The light that erupted from Escanor was unlike anything his sons had ever seen before. They had witnessed his power in training, in skirmishes against orcs, even against the Guardian of the Water. But this... this was different.
This was the sun itself descending to earth.
His body glowed so intensely that it was difficult to look directly at him. The air around him rippled with heat that caused the stone beneath his feet to crack and glow red. Rhitta in his hands had become an extension of his power, gleaming like molten metal, ready to unleash apocalyptic destruction.
"Eldarion," Escanor's voice boomed, shaking the air. "Take your sisters. Go south. Find Aragorn. Help him rescue the hobbits."
" No!" Eldarion stood firm. "We won't leave you here alone!"
"This is not a request." Escanor turned to face him, his eyes gleaming with golden light. "It's an order. As your father. As your commander. Go. Now."
"Dad..." Aurelindë began, tears in her eyes.
"I will survive this," Escanor said, his voice softening slightly. "I promise. But I can't fight with everything I have if I'm worried about protecting you. I need you to go. To help the others. To do your part in this mission."
"He's right," Aelindë said softly, though her voice trembled. "We can't stay. We'll only get in the way."
"They wouldn't get in the way..." Escanor began.
"Yes, we would," Eldarion interrupted, understanding finally dawning in his eyes. "Because you would try to protect us. And that would weaken you." He swallowed hard. "Fine. We'll go. But Dad… you'd better survive this. Because if you die here, Mom and Mother Tauriel will never forgive us. And neither will I."
"I will not die," Escanor promised, touching the ring Galadriel had given him. "I have too much to live for."
He hugged them, quickly and fiercely, then pushed them towards the boats.
—Now go! And don't look back!
His children fled, and Escanor turned to face the approaching horde of Uruk-hai. Hundreds of them. Perhaps thousands. All converging on this single point, all seeking to kill him.
"Good," he murmured to himself, Rhitta resting on his shoulder. "Let's go then. Show the Lion of the Sun what you've got."
The Uruk-hai charged.
And Escanor found them with the fury of the sun itself.
Rhitta swept in a wide arc, and a dozen Uruk-hai simply ceased to exist, vaporized by the pure heat radiating from the weapon. Escanor spun, his fist connecting with the chest of another Uruk-hai, and the creature exploded outward in a wave of fire.
—Cruel Sun!
A massive sphere of golden fire appeared above his head, as large as a house, so hot that the air itself ignited. He hurled it toward the densest center of the Uruk-hai.
The explosion was catastrophic. Fifty Uruk-hai died instantly. Another one hundred were thrown backward, burning and screaming. The ground where the sphere had struck had turned to molten glass.
But they kept coming.
Escanor moved like a whirlwind, each strike of Rhitta eliminating multiple enemies, each kick sending Uruk-hai flying, each wave of his power incinerating dozens. He moved faster than the eye could follow, a burst of gold and red and utter death.
A larger Uruk-hai captain charged at him with a massive sword. Escanor met him head-on, catching the blade with his bare hand. The metal melted on contact.
" Is that all?" Escanor roared, pulling the captain close and hitting him with a headbutt that sent him flying hundreds of feet backward.
But for every Uruk-hai he killed, more appeared. They were endless, a tide of flesh and hatred that did not stop, did not hesitate, knew no fear.
And slowly, inevitably, Escanor began to tire.
Not physically. Its power granted her superhuman resilience. But spiritually. Using Sunshine at this level, relentlessly, without rest, was burning away at her very essence. She could feel it. Like a candle burning at both ends, bright but consuming.
Just a little longer , he told himself. Just give me a little more time. For the others to escape. For my children to get there safely.
Just a little more.
Two Hours Later
The floor of Amon Hen was carpeted with ash. Hundreds of Uruk-hai had fallen, their bodies incinerated, their weapons melted into slag. And at the center of it all, standing among the ruins, was Escanor.
Her body still glowed, but more faintly now. Her breathing came in labored gasps. Rhitta hung heavily in her hands. She had used too much power. Pushed too far.
But he had done it. He had stopped the horde. He had bought enough time for the others to escape.
And now, finally, the remaining Uruk-hai were retreating, their numbers decimated, their will broken by the mere spectacle of power they had witnessed.
"That's it," Escanor breathed. "Run. And tell your master that the Lion of the Sun cannot be stopped."
He staggered, his knee hitting the ground. Fatigue washed over him like a wave. But he had won. He had...
A presence. Powerful. Ancient. Malevolent.
Escanor looked up, and his blood ran cold.
Riding a midnight-black warg, clad in armor that seemed to be made of solidified darkness, was a figure that should not exist at this point in history.
A Nazgûl. A Wraithking. Sauron's most terrible servants.
"So you're the one who's been causing all this trouble," the Nazgûl's voice was like the grave itself. "The Lion of the Sun. We've been looking for you."
"So they found me," Escanor forced himself to his feet, though every muscle in his body screamed in protest. "Now what?"
"Now you die," the Nazgûl said, drawing his sword, a blade of darkness that seemed to drink the light. "Your power is impressive. But you are exhausted. Weak. And I... I am eternal."
"Eternal," Escanor smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "That just means you've had more time to forget what it means to fear the sun."
"The sun," the Nazgûl laughed, a humorless sound. "Look around you, warrior. The sun is setting. And in the darkness, we Nine reign supreme."
Escanor looked up at the sky and felt his heart sink. The Nazgûl was right. The sun was setting, the shadows lengthening. And the darker it got, the weaker he felt.
No , he told himself. Not like this. Not now.
She touched the ring on her finger, Galadriel's gift. Immediately she felt warmth. Connection. Arwen's love. Tauriel's fire. Her children's hopes.
"You are not alone ," the ring seemed to whisper. " You are never alone."
"You're right," Escanor said, lifting Rhitta up once more. "The sun is setting. But before it falls... let me show you what it means to be burned."
It reached deep. Deeper than it had ever gone before. To the very core of its power. To Sunshine in its purest form.
And he threw.
The light exploded from him once more, but different this time. More concentrated. More focused. Not a wide burst, but a laser beam of pure solar power, aimed directly at the Nazgûl.
The Spectre King shrieked, raising his sword to block. The blade of darkness met the sunlight.
And it vaporized.
The light continued, striking the Nazgûl directly in the chest. The creature howled, its form rippling, beginning to unravel under the relentless onslaught of pure light.
" IMPOSSIBLE!" he shrieked. "WE ARE IMMORTAL! WE CANNOT BE DESTROYED!"
"Apparently," Escanor gasped, forcing more power into the beam, "they can."
With a final, blood-curdling scream, the Nazgûl dissolved, its essence dispersing into the wind. Its armor fell to the ground, empty. Its warg fled, howling in terror.
Escanor dropped Rhitta, collapsing to his knees. He had used everything. Every drop of power. Every ounce of strength.
He had nothing left.
"One of the Nine," he whispered. "I really did kill one of the Nine."
And then darkness claimed him, and he knew no more.
Three Days Later - Edoras
Escanor awoke slowly, painfully. Every muscle in his body ached. His power, usually so constant, so reliable, was now barely a weak ember.
She opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar room. Made of wood. Warm. Sunlight filtered through a window.
—Dad—a voice, full of relief and joy.
She turned to see Eldarion running towards the bed, tears in his eyes.
"Eldarion," Escanor managed to force out. "You're alright. The twins?"
"They're fine. We're all fine." Eldarion took his hand. "But Dad... you've been unconscious for three days. We found you on Amon Hen, collapsed, surrounded by ash. We thought... we thought we'd lost you."
"They almost did," Escanor admitted. "I pushed too far. I used too much."
"You killed hundreds of Uruk-hai," Eldarion said in amazement. "And a Nazgûl. Dad, you killed a Wraithking. Something that was supposed to be impossible."
"Nothing is impossible," Escanor smiled weakly. "Only... very, very difficult."
The door opened, and Gandalf entered, his face showing relief.
—I'm finally awake. Good. I was afraid you had burned your very essence in that battle.
"I almost did it," Escanor admitted. "Where are we?"
"Edoras. Capital of Rohan. Aragorn led us here after rescuing Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-hai. Théoden, the King of Rohan, has given us refuge." Gandalf sat beside the bed. "Escanor... what you did at Amon Hen. You bought precious time. Without you, the Uruk-hai would have hunted down and killed us all."
—And Frodo? Sam?
"They went to Mordor. Alone. As it should be." Gandalf sighed. "The Fellowship has been broken, as Galadriel foretold. But every fragment has its part to play. Aragorn leads now. And you... you need to heal."
"There's no time." Escanor tried to sit down, but his body protested. "The war is coming. I can feel it."
"And it will come soon," Gandalf agreed. "But you can't fight if you can barely stand. Rest. Regain your strength. Because when the final battle comes... we'll need you at your best."
" The final battle?" Escanor looked at him sharply. "You've seen something. In your dreams. What's coming, Gandalf?"
The magician hesitated, then spoke.
—Sauron is moving. Gondor will be besieged. The Pelennor Fields will see battle unlike any since the last Alliance. And beyond that… —he paused— something darker is stirring. Something that shouldn't be possible.
"Morgoth," Escanor said softly.
Gandalf stiffened.
- As...?
"Galadriel showed it to me. In her mirror. I saw my destiny. The final battle. Against Morgoth himself." Escanor touched the ring on his finger. "And I saw what comes after. My death. And my rebirth."
"Then you know," Gandalf said grimly. "And yet you will still fight."
"I have no choice," Escanor said. "It is my purpose. It always has been. To protect this world. To protect my family. No matter the cost."
"Then rest now," Gandalf said, rising. "For in days to come, you will face horrors beyond imagination. And you will need every ounce of strength you can muster."
"Gandalf," Escanor called as the wizard made his way to the door. "When the time comes. When I face Morgoth. Keep my children away. No matter what they say, no matter how they protest. Don't let them come."
- Because?
"Because if they see me die... if they have to see that... it will break them." Escanor's voice grew hoarse. "Promise you'll keep them safe. That you'll make sure they live, even if I don't."
Gandalf looked at the warrior who had become a friend, an ally, a hero. And he nodded.
—I promise. On my honor as one of the Istari. Your children will survive. And when you return—for you will return, Eru has decreed it—they will be waiting for you.
"Thank you," Escanor whispered.
Gandalf left, leaving Escanor with Eldarion. Father and son sat in silence for a long moment.
"You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?" Eldarion finally said. "Something heroic and incredibly dangerous."
"Probably," Escanor admitted.
—And you're not going to let us help?
—Definitely not.
"I thought you'd say that," Eldarion sighed. "Dad... just... be careful. Please. Because if you die and leave us... I don't know if Mom and Mother Tauriel can bear it. I don't know if I can."
"I am not going to die," Escanor said. "Or rather... I am going to die. But I am going to return. Galadriel saw it. Eru Ilúvatar has decreed it. I am going to return."
"Then I'll hold on to that," Eldarion said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "To that promise. Because the alternative is too painful to contemplate."
Escanor pulled him close, holding his son as he had when he was a child. And for a moment, he forgot about wars and battles and destinies. For a moment, he was just a father holding his son.
And that was enough.
For now, it was more than enough.
Outside, the sun was setting. And to the east, in Mordor, the forges burned brighter than ever.
The final war was approaching.
And the Lion of the Sun, though exhausted, though wounded, would prepare to face her.
The cost didn't matter.
The price didn't matter.
Because that's what heroes do.
They defend. They protect. They sacrifice.
Right up to the very end.
And beyond.
End of Chapter 21