Arial

Chapter 10

A Mantle of Responsibility

by Bethuviel

Disclaimer: The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien owns all recognizable characters from the works of literature encompassing The Lord of The Rings. I have received no compensation for any work I have written and/or published on this site.

Author's note: All reviews, whether critical or applauding are appreciated.

Additional note: I've decided to include in the notes what I listen to while I write each chapter. I don't know why, I just want to…. "Only Time" by Enya

oOo

Arial awoke with a gasp. Total darkness enveloped her and she blinked her eyes several times. She slowly spread her hands out in front of her and patted at her body, the bed she supposed she lay on and what she hoped were walls at her head and left side. Tentively, she felt the edge of the bed with her fingertips and eased her legs over the side. She stretched her foot and cautiously tapped the stone floor with her big toe before setting her foot down completely. As she rubbed her foot around, horrible visions played in her head of her falling into an even darker abyss, never to find the bottom. Arial relaxed when she realized that there was indeed a solid surface beneath her and blew out a sigh of relief.

"Hello?" She called out and winced when her voice returned to her in an echo. "Can anybody hear me? Where am I?" She continued even though the echoes overlapped her voice. Cautiously she stood and slid over closer to the wall. She leaned against it for support and directional heading since she could not use her vision in the darkness. She continued to slide her feet across the floor and felt the wall with her hands as she went along. She thought, "Well, this must be how a blind mouse feels in a maze," and chuckled quietly to herself.

Arial noticed that the walls felt to be made of smooth rounded stones similar in size. She could not feel any mortar between them and she wondered who had built the place she was now imprisoned. "Oh no," she delved into her thoughts as she felt her way along the walls of her room, "you just couldn't stay with the slightly eccentric elves and ol' pointy ears, no, not you. You just had to run out and get yourself into one mess right after another. Now you're missing part of a finger, got a scarred up back, nearly raped by bandits, and still cold, hungry, and alone. The only thing you've haven't got is pneumonia, but just hang on long enough and you'll get that too, if you don't die first."

Suddenly she stopped. She felt a crevice in the wall, then rough wood. She ran her fingers over the wood and found what felt like iron imbedded with screws. "A door!" She excitedly thought. Her pulse quickened slightly as she stubbed her wounded finger on the door knob. Arial grabbed it and pulled. Then she tried twisting it and heard the lock clacking in resistance. She was purposely trapped.

"Damn it all to hell!" She exclaimed. Her anger boiled and she felt herself getting hot. She stomped her foot, and started sliding against the wall back in the direction of the bed.

Arial ran her hands over the head and footboard of the bed. It was made of wood. She gave the footboard a good jerk and found that the bed was not well made and weakly held together. She jerked it back and forth, over and over until she heard a snap and landed hard on the floor.

"Aawww!" she cried out, rubbing her buttocks. She felt around the floor around her until she was grasping a large piece of wood. She ran her hands up and down the expanse of wood, noting that the end was jagged and had a very large nail protruding from the end of it. She smirked. "That'll do some damage," she thought.

Arial scooted back to the wall at the top of what was left of the bed and stood up with her weapon in one hand and used her other hand to feel her way back to the door. Once there, she squatted low on the side opposite the hinges and waited. Her body wasn't used to being in that position and soon her legs twinged with the first signs of cramps. She wiggled around, trying to get more comfortable when she heard a key scrapping in the lock of the door. Arial froze and held her breath.

oOo

Saruman dared not to touch the palantir out of fear that Sauron would learn of the girl's existence through him. She was a secret he wished to keep to himself. Saruman knew that she had been in Rivendell. He could still see, although faintly, the aura of the elves clinging to her own aura. Saruman guessed that she had been in Elrond's presence less than two weeks past. He smirked. If she had been there, she would know about the secret council that been held and perhaps the subject of discussion. Was she the one that his captain had found in the wilderness and allowed to escape?

He slapped his hands together hard. He felt the stinging sensation and smiled. He had already surmised that the one ring was the topic of discussion from the reports of his spies. Why else would elves, dwarves, men and hobbits come together? And that traitor Gandalf thought to help them?

Saruman laughed aloud. He pictured Gandalf in his ratty gray robes. Yes, Gandalf would probably want to lead them on whatever quest they took upon themselves. The fools! Could they not see that against the Dark Lord there was no immediate victory? It was better to bow and serve now, and strike later from a position of power.

Saruman looked around him. He was sitting at his desk in his study. He eyed the various papers stacked haphazardly about him. He saw the dust floating in the sunlight penetrating one of the few windows of the Ornthanc. He snorted his disgust. Of late, his stronghold had become a disheveled mess and smelled musty. But then again, he had been quiet busy. How had Gandalf managed to summon one of the eagles to his rescue? Saruman rapped his knuckles on the desk top. Gandalf had quickly become a thorn in his side. Gandalf. He would have to particularly careful with that stubborn wizard or all of his laid plans would come to ruin. Gandalf…

"Bah!" he exclaimed and shoved a stack of papers from his desk. He sat back and watched them flutter in the air and finally settle to the floor adding to the mess that surrounded him. "One day, you will bow before me, begging for my mercy. You and all who follow you." He clinched his bony fist and slammed it down with a thump.

He would not be thwarted in his desires. He would bring all of Middle Earth under his authority. He would obtain the one ring for himself and over throw that pathetic substitute Morgoth left behind. An eye. Flaming at that. Saruman would never fully surrender to that. The Dark Lord could not ever be allowed to regain his full form.

Frustrated, Saruman spoke aloud his thoughts, "Can the fools not see? I am the only one with the strength to master the will of the ring! I am the only one with the power to destroy him. I am the only one on this cursed earth with the capability to overthrow and destroy that abomination!" Saruman spun around, stood up and walked out onto a balcony behind him. He looked out into the horizon. He could feel the distress of the earth. He could feel the ripples of time and was suddenly pulled back to the immediate task securely locked away in his prison cells.

She had somehow affected the continuum of this world. There was no longer balance. Saruman knew that the balance would have to be restored, whether the one ring had been found or not. The foundations of Arda depended on this balance. The survival of every living thing upon Arda depended on the balance of Arda. She did not belong here, that much he did know. But where was she from? How did she get here? What would he do with her?

Saruman knew that she would have to kept here for her own safety, as well as the safety of Arda. And no matter the expense, or effort, she absolutely could not be revealed to the Dark One. She would have to be kept hidden, kept secret.

Saruman called to a servant and ordered that a tray of food be assembled for him and the prisoner. He would sit and eat with her. He would gain her trust. She did not look as though she had been befriended by anyone, but indeed had had a rough journey. Certainly, Middle Earth had not been kind to her, that much was obvious. She was out of her element, out of her understanding. Yes, he would become a friend to her, and she to him.

He would learn all that he could from her, and then he would find a way to return the balance of Arda. He could feel the bands of time, the very bands that held Arda in existence, begin to tear. The tearing was just beginning, and was slow. He knew that he did not have much time before the damage was irreparable. He also knew that there was point of no return and once that point had been passed, Arda would rip itself apart in its own destruction. Saruman winced. He knew this task laid before him would not be easy. But he also knew that if he failed, all would fall to ruin and destruction, and the ring would be the last of their worries.

The servant returned with a tray laden with fresh food. Saruman took the tray and dismissed the orc. He disliked the orc as a race, but had accepted that they were a temporary and necessary evil. Once he had defeated Sauron, he would destroy the orcs and rid Arda of them also. He rolled his eyes as he walked up the stairs leading to the prison cells. He had much to do and no one appreciated him. One day, everyone would see what a benevolent father he had been to Middle Earth. That one day was coming and he worked towards that end without ceasing. He was tired, but rest would also come in that one wonderful day when all would bow to him and his magnificence.

He had lost himself in his thoughts and had passed the door of his concern. He turned and walked back to it. He stood outside for a few minutes. She was awake. He could hear her steady breathing, but her heart rate was elevated. He knew she would be disoriented, scared and hungry. He detected something else, something he did not like and stepped back from the door.

oOo

Author's note: That's all for now, but a new chapter is on the way soon! Leave a review…it's encouraging and feeds the muse!