((Music by Thao Nguyen Xanh. This piece is only used for private, non-profit purposes. No copyright intended.))
Low Hollin, Fourth Age 72
Daerundros calmly surveyed the lands before her, her now-permanent black eyes gazing at the dozens of shapes in the distance, like discarded paper they were fallen and ruined, bits and pieces strewn about the land that she once called home.
She sighed as she moved on, swiftly moving, for she knew she was guilty, and at fault, and that she would be soon coming to hunt Daerundros.
Firstborn's Shadow, She without Face, Maiden crowned in flowers, Minyelaírë would soon be coming to hunt her down.
Daerundros' calm face was soon replaced by one of shock, hurt, guilt, and anger. She had left Minyelaírë to protect Vardarianna on her own, during that horrible horrible battle; Or rather, she was dragged away by Elves she did not know nor wanted to be associated with. However, she blamed herself for succumbing to their efforts, and her last thought was of how Minyelaírë, surrounded by enemies and supporting a wounded Vardarianna, gazed at her, shock, hurt, and betrayal in her eyes, before she wiped away the tears of pain and looked at Daerundros, filled with hate and sorrow. Daerundros could do nothing, nothing, for the Elves were to strong for her to break free and run back to Minyelaírë. That happened during 3020 of the Third Age. Daerundros had been fleeing ever since.
She awoke feeling dazed an confused, a figure standing over her, which she recognized as Athlidhrael, Tyelepoma's fiancée, wiping away the sweat and cleaning her wounds.
"Minyelaírë! Minyelaírë! Loteriel!" she jumped up and yelled, but Athlidhrael held her down forcefully.
"Stop... your wounds..." She trailed off, smiling at the Noldo in a comforting way, but Daerundros did not feel like talking.
"You have been rescued from the clutches of that despicable Avar..." She mumbled. Alarmed, Daerundros jumped up again, now resisting the restraint that Athlidhrael brought, and stormed past her in anger, stopping as she heard her mumble again: "You care for her much, do you not? But you are free of her clutches now."
In disgust, Daerundros slammed the door and headed outside, disbelieving gazing at the vale of what she knew to be Imladris... again.
Daerundros whistled for Cuinichereth, ignoring the warnings and heedings of Athlidhrael, and took her shield and scimitar again, fire burning in her eyes as she left the vale, broken-hearted and grieved at the loss of Minyelaírë and Vardarianna.
Daerundros sighed as she remembered the dim memory of Imladris and Athlidhrael trying to restrain her going, but she laughed it off. Just then, a shape that she recognized moved within the bushes, carefully concealing itself from her.
"You need not fear, sister." Daerundros said calmly, "I am not here to hunt you down."
"Do not call me that!" Minyelaírë snapped, her eyes filled with hate and cruelty towards what she once called her sister-in-arms. She quickly fired a bolt from her crossbow, but Daerundros merely sidestepped it quickly, almost dancing as she did so.
"You are here to take my life?" Daerundros' black eyes glimmered slightly, but she resisted the urge to fight.
"Correct, for leaving me and Vardarianna, and going with those fancy-elves..." Minyelaírë snarled.
"You know that it was not of my free will, Loteriel," Daerundros' expression remained calm and blank, not the slightest emotion to be seen, but her black eyes still glimmered, "They overpowered me and took me with them as you fought those bandits attempting to capture Vardarianna."
Minyelaírë hissed sarcastically and laughed, her spear glimmering as she took it from it's placeholder. Daerundros followed suit with her scimitar and shield.
Swiftly they clashed, and Daerundros felt herself falling through the entire battle, guilt and pain riddled in her thoughts as she moved to and fro, avoiding Minyelaírë's vicious strikes and attempting to see a weak spot through her, however, she felt herself gradually losing the will to fight, and soon Minyelaírë overpowered her, standing over her triumphantly and sneering down upon her once best-friend.
"Stand up..." She whispered. Daerundros weakly went up as Minyelaírë snarled, "Pitiful Noldo... your death will lighten my burden..."
Daerundros sighed in defeat, recognizing her doom, but as she gazed at Minyelaírë's already fierce yellowish eyes, she could see a hint of sorrow and pain hidden beneath them.
"You do not wish to kill me..." Daerundros smiled a half-hearted smile, "But you sense it is your duty to do so."
Minyelaírë simply nodded in agreement, before she held her spear to Daerundros' neck. Not wanting to plead, instead, Daerundros hung her head.
"I will miss you sister..." She sighed. Minyelaírë's spear twitched slightly, and Daerundros gazed at Minyelaírë, who was now screwing her face up in hesitation and doubt. However, she grimaced, and her spear swiftly left Daerundros' neck. But after a while Minyelaírë's face screwed up in anger, and she tried to hit Daerundros with the blunt side of her spear. Daerundros, already knowing what to do after years spent in the wild, fleeing from the Firstborn's Shadow and it's wrath, simply ducked, tears already forming. In defeat, she cried. "Please.... do not do it sister..."
"Ha!" Minyelaírë yelled triumphantly, "I knew all along you were skillful, but seeing you whimpering like a dog... ha!" She burst out laughing. Daerundros, however, sensed her weakness, and quickly hit Minyelaírë, hard in the chest, with her scimitar's hilt.
"Tricks...." Daerundros smirked. Minyelaírë scowled as she stood up, and yelled, "Fool! Traitor! Coward!"
Coward... Coward... Coward... the word echoed through her head, and in her rage, she lost control. Her darker side had taken control of her thoughts, and now all that she was thinking was to punish Minyelaírë... she with no face, she who did not know her pains, the Firstborn's Shadows, would not expect such ferocious reaction, and Minyelaírë was on the verge of losing, now bowing down, hurt, as Daerundros stood over her this time, looking at Minyelaírë triumphantly. She whispered into the Avar's ear; "Thou may have mused in the past. Am I a fool? Now thou art."
However, Minyelaírë, nervous and defeated, looked up, and somehow... a small glint of fear could be caught in her eyes. As Daerundros' prepared to deal the final blow, she looked down at Minyelaírë's stature, and for the very first time, saw the fear in her eyes.
Shaking, and coughing, Daerundros realized that she was about to actually kill Minyelaírë herself, and now, feeling regret, and returning to her normal state, Daerundros kneeled down, dropping her scimitar, to embrace Minyelaírë. But before she could do so, however, a piercing scream of agony was heard in the plains of Low Hollin, and everything was confusing.
Daerundros did not realize that it was she herself who was screaming out in pain and agony, as she looked down, she saw the small sharp tip of a blade protuding from her chest, red blood gleaming from it as the liquid dripped to the ground. Daerundros' eyes widened, and she screamed and screamed and screamed, until the Blade left her chest, and she crumpled to the ground, breathing shallowly and fighting to keep herself alive. She looked up to see who the blade-bearer was.
Vardarianna stood over her, carrying the poisoned blade and having pierced her flesh with it. She looked surprised, a measure of regret and guilt to be seen in her face, as she stood over her vanquished rival, gripping the blade with shaking hands.
Somewhere to her right Daerundros could hear more screaming, though it came not from her own lips. She tilted her head weakly, and saw the Firstborn's Shadow, screaming in horror and anguish, seeing her best friend defeated before her. Vardarianna also started screaming, now kneeling down and guility trying to clean the blood from Daerundros' chest.
Minyelaírë collapsed before Daerundros, hugging her and trying to keep her desperately alive. The heat of the moment was riddled with confusion and blood, Vardarianna now frantically trying to stop the blood from spilling any further and Minyelaírë sobbing hysterically over Daerundros' blood-covered body.
The Orthorim spear was hastily discarded, as Minyelaírë tried to revive Daerundros, whose vision was a blur. She could distinctly see Vardarianna and Minyelaírë's faces kneeling over her, desperate and frantic, as they tried every method to heal Daerundros. However, Daerundros knew that this was the end of her days, her doom now pronounced, and she weakly tried to form words as her trembling lips gave effort to speak.
"Thou may have mused in the past." She said, quoting almost exactly what Minyelaírë would say to the Haradrim, "Am I noble? Am I doomed? Am I mortal? Now thou art."
Daerundros' vision blackened, and her last thought was of Minyelaírë's yellowish eyes, filled with guilt, fear, anguish, and pain. The last thing, she saw, before her spirit departed her body, was Minyelaírë collapsing in grief and anguish, before she was flying, flying to the Halls of Mandos, away from Eregion, away from Home, away from the bounds of the Great Sea and the world of Mortals.
((Please tell me what you think of the story! I would love to hear your opinions on this rather tragic alternative future! Now, I HIGHLY doubt that this will come true at all, so there is no need be upset over Daerundros' death, because I think that the first two alternative futures have a much better chance of happening than this one. This is just pure fiction ^^
I think many will be curious as to what happened to Minyelaírë after. Well.... following that, Minyelaírë blamed herself for causing Daerundros' death, although it was Vardar who killed her, and never smiled again. She eventually died of grief from being the Elf responsible (or so she thinks :P) for bringing Daerundros to her doom, and Vardar also died due to Minyelaírë not being in her life anymore. However please please PLEASE remember that this is only a fictional storyline, so there's a very slim chance [about 0.00000000001%] that it'll actually happen. And... Minye and Vardar... if you see your chars' fates in this fictional storyline to be wrong... then... I apologize for it.))
