For the love of a Dragon (Thranduil fanfic)

Chapter 10

If you guys get confuzzled, this is Gandalf's first visit to Dol Guldur. He has two. The first one is this one, the second is the one we see in The Hobbit :) Enjoy!

Gandalf P.O.V

I walked silently across the crumbling rock bridge of Dol Guldur, staff in hand. It wavered beneath my feet as the wind whistled hauntingly; the only sound as everything else was as silent as the grave. Even I would have said this place was empty a few weeks ago, until recent rumours had reached my ears. Now, I had an idea of what lurked in here that could cast such an illusion. I just hoped I was wrong. 

Sword drawn, I looked to the horizon. The sun would be setting in an hour. I walked up a set of mossy stairs. Then I heard it.

Someone's little sobs. I followed the noise to see a young elleth in a hanging cage, her eyes barely open and swollen from crying. She was in bad shape. There was blood dripping down her face, dirt in her hair and she was clinging to the bars like her life depended on it. I don't think she had noticed me yet.

"Hello?" Her droopy eyes looked at me, and she jumped.

"Mithrandir?" she whispered. 

I smiled slightly at the recognition. "Here, let me help you out." I undid the lock and she fell into my arms. 

"Oh, I-I'm sorry," she stuttered. She tried to stand but I had to catch her again. She was in really bad shape. Who could have done this to her? 

"My dear, what have they done to you?" I said, removing sticky hair from her back. Through rips in her shirt, I saw several whip marks on her back and I could tell a bone was broken. There was a cut on her forehead, bruises on her neck and by the way she keeled over and clutched her stomach, something was injured there too.

"Come. We must get you out of here," I said, helping her walk. 

"Mithrandir," she said weakly. "He is here. The rumours are true." 

I stopped. There were my worst suspicions confirmed. But I needed proof. She was traumatised. It could've just been a conjurer of black magic.

We were at the bridge. I kept walking, until I realised she wasn't by my side anymore. 

She was staring at the setting sun, as if she was counting down the seconds until it disappeared. I tried urgently to get her to make haste. "My dear, we must-"

"Mithrandir, go!" she said.

"But-"

"GO!"

I had no choice but to leave her and cross the bridge. I stopped in the middle of it. She was staring at the setting sun, her eyes filled with dread. The last rays of sunlight had just disappeared when I saw it.

In a puff of smoke, the frail, injured elleth turned into a dragon.

I gasped and started to back away. This was...new. Not dark magic, no - I couldn't sense any evil or malicious intent. I had to shut my gaping mouth from gawking up at her.

"Mithrandir I will not harm you," she said, in a now deeper but still female voice. "Just go."

Respecting her words, I bowed to the creature. She tipped her head back solemnly.

"Mithrandir?" 

I turned to see Thranduil. 

Oh no. I knew his deep hatred for dragons.

Celegwen P.O.V

I had just transformed into a dragon. 

In front of Gandalf, and the rest of Dol Guldur.

In front of Thranduil.

"Mithrandir! Leave! I will take care of this creature!" Thranduil said, drawing his sword. I gulped. 

"I vowed revenge on you 400 years ago, raamalooke," he snarled. "When you gave me this."

I gasped as the all too familiar look of burned flesh and a milky coloured eye revealed itself. Armed with his sword and his scar, he looked terrifying. "It's time for you to die."

My heart broke at his words and his tone. "Thranduil I..." I couldn't find the words to say. 

"Thranduil!" Gandalf shouted. "Why are you here?" 

He sighed. "Someone very special to me was taken from me. I came to reclaim her." He looked longingly into Dol Guldur. "I need her back." 

Me?

Gandalf and I exchanged a look. 

"Thranduil, I found her," Gandalf said slowly. 

No! No! NO! I screamed in my mind. 

"Where?" Thranduil asked, looking around. Gandalf raised a finger to me.

"There."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a long haul of arguing with the wizard, Thranduil turned towards me. "No," he said. "This is a monster. A demon of Morgoth." My throat went dry. 

In his eyes, I was a demon. A servant of darkness. No matter how much persuasion it took, he would never believe I was Celegwen. 

"This is the Dragon that scarred me long ago, Mithrandir," he said. "Along with hundreds of my soldiers." He walked towards me slowly. I tried to back up but there was no room. "Where is she?" he snapped. 

"Believe Mithrandir!" I protested. "This is why I kept leaving. I'm...cursed," I stuttered. For a moment, just a moment, a look of understanding washed over his face, but it was replaced with malice as soon as it came. 

"This is a trick," he said darkly. "I will not fall for it."

"Thranduil!" Gandalf said. "Believe her, she is telling the truth,  I- "

"NO!" Thranduil scolded. "I will put an end to this beast!" I closed my eyes. Gandalf and I couldn't subside the raging fire in his eyes which had been burning for centuries. He was going to kill me. 

He was going to kill me.

I looked to the horizon. The sun would be rising in a few minutes. 

"Thranduil...I-"

I was cut off by Thranduil plunging his sword deep into my stomach. The excruciating pain rushed to every corner of my body, setting fire to every single cell. A tear fell from my eye.

I looked to the horizon one last time. The sun was rising. I diminished into an elleth once more, fell to the floor with a thump before everything...went....black.

OH NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

residenthobbit49 <3