A Second Chance

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: *sighs* Do i really have to do this? Once again, I will say... I do NOT own anything that you recognize as Tolkien or Jackson.

Just to warn you... this chapter may make you sad and does contain mention and mild descriptions of torture... *cringes*

One year later...

Emma started awake and groaned. Everything hurt. Trying to bite back her tears, she eased herself into a sitting position, leaning her forehead against the wall and trying not to stretch the long cuts on her back to much. She closed her eyes tightly as unbidden memories of whips rose to the front of her mind.

She was sure that she looked terrible, covered in scars and barely scabbed cuts. She knew enough to know that most of it was infected as well. She wouldn't be surprised if she had a fever.

Compared to this, she would have taken the break up with Jared any time. Sniffling a little, she tried to remember her beautiful forest, but it was hazy... everything was hazy. Back in Montana, where she had lived, Emma had nobody but Jared and nothing but her house, beautiful view, and her forest.

Her parents had died in a house fire when she was eighteen, being an only child, she had been left on her own. She had gone to live with her godparents, whom she had never really gotten along with and as soon as she turned eighteen, she left.

Now, stuck in this rotting hole of a dungeon, she even missed them. Heck, she even missed that stupid sassy-faced Elvenking. She snorted at that thought. He probably had forgotten that she existed already.

The year had been full of pain, the orcs would bring her things that barely qualified as food and water, but she consumed it anyways, determined not to let the orcs beat her. She didn't plan on going down without a fight.

Of course, the hallucinations that the Nazgul plagued her with were infinitely worse. Visions of her home, burning, of Jared, laughing at her as she watched him with that other woman. She had even watched her parents die. Oddly enough, there were also visions of Mirkwood, burning and of King Sparkly-Robes root palace, burning. It was all burning, burning, burning.

Her head snapped up when she heard the door to the torture rooms slam and sound of stomping feet. Her body betrayed her and despite her resolve, she began to tremble. The door to her cell swung open and the orc who seemed to torture her the most, stood there, leering at her. Two orc cronies came up and hoisted her to her feet by grabbing her arms. She couldn't help the whimper of pain that escaped as the barely scabbed wounds on her arms stretched uncomfortably.

When she saw what was waiting in the torture room this time, she began to shake uncontrollably.

"Don't worry, she's got orders not to kill you. Just a little mauling," one of the orcs cackled, "We may actually give you a little break after this one. Don't want you dying to soon now, do we?"

Emma whimpered, but didn't tear her eyes away from the giant black wolf-like creature that stood, growling. It's burning yellow eyes, fixated on her. The orcs dropped her and she just managed to fall on her knees and not her face.

She heard the orcs retreating and almost stopped breathing when she realized that the only light in the room was coming from the eyes of the creature in front of her and the crack under the door behind her. She heard a whisper of movement and then hot breath shot down her neck. Unable to keep it back an longer, Emma screamed.

She felt jaws clamp down on her shoulder and almost blacked out from the pain. She faintly heard more movement and saw the yellow of the eyes slowly prowling around her.

At times like this, Emma wondered if it was worth fighting it. She knew that it would be easy to give up. It would be so easy, the pain would go away and she might even see her parents again.

But then she remembered something that her father had once told her when she had returned home from school, crying because she was being bullied by a group of rather large tenth graders.

She could still hear his voice and it gave her the strength to hold on, "Don't ever give up, Emma. That's letting them win, showing them you're weak. Be strong. Even if you lose in the end, don't ever go down without a fight. If you go cry in a corner now, what are you going to do when you're surrounded by something worse than bullies, and there are no corners to cry in?"

A/N: Hello! Sorry for the delay... I've been rather busy : / 

Thank you to- Tammyt70, Elf_and_an_Agent, and kyo12345!!

I may update tomorrow or even later today, so keep your eyes out!!