Chapter Twenty Seven
A/N: Holy God, I have written a lot! As for the person, most of you will know who it is already, but I'm gonna leave the rest of you in the dark for half a page (no pun intended). Well, here's your next chapter:
Frodo frowned.
"Who are you?" He asked, and the person pulled down their hood. I didn't recognize the person for a minute, but after a second, three among us realized who it was at the same time and all three of us dove to hug him at the same time, the result being that he was thrown against the back wall in a pile of hobbit and elf. Nikki stood watching the comical scene unfold before her, although she was utterly confused as to whom the person was.
From the bottom of the pile came a muffled laugh. "Get off!" the voice yelled, sounding less unused than before. He laughed a laugh of pure joy.
"But... How are you guys here?" He asked in bewilderment.
Frodo laughed. "You didn't think we'd just sit around and let you die, did you?"
He shook his head. "I'm stunned… I didn't think I'd ever see you again…" He looked over at me.
"And Leah, too! It's great to see you!" He sat, shaking his head in astonishment. His eyes focused on Nikki and he smiled.
"And who is this young lass?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Frodo. I laughed.
"This is Nikki." I told him. "Nikki, this is Samwise Gamgee." She nodded as her confusion subsided. Frodo spoke after a couple minutes had passed.
"I'm sorry to say, Sam, that this certainly isn't a very efficient rescue mission. Now we're the ones in need of rescuing."
Sam frowned. "You shouldn't have come," He said. "They'll kill you too." He looked up at us. I fixed my expression.
"I would rather die trying to save someone who risked their life for mine forty years ago than sit at home and let them die." I told him, ending with a smile. "And besides," I added as an afterthought, "We haven't had a good adventure for a long time and this one is far from over."
He looked up at me in wonderment. I bit my lip and Frodo was about to say something when Legolas gasped.
"Footsteps," He said. I strained my ears and realized he was right. I grabbed Frodo and Nikki by the wrist, pulling them towards the door and pushing them through the trapdoor after Legolas before turning to Sam for one last word.
"We'll be back," I said. He nodded and I jumped through the trapdoor, landing catlike on the stone floor. Legolas shut the door after me, just in time. The door opened and He walked in, flanked by three orc bodyguards. He said something to them in a foul language, and they nodded. They walked into the room, opened the trapdoor, and pushed my companions through before going through themselves and closing the door.
Leaving me face to face with Grima Wormtounge.
He began to circle me, walking slowly and menacingly in a full circle before facing me and speaking.
"Are you afraid of me?" He asked.
"You wish," I replied coldly.
"Still rather sharp of tongue, are we?"
"No, that's a snakelike trait. That's more your type, you…"
"Oh. So you still wish to be fresh with me."
"Something like that,"
"Well, before long you will be subdued. You remember what I said? About you all dying one by one?"
I had no response.
"I'll take that as a yes. Well, I have decided something. You-" he paused dramatically, "-will be the last one to die."
I breathed sharply and he saw my weakness. He almost had me.
"You will watch your friends and family die one by one, until none are left. Then you will be tortured for any information and killed."
I bowed my head slightly.
"Or you have a choice. You can either have your companions die before your death, theirs being painful deaths and yours beings short, or you can die a slow, painful death first. I leave the choice to you."
I cleared my throat and lunged at him. He took two or three steps backward and snapped his fingers. Two more orcs arrived at the open door and held me back. They chained my wrists to two chains hanging on the wall. Because I was short, the held my hands a little above waist height, and I struggled against them.
"Did you really think you could win? There is no triumph over the force of Sauron, you should know that by now."
I bared my teeth. I was now the fiercest I could ever remember being. I lunged at him again to no avail, and he laughed. He took a couple of steps towards me so I couldn't reach him with my feet, and lifted my chin up with one foul finger. He put his face close to mine.
"I have already captured your other friends. They are here, in my tower. If you wish for all of them, including yourself, to die, by all means keep resisting. You know why I had you left behind instead of one of the others. I know you have seen what others have not. You know more than they do. Knowledge is a powerful tool. Now, I give you the REAL choice: watch your friends die, or let them go back to their normal lives and stay here."
"Stay here?"
"Don't play stupid. You know what I mean. Stay here and assist me. Be my… Dark lady in-training."
"Never."
"Don't be so naïve. I will give you a fortnight to decide."
I bowed my head in sorrow.
"I've made my decision, you piece of filth. I will not help you!" I growled. I was losing strength and willpower by the minute, and he knew it.
"I shall return in a fortnight."
With that, he opened the trapdoor, summoned the five orcs, and left. Legolas, Nikki, Frodo, and Sam came cautiously out and saw me, pathetic as I was, still chained to the wall.
"Leah!" Frodo exclaimed, sprinting to the place where I was chained.
When he reached me, he frowned.
"What did he say?" Legolas asked.
"That piece of filth said that either we die, or you all go back and I stay here."
"Stay here?" Frodo asked.
"As a servant of Sauron." Frodo's jaw dropped.
"We won't die," he said. "The others will rescue us."
"He already has the others," I told him, bowing my head.
"That's impossible," Frodo said in disbelief.
"Is it?"
"He lied before… Why should he be telling the truth now?"
"I know it in my heart. I can feel it." I said.
"What did you say to him?"
"I told hi I would never join him, but the refusal was weak. My will is being broken down. Slowly, and I still have some willpower, but it's hard to refuse."
"Hang in there."
"He'll be back in a fortnight."
Frodo nodded concernedly and sat next to me, putting an arm around me. Nikki and Legolas sat on my other side, and I collapsed and drifted into an uneasy sleep filled with nightmares.
A/N: Holy God, I have written a lot! As for the person, most of you will know who it is already, but I'm gonna leave the rest of you in the dark for half a page (no pun intended). Well, here's your next chapter:
Frodo frowned.
"Who are you?" He asked, and the person pulled down their hood. I didn't recognize the person for a minute, but after a second, three among us realized who it was at the same time and all three of us dove to hug him at the same time, the result being that he was thrown against the back wall in a pile of hobbit and elf. Nikki stood watching the comical scene unfold before her, although she was utterly confused as to whom the person was.
From the bottom of the pile came a muffled laugh. "Get off!" the voice yelled, sounding less unused than before. He laughed a laugh of pure joy.
"But... How are you guys here?" He asked in bewilderment.
Frodo laughed. "You didn't think we'd just sit around and let you die, did you?"
He shook his head. "I'm stunned… I didn't think I'd ever see you again…" He looked over at me.
"And Leah, too! It's great to see you!" He sat, shaking his head in astonishment. His eyes focused on Nikki and he smiled.
"And who is this young lass?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Frodo. I laughed.
"This is Nikki." I told him. "Nikki, this is Samwise Gamgee." She nodded as her confusion subsided. Frodo spoke after a couple minutes had passed.
"I'm sorry to say, Sam, that this certainly isn't a very efficient rescue mission. Now we're the ones in need of rescuing."
Sam frowned. "You shouldn't have come," He said. "They'll kill you too." He looked up at us. I fixed my expression.
"I would rather die trying to save someone who risked their life for mine forty years ago than sit at home and let them die." I told him, ending with a smile. "And besides," I added as an afterthought, "We haven't had a good adventure for a long time and this one is far from over."
He looked up at me in wonderment. I bit my lip and Frodo was about to say something when Legolas gasped.
"Footsteps," He said. I strained my ears and realized he was right. I grabbed Frodo and Nikki by the wrist, pulling them towards the door and pushing them through the trapdoor after Legolas before turning to Sam for one last word.
"We'll be back," I said. He nodded and I jumped through the trapdoor, landing catlike on the stone floor. Legolas shut the door after me, just in time. The door opened and He walked in, flanked by three orc bodyguards. He said something to them in a foul language, and they nodded. They walked into the room, opened the trapdoor, and pushed my companions through before going through themselves and closing the door.
Leaving me face to face with Grima Wormtounge.
He began to circle me, walking slowly and menacingly in a full circle before facing me and speaking.
"Are you afraid of me?" He asked.
"You wish," I replied coldly.
"Still rather sharp of tongue, are we?"
"No, that's a snakelike trait. That's more your type, you…"
"Oh. So you still wish to be fresh with me."
"Something like that,"
"Well, before long you will be subdued. You remember what I said? About you all dying one by one?"
I had no response.
"I'll take that as a yes. Well, I have decided something. You-" he paused dramatically, "-will be the last one to die."
I breathed sharply and he saw my weakness. He almost had me.
"You will watch your friends and family die one by one, until none are left. Then you will be tortured for any information and killed."
I bowed my head slightly.
"Or you have a choice. You can either have your companions die before your death, theirs being painful deaths and yours beings short, or you can die a slow, painful death first. I leave the choice to you."
I cleared my throat and lunged at him. He took two or three steps backward and snapped his fingers. Two more orcs arrived at the open door and held me back. They chained my wrists to two chains hanging on the wall. Because I was short, the held my hands a little above waist height, and I struggled against them.
"Did you really think you could win? There is no triumph over the force of Sauron, you should know that by now."
I bared my teeth. I was now the fiercest I could ever remember being. I lunged at him again to no avail, and he laughed. He took a couple of steps towards me so I couldn't reach him with my feet, and lifted my chin up with one foul finger. He put his face close to mine.
"I have already captured your other friends. They are here, in my tower. If you wish for all of them, including yourself, to die, by all means keep resisting. You know why I had you left behind instead of one of the others. I know you have seen what others have not. You know more than they do. Knowledge is a powerful tool. Now, I give you the REAL choice: watch your friends die, or let them go back to their normal lives and stay here."
"Stay here?"
"Don't play stupid. You know what I mean. Stay here and assist me. Be my… Dark lady in-training."
"Never."
"Don't be so naïve. I will give you a fortnight to decide."
I bowed my head in sorrow.
"I've made my decision, you piece of filth. I will not help you!" I growled. I was losing strength and willpower by the minute, and he knew it.
"I shall return in a fortnight."
With that, he opened the trapdoor, summoned the five orcs, and left. Legolas, Nikki, Frodo, and Sam came cautiously out and saw me, pathetic as I was, still chained to the wall.
"Leah!" Frodo exclaimed, sprinting to the place where I was chained.
When he reached me, he frowned.
"What did he say?" Legolas asked.
"That piece of filth said that either we die, or you all go back and I stay here."
"Stay here?" Frodo asked.
"As a servant of Sauron." Frodo's jaw dropped.
"We won't die," he said. "The others will rescue us."
"He already has the others," I told him, bowing my head.
"That's impossible," Frodo said in disbelief.
"Is it?"
"He lied before… Why should he be telling the truth now?"
"I know it in my heart. I can feel it." I said.
"What did you say to him?"
"I told hi I would never join him, but the refusal was weak. My will is being broken down. Slowly, and I still have some willpower, but it's hard to refuse."
"Hang in there."
"He'll be back in a fortnight."
Frodo nodded concernedly and sat next to me, putting an arm around me. Nikki and Legolas sat on my other side, and I collapsed and drifted into an uneasy sleep filled with nightmares.