Chapter 16

Samantha wasn't sure how far they had traveled, at least a few days of constant running by the orcs. In her current situation, Samantha found it hard to get any rest. The pain in her side was intense and when the orc made a movement out of the ordinary she could feel the pain flair up intensely. Even breathing felt like someone was stabbing her. When she would whimper or muffle a cry she could feel the orc she was tied to laugh. She hated orcs. Every last one of them. She could feel Merry and Pippin cast worried glances to her as time went on. There was nothing they could do for their friend but hope Aragorn and the others caught up to them soon.

The sun had fallen and night had taken over the landscape. Just when she thought they would have to endure another night of constant running there were murmurs of irritation and protest. Eventually, enough of the orcs had had enough and the horde stopped on the edge of a forest. Merry, Pippin and Samantha were tossed to the ground in a heap next to one another. None of them had really spoken a work to one another in fear of what the orcs would do to them. After the beating Samantha endured they knew these orcs were not opposed to physical violence.

Samantha hit the ground in a heap. The force the fall put on her side made her want to scream but she bit the inside of her cheek instead. She bit down so hard she tasted blood. Muffling her cry and forcing herslef to breath even though the simple action made her pain flair. She had certainly taken breathing for granted. Breathing too deeply was painful, and exhaling wasn't much better.

Pippin looked around and crawled a little closer to Merry and Samantha, "Merry! Samantha!" He whispered harshly.

Merry opened his eyes and gave a weak smile to his friend as Samantha could only watch them, too focused on breathing correctly and trying to find a comfortable position. "I think we made a mistake leaving the Shire, Pippin." Merry told his friend.

"Oh," Samantha began, "I've made plenty of those." Her bound hands rested on her side, trying to soothe her broken rib. She couldn't see the skin, but she was certain there would be a nasty bruise if she ever decided to look at it.

Just then the three of them heard a low moaning sound from the forest. They watched as the orcs chopped the trees for firewood, there couldn't be anything out there, could there? Pippin turned to Merry, "What was that?" Merry was better versed in these types of things.

Merry lifted his head up to look out at the forest. "It's the trees." Pippin waited for him to continue while Samantha gave him a confused glance. "You remember the old forest? On the boarders of Buckland? Folks used to say there was something in the woods that made the trees grow tall, and come alive."

"Alive?" Pippin whispered in stunned confusion.

"Tree's that could whisper. Talk to each other. Even move."

Samantha turned onto her good side toward them, "Sounds a little preposterous though, right?"

"There have been stranger things in the world." Merry told her truthfully.

Before she responded they heard an orc shout above the rest, "Yeah, why can't we have some meat?" The three of them turned their heads to the voice and met eyes with one of the smaller orcs. An uneasy feeling settled in their stomachs as the orc eyed them, "What about them? They're fresh."

The leader stepped forward, "They are not for eating."

Two orcs came up to the three hostages and hoisted them to their feet to stand in a line. Samantha wanted to cry out but instead she bit her other cheek to stay quiet, no blood this time though. She could see Merry and Pippin give her a worried glance and all she could do was nod to them, she would not die from it. She hoped. The three of them stood in a line, not sure what was going on when another orc popped his head out from behind another orc. "What about their legs? They don't need those. Oh, they look tasty!"

He began to charge forward but was stopped by the leader who easily knocked him back. "Get back, scum!" The orcs were clearly divided. Those who wanted meat, and those who knew their duty to deliver the prisoners. He stated to the orcs around him, "The prisoners go to Saruman. Alive and unspoiled."

The orc scoffed, "Alive?" He looked past the leader to the three captives, "Why alive? Are they good sport?"

"They have something. An elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war."

The three felt their hearts quicken in pace. Pippin whispered to Merry, "They think we have the ring."

Merry shushed him, "As soon as they know we don't we're dead!"

Samantha looked around at all the orcs, some were indeed eyeing them like they were just pieces of meat. "Maybe we'll be dead before that."

"Just a mouthful!"

The three turned in shock as an orc had snuck up behind them and raised its blade, ready to kill. Before it could swing its blade the leader moved quickly and decapitated the assailant. The head dropped to the ground and blood squirted everywhere around them. "Looks like meats back on the menu boys!" The horde roared in approval at the leader's words and the three captives were pushed to the side as nearly every orc descended upon the fresh corpse.

Samantha and Pippin were transfixed in horror at the scene, watching as organs were tossed everywhere as the orc was ripped apart. "Pippin, Samantha, lets go!" Merry whispered to them and the three of them began to crawl away from the scene. Merry and Pippin moved much quicker than Samantha. She would have been able to keep pace with them had it not been for her broken rib that screamed in protest when she tried to crawl forward.

She watched in horror as an orc ran up to her friends who were a few yards ahead of her and stepped on Merry's back. The hobbit let out a cry, causing Pippin to turn in panic only to have a blade shown to him. The orc grabbed his face, "Go on, squeal for me!" The blade was mere inches from his eye, "No ones gonna save you now!"

A sickening sound resonated in their ears as the orc gasped in pain and fell off of the hobbits. Samantha couldn't believe the size of the spear that had just lodged itself into the back of the orc. It was that moment when things took a turn for the worst. Men on horseback seemed to come out of nowhere and a battle erupted around them. Merry and Pippin where quickly able to find a discarded blade and use it to free themselves before going to Samantha and freeing her from her bonds.

"The forest, lets go!" Merry urged them.

Samantha took stock of the situation, "I will catch up, run!"

Pippin gave her an incredulous look. She didn't expect them to leave her there! Merry looked into Samantha's pain-filled and terrified eyes and pulled Pippin with him. He did not want to leave her there either, but she was right. Her side made it hard for her to move and run, they had a better chance of escaping without her slowing them down.

The three of them moved clumsily around the battlefield, avoiding horses, blades, orcs and the like. Samantha tried to follow her friends but it was increasingly difficult as she could not run. Tears were freely flowing down her face as she panted from the pain. All she wanted to do was lay down and cry, but she couldn't. She had to make it to the cover of the forest.

The tears in her eyes blurred her vision and she lost sight of the hobbits. She hoped they had made it into the forest unharmed. Finally she found her way out of most of the chaos and she almost felt excited. But, that feeling was quickly snuffed out.

A foot pushed her forward onto the ground causing her to cry out in pain and surprise. She was forced to roll over and she screamed at the sight of the orc above her. Its face contorted into one of malice and glee, its black eyes boring into her blue ones. She kicked and screamed as the tears wouldn't stop falling. The orc sat on her waist and took out its blade, "Flesh of a woman is plump and sweet." The orc gripped Samantha's shirt and tore it open, revealing her bare chest, only causing her to scream and struggle even more. This couldn't be happening, there was no way any of this was happening to her.

The orc laughed, "Yes, scream, pig!" The orc was in a frenzy. It had been too long since he had a woman. The orc's free hand grabbed Samantha's bare breast and held up a knife in the other before bringing the blade to the side of her breast, holding it firmly.

Her world seemed to move in slow motion for a moment. Realization dawning on her as the color drained from her face. He was going to take her apart, piece by piece. Things came back up to speed as she felt the blade cut into her flesh.

What happened next both terrified her and relieved her. A splash of liquid on her face and suddenly the orc no longer had a head. The orc was kicked off of her, "Are you alright?"

A young man looked down at her, his blade soaked in blood and his armor carried some of it as well. She didn't know what to say or do. She was alive. When she regained her senses Samantha realized the state she was in and pulled her torn shirt shut to cover herself, blood soaking into the cloth. The man held out a hand and she reluctantly took it. She didn't know whether or not to trust this man. She knew how corrupt humans could be and for all she knew these men were her enemy as well.

"It seems I got to you just in time." Samantha looked behind him and noticed a few more orcs coming their way. The man noticed the look on her face and turned in time to block one of their blades.

Samantha could see that the battle was finishing up. Her heart rate didn't slow down in the slightest. Soon she would be at the mercy of these men. She didn't know who they were or what they wanted. In that moment, while the warrior had his back turned she moved as quickly as she could into the forest. She had to find Merry and Pippin.

She pushed through the bushes and trees, moving deeper and deeper into the dark forest. After only a few minutes she could hear the man yelling, "Come back! Where are you?" Samantha ignored him and the nagging voice in her head that said to turn back. She would not, she had to keep going.

Samantha did not know how long she hobbled through the forest for, her body just moved on its own. She was too tired and exhausted to think, yet too afraid and scared to rest. Eventually the forest slowly began to illuminate and she knew daybreak was there. By that point she had lost a good amount of blood and had not eaten or drank in over a day.

A branch brushed passed her face causing her to turn wide eyed in surprise. What she wasn't expecting was to see Gandalf standing before her. He looked just as she remembered him. She couldn't believe what she was seeing but he looked so real! It unsettled her though, his normally kind and gentle eyes filled with anger, "I warned you, did I not? I told you he would come for you. Look at you now, beaten and broken. Unable to defend yourself." Samantha wanted to protest but she could not. "I should have known better than allowing you to go. You have put the world into peril. Perhaps I should have ended everything by snuffing you out in the beginning!"

Samantha covered her ears and closed her eyes tightly, 'No! Gandalf would never! Gandalf is-'

"Dead."

She gasped, looking up into the eyes of Boromir who looked down in disgust and anger. His hands balled into fists at his sides. Tears stung her eyes seeing her friend, "B-Boro..." She couldn't even bring herself to finish his name.

"Dead. Because of you."

Samantha fell to her knees, "N-no!" She sobbed.

"Liar!" He roared, "If not for you, Gandalf and I would still be alive! You got in my way. I didn't even get an honorable death because of you. Worthless! Weak!"

She screamed.

It wasn't real, it couldn't be real! But, they spoke the truth, they would be alive if not for her! All she did was get in everyone's way. Their words echoed in her mind over and over, bouncing around incessantly without letting up.

Samantha did not know how long she sat there screaming and sobbing, feeling every bad experience that had ever happened to her roll through her mind. It was all her fault, everything!

"Enough!" A booming voice echoed around her and she was suddenly filled with a sense of calm. A gentle white light illuminated the forest around her and all her fatigue came crashing upon her in waves. She wasn't sure if this was real or fake, but she let the fatigue melt into sleep. Before she lost consciousness she heard the voice say, "My young Samantha, rest now."

She could have sword she had just heard him screaming in anger, but now the voice was calm and gentle, almost sad. Before she was no longer able to keep her eyes open, she saw a tall white figure.

'Am I finally dying?'

~0~

"Breathe, its all about the breath!" Gimli told himself as he ran after his three companions. The terrain certainly wasn't helping his situation! Over hills and rocks; some flat land would be appreciated!

Ahead of the dwarf was Boromir, then Legolas, and Aragorn lead the way. Aragorn, being a Ranger, was a skilled tracker and found it easy to track such a large group of Uru-kai. He stopped for a moment, looking around before placing his ear against a large boulder on the ground. Any normal man would not have been able to feel it, but he was trained since a young age. He could feel the muddied tempo of the Uru-kai, "Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent." He stood again and shouted back, "Hurry!"

Legolas looked back at two behind him and urged them onward, "Come on!"

Boromir breathed evenly. He was exhausted but he would continue until he could go on no longer. He looked back at Gimili, "Gimli, hurry up!"

The dwarf stopped for a moment, leaning on his axe and spoke to himself, "Three days and nights pursuit, no food, no rest. No sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell!" He trusted Aragorn with his life, but he had trouble believing he could track a large group over such a long distance!

The four companions pushed onward, their bodies fatigued but their resolve was stronger. Their friends needed them, they could not abandon them. After a time they came to a pass in the hills. It was easy for all of them to see a large group had been through, the ground was softened from rainfall and the muddied ground left many imprints. Something caught the Rangers watchful eye and he knelt down to inspect the small pendant.

Aragorn graded it and his heart grew light with hope. "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall."

Boromir looked at him and then the broach, "They're still alive! Would have been a body otherwise..."

Legolas stopped when his eyes caught hold of something shimmering on the slope. He moved to inspect it and when he picked it up his heart fell to his stomach. Samantha's locket.

"Legolas!" Aragorn called to his friend, "We need to keep moving!"

Legolas nodded and placed the locket into his pocket. They continued onward but the elf had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The chain on her locket was snapped, it wasn't taken off intentionally. Someone had forcefully removed it, but why? All he could do was say a prayer and hope she was safe. Her face would flash in his mind and his heart grew cold at the thought of never seeing her smile or hearing her laugh again. He dare not let his mind think of what could be happening to her in the hands of her captors. A small part of him felt bad he wasn't more worried for the hobbits. He was indeed worried, but his fear for her safety was much greater than he would admit to anyone. Periodically, he would reach into his pocket and grasp the locket and say a prayer.

Boromir huffed as the four of them continued to run through the terrain around them. He too thought of their fiery haired companion, of what he had said to her. his words echoed through his mind, the pained and fearful expression adorning her face plastered to the inside of his eyelids. He would not rest until he knew she was safe, until his debt had been repaid.

The group noticed the terrain changing until eventually all trees seemed to stop. Before them was a vast open expansion of grassland and the rolling hills and many boulders nestled into the sides of the sloping hills. The four of them stopped for a moment, catching their breath and appreciating the view of the land while also realizing just how far they had traveled.

"Rohan. Home of the horse-lords." Aragorn said, now certain of their location. Why would the Uru-Kai travel through Rohan, and how could they stay ahead of them for so long? "There's something strange at work here, some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us." His attention was caught by Legolas who seemed to notice something. "Legolas!" He called out to him, "What do your elf eyes see?"

Legolas saw them, they were so far away but he was sure it was them. "The Uruks turn northeast!" His stomach sank when he came upon a realization, "They're taking them to Isengard!"

"Saruman." Of course, the white wizard had a part to play in all of this. He must know a hobbit had the ring and that's why they took Merry and Pippin. What Aragorn couldn't figure out was why they had taken Samantha as well.

They ran. Going on and on through the hottest part of the day and the chill of the night air. None of them spoke until daybreak. The sun slowly ascended over the horizon, turning the sky into a beautiful mix of reds and oranges. While some would appreciate the sight, Legolas didn't feel any such way. He faltered, turning to face the sunrise, "A red sun rises, blood has been spilt this night."

Boromir passed him, "Must you always be so cryptic?" Legolas didn't respond to him. While Boromir didn't want to admit it, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut.

By mid morning as they made their way over a hill, Aragorn stopped, feeling vibrations from over the hill. Not knowing if this was friend or foe he rushed his comrades and himself to the cover of some boulders. Not a moment later they saw horse upon horse come over the hill and pass them. Aragorn would not have done anything, had ne not seen the banner they flew and the armor they wore.

Aragorn stood and walked out from their hiding spot, calling out to the large group of horsemen, "Rider's of Rohan! What news from the mark?" Nothing more was needed for the group to turn around and come right back to them.

The four companions exchanged glances.

"Hope you know what you are doing," Boromir said with an exhausted laugh. He was intrigued to see how Isildur's heir fared when speaking to men. Boromir knew he was accustomed to elves, that much was clear from their dealings in Lothlorien.

As the horsemen surrounded them on all sides they all stood back to back, weary of what these men would do next. As soon as they were surrounded, spears were lowered in their direction, prompting Aragorn to lift his hands in an attempt to show he meant no harm.

A voice spoke out amongst the riders, "What business do an elf, a dwarf, and two men have in the Riddermark?" He paused, waiting for a response, when he did not get one he prompted, "Speak quickly!"

Gimli, unfamiliar with dealings of other races and their customs in such situations, spoke, "Give me your name, horse-master, and I shall give you mine."

The rider stopped for a moment, not believing what this dwarf had just said to him. He would not tolerate such disrespect. He quickly handed his spear aside and dismounted his horse before walking up to the four men. His eyes pierced through Gimli, though the dwarf was unaffected, "I would cut off your hear dwarf, if it stood a little higher from the ground."

Boromir placed his hand on the hilt of his sword but was shocked to see Legolas of all people ready an arrow and point it right at the rider's face, "You would die before your stroke fell!"

Legolas did not think, he only acted. He was on edge and not in the mood to deal with threats. The spears drew closer, warning the elf that there would certainly be repercussions for his actions. Before Legolas could release the arrow, a hand gripped his wrist, lowering the bow. Gimli was thankful, he was also shocked at the elf's reaction, thankfully Aragorn put a quick stop to it.

Aragorn looked around at the situation and faced the rider, "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin. Boromir, son of Denethor, and Legolas of the woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan, and of Theoden, your King."

The rider pauses, looking to meet the eyes of Boromir. Him, here? What on earth could be going on to make Gondor let loose their prized Captain? His eyes drifted back to Aragorn, "Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin." He took off his helmet, a signal to his troops to lower their weapons. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands." He paused to allow the company to soak in his words, "My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished." He stepped closer to the two men of the group, "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..." His eyes wandered to Legolas and Gimli, eyeing them intently. He had little trust for creatures not of his own, not in times like these.

"We are no spies." Aragorn assures him. "We track a pack of Uruk-Kai westward along the plain. They have taken three of our friends captive."

"The Uruk-Kai are destroyed, we slaughtered them during the night." The rider told them truthfully.

"There were two hobbits! Did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli asked urgently, they should have noticed them!

"And a girl!" Boromir spoke up, "A short woman with fiery red hair."

Aragorn continued, "The hobbits are small, only children to your eyes."

The man shook his head, "We left none alive."

There was a devastating silence, they failed? Everything they had done was for nothing?

"But," ears and eyes watched the man intently, "I do have one man who did report saving a woman." He turned, "Baldred!"

One of the men rode forward and after a nod from his superior he handed his spear aside and dismounted. He removed his helmet as well before giving a small bow to the group before him. The man looked to be in his late twenties, shoulder length blond hair fell around his face messily and strands of it got caught on the scruff of his short beard. Brown eyes looked at the group in amazement. Baldred could not believe he was standing in the presence of Boromir. Stories of the Gondorian warrior had traveled far, there was no one in the kingdom of Gondor or Rohan that didn't at least know his name.

"Baldred, recount your story."

Baldred nodded, "During the battle I heard a scream, not the normal scream from a wounded orc or man. This scream was chilling, and it was a woman's. I noticed on the edge of the forest an orc atop someone so I ran to help. Luckily, I decapitated the filth before it had a chance to do any irreversible damage to her. I was going to take her with us but more orcs came and while my back was turned she had wandered into the forest."

"She's alive?" Boromir asked urgently, "Was she injured?"

Baldred nodded, "She was wounded, though I can't say how badly. She was well enough to get away from us." Baldred was unsure if he should mention the amount of blood he saw, or the bruising he saw on her torso. It was obvious to him that Boromir cared for this woman deeply and did not want to invoke his wrath for being unable to take her with them.

Legolas could hardly stop the smile from spreading on his face. She was wounded, but alive! He would find her and bring her back to him, to safety.

The feeling of relief didn't last long though. A sudden realization fell upon the elf. "This forest, what was the name?"

Baldred knew where the elf was going with this question and he didn't want to answer, "Fangorn."

Getting promoted to Store Manager takes up a lot of time, but I am finding time for this! Thank you to everyone who continues to read my store! It means so much to me to know people like it.

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Posted: 3/20/21