Hey Everyone!
Sorry for the long wait, this chapter took a VERY long time to write and edit. The first section is really, really long (almost a chapter in itself), so the others following are quite a bit shorter. Also, I decided that I'm going to attempt to work on this and Modern Me in Middle Earth at the same time. Frankly, I'm very proud of both works, and have been battling myself between which I should 'just focus on and finish'... but I haven't come up with an answer so hopefully I'll be able to work on both, together, without causing problems. I hope everyone is enjoying the new year!
My apologies for butchering the Elvish, again if anyone can help me with that, I would appreciate it :)
"Italics in quotations indicate a language other than english" (in most cases meaning that the students don't understand it)
Enjoy!
Of Lords and Ladies...
With their prey cornered, the four spiders moved in to finish their hunt. They attacked together, their almost mechanical movements displaying a perfection that only exists in the most skilled predator.
The largest of the spiders tackled Chris to the ground, pinning the terrified student to the forest floor, attempting to bite and sting him. Another jumped towards Jill, engaging her in its strange dance-like movements, attempting to corner her further. The last two charged Jacob and Cassie, whom fell to the ground in a painful heap.
The four students fought valiantly. The moment instinct had taken over, the fight somehow had turned into their favor. This slight turn of events did not last long however. The spiders were hungry and these four humans were their meal tonight, they were not going to lose it. Compensating for the sudden change in events, the spiders turned to more aggressive tactics.
The smallest spider quickly separated Cassie from Jacob. Using her injured leg as a tack, it dragged her out of sight and into the foliage and shadows, with Cassie screaming and cursing it the entire way. Desperate though she was, her cries were not heard by the others, whom were engrossed in their own life-or-death battles.
In the confusion and surreality of the situation, Jacob did not notice Cassie's absence. He was having his own problems at the moment. His spider seemed to want to play with her prey, forcing Jacob to scuttle on all fours to avoid her. Anytime he thought he might get a break to stand, she would knock him down again, and resume her vicious attacks.
After some trial and error, Jacob finally saw a possibility of escape. Quickly he rolled beneath the spider, centering himself under it's massive body. As it rose to back up, Jacob threw his body to the side, finally breaking away from the cage of spider legs. Before he had a chance to stand however, his sister backed into him, tripping and falling. Tangled together, the twins had no time to escape when the spiders attacked. After a brief moment of confusion and flashing spider legs, Jacob and Jill found themselves pinned beneath the eight-legged monsters, again.
Behind him, Jacob heard Chris cry out to Cassie. Vaguely he realized that he didn't know what had happened to her. Again Chris called to her, but his cry swiftly turned into one of pain as one of his spider's attacks met its mark.
Next to him Jill shrieked, barely avoiding the deadly stinger aimed for her. In a desperate attempt to save his sister, Jacob curled further beneath his own spider, kicking out beneath it to the one above his sister. There wasn't much of an effect, but the distraction gave Jill just enough time to roll away and stand. She ran a short ways away from them, only to return a moment later, much to Jacob's horror.
"Jill! What the hell are you doing? That stick-"
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Jill yelled, as she hurled herself at the spider atop Jacob, swinging her stick like a baseball bat.
Startled by this sudden aggression from one of the prey, the spider took Jacob by the forearm and began to drag him off and up a tree. As it moved away, its partner sprung itself at Jill, knocking her to the ground. She hissed in pain as she fell atop and broke the very stick she had used as a weapon. Not quite ready to give up, Jill kicked desperately at the spider's underbelly. The spider would have none of it however, and moved to give the final blow.
Jacob's heart pounded harshly in his chest as he watched the spider fall atop his sister.
"JILL!"
Even with the painful tugging on his arm, by his own spider, Jacob could not tear his eyes from the sickening scene.
"JILL!" He called again, desperate for any sign of life, "JILL, ANSWER ME!"
Without warning, his own spider dropped him, hesitating in its movements. Jacob fell a few feet to the ground, landing painfully. Without thought, he made a mad break away from his spider, running to Jill's side.
"Jill!... JILL!"
"I'm fine, Jacob... I'm fine..." Jill muttered.
A huge weight lifted from Jacob's chest when he realized the spider atop of Jill was not moving, and she was unharmed. In fact, the spider had gone totally limp- it was dead. Increasingly aware of Chris's need for assistance, Jacob pushed the massive beast to the side, allowing Jill to slide out from beneath it. With a sigh of relief, Jacob offered his hand to help his sister up, before he had a chance to ask her what had happened however, Jill screamed and pointed behind him…
Time slowed as he turned, finding one of the living nightmares hurtling towards him; the monster intended to finish him here and now. He couldn't move, he could hardly understand what his sister was saying. The spider was going to kill him. He knew it, and so did the spider. Dumbstruck by the inconceivable situation before him, he could only watch the scene unfold; its fangs barred and stinger erect, it collided with him, forcing him to the ground, pressing its weight upon him.
Dazed and overwhelmed, Jacob fought for control over his mind and body; something was missing. Something else was supposed to be happening right now. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? Wasn't the spider going to kill him? An object whistled past him, and he heard a solid thud. With it, the forest stilled and everything became eerily quiet. Only the harsh breathing of the three seniors could be heard.
Jill was the first to recover from the sudden change. Briefly she glanced around her, evaluating what had happened. Seeing her brother unharmed, she quickly made her way over to Chris, who's leg was bleeding profusely.
"Cass?" She muttered, looking around her as she walked, "CASSIE?"
"Jacob! Chris!" Jill called out frantically, "Guys, I can't find Cassie!... CASSIE?... Guys get up! CASSIE! WHERE ARE YOU?... ANSWER ME!"
Hearing his sisters frantic calls snapped Jacob back into reality. With a bit of effort he managed to free himself from the spider. Across the clearing, Jill was helping Chris stand. Jacob quickly ran to the two, holding pressure to his bleeding arm.
"What happened?" He asked.
"We were attacked by spiders, dip-shit" Chris replied.
"No shit Sherlock, I mean, what killed them?"
"Arrows" Jill whispered, inclining her head to the body of the spider that was atop Chris, "Look."
"Then we are not alone..."
"Really? I had no idea! I thought the arrows just materialized out of thin air..."
"Now is really not the time for sarcasm, Chris" Jill reprimanded, quietly, "We need to find Cassie"
"What happen-"
-Above them, there was a flurry of movement. From the trees descended several figures, around ten in number, armed to the teeth; their weapons drawn.
Quickly standing back to back, the three seniors hardly noticed most of the warriors shoulder their weapons.
"You alright, Chris?" Jacob whispered, tensing as a tall blond figure approached.
"I think so, hurts like hell, but I think it'll be o.k."
"Suilaid, pedich edhellen?" The tall blond addressed the group.
"Ah, Jacob... what is he saying?"
"How should I know, Jill?... Um, sir? I don't understand what you are saying..." Jacob responded, apologetically, to the blond man.
"Forgive me, perhaps it would have been better to address you in Westron, first?" the blond man continued with a smile.
"Uh, sorry. I still don't understand you..."
The shocked expression on the blond man's face did not comfort Jacob. The man smiled again before turning to his companions and addressing them.
"Do any of you know of that language?" Various mutterings, and shaking heads provided the answer. "Perhaps a region that it may be spoken near? I do not recognize it in the least..." Again, his response was a no.
Just as the blond man turned to address the seniors, he was interrupted by a group approaching from the trees.
"Legolas, ernil! Fir wen harnannen" One man from the approaching group spoke. The blond man before Jacob answered, "Bano na tham Aran, tholel adel".
"CASSIE!" Jill cried, seeing the bloody and still form of her best friend.
Before Jacob and Chris even had a moment to turn and see the source of Jill's distress, Jill had left their group, running to Cassie's side. Oblivious of the others around her, she ran up to the man carrying Cassie, and began to shake her roughly.
"Cassie?... CASSIE!" She called, her fear finally showing in her tears. When Cassie failed to answer, Jill shook her best friend even harder, occassionally slapping her across the face, in a desperate attempt to awaken her. "CASSIE! Dammit! ANSWER ME!"
"Peace, girl. We will be able to help your friend. Do not shake her so, you will aggravate her wounds" The man carrying Cassie said. Jill however, did not seem to hear him.
"CASSIE!" Jill cried, "Dammit you ass, ANSWER ME!"
Distressed as she was, Jill did not notice the man come up behind her. Gently, he removed Jills hands from Cassie, and then directed her away from her unconscious friend.
"No!... NO! What are you doing? I have to wake her up! Let go! I HAVE TO WAKE HER UP!"
"Peace, she will be well" He spoke to Jill, trying to calm her down.
With Jill no longer blocking their view, the boys were finally able to see the extent of Cassie's injuries. Both gasped in horror at the pale and lifeless form before them.
"Oh, God! Cassie!" Chris cried, attempting to move towards the unconscious girl. He was stopped by one of the men next to him. "What're you-"
The man that had stopped Chris pointed beyond the tree line. After a moment Chris found what he was pointing at; one of the men, was leading a group of horses towards them. The blond man returned his gaze to the two boys.
"We will take you to my father's halls. Your injuries will be treated there and you can rest. Your friend is strong, do not worry for her. She is tolerating the spider poison and its antidote well. If she chooses to keep fighting, she will be fine"
Even though Legolas knew that the boys could not understand him, he had hoped that his tone of voice would soothe their fears. Unfortunately however, they seemed to be paying more attention to his men who were moving their friend over to the horses.
"Wait! Where are you taking her?" The blond boy called, frustrated by the man restraining him. "Let go!... Wait! What are you doing? Where are you going? Don't-"
Before he had a chance to continue his rant, Chris was forced to sit. The man restraining him left no room for struggle.
"Dude, stop!" Chris ordered, as he turned to face the man preventing him from going to Cassie.
A moment later, one of the men mounted a horse. The other, whom was holding Cassie, carefully lifted her to his mounted friend. Gently, the mounted man shifted Cassie's body so that she was placed in front of him. Once she was settled, two other men mounted horses and, with a nod to the blond man behind Jacob, the three took off into the forest.
"CASSIE!" The three seniors cried, as she was taken away. Jacob moved, as if to go after Cassie, but the blond man stopped him, placing a hand on his uninjured arm.
"We will follow them soon, but first we need to tend to your injuries"
"CASSIE! CASSIE!... Jacob, they took Cassie!" Jill cried, turning to her brother. "Jacob, stop them! THEY TOOK CASSIE!"
"Jill, its o.k. I think they are going to help us, calm down"
"Ok? O.K?... HOW IS THEM TAKING CASSIE AWAY O.K?"
"Jill, calm down. You're going to make yourself sick"
"I'LL CALM DOWN, JACOB, WHEN THEY BRING CASSIE BACK!"
Unnoticed by the three seniors, the man trying to keep Jill calm had exchanged a look with the blond man. Before the students knew what was happening, Jill was unconscious; activation of a simple pressure point on Jill's neck was all it took for the man behind her to silence her hysterics.
Before Jacob and Chris could speak, the blond man gave an order to the others, and everything was in motion again.
With the adrenalin finally wearing off, Jacob and Chris barely comprehended what was going on around them. The only thing that the two boys recognized was being lifted onto horseback, vaguely seeing the other on the horse next to their own. After a moment, they felt a man behind them holding their exhausted forms in place, and before they knew it, they were galloping away.
~oOo~
The walk through the mountains was a tiring one. The sun would soon be setting, and Stephanie still hadn't woken up, though Adam was beginning to think she was the lucky one.
"Aaadddaaam! My feet are killing me and I'm starving! Why haven't we stopped? I can tell they are tired too..." Sarah complained, indicating towards their captors.
"Yeah Adam, can't we just take a little bit of a break, please?" Luke whined, for the tenth time in the last half hour.
"We will do what they want us to do" Adam responded curtly, "I'm getting the feeling that we don't want to be in these mountains after dark, so I'm sure well rest when we are safe. Until then you two need to just suck it up"
"But Adam!" Sarah continued, whining even more than she was before.
"No Buts!, get over it!"
"My feet are killing me! Can't you have a little mercy?"
Without warning, one of there captors turned sharply towards the students, his axe raised. He spoke in a low and dangerous voice.
"That is enough out of you three! Be silent or I will silence you myself!"
"Narok! Leave them be" The leader reprimanded.
After a tense moment, the angered axe man turned away, muttering beneath his breath. Adam sent a look of thanks to the leader. Turning to the two nuisances behind him, he glared at them for a moment before 'passing on' the axe man's message.
"Allow me to summarize for you two," Adam elucidated, "incase you didn't pick up on the message from his tone; 'SHUT THE HELL UP!' "
After about another hour of walking, the group finally came upon a set of massive stone doors. They opened from within and the leader of their group was greeted warmly.
"My Lord, welcome back!"
"Thank you, Fernam. Would you summon Telrah for me, please? One of the human girls hit her head and has yet to wake-it has been several hours..."
"Lord Gimli! I have good news! We were finally able to clear the western hall! Aside from some minor cracking, the foundation is strong. We may be able to access Dwarrowdelf within the year!"
"Thank you, Karn. Please locate Yira and have rooms arranged for our guests"
When the healer Telrah and the maiden Yira arrived, Gimli turned back to the students, introducing them to his kin. Telrah moved quickly to Stephanie's side, and immediatly began evaulating her injuries.
"You will follow Yira to the healing ward-your injuries will be tended to and we will see what becomes of your friend. Once you have been cleaned up, I will have food sent to you. After knowing the extent of your friends injuries, we will decide what to do with you four. You are safe here, please be at peace."
As the leader spoke to the three students, their bonds were removed.
"Thank you" Adam said sincerely, to the leader. Placing his hand to his chest and then pointing to the others in turn, "My name is Adam. Next to me is my younger brother Luke, our friend Sarah and thats Stephanie, our sister"
The leader looked confused for a moment. Placing his hand upon his chest he said, "Gimli". He pointed to Adam, requesting him to do the same.
It took Adam a moment, but eventually he figured out what was being asked. He repeated his earlier motions, only this time he only stated names. "Gimli" repeated his actions.
When both parties were confident in knowing one another's names, a smile graced each of their faces. It wasn't going to be easy, but they were going to make this work.
~oOo~
The girls tempers had not cooled much after their little 'discussion'. Samantha and Meridith were unable to fall back asleep with the sound of the wolves in the distance. Along with Andrea and Ariel, the four girls sat in silence, at the mercy of their thoughts.
Could the night move any slower?
~oOo~
"ANDREW!"
"REWY!"
Hannah and Emily watched in horror as Andrew fell from the cliff, and the monsters before them laughed cruelly.
"No, no, nononononoNO! This can't be happening, oh my God! This i-isn't hap-happening" Hannah's calls to Andrew were quickly filled with tears, "ANDREW!"
"Oh, I'm sorry little girl. Were you in love with him?" One of the monsters spoke, "You can join him, if you'd like... I'd be happy to do the honors"
"No Ugnauk, these two will be more fun alive" The other spoke, watching the girls with a predatory eye, slowly advancing upon the girls.
"Ewww! GO AWAY! God, you smell like ass-LEAVE US ALONE!" Emily ranted, throwing her hands wildly around her.
"Shut up, girl"
"I SAID GO AWAY!... HANNAH, MAKE THEM GO AWAY!" Emily shrieked, pushing the sobbing Hannah in front of her.
It didn't matter. Nothing did. Andrew was dead, and it was their fault. If only they had listened to him, had helped him instead of fighting with each other.
Hannah fell to her knees, unable to do anything but cry.
".GOD-GO AWAY!" Emily shrieked again as the monsters moved closer.
Before either girl realized it, they had been knocked unconscious-doomed to the nonexistent mercy of their captors.
~oOo~
Once their party had reached the house, everything moved in a blur. Healers were everywhere, and everyone had questions.
Who where these girls?... How did they fall from such a height and live?
Why are they dressed so strange?...
Why are they alone?...
Glorfindel was grateful when Elrond called him to the healing ward, requesting further information on how the girls had been found. Upon entering however, he felt his heart clench after seeing the faces of his friend and his friend's sons.
Together, the three of them, made up the most skilled team of healers on this side of the sea. For all three of them to have that look suggested that things were not going well.
"You did not call me here for more information, did you Elrond?"
"No my friend, I'm afraid not" He gestured over to the bed where the brown haired girl lay, "She will not last through the night"
~oOo~
Justin, Meghan, Tommy, John, and Joey sat in comfortable silence in the room they had been given. The door was locked and there was a warm fire in the hearth, lighting the students grim faces.
"Guys, you do realize what's going on, don't you?" Justin asked his friends.
"Uh, we're lost in a land that's probably involved in a war, and we can't speak the native language?" Tommy said, eyebrows raised as he stated the obvious.
"No shit, dumbass" John said while cuffing Tommy upside the head. Continuing, he looked to Justin, "But thats not all, is it?"
"Um, sort of" Justing responded, "Do you know what else?"
"Should we?" Meghan voiced her companions thoughts.
"Um, probably. It might interest you to know what our hosts names were" Justin continued
"What has that got to do with anything?" Joey added.
"...The name of the dark haired guy who helped us... is Frodo Baggins"
Thanks for reading!
Elvish:
"Suilaid, pedich edhellen?"- Greetings, do you speak elvish?
"Legolas, ernil! Firwen harnannen"- Prince Legolas! (roughly) The mortal women is wounded!
"Bano na tham Aran, tholel adel" -(roughly) Go to the Kings Hall, we will be right behind you.
