The Ring of Power

Chapter 27

MAXXIE's body hurt. His head pounded. His legs wouldn't move. He felt every single broken bone and cut on his fourteen year old body, and it wasn't pleasant. Maxxie opened his eyes, bright, white light instantly blinding him. 'Yeah, nope. Closing those,' he thought. Maxxie wasn't ready to deal with the world. The world was just going to have to wait.

Unfortunately, Luke couldn't wait. Luke slapped his face lightly. "Let's go, kid. Get up." He sounded tired. It made sense. They had been defending Lorien for hours. Well, Luke and the huge elven army did. Maxxie was hit over the head 2 hours in, and laid passed out on the ground for the remainder of the fight. That's definitely a story he's not going to tell when they get back to camp. Luke grabbed Maxxie's arm, and hauled him up to a sitting position. "You did good, kid. You know, for the hour or two you were conscious. I'll give you a B+."

Maxxie shook Luke off. "This was my first actual fight," the son of Poseidon supplied.

Luke nodded, his scar crinkling as she smirked. "I figured as much."

Maxxie frowned. "It seems like this wasn't your first run-in with those kinds of monsters, though," he implied rubbing his head, hoping that would magically cause the pain to subside.

Luke got up, looking around. "Yeah, well, I kinda used to live here. After I 'died'," the son of Hermes used over-exaggerated air quotes, "someone sent me here. I have an idea of who it was." Luke frowned and looked down. "But she's...she's not powerful enough to..."

Maxxie gave him a confused look. "Who's not powerful to what?"

"Hecate. She doesn't control the realms. She must've needed help." It's seemed like he was talking to himself now. Luke's head popped up, looking past Maxxie. He paled and immediately knelt, bowing his head. "Milady," he greeted and nudged Maxxie to kneel. Maxxie could feel Celeborn and Galadriel's stare burning the back of his head. He quickly knelt, avoiding Galadriel's stare; it seemed as though she could look into his soul with just one glance.

"You are right, Luke. Hecate does indeed have a companion. I have felt His Darkness for some time now, pulling me." Galadriel fiddled with the Ring in her slim finger, Nenya. She closed her eyes, shaking slightly. "I have seen him. I have been inside his mind." Luke and Maxxie stood. Luke had heard the stories about Him. He had heard the prophecies of his return, but prayed to every Valor that He wouldn't return until Luke was long dead.

Celeborn placed a delicate hand on his wife's shoulder. "Whom, my love?" Galadriel looked up at him.

Her voice was low and her eyes dark. "Morgoth."

----

Legolas sighed as the cool breeze hit his face, his cloak flapping behind him in the wind. He closed his eyes, taking in the one moment of peace. His mind wandered from his father, the war, and Elysium. It seemed to stay on Elysium for quite some time. Legolas' heart pounded, his lips tingled. He could feel the pull of them to form a smile.

After the very long kiss on the balcony, Elysium immediately passed out against him. He had picked her and her clothes up and carried her all the way across the castle to her room. He hoped she might remember what happened, so they could discuss what would happen next. Legolas wondered if they would go through the traditional courtship as all elves do. Would she want to court him? Would either of them even be alive at the end of this quest?

Legolas shook himself out of his thoughts. He shouldn't be thinking like that. He's sure that Elysium would want to wait until after the war to discuss such matters. There were more important things at hand.

Loud footfalls, definitely not ones of an elf, sounded through the hall. Legolas turned to the right, seeing Aragorn. He, too, smelled of liquor, just like Elysium did. Aragorn seemed to sense him.