and so it begins

Chapter 2:  and so it begins

Ten hours before…….Elrond’s POV

I jerked out of my chair when the horn of the border guard echoed through the valley. With long strides I walked across my office and yanked the double doors at the balcony open. For millennia I hadn’t heard the horn, in fact I hadn’t heard it at all since the end of the war in Eregion in the Second Age. The signal had been created for the rare cases when the sheltered valley had been discovered by the enemy.

My gut clenched the moment I extended my senses out in the surrounding vale. From all sides masses of orcs and Uruk-hai were breaching our borders. They were running down the patrols, overwhelming them with their sheer numbers. I had no time to explore why I had not noticed this earlier.

I saw my Troop Commander racing into the valley and shouting from afar telling me what evil was afflicting my beloved home. He was only confirming what my senses had already told me.

Imladris was not a secret anymore. The enemy had finally found our hiding place and was attacking with such a great force that I did not even bother to call to the river for a last defence. The energy I would waste might be needed more urgently later.

I stopped listening to what Glorfindel was shouting knowing that he would re-arrange all available warriors within and outside the house. I hastened through my office to the opposite wall shedding my long robe while running.

With a determined tug I pull the long sword from its resting place high on the wall. I did not bother putting on the scabbard, knowing that I would not need the protection any time soon.

The steel felt warm and solid in my hands. Even if I hadn’t used the beautiful weapon in hundred of years I felt instantly familiar with the hum vibrating through it.

After a few swings to loosen up and reacquaint myself with its balance I turned and opened the hallway door forcefully. At the last moment I jerked the weapon back cutting a few strands of my councillor’s hair away as I pulled the blade back to me.

Erestor looked at me with an irritated glare but he merely tilted his head towards the corridor. After descending the great staircase we stepped into a hallway and I narrowed my eyes, concerned. Uruks had already rammed the massive entry door open and were now swarming the hall. Side by side we stepped forward to prevent the Uruks from killing more of my people. Two ellith had already been slain. The women had unfortunately been standing directly behind the doors when the first Uruk-hai had stormed in.

Anger and devastation lent us strength and we made quick work of the five Uruks and over twenty orcs already in the hall. Erestor, for millennia dedicated to scholarly pursuits, wielded his sword as effectively as any experienced warrior.

Yet even with our superior fighting skills and high motivation we had to draw back in the end. We had the skill but the orcs had the numbers. Their uncounted masses continued pressing forward and into the house without cease.

I told Erestor to take the left corridor toward the Hall of Fire. He would gather as many elves as possible and try to bring them to safety – a safety that was currently outside the house rather than inside.

I would head down toward the west wing to see if I could help in the infirmary – the likeliest place inhabitants would go for shelter and help. Briefly I wondered where Glorfindel had vanished to. I hadn’t seen any sign of my sons either.

I had barely cleared the main corridor and veered to the left to pass by the library when the door was yanked open. Galathil, the chief librarian, staggered out, a long spear sticking out of his back. I didn’t even have time to catch his collapsing body as I ducked to evade an arrow fired toward me from inside the room.

Seeing that Galathil was dead I abandoned the library. As much as the destruction the orcs would wreck in the room tore at my heart, it was nothing compared to the horror I experienced while fighting my way down the corridor as I continued toward the infirmary.

The corridor was already littered with dead elven bodies, male, female and elflings alike. My fury and determination rose with every scream I heard from behind closed doors and from every slain member of my household I came across. I showed no mercy towards any orc or Uruck-hai within reach of my sword.

Again I was nearly overwhelmed – both mentally and physically - by the sheer number of the foul beasts that were invading my house and the valley. This attack had nothing in common with earlier occasional clashes with bands of orcs creeping around the valley. Through those encounters even those who had been fortunate enough to find the hidden entrance had never lived long enough to tell the tale.

But this attack had been planned by a greater force and the numbers indicated that now the evil powers in the world had been merged into an army dedicated to finally eliminate the elven race.

This was exactly what was happening in my valley and if no miracle happened no one would survive to tell this tale or warn the other elven realms. I had the distinct feeling that this was only the beginning and that the other elven havens would be confronted with the same fate in coming days if they were not already under attack. Because I was actively fighting I had no time to far-speak with Galadriel and I could only speculate about what might be happening in Mirkwood.

Suddenly Erestor was at my side again. I looked at him with surprise and irritation. Hadn’t I asked him to check on the Hall of Fire and rescue as many inhabitants as possible? Before I could say anything to him he raised his eyes and I saw that they held so much sorrow that I nearly stepped back from shock.

“My services at the Hall of Fire were no longer needed,” he said as he turned to slay an orc sneaking up at us. I looked at him in disbelief, yet my heart told me that his words were true.

We heard high pitched cries as another door was forcefully rammed open. We turned as one and ran further down the corridor.

Without thought we cleared the last corner and hastened across the corridor to enter the nursery. The sight that greeted me caused my stomach to revolt. Four elflings were already lying dead on the floor and another one was being sliced through by the long scimitar of an Uruk.

Now my restraint left me; my sanity took leave and a red haze took over. With a cry borne out of anguish, fury and the sole desire to kill these brutes I rushed into the room and hacked and twisted, parried and dealt blow after blow until no enemy, orc or Uruk-hai was left alive.

With my councillor on my side we made sure that no orc had escaped or were hidden even in the smallest crevice.

When our heart beats had slowed and the adrenalin rush reached almost normal levels our swords were bloody from tip to hilt. Dropping our weapons we crawled from one little body to the next in the hope of finding someone – anyone - still alive.

I kept one eye on the door, almost wishing for another orc to appear to give me the opportunity to vent my overwhelming anger and relieve my sorrow. But neither of my wishes, to either find someone still breathing or more orcs to fight against, was granted me.

Not looking at my advisor I retrieved my sword and was just about to leave this place of death when four Uruks crashed into the room attacking us at once. I watched admiringly as Erestor whirled around, grabbed his sword from the floor and with an impossible twist felled the first Uruk storming into the room.

I turned and fought the second Uruk-hai. Space and time blended together as we reactivated fighting skills long buried but never forgotten. Yet, all our strength and agility was not sufficient. Erestor was slain and I had no chance to prevent it since I was still fighting two Uruks at the time.

Seeing my long time friend fall snapped another cord in my very being and I managed to hack the two monstrous Uruks into pieces. I was too late to rescue my companion but my anger allowed me to hold onto my last shreds of sanity.

My trained eye needed no further confirmation. Erestor was dead. I left the room and simply followed the noise of battle.

Further down the corridor, almost at the entrance of the healing wing I saw a hunched figure kneeling on the floor holding a slender body pressed to his chest.

My breath caught and all air movement ceased. It suddenly seemed impossible to inhale. Without even seeing their faces, the postures of the elves in front of me told me that I had found my sons.

Just as I thought that nothing worse could happen the bond forever connecting me with my children snapped. I heard the call of Lord Namó summoning the fea of my eldest home. Echoing the anguished cry from Elrohir I fell to my knees beside my son, yet the youth only stared ahead with blank eyes.

Again I was granted no time to take a breath when the door to the healing wing opened and I could look past the great doors. Orcs were hacking at all that moved, patients and healers alike, turning the pristine white room into a mass of blood.

I had not yet found the strength to rise and go to the healing room when the side corridor door opened and Thalan, Glorfindel´s second in command stormed in. When he saw me he sank to his knees in front of me directing sorrowful eyes at me.

“He’s dead,” was all he whispered and I didn’t have to ask who he meant. Briefly I looked back into the corridor but Elrohir had vanished. Elladan’s body was also no longer there.

Raising my sword I stood up and uttered an unearthly cry. I stormed into the infirmary Thalan on my heels…….

To be continued      ……………………………………