Burden of the Ring continues on from The New Fellowship of the Ring. Read and review :)
1 You will lead us to the Black Gate
Remla looked ahead, her eyes sore from seeing nothing but rocks. They had been walking for days, lost in the twisting paths of Emyn Muil.
They reached a cliff, and Remla looked down, unable to see the bottom.
Sam pulled out his hithlain rope from Galadriel and tied it to the rock.
"It'll 'elp us on the way down." Sam said, tightening the knot.
"I hope so, Sam." Frodo gripped the rope and started descending the cliff.
Sam followed and Remla crouched down, gripping the rope and steadying herself on the cliff face. Her feet scraped against the rock as she slowly put one foot over the other, making her way down.
"Can you see the bottom?" Sam called down to Frodo.
"No! Don't look down, just keep going!" Frodo called back. Remla looked down, seeing a far drop into white mists. The view made her shake and she gripped the rope tightly, focusing on getting down safely.
Sam's feet slid and he hit the rock, a small wooden box falling out from his pocket.
"Catch it!" Sam shouted. "Catch it, grab it Mr Frodo!"
Frodo reached up and caught the box with one hand, but he slipped and lost his grip on the rope.
"Mr Frodo!" Sam shouted. Remla gasped in fear, seeing Frodo fall down into the mists far below.
"I think I've found the bottom!" Frodo called up. Sam quickly climbed down and hit the ground. Remla followed and found her feet touch the ground and landed in relief.
"Bogs and rope and goodness knows what. It's not natural. None of it." Sam muttered.
Remla looked over at the box Frodo was holding.
"What's in this?" Frodo asked.
"Nothing. Just a bit of seasoning. I thought maybe if we was having a roast chicken one night or something." Sam said quietly.
Remla laughed at the thought of finding a chicken amongst the rocks.
"Roast chicken?" Frodo grinned.
"You never know." Sam shrugged.
"Sam, my dear Sam." Frodo smiled. Remla smiled, looking at the contents of the box, little grains of salt and herbs.
"It's very special, that." Sam smiled. "It's the best salt in all the Shire."
At the mention of home, Remla looked away, remembering the taste of the ale, the green grass, the Green Dragon. The home that seemed so far away, so long ago.
"It is special." Frodo said after a moment's silence. "It's a little bit of home."
Remla looked down as Frodo walked past her, his shoulder brushing against her as he walked up to Sam's rope. Remla frowned, wondering why Frodo never talked to her. Why was he ignoring her?
"We can't leave this here for someone to follow us down." Frodo said.
"Who's gonna follow us down 'ere Mr Frodo?" Sam asked. "It's a shame really. Lady Galadriel gave me that. Real Elvish rope. There's nothing for it. It's one of my knots. Won't come free in a hurry."
"We should just leave it." Remla suggested. The rope had been strong enough to hold all three of them, it was tied well.
Frodo pulled at the rope and suddenly the knot unraveled and it fell before them. Remla looked down at the rope, surprised.
"Real Elvish rope." Frodo smiled, amused.
Then they kept moving. Remla began to tire of the view of nothing but rocks. They kept walking until they finally reached a hill and they stood up high, looking across at the fires of Mordor.
"Mordor. The one place in Middle-earth we don't want to see any closer. It's the one place we're trying to get to. It's just where we can't get. Let's face it, Mr. Frodo, we're lost. I don't think Gandalf meant for us to come this way." Sam sighed.
Remla looked down, recalling the loss of Gandalf with sadness.
"He didn't mean for a lot of things to happen Sam, but they did." Frodo said quietly. He looked out at Mordor then panted and backed away, breathing heavily, frightened.
Remla glanced at him, feeling the strong power of the Ring.
"Mr Frodo?" Sam looked at him. "It's the Ring, isn't it?"
"It's getting heavier." Frodo breathed, clutching the Ring on a chain around his neck. He sat down and Remla lay down her Elvish cloak and pulled out her bag.
"What food have we got left?" Frodo asked. Remla looked around for any more scraps of nice, crispy bacon but she had only lembas which seemed to have been unspoiled by the waters of Anduin.
"Well, let me see." Sam pulled out a package of lembas wrapped in mellorn leaves from his bag. "Oh yes, lovely. Lembas bread. And look! More lembas bread."
Sam smiled, unwrapping the lembas. He broke off a piece and threw some to Frodo, chewing on some himself. Remla pulled out her own lembas, feeling that Frodo and Sam did not particularly enjoy her company. Probably because of the fact that they had expected to both go alone, Remla thought sadly. She started to feel that Galadriel's words had meant nothing.
It's not like I can be of any help, Remla thought bitterly. Me and my glass phial of…water.
"I don't usually hold with foreign food, but this Elvish stuff, it's not bad." Sam smiled.
"Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it Sam?" Frodo smiled. Sam smiled in return, looking out at the dark rain clouds approaching.
"Those rain clouds might." Sam said quietly.
Remla finished off her lembas, looking at the food left in her bag. Three more pieces. Remla uncovered a small pocket in her bag and buried the lembas in there, being cautious with her food. She actually felt worried that Sam would go looking for lembas to eat, as he seemed to have a huge appetite.
She looked up to see that Frodo and Sam were already walking down the rocks, huddling in their cloaks. Remla sighed and got up, following them slowly.
The rain fell quickly. The hobbits drew their cloaks around them and kept walking. The wind grew colder and Remla shivered as Sam stopped to look around.
"This looks strangely familiar." Sam said.
"It's because we've been here before!" Frodo cried, exasperated. "We're going in circles."
Remla groaned in disappointment, and all this time she thought they were getting closer to the marshes.
"Ah! What's that 'orrid stink? I warrant there's a nasty bog nearby. Can you smell it?" Sam asked, looking out around the misty rocks. Remla couldn't smell anything.
"Yes. I can smell it." Frodo walked over to Sam and his voice dropped to a whisper. "We're not alone."
"Not alone." Remla whispered, looking around them as if expecting something to move in the mists.
"What can we do Mr Frodo?" Sam asked quietly.
"We can wait." Frodo decided, a slight smile on his face.
The hobbits kept walking until they reached the base of a rock wall and Frodo began laying bedding down to sleep. Remla did the same, shivering in the cold. She grabbed some lembas and ate as the sky slowly darkened. Night fell quickly and soon Remla lay down to sleep, exhausted from all the walking, and fearful of what was following them.
"And we wants it!"
Remla jerked awake at the sound of a very unfamiliar voice and saw that Frodo and Sam had been wide awake, pretending to sleep as a thin creature descended at them, reaching for Frodo.
Remla stumbled up in fear and the creature was pulled off the rock by Frodo and Sam. It squealed and struggled, pushing Sam away and struggling out of their grip. Remla stood back, having no idea if she should help or not.
Sam ran at the thin creature but it knocked him back into a rock and pushed Frodo back. Frodo hit the ground and the Ring slid free into view. The creature's eyes widened when it saw the Ring and it leapt at Frodo.
"No!" Remla ran at the creature, drawing out her sword. The creature shrieked as Remla swung the sword and it stepped back, releasing Frodo. Remla kept swinging her sword but the creature jumped away and onto a rock. It jumped down on her and knocked her to the ground.
Remla fell onto the rock, surprised at the creature's reflexes and reached for her sword as the creature jumped at Frodo again.
Sam ran to the creature and grabbed it, lifting it away from Frodo. The creature struggled out of Sam's grip and bit his shoulder. Sam roared and the creature pulled Sam to the ground and tightened him in a death grip, choking him.
Frodo yelled and drew his sword, running at the creature. Remla breathed hard, getting to her feet and sheathing her sword.
"This is Sting. You've seen it before, haven't you….Gollum." Frodo said menacingly. Gollum. That was the creature that had been following us since Moria, Remla thought with surprise. And all this time, he had been following us.
"Yessss." Gollum hissed, its voice throaty.
"Release him or I'll cut your throat!" Frodo threatened. Gollum weakened his grip on Sam and Sam was free, getting up and glaring down at Gollum. Gollum began wailing loudly, its voice echoing around the rocks.
Sam pulled out his hithlain rope and angrily fastened it around the creature's neck. Gollum screeched and wailed, a prisoner of the hobbits.
"This'll make sure he doesn't get away." Sam grumbled, pulling Gollum along. They continued walking, no longer in silence as Gollum kept wailing and screeching loudly.
"It burns! It burns us! It freezes! Nasty Elves twisted it. Take it off us!" Gollum wailed, pulling at the rope. Remla looked back at it, the sun slowly rising and casting soft light over the pale creature as it writhed in pain.
"Quiet you!" Sam snapped, pulling at the rope. Gollum wailed and collapsed on the ground, rolling around.
Remla winced at its cries, worried that an Orc would hear them and find them, or that they would be ambushed at any moment.
"It's hopeless! Every Orc in Mordor's going to hear this racket! Let's just tie him up and leave him." Sam said in dismay to Frodo. Remla looked over at Gollum.
"No! That would kill us, kill us!" Gollum wailed.
"It's no more than you deserve!" Sam shouted at it.
"Maybe he does deserve to die." Frodo said quietly. "But now that I see him, I do pity him."
Remla glanced at him. How could he feel pity for this creature? It was evil; it would kill them to get the Ring!
"We be nice to them if they be nice to us. Take it off us. We swears to do what you wants. We swears!" Gollum begged.
"There's no promise you can make that I can trust." Frodo said.
"We swears to serve the master of the preciousss. We will swear on... on the precious!" Gollum coughed, making a throaty sound that sounded like it was saying its own name. Remla watched it in surprise.
"The Ring is treacherous. It will hold you to your word."
"Yes... on the preciousss. On the preciousss." Gollum crawled up to Frodo and looked at him hopefully.
"I don't believe you!" Sam shouted. Gollum backed away in fright, running for a rock and jumping on it.
"Get down! I said, get down!" Sam shouted, jerking the rope hard. Gollum fell back onto the ground, gasping for breath and reaching for its neck in pain.
"Sam!" Frodo shouted.
"He's trying to trick us! We let him go, he'll throttle us in our sleep!" Sam shouted back.
"Not if we keep him tied up." Remla suggested, but the hobbits continued on as if she had not said anything.
"You know the way to Mordor?" Frodo walked over to Gollum and it backed away.
"Yess." Gollum nodded warily.
"You've been there before?"
"Yes."
Frodo reached up and pulled off the rope around Gollum. It looked surprised, yet relieved.
"You will lead us to the Black Gate."
Gollum leaped ahead, running quickly. Remla followed quickly, her feet scraping against the rocks as she followed the creature through the twisting rock walls around them.
Even though she didn't completely trust Gollum, she was grateful that he was going to guide them to the Black Gate, and that they were no longer going to be wandering in circles and getting lost.
"Where'd he go?" Sam shouted. Remla stopped and looked around for the creature. Gollum turned back to look at them and screamed at them, running off.
"Hey! Come back now! Come back! There! What did I tell you? He's run off, the old villain. So much for his promises." Sam shouted, looking at Frodo in anger.
"This way hobbits!" Gollum appeared from behind a rock. "Follow me!"
Remla looked at it warily, but it was helping them, so she followed Gollum as they continued their way out of Emyn Muil.