Return Of The Shadow

Chapter 35: The Battle Begins

Legolas took in the army of orcs, trolls, and Nazgul.
Fear began to creep up on him, he pushed it away.
Now was not the time to give in to fear.
He'd fought before this was nothing new.
He knew Amarth was waiting for him. Why Amarth was fighting for Sauron when he had made it perfectly clear that he hated the Dark Lord was beyond Legolas.
But he had no doubt that the dark elf was planning something.

For one thing the battle was going to be fought near
Mt. Doom, the one place where the ring that Sauron wore could be destroyed.

Perhaps Amarth had something to do with that.

He wondered if Amarth would assist them in some way. He wanted Sauron vanquished, but he also wanted him dead.
Maybe he would get both.
Sauron's defeat and, Legolas' death.
Legolas shook the thought away.
Amarth would get Sauron's death but not his.

Amarth had to die. He did not deserve to live after what he had done.
"Are you ready lad?"
Legolas snapped out of his thoughts.
"Are you?"
He asked Gimli.
"Of course. It's you I'm worried about."
"I will be fine."

The two armies faced each other.
The orcs roared and snarled.
The trolls beat the earth with their fists.
Nazgul flew overhead on their Fell Beasts.
Aragorn turned to everyone.
His gaze met Legolas'.
He nodded.
Aragorn unsheathed Anduril, and with a shout he charged towards the orcs.
Legolas kicked his horse to a run.
They flew towards the enemy and met them in a terrible clash.
A spear went through the horse and it fell dead.
Legolas sprang off and drew his knives. He stabbed an orc in the neck as he came down, he sliced the head off another.

Gimli was nearby and hewing the limbs off of dozens of orcs.
Legolas soon lost sight of him and the others.
He could here the shouts of men, elves, and dwarves.
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw several men fall, an elf had just killed an orc only to be stabbed from behind.

Legolas blocked everything out. All he focused on were the orcs that tried to kill him.
He noticed that he was being forced away from the others.
He caught a brief glimpse of Haldir fighting alongside Elrohir before a troll blocked them from sight.

Legolas tried to make his way back over to the others but he continued to be forced away.
It dawned on him that the orcs were separating him from the others on purpose.
Why? He didn't know.
Until he was forced into an empty place. The orcs didn't go into the space, while Legolas tried to figure out why he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Hello Greenleaf."
Legolas whipped around and saw Amarth.
The dark elf held his two long swords in his hands.
His eyes blazed with fury.
Legolas readied his knives and ran towards him.
Amarth leapt at him and brought his swords down.
Legolas blocked them with his knives, Amarth stumbled but quickly recovered.
Their blades clashed, sparks flew from the steel.
"You cannot beat me Legolas."
Amarth shoved him back and he fell.
"You are weak."
Amarth lifted his swords and brought them down hard, Legolas rolled out of the way just in time.
He sprang back to his feet and swung his knives at Amarth.
The elf hissed in pain as one of the knives scraped his arm.

Amarth swung one sword at Legolas' neck and the other at his legs, Legolas ducked but couldn't stop the sword from cutting across his leg.
He tried to regain his balance and gasped as a searing pain shot up his leg.

"You had the chance to escape this Legolas."
Amarth swung his swords again, this time the blades cut across Legolas' chest, tearing his clothes but missing the skin.
"You could have lived and saved your friends, but instead you chose to die."

Legolas ran straight at him, the move caught Amarth off guard, Legolas was about to attack when his blood froze.
He looked up across the battle field in horror.

Sauron had come.

°°°°

Aragorn fought in the thick of the battle.
He had abandoned his fallen horse long ago and was now fighting alongside Gandalf.
Frodo and Sam fought near them.

A few feet away Boromir and Merry were fighting alongside Elladan.
Frodo suddenly cried out in fear.
Aragorn looked up and froze.
Sauron.

The Dark Lord made his way towards him.
Using the ring he killed dozens of men, elves, and dwarves.

"Frodo! Sam! Go to Elladan!"
He shouted.
The two hobbits ran to the elf who began leading those around him away from Sauron.

Aragorn stood and faced Sauron, the Dark Lord towered over him.
He carried a massive staff in his hand and swung it down, the force knocked Aragorn, as well as everyone around him, to the ground.

Aragorn struggled back to his feet. Gandalf was already standing and facing Sauron.
He brought his staff up and slammed it on the ground.
Sauron roared in pain and stumbled.
Gandalf wasted no time and sent a beam of light towards the end of Sauron's staff.

The staff shattered and Sauron roared in rage.
He drew a long black sword and moved towards the wizard.
Aragorn raced to his side and blocked the sword from striking the exhausted wizard.
The impact almost crushed Aragorn who managed to stay on his feet.

Sauron lifted his sword and brought it down again onto Aragorn who was barely able to block it.
But he couldn't keep this up for much longer, already his strength was failing.
Then he saw it, the ring.

Gandalf recovered and attacked Sauron with his staff.
Sauron stumbled but kept the ring out of Aragorn's reach.
They only had one chance.
Aragorn glanced at Gandalf who nodded.
Aragorn ran behind Sauron who swung his sword at him, it wounded his back and Aragorn gasped in pain.

He stumbled to his knees. Before he could recover his was struck by Sauron's hand.
Aragorn lay helpless on the ground.

This is it. I'm going to die.

Before Sauron could bring his sword down Gandalf made his move.
A flash of light brighter than before engulfed Sauron.
As he shielded himself from the light Aragorn grabbed Anduril.

He stood to his feet and ran towards Sauron.

This is your last chance, if you fail now everyone will die.

Aragorn lifted his sword above his head, with a fierce cry he brought it down, right onto Sauron's hand.
The Dark Lord screamed as his entire hand was cut off.

Aragorn watched in exhausted relief as Sauron's body began twist in grotesque ways. There was a flash of light and a screech from the Nazgul.
When the light disappeared all that was left of Sauron was the ring.

°°°°

Frodo had watched in fear as Aragorn and Gandalf fought Sauron, after Aragorn had fallen Frodo had been certain he was dead, but then he had risen, and cut Sauron's hand from his arm.

The Dark Lord vanished, leaving Gandalf and Aragorn to stand and catch their breath.
Elladan and Boromir led them to where they were standing.
"The ring Frodo!"
Gandalf shouted.
Frodo wasted no time in grabbing the ring.
The familiar weight he had felt before returned.

"You must hurry."
Gandalf urged them.
Boromir nodded.
"Let's go."
He, Elladan, Aragorn, and Gandalf surrounded the hobbits.

The ring had been recovered but the battle was far from over.
The ring still had to be destroyed.
And the forces of Mordor would do anything to stop it.