(chapter 2)

He paced in the room above her cell, grateful for the fact that his pacing carried no sound. He wasn't lying to her when he told her he was aroused by her strength. In fact, he felt the arousal every time he went to question her. That was a feeling he had never felt before, and it confused him greatly. He thought back to the night she was brought to him. He was in his camp beneath Amon Obel. She was unconscious and had a bruise on her head. The men sent to look for her reported that she had fled before them, and had fallen, hitting her head upon a tree root. He didn't trust them, but he had no way of knowing if their story was truth or lie. They laid her on a pallet in his tent, bound with the same iron shackles that bound her now. Once he was alone, he looked upon her face and felt the first stirrings of arousal. Confusion mingled with anger. Who was this woman who could enchant him so? How dared she enchant him, even while she was unconscious? He stormed out of the tent and walked to the fire in the middle of the camp. It took immense effort to calm himself down. His temper was quick to come if he was angered. Many an unfortunate soul had found that out the hard way. He lost count of the lives he had taken. He stood staring into the fire a while longer, and then went back to his tent, determined to keep the task at hand firmly in mind. He had been sent by his Master to find the elven maiden who held the key. What this 'key' was had not been revealed to him. He had been sent with her description and was told to bring her back and lock her away. So far, he was on schedule. In the morning, they would leave for Ered Engrin and Angband. It was there that he would fulfill his task. Upon entry to his tent, he looked upon the still unconscious form of the elf-maid. The lantern light shone on her long, auburn hair, making it almost seem alive. It was then that he noticed that she was wearing two pieces of jewelery, a necklace and a ring. Lifting the necklace, he found it could be removed easily over her head. He took it off her, and then also took the ring. He noted that both were made of silver. Dangling from the necklace were two small charms, one silver and one gold, each in the shape of a leaf. He took the jewelery, wrapped both pieces in black silk, and then placed the silken package within a dark red pouch. He then placed the pouch within his saddlebag. It would be turned over to his Master upon their return. After that, he took one last look at the woman. Before her enchantment could capture him again, he quickly turned from her, laid down upon his pallet, and tried to sleep. The sun had not risen yet, and he was awake. He was sitting on his pallet and staring at his captive. He wasn't sure how long she'd be unconscious. He wasn't sure he wanted her awake. He didn't want to see her eyes, knowing the arousal would heighten. He decided to bind her eyes with cloth. Now, rather than later. He took an old, worn tunic of his and ripped it into strips of cloth. He wrapped the cloth around her head to cover her eyes. Job finished, he left the tent and began to make ready to leave.

His tent was the last they took down. Going inside, he found the woman sitting up. She was silent and still, but awake. This was a good sign. He wasn't sure if they'd have to tie her to the saddle or build a litter to carry her.

"Can you ride?" he asked her.

"I don't know. Why am I bound? Why can I not see?" she didn't sound fearful. It was if she were demanding answers of him. His temper started to rise.

"I've bound you and your eyes are covered, you don't need to know more. You will ride with us to your next destination."

"And where is that?"

"You don't need to know."

He went outside and called for one of the spare horses to be saddled. He also got some spare rope to tie her to the saddle anyway. He wasn't going to take any chances.

When the horse was brought, he went into the tent, and got her to her feet. She was a little unstable, but she did not fall. It was as if she refused to. 'This one will be hard to break,' he thought. He lead her out to the horse and then lifted her onto it. He tied the ropes around her legs. He then got his own horse, told the men to finish up and meet him at the foothills of Ered Engrin. From there, they would make their way to Angband, and the woman to her prison.

He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by something he had heard only once before. The sounds came from the cell underneath him. His captive was singing. In the 6 months she had been there she had never sang. It sounded rather mournful and sad. Once again, he was captivated by her. Catching himself, he stormed from the room. He would shut her up.

He was met in the hallway to her cell by a messenger. The man bowed stiffly toward him and delivered his message.

"The Master requires your presence in his chambers. Immediately."

"Did he say what he wanted?" He wasn't in the mood to report his progress to his Master. He could still her singing, and he wanted to stop it.

"He didn't tell me, but I am to make sure you get there."

"Fine. Let's go." His temper was rising even more than before. He tried to control it and took a deep breath. Letting it out explosively, he gestured to the messenger to lead the way. Her singing faded as they walked away. Soon, all was silent again, and he was grateful.