CHAPTER 15
FRANTIC
He followed the wolf tracks for half a day and the full following night, Uruk Hai weren't very fast creatures but the wolves that carried them were quite agile. Legolas was a remarkably fast runner but he was more than a day behind them and so he knew he couldn't afford to stop, not even in the darkest night.
The forest was becoming less dense as he advanced and that represented advantage for both the hunter and the hunted for they could run better in open spaces. Legolas kept going; the moon refused to show its face that night and the darkness was overwhelming even for his keen eyes. The muscles on his legs were so strained and tired that they weren't even sore, all he could feel was some kind of numbness in his limbs; his mouth was dry from the lack of water and the fast pounding of the heart in his chest was already becoming too painful even for him to bear. He had to admit he was awfully tired but he wouldn't let himself rest. His mind was completely focused on following the track and so he couldn't notice the sharp turn of the tracks nor the abrupt change on the terrain.
It was until he jumped over a fallen tree that he realized that there was nothing on the other side, nothing but a very steep slope, which lead to a dry, rocky riverbed. With the speed he had reached he couldn't do anything to stop; he landed feet first to the other side and his upper body bent forward, which caused him to roll down the steep slope. He was unable to stop; all he could do was try to avoid the rocks and spiky bushes, but even that was too hard; he hit his face, arms and back against the sharp edges of the rocks as he went down.
"DAMN!"
Then, he reached the bottom of the hill; there the terrain was completely vertical and so he fell off of a 20 feet cliff down to the rocky riverbed. His body hit the ground heavily, landing on yet more rocks, big river rocks.
He laid there for a few minutes, trying to get his breath back to normal; then he slowly turned around and realized that even though he wasn't really badly hurt, he had to manage with a good deal of pain. His entire face and body were now bruised and scratched and his nose and mouth were bleeding. It was then that he realized just how tired he was, all his muscles were numb and he felt lightheaded; at that point he was tempted to just stay there and rest, just for a little while but then he felt Arwen's despair in the distance and he immediately stood up.
He studied his situation for a few moments and realized that it would be pointless to escalate the steep slope, it would take him a lot of time in his present state. Then, he thought of the possibilities and smiled; he understood that the only reason Arwen's captors had to take a detour was because of the dry river, and that they would probably look for a better place to cross it up north and after crossing they would continue advancing towards the east. Now, if he'd run following the riverbed he might advance quicker than they could run through the irregular terrain of the forest. That was his only chance to reach them.
Gathering strength out of where there was none left he started running again. This time he had no need to concentrate in tracks; all he had to do was run, as fast as he could.
………………………………………………..
Arwen was been carried on top of a filthy wolf, held in place by rough ropes. Along with her rode a foul Uruk Hai who kept his huge clawed hands firmly grasping her fragile body; every once in a while the creature would loosen his grip, only to fondle her lower back in a rough, perverted way. The sensation of his touch sickened her beyond limits, but al she could do was imagine that she was far away from there; she was gagged with a piece of her own dress, and her face was firmly pressed against the wolf's greasy and stinky fur.
Much of the time she was unconscious, her body couldn't resist the pain, fear and weakness building up since the last weeks. At the times she was unconscious she dreamt, she saw herself back in Gondor with Aragorn or in Rivendel with her family, but then as she woke up she found herself in a world of pain again. Her mind was so confused and disoriented that she couldn't even tell if Aragorn was alive, neither she could feel Legolas reaching out for her mind or following her.
She woke up once again, just to feel the disgusting touch of his captor on her body. She winced and stirred, trying to free herself from his unholy grasp but this only caused the beast to dig his claws deeply into her back, ripping the fabric and tearing her flesh. She couldn't scream, she couldn't cry out, and her eyes flooded with tears of pain and despair.
As it turned out to be, legolas was right; after a few hours the company found a proper place to cross the dry river and so they did; they intended to continue advancing towards the east.
The group descended a soft slope and reached the riverbed; as they were crossing the rocky passage the cloaked figure, who until that moment was leading, turned around to check his prisoner and noticed the blood on her back; he stared at the guilty looking guard and questioned him with his cold voice.
"What have you done stupid beast?"
"Did I give you permission to harm her? Did I say you could have fun with her yet?
The creature lowered his head, unable as he was to defend himself.
"To hurt her was something I was reserving for my own, personal pleasure you idiot!! Untie her at once and bring her here, I shall carry her from now on."
The Uruk Hai obeyed immediately; he cut the ropes and did as he was told. The moment Arwen was securely tied to his wolf the cloaked figure raised his hand and made a signal to the offending soldier to get closer. The soldier hesitated for a moment and then he slowly walked towards his master.
"What is your name Uruk Hai?"
"Sabluck, my lord"
"You have disappointed me greatly Sabluck. Now remove your helmet and bow down your head!"
The soldier did as he was told and his master immediately unsheathed his sword and in a single movement he severed the Uruk Hai's head. The lifeless body fell to the ground, a torrent of black blood covered the nearby rocks and the evil master laughed pleased.
"May this be a lesson for all of you. I won't tolerate stupidity nor incompetence!"
He spurred his beast and kept on advancing, then he felt Arwen's uneasy pants and realized that gagged as she was, it was hard for her to breathe. He moved his cold hand along her shoulder and neck and with a quick, rough pull he removed the gag from her mouth and tossed the silky peace of fabric to the ground.
"Is that better your highness?"
Arwen drew in a few deep, comforting breathes.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"So, now you want to know who I am. Believe me Queen of Gondor, you don't really want to know."
She decided not to insist, it was terrifying just to have his dark presence so close to her. He was oppressing his mind, and so she remained quiet as the group ascended the opposite slope of the riverbed and kept advancing towards the east.
………………………………………………………………………..
Legolas had ran for hours, ignoring all pain and weariness; he just kept going. Then he reached a part of the river were the slopes weren't so steep, a perfect place for the group to pass. He slowed down his pace and examined the surroundings, then he froze, he had spotted a body lying on the riverbed. He took of running and quickly reached the corpse. It was an Uruk Hai and his head had been severed. He looked around and as he found some tracks he cursed himself, it was too late and they had already crossed. He sighed heavily before taking off to follow the track, at least it was fresh and he knew that they had been there very recently.
As he reached the bottom of the eastern slope he almost stumbled to the ground at the sight of a peace of clothing. He kneeled in front of it and carefully picked it up; a grimace of despair appeared in his face as he recognized it to be a ripped piece of Arwen's dress. It was dirty and covered with blood, her blood. He clutched it against his chest and trembled in rage; he had never been so enraged in his entire life. He tugged the cloth inside his vest, up against his chest and started running again. Now, rage inflamed his blood and gave him new strength to keep on with the hunt.
He prayed silently as he ascended the slope. Decades had passed since he prayed for the last time, but now he knew exactly what to ask for.
"Oh Eru! only this I ask from you. That you watch over her and protect her, for now she is all that matters to me and for my life I no longer care. Please just give me life and strength enough to find her and save her. Stir the rage inside of me so I can avenge this evil, for my enemy is powerful and deceitful. This I beg of you; for only if you are with me I will be able fight this darkness."
………………………………………….
Well, it was kind of short but at least I finished one more. I've been suffering from a severe case of writer's block but now I am feeling a little better. Maybe this week I will add a few more chapters, of course that it would help me a lot if I get a few more reviews. So, you know, don't forget to review every once in a while OK?
This story is barely beginning to develop and there is a LOT more to come, so if you like plots stick around cause this is going to be the mother of all plots. At least that is my intention. Also I want to remind you that I gladly accept suggestions. If you want something specific to happen just let me know and I will be happy to consider it and incorporate it in my story.
Thanks.
Elwe.
FRANTIC
He followed the wolf tracks for half a day and the full following night, Uruk Hai weren't very fast creatures but the wolves that carried them were quite agile. Legolas was a remarkably fast runner but he was more than a day behind them and so he knew he couldn't afford to stop, not even in the darkest night.
The forest was becoming less dense as he advanced and that represented advantage for both the hunter and the hunted for they could run better in open spaces. Legolas kept going; the moon refused to show its face that night and the darkness was overwhelming even for his keen eyes. The muscles on his legs were so strained and tired that they weren't even sore, all he could feel was some kind of numbness in his limbs; his mouth was dry from the lack of water and the fast pounding of the heart in his chest was already becoming too painful even for him to bear. He had to admit he was awfully tired but he wouldn't let himself rest. His mind was completely focused on following the track and so he couldn't notice the sharp turn of the tracks nor the abrupt change on the terrain.
It was until he jumped over a fallen tree that he realized that there was nothing on the other side, nothing but a very steep slope, which lead to a dry, rocky riverbed. With the speed he had reached he couldn't do anything to stop; he landed feet first to the other side and his upper body bent forward, which caused him to roll down the steep slope. He was unable to stop; all he could do was try to avoid the rocks and spiky bushes, but even that was too hard; he hit his face, arms and back against the sharp edges of the rocks as he went down.
"DAMN!"
Then, he reached the bottom of the hill; there the terrain was completely vertical and so he fell off of a 20 feet cliff down to the rocky riverbed. His body hit the ground heavily, landing on yet more rocks, big river rocks.
He laid there for a few minutes, trying to get his breath back to normal; then he slowly turned around and realized that even though he wasn't really badly hurt, he had to manage with a good deal of pain. His entire face and body were now bruised and scratched and his nose and mouth were bleeding. It was then that he realized just how tired he was, all his muscles were numb and he felt lightheaded; at that point he was tempted to just stay there and rest, just for a little while but then he felt Arwen's despair in the distance and he immediately stood up.
He studied his situation for a few moments and realized that it would be pointless to escalate the steep slope, it would take him a lot of time in his present state. Then, he thought of the possibilities and smiled; he understood that the only reason Arwen's captors had to take a detour was because of the dry river, and that they would probably look for a better place to cross it up north and after crossing they would continue advancing towards the east. Now, if he'd run following the riverbed he might advance quicker than they could run through the irregular terrain of the forest. That was his only chance to reach them.
Gathering strength out of where there was none left he started running again. This time he had no need to concentrate in tracks; all he had to do was run, as fast as he could.
………………………………………………..
Arwen was been carried on top of a filthy wolf, held in place by rough ropes. Along with her rode a foul Uruk Hai who kept his huge clawed hands firmly grasping her fragile body; every once in a while the creature would loosen his grip, only to fondle her lower back in a rough, perverted way. The sensation of his touch sickened her beyond limits, but al she could do was imagine that she was far away from there; she was gagged with a piece of her own dress, and her face was firmly pressed against the wolf's greasy and stinky fur.
Much of the time she was unconscious, her body couldn't resist the pain, fear and weakness building up since the last weeks. At the times she was unconscious she dreamt, she saw herself back in Gondor with Aragorn or in Rivendel with her family, but then as she woke up she found herself in a world of pain again. Her mind was so confused and disoriented that she couldn't even tell if Aragorn was alive, neither she could feel Legolas reaching out for her mind or following her.
She woke up once again, just to feel the disgusting touch of his captor on her body. She winced and stirred, trying to free herself from his unholy grasp but this only caused the beast to dig his claws deeply into her back, ripping the fabric and tearing her flesh. She couldn't scream, she couldn't cry out, and her eyes flooded with tears of pain and despair.
As it turned out to be, legolas was right; after a few hours the company found a proper place to cross the dry river and so they did; they intended to continue advancing towards the east.
The group descended a soft slope and reached the riverbed; as they were crossing the rocky passage the cloaked figure, who until that moment was leading, turned around to check his prisoner and noticed the blood on her back; he stared at the guilty looking guard and questioned him with his cold voice.
"What have you done stupid beast?"
"Did I give you permission to harm her? Did I say you could have fun with her yet?
The creature lowered his head, unable as he was to defend himself.
"To hurt her was something I was reserving for my own, personal pleasure you idiot!! Untie her at once and bring her here, I shall carry her from now on."
The Uruk Hai obeyed immediately; he cut the ropes and did as he was told. The moment Arwen was securely tied to his wolf the cloaked figure raised his hand and made a signal to the offending soldier to get closer. The soldier hesitated for a moment and then he slowly walked towards his master.
"What is your name Uruk Hai?"
"Sabluck, my lord"
"You have disappointed me greatly Sabluck. Now remove your helmet and bow down your head!"
The soldier did as he was told and his master immediately unsheathed his sword and in a single movement he severed the Uruk Hai's head. The lifeless body fell to the ground, a torrent of black blood covered the nearby rocks and the evil master laughed pleased.
"May this be a lesson for all of you. I won't tolerate stupidity nor incompetence!"
He spurred his beast and kept on advancing, then he felt Arwen's uneasy pants and realized that gagged as she was, it was hard for her to breathe. He moved his cold hand along her shoulder and neck and with a quick, rough pull he removed the gag from her mouth and tossed the silky peace of fabric to the ground.
"Is that better your highness?"
Arwen drew in a few deep, comforting breathes.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"So, now you want to know who I am. Believe me Queen of Gondor, you don't really want to know."
She decided not to insist, it was terrifying just to have his dark presence so close to her. He was oppressing his mind, and so she remained quiet as the group ascended the opposite slope of the riverbed and kept advancing towards the east.
………………………………………………………………………..
Legolas had ran for hours, ignoring all pain and weariness; he just kept going. Then he reached a part of the river were the slopes weren't so steep, a perfect place for the group to pass. He slowed down his pace and examined the surroundings, then he froze, he had spotted a body lying on the riverbed. He took of running and quickly reached the corpse. It was an Uruk Hai and his head had been severed. He looked around and as he found some tracks he cursed himself, it was too late and they had already crossed. He sighed heavily before taking off to follow the track, at least it was fresh and he knew that they had been there very recently.
As he reached the bottom of the eastern slope he almost stumbled to the ground at the sight of a peace of clothing. He kneeled in front of it and carefully picked it up; a grimace of despair appeared in his face as he recognized it to be a ripped piece of Arwen's dress. It was dirty and covered with blood, her blood. He clutched it against his chest and trembled in rage; he had never been so enraged in his entire life. He tugged the cloth inside his vest, up against his chest and started running again. Now, rage inflamed his blood and gave him new strength to keep on with the hunt.
He prayed silently as he ascended the slope. Decades had passed since he prayed for the last time, but now he knew exactly what to ask for.
"Oh Eru! only this I ask from you. That you watch over her and protect her, for now she is all that matters to me and for my life I no longer care. Please just give me life and strength enough to find her and save her. Stir the rage inside of me so I can avenge this evil, for my enemy is powerful and deceitful. This I beg of you; for only if you are with me I will be able fight this darkness."
………………………………………….
Well, it was kind of short but at least I finished one more. I've been suffering from a severe case of writer's block but now I am feeling a little better. Maybe this week I will add a few more chapters, of course that it would help me a lot if I get a few more reviews. So, you know, don't forget to review every once in a while OK?
This story is barely beginning to develop and there is a LOT more to come, so if you like plots stick around cause this is going to be the mother of all plots. At least that is my intention. Also I want to remind you that I gladly accept suggestions. If you want something specific to happen just let me know and I will be happy to consider it and incorporate it in my story.
Thanks.
Elwe.