First person POV
Cold. My face was numb as they pushed me into the snow covered ground and tied my bindings behind my back. I tried to get out of their hold but it was useless. I had one man either side of me holding my arms down across my back and another sitting on my legs.
The numbness would have been a relief against the bruises and cuts on my face except for the fact that with everything being cold, I couldn't feel my ligaments and pain seemed more potent. Rope rubbed against my grazed wrists and ankles and I unwillingly whimpered. In response to my subtle complaint, the men who were tying my hands and feet together tightened the rope causing it to dig in further. I could feel their hands moving with their silent laughter. These weren't the freemen of Gondor or Rohan, no. They were those that gave in t Morgoth and fought on the side of Sauron and the one ring. They were once humble farmers until the lies and deceptions of the ring coaxed them to abandon everything they once knew to become pawns of the enemy. It changed them to become unmerciful and lustful of watching the droplets of blood spill over onto porcelain skin and dry on their cruel, wicked blades.
My disgust for the harsh men was only overcome by the sting of ropes over my sensitive, chilled skin. Pain in my hands and ankles was nothing compared to what it was like when they pulled me to my feet, and dragged me by my hair to the metal carriage. It felt like my my scalp was being penetrated by thousands of tiny needles, slowly being tapped into my flesh. My feet scrambled underneath me, bound together, trying to alleviate the tension on my hair and the throbbing of my skin underneath. But try as I might, the man in front of me would not allow me that opportunity and increased his pace, making my feet dangle almost uselessly as they tried to keep up.
When he finally let go of my hair, I wish he hadn't. Before me stood a metal box, half filled with boxes, but there was an undeniable scent of rotting flesh and metallic blood in the air emitted from it. I didn't know what they intended for me, but I knew I didn't want to find out or go into that cage. With wide eyes I scrambled to my hands and knees and tried to shuffle away as quickly as I could, but the men were much swifter with their unbound limbs. Laughing cruelling at my desperation and fear that froze my heart more than the hard ice beneath me, the men watched on with amusement until a sharp order was heard from behind them in a foreign tongue that I couldn't understand. Their mirth was still on their scared, dirty faces as they lifted me by the arms and threw me into the box.
My shoulder and hips took the brunt of the impact and left me momentarily paralysed by the aching that laced through my body. Looking around in a moment of panic I noticed that the bottom of the box was made of the same metal as the rest of the walls and roof, only parting for a small, bared window of sorts in the far corner. Light barely made its way in through the small opening. Vibrations shook the ground as a man with a scar through his eye and down to his mouth took heavy steps toward me. As he became closer and closer, panic seemed to seize my heart. I wouldn't go down without a fight. Bracing myself, I tried to reach down within myself and grip for that restless power that always begged to be free, only to find that it wasn't there. I panicked and tried again, only to have the same results. Holding onto my resolution, I lashed out my limbs blindly as the man reached for me.
I must have hit him, because he seemed to take a moment to rear himself up and then come forward in a punch to my jaw that knocked me to the ground with such force that my head seemed to bounce off of the metal and rendered me blind for a moment. My hands were lifted and then a cool snap encased my wrists. As the vibrations emitted from the heavy footsteps retreated the distinct sound of someone spitting echoed loudly in the small space.
The loud clang of the door echoed in the small area. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust but once they did I found I was alone and lying pitifully on the ground, broken and scared. At first I sobbed tearlessly. Although I knew there was no point, tears wouldn't solve anything, I felt that I had to mourn the loss of my freedom. The carriage jerked forwards as it began to rock side to side with the road beneath it.
Pulling my legs close to my hands I managed to pull out my tiny pocket knife I had hidden in my boot and slowly started to saw through the coarse rope. It took time and a lot of rests, but I finally freed my feet from each other and replaced my knife.
I was feed one meal per day which consisted of stale bread and muddy water. I was never allowed to communicate; I wouldn't even really talk to these creatures if I was given the choice anyway. I was never allowed out of my carriage. I knew that from not using my legs, I would get to a point where I couldn't use them, so I spent most of my day exercising and stretching my muscles the best I could without my arms. The carriage would often stop and then start again but I wouldn't take much notice after a while.
This is the way my days passed for a long time. So many summers passed. So many winters I froze in that box.
Hey guys! This is the beginning of the editing of this story. The other chapters have already been taken down, but on a positive note - I have completed the first chapter! It will be up soon after this one. Like I said in my authors note - there arent any major changes (yet) but I have just tried to make the writing consistent and with less errors.
To my new readers, please know that i will be updating as soon as i can (which may or may not be a while depending on my amount of Homework and assessment pieces i have. i am only starting my 11th year of school, so constructive critisim is welcomed but please no hate filled reviews. If you dont like my story, then dont read it. If you have ideas, hints or tips they will be greatly appreciated. i am still looking for a beta though, so if you are interested please PM me.
Hope you are enjoying this edited version of Brighter the Light, Darker the Shadows!
