[Hirilaelin]

Riding. Riding to Lóthlorien. The mountains. Ambushed, orcs, leering over her, pain, darkness. Captured, all alone, no escape, no!

Wait. Not alone, not entirely. In the darkness surrounding her, something stirred, cried out. Feaelena! Her handmaiden. No, she was not alone. Struggling to rise, she found that her wrists and ankles were bound tightly, so she fell back onto the cold stone of the floor. Pain suddenly flooded her conciousness, making her winch. They had struck her, knocked her out. She tried twisting her head, but a fresh wave of pain assailed her.

She attempted to rise again, but could not get further than a sitting position. A ways from her, Feaelena stirred again. Using her feet, Celebrian managed to inch across the floor, and reached her handmaiden. She called to her softly, urgently. "Feaelena! Feaelena!" The other stirred again. "Feaelena!"

Suddenly, Feaelena regained her senses with a gasp. Celebrian leaned over her. "Feaelena, are you all right?"

"Lady? I am well, though in pain. Where...?" Her voice trailed off, and she rose slowly to a sitting position, straining against the bonds that held her. Celebrian replied. "Moria, I would assume. The orcs ambushed our party, though no others than us were taken, as far as I can tell. But now, how do you fair?"

"It is as I said, my lady. I seem to have been struck on the head, and knocked unconcious for a time, but am now fine but for a small amount of pain, though I am thirsty." Celebrian nodded. "Yes, I know, but I do not think that that particular hurt will be mended for a while."

"Have you seen naught of our captors, my lady?" Feaelena questioned. "Nay. Not a sign. Where they may be, or what they are doing is beyond my knowledge." Suddenly, she felt a presence in her mind. "Elrond!" she gasped. But no, it was fading even now. No... "My lady?" asked Feaelena. "What troubles you?"

Celebrian shook her head. "Nothing. I thought that perhaps... I do not know. Maybe it was nothing, but a delusion brought on by captivity."

"What happened? Are you sure that you are all right?" her handmaiden questioned anxiously. "Yes, I am quite sure, I just thought that I had felt something. But we should rest. We do not know what this captivity may bring, but whatever it does, we must be ready." With that, Celebrian lay back on the floor, and Feaelena did the same.

Sleep beckoned, its siren song of peace and rest almost irresistible, but Celebrian could not rest. She lay still, in the dank darkness of the place, her mind wandering down the avenues of memories, far away from captivity. At last though, her body succubmed to its weariness, and she drifted into dark dreams, any hope of rescue gone.

But some small part of her remembered what she had heard in her mind, and the candle of hope burned still, warming her even in the darkest of her dreams.

* * *

OOC: I hope that this is all right, please tell me if something needs to be changed or taken out!

[ March 08, 2003: Message edited by: Hirilaelin ]