Chapter 1 is here, finally. Sorry for the wait but as I said before I have no set update times, it just depends when I can write a good piece of LOTR fan fiction, which unfortunately, isn't every single day. Also, the dreaded exams are showing there evil little faces once more.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, the ideas behind it, the places or characters or plot of LOTR. This story is purely for recreational purposes.
A/N "words" in italic are Elvish, for the main sections they will be written in English not Elvish for obvious reasons.
Warning: Obscene language, scenes of death, attempted sexual situation, graphic images of an unpleasant nature.
Holding my Soul
Chapter One
"A good girl"
Headaches, even the smallest of headaches, is an extremely annoying thing but when it feels like your very skull is about to explode from the pain, it's a bloody nightmare.
She didn't move at first, she lay still on the ground, tremors of pain wracking her body even though she kept still, she didn't want to move. If she moved, she'd prove that she was awake, and that the pain was real and that what she had done was real. That she'd been the bad girl her father had tried to keep her from being. She'd hurt him, biting back a sob she let a single tear fall. Her own father, and she'd hurt, with her own hands…then she'd run like a coward, like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Gasping softly she rolled slowly onto her back, she didn't want to be a coward, even if she was one, she'd rather try and hide it, try and pretend to be the person her father had tried to make her become. She began to move then, to try and work off the pain, with a small grunt she managed to move her left arm to help support herself, though for some reason her right arm felt like a deadweight, wincing at her weakness she realised she must have been lying on it funny, moving it would help.
Oh hell, oh fucking hell no. With a strangled cry of pain she let out a single sob and curled up into a tight ball. Her arm, oh God her arm. Biting her lip against the pain she managed to open her eyes but dared not look down at where she clutched her right arm. It hurt. She felt her lip split against her teeth, the, by now, familiar feel of blood trickled down her chin as she tried to still herself, tried to make the sharp stabbing pains in her arm go away.
"Just bloody fantastic" She sobbed "I-I'm in the middle of a forest and my sodding arms broken" She was surprised the police hadn't found her yet, taken her away for what she'd done.
She was so pathetic. Whining and whimpering like a little puppy when the police were after her. But that made her pathetic anyway, she was running away, bad girls ran away from the police, so she was bad, and she had so hoped that for once in her life she could be good. Be what her father wanted her to be.
Never good enough for him, she never had been, but if he found her before the police did. She whimpered, he'd kill her, after all those threats, those grey eyes glaring at her, he would, he would kill her and be done with it. A few more tears fell down her face as she cried, not caring that the harsh sobs hurt her already raw throat, or that she must have looked awful, nose running and red, eyes red and puffy. Not that it mattered, she was in the middle of a forest, no one was around.
Which meant that this would be the only time to get away for good, but she didn't want to move. The pain in her arm seemed to paralyze her; she just wanted to lye there and let the world pass her by. It was no use though, if anything she had to try and splint her arm, she'd seen it done enough times on the TV, if she didn't she might never use it again. She was already worthless, having a dead arm on top of that, no; she didn't even want to consider it. She would make herself worth something, a good girl, and that started with not giving up. Her father would be ashamed of her if he could have seen her, lying there, wanting to just lye there and never leave.
He was her father, she wouldn't disappoint him again.
With a strangled cry she moved her arm far enough away from her body so that she could get up without banging it against her protesting body, not that it did much good. It felt like she was burning up, the shooting pains running through her shoulder, up her neck to her pounding head. Why did it hurt so much? Was she in hell? Was that what she felt? The fires of hell burning away her skin, torturing her for her sins, for not being good enough? Was that what she felt?
If it was, she couldn't complain, she deserved every last lick of those flames against her skin. She deserved to be punished, but it still hurt so much.
Biting her lip she fell onto her knees, one hand supported the top half of her body, preventing her face from crashing into the compact earth beneath her. This was ridiculous, she had a broken arm, but her legs weren't broken.
"Just get up you stupid girl, get up!" It didn't help, her legs still felt weak, like they wouldn't support her body. But unfortunately for her legs, she could be as stubborn as the best of them. With another groan she pushed herself up onto her feet and staggered backwards as the world tilted around her, colours bursting from her eyelids before she felt her back collide sharply with a large tree, jolting her, and the feeling of nausea rose inside her until with another whimper, she bent over almost double, feeling the acidic waste burning her throat before she gagged and threw up on the forest floor, a small line of vomit trickling down her chin.
She blinked rapidly, her eyes burning from her retching before she managed to stand straight again, leaning heavily against the tree behind her as with her left arm, she wiped away the disgusting substance from her chin, not caring that some had stained the very top of her shirt which covered her slightly torn vest top.
Resting against the tree, her shirt caught on the rough bark and she felt the harsh pain of the rough surface rubbing against her poorly protected back, belatedly a small verbal acceptance of her pain passed her lips as her throat burned "Ouch…" She just wanted to sleep, everywhere hurt, a pain ripping through her. But she had to move, now or she would just fall back down again and curl up tight, protected from the world around her.
So with a small push she stumbled away from the tree and started a slow limping walk, hopefully away from her house, though she wasn't exactly 100 percentsure which way she was headed.
She didn't know how long she had been walking when she had seen them, vile, demonic looking creatures in a clearing not far from where she hid. They were horrible, skin so blackened it looked like they had been burnt to a crisp in an industrial oven, and even from where she stood she could smell them, decay and rotting flesh, the smell seem to wind itself around everything, long, sickly fingers touching everything in the vicinity.
Trying not to gag, Rowan settled herself slowly down into a crouch, leaning against a young sapling while she hid behind a number of what looked to be bramble bushes. Resting her arm against her thigh she tried not to make a sound…she didn't want those things to find her, she didn't want them to get there filthy paws on…oh god.
She felt her stomach roll in on itself and tried hard not to let her gag reflex overcome her, the breeze had brushed the bushes ahead of her gently to one side, to finally reveal what they had been so interested in that had been hidden from her view. She whimpered slightly as she saw the small forms of a doe, and what looked like a young fawn, slowly being ripped to pieces.
In morbid fascination she watched as their hands gripped at the torn flesh on the sides of the animals, grabbing it and ruthlessly pulling, not using any sort of knife, they just…ripped it. She finally screwed her eyes shut, trying to forget the image of their blood stained teeth even as it replayed beneath her eyelids, burned into her memory permanently.
The image was so vivid in her mind that she felt it almost push her away, warning her to leave before that became her own fate. The picture of the doe and the fawn changed in her mind, to a picture of her own body, mangled and being torn apart by hand and tooth alike. She swayed and with an alarmed whimper fell backwards onto the forest floor, twigs snapping beneath her weight as she gave a small cry as sharp rocks and stones duck into her back and shoulder, jarring her broken arm.
It was all they needed, within seconds every single pair of red eyes was turned her way, silence echoing through the forest.
Oh shit…
With a small yelp she rolled onto her side and with her left arm managed to push herself up unsteadily, the sounds of heavy and harsh growling from behind her thrumming through her head, oh god.
With a small sob she ran away from the hellish creatures behind her, right arm cradled against her body as best as possible, repeatedly banging against her chest, searing jolts of pain ran through her, causing her to stumble as her legs almost gave out beneath her, unable to cope with the attack on their nerves.
"No, no, no, don't stop, oh god don't stop Rowan, don't you dare…"Egging herself on she launched herself back into a run, feeling the air behind her becoming heavier as they began to close in on her, she had no way to escape, there were too many, and they were just too fast.
She swerved as a large tree came into her path, heading left she managed a stumbling jump over a small stream, her heels splashing at the edge of the water, cold droplets clinging to her jeans as she ran, the cold giving her the extra push she needed as she managed to push herself up a small incline before her.
Her breathing was harsh even to her own ears, but it didn't stop her hearing the leering tone as those…things shouted at her, they spoke strangely, a guttural language which sent shivers of pure terror down her spine, she didn't have to know the language to know what they would do to her if they caught her.
And unlike her father, she wouldn't be able to fight off those things if they caught her.
As she felt her legs quiver beneath her once more, her body slowly giving out under the pain her body was in, she almost begged to whatever gods existed for them to just kill her and eat her, at least she would be dead, a better ending to this small, almost pointless chase then being raped.
The sharp incline she was running up suddenly stopped, a steep downwards slope before her, the sudden change caught her off guard, and as her foot met thin air she fell forward, even as she heard a ghoulish cry from behind her.
The air rushed past her and with a loud cry she fell, on her broken arm. Feeling the bones grind together beneath her skin, black blooms burst in front of her eyes, like roses of corruption being offered to her by the devil, a passing gift before those hellish creatures finally caught her.
But even as she lay there, her arm aflame with pain, they never came. There was no pounding of foot on earth, no more of their guttural cries, absolute silence.
That's when she heard it.
The faint breaking of a twig, a light snap noise which reached her ears…an almost delicate sound in itself. She wasn't alone, but it wasn't those creatures this time, it was something else.
She slowly rolled onto her back, once again biting her lip against the pain, the fresh trickle of blood staining her chin, but she managed to raise herself up onto her knees, never once seeing what shared this small area of the forest with her. But she could see what they had done, and why she no longer could hear the grunts of those creatures that had been so close to catching her.
They lay there, no more than a few feet away, eyes glazed over in death, bodies like pincushions, riddled with arrows which seemed to gleam in the sunlight. Arrows…? Why the hell would someone be using arrows?
Strange question as it was in her current situation, it stood out clear in her mind, an oddity that didn't seem to compute. What worried her even more, was that the men, if that was what they were, which were within her eyesight now that she had turned around, looked like wingless angels, only problem was…angels, as far as she was concerned, didn't exist.
And even if they did, she wouldn't have imagined them pointing very sharp and deadly looking arrows her way.
Was she that cursed? Honestly? Was everyone out to make her life more of a living hell then it already was?
Never taking her eyes from the sharp points she tried to shuffle away, trying not to let them see her intentions, but it was obvious they knew.
"Vedui', mankoi naa lle sinome?" The person...being...man, as it were, at the front of the group spoke, his voice like music, light and airy…and utterly
terrifying.
With a whimper she scuttled back, in a lopsided crab crawl with one arm before managing to get to her feet unsteadily, she froze, as did the people before her, arrows still pointed at her but their eyes held a curiosity in them, as if surprised that she was so scared of them…was she supposed to know who they were? Was she missing something in this huge mess that she called her life?
It was when she saw the sudden glint of a sword when one of them began towards her that she realised in a flash that she didn't give a flying fuck, he had a bloody sword!
With eyes wide she stumbled up, her hands clawing at the grassy slope, not caring that they were right behind her, they had swords! You chopped people's heads off with those things!
Without a glance back she ran over the edge of the mound and started back down again, hearing the raised voices behind her too late, as, within seconds of her attempted escape two blurred figures fell from the trees around her to stand before her.
She knew a collision was close to inevitable, but she tried anyway, with an attempted sharp turn she tried to avoid their glaring grey eyes, but it was useless. She stumbled up against on of them only to feel hands grasping at her arms, grips tightening to hold her still, not knowing of her broken arm.
"Get off!" It hurt, it hurt so badly that she lost all sense, mind blanked with red in her rage she twisted, legs kicking out as she tried to release the grip on her right arm, it hurt so badly.
She sobbed as she felt a second hand upon her right arm and felt like the ground was about to give way beneath her, the pain so great that black spots appeared amongst the red, but not before she managed to wrench her arm up enough to claw almost eagerly at the flesh her fingernails came into contact with. They weren't about to get out of this unscathed!
"Daro!" She heard the word, didn't understand it, didn't want to. They were hurting her, grabbing hands on her, like him…had he sent them!
"DARO!"Her struggles ended abruptly, waves of pain from her arm paralyzed her even as she felt the tip of an arrow against her neck, it was over. They'd won.
"Tula" The hand upon her right arm fell away, and she could breathe again, feeling coming back to her body bit by bit before she felt herself being dragged away, fingers digging into her left arm. The pain was less though, she wouldn't complain.
She just hoped they would be merciful…
They had let go of her a little while ago, an hour, maybe even two since they had let go of their fierce grip on her arm. She was flanked with guards though, two stoic looking blond…men…angels? Stood one on each side, almost like bodyguards, apart from the suspicious looks they sent her way.
It was obvious she confused them, didn't scare them, but for some reason she was causing suspicion to rise, and she had no clue why. It was a public forest, many people even camped out there, where could these people be taking her, what had those things been before?
Could she really be in hell?
Had she died? Was she to live in torment for the rest of eternity?
Funny, it should have bothered her more. But the tiredness that now made up her entire existence was overwhelming, the monotonous step after step after step as she followed these people was lulling her into a deceptively sweet dream. She just didn't care…it hurt, her arm, her back, her feet, everywhere. They didn't care either, not about her injuries anyway, but she had hurt one of them, she could see the red raw scratches lining his face, they cared about that, she was sure.
With a sudden yelp of surprise she felt herself falling, her foot stuck…drawn from her thoughts as she felt the familiar flip flop of her stomach as she saw the ground coming up to greet her she didn't notice the arms wrapping themselves around her waist, keeping her from further injury.
"No!" She felt his arms tighten, like his had…no, no "Let go!" Hands grabbing, pulling…she hated it! She did! She wouldn't let them!
She started struggling, even as she was set right once more on her two feet. She didn't notice, didn't even realise. They wouldn't let her go, she just wanted to be let go.
"ai'calenen, uuma dela" The words were soft, flowing like a stream over a bed of rocks, elegant, peaceful, and with no intent to harm.
She heard the words, didn't understand them, but she felt her body slow, subconsciously knowing that if he had meant to hurt her, he would not sooth her. Though which he it was of the group, she did not know.
The arms left her waist, still flanked by the two guards she trembled slightly. Not knowing why her body had betrayed her like that. Why at such few words had she stopped struggling.
She did not have time to ponder though as she heard voices raised once more, and as she looked around, she realised with something akin to a wondrous horror that they were making camp. And she would spend the night amongst them…alone.
The young woman-child sat slightly away, in the shadows of the surrounding trees. It was obvious she was trying to hide from them, it didn't surprise him much though. The look in her eyes when they had found her had been that of a doe caught in the net of the hunter.
And for all the famed hospitality of the elves, it had been very small in showing.
Sighing, Glorfindel broke of another small bit of his lembas bread, pondering the strangely clothed woman-child in their midst. She was obviously injured, but he had decided to listen to his companions then his healers heart on this matter, although hurt, they did not know who she was, so they would be wary. Though, if he was completely honest with himself, he found those accusations exceptionally thin, as he knew the twin sons of Elrond did.
There was never a worthy cause when a female was to be left injured and so frightened.
Barbaric…
"Glorfindel, do you think our guest would benefit from some lembas bread?" Looking over he saw one of the twins before him, his face set in grim determination. He knew the twins had trouble around victims of Orcs, memories of their mother often clouded their minds.
"I think it would help, she looks like she is on her last legs, she won't last another day of travel" Elladan, if he was guessing correctly, hadn't needed to ask his permission, but he understood that he did not want to be alone in this. Out of the 9 elves before them, only himself and the twins, as far as he knew, truly believed that she was purely a victim, one strange to this land yes, but a victim all the same.
"Enheruion, may I borrow your healing pack? Her lip is split and I am worried about her arm, it seems to pain her greatly"
The healer of the group, Enheruion kept a neutral stance to their situation, knowing the benefits of being wary and of helping her. But he was not without heart.
"You may, but be careful"
Taking his advice, Elladan went to take the small pack when another spoke out.
"Leave her, the more tired she is the less chance of her attacking" No one had to look to see who spoke, Theraleth, friend of Amras spoke his mind when and how he wanted to.
"And how much of a chance would she had against nine elves? Think Theraleth, she is injured and alone, she can harm none of us"
"None of us!" With a scolding glare he pointed a finger at the long scratch marks down Amras' face "She was restrained yet she managed to hurt Amras, now she sits there, unbound…'tis truly a folly"
"Yet we shall act no better than Orcs in this matter and leave her in pain!"
For all of his level headedness, Elladan was known for his occasional outbursts.
"You would dare compare us to-"
"SILENCE!"
The entire clearing stilled, no sound apart from the slight whimper of fear from the shadows.
"You will not talk to a son of Elrond in such a manner Theraleth, remember that! And for her so called attack on Amras, it's a scratch, she was scared. And at this moment I would compare us more to Orcs than elves" Glorfindel ignored the slight protests. "Now, Elladan. Go and give her some lembas bread and take care of any obvious cuts, but do not stay long. It is obvious we scare her, and this arguing cannot be making it any easier."
"But what if she led the Orcs to this forest, she may not be as alone as you say…" Turning, he saw Amras sitting on the ground, leaning against one of the trees, his face showing him deep in thought. "For all that Theraleth would think to look after me, I am not against her, but I am wary, as should everyone here be" He paused "But then again, that does not mean that we have to be unkind"
Theraleth sat there stunned even as Glorfindel watched his disbelieving face. Sighing Glorfindel took the lembas Elladan has procured along with the small pack and began his way towards the cowering figure. "For one so tired, for her to create such fear of approach, she must indeed be frightful Theraleth."
No one stopped him as he went over to her small from, curled up against the nook of a large root. Carefully, so as not to alarm her, he knelt down by her side. "Young one, are you hungry?"
Large green eyes stared up at him through the mass of hair surrounding her face, but she did not reply, instead, the look of confusion on her face told him what he should have known. She did not know Elvish.
Sighing at himself he spoke to her again, trying to remember as much westron as possible.
"…hungry?" It had been many years since he had spoken westron and it showed in how little he could talk to her.
But it was in vain, she did not move, not a sound escaped her, and neither did the confusion leave her eyes. If she did not know westron, where had she come from?
He did not have the answer, and knew his presence was making her uncomfortable. With another sigh he quickly rummaged through the small pack until he found the small cloth, formerly steeped in soothing, numbing herbs and lifted it up to her face, were her split lip was slowly healing, although he could still see the glint of fresh blood upon her chin.
"Be calm young one, I am just trying to help" His voice soothing, although he knew his words made no sense to her, he reached up with the cloth, slowly, ever so slowly, trying not to scare her.
Eventually she realised his intention and stopped backing away, letting him dab her chin and lib with the cloth, her eyes never leaving his face as he did so.
It wasn't long before her lip began to heal properly under the ministrations of Elvish herbs and with one last concerned look at her hunched up form Glorfindel gently took her hand and put a small piece of lembas into her small palm, she nodded at him slightly in understanding. He hid a small smile, so she had been watching them then…he had suspected as such.
As he stood to once again join the others near the small fire he turned back, and realised that she had been given no cover for the night. Trying hard to keep the disapproval from his features he unclasped his cloak and gently laid it over her, grabbing the edge with one hand she pulled it up around her chin and gave him a small, tentative smile.
But he could still see the fear so plainly in her eyes that his heart actually hurt.
Orcs were truly vile creatures.
She had watched them as she nibbled at the food she had been given. Their voices were low, soothing and luckily, no longer directed at her.
She'd heard their argument earlier, the raised voices, the gestures…the looks. She remembered he had used to do that, she remembered the anger in his voice, like she'd heard from them. Well, one of them at least.
She'd been more then surprised, and a little scared when one of them had come over. She'd seen him earlier, he had been near the front of the group, talking to what looked like twins. He seemed nice enough, he'd been concerned, maybe he knew what was going to happen, maybe he didn't want it to happen. His concern…she didn't deserve it, she didn't want it either. It just made her wonder what was in store for her, but he'd given her his…cloak thing, at least he was nicer then the others, they hadn't come near her since they had set her down by the tree, almost as if knowing she couldn't escape.
Such arrogance should have irritated her, but it didn't. She'd learnt to get used to it, even expect it, it was normal, to her at least.
As she nibbled away, avoiding her still slightly sore lip, her eyelids slowly started to fall as the enchanting voices slowly but surely lulled her into a sleep she did not want…
…The room was white…sterile, silent. She felt the harsh, cold metal beneath her, a white seat, in a white room, by a white desk…deathly cold. She felt isolated…different, her clothes were dark, black, brown, stark against the nothingness of the room she was boxed into.
Her hands were moving, blue-black bruises marred her wrists and arms even as she clutched the white pen within her trembling fingers…writing on white paper, crisp, orderly…like he had always wanted.
The ink was black though, staining the paper, tainting it, ruining it. Blotches of black were scattered amongst the words…words of pain, words of what hehad done to her…like a confession.
No!
Never, she could never tell, how dare she write such things. She had no right…no right…
He would see! She couldn't let him...he could never know!
She dropped the pen, a clang on the floor, vibrating, echoing throughout the room…it hurt her ears, her eyes blurred…but she could never let them see, it had to be destroyed, it had to be!
Her hands, fumbling, clumsy, ripped the tainted paper, ripped it until it fell like snowflakes onto the floor…but when the first flake fell…
She stumbled from her chair, gagging, feeling sick as waves of pain crippled her…punishment…her knew, he'd seen it, she'd been too late.
She deserved it…
But as she looked up, she heard footsteps…but it wasn't him…it was the other one…the one whose eyes glazed over in pain, the one who took every blow they could for her…her only friend.
She felt sick, he stood before her, one eye swollen shut, lip bleeding, a circle of bruises around his neck…clothes ragged, dirty and torn…he was in pain.
Another noise soon joined them…a low keening, of pain, of torment…of guilt.
She'd left him…alone…no…
"NO!"
Her eyes opened in a sudden jerk as she started coughing harshly, her body not used to the sudden movement as she tried to get up, as if trying to escape the dream…
She couldn't move though, instead as she began to calm down she felt eyes on her, and looked up into the pair of golden eyes which had looked at her last night with such concern.
She screamed.
Loudly, in shock and terror as their noses almost touched….too close, he was too close!
"N-no, let go…go away!"
Why did he have to be so close, why-
"Daro…" His voice was soft, quiet, gentle…like someone would talk to an injured animal…
"Mani naa ta?"
His hand slipped away from her arm…and almost without realisation she gripped her arm, trying to rid herself of the pain…not noticing it was her right arm she now held.
With a yelp of pain she hugged it close to her body, hunching over it even as her back screamed at her not to bend…not to move at all.
"Mani naa ta!"He watched her hunch over her arm, her face a tight grimace of pain.
She ignored him, he could see her entire being focused on the pain that seemed to radiate from her arm…he felt guilty as he realised that the only way for that much pain to occur…her arm was broken…and Amras had been the one to grab that arm…no wonder she had fought like a wildcat. And he had not realised.
"Enheruion! Come here!" He knelt at her side, gently trying to coax her to let him see her arm, he must have hurt her when he had grabbed it.
"Glorfindel, what is it?" Enheruion came quickly, his healing pack in one hand, knowing that his skills would be needed. His blue eyes immediately scanned the woman-child's form for any injury before his gaze locked onto her arm.
"Can you try and get her to let go of her arm…she is making it worse" He knew why Enheruion asked him, for he had been the only one of them to approach her in kindness, she would most likely trust him more.
He nodded and once again moved his hand forward, brushing it lightly as he tried once more to get her to give him his arm…she just flinched away, frightened and in pain.
"We will have to take her arm either way…we can apologise later…she needs her arm looked at, the pain she feels…it is a bad break" Glorfindel nodded, realising as such through his healer eyes. He did not want to do this when she was already so frightened of them. But if she would not respond, her arm, and pain would only get worse.
Murmuring a small apology he gripped her shoulder and with a quick, but gentle pull he managed to bring her arm away from her body and held it gently while Enheruion quickly put her arm into a splint…she struggled, but compared to elven strength it was of little consequence…but her cries of fear and pain were not.
She struggled against them, tears running down her face as she cried out words they couldn't understand, yet did. She wanted them to stop…she was scared and in pain.
And they were not making it any easier.
She kept away from them, after that incident that morning all she wanted to do was run…but she couldn't
Wherever she was being taken, they were making sure she went, and it scared her…a lot. She had 3 'guards' the one she had heard repeatedly called Glorfindig, or something like that and the twins of the group…they watched her intently…waiting for her to run?
She wasn't that stupid.
They were stronger then she'd thought…when they'd taken her arm earlier she hadn't been able to budge his grip even a bit.
It was hopeless…or it was a hallucination. She believed that one more, she probably hit her head too hard…that was it, it had to be. Why else would she be surrounded by 'angels' with pointed ears and swords…maybe she'd finally gone crazy…
She wouldn't be surprised…maybe she wasn't ready to go back…maybe life was finally trying to help her out…keeping her locked away from him, away from his ways…his rules…his everything.
But then again, if it was helping her out…would it hurt so much?
Maybe she would never get to answer that question though…life was chaotic and unpredictable…which would explain the pointy eared 'angel' running towards Glorfindig person…he didn't look happy…that made her kind of sad. No one should be unhappy…well, not good people anyway…and she was sure these people she had created were nice really…maybe they were trying to hide her…from him, maybe that was why they were so adamant…
They shouldn't be unhappy though…not like her…only bad girls were unhappy…and rightly so…
"Glorfindel, can you hear it? Orcs from the east" Nodding his head at Theraleth's words Glorfindel too looked to the east as he held a hand up to stop the group.
"They are too close to Imladris…call together any and all scouts from the area, I will hide the woman-child, they must get no closer to the gates of Imladris"
He was obeyed immediately, the twin sons of Elrond moved away from himself and the woman-child t assist Theraleth in bringing in the scouts while he backtracked towards a series of large, overgrown bushes, hoping to hide the young woman from sight.
She followed him silently, almost as if in a daze…shock maybe? He hoped not, shock could be a very deadly thing, it slowed down the mind and senses to the outside world, but hopefully, she would not have to deal with what the outside world would deal her just yet…from her appearance it looked like it had given her more then enough.
She looked back now and again, but not much…he was glad, hopefully she would not see what would happen next.
As he moved though, he heard a sound he wished he had not…Orcs…from the west.
They were being surrounded.
She heard it not long after he had started dragging her away…the guttural grunts…it was the creatures…the nightmares…he was taking her to them!
The noises were getting closer…yet he still moved forward…no! why…why would he…no! She wouldn't let him!
She struggled, locked her knees so that she would walk no further on her own two feet…he couldn't do this to her! He couldn't…not those things. She sobbed, anything but that…anything.
She whimpered, a pathetic whine from the back of her throat…instinct…trying to tell any around her of her fear…her terror.
But he didn't listen…he dragged her onwards, her legs catching on the harsh ground forcing her to move forward…he wasn't stopping…why wasn't he stopping!
"Stop…please, don't take me to them…please, I'll do anything, anything!" Her voice was a whine, begging him to stop…promising him anything…pathetic…that's what she was, absolutely pathetic.
But she would never know if it was that very begging which saved her life.
He stopped, still, before he turned her to face him and pointed in the direction of the Orcs before miming cutting a throat…harsh movements…in anger…fear? Either way, she didn't understand, was he going to give her to them…or kill them?
Why couldn't she understand him!
But in that next moment she didn't care as he pushed her down into a large set of bushes and wrapped his cloak thing tight around her and pushed her down to the ground…before he left her.
He'd left her! Alone…with those things coming closer…oh god…
…oh god help her.
When she'd first heard the noises, metal clashing against metal, cries of anger, pain and fear. She hidden beneath the cloak and cried, not wanting to see what was causing those sounds that would haunt her for many nights to come.
But it was inevitable, inevitable that she would find out…she would see…and that he would find her.
He was there…she could hear him…the whispering noise in the back of her head…behind her, beside her, in front…above and below…she could hear him.
You know what is going on…don't deny it…you hear the death…yet you hide…weak foolish little girl…letting them die…can't you see…they were trying to help you…save you…you! Pathetic…worthless…quivering like a child in the bushes…abandoning them…
No, no she hadn't! He'd hid her himself…he didn't want her in the fight! What use would she be anyway!
What use indeed…when you're hiding like a coward in the bushes…safe beneath the cloak he gave you…
Shut up! SHut up! SHUt up! SHUT UP!
She cried out…she wasn't pathetic! She wasn't a bloody coward!
She'd prove him wrong…if it was the last thing she did. She'd show him…she wouldn't disappoint him…not again.
She got up, keeping her splinted arm close to her chest…she didn't know what she'd do, but she'd do something, she wasn't a coward, she wouldn't let him believe that.
…But what exactly can a 17 year old girl do in a fight? With swords and arrows, creatures from nightmares and from dreams…what can she do…? Except nothing…
But too late did she realise this…and before she could duck back down and hide once more…those red eyes were on her again, fixed onto her form before those twisted black lips smirked, a parody of a smile, before the familiar pounding steps approached her.
She blanched as it ran closer and closer, surrounded by death and battle…it had to be a nightmare…hell even! This couldn't be real…
She ran, turned on her heal and ran through the bushes which had hid her loyally, cloak catching on the small thorns before ripping it off completely…she didn't care though, she just knew that, nightmare/hell or not, if that thing caught her, she would beg for a death that it would not give.
But, injured as she was, her body protested and slowed down despite her cries not to.
It caught her, hands grabbing at her violently, shoving her to the ground beside a group of trees, face first, arms beneath her…she felt her right arm crack again, screamed in pain…it didn't care.
Oh god, she'd never get away.
It grabbed her shoulders, turning her over onto her back before straddling her…Its hand grabbing her breasts, fondling, pinching, twisting, it hurt! She tried to roll to her side but its legs stopped her, she screamed, begged it to stop, whimpered…but it didn't. It just grinned at her before starting to yank her vest top down…
…just like he had tried to.
She jerked her knees up hard, trying to catch it between the legs…stunned briefly at the pain she had inflicted she tried to scuttle away. But she screamed again as it pulled her hair hard, forcing her back into its grasp, before with one final laugh it pushed her head back as it ravaged her mouth, bruising lips pushing down on hers, tongue running along her lips…
She screamed, a muffled squeal to the rest of the world as she pushed with her hand as hard as she could…it didn't work…one hand holding her head still while the other grabbed at her chest again…she sobbed…why her? What had she done?
Had she been a bad girl? Done something wrong? Not done something!
She just wanted it to stop!
It didn't, shoving her fully down on the ground again, it fully straddled her, grinding against her, pain and fear seemed to make up her entire existence…oh god…somebody, please! She just wanted some help…someone, anyone…
She felt its hand pull her vest top below her bra…showing it off to the world before its grasping hands enclosed them once more…sobbing she finally managed to break his hold on her lips, wrenching her head to the side for breath…to scream, to cry, to beg…anything.
She tried to scream, it wouldn't let her. With a harsh slap she whimpered as it once more began to ravage her already bruised and pained lips…not for long though, just as it reached to rip her bra from her, it tensed up, still and then slowly but surely, slumped over her, eyes glazed over in death stared at her own…
She panicked, tried to push it off, breath coming in gasps, she wanted it off, off, away from her…heavy, too heavy…need to get away…move, leave…now!
"G-get it off, please I-I…off! Get if off!" Sobbing, her hysterical cries became more prominent as the battle began to fade…but she managed to push it off, slowly but surely and her mind closed in on itself…too much, too soon.
She needed time…rest…away from everything…she needed help…
It was Elladan, Elrohir and Theraleth who found her, curled up tight into a ball, clothing ripped, dead Orc by her side as she whimpered, breathless gasps escaping blue-black lips…
Glaring down at the dead body Elrohir went to the young woman's side…a child really, remembering his mother, curled up tight in her bed so long ago, gasping sobs escaping her shaking form…so much like her…he would save this one.
"Little one, you must calm down, you need to breath…" He knew she wouldn't understand, but maybe, just maybe his voice would calm her…either way, something had to happen, she was so tense, so wound up he felt a very real fear for her within him…too much in any given moment could severely hurt, maybe even kill a mortal…she was so young…it was obvious…though her eyes had told a different story.
"What is she saying?" Barely looking up, Elrohir heard the confusion in Theraleth's voice…he heard it to, a small, quiet muttering, repeated over and over again…it made no sense to him.
"Elladan, get Glorfindel and Enheruion…she needs better skilled healers then us…quickly!" The sound of footfalls greeted his ears as his brother went to find the two in question even as Theraleth crouched down beside himself and the woman-child.
"It sounds something like I'll ve…something or other, I cannot make it out"
He leant down closer, ear as close as he dared to her moving lips where he could finally make it the foreign words coming from her dazed and injured form.
"If I am not mistaken, she says something like I'll be a good girl…" Frowning Elrohir pushed himself back up before looking towards an equally frowning Theraleth.
"What does that mean?"
Thank you to all the reviewers:
Miriellar, So I am, Neenuvar
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Mademoiselle Morte