DISCLAIMER: If we owned The Lord of the Rings, you would be paying us money to read this. And, since you're not… Well, you know.

ABBY'S NOTE: I believe that this is indeed the longest chapter that I have posted so far. And I swear that this time I will post another chapter within the next week! This goes to page 128 in The Notebook, and we've written a total of 290 so far! Just a little more before the story's done on paper! Then we'll be done on the computer soon after. I swear that I am going to post a lot more frequently!

ALI"S NOTE: Yay! I finally have a note in an online chapter of the notebook! As I am having to help Abby post (her computer is being difficult, to put it mildly), I have made the executive decision to add a note. Anyway, we apologize for chapters 17 and 18-somehow, chapter 18 is almost identical to chapter 17. Or at least, it was...that is now fixed! Now, please enjoy this ALL NEW chapter:)

Chapter Eighteen

They continued their trek across the plains, only stopping unless when it was absolutely necessary. A few hours earlier, Legolas' ears had picked up the sound of a voice. He soon realized that it was the voice of an elf. It was singing a song that he had never heard before, but as he listened to the words, it made him think of the sea; that one day he would be called across the sea. Night crept over the plains.

He did not wish to stop, but it was necessary for Gimli and Sam to rest and regain their strength. He took the first watch, pacing, watching, and listening. All that could be heard was the sound of the wind as it blew across the grassy plains of Rohan.

When Lindi felt herself being dropped to the ground, she opened her eyes. She could have tried to run, but the effort would have been pointless, since she couldn't feel her legs any longer. She lay there, stunned for a moment, but quickly regained all of her senses. Blood rushed to her feet, and a tingling sensation went all through her lower body. It soon grew to a great pain.

"But," Lindi thought through clenched teeth, "that is a good thing."

She turned her head in search of the hobbits, and soon spotted them laying next to each other only a short distance away. She also noticed that the orcs were restless and were beginning to complain.

"We ain't goin' no further till we've had a breather!"

"Get a fire going!" yelled Lares. Following his commands, the orcs went to the edge of the forest and began to hack away at tree limbs.

"Fangorn Forest," Lindi smiled. This was the place where the Riders of Rohan would attack and kill all of the orcs.

"Well, Little Girly," snarled a voice from above. She looked up to see that it was the orc who she had whacked over the head. She saw, with a smile, a nice egg on the side of his head. However, she knew, it would cost her.

"You had your fun out there, didn't ya? I bet you did. Well, now it's my turn. Let's see if you can scream as pretty as you sing. I am only allowed one cut, and I am not allowed to kill you. Let me see now…" He looked her up and down. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but it was becoming more difficult now. His sickly yellow eyes debated where to cut her.

"Are you hungry?" he asked slyly, almost making Lindi puke.

"I think I know where to make you scream." He slowly drew his blade, placing it on one side of her torso, and slowly moved it along her abdomen, cutting her deeply the whole way across. Blood oozed out, and Lindi tried to hold on—But the pain was unbearable.

She screamed out into the night.

When he had finished cutting her all the way across, he removed his knife and looked at his work. A deep gash ran across her torso and was bleeding profusely. He smiled, showing his blackened teeth. He took the blade and brought it to his lips, tasting her blood.

His eyes narrowed. He wanted meat.

"When can we have some meat? We haven't had nothing but maggoty for three stinkin' days!"

"Yeah!" said another goblin. "Why can't we have some meats?"

"What abouts them?" commented another. "They're fresh! Oh, they look tasty."

"They are not for eating!" yelled Lares.

"What about their legs? They don't need those. Oh, they look tasty."

"They must arrive at Isengard, alive and unspoiled."

"What about the she-elf? Why do we keep her?"

"The Master said to, so I do. If she is unneeded, she will make good sport…"

Lindi lay sprawled on the ground, tears falling from her bright green eyes. The pain was more than she could bear. She was losing blood fast, and the smell of orcs was making her gag. Never had she felt so hopeless. Her hands were tied above her head, and her feet were bound. Every moment was increasingly painful. Breathing was laborious, and she soon lost the desire to live, altogether.

Suddenly, she heard an orc scream as he was decapitated, making the other orcs scream in delight; they were going to have meat. She closed her eyes and waited for the end, hoping that it would come soon.

Ali and Abby continued their trek over rocks, rocks, and, you guessed it, more rocks.

They both stopped abruptly and looked at each other. Something wasn't right.

"Abby, I…" Ali was cut off.

"I know, I know. I feel it, too. Something is not quite right with Lindi. Is she… dead?"

"I don't think so, but she is not in her happy place."

"Ali? What if she does die? What if you die? What if I die? What will happen in the real world?"

"Oh, shut up! No one is going to die."

"How do you know?"

"I JUST DO!"

Ali was losing her temper. She didn't even want to think about one of her best friends dying, at the hands of orcs, no less. Lindi would not die, anyway. She hadn't met Orlando Bloom yet! She laughed to herself.

"What's so funny?" demanded Abby.

"Lindi can't die."

"How do you figure?"

"She hasn't met Orlando Bloom yet!" She started to laugh again.

"But, Ali, she sort of has! She's met Legolas, who is Orlando Bloom, who is Legolas!" Abby held her hands to her head. "I'm confused."

"It's because you are blonde."

"Hey! But, I bet you're right. She's probably laughing with the hobbits, or (dare I say it?) kissing Legolas!"

"Stop right this instant! Don't even go there!"

"Ha ha! But we better get going, This Ring isn't going to self combust, now is it?"

Abby began humming "The Song That Never Ends."

"Will you drop that freakin' song!"

Abby ignored her and kept humming.

Eomér and his company had spotted the group of Uruk-hi. He sensed that they would be making camp soon, so he called his riders back over the hill away from the camp.

"We shall rid Middle Earth of these foul creatures. Leave none alive. We will surround them, and when I give the signal, charge. Kill all, and take no prisoners. Move out!"

With that, the Rohirrim positioned themselves strategically around the orc camp and waited for night to fall. Eomér stood ready with one of his captains. He looked down at the camp in disgust. Orcs had been roaming freely across the plains of Rohan, and he and his company had been traveling, trying to keep them at bay.

Night fell over the plains, and he smelt the burning of flesh. As he began to gag, he tried to comprehend how the orcs could possibly eat each other.

About an hour later, he felt the time was right. The orcs were eating and unaware. He signaled to the other riders and charged into the camp, his spear in hand.

The hobbits had watched Lindi and had seen everything that the orc had done to her. At first, they did not realize what was happening, but as soon as they heard her scream, their blood ran cold.

"Oh, Pippin," whispered Merry with fear on his face. "Why? Why must they hurt her?"

"I don't know," Pippin replied. "It isn't fair at all."

"Can we get to her? We must do something! We cannot let her suffer without at least trying to help!"

"Calm yourself," Pippin said, more to himself than Merry. "I know that this isn't right, but there isn't anything that we can do."

Without warning, an orc appeared and placed a blade on their throats.

"Go ahead, squeal. No one can save you now!"

Suddenly, the orc screamed out as blood splattered out of his mouth. As he fell, they saw a spear protruding out of his back. A horse and rider came charging, closely followed by more riders. The hobbits quickly searched for cover as they cut their bindings.

Eomér and his riders continued their slaughter of these wretched beings until something caught his eye. However, as he drew nearer, he realized that this was no orc—it was a woman!

He immediately jumped down from his horse to check on her. He saw blood along her stomach, and it looked like her own. He had seen this many times in the battlefield. She was bleeding to death.

How could orcs do this to a woman? He gritted his teeth in anger. Going back to his horse, he tore a strip of cloth from his saddle blanket. He had to stop the bleeding.

A thought suddenly struck him. Was she even alive? He ran back to her to see. He couldn't see her chest rising and falling. He knelt down by her head and placed his ear over her mouth. He felt a very shallow and staggered breath against his cheek. She was alive, but just barely.

He moved his attention down to her abdomen to examine her wounds. He pealed away the cloth from the bloody areas in order to get a better look. It was a straight cut from one side to the other. He had nothing to clean it with, so he wrapped the cloth around her torso, being careful not to move her too much.

She was unconscious, which was a relief of sorts. After he had finished wrapping and tying the cloths, a new problem arose. How was he going to move her? She was very fragile in this state, and any jerky movements would make her worse. But he had to move her somehow.

"Jethrin!" he called, and a rider came over to where Eomér stood. He immediately saw the situation at hand.

"What can we do?"

"We must go back to Edoras; she is dying, and she needs medical assistance."

"Yes. What is it that I can do?"

"You will mount Elider, and when you are ready, I will lift her up to you. You must rest her against yourself to keep her from bouncing around too much. Hurry now!"

Jethrin quickly remounted his steed and prepared himself. Eomér carefully lifted Lindi off of the ground and passed her up to the rider. Jethrin instantly felt how cold she was. He removed his cloak and wrapped it around her. He didn't know what to say. Could she even hear him? He couldn't imagine what she had gone through.

"I will see if the orcs are almost done with. I shall leave a small party behind to pile the carcasses and burn them. Wait here."

Jethrin watched as Eomér rode away. He tried to keep the woman warm, but he could not; she was like ice. He moved the hair that had fallen over her face and put it behind her ears. He gasped as he realized that they were pointed! She was a fair folk—an elf! He had only heard of such mystical creatures as a boy, and now here he was with one dying in his arms. He looked back to see Eomér riding back towards him.

"We lost two," called his captain. "But all of the orcs are dead. Come, we ride to Edoras."

"Eomér, there is something that you should know about her," Jethrin whispered, his eyes large and round.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"She… She…" he couldn't get the words past the lump in his throat.

"What!" yelled Eomér.

'She… She… She's one of them!" he blurted out, gesturing towards her ears.

"One of wha—" Eomér's words were cut short as he saw what Jethrin was pointing at. The woman's ears were pointy. She was no mere woman—she was a she-elf!

"By the gods! Hurry, we must gather the others and travel swiftly to Edoras!"

The Rohirrim drew quickly together at Eomér's command.

Ali and Abby were still wandering through the maze of Emun Muil. It had been days since they had entered the area, and they were hopelessly lost.

The two elves sat down on a large boulder to rest and ponder their situation.

"We're going in circles," Abby announced sadly.

"Great," Ali replied sarcastically. "As lovely as these barred landscapes of rocks and rocky rocks are," she continued, "we need to get out of here soon."

Abby nodded her head in agreement, but she had no Middle Earthly idea how they were going to make it out of this labyrinth; they were trapped in.

Sighing, Ali stood up and turned too face the cliff behind them and sighed. "I'm not going to wait for him to try and strangle me in the night." With one last sigh and a look at Abby, she called up the cliff. " Come on, Gollum, I know you're up there!"

Suddenly, a head popped up from over a ledge. It glared at the two elves before clambering down the steep face of the cliff. The creature, Gollum, sat sullenly on a rock, angry that he had been discovered. He was afraid of the elves, however, so he had come down. He did not know how they had detected his presence—he had been very careful…

"Gollum," Ali said. "You know that we ate elves and what we can do to you, if we so choose." She fingered a strand of elvish rope that was conveniently hanging from her pack.

Gollum knew exactly what Ali meant to do with that rope, and he shrieked in fear. "No! No! That would kill us!" he cried.

"However!" Ali yelled over the din that Gollum was making with his ear-piercing shrieks. "We need you help to get out of these mountains."

Gollum grew quiet as what Ali had said registered in his mind. The elves were asking him to accompany them… and they had The Precious! A dangerous gleam flashed in his eyes.

"You have to swear that you will not try to harm us, and that you won't try to have us harmed, and that you will not try to take The Ring, and that you will not lie to us…" Ali's voice trailed off as she tried to think of anything that she could have missed. When she looked over at Abby, she just shook her head. Turning back to Gollum, she continued, "You must swear by The Ring. It is treacherous and all that, but it will hold you to your word."

"We swears to serve the master of The Precious! We swears on The Precious! Please don't hurt us!" Gollum said eagerly.

"Alright, alright, calm down," Ali said, already becoming impatient with the beast that she knew would betray her later, despite his promise. "You must help us find our way out of here. We are headed to Mordor—you must lead us to the Black Gate."

Gollum shuddered at the command, but he could see the elven rope still hanging out of Ali's pack. He nodded and began to lead his new Mistress and her strangely silent companion out of Emun Muil.

ABBY'S NOTE: If we get 5 GOOD reviews, (Not just: "Oh I loved it!") then I will post the next chapter. It's ready to be posted!