They held him outside the door as they waited for a decision. They'd been speaking for some time, leaving him in anxious silence. Suddenly the door opened and some man motioned them to enter. They walked in, but the moment he did and saw the figure standing at the side of the king, he panicked. He reflexively jerked back against his bonds, trying to keep away. The men roughly tugged him forward, but he couldn't even be angry as his eyes were trained on the white figure. They stopped at the throne, all the while he pulled against the ropes, desperate to put some distance between him and the figure.

He couldn't be there, that didn't make sense, but there he was! He turned to Ghash with a look of suspicion, forcing him to look away. That's it. He was dead. That was all there was to it. "He's all yours." said the king, gesturing to him. He stepped forward, and Ghash jerked back, those that held him having to fight to keep him in place. "Be still!" commanded the figure. No, it was him. The same smell, the same voice, he even looked the same! He seemed slightly different somehow, but there wasn't a doubt in his mind, that his master stood ahead of him.

The figure stood directly in front of him. There was nowhere to go, all he could do was struggle. "Look at me." his master commanded, but his eyes were fixed anywhere but him. "Look at me!" Ghash forced his gaze up, meeting his master's gaze. His heart was pounding, no anger, no plan, just pure fear. "What is your name?" he demanded. Ghash couldn't make any words form, and the figure grew impatient. "Speak."/"Ghashnaga..." he muttered, forcing the words out. "What is your goal?" he inquired. "To serve the king..." he said growing all the more wary with the admission. "Why?" at this, Ghash choked back any reply. He clenched his jaw, biting down on the words. "Why?!" repeated his master. Ghash tugged and strained harder against the bonds rather than reply. "Look at me. You know my name." he said. Ghash slowly nodded, breathing the word, "Saruman..."

His master stared at him for a time, then turned away. "Take him to a cell." said the king, to the disconcerted relief of Ghash. Once they had, the king turned to him. "Well, what do you make of it?" he asked. "Well, I am unsure. I don't believe he was lying, he seems to legitimately want to serve you, but why I don't know." he said, stroking his beard. "Well that's a start." said the king. "Yes, chances are he would probably neglect to inform you of something, rather than simply lie about it." he said. "That would make sense considering all he's said thus far." said Aragorn. "How can you be sure?" asked the king. "Well, for one thing, he seemed honestly terrified. A strange response if he were doing Saruman's will. And yet he admitted his treachery but withheld his reasoning. It doesn't really seem like something he would do if that were the case, and I doubt he is that skilled a trickster. I suppose he could be doing Saruman's will without being aware, but I saw nothing and I can not think what Saruman's goal would be. Saruman is far too confident in his abilities to succeed to resort to such desperation." he finished.

"Interesting." mused the king, as he fingered his chin. "Did he give you any reason why he would wish to serve you?" he asked, "He simply said he didn't want the Dark Lord to win." said the king. "He told me that he was coming on behalf of someone who is friend to us." said Aragorn. "Strange, but if you feel you can use him, I believe you may do so if you are careful, and don't let him out of your sight." he said. "Very well. I put him in your jurisdiction." said the king looking to Aragorn, Legolas, and the dwarf. "Do with him what you will. But I don't want to hear that he caused any trouble. If he so much as yawns in a suspicious fashion, kill him." the king finished.

Elayin hadn't gone down to dinner for a few days, she knew if she did it would just be awkward. Her mother had relaxed about the concept of a child, though she was clearly still aggravated by the circumstance. Of all of them, Dani seemed the most excited. Elayin was too busy being terrified. What would she do when the child was born? She couldn't tell them who the father is, but there was a strong chance they'd know anyway when it was born. She had to do something! It would probably be for the best if she just ran away again. She would be starting all over, but there was nothing else she could do. She didn't know anything about children, she certainly didn't know how to raise them, especially not alone.

"My lady, will you be coming to dinner?" asked Dani, "What? Oh, I don't know." she replied. "You shouldn't worry about them, the people here are simply entertained by the smallest of things, they'll move on." she said. "I know, I'm... I'm just not a people person." Elayin replied, she nodded as she continued in her work around the room. She was quiet for a time, till she paused in her work and seemed thoughtful. "What is it?" asked Elayin. Dani wasn't going to ask on her own, but since she had offered, she went ahead. "When do you expect the child?"/"Oh, right. Honestly, I don't know for sure." she replied, "I think it's been a few months, but it never occurred to me."/ "Well, whenever it comes, I'm sure everything will be just fine!" she said happily. Easy for her to say! What is an Uruk child like? Was there anything she should know about? Did they need to eat meat or something? It's not like there was anyone to tell her! One problem at a time, first of all, how to get out.

Her mother had her under surveillance at all times, and she wasn't allowed to go on hunts anymore, so how? And if she did get out, where could she go? While she was loathed to admit it, Ghash was right. She couldn't go back home to her hut. She supposed she could go north, but she didn't know what was up there. And the instant they found she was gone, they would track her, and she wasn't as fast as she had been. Damn it, she needed a plan!

She heard as the door shut behind Dani, shaking her from her thoughts. She chuckled, trust Dani to only see the upside to the child. In her mind, it was the start of another beautiful generation, and not the bastard hybrid it would be. She supposed Dani would be disappointed when she would leave with the child, but there was no helping it, she had to. But what would she do? How could she get food by herself with a child? Why did things have to get so complicated!? She wished he was there...

She left her room, not that she had any intention of going to the dining hall, but she was sick of being cooped up in her room. So she wandered the halls and through any empty rooms she found. She would have been happier had there not been guards following her, keeping at a slight distance as if that would make it where they weren't stalking her wherever she went. They clearly didn't like following her all the time but they knew better than to argue with her mother. If anyone could get something done the way she liked, it was her. The only wild card to her mother's order was her.

Glancing at them over her shoulder, she ducked around a corner and slipped into the first room she could find. She knew they'd find her again, but she just wanted a little peace and quiet by herself. That, and it was kinda funny to see their confused expressions as they looked about for her. She closed the door and turned to the room she had entered. She found herself surrounded by shelves that bore the weight of hundreds of books and scrolls. It'd been some time since she was last in the library. The amount of time she had spent in the middle of the woods, reading those books just to kill time. Dozens of stupid, brilliant, awful, wonderful books that she could practically recite. She smiled to herself, running her finger along the spines of each familiar book.

She supposed people had less time to spend on books during the war. She supposed she was one of them. She shouldn't be spending time on old stories and texts when she should be spending time thinking through her escape plan. Though, perhaps she could take a book or two. She'd brought a few with her when she first ran away, a few more wouldn't hurt, especially if there were any on children. Grabbing an arm-full, some educational and some just dumb, cheerful stories, she crept out. She didn't put much effort in remaining unseen, but she did try to avoid the guards immediately knowing where she was, if just to mess with them.

Though the thought of packing did raise the question of how she was going to get enough food to get far enough till she could hunt. It was easier before, but now she was constantly being watched! Either way, it was a start. She turned a corner stopping quickly as she saw a figure crossing her path. "Oh pardon me, my lady!" said Cirlyn quickly. "Oh, it's you. Um, sorry, I wasn't paying attention." she said, peering over the stack of books she held. He stood awkwardly for a moment before clearing his throat. "Do you... Need a hand?" he offered. "Huh? Oh no, I'm fine." she said, but he was already pulling the stack from her, with a mindfulness as though he feared he may hurt her.

"Light reading, my lady?" he said casually, trying to hide the strain in his voice as he walked alongside her. Elayin was trying to hide the faint smile as she watched the politician try to act as if he wasn't unaccustomed to lugging large loads of literature. "Um, yes, well, I've the free time as it seems." she said. "Yes, I suppose. I haven't seen you at the parties of late." he said. "No..." she muttered softly. Seeing her solemn expression, he quietly mulled over what to say. "Well, of course you've no obligations to go to them. It's just loud voices and drink, hardly mandatory." he said brightly.

"Honestly, they can get loud, even for me! So I suppose someone who prefers the quiet to begin with is bound to have little patience with them."/ "That and I can't seem to go one dinner without making a scene..." she muttered to herself. "Ah, yes well..." he said, uncomfortably. "I don't know if I'd say 'scene'." he said, desperately. "Wouldn't you?" she said with a raised brow. "Well..." he said, still trying, only to concede with his silence. She gave a chuckle. "Don't worry, I know when I've messed up." she said. "Well, it was a bit surprising. Not the... You know, but the way you said it. Just sort of..." he said, trying to find a complete and diplomatic sentence. "Sort of... Blunt? Tactless? Out of nowhere?" she offered. "Well..." he began. She shot him an expectant smirk. "Yes, yes that about covers it." he finished. She gave a light laugh.

"Why did you just... Blurt it out like that?" he asked. "Honestly, I didn't mean to. It just sort of... Popped out." she answered. "I understand. I mean, you must be under a lot of stress as is. Discovering that you are... Well... Expecting, can't have helped." he said. "Oh, yeah, the stress of parties. Totally explains everything!" she scoffed. "No, that's not what I mean. Only... Well you know." he said. She looked at him in confusion. "Do I?" she asked, but he said nothing. "Cirlyn, why would I be under a lot of stress, 'as is'?" she asked growing suspicious. "Well, no particular reason, just-"

"What's my mother been saying?" she asked, cutting him off. "Nothing!" he exclaimed. She raised a brow, and with a sigh, he relented. "Well, she may have... Hinted, about your... Husband..." he muttered. "She what!?" she exclaimed, stopping in her stride. "No, no! She hardly said a word!" he urged. "What did she say exactly!?" she demanded. "Um... Well... She only said that your husband went to war." he said hesitantly.

Of course, she did! Why not tell everyone in Murkwood her problems!! "Oh did she?! Let me guess, she said that he was lost tragically to war, and now I'm here all alone in my mourning veil, in need of support!" she said with an aggravated sneer. "I shouldn't have said anything." he muttered. "No, I needed to know. If everyone knows my private life, I might as well know they know." she said, reaching forward and taking her books back. "I'm sure her intentions were pure, if unwanted." he reasoned. "Unwanted? You mean completely inappropriate?!" she shot back. Cirlyn said nothing, his face bearing a look of discomfort.

She gave a light sigh, "I'm sorry, Cirlyn. You should never have been dragged into this with mother and me." he smiled. "You needn't apologize, you're really no burden to me. If anything this seems to be more of a strain on you than anyone else." he said. "I've lived with her all my life. If I were a more mature person, I would take this in stride." she muttered, with a half-hearted smile. "But being the bigger person has never really been a talent of mine."/ "It isn't as if anyone else has been exceptionally mature." he said. "As I said, I ought to be the bigger person." she answered.

"Well, I can at the very least try to be mature on everyone else's behalf. Someone should have the decency to tell you congratulations on your child, and that I am sorry for your loss. Whatever occurs, I hope you can regard me as a friendly ear if you need it." he said, kindly. She heaved a sigh but smiled to him. "Thank you, Cirlyn. But it's really unnecessary. My... Husband... Hasn't been lost to war. He's just gone to it, that doesn't mean he's..." she trailed off, "I see. Well, I'm sure he'll be fine then. I wish you the best, and I stand by what I said, save the condolences, of course." he said brightly.

She shook her head "The last thing you want to deal with is the actions of a terrible noblewoman." she said. "Well, perhaps you don't care to be noble, but I wouldn't say you were a bad one." he said, "Wouldnt you?" she asked with a skeptical raised brow. "A grim one perhaps, but no I wouldn't! I think you are simply a woman with much on her mind." he answered. She chuckled. "You could say that." he smiled, pleased by the lighter tone. "Well, then don't worry so much. There shall always be a solution to whatever issue arises. In the meantime, try to relax, a child should be something to celebrate, not lament! I'm sure everything shall be fine." he said, encouragingly. Oh if only he knew. She smiled rather than contradict him, giving a simple, "I'm sure you're right." before continuing past him, her guards on her tail. "Well then, my lady, I shall let you get on with your reading." He said as he gave a gentile bow. She said nothing but nodded graciously to him before he turned and walked away.

She quickly crossed the hall with her books, wanting no further confrontation with anyone. He was nice, but the poor fool had simply no clue. And as for her mother!! Of course, she would spin it to keep her single and available. Widowed indeed!! There was simply no convincing that woman that she had no intention of marrying! It couldn't help that her mother clearly regarded Elayin's relationship as some sort of brief dalliance, and nothing more. Honestly, why can't people just let her handle her own problems without 'helping'!! Well, she could ignore that 'help' if only she could work out how to leave that damned castle.

Reaching her room, she closed the door and grabbed her bag. Putting her books and travel garb in the pack, she hid it neath her bed. It was only then that she realized Ghash had her map. Figures, miles away and he was still a pain in her neck! She figured the most she could do is save any pieces of food that wouldn't go off immediately till she could set off. Not that she knew how she would escape in the first place. Ugh! This is ridiculous! There's just always something!