Author's Notes: Here again, please reveiw and stuff...

Captive

Shackled, gagged, bruised and sick. That was how I woke up. The gag stank and was covered grime I could not name. The shackles had left my wrists hands raw red, sore and cut. Luckily my wrist had healed but was still a little stiff from the knock. My weapons had been dumped somewhere along the road.

I had tried to look for Pippin and Merry and did not see their chubby red cheeks. From what I could hear the group of Uruk- Hai and Orcs had been split into two groups. Unluckily I was with the group that had the Uruk-Hais

Uruk-Hais were more inhumane. Their morals twisted and their compass pointing the wrong way. They were approaching Isengard by the North and the Orcs with Pippin and Merry where approaching from the South. This had been done so the Horsemen of Rohan were less likely to notice small groups running across their land than one large group.

It was night now. They had made a camp without fire. A red moon sat among the stars. Blood was gonna to be spilt this night. I wondered if it was my own that would touch the ground. In the distance I would make out a small village with few huts.

Around the camp were snorts of Orcish. They were agreeing to something. The leader of the pack piped up and spoke his language to group. He and the group all but one left and went to the village to wreak havoc and pillage.

The one that had been left was a weakling, of the lowest rank in this group. He was missing one eye and looked like a brute. Scars were across his ashened face. Warts, spots and all were across his skin. Thin armour hung on him. He stared at me as if I was piece of freshly cut roast beef siting in gravy.

He got up with a flashing smile of blood stained canine teeth. His hand ripped off the gag. I breathed in, in both fear and in an automatic response. That thing had stunk and I was glad for the fresh air, yet I wondered why he had taken it off.

I looked at the village. Huts had been torched. People ran up the hill in the fear, children cried, women screamed, men shouted calls to arms. It was sick. People were dying, the innocent burning in their sleeps, babes choking in the cots, the elderly smothered in their beds by the thick suffocating smoke. Horses ran without their masters in the fields. One poor beast had a burning maine and was running off into the night, unbeknown to it's owner.

"Monsters! Pillaging, soulless monsters!" I shouted at him. I knew that were eyes were beholding the flames within me to the Uruk-Hai. The flaming huts in the distance went out at the moment my words left my mouth. The orange glow in the sky had gone. Never had I ever put out a flame that big. I suppose my anger and disgust had probably helped.

The Uruk-Hai became aware of what I had done. "Stupid girl, don't want to waste to power on them. Saruman needs all of that fire" It said walking around me like prowling guard dog. I glared at it with hatred then looked down at the shackles around my wrist with a bitter smile of darkness.

"So how low are you in the ranks?" I asked as I got onto my knees. The twins' trick better work this time. I kept my head high and jumped on the balls of my feet. I was now in a crouch with my backside off the ground. I straightened my legs and stood up. My knees cracked in disagreement. The Uruk-Hai still circled. "No really? How low down are you? How dumb in fact? Probably the lord or maybe king of dumb Uruk-Hais." I asked looking at it in the eyes. I walked from his protective circles and to a group of large rocks that went up to my hips. It followed baring it's axe.

"King of the dumb, then? Great. So is your boss gonna be your Queen? You see you can't have me, I'm already a Queen of somewhere else and your not my type... Your too dumb." I spoke like one of those people who think everyone is below them.

It growled. It brought it's axe down in front of me, before it could slam down on the rock I put out my hand. The blade landed down on the iron chain that stopped me from parting my hands. It broke. I smiled. "Told you. Your too dumb. I think these'll make lovely bracelets." I laughed as I jumped over a rock so I was next to Uruk-Hai, it's axe was still stuck into the rock. Frantically it tried to pull it from the stone. I rested with my right hand leaning on the axe's handle. Blue flames pushed up the handle and went up the Uruk-Hai's arm. A wind blew sending him into the air like burning paper.

"Hot air rises" I smirked. Now it was time to run. They'd be back soon. Then again, closer to the enemy is where they won't expect it. I ran towards the village but to Uruk-Hai where now running at me. But not towards me, no they were scared, they were running. I dived down into some long grass with my hood over my head and my arms wrapped around my neck in protection.

They pounded past me, some falling short with arrows or spears in their back, one even had a javelin stuck in it's neck. I swore and swore some more as horses ran past me with galloping hooves. I quickly scrambled to my feet and ran to the village again. The huts had been set alight again. One woman was being held back by two men. "My son! My little boy! Let my past! Someone get him, please for the love of the Valar!" She screamed as she knelt on the floor crying and screeching.

I couldn't bare it. I jumped threw the open window of the hut. The hut was badly burnt and still had small fires on furniture. I could hear the faint sound of a small boy shouting out for his mother just like the little Water Spirit, Francis.

The wood was blacker than the smoke that floated in the air. I put out the flames in the house and ran to the small voice. I climbed up a small ladder and into the attic space. In this room under the burnt out roof was a small boy about 4 years old, sat huddled against the chimney breast hugging a ashened teddy bear in his hands. He looked up in fear.

I knelt down so I was at his eye level. "Cute teddy. What's his name?" I asked. God, I am terrible with little kids.

"Brian, he's a wild bear." He said holding his bear closer to his chest. He coughed like a liquid was on his chest. I put out my hand. He took it wearily. His eyes glaring at the broken shackles.

"So you and Brian get on my back so I can climb you both down so you can see your mummy" He got on, he was surprisingly quite light. We climbed down the ladder with ease. I lifted him off. We walked to the door. I barged it a few time and it finally came open. With wheezing breaths, the little boy ran into his family's arms. I walked back into the house and walked to the back room. I jumped threw another open window and walked away from the village.

How much death had Saruman caused? How much blood was on his hands? How many souls were going to hold him back in the afterlife? I both wanted it to be many souls, then again that meant a loss of life.

"Stop there!" Someone shouted. I turned half expecting it to be Aragorn. Only, it wasn't. The man who had spoken was sat on a light grey horse holding a younger man on who was injured and was barely conscious. They both had sandy blond hair and dark eyes. The eldest was broader and had a broken nose that made it look flat. The one who wasn't conscious had a smaller build but wore better armour. "Who are you and what business do you have in the land of Rohan?" He asked pointing his sword at me and holding his comrade on his horse with the other.

"Is kidnapped a business?" I asked looking down the blood stained blade. "If think pointing a sword in my face is gonna make me scared then you have another thing coming, Rider of the Mark. I am Tara Stormhold of Castdeia." I tapped it aside. He sheathed his sword and bowed his head.

"I am Èomer. This is my cousin, Theodred, son of King Thèoden. Kidnapped by those beasts I take it. Why may I ask and from where, my lady?" He had suddenly become polite. It seems he wasn't a know it all Man who despised my kind's existence by calling us 'Darklings'

"At the banks of the river Anduin, I was cut off from my companions by an attack. Two Hobbits were also taken by another group of Uruk-Hasi and Orcs. I have no idea what they want with me or the two Hobbits." The Uruk-Hai had mentioned they wanted my power but there was no reason to tell anyone, not even a Rider of the Mark.

'Go with them to Edoras. See the King and make him see how the new dark world is running circles around him and the Mark' A powerful voice boomed in my head. I couldn't quite put a name to the voice. But I knew it was not Saruman.

"I think my uncle should hear your words, my lady. I can give you a horse to ride but..." He looked at a black horse that walked forward breathing hot air into the cold air. "We have no side sadles."

I stroked the horse's face. It's eye's were blue and full of life. "Side saddle is uncomfortable and boring. Anyway, I am not wearing a dress. Has he got a name?" I took hold of the reins and jumped onto the horse's back into the saddle.

Èomer looked rather confused. "His owner had called him Damon. He is a little too excited at times." he turned his horse. I patted Damon on the neck and let him follow Èomer's company. We rode into the night never stopping. These horses were born of this land were of sturdy breeds. They were were war horses, bred for both war and hard labour.

Damon ran as fast as the company but took longer strides and had a odd bounce in his step. Under his black pelt was pure muscle with little fat. It muscle defined and strong. Every body part worked together. It seemed like he was part of the ground and was running with it and not against it. Surprisingly in character he was almost exactly like my horse, Charis. Unlike Damon, Charis was smokey grey with patches of white. Charis was no war horse, he was was a horse made for a speed and pace, not for muscle and strength which was what Damon was bred for.