Morwen's POV

Ramben's body trembled and he gripped her hand tighter. Morwen rubbed the elfing's arm gently while his head rested on her lap. The poor child hadn't moved since he'd been brought back yesterday. Morwen had tried to get some words out of Ramben but he remained silent with tears in his eyes. She sighed and turned her face towards Darovel; he'd regained consciousness early that day and was quietly assessing the damage that had been inflicted on him.

Morwen dared not tell him what she had done to heal his hand. How would he react if he found out? She lowered her gaze and stared absently at Ramben's golden hair. He was truly a beautiful child, his presence offered her some comfort in this foul place. And yet, she wished that he didn't have to be here at all. This was no place for someone like Ramben; she herself was used to it having grown up in Mordor. Morwen couldn't be sure about Darovel, despite their situation his face remained calm and his eyes clear and focused.

She was glad that he was there too, Darovel's strong spirit gave her hope that they could escape from this place alive. But again she also wished that he did not have to suffer the way he did. How long would it be until Oroth decided to kill him? How would he do it? Morwen shuddered and pushed away the memories of all the cruel deaths her eyes had seen. Evil beings relished the pain of others; and they would go out of their way to inflict as much pain on their victims as possible.

The thought of Darovel dying here at the hands of Oroth produced an ill feeling in her stomach. Then her mind strayed towards Amarth.
Morwen closed her eyes and despite the fix they were in, couldn't help the fluttering in her chest when she pictured him in her mind. She couldn't recall exactly when she had fallen in love with him; but she knew without a shadow of doubt that her love for him was real. Even after what had happened in Barad-dur, after she fled Mordor, she hadn't stopped loving him. Though she'd tried to convince herself that she didn't; his name, his face, and his voice would enter her thoughts.

He'd always appeared fearless to her, strong and incapable of breaking. She'd felt safe around him during their brief time spent together; feeling that as long as she remained with him she'd never have to be afraid again. Then her thoughts turned dark as the more recent memory of seeing him chained to the floor, helpless as the shadow being leaned over him, that was the first time she had ever seen him that weak.

Oroth had told Amarth that he'd promised him to someone, was that person the shadow being? A voice inside her head whispered, yes.
That in itself was enough to make her cry. The thought of Amarth being alone with the creature, unarmed and helpless...

Morwen shook her head in anger, briskly wiping away the tears that had begun forming in her eyes. She would not think that way. Amarth had survived torment from Sauron and Alatar, he could fight whatever this new threat was. Nothing could break him, he would never break. She repeated those words to herself in her mind; they were the only thing keeping her from giving into her despair.

And yet there was still a quiet, nagging voice that kept whispering, What if he does?
If Amarth broke, then she would break right along with him.

/\\//\\/

Darovel's POV

Darovel slowly leaned his back against the wall, careful to avoid opening up the wounds that had closed. After inspecting himself Darovel had found that his wounds could have been far worse. Oroth's threat about what would happen if he was killed seemed to be at the forefront of all the shadows' minds. Though they had been eager to have their "fun" with him; it had taken awhile for any of the actual beating to start.

First they'd simply toyed with him; prodding him with their claws, shoving him from one large shadow to another, all in an attempt to goad him into fighting back. But all their treatment had been met with silent resistance. He refused to play their games, and his refusal cost him. Some of the smarter shadows devised a cruel game to see how much they could hurt him, without causing him serious injury.

That was when things had turned dark; literally and figuratively. He shuddered as the memory of teeth gnawing on his arms and legs, claws tracing deep cuts on his chest, hands pulling painfully on his hair. At first it had only been a few, but the smell of his blood on the air sent the shadows into a crazed frenzy. They'd been everywhere: biting, scratching, crawling over his body, every one of the creatures wanted him for themselves. 

The smaller ones had tried to ward of the larger ones with their numbers, but they had simply moved passed them. He'd been dragged, carried, even thrown across the cavern where the shadows dwelt. By then Darovel had been so disoriented that everything became a blur. He was no longer aware of what was happening around him, and he was no longer focused on staying silent. 

A blow to the head had rendered him unconscious; then he'd found himself back in the cell with Ramben and Morwen. His thought was that the shadows had thought him dead and brought him back to the cell, fearing what would happen if their master had discovered that they'd killed him. But Darovel was alive, tired and sore, but alive. Morwen appeared to be untouched, which was a comfort for Darovel. Ramben didn't seem hurt but something had upset him. Had he not been injured Darovel would have been busy comforting the child, but he could barely move and did not want to risk opening any of his wounds.

He needed to be strong enough for when they finally escaped this place. Of course, there was still one last person that needed to be accounted for. Darovel's hands tightened into fists and his eyes blazed as the image of the shadow being entered his mind. The way it had spoken about Amarth, how it had touched him, made Darovel want to slit its throat. Knowing that Amarth was probably with that thing now only added to his rage.

There had to be some way to get to Amarth; he didn't know where Amarth had been taken but perhaps Morwen or Ramben did. If any of them had a chance to get to Amarth it was him. If Oroth decided to let his shadows have another round with him, perhaps he could escape and try to find Amarth. Footsteps from outside caught all three of the prisoners' attention. Darovel hoped that he'd see Amarth appear through the door, but to his dismay and anger it was Oroth who entered. 

He didn't even glance in his or Morwen's direction; he only had eyes for Ramben. 
"Are you ready to continue what we started yesterday Ramben?" Oroth's tone was mocking, he enjoyed watching the elfling tremble under him. Darovel forgot about his injuries and started to rise, he wasn't going to let Oroth harm anyone else. 
"I would stand down boy," Oroth said without turning in Darovel's direction, "keep in mind that I still have Amarth. You wouldn't want to cause him unnecessary pain would you?"

Fury blazed in Darovel's eyes as Oroth finally turned to look at him.
"Where is he?" Darovel demanded. 
"He is keeping a friend of mine company. Do not worry  he has not suffered," A wicked grin appeared on Oroth's lips, "yet."
No words needed to be spoken for Oroth's threat to settle in Darovel's mind. If he tried anything to interfere with what Oroth was doing, Amarth would suffer for it.
"You should rest boy, give your wounds some time to heal before I decide what to do with you next."

Darovel narrowed his eyes but made no move. Oroth turned away from him and approached Morwen and Ramben. Morwen wrapped her arms around him protectively and he in turn clung to her. 
"You are lucky daughter of Sauron, this "elfling" you all so foolishly protect has caught my interest. I will not be seeing to you until I have uncovered every single thing this wretch has hidden." 
Darovel bristled and wanted nothing more than to unleash all of his anger on Oroth; but the threat kept him from acting.

Ramben trembled in Morwen's arms and she stared defiantly at Oroth. Yet just like with Darovel he knew how to get them both to comply.
"Did you not hear what I told your friend? I still have Amarth in my grasp, for now he is safe but all I have to do is give an order and I can ensure that he will suffer far worse than any of you will." Oroth paused to let his words sink in and was satisfied to see the defiance in Morwen's eyes be replaced with fear. She did not release Ramben however, though her hold has loosened. Darovel's heart sank when Ramben pulled himself out of her arms and stood before Oroth; head lowered in submission.

"Do you see how it easy it is when you do not fight?" Oroth pulled someting out from the folds of his cloak and Darovel recognized the amulet Amarth had worn. What was Oroth going to do with it? 
"I thought that it would be nice for your friends to know what exactly it is we will be doing from now on Ramben. Wouldn't you agree?"
The child said nothing and Darovel felt his chest tighten. Suddenly Oroth grabbed Ramben's wrist and placed the amulet in the palm of his hand, then he pressed the other one on top of it. When Ramben began to scream and thrash in Oroth's grasp it drew the line for Darovel. He started  to move forward when Oroth called out, "I was not bluffing boy, all it would take is one command and Amarth will be in more pain than this. I do not even have to call one of the shadows, Daeris will simply know that Amarth needs to be punished."

Darovel didn't know who Daeris was, but it didn't take him long to guess who the name belonged to. Though he hated himself for it, Darovel kept his feet planted to where they stood. His eyes locked onto Ramben.
Morwen had tears running down her face, Ramben's screams cut like swords, leaving scars in both Darovel's and Morwen's hearts. Throughout it all Oroth remained still; a curious, almost intrigued expression on his face. Ramben's screams soon diminished into quiet sobs that rack his body.

Oroth released him unexpectedly and threw him onto the floor. Ramben immediately curled himself into a ball,  hugging his knees tightly against his chest while he continued to cry softly. 
"Now that was far more interesting than yesterday's." Oroth sounded pleased with himself as he turned around and headed towards the door. 
"I will see you all again tomorrow."
Darovel glared at him as he left, before closing the door Oroth met his gaze and smiled.
"I have something special planned for you boy. I'd recommend resting as much as you can." With that he slammed the door closed, and like a bolt of lightning Darovel raced over to where Ramben laid.

Morwen was there too, she lifted Ramben into her arms and cradled him.
"Shh, it's alright Ramben," Morwen whispered as she rocked him, "he is gone, you are safe now." 
If the Elf heard her he made no reply. He kept himself as small as possible, his eyes glazed over as he stared blankly ahead.
Morwen turned hopelessly to Darovel, her face wet with tears.
"What are we going to do?"
Darovel placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing his own despair into the back of his mind and replacing it with cold resolve.
"We will get out of here Morwen, all of us." He sounded far more confident than he felt, but his words calmed her somewhat and she resumed her task of rocking Ramben.

He watched them both for a moment; he had faint memories of his own family, he'd been an only child living with his mother and father. He remembered nights as a child when his mother would rock him to sleep while singing softly to him. Darovel didn't know any songs, the ones he did know were not appropriate for offering comfort. Instead he sat beside Morwen,  and just as he had done with Ramben the day after their encounter with the beast, he began to hum softly.

It was a comforting sound to hear in a place so dark. Morwen's tears no longer fell and Ramben's eyes lost their empty look. It wasn't long before the elfling fell asleep in Morwen's arms; and soon Darovel found himself lowering Morwen gently onto the ground, still humming as he saw to it that they were both comfortable as they slept side by side. Darovel sat over them, unable to sleep. He feared for what was going to happen to them if they remained in this place for much longer. Oroth was already doing terrible things to Ramben, he was using Amarth as leverage against them, he had something planned for Morwen, and he was preparing something for himself tomorrow. 

Darovel didn't want to think about what could be in store for him, so he settled for trying to at least get some rest. He laid down on his side some feet away from Morwen and Ramben, giving them their respectful space. Darovel usually had no trouble falling asleep; he'd trained himself to be able to sleep on a whim and awaken as well, but for the first time in a long time sleep alluded him.

When sleep finally came to him, Darovel had no idea that he was only a few hours from Oroth's plans for him.

/\\//\\/

Ramben's POV

"Why are you still resisting? Have you not felt as if you've suffered enough? Perhaps another lesson will concinve you to change your mind."
"No... no more... please..."
"I will not stop, not until you say it."
"No..."
"Then you leave me know choice elfling."

He screamed as the whip lashed against his already raw back, the sharp barbs on the whip ripped out pieces of his flesh as it was yanked out. He wanted to run, but his hands were chained and there was nowhere to go. 

"Are you going to say it now? Or must I whip you again? Perhaps I should move on to another device..."
"No!" He gasped, eyes dull in pain, spirit nearly broken. "Please," he rasped, "no more. I'll say it."
The blurry figure beside him appeared to be nodding his approval.
"Go on then elfling, say it."

"I-I do not show mercy... 
I do-do not know fear...
I'm beyond p-pain...
M-my past d-does not matter...
My l-life is not my own...
My h-hands are wea-weapons...
D-death is w-what I am...

F-forgiveness i-is lost..."

"I am not convinced that you believe that elfling."

The whip lashed against his back, bringing forth another scream.
"Again!"

"I-I do not sh-show-"
"AGAIN!"  The whip struck him once more.
"I-I-"
"AGAIN!" Every time he said it, the whip lashed against him, harder than before.

"I do not show mercy..."
"AGAIN!"
"I do not show mercy.
I do not know fear...

I'm-"
"AGAIN!"

"I do not show mercy.
I do not know fear.
I am beyond pain.
My past does not matter.
My life is not my own.
My hands are weapons.
Death is what I am.
Forgiveness is lost."

He waited for the whip to strike him, but the blow did not come.
"Very good elfling," the voice said, "you are finally learning your place in this world. Accept those words and all your suffering will end."

Accept those words, and you suffering will end.
Every day he repeated them aloud to himself. 
They were what he thought about before he slept, and were on his mind when he awoke.
The more he spoke them, the less torment he received.
Soon it became all he knew.
They had finally broken him, his will was no more.
His mind was theirs to do as they wished.
And he no longer cared.