Silverhelm: A Tale of Two Enemies

I Will Sacrifice Myself For You

Alright, sorry there's no funny title name (but, there is a meme), but this is a dang serious chapter. I will develop Legolas and Lyrasael's relationship a bit more, and as I said in the previous chapter, expect a surprise at the end.

"The dragon. What of it?" Boromir asked.

"It is a stone-dragon, larger than the firedrakes of the North. It does not hoard gold like most dragons and is not intelligent or capable of speech. Its skin is tougher than a regular dragon, like Smaug's, but it can be killed by an Elvish blade. Thing is, we can get past it if we stay silent. It will most likely be asleep, but if we wake it, we're dead," I recounted.

"Alright," Aragorn said, taking a breath. "Come on. Stay silent- especially you, Gimli and Boromir."

I smirked. But it was true: hobbits are remarkably light on their feet and elves are literally silent. As a Ranger, Aragorn can pass silently and unseen. But dwarves are naturally clumsy, and Boromir is not exactly quiet, being used to the hustle-bustle of the streets of Minas Tirith rather than the silent halls of Moria. Running through the halls, we caught our first sight of the dragon. It was large, larger than many of the dragons I've seen, even bigger than Smaug, with a grey hide and block-shaped head. Most importantly, it was awake. And searching for us. It roared and bathed the chamber with flame. We kept running, but it was no use. With a few leaps and flaps of its giant wings, the dragon would soon overtake us and roast us for its dinner.

Turning right, we came into a smaller chamber where we were safe- for the moment. In a matter of time, the dragon would find us and smash it open.

"What do we do?" Legolas asked hurriedly. We had no plan. But I knew what I had to do.

"Aragorn," I said. "Get them out. Make for Lorien. Tell Haldir, the Marchwarden that Lyrasael sent you."

"Yes-" Aragorn began. "Wait, you're not coming?" I shook my head. "Lyrasael, what are you going to do?"

"You know what I must do, Elessar," I called him by his High-Elvish name, the one he would take when he was crowned King. "Lead them well."

"Lyrasael, we need you!"

"This is the only way you will succeed. GO."

"Lyrasael, you cannot hope of winning this fight," Legolas butted in.

I gave him a look. "I do not hope of winning this fight. I am only buying you time."

"I'm staying with you," Legolas said. I rolled my eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"The Fellowship needs y-" THUD. I turned around and saw the stone-dragon looming over me. "Run," I said over my shoulder. Aragorn nodded and they were off. Except for Legolas. Ugh.

I ran between the dragon's legs and stabbed in the stomach- or I tried to. Its hide was like a stone! Thankfully, this angered it, and it followed me, letting the rest of the Fellowship get out. Aragorn lingered for a moment. I took this opportunity to tell him:

"If we're not back in two hours, assume we're dead."

He nodded briefly, tears gleaming in his eyes, and ran off. I could tell he was hesitant to leave me to such a fate, but his duty was to Frodo and the Fellowship. This was Legolas' last chance to escape with the Fellowship, but he didn't take it. Did he actually want to help me? Huh.

"Legolas! This way!" I said, pushing the thought aside. He turned and dashed towards me. I grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a pillar so the dragon couldn't see us.