Hey all. It's been a wild time for me, and I'm really sorry to leave for so long. In this update, we get to see Tirnel again, yay! You'll also notice that I changed my screen name. Hope that didn't cause anyone any problems. On with the tale, my readers, and good luck!
Merry reached into the collar of his coat, removing a scratchy bit of moss that had fallen from Treebeard's face as he spoke. "...I saw you shine upon a summer's day. Upon your head, golden braid the crown you wore, aloft such beautiful eyes."
"Is it much further?" Merry asked, suppressing a yawn.
"Burharhoom, don't be hasty. You might call it far, perhaps: My home lies deep in the forest, near the roots of the mountain. I told Gandalf I would keep you safe, and safe is where I will keep you. I believe you will enjoy this next one too; it's one of my own compositions.
"Beneath the roof of sleeping leaves, and the dreams of trees unfold, when woodland halls are green and cool, and when the wind is in the west, come back to me, come back to me, and say my land is best." As he finished, Treebeard looked over to the hobbits. Both of them were asleep. "Oh." He removed them from his branches and set them on soft grass, saying "Sleep, little Shirelings. Heed no nightly noise. Sleep till morning light." He straightened up. "I have business in the forest. There are many to call. Many must come. A shadow lies on Fangorn. The withering of all woods is drawing near." He walked away, muttering darkly to himself in Entish. Merry and Pippin noticed nothing, deep in slumber under the dark trees.
Stars floated through Tirnel's eyes as she woke. Her arms and legs were bound cruelly tight. There were two orcs and a man before her, huddled around a fire, over which they were cooking an arm that looked horribly human. The smell of roasting meat made Tirnel's stomach complain, but the pain in her head distracted her, making her groan.
The three figures looked over. "Well!" the man said, standing and approaching Tirnel. "Our little prize awakens at last. Should we offer her some food, boys?" The man laughed, and picked up what looked to be a finger on the end of a spit. It was still warm from the flames, and Tirnel recoiled. The finger fell into the dust.
One of the orcs grumbled, "Waste of a perfectly good finger, if you ask me." The other grunted in approval and went back to roasting the rest of the arm. Tirnel's throat burned as the smoke blew towards her, making her cough. She rolled over, so the would not have to see the orcs or the finger, still steaming in the dirt. A water skin landed next to her, and she reached for it before remembering that her arms were tied. The man chuckled before turning away, and after the orcs had put out the fire, she bit off the top of the water skin and drank.
Tirnel woke to a foot making contact with her ribs, just after she had managed to doze off. "Get up, scum," one of the orcs growled. "Mauhúr may want to keep you alive, but I can't see the point." A dark and jagged blade swung at her legs, severing the ropes around them and leaving a shallow cut.
She tried to sit up and winced as the ropes cut into her arms. The other orc stood, scowling down at Tirnel. She glared back at it, then spat. It growled furiously and kicked her in the mouth. She gasped in pain, lips bleeding. Running her tongue over her teeth, she assessed that all were in their proper places, and seemed to be unharmed. The iron taste of blood filled her mouth nonetheless, and she spat again on the ground, spattering the leaves with dark scarlet. Mauhúr stood as well.
"Don't hurt her too much, boys," he said, grinning nastily. "No good if she's all damaged, is she?"
The orc who had woken Tirnel snorted. "You men and your infatuation with elves. Kill 'em all, I say."
Mauhúr's smile fell. "Well, you rats are under my command now, so you won't be killing this one."
"Rat?! Take that back, scum!" the orc yelled, drawing its scimitar.
Mauhúr drew his sword faster than sight and slashed the orc's head. A screech rang through the forest as the body fell, twitching horribly. Tirnel winced as black blood spattered her face. A puddle of the blood was seeping towards her, but Mauhúr hauled her to her feet before it could reach her.
"You got anything to say?" He growled to the other orc, who turned away from the body. Mauhúr grinned and shoved Tirnel. "Walk." She stiffened as he ran his hand over her shoulder. "Walk or I'll carry you. And you won't like that." He chuckled as she shuddered involuntarily.
Tirnel held herself up as best as she could, head spinning. The orc was already far ahead, having tried to put great distance between itself and Mauhúr. The man laughed and shoved Tirnel again. She stumbled, regained her balance, and began to walk.
Two hours later, she was bound hand and foot again while the orc and Mauhúr rested. The orc had tied her ankles together, but hadn't done a terrific job: The rope was rotted, and Tirnel managed to break it after a few moment's silent struggle. Mauhúr's back was turned, and the orc was not in sight, so she pulled herself to her feet, arms still tied, and slipped into the trees.
Whoa! Cliffhanger. Man, this guy gives me the creeps. And I created him! Hate to leave you guys with such a thing on your minds, so...***BONUS***
The enraged yell of Mauhúr made Tirnel jump, but she kept going as best as she could. It was slower going than she would have liked, with no arms for balance, but she was making headway. She had just found a small cave when she heard the crashing of the underbrush behind her. Mauhúr's snarls reached her ears as she tried to melt into her surroundings, realising that her cloak was gone and pressing herself into the undergrowth. Mauhur burst through the trees behind her, panting and cursing. Tirnel held her breath and prayed that he would leave, but an icy chill ran up her spine as the man laughed, low and evil.
"You cannot escape, little one," he called. "I can see you." The four simple words made another chill run up Tirnel's back, followed by a thrill of horror as she was pulled out of hiding by the ropes binding her arms. "You think you're smart." Mauhúr wheeled her around and struck her across the face. She gasped in pain, lip splitting again. "You thought you could run." Another blow struck across her face. She didn't make a sound, but simply glared at Mauhúr with cold hatred. He chuckled and dragged her back towards the place where the orc was waiting.
"You got her?" it called, looking through the trees.
"No thanks to you, you rat! Look at the ropes! Rotted through, they are. I could breathe and they'd snap." Mauhúr shook the remains of the ropes before the orc's face.
The orc coughed, turning away. If orcs could turn red, Tirnel could have sworn that this one did. Mauhúr snorted disgustedly and reached for for a new coil of rope, turning to Tirnel with a nasty smile.
"That won't happen again, little one," he snarled. She spat at his feet, chagrined at being caught. He chuckled and wound the rope around her throat. "You'll learn some respect," he whispered, trailing one finger along Tirnel's cheekbone. She spat again, landing it on Mauhúr's nose. He looked quite comical, wiping it from his face, but Tirnel was unable to laugh. He growled furiously and cinched the rope tight. She gasped, her lungs panicking worse than when she had been drowning. Her knees turned to paper and buckled. The orc shifted uncomfortably nearby. Little lights were popping at the edges of Tirnel's vision. "Learn...some...respect," Mauhur hissed, cinching the rope tighter with every word.
She coughed, choking for air. Mauhúr's grim smile was all she could see, as greyish clouds floated into her eyes. Her eyelids flickered, a bright light seeming to fill her mind, then it was over. She was on her knees, feeling air burn into her flattened lungs. A ring of fire burned around her throat from where the rope had rubbed her skin raw. A roaring filled her mind, making her dizzy. The world fell sideways and she was down. Mauhúr laughed.
To the orc, he called, "See? That's how you get 'em. Gotta teach them discipline." He crouched next to Tirnel, who couldn't even muster up the resolve to scowl, much less to spit again. He gave a satisfied snort, then bound her legs tight, winding the rope around a nearby tree. Tirnel didn't even bother to fight: It was better if she just stayed quiet and played along. It burned her to admit it, but submitting was better than death.
Ha! Did you guys think I would leave you with that? You're welcome for the tantalizing bonus. And I hope to see a few reviews! No pressure, but they really make me happy. Doesn't have to be much; just a sentence would do. Love all of you.