It seemed like we walked forever. My body was still sore from all the fights and beatings I had suffered in the days past. Merry, Pippin and I walked side by side, and were encircled by 6 orcs. We trudged along silently, not wanting to disrupt anything.
We all stopped at nightfall. We were isolated from the rest of the group, with the exception of a few guards. Pippin fell asleep as soon as we got there. I wished to do the same, but I stayed awake to examine the surroundings . We were in the middle of another field. The orcs had started campfires and some had gone to find food in the forest.
I put my hands over my knees and put my head down. I thought about my home and my family, whom I missed greatly. Then my mind went to Boromir. I felt a tinge of guilt over his death. I wished I would have been able to help him more, or at least been with him during his final moments, and been able to say goodbye to the brother I loved dearly. Then I thought about my current situation. What were they going to do with us? Why hadn't they captured anyone else? I pondered these questions, then I thought about something these orcs kept saying. They kept calling us halflings. Merry and Pippin were halflings, but I wasn't. It seemed strange to me.
Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by Merry's voice. "Erin! Look!" he whispered loudly. I looked up to where he was pointing and saw hundreds of tiny pricks of light coming through the forest towards us. I rubbed my eyes and squinted, trying to make out what they were. Finally, I realized they were orcs.
"Merry, wake Pippin," I said. Merry scooted as close as he could to Pippin and nudged him. He stirred, looked up groggily.
"I was enjoying that nap, thank you," he said matter of factly. Merry shushed him and quietly said, "look." He pointed in the direction of the incoming orcs.
"Oh dear," was all Pippin managed to get out. I wanted to be able to face these newcomers, so I laid down and shut my eyes. I couldn't find slumber, for the pain in my wrists and feet was too great.
"Get ready, I have a feeling we're going to be in for a long journey," I said. A few moments later, I felt a poke on my back. I feebly pushed myself up and looked back at the two hobbits.
"Erin, can we ask you a question?" Pippin asked.
"Of course," I replied.
"Do you miss Boromir?" he said somberly.
"If you really want to know, I feel as if a huge piece of me has been stolen and I know I will never get it back." I could feel the tears coming to my eyes.
"Sorry," Merry said. I waved my hands as an indication of his question being okay. "Where was Frodo going?" Merry said after a long pause.
"Huh?" I said as I looked up at them.
"He was leaving, after we ran up to the forest. We told him to wait, but he just kept going," Pippin concluded.
"Alone?" I said. I was shocked that we had left him all alone in such a dangerous time. Then, I wondered if something happened to Aragorn, or Gimli, or even worse; to Legolas. Panic and worry flooded back into my head when thought of the terrible things that could have happened to them. I looked up, and saw Ugluk came to where we were being held. With him were a couple orcs I had never seen before. They were not like the orcs that had imprisoned us, they were normal ones. They were speaking in the common tongue and I overheard a bit of the conversation.
"…We saw hoof prints not far from here. They are close, we must be wary," one of the normal orcs said.
"We do not fear them. They know nothing of fighting. Just of horses," Ugluk snorted back. The other orcs shrugged and continued to grunt forward. Once I heard that, I knew who they spoke of. They spoke of the Riders of Rohan, allies of my land. Then I gathered that we were in Rohan, and most likely on our way to Isengard. The orcs approached us.
"Here they are," Ugluk boomed as he came upon us.
"You said they were halflings, right?" asked one of the normal orcs.
"Yes, they are," Ugluk responded, "Brahzlog said so. He claims to have seen them before."
"As have I, the girl is no halflings. The other two are, but the is too tall and stout," he said. He looked at me, and looked back to Ugluk. "Can't you tell? She is twice the size of the other ones. You said that you only wanted halflings, no others." Once he revealed this information, I got worried. What were they to do to me now? I began to sweat under this examination. The orc ordered something in their language to another orc. All the while, Ugluk stared at me and looked completely confused. The orc that received the order walked over and grabbed my arm. He yanked me up to my feet. He kept a hold of my elbow. The orc that had done most of the talking as of now, turned to Ugluk and asked, "what is her name?"
"Erin, but that's all she'll say. Don't bother asking questions. She's too stubborn," he replied. The orc approached me and look me up and down. "Rahzluk, don't bother. She'd rather have the answers beaten out of her." Yes, that was true, yesterday. Today, to spare myself, I'd answer anything. He sneered in my direction. I stood plain faced, not knowing what would happen next. Rahzluk came to my face.
"Are you a halfling? You do not look as if you are one," he growled.
"I am not," I replied. My wrists were aching from my bindings. Rahzluk turned to Ugluk.
"WHAT DID SARUMAN TEACH ANY OF YOU!?!?!" he rebuked him.
Ugluk scoffed, "they took her because she defended the halflings. They do not know any better."
Rahzluk turned back to me. "Well, then. Where are you from?" he looked me up and down again, "because very clearly you are not a halflings, elf or dwarf."
"I am of Gondor, and I am daughter of Denethor the Second, Steward of Gondor. And mark my words, if anything happens to me, and my father finds out , you'll be sorry," I stated boldly.
"Galdlel, take her to the woods and slit her throat. Her mouth is too big for her own good," Rahzluk ordered. I stood strong, but my heart sunk in my chest. One of the other orcs came over and grabbed my bound wrists. It was a smaller than I and was slimy and wrinkly.
He turned me around, towards Merry and Pippin. They had tears running down their cheeks . I mouthed "don't worry, I'll be back for you." Galdlel pushed me and I tripped over my feet. I fell to my knees hard. Galdlel stumbled behind me, but regained his footing. He pulled me back up and pushed me forward. I marched off to my certain doom with my head held high.
We all stopped at nightfall. We were isolated from the rest of the group, with the exception of a few guards. Pippin fell asleep as soon as we got there. I wished to do the same, but I stayed awake to examine the surroundings . We were in the middle of another field. The orcs had started campfires and some had gone to find food in the forest.
I put my hands over my knees and put my head down. I thought about my home and my family, whom I missed greatly. Then my mind went to Boromir. I felt a tinge of guilt over his death. I wished I would have been able to help him more, or at least been with him during his final moments, and been able to say goodbye to the brother I loved dearly. Then I thought about my current situation. What were they going to do with us? Why hadn't they captured anyone else? I pondered these questions, then I thought about something these orcs kept saying. They kept calling us halflings. Merry and Pippin were halflings, but I wasn't. It seemed strange to me.
Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by Merry's voice. "Erin! Look!" he whispered loudly. I looked up to where he was pointing and saw hundreds of tiny pricks of light coming through the forest towards us. I rubbed my eyes and squinted, trying to make out what they were. Finally, I realized they were orcs.
"Merry, wake Pippin," I said. Merry scooted as close as he could to Pippin and nudged him. He stirred, looked up groggily.
"I was enjoying that nap, thank you," he said matter of factly. Merry shushed him and quietly said, "look." He pointed in the direction of the incoming orcs.
"Oh dear," was all Pippin managed to get out. I wanted to be able to face these newcomers, so I laid down and shut my eyes. I couldn't find slumber, for the pain in my wrists and feet was too great.
"Get ready, I have a feeling we're going to be in for a long journey," I said. A few moments later, I felt a poke on my back. I feebly pushed myself up and looked back at the two hobbits.
"Erin, can we ask you a question?" Pippin asked.
"Of course," I replied.
"Do you miss Boromir?" he said somberly.
"If you really want to know, I feel as if a huge piece of me has been stolen and I know I will never get it back." I could feel the tears coming to my eyes.
"Sorry," Merry said. I waved my hands as an indication of his question being okay. "Where was Frodo going?" Merry said after a long pause.
"Huh?" I said as I looked up at them.
"He was leaving, after we ran up to the forest. We told him to wait, but he just kept going," Pippin concluded.
"Alone?" I said. I was shocked that we had left him all alone in such a dangerous time. Then, I wondered if something happened to Aragorn, or Gimli, or even worse; to Legolas. Panic and worry flooded back into my head when thought of the terrible things that could have happened to them. I looked up, and saw Ugluk came to where we were being held. With him were a couple orcs I had never seen before. They were not like the orcs that had imprisoned us, they were normal ones. They were speaking in the common tongue and I overheard a bit of the conversation.
"…We saw hoof prints not far from here. They are close, we must be wary," one of the normal orcs said.
"We do not fear them. They know nothing of fighting. Just of horses," Ugluk snorted back. The other orcs shrugged and continued to grunt forward. Once I heard that, I knew who they spoke of. They spoke of the Riders of Rohan, allies of my land. Then I gathered that we were in Rohan, and most likely on our way to Isengard. The orcs approached us.
"Here they are," Ugluk boomed as he came upon us.
"You said they were halflings, right?" asked one of the normal orcs.
"Yes, they are," Ugluk responded, "Brahzlog said so. He claims to have seen them before."
"As have I, the girl is no halflings. The other two are, but the is too tall and stout," he said. He looked at me, and looked back to Ugluk. "Can't you tell? She is twice the size of the other ones. You said that you only wanted halflings, no others." Once he revealed this information, I got worried. What were they to do to me now? I began to sweat under this examination. The orc ordered something in their language to another orc. All the while, Ugluk stared at me and looked completely confused. The orc that received the order walked over and grabbed my arm. He yanked me up to my feet. He kept a hold of my elbow. The orc that had done most of the talking as of now, turned to Ugluk and asked, "what is her name?"
"Erin, but that's all she'll say. Don't bother asking questions. She's too stubborn," he replied. The orc approached me and look me up and down. "Rahzluk, don't bother. She'd rather have the answers beaten out of her." Yes, that was true, yesterday. Today, to spare myself, I'd answer anything. He sneered in my direction. I stood plain faced, not knowing what would happen next. Rahzluk came to my face.
"Are you a halfling? You do not look as if you are one," he growled.
"I am not," I replied. My wrists were aching from my bindings. Rahzluk turned to Ugluk.
"WHAT DID SARUMAN TEACH ANY OF YOU!?!?!" he rebuked him.
Ugluk scoffed, "they took her because she defended the halflings. They do not know any better."
Rahzluk turned back to me. "Well, then. Where are you from?" he looked me up and down again, "because very clearly you are not a halflings, elf or dwarf."
"I am of Gondor, and I am daughter of Denethor the Second, Steward of Gondor. And mark my words, if anything happens to me, and my father finds out , you'll be sorry," I stated boldly.
"Galdlel, take her to the woods and slit her throat. Her mouth is too big for her own good," Rahzluk ordered. I stood strong, but my heart sunk in my chest. One of the other orcs came over and grabbed my bound wrists. It was a smaller than I and was slimy and wrinkly.
He turned me around, towards Merry and Pippin. They had tears running down their cheeks . I mouthed "don't worry, I'll be back for you." Galdlel pushed me and I tripped over my feet. I fell to my knees hard. Galdlel stumbled behind me, but regained his footing. He pulled me back up and pushed me forward. I marched off to my certain doom with my head held high.
