Chapter 7 - The Rescue Part 1
Disclaimer: I've been listening to Bjork whilst writing this, so I had to put a lyric of hers in there! It does not belong to me but I'm sure my favourite human being in the whole world won't mind me borrowing it if I promise to return it.
A/N Many thanks to Darth Yak, Eve Eastborn and Munchi for reviewing, I didn't think it would be, but it's heartening knowing that someone is reading it other than me and, more amazingly, enjoying it. I hope it continues!
Elise had tried everything she could think of in her attempt to move her legs, but it was no use, they just didn't respond. She had to be tied to her horse so that she didn't fall off. There were a few hairy moments where her makeshift saddle slipped and she found herself underneath the horse instead of on its back, but other than that her journey was nowhere near as terrifying as her earlier thwarted escape. The Orcs left her alone, content to sneer at her while providing an escort for her and their Lord, Sauron.
She scowled at the Orcs. She was starting to look like one of them, she thought. Her hair was a tangled mess that, without a comb or any hair care products, began to look like one large matted lump on her head decorated with assorted leaves and twigs collected from her earlier upside-down stint. To help her avoid thinking about the potential horrors that lay ahead, she daydreamed about hot showers, hot chocolate and...Legolas? Elise shook her head, dislodging some of the trapped foliage. It was completely inappropriate. She hardly knew him, not to mention that fact that she may not be alive much longer. Yet all she could think about was how much she missed him. She pictured his tall, lithe frame in action as she had seen him when he was annihilating the Orcs. His hair flying in the breeze, glowing like an aurora and framing his exquisite face. Who would have known a beauty this immense could exist in the world? Her reverie was abruptly halted as she began to realise something quite disturbing.
The air was becoming noticeably cooler. The clouds in the sky were more dense, as if they were deliberately trying to squeeze out the sun's bright light. In the distance Elise could just about make out a sinister silhouette of a tower, dark and foreboding.
Elise found herself growing more and more nervous as she took in the increasingly gloomy surroundings. The leaves on the trees were fewer and those remaining were dry and brown. There were no sounds of life, as you would expect in a forest.
She watched in horror as the closer they got to the tower, the more dry and desolate the landscape seemed to become.
"Ahh, My plan is working." Said Sauron who was also surveying the area. He drew a deep breath and exhaled, as if he was imbibing a fresh sea breeze. "Is it not beautiful?"
Not having forgotten the last time she upset him, Elise was keen to keep the evil man happy so she agreed with a curt nod. A few more leaves fell from her hair. Soon after that moment, the Orcs that were travelling alongside them started to become restless. They murmured to each other and looked all around them, expectantly. 'They look like puppies expecting an earthquake,' she thought. Sauron's blackbird, Anneau soared up in the air squawking irritably.
"Something was definitely not right," she breathed. Elise finally allowed herself a small piece of hope as soon as the man himself began to look worried.
A loud bang cracked through the air, the Orcs reached for their weapons and the horses reared up in fright. The whole group was poised for a fight, but there was only silence. A few more moments passed when, to Elise's dismay, the man relaxed again and the group continued on their way.
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"My Apologies!" Gandalf said as he struggled to keep up with Legolas' purposeful strides. "The powder is as accurate as it can be, but it is by no means a perfect concoction." Wheezed Gandalf. Legolas was in no mood to listen.
"How far away are we?" He replied, storming his way through the trampled trail left by Sauron's Orcs.
"Not far away. By my reckoning they should be only over that bluff." Answered Aragorn, he had been scouring the floor and using his sharp tracking skills to ascertain the time that had passed since the Orcs had been there. The group stared at the large hill several miles away. Aragorn sighed loudly and watched nervously as Legolas bristled.
"We will run!" cried Gimli and burst through the group leading the way, his axe high above his head.
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Elise had now officially lost hope. She knew that far too many miles and hours had passed for the men to rescue her, she couldn't move of her own accord yet, although, pins and needles sensations were slowing returning to her feet. The Orcs were now extremely cheerful, laughing and sneering and looking very smug. She spent the time imagining slow and tortuous deaths for each and every one of them. She happened to look behind her and her heart began to pound.
They were in what could only be described as a large square shaped valley. Mountains and hills of varying sizes enclosed the flat and dying plain. She could have sworn that on the brow of one of these hills, she saw the shadowy figures of people. She hoped they were battle-trained men, or Elves, which she now believed existed. She prayed they weren't more Orcs.
####################################
The group had run fast and hard reaching the crest in a very short space of time. Gandalf stopped to catch his breath and spotted the band of Orcs surrounding Elise. He turned to Legolas but was interrupted before he could utter a single word.
"I know Gandalf, I can see that she is unharmed. I have seen them now for a good while."
Gimli tutted, his hand on his stout hips, "you could have told us, we cannot all have the keen eyes of a Hawk!"
"What does it matter what you can see? It will not make your short legs run any faster." Legolas shot back. Gimli growled and clumped forward, only to be stopped by Gandalf.
"Save your fire for those that deserve it Gimli."
Gimli cursed in his own language and broke into a run towards the unsuspecting group. Legolas stared a bit further out into the distance, towards the other set of hills, and smiled. He turned and whispered something to Gandalf, which made him grin even wider.
"Then it is time." Said Gandalf, and as he motioned for the group to follow Gimli, he walked with a new spring in his step.
Disclaimer: I've been listening to Bjork whilst writing this, so I had to put a lyric of hers in there! It does not belong to me but I'm sure my favourite human being in the whole world won't mind me borrowing it if I promise to return it.
A/N Many thanks to Darth Yak, Eve Eastborn and Munchi for reviewing, I didn't think it would be, but it's heartening knowing that someone is reading it other than me and, more amazingly, enjoying it. I hope it continues!
Elise had tried everything she could think of in her attempt to move her legs, but it was no use, they just didn't respond. She had to be tied to her horse so that she didn't fall off. There were a few hairy moments where her makeshift saddle slipped and she found herself underneath the horse instead of on its back, but other than that her journey was nowhere near as terrifying as her earlier thwarted escape. The Orcs left her alone, content to sneer at her while providing an escort for her and their Lord, Sauron.
She scowled at the Orcs. She was starting to look like one of them, she thought. Her hair was a tangled mess that, without a comb or any hair care products, began to look like one large matted lump on her head decorated with assorted leaves and twigs collected from her earlier upside-down stint. To help her avoid thinking about the potential horrors that lay ahead, she daydreamed about hot showers, hot chocolate and...Legolas? Elise shook her head, dislodging some of the trapped foliage. It was completely inappropriate. She hardly knew him, not to mention that fact that she may not be alive much longer. Yet all she could think about was how much she missed him. She pictured his tall, lithe frame in action as she had seen him when he was annihilating the Orcs. His hair flying in the breeze, glowing like an aurora and framing his exquisite face. Who would have known a beauty this immense could exist in the world? Her reverie was abruptly halted as she began to realise something quite disturbing.
The air was becoming noticeably cooler. The clouds in the sky were more dense, as if they were deliberately trying to squeeze out the sun's bright light. In the distance Elise could just about make out a sinister silhouette of a tower, dark and foreboding.
Elise found herself growing more and more nervous as she took in the increasingly gloomy surroundings. The leaves on the trees were fewer and those remaining were dry and brown. There were no sounds of life, as you would expect in a forest.
She watched in horror as the closer they got to the tower, the more dry and desolate the landscape seemed to become.
"Ahh, My plan is working." Said Sauron who was also surveying the area. He drew a deep breath and exhaled, as if he was imbibing a fresh sea breeze. "Is it not beautiful?"
Not having forgotten the last time she upset him, Elise was keen to keep the evil man happy so she agreed with a curt nod. A few more leaves fell from her hair. Soon after that moment, the Orcs that were travelling alongside them started to become restless. They murmured to each other and looked all around them, expectantly. 'They look like puppies expecting an earthquake,' she thought. Sauron's blackbird, Anneau soared up in the air squawking irritably.
"Something was definitely not right," she breathed. Elise finally allowed herself a small piece of hope as soon as the man himself began to look worried.
A loud bang cracked through the air, the Orcs reached for their weapons and the horses reared up in fright. The whole group was poised for a fight, but there was only silence. A few more moments passed when, to Elise's dismay, the man relaxed again and the group continued on their way.
####################################
"My Apologies!" Gandalf said as he struggled to keep up with Legolas' purposeful strides. "The powder is as accurate as it can be, but it is by no means a perfect concoction." Wheezed Gandalf. Legolas was in no mood to listen.
"How far away are we?" He replied, storming his way through the trampled trail left by Sauron's Orcs.
"Not far away. By my reckoning they should be only over that bluff." Answered Aragorn, he had been scouring the floor and using his sharp tracking skills to ascertain the time that had passed since the Orcs had been there. The group stared at the large hill several miles away. Aragorn sighed loudly and watched nervously as Legolas bristled.
"We will run!" cried Gimli and burst through the group leading the way, his axe high above his head.
####################################
Elise had now officially lost hope. She knew that far too many miles and hours had passed for the men to rescue her, she couldn't move of her own accord yet, although, pins and needles sensations were slowing returning to her feet. The Orcs were now extremely cheerful, laughing and sneering and looking very smug. She spent the time imagining slow and tortuous deaths for each and every one of them. She happened to look behind her and her heart began to pound.
They were in what could only be described as a large square shaped valley. Mountains and hills of varying sizes enclosed the flat and dying plain. She could have sworn that on the brow of one of these hills, she saw the shadowy figures of people. She hoped they were battle-trained men, or Elves, which she now believed existed. She prayed they weren't more Orcs.
####################################
The group had run fast and hard reaching the crest in a very short space of time. Gandalf stopped to catch his breath and spotted the band of Orcs surrounding Elise. He turned to Legolas but was interrupted before he could utter a single word.
"I know Gandalf, I can see that she is unharmed. I have seen them now for a good while."
Gimli tutted, his hand on his stout hips, "you could have told us, we cannot all have the keen eyes of a Hawk!"
"What does it matter what you can see? It will not make your short legs run any faster." Legolas shot back. Gimli growled and clumped forward, only to be stopped by Gandalf.
"Save your fire for those that deserve it Gimli."
Gimli cursed in his own language and broke into a run towards the unsuspecting group. Legolas stared a bit further out into the distance, towards the other set of hills, and smiled. He turned and whispered something to Gandalf, which made him grin even wider.
"Then it is time." Said Gandalf, and as he motioned for the group to follow Gimli, he walked with a new spring in his step.