Blue swords|| Legolas

30

Luin jumped up onto one of the half crumbled floors of a tower as his swords flashed. The three orcs surrounding him fell back down the stone steps with loud shrieks. Luin paused panting for a moment. No more orcs ran forwards to kill him. They must be somewhere else. He was high up above the ground. The tall turret covered slightly by the mist. It must be hidden from the battle below but it would not be that way forever. The brief respite made Luin stagger as all the exhaustion and pain made itself known. His side throbbed and his ribs felt bruised from a tumble he had taken earlier. One orc had gotten in a lucky slash on his thigh. It was not too deep but blood still dropped down his leg. The crimson colour mingling with the black orc blood splattered across his clothes.

Luin breathed heavily, wiping his sweaty brow against a piece of his tunic that was marginally cleaner than the rest. His hair hung in matted clumps around his shoulders. A strong overwhelming sadness tugged at his chest and he stumbled again, dropping one of his swords as he braced his hand against the wall. The blade hit the stone with a metallic clang. Luin groaned as tears began pouring down his face. Logically, he knew what this was. It was the second stage of Qi deprivation, volatile emotions. He was leaking energy like a sieve. It was causing his body to go haywire.

Luin bit his tongue to not cry as he tried to keep his thoughts straight. He couldn't concentrate. He was just so sad. It lay in his chest like a heavy weight, making it difficult to breath. All this death, this fighting, what was it for? Fili was dead. Thorin, Kili, Dwalin and Bilbo too for all he knew. They were somewhere. All his friends were dead. He was in a strange country, forbidden from ever returning to his homeland and among strange species. Now he was dying. What was the point?

The still remaining clear part of his mind was screaming at him to keep moving. Keep going. But everything was so heavy. He sagged, second blade falling out of his fingers. His frame toppled and he lay defenceless on the stone. The world was so far away and his limbs were so so, so tired. Not even the uncomfortable position or the stone steps digging into his side broke through the swirling haze. He felt numb and yet terribly, so terribly cold. The point of this all seemed do meaningless. Was it all worth it? It would be better if he died here. There was no point going further. Seven hundred years on middle earth, there was no point in continuing further.

Distantly, he was aware of the pull of energy. He was still powering the shield below. It didn't matter. When he died the thing would shatter anyway. Those people would be slaughtered. If they were lucky, it would be quick. But what about Bard and his children? Baby Isak and his mother? Would he allow them to die too? He was just so done with all the suffering. It hurt. It all hurt so much.

Luin was aware of footsteps approaching him. The sound dancing on the edge of his consciousness. They were light and speeding up. Finally, he thought, it would be over. Hands caught at his head, fingers pushing away his hair. The touch was warm. He could hear panicked breathing.

"Luin", a voice said. It's tone was torn. "Luin, blue light. Guiding light. Wake up. My wizard. Wake up". Luin tried to blink. He knew that voice. But everything was so hard. Moving was so hard. He couldn't even keep the flow of Qi going anymore. It was best if he just stopped.

Down below in the city of Dale, the blue glow enveloping the great hall shattered. Tendrils of blue magic fizzled out and the dome fell. The musical instrument in the centre of the floor, a guqin, lost it's glow and remained motionless. The people in the hall murmured in confusion. Bard standing on the steps with the remnants of his men, eyes turned towards the castle on the mountain.

"Luin", the voice was there again. Luin felt his head being moved. It was rested on something soft, something warm. The breaking of the shield connection brought a new clarity to Luin's mind. Qi slowly being reabsorbed into his body, circling through his meridians. The effects of deprivation began to lessen and the weight in his chest eased. Fingers brushed against his temple and Luin frowned. His body still ached and his mind felt like it was underwater. An exhaled breath of relief was audible in this quiet nook of the castle.