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Chapter 2

Cecilia abruptly woke and slept for hours on end, her head painfully rested on one of her takers chest. Her thighs were burning from the friction of riding without a saddle and it would be, without a doubt painful to walk for longer than desired. She was in a haze like faze and time seemed to flow so slowly she could not determine if they had been on the road for a few minutes or a few days. It felt like having too much to drink and seeing everything triple just before vomiting, which was sure to happen soon as well.

Someone had, finally, remembered to push some water down her throat. It made her a bit more observant of her surroundings. A cruel hand had taken the bottle away sooner than she wished.

"It is better to drink little by little" A distorted voice in her ears spoke, she was not sure if it was real or pretend but it seemed to ignore her whimpers and continued talking. " if you drink it all at once you risk succumbing to road sickness, which i heard can be quite unpleasant. "

After her many groggs and begs the voice obeyed, giving evidence of his reality. She feared to open her eyes for she knew not what was waiting in front of her.

It looked as if they had stopped, was it day or night she dared not to find out. Were they taking her as a slave? And was there any way to escape? The questions came rolling in her head causing a pain in her stomach: in a matter of seconds the ham sandwich she consumed the day before, rather what was left from it, was rushing to the floor, bitterness overflowed her throat.

Her water giver had left, presumably in disgust and just when she had hoped to be left alone another came strolling by.

"Do you require aid? " She knew not which of the three it was, their voices still unfamiliar.

"Where are we? " Her voice cried, dry from torture.

"We are where we need to be." It was Galdor who spoke, she was sure, for he made her feel most at distress.

"What time is it? "

"Time for supper. " The same voice that blessed her with water spoke to her left, it had not left after all, simply changed positions. A soft, velvety touch to her forehead, like when a mother caresses her child to look for signs of illness awoke her from the travel induced daze.

She dared to peek through her eyelids finding that night has come and with it a familiar coolness of air, making her tremble harder against his warm hand on her face. It was Glorfindel.

"I am afraid I am not renowned as the best cook in Middle Earth, but it will be better than naught. " Assured the third one, Legolas, handing his waiting companion a bowl of stew to fed Cecilia from. Were they going to shit for her as well? She had to find a way to escape. Her luggage was nowhere to be seen and it bothered her when she finally spotted that Galdor was sitting on top of it, as to make sure she does not flee with them.

"I need to use the bathroom.. " she pleaded meekly, hoping to sound calm. It would be easy to get lost in the forest, perhaps climb up a tree until they finally leave. Could she outrun the bastards if need be? Probably not, but she was sure to try.

"There will be time for a bath when we reach our destination. " Said Glorfindel.

"No, i have to go.. Um, i have to, you know. " Why were they acting so dense? Truly none could be so stupid to misunderstand what going to the bathroom meant. She would not have been surprised if they started cooking crack on the small fire.

"Ah, I see. " It was Glorfindel who spoke but Legolas stood up, reaching out a helping hand for her to grab. Is he meaning to follow me? What was worse? Peeing in front of a crackhead or not being able to escape because of his watchful eye. It would seem suspicious if she changed her mind now, but she tried assuring them that she could be trusted.

"There is, honestly, no need for that. I will be gone for just a minute. I don't think I could do what needs to be done with you watching me." She said, not matching any of their eyes yet trying to sound confident.

"Rest assured, Legolas is as honorable as any, he will not make you feel indecent. Going into the forest unaccompanied is out of thought, it is known what lurks out there." They all nodded in agreement as if it was the most obvious thing. What lurked out there? Her salvation? Probably.

"Come, we must be hasty, unless you want your stew to get cold. It would be of little use then. " Her arm was still enveloped in his and he pulled on it, making her pace fasten away from the camp. She had only now realized her blouse was still undone and she knew it unwise, as she knew nothing of her captors and their intentions. Even if they claimed to be honorable. She pulled her fist from his in a desperate manner, and he allowed it, turning his gaze elsewhere upon realizing a lady fixing an error with her garb.

After walking a small, yet satisfying distance from the other two men Legolas stopped, and warned: "Do not go where i cannot hear you. I do not recommend that you try to flee, for it will be easy to track you down and bind you if necessary , which will be unpleasant for us both. " It erased all plans of running from her with a snap. He seemed confident enough to do it and it was with no doubt that he was quicker. His lean physique gave it away immediately.

Spotting a high bush among many she hurried and hid her lower body behind its leaves, checking the ground for possible spiders or snakes, knowing the weather was warm enough for those creatures to wander about, and finally pulling her skirt up and under pants down she released the fluids. It was so loud the forest was yodeling with the sound of her pissing. He could hear, no doubt given. With rising urgency to escape a most embarrassing situation, she looked up and found him staring up at the stars. It was now or never, she knew.

She fixed her skirt in place, and went for a quick, yet silent get away. She could climb a tree when she got far enough, she decided it was a just plan and proceeded on walking in a fast pace, with hope that he remains lost in the sky giving her a few more minutes to get lost. She quickened the pace now and was close to sprinting, seeing as she put up a good distance between them she let loose a few loud gasps for air and ran with even more urgency. The rustling of leaves was sure to be unheard and her steps became sloppy before she knew it, she was quick to tire.

As whips of air were taken from her lungs her throat started aching and the air became hot and cold all at once.

Someone was following her and she could give a good guess on who the person was. Panic overwhelmed her and she ran even faster, ready to start crying for help, without thinking if it was smart to anger him. He was being deliberately loud, letting her know he was close, how close she knew not, but it didn't matter, she could not ponder her racing skills now. A few more loud, big steps were heard and then nothing.

Nothing until a man's body came flying from a branch right in front of her, colliding his chest and her head, making her, most unfortunately, fall back to the ground.

"I do not know if I was too kind not to bind you before this, or if you are so foolish to think you could escape the likes of me. We are both to blame, it would seem. " He calmly voiced his inner thoughts, as if he wasn't even slightly out of breath, Cecilia, on the other hand, was almost choking on her own breath.

"Put your wrists together,facing me and do not struggle, An ngell nîn. " - please- She gave no sign of obeying him, so he, as gentle as it was, took it upon himself to bind her wrists loosely, and then her waist, like a dog's neck when taken out for a walk.

"If the binding strains you speak and I will loosen it if necessary. " He turned his head back to glance at her, all the while pulling with a strong hand. His words were kind, but he was not.

"Why have you taken me? " She let it out, speaking only now, when they were a mere moment away from camp. Would they harvest organs? The thought made her sick again.

"We do not know if you are to be trusted, if you are who you say you are: a mere human child lost in a forest, someone will gladly help you find your way home. And if not… Well. " He gave nothing away with the peaceful smile upon his face. " I hope we do not find out what happens then. "

"We won't. "

"We shall know soon enough. "

They finally waddled into camp, Cecilia grabbing the first chance to sit on her old resting spot, her balance disturbed by the binding. She wished someone untie her.

It seemed that they had forgot about giving her a dinner, as soon set a deep night and they became lost in conversation in a tongue she could not understand. Sleep was gliding over her eyelids in a moments notice, it was better to sleep and not think about her empty belly, she knew this but could not phantom sleep for some hours into the night. She wished to ask them for food but was too embarrassed to speak, so she lay quiet.

Dawn had set its pale yellowy greens on the horizon, making all look peaceful and in harmony. But it was not for a young woman slept in a camp with three men and their horses, awaiting to be taken to her unlawful trial. A somewhat quiet cricket of the fire awoke her and she peeled her face off the grass, some of the dirt still stuck to her cheek. They were still in the same position that she had last seen them in, talking in a circle around the fire in the unfamiliar language

"Excuse me. " She cried, hoping to get their attention. Galdor was the only one to look up from the obviously striking conversation, nothing evident on his face, and waited to hear her speak.

" I'm hungry. " She stated, hoping her desperation was not too demeaning. It seemed not as Galdor did not laugh in mock but proceeded to stand up and bring her a piece of bread which he was holding in his hands since yesterday evening.

"Eat quickly, we are preparing to leave soon. " He warned, not bothering to elaborate to where or when. She was glad they were leaving the forest as it was unsettling as any strange forest might have been if you were stuck in it with three unfamiliar men.

Cecilia was having another inner brawl about calling for Galdor's aid yet again. Her hands being tied was not the ideal outcome of things and she thought that reaching for her backpack was not a clever idea, as they might have gotten angry with her. Realizing he was still on his feet, she stood up, hoping to grasp his attention, not wanting to address him again.

" Sorry… " she spoke quietly, wishing only he heard her. Not using his name was even worse, she feared he might think she had forgotten it. He glanced back, eyes facing hers and waited. "Could you hand me a cigarette, it's in the front pocket in the green bag. " She also wanted to ask for some coffee but she did not wish to step out of line, seeming as he was not all too happy to rummage around her lady things as it was.

"Mana?" A what?

"It's in the first pocket in the green bag, no, the left pocket, yes that's it. " She directioned, heart warmed when he found the small Winston box. He opened it up, not particularly curious about what was in it. A small stack of paper and herbs did not seem threatening so he decided it was alright to hand them to her.

"Thank you. "

Then, one of the two blondes yelled to Galdor, alerting him of something, it seemed as if they were ready to depart. If i don't fucking have a minute for a smoke i'm going to go mad. Cecilia decided that she had the right for a 5 minute smoke, and made a few attempts to free her lighter from her blouse pocket, but with her hands tied the chances of her getting it were slim. The men were still lost in talk, all of them up on their feet paying no attention to her, so she crawled down to the only solution to her problem, the small, dying fire a few feet distant. She held the cubeb with both hands, holding it close enough to the heat to light it and to not get burnt and finally in a long, anticipated puff feeding herself on the smoke.

The men begun walking about rustling and picking things up before placing them on the now rested horses. Her bags were of no different fate, as Glorfindel swung her big bag over his horse, Legolas soon did the same thing with the smaller green bag. Galdor carried the biggest one in arms, as there was no possibility of hooking it to a horse.

She noticed their eyes on her more than a few times in the last few minutes, and their nonchalant wonders about the woman before them. Were they eager to meet her or get rid of her, she knew not. The herb scroll became a butt soon after, and someone came from behind to grasp her by the binding above her waist and gallantly pulled her to her legs.

"We leave now." Said Galdor, again, not too happy about having to talk to her.

"You may chose the one who has the honor to ride with you for the day, if so you wish. " She did not wish to ride with any of them, but as Glorfindel finally let her loose out of the rope it was decided that he would be the chosen man.

The morning sun turned into an afternoon one, growing hotter with each passing minute, Cecilia wished for a quick halt in their journey for some time now, but felt hesitant to ask. They rode quickly and she wondered why they didn't cover this land with a car, it would be a lot faster, but perhaps the trees were too close together to ride past comfortably? Yes, that must have been it.

As time slipped by terror and panic were beginning to flood Cecilia, once they reached their destination, what would become of her? Were they taking her to a commune or to a sect? She tried not to think about the inevitable, but it was all too much to bear. Was this a sex trafficking chain? She decided that it was not, as they surely would not have been so "kind" to her if that was the case. Maybe they were simply mad, their outfits and prosthetic pointy ears surely gave into that impression. Maybe once they reached their destination they would decide she was alright and let her go. Yes, surely, they were bonkers.

" Are you feeling alright, lady Cecilia?" someone to her left asked, Legolas, the one she dreaded to speak with asked, something close to concern evident on his fair face. He did not seem angry with her, thank God. "You are pale, is all. "

"Quite. " She reassured silently, trying not to look into his eyes but into her palms, which were suddenly very interesting. She had not meant to come off rude by speaking in such a mean voice, mostly because of the fear what might come as a consequence of offending them. She wished that he would leave, for she felt it best to be left to her thoughts, and maybe come up with an escape plan, but she knew chances were slim. After all, they seemed quite agile, if nothing else.

Legolas felt a nip of disappointment upon realizing the strange lady's reluctance to speak, but he kept his horse nearby anyway, so if perhaps another opportunity for conversation came up, he would be the first to interrogate. After all, both of his senior companions must have seen and spoke with hundreds, perhaps even thousands of humans, even female ones. He, venturing out of home only a number of times you could count on your ten fingers, had spoken with very few men, and none were of the fairer sex. So this was, naturally, a very special encounter, and Legolas was ready to ask numerous questions; but, thank the Valar, was not a foolish elf to do so. He dreaded being kept in conversations which were not of his interest and presumed this to be something of that sort, so he decided to keep quiet, for time being, at least.

"We are nearing. " Said Glorfindel, not particularly excited. It was about time they arrived, her thighs were crying with pain and she knew now that riding would never become a chosen activity. She was anxious and afraid to arrive, what would happen if they ruled her dangerous? They surely would not. But what if they did?

The air became chilly and an hour or two must have past by in silence from all three. Silence only broken by a few shouts in the unfamiliar language that frustrated her. It was nothing she could recognize or tie down to a particular country, so she ruled it as a form of deformed latin or old greek, but knew it was neither. Someone shouted yet again, and a clickety clock was heard from the far front. More horses. Were they coming to aid her and end her misery? Or were they just additional lunatics? She wanted to yell for help, but knew better.

"We are going to have to put you to sleep once more, lady Cecilia. " Said Glorfindel with slight amusement in his tone, but it soon ceased to be heard. "Few men know the path to the elven lands and the number should continue to stay little. It is for your own protection. "

"Aye." Said Galdor, stopping all three horses with a whistle. "You will not fall sick again, fear not, it is only a small path in front of us that follows. We will awake you in a matter of minutes. " She was just about to protest, but instead she started squirming and made the horse uneasy, so he started following her manner. The rope pulled tighter around her waist. She felt she had turned green with despair. Who knew what was coming next. Had she failed her last attempt of escape?

"Fear not." Legolas repeated, knowing calming words would not be of help but tried anyway.

She tried with one last breath to get away but Galdor was quicker and got to her neck before she could protect it. The same blackness from the day before overcome her as she closed her eyes looking up at the sky, fearing she was seeing it for the last time.

KaiKitty165: thank you so much! i appreciate your review as it is the first one i ever gotten, hope this one is to your liking as well, let me know :)

Hey guys, sorry for the late update but it seems as if I have overestimated myself. It takes longer than a week to write something i wont be embarrassed about in five years so the updates will come once in two weeks, but probably a little earlier.

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