..••°°°°••..
.·:*¨༺ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 6 ༻¨*:·.
°°••....••°°

THE TOWER OF CIRITH UNGOL

Iladya is thrown in the tower of Cirith Ungol. She coughs as she wipes blood off her mouth. She watches with fear as she views the blood. Shagrat and Gorbag, two Orcs, undo her from her fancy battle tunic until she was left in Aragorn's shirt she had worn. Her cloak of Lothlórien. Her tunic of the Woodland realm. Her weapons. The Ring. Everything had been taken away from her. ''Resistance has no use!" one of them snarls. Shagrat holds her down as Gorbag puts chains around her wrists. Iladya was forced to sit on her kneels as her arms were directed to the wall. "Sauron will be defeated!"
"The Eye knows," Shagrat smirks and shows her the Palantir. Iladya feels a sharp pain in her head as she is forced to look in the Palantir. She was forced to see the Eye of Sauron. Behind her, Gorbag readies himself with a whip. "Iladya," Sauron screeches, "I know everything." "You liar!" Iladya yells, only receiving more pain. "The moment you grabbed that Palantir," Sauron screeches, laughing maniacally, "you gave me valuable information." The Palantir shows the moment that is most dear to Iladya.
"I am yours, Adoness nîn. Don't ever forget that," Aragorn breathes, lifting her chin to look at him. "I have always been yours. Since the moment we met. All those eight years apart, I have never stopped thinking of you. My thoughts of you never end." He could see the twinkle in her eyes. ''My heart burns for you, Elessar,'' she whispers, ''an elf can only fall in love once in its lifetime. You are the one I fell for, the one my heart burns for.''
"No," she whispers, realising what has happened. The laughing continues while Iladya turns her head away from the Palantir. "Look at me!" The voice booms through the tower, even the Orcs get startled. Iladya glances back in the Palantir. "What is his next move?" it asks. "I cannot tell," she answers. "Do it," Sauron demands. Gorbag brings the whip down her back. Iladya flinches as she grunts. "I'll ask again," Sauron snarls, "what is his next move?" "I told you, I do not know!" Gorbag brings the whip down her back once again. She hisses as she clenched her jaw. "I parted to Minas Tirith before they forged their plans, I DO NOT KNOW," she yells. Gorbag continues to whip her back. Several, red, lines on the back of the Elf. "Fine," Sauron hisses, "what did he promise you? For you to be his Queen?" Sauron laughs in a mocking way. "His so called love for you, isn't real." "Then why keep me here?" "If he does, he will surrender himself to save you. If he does not, I will personally make you my Queen. Fair as the sea and the sun." "I personally would rather die!" she hisses. The Palantir goes black and Iladya screams before she stares into oblivion. Feeling numb.
She couldn't hear the sound of whip, slashing down her back nor could she feel the pain. She could only think about the fate of Middle-Earth. Tears rolls down her cheeks, praying Aragorn wouldn't sacrifice himself for her. She lets her head hang, slowly falling into the darkness. She embraces her fate.

Frodo lies semi-naked on the ground with his hands bound in front of him. He has the remains of some spiderwebs still wrapped around him. Frodo wakes up and hears voices behind him. Shagrat and Gorbag, two Orcs are sorting through Frodo's belongings. Shagrat picks up Frodo's mithril shirt and turns it about in the light admiring it. Gorbag sees him. "Hands off! That shiny shirt, that's mine!" Gorbag snarls. Frodo is listening to them. "It's going to the Great Eye, along with everything else," Shagrat snarls back.
Frodo realises what Shagrat is saying and feels in panic for the Ring on its chain around his neck. It is gone. "I don't take orders from stinking Morgul-rats!" He pushes Shagrat against the wall. Shagrat pulls out a sword. "You touch it and I'll stick this blade in your gut!" He threatens him with his sword. Shagrat and Gorbag begin to grapple. Eventually Shagrat falls across the trapdoor. Gorbag stamps on him pushing him through the trapdoor. He falls down the stairs eventually landing amongst the partying Orcs below. Gorbag shouts down to them. "The scum tried to knife me. Kill him!" They try to attack Shagrat who knocks an Orc out of the window to land far below. The Orcs at the bottom of the tower see him land, and react. They begin to fight amongst themselves.
Meanwhile Sam was moving up towards the tower. He can hear the Orcs fighting. Sam creeps up to the tower entrance. All the Orcs seem to be dead. He starts to run through the tower looking about him with Sting and his own sword, one in each hand. He runs up the stairs to the higher levels. He sees some Orcs coming so he begins to roar at them to pluck up his courage. His shadow looks huge on the wall. When he emerges from the stairwell the Orcs see he is only small and move to attack him. But Sam is too quick. He stabs the first one. "That's for Frodo!" He approaches the second one and stabs him knocking him off the stairs. "And the Shire!" He pushes the third one over the edge of the stairs and shouts after him. "And that's for my old gaffer!" Sam continues on up the stairs. Gorbag escapes with Frodo's mithril shirt and Iladya's cloak.
Frodo struggles with his bonds, trying to escape. Shagrat appears behind him. "Stop your squealing you dunghill rat!" it snarls. He pulls out a knife. "I'm gonna bleed you like a stuck pig!" He cries out suddenly and a blue blade sticks out through his chest. Sam appears behind him. "Not if I stick you first!" Sam hisses. "Sam!" Frodo gasps.

Iladya's ears start moving, yet she ignores it. She must be hallucinating because Frodo and Sam can't be here. She does not know the time that has passed. She does not know which day it is. She does not know...

Sam pushes Shagrat off his sword. He drops the sword and kneels down in front of Frodo. "Oh Sam, I'm so sorry. Sorry for everything," Frodo apologises. Sam smiles at him. "Let's get you out of here." He starts to help Frodo get the ropes off his hands. "It's too late. It's over. They've taken it Sam, they took the Ring!" Frodo urges. He sits up and looks at Sam. "Begging your pardon but they haven't." Sam stands up. He pulls the Ring out of his pocket and holds it out on its chain in front of Frodo.
"I thought I'd lost you. So I took it, only for safekeeping." He offers Frodo the Ring on the chain. "Give it to me!" As Frodo reaches for the Ring Sam pulls it back. "Give me the Ring Sam." Sam looks strange when Frodo speaks to him he sounds far away. ''Sam! Give me the Ring." Sam continues to struggle, but he offers the Ring to Frodo who snatches it from him. Frodo puts it back around his neck. "You must understand. The Ring is my burden. It will destroy you Sam." Frodo holds onto the wall to steady himself. Sam stands watching him a suspicious expression on his face. "Come on Mr Frodo. We'd best find you some clothes. You can't go walking through Mordor in nothing but your skin."
Frodo stops Sam by grabbing his shoulder. "Sam," Frodo breathes, looking in the direction where Iladya is chained. "Yes, Mr Frodo," Sam simply answers, not full realising what is happening. He watches his master and follows his gaze. "Lady Iladya?" Iladya slowly tilts her head, seeing she hasn't been hallucinating. "Frodo," she gasps, "Sam." She sighs in relief as tears flow down her cheeks. Frodo rushes to her side and embraces her. He also takes a look at the chains and searches for the keys. Sam rings a bundle of keys. "Took them from an Orc," he shrugs, "perhaps, you'd be in a cage?" Frodo searches the key and frees Iladya from her chains. "Are you alright, my lady?" Sam asks. Iladya breathes heavily as she coughs. "I have been better, Master Hobbit," she sighs, "we must get that Ring to the mountain."
Frodo, Sam and Iladya are leaving the tower fully clothed in disguise as Orcs. They stand and survey the scene below them. They can see Mount Orodruin and the Tower of Barad-Dûr. But between they can see many, many campfires of the enemy soldiers. There are thousands of them between them and the mountain. "We did it Mr Frodo. We made it to Mordor." "Mordor," Iladya gazes. "There are so many of them. We'll never get through unseen."

Frodo sees the Eye of Sauron surveying the soldiers from the top of Barad Dûr. He staggers back slightly. "It's Him, the Eye!" He feels a weight on his shoulders. "We can do this, Frodo," Iladya whispered in his ears. "We have to go in there Mr Frodo. There's nothing for it." Frodo looks at him uncertain. "Come on let's just make it down the hill for starters." Frodo walks in front as they head off down the hill. Frodo, Sam and Iladya arrive on the plains of Gorgoroth. A horn sounds. "Look! The Orcs, they're moving off!" Sam points out. All the Orcs are marching away. "You see Mr Frodo some luck at last!"
"Move it, you slugs!" They turn around to see a band of Orcs heading towards them from behind. "Come on! Faster!" Frodo, Sam and Iladya have nowhere to hide. They move to the side of the road and sit down. Hoping that they will not be seen. "Come along you scum!" The Orcs move closer. "I'll whip you down to the bone! Come on! What have I told you." They begin to pass by Frodo and Sam. One of the captains spots Frodo and Sam. ''Get up!" He whips them. "Come on you slugs! You three are going straight to the front line! Move it, come on! Fall in! Move it! Move it! Move it!" He pushes Frodo, Sam and Iladya in amongst the other Orcs. "To the gate you slugs, now move it!" The Orcs and Frodo, Sam and Iladya continue to march towards the Gate. "Don't you know we're at war?"
"Company halt! Inspection!" Frodo starts to sink to the ground. "Sam! Help me!" Sam tries to help him, just as Iladya. One of the Orc generals sees them and comes towards them. "Stand up Mr Frodo. Stand up!" "It's so heavy!" The General continues to come closer to them. He looks straight at Sam, roars at him and pushes through the Orcs towards them. "Oh no! What do I do?" He looks around, "What do I do?" "Hit me," Iladya hisses, "hit me, Sam! Start fighting." "Get off of me!" He pushes Iladya. "Nobody pushes me you filthy maggot!" They are fighting. Iladya punches Sam. "Get off of me! The Orc captain comes over to them. "Break it up! Break it up!"
The General speaks to the Orc captain. "Oy! I'll have your guts if you don't shut this rabble down!" The captain turns towards him. "Go Sam. Now!" Iladya hisses as they sneak away amongst the confusion. They manage to hide. The General is looking for them but cannot see them. "Move along scum!" He tramps off. "Get back in the line you maggots! Get back in the line you slugs!" the captain shouts.

The three are moving over the rugged plains of Gorgoroth. They continue to walk all day long growing ever closer to the mountain. They begin to climb upwards amongst the rocks. Frodo falls down between them. He removes his helmet. "I can't! I can't, I can't manage the Ring Sam. It's, it's, such a weight to carry. It's such a weight," Frodo gasps for air. Sam and Iladya remove their helmets and look back at him. "We are going that way, straight as we can," Iladya points at the mountain, "there is no point in carrying anything we're not sure to need."
They throw away all the Orc gear and camping gear. Sam is sitting shivering. Frodo sleeps. Sam looks up. "Mr Frodo, look. There is light and beauty up there that no shadow can touch." He turns to look at Frodo, who still sits with his eyes closed, twitching. The Eye of Sauron is roving over the land; they sit in a cleft in the rocks unseen.

After hours of walking, Frodo desperately tries to get some water out of his water bottle. He is gasping and struggling. There is no water. He gives up. Sam comes over and offers his water bottle. "Take mine," Sam says and gives him the bottle, "there is a few drops left." Frodo drinks the last drops of water. There is a strange light in his eyes. "There will be none left for the return journey," he mutters. "I don't think there will be a return journey Mr Frodo."
Iladya watches the two Hobbits and glances over her shoulder. She managed to smile but it was very little. Mordor was emptying. She knew it was the thought of a King, drawing them out. If he only knew she was alive. If she could only fight alongside of him, to protect those she loved. "Legolas," Iladya whispers, "if he only knew she was alive."

Frodo turns and looks at him. Sam grabs his hand and pulls him up. Frodo tries to ward off the Eye as he walks. Sam and Iladya watch him. Frodo lifts his eyes and turns towards the Eye of Sauron. It is approaching them. "Frodo, get down!" Iladya hisses and she dives down onto the ground. Frodo continues to turn and look towards the eye. "Hide!" Frodo sees the Eye, turns away from it and collapses down to the ground.
"Frodo!" Frodo lies on the ground, his eyes open, as the Eye of Sauron passes them by and moves on.