Aragorn saw Arwen fleeing with Sam and Frodo and offered a silent thanks to Legolas and the Ranger Melia for providing her with a window of opportunity to escape. His own efforts to reach her had been hampered by the weight of all the Uruk Hai and the Orcs that were determined to slay a king on this day. It was a pleasure he was going to deny them as he fought valiantly the numbers rallied against him. Aware that he would become their target almost as soon as they had seen him, Aragorn had sense enough to distribute the forces at hand wisely. Legolas and Melia were more than capable of ending the ritual by dispatching those who would perform it. Gandalf was keeping Glaurung at bay while Sam and Frodo, two hobbits who knew more about stealthy advance then Aragorn could ever dream after walking into Mordor, had been sent after Arwen to free her. Meanwhile, the others took their swords and axes to the small army assembled before them.
Beside him, Gimli was swinging his mighty axe; each arch made by the thick blade was soon followed by a sharp and agonized scream indicating that the dwarf lord had made his mark. Gimli’s handling of the weapon was next to superb and he was able to defend himself against sword and fork. The orcs that he felled lay on the ground unmoving, their black blood running into the dirt around their ruined bodies. The dwarf’s size did little to hamper his ability to fight the formidable Uruk Hai because the foul savages thirst for death was almost rivaled by the dwarves love of battle. In passion and skill they were both evenly matched even if in body they were not.
Merry and Pippin were showing the Orcs what they had learnt from Boromir’s teachings and the battles they had fought during the War of the Ring. Like Gimli, their size was not an obstacle and some times an advantage for they were able to surprise their opponents by how fiercely they fought. Pippin was the more frenzied of the two but his seemingly wild slashes had purpose and the dead beneath his feet was a testament to that. As usual, Merry ensured that Pippin’s back was safe during the battle as he fought off the creatures that might try to sneak up on his friend. The two made a formidable team as they launched their two pronged attack.
A Uruk Hai had slammed his thick skull against Aragorn’s forehead and sent the king stumbling backwards. The savage enemy came at him with a mace, attempting to crush his skull with a single blow. Aragorn slipped beyond his reach when he prepared to bring down the weapon upon the king. Aragorn managed to get behind him and was there to meet the Uruk Hai snarling in outrage at his escape, with the point of his blade when he sent it through the creature’s neck. The enemy dropped his weapon and clutched the sword, trying to drag Aragorn forward. Wasting no time, Aragorn slid the dagger in his other hand through the monster’s flesh and tore open his insides, ending any further effort on his part.
"ARAGORN!"
Aragorn spun around to the sound of Legolas’ terrified scream and saw the dragon Glaurung coming straight for him. The beast opened his mouth and spewed forth a wall of fire that the king barely avoided when he jumped clear. Hot flames consumed the Uruk Hai standing near him and screams of agony filled the air as well as the unpalatable stench of roasting flesh. Aragorn had just landed when he saw a shadow over him and realized that it was Glaurung’s tail about to smash down on him. The king scrambled to his feet and ran forward, trying to escape the reach when another ball of flame stopped him in his steps. Back tracking, he did not have time to react to the tail that came at him.
Arwen watched in horror as Estel was swept off his feet and flung half way across the floor. He landed badly and did not get up again as Glaurung approached him. Even Legolas and Melia’s efforts to hinder his progress towards the king did not effect the dragon since he was now walking on all fours, protecting his soft belly from attack. His open mouth was smoking and he was drawing breath for another fiery assault.
"You will do no more harm!" Gandalf hurried forward, standing before the dragon with his staff raised.
"And what will you do wizard?" Glaurung asked malevolently. "Will you stop me before I incinerate this mortal? Do you think that you are fast enough to prevent my breath of fire from consuming the King and turning him into ashes? Try me Istari and see which of us is wrong."
Gandalf faltered because it was true. He could fight this creature but could he act before Glaurung exhaled the breath waiting inside his body? He was not sure and he could not take the chance. Middle earth was now at peace because the races had rallied around the King of the Re-Unified Kingdom. Without Aragorn, Middle Earth would fall to chaos once more and might never recover.
"This cannot end the way you want," Gandalf said coldly.
"It will end the way I choose," Glaurung hissed, black smoke rising out of his nostrils and his mouth. "Give me the woman and I will leave him be."
"No," Gandalf retorted. "Never."
"Then watch the Re-Unified Kingdom die with Isildur’s heir and out of the chaos I will still give them a new king, a king who is not only of Isildur but also of Gil Galad."
"NO!" Arwen screamed from where she was. "YOU WILL NOT HARM ANYONE!"
Arwen saw her beloved Estel lying on the ground, blood running from his forehead and knew that he could be dead, today. She had given up her immortality to be with him and though she accepted that those years would be only as long as a single mortal span of life, she was not prepared to lose him now. Not before any of the dreams that they had built in their years apart were given shape. This foul relic of the First Age was not going to destroy her and Estel the way it had destroyed Turin. She would not let it! No more was she going to stand by and let this creature take away all that she loved, beginning with her baby and now its father.
Arwen stepped forward, ignoring Eowyn’s cries to desist and placed herself before Aragorn and Glaurung. Her child, whether or not he knew it, would protect his parents even from the womb.
"This ends now Glaurung," Arwen glared at him with a stare that could have burned him dead if it was allowed. "You will cause no more mischief to any of my kin."
"Empty threats do not become you Evenstar," Glaurung declared shortly. "You will come with me or I will kill your precious King."
"You will kill no one." She said icily and closed her eyes before chanting words of her own, words as ancient as the world itself. "Not me, not my husband or my son!"
She was the Evenstar.
Her people had come from the sea and to the end of time, would return to it. She did not call upon the ancient gods very often because it was not the way of the elves to require the assistance of their deities to solve their troubles. However, this evil before her was one they knew well and she needed their aid as she had never needed it before. She closed her eyes and felt the sea that lay beyond the rock that surrounded the city of Nargothrond, she felt the ocean beyond it and allowed its water to nourish her. She called upon the Valar, specifically upon the Ocean Lord Ulmo. Once he had granted her the power to save Frodo Baggins when the Nazghul had pursued her.
She hoped he was listening to her now.
"What are you doing?" Glaurung demanded.
Arwen did not listen. She continued to invoke the ancient words of calling and only when the cavern began to shake, did they know what she was doing. The rock began to heave around her and the cracks miniscule when she had arrived began to widen, allowing more and more water to seep through.
"STOP THIS!" Glaurung bellowed.
"Kill her if you dare," Gandalf challenged the dragon viciously.
Behind him, Aragorn started to stir. The reverberations in the rock had traveled through his skin and roused him abruptly out of his dark sleep. His head throbbed as he sat up and whatever disorientation he felt was driven away when he saw his wife standing before Glaurung, uttering elvish words that were so old even he had difficult understanding them. However, their effect was obvious. Chunks of rock were breaking free through the cave, water was spilling from the ocean in columns of white froth. The Uruk Hai and the Orcs remaining were starting to see the danger and attempting to flee.
"Aragorn, the sword!" Eowyn hissed. The Lady of Ithilien had made her way to the king. "She has the Sword of Turin!"
Aragorn nodded, ignoring the pain to his limbs when he attempted to stand. Crushing it away mercilessly, he felt his body infused with rage and determination, propelled by a singular purpose as he stood up and ran towards Arwen. Glaurung was so busy spouting threats that he did not see Aragorn taking the blade out of her hands and throwing it like a spear at the ancient dragon. Glaurung attempted to escape the sword being hurled at him but it was too late. Turin’s sword, forged from the stuff of stars, sank deep into the creature’s belly. The dragon threw back his head and uttered a roar of agony, fire bellowing out of his mouth as he expressed his pain. Aragorn closed the distance between himself and Glaurung as Arwen continued to chant, oblivious to everything but what she needed to do.
The creature was gripped in pain and attempting to retreat when Aragorn skidded beneath its belly and retrieved the sword. He slashed again at Glaurung’s bleeding torso and rolled out from underneath the dragon as its weight forced it to the ground, avoiding being crushed. The king stood up and rounded the dragon’s body, standing before Glaurung’s massive head. The dragon was mustering all its strength to burn him when a phalanx of arrows and crossbow bolts struck his hide. While it did not penetrate, it served the purpose of allowing Aragorn to deliver the final blow. Not since the ring was taken from Sauron’s finger, had a blade been swung with such purpose. The sword slashed through Glaurung’s vulnerable throat, silencing the final cry that would have escaped the dragon in his last moments.
Glaurung’s collapse coincided with an explosion of sound all around them. The cavern began to crumble with the ocean pouring into the city. What Orcs and Uruk Hai were left were now fleeing in blind panic, trying to seek refuge in the high ground. Aragorn, still holding Turin’s sword in his hand, turned to his wife. He found her in Gandalf’s arm, having fainted from the invocation of such powerful forces.
"Arwen!" Aragorn hurried to her side.
"She is alright," Gandalf quickly explained as the king swept his wife into his arms. "The strain was too much for her."
"We have to get out of here!" Sam shouted, almost as panicked as the Orcs by the deluge that was now rising about them.
"Everyone!" Faramir shouted, leading the others towards the caverns leading back to the Blue Mountains. "Let’s go!"
As the Fellowship and the women made their way through the city, more and more of the cavern began to crumble. Great chunks of stone smashed against the ground until it was raining fragments of debris over their heads. Aragorn clung to Arwen, protecting them both with his body while Gandalf kept behind them, ensuring that the King and Queen were safe from any other threat. He watched briefly as the water swirled around Glaurung’s body, turning it a shade of crimson when it was stained by the dead beast’s blood. This time, there was no resurrection for the dragon. Glaurung’s days of mischief upon the world were finally done.
