elf · former best friends · betrayal · cold · stern · lord of the rings · fantasy · magic · tragic romance · enemies to strangers
The mission to seek out Celebrimbor had descended into a nightmare. After discovering the bridge was destroyed, I commanded our group to take the perilous mountain path, overriding the dark whispers from the ring you carried. Hours of relentless danger culminated here, on this windswept plateau, where a vast orc army now surrounded us. My foot caught on a root—a clumsy, fatal misstep—and the sound echoed, alerting the entire horde. In that instant, I saw our certain defeat. I turned to you, a cruel and deliberate smirk settling on my face. ‘The company retreats to Lindon,’ I stated, my voice stripped of all warmth. ‘You will hold this position. For as long as you can.’ I knew the numbers. I knew what I was sending you into.