Instrumental. | art source; pauladvega
What do you call someone who saves everyone except themselves?
A sacrifice?
-
“Run!” She hissed at him as they hid just out of view behind a boulder. She thrust the reins of Roccotári, her ever-loyal steed, into the hands of Cardanith. There was a flurry of panic as the meager group of them realized that soon they would be set upon by yrch - and that the force was too large, and that they would likely perish.
“What?” Cardanith said to her, taken aback in temporary disbelief as he is suddenly left handing the reins of her horse. He quickly handed Roccotári off to Erecher, who was peering around the boulder to try and see how long they had left.
“They approach!” The archer hissed in alarm.
“You do not have time to argue with me, Cardanith,” Mallossel said. She reached around her neck and removed her pendant; a white jewel in the shape of Eärendil’s star. That was put firmly into his hands. Another moment and her cloak brooch - the brooch of The Host Palantine, a spear encircled by bolts of lightning - was also handed to him. He raised his eyes to meet hers in concern.
“You do not have to do this,” he tried to insist.
“But I must,” she replied, collecting her halberd. “Take the others and flee this place. Do not tarry. Do not turn back.” As she moved to press by Erecher, she could feel the panicked faces of the others fall upon her.
“Do not!” Baelor attempted to insist, but his cries fell upon deaf ears; upon the ears of one resolute in the value of their life and the value of the others’. Cardanith spoke up again -
“Mallossel, cease! That is an order from the First Autarch!” He hissed; Erecher reached out and attempted to grab her, but she only brushed her fingers against Mallossel’s cloak as the elleth ran out with her halberd raised high.
"Gurth an Glamhoth!" was her cry as her spearpoint dazzled like lightning, despite the darkness looking around and pressing in on her. The yrch caught sight of her. With sickening cries in the Black Speech and howls of laughter like the screams of the crebain, they began to chase.
Mallossel did not look back to the others. She knew that doing so would give away their location, and so simply did she run in the other direction. When an orc got too close she would swing out and strike at him, and then continue to run.
Erecher was sobbing as Cardanith led the remainder of the Host from that accursed vale.
“Autarch Mallossel,” she said between tears of guilt and despair. “My Autarch; we cannot leave her! She will surely perish!”
Her wails, though silent, worsened when Runaan lifted her up and put her on the back of Roccotári once they were out of the sight of the descending company of yrch. They had to ride to freedom now. “Autarch Mallossel made her decision,” the older elf chided. “We must respect it and take advantage.”
“We ride, now,” Cardanith commanded as they fled. He did not look back, but Runaan and Baelor did. Through the gloom and through the darkness, they could find a dying streak of lightning blazing across. As quickly as it had appeared, so did it fade away.
-
No, not a sacrifice.
What, then?
A martyr.
