Title: Shrouded Eyes Of Green
Author: Isabel DeVore
Claims: I don't own what I didn't make up. What I did make up is mine.
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Chapter Two: The Middle Yard
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Kill 'em not, met bring 'em ere for our Goloungs' ta play wit.
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For two days and nights the orcs of the Moving Forest crossed their dark lands to all gather in the Middle Yard. The whole kingdom crowded down into the square of dead undergrowth gazing up at the once grand palace. The Sleeping Silver trees that had made up the palace were now decaying and crumbling into nothing. The fountains and statues were overgrown with dead vines that held poison still very effectively. The shops and homes were crushed by fallen branches and were becoming one with the ground as death had decreed so. Every yellow eye held it's position upon the hanging door on the palace waiting noisily for what they knew not. Echoes of "What ar wes doin' ere?" and "Ai-O...What hes wants now?" could be heard all around. The orcs grew tired and rowdy with every passing minute. Finally the door barely held up by a single hinge creaked open from the palace. In the dim doorway two long-standing orcs stood tall. One male one female. The female stood smaller than the male, bowlegs in as far as she could make them go. Her oblong, yellow eyes had a kind of caring in them. She wore a cape of yellow silk, dirty from years of clay stains. A crown made of shriveled, dead, laurel leaves sat upon her head where only a few strands of blonde hair still laid.. The male stood taller than any orc has ever, he had only a few strands of hair like the female but his were gray. He too had a yellow cape just as filthy and a crown diseased just as brown. His only claim to a once glorious life was his long, gray beard, still thick by the grace of something unknown.
"Alla-lou! Me once people, ear me!" the orc King's voice boomed. "Intruders invade our lands! 'Mong 'em be an Elf!" A gasp emerged from the crowd followed by shouts of hate and rage.
"Peace! Peace! Me 'usband speaks!" The Queen's voice silenced the mob.
"I call ye ta go about an bring 'em ere ta me! Kill 'em not, met bring 'em ere for our Goloungs' ta play wit!" The King commanded to his army of distorted souls. As soon as the last word was uttered the masses wailed and set off to find the trespassers and fetch them for their master...
"Where are we?" Pippin asked tiredly.
"I think we are somewhere in the Valley of Shadows, but where I am not sure." Merry answered.
"Ah like you know where we are!" Gimli snorted under his breath.
"Hush you all!" Legolas silenced, "We are not alone..."
As soon as Legolas spoke a band of orcs crashed through the trees, attacking with out mercy. Greatly outnumbered the four heroes fell to capture having their hands bound by the strongest iron shackles that Gimli had ever met with his axe. Bound but not broken the four were led on foot by the orcs along an unseen path. Leaves and twigs broke and crumpled under the orcs' heavy footsteps along the path. The stillness of the forest was unnerving to the company the orcs held and fear could have been seen in the two little ones' eyes. On for what seemed forever they were made to walk until the company halted abruptly.
"Where do you think they are taking us? What do you think they'll do?!" Pippin squealed in fear.
"I wouldn't worry about that now, halfling. Worry why we have stopped." directed Gimli.
"Legolas what do we do?" A frightened Merry inquired quietly.
"I am afraid I do not know at the moment. But look at the orcs, something is wrong with them. They quake." Legolas pointed out.
"Shala intudi!" an orc shouted at his prisoners, his sunken in stomach growling afterward.
"Oh excuse me but I don't speak Orcish. Could you please say that again in our tongue?" Merry asked.
The orc's eyes began to glow with anger as his hand came to meet Merry's head with a force so strong it knocked him back into a dead thorny Cookala bush. The orc shouted once again, "Shala intudi! Silence intruders! Don't ye knows tha commander comes thisa ways! Silence or ye die!"
"Tha intruders be not dyin' tonite! Or by ye hands, Arhonol!" A gruff voice spoke as if coming from the trees. From the side of the path a large orc standing as tall as an average man emerged, he too had a sunken in stomach like the rest. The mob of orcs parted for the lone orc as he made his way toward the captives, his bowlegs bending and twisting in horrid ways making him appear shorter than he was.
"Who be ye?" The large orc asked Pippin.
"Them don't speak Orcish, Sketzal." Arhonol spoke to the large orc.
Sketzal rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Call me sister. She speak tha language de men an ot'er beings."
And then as if on cue the surrounding orcs released a piercing shriek into the stale air. Then Arhonol began to call, "Alla-lou! Alla-lou! Azuriel come! Ye brother call ye to hems! Azuriel come!" Within a few seconds the branches above began to rustle and move with next to no sound and then they suddenly stopped. The groundlings all waited in silence for the one they called Azuriel to come and speak with the captives. Then out of the darkness of the canopy a blur of leaves and dirt fell seemingly from the sky. Landing on two feet and bracing it's self with a hand the creature was still awaiting orders.
"Azuriel," Sketzal began. "Them speak not Orcish but tha languages de men an ot'er beings." He motioned to Gimli, Legolas, Pippin, and Merry. "Use ye words that ye knows up on them. Get on girl!"
The creature crawled up to the four imprisoned persons through the many orcs and stopped. Slowly as if it pained her, she stood tall, correcting the curve of her back. When fully erected she gave a startle to the prisoners, for she was no orc but a human. She stood no more than 10 small hands tall* and was terribly emaciated. Skin and bones was she with her sunken in stomach and bony ribs. It looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks like the rest of the creatures around her. Her mud colored hair was twisted and stuffed into awkward braids, obviously made my deformed, orcish hands. She wore a sort of skirt made from a tan animal skin that came no where near her knees, and was held on by a vine like belt. It was smudged from clay beds none the less. She did not ware a top but instead her long hair hid her somewhat from view. Her skin was completely covered in soil and black soot from the fires kept at night. Dead leaves were all in her hair and a small, long dead, ivy vine was wrapped up along her right arm. She wore no shoes but attached to her leg was a small dagger made of bone.
Gimli immediately covered Pippin's and Merry's eyes with his hands as the girl approached. "Hello, I am Azuriel." she spoke softly into the sour air.
Author: Isabel DeVore
Claims: I don't own what I didn't make up. What I did make up is mine.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Two: The Middle Yard
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kill 'em not, met bring 'em ere for our Goloungs' ta play wit.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For two days and nights the orcs of the Moving Forest crossed their dark lands to all gather in the Middle Yard. The whole kingdom crowded down into the square of dead undergrowth gazing up at the once grand palace. The Sleeping Silver trees that had made up the palace were now decaying and crumbling into nothing. The fountains and statues were overgrown with dead vines that held poison still very effectively. The shops and homes were crushed by fallen branches and were becoming one with the ground as death had decreed so. Every yellow eye held it's position upon the hanging door on the palace waiting noisily for what they knew not. Echoes of "What ar wes doin' ere?" and "Ai-O...What hes wants now?" could be heard all around. The orcs grew tired and rowdy with every passing minute. Finally the door barely held up by a single hinge creaked open from the palace. In the dim doorway two long-standing orcs stood tall. One male one female. The female stood smaller than the male, bowlegs in as far as she could make them go. Her oblong, yellow eyes had a kind of caring in them. She wore a cape of yellow silk, dirty from years of clay stains. A crown made of shriveled, dead, laurel leaves sat upon her head where only a few strands of blonde hair still laid.. The male stood taller than any orc has ever, he had only a few strands of hair like the female but his were gray. He too had a yellow cape just as filthy and a crown diseased just as brown. His only claim to a once glorious life was his long, gray beard, still thick by the grace of something unknown.
"Alla-lou! Me once people, ear me!" the orc King's voice boomed. "Intruders invade our lands! 'Mong 'em be an Elf!" A gasp emerged from the crowd followed by shouts of hate and rage.
"Peace! Peace! Me 'usband speaks!" The Queen's voice silenced the mob.
"I call ye ta go about an bring 'em ere ta me! Kill 'em not, met bring 'em ere for our Goloungs' ta play wit!" The King commanded to his army of distorted souls. As soon as the last word was uttered the masses wailed and set off to find the trespassers and fetch them for their master...
"Where are we?" Pippin asked tiredly.
"I think we are somewhere in the Valley of Shadows, but where I am not sure." Merry answered.
"Ah like you know where we are!" Gimli snorted under his breath.
"Hush you all!" Legolas silenced, "We are not alone..."
As soon as Legolas spoke a band of orcs crashed through the trees, attacking with out mercy. Greatly outnumbered the four heroes fell to capture having their hands bound by the strongest iron shackles that Gimli had ever met with his axe. Bound but not broken the four were led on foot by the orcs along an unseen path. Leaves and twigs broke and crumpled under the orcs' heavy footsteps along the path. The stillness of the forest was unnerving to the company the orcs held and fear could have been seen in the two little ones' eyes. On for what seemed forever they were made to walk until the company halted abruptly.
"Where do you think they are taking us? What do you think they'll do?!" Pippin squealed in fear.
"I wouldn't worry about that now, halfling. Worry why we have stopped." directed Gimli.
"Legolas what do we do?" A frightened Merry inquired quietly.
"I am afraid I do not know at the moment. But look at the orcs, something is wrong with them. They quake." Legolas pointed out.
"Shala intudi!" an orc shouted at his prisoners, his sunken in stomach growling afterward.
"Oh excuse me but I don't speak Orcish. Could you please say that again in our tongue?" Merry asked.
The orc's eyes began to glow with anger as his hand came to meet Merry's head with a force so strong it knocked him back into a dead thorny Cookala bush. The orc shouted once again, "Shala intudi! Silence intruders! Don't ye knows tha commander comes thisa ways! Silence or ye die!"
"Tha intruders be not dyin' tonite! Or by ye hands, Arhonol!" A gruff voice spoke as if coming from the trees. From the side of the path a large orc standing as tall as an average man emerged, he too had a sunken in stomach like the rest. The mob of orcs parted for the lone orc as he made his way toward the captives, his bowlegs bending and twisting in horrid ways making him appear shorter than he was.
"Who be ye?" The large orc asked Pippin.
"Them don't speak Orcish, Sketzal." Arhonol spoke to the large orc.
Sketzal rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Call me sister. She speak tha language de men an ot'er beings."
And then as if on cue the surrounding orcs released a piercing shriek into the stale air. Then Arhonol began to call, "Alla-lou! Alla-lou! Azuriel come! Ye brother call ye to hems! Azuriel come!" Within a few seconds the branches above began to rustle and move with next to no sound and then they suddenly stopped. The groundlings all waited in silence for the one they called Azuriel to come and speak with the captives. Then out of the darkness of the canopy a blur of leaves and dirt fell seemingly from the sky. Landing on two feet and bracing it's self with a hand the creature was still awaiting orders.
"Azuriel," Sketzal began. "Them speak not Orcish but tha languages de men an ot'er beings." He motioned to Gimli, Legolas, Pippin, and Merry. "Use ye words that ye knows up on them. Get on girl!"
The creature crawled up to the four imprisoned persons through the many orcs and stopped. Slowly as if it pained her, she stood tall, correcting the curve of her back. When fully erected she gave a startle to the prisoners, for she was no orc but a human. She stood no more than 10 small hands tall* and was terribly emaciated. Skin and bones was she with her sunken in stomach and bony ribs. It looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks like the rest of the creatures around her. Her mud colored hair was twisted and stuffed into awkward braids, obviously made my deformed, orcish hands. She wore a sort of skirt made from a tan animal skin that came no where near her knees, and was held on by a vine like belt. It was smudged from clay beds none the less. She did not ware a top but instead her long hair hid her somewhat from view. Her skin was completely covered in soil and black soot from the fires kept at night. Dead leaves were all in her hair and a small, long dead, ivy vine was wrapped up along her right arm. She wore no shoes but attached to her leg was a small dagger made of bone.
Gimli immediately covered Pippin's and Merry's eyes with his hands as the girl approached. "Hello, I am Azuriel." she spoke softly into the sour air.