“SISTER!” Her face, her tortured, bruised face was engraved into my mind. Her desperate voice…her outstretched hand… her frail figure… her tearful eyes…“ARWEN!” I fell to the ground in heart wrenching sobs, my arm still straining to meet her vanished fingertips. “SISTER!” She was alive, yet her life hung on a slender thread, doomed to snap at any given second. I pounded the soft earth in complete misery, and at the unfairness of it all.

“*Faith…help.*” The words echoed, twisting themselves around my mind until I heard nothing else but, excluding my cries of despair.

ARWEN!” I then turned to the raging skies. “VALAR! WHAT CAUSED YOU TO BE SO MERCILESS? HAS SHE NOT ENDURED ENOUGH? WHAT IS THIS RIDDLE YOU POSE FOR ME? VALAR! ELBERETH! HELP HER! ELBERETH! I BEG OF YOU! ELBERETH!” my tone rose to a terrifying shrill scream, my words making little if any sense. “ELBERETH!”

The images flooded back and I was once again on the stage. I saw her bleeding wrist reach out for me and I inched forward, desperation pulling me towards her, darkness preventing me from touching her hand clenched weakly in agony. Her torn fingers slipped from my sight and I saw a disgusting orc leering at her. It kicked her limp body and laughed pitilessly at her soft moan. I glared hatefully at the monster and recoiled at the sight of a white hand imprinted on his face. My eyes then gleamed with newfound loathing as the picture faded into dark mist.

“SARUMAN! DEMON OF MORGORTH! SAURON’S SLAVE! I SWEAR UPON GIL GALAD’S GRAVE THAT I SHALL MAKE YOU PAY FOR ALL! FOR EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!” My fist clenched and punched the ground, flinching not at the pain that immediately ran through my wrist. Fury enveloped me and I slowly raised my eyelids, revealing narrow slits of wrath among pools of unshed tears. “Demon’s slave,” I cursed under my breath before stumbling to my feet, ignoring Aragorn’s outstretched hand.

He withdrew his palm and blinked. “Faith?” He spoke cautiously and with obvious concern. I took no heed of him and pushed past the crowd of horses and riders, all seemingly dazed at the sight they had just witnessed. As was I. I turned my piercing gaze onto the black stone pillar, towering in the distance. My vehemence was indescribable. He would pay. Saruman would pay. I would take revenge… He would pay…with his life.