Bound by Shadows | Adar x OFC | Rings of Power

Sauron's Return

Eleneth's guards led her through the winding, narrow streets of the orc encampment. The hem of her dress was already black with dirt from the wet ground. The rest of the fabric rippled and shone as she walked and she almost wished to cover the whole thing in dirt once more. A throbbing chant rose in the distance. The steady barking beat of hundreds of orcs in unison, pulsating through her chest. Low drums thumped in time. The ground pulsated, louder and louder until they turned into a huge clearing. A natural amphitheatre, sloping downhill, thronged with black steel, swaying orcs, punching and grabbing at the air, mouths trailing black saliva, huge jaws of razor-sharp teeth, craggy, leather skin, each face twisted and deformed in new ways. Some with elven ears, pierced or with bits missing. The sound took her breath away, and she imagined the fear her father must have felt in battle with so many monstrous being charging towards him, intent on his death. Her heart pounded in time to the drums.

The guards led her downhill towards a black, wooden platform, on which was a rough, jagged seat, a throne with a tall back and arm rests. The back of the throne was made of rough planks of wood, fanned out like jagged knives. And on the throne sat Adar. His face as inscrutable as ever, his body at ease, his scarred, pale face, glowing icy cold.

As they descended the slope, orcs on the edge of the crowd caught sight of Eleneth in her pale dress, the brightest thing in the whole of the Southlands. She cringed as their eyes burned into her. She tried to walk purposefully and upright whilst wishing to be consumed by the earth. Some of the orcs stared expressionlessly with unspeakable, unknowable thoughts passing through their minds. Some roared in a hot rage. Two enormous orcs broke apart from the crowd and began to pace towards her, their red eyes fixed on her, charging now, outstretching their arms wide and uttering the most guttural roars Eleneth had ever heard, so low it felt like the ground itself was roaring. She shook violently, ready to run. No knife would protect her from these enormous beasts, but her hand went uselessly to her chest anyway, where the small knife was concealed. She looked up to Adar on the platform but she would not have been within view. She wanted to cry out to him. He was the only one here who could stop this. The enormous orcs, towered over her, making the sky grow darker. If they were to reach their arms out towards her now, they would almost touch her. And then her guards stepped lazily in front of her, almost standing on her feet, "Get back scum." one of them shouted, snapping the pursuers out of their violent reveries.

The guards pushed them hard on the chest, causing more orcs to look over from the crowd. There was an excitement in them, seeing the unfolding fight. They watched now, jeering the large orcs on. They wanted to see Eleneth torn limb from limb. Eleneth's guards thumped the two enormous orcs harder now. "I said, get back!" they growled again. One of Eleneth's guards drew a sword, flat and wide right to the end, instead of ending in a point. It was almost an axe. He waved it in front of him in a semicircle causing the huge orcs to step back, clearing the space.

There was a tense moment where they all stood still, the sword outstretched, the other guard reaching for his. The two enormous orcs were staring from Eleneth to the two guards. Blood lust and obedience battling in their minds. The orcs on the edge of the crowd were baying for blood, from either uruk or elf. They didn't care who was slain. Eleneth had stopped breathing. She felt as if a light were shining on her, attracting the red eyes of the crowd. She wondered if her heart beat so loud they could hear it. Like a clarion call they were drawn to, commanding them to squeeze the life from her. Where was her cloak? Why had it not been with her other clothes? Eleneth stood tall, unmoving. She tried to keep her face impassive and clenched her fists to stop her hands from visibly shaking.

The two huge orcs roared, stepping forwards once more. The guard again swiped his sword around in front of him. One of the huge uruks did not step back quickly enough and the sword cut into his stomach. He lunged forwards to grab the guard, but he was swiped again on the arm and black liquid oozed from his tough skin. The guard swished his sword back and forth as the cut orc bellowed in fury, forced back into the crowd to avoid further injury. They stood glowering at the guards and Eleneth, the cut orc with his arm and belly pouring, but he took no notice.