Disclaimer- This is going for the entire story, it's quite irritating to have to do every chapter. I do not own Lord of the Rings, only characters that you don't recognize because I have created them.
Alaqua sat in the corner of a stone room, the damp, cold air chilling her to the very bone. She was curled in fetal position, her head resting upon her grime covered knees. Oh, yes,
she was filthy, disgusting even. Dirt had founds its way into her hair, under her finger nails, and every other part of her body that had once been clean. Blood had crusted upon her skin from past beatings; her eye was swollen and tinged gray-green from one of Solanth's more powerful blows.
Her lip curled up in a sneer at the thought of his name, a flame of anger ignited within her. Just the thought of his greasy brown hair and deceiving blue eyes was enough to make her skin crawl.
Suddenly the door slammed shut. At first Alaqua was grateful for the intervention of her thoughts, but the emotion quickly faded away upon sight of the visitor. Gwenyth strutted sassily into the room, as does an arrogant princess when walking down the inferior streets in which her people live, a large smirk upon her tanned face. Alaqua's eyes narrowed in pure loathing. Gwenyth was one of the few that actually enjoyed this so called 'life'. Her voluptuous figure, doe eyes, and blond hair earned her many customers, to her pleasure no doubt. A few had even offered to keep her permanently, but that would be against the rules.
Rules? Alaqua scoffed at this; it was as if Solanth was attempting to civilize this prostitution. The very word sent a shock of hate and distaste throughout her body, and she recited the rules that Solanth had made her repeat many times, fueling her anger.
1) Do not take the same customer more than once.
2) Do not stay with a current customer for more than one night.
3) Never take a customer without Solanth's permission first
4) Never attempt to run away
5) Never develop feelings for a customer.
She had already broken the fourth rule, for which she had earned twenty lashes, and had the scars for proof. Her hands clenched at the memory of the sickening crack as the hard leather whip sliced her back, the mind numbing pain as her barrier of skin broke, and dark blood began to pour from her wounds. She had desperately attempted to lift herself from the ground with her trembling limbs as the blood began to pool around her, staining her arms and soaking her clothes, but instead passed into a state of unconsciousness.
Wincing as her fingernails sank deeply into her palm, she glanced around the room to distract herself from the memory, and she wrinkled her nose at its lack of cleanliness. Ten barely cushioned mats lay on floor, most encrusted with dirt; they were used for beds, though they offered little comfort from the hard ground beneath them. And, there were seventeen girls, not ten. A rat scurried across the floor, unnoticed by the other girls, who had grown used to them, and crawled into their pile of blankets. Her stomach churned in disgust, and she quickly glanced away, resuming her observations. There were four candlesticks scattered across the room; nearly useless when the sun went down, so small was the light they gave. There were no tables, not one chair, no bathtub. The only thing they owned were the clothes upon their backs, black and brown dresses, given to them by Solanth. They were far too short for her liking; a uniform of sorts.
Not for the first time she cursed her bad fortune. Cursed herself for staying in her cottage, faking illness, when she was supposed to be helping her parents pick berries while they were still ripe. Cursed her laziness, cursed the heat that she despised so much, the heat that was the reason she stayed inside in the first place.
She also cursed these girls and their lack of courage. Their indifference towards her, simply because she was too rebellious for their tastes, her tongue too sharp. Cursed their stupidity, the stupidity that caused them to think they would be beaten for associating with her.
Yet, most of all, she continued to curse herself. But she mustn't dwell upon it, she knew.
If she allowed her thoughts to linger upon the happy memories of her childhood, her eyes would fill with tears, and not long after she would begin to sob with no restraint. She could not allow that. She had to be strong, she would be strong.
The door was shoved open and all thoughts of strength dissipated at the sight of Solanth.
His figure towered over the girls as he stalked forward, looming over each individual, studying their faces.
She flattened herself against the wall, willing herself to become invisible. His eyes raked over the room, and his threatening gaze fell upon her, twisted amusement obvious within their depths.
"You, with the brown hair, come here."
Gritting her teeth; she remained unmoving, glaring up at defiantly. His cold eyes bore into her hazel pair, and a battle of wills ensued. His eyes narrowed into slits, his fury growing with each passing moment. His lips thinned into a line and his face began to redden. She was still.
He growled in rage, and closed the distance between them. Her body trembled with each step he took, and finally he stood before her. Reaching down, he grabbed her arms in a vice grip, pulling her underfed body against his.
She quivered in repulsion, and he gripped her chin tightly, shoving his mouth roughly against her own. She twisted in his grasp as a lone hand began to wander across her body, the other keeping her trapped against him. She pulled away as much as she could, desperately attempting to distance herself from him in vain. Finally her foot came in contact with his shin, and he instantly released her, smacking her smartly across the face.
"Do not ever kick me," he hissed, his face inches from hers and his voice low and sinister, his putrid breath coming in short gasps. He took a deep breath and straightened himself, resuming a mask of calmness, though she could tell from the rigidness of his body that he was still inertly raging.
Fixing her with his intense glare he spoke menacingly.
"You will be one of the three I bring with me, to a new pub. You will be bought and you will go with your buyer."
Nodding at the girls that had crowded around them, he moved stealthily out of the room.
Alaqua took a shuddering breath, and brought her hand to her lips, gazing venomously at the blood that now stained her fingers. The other females remained silent only a moment longer before breaking into a bout of whispers, moving away to discuss the strange girl who remained huddled in the corner.