Hello, again!
Ok, so I was hoping for some type of response to those last two chapters.
But, alas, I shall hold out faith that someone will review...
Anyway, I really want to know what y'all thought of Eraveth's meeting with Azog.
In this chapter, we find out what happened to Earwen and we get to see
an old friend again! Yay!
(but I expect that I'm the only one cheering)
Okey-doke, hope y'all enjoy this one.

~ Rachel

Eärwen awoke with a skull-splitting headache. At first her mind was clouded and she could not think clearly, but suddenly, something occurred to her. She was in water! She looked around and found that she was in a pool of some sort with a cage over the top of it. The walls of the cave were lined with crude torches and gave a flickering glow that reflected of the water's surface. She glanced down at herself and found that she was in her natural form and all of her clothing had been removed save the dark sleeveless undershirt that she always wore.

Eärwen felt a slight bit of panic take hold of her heart and realized there was little chance that she would escape her new prison. She submerged and began to fell around the walls of the pool. Her eyes soon adjusted and she found what she had been looking for. The spring that fed the pool she was in had been blocked by rocks and she doubted that she would be able to move them. Besides, there was no telling how narrow the opening was and she might not even fit through.

She emerged just as a set of heavy footsteps came toward her. Her now shorter hair hung in her face and had once again returned to completely red. The sight she saw pass her made her gasp in fear. A large orc was walking past her prison and he was carrying someone on his shoulder. Eärwen knew those red curls and she slammed against the cage that covered the pool.

"Eraveth!" she screamed as she fought with all her strength to escape. Her friend did not move and Eärwen took in her bruised and bloody face. Rage filled her and she screamed over and over again as she fought the bars of the cage.

While she screamed, Eärwen missed the fact that someone else had come into the room. A throaty laugh startled her and she spun to face the creature who had made the fearful sound. The moment her eyes fell on the pale orc that stood beside her cage, she jerked away from the dreadful creature. No one needed to tell her who this orc was. His pale skin and metallic hook was enough to identify him. This was Azog the Defiler and she was his prisoner.

"What did you do to her?" Eärwen yelled at the horrific orc.

Azog chuckled and took another step forward. "I am releasing her," he hissed as he motioned to the side. A group of orcs came forward and removed the cage from over the pool that Eärwen was in. Suddenly, one of the orcs grabbed her arm and fastened a heavy shackle to her wrist. Fear gripped her heart as she looked at the metal. Dark magic seemed to irradiate off it. Whatever chance she had of escaping had now diminished to something almost nonexistent.

Azog sat down on the edge of the pool and dipped his good hand into the water. He leaned closer to her and grinned at her wickedly. "You are the first nymph I have had in my possession," he said as he tugged on her chain to draw her closer. "I have had elves and skin-changers but never a nymph. You are quite the rare prize."

Eärwen tried to fight against the pulling of the chain but was pulled close to the pale orc. She jerked away when he reached out to touch her and reacted in the only way she could. She jerked her strong tail forward and hit Azog as hard as she could. Satisfaction filled her as the orc was sent to the ground beside the pool.

Azog growled and stood quickly. He roughly jerked Eärwen's chain until she was halfway out of the water, the rough stone cutting into her belly. She cried out as the stone scraped the soft skin of her abdomen. A hand reached down and grabbed her roughly by the jaw and forced her to look up. Azog's lip curled and he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You will beg for death before I am done with you."

Eärwen looked up into his eyes and said three words that he would never forget, "Do your worst!"

-oOo-

Bolg grumbled as he carried the young dwarrowdam. They were catching up with Thorin Oakenshield and then Azog's plan would be put to action. He adjusted his burden but stopped when a sound caught his attention. He turned just in time to see a flash of black before his soldiers began to fall around him, arrows protruding from their necks. He dropped the girl in his arms and ordered the orcs to retreat. He caught sight of the figure that had attacked them just as he and the few orcs that had survived the attack fled into the woods.

Barathon stooped down over the crumpled for of the half-dwarf on the ground and moved her hair aside. Her face was badly bruised and was bleeding slightly from a cut on her cheek. He glanced around to make sure that no orcs remained in the area and scooped the female up into his arms. He was close to the Beornings' land and knew that Beorn would provide the girl protection. He moved into the forest once more and started to head for the skin-changer's land.

He ran through the forest faster than he had ever run before. He spotted movement in the trees before him and hoped that it was the skin-changer. A large man stepped out from behind a tree with a bow in his hand. Barathon lowered the girl to the ground and held up his hands.

"Master Beorn," he said with a slight bow of the head, "I am extremely sorry to trespass on you land, but this girl needs urgent help. I have been following the company that she belongs with for some time, but she and another woman were separated from them in the Misty Mountains."

Beorn listened to the young ellon speak and raised his brow at the thought that this story corresponded with one he had heard only last night. Stepping closer to the girl, recognition filled him at the sight of the messy, red hair and freckled face. "Where did you find her?" he asked looking back up at the elf.

Barathon took a slight step forward and said, "She was being carried by a company of orcs. I was sent from Rivendell to find the other woman of the company and I came across the pack of orcs. I beg of you to take her in. Her company should be coming through your land soon and she should be returned to them. I must continue on my search for the Lady Eärwen."

Beorn saw the honesty and pleading in the ellon's eyes and nodded. "I will make sure that she is taken care of."

Barathon turned and quickly ran in the direction that the orcs had gone earlier, hoping that they could provide him with the information that he sought. With one final glance behind, he saw Eraveth move slightly and open her eyes before he disappeared once again into the trees.

SOOOOOOO... What did you think?
Oh, by the way, I have a job interview this afternoon so wish me luck!
I really need a job... :(
Anywho, have a blessed day!