Fíli wasn't sure how many days had passed since he had been tortured; in fact the only indication that any time had passed at all was due to his hunger and thirst and the rare occasions when they were awake as they were always somewhere different.

It was only when some Orcs passed by the area he and Amber were chained that he learnt that it had been four days since his torture. He felt his heart drop at the revelation; four days and many leagues further between him and his family. The reality of his situation began to sink in despite the small hope he'd held; the fact that he was truly at the mercy of the Orcs and the chance of finding help, no matter how small, was shrinking by the day.

They had both woken in the early evening; scraps of food and their closeness the only source of comfort to be found. As the sun began to sink below the trees Fíli could see Amber getting increasingly wary; shooting glances around the clearing and shifting restlessly. He moved closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and was about to ask if she was ok when the snapping of twigs under boots drew their attention.

"Well well, it appears our princess survived 'is lesson," Scarface drawled as he observed them. Fíli repressed a shudder as the Orc moved towards them, the tree at his back offering little comfort and instead made him feel like a cornered animal. As though she sensed his fear Amber shifted so that Fíli was behind her, glaring at the Orc all the while.

"You had your fun with him," she growled, "now leave him be."

Scarface sneered at her and moved forward. Fíli felt Amber tense as the Orc grabbed her hair roughly and yanked her head back to draw his knife and run the blade over her cheek. He shifted; wanting nothing more than to get the blade away from her and drive it through the Orc's chest but stayed still as he didn't want to risk further harm to her.

"Oh, but we ain't finished with 'im yet, whelp. I got plenty planned for our princess, e'll be begging for death soon enough." The Orc cocked his head in thought. "But you know, perhaps we'll teach 'im a lesson tonight, something 'e ain't likely to forget."

Scarface shouted in black speech and a group of Orcs hurried forward, surrounding the pair who struggled against their bonds and the hands that scratched and pulled until they were lying flat on the ground, boots pressed into their backs as their arms were secured behind them. Satisfied they wouldn't get free Scarface shouted orders at the Orcs and moved back to the campsite, the Orcs following close behind and dragging Fíli and Amber by the hair into their midst.

As they were dragged closer Fíli's eyes fell on the post that had been erected near the camp fire and he swallowed, flashbacks of the previous torture flooding his mind. He didn't want to feel pain like that again, but knew that as long as he was here it would happen again, and many times over. To his relief, the Orcs holding him changed direction and he was dragged away to the side, only to realise in horror that the ones dragging Amber were making their way to the centre post instead.

"No! No let her go! Amber!" he cried out, his boots scuffing the dirt as he struggled hopelessly against his captors. With guttural cackles, they chained him with his back to a tree and was forced to face the middle of the quickly forming circle.

Amber locked wide eyes with him briefly before she disappeared beneath the Orcs who eventually withdrew when she was secured to the post, her hands above her head and positioned so she was forced to face him.

Amber flashed him a brief, weary smile before lowering her head in defeat. The moment they had been separated she knew what had been planned, after all what better way to teach a lesson than to show the torture of another? She calmed herself, taking deep breaths in and out as she clung to the fact that whatever the Orc had planned would be over soon enough and prayed that Fíli would be left alone once they were done.

The sizzling of heated iron near her head made her flinch,

And so it began.


Fíli wished more than anything that he could block out what was happening in front of him, that he could close his eyes to the tears on Ambers' face or the blood that was staining her clothing; but he could not.

Every time he turned his head away or closed his eyes a fist would connect heavily with his jaw, or a boot was slammed into his stomach, or a hand would squeeze his throat until he was sure there was bruising. He was forced to watch Scarface torture her worse than what had been done to him; forced to hear her agonised screams as the skin was whipped off her back and marks branded into her skin before a crude looking liquid was poured onto them making her writhe even more. He was forced to witness when it all became too much for her and her body crumpled forwards, her shoulder popping out of place from the angle she collapsed.

Fíli swallowed back the fury and bile he felt rise when he watched Scarface yank her head back harshly and lick up the blood that had trickled down her cheeks from her temple. The Orc smacked his lips together and leered over at him before shoving Ambers head into the post, smirking at the new gash that opened up above her eye.

"Well boys," the Orc called to his excited crowd, "do you think our little princess 'as learned 'is lesson?" He looked at the guards surrounding the dwarf and jerked his head. They nodded and untied Fíli, dragging him by his hair towards the centre of the circle.

Fíli struggled and kicked out at his captors, desperate to shake them off but no matter how hard he tried he knew it was futile. He thought he'd be sick when he saw exactly how much damage had been done to Amber when he was brought over, ignoring the Orcs tying him to the post in order to watch her for any sign of movement.

But there was none.

Once he'd been secured the Orcs dragged Ambers' unconscious form away from the clearing, and Fíli barely had time to see them toss her carelessly onto the ground before Scarface filled his vision once more.

"You thought you'd be gettin' off easy tonight, didn't you princess?" He asked, trailing his blade across Fíli's cheek in a mock caress. "Well I 'ate to disappoint you, but you ain't going anywhere."

Fíli closed his eyes and, refusing to flinch at the whip being cracked behind him and whispered a prayer to Mahal to get him through the night.

He was going to need it.


Fíli let out a soft groan and opened his eyes, his eyelids fluttering at the soft light peeking through the trees. He frowned momentarily and tilted his head before understanding washed over him when he realised he was staring up at the sky, not at the ground as he always seemed to do. He wasn't sure what woke him, whether it was the rustling of the breeze through the trees or the light on his face, or even the slight warmth that seemed to be radiating from his arm.

He turned his head to the side and laid eyes on the elf. Amber was sprawled out on her front, her head turned away from him and her arm was stretched out towards him. He looked down and discovered the source of the heat was her fingertip, barely grazing his arm as the warmth which could only be her healing ability flowed through him, and Fíli realised with a sickening clarity it was the only thing that had kept him alive.

Despite her own injuries, despite the fact that she herself was near death she had forced herself to wake and move close enough so that she could heal him. As the edges of his vision began to dim once again, Fíli dragged his hand up towards Ambers, linking their fingers as he lost his grip on consciousness once more.