Lyraelle's POV

The sun had risen high in the sky by the time we had reached our first rest point of the day's march towards Eregion.

I watched from my perch on a rock as Boromir stood before Merry and Pippin and began to train them in the art of sword fighting. I scoffed as I watched them with raised brows, noting the several ways in which Boromir was leaving himself open to attack. I didn't want to start squabbling with him so early in the trip, however, so I kept my mouth shut.

I glanced over to where Legolas and Aragorn sat huddled together. They looked to be having a very heated conversation but even with my half elven ears, they were too far away from me to overhear what was being said. I shrugged to myself; assuming it was just a lover's spat. During my time spent in Rivendell, it had become quite clear to me that the two of them were soulmates. I grimaced. I was happy for the two of them, really I was, but seeing them together only served to remind me of what I had lost - what my father had taken away from me.

I continued to sit in silence as I finished off my bread and cheese; trying my best to ignore the nagging sense of dread that was stealing over me.

Though the weather was warm, I winced and shuddered as I felt an icy feeling spread throughout my body. I stood up, doing my best not to draw attention to myself as I walked off away from the group; hoping to deal with this new turn of events before the other fellowship members realized that we had uninvited guests. I failed to notice, however, that three pairs of eyes had managed to spot me leaving; I was too focused on the matter at hand.

There was a Wraith nearby. I could always sense their presence. It was both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you chose to view the issue. I hissed under my breath when I finally spotted him, shrouded in black and standing tall in the center of the clearing. I froze. It wasn't just any Wraith. It was the Witch King of Angmar...again...not good. I had been expecting my father to send one of the lesser Wraiths. He rarely sent his faithful Black Captain out for anything - the incident at Amon Sul being an exception.

I hissed under my breath as I glared at him.

"What are you doing here! Leave at once!" I demanded, doing my best to sound confident and commanding. I wasn't fooling anyone though.

"I am here to pass on a message from your father, Princess. He is not pleased with you." The Witch King stepped forward slowly. I fought hard to resist the urge to stumble back and held my ground.

"So? What else is new? Was that the message then? If so, it has been received and you can go about your business." I couldn't help but flinch as the Witch King strode up to me and slid a long cold metal-clad wisp of a hand down the length of my cheek.

"Let me rephrase that - it wasn't so much a message that he wanted me to relay, but more of a reminder of the consequences of making him angry. And though you and I both know I prefer it best when we are left alone together, I admit that I find myself looking forward to the three of us having some fun." I blinked, my ears twitching as I struggled to comprehend his black speech. Not the language of course - I had been listening to the Black Speech for as far back as I could remember; I just wasn't sure of the meaning behind what he was saying...

He leaned forward and this time I couldn't help but step back. I realized my mistake after it was too late.

My eyes widened as my back collided with something solid. I didn't need to turn around to recognize the evil that I sensed now stood behind me.

"Shade!" I growled.

"Princess! Did I not tell you I would be seeing you again soon?" I trembled as he quickly spun me around to face him.

"What is the meaning of this!" I hissed. Trying to sound brave despite the panic that filled me. I knew my father would have been expecting me to have reported back to him by now about what the elves' plans were - and seeing as how I hadn't...I could only imagine how angry he was with me. He was not known for being patient and it never ended well for me when my father was particularly upset with me - though that seemed to be all the time...

My focus was drawn from my thoughts and back to Shade as he leaned in to kiss my neck; and that was my next mistake. I had forgotten about the Witch King...

I opened my mouth in a silent scream of pain as I felt my back split open with the first lash of the Witch King's whip. Shade's mouth quickly darted from my neck to cover my mouth, swallowing my silent cries of pain as I sank to the ground.

Over and over again the whitish blue whip sang through the air, landing upon my back with a loud crack each time it made contact with my skin. It was pure agony. I squeezed my eyes shut; not wanting to see the gleam in Shade's eyes as I squirmed in his grip - his lips still locked onto mine.

I knew what they wanted...it was what they always wanted...to hear my screams of pain. But I never let them have that satisfaction. I clamped my eyes shut even tighter as my body tensed with each devastating blow of the now bloody whip. In case you were wondering, a spirit whip is much worse than a normal rawhide one.

Instead of armor or any other type of clothing helping to dull the pain, the Witch King's whip was able to pass right through anything that was not flesh. Meaning that while I was still cloaked in my traveler's garb, each slash penetrated deep into my skin.

I couldn't help but moan slightly as I slipped through Shade's loosened grip and landed face-first in such a way that I was staring straight at his groin. I dug my nails into the dirt as the whip landed once more, trying to lift myself up in order to get as far away from Shade as possible. He didn't even try to stop me. Instead he just smirked and laughed maniacally as he watched me struggle again and again to get up. After several failed attempts, I got sick of the way his face twisted in pleasure each time I fell face down onto his lap and I finally gave up, my arms falling limp around me as I settled for simply turning my head away from the middle of his lap to rest it on the side of his right thigh; my eyes barely open as my limp arms tensed once more as the whip came down again.

I struggled to stay conscious; blinking rapidly as the sound of the Witch King and Shade's laughter filled the clearing.

I opened my eyes wider and blinked away the black haze that the pain had brought to my vision. I managed to lift my head slightly; noting that the Witch King had finally paused in his ministrations. Out of the corner of my eye, I could tell that he was bending down towards me - but I had caught sight of two worry-filled pairs of eyes hiding in a clump of bushes that made my heart race. Their expressions wide with recognition and surprise. If it hadn't been for the tremendous amount of pain and the barely conscious state that I was currently in, I would have probably freaked out over how I was going to explain this, but my thoughts were interrupted as fire erupted down my back as I felt Shade flip me so that my back was pressed against him. I split my lip as I bit down hard against the scream that threatened to spill out as the freshly opened cuts that now covered the length of my back bore the brunt of my weight now.

I cursed loudly at the two men in Black Speech as Shade propped me up against his chest.

"Your father expects you to report back to him now every few days, Princess. And if you don't, well...we will be back to give you another sweet reminder," Shade said as the Witch King leaned in until he was barely an inch away from me.

"Before we wrap this up, Princess, I want what I came here for." I glared at the Witch King as he pulled his helmet off and pressed his spirit lips to mine. I shuddered as the contact caused ice to spread throughout my veins. It was not a pleasant experience - one that I had the unfortunate luck to have experienced before on several occasions; but it did offer a slight reprieve from the flames that still licked my back.

It was a lose-lose situation. Every time I tried to lean back away from the Black Captain's lips, it caused me to press further into Shade; which then ignited the pain in my back - causing me to arch myself away from Shade and back towards the Wraith...

"Ok that's quite long enough, my turn now!" I heard Shade say as he wrenched my face away from the Witch King's and onto his. I kept my mouth shut as tight as possible as I fought to tear my face away from Shade's.

"C'mon, Princess! Open up!" He moaned, pulling away for a brief moment.

"The hell I will!" I declared stoically as I twisted my head to the side and continued to try and break free. But it was useless, I was too weak from the pain and blood loss.

"Here, let me help," the Witch King hissed.

I gasped as he quickly snaked his hands around my throat and nose to cut off my air supply.

Now, I may be able to hold my breath longer then the average elf/human, but that didn't mean I wouldn't need air eventually. I renewed my attempts to pry his spirit fingers off of me too no avail. Eventually I couldn't hold my breath any longer and I coughed, spluttered, and gasped for air; wincing in shame as Shade immediately swooped down to claim his prize - enjoying his victory by slithering his tongue into my mouth. My cheeks burned red with shame as I caught sight of a third pair of eyes watching on in disgust from their hiding place.

Before I could start feeling too ashamed, though, I was distracted from my thoughts as I felt the ghostly fingers around my neck and the hands on my waist readjust me so that I was once more propped up against Shade's chest.

"Now don't close your eyes, Princess. We wouldn't want you to miss seeing this," Shade laughed out.

Before I could even open my mouth to ask what he was talking about, I found myself watching in horror as both men pulled out silver daggers and began plunging them in and out of my stomach and chest. I was unable to stop staring as each knife was thrust in and then yanked out of my body more times then I bothered to count; the sun reflecting off of the silver steel with a morbid glint of light.

My vision swam as my consciousness slipped away. I was vaguely aware of the fact that the Witch King's hands were now caressing my heaving chest as I struggled to breath around the blood that was filling my throat. The last thing I remember was Shade's mouth claiming mine once more as he stole my dying breath.

Aragorn's POV

I sighed with worry as the company finally settled in for a quick lunch.

I had watched this morning as Legolas had paced back and forth in our room while I packed; arguing over whether or not we should tell Lyraelle that she was our soulmate. Eventually, we had reached a stalemate and we had to head off to join the company.

Now, as the two of us sat eating our bread and cheese - laughing occasionally at the hobbit's antics as Boromir began to train them to fight, we continued our argument from earlier.

"Farn! Mín treneri- hen ir mín tas na- nia! (Enough! We tell her when our task is over)" I finally said irritably. A large part of me wanted to embrace our new soulmate just as Legolas desired, but I also knew that either one of us; or both, could die on this journey and it would be more merciful to let her think of us as strictly traveling companions and not burden our little soulmate with such a loss if we didn't make it. She had survived this long without knowing who her mates were, it wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer...right?

I glanced up as I noticed Lyraelle getting up and leaving the group. I thought no more of it as Legolas continued to press me on the issue once more. However, several minutes went by and still she had not returned. I stood up worriedly and marched off to go find her; Legolas tailing behind me.

Though we had not known her for long or very well yet, I had a feeling that this girl of ours attracted trouble as easily as the dwarves grew their beards. I looked at Legolas as he hastily motioned for me to join him.

"Na- he eithel? (Is she well)" I asked as I joined him behind a clump of bushes.

He didn't bother to respond and as I stared at the sight before me, I didn't need him to. Standing in the clearing before us was the Witch King of Angmar and some other man I did not recognize, though something about him seemed familiar. They were torturing an elven maiden between the two of them, one that I also did not recognize as her face was hidden behind a curtain of hair as she lay sprawled over the stranger's lap.

I grimaced as we hid and watched the Witch King swing his whip through the air over and over again. The poor elf! Her back was soaked in blood and she was being forced to kiss the man in front of her despite her clear disgust.

I moved my hand to the hilt of my sword, making to draw it; but Legolas's hand on top of mine stopped me. I looked at him furiously. Surely he did not mean for us to just stand by and watch! Even if it weren't for the fact that someone was being tortured, the Witch King and his friend posed a threat to the fellowship.

"Mín gar- na dár hain! (We have to stop them!)" I hissed angrily.

"We can't. By the time we closed the distance they could kill her - and they are blocking any shot I might have with my bow." Legolas said, his voice low and filled with shame. "Besides, it does not seem like they know our company is here and as you keep pointing out, our task comes before all else right now and we cannot risk them finding out that Frodo and the Ring are nearby!" Legolas continued. I nodded, hating the fact that he was right.

We were both finding it extremely difficult to continue to watch the scene before our eyes. It was unbearable. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't tear my eyes away. I clenched my hands into fists, noticing out of the corner of my eyes, that Legolas too, was trembling with rage.

"C'mon, we really need to find Lyraelle! We definitely do not want her getting mixed up in any of this!" I said quietly.

Legolas nodded slowly and together we made to step backwards and turn away. But before we could, the elf; who had been struggling to get up from the ground as the man before her laughed sadistically as she continued to fall into his lap each time the Witch King's whip struck her, finally slumped down, turning her head in our direction.

I bit back my cry of horror as I stared at her. She was no random elf! It was Lyraelle! What! Why? How? Question after question raced through my head as I stepped forward, about to ignore our decision to not get involved. Screw the mission, that was our soulmate getting tortured!

I fought against Legolas's grip around me as I tried to draw my sword and dash forward. But Legolas, despite looking almost like a twig, was very strong and held me back against my will. Though from the watery rage filled look in his eyes, it was killing him just as much as it was me.

What happened next broke my heart. Tears streamed down my face as I watched the two men plunge their daggers into Lyraelle's already weakened body over and over and over again. I will never forget the look on her face as they forced her to watch them do it. It was a nightmare. How could the valar let this happen! We had only just found her and she was already being taken from us!

The minute the Witch King and his companion had disappeared, Legolas and I raced forward. I cried out as I fell to my knees, cradling her body in my arms as I stared down at Lyraelle's lifeless body. I glanced up at Legolas, and then behind him, as I saw Boromir race into the clearing. He must have been watching just as we had.

"I'll go get Gandalf and the others!" He exclaimed, dashing off the way he came. I just shrugged. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. It was a terrible thing to lose a soulmate before their time. It rarely happened, but when it did, the grief normally drove their partner mad...I tried to focus on the fact that I still had Legolas, but ever since I had met our third, it didn't seem right anymore as just the two of us...

"What happened!" Gandalf and the others had arrived. I turned my face away, burying my tears in Lyraelle's hair as I let Legolas try to explain what we had seen.

"Did you see which way the Wraith and his partner went? Did they see any of you?"

"What does it matter?" I said hollowly as I shook my head to let the wizard know that we had not been seen. "They vanished into thin air. They got what they wanted! And now our soulmate is dead!"

I heard a few gasps from the hobbits, Boromir and Gimli, all of whom had not known who Lyraelle was to myself and Legolas. Gandalf, however, we had told before we left, wanting to get his advice on the situation. He had been as helpful as ever, offering up only more of his usual riddles.

"Gather your things, we must leave immediately!" He said, bending down and yanking me to my feet.

"But what about Lyraelle! We can't just leave her here! We have to at least bury her! She deserves that much!" I stated furiously as I looked down at the limp body in my arms.

Gandalf just looked at me with a raised brow, before striding forward and taking Lyraelle from my grasp and walking back to where we had set camp.

I watched silently as everyone began to pack up - watching in confusion as Gandalf pulled out a length of rope and began to secure Lyraelle's body onto Bill the pony's back. I didn't want to leave my soulmate's body here, but I also did not want to be dragging her along with us any further than need be.

Legolas and I walked far behind the others as we continued the day's march; our footsteps slow and down-trodden as we replayed what had just happened again and again in our heads. The rest of the fellowship walked on ahead, giving us our privacy.

In-line Comments

- Ok, I used a online translation website to get the elvish words so don't hate me if it's completely wrong!

- She's obviously coming back to life but no one except Gandalf knows that yet

- Haven't decided yet how long I'm going to draw out the fellowship's mistrust of Lyraelle once they find out the truth so if anyone has any prefernces on whether they should forgive her right away or take a while let me know! I'm thinking certain members will warm up sooner than others

- As always, share your thoughts