Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or 2 or 3 or… oh well you get the picture.

Review Responses:

Larien: I know. I know it was short, but I liked where I left it. By all means go ahead and kill the orcs and the humans if you like. I'm driving you nuts with the ominous person who wants to buy them aren't I? I'm sorry but that's a few chapters down the road.

ashlyns: Yes kill the orcs. Kill the humans. Save our friends. What do you think will be in the mirror?

Karone Evertree: I have missed you my friend. Yes work is not cool when it's all you seem to do.

Slayer3: The teen titans theme song. I know I've heard it. I've watched that show with my daughter. But I can't place it in my mind. Can you hum a few bars for me please?

What Will I See?

Atavus watched as the two leaders argued over her fate. The shouting grew louder.

"It wasn't a fair match." Lagush complained.

"We followed the rules just the same as you." Kellet insisted.

"But they didn't." The orc said pointing at the two elves still manacled to the wall. "You did not break him."

"He begged did he not?" Kellet said crossing his large arms over his chest.

"Only to spare her." The orc said kicking at Atavus who was still tied to the stakes.

"Well then maybe you did your part too well." Kellet suggested.

Atavus could see the orcs temper rise and noticed that the other orcs had all stood and moved closer to their leader. She saw the moment that the orc snapped. She could read its body language, and knew that the cave would soon be a battleground. She wished desperately that she wasn't tied down. She was too weak to defend herself, but she didn't savor the thought of possibly being stepped on during the battle.

The command was a silent hand movement, which she had seen before, during her time as a slave of Mordor. She knew she could warn the humans, but decided that they deserved whatever losses they would incur.

She watched as one of the orcs thrust a sword into the nearest man, and it began. The orcs were outnumbered, and much clumsier than the humans, but they fought for their lives, which was exactly what they lost. The humans killed every single one of the orcs leaving Lagush to the end.

Kellet stood over the wounded orc with a feral grin spreading across his face. "You should've learned to play the odds orc filth." He spat at the orc leader, and then pulled the orcs own dagger from his side and sliced his throat open. He stood looking around at the dead orcs. "Get rid of the bodies before they start to stink the place up."

Atavus watched Kellet realizing for the first time how much more dangerous the man was compared to the orc. She knew life had just became much harder for her, and the elves.

"Do you mind untying me?" She asked when he turned to face them again.

"What makes you think I would do that?" Kellet sneered at her.

"I am sure that whoever you plan on selling us to would like us in decent condition. I will heal eventually whether you leave me here or not, but they might need my help." She motioned to the twins. "I'm a healer." She added trying to convince the human.

He stood for a moment looking from the twins to Atavus and then back again possibly trying to see if it was a trick, but then he nodded. "Let them loose." He commanded.

The men let the twins down first, and Elrohir immediately moved to untie Atavus himself. Elladan stood next to the wall holding his injured arm close to his body. The men let them be, removing the orc bodies.

When Atavus was free she sat up, and felt a new stream of blood trickle down her back. She felt as if her skin was being stripped from her back. Elrohir helped her to move closer to Elladan and then started to wash the blood from her back.

"El." She whispered.

"Yes Ata." He said looking down to her.

"I know you see no hope right now. But I have a feeling that we will make it." She said wincing from the pain Elrohir was inadvertently causing while cleaning her.

He began to disagree with her, but saw a spark in her eye that stilled his tongue. "What makes you say that?" He asked sliding down the wall until he was sitting before her.

"Just a little voice in my mind." She whispered and a broad smile crossed her lips. She could still hear Celebrían's voice in her mind. The woman was whispering words of encouragement and comfort to her.

Elladan looked over her shoulder to his brother, and saw the worried look that her words caused to cross his face. "Are you sure you are all right Ata?" He asked reaching out and taking her hand in his own.

"I'm not insane El, if that's what you are asking." She whispered.

One of his eyebrows raised in a very Elrond like motion. She wanted to laugh at the resemblance between father and son, but kept her tongue. "What is this voice telling you?" He asked.

"Just that we should bide our time until the right moment. It will come, but only after we leave this hell." She answered looking around at the dark, dank walls. "This place is evil. We must not stay here much longer."

That was one thing they could all agree on. Even the humans felt ill at ease in the cave.

"Orophin please see that the boy is cared for." The Lady commanded as they left the clearing.

"But I want to go with you." Van complained.

"Van please, do as the Lady asks. She is Ata's only hope." Veri said giving Van a reassuring look. He unwillingly obeyed.

Veri followed the Lady alone until they reached a set of steps that led down into another clearing that held a large concrete basin and a spring to the side.

"I sensed a problem concerning my grandchildren earlier. I'm afraid my mirror told me little." The Lady Galadriel confessed, drawing a pitcher of water from the spring and pouring it into the basin.

"You saw nothing." Veri said in disappointment.

"Just that they were in pain. But what surprised me is that I saw you." The Lady admitted.

"Pardon." Veri said in surprise, thinking she had misunderstood her.

"I saw you looking into my mirror. You had a disturbing look on your face. What ever you saw greatly upset you." Galadriel explained. "Will you look into my mirror Manveri?"

Veri could not believe that the Lady of Lorien would see her in her visions. She wasn't an important part middle-earth. She was just a member of a race that should have never existed in her opinion, but then again neither should have orcs.

Then the second part of the vision caught her attention. If she looked in the mirror would she be able to help Atavus and the twins, or would she just see their agonizing deaths. And what else might that mysterious object show her? In the end she made the only decision she could. "What will I see?"

"You may see the past, or the present, and possibly even the future. But remember it is only a possible future. Each event that occurs changes and shapes reality. The future is not set in stone." Galadriel warned.

"No matter what I see, it must be done." Veri said to herself. "For Ata."

The Lady of the Woods nodded and motioned the other woman to the basin. Veri closed her eyes at first trying to calm her nerves as she leaned over the basin. When she felt calm again she opened her eyes and stared at her own reflection in the waters surface. For a moment she thought nothing would happen and then suddenly the water began to swirl into bright colors. Then as the image cleared she saw the opening of a cave that looked like a great open mouth with sharp teeth. She watched as a group of orcs pushed a beautiful blond elleth into the cave. She had been beaten, but she kept her head held high not letting them see her fear. The image blurred then and she saw the same cave, but instead Atavus and the twins were being led towards it by a group of men. She watched as Elladan refused to enter and the men beat them all into submission. She wanted to cry out at the atrocities being laid upon her friends. Then the image blurred again and she saw an image that confused her. It was Atavus, and she was in complete darkness, but there were ghostly images floating around her. The images were grabbing at her, and she was screaming in agony as they battered her. She watched as the blond elleth she had seen earlier appeared and wrapped its ghostly arms around her protectively blocking the other apparition's attack. The image blurred yet again and she saw the men leading the twins and Atavus away from the cave. She was shocked to see that Atavus looked different. Gone was the confidence and proud demeanor. Her head hung down, and her eyes held a ghostly quality. She looked almost as if her soul was dead. "No." Veri screamed pulling away from the basin trying to block the images from her mind. She turned and fell to the ground upon her knees gasping for breath. "No." She whispered again to the images in her mind.

"What did you see child?" The Lady asked kneeling beside her.

"That can't happen. We can't let it." Veri said in a pleading voice.

"Tell me." Galadriel commanded. "Did you see their deaths?" She did not want to imagine losing her grandsons to the Halls of Mandos, but she had to know.

"No. But Atavus, her eyes looked dead. Her soul is dying." Veri said realizing what she saw.

"Tell me all you saw. You confuse me." Galadriel said helping Veri to sit on a stone bench in the clearing.

"I saw a blond elleth. I don't know who she is. She was led into a cave, by orcs. The cave opening looked like a great mouth ready to close and chew up any that dared to enter. Then I saw men leading Atavus and the twins into the same cave. The twins fought as if they were being dragged into the void itself. Then the vision became confusing. Ata was in total darkness and there were ghosts of some sort flying all around her. They were battering her and she was crying out in agony, but then the elleth I saw appeared. She looked like a ghost also. She wrapped her arms around Atavus protecting her. Then the image changed again and I saw the men leading them out of the cave. Atavus' eyes looked dead and uncaring. She looked as if her soul was gone." Veri finished telling of the vision and waited for the Lady to respond.

"The elleth you saw, was she more beautiful than any you have ever seen?" Galadriel asked.

"Yes. Do you know who she is?" Veri asked.

"She is my daughter Celebrían. The twin's mother. A long time ago she was taken by orcs. She was beaten and tortured in a cave in those mountains. The twins tracked her to the cave and killed all the orcs. They were able to save her. But she was never the same again. It was as if a part of her soul remained in that cave. She sailed to Valinor when she could not overcome her grief." Galadriel explained.

Veri did not know this story. But it made the twins behavior completely understandable. She could not imagine having to save your own mother from that kind of hell, only to lose her because of grief. "They are in the same cave. But why did Atavus look that way in my vision?"

"Why did my daughter seem to have lost her soul when she left that cave? It is a mystery that we do not know. I used to believe it was because of the pain she had, had to endure at the hands of the orcs, but now I am not sure." Galadriel seemed frustrated that they could not understand the vision.

"You must send help to them." Veri said standing, wanting badly to leave to help her friend.

"I will. And I know just who to send too." The woman smiled a knowing smile.

Veri wasn't sure she understood the smile, but the woman seemed to have a secret that she was not sharing.

Author's Note: Yes I know evil cliffy. Sorry, but I wanted to see if anyone can guess who Galadriel will send.