Gwin, Candaith, and Lothrandir set out on their difficult journey to Isengard. Enjoy!

Chapter 108

Right before we ducked outside, Lheu Brenin tightened my bonds a bit, but they were still loose enough to be somewhat comfortable. He, along with Léolin and the other Dunlending soldier, put grim, almost menacing expressions on their faces as they delivered us to a metal cart (although Léolin looked much like he usually did). Clearly it was from Isengard, for surrounding it were Uruk-hai and evil men who looked similar to the Emissary in appearance. Unluckily for Gwilhum, he was not released to join us, as had been promised to him, and I knew he would be dead by morning, either by starvation or by the sword. I held no pity for him.

A Uruk roughly grabbed my arms and just about threw me onto a wooden seat, Candaith and Lothrandir following behind me. The sides of the cart were not very tall, and I could see with sadness how the streets were lined with the people of Tur Morva. They looked upon us with shock, fear, and sadness. It was clear how confused they were. I spotted Nona, who's eyes were blazing in anger. She was shaking with fury, and her fists were clenched tightly, with one of them wrapped around the hilt of her sword. I shook my head subtly, telling her not to engage. It would only lead to her death, and she reluctantly moved her hand back to her side. I knew she was trying to think of some way to aid me, but now would not be the time. There were some murmurings from the others, but as soon as a Uruk looked at them, they became silent.

Unfortunately, a certain little girl did not heed this warning glare.

"Lady Gwin!" Leona shouted, ducking out from underneath her mother's arm and sprinting towards me. "Where are you going with these bad men?"

"Leona, go back to your mother," I shouted nervously, eyeing the enemy which surrounded me. "It is not safe."

This stopped her in her tracks, and I saw tears rolling down her cheeks. "B-but why are you…" she took a big, shuddering breath, "They are taking you away from us!"

I could see her mother racing through the crowd towards her, and I spoke to Leona again, "Go back to your Naneth, tithen pen. She will explain it to you, but these bad men will hurt you if you come any closer, and I could not bear it." I could hear the alarm in my voice, and hoped it would be enough to convince her.

"Y…you are my mellon," she cried, her voice breaking as she backed away. "I hope you come back soon." The despair in her voice made my heart ache, but there was nothing I could do. "Namaree, Lady Gwin." Her voice was just a whisper, but my Elven ears could hear her clearly.

I blinked back my tears and gave her a tremulous smile, "Namarie, Leona. Now go, and be safe." Thankfully the Uruks ignored this little display, too intent on their errand to pay attention to some little girl. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding when Leona's mother scooped her up into her arms, holding her tightly and trembling. Her eyes met mine and she nodded, promising without words to protect her. She may not have understood why this was happening, but the Brenin would surely explain once we were gone.

Candaith took my hand behind my back and squeezed it briefly, but let go as it became too uncomfortable to twist his wrist. Instead, I put my head on his shoulder, and he kissed my hair. "I will keep you safe, meleth nin," he breathed. I knew it wasn't a promise he could keep, but it warmed my heart regardless.

"We will keep each other safe," I whispered, meeting Lothrandir's eyes as he sat across from me.

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It was not long before the Uruk-Hai got bored of the journey, and looked for something to amuse them.

Which, of course, ended up being us.

I jumped as I heard a whip crack, and it landed inches from where Lothrandir was sitting. To his credit, the ranger didn't flinch.

"Gruflak, looks like ya getting rusty with that whip," one of the Uruks said with a grating laugh. "Couldn't even hit 'im."

The Uruk named Gruflak turned to glare at him with his yellow eyes. "If I'da wanted to hit 'im, I woulda." He swiveled his gaze to meet Lothrandir's, who was looking at the Uruk with boredom and disinterest. This seemed to anger the creature, for the next whiplash caught the ranger on his back. This time Lothrandir was unable to prevent himself from flinching, but no sound came from his clenched lips. His usual cloak was absent, with only a loose linen shirt to protect him from the weapon. Candaith stiffened next to me, as if preparing himself for a fight, but there was no way to defend ourselves from this.

Sure enough, a second lash hit Lothrandir, and then another. I watched in horror as ten lashes hit their marks before they ceased, leaving a bloody crisscross pattern on his back while the Uruks laughed cruelly. Lothrandir had remained silent somehow, but when he met my eyes, they were full of pain, and his lip was bleeding from biting it hard.

I wondered who would be next.

There was a tense silence for a time, as the cart bumped along the road, going South through the Gap of Rohan. I hoped someone would spot us from Theodred's camp, but I had no idea where it was located; it might not be anywhere near the road, wanting to remain hidden. It was also completely dark now, with only a sliver of the moon in the sky.

My eyes flew up to a cliff face when I thought I spotted movement, but no one was there when I looked closer. I hoped it was a scout, and a friendly one, who could report our presence to Theodred, or some other group who could aid us. I worried that this accompanying force of enemies was too large for a small company of Rohirrim to engage in battle, especially to aid strangers.

Yet, my goal was to find Mair and bring her safely back to Tur Morva. If we were to be rescued on the road, the rangers and I would be safe, but I would have failed in my mission before it even really began. The Brenin would be furious; would he renegade on his promise, if he realized I never tried to find his daughter in the first place?

I froze as I felt someone reach out and grasp my arm, yanking me roughly to my feet in the moving cart. Candaith surged to his feet and shoved himself between me and the man. "You do not touch her, filth," he hissed. I sighed, knowing this was exactly what the evil man wanted Candaith to do.

"Oh really? Says who?" the man replied with a smirk. "I don't care what you want, ranger." I glared at him as his gaze met mine, and I suppressed a shiver at the glittering arrogance within. "Tell him to sit down and shut up before I make him."

"Do what he says, meleth."

I could feel the fury pulsing in his soul, but there was fear also. "I cannot let them hurt you!"

"Then we must obey." I had no clue if this would actually hold true, but it was all we could do. Defiance would only lead to injury, and we needed to be as strong and healthy as we could be if we were going to be successful. I could tell it took much effort for him, but he lowered himself back onto the bench, sitting stiffly.

The man grinned, "That's better; know your place." He gave me an exaggerated bow and said, "I am called Galthrod. I would say it is a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie."

I assessed him, trying to determine where he was from. "Are you Numenorian?" I asked. I knew of the Black Numenorians of the South, and had come across a few in Angmar and Annuminas in Evendim. He had the high cheekbones and tall form of those people, but his hair was dark as night, with eyes to match.

He nodded and smirked. "You have a good eye, she-elf," he drawled.

"Why do you serve Saruman then? Why not the Steward of Gondor?" I wanted to see if I could glean more information on these people. Who were they allied with? Where did they live now?

Galthrod narrowed his eyes, "The Steward of Gondor is a usurper. He has no claim to rule there. Only the true King holds our allegiance."

I knew he did not speak of the Heir of Isildur, and had my suspicions of who he meant. "Do you refer to the Heirs of Castamir?" Perhaps he was from Umbar?

His eyes lit up, and I shivered at the fervor within, "So you know who these rangers should owe their allegiance to." He looked upon Candaith and Lothrandir with disdain. "You wander the wilds, a diminished people, with no one to follow. If you join the right side, perhaps there will be a place for you alongside your Numenorian brothers."

"Careful Candaith, do not mention Aragorn or allude to any Heir." I figured he knew this already, but when he became angered, he tended to let his tongue run away from him. I gave Lothrandir a fleeting glance, and knew he understood. When Galthrod's words did not elicit the angry response he desired, he sighed dramatically. "It is good to have captives who behave." He eyed me closely, a strange smile on his face, before climbing into the front of the cart, where the horses were being led by a bored looking man. Galthrod murmured something, and the other man stepped down next to me. A moment later my eyes widened, and I found myself forcibly sitting next to Galthrod. My hands were tied to a metal bar just behind me, so I couldn't move away from him. Candaith had jumped to his feet, but Lothrandir caught him by the shoulder before he could come charging after me.

I flinched as I heard the whip crack, and felt a spike of pain run down my back, but it wasn't mine. I heard Candaith suck in a breath of air, and knew he had been hit when a Uruk said, "Sit down ya tark, or you get another one!" He must have taken too long to comply, for there were two more strikes to follow. I tried not to react, because I knew it would pain Candaith to see how the whip hurt me almost as much as it hurt him. I heard him collapse down to the bench behind me, and squirmed as Galthrod brazenly wound an arm about my waist. "Cozy, don't you think?" he whispered, and I shivered in disgust at his tone. "At least you are somewhat pleasing to look at, even if you are an Elf."

I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying something inflammatory, and took a deep breath to try and calm myself. Instead, I managed to murmur, "That is…kind of you to say." The words tasted like ash in my mouth. All I wanted to do was scream at him, but knew it would only make things worse for me. I could tell Candaith was upset, but then noticed him send me waves of love and comfort through our bond. It helped me cope a little better, to know he was near and be reminded of his love for me.

The Black Numenorian chuckled darkly, "Perhaps I will be able to see…more of you, once we arrive."

I stiffened, dreading the implication of his words. "I am sure you would find me rather boring to look upon," I said, trying to sound nonchalant but internally cursing at the shakiness of my voice.

"I admit there is a strangeness to you," he mused. "But you cannot be so different from the race of Men." His tone was that strange, silky one that Gwilhum had shared. Not quite as beguiling, but I realized it must be a similar trait among his people.

I shrugged, unsure how to respond to this, and tried to be careful with my words. I could feel his eyes on me, but I kept my gaze straight ahead as we moved down the road, getting ever closer to Isengard.

The rest of the ride was spent at Galthrod's side. He would occasionally try and make small talk, which was awkward and strange. My responses seemed to amuse him, despite how inconsequential they might be. Every so often I would feel his fingers tracing the line of my hip, or brushing against the small of my back, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of watching me squirm, and stayed still. The Uruks found amusement in beating up on Candaith and Lothrandir, and I felt completely helpless, unable to aid them while they faced this pain and torment. Somehow Candaith must have found a way to prevent the majority of the pain from reaching me, for I only noticed a shadow of it. I was unable to turn around to see the state of them, but knew it must not look good. I could hear them breathing heavily, and even faintly could make out Lothrandir praying in Sindarin under his breath, asking for the Valar to protect us.

I hoped they would listen.

As we approached the gates of Nan Curunír, I felt a wave of despair hit me like a brick wall, and it made me gasp in surprise. Galthrod laughed softly beside me, and it sounded even more sinister in this dark place. "Welcome to my home, Gwinthilnel. My master is very much looking forward to meeting you," he murmured in my ear.

I tried to control my breathing, but fear was trying to overtake my sense of logic. This is Isengard. I am in Isengard, with no clear means of escape. The realization of it made me feel like I was drowning.

What have I done?

Well, that was definitely an unpleasant experience for the three of them. Things are definitely not looking good, and Gwin is starting to regret her decision even more than she already was. Hope you liked the chapter!