#silmarillion reader insert

 Your parents loved you, or you believed they once did. They pushed you to stay in a group home, saying it would be safer for you. You believed them, so you agreed to stay there. 

They visited you for some time, but then they stopped coming altogether. 

The last time they came to see you was to let you know that they were planning to move away somewhere safer and taking you along would have been too troublesome. You did not want to trouble them, so you agreed to stay behind. Your home city was known for its regular devil attacks. 

It was one of the only times they hugged you with genuine affection and pride. 

They called you responsible and good for thinking what was best for your family. It made you feel happy. They promised to give calls when they reached their new home. They kept their promise and called you regularly to check on your well-being until they even stopped doing that. 

You want to believe you did the right thing, but it did not fix the fact that you were incredibly lonely. 

The people in the group home were not bad at all. You even considered some of them your friends. However, it was sometimes difficult to connect with people when you lived in constant fear of falling prey to devils and fiends. 

You felt sad to think that your own family possibly left you behind to die. You agreed to it, but it didn’t leave you deaf to the whispering of your caretakers. They did not like caring for you despite the faces and happy voices they put up while interacting with you. 

They preferred to be somewhere else. Somewhere where they didn’t need to worry about people like you. To them, you were already dead meat. 

A tear fell from your eye. 

You sniffed, drying your eyes with your sleeve and trying to hold in the emotions and dark thoughts that encased you from within. 

Maybe you were nothing but a heavy burden. Perhaps your family would have taken you with them if you weren’t born blind. 

But there was nothing you could do about that. You were born like this, unable to see the world in its colors and shapes, unable to see the faces of those dear to you and the beauty which was life itself.  It was all just infinite blurry darkness. 

Maybe one day, a devil, a fiend, or perhaps another human will grant you mercy and put you out before you could suffer any further, but you hoped it would not be anytime soon. Blind or not, you want to enjoy life to the fullest. There were things you wanted to try and experience before your time, like listening to new music, trying different foods, traveling a bit, and perhaps even finding love someday. That would be nice. 

You let out a deep sigh, relaxing your shoulders and pushing the heavy thoughts out of your mind. 

You stood up from the bench, enjoying the sounds of the rain and the breeze of the wind before making your way back. This was the life you had, but it did not mean you wanted to give it up just yet.

Footsteps reached your ears. You stopped and listened. It sounded like someone was running, but it wasn’t just one but many. You had a bad feeling because it did not sound like a group of regular joggers.

You try to continue walking, hoping you were just imagining things. However, the sounds were getting closer, and it sounded whoever was coming was headed straight for you.

“Hey, pretty lady. Do you have some time for us?” A man’s voice called out. The anxiety in your heart began to pound, but you remained polite.“No. I’m sorry. I need to go,” you said, trying to hold back the frightful tone in your voice. 

“What’s the rush? We just wanted to ask you something,” the man said and you heard him step right in front of you. “I…don’t have any money, so if you please,” you tried to walk around him. 

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s not money we’re after,” the man grabbed you by the arm, making your heart beat even faster. “Please don’t touch me,” you tried to pull your arm back but to no avail. He held a tight grip on it. “We were just wondering if you would like to join us for dinner,” you felt his breath on your face, making you almost grimace in disgust. His breath smelled terrible. 

“We will have a barbecue, some toasted veggies, and for dessert, we will have something special,” he said. 

“---you,” you felt his long elongated tongue slide across your cheek. Your heart stopped beating when you felt his razor-sharp teeth almost nibble your ears, and the realization of what kind of danger you were in struck you like lightning. The man was a devil.  

“Let go! Let go!” you tried to pull away from the man. You could hear his friends laughing at your struggle in mockery. “There’s no need to be afraid, darling. I’ll promise I will be gentle,” the man cackled and held your arm tighter. 

You dropped your umbrella and grabbed your blind stick. You swing your blind stick and start hitting the man with all your strength. “Ow! Ow! Stop it!” the man released your arm, trying to defend himself from your relentless attack. You took the chance to hold your blind stick with both hands and swung it hard at the man. Your blind stick broke in half when it hit the man's face. The man cursed loudly, and you took the chance to run away. 

You ran out of the park and across the street. You flailed your arms, trying to use them to avoid obstacles. Fortunately, you remembered the route back home, but it was still challenging to navigate without your blind stick.

You could hear the devil and his friends chasing after you, cursing and yelling how he will gut and eat you alive after having his way with you. 

Your heart was now beating between your ears as you were desperate to escape. 

You remember the route having two turns you need to cross and turn right on the third, and after you encounter three garbage bins, you need to cross the road, and you would be safe. 

You were not certain how many turns you passed, so you tried to count after every road you crossed since the pavement felt different under your feet. 

You quickly counted while your lungs were burning and ready to give up. After the third road, you turned and momentarily lost the devil and his friends. You felt hopeful, so you slowed down and tried to go forward till you reached the garbage bins. However, your hopes were crushed when you encountered a tile wall.

You tried to feel your surroundings and felt two other walls around you. You almost tripped on the trash that was scattered across the dead end. You paled at the realization. You had taken a wrong turn. 

“There you are–” you gasped in fear as you could hear the man approaching you. His footsteps were slow, and there was a silent growl behind his voice, making you tremble uncontrollably. He was no doubt not happy about your stunt in the park. 

“Now, there is nowhere else to run –” the man came closer. “No. Please. No,” you whimpered, falling against the wall till you slid down on the ground. Tears clouded your misty eyes as you waited to be eaten alive. 

Something strange then happened. 

You heard the streetlight exploding, taking you and the man by surprise. You felt something invisible encase you and the dead end. It suddenly became darker than ever, and something strange caught your attention. You couldn’t hear the rain anymore. 

“Wait, what is happening?!” one of the man’s friends yelled. 

“I can’t see!”

“Where are you?”

“It’s…” the man uttered, fear lacing his voice. 

“It’s the darkness! Run!” the man yelled, running away from you. 

You then heard screaming, and like flesh was being cut to pieces. You jumped when you heard something splatter against the ground and smelled something metallic. Blood— was your first thought. 

You couldn't do anything but listen to the ongoing onslaught. You heard one of the man’s friends beg for mercy, but then he fell quiet, and something heavy fell on the ground. His friends continued screaming, so you guessed he was dead. You almost felt pity for the man and his friends. Their attacker was beyond merciless. 

It all fell silent after the man and his friends fell quiet one by one. There was no screaming, no bellowing of wind, and no rain. It was dead quiet. 

You quietly stood up. You smelled blood and could hear something dribble against the ground. You had a slight idea of what could be making such noise and it left you with goosebumps because it included someone’s guts and innards splayed across the floor. 

You should have felt afraid, but you didn’t. You felt safe and somewhat curious about who this darkness was. Was he a devil? 

You looked up when your ears finally caught something else. It sounded like footsteps, light but echoing like someone was on barefoot. They were becoming louder, so you knew whoever was coming was coming toward you. 

You then felt a large shadow hover before you. Something big was standing in front of you. Your ears caught silent growls and grunts, and despite not being able to see, you could feel the being’s eyes stare down on you with an intense yet curious look. 

A normal human being would have trembled in fear, especially if they couldn’t see what was standing before them. However, you still didn’t feel frightened by the unknown presence. Instead, you raised your hands and tried to feel the strange creature. You almost pulled back when you felt a face against the palm of your hand, but you took the brave step to go further and explore with your hands. 

You found four faces stacked up upon each other. Each of them had a unique individual expression of their own, and their limbs created together a torso. Their skin felt cold and hard to the touch. It was like you were touching a soft bone. You then reached your hands higher and laid your palm on what seemed to be a long peak. 

The creature tilted its head, letting out sounds like it was curious. 

“Hello,” you greeted. 

“What are you?” you questioned, but you only received hollow groans from the faces. 

“And…thank you. You saved me,” you allowed yourself to smile. You gently slid your hand on its peak, giving a little pat. 

You then felt a large hand laid upon your head but instead of harming you or twisting your head like many would have imagined. The being mimicked your action and gently stroked your hair. You giggled in response. 

It was a strange encounter, and at that moment, the mysterious being spoke to you, praising your courage and even offering a contract. You simply smiled and politely rejected the offer since your rescue was more than enough. You couldn't possibly ask more of them. 

However, there was one thing you wanted to ask since the benevolent creature had been more kind to you than many people in your life. You asked for a friend. 

You glanced at your patient, who's also your long-time friend. Tar-Miriel, the queen of Numenor. She used to be a loving person, but after being married to the king, it was like all the life and love she possessed vanished, leaving only sorrow and dark thoughts.

"Have you been trying any new outlets to keep your thoughts away?" You asked. "I... have been trying sewing, but I prickled my fingers was too many times," She showed her fingers. They had red spots on each one. Tiny and red, but not severe. They were small enough to heal in a couple of days. "Well, I guess we should leave the sewing to the tailors," You said, trying to sound humorous. "I guess so... " She had a tiny smile on her face.

"What other things you have been trying?" You asked. "I wanted to try horse riding, but I wasn't allowed to leave the castle grounds..." Her expression turned hollow. Your mood was also saddened when you heard that. "The guards said it's for my own safety, but I think we both know better why they're keeping me here," She said. Your heart ached when you heard that. You two stayed in silence for a while.

Your attention was caught by happy cheering outside the room. Someone knocked on the door before opening the door without any invitation. "My lady, the king has returned," Tar- Miriel's handmaiden informed. The queen sighed then looked at you. "I wish we could keep this going, but as his wife. I have to be there to greet him," She stood up from her seat. "... Yes, your highness," You stood up as well. You took out your bag, then opened it to pick out a medicine bottle. "Here are some anti-depressants. Remember to take them twice a day with some water," You explained. "Thank you, doctor," She said, taking the bottle. "Do inform me when you're free to have another session, your highness," You bowed your head toward her. "I will. You may go now," She nodded. You bowed again before taking your stuff and leaving through the door.

You walked through the busy hallway. The servants were preparing a feast for the celebration. A celebration for the king's victory in middle earth. Usually, a party like that is a joyful event, but you never found joy in any of them. What's there to be happy about when they're all about him?

You stopped at a stairway to gaze through the open window. The great ships were at the docks. The king and the soldiers were moving in the main street, approaching the castle with all the citizens shouting in joy around them. The people were going wild. They were happy for the soldier's return and excited to hear about the battle that took in middle earth.

You frowned when you saw the king. Ar-Pharazon the golden. The great king of Numenor. What a great lie it was. He looked pleased with how his people were yelling for him as he leads his victorious army on a great white horse. This will definitely raise his ego ten folds, and nothing good will ever follow from that.

Something caught your attention when something else showed up with the parading army. They had a prisoner? You squinted your eyes to see better. There was a man with golden hair, wrapped up in chains. Something made you quiver in discomfort. Something didn't felt right about that man. He suddenly raised his head; then you saw his eyes. They were red like fire. He looked toward your way, and you felt shivers of fear. You stepped back from the windows in hopes of staying out of his sight.

Your heart started beating with anxiety and fear. You took a big breath, trying to calm yourself down. You closed your eyes, waiting for yourself to stop shaking. You had an idea who that man was. You only heard stories about him, but you never thought you would have a chance to see him in the flesh. Gorthaur the cruel, The dark lieutenant of the dark lord Morgoth, the necromancer, the lord of men, but he was mostly known as Sauron, the dark lord of Mordor.

You opened your eyes and proceeded to walk down the stairs. You had a bad feeling about this. Why did you felt like many bad things will happen in the future?

(2 months later)

It was a lovely night, stars were twinkling, and the full moon graced the great island with its moonlight. It was a lovely night indeed, but not for you.

You took a swig of beer from the bottle you held in your hand. You didn't like beer. It was too strong for your taste, but it was the only alcohol strong enough to numb the pain you felt.

You wanted to forget all this. You wanted to leave this damned kingdom.

Two months ago, everything was fine. You had your sessions with your beloved queen, you gave candy to the orphans when they behaved well during the checkups, You and your best friend still had a good relationship, and your dog. Your beloved Crow. He was the last thing you had from your mother, but now he was gone. Killed under a poor lie to indirectly hurt you. Your fingers still ached after hours of digging and giving him a proper grave.

You took another swig. Your eyes were still burning from all the tears you had shed. With stumbling feet, you tried to go back inside your house from your terrace. You slammed the glass doors shut behind you without care. You didn't care if the glass broke. They can always be fixed. The pain in your heart, though. Nothing could fix or remove it.

You sat down next to your desk. You had a big mirror where you could see your reflection. You looked like a mess. Your eyes were dropping. Your hair was a mess, and the crook of your shirt was disheveled. Your pupils were wide. An obvious sign of you going drunk from all the beer you consumed. What a pathetic sight.

You were pathetic.

You glanced at the castle through your window. This was all his doing. The maia with a hair red like fire and the eyes of gold. A maia who can change their form to please everyone. A former prisoner, now a trusted advisor. Tar-Mairon. This was all his fault.

You glared, then turned away to take another swig. Only to find the bottle empty. You drank it all. You let the bottle fall on the floor. You stared at your reflection. Nothing was going right, and here you were, acting like a miserable drunkard. "... I wish to go away," You muttered with a false sense of hope that your wish would be granted.

Your reflection suddenly moved on its own. It stared right back at you with an emotionless look. Your mind woke up a bit as you stared at yourself in shock. Your reflection moved her mouth, but no voice could be heard. You didn't need to hear it, though. Because you can understand what she was saying.

"... I shall grant your wish,"

"Hyde!" You yelped. She smirked, then something suddenly started crawling inside your head. "Agh!" You gasped in shock when your heart started beating faster. You gripped your chest and stood up in a panic. Your muscles were twitching and shaking. You gaggled and shook, trying to keep yourself steady.

Your mind was becoming rampant. She was back! She was back!

Your mind suddenly became numb, empty of thoughts. Your eyes rolled back then you fell onto the floor. Your body shaking and twitching. Some of your bones started snapping, changing your physical appearance. It continued until it became silent.

A hand suddenly slammed against the desk. You slowly stood up with a loud groan. You groaned and pushed your hips forward, some of the bones in your back popping back into their places. You sighed and looked around your room. You took off your hairband and allowed your hair to freely fall against your shoulders. You glanced toward the outside world. A smirk appeared on your lips.

You snapped your head up when you heard familiar croaking. Tiny footsteps were coming toward you. You smiled and crouched down, extending your hand toward the tiny creature. "Hey, Mushu," You said to your little reptile friend. The little lizard creaked happily as he climbed to your shoulder. His body comfortably laying around your shoulders. You patted the top of his head. "Did you found the way out?" You asked. He crumbled, then nudged your face like he was telling you to go forward. Hope bloomed in your chest. "Alright, let's go," You said. You walked forth, using your stick to navigate and Mushu's guidance to go through the cave.

It probably took 15 minutes or maybe half an hour to travel through the caves. You were sweating and panting from all the walking. "How much further, Mushu?" You asked. He croaked, then suddenly jumped off your shoulder. You listened to his tiny footsteps. He stopped and croaked at you, signaling you to follow him. You silently followed him.

You gasped when you felt a powerful wind against your face. You almost fell backwards from shock. Sounds of birds and the sky invaded your eardrums. You listened to your surroundings, feeling exposed. It was wide. You were... outside?

Thick teardrops flowed from under the cloth around your eyes. You felt like the sun was embracing you. It was windy and a bit cold, so it was probably cloudy. You tapped your stick against the ground. A low sound came from the bottom of your stick. Navigating was gonna be hard from now on, but you didn't mind. You crouched down and sat on the ground, inhaling the fresh air. Mushu crawled onto your lap and made himself comfortable. You dried your tears from your cheeks and sighed. You petted Mushu and smiled. You were finally outside.

---

This was amazing. You have literally taken your shoes off and tied them to your back bag so you could feel the grass under your feet. Mushu was croaking around, happy to run free in a forest. Even though; you were still lost. This forest was better than the forsaken caves you have been trapped in for so long.

You're pretty much just walking forward where the wind took you, hoping you will find someone. A sound suddenly came from you. You frowned as you touched your starving stomach. You found yourself a rock and took a seat. You took off your bag and opened it to grab the last snack bar you had. You have been living off with the snack bars you had. They helped you to survive, but you really missed having real meals. You would even eat the disgusting broccoli you refused as a child. To fill your stomach with something other than vanilla, chocolate snack bars.

Mushu croaked near you. You heard a fly buzzing around until you heard a spit and a smack like a frog in a cartoon. Mushu let out satisfied crumbles as he feasted on his mighty prey. You shook your head with a smile. You were not sure what kind of lizard Mushu was. At first, you thought he was a wild bearded dragon, but he has a really spiky back, and he can shoot his tongue like a chameleon. But the shape was matching. He's surprisingly smart as well. He understands everything you say. You could have long conversations with him and earn crumbles and croaks as a response. He was a peculiar lizard.

You were peacefully eating your vanilla bar until you heard footsteps. Human footsteps. You stood up and looked for the source. There was a person. A human person. Your heart started to beat with excitement, but also nervously. You haven't talked with a real person for a long time. Not after what happened with your... 'previous' friends. How were you supposed to feel?

"Hello," You called out. Mushu crawled around your feet, growling protectively. You smacked your stick against the ground. Listening to everything around you to imagine your surroundings. An imagine of a forest formed inside your mind. It was like a weird talent you gained during your time in the caves. You would smack the ground then listen the sounds to imagine your surroundings. You heard the footsteps again. They were coming behind some trees in front of you. "I know you are there," You called out. It was silent for a while until they moved again.

The footsteps were closing toward you. Mushu loudly growled and hisses when the footsteps stopped. Mushu was hissing at the person like a cat. Someone was in front of you. "Hello," You called out. Mushu kept hissing. "Mushu!" You strictly said, making him go quiet. You looked toward the way where the person was standing. "Greetings. I apologize if I startled you," A silky voice of a female reached your ears. You felt relief and invisible happiness when you heard her voice. It's been so long since you talked with someone.

"What are you doing so far in this forest?" She asked, taking a few steps toward you. She was close because there was a sweet aroma of flowers around her. It was quite pleasant. "I'm lost, can you help me? I have been stuck inside a cave and recently got out. I have no idea where I am," You explained, stepping forward to her. You could now sense her presence a bit. "Of course. You're in the forest of Doriath, inside Melian's circle," She explained. You frowned when you heard that. Doriath? Wasn't this Scotland? And who was Melian?

"Excuse me for intruding..." She started. "But what happened to your eyes? Are you injured?" She asked. You stood back. "I... don't worry about them..." You said. Your hands were shaking. Something wasn't right. "Can you tell me where this Doriath is?" You asked. "It's one of the great kingdoms of Beleriand," She answered. Beleriand? Were you tripping right now? Beleriand? There is no such place in Uk or anywhere in Europe.

Wait

Everything froze around you when a one though came to your mind, making your mind go blank. 

What was Scotland and Uk? What was Europe?

Where were you from?

You tried to remember your home, but all you could remember were the caves and the... incident.

Your mind was blank when you tried to remember, but there was nothing. It was all dark! Where were you from?!

"Are you alright? You seem... confused," She questioned. You didn't know how to answer that. You were mentally struggling to comprehend what you learned. She was not lying. Her voice was serious and somewhat confused.

Mushu cooed and rubbed against your bare feet. He probably sensed your distress. You took a big breath. "... How long have you been wandering?" The woman asked. "Huh? Oh!... I'm..." You were struggling to find words. Your hands were shaking like crazy.

You heard her stepping closer. "Don't be afraid. It's alright," You were not sure how, but it was like her voice was calming you down. Your hands stopped shaking. You felt a hand touching your stick holding hand. It rubbed the back of your hand in a comforting manner. "Is that better?" She asked. Somehow, her presence helped you to calm down. Who was she? You silently nodded. You two stayed in silence for a while.

"Come with me. I shall take you to my home. We can treat your wounds and give you a chance of clothing," She gently pulled you by your hand, signaling you to follow her. You took a risk to trust this stranger and started following her while she guided you. Mushu stayed close to you as he followed.

"My name is Luthien Tinuviel. Daughter of Elu Thingol and Melian," She introduced herself. That sounded Celtic. "My name is (Name) (Last name)..." You said, not really sure how to continue it. "It's nice to make your acquaintance (Name)... You don't need to be afraid of me. Once we get to my home. I'm sure my people can help you," She said with a comforting manner. You really wished to be able to see right now. You have no idea where you were, who this Luthien was, or what she even looked like. She talked like some kind of fairy. Her name even sounded like something out of a fantasy book. Have you spent so much time in those caves that you lost your mind? You don’t even know where you were from!

It's been over five months since the Maglor's Gap incident. You have been doing quite well until the wendigo returned. You and Camilla have been struggling to find a medicine that could replace the old one. Camilla has created many prototypes, and you tested them. It was dangerous to use yourself as a guinea pig, but you two didn't have a lot of options. Luckily, the prototypes didn't have any lethal ingredients, just unpleasant side effects.  

Camilla did manage to create one medicine that allowed you to manage your days without the wendigo trying to get control. The problem was that you have to take it every day.

You almost started to miss your old medicine. It was a nightmare to take it because you had to drink it with boiling water, but you only had to take it like twice a week.

You drank the potion which would reverse the prototype you took for the day. The sick twist in your stomach slowly disappeared. You wanted for a minute before testing if your voice went back to normal.

Camilla swiped over the prototype, marking it as a failure. "That's the seventh one already," She stated. "Maybe it was the swamp grass," She said. "Ugh, I knew that stinky herb was no good. The prototype tasted like how it smelled," You said, smacking your lips to dissipate the medicine's taste. You noticed something strange in the mini mirror beside your bed. You stuck your tongue out then your eyes widened. "Egh!" You flabbergasted. It was green like moss.

"We should try adding the white flowers. I heard they have a lasting effect when using them for skin infections," Camilla suggested, holding a patch of white flowers. "Yeah, If I had a skin infection, but unfortunately, I have a spiritual parasite," You sassed. You puffed and stood up from your bed, walking toward the kitchen because you felt hungry. "Hmm, maybe I should not use these because they might cause a rash if I mix them with the mushrooms," Camilla said, reading her notes. You sat down on a chair and took a bite of an apple.

"How about we go to Angband and try to find Fire lilies since it's the only place with active volcanoes?" You suggested. "Only if we are desperate. But let's put that in the back of the list because going there would be a suicide. Do you really wanna go to a place where orcs live like rats? One step forward, and an orc is already attacking you. So going there is a big fat no," Camilla explained. "It's that dangerous. Damn," You said, taking a second bite out of your apple.

"Well, anyway, try this," Camilla gave you another prototype. The liquid inside was white and almost looked like milk.  "I added some protein from a poisonous frog, so come tell me if you feel slightly off," She stated. "Poisonous frog...," You said, then took off the lid. "Alright, let's hope I won't die from poisoning," You drank it all up. "Ew!" You said when you found out the taste. "It tastes like rotten milk with honey!" You described. "Eww!" You almost gagged. "Oh, stop being a baby. You have tasted worse things than this," Camilla said. "And don't you have work to do?" She questioned. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot," You stood up. "You know, delivering letters and stuff isn't so bad as I thought. I almost know every place in Himring," You said, grabbing the bag. "Yeah, yeah, have fun at work," Camilla said, focusing on her project. "This is also better than working under your bossy ass," You grinned then left through the door. Camilla inhaled. "That little shit," She said.

You were humming an old song from your world as you walked through the streets. Himring was a large place, and some humans also lived here. Some people from your old village decided to live here as well. Talla decided to work in a local bakery, and Rath worked with the farmers because they tend to make less fun of his head scar.

You arrived at the house of the healing. You walked through the healer's wing to deliver a letter to a certain someone. "Hi, (Name)," Camilla's colleague greeted you. "Hi, Faye. I got a letter for you," You handed her the letter. "From the old man Ronald again? I swear, you humans are complicated creatures. Why do you wanna reject the help that is given to you?" She questioned while reading the letter. "Well, we like making our lives difficult," You stated. Faye chuckled. Her eyes went up to you and then she frowned. "(Name), open your mouth, please," She said. "Why?" You asked. "Just do it, please," She said. "Okay?" You did what she asked. She looked at your tongue. "Why is your tongue green?" She asked. Your eyes widened when you heard that. Your tongue is still green?!

"Oh, It's just a side effect from Camilla's failed prototype," You covered your mouth. "Again?" Faye sounded disappointed. "Why are you two still making prototypes? Do you know how dangerous it is when you test them on yourself?" She questioned. You mentally whined. You're not sure why you're the one getting scolded all the time. Camilla gets away with everything, doesn't she?

"I know, I know, but at least a couple of our failed prototypes have helped you to treat someone. Wasn't one of them a great cure for a... uhm... damn it!" You forgot the thing the cure was for. "What was it called again, the skin with green spots?" You tried to describe it. One of the patients coughed. They had exactly the same condition you described. "Mold fever?" Faye questioned. "Yeah, that's the one," You said. "(Name), be honest with me. What kind of illness you two are making a medicine for?" She asked. Shit. A question you don't want to answer. Faye was a healer, so pretending to have a fake condition wouldn't help, but telling her about the wendigo wouldn't help either. She was a nice elf too, so you don't really want to lie to her. You felt pushed into a corner. What should you tell her?

"Hm?!" You felt something churn inside you. You tried to hold your grunt because something painful is rising in your bottom, ready to blow out. "(Name), are you okay?" Faye asked. "Nature's calling. Where's the bathroom?!" You quickly asked because you really needed to go. "Right there," She pointed out. "Thank you!" You quickly ran to the door. "Oh god!" You said then slammed the door shut. A loud fart was heard behind the door. Faye flinched when she heard another one. "Oh Vala, I wonder what she ate this morning," She said. She then noticed someone arrive into the healer's wing.

"My lord Maglor," She bowed her head. "What brings you here?" She asked. "I thought I saw (Name) coming here. Is she here?" He asked. The bathroom door was then suddenly opened, and you came out. "Wow! That came out of nowhere!" You said while rubbing your stomach. That had to be the worst number two's you ever had. Your arse was aching like gates of hell were opened.

"You alright, (Name)?" Maglor asked. "I'm good. Do you need something, my lord?" You asked. "Just wished to talk with you if you're not too busy," He said. "I'm actually done, so I got plenty of time," You said. "What do you wish to talk with me?" You asked as you two walked out of the healer's wing. Faye smiled as you two walked together like it was a normal thing.

"Those two have come closer than ever. I wonder when it's gonna happen. I hope soon because I don't wanna lose seventy gold coins to Camilla," She said, then returned to treat her current patients.

"So how's your brothers? The war is over, so the situation should have calmed down by now?" You asked. "They're all doing fine for now. They decided to reside in other regions for the time being. They can take care of themselves, but I'm worried about two brothers of mine in Nargothrond. They might do something foolish in the future and I don't want my cousin to turn against us for what they did," He explained. You smiled. He sounded like a mother hen sometimes. "I swear my younger brothers are my biggest headaches sometimes," He said. You chuckled. "One moment I turn my back at them, then boom, a disaster happened," He said. You hummed. "I care about them. I really do, but sometimes I wanna strangle them myself for every stupid thing they do. It's a miracle that I haven't started growing grey hairs from all the stress," He said.  You chuckled. Something about him complaining about his family just made you feel happy. You were kinda same when complaining about Kian to your mother. You loved that brat, but sometimes you wanted to strangle him for how annoying he was. You mentally sighed. You missed being an older sister and Kian's annoying shenanigans.

"How's your medicine coming up?" Maglor asked. "It's... Camilla is working on it," You said, not really sure how to describe it. "We have managed to make one medicine to prolong my days, but I have to take it every day which is kind of a problem because the ingredients are going low," You explained. "If you need more ingredients. I can arrange that for you," He said. "I know, and I'm extremely grateful for that. I wouldn't have lasted this long without your help," You said. "Anything to help you. I rather see you as yourself than an orc-eating creature," He said. You looked away for a moment, feeling a bit flustered. The way he speaks to you and smiles makes you feel funny. You're not sure what it was.

A Familiar churn happened inside your stomach. Your eyes widened and your hands clenched around the fabric of your pants. Oh no!

"(Name), are alright?" Maglor noticed your state. You weren't really hiding it because you were leaning backward, and your eyes were wide open like something shocking just happened right in front of you. "No worries! Just having a massive Diarrhea!" You walked faster, almost running. "A diarrhea What?" Maglor asked. "Technically an illness that makes you shit your guts out! Listen, I'm sorry, but I need to go!" You ran away.  

"Shit your... oh!" He realized what you meant.

You and your friend hopped over a fallen log. One of the ghouls managed to jump at you. You quickly pulled your friend over the log. The ghoul crashed into the log, breaking it in half. The ghoul would have gotten your friend if you didn't pull her away. You two didn't waste time and quickly ran away. Another ghoul appeared in front of you, blocking your way. You two screamed and ran in another direction. The ghouls were literally everywhere. You started to doubt that you two will escape alive.

"Jump!" Your friend pulled you with her and you two, then stumbled down a rocky hill. You grunted and gasped as your body rolled down the hill. Rocks and sticks under the snow hitting you and scraping your skin. You two finally managed to get to the down of the hill. The violent spinning stopped. You laid on the snowy ground, breathing heavily. Everything was stinging.

"Camilla!" You called for your friend. She appeared in front of your line of vision and quickly helped you up. You groaned when your ribs started to ache. There was a chance of broken ribs. You ignored your pain and checked if Camilla had injuries. "Come on; we need to keep moving," She said, pulling you gently. You heard hollow screaming in the distance. They were coming. You two quickly moved, and to your surprise, you two managed to find a cliff and a waterfall. There was a long drop over the cliff. The place was pretty sweet, but there was literally nowhere to go to. You two were trapped. "Are you freaking kidding me?!" Camilla yelled.

You two gasped when something dropped behind you. You two turned around and were faced with a giant ghoul. It was bigger than the other ones, and it had blood-red eyes than rotten yellow. You smelled a foul smell of death. The ghoul growled at you two, licking its sharp teeth. It was ready to devour you two. You looked around in panic. There were no more escape routes, except the waterfall if you jumped, and hope the fall won't kill you. There was a tiny chance that you two will survive, but it was better than getting eaten by a giant blood-thirsty monster.

"Hey, this might get us killed, but would you rather be food than jump off a cliff?" You asked. "Are you crazy?" Camilla asked. "Maybe, but there is a tiny chance of survival," You said. Camilla stared at you like you grew another head. She turned her attention back to the giant ghoul. It started approaching you two with hunger in its eyes. She glanced at the cliff, then at the ghoul. "Fuck it!" She yelled. She grabbed your arm and jumped over the cliff with you. You two screamed as you fell toward the bottom. You fell through a cold mist before being engulfed by cold water. You screamed from the shock the cold water gave you. Your screams were muffled by the water, and the air in your lungs turned into bubbles. It was so cold. It was like thousands of cold needles were stabbing you from every corner.

Someone suddenly grabbed your jacket and pulled you up. You gasped as you burst through the surface. The cold air struck you like a brick. Camilla pulled you out of the deep water. You stood up after your foot hit the bottom. You hugged Camilla's arm as your legs felt like jello. "Fuck, it's cold," Your teeth clattered. You turned toward Camilla. "Are you okay?" You asked. She was shaking as well. You both were dripping wet from the cold water. "Uhm... look over there," Camilla suddenly pointed out. You followed her gaze, confused, then froze when you saw people. They were wearing strange medieval clothes and were staring at you two with shocked and frightful expressions. Why were they wearing medieval clothes? You then noticed a slight change in the environment. The waterfall was gone, and it was morning. If you recalled correctly. It was still nighttime before you two jumped over the cliff. You also didn't hear the ghouls anymore. Where in the hell you two ended up to?

"Camilla... where the fuck are we?" You asked.

And that's how you two came to this world. Middle-earth, the land of humans, dwarves, elves, and orcs. There are even people called Valars and Maiars, who are like gods of this world. You and Camilla were completely dumbstruck when you heard that from the village people you met at the lake. However, you two needed to do a lot of convincing to make them believe that you were not the dark lord's servants. This dark lord guy, Morgoth was a big deal and something to be afraid of. You and Camilla, however, didn't think about it much and started traveling in this new world. It was fairly exciting, but sometimes you two got really homesick, which led you two to settle down in a nice village near the mountains of Himring and the place called Maglor's Gap. Weird names, but this was another world, so it made sense.

"Cami! I'm home!" You came through the door. The door slamming against the wall with a loud sound after you kicked it. "Can you like not break the damm door?!"Camilla yelled from the table. She had a bowl in her hands, and there was an open book on the table. You frowned in curiosity after you smelled a mild scent of coffee. "Are you still trying to make coffee out of those beans?" You asked, walking over to the table. "So what?" She asked back. "You don't know how to make coffee, and those beans aren't really coffee beans," You pointed at the bowl of green beans. "Well! It's better than nothing," Camilla continued what she was doing. You shook your head then approached the kitchen cabinets. Camilla and her caffeine addiction. It's been five months since you two came here, and she started to miss her morning coffees desperately. After you two moved into this village, she has been trying to come up with a recipe to make coffee out of the beans that closely resembled the brown coffee beans. She has tried at least five times, and every time it failed. You two ended up drinking something worse than expired milk.

You opened the cabinet, then saw something very bad. You two were out of food. Again. "Cami! There's nothing to eat!" You turned toward your best friend. "What?" She turned toward you then saw the inside of the cabinet. She groaned, knowing what an empty cabinet meant. "For fuck sake," She stated.

You two walked through the thick forest, holding baskets. It was spring, so finding food was easy since you two mostly fed of from berries and mushrooms. You two occasionally buy food from the village, but money was difficult to get in this world. Technically, you two were broke, really broke. You two sometimes do volunteer works to earn some money, but the money was not enough to feed both of you, so it was off into the forest every time the cabinet was empty. Berries and mushrooms were free.

You crouched down to pick up a batch of brown ceps. Too bad you disliked mushrooms, but it was literally one of the only things you can eat. You fell on your knees after they grew tired of crouching down too long. "You know something, a supermarket would be a really cool place right now," You said and stared at the sky. "I know, too bad credit cards are completely useless around here," Camilla answered. She sighed and stretched her legs. "We could have at least fall into a world where we can at least use our world's currency," She explained. "This world sucks. I wanna go home," You stated. Your thoughts ran back to the memory you saw the giant ghoul for the last time. You actually didn't mind getting eaten by a ghoul right now. Sounds a lot better than walking around in this world, eating berries and mushrooms. "Okay, come on, the cabinet is not gonna fill itself. We need to be back before the nightfall," Camilla stated. You mentally whined. You really didn't want to go through a forest. You wanted to go back to the house and take a nap.

After three hours of suffering and looking through a stupid forest. You two managed to fill your baskets with delicious berries and edible mushrooms. You two were currently in a large meadow. You took a big yawn and looked around the meadow. You stood under a large tree. It gave perfectly shaded from the sun. You set your basket down then sat down, leaning against the tree. "(Name)! I'm gonna go back to the village to buy some meat!" Camilla called. "Okay, I'm gonna stay here and relax a bit," You answered. "Okay, but come back before the sunset or I make dinner for myself!" She called. "Alright!" You answered. You then saw her pick up her basket and disappeared into the forest you two came from. You took a deep sigh and leaned against the tree. You then glanced at the scenery you saw in the distance. Mountains, wide-open land, and forest. It felt so same and unknown at the same time. You didn't really know what to think about it. You and Camilla encountered many types of people. You once met dwarves and that was an exciting experience. Dwarves were quite friendly folk, despite what things have been said about them. Elves and orcs were the only ones you two haven't seen. Elves could be nice to meet, but maybe not orcs. They are said to be the dark lord's servants and the most violent creatures on the earth. It's for the best that you two won't even think about them. You got more serious things to worry about, like getting some decent food on the table.

Your head laid against the bark of the tree. You yawned, and your eyes started drooping. It was peaceful. You don't even remember the last time you found peace. Your eyelids started to close slowly and it was hard to keep them open. Maybe a little nap won't hurt. You were about to close your eyes, but then you remembered something that motivated your eyes to stay open. You never slept well because of the nightmares. Every time you go to sleep, nightmares always bother you, making you wake up in the middle of the night. You were technically an insomniac. That's why you are always tired. You stared into nothingness as you tried to keep your eyes open, but they wanted to close so badly. You yawned. It's been ages since you had a good sleep. The whole thing almost sounds foreign to you,

Birds singing caught your ears. The song of the birds made the situation worse. Your eyes were harder to keep open. A yawn broke out of your mouth. Maybe a short nap won't bother. There was a tiny chance that you will catch a nightmare in such a short time.

You wake up to a sudden sound of a gust of cold wind. Your heart started beating up after you noticed there was snow everywhere. You stood up in a panic. What happened? Why it was winter out of a sudden? You looked up to the sky and saw that it was dark. You weren't sure if it was a night. The moon and the stars were missing. It was just pitch-black darkness. You gasped when you heard a deep rumbling sound from the forest. You stared at the forest where the sound came from. No, it coulnd't be. You backed away with a beating heart. You almost fell on the ground from the startle when you heard the same sound behind you. Your whole body started to shake from a familiar feeling of fear. You stared at the forest in front of you. There was nothing but darkness, but you knew. You knew what lurked in there. Stalking you. Ready to devour your whole existence.

You backed away, not breaking eye contact with the dark forest. Your back hit against the tree. Burning tears started to come out of your eyes. "Please... don't..." You fell against the tree. A familiar feeling touched your bare hands. You saw frost covering your hands under its white layer. Heavy breaths escaped your mouth. The warm air turning into a visible mist from every breath you took. You hugged yourself to protect the last bits of warmth you had. "Go away, Go away..." You begged. The tears running freely across your cheeks. You heard heavy steps coming toward you, but you didn't dare to look up to see what it was. You knew what it was, and you didn't want to look into its eyes. "Go away, please..." You were whimpering at this point.

The silence and the wind were replaced with gentle and beautiful music. You stopped shaking as the fear you felt disappeared. The beautiful music was accompanied by soft humming. Was somebody... singing? Everything suddenly became dark.

You opened your eyes and stared at the green grass in front of you. It was warm, and there was no snow. The sky was blue, and the birds flew across it with freedom. You looked at the forest. There was nothing. You dried up the tears that managed to dry up against your skin. It was just another nightmare. You almost laughed for even thinking a short nap would spare you from nightmares.

Your attention was caught by familiar music you heard in your nightmare.  You looked around the tree and saw a person playing harp. The person was obviously a male, telling from the deepness of his voice. He was quite tall and had long dark hair covering his back. What really caught your attention was his ears. They were pointy. Was he an elf?

You stood quiet and listened to his music. He was a pretty good musician. The dreadful feeling of fear you felt before was gone. You felt calm and relaxed like there was nothing to be afraid of. His humming was also very calming. You can only imagine what his voice sounded like. You were gonna take a bet that his voice was angel-like.

The music ended shortly, and the silence took over the meadow. The birds started singing, and the crickets went on with their business. You almost didn't notice how quiet it was when the elf stopped playing. It was like animals stood quiet for him to play his harp. You heard the elves had a special bond with nature, but this was the first time you got to witness that happen. The silence between you and him started to bug you. You were still literally staring at him while he didn't even know you were there. To avoid future awkwardness, it's better to say something now than nothing.

"Nice song," You said.

You almost crapped yourself when he suddenly snapped his attention toward you. His eyes were steel grey and almost sent shivers to your spine from their coldness. He was quite handsome, though, but you still better be careful with your words. He looked like he was having a bad day. "Who are you?" He demanded. Bingo, he had a great voice. You quickly regained yourself. "Sorry if I scared you, but in my defense, I was already here taking a nap before you started playing," You explained. He stared at you for a moment like he was trying to figure out if you were lying. You shifted uncomfortably, wanting to look away from his intense stare. Oh no, you managed to make this awkward, didn't you?

His expression became softer after he saw your basket and not any traces of suspicion. "I see. I apologize for my attitude. I'm having kind of a bad day," He explained. Hah, you knew it. "No worries, not every day is a good day," You said. He chuckled, which sounded like a scoff. "Unless every day is a bad day," He muttered under his breath. You frowned when you heard that. He was probably having more than just a bad day. You could offer some comfort, but you didn't know him at all, so it's better to stay out of his personal business. Silence took over the atmosphere for a while.

"So... do you live around here? I heard you don't meet elves around these parts often," You asked. He looked at you, then chuckled. "Bold words from someone who lives in elven lands," He said with an amused tone. Was he making fun out of you? "Hey! I recently moved to a village around here. I haven't gotten time to learn anything," You defended yourself. "Oh really?" He questioned with a challenging look. "Yes," You answered. He stared at you for a moment before chuckling with a tiny smile. You crossed your arms and smiled along. His mood seemed to turn positive, which was a good sign.

"What's your name?" You asked, wanting to know. "How about you tell me your name first since I was the first one to ask," He said back. You rolled your eyes. "Okay. My name is (Name). May I ask what's your name?" You answered. He chuckled. "I don't think you want to know," He said. "And why is that?" You asked. This intrigues your curiosity. "Because when I tell my name, people tend to avoid having anything to do with me," He explained. That sounded a bit dark. Telling from the tone of his voice.

"Try me," You said. He glanced at you curiously. You got guts. "My name is Maglor from the house of Feanor," He waited for your reaction. "Cool," You casually said. Okay, not what he was expecting. He stared at you curiously.

"Ah, I see you're awake," A voice suddenly said. "Shit! " You yelped, almost jumping out of your covers. You turned around and were faced with a short, bearded man. A dwarf? You tried to remember what they looked like to conclude if this stranger was a dwarf. "I apologize if I startled you, but I can assure you that I'm not a threat, " He explained, then approached the bonfire. "No no, I was just surprised... " You tried to say. You finally remembered. There were two dwarves and you technically saved one of them from a warg, and that kinda concerned you. They saw you. They saw the wendigo.

"Are you hungry? " The dwarf asked, holding a bowl of soup, which smelled good. You nodded, almost getting up. "If that's not a trouble, " You said. He laughed. "Don't worry, lass. You saved my brother, so it would only be fair you get something in return, " He said, filling up the bowl and walking up to you. You mentally frowned at yourself. You were actually hunting them as well until the warg showed up and you managed to change your mind to kill it instead. He handed you the bowl. "Thank you... How's your brother? Is he... well? " You decided to ask. "He's fine. A bit shook up but he will survive, " He said. "He's currently outside with our very short friend. They should be back soon. It's not safe to stay outside for too long, " He frowned at the last part.

"My name is Balur. What is your name, lass? " He asked. You swallowed the soup had in your mouth. You almost squealed with joy. It was so good, then you remembered the dwarf in front of you. "Oh! Uhm! My name is (Name)," You introduced yourself, giving a hand for a handshake. He looked at you surprised but then returned the handshake. "May I ask what are you doing in these parts, aren't you aware these lands have been taken over by those horrid creatures? " He asked. "Oh... I know..." You said, a bit awkwardly. "What are you? You seem to be a human but what we saw in the morning was very different," He explained. "It's... It's a bit complicated... But don't worry, I'm not with the orcs or the dark lord," You explained. "Well, you killed that warg, so there's no doubt about it," He said.You waited for a moment, trying to gain the courage to ask a certain question.

"Uhm... Where am I exactly?" You asked.

Camilla came through the door and almost slammed it shut. Talla jumped from the sudden entrance. She watched as Camilla walked across their shared room, dropped down her bag, and sitting down on a chair. An angry tired groan escaped from her lips. Talla was a bit hesitant to ask what was bothering the young woman. "I... Take it you didn't find her?" She questioned. Camilla silently nodded. When the morning came, she left back to the village, thinking you went back after turning back to human, but no. You were nowhere in sight. Knocks came out from the door. Camilla was about to stand up, but Talla got first to the door. "I go get it, " Talla said. Camilla sat back down and watched.

Talla opened the door and was met with a familiar elf lord. "Lord Maglor, what brings you here? " She asked. "Is lady Camilla here? I wish to speak with her, " He explained. "She is, come in, " Talla opened the door wider. Camilla rubbed the bridge of her nose before turning her attention toward Maglor. "Talla, could you please leave us for a moment, " She asked. "Sure, I was gonna go check on others anyway, " Talla left through the door, giving peace to the two.

"Well, what brings you here? " Camilla asked. "I was wondering if you wanted to join in the search for (Name )," He explained. "Don't bother. I already went to check on the village and the whole forest, " She said. "You what? " Maglor questioned. "When? " He asked. "When the sun was rising... " She answered. "The guards at the gate were pretty easy to avoid, " She said. An awkward silence fell upon the two. "What about (Na-" Maglor started but then got disrupted by Camilla. "She's gone missing," She bluntly said. Maglor's heart jumped. Missing? Does that mean you were somewhere dangerous all by yourself and they can't help you? "I'm not sure where she could have gone. Usually, she would return home, " Camilla said. "Then... Should we go elsewhere? There are some places she could have used as hunting grounds, " Maglor suggested. "Maybe, but the sudden flames destroyed most of the lands with thick woods and forests," Camilla said. "Wendigos will avoid places with too much heat and they will not usually go far from their hunting grounds, unless... There was a drastic change in their environment," She said. "When I was out there: I found all the orcs who attacked our village, dead. I then found a couple of tracks leading north," She explained. "Two of the were warg tracks, and one of them was human, so she went north in a pursuit for the surviving orcs, " She said. "Then does that mean she went through my gap?" Maglor asked. He started to feel a bit anxious for thinking about you in Morgoth's lands. "I doubt that. I saw a pretty huge army residing in your old fortress, " Camilla said. "What? " Maglor questioned. "I of course followed the tracks. They ended in the border where your lands start. (Name) did came back, " She explained. Maglor sighed in relief for a moment. You were somewhere where they could find you. "Well, now you know your fortress is now being used as a base by your enemy, " Camilla said. "I think that was inevitable. I'm more concerned about (Name), " He said. Camilla widened her eyes for a moment when she heard that. She quickly turned back. "Let's give her a day or two. She knows how to come back if she's somewhere far, " She said. "And what if she doesn't?" Maglor asked. "Then... She most likely got herself in deep trouble, " She said. Maglor took an anxious breath. He didn't like the sound of that.

Camilla took in Maglor's appearance. He was still badly bruised and his injuries didn't seem to be improving. He's gonna be in deep shit if he didn't get any better soon.

She ruffled through her back until she found the vial she was looking for. "Here. Drink this," She threw the vial to him. He caught it quickly. It was a tiny vial with transparent liquid inside. "It's a potion I made out of king's foil. It helps quicken your healing progress, " Camilla explained. "And if you need me, you can find me working with the healers, " She stated. "I thought I make myself useful while staying here, " She added. "Alright, when did you do that? Our elf healers are not easily impressed to let a human work alongside them, " He asked. "Oh, it was actually pretty easy for me. Introducing new medicines and treating three patients over the night for them gave me a free pass into their group," She explained. Maglor stared at her in a quiet surprise. "You're full of surprises, you know that? " He said. "That's what they said, " She said.

"But let's wait for a couple of days. I go wait for (Name) in our ruined village, " She said. "Alright, but if she's not back by then, come tell me, " He said. "Sure do. Now go rest. You look like an owl who took too much coffee to stay awake, " She said. Maglor stared at her surprised, he was not sure what this 'coffee' was, but he thought it was something out of your world. "I'm surprised you noticed, " He said. Not many people would be able to tell that he was tired. "I'm surprised no one else seems to notice but me, " She said. He chuckled from her wittiness. He turned around toward the door. You had an interesting friendship with Camilla. He walked out of the halls where the villagers were temporarily placed. He looked toward the south where his former fortress resides. It was surprising that it still stood after the sudden flame incident. There was also no doubt the enemy took the chance to claim it and use it as their base when he and his people left. His thoughts came back to you. He hoped for your safe return and that you were nowhere near the enemy. He wants to help you with the wendigo since there is a way to suppress it. He looked toward the sky with a single prayer for the valars. Please let you be safe.

You stared toward the west, where the mountains of Himring and your now gone village should be. You don't know-how. Maybe the powers of this world wanted to make your life more miserable, but somehow, you managed to end up on the other side of this whole land. You were almost at the borders of Thargelion, near Mount Rerir, next to the river Greater Gelion. How do you know this? Well, you asked Balur, who was kind enough to tell you where in the merry hell you were. You smacked yourself a couple of times. Why did the wendigo go so far from the village?! It will be one hell of a walk to get back. You mentally groaned. You hated your life more than anything right now. Hopefully, Camilla and Maglor were alright and safe.

You sighed and stood up, walking back to Balur's cave. Balur was checking out the maps. Balur's brother, Bamur was checking their supplies, and the most shortes of the group, who you surprisingly didn't get along with. Mim was sharpening their weapons. You turned toward Balur. "Uhm... " You started catching his attention. "What would be the shortest way back to Himring? " You asked. "There are too many orcs around. There is no shorter way currently, " He explained. "So I would have to go through Maglor's gap? " You asked. "Lass, you're not thinking about going, aren't you?" His voice became worried. Bamur and Mim stopped what they were doing and watched. It was a bit awkward. "I kinda have to. People are waiting for me, " You explained. Mim scoffed. "And how do you plan to cross the burned lands without getting captured by orcs? " He asked. "Well, I got here, so it shouldn't be impossible to get back, " You explained. Mim scoffed again. "Stupid human child, " He said. Alright, you really wanted to smack that midget back to the hole he came from.

You turned back to Balur. "I know it sounds stupid and reckless, but I really need to get back. I have dealt with orcs before and dealing with them during the night won't be a problem, " You explained. "That's also a reason I need to go. I would be a danger to you all when the night strikes, so I should go, " You said. These dwarves were so nice and didn't run when seeing your ugliest side. You wouldn't be able to forgive yourself if something happened to them because of you. Balur stood in silence for a while. "Alright... " He said. "Let's get you ready though. We can't let you leave defenseless now, do we? " He said. You smiled and nodded.

The hours went by and Balur provided you with a bag of supplies and a weapon which was a tiny dagger. Not the most effective weapon but it was better than nothing.

"Here's a map, and I drew a trail through the safest path I could find. Follow this trail and you should reach your old village. If you hear something suspicious, hide, don't confront it. It is better to survive than fight. There will be orcs everywhere, so stay out of sight, " Balur explained. "Okay, " You nodded. He stood quiet for a moment before patting your back. "You're a brave lass. May Mahal protect you, " He said. "Thank you. Good luck on your journey as well, " You said. You then turned toward Balur and Mim. "Don't try to get killed midget, " You grinned. "Hm! " Mim growled. Balur chuckled. "He will be okay. Now go, orcs will be more active during the night, " He said then turned back toward his cave. You sighed and walked away. So were you. You waved your goodbyes with the dwarves and started your dangerous journey back to your dear friends.

You walked on the path, checking out the map Balur gave you. He had drawn a line that went through Maglor's gap to your village, where another line was drawn that lead to Himring. You looked around your surroundings. It looked kinda dead. There was mist and the atmosphere kinda screamed horror. It was gonna be a difficult trip to go back, and you also need to be quick before nightfall. You don't want to end up more faraway than you already are.

Something caught your ears. You stopped, your heart drumming like crazy. You just left and now something was coming to get you?! You carefully listened. It sounded like running water. Carefully going forward, you decided to go investigate.

There was a tiny stream going across the path you were on. You stopped to stare at it for a moment. It was so tiny, only ants would have difficulties going over it. You huffed before stepping over it and continuing your journey. You and your scared mind.

Another sound suddenly came and was a bit louder, that you didn't need to stop to hear it. The ground under you shook and it sounded like many heavy objects were coming toward you. You looked toward the path you were on because you noticed something in the distance. A gasp left from your mouth. You looked around in panic before your eyes landed on bushes. You jumped in, going off the path. Laying under the pushes, you stared at the path and held your breath. The sounds became louder and soon after, many orcs riding their wargs passed through. There were many of them and they were going toward the way you came from. You carefully stayed put. Careful to not make any sound or you might attract their attention to you. If they saw you, you would be dead meat.

The orc group soon disappeared from the path, going toward their destination. You waited for a moment to make sure they were really gone. Your heart was beating against your chest like crazy.

It was dead quiet.

Maybe it was safe to come out. You slowly crawled out of your hiding spot and stood up. You looked around to make sure there were no surprise orcs to ambush you because if there was, that would be a real dick move.

You sighed in mental relief. Maybe you can avoid orcs and get back to your village without too many problems. You smiled at yourself.

Something loud suddenly caught your ears. It was a loud swooshing sound.

Before you could react, something really sharp and long pierced through your shoulder. A shrike escaped from your mouth as your shoulder was struck with unimaginable pain. You looked down on your shoulder and saw an arrow. It was sticking out of your shoulder that its middle was inside you. Your blood was flowing like a red waterfall.

You slapped your mouth shut because that shriek could have attracted unwanted attention. You loudly muffled your painful groans. You turned toward the way the arrow came from. Your eyes widened in panic and your heart started accelerating. There was an orc on a warg, holding a bow. There were three other orcs too.

Take over by terror; you started running like hell. You might be able to take them all as a flesh-eating monster, but as a human, there was no way!

You ran through the woods. The orcs are right on your heels. They were yelling and barking in whatever language it was. Your heart was literally beating next to your ears.

You climbed above the high ground, but then something caught on your foot, and now you were stumbling down the hill. You grunted and yelled as the ground was making every hit more painful and agonizing. You screamed when the arrow in your shoulder suddenly snapped. The pain on your shoulder became ten times worse.

You were not sure what happened next, but the ground suddenly disappeared under you. "Oh fuck! " You yelled when you saw a frozen surface of a lake. Your body hit the thick ice hard. You wheezed for air and your vision was becoming blurry as well. Something was ringing inside your head. You tried to get up, but something struck your ribs. You grunted in pain. There were no doubt broken ribs beside your lungs. You snapped your eyes toward the cliff you fell from when you heard the orcs coming.

The orcs came to the edge of the cliff and looked over to the frozen lake. The human they were chasing was gone. There was blood on the ice but the body was missing. The wargs were sniffing the air. "Look around! The human couldn't have gone far! " One of the orcs yelled. They then separated to look around for their prey.

You held your breath as you watched the orcs above you go in different directions. You were actually hiding in a little cave, under the cliff. It was the only quick hiding place you could find.

You sighed in temporal relief when you saw the last of the orcs leave. They might come back, so you needed to find a way to escape, and fast. You silently whimpered as your very injured shoulder was acting up. Tears fell from your eyes, but you forced your sobs to be quiet. You looked at your shoulder. The backside of the arrow was gone, but the front was still sticking out. You mentally groaned. How do you quickly treat an arrow wound? You remembered the arrow should not be removed if it's still on you. You shook your head at your situation. This was hopeless. You removed a bandage that was wrapped around one of your hands. You tried to tie it around your shoulder, trying to add some pressure. You groaned when you tied it tight. The pain was still there but at least it was a bit better. You removed the arrowhead, so it won't cause any trouble in the future. You grunted, trying to adjust to the pain. You forced yourself up and moved toward the opening of the cave. You needed medical care, and fast. So you can't stay living in this tiny cave of yours.

You looked around. No doubt in fear. You were injured and there was an orc group looking for you. Most likely to kill you for their entertainment. Getting out of here was now the priority.

You walked off the frozen lake to the dry land. You stared into the woods. The atmosphere was silent. So silent there weren't even crows. Crows could have made the atmosphere much more menacing.

You took the last check before going forward. You slowly jogged through the wood, trying to keep a fast steady pace. There was no reason to take it slow. You moved with balanced steps, so you were going fast but not too loud.

Bang!

"Huh! Aliens!" You woke up, very half asleep. Nelle also woke up, but more calmly than you. You rubbed your eyes and checked out the time by looking through the window. The sun hasn't risen yet, so it was not time for work yet. So... What was the loud bang about? You glanced at Nelle before you two then looked over and saw a new person in the cell with you. It was an elf man with white hair, or was it silver? It was very blond, white-like. He gasped and looked at both of you. "Who are you?" He asked, in a scared tone. "No need to be scared. We're not... Bad," You said, then sat up. You noticed blood coming from his head. "Did you get captured?" You asked. Nelle sat up beside you. The male sat up, trying to calm his breathing. "I... I was trying to reach... Menegroth... But then the orcs came...and," He stopped. You noticed his eyes staring at the ground like he was remembering something. Most likely his capture which was definitely not good. "They killed my friend, and took me... " His voice quivered. He sounded like he was about to cry. Poor guy.

You awkwardly glanced at Nelle, trying to come up with something to comfort the traumatized elf. "I'm sorry to hear that, " You said that. You took out the tiny rug you stole from the kitchen. You climbed up the stone bed and took some of the snow that landed on the down part of the window. When the rug was wet, you then approached the elf on the floor. "Here... for your head, " You explained as you handed the rug to him. He hesitated a bit then took the rug before holding it against his bloody head. You sat back down on the stone bed.

"My name is (Name), and she's Nelle," You introduced yourself and your silent cellmate. "What is your name?" You asked. "... Melui," He said. He looked outside the cell by through the cell door. "What are they gonna do to us?" He asked. "We're just forced to work for them as servants. Nothing too serious..." You explained. "But it's still better to stay low and not cause trouble. The two lords who runs this place are terrifying as hell," You said. He looked at you worriedly before silently nodding. You glanced at Nelle, who gave you a look before going back to lay down on the uncomfortable stone bed. Silence took over the atmosphere and you leaned against the cell's wall. This sucked, but at least you got a new roommate. Not in a good manner, but... Well, life just genuinely sucked right now.

Camilla was writing down the documents since the elven healers didn't want to do paperwork. She took a sip of the tea she had on her desk. She frowned at the taste. Tasted like rotten apples, so much for being the best tea in Himring. Elves have a freaking weird taste in drinks. She took a break and looked through the window. The moth hasn't returned and you were still missing. Where in the hell were you? She might actually have to go search through the whole land for you. Luckily, Maglor was willing to lend a hand, so she should visit him soon. She sighed and got up, grabbing the cup that had the crappy leaf juice. Coffee beans, where in the merry hell were you?

She walked through the healer wing, going through the so-called busy elves. Only a few were treating some patients. Most of them being injured travelers or patrol guards. Orcs were becoming more active. The dagor bragollach was nearing too. That's why Maglor has been too busy to come to talk with her.

Camilla threw the crabby leaf juice away and got herself some freshwater. She hummed and nodded after drinking the water. Better than that craptastic tea. "Excuse me?" Someone said. She turned around to look then was faced with a chest. She then looked up and saw a tall, red-headed elf man looking at her. "Are you lady Camilla?" He asked. She took a glance at him. Red wavy hair, faint scars on his face, tall as hell and... Is he missing a hand? "I am. What can I do for you, lord Maedhros?" She bowed. He looked at her a bit surprised but didn't show it. "You recognize me. Even though; we never met?" He questioned. "Well, I'm familiar with lord Maglor, and he did describe you once, so that's why," She said. He hummed. "Makes me wonder what else he has been doing... I came here for another reason," He said. "And what may that be, my lord?" Camilla asked. "I heard, you have been making a potion that helps make injuries heal faster. My brother, Maglor might need more of it," He said. "Yeah, sure, come with me I give you some," Camilla motioned him to follow her. Maedhros then followed her through the healing wing.

"How did you meet Maglor?" Maedhros asked as they came to the office. Camilla walked over to the cabinet to get the king's foil vials. "Actually, a friend of mine met him on a meadow near our village. They became regular friends and I met him through that," She explained, grabbed two vials. She then walked over to him. "You're from the recently attacked village?" He asked. "I am. It was one hell of an attack. No one saw it coming," She said handing the vials to him. He grabbed the vials and gave her a sympathetic look. "Are you... Well? after all that?" He asked. "I survived, so that's enough, but my dear friend just had to end up getting lost during the attack," She said with kinda a sarcastic tone. "It's been four days and she's still missing. I really hope she didn't end up getting killed or something," She then said. Maedhros's eyes widened for a second before turning into sympathy once again. "I'm sorry for your lost," He said. "Nah, I'm pretty sure she's still alive and when I see her again. I'm gonna give the loudest slap in the face for making me worry so much," Camilla said. He chuckled but then coughed. He didn't mean to do that. "That's a lot of trusts you put into your friend, but you should know our lands are not safe anymore. There is a high chance she might have been... Killed, by the orcs, who infested our lands," He said, trying to be careful with his words. "Maybe, maybe not, but I will believe she's dead when I actually see her dead body," Camilla said. Maedhros stood quiet for a moment. "That's rare loyalty you hold. I hope you're right about your friend, but do not hold on to that hope too much. It might not end well," He said. "I keep that in mind," She said. He nodded then turned toward the door. "Thank you for the vials. I might come to talk to you again," He said. "See you later then, lord Maedhros," Camilla said. He nodded then left. The door closing gently behind him.

Camilla rubbed the back of her head, ruffling with her dark black hair. She sighed and crossed her arms. She got to admit one thing. That elf was tall as hell. Now she knows how dwarves feel when they stand in front of someone taller than them. Even though; his size and the scars were a bit intimidating. He was kinda polite. She smiled, but then frowned when she remembered someone important. You. Excuse her language. But where the fuck did you end up to?

You worked in the kitchen again. This time with Melui, since Nelle was taken to Maluk again. Melui was still scared but more comfortable with you now. You two managed to get a connection and talked a bit about yourselves. It helped to keep you both calm. Melui was a sweet elf, you couldn't deny that and that kinda scared you. If you got attached to him, you might have to take him with you too when you escape. How could you leave a sweet guy like him in this horrible place?

You put down a plate and rubbed your sleep-deprived eyes.

"How long do you think they're gonna keep lady Nelle there?" Melui asked. "I don't know. I hope they're gonna let her out soon. I really wish she finally told me what that Maluk guy wants with her," You said. "Last time, she came back stumbling on her feet," You added. The last time she came back, she didn't look well at all. She stumbled back to your cell and her eyes were like in a daze. You started to think that Maluk guy was doing some kinds of twisted experiments on her. Another reason, why you planned to take her with you when you escape.You and Melui continued with your jobs, wanting to get them done and return to your cell. A couple of orcs passed through the kitchen. One of them stopped and gazed at Melui. An evil smirk picking upon his lips.

"Come here, pretty boy," He grabbed on Melui. Melui gasped and dropped the plate he was holding. The plate fell on the floor, shattering into pieces. You were alerted and quickly turned toward Melui and the orc. The orc was grabbing on Melui's white hair. "You make a fine plaything for me tonight," The orc said, dragging the poor male. "No! No! Please!" Melui begged horrified. "Hey, what the hell?!" You interfered. "Get lost!" The orc barked at you. "Fuck you!" You grabbed a plate and smashed it against his face. The plate shattering in the contact. He grunted and let go of Melui. The orc glared at you angrily. You mentally gulped in fear. That might have been a bad idea. "You human wretch," He swung at you. You dodged his first attack but then he slammed you in the face with his arm. You fell on the floor with an aching face. "(Name)!" Melui yelped in fear and worry for you. You almost screamed when the orc stomped on your injured shoulder. The pain was like a lightning strike and it was unbearable. "You little bitch!" The orc started stomping and kicking you. You grunted and shrieked from every painful hit. "Wanna play a hero, huh! Well, this happens when you messed with an orc, you hideous human wench!" He yelled with every stomp. He once kicked you in the face and now your head was ringing. You silently thought as you were getting beaten up. Orcs sucked.

The beating continued for a few minutes until you were completely not moving on the floor. You were bruised, bloody, and half unconscious. The orc stopped, panting a bit, but he then panicked and ran away. Beating a slave when assigned to was one thing, but causing the unnecessary death of a servant was irritating and would lead to trouble. He quickly fled the kitchen, leaving Melui alone and you half-dead on the floor.