Run It Back Again (Part 2)

Chapter 45

"You are more trouble than you are worth, halfling shapeshifter.  Once I dispose of you, no one will stand in my way.  I will gain back control of my creations..."  I growled as I drew my twin blades and put them together, forming my double blade staff.

"Once I dispose of you, I will destroy anything that threatens Middle Earth..."  He roared as he lunged at me, his blades drawn.

*Boromir's Pov-

"We have to help her, Thorin.  She'll be killed!"  Era's father stared at her, watching her fight Sauron.

"I know, but what can we do?"  I drew my blade.

"We can still fight like we used to.  We don't need to shift..."  Her cousins smiled and nodded.

"You're right!  Let's go!"  With that, while Thorin watched over Queen Skyrena, we charged after Era and Sauron.

*Era's Pov-

I blocked and pried, our blades crossing several times before he knocked me to the ground.  Immediately, I rolled to my feet and jumped aside, dodging his blade completely.  Sauron was toying with me...  His blows were easy to dodge but exhausting all the same.  Soon, he was grinning.

"They're coming, Era...  They are coming to meet their fate."  I backed off and saw Boromir, Fili, and Kili coming towards us.

"No..."  I backed off, giving myself some space, and roared.

No!  Don't do it!  However, my message didn't get through.

I roared and dropped to my knees, unsheathing my claws and driving my hands into the ground.  All around me, the ground cracked as a huge energy dome appeared overhead.  Immediately, I felt all the energy of everything within a mile radius flow towards me, including Sauron's.

*Boromir's Pov-

No! Don't do it!  I shook my head, ignoring Era's plea.  However, what happened next made us all freeze.  Reaching the dome, I reached out and touched it.

"We can't go through...  It'll drain us of our energy before we even reach her."  Fili frowned as he looked at her.

"What is she doing?"  I saw the energy flowing around her and smiled.

"She trying to protect us by ensuring that we don't put ourselves in danger."  Kili frowned as he looked at us.

"Won't that drain her of her own energy?"  I looked over at him.

"She isn't just doing it for us...  She's absorbing the good energy and recharging herself."  Then, we heard her cry out in pain.

*Era's Pov-

I screamed when I felt something cold and hard pass through my stomach.  Looking down, I saw the bloody point of a sword sticking out of my stomach.  Immediately, I dropped the dome and dropped forward, crawling away from the blade.  Sauron's harsh laugh filled the air.

"Feel familiar, halfling shapeshifter?"  I swallowed hard, tasting the blood in my mouth.  He followed me a little ways, mocking me.  "What's the matter?  Too weak now?"  I closed my eyes, focusing on my wounds.  Immediately, I saw myself.

You don't have enough energy...  You'll die if you attempt to heal yourself.  He'll finish you off...  I breathed heavily, trying to keep from hyperventilating.

Then, I'll have to finish him first.  With that, I opened my eyes and slowly rose to my feet.  Sauron towered over me.

"You refuse to go down like the creature you are, huh?  Let me put you back in your place..."  I roared as I shifted into a dragon and flew over his head, grabbing him with my claws.

Flying up higher and higher, I waited until I couldn't hold the form anymore.  As I shifted back into a dwarf, I released Sauron and nose dived after him as he fell, shouting the whole way down.  Before long, I caught his shoulder and shouted over the rushing wind.

"For my family, my home, my people, and Middle Earth!"  I pierced him through the chest with my dagger that Fili gave me so long ago.

He screeched as his form began to dissolve into black smoke.  In the distance, I heard the roar of Mount Doom back in Mordor, as it threatened to erupt.  Immediately, I knew that Frodo had made it to Mordor and had destroyed the ring.  Without it, Sauron would perish forever as well.  Before long, he was gone, leaving nothing but a thin trail of black smoke where he had once been.  Knowing it was over, I closed my eyes and waited for the ground to catch me.

*Boromir's Pov-

"She's out of energy!  She's going to hit the ground!"  I shifted into an eagle, much similar to what Era had shifted into, and flew up to catch her before she hit the ground.

When I reached her, she was out cold, blood soaking the midsection of her clothes.  I caught her and flew her back to Fili and Kili, where I laid her down gently before shifting back.  We all knelt down beside her, tearing her armor away so we could see the wound.

It was deep, going from the middle of her stomach to the small of her back...  Her breath was soft and shallow...  Her hands were groing cold by the second...  When I lifted up an eye lid, I saw her eyes had rolled up into her head...  I drew back, shaking my head.

"She's almost gone..."  Fili looked up at me.

"What do you mean, almost gone?  That means that she's still alive, right?"  I hung my head.

"Yes, but not for very long..."  He frowned as he looked down at her.

"We should heal her like she healed us any time we got hurt..."  I started to answer, but something moved out of the corner of my eye, catching my attention.  It was Thorin and Skyrena.  Skyrena froze when she saw her daughter.

"No..."  She half limped, half ran, over to us.  "Not Era..."  Beside her, Thorin stiffened as he stared down at his daughter.

"She can be healed, right Skyrena?"  The queen looked at her king as she kneeled beside Era.

"In some ways...  Her body is shutting down so it can save her.  She doesn't have enough energy to heal herself.  If she lives, she'll be out for days, or weeks even, as all her remaining energy goes to healing her.  However, while she rests, if she doesn't die in the process, she will regain the energy she needs bit by bit until she has enough to function again."  She lowered her gaze and shook her head.  "However, I'm afraid there's not much we can do..."

"Sure there is..."  We all turned and looked to the owner of the new voice.  It was Eowyn of Rohan.  "If we heal her the best we can, then she can rest and regain the energy, rather than staying out longer."  Skyrena rose and nodded grimly.

"It's worth a shot."