Sorry it has taken me so long. Really struggled with this chapter. I've been suffering with the most horrible case of writer's block. I can assure you the next chapter will be much simpler. Also, I was on vacation. Good times! :D

Thank you for all the lovely reviews. If I didn't respond, my apologies. I'm trying to work on that.

Again, criticisms would be most appreciated. I only seek to better my writing.

Enjoy.

Chapter Two

Valerie could not remember how long she had stumbled through the forest, pulled along by the ropes that bound her hands together, she had lost count of how many times she had tripped and fallen, stopped guessing at how many bruises would litter her body and face. The only thing that mattered was that she was alone when it all happened. There would be no sharing in the pain and embarrassment. The man that would have done that with her was lying dead somewhere in a clearing in the middle of a place neither of them had recognized. She wondered how long it would take the creatures to wander back into the area, and how much they would hesitate this time.

Dispelling the thoughts, she turned over on the cold floor, looking at the open entryway. It was such a simple place to hide, near a waterfall unless her ears had lost their sanity as well. She could have wandered about with ease if it were not for the multitude of men outside the room. Dressed as she was, she would not get far. Even in their clothes, she doubted how camouflaged she would be. There had been only men's voices, which she ought to have expected considering their dress and speech.

Her vest and LBV were gone, though they had allowed her the one remaining canteen. All of her gear had been taken away, stored somewhere or even destroyed. Valerie secretly hoped that there was some unfortunate fool that stumbled upon her grenades and had the stupidity to pull the pin. She was not going to lie; there would be a smile on her face at that.

She could not be certain how long she had been in the cave. There was hardly any light save for the torch just outside the doorway, making the room hazy but not completely unbearable. The unfortunate thing was she had no idea whether it was day or night. Her watch had been confiscated along with everything on her person, save for her clothes. They were observant, too much so for her, having noticed every pocket on her uniform, an impressive feat considering how many she did have. The last count stood at twelve but for all she knew there were more.

Looking around the room once more, Valerie took another survey of its contents. It was a small chamber and scarcely filled. A few crates and a barrel or two, plus the blanket she had wrapped around her body. It did not keep her from freezing, the temperature of the cave at least fifty degrees cooler than where she had once been. Her teeth chattered constantly, the only noise she heard other than the incessant dripping of water on the other side, both driving her slowly toward insanity.

Tired of it all, Valerie stood up. She needed something to distract her. After pacing around in thought for a few moments, she kneeled down, kicking her legs out into the front leaning rest. Closing her eyes, Valerie began to knock out pushups, counting them in her head. The familiar pressure in her arms was somehow relaxing. Her mind wandered for a few moments, losing itself so she could almost hear her superior's voice as he called out the repetitions.

Then she stopped.

Her eyes opened, staring at the floor of solid rock. She collapsed on herself, arms thrown atop her head as though she were bracing for something to fall.

It was all insane. Here she was stuck in some cave in the middle of Renaissance Festival Land doing pushups while her First Sergeant was dead in a field somewhere and the rest of her team was most likely blown pieces lying in a ditch on some Iraqi street that no one had the skill to pronounce. The last thing she could remember was a light, the explosion of the IED. She expected to wake up to angels singing or her dead relatives, even to the devil for at least that would have made sense. Instead she was in a place where men still ran around with bows and tights like Robin Hood.

Valerie sighed, feeling herself shake again. The floor was freezing but she did not feel like moving, not until she was certain that when she opened her eyes she would see something that made sense.

"You are cold." Valerie jumped at the voice, looking up to see the man from before. Biting her tongue to control the anger that now coursed through her veins, Valerie moved back. She stood up in the corner of the room, looking ready to defend herself. He did not react negatively to her quick movement, simply moved further into the cavern and took a seat on one of the crates. "Would you care for another blanket? Perhaps warmer clothing?"

What she would have liked were answers but she kept her mouth shut, only glaring at the man in response.

"It appears that your leg is better. Were you not limping earlier?" Valerie looked down at her hip a moment, only now noticing the dull pain that still throbbed in it. Seems they had noticed everything about her.

The man moved forward a little, causing Valerie to draw up her fists. He sighed, "I cannot help if you refuse to speak."

"Help me?" Valerie echoed, lowering her fists. "Why the hell would you want to do that?"

He was silent a while, thinking. "The accent and manner of speech you possess are strange, qualities that are not of any Easterlings I have come across. In fact your appearance is almost Gondorian." He paused and looked at Valerie, noting the utter confusion embedded on her face. "Confide in me what you know now and I will seek no further harm to you."

Valerie could have laughed. She nearly did but maintained a straight face. "No further harm? If you're so suspicious of me, why didn't you let those things have their way with us?"

This question seemed to stump the man. He was silent for a while, lost in thought. She watched him in these moments, looking for anything recognizable on his clothing or even his face, but coming up with nothing. He was not a very large man but he was not small either. The way he carried himself was proud, not overconfident, though there was a certain air to him. He was someone of importance.

"You ask far too many questions for a person in your position." He did not know the answer, or else he did not wish to admit it. Despite the obvious differences in time and looks, Valerie could read this man like a book. He paused once again, though not as long. "What is your name?"

Her silence returned, only getting a sigh from the man. He stood again and she tensed, waiting for what she deemed the inevitable.

"You would not help yourself by holding your tongue," he spoke softer, more caution in his voice. She sensed a threat. "My men already have their thoughts on you, minds driven by the weapons you possess, driven to ideas of magic and witchcraft. Silence cannot aid you."

She tried to take the situation seriously but the thought of being accused a witch was a little overwhelming, not to mention unrealistic but that excuse was quickly becoming old. Anything was to be expected at this point. Maybe the Easter Bunny would appear right behind him or Elvis would come back from the dead.

He sighed, her calm taking far too long; he stood, needing to tend to things far more important than a mysterious, nameless woman. It was when he turned to exit that she once again spoke.

"Valerie," she paused. "My name is Valerie." It was strange how simply she said it. There was no hesitation as he turned to leave. She did not want to be alone again. Despite the strangeness of this encounter, despite what he had done, he was the only one who seemed to be trying to understand her. If she wanted to have any hope of escaping wherever she was, she needed him.

"Valerie," he whispered, turning around, almost afraid to speak it any louder. His tongue lingered on certain syllables, as though having difficulty with them. She did not question his pronunciation of it. His name, if ever revealed to her, could not be the simplest of things. "A peculiar name, though I suppose it suits you." He drew close again, causing Valerie to hug the wall more. Need him or not, he had his boundaries.

"What is your purpose in Gondor?" Now came the hard part. Valerie bit her lip, wanting to think her answer through completely. Gondor. It did not sound like anything from Earth no matter how she looked at it, modern or historically. Still, the name did sound familiar.

"I…I don't know." She spoke softly hoping for it to sound more truthful. "I…I woke up in the forest. I was not supposed to be here."

The man looked at her hard, unsure of how to take her vague explanation of things. "Were you attacked?"

"Yes." The word was drawn out and uncertain. This made him more suspicious and she knew it.

"By whom?"

Valerie prayed the sigh that escaped could not be heard by him. She thought for a while on her answer. It was pitifully obvious that he knew she was tiptoeing around the subject and for her sanity's sake, she would continue to do so.

"I couldn't say. One second we were moving along, and the next I'm here." Valerie watched the wheels turn in his head, saw things starting to click. She could feel the thin ice cracking and knew she could not swim.

"There were more of you then, besides the other." She tried not to look surprised, tried not to give anything away but it appeared that even her own body conspired against her. Her eyes widened slightly and her legs attempted to drive her though the wall of solid rock.

He nodded. "It would not make much sense, two foot soldiers alone. You make far too much noise for a scouting party. No, there would be more of you." A look crossed his face, one that struck fear into her. She could not explain how but she never felt so vulnerable in her life until this point.

The man closed the gap between them in a few long strides, stopping at an uncomfortable distance that had their faces nearly touching. "Do they possess the same weapons?"

"Yes." Valerie was surprised that she answered, more so at how shaky her voice had become.

"Would they come for you?"

From the beginning she had doubted that the others were there, even when she had found the First Sergeant, but at this moment Valerie began to ponder the possibility that she was not alone in this place. Would Novak and Winchester be as fortunate as her or would they have fallen into the hands of a crueler adversary? The thought of what this man alone would do to them kept her silent, though it was too late. He already knew they were out there.

He was gone before she could react, down the passageway at a pace that she thought difficult even for a man of his height. Valerie stood against the wall for a while longer, almost certain she had managed to put a dent in it. Slowly she began to slide down, her legs unable to bear the burden now upon her shoulders. She had already let them condemn one man, now two more. This was not how it was supposed to happen. She was supposed to hold back information, even in the pain of torture. Instead she had given it freely. Strange land or not, there was no excuse.

Valerie let her head drop forward, eyes watching her fingers dangle between her knees. She tried to think of all the ways to have prevented this. Novak could have driven faster. They could have taken a different route. She could have paid more attention to the street they drove down. There were a thousand possibilities, but none happened for her. She had to accept that and attempt to make sense of the new world she found herself in before it took control of her.

The sea of green had returned, cool to the touch, the remnants of dew tickling the skin. Birds chirped overhead as one would imagine, the embodiment of a beautiful day complete with blue skies and calming breezes.

She had come home on leave from Fort Carson without telling her father, sparing her from a tear-choked scene at the airport. Even after four years, the man could not harden to the thought of his daughter serving her country in some far off place, even if it were still in the United States at times. Waiting for him now, she scanned the sky above, watching the sun dance between the tree branches, thinking about days past.

A smile played on her lips. For centuries men pondered what perfection was and how to achieve some sort of possession of it, yet she had searched for nothing and stumbled upon it. This yard, this life, it was perfection.

Valerie's eyes opened to the darkness. Warmth had taken control of her body so deep she almost believed herself to be back in Iraq, waking up once more because the fan died again and she could not take the heat. The she rolled over, feeling the blankets on her body, seeing the rest of the dimly lit cavern.

It had been perfection.

She felt through the layers of cloth that covered her. Two more blankets were there. For a while she stared at them, too confused to form any whole thought. If the kindness from her captor did not throw her off enough, the fact she never noticed his arrival while she slept doubled it. She was a light sleeper, had been since she was little. This was the second time this man had managed it.

It was then she realized there was movement in the room. They were blocked by the crates at the moment but soon moved into her view. It was a man she did not recognize, one that wore a look that sent off the alarms in her head. She moved to defend herself but he grabbed her shoulder before she could do anything. With one swift move he yanked her off the ground as though she were a ragdoll and upon her feet. He quickly bound her hands with a rope, leaving a long end so he could drag her like a dog on a leash.

"Hold your tongue, witch," he mumbled, voice deep, "or I'll cut it out."

A reckless side of her wished to dare him, but she knew better. Valerie kept silent as he led her out of the cavern, attempting to keep up with his pace so she did not have to be subjected to the humiliation of being pulled about. Eyes turned to her in every room and passageway they found themselves in, which were quite a few. Their stares made her feel naked and helpless, but she kept her head up. No use in looking defeated already.

They soon came upon a room much brighter than the rest. There was a rather large opening nearby that allowed sunlight to stream through the dark cavern, giving Valerie her first look at the waterfall she had been hearing. This space, much like the others, was not so different from the one she had been stored in. Only this had men and weapons, the former continuing their previous actions but much more silently now as they noticed her presence among them.

There were two men before them. One was facing away but from the color of his hair, it was fairly easy to guess who it was. The other was looking her way, his face lighted by surprise and what appeared to be horror. She began to wonder if her captor would be the only man to attempt to see her in a normal light.

"Captain, I have the prisoner." The man with the rope said, pulling Valerie forward abruptly. He received a glare in reply.

"Yes, from the looks of the messenger here, it is quite obvious," her captor replied, turning to them. She could not read the look on his face, but somehow it appeared amused. "She is like the ones you have captured, is she not?"

"Yes, Captain," the messenger sputtered, unable to take his eyes off her. "Save for her being a woman."

The Captain smiled now. "Yes, it is a strange thing." He motioned to the other. "Draw a fresh steed for this man, and prepare the others. We ride out as soon as they are ready."

"What of this one?" he asked, refusing to even acknowledge her as any form of a human being.

"Leave her with me."

"As you wish, Captain." The man nodded, handing over the rope. He then took the messenger away, leaving the two alone once more. Valerie watched him curiously for a moment, trying to figure him out. He looked at her as well, most likely doing the same thing. The Captain shook his head suddenly and sat down, motioning for Valerie to do the same. She plopped down on a small rock, waiting for him to speak. It was obvious there was something on his mind.

He sighed. "It appears my brother has captured your comrades near the River Anduin. He holds them in Osgiliath, which is where we travel to now." The Captain paused, waiting for some kind of reaction. Valerie knew what he was trying and attempted to look as airheaded as possible, which was not too difficult in these circumstances. She had no idea what he was talking about, not even an inkling. "There were two of them. Are there any more?"

Valerie was silent a moment, debating what to say. She certainly hoped there were no more. "Would you believe me either way?"

The Captain smiled again. How he confused her! "No, I suppose not." He stood again, leaving the rope behind him, both knowing she would neither escape nor move from the very spot she sat.

"Thank you." Valerie said after a while, her voice only a whisper. "For the blankets, I mean."

A strange silence fell between the two and it seemed an eternity passed before he nodded in reply. They watched each other a moment longer before he left the room, leaving Valerie alone with men's stares and paranoid thoughts.

She had never been one for riding horses. One of her friends used to compete with them and ended up in a wheelchair after an accident. Yet here she was on top of one, still recovering from the embarrassment of mounting the creature. The men all laughed on as she nearly fell once and found herself too short to make it all the way over on her own. One thing had gone her way though. No one trusted her with the reins, so her horse was led by a rope, attached to the Captain's no less.

They had her blindfolded for maybe an hour of the trip. After she nearly fell off a few times, they let her see again. Now that she could focus on the landscape, things seemed to go smoother. Her hands were not bound, which many had objected to but she could hardly ride otherwise. Valerie hardly noticed, but her grip on the saddle was death like, her fingers slowly going numb from it.

The land she found herself in was quite beautiful, she would admit that. The forest was peaceful, with hills and mountains as a backdrop. Despite how harmless it appeared, the men were on edge. At one point she may have questioned this but she knew the evil that lurked in these woods, the abomination nature had produced.

Valerie had almost started to relax when it happened. Her thoughts had strayed to how long the fabric of her uniform would last on this long trip when the group came to a halt. The men looked about, suspecting this section of trees more than any other. Valerie felt the bad feeling return, the inevitability. Then the ground seemed to slip out from under her.

An arrow had struck her horse, causing it to rear up. She tumbled backwards, hitting the ground hard, her perspective on the world blurred. She could hear the chaos of the battle unfold, catching glimpses of men on horseback or the ground firing at the enemy. Another horse appeared in her sight. Valerie just avoided being crushed as it fell to the ground by rolling out of the way. It continued to lay there, familiar objects spilling out of its pack.

She was about to reach for one when a figure entered her sight. It was another creature, one that was unbelievably more horrid than the last. Valerie back away as it came closer, sword drawn, ready to end her life. Her hand moved to where her pistol was once strapped, hoping some miracle would bring it back.

The Captain suddenly appeared, his own weapon unsheathed. His sword sliced through the creature with great ease, returning stained in its black blood. She allowed herself to stare once more in disbelief, wondering if this truly was happening.

"You are hardly worth the trouble," he said, grabbing her arm and attempting to pull her up. Snapping from her stupor, Valerie resisted, grabbing at one of the objects: a grenade. At least she still had a little luck left. The Captain saw what she had and tried to stop her, still uncertain of where her allegiance lied.

Valerie grabbed his hand. "Trust me." She knew he had to think fast. The seconds were too precious. Contrary to what she thought, he let go of her hand, but she had no time to think over it. Valerie stood quickly, pulling the pin out and lobbing the grenade at a nearby group of creatures. They hardly noticed it, the few who did laughed; they would certainly be in for a surprise.

"Get down!" Somehow, perhaps through surprise, she managed to pull the man to the ground, hiding him behind the body of the horse as an explosion ripped through the creatures, killing three instantly and wounding several more. The Captain looked up from the makeshift barricade, the look on his face almost entertaining.

She grabbed another and repeated the process. The creatures had started to take notice. The battle had not been going their way despite the element of surprise but now that her 'witchcraft' had entered the battle, they quickly began to disperse. The men hardly pursued, knowing there would be many more chances. They began to tend to their wounds and fallen, hoping for few results.

Valerie sat on her knees surveying the scene, half expecting someone to call out medic or at least corpsmen. If she concentrated hard enough, the wind almost resembled the sound of the blades of a helicopter as they stirred the air, hurrying to rescue them and evacuate the wounded. Someone was calling in on the radio, fumbling over the words as their mind raced with frantic thoughts. Others were setting up a perimeter, waiting for a second wave.

It hit her then how tired she had become. She could not remember the last time she had eaten and only now noticed the painful knots her stomach had turned in out of hunger. Her eyelids could hardly stay open; her body felt numb. Adrenaline gone, she had nothing to keep her up, nothing to keep her from the inevitable crash of a weakened body and mind.

He turned back to her then, for a moment not realizing Valerie's attempt to maintain consciousness. If she had not known better, she would have said that there was slight fear reflected in his eyes.

"What are you?" he asked. All Valerie could do was present the most ridiculous smile before she passed out.

Oh, and my apologies if it seems strangely done. It was originally supposed to be longer but I did not wish to overdo it. Thank you for reading!