15 Dagor Angband (1)

[Play music: Shiro Sagisu - Cometh The Hour (All Parts). For the Dagor Angband Chapters]

Deep within the iron mountains was a realm of utter darkness, ruled by the mightiest of all, Melkor, named Morgoth by the elves.

Morgoth was shrewd and knew war like no other for he was the very cause of war in this world. So, he understood that the scheme of the Valar had been a success. The sunlight burned his army and paved the way for the elves to come to his realm.

Long before the army of the elves had arrived, he had closed the gates of his fortress and laid traps within. He was sure none could open his gates for no elf had the power.

And yet the gates were opened by the fire and fury of the elves. Their challenge echoed in the dark chambers and halls of Angband. His generals looked at him, and he knew that showing weakness was not an option.

Morgoth was quick to understand what would ensure victory in the battle to come, the sun would not stand in the sky forever. When the night rolled in, death and despair would follow the elves. Time was the decider.

He stood up, tall and mighty.

His wrath was severe... For he was the proudest of all. And his pride had been challenged. He burned with fury, eyes ablaze with unholy fire, the three Silmarils on his crown glowed bright and blinding as three stars, he raised his terrible mace, Grond.

"Let the elves know the horror of darkness! Let it be known that whoever challenges me shall die in despair. Eat them alive, tear their flesh apart as they scream for mercy!" His deep and monstrous voice reached deep and far into the abyss as he stood tall, taller than any other. For he was akin to a giant in body and invincible he was in spirit.

Seven demons of fire stood beside him. They roared and shook the walls, their voices ominous and terrible. Their roar was followed by the cry of thousands upon thousands of orcs...

As Elion took a deep breath and arrived in front of the gate, a black mist poured out, the horse beneath him rose high, almost standing on his two legs like a human, and he fell. All the horses followed as if terrified of something, and they escaped.

A sinister aura unlike any other he had encountered, even worse than the nameless thing, rose from within Angband. The sleeping terror had been awakened.

Only Fingolfin and a few with him managed to control their horses, and yet it seemed that the horses would not stay and fight. They struggled, causing a grim frown to appear on Fingolfin's face. As he observed the surroundings, many thoughts ran through his mind...

Meanwhile in front of the gate, something within Elion screamed at him to escape, his instincts told him to run far and not look back. He felt as prey would when stalked by a predator.

A primal fear seeped into the hearts of all living beings.

Remember, when you were a child, and you felt fear of darkness, of death, of tombs and haunted houses, of ghosts and demons, of the unknown, of the monster under the bed or in the closet, of what might grab onto your feet if you slept without covering them, of insects crawling on your body, of shapes and formes you saw in the dark before sleeping, and of many other things. All of those combined could not compare to the frightening bloodlust that came from Angband.

Elion turned pale as if he could feel cockroaches and spiders on his skin. His heart turned cold as if it was held by ice. Yet he gritted his teeth and stood up, his legs shaking yet firm on the ground, his hands trembling as his heart rapidly raced in his chest. He grabbed onto his sword as hard as he could.

He stood alone in front of the imposing gate, it was many times his size. He looked like a helpless ant, ready to be crushed by an omnipotent giant.

'I have faced orcs before, and even nameless things. I even glanced at Eru Illuvatar...' As he thought, he focused all his willpower. 'If there is fear in me, then I shall overcome it as I had done before. I am no stranger to that. My dream of living an immortal life can only be threatened by what I see in front of me... If I overcome this, then nothing else can frighten me. I must stand tall. This day I must be fearless and reckless, and hope for the best.'

He glanced behind him and saw the morale of the army had plummeted. Fear was in their eyes, and discouraged were their hearts.

'If I must be the torch that lights the way to victory, then I shall be that.' He locked eyes with Fingolfin for a moment, a silent conversation happened in less than a second.

Then he turned to look ahead, calm and determined. There was no fear in his eyes, his conviction was laid bare for all to see. That didn't mean he felt no fear, in fact, he was terrified. Yet he hid it all by force of his will, and somehow, this action caused him to find a spark of courage one may only find in the darkest of times.

Fear is an emotion that gets stronger as one gives it thought; Forget it and it becomes void. And without fear, anything is possible.

A raging ball of fire came to life atop his palm as he raised his left hand. The fire howled wildly as the sphere grew larger than him, and his right hand tightly grasped his sword and raised it high.

He walked ahead under the eyes of the elves and fearlessly threw the ferocious fireball. It consumed all the mist and revealed what was within. Great pillars came into view in a vast and spacious chamber. The ground and the walls were made of black stone. The fireball reached the depths and revealed a massive door leading down, and 2 smaller ones leading to the abandoned towers of the fortress on the left and right.

The fireball entered the door and vanished, soon came an explosion that shook the fortress.

He didn't look back and merely raised his sword at the fortress, his actions speaking louder than any words.

The fire he had thrown seemed to have set the hearts of the elves ablaze, for if he alone could face his fear and do as such. Would they, the honored elves of Noldor, not be considered cowards? When even standing side by side, surrounded by friends and their kin, they let fear consume them. The elves steeled their hearts.

"ELION NARTUR!" a unified cry echoed in the mountains and reached far to the north and south. It was a testament to his courage and a promise to themselves that the Noldor shall no longer have fear of Morgoth.

The elves marched slowly ahead in unity, their hands tightly on their swords and spears, confident they stood, and their steps caused land and mountain to tremble. Trumpets roared as thunder, and the banners rose again. Fear was dead, in its place was rage.

Fingolfin rode atop his horse to the front of the gate, "Archers to the front! Bows at the ready! Stay close and within the light!"

He dismounted for the horses would not enter the evil realm, then he brandished his sword Ringil, it glittered like ice by the light of the stars. The elven cavalry followed suit.

"FOLLOW ME!!" His loud voice reached far and wide.

"AAA!" The army cried out, cracking the earth.

Another great Fireball was conjured by Elion and he ran behind Fingolfin. The army followed behind them. The light of his fire banished the darkness of Angband, and the army marched ahead towards the door that led down.

The iron mountains trembled as the two armies approached one another.

Finrod and Turgon stayed behind, a small army of elves with them as they took the horses and remained to guard the gates.

Morgoth felt the explosion and looked up, preparing for battle with a cruel and wrathful gaze. Behind him, Gothmog, the leader of the Balrogs, moved ahead to meet the elven army with the army of orcs as a dark figure in the shadows transformed into a bat and flew away.

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-What things look like: Check the Paragraph comments.

Dor Daedeloth.

Angband.

Gothmog. Balrogs.

Morgoth.

Finrod.

-Sons of Feanor:

Maedhros.

Maglor.