Descent into Darkness

[The Witch King]

I dug this out of the archives as Imrel mentioned it the other day. It was originally written back in the summer.


Descent into Darkness

A tall, dark haired man walked towards the gates of the city of Fornost as the sun was setting. He was one of the Lords of Angmar though you wouldn't have guessed from looking at him. His clothes were dirty and torn, stained with the blood of recent battle and his hands and arms were cut and bruised though he felt no pain or tiredness for the elation of victory was still fresh and overrode all other feelings.
He laughed and joked with his comrades Jared, Rhiannon and Firebird at how easily they had overcome their foes that day. It had only been a small uprising in a nearby town, but the four of them together were so feircesome an opponent, that the majority of the townspeople surrended of fled the scene.

They were greeted warmly in Fornost that night and a feast was held in their honour. There was much eating and drinking and everyone was in good spirits. Angmar was intrigued by the presence of a man sat near the head of the table. It was Annatar - the Lord of gifts (Sauron). Angmar had heard a good deal about this man - both good and bad. Some said he was evil and worshipped the Dark powers, while others claimed he was wise and fair, and learned in many arts.
What Angmar saw that night impressed him greatly. Sauron spoke with great knowledge on a wide range of issues. He was intelligent, humourous and made no secret of his hatred for the Elves. Indeed, he gave some very good reasons for not trusting them.
When the feast was in full swing Sauron took Angmar to one side and congratulated him.

" I see great things ahead for you. You are a bold, courageous warrior. A born leader of men. The realm of Angmar would be a formidable kingdom with you as it's king."

Angmar felt honoured and flattered by Saurons words and his remarks left him spechless.

"But Angmar already has a king..."

Sauron shook his head dismissively.

"The King is weak and indecisive. He favours the Elves.

He leaned in closer and lowered his voice.

"You know in your heart that you would be a better king."



The thought, now planted in his head, bothered him for the rest of the night and made his sleep restless. Could he really become the King of Angmar? The more he thought about the more believable it seemed.


He eagerly retold the conversation he had with Sauron to the others the next day in the gardens. To his dismay Rhiannon and Firebird had laughed and he felt deflated and foolish for mentioning it.

"You didn't take him seriously did you?"
Rhiannon was still grinning
"Everyone knows that Sauron hates the King of Angmar. It sounds like he is seeking revenge and using you as a pawn to further his own power."

Their reaction surprised him, annoyed him even. It was not what he had been expecting. Couldn't they see how wise Sauron was? Couldn't they see he spoke the truth? The Elves were nothing more then spies for the Valar and so many people were being fooled by them.
Only Jared could see the truth. He agreed with Sauron's words.

Later Angmar spoke with Sauron again. He was keen to impress Sauron and was disappointed to have to tell him that Rhiannon and Firebird had not liked the plans.

Sauron smiled slowly.

"It is as I expected. Rhiannon is from Gondor, a city growing in wealth and power at an alarming rate. She does not want any competition from the North. She knows your battle strengths and wants you to remain powerless so you do not pose any threat to the Elves. Firebird is in league with her also.
Jared, however, realises the true situation. He is a feared fighter and a worthwhile alliance."

He thought for a moment.

*With a small army the two of you could take Rhuduar, in the realm of Arnor. Let Jared rule Rhudaur, take Angmar for yourself and you would control a large area of Eriador."

In his hand he held a ring which he gave to Angmar. His face was deadly serious.

"This ring contains powerful magic. I believe you are worthy enough to wear it. It will aid you on your conquests."

Jared was also given a ring and they swiftly departed for Rhudaur before nightfall. As they left they passed Rhiannon and Firebird. They did not look at them or say goodbye and although he felt a pang of sadness for all that they had been through together he knew he was starting a new life, a new begining and old acquaintances counted for nothing.


They took Rhudaur with ease, as predicted, and with an army of Saurons and the men of Rhudaur overthrew Angmar, killing the king and taking the crown for himself.
The ring had indeed given him greater power. His battle prowess was unbeatable. He became angrier, more ruthless and was feared by many. All thanks to Saurons help and guidance.

[The Witch King]

It was only in the dead of night that he had any doubts. When he would wake in a cold sweat from terrible nightmares. Dreams where he was surrounded by the dead, phantoms in black. Their gaunt, evil faces hideously contorted in pain and torment. Their haunting cries still ringing in his ears when he awoke.
Wide eyed with terror he would rip off the ring and fling it across the room into the shadows, for he somehow feared it was the cause of his dreams. But in the cold light of day, when the phantoms had vanished, he would convince himself that it was nothing and slip the ring back on. The lure of it too great to resist.




Between them Angmar and Jared ruled a large part of Eriador; but it was not enough. Angmar wanted Cardolan, another realm of Arnor, but more importantly the part that lay claim to the Weather Hills and the palantir on Amon sul. But the King of Cardolan was a powerful and feared man and even Angmar could not match him in strength. However he had a daughter, Saar, an only child who was set to become Queen. Sauron suggested an alliance between Angmar and Cardolan, the betrothal of Saar to Angmar.

Angmar journeyed to Cardolan and met with the King to arrange the betrothal. When he met Saar he thought nothing of her. She was very pale, black hair scraped back severly off her face. She had arched eyebrows, cold, hard eyes and a cruel mouth. When he saw her he saw only his chance to gain the palantir and more wealth and power.

Returning from Cardolan Angmar felt very pleased with himself. He rode through the land thinking that soon it would be his and he decided to journey home via Rhudaur to tell Jared the good news. As he rode along the banks of the River Hoarwell he heard singing.
He knew it was Elven singing for he had heard it many times before, but this time it stopped him in his tracks. He dismounted from his horse and lead it into the woods, curious to discover who the voice belonged to.



He saw her through the trees and he watched, enchanted, as the Elf moved gracefully through the long grass. Her voice floated on the air and drew him in, for he had never heard such beautiful singing.
The ring seemed to burn and tightened painfully on his finger, distracting him for a moment. He took it off and put it in his pocket.
He moved towards her, mesmerised, afraid she may dissapear at any moment, and be lost in the trees forever. He told her not to be frightened of him then asked for her name. She replied 'Elvenstar' and he saw in her eyes the light of stars.
They walked together, deeper into the woods, losing track of time. Angmar found himself laughing, he felt light hearted and carefree, and as he lay by the banks of the river he was reminded of how good it felt to feel the warmth of the sun on his face.
How long he spent with her he could not say for he was captivated and had lost all his worldly cares. But as the long shadows crept into the woods so shadows formed in his mind and he knew he must leave her and return to Angmar.

That night his dreams were the worst he ever had.
The blackness was choking him, engulfing him. Death's cold hand clawed at him, trying to drag him into it's murky depths. He was helpless and weak and knew it would take him.
He was aware of a great wrath, a terrible fury that bellowed through the blackness in and unrecognisable form of evil.
He awoke crying out, fighting to breathe and immediately tried to free the ring from his finger. But he wasn't wearing it, he hadn't worn it since his encounter with Elvenstar but it's effects seemed stronger than ever.
So terrified was he that he did not dare sleep again and he sat huddled, leaning his head against the stone wall of his chamber and shook with fear till dawn.

[The Witch King]

Sauron came the next day. Angmar knew that he would. He brought orcs with him and left them to guard the kingdom. Sauron's attitude had changed entirely. He was aggressive and vile with his words and he berated Angmar mercilessly for his meeting with the Elf. His voice was scornful and mocking for he no longer needed to conceal his evil.
Angmar knew he had been tricked. He realised too late that Sauron had trapped him - and Jared too, and that a terrible fate awaited them. Rhiannon and Firebird had not been fooled by Saurons lies, but he had fallen for the promise of riches and glory.


Later, when Sauron had left and Angmar was alone with his thoughts, a messenger arrived, bringing news to his chamber.

"An Elf has been captured wandering in the grounds, your highness."

He knew straight away who it was and he rushed to the hall with a pounding heart.

"Let her go!" He yelled at the Orcs who held her firmly. They were surprised by his anger and released her immediately.
She seemed unreal. A vision of radiant beauty and goodness, so out of place in the dark, dreary setting of Angmar. Even some of the Orcs stared at her curiously. She looked frightened and fragile and he wished she had never come this far. How had she found him? What would have happened if Sauron had still been here?

"Why do you tresspass in the realm of Angmar?"

He tried to keep his voice free of emotion.
She looked at him with confusion, not understanding why he spoke to her that way, and she spoke hesitantly, unsure of him.

"I followed you here. I wanted to be with you..."

The silence in the room was deafening. Every man and orc listened with grim fascination.

"Then you have had a wasted journey"
It hurt him to say those words but he thought it was the only way.

Her eyes filled with pain.

"Why do you say that? Why are behaving like this?
She yelled at him, deeply hurt , tears rolling freely down her cheeks.

He looked at her and their eyes locked.

At that moment he wanted to take her hand and run from the fortress of Angmar. Escape from Eriador altogether and flee into the wilds. But where could they go? Where would they be able to hide from Sauron?
His mind raced desperately for ideas.
They could go deep into the woods. Mirkwood was a vast wilderness where they would never be found. They could live in a log cabin, he could hunt for food and they would never need to venture into towns. They could live happily together in a secret hideaway.
He pictured himself chopping wood, by a lake on a hazy summers evening. The sound of Elvenstars infectious laughter carried on the breeze. But then a blackness invaded his thoughts and he could hear cruel laughter in his head and he knew then that Sauron could read his thoughts.
They could never escape him. He would always find them. A life of fear and constant running was no life at all. Angmar realised that Elvenstar was in grave danger and if he truly cared about her he needed to get her away from this place as quickly as possible .....and away from him.

"Take her from here!
Make sure she returns to her own lands. I never want to see her again."

He turned away unable to face her. She screamed and cried out to him as they dragged her away and her sorrow cut him deeper then any sword.

He went to his chamber feeling a heavy weight bearing down on him. He collapsed on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, motionless.
Gradually the daylight faded and darkness crept in.
He had lost the will to live. The demons inside him were too strong to fight.
His form faded, and was never seen in the world again.