In this chapter, we will hear more about Ergothorn and the Rangers, and check back in with Gwin, still stuck in her new, dark accommodations in Isengard. Sorry for the wait, life has been busy!
Chapter 120Ergothorn's POV: The Day of Gwin's 2nd Encounter with Saruman
We woke early and set out at a steady pace. The road we were taking went East and towards the river Isen. There were few Dunlending settlements along the road, but as Andreg had found, that did not mean it was deserted. Luckily, we came across no Dunlendings, but happened upon a sizeable warg den. Elladan and Elrohir spotted it first, and they, along with those of us who had bows, made short work of the evil wolves. I had little experience with the creatures, and was completely fine staying towards the back of the group while they fought. Elladan, noticing this, seemed mildly amused, but thankfully did not comment.
It was about midday when we approached Grimbold's Camp, which was right beside the river and directly in our path. It was larger than Forthbrond, and many more soldiers were stationed there. Grimbold explained that Theodred wished to gather forces here, in case he decided to assault Isengard. "In my opinion, such an endeavor would be too risky, but I will follow my Prince to whatever end," Grimbold said firmly.
"We plan to gather some intelligence regarding how things look in Nan Curunír, getting as close to the gates as we can," Haldred explained. "Andreg stayed more on the outskirts, but he was only one man. With a larger group of those who can fight, it may be easier to infiltrate the lands."
"My job will be to sketch the area and eventually add it to my maps, therefore helping Theodred in learning the layout of the land," I added. "I am not much of a fighter, but I can hold my own, if I need to."
I very much hoped I did not need to.
"What of the rest of you?" Grimbold asked curiously. The Rangers looked at each other uncertainly, clearly not sure what to share with him.
Halbarad stepped forward and said, "We go to rescue three of our companions who were captured by Saruman's forces."
Grimbold raised his eyebrows, "You will attempt to break into Isengard?"
"We hope it will not come to that," Halbarad replied. "Once we scout the lands, it is possible we will find our fellows already outside the walls. However, we will do what we must to retrieve them." His stern countenance reflected an air of authority, despite his rather ragged attire. His grey eyes held a strange light, making him look almost…more, than the average man.
Grimbold seemed to sense the same thing, for he inclined his head and said, "May Bema guide your steps and keep you safe. The wizard is crafty, they say, but I sense a wisdom in you that may protect you from his wiles."
"We hope so," Halbarad replied softly. "We will travel to Andreg's camp."
After our farewell, we continued on, carefully making our way North. We spotted a small number of goblins guarding a cave, but did not have time to stop and explore it. Corunir had mentioned feeling like there was more to it than just a cave; perhaps we could take the time to look inside once we retrieved Gwin and the others.
Finally, we entered the desolate land of Nan Curunir. Off in the distance, I spotted the Tower of Isengard, and felt a wave of dread. It was evening, and Corunir said a storm would be coming, so we hustled to set up our tents in Andreg's old camp. It was sheltered and hidden behind rather tall bushes, and behind us was a curved, sheer rock wall. It would be good protection against any enemies.
Once we were all settled, Radanir took out a small, rather worn-looking flute, and stared at it sadly. "This was made for me by Lothrandir. He tried teaching me, but I admit I am rather poor at it." He chuckled mirthlessly. "I hoped to receive further lessons, but…" his voice caught, and I could see how his young face crumpled. "I do not know if we will ever see each other again." Radanir was trying valiantly to hold back tears.
I hesitantly reached out and clasped his shoulder. "They will return to us," I said resolutely, hoping I sounded convincing. "Then Lothrandir can turn you into an expert flutist, and you can entertain everyone with your new skills."
He seemed to take heart in my encouraging words, and a tremulous smile formed on his face. "I hope you are right, mellon nin," he whispered. I squeezed his shoulder gently before releasing it. "Let us get some sleep, for tomorrow will be another long day."
As my eyes fluttered shut, I sent up a prayer to keep Gwin and the others safe. We are coming for you.
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Gwin's POV: The Same Night
I tried to ignore the choking darkness around me; I glowed faintly, like always, but it made little difference in this place. I felt around, looking for somewhere to sit, and came across a cold, metal bench. Settling myself on it, I flinched as I heard what was likely a rat scurry away from me; how many were there in this dark dungeon?
Were there any other Men, or even Elves, here?
"Hello?" I called hesitantly, and it echoed through the dungeon. It was difficult to tell how many cells there were when Galthrod had led me inside, but it seemed it might be quite large. Not hearing any answering words, I sighed.
"Meleth?" I jumped, completely forgetting I could 'speak' with Candaith.
"Yes?" However, the connection seemed muddled, and it took more effort to communicate with him in this way than normal.
"What has happened?" He sounded very distraught, and I could feel his worry and fear through our bond.
I sighed heavily and explained what had happened, from the moment Galthrod retrieved me to when he left me in this cell. Well, perhaps not everything. I left out the…physical things with Galthrod, feeling ashamed, although I did tell him somewhat of my plan to get out of there, with the Numenorian's help. I was panting as I finished my story, sweat rolling down my face at the fatigue I felt as we 'spoke'. It was like I was trudging through mud in the thunderstorm, the connection flickering in and out.
Candaith did not seem to notice, or at least did not comment on it. "He is going to let you go?" he asked quizzically. "What is in it for him?"
I had already thought of up an answer for this, which was partially true. "He plans to make his own escape, using his time to escort me to the gates to plan his route. Once he leaves Nan Curunír, he will return to Umbar in the South, and to his people."
"Hmm…" Candaith mused. "If you are able to escape ahead of us, you can either wait for us outside the gates, in hiding, or go on without us and find Theodred. There is much he needs to know." I could sense he did not believe I had told him everything, but surprisingly, he did not accuse me of it. Perhaps, once we were all safe and reunited with our companions, we could discuss it in full.
For now, I needed Candaith to distract me from the suffocating darkness. "Could you tell me some stories of your childhood?"
"Of course, meleth," I could 'hear' the smile in his voice, and felt a comforting wave of warmth come from him as he began to chatter on about his life near the Shire. I could not hear everything he said, as my energy began to wane, but just knowing he was there made my despair lessen ever so slightly. Eventually I fell into reverie, unable to stay awake any longer.
However, my dreams were not so pleasant.
They were filled with dark images, and echoes of both Sauron and Saruman's voices. At one point, it seemed like the swirling darkness due to Sauron's curse was so thick that it was choking me. I limped along a dusty, endless landscape, my hands scrabbling at my throat as I attempted to remove the invisible bindings. I could sense Candaith trying to aid me, but it was so faint that I wondered if I was imagining it. It was so cold that I was shivering violently in my nightmares, and I felt such despair that I wanted to scream. However, it came out soundless, due to the pressure on my throat. Was something actually choking me? Was this truly a dream, or had I been transported to this place somehow? It looked like how I imagined Mordor to look; the air was full of dust and the smell of sulfur, and there was a flicker of fire far off in the distance. I stumbled as I kept tripping over rocks and into shallow crevices, somehow keeping myself from falling to the ground.
"If you would just tell me the truth, I will release you from your nightmares," a silky, persuasive voice whispered, but it echoed all around me.
"G-go away," I gasped, swiping my hand in the air in front of me, as if to ward off this evil spirit.
"There is no hope for you, should you keep your silence," it continued. "No escape from this darkness."
"I do not k-know anything!" I shouted, but it sounded weak. I did my best to shield my thoughts from them, and it was slightly easier since having used the ability to do this with Candaith. I was getting really tired of people asking me to tell them things, both in dreams and when awake. It was draining on my spirit, and my resolve to stay silent weakened with each encounter.
Using all of my strength, I willed myself to wake up.
The next thing I knew, I was on the hard ground of my cell, curled up in a ball and crying like an elfling. The blackness around me was absolute, and I pressed my hands into my eyes as I tried to somehow force it to abate. How long had I been here? It felt like an Age, but perhaps had only been a few hours. It was impossible to tell time in this place.
"Gwin! What is wrong, meleth nin?" Candaith 'shouted', fear evident in his voice.
I breathed heavily, still feeling the echoes of the choking sensation around my throat. "I…I was having a nightmare."
"I could tell, but I was unable to get through to you."
"I thought I could feel you there, but the darkness was too thick to tell for certain." I wrapped my arms around myself, rocking back and forth. "I am awake now. How long has it been since we last spoke?"
There was a pause as Candaith was clearly thinking. "I would guess it is morning now, for a Uruk is going around with the pot of that infernal gruel."
I sighed in relief. "Hopefully someone will come for me soon."
Speaking of which…
I heard a door open, but it was far off. I waited impatiently as the faint light of a torch came closer and closer, and scrambled up to the bench before the person could reach me. I did not want them to see me on the ground like some weakling.
After what felt like forever, I held in a sigh of relief as Galthrod appeared. He looked just as uneasy as the last time I saw him, and tried and failed to look like his usual, arrogant self as he greeted me, "Hello again, Gwinthilnel." His voice was shaking slightly, and he made a face as he realized it.
"Suilad," I murmured, trying not to fidget and annoyed at how relieved I was to see him.
There was a lengthy pause where he tried to figure out what to say. "Ah, I am here to bring you to your daily tasks, but I have this for you first." I was shocked when he pulled some bread and an apple out of a pack I had not noticed he carried, as well as a water skin. "You will need your energy for today."
"I…well, thank you," I stammered, perhaps grabbing them from his hands a little hastily. I ate the food in record time, and downed half of the water skin before he insisted on taking it back. "Shall we?"
He nodded and unlocked the door. It took all of my willpower not to sprint to the exit; I also needed the light of his torch to see where I was going. If we moved a little faster than normal, he did not comment. Once we made it through the heavy, metal door and out into the main dungeon, I sagged against it, gulping the only slightly cleaner air and relishing in the increased lighting. Galthrod seemed mildly amused at my reaction, "I see you are glad to be out of there," he drawled.
"Do not make me go back there again," I whispered, and his slight smile faded at my trembling form.
"I…I will endeavor to prevent it," he said haltingly. "I hope our plan is successful." It was interesting to observe the changes I had seen from him since we first met. Sure, I found his attraction to me to be uncomfortable, and the choices he had made were bad ones, but there was a better man in there somewhere. At least, I hoped so. "Let's go; we must check in with Morflak first."
I was sad to note that neither Candaith nor Lothrandir were in their cells, but knew it was because they were off doing their daily tasks. I knew tonight they would put their escape plan into action, but hopefully I would be out of here before that. I just needed to go along with Galthrod's plan long enough to get outside the gates…but what would happen next? The Black Numenorian expected more than I was willing to give him; what would he do when I refused his advances? We will cross that bridge when we come to it.
Taking a deep breath, I continued on, Galthrod tucking my arm into his. Whatever happened next, I could only pray it would be successful.
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