Chapter 11: Growing Fears
Here's the real chapter 11.
The first thing Ahsoka noticed when she regained consciousness was that she was tied up to something that was moving. By the smell, she correctly guessed that she was a prisoner of the Uruk-hai. To her horror, Ahsoka realized that she was blind and being bombarded by the mother of all migraines. She tried to reach out with the Force, but she felt…disconnected. Feeling more helpless than ever, she could do nothing but hope that the Fellowship made it out alive.
All of a sudden, the Uruk she was tied to came to a halt. By the sounds of rustling grass, guests had arrived.
"You're late," one of them, presumably an Orc, hissed. "Our master grows impatient. He wants the Shire-rats now!"
"I don't take orders from Orc-maggots," the head Uruk snarled. "Saruman will have his prize. We will deliver them."
"Lady Ahsoka?" a voice whispered.
"Pippin!" she exclaimed, recognizing the voice. "What's going on?"
"Merry and I were captured, too," he explained quietly. "Boromir…he gave up his life trying to save us."
Ignoring her body's complaints, she bowed her head sadly. "I'm sorry. At least he died with honor."
BAM! An Uruk hit Ahsoka in the face.
"Keep quiet, creature!" it commanded. "The Dark Lord will have his fun with you."
She replied by spitting blood in its face.
Before it could hit her again, a calm, yet evil voice stopped him.
"I believe you were supposed to bring the Jedi unharmed," he said, disappointed.
"I showed her who's in charge," the Uruk protested.
Ahsoka's eyes widened when she heard the familiar sound of a lightsaber cutting through flesh. Thank the Force for cauterization, for she would've been sprayed with blood.
"Pathetic creature," the Man stated.
"What…are you?" Pippin stuttered. Clearly, he was petrified at the new arrival. Wait, what are you?
"Your worst nightmare," he answered, deactivating his lightsaber. "I'm taking the Jedi off your hands."
"I don't suppose you'd put in a good word for us," the head Uruk wondered.
The evil Man laughed. "For what, carrying three fleshlings? The ysalamiri did all the work. Consider that to be your reward. Eat it, release it, I don't care. I've gotten what I came for."
Ahsoka felt herself being carried away from the pack of Uruks. The last thing she heard before being knocked out were the sounds of a screaming animal.
Aragorn listened intently to the ground. Obi-Wan marveled at how the Ranger could detect footsteps with that technique. These people were primitive, but they were powerful. Anakin was pacing back and forth like a caged animal, clearly worried for his Padawan.
"Anakin, you must relax!" his former master stated.
"I'll relax when I find her," he snapped. "She's still alive. I can sense it."
Obi-Wan considered protesting, but Aragorn interrupted the both of them.
"Their pace has quickened," he said. "They must have caught our scent. Hurry!"
Aragorn dashed away with Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Rex following closely behind.
Legolas soon followed while urging the Dwarf. "Come on, Gimli!"
Gimli, out of breath, struggled to keep going with his complaints. "Three days and nights pursuit. No food. No rest. And no sign of our quarry, but what bare rock can tell."
The six of them dashed across the canyon, desperate to catch the Uruks. Anakin, Aragorn, Legolas, Obi-Wan, and Rex could easily run for hours without fatigue, but Gimli couldn't. Anakin didn't have time to feel sorry for the Dwarf since he was busy trying to keep himself together. What if she died? What if she was tortured?
"Don't slip into despair, Anakin!" Obi-Wan warned. "Keep faith!"
"Yes, Master," he replied.
Once they exited the canyon, a sight before them stopped them in their tracks.
The ysalamiri, the bones of it, were displayed upon a spear. Judging from the bite marks, the creature was eaten. Next to it was an Uruk that had been horizontally cut in half by a lightsaber. Briefly, Anakin wondered if Ahsoka managed to escape, but seeing as how the Uruk looked executed, it was pretty clear that a Sith's handiwork was at play.
Obi-Wan cautiously approached the corpse, something catching his eye. It was a small chest that laid on the Uruk's chest, no pun intended. He picked up the chest and opened it, curiosity getting the better of him. He was disappointed to see ash in the chest, but something glinted in it. He reached into it and pulled out a plastic, green sunflower. On closer inspection, it was an earring, but it kind of looked like-!
Horrified, Obi-Wan dropped the chest and knelt down, tears of agony falling down his face.
"Remember, my dear Obi-Wan," she said. "I loved you always. I always will."
He could do nothing as he watched the live of the one he cared about died in his arms. Tears streaked down his face as he closed her dead eyes.
"Imprison him below," the killer commanded with an evil grin. "Let him drown in his misery!"
Aragorn sniffed the ash and recoiled in shock. "This is human ash."
Legolas's eyes widened. "What vile person would do such a thing?"
"Only a Sith would," Obi-Wan answered with clenched teeth. "This belonged to Satine, the one who I cared for the most."
It all fit. Satine's ashes, her earring, and an Uruk cut in half in an all too familiar way, only one person was sick enough to this.
"Darth Maul," he snarled uncharacteristically. "That scum of the galaxy is back."
Anakin grew concerned as he sensed Obi-Wan's rage reaching a boiling point.
"DAMN YOU!" the normally calm Jedi Master screamed.
The group staggered back at the outburst. Even Anakin had never seen Obi-Wan lose his cool, or even swear for crying out loud. The Chosen One cringed at the memory of Maul, an encounter he hoped to never revisit.
"Master, we will find him," Anakin promised. "We'll stop him."
Obi-Wan took a deep breath and calmed himself down from the outburst. Such violent notions had in store for the Sith was that of the Dark Side. He wasn't about to let Maul get under his skin again.
"Who is this Darth Maul?" Aragorn asked.
"A Sith and a demon," Anakin answered in case Obi-Wan decided to throw another outburst. "He killed my master's master, Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan though he killed the Sith, but Maul survived the encounter. He specializes in fear and torture. The first thing he did when he returned was slaughter a village of men, women, and children. He killed a Jedi Master during another encounter."
"And this woman was another victim?" Gimli asked, ready to stick his ax in this Sith.
"She loved me," Obi-Wan admitted, a tear falling from his eye. "I devoted myself to the Jedi Order, but I still cared for her."
Aragorn spotted something else on the ground: a strange leaf that was not native to the area they were in. The group remembered that Pippin and Merry were cloaks with these leaves attached to them.
"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall," he realized.
"They're still alive," Rex stated. "If we hurry, we can catch them."
"Master, will you be all right?" Anakin asked, worried about Obi-Wan's state of mind.
The Jedi Master nodded. "Let's focus of rescuing Merry and Pippin. Then we can deal with Maul." I will deal with him personally.
The group dashed ahead with Gimli bringing up the rear again.
"I'm wasted on cross-country!" the Dwarf exclaimed. "We Dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances."
They climbed a rocky slope that overlooked wide plains. Far ahead, they could barely see the wooden buildings of a city.
"Rohan," Aragorn explained. "Home of the Horse-lords."
"Horse-lords?" Rex asked, confused.
"Rohan's military is a cavalry," he answered. "Their greatest strength is on horseback." He narrowed his eyes. "There's something strange at work here. Some evil
gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us."
"I feel it too," Obi-Wan noted. "The Dark Side blankets this city. We must be cautious."
Legolas climbed up a higher slope and gazed in a different direction.
"Legolas! What do your Elf-eyes see!?" Aragorn called out.
"The Uruks turn northeast," the Elf answered. "They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard!"
"Saruman," Aragorn whispered.
Within minutes and with a new sense of determination, the group ran after the Uruks once again. If the Hobbits reached Isengard, they would be subjected to torture beyond their imaginations. Not taking any moments to rest, eat, or drink, they continued to run.
"They run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them," Legolas observed.
"They know we're coming," Anakin noted.
Suddenly, both he and Obi-Wan held the heads in agony as they felt death of horrible means rush through them.
They witnessed Uruk-hai and other men charging into a village, slaughtering people wherever they went. Some tried to defend themselves, but the sheer numbers of evildoers overcame them.
"What's happening?" Gimli gasped, out of breath.
"They're dying," Anakin whispered. "They're being slaughtered."
"The Hobbits?" Aragorn asked, fear in his eyes.
"Men, women, children," Obi-Wan answered, gritting his teeth in pain. "I can feel them crying for help that isn't coming."
"Murderers!" Anakin roared. "They make the Sand People look like gentlemen!"
"Their deaths will be avenged," Aragorn assured, "but we must keep moving."
Once again, they were on the move again. As the night came, they rested for an hour before continuing towards their quarry. Anakin and Obi-Wan didn't have any more visions, but the images were ingrained in their minds. Poor Gimli looked like he was about to drop dead from all the running, so the Jedi used the Force to revitalize the Dwarf, much to his astonishment.
"You never cease to amaze me," Gimli stated with a grin.
As the group trudged onward, Legolas stopped and turned to the sunrise.
"A red sun rises," he stated cryptically. "Blood has been spilled this night."
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps broke the silence. Urgently, the group hid among the rocks away from the danger.
A large cavalry that were from Rohan journeyed pass them. Judging from the bloodstains, they had recently come from a battle. The blood that was spilled must have been their doing.
Feeling courageous, Aragorn stepped out of hiding and called to these people. "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark!?"
The leader of the cavalry raised his spear, signaling the others to turn around. Within moments, the Horse-lords surrounded them, pointing spears at these people. Aragorn raised his hands in the air, signifying that he meant no harm.
The head Horse-lord approached them and spoke in a no-nonsense tone. "What business do four Men, three of whom are strangely garbed, an Elf, and a Dwarf have in the Riddlemark? Speak quickly!"
Clearly out of patience and breath, Gimli spoke up. "Give me your name, horse-master, and I shall give you mine."
Agitated, Horse-master dismounted his steed and approached the Dwarf. "I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground."
Instantly, Legolas whipped out his bow. "You would die before your stroke fell!"
Now, all the spears were aimed at the Elf. Anakin and Rex prepared to intervene, but Obi-Wan had other ideas.
"Fighting amongst ourselves is what the Enemy wants," the Negotiator stated. "Let us introduce ourselves. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi! This is Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex."
"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Glóin, and Legolas of the Woodland Realm."
"Where do you hail from?" Horse-master interrogated the three strangely-garbed Men. "You are obviously not of Gondor!"
"We come from a different land much stranger than your own," Obi-Wan answered. "We mean you no harm."
"We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king," Aragorn assured.
Horse-master bowed his head. "Théoden does not recognize friend from foe." He removed his helmet. "Not even his own kin. I am Éomer, son of Éomund, Third Marshal of the Riddlemark."
The cavalry lowered their spears, but continued to hold them in the event hostilities would return.
What is with these names? Anakin wondered.
Éomer turned his suspicious gaze to the three men again and repeated his question. "Just exactly where are you from? For all we know, you are spies of Saruman."
"You think we would be allies with that piece of trash?" Anakin asked, furious. "He sent the Uruk-hai after us and killed a good friend of ours, a man named Boromir."
Éomer's eyes widened. "Boromir, Captain of Gondor, was slain in battle?"
"Yes," Rex answered. "He was pierced by three arrows while trying to save our friends, who we are currently looking for."
Éomer sighed sadly. "He was a good friend and a true captain. He will be missed by all."
"What were you saying about King Théoden?" Obi-Wan asked, getting back on track.
"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king," he explained, "and claimed lordship over these lands."
"That's the Dark Side we sensed, Master." Anakin said.
"It would certainly explain a lot," Obi-Wan added.
Éomer continued. "My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished." Once again, he turned a suspicious eye, this time, to Aragorn. "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets."
"We are no spies," Aragorn said. "We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive."
Éomer cringed before replying. "The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."
"But there were two Hobbits!" Gimli cried. "Did you see two Hobbits with them!?"
"They would be small," Aragorn explained. "Only children to your eyes."
With a guilty look, Éomer answered, "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." He pointed at a hill where smoke was billowing from it.
Aragorn's fear was becoming more and more apparent. To think that two innocent Hobbits would've been slaughtered by his fellow Men was unthinkable. Both Gimli and Legolas were frightened by the same thoughts while glaring at Éomer for his ignorance. Anakin was livid and it was only because Obi-Wan was sending him thoughts to calm him down did he not attack the cavalry. Rex bowed his head, feeling a sense of failure like the others.
"I am sorry," Éomer said before whistling. "Hasufel! Arod! Belan! Modig!"
Four horses approached them. Hasufel was brown, Arod was white, Belan was black, and Modig was gray.
"May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters," Éomer said sadly. Farewell."
Éomer put on his helmet and hoisted himself up on his horse.
Before leaving, he gave a word of advice. "Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!"
The cavalry departed, leaving the Fellowship in their wake.
Without saying anything, Aragorn jumped on Hasufel and rode towards the billowing smoke in the distance. Legolas and Gimli followed riding on Arod, Obi-Wan on Modig, and Anakin and Rex on Belan. The group rode in silence up the hill towards the staggering sight that would haunt their memories.
The Uruks were indeed slaughtered and burned, their corpses reeking of a stench so great. In front of the corpses was the head of an Orc impaled on a spear.
Rex cringed at the display. He could only imagine if his brothers were defiled in such a way like this from the Separatists.
The group reluctantly perused the bodies in fears of finding the two young Hobbits among the creatures. Gimli pulled out a burnt belt that did not belong in the mound of these things. Their fears skyrocketed.
"It's one of their wee belts," he said softly.
Rex's eyes widened, realizing that it belonged to Pippin. If that was the case, then...
Legolas bowed his head and whispered, "Hiro hyn hîdh ab'wanath." (May they find peace after death.)
Furious, Aragorn kicked a Uruk's helmet aside, screaming in emotional agony.
"We failed them," Gimli whispered.
Anakin had half a mind to go to Mordor and bring down Sauron himself with his bare hands. He caused this death as well as Boromir's. While he had not known these people long, he grew to care about them. No matter what happens, he would avenge them.
Obi-Wan, however, remained stoically calm again. Gimli felt the belt, but not the body that it belonged to. He did not feel the deaths of the Hobbits (surely he would have), so that means there's still hope.
"A Hobbit lay here," Aragorn suddenly said, checking an imprint on the ground. "And the other. They crawled."
Rex, realizing what he was doing, looked around for clues. While he was a warrior first, sometimes he had to find his brothers if they were separated. Scanning the ground, he spotted some rope half-buried in grass.
"Found something, Generals," he announced, holding it up. "It must have happened during the massacre."
"They're still alive!" Anakin exclaimed.
Aragorn followed the trail. "They ran over here. They were followed." His excitement grew. "The tracks lead away from the battle..." His voice trailed off as he stopped in front of a large forest. "...into Fangorn Forest."
"Fangorn?" Gimli whispered, horrified. "What madness drove them in there?"
Anakin looked at the mountain of corpses and responded sarcastically, "I could never guess." "Well, we've come this far," Obi-Wan pointed out. "We will find them."
Bravely, the group entered the mysterious forest, leaving the dead behind.
"Wake up, Jedi," a voice said evilly. "We have much to discuss."
Ahsoka opened her eyes, slightly disoriented, and came face to face with a yellow-eyed, tattooed demon. She screamed in shock, but she could not move. Chains prevented her from escaping the wretched creature. She tried using the Force, but great resistance halted her efforts.
"I'm afraid those chains have defeated you, my dear," a familiar voice observed.
She spotted behind the Sith an old man in a white robe. The beard was quite long, but the face was unmistakeable.
"Count Dooku?" Ahsoka snarled. "How did you get here?"
"I am not the man you think I am," "Dooku" replied, smirking. "I would not be caught dead with such a name as that." He gave a mock-bow. "I am Saruman! Surely you must have been told about me."
Her eyes narrowed. "Yes, I know about you. Traitor, murderer, and a dark wizard. That about sums it up."
Saruman's smile remained, but he had the nerve to look insulted. "Traitor? I simply chose the lesser of two evils, Ahsoka Tano."
"How did you-? Oh, yeah. A wizard."
He continued his talk. "I realized that Middle-Earth was going to fall, and I could not stop this inevitability."
"So, why not move it along?" she sneered. "Before you even think about asking me for help in your 'glorious' crusade, don't. I will not betray my friends. I would die first."
Saruman shook his head, disappointed. "You brought this upon yourself, my dear. My friend can be...extreme in his methods. Rest assured, you will see the light...eventually."
He walked out, leaving the quite-possibly insane Sith with Ahsoka.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked coolly.
"Darth Maul!" she answered. "I've heard of you."
He chuckled. "So, you have been informed, Padawan. I'm flattered."
"What do you want from me?" she asked.
Maul started pacing around her dangerously. "You have nothing to give, foolish girl."
Ahsoka took a long look at Maul and noticed something: his robotic legs were missing. In place were actually legs. Her gaze landed on his hand, which was sparking with blue electricity.
"I've learned a few things while I was on this planet," Maul stated, raising his hand. "I have become stronger than even my former master. The only thing I want is to hear you scream."
He fired a blast of Force Lightning at Ahsoka. The pain was the most excruciating she had ever felt. It was like her body was on fire, but it wasn't enough to kill her. As she screamed, Maul watched with an evil grin. He relished in her suffering.
Outside, the Orcs that were currently working stopped in the sound of a girl screaming. For one entire hour, her screams were the only sounds that were made in Isengard. No one would help her, not even Saruman. He used a spell to block out her pathetic screams as he continued his work to bring down the world of Men once and for all. With Darth Maul at his side, their defeat was at hand.
Not a single person guessed Darth Maul! Come on! He's the coolest Sith (and one of the most creepiest) that I know. I was concerned that they brought him back, but they still made him awesome and a compelling psychopath.
Darth Maul's appearance will be explained in the Two Towers segment. I don't mind guesses. You may be lucky enough to have the idea in this story.
Belan and Modig are horse names I got from a Lord of the Rings Horse Name Generator. How about that?
Obi-Wan losing his cool was realistic in my opinion. Maul has been the ultimate thorn in his side. He killed Qui-Gon and Satine in front of him, so it stands to reason that Obi-Wan has reached a breaking point. (Hint, hint.)
Questions, reviews, and votes are always welcome.
Next chapter: Fangorn Forest, a certain someone returns, and more suffering for Ahsoka. (Sorry.)
Speaking of which, this story is before the Wrong Jedi segment of Clone Wars. Forgot to mention that detail.