Entry the Sixth – Magar's Lair

Good news, I finally know who Magar is. He is the leader of a rogue band of orcs, former members of Saruman's Uruk-hai. I am more famous than I had realized, and also more capable of pity, for I pity him. You will understand once I explain more fully the events of the past few days.

He entered my cell with two guards. I rose to my feet to face whomever this was. He glared at me harshly, and then motioned to the guards to be gone. They nodded and left. It was only then that I beheld his true disfigurement. His hair was greasy and woven in tight unkempt knots, and drawn harshly away from his sloping forehead. His eyes were beady and deeply sunken into his skull, but they held a spark of something less primitive than his body alone could reveal. The armor he wore was filthy and rusted, but his weapon, a curved scimitar, was flawless. The guards closed the bars with a resounding clang, which seemed to add a note of finality to my doom. Once the guards were gone, he spoke

"I know you are not from this universe." He said "Just the sight of you confirms it." He circled me like a vulture.

"I know not who you are or what it is you want. Neither do I know what you speak of. Therefore tell me what business you and I have and once it has been settled, let me go!" I held my head high; though chained I remained confident. I had no intention of letting this orc bully me. He had no possible way of knowing who I was, or so I thought.

"I am Magar, second in command of this tribe, and I know who you are, Valkyrie!" He practically spat out my name. I gasped at his outburst. How could he possibly know? "Then it is true… Tell me, angel of the dwarves, how did you come to be here?" He leaned into me, pressing his face into my hair. I pulled away.

"Of what consequence is it to you who I am? Am I important to you somehow?" I lowered my shout to a whisper "I must be, for I am an elf and if I was not needed very badly to you, I would have been killed outright."

"That's right, princess. You are quite precious to me. I trust your, um, 'escorts' treated you well?" he said with surprising sincerity.

"I was rendered unconscious on at least two occasions." I replied coldly.

"It was necessary, but certainly regrettable. Your companion escaped the bandits on her own, and I have bargained with the captain to have you handed over to me for my own use. That is why they transported you here, to my lair." Then he gave me a look which made me shiver. "Do not fear, I have elected to save you, for you remind me so of a human woman I loved long ago. You must blend in as an orc in my tribe, at least for the time being. Once we get farther into Mirkwood, I'll arrange for your escape when the time is right. Until then, you must do exactly as I tell you. Are we clear?" His eloquence as a speaker surprised me so that I almost forgot to respond. Finally I nodded. A smile spread over his face. He made no sound as he pressed a spot in the wall which revealed a secret door. He put a gnarled finger to his lips and motioned for me to follow.

The door lead down a dark, smelly tunnel and came up in an abandoned cottage. He told me that I must stay here for now, and to get some rest. Tomorrow he will begin to train me as one of the orcs. Fighting is a useful skill, and one I've been meaning to learn anyway. Just before he left, Magar put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me as if to say 'it'll all be ok'. I'm really confused, I thought all orcs were filthy barbarians. Perhaps there's another angle here.