Disclaimer: You know if I could own 'em I would, but since I can't see chapter 1.
Author's note: Okay this entire chapter is pain and torture. I promise they will get to Dol Guldur in the next chapter. I just had to do the evil torture thing one more time. I wish to thank my reviewers for the great words of encouragement.
Beg Or Die
The captives had been walking for most of the day. At first Atavus had, had to hold onto Elrohir in front of her to be able to continue, but as her healing ability worked it's own magic she had been able to straighten her back and walk without aid. None of them knew what to do for her. She had said very little, but held her head high. She knew the orcs would have more pain in store for her that evening, and she could not bear the guilty looks on her friend's faces. There was nothing they could do for her. Uglúk was her own personal tormentor, and nothing anything the others could do would stop him. This personal war had started long before she had met Legolas, and Estel, and it would continue until either the orc or her was dead. He hated her because of what she was, and she hated him for what he did.
"Atavus." Legolas whispered behind her.
"What?" She whispered back.
"I've been thinking. When they go to tie us up later, I'm going to create a distraction. I want you to try to escape." He continued quietly. The others could hear him, but the orcs couldn't.
"What are you saying Legolas? You mean we will all try to escape, right?"
"No, just you. I don't think we could all get away. But one of us might. You could take to the trees. They'd never be able to track you there." She knew why he was suggesting it, but she couldn't just leave them like that.
"I won't leave you to them, like that." She hissed quietly.
"Listen you know they aren't going to hurt us, but you are fair game to them. Do you want to be tortured again?" She was being stubborn, but he was determined not to give in.
"No of course I don't Legolas. But I am no coward, and will not leave you." She vowed.
"You could go for help. Find my father's palace, and bring help." He suggested, willing to try any ploy to convince her.
"If I escape they will expect that. You'll all be dead, or half way to Mordor before I can get help. You know that. Please don't ask me to bring about the death of my friends. If we get the chance, we all go together." She would not budge. She wouldn't accept another friend's sacrifice, for herself. Not again. Not this time.
"Atavus we can't bear to watch them torture you again. We decided while you slept last night, not to let it happen again." Legolas admitted their plans to her.
"It's not your decision to make, none of you. If you cannot bear to watch then close your eyes, but don't think I'm going to let you sacrifice yourselves so I feel less pain. I built up a tolerance to that kind of treatment while in Mordor. I can withstand until we can all escape together. No more arguing. It will do you no good." She knew her words were harsh, but she would not change her mind on this.
As the night before they were tied to trees. Legolas had started to struggle thinking maybe she would do as he wanted once the moment came, but instead she just sat next to a tree and waited for her turn to be bound.
As before they watched the orcs eat, and drink more of the blood laced ail. At least that night they were given a small amount of water. It was stale, but helped parched lips, and dry throats.
The night before Atavus had been nervous, and scared wondering what they would do to her, but for some reason she felt completely calm and relaxed. She realized what was happening. When she had been a slave, she had suffered so much pain and torment that she had grown accustomed to it. She expected it. It was as if she had conditioned herself to the mistreatment. During the thirty-two years she was free she had lost that conditioning. She had become unaccustomed to it. But during their travel that day she had replayed every instance of torture she had every been subjected to, over and over in her head, hardening her heart and soul again.
When Uglúk came for her again she did not struggle or even say anything to goad the orc. She just accepted it. With cold determination she waited to see what game he wanted to play that night.
"Why so quiet Throwback?" He asked her. He knew she hated that name, but her expression didn't change at all.
"Just do whatever it is your going to do." She answered staring forward. He recognized the look in her eyes. He remembered it from when she was a slave. She would be harder to break now, but he vowed to break her.
"Ah, ah, ah, you don't know the rules for tonight yet." He said with that evil grin she so loathed. "Last night I told you that tonight I would hear you scream, but I have changed my mind. I don't want to hear you scream. I want to hear you beg."
"I don't beg." She said without any emotion.
"Oh tonight you will. You will not only beg me to stop hurting you, but you will also beg them to help you." He said pointing to the other captives. "You see I am going to beat you until you beg. If you beg I will stop, and let one of them free to treat your wounds. The longer you stay quiet, the longer I beat you." He knew that she would feel shamed if she had to beg him to stop, but she would feel even worse if she had to beg her friends to help her. Pride was something she would never be able to overcome.
She just shook her head and said nothing. So it started. He buried his fist in her stomach, which caused her to double up in pain. He immediately struck her back knocking her to the ground. He then proceeded to place kicks at strategic places on her body. He never kicked her in the head, not wanting her to fall unconscious. She held her ribs, and concentrated on one thought. The one thing that kept her going the entire time she was a slave. She ran it through her mind over and over like saying a mantra. She was alive, and she would live another day, and just maybe that next day she could kill an orc. She knew it was a destructive thought, but it had always worked before and it would work now. She thought of killing orcs and it brought a smile to her face as always. Uglúk did not see the smile, but her friends did, and it disturbed them.
"So are you ready to beg yet?" The orc asked placing one booted foot on her back grinding it into her back.
She said nothing, but a soft grunt left her lips. "Not yet huh." He decided to try another ploy and plopped down so he straddled her back. He pulled her head up by her hair so she faced her friends. His weight was crushing the air from her lungs but she did not make a sound. He pulled his dagger out and leaned forward letting some of the pressure off her lungs. He wanted her to be able to talk. They were facing her friends. He enjoyed the expressions on their faces as they watched him play. He then used the dagger to make a slice from her ear to her chin. The blood began to run freely. She sucked in her breath not expecting it. "Maybe I should change your looks a little. Even with your healing ability I doubt your ear would grow back it I cut it off." She saw the looks of horror on her friend's faces, but she blocked it out, imagining plunging the dagger through the orcs heart.
"You know boys I don't think she's going to beg no matter how many of her body parts I take." He said talking to the captives. "I want to hear begging. Will any of you beg for her?" He asked forming a new devilish plan. They say orcs are dumb creatures, but in the case of this one he had been given an exceptional intellect especially when it came to torturing.
No one said a word. "No." He said then drew the knife back slicing into her shoulder and dragging it down to her elbow. She winced but did not make a sound. "None of you care enough to beg for her."
They all wanted to beg for her, but knew he would not stop if they did. The orc decided to try something else. He stood pulling her with him, and drew closer to the captives. He made her kneel before Elladan first. He kneeled behind her pushing her forward so she was less than two foot from Elladan's face. "Look at her. Where should I cut her next?" He taunted Elladan. She stared into Elladan's eyes, and shook her head slightly, letting him know she did not want him to answer. He looked down not making a noise. "The leg huh. Well it was your choice." The orc said using the knife to cut a long gash across her thigh. Elladan saw the blood well where her leggings were slashed. He sucked in his breath and looked to her eyes. He saw a small flicker of pain there, but nothing more.
"Okay, your next." He said pulling her up once again and moving her over to where Elrohir was tied. "I can do this all night. Someone will beg for her." He made her kneel again, and asked Elrohir the same question as Elladan. This time though he slashed the knife across her stomach. The wound was not deep enough to puncture organs, but the blood was flowing at an alarming rate. Atavus began to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. The orc got no answer from him either.
"Girl I tell you these guys don't care about you at all. I think maybe they are enjoying this as much as I." He whispered in her ear. She almost laughed at the lie. It was so ridiculous, but she held her tongue in check saying nothing.
Next he chose Aragorn. He pushed her down in front of the human, so she was on her stomach again. He was getting tired of the silence. He sat on her again and pulled her head up by her hair placing the knife below her chin against her throat. "Okay human. I'm tired of this game. This time I kill her. You can stop it with just a few words." Aragorn couldn't believe his ears. Would the orc really kill her?
Atavus could see he was going to open his mouth. "Think Estel. He can't kill me. His master will want me alive." She pleaded with him.
"How will my master know we even found you?" The orc thought he had her there.
"You don't think one of your men will betray you to take your place? If you don't your stupid." She knew she was right. He couldn't kill her yet.
When he thought about it he knew she was right. He could tell the human was going to keep silent. So instead of slitting her throat he brought the dagger up and stabbed it through her shoulder twisting it as it went. She hadn't expected the searing pain in her shoulder. She yelped in pained surprise.
"Well at least I got a little scream out of you."
But he wanted to see the men break over her. So he moved on the Legolas. She worried that he would give in. She looked in his eyes, and let her emotions shine through. She begged him with her eyes not to speak as she shook her head. He didn't know how he could keep from screaming at the beast. But he could see that nothing he said was going to spare her. He placed her kneeling in front of him, but he had a new idea. He motioned for two orcs to come forward. He had them free one of Legolas' hands from the intricate knots they had him bound with. The other arm was still pulled back snug against the tree, and ropes wrapped around his stomach and chest keeping him firm against the tree. He made sure the elf could not reach him.
The orc reached around her with both hands keeping her snugly between his arms, but he did something quite unexpected. He grasped the elves hand with one of his forcing the knife into the fair hand and holding it there with both his own, so the knife pointed at Atavus. "You have a knife in your hand. Are you strong enough to use it to save her?" He asked.
Legolas knew the way he was bound he could never reach the orc. It was hopeless, but maybe not. "If you weren't such a coward you'd untie me so this could be a real fight." He spat at the monster. Then he watched in horror as the orcs lightning quick reflexes pulled the hand with the knife forward and down. The blade sliced a cut from her shoulder and down along her collarbone before he could react enough to pull it back. He knew just a few seconds more and the knife could have ended in her heart.
This time she did scream, but in rage. The orc using her friend in that way was more than she could take. The beast was shocked enough to be caught off guard. She reached out slipping her hand into Legolas' grasping the knife, and then spun in the orcs arms pushing him back and landing on top of the creature. She tried to aim for his heart, but missed slightly and stabbed the knife into the orcs shoulder. She wasn't able to do anymore damage as several orc hands grasped her pulling her off and clubbing her viciously.
"Stop." The orc captain ordered. He stood and pulled the dagger from his own shoulder. The others obeyed him and pulled her up holding her. Her adrenaline was spent though and if they hadn't been holding her up she would have fallen. "Freak that is the second time you have drawn my blood, and it will be the last." He stalked forward and punched her in the face knocking her unconscious with the blow. The orcs holding her threw her at the other captives.
She landed on top of Legolas' outstretched legs. He used the one hand he had free to pull her to him cradling her still form. He could see the blood seeping from the wound he had been forced to inflict on her. He felt a deep pain in his heart that nothing could take away. "I'm sorry mellon-nin." He whispered.
Review comments:
manveri mirkiel: I hope you got lot's of tissue. Thanks for the great words. I think I'm blushing. I'm glad you like the plot. I tried for something I thought would be original.
Karone Evertree: She's not gonna cut her lip off, but I bet Ugluk would do it for her. And yes Ugluk is a very disturbed orc, even more so than most. I hope after this chapter you aren't chasing orcs around with a sword in your dreams. If you are sorry.
