A/N: Hey guys. First off, for those who read Chapter One before the 13th, should probably go back and reread it. I wasn't completely satisfied with the way I wrote firs the chapter the first time, so I went back and redid it. It felt like it was missing a couple of things, so yeah, please go back and reread it so when you continue onto Chapter Two you won't be confused on why our main lead suddenly has a concussion. I want to say "Thank you" to Tibblets and jjmills53 for clicking the follow button. I hadn't posted anything on here for so long I wasn't sure how this fanfiction of mine was going to be received, so thank you! This means a lot to me!
Chapter Two
No painkillers. No running-water. No toilet to shit in. Whoever was in charges of looking after the prisoners in this place was horrible at their job. The first twenty-four hours the concussion had gone from awful to fucking off the wall horrid.
Every movement, every sound, every thought sent stars streaking through my vision and it felt like I was about to throw up at any moment. In fact, I did at one point, over in one of the dirty corners of the cell. The stench of mildew, excrement, and death hung in the air and mixed together with the clang of cell doors being shut and marching feet, creating a nauseating symphony of despair and dread.
I remained curled up in a ball, trying my best to let the concussion pass without putting too much of a strain on my already stressed out senses.
I don't know how long I spent in the dungeons. Time seemed to crawl to a halt, and it felt like the longer I sat there the worst my concussion got. My head felt barely attached to my shoulders.
Why me? Who could have gotten a hold of information concerning mine and Victor's affair? Were they using me to get to him? Was that guy, the one with the fiery red hair, really in charge around here?
Even though I was pretty still out of, the couple of Orcs that came to drag me away treated the guy like he was the head of operations around here. In fact, they acted like they were down right afraid of him.
I groaned as my brain felt like it was going to explode. What I wouldn't do for a tall glass of water and a couple of painkillers to stop the headache.
Tears welded up in my eyes. How long before the cavalry arrived? I mean, Victor must have already sent out a recon team to collect information on my whereabouts and gather together a search party. He did have access to the latest and greatest that was technically available.
Thinking hurt like hell. I curled into a tighter ball.
"Is she dead?" a raspy voice asked from the cell door.
"Who cares if some human woman dies rotting in the dungeons," another voice growled.
The intruding conversation was making my headache worst.
"Master seems in an awfully bad mood. Worse than usual since the she-woman appeared," another voice grumbled. "He ran a spear through Glogg this morning. Gutted him clean."
Would those bastards just shut up! Couldn't they have their damn conversation somewhere else?
"Think she twitched."
"Shh. You fool. Here comes Master!"
The conversation among the guards stopped as the sound of heavy footsteps approached. The cell door opened with a painfully loud creak, causing me to flinch.
The eerie feeling of being watched came to my attention through the continued pulsing behind my closed eyes. I forced my body to remain as still as possible. Maybe if I played dead, they would leave me alone.
"Get up," came the deep whispery voice. "I know you can hear me."
I groaned. I refused to budge.
I heard a sigh. I felt the being known to the orc guards as Master kneel down next to me. "Can you or can't you get up?"
When I didn't respond right away, I felt the unnatural heat of two metal clad arms slip under me and suddenly found myself being picked up off the ground. The sudden movement made my stomach lung and my head spin. I whimpered.
By the gods, I hoped I threw up all over the ass hole who decided to throw me in the dungeons after the shitty ass stunt of kidnapping me and then pretending to not know how I got into his fucking bedroom! Bile rose in the back of my throat and it took a couple of swallows before I was sure I wouldn't be puking all over the front of the person's shiny black armor.
The preternatural warmth radiating from the guy's body, both helped sooth my concussion and made me uncomfortable. What was he? A walking furnace?
I felt myself being placed onto what I could describe as something soft. Probably a bed. A soft whispery chant filled my ears. Warmth spread through my sinus cavity and then seeped into my skull and into my brain. The pulsing pain and off kilter feeling that came with the concussion faded away.
I blinked as I opened my eyes. My headache was gone?
I sat up. I was in a different room with the same color scheme as the bedroom I first woke up in, except the bed was a normal size king with a plain black headboard of dark stained black cherry wood. Torches hung from the dark stone walls and an arch window looked towards what looked like a fortified walkway. Tiny dancing lights moved in and out of view.
"Tell me, woman, what is your name?" came the commanding whispery serpent like voice of the person in charge.
I turned my head and found myself being analyzed by two fierce eyes that glowed like flames in the dim light of the room. I noted that the armor he wore before was gone replaced by a silk dark grey tunic.
I touched my forehead. "Um, Fiona. It's Fiona, and thanks for getting rid of the concussion."
The stench of so many days without a shower and accidentally peeing on myself once or twice caught up with my senses. Guess, I had been too sick to realize how much I stunk up to the heavens and back. I grimaced at my sullied night-shirt. "Ew."
"If you answer my questions, I will allow you the luxury of a bath," the head honcho offered. A slight amusement tugging at his scarred lips as he caught me grimacing at my own disgusting state.
I felt crusty all over. "What do you want to know?" Shouldn't I be the one asking questions here? I mean, wasn't it his men who kidnapped me? I guess I needed to play the game in order to get answers to my own questions.
"A ordinary human woman shouldn't be able to sneak into the heart of Mordor without detection. There are thousands of orcs and foul beasts at my command," the head huncho replied, his eyes burning brighter with visible frustration. "Only a being with extraordinary power can do such a feat. How did you find your way in?"
I gave him an incredulous look. Seriously, he was still playing the intruder angle? I needed to trip him up. I cleared my dry throat and said honestly, "I.. don't know. I kind of woke up there."
Boss Man regarded me. Those glowing fiery eyes scrutinizing me like I was some sort of specimen. I shifted uncomfortable on the bed.
"Where do you come from?" he asked after a long awkward moment.
I stiffened. "Dale," I said carefully. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't quite the truth. Dale was a large populated city with five burrows and lots of suburbs. I grew up in the suburbs, but I wasn't planning on saying where.
"How did you come by that power of yours?"
What the?! I looked at him wide eyed. "What… What you are talking about?"
He was on top of me before I knew it. Quicker than lightening a mace came down on top of me. I cried out and through up my hands in defends. The blow never came. I peeled one eye open and then the other as I found myself encased in a bubble of fire. My eyes widened.
"Do take me for a fool!" He snarled, his eyes burning a wrathful orange and red. The bun on top of his came undone, his hair igniting into flames dancing around him, enhancing the contorted features of his face. His lips were pulled back in a snarl that revealed sharp jagged teeth.
Fear cold and thick choked me as I stared into those hateful eyes beyond the flames that protected me.
"I don't know how you came across this power, but it is not yours to wield! You are a daughter of Men, weak, flawed, unfit to wield it!" He declared, his voice ringing through the bedroom, making the walls shake and the bedframe rattle.
What the hell was this dude's problem?! What was going on here?! Tears welded up in my eyes as I peered beyond the shield of flames protecting me from his monstrous wrath. My mouth dropped open a little as I found myself saved from a grisly death by the mysterious barrier.
I tried to swallow around the knot that formed in my throat. I could have died! What did this asshole want from me?! He could have killed me!
"You… You have an really, really short fuse," I heard myself say. Ugh, no! Stop! Fiona, please shut up! Now's not the time lose control of your mouth!
The burning hatred in his cooled as he pulled the mace away from the barrier. "I will only ask one more time! How did you acquire this power?"
The flames remained surrounding me as if they sensed I was still in danger. I stared at him like a deer in headlights. He could have killed me! He could have fucking killed me! Tears spilled down my cheeks as an numbing coldness settled in my stomach. By the gods!
"I-I don't know!" I choked out my voice cracking as I struggled to reign in the overwhelming sense I had barely escaped death. "I don't fucking know!"