An Olympian's Daughter

White Hand

The Uruk-hai are marching, carrying Merry and Pippin on their backs. "Merry! Merry!" Pippin whisper screams at his cousin. Orcs emerge. "You're late. Our master grows impatient. He wants the Shire-rats now." one of them hisses at the bigger Uruk, "I don't take orders from Orc-maggots. Saruman will have his prize. We will deliver them." the Uruk shoved him back.

Pippin calls out to Merry again before trying to get their captures attention "Merry! Merry! Wake up! My friend is sick! He needs water. Please!" the Uruk hisses in what sounds like a chuckle "Sick is he? Give him some medicine, boys!" Uruks growl, then one pours a sticky red liquid into Merry's mouth. Merry begins to choke on it, "Stop it!" Pippin cries out.

Mauhúr gives out a belly laugh as he walks away "Can't take his draught!" "Leave him alone!" Pippin yells in despair. Mauhúr looks over at him "Why? You want some? Huh? Then keep your mouth shut." Pippin calls out softly "Merry." "Hello, Pip." Merry coughs "You're hurt." Pippin states, "I'm fine. It was just an act." Merry ushers his cousin "An act?" Pippin all but screeches at Merry, "See? I fooled you too. Don't worry about me, Pippin."

One of the big orcs sniffs the air. "What is it? What do you smell?" "Man-flesh." Pippin cries in joy "Aragorn!" "They've picked up our trail! Let's go!" The Uruk-hai continue marching. Pippin tears his elven brooch off his cloak with his teeth, and drops it onto the ground.

Aragorn is lying down with his ear pressed to the ground. "Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent. Hurry!" Aragon runs off, followed by Hali, Legolas and Gimli. Legolas calls over his shoulder "Come on, Gimli!" Gimli huffs and puffs "Three day's and night's pursuit... no food, no rest, and no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell." The four of them run across plains. The companions enter the valley where the Uruk-hai stopped. Aragorn bends down to pick up Pippin's brooch. "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." Hali speaks up with hope shining in her eyes. Legolas stops and turns to Aragorn. "They may yet be alive."

"Less than a day ahead of us, come!" Aragorn again takes off over the open landscapes, Gimli stumbles and rolls to the ground. "Come Gimli! We are gaining on them." Hali encourages her dear dwarven friend "I'm wasted on cross-country. We dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances." mutters sourly to himself from the back of their pack. The four of them come over a hill and pause, gazing across the plains. "Rohan. Home of the horse-lords. There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us." Aragorn says overlooking the plains. Legolas scans the landscape before him. "Legolas! What do your elf eyes see?" Hali asks a little ways behind him, Legolas yells back "The Uruks turn Northeast. They are taking the hobbits to Isengard!" Aragorn hisses one word "Saruman."

The scene changes to Isengard. Saruman is standing in his chamber, his palm over the Palantír. "The world is changing." [View changes to the tower of Barad-dûr, showing orcs matching across a bridge. "Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard and Mordor. To stand against the might of Sauron and Saruman, and the union of the Two Towers."

On top of the tower of Barad-dûr sits the Eye of Sauron. Saruman speaks in pride "Together, My Lord Sauron, we shall rule this Middle-Earth." Orcs are working in the caverns of Isengard. "The old world will burn in the fires of industry. Forests will fall. A new order will rise. We will drive the machinery of war with the sword and the spear and the iron fist of the orcs. We have only to remove those who oppose us." Saruman surveys the pits of Isengard. "I want them armed and ready to march within two weeks!" An Orc speaks up to oppose such a thing "But my Lord, there are too many! They cannot all be armed in time, we don't have the means."

"Build a dam, block the stream, work the furnaces night and day." he hisses "We don't have enough fuel to feed the fires." the orc once again speaks. Saruman turns "The Forest of Fangorn lies on our doorstep. Burn it." "Yes!" Saruman's holds an audience in his chamber. Dunlending man stands in Saruman's council "We will fight for you." "Swear it." Dunlending cuts his hand with a large knife. Blood drips out of his fist. "We will die for Saruman." the man answers. Saruman is standing in the middle of a group of Wildmen, who are holding torches and weapons.

Saruman stands in the center of wildling men from the west "The horsemen took your lands. They drove your people into the hills to scratch the living off rocks." The group murmurs in agreement. "Take back the lands they stole from you. Burn every village!" The crowd roars with approval. "It will begin in Rohan. Too long have these peasants stood against you. But no more."

The Wildmen and orcs attack a village. A woman calls out to her children. "Èothan, Èothan! You take your sister. You'll go faster with just two." She puts a little girl onto the horse in front of her brother. The little girl cries out in protest "But Papa says Èothan must not ride Garold. She's too big for him!" "Listen to me! You must ride to Edoras and raise the alarm. Do you understand me?!" her mother insists "Yes mama!" her son answers, her daughter crying out "I don't want to leave! I don't wanna go!" "Listen to me. I will find you there." tries to calm her daughter before sending them on their way. "Quickly!" she yells slapping the behind of the tall work horse. She looks as her children ride away. "Go child!"

The army sets fire to the village. Èothan and Freda look back from a distance. Uruk-hai and orcs, continue to march. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli run after them. Gimli repeats under his lacking breath "Keep breathing, that's the key! Breathe! Hooh!"Legolas breathes deeply "They run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them." "No not their masters, just ya know two mortals and elf and a dwarf" Hali chuckles as sweat falls from her brow as she keeps a fast pace over rocky terrain.

The Uruk-hai and orcs stop at nightfall. "We ain't goin' no further 'till we've had a breather!" "Get a fire going!" Pippin crawls towards Merry.

Pippin whispers "Merry! Merry!" "I think we might have made a mistake, leaving the Shire, Pippin." Merry says as they both look around them. As the orcs chop at the trees, low groans and rumbles come from the forest. Pippin looks afraid "What's making that noise?" "It's the trees." "What?" "You remember the Old Forest? On the borders of Buckland? Folks used to say that there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall, and come alive." Merry looks curiously towards the forest. "Alive?" Merry whispers "Trees that could whisper, talk to each other. Even move."

An Uruk speaks up "I'm starving. We ain't had nothing but maggoty bread for three stinking days!" Snaga agrees "Yeah! Why can't we have some meat?"

The orc rests his eyes on the hobbits. "What about them? They're fresh!" Uglúk snarls "They are not for eating!" Grishnák hisses in defence "What about their legs? They don't need those. Ooh! They look tasty!" Uglúk shoves the other "Get back, scum! The prisoners go to Saruman. Alive and unspoiled." Grishnakh whines "Alive? Why alive? Do they give good sport?" Uglúk spits in his face "They have something. An Elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war."

"They think we have the Ring." Pippin's eyes widen looking at Merry. "Shhh! As soon as they find out we don't, we're dead."

Snaga licks his lips "Just a mouthful. A bit off the flank." Uglúk cuts off Snaga's head. "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!" The Uruk-hai pile on the dead orc.

Merry shoves Pippin to move "Pippin, let's go!" The hobbits try to crawl away, but Pippin is caught by Grishnák. "Go on, call for help. Squeal! No one's gonna save you now!" A spear pierces the orc's back. Riders burst out and attack the orcs. "Pippin!" Merry cries out. The hobbits head towards the forest. Suddenly Pippin turns and looks up at a pair of thrashing hooves bearing down on him. Pippin screams almost getting stomped on "Argh!" The two take off into the trees with Grishnák races up behind them.