Author's Note: Thanks to those who have reviewed since I uploaded my last
chapter -- I really appreciate any comments I receive, so please keep them
coming. ;)
Mandatory Disclaimer: JRR Tolkien created Middle Earth. Peter Jackson has succeeded (in my mind at least) in bringing Middle Earth to life. This story is written for amusement purposes only, so please don't sue.
Chapter 12: The Journey Continues...
Sarah's POV.
'That's funny...' I thought to myself. 'I don't remember there being mention of a practical joke being played in the book, although I wouldn't put it past these two with their history of mischief making...'
I must have been pretty deep in my thoughts because the next thing I knew, Pip (minus the elven brooch he had been wearing earlier) was being dragged back over to us by Ugluk, one of our captors. "You'll pay for that, halfling..." he sneered as he threw the hobbit down beside us.
Pippin landed with a thump, and anger bubbled inside me once again. 'How dare he do that to Pip... If my arms were free I'd...' but of course my wrists were still bound behind my back. I had to say something, though. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
As Ugluk turned to face me, I suddenly began to regret my sudden outburst. Cruelty and malice played in his eyes, and his fetid breath as he stalked up to me almost made me pass out. "Like you, I suppose..."
I let out a loud gulp, trying to dislodge the fear that had become lodged in my throat. Okay, I admit it, I'm a coward at heart. Luckily Merry came to my aid and kicked the Orc in the shin, leaving him hopping on the other foot, his teeth clenched in pain. "No, I don't think she meant herself..." Merry said. "After all, she may be *closer* to your height, but she's still a good foot shorter than you, so it would still be an unfair fight."
After a few moments (much to our dismay) the Orc seemed to recover and could at least stand on his injured leg again. He reached forward and, grabbing Merry by the collar, picked him up and shook him violently, so that the Brandybuck looked like nothing more than a rag doll swaying forwards and backwards in his grip. I almost thought Merry was done for, but luckily at that moment Lurch came up behind Ugluk and brandished the whip on him.
"I have orders not to harm the halflings, Ugluk, and I will not see them ignored," Lurch said angrily to his companion.
"Then perhaps you should keep a better eye on them, Lurch. I caught that one scampering away from camp while you were fighting with the Mordor Orcs -- he would have escaped too if I had not caught him and brought him back."
"I am sure Saruman will reward you handsomely, then, if what you say is true..." Lurch sneered.
"We should leave, then -- the sooner we bring these troublemakers to Master Saruman, the better," Ugluk stated. Lurch merely nodded in reply before sidling up to me.
"You, though, were not asked for, so I suggest you be on your best behaviour. We do not need to keep you alive..." at this point I felt Lurch's clawed hand move slowly down my spine "...I can take you *any* time *I* please..." Lurch issued a command, and our party was once again on its way towards Isengaard.
Tears were now streaming down my face for what seemed like the millionth time since I'd been captured. Pippin fell into step beside me, but stayed facing ahead as he asked me what was wrong. I shook my head, knowing there was little he could do about it, muttering "I'm just homesick, that's all..."
Pip nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean, I miss the Shire more and more with each passing day, especially since our capture..." and with that, he started to tell me of Hobbiton and some of his past adventures there with Merry. As he spoke, I felt a smile coming to the corners of my lips -- Pippin spoke so animatedly, you couldn't help but imagine yourself there. Suddenly, after listening to a short rendition of one of Merry and Pip's famous practical jokes, I remembered something Merry had said to me earlier.
"Pip, Merry mentioned that you'd played a practical joke on Haldir just before leaving Lothlorien. What was it?"
"Oh that," Pippin giggled before looking sheepishly at the ground. "We dressed a frog in a dolls dress that looked similar to one that Ariel, Haldir's betrothed, had, and I had some of my hair cut off from the back of my head to make a wig. Our last night there, we switched the frog for Ariel in the middle of the night while Haldir was still sleeping, and waited with Ariel in the closet until Haldir woke up to find the frog... The elves have a story about one of their royal kin being turned into a frog by the evil Melkor, and it wasn't until a she-elf kissed him that he turned back into his usual self. Anyway, Haldir actually *kissed* the frog, hoping it would turn back into Ariel..."
By the time Pippin was done, tears of laughter (a nice change from the unhappy tears) were streaming down my face. I almost yelped when the whip caught me on the ankles to get me moving faster.
By the time we stopped for a meal, my legs felt as if they would seize up. Unfortunately, though, one look at the food made my stomach lurch. I didn't know what animal the food had once been, but it smelled foul like the meat had gone bad. The Orcs were all eating it happily enough, but I couldn't bring myself to touch it. Luckily, Merry and Pippin still had some lembas in their pouches, and they gave me some of that. "Orcs aren't cannibals, are they?" I whispered to my hobbit companions.
"I wouldn't put it past them..." Merry whispered back.
Alex POV.
Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli are real slave-drivers. When they've got their minds set on something, nothing seems to get in their way. I didn't mind too much -- the sooner I found Sarah, the happier I'd be, but you'd think that these guys would at least be taking things a little bit slower in the hopes of conserving their strength for fighting the Orcs that took Sarah and their companions.
Haldir had me give up the horse almost immediately, saying that there was no way the two horses could carry five grown-ups. I could understand that, and my legs were certainly happy to get a horse out from under them and finally be back on firm ground, but we covered much less distance than we otherwise would have. Still, I suppose there are always going to be positive and negative aspects to any situation. At least Haldir assured me that the Orcs were also traveling on foot so it would be unlikely that they would be able to outrun us.
I started off spending some time with Aragorn. He told me a little of his family history, and as we walked along, Legolas let me borrow one of his knives and Aragorn started to teach me a little more in terms of sword- fighting techniques. Unfortunately, even if I had been trying to spend more time at the gym before Sarah and I ended up in Middle Earth, I do not have his endurance.
After that, I found myself walking next to Haldir and Legolas, who were busy talking in some strange tongue that I'd heard them speaking in Lothlorien. Haldir smiled apologetically when he saw me looking at them quizically, and started talking in English again. "I see your fighting techniques have been improving, even over the last hour," Haldir said. Legolas gave a nod in agreement, and said a brief word of thanks as I handed him back his knife.
"I just hope it comes in handy when we meet up with those Orcs. If Sarah's been killed, then I'd want to kill every single one of them."
Legolas looked a little taken aback by my bluntness. "You need not worry, Master Alex, the Yrcs may hurt Sarah, but it is unlikely that they will kill her. If that was their aim, we should have found her body long before now. I think they will have another use for her..." I felt my hands starting to clench into fists as I hoped that Legolas didn't mean what I thought he might. He gave me a smile and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry so, Master Alex, we will all do whatever we can to prevent your sister from being harmed." I gave him a strained smile.
Noticing that the dwarf, Gimli, was on his own bringing up the rear, I fell back to keep him company. Gimli was busy muttering to himself, his hand subconsciously grasping the axe at his belt. "Hi, Gimli, what are you talking to yourself about?" I asked him, chuckling as he was startled out of his reverie.
"Oh, it's you..." Gimli said gruffly. "I was merely imagining what it would be like if I were back in the mines with my kinsfolk. Unfortunately, Orcs killed some distant relations in Moria, so I will cherish killing them when we eventually meet up."
I nodded in understanding. "It seems we've all got scores to settle..." I replied.
"Wait!" Aragorn called from the front of our troupe before running off.
Author's Note: What clues does Aragorn think he may have found? The next chapter should be up shortly (provided I get some reviews to keep me writing) so you can find out then. In the meantime, click on the "submit your review" button below to let me know what you think. Good? Bad? Mediocre?
Mandatory Disclaimer: JRR Tolkien created Middle Earth. Peter Jackson has succeeded (in my mind at least) in bringing Middle Earth to life. This story is written for amusement purposes only, so please don't sue.
Chapter 12: The Journey Continues...
Sarah's POV.
'That's funny...' I thought to myself. 'I don't remember there being mention of a practical joke being played in the book, although I wouldn't put it past these two with their history of mischief making...'
I must have been pretty deep in my thoughts because the next thing I knew, Pip (minus the elven brooch he had been wearing earlier) was being dragged back over to us by Ugluk, one of our captors. "You'll pay for that, halfling..." he sneered as he threw the hobbit down beside us.
Pippin landed with a thump, and anger bubbled inside me once again. 'How dare he do that to Pip... If my arms were free I'd...' but of course my wrists were still bound behind my back. I had to say something, though. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
As Ugluk turned to face me, I suddenly began to regret my sudden outburst. Cruelty and malice played in his eyes, and his fetid breath as he stalked up to me almost made me pass out. "Like you, I suppose..."
I let out a loud gulp, trying to dislodge the fear that had become lodged in my throat. Okay, I admit it, I'm a coward at heart. Luckily Merry came to my aid and kicked the Orc in the shin, leaving him hopping on the other foot, his teeth clenched in pain. "No, I don't think she meant herself..." Merry said. "After all, she may be *closer* to your height, but she's still a good foot shorter than you, so it would still be an unfair fight."
After a few moments (much to our dismay) the Orc seemed to recover and could at least stand on his injured leg again. He reached forward and, grabbing Merry by the collar, picked him up and shook him violently, so that the Brandybuck looked like nothing more than a rag doll swaying forwards and backwards in his grip. I almost thought Merry was done for, but luckily at that moment Lurch came up behind Ugluk and brandished the whip on him.
"I have orders not to harm the halflings, Ugluk, and I will not see them ignored," Lurch said angrily to his companion.
"Then perhaps you should keep a better eye on them, Lurch. I caught that one scampering away from camp while you were fighting with the Mordor Orcs -- he would have escaped too if I had not caught him and brought him back."
"I am sure Saruman will reward you handsomely, then, if what you say is true..." Lurch sneered.
"We should leave, then -- the sooner we bring these troublemakers to Master Saruman, the better," Ugluk stated. Lurch merely nodded in reply before sidling up to me.
"You, though, were not asked for, so I suggest you be on your best behaviour. We do not need to keep you alive..." at this point I felt Lurch's clawed hand move slowly down my spine "...I can take you *any* time *I* please..." Lurch issued a command, and our party was once again on its way towards Isengaard.
Tears were now streaming down my face for what seemed like the millionth time since I'd been captured. Pippin fell into step beside me, but stayed facing ahead as he asked me what was wrong. I shook my head, knowing there was little he could do about it, muttering "I'm just homesick, that's all..."
Pip nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean, I miss the Shire more and more with each passing day, especially since our capture..." and with that, he started to tell me of Hobbiton and some of his past adventures there with Merry. As he spoke, I felt a smile coming to the corners of my lips -- Pippin spoke so animatedly, you couldn't help but imagine yourself there. Suddenly, after listening to a short rendition of one of Merry and Pip's famous practical jokes, I remembered something Merry had said to me earlier.
"Pip, Merry mentioned that you'd played a practical joke on Haldir just before leaving Lothlorien. What was it?"
"Oh that," Pippin giggled before looking sheepishly at the ground. "We dressed a frog in a dolls dress that looked similar to one that Ariel, Haldir's betrothed, had, and I had some of my hair cut off from the back of my head to make a wig. Our last night there, we switched the frog for Ariel in the middle of the night while Haldir was still sleeping, and waited with Ariel in the closet until Haldir woke up to find the frog... The elves have a story about one of their royal kin being turned into a frog by the evil Melkor, and it wasn't until a she-elf kissed him that he turned back into his usual self. Anyway, Haldir actually *kissed* the frog, hoping it would turn back into Ariel..."
By the time Pippin was done, tears of laughter (a nice change from the unhappy tears) were streaming down my face. I almost yelped when the whip caught me on the ankles to get me moving faster.
By the time we stopped for a meal, my legs felt as if they would seize up. Unfortunately, though, one look at the food made my stomach lurch. I didn't know what animal the food had once been, but it smelled foul like the meat had gone bad. The Orcs were all eating it happily enough, but I couldn't bring myself to touch it. Luckily, Merry and Pippin still had some lembas in their pouches, and they gave me some of that. "Orcs aren't cannibals, are they?" I whispered to my hobbit companions.
"I wouldn't put it past them..." Merry whispered back.
Alex POV.
Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli are real slave-drivers. When they've got their minds set on something, nothing seems to get in their way. I didn't mind too much -- the sooner I found Sarah, the happier I'd be, but you'd think that these guys would at least be taking things a little bit slower in the hopes of conserving their strength for fighting the Orcs that took Sarah and their companions.
Haldir had me give up the horse almost immediately, saying that there was no way the two horses could carry five grown-ups. I could understand that, and my legs were certainly happy to get a horse out from under them and finally be back on firm ground, but we covered much less distance than we otherwise would have. Still, I suppose there are always going to be positive and negative aspects to any situation. At least Haldir assured me that the Orcs were also traveling on foot so it would be unlikely that they would be able to outrun us.
I started off spending some time with Aragorn. He told me a little of his family history, and as we walked along, Legolas let me borrow one of his knives and Aragorn started to teach me a little more in terms of sword- fighting techniques. Unfortunately, even if I had been trying to spend more time at the gym before Sarah and I ended up in Middle Earth, I do not have his endurance.
After that, I found myself walking next to Haldir and Legolas, who were busy talking in some strange tongue that I'd heard them speaking in Lothlorien. Haldir smiled apologetically when he saw me looking at them quizically, and started talking in English again. "I see your fighting techniques have been improving, even over the last hour," Haldir said. Legolas gave a nod in agreement, and said a brief word of thanks as I handed him back his knife.
"I just hope it comes in handy when we meet up with those Orcs. If Sarah's been killed, then I'd want to kill every single one of them."
Legolas looked a little taken aback by my bluntness. "You need not worry, Master Alex, the Yrcs may hurt Sarah, but it is unlikely that they will kill her. If that was their aim, we should have found her body long before now. I think they will have another use for her..." I felt my hands starting to clench into fists as I hoped that Legolas didn't mean what I thought he might. He gave me a smile and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry so, Master Alex, we will all do whatever we can to prevent your sister from being harmed." I gave him a strained smile.
Noticing that the dwarf, Gimli, was on his own bringing up the rear, I fell back to keep him company. Gimli was busy muttering to himself, his hand subconsciously grasping the axe at his belt. "Hi, Gimli, what are you talking to yourself about?" I asked him, chuckling as he was startled out of his reverie.
"Oh, it's you..." Gimli said gruffly. "I was merely imagining what it would be like if I were back in the mines with my kinsfolk. Unfortunately, Orcs killed some distant relations in Moria, so I will cherish killing them when we eventually meet up."
I nodded in understanding. "It seems we've all got scores to settle..." I replied.
"Wait!" Aragorn called from the front of our troupe before running off.
Author's Note: What clues does Aragorn think he may have found? The next chapter should be up shortly (provided I get some reviews to keep me writing) so you can find out then. In the meantime, click on the "submit your review" button below to let me know what you think. Good? Bad? Mediocre?