Arwen Evenstar lay curled in the dirt, her hair strung with burs and her
face streaked in mud. A tear slid down her cheek as she fingered the rough
rope that encircled her soft skin.
"No! Don't! Leave her alone! She's done nothing to you!"
Arwen started as the young boy sleeping beside her jerked from side to side in his sleep, shouting and crying. He was only eight, maybe nine. Swiftly she covered his mouth with her hand and jolted him awake as an Orc stomped over to them.
"What's all this ruckus? You're keeping us awake you are."
The disgusting creature leered at her, then scowled as the elf's arms instinctively curled around her belly, protecting the unborn child that lay within.
"You're lucky you're still alive," He sneered, spitting on a nearby sapling. "If I had ever caught a pregnant wench like you I'd put you out 'o your misery. Do nothing but hold us up. And the boy, both of you slow! So slow! If I was in charge I'd-"
"Tell me Zagar, what would you do if you were in charge?"
The Orc's head snapped around as an authoritive voice loomed over them all.
The man, wearing a chain mail vest, jumped down from his rock, landing lightly on his feet.
"May I remind you, Zagar, that not only have my men NOT killed you and your band of wild Orcs, but we have fed you, clothed you, and are PAYING you for your fighting."
The Orc bowed low.
"Forgive me, master, I forgot my place."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"Be about your business. And that does not include harrassing the Gondorian prisoners."
The man's eyes snapped towards Arwen, who quickly lowered hers, allowing her hair to half-cover her face in the process.
"It is still my only wish, my lady, that you would give me your name."
Arwen shook her head, not even daring to speak.
"You shouldn't blame me for your predicament, you know." The man began, brushing his brown hair out of his face.
"It was all the doing of that imposter! That 'Lord Aragorn'. Your new King." The man scowled, green eyes flashing.
"Him and the elves! He had no right to claim the throne, none at all" He paused. "Wouldn't you think that the kingdom would go to the ones who have guarded it for nearly a hundred years?"
Arwen bit her lip.
"And then, he married that elf, that Arwen, forging an everlasting alliance with the elves. Everyone thought it was wonderful. Everyone except us!"
The man gestured to his army, consisting of fifty or so Gondorian men.
"We were the rightful guardians, protecting and defending Gondor when no one else would! Curse Rohan, curse elves, curse Aragorn!"
He swung around, eyes landing on the young boy beside Arwen.
"I hear she's with child now, this 'Queen Arwen'. Half-elf, half-man he'll be. What a mess. I can't-"
He stopped, eyes fixated on Arwen's swollen stomach. She quickly looked away, making sure her hair covered her ears. If this man shall how bright her eyes were, heard how sweet her voice was.......
"Yexteg!"
"Here, Laen."
The man addressed him curtly.
"Where were these prisoners captured?"
The Orc cocked his head.
"Why, near the very gates of Gondor sir, where the siege was." "Her." Laen gestured at Arwen with his bow.
"Exactly where did you catch her?"
"Right outside the palace gates, singing funny, I've never heard words like 'em before, so I took her."
Laen narrowed his eyes.
"Speaking funny eh? Hmm.... maybe the young ELF didn't realize she had stumbled upon a siege scene, she was so caught up in singing in ELVISH?"
Arwen lowered her eyes, silently cursing herself for being so careless, for letting her momentary joy cloud her senses.
When Arwen didn't respond, Laen smirked.
"Perfect. Absolutely perfect. We frame the Mirkwood archer, who not only happened to be an elf, but happened to be none other than Prince Legolas. Second, we kill an elf maiden, then leave it to be assumed as Queen Arwen, then kidnap the real Arwen and take her to Imladris, were we kill her. Imagine the irony, dying less than a mile from your home."
Arwen was sickened at the sight of the grin upon Laen's face.
"Instead, however, we end up kidnapping the wrong elf, and the real queen is mistaken and taken as prisoner. Why are you crying? You aren't dead!"
Arwen lashed out at the man as her tears streamed down her face, speaking for the first time in his presence.
"How could you do such a thing?!? Terrorize families and tear them apart, only to joke of it later! You are men of filth, and I hope you rot in it!"
SMACK.
Arwen staggered backwards as the blow to her face sent her senses reeling. "Silence, elf."
Arwen responded by spitting in his face.
"Agh!" Laen kicked at Arwen as he wiped the saliva from his face.
"You will pay dearly for that, and I will personally make sure your Aragorn will never find you again. Alive or dead."
The young boy could only whimper in the dirt as two Orcs bound and gagged the elf-queen, and dragged her away through the night.
************************** "Ah Lady Arwen, you look ravishing today!"
Arwen Evenstar laughed, a lovely sound that reminded Legolas of songbirds.
"Why thank you, my prince."
"My prince?" Aragorn teased, coming up behind her and embracing the elf.
"You are my knightly king Aragorn," Arwen joked. "but Legolas will always be my prince."
*********************
"No! Don't! Leave her alone! She's done nothing to you!"
Arwen started as the young boy sleeping beside her jerked from side to side in his sleep, shouting and crying. He was only eight, maybe nine. Swiftly she covered his mouth with her hand and jolted him awake as an Orc stomped over to them.
"What's all this ruckus? You're keeping us awake you are."
The disgusting creature leered at her, then scowled as the elf's arms instinctively curled around her belly, protecting the unborn child that lay within.
"You're lucky you're still alive," He sneered, spitting on a nearby sapling. "If I had ever caught a pregnant wench like you I'd put you out 'o your misery. Do nothing but hold us up. And the boy, both of you slow! So slow! If I was in charge I'd-"
"Tell me Zagar, what would you do if you were in charge?"
The Orc's head snapped around as an authoritive voice loomed over them all.
The man, wearing a chain mail vest, jumped down from his rock, landing lightly on his feet.
"May I remind you, Zagar, that not only have my men NOT killed you and your band of wild Orcs, but we have fed you, clothed you, and are PAYING you for your fighting."
The Orc bowed low.
"Forgive me, master, I forgot my place."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"Be about your business. And that does not include harrassing the Gondorian prisoners."
The man's eyes snapped towards Arwen, who quickly lowered hers, allowing her hair to half-cover her face in the process.
"It is still my only wish, my lady, that you would give me your name."
Arwen shook her head, not even daring to speak.
"You shouldn't blame me for your predicament, you know." The man began, brushing his brown hair out of his face.
"It was all the doing of that imposter! That 'Lord Aragorn'. Your new King." The man scowled, green eyes flashing.
"Him and the elves! He had no right to claim the throne, none at all" He paused. "Wouldn't you think that the kingdom would go to the ones who have guarded it for nearly a hundred years?"
Arwen bit her lip.
"And then, he married that elf, that Arwen, forging an everlasting alliance with the elves. Everyone thought it was wonderful. Everyone except us!"
The man gestured to his army, consisting of fifty or so Gondorian men.
"We were the rightful guardians, protecting and defending Gondor when no one else would! Curse Rohan, curse elves, curse Aragorn!"
He swung around, eyes landing on the young boy beside Arwen.
"I hear she's with child now, this 'Queen Arwen'. Half-elf, half-man he'll be. What a mess. I can't-"
He stopped, eyes fixated on Arwen's swollen stomach. She quickly looked away, making sure her hair covered her ears. If this man shall how bright her eyes were, heard how sweet her voice was.......
"Yexteg!"
"Here, Laen."
The man addressed him curtly.
"Where were these prisoners captured?"
The Orc cocked his head.
"Why, near the very gates of Gondor sir, where the siege was." "Her." Laen gestured at Arwen with his bow.
"Exactly where did you catch her?"
"Right outside the palace gates, singing funny, I've never heard words like 'em before, so I took her."
Laen narrowed his eyes.
"Speaking funny eh? Hmm.... maybe the young ELF didn't realize she had stumbled upon a siege scene, she was so caught up in singing in ELVISH?"
Arwen lowered her eyes, silently cursing herself for being so careless, for letting her momentary joy cloud her senses.
When Arwen didn't respond, Laen smirked.
"Perfect. Absolutely perfect. We frame the Mirkwood archer, who not only happened to be an elf, but happened to be none other than Prince Legolas. Second, we kill an elf maiden, then leave it to be assumed as Queen Arwen, then kidnap the real Arwen and take her to Imladris, were we kill her. Imagine the irony, dying less than a mile from your home."
Arwen was sickened at the sight of the grin upon Laen's face.
"Instead, however, we end up kidnapping the wrong elf, and the real queen is mistaken and taken as prisoner. Why are you crying? You aren't dead!"
Arwen lashed out at the man as her tears streamed down her face, speaking for the first time in his presence.
"How could you do such a thing?!? Terrorize families and tear them apart, only to joke of it later! You are men of filth, and I hope you rot in it!"
SMACK.
Arwen staggered backwards as the blow to her face sent her senses reeling. "Silence, elf."
Arwen responded by spitting in his face.
"Agh!" Laen kicked at Arwen as he wiped the saliva from his face.
"You will pay dearly for that, and I will personally make sure your Aragorn will never find you again. Alive or dead."
The young boy could only whimper in the dirt as two Orcs bound and gagged the elf-queen, and dragged her away through the night.
************************** "Ah Lady Arwen, you look ravishing today!"
Arwen Evenstar laughed, a lovely sound that reminded Legolas of songbirds.
"Why thank you, my prince."
"My prince?" Aragorn teased, coming up behind her and embracing the elf.
"You are my knightly king Aragorn," Arwen joked. "but Legolas will always be my prince."
*********************