Woo, another chapter! I'm hyper, cos it's the week-end, and we're getting a new cat! Remember I said my old one died? Well, this one is female, 1yr old, and has EXACTLY the same name, Scampi! Freaky!
Yet again, we have another short chapter. It seems longer cos of all the replies to reviews. Sorry! Thanks for your reviews, and all replies are below. See ya later.
Faerlain
dracademented – Miracle? Eek! I don't really like Mary-Sues either, so I try and steer clear of them, both in reading and writing! Here's more, just as you asked! Thanks for reviewing.
DaydreamingTurtle – I love giving people more chances! If they deserve them of course. And I didn't want her to die, not yet anyways…
Thanks for reviewing!
Manwathiel – I have returned! Lol, Thêlithil is a great name! Manwathiel is nice too. Thanks for reviewing.
PopcornandGreenery – Cute guys ALWAYS take care of the damsels in distress in MY stories! Well, unless the bloke is in trouble of course! Then it's up to the woman! I like that idea too. Thanks for reviewing.
smurffy – Yay! I think they were all just a bit confused about the Orc to Elf thing. Perhaps a bit more explanation would have helped. Ah well, at least it was still ok! According to you guys! Woo! I've had a week of school now. Wasn't bad apart from double French on Thursday. Yeuck! Thanks for reviewing.
Lindele – Interesting is good! Thanks for reviewing.
Rayame325 – I like her new name too! That's kinda why I choose it. Lol. Thanks for reviewing.
ShadowStar21 – I like the word great! A lot! Here's more for you. Thanks for reviewing.
Tiara Shin – THE COUNTDOWN IS OVER!!!!!! WE'RE MARRIED! OMG, WE'RE ACTUALLY MARRIED! I'm updating from Ithilien. I took electricity and computers with me! My mates thought I was mad when I kept bouncing at school and said I was marrying Leggy! Was well funny.
Short chapters are ok aren't they? Great big looooooong ones can just be annoying! And I lurrrrve the name Thêlithil. Suits her, don't ya think? And of COURSE SOMETHING is gonna happen! Knowing me. I mean, come on, this is ME!!!!! ME WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE!!!!!
I've had a week of school now. Yeucky! DOUBLE FRENCH! Ewwwwwiness. But I'm still hyper COS I'M MARRIED! How is your honeymoon going btw? Rivendell, right? We've been having A LOT of fun, right Leggy?
Leggy: Oooooh yeah……. grin
Me: Teehee…
Leggy: Come here….
Me: Stop distracting me!
Leggy: Just hurry up! You're always on that bloody computer, always bloody updating!
Me: It's all for you sweety, you won't regret letting me do this, I promise.
Leggy: Hmph…
Men! Or males rather, cos Leggy and Hally are kinda Elves! Woah, long reply! Teehee! Thanks for reviewing.
Crecy – She's back! Ta da! And female Orcs are my invention! Good idea, yeah? I love fan fiction! And I love bending the rules. Thanks for reviewing!
monaleoht – Don't worry about reviewing late, at least you did! And cos you reviewed on 6th September, 3 days before the wedding, you were invited! Hope you enjoyed it. Welcome to the crazy world of Tiara Shin and me! Teehee. Thanks for reviewing.
Chapter 6: The Journey of Thêlithil.
"Tell us your tale my Lady."
"In time, I shall tell all. But for now, only a little. I am tired and wish to sleep."
"Of course."
She sat up a little straighter, and sipped a small amount of water. "It all started when I was out on border patrol," she began. "It was the middle of the night I remember, and every star was out. The Moon was shining high above us as we perched in our hiding places. We could hear the Orcs approaching, but as yet, could not see them. We sat stock still, waiting for the right moment to strike.
This came, and we did strike. Straight down into the pack of Orcs we fell, and some remained in the trees, firing arrows. The rest of us fought with our knives and swords on the ground, weaving in and out of the trees. Suddenly, I felt something grab my wrists, squeezing painfully hard and twisting. I dropped my knives, and all went black.
I awoke in a dark room, darker than I had ever seen before. My hands and ankles were chained, and the wall behind me was cold and hard. I could hear water dripping somewhere, and voices outside my cell. I was behind a large wooden door with tiny bars in it near the top. I tried to move, but I was in too much pain. I couldn't believe I was still alive.
Later, the leader of the Orcs visited me and told me briefly what had happened after I had passed out. He said they had taken me away from my home, away from Mirkwood. I was in the dungeons of Dol Goldur, trapped beneath the Earth I loved so much. He was leering and grinning at me, amused at the way my expression changed from one of fear to anger, then confusion and so on."
"It sounds awful," Aragorn told her softly.
She nodded, than continued. "I do not know how long I was there for. Days, weeks, months, years…time sped on by. Every so often, I was taken out of my cell and beaten for no reason. They would whip me, kick me, punch me, and even…" She swallowed and shut her eyes, trying to block out the painful memories.
Legolas, seeing the agony in her face, squeezed her hand gently. "Thêlithil, if you do not wish to continue, there is no need…"
"No, I must," she replied determinedly. She wiped her eyes, and took a deep breath. "They raped me. I cannot remember how many times, but they did. It was horrible. I was in constant pain. Everything hurt all the time. I was fed only dry bread, and dirty water. My weight plummeted; I became skeletal. My clothes were ripped and torn, so I was more or less naked. Then one day, I began to feel cold.
I managed to get near a torch, and saw that my skin was darkening. I was sort of…wrinkly, as if I had been in water for too long. My fingers weren't as long as they had been, and my nails…they were claws. I fainted at the time, because I knew what was happening. I was becoming an Orc. Or like an Orc.
Their torture, their rape, their beatings, had turned me into a replica of them. I do not think that was their aim. They just wanted to cause me as much pain for as long as possible. I don't why I didn't just give up and die. I guess it was because I am stubborn, and wanted dearly to see the outside world again. I felt I had something to live for, and so held on.
Then I was dragged out of my cell, my chains were taken off, and I was shown my reflection. I screamed, and the Orcs just laughed at me. I was identical to an Orc. At that moment, I felt the last of my true Elven soul slip away through my fingers. I was all evil. They trained me in the ways of Orcs, how to fight, how to kill cold-bloodedly, etc. I started to forget my past, and concentrated on the future.
Then, not so long ago, we received a message from Saruman, requesting our assistance in destroying the World of Men. We were all up for it of course, and so left immediately. We ran for weeks across the land, and finally, after literally swimming across the Anduin, we reached Isengard. There, we were given even more training to tone up our muscles and prepare us for the forthcoming battles. I kept dreaming about my past then. Flashbacks of my childhood and growing up. You see; my heart had remained somewhat pure. It had not been completely blackened. And for that, I was glad."
She took a deep breath. "I will finish this now," she told them. "Get it all over with. It needs to be told."
The others nodded silently in agreement. She smiled gratefully at them, then continued.
"I even started remembering my own language again, and at night, would murmur it quietly to myself. I did not know why this was happening. Why everything was suddenly coming back to me like this. I was confused. I did not know who I was anymore, whether I was an Orc or an Elf. I was maybe still part Elf inside, yet on the outside, I was an Orc."
She paused and sipped some more water. "We left Isengard when commanded, and set out to here, Helms Deep, with orders to destroy every man and woman and child we came across. But it was strange. All through my life as an Orc, I had never killed an Elf or an animal. I could not bring myself to do it. It would be kinslaying, and animals were my friends. At least, they used to be. They were Middle-Earth's creatures, and I could not kill them. However, I found it easy to slay humans. I do not know why, for they are also Middle Earth's creatures. I would make up stories in my head whenever we went out hunting. I would pretend I was once again an Elf, and any person that attacked our camp would die. Any animals, I let wander on by, Elves thankfully never discovered us, but humans…" She shuddered at the memories, and looked at Aragorn. "I am sorry," she whispered. "I had lost control."
"I understand," he assured her, sitting by her feet and smiling encouragingly.
She nodded, and then carried on. "Anyway, we arrived at Helms Deep, and I saw all the men lined up on the wall. As yet, I had not seen any Elves. We started marching forward, and it was then, as I fired up at you all, that I saw a flash of golden Elven armour. That flash saved me, and any other Men I may have killed that night. It shook me back to reality, and I dropped my bow. I had to get up a ladder, onto the wall so I could…die.
I managed to get up without being pushed off, and fought my way along. I did not slay anyone else, apart from one man. He died quickly, and I kept whispering prayers to the Valar for forgiveness." She looked back at Legolas. "Then I met you and…"
He nodded and squeezed her hand. "And we know the rest. Well done Thêlithil. You have been brave in telling us."
"I said I was tired earlier. Now I'm really tired."
They all laughed. "Get some sleep," Legolas told her, helping her lie back down. "Aragorn and I have matters to attend to, but I shall keep looking in on you, ok?"
"That's fine. You go and do what needs to be done. I shall be fine, don't worry." She smiled, then drifted into sleep.
"What a life," Aragorn muttered as they shut the door and walked along the hallway. "Poor girl."
"I vaguely remember all the fuss that was kicked up about her disappearance now," Legolas told him. He sighed. "Aragorn, it was over 300 years ago."
They walked on in silence, each wondering how Thêlithil, as she was now known, had survived all that time in the darkness.
I know it's ridiculous, I know it's stupid, but…I'm falling in love.
And I don't know what to do about it.
Legolas…he has been so kind. He saved me, he really did. Ha, bit weird really. He saved my life by slitting my throat. I wonder who else can say that.
It was tiring, telling them all that stuff about my past, but at least now they know. They were both so sympathetic. It made Legolas even more amiable.
And Aragorn is alright for a human. I had heard the Orcs talking about him before I ever met him. Heir to the throne of Gondor eh? He's very important to this War then. He seemed exhausted as well. I hope he goes and gets some rest. He looks like he needs it badly. Well, Legolas will make sure he gets some.
Legolas…argh! What am I to do about this mess? My heart is all over the place. Inside me, I can still feel a little of the Orc lurking, waiting to come straight back out. I am going to have to be careful. I don't want to hurt anybody in a fit of rage or something. Perhaps I had better tell Legolas. It would give him another reason to speak to me anyway.
His voice…it is pure music to my ears. So soft and caring, full of joy and wisdom. He is not old; I know that. Not even 3,000 yet. And he is my Prince! He can never be mine, I know that too.
It's not fair. Something always separates me from the ones I love. When I was unconscious, I kept dreaming of Esgalvîr, a former lover of mine. I had loved him so much, but he had just left me for someone else. He had told me so coldly, so nastily. I remember crying for days in my room. Then, when I finally got over it, I vowed to keep my heart locked away in a mithril box. No male would ever hurt me in such a way again.
Well, being in prison and becoming like an Orc helped that. But now I have broken my own vow! My heart is entirely Legolas', even though I know his will never be mine.
What a life I lead.
Indeedy, what a life she leads. Complicated woman! Bit like me really…
Not the Orc bit though. I'm just complicated.
See you soon my lovely readers and reviewers!
Faerlain
