Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Reviewer Response:

Deana: Don't we always hurt the ones we love the most? I wasn't going for any records, but thanks for the compliment.

Karone Evertree: Actually I have to give credit where it is do. My husband came up with the idea of the stretching mechanism. When he's not being jealous of a certain elf he is pretty good at helping me with plot ideas. Yes there is a sequel. It's already plotted out in this devious mind of mine, but knowing me it will be completely different by the time it's actually on paper (so to speak).

This is a short chapter. Sorry. But the next chapter starts the true action. Hold on to your hats.

Final Torment

"Mellon-nin?" Legolas had woken early finding Aragorn sitting quietly staring blankly at the wall opposite where he sat.

He shook his head clearing his mind when he heard the word. "Yes Legolas."

"What are you thinking?" The elf asked.

"Tomorrow the wraith leaves. That means today will be the worst. What will the Nazgul do if he doesn't get what he wants today?" He admitted his worst fear. Would the wraith kill them, or did it have the patience enough to last until it could come back and torture them more.

"All we can do is hope that it wants Rivendell more than it wants us dead." Legolas answered.

In all of Aragorn's twenty-two years of life he had been in desperate danger on many more than one occasion, but he had never seen the amount of pure torture he had witnessed in the six days since they had been captured. He knew he could withstand the torture himself, but worried about what it was doing to his friends, especially Atavus. She had been forced to face the last three days completely alone. No one should have to face what she did alone. "Are you all right?" He asked looking his friend over. The pain he had seen in his friend's eyes the day before had shaken him more than anything that had been done yet.

"I will be stiff, but I should be able to withstand until we can get out of here." The elf misunderstood his friend's words.

"I mean emotionally." Aragorn said quietly.

"I will be fine as long as we can all make it out of here alive." He answered honestly.

They heard the key rattle in the cell door. The orcs were early that day.


When Atavus was brought to the chamber, she knew who would be there. The only one left was Estel. He was manacled to the wall like the twins had been, and was also stripped to the waist as they had been. She was manacled to the opposite wall, just as she had been when they had tortured Elrohir. Aragorn noticed that her tunic was shredded in the back and her back was covered in dried blood. They had not allowed her wounds to be treated. He knew her own blood would have healed the tears in her skin, but still the healer in him hated the idea of her wounds not being treated. His gaze turned to the orc captain who so delighted in her torture. Aragorn swore then that if he ever had the chance he would kill the beast.

To the surprise of both prisoners the Nazgul addressed Aragorn first. "Well what is a human doing living with elves?" Aragorn did not answer. "Look at her. Do you enjoy seeing us torture her?" Atavus knew immediately what the wraith was doing. He had decided that maybe he could play on the emotions of the human to gain the information he wanted.

"You know how she heals don't you. You're a healer." The wraith did not let him answer. "If torturing you and your friends does not give me the information I want, I will turn back to her. She can be tortured everyday from now until you are just a memory human. But I promise you that if I don't get the information I want you will watch her being tortured until the day you die." Aragorn could imagine what that kind of existence that would be like for his friend. She would eventually want death more than she wanted freedom. But he knew he could not think that way. They were going to escape.

"What you don't understand wraith is that no matter how often you torture any of us you will never get the information you want. So do your worst. You may break my body, but you can not have my soul." Aragorn said defiantly. He wanted to divert the Nazgul's attention to himself away from her.

"As you wish." The Dark Lord motioned to the orc captain who was standing near a fireplace. Resting inside the fire were the tips of several blunt swords. The orc picked up the closest and made his way to where the human was chained to the wall. He cast a wicked glance at Atavus, and then turned his attention to his work. He placed the glowing side of the sword on the soft skin of Aragorn's stomach. Atavus could hear the hissing sound as the hot metal literally cooked his skin. She could see that he was gritting his teeth holding back the scream that threatened to leave his mouth.

"No reaction. Do it again." The Nazgul said taking a seat watching the progress of his orc captain. Uglúk was happy to obey.

Aragorn counted the times the creature burned him. The count was up to twelve. The smell of his own burning flesh was beginning to make him sick. Atavus could see that it was becoming too much for him to withstand. She had begun to struggle against the chains that held her to the wall. The manacles were cutting into her wrists, but she continued to try and wriggle her wrists from them.

"Will you stop this woman?" The Nazgul questioned her.

She stared at the being wanting with all her heart to say anything that would stop Estel's torture. "I can not." Estel would not want his people betrayed, no matter what the cost.

The Nazgul turned back to the orc captain. "Make him scream."

"No!" She said pulling against her chains again.

Uglúk removed another burning hot blade from the fire and dipped it into a black substance. He stabbed Aragorn in the left shoulder, which did bring a scream from his throat. Atavus closed her eyes at the sound. She had to block it out. She couldn't listen to it. The orc did not remove the blade. It had pierced completely through his shoulder. He then started to twist the blade, doing as much damage as possible, before removing it.

"You see that black substance in your friends wound girl?" She did and she knew what it was. "That is a special poison that I have created. It is a very slow working poison. It brings the person it is used on great pain before they die. I am leaving here tomorrow morning. I will be gone twenty-one days. You have a decision to make girl. I have the antidote to the poison. If he does not receive it within twenty-four days, he will die a horrible death. When I come back you will tell me how to get to Rivendell or he will die, and you will watch him."

She was taken back to her own cell. She knew if she could only get him alone she could save him with her healing gift. The Nazgul didn't know that fact. She hadn't realized the healing potential of her own blood until after leaving Minas Morgul. She hoped that the voice she had heard the night before could be trusted. She knew she should be devastated after seeing what she had that day, but the message that she had been given, combined with the fact that she could help Estel, if she could get to him, brought a strong feeling of hope to her soul. "We will conquer this my friends, and we will survive." She spoke aloud, feeling stronger than she had in days.


The twins did their best to treat the wound Aragorn had sustained, but they could see it was poisoned. Aragorn told them of what the Nazgul had told Atavus. "As soon as we are out of here Atavus can heal you." Legolas said wrapping a bandage around the stab wound.

Garin looked at the elf strangely. He had brought them the supplies they would need to treat Aragorn. "What do you mean she can heal him?"

"I forgot. You don't know that part." Legolas said smiling at the dwarf who wanted to help them. "After leaving Minas Morgul, Atavus learned that she has a very special healing ability. She can heal morgul poison with her own blood." Garin's eyes became wide.

"I knew she herself healed at an alarming rate, but I had no idea she could heal others." Garin knew that she was not an elf. He had known her secret from shortly after they met. He knew she hated what she was, but to be given such a gift, surely she must now see her own worth.

"She can. It does come with a cost to herself, but she has saved many a life with this gift." Legolas continued. "You will see when we are away from here."

"Is everything set in motion for tomorrow night Garin?" Elladan questioned.

"Yes. Everything is prepared. The other slaves will be ready." He answered.