A Friend Among Enemies

Chapter 1: The Chase

As Katherine Bennett slowly slipped out of the hazy darkness that covered her mind, she was aware of one thing -pain- and a great deal of it. The burning, stabbing sensation began at her temple and radiated throughout her entire body. Tentatively, she opened her eyes, only to be blinded by the glaring sun. Little by little, her surroundings came into focus and it was only then that she realized she was being carried by an incredibly large, incredibly foul smelling orc.

'The Uruk-hai!' Suddenly, all the events from the past few days rushed back at her. Trying to save Boromir. Watching him die. Being slammed in the head with a large rock.

'Well that explains the pain' she thought dizzily.

She squirmed slightly and realized her hands were bound together, completely starved of oxygen.

Dangling from the back of the large orc, she tried to come up with a way out of this mess. Instead, grayness clouded her mind once more and she slipped back into the blissful oblivion…

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Legolas ran as fast as he could over the rocky terrain, his mind racing as his feet instinctively found their hold.

He threw a glance back at Gimli and growled deep in his throat. The dwarf, clearly exhausted from the three-day pursuit across the treacherous plains, was lagging behind. Again.

"Come on, Gimli," he cried out, unable to hide his impatience.

He sprinted after Aragorn, trying to keep his mind off Katie and the torment she might be enduring. His chest tightened. He had seen women after orcs had gotten through with them. It was a gruesome sight. Those not dead usually ended up wishing they were.

Aragorn spoke from behind him, breaking through his thoughts. "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall," the ranger whispered as he bent to pick up an item off the muddy ground.

'A leaf broach!' Legolas realized, hope springing to his heart. "They may still be alive," he whispered.

Aragorn nodded and began running again. "Less than a day ahead of us. Come!" he ordered.

From behind him, Legolas heard Gimli tumbling down the hill. "Come Gimli," he yelled back, suddenly refreshed. "We are gaining on them."

The three of them continued on, running towards a large, steep hill. Once to the top, Legolas stopped and scanned the landscape for any sign of the herd. He spied a little cloud of dust on the horizon and ran down the hill for a better look.

"What do you see?" Aragorn shouted from behind him.

"The Uruks turn northeast," Legolas yelled back. A sudden fear clutched his heart and his eyes widened in realization. "They are taking them to Isengard!"

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Katie jarred awake as her body was tossed unceremoniously to the ground. Pain exploded through her and it was a long minute before she could focus enough to wonder where they were.

It was dark out. Apparently, the orcs had stopped to rest.

"Get a fire going," the leader of the monsters screamed.

Katie tried to set up and realized her hands and feet were still bound. She spied Merry and Pippin to her right and slowly crawled towards them.

"Are you alright?" Pippin whispered once she was in earshot.

Katie nodded slowly, her head literally throbbing in pain. "How long have I been out?"

"The orcs have been running without break for three days," Pippin whispered.

Merry rolled up on his elbows and looked over at her. There was a nasty cut on his forehead.

"Will they find us?" he asked anxiously.

Katie slowly shook her head no, trying to remember the exact order of the events.

Both hobbits gasped.

"I thought surely they would come," Pippin said sadly.

"They are searching for us," she explained, "but a group of men will kill the orcs first. The riders of Rohan."

Merry and Pippin looked somewhat relieved. "Will we survive?"

Katie nodded quickly then winced at the pain the movement caused.

"Your head is bleeding," Pippin informed her.

"Damn orcs," she growled angrily.

One of the smelly creatures turned towards them. It looked directly at her and grinned. "When I am rested, I will have my fun with you."

Katie stared up at the beast, fear welling up inside her. 'Where are you Legolas?' she wondered desperately. 'Will I ever see you again?' she laid her head back down and tried to calm her thoughts. Memories of the elf flooded her mind. His strong arms carrying her through the snow. His soft lips gently brushing hers. His silky voice saying her name.

Suddenly, another voice interrupted her thoughts.

"What if we just eat their legs?" one of the orcs asked.

Katie looked over at Merry and Pippin. "We have to get out of here," she hissed.

The three of them began to crawl, moving slowly away from the herd. They had only made it about ten feet when they were stopped by a smaller orc.

"Where do you think you are going?" it grinned. Katie struggled for a breath as the creature leaned towards her.

"I think you will be tasty," it growled.

Just then the monster collapsed, a spear sticking out of its back. The orcs sprang to their feet and drew their weapons as men on horseback attacked.

Katie tried to push the smelly creature off her legs, as all hell broke loose around her. She finally freed herself and started to crawl away from the chaos. Up ahead, Merry and Pippin had found a knife and were slicing through their ropes.

"Hurry!" They called to her.

"Go without me!" she cried. "I'll catch up with you later."

The two hobbits looked at her for a second before running towards the dark woods.

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Well, I'm back. Reviews please.

Katie-sue