Disclaimer: See Chapter One (but in case you've forgotten, I own nothing!)
A/N: AUGH!!! I am so frustrated! I've been trying to post this chapter for the last couple of days, but the FF.Net site would not let me. I've finally managed to post, much later than I had intended. Sorry about that.
I'd also like to let you know that, at the suggestion of a slightly neurotic sounding reader, I have decided to amend my story summary to read "AU" instead of "Slightly AU" because apparently I was misleading readers. Whoops, my bad. It was totally unintentional. Really. I will, however, not add *Character Death* to my summary, as was also suggested. I do not plan on letting readers know all of my intentions…some things are better left as a surprise :-) If some of you are saddened by the untimely death of Eomer, I apologize…it just happened.
Anyway, back to the story…
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Chapter Seven
"Get in there!" Trion growled, forcefully shoving the captives into the dimly lit cell. Ugluk snorted as he watched them stumble under the brutal shoves.
"Chain them." he ordered and the prisoners quickly found themselves bound to the wall, facing the Orcs.
"Saruman will visit you soon." Trion sneered, excitement evident on his face. "Then we can have some fun."
"Sounds great." Boromir scoffed as the door was locked and the Fellowship was left alone for the first time in days. Each tested their chains, checking for weakness, as they surveyed each other.
"We must decide the order." Aragorn said suddenly, raising the topic that no one cared to discuss. "I will admit to hiding the Ring first."
"Aragorn, no." Legolas protested, shaking his head.
"Legolas, yes." Aragorn retorted. "We must keep the Ring out of Saruman's hands."
"I will be second, Aragorn." Boromir offered. "You must not name Legolas. If it becomes too great for you to bear, name me."
"And I will go third." The gruff voice of Gimli said, earning a nod from Aragorn.
"Agreed. Merry, Pippin, you will be four and five. I'm sorry, lads, but Legolas must not be questioned as long as we can prevent it."
"Aragorn, we must not let them harm the halflings. We have sworn to protect them." Legolas stated firmly, his eyes fierce. "I will not speak."
"I know you will not, my friend. But like it or not, for now you are the Ringbearer and we will protect your knowledge. With our lives, if need be." Nods from the others confirmed their agreement, making Legolas sigh with frustration.
"I do not like this." he fumed.
"You do not have to, lad." Came the reply from Gimli. "You were chosen to bear the knowledge of the Ring's location and bear it you must."
"No matter what, Legolas." Boromir added sternly. "No matter what."
Legolas frowned. "I do not know if I can do that."
"But you must, my friend." Aragorn replied. "For all our sakes."
* * * * * * * * * *
"Bill?" Sam called hesitantly, eyeing the dark recesses of the forest. Though the sun shone brightly, the warm rays failed to penetrate the thick, imposing foliage, instead casting eerie shadows that stood Sam's nerves on end.
"It's not our luck that he'd come that easily, is it?" Frodo groaned, his own eyes searching the border of the trees for the wandering pony. "It looks as if we'll get up close and personal with this forest after all."
"We cannot leave him alone in there." Sam said.
Frodo drew his sword. "No, we cannot. Perhaps he will not be hiding too far in." He chose a place in the foliage where it was not so thick and pushed his way into the trees, Sam following closely behind. Light filtered down through the tall trees, offering a small amount of visibility in the otherwise dark forest and Frodo found himself grateful that they were not trying to find the pony during the night, when the darkness in the woods would be absolute. He stopped to examine an animal track on the ground and felt a small bump from behind as Sam kept walking.
"Sam," Frodo grinned. "You follow too closely."
Sam blushed. "Sorry, Mister Frodo, but this place gives me the creeps. Eyes watch us, I can feel it."
"No doubt eyes watch us, Sam. If they were the eyes of a certain pony, I would be most grateful. As it is, I have found his tracks, though I am afraid they lead deeper into the trees. Come Sam, the sooner we find him, the sooner we can leave this place and its watchful eyes behind.
* * * * * * * * * *
"So." the silky-sweet voice of Saruman began as the cell door swung open with a bang. "My esteemed, and much anticipated, guests have finally arrived. Though I must admit I am a bit annoyed at how many guests I seem to have. Instead of simply hobbits, I have an elf, a dwarf and two men as well."
"We tried to decline." Boromir said with a smirk. "But your friends were quite insistent."
"Yes, they do tend to give that impression. They can be a bit overzealous when it comes to following my orders."
"If you simply wanted hobbits, they do not seem to follow your orders well." Aragorn observed.
"Perhaps they could not tell the difference." Legolas offered.
"Hey Orcs!" Boromir said, addressing Trion and Ugluk, "Hobbits, waist-high. Men, shoulder-high. Got it now?"
Legolas smiled. "Glad we could clear that up. How about we undo these chains now?"
An angry Trion took a step towards the smug elf, but a raised hand from Saruman stayed him, a fact that Legolas did not miss.
"Down boy." came his sarcastic reply, earning him a glare from the Orc.
Saruman observed the company, his lips forming a tight line, the only clue he gave to show his true annoyance. "You are all quite smug. And you have caused me quite a problem. It would appear that one of you has taken a ring from one of my Orcs and then killed him."
Boromir pretended to search his memory, his face thoughtful. "Ring? No, doesn't sound familiar."
"Nor to me either." Legolas smirked. "We've killed quite a few Orcs…could you be more specific." He looked pointedly at the two Orcs in the room. "They all look alike to me."
"One could say the same of elves." Saruman said, an icy chill on his voice. "But one tends to recognize the Prince of Mirkwood." A somewhat stunned look came to Legolas's face, making the wizard smile. "Yes, I know who you are. I know who all of you are. Gandalf was a fool to think such a diverse group would go unnoticed. And such a prestigious group as well. We have an elven prince, a descendant of kings and a son of the Steward of Gondor. Yes, quite a catch. Now, do the smart thing and tell me where the Ring is."
"Your army feasted on a dead Orc days ago." Legolas offered. "Perhaps they ate your ring as well."
"Wait a few more days and it may reappear." Aragorn said sarcastically.
"I see." Saruman conceded. "I knew you would not make this easy." He turned his attention to Ugluk. "These two halflings were in sight the entire time?"
"Yes Lord."
Saruman nodded. "And neither would have been a match for Grishnakh. Kill one."
A stunned silence filled the cell as Ugluk drew his knife. "With pleasure." he growled excitedly, moving towards the two cowering hobbits.
"You cannot!" Legolas yelled, struggling in vain at his chains.
"Make it slow." Saruman ordered. "So that they can watch him die."
"You are a coward!" Gimli growled, earning a laugh from the wizard.
"I am all powerful here, Dwarf. You would do well to remember that."
"Do not harm the halflings!" Aragorn shouted as Ugluk raised his knife to Merry's throat. "I hid the Ring!"
Saruman nodded towards Ugluk, who took a step back, lowering his knife to his side. "And why should I believe you?" he asked the man as the Fellowship members held their breath, their eyes watching the pair.
"Because the Ring is not worth a friend's life. I will tell you where it is hidden if you do not harm the hobbit."
"The Ring is more important than the life of one small, insignificant being and I think that you believe that also. Therefore, anything you say will be untrue." Saruman again addressed the Orcs. "Hold him still." At his command, the Orcs grabbed hold of Aragorn, rendering him completely motionless. "But I will soon find out the truth, Aragorn, son of Arathorn. I have a way." He produced a small glass phial from a hidden pocket in his robe, the black contents swirling turbulently within it. "I have had the most wonderful potion made. It renders the drinker completely incapable of telling falsehoods. Quite ingenious, actually. And much more reliable than the confessions torture brings. Some beings will admit to anything to make the pain end, I've found." All eyes followed the wizard as he moved to stand in front of Aragorn. "Force his mouth open."
Rough, foul hands forced their way into Aragorn's mouth, wrenching his jaws apart, despite his best efforts to keep them closed. The foul potion soon found its way into his mouth, the thick black liquid seemingly burning holes in his throat. Before he could react, a large hand clamped itself over his mouth and nose, blocking off all air as they wrenched his head back, forcing him to swallow the vile liquid. He coughed violently as it slid down his throat, trying desperately to expel it from his body, to no avail, as Saruman watched him with interest.
"We've only tested the potion on a few humans, all slaves. Non possessed your fierce will and determination. It will be interesting to see how it effects you. How do you feel?"
Aragorn considered the question as his friends watched him anxiously. He felt a bit lightheaded and his throat was on fire, but otherwise he felt fine. He managed a smirk. "I feel great, thanks for asking."
"The feeling will remain, as long as you remain truthful. What color is your hair?"
Hair? Aragorn immediately though 'brown' and the desire to say that answer almost overwhelmed him with its intensity as he struggled against his own yearning.
Saruman continued to watch him, frowning slightly when he failed to respond immediately. "Aragorn, what color is your hair?"
The repeated question only seemed to fuel his desire to answer. Opening his mouth, he struggled to form the words, ignoring the overwhelming thoughts in his mind.
"Blue." he stuttered.
"Blue?" Saruman frowned, then motioned for Ugluk, who held Aragorn's mouth open once more, allowing another wave of the vile black liquid to assault his body. Choking, he was forced again to swallow the potion, the lightheaded feeling doubling as he gazed at his tormentor through glazed eyes. "I will ask you again. What color is your hair?"
Brown…brown…brown. The word was chanted over and over again in his mind, growing louder and louder with each second until it was all that Aragorn could hear. His eyes closed as his head pounded painfully in synch with the chanting, convincing him that it would explode and the words would escape into the room. Unconsciously, his mouth opened and Aragorn heard another voice utter the word 'brown'~ he was slightly shocked to discover that the voice was his. As soon as the word was said, the chanting voices in his head quieted and the throbbing receded. Opening his eyes, he saw Saruman smiling.
"Yes," he said, grabbing a handful of Aragorn's long locks. "Your hair is a lovely shade of brown. I am impressed that you withstood the potion for as long as you did. The others gave in immediately. But now, to the point at hand." He paused, his mind working to choose the next question. "Who hid the Ring?"
The question shocked Aragorn as the word 'Legolas' suddenly began its crescendo in his mind, beginning as a mere whisper and growing until a thousand voices shouted it, the throbbing returning with a vengeance. Aragorn felt sure that everyone in the room was hearing the voices, as loud as they were, but as he gazed around him, he saw that they did not. His gaze rested on Legolas, the owner of the name that echoed in his mind with a growing intensity and he noticed that the elf was watching him intently.
"It hurts, doesn't it." Saruman's voice cut through the fog, somehow managing to make itself heard over the loud din of the voices. Aragorn turned his eyes towards the wizard. "Do not resist, Aragorn. It will not cease until you say the name. Who hid the Ring?"
The voices shouted even louder in answer to the repeated question, striving with all their might to be heard just as Aragorn strove to ignore them. But even as he fought, he could feel his lips moving as the dreaded word poured out. "Legolas." he whispered. "Legolas hid the Ring." As before, the chanting ceased once the word was spoken and Aragorn looked towards his friend, his eyes begging for forgiveness. Legolas returned the gaze, his own eyes offering it as Saruman swung around to face the elf.
"So, the elven prince has hidden the Ring. That does not surprise me, but it does complicate things. The one flaw in my magnificent serum is that it only works on men and not elves." he regarded Legolas before continuing. "However, you can spare yourself and your friends some discomfort and simply tell me the location of the Ring."
"I am afraid I cannot do that." Legolas said, his eyes locked with Saruman's.
"I did not think so." Saruman admitted. "We will talk again later. I have someone who has been most anxious to chat with you…and old friend of yours, in fact." he smiled. "I have the feeling that you will soon be begging to tell me where the Ring is. But for now, I have something that I really must attend to." That said, he strode out of the cell, followed closely by the two Orcs, both of whom sneered at the prisoners as they passed.
"Well," Boromir said, "That went well."
* * * * * * * * * *
"Mister Frodo! Look!" Sam cried happily as he pointed at a nearby grouping of bushes. "Its Bill!"
Frodo grinned as he too spotted the pony, who grazed contentedly on the bush, oblivious to the fact that it had been the object of a long and weary hunt. "Finally." Frodo sighed as he gazed skyward. "And none too soon. We will be hard pressed to make our way out of here before nightfall."
Sam felt a shiver run though him at the mention of nightfall. Spending a dark night in a creepy forest was not something he intended to try. "We will get him and leave." He said hopefully, slowly making his way towards the animal so as not to spook it. "Bill?" he called softly, hoping the pony would recognize his voice and come easily. Bill's ears perked up and his head swung towards the hobbit, who held his breath and waited. To his relief, the pony turned and walked happily to him, nuzzling affectionately against his neck.
"I'm glad to see you too Bill." Sam grinned, petting the animal. "But we should leave this place now."
"Agreed." Frodo said. "The sooner, the better." He began to walk away, retracing their steps as Sam grabbed hold of Bill's rope, preparing to lead the animal to safety. As he took a step to follow Frodo a sudden explosion sounded through the forest, knocking both hobbits to the ground as a bright light assaulted their eyes. Sam dropped the rope as he fell and the pony took off once again in a panic as the two hobbits gazed up at the imposing figure that stood at the center of the light, clad entirely in white. Fear surged through Frodo as recognition hit him.
His voice trembled as he spoke. "Saruman?"
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A/N: So? What did you think? Be wonderful and leave me a review :-) The more reviews I receive, the quicker I tend to write :-) (hint hint!)