We met up with Old Man with the white-brimmed hat. Apparently, his name is Gandalf. We sat at the foot of a cliff, my companions sitting on a boulder nearby. I, however, sat on a different boulder with my legs crossed. I gazed towards the green tree-tops. The birds are so lovely today with their chirping and all.

My gaze switched over towards the southeast where Mordor lies. That is my next destination.

I stiffened as I heard feet padded on the rock as a presence approached. Two more followed it.

"Legolas," an old and soft voice said. I looked up, my fingers stopping with their playing on the fletching of one of my arrows.

"Legolas," Gandalf repeated.

"Yes?"

The old wizard looked to my companions, Aragorn and Gimli, "how long has he been like this?"

"Since the night before we entered Fangorn," Aragorn replied. Something in me wanted to feel concerned. But no, I can't think of that right now. How am I going to get to Mordor?

I tuned out their voices. Their voices keep interrupting my thoughts. I stared at the ball of flame in the sky as it descended towards the horizon. I turned my ears back to what the Old Man speaking.

"Saruman has threatened the Men of Rohan and draws off their help from Minas Tirith, even as the main blow is approaching from the East. We must ride for Rohan."

Some small, buried part of me retaliated at those words. Words bubbled up in my throat and burst from my lips.

"No! We cannot Ride for Rohan! We must ride for Isengard! To save the hobbits and Lumornel!"

The three males turned to me, surprised.

I gaped at them, "how could you turn your back on four innocent lives?!"

Gimli turned to Mithrandir, "aye, he's right. And if we ride for Isengard, Legolas can hand over the Ring to Sam."

Aragorn began nodding, "Yes, yes. I agree that it is a reasonable thing to do. And I cannot bear to see Legolas in this state. If it's true that Frodo was able to carry the Ring for the amount of time he did and not lose his mind... then maybe Sam can do the same. He can be your redeemer."

I saw red and shot to my feet. Rage filled me. I was to carry the Ring! Not Sam! Not any other hobbit or person! Me! Me!

"Legolas?" Aragorn's eyes filled with concern.

"I'm fine!" I snapped and walked to the tree line, leaving Gandalf and the others to ponder over the new option that has arisen.

My plan to go straight to Mordor has been hindered... but once we... once we rescue the hobbits and Lumornel... I will go to Mordor. I will not give Sam the Ring. Nor anyone else but Sauron. Sauron can help me. He can help me protect my friends and family. He must. A-and if he doesn't--if he doesn't, then I will use the Ring against him.

The wind ruffled my hair, softly sighing against my scalp. I delighted the feeling. Back home in Mirkwood, I used to climb the trees just to feel the wind on my skin, in my hair.

My ears twitched as I heard Gandalf say, "very well, we head for Isengard at dawn. But first, we rest."

*********

After having awoken after that dream-that-was-real, I stayed awake for the rest of the cold night. Every noise startled me and threatened to send me over the edge. Eventually, Melnárë stopped trying to question me, but I suspected she didn't fall back asleep. I'm pretty sure she kept an eye on me the whole time. And the fact that she did that didn't help my fear subside. In fact, it made it worse. The feeling of having someone watching me made my skin crawl--and not in a good way.

By the time I heard the tower waking up--servants scurrying about, orcs and uruks yelling--I was shaky and so nervous and afraid I felt as if I could throw up.

My fingers somehow made their way up to the jewel that hung around my neck. I didn't look down at Legolas' mother's stone--I kept staring at the other end of the cell--but I did find comfort in the soft warmth that it provided against my fingers. But the jewel brought back thoughts of Legolas, the hobbits, and the rest of our companions.

The hobbits... where are they? The group of those monstrous creatures was supposed to bring them here, right? My heart and all my thoughts seized up at the thought of them being taken to Mordor. They can't be taken there! If--when--Sauron finds out they don't have his precious Ring, he'll kill them. And I can't imagine that he wouldn't torture them to death either--

The door to the cells grated open. In the cell next to me I could sense Melnárë's head turning towards the door with mine.

A large group of uruks entered, making disgusting noises the whole walk towards my cell. Although they didn't stop at my cell. They stopped at Melnárë's.

She didn't try to escape as they pried open her door with a deafening squeak. Or when they only threw her a piece of stale bread and bucket of water. She didn't make a move for the food. She didn't even look at it. She only stared at the uruks, and if I was at the receiving end of that stare, I'd be afraid for my life. For that stare only held the promise of pain and death. I watched in amazement as the uruks shuffled away from her, trying not to meet her stare.

But that amazement was stopped short when they stopped in front of my cell. And began unlocking it.

I wanted, needed, to move farther away from those horrid creatures, but my body would not move.

Please only be giving me food. Please only be giving me food.

Only they weren't giving me food. Two of them strode forward, ripping the cloak off of me and grabbing my arms hard enough to bruise. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out.

They began dragging me out.

"Don't let him in your mind! Don't listen to what he says!"

I struggled to turn my head enough to see Melnárë. Her brown rumpled hair fell around her face that was creased in distress.

I don't know if I trust that elleth yet... but I decided that I will head her words.

'Thank you' I mouthed to her, not sure that I could find my voice in my terror.

She nodded.

Solemnly, I turned my head around. And silently prayed I would not be meeting my death.

*

The uruks tossed me onto the hard floor of the room I was interrogated in yesterday. I did not move from my position on the floor. I only kept myself up enough so that my cheek would not have to be pressed to the black marble floor. I stared back at my reflection, my not-so-white-anymore hair cascading down and brushing the floor.

From somewhere in the room I heard papers being moved about. Saruman is making me wait on him. Even though I'm scared out of my wits, I couldn't help but feel irked.

When arms began to tremble from holding myself up, I stood.

"Very nice of you to finally stand and greet me, child." I hated how Saruman's deep voice resounded off the walls.

"I'm not a child," I said softly, quietly.

"Oh, but to me, you are only a babe. When you have lived a very long time, everyone under the age of one hundred is like a newborn infant."

'Rude', was all I could think. Although it wasn't very rude of him at all, it's completely reasonable. If I was immortal, I'd probably feel the same--

How old is he anyways? I racked my mind for anything that I could've read in my books, but I couldn't think of anything.

"Well, child, are you going to stand there all day?"

I cringed and shifted on my feet. What do I say? My mind couldn't move fast enough.

"We can be here all night if you wish." I clenched my teeth. Fine, he wants me to speak? I'll speak.

"Why am I here? It seems to me that I'm more useless than useful." I was proud that my words had the snap to them that I wanted them to have.

He didn't look up from his papers as he spoke, "you're here because Sauron wants the darkness in you to surface. I am also intrigued to see your darkness. And what form it will take."

My blood turned to ice. Darkness. How could I have darkness in me when I'm afraid of the dark? How? And what 'form?'

Without even looking up, which irked me even more, Saruman waved his hand at and Uruk. "Strap her to the table."

My eyes widened as I took in the metal operating table on wheels that sat in a dark corner.

Rough hands grabbed me as I took a step back. What is he going to do me? I've read up on torture before--well, I tried to read up on it, but as I began reading about it I got to nauseous to read anymore. Will he cut me up into a million pieces and--

No, Sauron wants me alive. I didn't know whether to be comforted by that or to be worried.

But does torturing me have anything to do with bringing out the darkness that's in me? Or is this for a different purpose entirely?

The uruks that grabbed me began dragging me forward. I thrashed and screamed in the iron strong grip. My hair lashed at my own face, my toes hurt as I pounded my feet into the ground, the uruks finger nail bit at my skin.

I broke free from them, falling on my butt. I scrambled away on my arms and legs, then getting up to feet.

Saruman yelled something behind me and the big double doors that I wanted to escape through slammed shut. But I ran to it anyways.

I collided with the rock solid doors, using all my body weight on them. But they wouldn't budge. "No! Let me out!" I yelled over and over again, pounding my fists on the doors.

Once again, rough hands grabbed me. Except the hands picked me off the ground. I bucked in their grip, not caring that if I was to break free I'd fall painfully to the ground. But the uruks held firm and brought me to the table.

I made sure to give them a hard time tying me down. I only stopped thrashing when I realized I could not use my strength to get free. Through my labored breathing and pounding heart, I hear Saruman speak.

"Valliant effort, my girl. But you'll have to try harder than that to escape me." His old wrinkly face came into my view. I spat at him.

He chuckled, wiping at his face. "Bring me my tools," he said to no one in particular.

I heard the squeaky wheeling of a table be pushed up next to me. My head was strapped down so I could not look to see what may be on that stand. And I tried not to imagine what could be on it.

***

Someone was calling my name. Someone far, far away. "Lumornel!"

'No, go away. Let me sleep,' I wanted to say, but I was too far under to respond.

"You need to wake up Lumornel!" I heard muttering and--

Cold, freezing water washed over me. I gasped, my eyes opening. From where I lay on the cold concrete, I saw Melnárë let out a relieved breath. My eyes traveled down next to her. Where an empty bucket lay.

"Why'd you waste all your clean water on me?" I rasped. My throat felt raw as if I had been screaming.

"You were," she answered. Had I been talking aloud? "And you must stay awake, I do not feel bad for using my water on you. I'll get more in two days."

"Two...days...?" I asked sleepily. My eyelids became heavy and threatened to close.

"Yes. Food and water come every other day. They want to keep us weak so we will not retaliate."

Well, that makes sense.

"What did that filth do to you?" Her question caught me off guard.

"What?" I croaked. I slowly sat up, wincing.

She didn't answer. She knew that I had heard and understood her question. So with a big breath, I told her.

She let her eyes wander down my body, "you... should stop the bleeding."

I looked down at my arm, which was covered in gashes and scrapes. "I'll be fine." If Sauron wants me alive then he won't let Saruman kill me. And it hurt too much to have anything touch my raw skin.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, "what year is it?"

Melnárë's question caught me so off guard that I blurted, "what?"

"What year is it?"

"3019 of the Third Age..." My brows furrowed, "how long have you been down here?"

Silence.

I sighed and settled down in a dark corner of the cell. I wonder what Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli are up to. Are they looking for me? Or are they going after the hobbits? Or are they going to Mordor to destroy the Ring?

I hoped for all of our sakes that they are headed to Mount Doom.

*********

Hey guys! Hope you are all doing well. So... I got a job so updates might be a bit further apart, or maybe knowing that it'll hinder me, I'll try harder at getting my chapters done, who knows? But if it seems like I have dropped off the face of the earth, you'll know why.

As you all know, I read all of the Throne of Glass series. I finished reading the author's other series, A Court of Thorns and Roses. And let me tell you, I CAN NOT wait for the next book. And also: *cough* Tamlin's a *cough* tool *cough cough*

Novaer Melloneamin!!