I must be going soft in my old age…
Teehee, reviews in the space of an hour! Great!
Here you are then you impatient lot! Like throwing a bone to dogs……
Faerlain
Tiara Shin – I like your new name. 'Tis nice. I told you before, STOP BOUNCING! Do you want to have a great big bump n your head during your wedding? Thanks for reviewing, you crazy gal!
DaydreamingTurtle – Here's more, just like you requested, ok? Lol, thanks for reviewing.
Elerrina – I think I just corrected it. You'll see who she eventually falls in love with. And you'll shake your had and go 'typical Faerlain!'
Trust me, you will!
Glad you like it so far, and thanks for reviewing.
Chapter 2: Geography.
I have never liked running. It hurts my legs, makes breathing difficult, and causes your whole body to ache. And when you're running with a group, you have no choice but to keep running, else you'll be left behind.
We would run only at night, taking shelter in the day beneath trees, in caves, wherever we could find. We would travel for miles at a time, over grassland and wasteland. Every now and then, my mind would drift back to days of my childhood, and my Elven teacher giving me a lesson on the geography of Middle-Earth. I learnt the names of the Mountain Ranges, every river, every forest, every stream. My tutor was very kind. I admired him so much. Many years my senior, but he understood the ways of the younger generations. He would tell us tales of his own childhood, he could make us laugh with a simple phrase, and would organise days out around the forest, saying it was 'better to learn outside. The fresh air can unclog your brain. The stuffy air inside clogs up a brain. Not very good for a brain, don't you agree class?' That would have us laughing as well.
I would then quickly block out the memories as we ran. It would not pay to stumble or fall behind. I was still a prisoner, though not treated as such like before. I was still picked on, still beaten for pointless reasons, but the Orcs knew I would fight back.
After days and days of hard running, not forgetting fighting with various people we met along our way, we came to the River Anduin. I would never forget the name of the Great River. Who could? It was the main largest river in Middle-Earth.
It took us a long while to cross it, due to the Sun. We had to wait till nightfall, and take shelter until darkness fell. Some of us, the strongest, just swam across. Others built rafts using logs cut down from the trees along the riverbank. Others looked for a shallower part and waded across, using rocks as stepping-stones.
I managed to hitch a lift on a raft, and we paddled our way over. It took ages for us to regroup again, and then we were finally back on track. We ran and ran and ran, cutting down anything and everything that got in our way. The more I killed, the more bloodthirsty I became. The more I wanted to join Saruman and his crazy plans. Soon, I would want to be killing Elves too.
When we stopped at dawn and slept to regain our energy, my dreams would be cruel. I would dream of Rivendell, of home, my family, and friends. I could see myself as I used to be; the pretty, carefree, happy person I once was. Then the images would change, distort. I could see my capture, the beatings, and the torture. My family would be taken away as well and beaten to death. My friends would fight and fight for my freedom, their freedom, yet still die in front of my eyes. Blood, pain, screaming, everywhere, all around me. I would wake up, sweating and shaking. No one ever took any notice of me. Orcs did not care for each other. Only themselves.
I would wish for the night to come quickly, when I was in control of my mind and could no longer see the frightful images. But what was really scaring me, was that I was forgetting. I couldn't remember anyone's faces. My mind was a blank where they were concerned. I knew I had a sister and a brother, a mother and father, cousins, friends…but for the life of me, I could not remember what they looked like. And it scared me. It really, really scared me.
Finally, after weeks of travelling with my dreams and nightmares, we reached Isengard. It was not like the pictures I had seen in textbooks as a student. There were no more trees, no more living things. The tower stood like a sentinel in the very centre, and all around was carnage. The trees had been cut down and burnt, everything living destroyed. There were giant caverns under the ground, and as we walked around, we peered down and saw other Orcs hard at work, creating new creatures, Uruk-Hai, from the mud. I later learned they were made from Orcs and Goblins crossed, along with whatever else Saruman had chucked into the ingredients bowl. He really was mad.
Furnaces were burning; swords, shields, helmets, and armour were being made. Catapults, ladders, and various other weapons were everywhere. It was crazy.
What was I getting myself in for?
Er, yeah, kinda forgot to add it was another short chapter. At least you got another one! Be thankful for that at least! Man, readers…
Faerlain
