Sing loudly, it will at least buy us time and limit them sorry about this

And the inner ear's important, need that for balance, but the outer ear, ear drum, all more trouble then they're worth right now and for the next twenty-five minutes neither Malak nor Lúthien have them.

They're running, casting, keeping so many spells going at once... They should last through the gate but not much farther if they're pursued. But once they're out they'll be a bit less restricted.

She sings sleep.

Only a handful of the people who hear her think to put out their eardrums; most of them collapse. The ones who don't draw weapons and run at them.

Malak's magical talent might be mediocre but they are one of the best fighters of their homeland and they have the advantage of being able to see their opponents. They let go of Lúthien--she can probably handle herself for a few seconds--the first attacker gets an elbow to the throat, not hard enough to break anything unless elves are extra fragile, but it should leave him stunned for a while, they relieve him of the dagger at his side and the second gets a pommel to the side of the head, she's down. Third one gets some cuts across the thighs that shouldn't do any permanent damage but it will hurt like hell to run after them, the fourth gets a kick between the legs and then Malak is catching up to Lúthien. 

She's running for the gate.

The gate is closed. The guards have put out their ears.

Malak really hopes they have a healer who can treat that.

Is the gate barred from within or is there a gatehouse or something?

Barred from within.

Get the door, I'll keep them busy.

And Malak is visible, still running, channeling a gout of flame through their hand, sweeping it left to force the elves to back away from it, clearing Lúthien some space.  Then end the spell, recast, and repeat on the right side.

Door -

And then there's a semicircular wall of flames around them and the gate and the one elf on the inside of that wall is disarmed and incapacitated--at least a couple broken ribs by the sound of it but he should live, Malak is finding that this is in fact much harder when they're trying not to hurt their opponents too badly--And then they'll go to help Lúthien with the door bar if she hasn't got it by now and desperately hope that none of the elves are willing to leap through the flames to stop them, that would probably seriously injure them but they put out their own eardrums, so who knows what they'll do.

Well, yes, they're assuming this is an Enemy plot and there's an Enemy army on the other side of the door and it's obviously worth dying to prevent that -

Malak does not, of course, know this, and hardly has the time to think about it right now and continues to believe that the elves are really fanatically dedicated to keeping people prisoner "for their own good."

They draw their sword and stand between Lúthien and the elves. 

"I don't want to--"oh, right, everyone's deaf.  Ugh. I don't want to hurt any of you but if you keep leaping through fires and coming at me more than four at a time you will be making that very difficult.

Everyone is, as wouldn't have been hard to guess, assuming you work for the Enemy and his agents are waiting outside the gate you're trying to force.

Well as it happens I'm pretty sure that's not the case, when I give my word I keep it, I just think your reasons for holding Lúthien are really shitty and pretending that it's all for her own good does you no credit.

And if you'd discussed that with me I might have decided that explaining several centuries more context on the three civil wars you are about to start was better than risking this but instead we have someone trying to force the entrance to Nargothrond and everyone here is willing to die to prevent that.

You are keeping a woman imprisoned for no crime of her own, presumably so that you can pressure her father into joining your war effort what the fuck kind of context do you think can justify that? Tell your soldiers to stay back or stand down before they start dying needlessly.

Keep it together keep it together

How's Lúthien managing with the door bar?

She's given up trying to move it and started singing at it. It's glowing.

I can't do that without more than your word that you're not doing exactly what it looks like you're doing. 

Well unless you have a one-way door we're at a bit of an impasse because I have no intention of surrendering and becoming your prisoner. If I were plotting with your Enemy I would have just waited until the planned departure tomorrow, I am just trying to get her out. It is in your interests to open your gate less destructively than Lúthien is.

People rush in in much, much greater numbers. 

This is going to get very bloody and I have no doubt you'll overpower us eventually but when you look and see that there's no horde of orcs on the other side of that door it will be quite embarrassing. I'm sorry that our words are not good enough for you but we have no other assurance to give. Please don't throw away lives over this.

Malak is not directing their thoughts. They don't expect them to dissuade everyone if Curufin won't change his mind but maybe it will save a few.

They are mostly confident that's true. It's just hardly an acceptable bet.

- door glows brighter -

Please