrogs, though the term also includes vampires and others (I think). "Cuitas" is Quenya and means "it lives".
I think I might be persuaded to start a small series of One-Shots. I have often alluded to past events (e.g. the half destroyed mountain in this chapter, Estateillio and Élfaradis fighting with the dwarves in "Mithril",...) and thought that it might be a chance for you to meet characters that will probably never really appear in this fic (her brother, Haleth, most of the sons of Fëanor (We might see Maglor?), Gil-Galad, Celebrimbor, Elros, Telphen). Please tell me what you think and what you would like to see.
I will update at least once a week.
AT