Chapter 17:

Asha bowed her head as Sauron came to stand in front of her; she was peripherally aware of Akorahil moving to join Murazor and Hoarmurath toward the end of the hall.

"Finally decided to scratch that itch, my lord?" she asked as she raised her head, quietly enough that she hoped the wraiths wouldn't hear. It was difficult to be sure.

Sauron blinked in astonishment. Well, it was better than glaring or threatening, the orc supposed.

Asha gave him a deadpan look. "Irideth is my only resident patient at the moment; I'm able to keep a very good eye on her. I am well aware you've been coming down here in the small hours of the morning for the last two days."

She immediately noticed the change in his expression and groaned inwardly; his guard was up. Unfortunately, being direct was often the only way to get him to tell her anything. The only issue was gauging his mood; if Sauron was irritated or frustrated enough, it didn't take much to set him off. By what she'd been able to observe over Akorahil's shoulder, Murazor had put him at ease at least a little bit, but far too frequently there was no telling just how quickly his patience would wear thin.

"She will make a full recovery, my lord. And a quick one, at least in the physical sense," Asha said carefully. "However, I would expect some setbacks on the emotional side of things."

"I would expect as much," Sauron answered dryly. "How bad is it?"

Oh, what to tell him? "She is… uncertain," Asha began. "Nervous. Much more hesitant, more easily frightened, though she certainly puts on a brave front. I suspect she's been having very persistent nightmares, but she takes frequent, small naps throughout the day, so it is difficult to tell. You would be better able to gauge the changes than I; you know her far better than I do."

Asha kept a careful watch on the Dark Lord's face for any indication of his thoughts as she spoke; he betrayed absolutely nothing, either through his expression or his stance.

"Well, then," Sauron said after a few moments of silence, moving to walk past her. "I suppose I shall have to find out for myself."

It took tremendous effort for Asha to keep her expression blank. Now I suppose I'll just go and pray this doesn't go up in flames.


Irideth was more than half asleep, lying back against the pillows and trying not to laugh as Raska talked about one of the senior healer's methods of drying and cooking fish; she couldn't even remember how the conversation had taken this turn, but here they were.

"You can smell it for miles, I swear," the orc girl said, dropping the roll of bandages she'd just finished winding into the basket by her feet before reaching for the next set. "And for the first day or two it's like you've stuck your head into a fisherman's bait bucket if you go anywhere near that hall. Mirna's been tempted to go down there and smack him across the face with a pike -the fish, not the spear thing – because she hates it so much. I think that's because she was bitten by some fish or other when she was little…,"

A sudden, familiar… pull, Irideth supposed, had her sitting up before she'd even realized it.

Her gaze moved to the door a moment before it opened, revealing, as Irideth had guessed, the Lord of Mordor himself.

Irideth immediately ducked her head, a sort of abbreviated version of the usual curtsey she greeted him with while in public. Next to her, Raska had gone silent (as well as completely rigid).

"Good evening, my lord," Irideth said; her voice was quieter than she would have liked, but at least it hadn't wavered at all.

Sauron tipped his head in acknowledgement of the greeting. "Good evening, little one," he responded as he stepped further into the room. Asha followed a pace behind; she stopped just in front of the door and gestured for Raska to leave. Raska, to Irideth's surprise, shot a worried glance in Irideth's direction. Irideth smiled back briefly, hoping it looked more reassuring than it felt.

Apparently it was; she saw the release of tension in the orc girl's shoulders as she picked up her basket and stood, bowing to Sauron briefly before trotting over to her mentor, who quickly ushered her out the door.

"Thank you for spending time with her, Irideth," Asha said once she'd shut the door. "None of the other apprentices can stand being around her for very long; they don't want to put up with the constant chatter."

Irideth shrugged as best she could. "I don't mind. I can't really do much else."

Asha grinned. "I apologize for taking advantage of your being a captive audience."

"Yes, you appear most contrite," Sauron said, one corner of his mouth curling upward.

Asha shrugged, looking decidedly unapologetic. Sauron grinned briefly before returning his attention to Irideth. "How are you feeling, little one?"

Irideth swallowed. "Better than I was, my lord. I… the head wound hasn't bothered me in a while; Asha says it's almost healed. And I can move my hand much more easily than before."

Sauron nodded. "And your ribs?"

Irideth barely kept herself from biting her tongue. "They're… they feel like they're completely healed, and the bruises are gone, like I said before."

Sauron hummed quietly, turning his gaze to Asha, who was looking very confused. "I am guessing you have not had the chance to examine her since her little experiment?"

"No," Irideth said before she could catch herself. She tensed, rounding her shoulders slightly when the Dark Lord's attention moved back to her. "I… um, I didn't… tell her about it."

"Plainly," Sauron said, sounding amused. Looking to Asha, he said, "Irideth possesses a healing ability, the extent of which we are unaware."

"And you used this on your ribs?" Asha asked, raising an eyebrow at Irideth. Irideth nodded, taking a slow breath and sliding her shaking hands under the blankets as discreetly as she could manage.

Asha stepped forward, gesturing for Irideth to lie back as she approached the girl's bedside. Irideth did so, swallowing thickly as Asha pushed her shirt up to her chest. If the healer was surprised, she hid it well.

"The bruising is certainly gone," the orc reported, prodding gently at Irideth's side. "Does that hurt?"

When Irideth shook her head, she pressed a little bit harder. "How about now?"

Another headshake. "Does breathing cause you pain? Are you able to twist to this side at all?"

"Breathing doesn't hurt anymore, and I can move like I do normally," Irideth answered quietly.

Asha gave an incredulous huff, pulling Irideth's shirt back down before turning to Sauron, who had come to stand a few paces behind her. "I believe she's correct; it looks and feels completely normal."

Sauron nodded, eyes once more moving to Irideth. The sudden intensity of his gaze was very unnerving, and Irideth found herself…

Trying not to snarl at him? Valar, did she have a death wish? But, no, her chest and throat were burning. Her fingers curled against the blanket into something resembling claws.

Her head was hurting too, but Irideth realized quite quickly this had nothing to do with… whatever was going on. Sauron was pushing at the link and, somehow, she was blocking him without having realized it.

Irideth leaned away when Sauron stepped toward her before she could stop herself, clenching the blankets in tight fists when his hand moved toward her.

But all the Dark Lord did was gently grab her chin, tilting her head back and drawing her eyes to meet his.

"Easy, little one," Sauron murmured, fingers brushing lightly over her jaw.

Irideth swallowed thickly; she wanted to move away from him, his touch was bothering her like it never had before, but his eyes were just so...

Sauron's grip tightened slightly and Irideth's breath hitched; she only realized then that she'd been trying to pull away from him.

"Breathe, Irideth," Sauron said and the girl almost flinched. His voice was different; lower, lilting, and… strangely melodic. "I'm not going to hurt you, little one. Take a deep breath... yes, like that."

Irideth was managing to breathe a bit more deeply, but she was still very much aware of the tension in every muscle of her body. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking another tremulous breath.

"That's it," Sauron said, so quiet it was almost a whisper. "Now just relax and let me in."


Sauron was very surprised at the resistance Irideth was posing; even more astonishing was the fact that it appeared to be entirely unconscious. Reading her thoughts hadn't been this difficult even that first time, and that was before he'd created the bond with the collar.

What was going on? The modifications he'd made to the collar's protective enchantments could have something to do with it, but that was extremely unlikely. She did seem to have some natural resistance to his power, as evidenced by weaker sleeping enchantments not keeping her nightmares at bay, but this

Her deepened breaths had relaxed her slightly, but what little he could now sense wasn't encouraging. The connection was still dangerously tenuous, though Sauron could tell the girl was trying to keep it open despite how afraid she was.

'Breathe, little one. You're trying too hard,' Sauron said, taking care to keep his words and his emotions measured and calm.

'I… I'm sorry,' Irideth answered, mental voice far more tremulous than her physical one. 'I don't know what's wrong, I…'

'Shh,' Sauron said, bringing a few more small threads of power to the fore. 'I know, it's all right. Just keep your breaths deep and try to relax.'

Irideth closed her eyes and nodded; she was trembling slightly, but nonetheless straightened her spine and inhaled slowly.

'Good. Very good. Now, I want you to think back to when you healed yourself…,'


Irideth's head was pounding fiercely and spinning, eyes stinging something terrible when Sauron withdrew after what felt like hours. It had never been so painful when he'd read her thoughts before, and if she'd… felt correctly before he'd drawn back he still hadn't managed to find what he was looking for, whatever it even was.

"Could you try healing your arm, Irideth?"

Irideth blinked; Sauron's voice sounded strange, like she was hearing him from underwater. Nonetheless she nodded numbly, turning her head to look at the cast on her left arm. Slowly she drew her shaking right hand up, bringing her fingertips to rest lightly on the cool plaster. She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths as she tried to focus, to feel the twists and snarls of energy that made up the injury… Valar, her throat was on fire.

Why is my chest feeling so tight? And my head is swimming so much… I can't even tell where… why…

When she realized what was going on, she felt, for the briefest instant, a rage so intense it was almost blinding. And then she was just terrified.

Oh, Valar, what do I do?

"I'm sorry, I… can't concentrate. My head is… I'm too dizzy; I can't focus," Irideth said, deliberately furrowing her brow. She didn't open her eyes. She didn't dare look at Sauron, didn't dare meet his gaze.

Her suspicion was confirmed when the dizziness lessened almost immediately.

"It's all right. Just breathe for a few moments and try again," the Dark Lord said. His voice was still a calm lilt, but it had lost a bit of the echoing quality it had had a minute ago.

Irideth took another deep, bracing breath. The tightness in her chest eased.

It still took her a minute or two to be able to focus enough to discern the twists of energy of the wound well enough that she felt she could begin healing it. Lips pursed, brow furrowing slightly, Irideth began working at teasing out the snarls and bringing everything back into line. It seemed easier than last time once she'd gotten a decent start; the girl wasn't certain if this was because of her greater familiarity with the process or a sign of strengthening of her healing magic.

Once the rush of warmth that had accompanied the spell vanished, Irideth opened her eyes. Still not looking at Sauron, she lifted her left hand and curled her fingers into a fist before flexing her wrist up and down.

Irideth went still when Asha came to stand at her right side, not moving an inch as the woman drew a small dagger Irideth hadn't even noticed her carrying and deftly cut away the cast. Then Asha gently grabbed the girl's elbow, lifting until it was about level with her shoulder.

"Do you feel any pain?" the healer asked.

"No," Irideth said softly. Not in my arm, anyway. Her head, on the other hand…

She remained dutifully still as Asha prodded her arm and guided her through a few more exercises, answering the woman's questions in as few words as possible.

After a few minutes Asha looked back up at Sauron. "Completely healed, by all appearances," she said. If she was at all surprised, Irideth certainly couldn't tell.

"Her fever broke early this morning and her temperature has stayed down for the entirety of the day," Asha went on. "I believe she is fit to leave the healing wing, but she should not resume her regular duties or working hours for at least another five days. I would recommend very light work for the next day or two; she'll need to get her muscles working again after being on bed rest for so long, but I don't want her overdoing it and coming down with another fever."

Irideth felt that she should be irritated with people talking about her like she wasn't present, but she was just too drained to muster the feeling. She was lying back against the pillows before she'd realized it, eyes half lidded, unable to pay much mind to the conversation.

The girl was essentially asleep when she felt arms sliding beneath her knees and shoulders. She jerked slightly, making a small sound of surprise as she was lifted.

"Peace, Irideth," Sauron said softly as he brought her close, holding her against his chest. "Go to sleep, little one."

Well, she wasn't going to complain about that. Not that I have the strength to, anyway.

Irideth let her head rest above the Maia's heart, eyes falling completely shut as she turned into him. Sleep did not take long to claim her.


Sauron was not at all surprised at how quickly Irideth fell asleep; despite whatever was impeding the bond, he'd been able to sense her exhaustion without much effort.

"Try to make sure she eats at least semi-regularly for the next few days," Asha said. Sauron looked up in time to see her rubbing her eyes. "She won't be able to eat much, and definitely nothing too rough on the stomach; I'll be happy if she can get something down two or three times a day. I'll have some medicines sent up for nausea and headaches, just in case. Probably a sleeping potion or two as well."

"Are you certain she's fit to leave?" Sauron asked after a pregnant pause.

Asha gave him a look that was just this side of a glare. "It's not going to do her any good being stuck in a bed down here. She needs to start moving around and getting back to something resembling her usual routine, and I do not have the time to look after her."

"And if I ordered you to make time?" Sauron's question wasn't entirely serious, but Asha was certainly glaring now.

"I do not know her or her schedule well enough to properly monitor her. I'm certain the wraiths will be more than willing to assist you. They've certainly been making regular circuits down here; I suspect they planned a rotation."

Sauron blinked; since when had that been going on?

Irideth shifted suddenly, curling further into him; she'd begun shivering. Sauron adjusted his hold on her to accommodate the movement, raising his body temperature slightly and draping part of his cloak over her. The Maia studied the sleeping child for several moments before suddenly going rigid.

I know nothing about caring for a sick human child!

What have I gotten myself into?


Asha could tell the exact moment the realization of Sauron's position dawned on him; thankfully she'd already made it to the door.

This should be interesting, Asha thought as she made her way briskly down the hall, nodding to the wraiths as she passed them; if she wasn't mistaken they were snickering amongst each other. He'll be fine once he calms down enough to remember to use his brain.

I hope.


Irideth woke with aching muscles and a sore, dry throat. She grimaced when she swallowed, trying to roll onto her back; the cobwebs of some nightmare or other still clung to her mind, but she wasn't altogether certain wakefulness was much better.

The girl flinched when she felt a hand in her hair.

"Good morning, Irideth," Sauron said.

Irideth tensed before she could stop herself; she inhaled slowly to help herself relax before opening her eyes.

She blinked once to clear her vision; she was lying on the bed in her room, under an extra layer or two of blankets if the weight was anything to go by. Sauron was sitting beside her, gaze assessing. He smiled when her eyes met his.

Irideth's chest tightened; she fiercely reminded herself to school her expression despite her stomach twisting into a knot and bile rising in her throat.

"How are you feeling?" Sauron asked, gently brushing a strand of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

Irideth barely suppressed a shudder, closing her eyes and turning her head away from his hand and into the pillow. "I've been better," she said, voice still slightly raspy. She coughed once to clear her throat, opening her eyes and daring a quick glance at Sauron's face before moving her gaze to the far wall.

"I would expect so," Sauron said, sounding amused. Irideth closed her eyes again as he kept stroking her hair, drawing the blankets more tightly around herself and bunching them in a fist.

"I've told Halla to bring you some soup and tea," Sauron went on. "Asha was rather adamant you not return to your regular duties just yet, so Murazor has decided to take advantage. He has requested that I send you to him and the others to assist in untangling whatever mess they've let pile up."

Irideth, despite everything, found herself biting back a grin at his annoyed undertone. "Yes, my lord," she replied.

"You are free to join them when you wish, but I strongly suspect at least one of them will find their way here to escort you if Murazor gets too irritated," Sauron continued, amused again. Irideth hummed in response, smiling slightly at the tacit when he gets too scary for them to handle.

She then wondered how her life had reached a point where being used as a human shield by eight Nazgûl against an angry Witch King could be considered a good day.


Bit short, but I wanted to get something posted. I've started working on the next couple chapters, but with exams coming up I likely won't be able to get much else done for at least the next two weeks, and I didn't want to leave y'all hanging more than I already have.