PASSING SHADOWS|| BOOK II

II

• "But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss" •

We were woken up at daylight, by water, that Uruks had the pleasure of throwing at us.

I shivered, coughing and spluttering. I got it. We were their prisoners, but they didn't have to be this rude. I frowned as the green-eyed Orc smirked at me, a bucket of empty water in his hands. I huffed. Maybe I would kill this green eyed orc first instead

We were separated, and I was dragged away from the hobbits toward the gravelly road near where the other orcs seemed to be preparing to leave. There were general charter among them, replete with grumbles and low cursing. I was shoved towards the middle of the throng
"Move out of the way, you scumbags!" One of the orcs pushing me shouted. Once a small clearing had been made, I was able to see what looked like a small wooden box. Only it wasn't a box,

It was a prison.

There were iron bars across where I through the windows were, blocking out whatever little light I thought there was. I wondered how I was going to possibly fit in there. I was practically thrown towards it, my feet digging into the ground as tears formed at my eyes.

"Get in there!" An Uruk snapped, and I jumped, which made all of them laugh. I grimaced. I hated them seeing me this weak.

Slowly, I bent down and realised it was just wide enough for me to crawl through. Once inside, the door was slammed shut behind me as I slowly turned around. I could just straighten my legs but couldn't sit up straight. I blinked away tears. This was humiliating. I was being dragged around like a pet. Locked away like I was nothing.

A loud band and the cart creaks, almost falling. It takes everything within me not to scream when Mauhúr crouches down, his ugly face peering through the bars.
"You tried to escape last night." He ran a hand along the bar, claws scraping against the iron. I shivered. Then spat on him. He laughed like he knew something terrible, something horrible that I didn't. I felt my body wrack with fear as he walked away, still laughing.

Before, strapped to the back of an Uruk, or out in the open, at least I had hope, well some hope. That I would escape before I would be taken to Saruman. Although I knew that if our attempts failed, we would eventually be involuntarily saved by Rohirrim, I still didn't want to take any chances. I couldn't even save Boromir, and he was literally within reach. What if Rohirrim couldn't save me? What if they never spotted my little torcher chamber, this prison of iron and oak?

I thought of Legolas and how his kiss with Gwil tortured me. It still did. Even though I hoped it would be, I knew it wouldn't be something that I forgot or got over. Before all this, before the kiss, Legolas and I, it was like we shared the same soul, and even though I knew it was foolish. Beyond reach. I still hoped for a future.

And look where that had gotten me