Bit of bad news:
Unfortunately I have final exams coming up within four weeks and because those exams are of crucial importance for my future career (i.e. whether I can go to university next year or not) I have to put aside my writing. I won't be able to update until after May the 27th (then I have my last exam, maths *sigh* I hate maths…)
But I will try to write the last two chapters as fast as I can. Yes, you heard it correctly, only two more chapters to go (excl. this one)
Once again, my apologies!
Disclaimer & other standard ramblings: see some previous chapter
R2R's:
SperryDee and Charlie the Naz-Bunny – Don't worry, the planning of this story is set on 9 chapters, at least for now (at the beginning of An Estel Story I planned the story to have only 6 chapters altogether) Hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Kawaii BlueBear – Thank you for you kind words, they really made feel all fuzzy! And Estel doesn't remember his parents………yet! Oh, and Estel told me to thank you for the great, big, bear hug; and believe me, he's really going to need one in this chapter!
Emmithar – I thought I'd better send the reply as a mail, it's kinda… long…
Anita – Wow! Dat van die muzen is echt de beste omschrijving van writer's block die ik heb gehoord! Nou, dit is het hoofdstuk waar je erachter komt wat er met Estel aan de hand is. Tip: houd je kleenex bij de hand *g*
Arlessiar – Yes, he's captured (Iston, it's cliché, but well, I'm not much of an original writer *g* Erm, no, I'm not so cruel to harm Estel severely (at least not in _my_ definition of 'severe' *eg*) Oh, and yes, you got it right about the potion, you will see in this chapter whether it's irreversible or not… Anyway, read, relax and enjoy this chapter!
Puck – Hannon le for the kind words, mellonamin! *melancholic smile* I want to go back in time to the morning of April the 10th… *walks on a cloud made of dreams* DANG! *falls off the cloud* Anyway, I'm going to be very mean: 26 days to go and counting…
Elladan – Thank you so much for always reviewing, and that when I never review yours *looks very ashamed* I'm really sorry, but I still haven't read much of your work; let me assure you, though: that is not because I don't want to, but right now I'm just horribly busy. I'm only following three or four stories, and I have no time to even _read_ the other ones, let alone _review_ :( Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
Belothien – Dank je wel voor je vriendelijke woorden. Achteraf gezien moet ik toegeven dat hoofdstuk 6 nog helemaal niet zo erg was, maar toen ik het schreef had ik echt zoiets van: Oh, wat is dit slecht! Ik kan je niet echt helpen om van je writer's block af te komen, bij mij was het gewoon opeens over. Enige tip die ik heb: gewoon proberen om iets op papier te zetten, maakt niet uit wat. Misschien dat het helpt om over dat vervelende block te komen! In ieder wens ik je veel sterkte!
Finally, the chapter you've all been waiting for *g*
* * * * * * * * indicates the passing of time
Chapter sevenAs he looked into the face of his captor Estel screamed…
It was an orc, the distorted face grinning at him missed a front tooth and countless scars marred the face.
'Man flesh!' his captor screamed, pulling Estel towards him. The orc grabbed him in his neck, the sharp nails of his captor biting in the soft flesh of his neck like nails and he whimpered softly. He didn't want the orc to know he was in pain, but the child was still trying to process his shock of seeing an orc. Of course, the twins and Elrond had told him about the foul beasts, had described them and even had shown him some pictures, but he had never encountered them in person.
Estel tried to free himself and started wriggling, trying to get out of the iron grasp of the orc. Just as he was sure his captor wanted to break his neck Estel saw a different, enormous orc. Estel looked it straight in the eye, careful not to show his hurt or fear.
The whole occurrence lasted for a mere second, but to the two beings it seemed an eternity.
Finally the orc adverted his gaze. 'Stop!' he commanded, raising his arm. 'Don't kill it!'
A loud protest rose from the crowd.
'Silence!' the enormous orc roared, decapitating a small squeaking orc; it had the desired effect and the band of orcs shut up. 'Don't kill it…yet.'
'But why, Razhluk?' Estel's captor asked, not willing to let his prey go without a fight.
The giant orc, Razhluk, paused for a moment, looking at Estel with uncloaked hatred, but deep inside them a small hesitation could be detected. 'The Dark Lord might be interested in it.'
' "He might be interested"?!' the orc exclaimed.
'Yes, Grimkû,' Razhluk said, fixing his gaze upon the smaller orc. ' "He might be interested".'
Grimkû cowered under the gaze of his leader.
'But I did not say we couldn't have some fun with it before we hand it over!' Razhluk cried out, raising his rude scimitar to emphasize his words.
The band of orcs cheered and Estel cringed and bowed his head. 'Dark Lord?' he thought. 'What Dark Lord?'
He hadn't been aware he had said the words aloud and was startled as Razhluk moved towards him; the cheering died down and the orcs stepped away to allow their leader to come near the human child.
As Razhluk came closer, Estel couldn't help his fear rising and soon it shone in his eyes. Razhluk smiled at seeing the terror and his mouth twitched into a cruel sadistic smile.
Estel started to backpedal from the advancing orc, but soon his back hit something. Looking up, he saw he had bounced against the legs of an orc in which mutilated face he was staring at right now.
Razhluk bent over him. 'What Dark Lord, do you ask?'
Estel didn't dare to speak, in fact he didn't dare to move at all. The only Dark Lord he knew of was Sauron and he couldn't believe it was him these foul creatures were talking about. Surely they weren't speaking about the Darkest Lord ever, were they?
'There is only one Dark Lord,' Razhluk said.
Estel heart missed a beat. 'No, it can't be!'
'He is Lord Sauron the Great! Soon he will not only be Lord of Barad-dûr and Dol Guldur, but of all Middle Earth!'
The crowd cheered once again, but in that moment Estel found his courage and stood up proudly. 'Sauron will never rule this world as long as I am alive.'
For a moment there was silence and some orcs shuffled their feet, an unexplainable feeling of unease and dread washed over them. But then an orc laughed and backhanded the boy, causing a blood nose. 'That can be arranged!'
The act unfroze the other orcs that were still under the spell of Estel's statement and soon they were all screaming and shouting again.
Razhluk let his orcs enjoy themselves for a while but then put an end to it. 'That's enough! We need to get going, I want to deliver our 'gift' as soon as possible. The Dark Lord will be very please, I am sure.'
Estel felt an orc grabbing him like a sack; the orc put its head between Estel's tied hands, grabbed his arms and dragged them down, until Estel's face was crushed against its neck.
'I need to be strong, don't let them see I am afraid!' These were his last conscious thoughts before he fell into an uncomfortable rest, not asleep yet not fully awake either.
* * * * * * * *
Estel did not know how much time had passed, but suddenly he felt a change in the air. Though he was still being carried, something was different: dawn had finally come. 'Dawn is the hope of Men,' he heard Elrohir's voice saying in his mind.
His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten properly for a long time, he ad an incredible thirst and his head hurt.
'Halt!'
The band came to a stop in front of an open circle where the orcs set up their camp for the day. Estel was thrown roughly on the ground, at the feet of Razhluk. A fire crackled near him. Estel tried to stand up as to show the orc he wasn't defeated yet, but was shoved back to the ground before he could find his balance.
Once again Estel tried to stand up, and once again he was pushed into the dirt.
He tried to rise for a third time but the orcs, becoming irritated by this defiant boy, hit him hard and the blow to his head caused Estel to remain on the forest floor to pull himself together. An orc kicked him in his stomach and he curled up in pain. The orcs cheered.
Razhluk observed the boy's futile attempts impassively. As Estel tried to control his ragged breath, the orc asked him: 'Are you afraid, Edan?'
Estel looked up, his silver grey eyes blazing in defiance. 'No.'
'You should be.'
The malicious glitter in Razhluk's eyes was all the warning he got. Before Estel could even realise what was happening one of the orcs hauled him up and shoved him to a waiting orc that punched a fist in Estel's face. The boy was still dizzy and trying to retrieve his balance when another fist hit his jaw and a fourth orc shoved him on the ground again. They waited for a few moments to give him time to regain some of his strength and then they began their sadistic play again.
Soon Estel's vision blurred and his ears were burning, the world seemed to spin around frantically and all he could hear was the echoing cruel laughter of the orcs. He could no longer grasp what was happening to him and wished for oblivion to claim him, but the orcs were skilled in their torture and made sure the small human did not pass out.
Finally Estel became unresponsive to the orcs' abuse and, realizing the human could take no more, the creatures threw him in a corner of the camp. Razhluk dropped a blanket on him and kneeled next to the shivering boy. As Estel tried to shy away, he came closer and whispered in Estel's ear.
'I ask you again: Are you afraid, Edan?'
It took all of Estel's will power to look Razhluk in the eye, but all the orc leader saw was adamant silver eyes showing no fear at all. 'No.'
Furiously Razhluk punched him.
Estel cringed. 'Ada, tua amin,' he thought. 'Please, ada,' he whispered.
'Your ada can't help you! And when he comes to your aid, we will be waiting for him. We will kill him in front of your eyes.'
At Estel's shocked look, he continued. 'Slowly we will take him apart, limb from limb.'
Estel tried to block out the words. 'Ada! Don't come here, it's all my fault! Why didn't I just stay in Imladris? Why did I have to chase that darn rabbit?' A tear escaped his eye.
Razhluk didn't seem to notice, but continued his horrific talk. 'After all, what can a mere human,' he spat the word into the face of the edan, his lips contorted in disgust. 'What can a mere human do against the orcs of the all powerful Dark Lord Sauron?'
Estel suddenly looked up, his eyes shone with the light of hope and with a determination to defend his father. 'Ada is not just 'a mere human', he is an…' Estel hesitated, he had spoken with his heart, not his mind; he had not been thinking what he was saying. He didn't know whether it was wise to reveal that his ada was Elrond, Lord of Imladris. 'No, I think it's best he underestimates Ada and gwanun,' he decided. 'He is… he is much more than a mere human, he is the best ada one can wish for!'
As soon as Razhluk had seen the flicker of hope, he was angry beyond reason. He hit the boy hard to the head and Estel was out cold before he hit the ground.
'You are nothing but a filthy weak edan!' the enraged orc screamed. 'You cannot harm me!'
Razhluk had driven himself into a raging fit and was screaming and shouting at the unconscious human child. The other orcs had ceased their activities and watched their captain with both glee as well as fear. They enjoyed seeing their captain all fed up, but they also realised the enraged orc could easily turn his anger towards one of their own.
At last Razhluk exhausted himself and started to back off the human boy. 'Who are you?' he whispered too soft to be heard by the other orcs, then he left the boy alone on the cold forest floor.
* * * * * * * *
When Estel regained his consciousness the sun had risen but had not yet reached its highest point.
It was a grey day, clouded and chilly and Estel felt cold and wanted to pull the ragged blanket closer but as soon as he moved an excruciating pain coursed through his entire body. His head hurt beyond words and he desperately wished for sleep. The edan had never been in such pain before and he moaned softly. 'Daro! Please, stop this pain.'
'Awake, are you?' a sleek voice asked. The orc tried to pour some drink down his throat and though Estel resisted as well as he could, he was much too weak and soon the burning liquid was slipping down his throat:
he felt a hot fierce glow flow through him. Much of his hunger and pain vanished and Estel felt much more alive and ready to offer resistance where he could.
'Now you've freshened up, you want to play again?'
Estel remained silent.
'Well?' the voice pressed. 'Answer me!'
Slowly Estel recognized that voice: it was his captor, Grimkû; all thoughts over bravery vanished. He shook his head in answer to the orc's question. 'No,' he whispered.
'No?' taunted Grimkû. 'What if we'd play a different game then, maybe a fierier one?'
Estel looked in fear at the orc as it bent down to the right to grab a flaming branch from a camp fire nearby. Grimkû grinned evilly as he waved the burning wood in front of Estel's eyes. 'I don't think the Dark Lord will mind that his gift will come to him slightly 'spoilt'.'
Estel closed his eyes because of the fierce fire that burnt them, but Grimkû shook him roughly. 'Look at it! Open your eyes! Or soon you won't have any left to open at all after I scratched them out.'
Cautiously Estel opened his eyes, just enough to please Grimkû, but they were still protected by his eyelids as not to cause permanent damage. As the smoke from the burning wood entered his eyes, they began to water and his vision blurred. Still, he didn't dare to close them again.
'Don't you just love playing with fire?' Grimkû chuckled. 'Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't get bored. I know lots more interesting games!'
Estel shuddered, tears running down his soot covered cheeks. 'Please, stop!'
Slowly the branch burnt out and when it had burned completely, Estel opened his eyes some more. He saw Grimkû reaching for something in his belt and when he let it show to Estel, panic gripped the boy. It was a whip, but not just a whip; someone had pushed small nails into it at regular distances, so it would hitch on to the flesh and tear it away. Scared beyond reason, Estel started crawling away frantically.
'Now, now, there's no need for that. We haven't even began playing!'
With that Grimkû grabbed Estel with his left hand, meanwhile holding the whip in his right.
Just as the orc was about to strike something stopped it, it was Razhluk. He hit Grimkû hard. 'I told you not to damage it! The Dark Lord won't appreciate it, and before we know it, we're on our way to her!'
He turned to address the observing orcs. 'This is my last warning: stay away from it or suffer the consequences!'
Squealing and yelping Grimkû crawled away, out of the reach of his leader.
As Estel let out a shaky but relieved sigh, Razhluk turned to him. 'Don't prize the day before sundown, you scum. The Dark Lord will have his fun with you and trust me, Grimkû was a meek lamb in comparison with what the Dark Lord will do to you once he has you in his grasp,' he snarled at Estel.
Estel was then left alone. 'Ada! Elladan! Elrohir! If you can hear me somehow, please get me out of here! I know you are looking for me, but please come quickly, I don't know how much longer I can bear this.' But then he remembered Razhluk's threat and he shivered. 'No, don't come here, stay away from this evil place. I can't bear the thought that it would be my fault if you were killed!'
'Don't come for me,' he whispered in a quavering voice.
He looked through the camp and dark thoughts of death and despair filled him. Resolutely he closed his eyes, not wanting to concentrate on the helplessness of his position. It would do him no good to brood over the situation; instead he focused on his home, Rivendell. He fell asleep with a smile, dreaming that he was safe in the hands of the only father he knew of, Elrond Peredhil.
* * * * * * * *
The first thing he realized when he was pulled away from the gentle arms of sleep was the fact he felt cold. Cold as ice. He didn't think he had ever felt so cold in his life and he was shivering uncontrollably. His head felt as if stuffed with wads of cotton-wool, his throat was sore and his ears were clogged. He opened his eyes, but immediately shut them tightly when spikes of daylight penetrated his skull. He breathed heavily and after a moment, he cautiously opened his left eye. His sight was slowly adjusting and he opened both of his eyes. Though it was past midday, the world seemed fogged; the colours were dimmed and all seemed a bit vague, as he couldn't make out the contours. He groaned and tried to sit up. Excruciating pain shot through his body as a lightning bolt and he closed his eyes again to stop the world from spinning. When he opened them, he suddenly saw two identical Elves, dark haired and silver eyed walking through the camp at ease.
'El'dan? El'hir! Im sí!' he called in a weak voice. 'I am here.'
The twins immediately turned their heads to him and walked over to the human boy. Estel let out a small sob of relief. 'Everything will be okay, El'dan and El'hir will take me to Ada who will make the pain go away.'
However, as the twins drew near to him, their fair faces changed, their bright eyes turning into a mean yellow colour and their friendly smiles into maimed grimaces; they melted into orcs. Estel start to back away slowly, still not understanding how his brothers suddenly had transformed into the foul creatures.
'It is awake,' one of the orcs said.
'Then maybe we can play with it, Grimkû said it was a good toy.'
'No, you remember what Razhluk, curse him, told us? I don't want to end up dead, only because of this filthy vermin,' the first orc objected.
'I know, Razhluk has little patience. But if we don't harm it severely he won't mind.'
'Do as you please, but I don't want any part in it.'
'Coward!' the other orc yelled, as the first orc's walked away.
'What did you call me?!' the first orc turned around, infuriated.
'A coward, Bâshdug!'
The first orc lunged at the other one and soon they were fighting, and it was not long before the orcs who stood by were involved in the fight too.
Estel watched it all from his position on the ground, but the blurred images didn't seem coherent. He saw Bâshdug, Grimkû and some other orcs fighting in their camp, but sometimes the camp seemed dark and there were lit torches, in that camp tents had been built and there were Humans running around, screaming. But when he tried to focus on this human camp, it disappeared, leaving only the orc camp. Shaking his head to clear his mind from the confusing images, Estel realised now was his best opportunity at escape. The orcs were mixed up in their fight and no one seemed to pay attention to the small human.
He crawled on his feet towards the woods, ignoring the dizziness in his head and the shudders that coursed through his body, all his concentration focused on trying to escape this nightmare.
However, though he tried to evade the fighting orcs, one of the orcs stumbled over him and pain exploded everywhere, leaving the edan out of breath. After a few moments where he re-gathered his strength, Estel crawled further, until he reached a pile of blankets. He collapsed on them, his intention was to only rest for a while, but when he wanted to get up to continue his escape, his abused body refused to listen to him. A cold shiver ran down his spine and Estel covered himself with the blankets.
He closed his eyes, but when he opened them he was no longer lying in a pile of blankets, but in a collapsed tent, unable to see what was going on outside. He heard swords clashing together and orcs yelling, but he heard human voices too, screaming for help. Frightened yet curious he pushed away some part of the tent, a sane part of his brains wondered how he could push away a part of the tent like a piece of cloth, but he didn't stop at the thought. As he looked outside he saw a battle field; orcs fighting Humans, but in the corners of the battle field orcs were fighting with orcs. He didn't understand and tried to make some sense out of the situation, but suddenly he heard a man's voice calling:
'Gilraen!'
Etel looked towards the advancing Human and somehow he knew he ought to know the man.
'Arathorn!'
A woman answered his call.
He knew these people, he didn't know who they were but still they seemed familiar. He tried to focus on them as the two Human figures fought for their lives.
'Gilraen.'
'Arathorn.'
The names sounded so familiar to Estel, so safe and trusty. He tried hard to remember where he had heard them, but it was of no avail.
Suddenly the man sank to the ground and the woman bent over him, but was shortly after slain by an orc that stood behind her. Estel was so angry that he wanted to kill the orcs, but suddenly a conversation entered his mind.
Keep quiet, no matter what happens… do not come out…But…
Promise me!
I love you, my child'I love you, my child,' Estel repeated softly. He now knew who the Humans were, his real parents. He closed his eyes, tears running down his cheeks. 'I always knew Ada was not my real father, but why didn't he tell me how mommy and daddy died?'
However, an inner voice questioned his mild accusation towards his Elven father. 'Did you really want to know? Had you been happier if you had known what really had happened to your parents?'
'No,' Estel whispered. 'Ada was right, I didn't need to know, and I don't think I would be able to handle the truth.'
He stopped crying and opened his eyes once again, wanting to look at his past one more time. But all he saw were orcs, no Humans, no tents, he lay in a pile of dirty blankets. He shook his head, 'What is going on? Was it just a delusion I saw? Elladan and Elrohir weren't real, maybe all I saw was just an illusion, maybe my parents didn't die the way I saw.'
But in his heart he knew his parents' death had not been an illusion, it had looked too real and felt too familiar. It had been a memory, he could still remember all the details.
He was yanked from his thoughts as an orc fell next to him, dead. 'I need to get out of here.'
He looked over the orc camp, searching for the best way to escape the camp.
He managed to get to the edge of the camp without being detected and he slipped into the dense woods. He didn't stop until he came to a point where he could barely make out the orc's screams and then he collapsed under a fern, exhausted.
* * * * * * * *
He did not know how long he lay hidden under the bushes but at a certain moment he realized the orcs had ceased their fighting. He could hear them moving through the forest, snarling and cursing. 'They're probably looking for me now.'
Estel wondered whether he should stay hidden or try to outrun them; but then he laughed humourlessly at his own thought. 'In the state I'm in right now, I wouldn't be able to evade even a Dwarf!'
He covered himself some more behind the bushes and prayed to the Valar that the orcs wouldn't find him.
Estel drew his breath in when he heard an orc approaching his hiding spot. 'Please, let him move away. Nothing is hidden here!'
The Valar seemed to hear his prayer and the orc walked past the fern without giving it a second look. Estel let his breath out slowly and his tight muscles relaxed. 'Thank you.'
However, two other orcs approached the bush. Estel could hear his heart beating like a drum and he was sure the orcs could hear it. 'This isn't fair! Why do they have to check this place twice?!'
The orc stooped and pushed the fern aside. 'Here it is!'
Estel let out a yelp as the orc grabbed him roughly.
He had the strangest déjà-vu feeling when the orc threw him at Razhluk's feet, again. 'Elladan and Elrohir will never forget this!'
However, thoughts of his brothers disappeared as Estel saw the savage glint in Razhluk's eye. 'So, you thought you could escape?'
The orc then turned around to address the band of orcs. 'Then let's make sure it doesn't happen again.'
He drew a dagger from his waist band and Estel's eyes grew wide at the thought the orc was planning to kill him.
Razhluk saw the fear and laughed. 'Don't worry, I won't kill you. I don't kill my gifts for the Dark Lord. I'm only making sure you won't escape another time. But I can assure, before the end you will beg me to take your pathetic life. There are things far worse than death!'
With that having said, he drove the dagger into Estel's thigh, creating a jagged tear. Estel cried out from pain, but already he felt the hands of oblivion claim him. 'Ada, tua amin, please.'
TBC
Tua amin = Help me
Im sí = I am here
Daro = Stop
= = = = = =
Please R&R