Saige woke up suddenly as she was tossed roughly to the ground. She lay still for a moment, trying to regain her senses. The world seemed to spin around her, even though she knew that she was lying down on the ground.
"Ow!" she gasped as she tried to move. Her entire body felt bruised and sore, and when she looked down, she could see that her ankles and wrists were tied together. She was lying down on a small hill of grass, and in front of her were orcs, scuttling around and snarling to each other.
"Saige!" She heard someone whisper her name nearby. Turning her head, she saw Merry and Pippin next to her, also tied up.
"What happened?" she asked.
"The orcs took us after – after Boromir –" Pippin trailed off, looking dejected. "They've get orders, to take us to Isengard, alive."
"Us?" Saige asked quietly.
Pippin shifted closer to her. "Well, hobbits at least."
"I'm not a hobbit, Pip." She glanced around at the orcs again. Most of them were ignoring the three prisoners.
"Shhh!" Merry hissed at her. "You're short enough to pass for one; the orcs don't know the difference."
"They'll find out when we reach – Isengard, was it?" The name seemed vaguely familiar to her; doubtless Fayre had mentioned it in one of their talks.
Fayre! Saige began to realise her situation. She was a captive, being taken to a place whose name alone made her uneasy, and no one knew where she was.
"We can't reach Isengard," she said firmly, and Merry and Pippin nodded. With another glance around to check that no orcs were watching too closely, she wriggled closer to the two hobbits.
"I can use the fire-spell again – it'll give us enough time to run, plus I can burn through the rope without hurting you." Saige stopped their protests with a shake of her head. "I'm sure I can do it – I know the theory, it's just that I haven't tried the exact spell before."
"But when?" Merry asked.
Saige thought for a moment, looking around at the landscape before them. It was nearly dusk, and the plains looked flat and featureless.
"I'll say 'Fire' when we come to a place that's suitable." Saige hoped that there would be one soon – she didn't know how long it would take to get to Isengard.
The two hobbits nodded and looked somewhat reassured.
"'Ere, you three!" A harsh voice startled them, and before they could do anything, they were each grabbed by an orc. "Shut your mouths, or we'll shut 'em for you!" The orc that was speaking leered at them, showing his pointed yellow teeth. He snarled at the three again before moving off, and then the orcs formed up again and continued their journey.
It was mid-morning of the next day before Saige saw a place that could be used for their escape.
"Merry, Pippin," she hissed at them, from her place on the back of an orc.
The two hobbits immediately looked at her, and she jerked her head to a distant outcropping of rock in from of them. "Be ready," she mouthed, and they nodded.
Saige grew tenser as the rocks approached. The orcs swerved around them, going underneath the shadow of one. When they were halfway through the rocks, Saige acted.
She summoned her magic, and quickly burnt through the ropes that were binding the three.
"Fire!" she called, and Merry and Pippin began to thrash around, throwing themselves off of their orcs. Saige struggled and freed herself, and hit the ground with a thud next to the hobbits. The orcs were confused, milling around as the captains tried to restore order.
"Come on!" She scrambled up the rocks, pulling Merry and Pippin after her.
"Saige!" Pippin cried, trying to kick off an orc that had grabbed his ankle. Saige concentrated and launched a fireball at the orc, incinerating it. The other orcs began to roar and chase the three.
The hobbits and Saige clambered up the rocks, pursued by the orcs. Saige managed to reach the top, and turned to help the hobbits when she was grabbed from behind. She screamed and twisted around, chanting in elvish, and obliterated the orc that had grabbed her, but another one took his place. Some of the faster orcs had climbed up the sides and reached the top before them. Saige began the spell again, but the orc shoved his hand over her mouth and stopped her.
Soon the three were tied up again, and Saige was gagged so that she couldn't do any spells. She blinked back tears as the orcs continued on their way to Isengard.
She turned to look at Merry and Pippin – both were slightly scratched, but not terribly hurt. Pippin noticed her gaze and whispered, "They'll find us, Saige – I left my Lorien leaf behind."
Saige frowned for a moment, then realised that the leaf-shaped pin on Pippin's cloak was missing. She fought against the surge of hope that began to bloom inside her – there was no guarantee that anyone was after them. There was the Ring to take care of, after all. Even so, she couldn't help feeling slightly better.
The orcs continued on their relentless journey, getting closer to Isengard. Saige and the hobbits were kept guarded and closely watched, and Saige began to feel her hope fading.
It was night, two days after their failed escape attempt, and they were resting on the fringes of a forest. Saige was dozing next to the hobbits when she heard a disturbance.
The orcs were gathered around a short way award from her, having an argument. Saige strained to hear what they were saying – the individual voices melded together, forming a snarling mess.
"We need meat!" A small, slimy-looking orc yelled loudly, and soon many of the others were shouting in agreement.
"You'll wait until we reach Isengard!" another, larger, orc bellowed in response.
"What about them?" asked the first orc, pointing towards Saige and the hobbits.
The second orc hissed and positioned himself in front of them. "We've got orders, the small ones are not to be harmed."
The first orc peered around at Saige. "She don't seem to be a small one."
Saige flinched and looked around at the hobbits, but something caught her eye. Behind her, she was vaguely aware of the orcs still arguing, but to her left she could see a glowing light. She squinted and tried to make sense of it. It was coming from a pile of equipment that the orcs had tossed aside. The light was getting stronger now, and she realised what it was!
Her sword, Dawncleaver, was beginning to glow, getting brighter and brighter. Saige turned to the hobbits and pointed towards it as best she could. Merry understood at once and began to crawl towards it. The orcs ignored the three because they were still arguing.
Merry pulled out the sword and quickly sliced his bonds, before moving back to free Pippin and Saige. However, by the time that he had done this, the light of the sword had brightened to the point that the orcs had noticed it. Saige held out her hand and Merry gave her the sword.
The orcs were still silent, staring at the glowing sword in Saige's hand. Everything was quiet, but Saige could hear a drumming sound echoing faintly across the land.
The orc captain hissed and began to advance towards the three. Saige waved the shining sword in front of her. "Don't come any closer, or I'll burn you to the ground," she said threateningly. The orc paused, remembering her previous spell work.
The drumming that Saige had heard was getting louder, and the orcs shifted uneasily. One of them raised his head and sniffed at the air. "Men!" he shouted, and the orcs around him began to pull out their weapons.
Saige took advantage of their distraction to launch some fireballs into their mist. She turned and pushed the hobbits into the forest – she couldn't destroy all of the orcs, not in this state.
The orc captain snarled at them but didn't pursue them, instead beginning to organise the other orcs. But then there was the thunder of hooves, and many horses charged into the orc camp.
Saige and the hobbits stumbled into the forest, away from the battle. The screams of orcs began to fill the air as they went further into the murky woods.
"Who were the riders?" asked Pippin nervously.
Merry and Saige exchanged glances and shrugged.
"We can't risk going back there if they're enemies; we don't know their motives," answered Saige. "Let's just keep moving. Perhaps we'll find something in this forest."
A/N: Ok so here's where the chapter things gets a bit tricky. So there'll be a kind of rotating thing, e.g. a chapter for Saige, then one for Kadira and Layla, then one for Fayre, etc. And the times that it happens will be slightly overlapping as well BUT hopefully you'll be able to pick up where it is really easily! :D
ALSO THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE REVIEWED OR ARE FOLLOWING THIS! 3