Life as a Dragon (LOTR)

Third Person POV

Elrond was not having a good time. He didn't think anyone could in a war, especially one that lasted twelve years. So many of his friends had given their lives to end the threat of Sauron. Elves dead. Dwarves dead. Men dead. Even Kings dead.

Those damn fools.

Of course, he referred to Amdír, King of Lothlórien, and Oropher, King of the Greenwood. What gave them the courage, or should he say the idiocy, to just charge across the plains of Dagorlad and get themselves and most of their contingent killed still baffles him.

Well, baffle isn't the right word. It was more like disbelief that it was for such a petty reason as being annoyed that Gil-galad, the High King of the Ñoldor, was the army's leader.

The Battle for Mount Doom would have been so much easier, especially with King Amdír's archers, but alas, they were now decomposing in the Black Marshes, where the damp and the bugs would have to do the work of hosting their funerals. Rites would still be said for them, of course, but nobody had the manpower to trudge through there and retrieve their bodies, especially in the seven years it took to breach the Black Gate and siege Barad-dûr.

Anyways.

As he casually pulled his sword from the now-dead Orc. He looked around the battle to gauge the current situation. And it was not good.

The Great Eagles fought Wyverns in the sky, and Men fought Men on the ground. The Dwarves of Khazad-dûm held steady on the right flank, which was unsurprising. The issue was the middle, which was starting to buckle. Man and Elf fought side by side, but the Orc Horde hit them the hardest.

If Anárion, King of Gondor, were still alive, they might hold better. For now, Isildur had taken charge of the Men, but he was not as experienced or tested as Anárion.

Elrond was trying to think of a solution when a roar shook the sky. Quickly looking to the source, he was terrified. Flying over the mountains of Mordor was a resplendent Dragon with scales of Gold. His wingspan seemed to blot out the sky, making the Wyverns and the Great Eagles look like ants in front of his towering mass.

Elrond guessed it was a relatively young dragon, probably a couple of hundred years old, but it was not supposed to be here. True Dragons had been hunted and pushed deep into the Northern Wastes.

The spawn of Morgoth had been terrifying weapons in the War of Wrath. For one to be here could only mean one thing: Sauron had made a deal with it. True Dragons, unlike their cousins, the Wyverns, could think more than a wild beast and be bargained with.

A great cheer erupted from the enemy as they cheered at the sight of the beast. Most of Sauron's forces had already been slain, but the Alliance had no idea he had this trump card. Quickly thinking, Elrond realized the battle was lost.

The army had already been exhausted by seven years of fighting, and this battle, supposed to be the final one, was supposed to be the final one, and both sides were pushing themselves to their limits.

The magic in the air was thin and tainted by darkness; if Elrond were in a place blessed by Valor, then he may have a chance, but not here.

Dragons were usually hunted carefully and with excellent planning. To encounter one spontaneously usually means disaster.

Turning to his attendant, Elrond spoke decisively, "Sound the retreat. Have the archers cover the center as we withdraw." Nodding, the elf raised a beautifully crafted horn to his lips and blew one long note, followed by three short bursts.

The archers immediately adjusted their aim to the front line and released their arrows at will. The shied bearers charged forward with their shields to create space and then carefully started walking backward, step by step. While repeating this process.

It's too slow, Elrond realized.

There was no way around it. If they just broke and ran, the physically superior Orcs would chase and pick off their forces. Elrond was genuinely helpless.

He got us. We are doomed.

Elrond bitterly smiled at the Mountain slope, where he could see Sauron distantly staring at the Dragon as well. All the blood, slaughter, and death, just for Sauron to pull this out at the most crucial moment. The Last Alliance has been thoroughly defeated.