Hi! LOTS have happened over the past few months, reducing my time in writing. What can I say? School is hard work, especially if you are a teacher! I'm so sorry for the late update but grateful for the opportunity to finally get all of the ideas I've had swirling in my head on paper (so to speak). I hope to get at least one more update in before Christmas! Thanks for sticking with me!


Sincorah – Thanks so much for the awesome compliment! I'm so glad you like it. I wanted to do something different and create someone that felt just as real as the originals. Thanks for reading!

AHealingRenaissance – Thanks so much for sticking with me! I'm sorry for the cliffie (I suppose the long wait was worse on you! :D) Thanks for reading!

blackunicorne – Thanks so much and thanks for reading!


"40… 41…..42…"

Enzi thought of the calming waters of the gardens. She willed her body to relax, encouraged the damaged muscles to ignore the stinging pain.

"43… 44….. 45….."

She felt salty tears intermix with the sweat and blood, taking ragged breaths and trying in vain to adjust her arms. She had kept them turned and fisted through all of it. Despite her own exhaustion, it would do her no good to allow them to be damaged now. She would not be allowed much recuperation after this.

" 46….. 47…."

She could taste blood in her mouth and tried to ease her teeth. Biting her lips has been the only method she'd been able to think of to help her. She must say nothing. Even a whimper would have been interpreted as admission of guilt. If her actions had truly been worthy, the ancestors would protect her. Or so it was said in tribal lore. She drew in another ragged breath.

"48….. 49…..50"

She felt her lips curling into a smile and released the bloody folds as fresh tears washed her face. The shadow of the soldier withdrew as two others unchained her hands. She resisted the urge to fall down onto the dirt, and placed her hands clumsily on the ground, drawing in the air in gulps as the heat of the sun intensified the sting on her back. She wondered how the lashes has ruined it, and mentally checked each muscle. She had to stand. She simply had to.

She took it in steps. First she lifted her upper torso, standing on her knees. She looked around to what was left of her people, Engoli and other Harad alike. Some seemed to eagerly anticipate her actions. Some seemed to look at each other in amazement that she'd even endured. Still others had turned away, confirming how truly awful she looked.

She lifted herself up, first on one leg, then the other, trying to walk as gracefully as she could to the dais. The soldiers walked with her slowly as she walked to the outer edge of the wooden wall. Asana would not meet her eyes, but Chione certainly was. The man seemed to grimace as he looked at her. She wasn't sure if it was because of what the whipping had done to her body, or if he was angry that she had been able to stomach it without crying out. She refocused and bowed traditionally to Asana, looking down.

There was a pause. She imagined that Chione looked to his Mfalme and the other Msaidizi before speaking. "Ghadelyna Njeri, you have endured your punishment for leaving the tribe. Are you ready for your next trial?" She had expected more of an admission of her innocence. The fact that she had not cried out should have been mentioned and should have confirmed that she was guilt-free.

She could feel the trickle of blood on her back through her clothing as she continued to bow. "As Mfalme wills…." she croaked, her throat raw and dry. She took a moment to breath, praying that if the ancestors truly could protect her, that they would.

"You have proven that you did not abandon your tribe. Now you must prove that you are free from shedding its blood. May the ancestors protect you."

She could hear the latches of a door open as feet quickly scampered away, then quickly shut. She was alone now, in the ring, but she knew that it would only be temporary. She could hear someone draw up the back wall and felt the lumbering footfalls of a mûmak coming behind her. It was young, meaning it was relatively small. It wasn't a war mûmak, at least not yet. This was worse for her, not better. A war mûmak would respond to commands. This one was wild and untrained, meaning it would simply trample her, intentionally or unintentionally.

She took a steadying breath as the crowd surrounding the walled-in circle began to shout, jeer and cheer. She turned slowly, feigning calm. Like before, she must keep say nothing throughout this entire ordeal. She must not allow the emotions of the crowd or even her own fears to cause her to cry out. Sure enough, a relatively small mûmak stood at the opposite side of the circle. It was the height of two or three men and at first, pressed against the door, tearing at his torturer. She looked around for something to use as a weapon, thinking back to her training with mûmaks in her father's army. Weapons were not permitted for the accused during the Ordeals. It was a part of an ancient tribal law not observed in centuries. And yet, with Sauron gone and all of the kingdoms pitted against one another, she supposed that old law was the only law.

The mûmak had turned by now. He was young; he didn't even have tusks. He studied her for a few beats before charging. She supposed that her wounds made her seem weak and a more available target. She looked around gain, digging her fingers deeply into the dry sand and finding nothing, not even a small twig. She determined that her wits only would help her prevail. She stood still, watching every twitch, every tightened muscle, as the creature increased his speed. He was young, but no child. This was no bluff or playful romp. He was old enough to understand his might, and her fragility. She waited until he was so close that she could smell the stench of his hide before striking. In one swoop she threw her handfuls of sand at the creature's eyes and rolled under his body, finding herself being fanned by the animal's tail. She stopped long enough to see the mûmak stop and trumpet out, shaking his head and attempting to relieve its eyes of the sand. She stood to her feet quickly, pressing the sting of the wounds to the back of her mind. She waited until she was sure the creature caught her view and began running towards her before she ran away, first towards the right, then left, zig-zaging through the circle. The creature tired as he tried to follow her, its girth not allowing him to keep up with her changing path. And the more tired it became, the angrier it became.

She searched out for an area of the circle where the wood was not as young and sturdy as the rest. But it wasn't escape she was hoping for. She continued running haphazardly though the circle, feeling herself pushed past the point of exhaustion, until she found what she was looking for. It was a small crack that had been reinforced with extra beams. It would be enough. She ran straight for that side of the wall, hearing the crowd first jeer, then scream in terror as they ran from the quickly approaching mûmak. By the time she turned, the creature was upon her. She barely had time to move out of the way before his head crashed into the wooden barrier, splintering it and painfully pinning her right hand under its trunk. She bit down again on her lips, resisting the urge to scream. The creature trumpeted again backing up a bit to regain its own footing, showering her with broken beams. She grasped for a broken beam a bit shakily; her left hand wasn't as sure as her right. The mûmak began to charge again and she allowed him to, rolling to the left to avoid his head at the last minute. Once the creature's head was down within what was left of the wooden circle, she acted quickly, stabbing the creature within its eye socket, her only clear spot to his brain. It screamed, rolling over and she curled her body as tightly as she could towards the wall in order to avoid being crushed. The mûmak shrieked and screeched as its blind rolling drove the beam further. She held her shaky muscles as still as she could until the creature finished thrashing about and finally succumbed to death.

For a while, all was quiet. Even the crowd has softened to mere whispers. She could hear guards enter from the other side of the ruined wall, the clamber of their armor, their uncertain steps, the low thud of their spears into the ground. She fought to stand to her feet, realizing that part of the creature's head still remained on her back. She fought harder, inching to the edge of the creature's ear before painfully sliding completely from under it, taking a breath before pulling her ruined body to a standing position. She looked around to the crowd, shock and awe etched on almost each face. She took advantage of this, seeming to ignore them and walking painfully towards the dais. She saw her sister, the faint gleam of a smile in her eyes. The other two Mfalme shared a look with one another, waves of astonishment seeming to pass between the two. The Msaidizi murmured among themselves as Chione stood near his Mfalme, whispering in her ear. The green-eyed woman kept the same serene smile, her eyes not leaving Enzi. Enzi forced her aching body to bow respectively, holding that position despite lapsing in and out of consciousness. She wasn't sure what was said by her sister's chief Msaidizi but after what felt like hours, she felt herself pulled up by two soldiers to her feet. She could hear the soft cheers and applause from somewhere distant, not being able to focus on anything in particular until she reached the Grieves. It was her last clear memory until much later.

She woke to weeping and pain she had not experienced since after the Sickness. Someone had dressed and was now redressing her wounds as she lay on her stomach, virtually naked. She blinked, whimpering as merely the gentle brushes of salve on the skin sent rivers of pain throughout her body. The hands stopped for a moment and Enzi watched maidens and healers leave the cell. She turned her body slowly, looking down to the middle. Rivers were pouring out of Asana's eyes and the young ruler smiled almost motherly at her. Again, she reminded Enzi so much of their mother. "Are you alright?" she asked softly, continuing to brush salve into her Enzi's wounds with her fingers now.

Enzi felt the need to comfort her sister. Weariness was within the girl's eyes and though the administering of the salve, she could feel that her hands were shaking. Enzi tried to smile. "I was about to ask you the same."

"I will be fine," Asana said, swallowing hard for a moment.

"Then so will I," Enzi reasoned, holding out her left hand and patting Asana's knee. She could see that Asana did not quite believe her words, haphazardly nodding as she mixed the salve in order to continue to apply it. "Was I successful?"

" According to tribal law, you have paid the price for desertion and have now been proven blameless in the eyes of the ancestors and people in regards to loyalty to the tribe or family. Your name can now be spoken once again."

"But that's not the end." It was a statement rather than a question.

Asana nodded, placing the salve on a table nearby. "Other questions have been brought before the council. Challenges made about your loyalty to the Haradric people. To the armies of Sauron. Accusations. The Ordeals will continue."

Enzi, in truth, didn't expect this to end with the mûmak or the beating, but the thought of facing further punishment did cause her heart to sink. "I will survive, Asana. I promise you, I will. I won't leave you alone to-"

"But you did." She looked at Enzi, tears still trailing down her face. "You did. You and Dingane, and Baba. You all did." She fought to speak, mouth opening and closing as she continued to sob. Her face registered combinations of anger, sadness and something else Enzi couldn't fully discern. When no words would come, the young ruler said nothing, and continued to quietly bandage her sister's arm. When she was done, she stood weakly, knocking on the heavy door for the healer and the maidens to return. The elder servant stood by the Mfalme as she spoke again to her sister. "Rest well, Ghadi. You will face your next Ordeal in the coming week.


When Éomer had been told of the man's arrival, no one could hold him back from this encounter. Even Heruthian, his oldest friend, could not reason with him and had been simply pushed aside. Gaeruth had stood beside the visitor but upon looking at his king, rushed quickly to him. If the old man had said anything, Éomer barely registered it. He drew his sword as he walked towards the figure. The man was tall and lean with a young yet hardened face, cloaked in blacks and browns. He had begun to speak but before he could clearly state his purpose for being in Edoras, Éomer's sword was at his neck. "Tell me where she is!" he spat, his voice unnaturally animalistic.

The young man barely seemed to register emotion and for a while, stood still. "I was told that your people were honorable, evolved, like mine. How disappointing to find you to be only a band of brutes."

Éomer took a step back, slowly releasing the man and placing his sword back into its sheath, giving Heruthian a chance to speak. "Did you capture Lady Enzi? Are you here to ransom her release?"

Confusion passed through the young man's features as he looked from Heruthian to Éomer. "No," he finally said. "I have been sent by her and my Mfalme to ask for your help. Help for all of us." Éomer passed a look to Heruthian. "Harad stands apart. None can be trusted but your own people."

Éomer met the young man's eyes again. "Trusted to do what?"

"To bring the prince of Engoli back home. To save Engoli and the lives of all."

"Dingane?" Éomer asked, eyebrows knitting. "The Engoli commander?"

"Mfalme Asana's brother and heir apparent." The young man took a breath before speaking again. "I was told to tell you that Enzi needs your aid in this."

Hearing the man speak the woman's name caused a wave of emotion to color the king's features. Khemik watched his features soften for a while before he spoke. "Is she alive?"

"For now," he nodded honestly. "But the longer we tarry, the more uncertain this will be."


The Ordeals continue, but at least Khemik made it to Edoras to tell Éomer. Reviews are not only welcomed but appreciated!