The Fairy of Middle Earth

Chapter 118: Hard Pills to Swallow

The Fellowship for the Arda had now grown by one. They all sat around a blazing fire which battled the cold around them. All eyes were in Bynsarda and she could feel the tension growing from their mutual curiosity. "I am not sure where to begin." She said and looked anywhere but at all the faces eager to hear what she had to say.

"Well I would say at the beginning. Whatever needs to be sent to Thranduil will make it to his ears I assure you of that." Gandalf said gently.

She shrugged a bit and licked her lips slowly. The words being chosen carefully. "I was first taken to a great mountain hold. Though I am unsure exactly where it is. It was a very long distance from the city. We were crammed into windowless wagons. The conditions were terrible. Many died along the way and sometimes we were forced to ride with the corpses for days." Her voice cracked as she spoke of this. Minogos slid his hand into hers and squeezed.

"They would stop occasionally and pull us out. That was when they would remove the dead and make an attempt to muck out the wagon and sometimes they would throw cold water on us to somewhat clean us. We were tossed moldy bread to eat and often there would not be enough. So they would wager on who would win the fights that would break out." She struggled to keep her voice loud enough to be heard as she spoke of this. "They would eat the dead. We saw them. They did not hide this from any of us."

Those listening to her tale cold only wince and look down. The younger of the party feeling a sense of shock while the elders were not. "Please go on." Gandalf encouraged her. "You are among friends here."

"It was on one of these nights when we were all out of the wagons and being subjected to the cold water baths and watching them preparing their meals of our fallen that I was singled out. These things. You call them orc were foul to start with and their language was even more so. Just the sound of it was chilling. They separated me from my people and I was sure I was to suffer a fate most terrible." Her voice faded and she hung her head down for a few moments before she inhaled deeply and found her voice again. "It wasn't to be so. The orc they took me to was different than the others. He was taller and more muscled. He looked more like a man than the rest of them. There was a look of intelligence in his eyes and he spoke westron. "

"Uruk-hai." Elrond said and looked to Gandalf.

Gandalf nodded. "Seems our enemy has begun to breed more of them. Go on dear."

"He allowed me to bathe in warm water. He had be clothed in rough hewn but clean clothing. He fed me better food. Not what his subordinates ate but what he ate. I felt like I was being fattened up for the slaughter. From then on I was transported in a smaller wagon. I was the only occupant. I wish I could tell you how long we traveled. Time just looses all meaning when you are kept in darkness and the only fresh air you breathe is night time air. I couldn't even tell by the moon. The more we traveled the skies always seemed to be clouded."

Glorfindel looked to Elrond and Gandalf. "Well if that doesn't sound very familiar." He said to them.

"When we stopped for the last time I found myself in a large cavern. The others were being off loaded and ushered away to the kiss of the whip. I was taken another way. It was a maze of pitch black halls. I could see nothing but I could hear anguished cries in the dark. One would think such a place would be cold. It was very hot . The walls were hot to the touch. When I was finally taken into the light I was thrown to my knees. I was too frightened to look up or around. I just huddled on the ground. The warm stone was very warm and smooth. I would even say shiny. The a pair of dark boots were before me and I was commanded by this new voice to look up. I mustered my courage and did so."

She began to tremble then and Minogos now slides his arm around her and pulls her close.

"He was tall and beautiful. I can not think of better words. Simply beautiful. The color of his flesh was like Minogos' but His eyes were like Jeven's. Pale and ringed in red. His hair was so black it looked blue when he was near the light. There was this power that just seemed to radiate from him that felt as if it would crush me and he was cruel." That was when tears began to drip from her cheeks as they spilled from her eyes.