Chapter 18: Deals and Scouting Missions
The dungeon grew quiet after the smart orc stopped his screeching about his hand. The heat kept building in the already muggy air and Aubrey couldn't know how much longer she could stand the heat. Eventually the heat had got to her and the darkness that was at one time only surrounding the room was now starting to surround only her. The dark colors of the black, grays and the dreary blues started to collapse on her. She begged her body not to give in to sleep, but she didn't really have any other choice, but to close her eyes and fade into sleep. It seemed to Aubrey this sleep would be eternal, but in her slumber the only things she could think of is Rivendell, Adrielle and Drogo.
Aubrey stayed on the chained wall until Carond decided to come in and see how the torturing was doing. When he came in he saw the captain orc sitting closest to the door holding his burned stub of a hand and looking hatefully at the unconscious form of Aubrey. Carond grabbed him up, but before he could say or ask anything the orc left the room swiftly through the door. Carond wasn't sure what had happened, but looked directly at Aubrey after the orc captain left.
He stepped swiftly up to her and held her chin tight in his grasp. She felt the pain from her face course through out her body and up and down her legs and woke up facing Carond. He looked her in the eyes and waited, squeezing on her chin relentlessly, until her eyes met his, to talk.
"What happened?"
Aubrey struggled to get the words out of her mouth. It was hard enough to talk with out him squeezing her chin, "My father-"
"Your father is dead! How did you kill my men?!"
"The amulet fed off . . ." she struggled even more, "it fed off of what I was feeling. My anger . . .it made a beam of light and . . . threw all three into the back wall."
"Where are the other two?"
"One word, Carond," Aubrey tried to smile a bit, "Hell."
He threw her head to the side, pushing off her chin. He turned away from her and smoothed his hair back with his hands. He cleared his throat and turned back toward Aubrey fixing the fabric that was ruffled around his neck. He walked up slowly to Aubrey and started to undo the chains around her hands allowing her to drop to the ground.
"I didn't think that you knew how to use it," Carond looked at her, picking her up and walking down the hall.
Aubrey would have struggled tremendously if she had the strength, but knew all too well she couldn't fight Carond in her condition. She looked down the hall, "I don't know how. I told you it fed off of my emotions."
He only gave a nod and an involuntary grunt and placed her on the floor right next to her cell. Aubrey looked behind her to see Adrielle lift up her head and see her. Carond dragged her into her cell and placed her next to Adrielle. She looked at him with such hatred that Aubrey knew all too well. He shot back the look, turned and walked back out the door.
Adrielle watched him walk out of sight from the cell; her energy seemed to have come back in at least part. As she heard his distant heel clicks fade on the stone stairs she turned her attention to Aubrey. She crawled over to Aubrey who was leaning against the side of the cell wall, gritting her teeth against the pain. Adrielle started to check over her injuries and started to tear pieces off of her and Aubrey's clothes for bandages.
"He sure gave you the royal treatment when it comes to torture," Adrielle went over to the crack in the corner of the cell. Aubrey never noticed it before she was taken from the cell. Adrielle brought over few of the torn pieces of material that were now all soaked with water. Aubrey kind of leaned closer to the wall at the sight of the given crude water. Adrielle looked at what she was looking at and gave a kind of a smirk, "Don't worry Aubrey, the water here is possibly the cleanest thing."
Aubrey let Adrielle clean her wounds the best she could with the damp material and dress them with the dry ones in her other hand. Soon Aubrey's arms, legs and torso were dressed in different colored pieces of material that stopped the bleeding. After most if not all the wounds were dressed both girls leaned back against the wall so Aubrey could regain her strength. After a couple hours Aubrey woke up from a small rest and came back to reality more or less sore, but better then she was before her much needed rest.
Adrielle was sitting next to her looking outside the cell door, focusing on the light from the torches dance on the stone floor. Aubrey cleared her throat and Adrielle broke her focus from the dancing light. She smiled at Aubrey, "Feeling better?"
"Sore, but yes better," Aubrey felt her torso and pulled her arm away from the pain.
Adrielle looked at her sympathetically, "How far did he get?"
Aubrey didn't really understand her question and looked at her strangely. Adrielle looked away from her, but Aubrey answered in the only way she could, "Well, after he tried to threaten me to giving him the amulet, he tried to put the moves on me. When I fought back he sent me to the torture room and I'm now in the condition you see now."
"That's as far as he-" Adrielle quickly stopped herself in mid sentence and turned away from Aubrey. Aubrey was starting to understand a little clearer by what she meant in her question a few seconds earlier.
"Adrielle . . . he didn't-"
"Did he explain why I'm here?" Adrielle changed the subject and Aubrey shook her head.
"He was too upset that I hit him in the nose after he tried to kiss me a second time."
She nodded her head and took a deep breath, "It is pretty much because I knew too much. You remember how I told you that Philon and I would sneak behind him to try and follow him into the forest but was always caught?"
Aubrey nodded her head.
"Well," Adrielle continued, "I decided to follow him alone. I caught him talking to orcs at the edge of Rivendell. I ran from the scene, hoping to make it back before they caught me, but Carond already knew what and who. He came to my room before I had a chance to tell anyone and took me here. And then after the torture to find out what I already knew he . . . he . . ."
"He what Adrielle?" Aubrey leaned forward touching her hand and looking into her eyes.
"He took me to the 'conference room' and he . . . he . . ."
"He didn't touch you, did he?"
Adrielle looked into her eyes and the tears began to flow. She collapsed into Aubrey's shoulder sobbing deeply into the left over fabric of her shirt. Aubrey clung to her in a deep hug and rubbed her back. Her tears soaked every inch of Aubrey's shoulder piece. "It's going to be ok, Adrielle," she looked down at the top of her friend's head, "Shhh . . . it's going to be ok."
"How is it going to be ok? After what he did how can I never face Philon again?" Adrielle choked out between sobs.
"You and Philon . . . are . . ."
Adrielle looked up at her and wiped the tears out of her eyes, "But you must have been in pretty bad shape for him to order the orc guard from the cell door."
"Well, I always give them a good knock about myself," Aubrey tried to get her friend to smile, but nothing broke on her face, except for her already broken spirit.
An orc appeared at the cell doorway and looks down at the two, "Time for labor work! UP!"
Aubrey helped Adrielle up and leaned close to her as she stumbled a bit. Aubrey whispered into her ear, "Whatever you do, do not let the orcs see your pain. They take pleasure in it, don't give it to them."
Adrielle nods her head and lets Aubrey and the orc led her out of the cell.
***
Drogo was heading out of his room to meet Thomas to talk about the days ahead and what they will do to entertain themselves. They both had their head down watching their feet pass below them. As they went toward the dinning hall they took a break to look out the window and watched stars fade into the morning sun. "We have to get more sleep, cousin. I'm starting to see things in my porridge in the morning," Thomas said with a yawn, "I mean we have been up every morning when it is still dark. I don't know how much longer I can take this. Plus with my late night mischievous exploits with Kat. . ."
Drogo looked at him strangely, "So that is where the extra food has gone to. Your stomach."
"And Kat's stomach as well . . . What? It is something to do. Kat and I had to find something to do when Kate and Faramir were . . . well, busy. Although it would be much more fun if both Kate and Aubrey were there with us."
Drogo rolled his eyes, "Well, I think that losing a little sleep is a small price to pay to remember, don't you?" Drogo kept his gaze at the sunrise laid out before him.
"She's coming back, Drogo," Thomas looked at him, almost glaring at the thought that he didn't believe that she was going to come back.
"Yeah . . ." Drogo looked down at his left hand and saw the glittering piece of gold that surrounded his pinky finger, "I know she is."
"I just hope I don't have to remind you so much these days. I seriously need more sleep. I mean, just how much longer do you think my beauty is going to last without any beauty sleep?"
Drogo ignored his cousin's last statement and changed to another subject, "I just wish that we could do more then to sit here and wait for a stupid plan to take form. She could be seriously hurt and all we're doing is looking at sunrises."
"Which were all your idea I wish to remind you."
"I know, I know," Drogo smiled at his cousin's lame attempt to rescue himself from blame. Then he thought of something that Aubrey used to say to him continuously in geography and popped his head up, "I know nearly everything there is."
"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves here cousin."
"No, I mean I know geography," Drogo looked straight at his cousin.
"I don't see where you are going with this," Thomas said rubbing his chin and looking quite confused.
"Come on, hopefully Arwen is awake already."
Both of them ran down the hall at full speed almost running into the same person they were rushing off to meet. They both stopped so suddenly that they tripped over their feet, which isn't so hard for a hobbit to do, and fell into the floor. She turned to them now spread on the floor from tripping on their own feet. "Why, Drogo and Thomas . . . what is the hurry?"
"I have a plan to find Aubrey," Drogo said staring at Arwen from the floor. They both helped each other up and stood quietly for Arwen to hear Drogo correctly.
"Come in," she pushed them into her room and closed the door, "What do you have in mind, Drogo?"
"Do you have a map of Mordor?" Drogo stepped over to a big desk. Arwen dug in her desk and brought out a map of Mordor and Drogo looked it over. "My plan is to search the darkest places in Mordor that may have a castle or some kind of shelter where they could be holding Aubrey," he thought some more and pointed to the side of a volcano, "And it has to be near a volcano."
"Why?" Thomas asked barely awake as it was.
"Aubrey told me that when the orcs had first brought her to Middle Earth the orcs took her to a holding facility that was suspended right by a fire pit, which may be fueled by volcanic rock."
Arwen and Thomas looked at him strangely and Thomas wondered out loud, "And you came up with these ideas just because you were full of yourself saying you 'knew, you knew'?"
"I comes just like that, Thomas," Drogo looked up from the map, "You just have to have the food out of your mouth long enough to think." He looked at Arwen and away from the still half shocked, half hurt Thomas, "I can only think of these two places, Arwen," he pointed at two castles that were as far as they knew still in order.
"We don't have many soldiers to spare, Drogo," Arwen said scanning the map in front of her, "And I don't think that Gandalf would approve."
"Gandalf does not need to know. We don't need soldiers, Arwen," she looked at him, "I have all the army I need in my friends." He grabbed Thomas from around the shoulders and smiled big. Thomas shrugged his shoulders and smiled big as well, trying to go along with his cousin.
Arwen saw the same determination she saw in Aubrey and shook her head in the defeat of her common sense, "Very well Drogo, you go at dawn."
"It is dawn," Drogo looked out the window with the smile still bright on his face. Arwen smiled at him and knew that it would not be long until Aubrey will be back in Rivendell.
"Then we leave after breakfast!" Thomas broke in, "If I don't get sleep I at least get my first breakfast!" Thomas stood up strong and put his hands on his hips.
Both Drogo and Arwen sweat drop and smile nervously at one another.
After the first breakfast that Thomas said he so desperately needed, all five of the hobbits set out. Drogo led them straight into the wooded areas surrounding Rivendell and continued to push forward. By mid morning they stopped and gave themselves a break from their long trek. Drogo looked behind and down the trail they had been following thus far.
"Hey, Drogo, aren't you going to have some of this tea? I know it is a little early from the normal afternoon tea, but it is here," Thomas said waving an empty cup in Drogo's direction.
"Shush Thomas," Drogo waved his hand at his cousin and walked toward the side of the road.
Thomas wasn't sure what he was doing, but shrugged his shoulders and went along with his saying of, "More for me then."
Drogo focused intensely into the green bushes and low trees. He could have sworn that he heard or saw something. As he turned around to have some of the tea he heard the hard breathing of something in the same spot he was just looking. He snapped around pulled out the body and held Sting at its throat.
"Let me go, I am on your side!"
"Philon?" Drogo asked looking at the elf he pinned on the ground.
"Yes Philon," he rubbed his side where Drogo held him a little too tight and let him help him up, "I'm going with you."
"Did Arwen send you after us?" Faramir asked coming over to see what all the fuss was about.
"No," he stood up dusting himself off, "I came because I believe that wherever Princess Aubrey is, that is where my Adrielle is."
Drogo was very surprised to hear this confession from Philon, but nodded his head. He knew what Philon was doing, and how he was feeling. There was no way that he was going to let him just sit and wait for another day when he could go and try another long shot to find Adrielle. The hobbit and elf had much in common, except height that is, and both were unaware that the first stop they were going to check when getting into Mordor is the only stop they need to find their lost loves.
***
Aubrey and Adrielle were split into two different parts of the fire pit. Aubrey gave her an encouraging look and went off with her group of girls. Before she had set out she reminded herself to tuck the jewel underneath the top of her dress. The fire pit was just how she remembered it. The flames were licking at her heels and the bottom of her feet as she made her way across the bridges to the bundles that she was expected to carry. The unbearable heat still encompassed everyone who trudged along the top of the platforms. The orange and red light of the flames illuminated the area well enough so that the girl did not fall into the pit when working. The only way they would fall in was for the orc's amusement, or by the way Mandy had died . . . by their own accord.
As soon as Aubrey reached the other side of the bridge she looked at the other girls standing with her on the same platform. There were a few dwarves and about three elves from the look of it. Aubrey looked to her left and saw five other hobbitlasses beside herself. She walked over to the small group and was the first to grab the first bundle. Some of the other girls looked at her with confused looks and whispered to one another. Aubrey was wondering why and stood still for a little with the heavy bundle slung over her shoulder. No one made a move and Aubrey wasn't sure that she was doing the right thing.
At the end of what seemed like five minutes the eldest looking hobbitlass stepped forward and took a bundle of her own. Her light colored hair was pulled back and tied with what looked like a small piece of material torn from her dress. Her face was covered with ash that the smoke must have carried up from the fire below. Her eyes burned with the same light blue color as Drogo's. Aubrey looked at her for a minute and then remembered her as the hobbitlass that helped the other girls when Aubrey first arrived.
She smiled at Aubrey and stepped in front of her leading the way down to another platform. They loaded and unloaded a couple of bags on a few trips before the silence was broken between Aubrey and the other hobbitlass.
"You have to excuse the others and I," the woman said to Aubrey right behind her, "You and your elf friend are the two newest people that came here. Usually they do not make you work until your marked, if you are new. And even then, the new girls never are the first to grab a bundle."
"Yeah, well, I already went through the marking, and then they tried to feed me to the fire. Some hospitality, huh?"
The woman whirled around and grabbed Aubrey by the shoulders. Aubrey was a little startled and wouldn't have minded it so much if her arms weren't still sore. The woman read the pain on her face and let go immediately, "Sorry lass."
"It's alright, I'm still here," Aubrey rubbed her arms on both sides.
"I knew it was you. I just got so excited that, well I couldn't contain myself," Aubrey was wondering how this woman knew her, "You are the girl who escaped on the great eagle earlier, aren't you?"
"Yes I am. I didn't think that anyone would remember that here."
"Well, that was a great feat. I'm sorry about your elf friend who fell before you though. It must have taken them a while to track you down and bring you back."
"You have no idea," Aubrey started walking again and pushed at the woman's back seeing that an orc started to watch them while they stopped in the middle of the bridge. The watchful eye was probably not a good thing.
"Did you make it to Hobbiton?"
"Yes actually . . . even though that is not where I am from," Aubrey lifted another heavy bundle on her shoulder, her legs started to sway a little under the pressure, but she pushed herself on, "A kind gentelhobbit and his son let me stay in their home. They also lost someone to the orcs from the raid."
The woman released the bundle that she had on her back on the boards and fell on her knees. And orc standing by started to come toward her and was about to push her in, when Aubrey stepped in front of her.
"You touch her and you will pay dearly for it," she glared up at the orc and he just snorted and walked back over to his post. The woman didn't believe what she had just seen, but it didn't seem that big of a deal to the young hobbitlass in front of her. Aubrey turned back to the woman on the ground and helped her up and put the bag back on her shoulder, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'll be fine . . . what was the name of this hobbit family you stayed with?"
Aubrey looked at the woman and remembered . . . the picture in the hallway, "Lilly Baggins . . ."
Lilly Baggins looked at her confused, "How did you know?"
"Your picture is in the hallway at Bag End. You are Drogo's mother," Aubrey smiled at her, but decided that the time wasn't the best to give her a hug.
"Drogo! Is he alright? How is he doing in his studies? Is he still as bright and handsome as he once was?"
"Yes he is," Aubrey unloaded the bundle and dropped her head to the wooden planks below her feet. She wiped a tear from off her face and started to walk back to the rest of the bundles.
After dropping her bundle Lilly ran after her and touched her on the shoulder, "What has happened?"
"There has been a war in Rivendell . . . that is how I was captured. Drogo fought in it, and I was taken before I could see what the outcome was," she saw the worry grow on Lilly's face, "But I know Drogo. He would have survived and slaughtered a million orcs by Sting's blade."
"So Frodo gave Drogo Sting as he once hoped he would."
"He thought it wise when Drogo and the others traveled with me to Rivendell."
Lilly watched her as she loaded another bundle on her shoulder and her amulet came out from under her shirt. Lilly stared at it, "Sorion's jewel . . . that is why they brought you back . . ."
Aubrey smiled nervously and tucked the amulet back I her shirt, "Please don't tell anyone."
"Why? You might bring more hope to these people that have fought to live this long, especially the elves," she too took another bundle.
"If people found out . . . I don't want to draw attention to myself. To tell you the truth Mrs. Baggins, I never wanted to be the heir. I want to go back to the Shire. Now, I doubt that I ever will see its calming hills again . . . even if Drogo comes for me . . . I am doomed to stay at Rivendell to rule over my people. Even when I don't how. I just want to go back to Bag End and live the rest of my life with Drogo."
"You love my son?"
Aubrey put the bag back down into the next pile on the next platform and turned slowly to Lilly. She could see a smile grow on her face and didn't feel as tense as she had once felt with her. Lilly unloaded her bundle and cupped Aubrey's face with her course hands, "And he loves you too, doesn't he?"
Aubrey nodded and gave Lilly a hug, "Event though I may be a princess or a normal hobbitlass, Drogo loves the same."
Lilly Baggins and Aubrey continued working through the day, talking about how Drogo and Frodo had been doing. The talking helped them through the work. As long as they talked to one another, Aubrey didn't feel as much pain flow through her body. As soon as they unloaded the last of the bundles, orcs separated Aubrey from the rest of the group as Lilly was led into the cell chambers where Aubrey had once stayed with Mandy.
Another orc took her back toward her cell and joined up with the orc who was bringing Adrielle back to the same place. Aubrey gave her a small smile trying to tell her it wasn't all that bad and that she should look up at the bright side. Even though Aubrey had tried the attempt to try and cheer up her friend, Adrielle kept her head down. Aubrey wasn't sure if she would ever recover from the pain she had been put through.
They soon got back to the cell and found some straw or hay in the cell for them to sleep on. Adrielle was the first to dive into one of the boughs of straw and bury her face into the almost comforting pieces of yellow goodness. Aubrey sat down in her bunch of straw and was wondering if Carond was doing all these things in her cell just to get her to warm up to him. Aubrey and Adrielle had no problem falling asleep in their new makeshift beds. In comparison to the hard, cement cell floor, the bunch of straw was like a cloud.
Just before what Aubrey believed to be morning Aubrey was awoken by the squeaking of the cell door opening and the steps of some one going over to where Adrielle was sleeping. Aubrey opened her eyes and looked at the back of Carond, struggling to get Adrielle out of her bed.
"It is time for your other labor," he hissed at her apparently not trying to wake Aubrey.
"I will never allow you to hurt me again like that!" she pulled away from him trying to stay in the cell.
Aubrey couldn't let him take her to his room, not again. She has been through enough pain and made possibly the worst decision she could possibly make. Aubrey got out of her bed and stood in front of the open cell door. Carond looked at her and pulled Adrielle closer to him, holding a knife at her throat.
"You run, and she dies."
"I will not run, Carond," Aubrey said in a calm voice, "You should know that. I will never abandon my friends . . . and I will not allow you to take Adrielle out of this room."
"Like you can stop me," he snickered.
"What about a trade? A deal? Would you let her alone?" Aubrey said almost out of breath, not really believing what she was doing.
"What kind of deal?" he started to loosen his grip on Adrielle, "What kind of trade?"
"You let her stay and I will go with you," Aubrey said closing her eyes.
"Aubrey no!" Adrielle screamed at her, "NO, let me go! You still . . . you still have . . ."
"Adrielle, it is not your choice," Aubrey said to her with tears in the back of her voice, but never showing them on her face or in her eyes.
"You would be willing to give yourself for this?" he pointed to Adrielle.
"Adrielle is my friend," Aubrey said sternly, "And yes, for her I would risk nearly everything. Even my body."
"Done," he dropped Adrielle and grabbed Aubrey by the wrist. The orc closed the cell door behind Aubrey and Carond before Adrielle could even get off the floor. Adrielle ran to the cell door and bars yelling and screaming to be let out.
"Aubrey! Don't do this! Princess please! Think of Drogo!"
Aubrey couldn't help but think of Drogo through this hard time. But to save her friend, she had to do this. 'I'm sorry, Drogo. Forgive me.'