Maps & Battles.

[Saeren]

With a step back, and then forward Saeren, Lebennen, Maedion and Legolas somersaulted, twisting their bodies into a spin, coming down in the midst of another line of Immortals, even as they came up, they began to spin again, forming a whirling screw-edge of blades, impossible to penetrate, like wheat before a scythe, men fell back, limbless, headless, dreadfully wounded, Saeren stopped the spin in one unhuman move , his smile white in a ghastly face of red blood and black war-paint and plunged forward.
It was suicidal , but behind him and Maglors axe, the Bloodguard formed a wedge, and they sheared into the Cheyans.
They were unstoppable, warriors threw themselves at them from every side but the axe flashed like quicksilver, the others scimitars swords forming a glittering counterpoint, like separate part of the same deadly dance, and the remaining Bloodguard, trained by him, refusing to accept defeat, exploded into controlled and violent action.
A young soldier , only accepted into the Immortals a month ago, suddenly saw Saeren bearing down on him, like some demonic tempest, turned, and saw Maglor but paces away and fear rose like bile in his throat.
Dropping his sword, he turned, pushing the man behind him.
'' back! '' he shouted, '' get back, ''
The men made way for him and the cry was taken up by others, thinking it was an order from the officers.
'' back, back to the stream! '' the cry swept through the ranks and the Immortals turned, streaming back toward the Cheyan camp.
Horrified, Leonidas screamed orders as his men milled across, wading the stream, disorganized and bewildered.
He felt a presence behind him, strong even through the rage, and turned, his sword up, and out, felt it caught in a grip impossibly strong, and looked up into blazing blue eyes.
'' Where is your legend now you eastern sons of bitches? '' Tar asked him, suavely.

........A little later, he strode over to the others.
'' They will return, '' he murmured, '' they have to, or the king will know he is beaten and finished, '' he impatiently scrubbed rapidly clotted blood from a cut above his left eye, his body was cut also, mottled with bruises, but his cobalt eyes shone, unwearied, as he accepted hot wine, then, with courtesy, he lead Leonidas to his command tent. They had perhaps an hour, he judged, until the next attack.

His eyes swept over them. Perhaps one hundred and fifty remained out of the three hundred . Whatever came to pass, it was a legend in the making. He had not seen fighting like this since the Elder Days, so hopeless, and yet so brilliant.
Saeren handed Leonidas a goblet of wine, and the young general, close to him now, felt the impact of his charisma . He could not truly believe what he was seeing, he had watched this man ( man? ) and those with him fight for eight untiring days with a lethal panache which had roused a disbelieving and reluctant admiration in the Immortals. So few, yet as if the Gods had made them simply to be warriors.
'' If you would like to watch? ' Saeren said, ' we will see an ending to this. ''
Leonidas , disarmed and bound, was lead from the tent to a vantage point. He watched Saeren walk away with a long, light stride What the hell are they? He had believed the rumour that this one was the son of Sauron to be mere propaganda.
Saeren spoke to Lebennen, then Legolas, Maedion, and Maglor, and gathering half the Bloodguard to him, he turned and jogged silently away.

The drums sounded again and the Immortals massed, fury was in their eyes now and they glared balefully at the defenders, a pitiful few they would not be turned back, not by these. their captured general would soon be free, and he would see how his men fought and killed.

From the first clash, the Bloodguard began to give ground, as they were commanded, they could in any case, find space only by giving ground, their swords rising and falling with pitiless efficiency.
Udamah the King, tasting victory,, rode forward in his chariot, as suddenly the Bloodguard broke.
the battle was won...but the Immortals were desperate to erase the memory of defeat,they blocked the pathway to the west determined to kill the last of the defenders.
'' Push on! '' Screamed Leonidas, '' you are blocking the pass! '' he groaned, writhing in his bonds. He could not believe his eyes, the Immortals were unknowingly continuing the work of the defenders, the narrow pass now gorged with warriors as the rest of the army jostled behind them.
Leonidas saw a tall man - Tars Lieutenant, cut himself suddenly free of those surrounding him, joined by a golden haired elf, bleeding from scores of wounds, they threw themselves at the sheer rock walls of the pass, and went up it like a mountain goats... others of the apparently desperately battling Bloodguard followed, these were men, not elves, and ropes were thrown down to facilitate their ascent.
And then , silhouetted against the skyline, Leonidas saw Saeren stride easily to a promontory, joined by his Lieutenant, by the gold haired one, and those others who had fought beside him, shoulder to shoulder from the beginning, tall, and terrible, with luminous , piercing eyes.
He raised a great longbow, and signaled.
Arrows began to fall like hail, unable to use their shields the Cheyans went down like flies, as the arrow storm continued from above, the arrows coming more quickly than Leonidas could ever have imagined possible. Then he thought he saw Saeren smile as he sighted, and as he watched, the shaft took Udamah, trapped by suddenly fleeing , scrambling panicked soldiers, through the eye. the King fell and the cry went up, as the rout began in earnest.
Unable to move, seeing the destruction of his Immortals, and his fathers death, Leonidas bent his head and wept.

The sun westered. A scatter of pebbles sounded as Saeren jumped down. With a flick of a dagger he loosed the bonds that held Leonidas.
' Looks like you are King, ' he said brightly, ' Let us feast. '

[Lebennen]

A great fire was lit, and scouts went out, but Lebennen reported back that the Cheyans were still retreating, their great army broken more by fear and panic than actual losses, but battles could hinge on that just one moment.
Wounds were seen to, and the dead counted. Fifty only were left, all those who had died had been personally chosen by him, and had fought to their uttermost limits. He was not troubled, for before the battle Saeren had said he expected to loose all of them. Even himself, and Lebennen had accepted that. He always did what Saeren commanded, unquestioningly.
Only Saeren would have done such a thing, he thought, well, no, there were others, but not many, he had made himself a legend there, far greater than simply a reputation of being Saurons son. He had done what he desired, proved himself in battle, as a warrior King against odds that appeared to be laughable.
Wine was heated and passed around, voices were low, as people relived and reconsidered. The now King of Chey Sart sat stone-faced near Saerens command tent.
The Elves sat together, Lebennen thought that this was the first time Saeren had fought, as he had always wished to, beside them, not against them. the sight of Maglor weilding Kalith was a memory which would continually come back to awe him, the Noldo had been a veritable machine of destruction, unbending, no give in him, fierce, stern, deadly, caring nothing for his own safety.

[Saeren]

'' Come with me, '' Saeren said to Leonidas, walking to the head of the pass. The stench of death rose from it in a wave, soldiers were pouring lamp-oil onto the bodies, at Saerens command they moved back.
'' I do hate to leave a mess, so common, and for you sub-humans, so unhygenic, no? ''
His eyes flashed into red and black and he raised a hand. Fire streamed from his fingers, blue white where it struck the dead, turning the bodies into one great pyre, its heat so intense even the bodies dead for days burned then crumbled into bone. The fire bathed them, reflecting from Saerens eyes, like a cats, then he turned back.
'' You will be escorted back to your... army, my lord King, '' he said calmly, '' and perhaps then we may begin talks. '' He spun on his heel, as an escort of five soldiers moved forward lead by Lebennen, to take Leonidas away .
'' Well , '' he said, '' that was fun '' his laughter echoed from the crags as he strode back to the camp.