Happy New Year!

Celede regained consciousness with a groan of pain. She had felt liked she'd fallen off a cliff before, but now she felt like she'd fallen off a mountain and then been trampled by a herd of angry horses. Her skin flamed from being rubbed raw, and various aches and bruises all over her body made it hurt to breathe or move. Worst of all, there was a terrible pressure in her ankle, as if a rock boot had enclosed it and was tightening its grip, ruthless and unrelenting. That was the pain that had caused her to moan as she awoke, and she gritted her teeth to keep from crying out again. As if from far away, beyond the pain, Celede felt a cool cloth being pressed to her forehead, and the cold water that seeped from it soothed her aching face enough to open her eyes.

Pippin's eyes were red and watery as he looked at her, one hand on the corner of his cloak that was pressed to Celede's forehead. He sighed with relief when he saw Celede's eyes were open. When he pulled back the cloak, Celede saw that it was stained dark red with blood. Merry was on her other side, looking pale and slightly sick. He was holding one of her hands.

"Wa-" Celede croaked, and Pippin hurriedly reached down to grab a water skein and hold it to her lips. Although still tasting of dirt, Celede drank the water as quickly as she could. She had almost finished it before she realized the water was for the hobbits too. She pulled away.

"I'm so sorry, Pip," she said hoarsely, "I just drank all your water."

Pippin made an uncharacteristic shushing noise and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Don't worry about us, Cel," he said gently, "Take care of yourself."

The pain in her ankle flared again, demanding attention, and Celede winced as she placed her elbows under her in an attempt to lift herself up. Merry helped her as she finally propped herself up enough to look down at her foot. She grimaced at what she saw.

The boot she still wore over her broken ankle was stretched out, and she could see the pressure it was exerting on her swollen ankle. The swelling extended above her boot to about the middle of her calf, looking red and inflamed. Celede tried to wiggle her toes, and her eyes widened with alarm when she noticed her toes barely responded.

Merry and Pippin were watching her as she examined her foot. Merry looked slightly green at the sight of her swollen leg. Celede sighed and lowered herself back to the ground.

"This isn't good," she muttered.

"What needs to be done?" Pippin asked anxiously. Celede gazed up at the stars, praying the Vala could give her the strength for what needed to be done.

"I need a knife," she murmured, "I don't suppose you have one?"

"To cut the boot off?" Merry asked. Celede hesitated.

"Yes," she said. She neglected to tell him that she needed it for more than her boot. The fluid within her leg was drowning her foot, and she needed to let that pressure out.

"The Uruk-hai took our daggers, but we can get another one, can't we?" Pippin said to Merry. Celede was relieved to see their ordeal hadn't quite extinguished the mischief in Pippin's eyes. Merry looked more cautious and unsure. Celede would never put them into danger knowingly, but she desperately needed the knife if they knew how to get one. She told them as much, and Pippin looked ready to pounce.

"Pretend to be asleep still," Merry finally said, warming up to Pippin's plan. Celede realized that was a very good idea. If the Uruk-hai noticed she were awake, they would surely torture her back into unconsciousness, or worse. Celede nodded and closed her eyes, willing her body to still.

"Oi! Ugly!" Pippin called from above her. As she felt the lumbering footsteps of a Uruk-hai approach though, it was all she could do to remain still. She had to trust the hobbits to take care of themselves.

"We're out of water, and we're a wee bit hungry," Pippin continued, "I don't know who taught you manners, but you've completed skipped supper."

"You've already eaten dinner," Celede heard the Uruk-hai grumble from directly above her. After everything that had happened, Celede had completely forgotten about food. When was the last time she had eaten anything? Definitely before the battle at Amon Hen.

"I didn't say dinner though, did I?" Pippin said innocently, "I said supper. That's the meal after dinner."

"You've had your grub," the Uruk-hai snarled. Celede heard a scuffle from above her, but before she could even open her eyes, Merry came to Pippin's rescue.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Merry cried, "We're sorry. He didn't mean any harm."

Celede held her breath as silence dragged on. If she cracked her eyes slightly, no one would see…

The sound of Pippin dropping back to the ground with a huff almost made her sigh with relief, but she caught herself in time. The Uruk-hai snarled once more, and then went lumbering away from them. Merry and Pippin snickered excitedly, and Celede finally opened her eyes.

Pippin looked a little ruffled, but none the worse for the wear. Merry looked down at her with satisfaction, then slowly held up a small dagger.

"How did you get that?" Celede asked in wonder. Merry smiled.

"We're infamous in the Shire, milady," he said, "Whether it be Farmer Maggot's crop or a nasty hulk of an orc, we can steal anything from anyone without ever getting caught."

"It was simple distraction," Pippin said, and Celede noticed he'd puffed out his chest a bit.

"I kept the ugly brute's attention on me, and Merry snuck up from behind and slipped his dagger right out of its sheath."

"I'll keep that in mind the next time you come to Rivendell. All valuables will be kept securely hidden," Celede said. She'd meant it as a joke, but they all fell silent. She knew the hobbits were wondering, as she was, whether they'd ever actually return to Rivendell. Celede hoped the hobbits would; she'd give up all of the jewels in Rivendell if it meant they could live to steal them.

Turning to the inevitable task ahead, Celede cleared her throat nervously.

"Can I see that knife?" she asked, and Merry immediately handed it to her. Careful to not sit up and alert the Uruk-hai, she took the knife in one hand and grabbed a handful of legging just above her knee with her other. Merry looked away in fear, but Pippin watched as she cut the fabric, ripping it as quietly as she could. Merry glanced over, seeing what she was doing as she then cut the leggings off of her other leg.

"I wish I had cleaner fabric, but these will have to do," Celede said, "They will help bandage my ankle. Now, I'm not sure if I will have the strength to complete this, so I will need your help. I need to cut my ankle open to relieve the pressure. If I become too weak, I may need you to help wrap the bandages around it. There's going to be a lot of pus and blood. Wait until the blood is dark and thick before beginning to bandage it, to make sure all the pressure caused by the fluid is gone from my leg. But don't wait too long. We have to bandage my leg before I bleed too much out. If my ankle is not bandaged, I could die from the blood loss, so it is of absolute importance that we get it wrapped as tightly as possible. Do you understand?"

The hobbits had slowly turned whiter as she spoke, but Celede's voice remained calm. She couldn't give into fear, not after everything they'd already suffered. She wouldn't let herself think that in the long run, she still had no way out. Celede focused now on just living through each moment.

"If I can survive this, I may be able to save my leg for another day. If we don't do this, my foot will die and the ensuing sickness could spread to my entire body."

Still, the hobbits looked at her with pale and frightened faces.

"You just stole a dagger from right under an Uruk-hai's nose," she said to them, trying her hardest to keep her mood light, "I have utter faith in you both that you can help me do this. I believe in you. I trust you. You can do this for me, right?"

This time the hobbits, although miserable, nodded to her. Celede nodded in response. Gingerly, she reached out for Merry's arm and allowed him to pull her into a sitting position. Now that she was up, she had to move fast before the Uruk-hai noticed. Drive by sudden nerves at being exposed, Celede reached down with the dagger and sliced a thin, vertical line down her boot. She sighed in relief at the sudden release of pressure, but it wasn't nearly enough.

"Ready?" she whispered to the hobbits, "Whatever happens, bind my wound."

She didn't allow herself time to rethink her decision. Clenching her teeth, Celede took a deep breath. The Vala give me strength. Then she plunged the knife into her own flesh and shoved it downward, slicing open her ankle like a slab of meat. The pain was excruciating and immediate, even as clear pus and blood spurted from the wound. The pressure alleviated, but now a fierce fire raged up her leg to scream in her head and cause every conscious thought to disappear. Keep quiet…the hobbits, she tried to think, but her ankle refused to be cowed and she screamed until the world faded into blackness yet again.

ooOOoo

Pippin fell backwards away from Celede as her voice suddenly erupted into a bloodcurdling scream inside his head. Every moment it continued, Pippin clutched his head, fearing she would rip his skull open. He was barely cognizant of anything else as he fought back the dizziness and darkness that was tunneling his vision. Finally, the scream cut off and was gone as quickly as it began, releasing Pippin from its hold. He blinked, his head throbbing. What had happened? A quick glance over at the Uruk-hai showed they hadn't heard Celede scream. Whether that was because Celede had avoided projecting to them or the orcs were too stupid to converse through thoughts, Pippin didn't know. He hadn't even known Celede could send her voice into his head.

Pippin glanced across Celede and saw that Merry must have also heard Celede, for his friend had passed out, his face white and devoid of blood.

"Merry?" Pippin asked worriedly, about to crawl around Celede to reach his friend. Then he saw Celede's ankle, and his dinner of moldy bread threatened to come back up.

The dagger still stuck straight up at the base of Celede's ankle. She must have fainted before she had the chance to pull the knife out. Pippin couldn't imagine the pain she was in. Then he noticed the initial rush of fluids had slowed, and dark red blood was now oozing out, staining her boot. Whatever happens, bind my wound. In a sudden panic, Pippin grabbed the makeshift bandages beside Celede. Taking a deep breath and blowing it out tensely, Pippin grasped the hilt of the dagger. Trying not to think about what he was doing, Pippin jerked the knife upwards, but Celede's leg rose up as well. Feeling even more nauseous now, Pippin suppressed a gag as he placed his other hand on Celede's ankle, keeping it down as he yanked again on the knife. This time the knife came free with another surge of blood, and Pippin threw it aside, quickly forgetting about it as he frantically started wrapping the makeshift bandages around Celede's foot. He stretched the fabric as much as he could and bound the wound tightly, but he watched in horror as blood stained the bandages and continued to flow. Without anything else to absorb the blood, Pippin undid his belt and wrapped it tightly around the bandages and Celede's ripped boot. He hoped the tightness of the bandaging would keep the blood inside her leg, even though the fabric wasn't absorbing any more blood. It was the best he could do, but Pippin feared that it wouldn't be enough. Celede's face had already been pale, but now it was pasty white, devoid of color. He had to check that she was still alive by examining her for any sort of movement. Celede's chest was still rising and falling, albeit weakly, Pippin noticed with relief.

A hand reached out to grasp his bloodied one.

"Nice job, Pip," Merry said, and Pippin looked over at him. Merry pulled himself up into a sitting position. He was still a sickly pale color, but his eyes were full of life as he examined Celede's foot.

"They are going to make her walk again," Merry said quietly, and Pippin winced.

"They can't do that. I don't even know if she is going to regain consciousness," Pippin hissed back in worry.

"We have to be prepared for anything, Pippin," Merry replied. He looked extremely sad as he watched Celede's still figure. Pippin knew he too was watching her chest, convincing himself she was still alive with every brath.

"What do you suppose we can do?" Pippin finally asked.

"We need to find some long, sturdy sticks," Merry said.

"Where do you propose we find that? We are in the middle of a plain," Pippin replied sarcastically, but he began searching around nonetheless.

ooOOoo

Celede was falling through darkness. She could feel hot wind streaming past her as she flew deeper into the abyss, but she couldn't see where she was. Everything was cloaked in shadow. She reached out to feel for anything she might be able to grab to slow her descent, but her hands touched nothing. Then she saw a light gleaming from far below her. Curious and hoping it might show her a way out, Celede dove forward, propelling herself through the darkness towards the light. As she got closer, she saw that the light was coming from huge flames, the source of which was also falling down the shaft. Then, a huge black wing reached out from among the flames and smashed into the rock wall encircling the abyss. Celede's eyes widened in recognition. She'd seen this creature before.

Suddenly, sparks started flying from the center of the flame, and she turned her head away to avoid them as she flew past. When she was able to look again, Celede's heart jumped into her throat. The Balrog wasn't the only thing falling below her. Another small figure garbed in grey was slashing at the demon with his sword. It couldn't be. Mithrandir? Celede thought in wonder. She dove forward again, trying to reach the pair to help the old wizard, regardless of the fact that she had no weapons. Then suddenly the rock wall fell away; the abyss was ending. A huge expanse of black water lay before her. Panicked, Celede cried out, putting her hands in front of her as if they could shield her from her imminent impact. She was going to land right on top of the Balrog. Its fire flared one last time in the now open cavern before it hit the water with a deafening crack. Heat rushed her face and before she could close her eyes to brace herself everything went white. The last thing she saw amongst the whiteness was Gandalf's face, bloodied and gaunt…but alive.

Celede was jolted awake by a rock that whacked her shoulder. It flared with pain, and she blearily tried to make sense of her surroundings. She tried to wipe her hair out of her eyes, but her arms were pulled tight above her. She felt a scratching sensation along the side that had been hit with a rock. She shook her head a little, trying to dispel the dizzy, weak sensation in her head. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion, or at least she could only understand what was going on very slowly. She was being dragged, by her hands, along the ground, and it hurt. Her entire body hurt, not to mention a deep burning pain that throbbed in her ankle as if a hammer was slamming into her leg with every heartbeat.

Celede struggled to right herself, but she was too weak to even attract the attention of the Uruk-hai who was dragging her. She could do nothing for the moment but allow herself to be dragged along, hoping that the Uruk-hai would take a break soon and give her mind a chance to clear.

ooOOoo

"Merry! Merry!" Pippin called softly to his friend. It was the morning of the fourth day, and Pippin was very worried about both of his companions. Celede had not stirred all night, and she still seemed as out of it as ever, her body simply flopping over the ground like a fish. Merry too was unconscious on the orc he rode, and Pippin cursed himself for being so stupid.

The pair had spent all night furnishing a crutch for Celede, and in doing so had forgotten to hide the dagger they had stolen from the Uruk-hai. When the two Uruk-hai came to fetch them the following morning, they had snarled in anger.

"Where'd you get that?"

"You stole that!"

Tired from the night's events, Pippin hadn't realized at first what the orcs meant, not until one of them picked up the dagger and brandished it in his face.

"You'll pay!" the Uruk-hai growled, raising the dagger threateningly.

"Stop it! You can't kill him. Your master's orders," Merry interrupted sharply. The Uruk-hai looked at each other in irritation, knowing Merry was right, but that didn't stop the one holding the dagger from whacking the side of Merry's face with the pommel of the knife in anger. Merry crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Merry!" Pippin shrieked as a thin line of blood began to seep from the cut that had been created just above Merry's right eyebrow.

Pippin had cried out both Celede's and Merry's names over and over as he numbly allowed the Uruk-hai to bind his hands. They had never bound them before, but he supposed after the theft, they no longer trusted the hobbits to be as helpless as they looked.

Now it was approaching midday, and Merry still hadn't woken up.

"Merry," Pippin hissed again. Suddenly the Uruk-hai stopped, and Pippin almost hit his head on the back of his Uruk-hai. He peeked over the Uruk-hai's back as best he could to see what had stopped them. Pippin's eyes widened in surprise.

A band of small orcs had suddenly emerged from the path ahead, where they had been hiding behind some boulders in the path. The two parties hissed at each other, sizing each other up.

"You're late," the lead orc snarled, "Our master grows impatient. He wants the Shire rats now."

"I don't take orders from orc-maggots," the leader of the Uruk-hai replied, calmer than Pippin had ever heard him before. He clearly wasn't afraid of the little orcs in front of him, who cowered at his words.

"Saruman will have his prize. We will deliver them," he added, much to the anger of the little orcs. The lead orc growled at him once he had turned his back.

Pippin never thought he'd ever feel that way in a million years, but he was glad the Uruk-hai had defended them from the orcs. Pippin didn't like the wild hunger in the smaller orcs' eyes, and the Uruk-hai left them alone for the most part. Except for last night. Pippin turned to see Merry's head had been tossed back, and he could hear his friend's labored breathing.

"Merry, Merry, wake up!" he said desperately. Merry didn't respond.

Looking around for help, Pippin spied an Uruk-hai drinking from a water skein.

"My friend is sick! He needs water. Please!"

Instead of drawing the attention of the Uruk-hai with the water, the lead Uruk-hai came back to face them.

"Sick, is he? Give him some medicine, boys!" the lead Uruk-hai cried. Then he laughed and the others joined in. A sick feeling grew in Pippin's stomach as a nearby Uruk-hai pulled Merry's mouth open and poured a putrid brown liquid in. Merry started coughing and gagging.

"Stop it!" Pippin cried, suddenly regretting he'd said anything at all.

"Can't take his draught!" the lead Uruk-hai erupted in more ferocious laughter and the others quickly followed suit. Pippin couldn't believe that just a moment ago he had felt almost grateful that they were in the Uruk-hai's keeping.

"Leave him alone!"

Pippin's mouth had opened to say just that, but someone had beat him to it. He turned to see who it was, and his mouth opened again in shock. A figure stood behind him, her hands bound and her hair and clothes caked brown with dirt and blood. She had pulled herself to her feet and was staring at the Uruk-hai with more anger than Pippin had ever seen on her face. Celede had woken up.

ooOOoo

To put it lightly, Celede did not feel well. Any slight movement to her head caused the world to spin and tilt, and the act of standing up had nearly knocked her unconscious. She was keenly aware of the struggle for blood to reach her face, and if things had been different, she would have liked nothing more than to lie down and sleep forever. But things were not different, and Celede had forced herself to stand up and speak, surprising even herself.

Her ankle was screaming at her in constant agony, but Merry and Pippin had done an excellent job of providing a crutch for her. Using Merry's belt and some sort of stiff, long grass rods, they had bound supports to Celede's leg at her knee. The real trick, though, was that the rods did not end in line with Celede's foot, but instead were just slightly longer, allowing Celede to step by putting all her weight on her knee and the crutch. Therefore, she didn't have to put any weight on her ankle. The hobbits had reinforced the long rods with lots of other grass rods below her actual foot to make a sort of square, fake foot just beneath her real foot. Therefore her knee was the lowest part of her leg that actually bore weight. Celede knew that her knee would likely become sore and blistered as a result of the crutch, but she was immensely grateful that the hobbits had devised a way for her to hobble if the occasion arose. Which it had.

Therefore, it was with new confidence and an overwhelming urge to protect her beloved friends that had given Celede the strength to stand up and draw attention to herself, despite the pain and dizziness.

"That's not very nice," Celede said now, daring them to defy her. The group turned to look at her, even the little orcs who had just joined them.

"Woken up at last, She-Elf?" the Uruk-hai snarled, and Celede faced him down, grateful that she'd succeeded in drawing attention away from the hobbits and towards herself.

She said nothing, just stood defiantly and proved to the Uruk-hai that they hadn't conquered her yet.

"What's this? She's no hobbit," the leader of the orcs snarled, "So you are defying orders now, Mauhúr."

"I never defy orders," snapped the lead Uruk-hai, Mauhúr, "We have orders from Saruman to torture her, Grishnakh."

"She's looking fine to me," said Grishnakh, then he leered at Celede.

"I could have a bit of fun with her," he snarled, but Mauhúr stepped between them.

"We will deal with her, as per Saruman's orders to us," he growled, gesturing to the Uruk-hai who held the rope that bound her hands. He jerked it, and Celede fell forward onto her knees and hands with a groan. The sudden movement had caused the world to blur out of focus and spin around her once more. Celede took deep breaths, trying to regain her senses.

"What is it?" she heard Mauhúr suddenly say from above her, "What do you smell?"

She thought at first he was talking to her and was about to answer with something cheeky, like "rotten orc," but then another Uruk-hai answered.

"Man-flesh."

Immediately, the orcs looked around and grunted nervously. Whose? Celede wondered.

"They've picked up our trail," Mauhúr cried, and the other Uruk-hai snarled worriedly.

They? Celede thought blearily. Could it be? Estel? Did she dare to hope it? Legolas?

Before she could think, the Uruk-hai were tearing off at a run faster than before. It was all Celede could do to scramble to her feet and keep up. The crutch was holding for now, but she was still exhausted and in terrible pain. If only she could drop something, to let Aragorn know, if the scent was indeed Aragorn's, that they were still alive. She tried to reach for her Evenstar, but her hands were pulled beyond her and she could barely keep up as it was. Then she spied Pippin pulling at something with his mouth. He turned and spit something green into the grass, and Celede was barely able to make it out as she ran past. A brooch of green leaves. It was the ornamental clip on Pippin's Lorien cloak. He had had the same idea she had, and he had succeeded.

We have a chance, Celede thought desperately. The idea gave her renewed hope, enough to keep running even when she felt that all her energy was spent and replaced by vicious pain.

ooOOoo

Aragorn had run up ahead, and Legolas could now see his prostrate figure on the rock above, listening intently to the footsteps of their heavy quarry. Legolas had fallen back to run with Gimli for a while and he watched as Aragorn stood up abruptly.

"Their pace has quickened. They've picked up our scent. Hurry!" he urged.

Legolas immediately ran to catch up, but then he noticed Gimli was not following.

"Come on, Gimli," he said. He heard Gimli grumbling behind him, but he was pleased to see that Gimli picked up the pace as well.

They ran throughout the morning, and Legolas became increasingly desperate. He didn't understand how such heavy creatures could still remain so far ahead of them. If Merry and Pippin were being forced to run…and Celede. His last two memories of her were her anguished screams, one in the air and one in his head. She was surely in great pain, and if they were making her run as well…Legolas shuddered to think of the consequences. The idea of Celede suffering so terribly made Legolas sick at heart and gave him the power to move faster. The Uruk-hai were huge creatures that stopped to rest each night. Surely the three of them would catch up soon.

By midday, the trio had reached a small valley scattered with boulders. Legolas spied tracks and knelt to observe them. He saw heavy footprints left by the boots of the Uruk-hai, but no tiny prints of barefoot hobbits. Scanning the entire width of the valley, he could say with confidence that neither hobbit had laid foot in this valley. They had been carried. Then he spied an odd mark near the edge of the valley. It was long and continuous, as if something had been dragged. Legolas felt bile crawl up the back of his throat. Had they been dragging a body? He refused to think that way. If they wanted to take a body with them, it would have been more prudent to carry it. Unless their goal wasn't to be efficient, but to inflict pain on its recipient. But why? Legolas couldn't figure it out. Then he spied a long golden hair in the grass in the center of the long print. He picked it up tenderly, noticing how it seemed almost silver as he turned it in the sunlight, and his heart ached anew. Oh, Celede. What are they doing to you?

Aragorn called to them, and Legolas stood up, holding the hair in grief. If she was being dragged, it was unlikely that she was still alive. Legolas was walking with his head bowed over to where Aragorn was when he spied something unusual. The long print ended suddenly. Legolas wandered over, not daring himself to hope.

Then Legolas sighed in relief. There, unmistakably, were two light footprints just as the dragging print ended. They could not have been made by the Uruk-hai or the hobbits. Celede must have stood up there. She was still alive. Legolas kept following her new footprints. They were uneven, as if she was limping heavily, and her right foot seemed oddly shaped. The only print it left was a small, uneven square. Legolas was suddenly awash with cold fear once more. What they had done to her foot to cause such a strange print? Celede had been alive at the time of this print, but she was certainly in terrible pain. Worse, Legolas knew the Uruk-hai had quickened their pace as well.

Aragorn called to Legolas again, and Legolas walked over to crouch by his friend. In Aragorn's hand was a small brooch made of green leaves. Legolas recognized it immediately.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," Aragorn said quietly.

"They may yet be alive," Legolas replied, but his excitement has hindered by what he'd discovered nearby.

"Aragorn," Legolas began, then told him what he'd found.

"They are less than a day ahead of us. They must still be alive. Come," Aragorn said determinedly. He was not prepared to face the idea that they might be too late. At that moment, Gimli burst into the valley at last.

"Come, Gimli, we're gaining on them!" Legolas shouted behind him. He would not slow his pace down for the Dwarf anymore. Not when Celede was in such dire trouble.

Although Legolas had allowed Aragorn to lead, he now ran up ahead. They were so close; he had to be able to see the orc group by now.

"Legolas," Aragorn called from behind him, "What do your Elf eyes see?'

Legolas scanned the plains, searching, searching. Then at last he spied them, a mass of black dust in the distance. He watched them for a moment, his eyes widening as his worst fears were confirmed.

"The Uruks head northeast," he called back, "They are taking the hobbits to Isengard."

Saruman must want the Ring, and that made sense to Legolas. But why had Celede been taken as well?