Chapter 13

The air was cold and damp as was the ground on which she was laying on. Ava shook her head slightly to wake herself more, her whole body feeling as though she had been run over by a stampede of wild horses. Her nostrils burned with the smell of rotting flesh, startling her. She moved to sit up but found she was tightly bound: her arms tied behind her back and her legs wrapped painfully tight together.

Everything was black causing her heart to race while she was praying she wasn't blind also. Looking for any possible hint of light, she searched her mind for her magic source. She gasped softly when nothing happened. She concentrated on her magic source again. Burning tears ran down her cheeks, realizing something happened to her, much worse than she could imagine.

Her whole world felt upside down and the last thing she remembered was when Boromir had given her the death glare after he had seen her in battle. Her heart sank seeing the glare over and over in her mind. 'I'm so sorry, my love.' Ava thought to herself, crying softly. The tears continued to fall for a while until her head pounded from it.

Loneliness, anguish, and pain, both physical and emotional consumed her as she lay helpless on the floor. Hours had passed, thinking she was going to die here in the black, cold hole she was in.

Her door suddenly slammed into the wall and there stood a white cloaked man with a long white beard, glaring at her. "Ava. I thought you died with your mother." the deep voice commanded. Ava's form shook in hidden sobs at the mention of her mom. "Speak!" Saruman growled, glaring at her.

'I can't!' she screamed in her mind, fighting the bonds. She winced when the bonds cut into her skin as they tightened. "I suppressed your magic from you. You won't be able to access it, unless I lift the spell." Saruman added walking up to her. She gasped softly, looking up to him sharply. Her eyes glittered dangerously with rage.

"I have a meeting to get to. Where is their next stop?" Saruman asked referring to the Rohan army. She looked away, breathing heavily trying to calm herself. "Very well." He said softly going behind her and kicking her hard in the back. She arched her back at the intense pain, no sound leaving her lips while tears streaming down her face.

Orcs came in and lifted her to her feet cutting the bonds from her legs. Orcs held her arms tightly. "You have to tell me something useful." The wizard said casually. 'I don't know!' Ava mouthed with a venomous look in her eyes. Saruman nodded and backhanded her with such a force she stumbled with a small cry.

He grasped her throat tightly with a force field, crushing her throat. Ava tried to inhale for the needed air but found it impossible. He throat throbbed and under the pressure he gave. Fresh tears slid down her face when he began burning her neck as well. What little voice she had, she was sure to lose from the torture. "You listen to me!" he hissed snatching her jaw tightly forcing her to look at him as he continued choking her. "You will give me information!" Saruman's voice darkened as he spoke.

Black spots blurred Ava's vision, wishing her heart to stop for only a minute. The wizard took a hidden knife stabbed her side, glaring into her eyes. Ava inhaled sharply gasping for breath, shocked. He smirked ripping out his knife before releasing the magic from her and leaving the room. She inhaled sharply before coughing brutally as she held her bleeding wound tightly. Her limbs went limp from the orcs hold. Her throat burned as she inhaled deeply the horrid air that surrounded her. "Bring her to the top!" the wizard shouted to the orcs holding her. Ava passed out in as they drug her body to the top of the tower.

Saruman's deep voice sounded muffed to Ava as she started coming back to the present. She tasted nothing but her blood on her tongue. The wind howled slightly and whipped her hair and clothes around. She blinked weak eyes a few times to clear her vision, wondering what Saruman planned to do with her.

Someone else's muffled voice broke through her hazy mind. Her senses began to awaken then. "…when you answer for the burning of the Westfold and the children that lie dead there. We shall have peace when the lives of the soldiers whose bodies were hewn even as they lay at the gates of the Hornburg are avenged! When you hang from a beam for the sport of your own crows… We shall have peace." Came a mans' voice in a dark tone.

Ava looked to the wizard, feeling confused. Saruman stood near the edge of his tower leaning on his staff. She looked to her side he stabbed seeing that her shirt was soaked in blood. "What is it that you want, Gandalf Greyham?" his voice growled. Ava gasped sharply looking back to him, praying she heard what she thought she heard.

"Your treachery has already cost the lives of many, Saruman! Thousands more are at stake! You can help them." Her father's voice called out. She sat up quickly crying out to him with no sound, struggling with the bonds on her arms. Her father was alive? She wanted to run into his arms. Tears began slipping down her cheeks at the pain in her heart and throbbing side.

Saruman held a palantir out in front of him, speaking of the future that everyone refused to believe. He spoke of Aragorn in a way that made him sound horrible for being hidden away and how he would never be crowned king. Ava's eyes filled with tears, shaking her head quickly, hating the wizard. "Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those he loves. What did you tell the Halfling before he was sent to his doom?" The wizard asked darkly. He received no reply.

Saruman quickly went to Ava grasping her throat tightly, pulling her up to her feet. She struggled to catch up with him, incredibly weak from blood loss. "Come down and your life will be spared!" She heard her father call. She was kept out of view from everyone below.

"I have no use for your mercy!" Saruman cried throwing a fire to engulf Gandalf and his horse. Ava winced seeing the fire from his staff, hearing the horses below bellow a neigh in fright. Gandalf used magic to shatter Saruman's staff.

"Saruman! You are deep in the enemy's council. Tell us what you know." Gandalf said again calmly. Ava grasped when Saruman's hand tightened around her neck, making it hard to breathe again.

"Withdraw your guards or your daughter will die. I will not be held prisoner here." Saruman said darkly not moving her. Ava frantically began trying to use her magic again to try to contact them. Her arms still being bound made it difficult to wriggle away from the wizard.

"You do not have Ava. She is in Helm's Deep restoring the fortress." Gandalf said, knowing it was a lie. Boromir winced looking up to evil wizard, praying his love was not up there.

"Is that so? Then who is this?" Saruman laughed shoving Ava to the edge, his hand still choking her. She backed away fearfully from the height as far as his grip would let her, looking down at her father and guards. Her eyes frantically searched for Boromir.

Gandalf stiffened, seeing his daughter. "No… Ava." He whispered softly, his eyes watering slightly. "You don't have to threaten her! She's done nothing to you." He called up to him.

"I don't know how long I can hold onto her, Gandalf. Withdraw your guard! Now!" He shouted, making Ava dangle over the edge of the tower. She tried to scream but nothing happened. Boromir sat up straighter on his horse, his heart freezing.

Grima came up behind Saruman looking down at the group. King Théoden saw him and spoke loudly. "Grima. You were a man of Rohan. Come down and be free of him."

"Free! He will never be free!" Saruman shouted ranting on about how a man of Rohan was nothing from a run down town. Grima became angry as Ava watched his face. He pulled out a knife and stabbed Saruman in the back three times. The last thing she remembered was Grima crying out in pain from an arrow before she and the wizard fell through the air.

"AVA!" Boromir screamed in horror. "Gandalf do something!" Boromir cried out quickly. Gandalf raised his staff quickly, Ava began slowing considerably but the impact with the water was still hard with a large splash. Saruman landed on a spike on the wheel that supplied their water.

Boromir jumped off his horse in haste and ran to her, picking her up in his arms. He was brushing the soaked hair from her face when Aragorn jumped down to help him, cutting her bonds before checking her pulse. Ava's arms fell limp with the rest of her body. "Ava, please stay with me." Boromir whispered quietly, stroking her cheek gently. Gandalf led his horse over them.

"She has a pulse but it's very weak." Aragorn stated quietly. "Slowing her certainly saved her. I will check her over again as soon as we stop for the night." he said looking up to the wizard. Gandalf and Boromir breathed a sigh of relief. The wizard nodded slowly, his eyes very sad, before he turned to Théoden telling him to spread the news to all allies that the enemy moves but to find out where.

Boromir looked down at Ava after he remounted his horse. He held her close hoping she'd wake up soon. He wiped a tear away from his face not wanting her to die. They quickly left to get to solid ground for the night.

Boromir set Ava down on soft grass, grabbing clothing from her pack. Without seeing anything she would have smacked him for, he changed her clothing out of the soaked garments. He paused looking at her shirt in his hand and froze seeing it was red. "Ranger?" He cried out looking around for him.

Aragorn glared at the name, having been only used to hearing it from the hobbits. Nonetheless he ran over to him with his medical bag. "What is it?" he asked kneeling down by him.

"She's hurt on her side somewhere." He replied quickly, holding the shirt out. Aragorn lifted the left side of her shirt and winced seeing it. He quickly cleaned the wound and began stitching it up. After bandaging it and gently rubbing a salve to heal her neck, he clasped Boromir's shoulder.

"She'll be alright. Keep her warm." He stated before walking away. Boromir gently wrapped her in a blanket and lay beside her, holding her against him to share heat. His voice remained as a soft murmur to stay with him and how much he loved her. How Ava wished she could have responded before falling unconscious once again.

~TBC~

This one was faster to come. Despite the fact my friends home town was just destroyed by tornados. Hope ya'll enjoy this one. The next chapter will be happier, I promise!