The layer of clouds that blanketedthe night sky were so thick that even the light of the moon could not penetrate it. I sighed and lowered my eyes to the ground once more and hurried to make up for the time I had spent gazing at the heavens. Those moments cost me dearly, and I braced myself for the impact as I was shoved hard in the back.

"Keep up, you filth." One of the orcs snarled, and cruel laughter surrounded me as they watched me tumble to the ground and struggle to rise with bound hands. These beasts are unmerciful, unrelenting. I never expected anything else, but I was still shocked at the cruelty these monsters displayed.

Uglúk pushed through the crowd, grabbed my arm, and yanked me off the ground. "On your feet, woman, or you won't live to see the dawn."

The rest of the orcs were exhausted and panting. "We're not going no further 'till we've had a breather!" a brave- or foolish - orc shouted. The rest nodded and growled in agreement. Uglúk snarled, baring his filthy, fang-like teeth, but he knew that if he tried to force them to keep marching they would rip him limb from limb.

"Get a fire going," he growled finally, and threw me down at the roots of a nearby tree. "Besides," he said, drawing closer and cornering me against the tree trunk, whispering dangerously in my ear, "the pretty she-worm needs her rest." He brushed his filthy finger-nails along my jaw. I coughed up phlegm, colored with blood, and spat it in his face.

The surrounding orcs snickered as Uglúk stumbled back, cursing and wiping his eyes.

"You will pay for that, devil." He snarled, and slapped me. My head whipped from side to side with each blow. Blinking back the tears, I glared at him. I will not give him the satisfaction of crying out or cowering away. I knew what he wanted. They all did. But the last orc that tried to force me to mate with him had his throat ripped out. I received no water after that, so the bitter taste of blood still coated my tongue. But they had learned their lesson well, and after that no one else has dared to risk their lives.

Uglúk turned and faced the source of the laughter. "You think that's funny, do you?" He shouted, and buried his blade deep in the head of the nearest orc. The rest scrambled to put distance between themselves and the lead orc.

The child-like creatures had been put close to where I lay. The one called Merry was lying very still, and Pippin was shaking him. I crawled slowly to his side and lay my hands on his shoulder.

"Wake up. Merry, you must not sleep now." I whispered. Merry groaned and opened his eyes.

"I think… we might have made a mistake leaving the shire, Pippin." he said softly.

"His wound is not healing," I said gently probing the gash on his temple.

"I'll be alright. It's you we should be worried about. You've fared much worse than I." he said.

"I am stronger. They do not care whether I live or die, but they have a purpose for you, so they will keep you alive. I am only a game to them. I think that they are only waiting to see how much longer I will live. I pray that my time is soon. I can guess that I may already be dead, though I don't know when."

"Don't say that. You don't mean that." Merry said.

"But I do. I have had nothing to live for for many years. I will welcome death when it comes."

I wish I could do something for him. I wish I could heal him, give him hope. I wish I could tell him to wish, wish that I had the power to grant my own wishes.

But I cannot.

I can do nothing.

I close my eyes and patiently try to loosen the ropes that bind my hands. But my eyes fly open, widen with terror as low, pain-filled creaks flood my ears.

"What's making that noise, Merry?" Pippin asked his cousin. He watched as the orcs swarmed around the trees, cutting them with axes and swords for firewood.

Merry listened as the groans grew louder. "It's the trees." he said softly.

"What?"

"Do you remember the Old Forest? On the borders of Buckland? Folk used to say there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall… and come alive."

"Alive?"

Merry nodded. "Trees that could whisper. Talk to each other. Even move." He was cut off as another tree crashing to the earth.

Suddenly a shriek pierced the din.

"Murderers!" Amyriat screamed, "Dishonorables! Thieves!"

She was fighting the orcs that were cutting the trees, spinning and ducking as fists and knives flew at her. She dodged under the arm of one, grabbed his greasy, matted hair from behind and yanked his head back with a sickening crack. As the lifeless body collapsed to the ground, she pinned his arm in place with her knee and rubbed the ropes tying her hands together against the blade held in the orc's dead, stiffening hand.

The rest of the orcs rushed towards her in a vain attempt to reach her before she finished severing her bonds. Hands freed, Amyriat dodged a knife targeting her heart. A new strength radiated from her, and a new sense of deadliness. Her eyes had become dark whirlpools, sucking in victims before drowning them.

New blood was staining her skin, not her own, but that of the orcs. Left and right they fell, and the Hobbits cheered her on with horrified excitement.

Uglúk pushed through the mob and started towards Amyriat with a coiled chain of dark metal in his hand.

"Amyriat! Behind you!" Pippin screamed, and she whirled around to face her new opponent. A rough circle formed around the two as the orcs waited to see what events would unfold.

"What are you trying to pull, she-maggot?" Uglúk snarled. "Fighting for your liberty?" She was silent, but eyed this new weapon with caution, and a glimmer of fear shone in her eyes. "We out number you, hundreds against one. Did you really think you would succeed? It's a pity," he said, raising his arm. "You were so beautiful."

The chain twisted in the air. Amyriat ran to avoid it, but Uglúk swung over and over, and finally it wound itself around her legs and sent her tumbling to the dirt like the trees she had been defending.

Uglúk ripped the iron chain from Amyriat's legs and paused as he beheld the marks it had made.

"So," he said, "Thy sly little creature can be burned by our chains." He laughed and tossed the chain to the closest orc. "Plans have changed! The woman shall be taken with the Hobbits to Saruman. Tie her with something that can't be so easily cut."

Shrieks and battle cries sounded as they converged around her. Several orcs kneeled on her back, pinning her to the ground as the chain was wound around her wrists and ankles. Merry and Pippin turned away and held their ears to block out the sight of her writhing in pain and her agonized cries. Her voice mingled with the mournful moans resonating deep within the forest.

"Thieves!" she wailed, the blazing bonfire casting hideous shadows on her heaving body and reflecting on her tear-stained face, turned towards the night sky. The grey clouds parted, just for a moment, revealing the waning moon. Then it was gone.

"Murderers!"

Gimli touched a dark stain on a leaf and brought it to his mouth. His fingers had barely touched his tongue before he spit the foul substance on the ground.

"Orc blood." he said, and spit again.

Aragorn and Legolas followed behind Gimli, leading the two horses given to them by the Riders of Rohan. Amyriat was watching from her perch on Hanselel's back.

"I could have told you that, brother Dwarf, without having to taste it! I've certainly seen more of it these past days that I wanted."

"And how would you have done that, Lady Amyriat?" Gimli asked.

"How did you know it was orc blood by tasting it?'

Gimli chuckled. "It was the worst thing I have ever tasted so far in my life."

"I've tasted orc blood as well, and it's not something I'll want to do again! It smells how it tastes, that's how I was able to tell." she said as she made a face, scrunching her nose and grimacing. Gimli into a fit of chuckles that he barely made an effort to smother.

"It's darker than normal blood, too." She added, smiling along with Gimli.

Aragorn had stopped to study the ground. "These are strange tracks." he said to Legolas, "They are nothing like anything I've seen before."

Gimli had silenced his guffaws and was now looking upwards at the barely-visible sunlight streaming down from the veil of leaves. "The air is so close in here." He said.

"This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory… and anger." Legolas said to no one in particular.

"Listen! You can hear them." Amyriat said as deep groaning and creaking echoed from within the trees. Gimli started and raised his axe, prepared to fight an unseen enemy.

"Nendach! No!" Amyriat hissed.

"Gimli, Lower your axe." Aragorn gestured with his hand.

"They think you are threatening them." Amyriat said.

Gimli slowly lowered his weapon. "Oh."

"They have feelings, my friend. The Elves began it. Waking up the trees, teaching them to speak." Legolas said.

"Talking trees. What do trees have to talk about, eh? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings." Gimli muttered.

"Were you not listening when he said the trees have feelings? They can hear you, so you might want to be a little more careful with your words about them." Amyriat scolded Gimli gently. He bowed his head in response. "Just be more aware." she warned again.

They had reached a small clearing with a stream running through it. "We'll stop here for the night." Aragorn said to the others. "Gimli and Legolas, can you find some food and firewood while I attend to the lady's wounds?"

Aragorn set about unpacking his bag as his companions disappeared into the forest. Taking a small package of medical supplies, he made his way to Amyriat, still sitting on Hanselfel.

"Lady," he said, offering his hand. She took it and slid down the side of her horse and landed without much difficulty. Aragorn held her like he was cradling a child and started towards the stream.

"I can walk fine enough," Amyriat protested, but Aragorn shook his head and said "We don't want to risk worsening any of your wounds." Amyriat sighed.

Aragorn set her down on the bank. She gladly dipped her feet in and breathed deep, savoring the sensation of cool water flowing through her veins again.

"Turn around." she told Aragorn, and waited until he was a good ways away with his back to her before slipping off her soiled clothes and wading farther into the stream. The water was frigid, and she shivered as she splashed her face clean. For several minutes she splashed around like a child taking a bath, giggling and sighing as she washed her body of the blood and dust from her mistreatment at the hands of the orcs.

Finally she called to Aragorn. She dressed in her newly-washed garments and climbed onto the bank so Aragorn could examine her wounds.

"I am sorry I can do little more but dress them," Aragorn told her as he dabbed an ointment on the cut on her forehead.

"I am grateful for what you can do." she told him, then winced.

"Sorry"

"It's fine."

"These cuts are deep, but luckily have not been infected. A few ribs are broken, here, and here." he said, probing along her back where her boned had been broken. "It really is a miracle that you have survived."

"I am stronger than I look." she said.

"I do not doubt that. May I ask how you got these marks?" he said, turning over her hands to show the criss-crossed burn marks on her wrists and forearms. "They are like you were bound with burning chains."

"They found my weakness. They had… iron chains… and bound me with them. It is like poison to my race, and deadly if cut with it." she said, taking her hands back and rubbing the scars.

"You weren't cut, were you?" he asked.

"No, though many of their knives had iron in them. I likely would not have survived if I had." she said. "Are you done?"

"Yes."

"Kyiet-wei. Thank you." She stood up and turned back camp. "Legolas is back," she said, just before he became visible in the trees, Gimli coming shortly behind him. They dumped their armloads of dead wood in a pile in the middle of camp and set to making a fire.

Amyriat waved away Aragorn's help and instead limped back to their horses on her own. She sat with her back against a tree trunk and watched legolas coax and flame out of the wood, watching the flames dance with graceful movements while eating away at the wood that gave it life.

Beautiful.

But also dangerous.

There. Double the of what I usually write. I spent literally almost all day writing this, so you'd better like it. I worked too hard for you not to like it ;) I'll try to update every week from now on, so you wont have to wait too long for the next chapter. Merry Christmas!

-LittleBearAndjazzie :)