DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lord of the Rings. Gwen is mine, though. And so is Niral, her horse. So you no steal, I no sue.
Gwen ran quickly to the stables. As she was saddling her horse, she thought Why doesn't he ever listen to me? Yes, I am completely aware that we have been safe in this crater for generations, but the Orcs are moving up here. Which is actually quite strange. We need to open that old escape tunnel just in case. But no, he doesn't want to take away troops to do so. His solution is to continue sending the troops out to fight the Orcs in the countryside. It is very odd that so many Orcs are moving up here. They never seem to stop. We loose many soldiers everyday, yet we seem to barely dent their numbers. Hmm, I wonder if old Sauron has anything to do with this?
Gwen rode out of the stables and passed through the large gate the let people in and out of the city. If we were to be attacked, we would have no way of escaping. Except up, which is only possible if you have wings, she thought.
" Hey, Gwen, where are you going?" asked Yorum, the gatekeeper.
" Out for a skinny dip in the lake. Care to join me?" she asked, arching her eyebrow in amusement.
Yorum laughed, his rather large belly jiggling. " Ha, ha, ha, h- hack, hack, cough!" He took a swig of beer to quench his cough, which actually defeated the purpose. " You think your – cough! - so funny, Missy. When will you – cough! - be comin' back?"
" In a few hours. I just need some time to think. I'll be riding towards Carn Dum. Tell my father, would you? He is probably unconscious or still drinking with the dwarves. They brought more of that beer he loves so much. It is actually quite amusing to them to see how many drinks he can have before he passes out!"
" They brought more beer, eh! Well, maybe when my shift ends, I'll go up and join them!" he said with a wicked grin.
" You do that, Yorum." Gwen said, with a role of her eyes and a curt nod of her head.
The ride out was very peaceful once she got out of earshot of Yorum's raucous laughter. The mountains were beautiful. Below them lay the old Witch Realm of Angmar. Gwen didn't like to go down there very often. Besides, that was where all the Orcs were. She reached Carn Dum around noon. The wind blew her long, blonde hair in her face. Her shadow was completely gone and there was no shade, yet she was not hot. Her blue eyes eventually glazed over in the sleep of the elves. Her horse wandered away to graze. Neither knew that their lives would never be the same.
Back at the city, Yorum was still keeping the gate. He knew that Gwen would probably not return until late evening. He knew that something was troubling the girl, but he did not know what. Asking her would achieve nothing, for she did not like to burden others with her problems. His watch ended later and he waddled off to join the chief and the dwarves, muttering to himself, " Hope they have some drink left over, cough!!"
Dusk fell. A new watch was at the gate, a man named Horag. He saw movement coming up the mountain. It looked like the troops were returning!! He reached for his trumpet and signaled the guards inside to open the gate. The large doors swung open on their creaky hinges. Horag winced and covered his ears, muttering about how he would need to get the gates greased. Soon all the elves of Angmar were gathered in the center of the city to greet the returning soldiers. Glindorin was leaving the council hall, holding a summons from Lord Elrond telling him to come at once to Rivendell. He soon forgot it, however, in the excitement of the soldier's return. If only he had heeded Gwen's warning about attack. As soon as the soldiers were one hundred yards from the gate, they threw down their shields. Instead of Elven soldiers, Orcs of Mordor ran towards the gate. Horag screamed, " CLOSE THE GATES!!! CLOSE TH_!" His alarm was cut short by the arrow that smote out his life. The guards began to close the gate, but could not make it. The Orcs flooded into the city. The people had no way of escaping and only two troops were there to protect them. Within two hours, everybody in the city lay dead.
True to old Yorum's prediction, Gwen returned later that evening. But what she returned to was nothing like what she had left. She slowly walked her horse in between the gates, one that lay on the ground, and the other creaked eerily from one hinge. She gasped as she entered the city. Dead lay everywhere. She stumbled past the bodies of those she had known for ages. Eventually she found her father. He was dead, with the summons from Lord Elrond in his hand. She took it and read it, despite the tears that were welling up in her eyes. " That is where I must go", she said aloud to her horse, Niral. She went swiftly up to her room and grabbed her long curved sword, and two long, skinny daggers. Then she returned to her horse and, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she left the city and set out for Rivendell.
Okay, that was the sad part. Now, it is going to get fun!! Please review!