Disclaimer: JRR Tolkien (and the proprietors of his estate) own Middle
Earth and any of it's inhabitants that you recognize from LotR. This story
is meant for the amusement of anyone still reading it, and the only profit
I get from it is the ego-boost from those who choose to review.
Author's Note: Thanks to valin for the review. In answer to your questions: yes, Sarah and Alex (and Haldir) will be meeting members of the Fellowship (probably within the next couple of chapters). The story takes place during The Two Towers and The Return of the King (although there is a slight layover in terms of timeframes with the Fellowship of the Ring). Hopefully I'll be finished with the multiple POV's soon (they're complicated to write), but first we have to have Sarah rescued so the threesome is back together again. ;o)
Chapter 10: The Orc Hunt Begins
Alex's POV (still).
We rushed back to Lothlorien. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn evidently knew what had happened, since they both came to meet us with a look of worry on their faces. "You must make haste, Haldir and Alex, if you are to catch Sarah before it is too late." Haldir just nodded and led me to a room full of elvish weapons.
He handed me a sword in its' sheath, and I attached it to my belt. "I am sorry, Alex. I believe those Orcs that kidnapped your sister were what remained of a band that came through the night that the Fellowship arrived in Lorien. My brothers, Orophin and Rumil, indicated that most of the band had been killed and the rest fled. We had assumed that they would not return, but evidently, we were wrong. You should not blame yourself for your sisters disappearance, for I am equally responsible."
Questions ran around in my head, and I began wishing that I'd read Sarah's copy of 'The Lord of the Rings' before – maybe then I wouldn't have so many questions… I nodded and gave half a smile, trying to not let the worry that was building in my stomach show on my face. "Let's go hunt some Orcs and get Sarah back…"
Haldir nodded. "Yes, my friend, let's go…"
Haldir's POV.
I helped Alex up onto Vardalossiel, my mare, and I borrowed Rumil's stallion, Ardon. He seemed a little dubious at first, and admitted he had never been on anything more than a pony and something he called a 'camel at the circus' when he and Sarah were seven. I quickly gave him a brief lesson in horseback riding, and whispered to Vardalossiel to be on her best behaviour.
As we trotted out of Lorien, I looked back at my home, wondering if I would see it again. (We might be long-lived, but knowing that I was going to be heading into battle sooner than I had planned still left me to wonder.) Orophin, who was on scout duty near the periphery of the forest, came to wave goodbye to us as we passed. "Take care, Haldir!" he called as we rode on into the distance.
"You too!" I called back. "And make sure that Rumil eats his vegetables!"
The last I heard of Orophin was his laugh filling the treetops as he went back into hiding.
We rode steadily on all day, occasionally stopping so I could ascertain whether we were still on the right track. As dusk fell, we found refuge from the oncoming night in a small gap in some rocks. While it did little to shelter us from above, it at least managed to protect us from the bitter- cold wind that had started to howl around us.
I started a fire and we ate some lembas and drank some fruity wine. It had been a long day, and we were both weary. Alex had stayed silent most of the day, and I could tell that he was contemplating what was to come. As the fire began to die, he finally spoke. "Who are the Fellowship that you spoke of earlier, Haldir?"
I chuckled, suddenly remembering that he seemed to know much less about our world than Sarah did. He looked over at me with a hurt expression on his face, and I immediately stopped my laughter. "I am sorry, Alex, please forgive me. I forgot that you and your sister had only just arrived here, and probably know little of the world and times in which we now live… The Fellowship are the nine, well, eight now, who were sent to help destroy an evil ring of power in the fiery depths of Mount Doom in Mordor. They left Lothlorien by boat the day before you and Sarah arrived… Come, it is getting late, and you should rest. I will take first watch, and will wake you in a few hours time."
Alex let out a yawn and nodded in agreement, curling up into the cloak he had been given as we were packing the last of the supplies.
Sarah's POV.
I woke up with a splitting headache and let out a groan. Despite my brain telling me that my eyes were open, I couldn't see a thing. "So… You are awake at last," a guttural voice said. With every word that was spoken, cymbals went off in my head.
"Yes, I'm awake…" I whispered (I dared not speak for fear of making my headache worse). "Now, whoever you are, would you mind getting me some Asprin? I've got the mother of all hangov—" As I was saying the last sentence, I had been trying to move my hand towards my head to support it as I prepared to sit up to take the Aspirin. Unfortunately, my hands were tied tightly behind my back, which prevented me from moving them much at all. "Hey!" I shouted, and immediately regretted it as jackhammers joined the crashing cymbals playing mercilessly inside my head. With a groan, I went back to whispering. "What did you tie me up for?"
Cruel laughter filled the air. I was lifted up into a sitting position, making me whimper as the pain in my head increased tenfold. I felt a blindfold being tied around my eyes and prayed that I wasn't going to be raped. "We couldn't very well have you escaping, now could we?" another, slightly higher (but still very guttural) voice said in my ear.
"What do you want with me?" I sobbed. Before waking up, I had been hoping it was all just some sort of weird dream I'd been having while waiting for Haldir and Alex to return. Now, however, my hopes disappeared and fear began to take over.
I felt a clawed finger brush my cheek and I shuddered. "Well now," the first voice that I had heard speak said, "that all depends on how cooperative you are…" There was more laughter and jeers from all around as I pulled my knees up defensively into my chest. My ankles may have been tied, but I could still kick out if I needed to…
I suddenly heard a commotion off to my right. My Orc captors evidently heard it too, because I heard feet shuffling off in that direction. A short while later, a larger group returned (at least, I presumed it was larger because the crackling of the fallen leaves sounded louder).
"We've got company," a third voice said, this one lower than the other two had been. "Lurch has returned with two of the halflings for Master Saruman…" There were grunts from the Orcs surrounding me, and a couple of "Oof!" sounds as two bodies were plopped down beside me.
'These must be Merry and Pip,' I thought to myself. 'I can't believe I'm sitting so close to my favorite hobbits… Of course, I'd rather be meeting them under different circumstances, but…'
Author's Note: That's all for now, folks! Please click the "submit a review" button below to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Come on, you know you want to! :o)
Author's Note: Thanks to valin for the review. In answer to your questions: yes, Sarah and Alex (and Haldir) will be meeting members of the Fellowship (probably within the next couple of chapters). The story takes place during The Two Towers and The Return of the King (although there is a slight layover in terms of timeframes with the Fellowship of the Ring). Hopefully I'll be finished with the multiple POV's soon (they're complicated to write), but first we have to have Sarah rescued so the threesome is back together again. ;o)
Chapter 10: The Orc Hunt Begins
Alex's POV (still).
We rushed back to Lothlorien. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn evidently knew what had happened, since they both came to meet us with a look of worry on their faces. "You must make haste, Haldir and Alex, if you are to catch Sarah before it is too late." Haldir just nodded and led me to a room full of elvish weapons.
He handed me a sword in its' sheath, and I attached it to my belt. "I am sorry, Alex. I believe those Orcs that kidnapped your sister were what remained of a band that came through the night that the Fellowship arrived in Lorien. My brothers, Orophin and Rumil, indicated that most of the band had been killed and the rest fled. We had assumed that they would not return, but evidently, we were wrong. You should not blame yourself for your sisters disappearance, for I am equally responsible."
Questions ran around in my head, and I began wishing that I'd read Sarah's copy of 'The Lord of the Rings' before – maybe then I wouldn't have so many questions… I nodded and gave half a smile, trying to not let the worry that was building in my stomach show on my face. "Let's go hunt some Orcs and get Sarah back…"
Haldir nodded. "Yes, my friend, let's go…"
Haldir's POV.
I helped Alex up onto Vardalossiel, my mare, and I borrowed Rumil's stallion, Ardon. He seemed a little dubious at first, and admitted he had never been on anything more than a pony and something he called a 'camel at the circus' when he and Sarah were seven. I quickly gave him a brief lesson in horseback riding, and whispered to Vardalossiel to be on her best behaviour.
As we trotted out of Lorien, I looked back at my home, wondering if I would see it again. (We might be long-lived, but knowing that I was going to be heading into battle sooner than I had planned still left me to wonder.) Orophin, who was on scout duty near the periphery of the forest, came to wave goodbye to us as we passed. "Take care, Haldir!" he called as we rode on into the distance.
"You too!" I called back. "And make sure that Rumil eats his vegetables!"
The last I heard of Orophin was his laugh filling the treetops as he went back into hiding.
We rode steadily on all day, occasionally stopping so I could ascertain whether we were still on the right track. As dusk fell, we found refuge from the oncoming night in a small gap in some rocks. While it did little to shelter us from above, it at least managed to protect us from the bitter- cold wind that had started to howl around us.
I started a fire and we ate some lembas and drank some fruity wine. It had been a long day, and we were both weary. Alex had stayed silent most of the day, and I could tell that he was contemplating what was to come. As the fire began to die, he finally spoke. "Who are the Fellowship that you spoke of earlier, Haldir?"
I chuckled, suddenly remembering that he seemed to know much less about our world than Sarah did. He looked over at me with a hurt expression on his face, and I immediately stopped my laughter. "I am sorry, Alex, please forgive me. I forgot that you and your sister had only just arrived here, and probably know little of the world and times in which we now live… The Fellowship are the nine, well, eight now, who were sent to help destroy an evil ring of power in the fiery depths of Mount Doom in Mordor. They left Lothlorien by boat the day before you and Sarah arrived… Come, it is getting late, and you should rest. I will take first watch, and will wake you in a few hours time."
Alex let out a yawn and nodded in agreement, curling up into the cloak he had been given as we were packing the last of the supplies.
Sarah's POV.
I woke up with a splitting headache and let out a groan. Despite my brain telling me that my eyes were open, I couldn't see a thing. "So… You are awake at last," a guttural voice said. With every word that was spoken, cymbals went off in my head.
"Yes, I'm awake…" I whispered (I dared not speak for fear of making my headache worse). "Now, whoever you are, would you mind getting me some Asprin? I've got the mother of all hangov—" As I was saying the last sentence, I had been trying to move my hand towards my head to support it as I prepared to sit up to take the Aspirin. Unfortunately, my hands were tied tightly behind my back, which prevented me from moving them much at all. "Hey!" I shouted, and immediately regretted it as jackhammers joined the crashing cymbals playing mercilessly inside my head. With a groan, I went back to whispering. "What did you tie me up for?"
Cruel laughter filled the air. I was lifted up into a sitting position, making me whimper as the pain in my head increased tenfold. I felt a blindfold being tied around my eyes and prayed that I wasn't going to be raped. "We couldn't very well have you escaping, now could we?" another, slightly higher (but still very guttural) voice said in my ear.
"What do you want with me?" I sobbed. Before waking up, I had been hoping it was all just some sort of weird dream I'd been having while waiting for Haldir and Alex to return. Now, however, my hopes disappeared and fear began to take over.
I felt a clawed finger brush my cheek and I shuddered. "Well now," the first voice that I had heard speak said, "that all depends on how cooperative you are…" There was more laughter and jeers from all around as I pulled my knees up defensively into my chest. My ankles may have been tied, but I could still kick out if I needed to…
I suddenly heard a commotion off to my right. My Orc captors evidently heard it too, because I heard feet shuffling off in that direction. A short while later, a larger group returned (at least, I presumed it was larger because the crackling of the fallen leaves sounded louder).
"We've got company," a third voice said, this one lower than the other two had been. "Lurch has returned with two of the halflings for Master Saruman…" There were grunts from the Orcs surrounding me, and a couple of "Oof!" sounds as two bodies were plopped down beside me.
'These must be Merry and Pip,' I thought to myself. 'I can't believe I'm sitting so close to my favorite hobbits… Of course, I'd rather be meeting them under different circumstances, but…'
Author's Note: That's all for now, folks! Please click the "submit a review" button below to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Come on, you know you want to! :o)