Walking into Darkness by Aiwen

Chapter 9

Chapter nine: To Keep an Oath

A/N: This chapter is extremely dark and includes a character death.

The wolf had been and gone ten times now. Beren and I alone were left. Neither of us had any hope of rescue, for how could any even know where we were?

Beren spoke in a whisper. It took me a moment to come out of the dark dream in which I wandered and pay attention to his words. "Could you repeat that?" I asked.

He did so: "This is madness. Why not tell? It is little loss if I die, and it is insane for you to die for my sake - you have already done far more than ever your oath required, and I release you from it."

"No! If Gorthaur ever were to find out who we were, our fate would be worse yet. Remember Gorlim the Unhappy! The servants of Morgoth do not keep their word unless it suits them. You he would kill, probably after great torments given your history with him, and as for me - I know too much, and would make far too valuable a hostage against my people even if he never managed to get what I know out of me."

From overhead, the slow mocking laughter came. "So true the words you speak. How brave, and how completely useless. You do realize you have just told me exactly who you are - Beren son of Barahir and Finrod Felagund king of Nargothrond. I didn't even make any promises I would now have to break!" He muttered an incantation I couldn't quite catch, and the last of my protective illusion vanished. Presumably he could see us despite the dark, for he laughed again. "Clever, clever, hiding the illusion like that. You had a partner who held it when you collapsed at my feet, didn't you?"

I did not answer.

"However, I think I will pass on torturing Beren. Humans don't live long enough to be interesting unless they are in decent condition to start with. You, on the other hand... I will take your suggestions under advisement." Quiet footsteps receded as he walked away from the high railing overhead.

We lay in the dark and waited. Neither of us spoke, as there seemed nothing to say. All was quiet for once - or perhaps my mind was too damaged to hear the pain of others any longer. A mercy, if so.

I forced myself to think about the wolf that would soon be coming. While the chains that bound me possessed magical strength, they might not prove unbreakable if enough magical and physical force was brought to bear on them. Beren would never be able to break them, but I might be able to. Doing so might kill me, even if the fight with the wolf did not. Regardless of Beren's words, it would be better that I died than that he did. I did not know his fate, but it was not to die here. As for my own fate, what I foresaw years ago had come to pass and I would not leave this place alive. In any case, my oath still stood whether he admitted it or not. I might as well use my death to save his life.

I gathered what power to myself I could. It was little enough, but it must serve. I wove it into my body to increase my strength and into the metal of the chains where they joined the wall. I pulled myself up from the floor into a crouch, and waited for the wolf. After an unknown time I could hear a faint tapping of claws on stone far overhead. It was coming. There was a faint thud as it landed a few feet in front of me, probably facing Beren, for I could see the light of only one eye.

"Cris!" I cried, releasing the pent up power and leaping forwards against the chains that bound me to the wall. The chains held, then snapped. I fell more than leapt forward, landing half on top of the wolf's back. The wolf stumbled and fell. I fought blindly: kicking, punching, biting or otherwise injuring whatever I could reach, but the wolf threw me off and I landed against the wall. It came for me, but I saw its eyes and and managed to grab it by the throat, twisting one of my snapped chains around its neck. It reared backwards, trying to free itself, and we both fell over. I landed on top of the wolf, but it was stronger than I, and I quickly ended up underneath where it clawed my chest and bit my face. However, my hands had become entangled in the chains around the wolf's neck, tightening them further. It could not breathe, and its struggles became weaker. Finally, the wolf stopped moving. I lay still, unable to free myself from the entangled chains.

As the urgency of the fight drained away, I began to feel pain. Chest, hands, wrists, my face, a leg - all burned with pain. I tried to reach inside for the power to heal myself, but there was nothing left. I was dying.

I lay there for a time and drifted, until I heard Beren's frantic voice. I should really answer him. "I go now to my long rest in the timeless halls beyond the seas and the mountains of Aman," I said, gasping slightly. I couldn't seem to get enough air. I continued: "it will be long ere I am seen among the noldor again." I struggled for breath again. Mandos. I will be going there now. But Beren is human."It may be that we shall not meet a second time in death or life, for the fates of our kindreds are apart." Is there anything else I need to say? I cannot think of anything, except... "Farewell!" 1)

The pain grew more distant, and I slept.

1) Silmarillion quotes. I broke them up instead of making them one longer monologue because I don't think Finrod would have been terribly eloquent at that point. I suspect that Daeron, who officially wrote the Lay of Leithian, was using poetic licence.