The Court of Ardor by AliceNWonder000137  

The Jewels of Feanor

Melkor flees Aman with his stolen treasures, pursued by the great spider, Ungoliant.  What will he sacrifice to escape?

A look at Morgoth's POV.  I'm trying to stay true to the lore and write him as a powerful coward and a malignant narcissist.  It features his battle with Ungoliant.

2) The Jewels of Fëanor – After the Death of the Trees

Morgoth

Panic filled the Morgoth’s heart as he fled from the blessed land of Valinor.  With otherworldly sight, he could see through the shroud of darkness that he and his companion had created after killing the Two Trees.  Leagues away, he watched Tulkas and Oromë mounting a pursuit.  The rage on Tulkas’ face filled Morgoth with fear, a sight he would never forget when he was brought to heel in the War of Powers.  He envisioned Tulkas destroying his fortress of Utumno, battering down its walls with his fists, bellowing his name.  He should have won that battle.  He was stronger.  The Valar cheated and everyone knew it.  He should have showed them back then in the past.  He would never forget the insult from the past.  His mind shifted quickly to the present because now, he had another problem.

Morgoth had always intended to betray his companion, but his attempts to elude and deceive Ungoliant failed and now, payment was due. He recoiled at the sight of the massive, bloated spider that dwarfed him in her shadow.  While already monstrous, she had grown even more after drinking the life of the Two Trees.  But this only made her thirstier.  And to appease her, he had fed her many of the lesser treasures that he had stolen from Finwë’s manor in the city of Formenos in the Undying Lands.

“More,” she howled.  “More!”

The Vala shook in terror at the spider as she hissed and thrashed her mandibles in front of his face.  He hated feeling like this.  He was the personification of strength and might.  Weakness was not in his makeup.  He tossed more of the stolen jewels on the ground and as Ungoliant devoured them, the darkness around her grew, enveloping Morgoth.  He stepped back and sneered, cradling the greatest treasures, hoping to keep them from her sight.  As he pressed these jewels to his side, they began to burn with a fierce fire, and he grimaced in pain.

Ungoliant stopped and made a snuffling sound that reverberated around her bloated form.  Her multiple eyes focused on where Morgoth hid his great treasures.  “More!  Those! More!”

Morgoth shot his hand out and an arc of power emanated from his palm, pushing the spider back.  “No!  No more! These are mine.”

She hissed so loud that it nearly threw Morgoth to the ground.  “You promised.  More! All!”  Her mandibles and fangs thrashed violently and her many eyes glowed red with rage.  Then, she growled and pointed a long, sharp leg at the great jewels cradled at Morgoth’s side.  “Those! Those!  Now!”

The Vala spun his hand in a circle and the air glowed around him.  “Away with you!  You have had enough!”  He turned quickly to look towards Angband, his fortress in the north.  He cast his voice into the wind, to be carried the far leagues by his will.  “Aid me!” In his mind, he could see a smoldering flame rise into a blaze.

Ungoliant scuttled forward, her mandibles grabbing at Morgoth, snapping and pinching.  As she touched the glowing ring around her prey, sparks crackled around her, and she recoiled back.  With a howl of rage and pain she swung her abdomen under her and sprayed tendrils of webs over Morgoth.  With a wave of his hand, he sliced through nearly all of them.  A few strands of web found him though and he shrieked in pain as the webs sizzled on his skin.  He sliced through those with his hand and turned, fleeing with unnatural speed.

The spider roared, belching forth clouds of darkness and many of the gems that she had consumed and then raced forward, her massive legs tearing down trees and crushing boulders in her wake.  For leagues, she chased the Vala, casting webs in his way to slow him.  Against a sheer cliff, she threw another web in his way and now he was trapped. Dripping venom from her maw, Ungoliant crept forward as Morgoth cowered.

“No more!” he cried.  “No more!”

“Give me!” Ungoliant hissed.  “Now!”

Morgoth paused for a moment to feel the three great jewels burning into his side even through his armor.  It would almost be a relief to be rid of them, but greed drove him.  If he could just buy more time.  “Wait!  Wait!” he cried as the spider sprayed him with more webs.  “No, stop!  I’ll give you what you want.”  Ungoliant shuffled forward and her mandibles snapped in front of his face.  He turned his face in fear.  Would his gamble work?  He began to bring forth the great jewels and felt them burning in his hand.  He grimaced, still avoiding the glare of the spider.

Ungoliant pulled on the strands of web, bringing the Vala up to her maw full of razor teeth and then paused.  “Give!”

Morgoth’s hand trembled as he slowly brought the jewels forward.  “Very well! Here!” he said as he felt the heat of flames above him.

With a roar, two balrogs landed on the ground beside them, shaking the ground and casting the spider in the orange light of fire. One with a whip of flame and the other with a burning sword tore through the webs that had nearly encased their master. Ungoliant leapt back, her face smoldering.  A third balrog landed and ripped the remaining webs away with claws of fire, casting a red glow in the Dark Lord’s pale face.  “Flee master,” it said and then turned to face the spider.

His hands dug into the side of the cliff, and he scaled its heights in moments, never looking back.  He bounded forward towards Angband while a score of other flaming balrogs flew into the fray, hearing the angry hisses of Ungoliant all the way.  At the gates of his fortress, he gave a fist pump and cried out in relief, his voice echoing up the peaks of Thangorodrim.  He looked around, seeing the safety of his keep and the great iron gates.  The familiarity of his hold brought a smile to his face, and he could see the great jewels, the glittering Silmarils, in his hand.  Though they seared the skin of his palm, he delighted in their brilliance, jewels without equal.  There, his greatest lieutenant awaited him before the open gate.

His earlier terror gone, a pang of humiliation seeped into his mind.  He hated his fear and it gnawed at him.  With a grunt, he put it out of his mind.  He was never afraid.  He never fled.  That was just propaganda against him by those who were truly afraid and he would punish anyone who spoke about it.

After a moment, Morgoth stirred and then hid the jewels in his hand again.  He felt strong again.  He’d never take Middle Earth with weakness.  He had to show strength.  Only strength.  He brushed past his lieutenant and waved his hand dismissively.  “Come Sauron.  This is only the beginning.  Though I have eluded Tulkas and Oromë and escaped the webs of Ungoliant, the elves will come.  It was my strength and skill that won the day.  Now this I know, Sauron.  Fëanor will not abide by the theft of his jewels and death of his father.  The Noldor will come and we will destroy them here.”

Cloaked in black, Sauron followed his master, his silver hair framing a face of unearthly beauty.  “I have had the orcs fortify the hold and dig deeper pits.  Greater demons have been spawned there in the depths. They will grow and await your command.”

“Most excellent, Sauron,” Morgoth said, striding forward towards the great hall.  “I will make a crown that I will set these jewels upon, and it will signify my reign for I am King of Middle Earth and no other.  We will build a fortress so strong that not even the Vala can assail it and we will rule until the breaking of the world.”

“It shall be done, my lord.”

“And is my throne complete?”

“It is, my lord.”

“Good,” Morgoth said with a nod of his head.  “Have the materials brought to the throne room.  I will begin to craft the crown that will show my might as King of the Earth.  My reign has just begun.  The Valar will rue the day when they dared to challenge my power.”  Pride swelled his godlike heart and a grin lit up his face. He was strong again.  He was mighty.