I own nothing, but the characters I created to fill Tolkien's world a little farther. I make no money from this though, so please don't sue and just enjoy. :)

The orc with his foot on the noldo's chest grinned wider. Sarnin felt her heart pounding harder and faster as the orcs leered at her and her niece, but turned wet eyes upon Tarman. As his gaze met hers she whispered "I'm sorry …"

At these words, Tarman wheezed, "Do not let yourselves be captured. Run!"

Lathwinn, meanwhile, squinted at the big orc half-standing on Tarman's chest. This seeming orc-captain grinned back even as he growled, "Drop your knives!"

Lathwinn's scowl softened as she glanced down at the Noldo's face then questioned, "Why? You've not lifted your foot even a hair off his chest. You've no intent to do him or us any good whether we obey you or not."

The orc captain's grin melted into a scowl. He snarled shifting his weight more onto his foot placed on the Noldo's chest. The three orcs who'd followed them down the canyon wall sneered and stepped toward Lathwinn and her aunt. Sarnin stiffened, but Lathwinn leapt forward. Lifting Celuant's craftmanship before her face and then above it, she touched the knife's point to the orc's throat not seeming to care about the orcs holding down the ellon's arms now staring open-mouthed up at her raised face and blade. The orc-captain's brows rose before his scowl fell into a startled stare. Lathwinn was leaning over the prone form of a Noldo now staring up at her eyes wide. He seemed breathless either from the weight upon his chest or horror.

Sarnin heard a string tighten. She turned her head to see another orc had picked up the bow of the last archer her niece had killed. This new orc archer now aimed an arrow at Lathwinn's back. Sarnin screamed her niece's name.

Lathwinn narrowed her eyes further without moving at either sound. She continued meeting the orc captain's gaze. His grin returned wider than before. He lifted his foot just enough to let the elf's chest expand beneath it. Tarman draw a breath before whispering "Are you mad?"

Sarnin also breathed easier. She watched the orc with the bow lowered it slightly and just as slightly loosen its string. Sarnin then turned her stare back to the big orc and her niece.

The orc captain spoke in a gravely voice letting his breath, which smelled like rotting meat, waft into Lathwinn's face. "What now, once-prize of the Blind Orc? Kill me or run, I will break this one's ribs. You will hear it. They will pierce his lungs drowning him in his own blood. You will get an orc arrow through your leg whichever way you run. You and the other elleth will be carried back to our halls eventually by me or any of these surrounding you."

There was a chorus of orc laughs from all those still alive around them. Sarnin's face turned a little grey as she glanced between these chuckling faces. She struggled to keep her breaths and heart from speeding up further still. Lathwinn meanwhile raised an eyebrow as she continued meeting the orc's gaze not even glancing at the other two below her holding the ellon down, "You are too confident orc. Others, including the Blind Orc, have tried to take me back to your dark halls. Yet here I am now."

The orc captain's grin expanded showing even more sharp teeth. "Then I shall succeed where they failed."

Tarman spoke up. "Let neither of you brave elleth, who sought to comfort my brothers' hearts and mine be taken to Morgoth's Halls! Your fate would be worse than Narkal's! I am already dead! There are wounds in me you cannot see!"

Lathwinn merely whispered, "I know."

Tarman shut his eyes and turned his head away. The orc captain wheezed a laugh through his bared and gritted teeth at the stone-faced elleth still meeting his gaze. Sarnin stared at the back of her niece's head with wet eyes.

"Lathwinn, I'm sorry! This is all because of me! Run! I will do my best to protect you in your mother's place!"

Lathwinn flinched causing the orc to first raise an eyebrow then chuckle deep in his throat.

Sarnin seeing Lathwinn did not move and feeling her hope fade away bowed her head and whispered, "I'm so sorry brave Noldo. To you and your younger brothers I make my apology, though they are now dead and you nearly so. If I'd never come to you, none of you would not be here and all of you would be alive if unhappy."

Tarman lifted his head and turned it back to look up at her. "This was our fate. We were cursed before we reached these shores and cursed again upon them. At least most of us first received news that lifted our hearts before our spirits were sent to The Halls for justice. I would like to tell my brothers when I reach them, though, you brave elleth did not receive a fate worse than ours. Make these foes of ours kill you and come with me before letting them take you both prisoner to Melkor's fortress!"

The orc captain's grin became an even deeper scowl at these words. He yelled into Lathwinn's face splattering it with his spittle. "Lower your knife or I kill him before you now!"

The elleth yelled back, "Remove your foot from him first!"

The orc grinned and pressed down again. Tarman hissed then grit his teeth before exhaling "Go!" with the breath he had left.

What do you think?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes