Morranon approached steadily. Fire burned placidly at its battlement, the
darkness behind it colored from time to time by a twist and churl from the
Mountain. Ah, home, Sauron thought.
He was just about to fall into a slow song about fire and darkness, when he heard a sound behind him. It was as of feet running swiftly over the barren ground, approaching him, yet they were light, as elven footfalls. "Hey!" a clear voice rung out behind him, calling him to stop, and Sauron took the hilt of his sword, knowing the voice to be elven, and thinking what folly of this elf to stop the very Him on such a place.
If a spy it was, not a better job had it done than his rampant, loud, stupid orcs. Sauron turned slowly as the elf approached, and gazed at it. The elf was smaller then they usually were wont to be, clad in gray as a starless evening, a hood covering its face, and it panted from the speed. It stopped a short distance from the huge black figure of Sauron, and he thought how foolish it did not recognize an enemy.
The elf did not speak for a while, trying to catch its breath, and then it stopped, and looked straight at the Dark Lord.
"What would you here, master elf?" Asked Sauron "This is not a place for your kind, hated as you are, enemies of all darkness. What do you seek?"
The elf smiled and took his hood of "I am no elf, or else I think so. And master is not correct either, mistress would be more in hand. I am Aurora, and am human. Are you Lord one of the ringwraiths, the dignified servants of Him that is master of all lands?"
Aurora was a woman, small, slender, darkhaired, a lady of the eastern peoples. She was of no astounding beauty, but her eyes glowed in the dusk, and Sauron though they had changed color somehow as she spoke. He was surprised, to say the least. Not only did the enemy turn out to be one of his own, but never had a woman approached him so boldly. He thought her curious, and liked the "Lord of all lands" remark, so he decided to answer.
"Ney, I am not of the brotherhood of the mortal men that serve the Eye. But close to them I stand, and any matter you would speak to them off, to me you may address as well. What is your will, and the speed that carries you?"
"I, Lord, have found something" Aurora began "I do not know what it be, but of importance it seemed to me, and I though wisest to report to one of the Nine" "For a woman, you have much courage. Not many dare approach the Nine" Sauron answered.
"Lord, I have known them a while now. I do not fear them. I served in Dah Dahlur, on the northern border, and one of the brotherhood was my direct liege." "Of what lineage are you, and from what land?" Sauron liked this easterling, brave, intelligent, loyal. More of such, and he would probably have an easier time ruling.
"I am Aurora. I have no other names or lineage, I was found by the orcs in a ditch by the road as a babe. I have no land, I grew up in the vales of Ithilien, wandering at will." She said, now more relaxed, and happy she found someone courteous and intelligent to talk to. This strange Lord appealed to her. He was tall and black clad as a Nazgul, yet different. Instead of cold and distant, as the Nine were, he was warm, a heat radiated from him, as a fire burning, and he seemed very, very present. He had a pleasant voice too, to her ears, used to the orc-screaming. It was manly, yet old and of an odd accent.
Sauron thought her story much to strange for belief, although he had held her gaze as she spoke, and knew she was not deceiving him. "Found by orcs? And they did not slay you?" he said, amazed.
"Aye, Lord, I know! Can you believe it? I think it a wonderful stroke of luck! They took me in as a pet, I suppose, old Gashaakur and his company. Then, as I grew, they accepted me as a collective daughter, and were very protective of me. I still see them whenever I can. Gashaakur is old now, and renown. He even stepped into the hall of the Great Lord himself once, do you know? It was after a battle with the foul men of Ithilien, and he had won. He laid his sword before the feet of Morgul the great, and he says The Great Lord sat on a black throne not five feet away, if it was a inch! But, anyway, of what I have found. Do you wish to see it? You seem to me a great Lord, of the tower, I deem?"
"Yes, of the Tower I come" Sauron smiled "show me this wander you found" Aurora jumped happily, and led him in a busy trot to the vale in the north- east below. As they walked over the stones and crash ground Sauron asked her a few questions.
"The name, Aurora? Whence does it come?" "Unusual for an orc, isn't it?" She said happily "Gashaakur gave it to me. He said that once when he was going through Mirkwood, and you know, he has been in Mirkwood, serving in the Dol Gldur, and he knows all the chieftains there, he heard this Lord mention that there had been an elven princess of great beauty, named Aurorariel, and he said I was as pretty as that one, or more, and so I should be called Aurora. I like it. What's your name, if I may?"
Sauron thought that amazing, but answered. "I am He that you serve" Aurora did not pay much heed to that comment. She herself had thought that asking a great Lord as this one about his name was a boldness too great for any orc to take (she, oddly enough, thought herself to be an orc, or no better than one, and acted in coherence). Also, Mordor was a land of a thousand miseries, and that someone would not desire their name revealed was as natural as the black fogs over Orodruin. As for serving him, of course she served him. He was of the Tower, and she of the Ithilien orcs. What could be more natural? Sauron, on the other hand, thought her quite unusual. She lived in Mordor as an orc, or so it seemed, she looked in appearance as an easterling, she spoke as a human, and yet as she had ran behind him, he swore she was an elf. Quite unusual.
"How old are you" he wanted to know. "Me?" She replied, a bit surprised. Noone had asked her that before, it didn't seem to matter. She had to stop to think, and yet it did not come to her. Age was not an issue, in her mind. She'd been around for a while, she guessed. In Mordor, there were no seasons, for her to judge how many springs had passed. She was randomly in and out of Ithilien, and did not see the year wane many times, and change into a new one. "I do not know" she responded, at length. "I have lived some time now." She thought that was a good enough answer. "And you?"
This surprised Sauron greatly. She answered back every time, with a question. An eager mind, he thought. She might have been useful, if she were a man. Women were extremely rare in Mordor. Sauron thought them to be weak, and not capable of supporting a lot, and unfit for war. He never cared about them, not knowing any deeply. His mind had always been bent on ruling, power, great deeds, sorcery. A shame, he thought. With an eagerness as that, a loyalty, knowledge of the land and customs (and tongues), and an intelligence, she might have made a good leader. Or served in Barad-Dur.
He was just about to fall into a slow song about fire and darkness, when he heard a sound behind him. It was as of feet running swiftly over the barren ground, approaching him, yet they were light, as elven footfalls. "Hey!" a clear voice rung out behind him, calling him to stop, and Sauron took the hilt of his sword, knowing the voice to be elven, and thinking what folly of this elf to stop the very Him on such a place.
If a spy it was, not a better job had it done than his rampant, loud, stupid orcs. Sauron turned slowly as the elf approached, and gazed at it. The elf was smaller then they usually were wont to be, clad in gray as a starless evening, a hood covering its face, and it panted from the speed. It stopped a short distance from the huge black figure of Sauron, and he thought how foolish it did not recognize an enemy.
The elf did not speak for a while, trying to catch its breath, and then it stopped, and looked straight at the Dark Lord.
"What would you here, master elf?" Asked Sauron "This is not a place for your kind, hated as you are, enemies of all darkness. What do you seek?"
The elf smiled and took his hood of "I am no elf, or else I think so. And master is not correct either, mistress would be more in hand. I am Aurora, and am human. Are you Lord one of the ringwraiths, the dignified servants of Him that is master of all lands?"
Aurora was a woman, small, slender, darkhaired, a lady of the eastern peoples. She was of no astounding beauty, but her eyes glowed in the dusk, and Sauron though they had changed color somehow as she spoke. He was surprised, to say the least. Not only did the enemy turn out to be one of his own, but never had a woman approached him so boldly. He thought her curious, and liked the "Lord of all lands" remark, so he decided to answer.
"Ney, I am not of the brotherhood of the mortal men that serve the Eye. But close to them I stand, and any matter you would speak to them off, to me you may address as well. What is your will, and the speed that carries you?"
"I, Lord, have found something" Aurora began "I do not know what it be, but of importance it seemed to me, and I though wisest to report to one of the Nine" "For a woman, you have much courage. Not many dare approach the Nine" Sauron answered.
"Lord, I have known them a while now. I do not fear them. I served in Dah Dahlur, on the northern border, and one of the brotherhood was my direct liege." "Of what lineage are you, and from what land?" Sauron liked this easterling, brave, intelligent, loyal. More of such, and he would probably have an easier time ruling.
"I am Aurora. I have no other names or lineage, I was found by the orcs in a ditch by the road as a babe. I have no land, I grew up in the vales of Ithilien, wandering at will." She said, now more relaxed, and happy she found someone courteous and intelligent to talk to. This strange Lord appealed to her. He was tall and black clad as a Nazgul, yet different. Instead of cold and distant, as the Nine were, he was warm, a heat radiated from him, as a fire burning, and he seemed very, very present. He had a pleasant voice too, to her ears, used to the orc-screaming. It was manly, yet old and of an odd accent.
Sauron thought her story much to strange for belief, although he had held her gaze as she spoke, and knew she was not deceiving him. "Found by orcs? And they did not slay you?" he said, amazed.
"Aye, Lord, I know! Can you believe it? I think it a wonderful stroke of luck! They took me in as a pet, I suppose, old Gashaakur and his company. Then, as I grew, they accepted me as a collective daughter, and were very protective of me. I still see them whenever I can. Gashaakur is old now, and renown. He even stepped into the hall of the Great Lord himself once, do you know? It was after a battle with the foul men of Ithilien, and he had won. He laid his sword before the feet of Morgul the great, and he says The Great Lord sat on a black throne not five feet away, if it was a inch! But, anyway, of what I have found. Do you wish to see it? You seem to me a great Lord, of the tower, I deem?"
"Yes, of the Tower I come" Sauron smiled "show me this wander you found" Aurora jumped happily, and led him in a busy trot to the vale in the north- east below. As they walked over the stones and crash ground Sauron asked her a few questions.
"The name, Aurora? Whence does it come?" "Unusual for an orc, isn't it?" She said happily "Gashaakur gave it to me. He said that once when he was going through Mirkwood, and you know, he has been in Mirkwood, serving in the Dol Gldur, and he knows all the chieftains there, he heard this Lord mention that there had been an elven princess of great beauty, named Aurorariel, and he said I was as pretty as that one, or more, and so I should be called Aurora. I like it. What's your name, if I may?"
Sauron thought that amazing, but answered. "I am He that you serve" Aurora did not pay much heed to that comment. She herself had thought that asking a great Lord as this one about his name was a boldness too great for any orc to take (she, oddly enough, thought herself to be an orc, or no better than one, and acted in coherence). Also, Mordor was a land of a thousand miseries, and that someone would not desire their name revealed was as natural as the black fogs over Orodruin. As for serving him, of course she served him. He was of the Tower, and she of the Ithilien orcs. What could be more natural? Sauron, on the other hand, thought her quite unusual. She lived in Mordor as an orc, or so it seemed, she looked in appearance as an easterling, she spoke as a human, and yet as she had ran behind him, he swore she was an elf. Quite unusual.
"How old are you" he wanted to know. "Me?" She replied, a bit surprised. Noone had asked her that before, it didn't seem to matter. She had to stop to think, and yet it did not come to her. Age was not an issue, in her mind. She'd been around for a while, she guessed. In Mordor, there were no seasons, for her to judge how many springs had passed. She was randomly in and out of Ithilien, and did not see the year wane many times, and change into a new one. "I do not know" she responded, at length. "I have lived some time now." She thought that was a good enough answer. "And you?"
This surprised Sauron greatly. She answered back every time, with a question. An eager mind, he thought. She might have been useful, if she were a man. Women were extremely rare in Mordor. Sauron thought them to be weak, and not capable of supporting a lot, and unfit for war. He never cared about them, not knowing any deeply. His mind had always been bent on ruling, power, great deeds, sorcery. A shame, he thought. With an eagerness as that, a loyalty, knowledge of the land and customs (and tongues), and an intelligence, she might have made a good leader. Or served in Barad-Dur.