He let his arrow fly only to see the giant roaring and turning while the arrow felt at his feet. He cursed whatever plating the arrow found under that miserable cloth that covered the beast and prepared another arrow, but he missed. By this time Estarfin and Veryacano were already at the feet of the giant. While the Lord taunted the beast to face him Estarfin went behind the knees and his precise hit put the beast to his knees. The sword of Veryacano reached for the throat. Naergon felt useless and swore to do better at the next giant, were they to encounter another. And they did, so he was first to face the beast, shiled up towards him, while Estarfin went around it, then everything went black and when he saw again the scene was as before.. Veryacano was holding the beast, the beast fell to its knees, Naergon guessed the hit of Estarfin the beast blocked him from seeing, then the sword cut precisely and the beast fell.. and Naergon felt the pain deep in his skull while a thin warm river of blood reached his cheek coming from his fronthead.
He guessed he will have the angle mark of his shield there for a bruise if not a mark for some time. Yes, Veryacano could hold the hits of a giant on his shield but apparently it took more than it look like to do so. They were also faster and more resistant, he managed to keep pace gathering all will, and he hoped they did not even notice, but he felt he was not much help. Even his strength he was proud of betrayed him, the shield bruise reminded him. But he was still determined to do his best. After all, this became the closest thing to a home he had on any side of the Sea..
He fell asleep difficultly even after the tiresome day. His mind was making scenarios. Anglachelm yelling to cause the avalanche when the White hand Orcs met his capturers and hiding in the confusion.. running down the hill on another path than they climbed on in hope he won't meet his captors again.. ending up by the dwarf ruins and breaking his chains against the stone of the entrance then finding the runes of the door and barring it from the inside.. coming out to find food maybe, unnoticed, while exploring the tunnels inside, then guessing the lay of the land and of the tunnels and stepping into the darkness of a tunnel... then what? Then he was still in the snow and his shield hit a iced body while digging with his shield and the hit broke the frozen body in two, and when he pushed one half face up it was Anglachelm, then he woke up with sweat mixed with blood on his fronthead. Was only a dream, and he needed the rest. He forced himself back to sleep.
He saw Dringoadriel waiting with a smile under golden trees, and yet he knew she was dead and she never waited like that. He woke up.He was in the darkness of his own captivity.But it was not right. He had the chains but the land was different. It was on a mountain and a giant was approaching roaring. He searched for a weapon but he found none and the hit of the club came to his fronthead.. and he woke up..
The morning came with a sky of splendor reflected by the small lake, with bird song and smell of wet herbs. Their task was to push them further and further and only the beauty of the land might remain the same. The elves who were walking further from their lands were changing with each step and each thought. He hoped their actions were not in vain and the foresight of their leader true, or that good news will reach them that the Lord Anglachelm had returned by himself. He wondered where the dwarf tunnels -that might have been Anglachelm's salvation- were going and if there was someone on Middle Earth who could tell them, but even if it were they were too far and the enemy too close not to continue the pursuit so at least that end of the story be tied into a certitude. So far they had a broken shield, a few facts that were verifying in the stories of the different men they questioned and a lot of suppositions. The other elves around him were waking up as well and Naergon forgot his bad dreams and his pain as each smile made him feel part of something, a family or rather a strong and precise mechanism.
