The Lord of the Rings
The Two Towers
A Jessie Brown and Cassidy Evans Fan-fiction! J
Chapter 1
The Taming of Sméagol
"You cannot pass!" Gandalf yelled.
"Gandalf!" Frodo cried.
The balrog stood tall, covered in bright gold flames.
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor!" Gandalf continued in a loud voice. "The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun!" At this the balrog pulled out a sword, breathed in flame. It brought its sword down upon Gandalf, who blocked it with amazing strength. "Go back to the shadow!" Gandalf ordered. The balrog whipped its sword, turning it into a horse-whip, still made of fire.
"You shall not pass!" Gandalf yelled, his voice reaching its peak as he raised his staff. He placed on the bridge, sweat pouring down his face. He hadn't done anything this exciting for a long time. The balrog stepped forward, only to have the bridge break and fall. The fiery demand fell into the darkness. Gandalf sighed in relief and went to join his companions. That is until the balrog gave one last whip that wrapped around Gandalf's foot. He stumbled and hung over the edge. Hazel ran forward, making an attempt to save the wizard. But she felt Frodo's arm wrap around her, holding her back.
"Gandalf!" She cried helplessly. Gandalf struggled for a moment and looked at his friends.
"Fly you fools!" He said, and let go.
"Gandalf!" Hazel sat up and shouted, stirring Sam and Frodo from their sleep.
"What is it Miss Hazel?" Sam asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Nothing," Hazel said quickly and lay back down. "It was just a dream." But Hazel was still shaking, even after the next morning.
"Can you see the bottom?" Sam called.
"No," Frodo replied. "Don't look down Sam, just keep going!" Sam nodded nervously and continued to climb down the cliff. Hazel was the last climbing down, not fond of having to climb at all.
It had been at least three days sense the three hobbits separated from the group. Hazel tried not to think of her friends in any possible danger, especially her sister, Ruby. Hazel was pulled out of her thoughts when Sam's foot had slipped. He caught himself then quickly called out in panic.
"No, catch it Mr. Frodo! Catch it!" He cried. At this, Hazel finally dared to look down to see what Sam had dropped. It was a small wooden box, bouncing off the rocks. Frodo reached out and caught it with one hand, which would have been impressive if he had not slipped.
"Ah!"
"Frodo!" Sam and Hazel cried out needlessly, for the ground was not far away after all.
"I think I found the bottom." Frodo said. Sam and Hazel quickly scrambled after him.
"Bogs and rope and goodness knows what!" Sam muttered. "It not natural-none of it!" He continued as he helped Hazel down. Frodo examined the box Sam had misplaced.
"What's in this?" He asked, wondering why Sam had an emotional attachment to it.
"Nothing," Sam said, walking over to Frodo. Hazel came and stood beside Frodo, also examining the box. "Just a bit of seasoning," He continued. "I thought maybe if we was having a roast chicken one night."
"Seasoning?" Frodo asked, giving him a queer look.
"Roast chicken?" Hazel asked, giving him the same look.
Sam shrugged. "You never know."
"Oh Sam," Frodo smiled. "Our dear Sam." He opened the box and found a sight he hadn't seen for a long time.
"It's very special y'know," Sam continued. "It the finest salt in all the Shire!"
"It is special," Frodo agreed. "It's a little bit of home." He handed the box back to Sam. Hazel gave him a hug of gratitude, for bringing a bit of the Shire with them. Hazel wasn't sure if she even wanted to use it. Frodo walked over to the rope hanging from the cliff.
"We can't leave this here for someone to follow us down." Frodo said.
"Who's going to follow us down here Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked. Frodo knew the answer; he just didn't know how to answer, so he stayed silent.
"It's a shame really," Sam continued. "Lady Galadriel gave me that. Real elfish rope…" He walked toward the cliff, gripping the rope. "There's nothing for it, it's one of my knots," Sam said. "It won't come free in a hurry." He said, giving the rope a quick tug. With that, the rope quickly slipped and landed on the ground in front of them.
"Real elfish rope." Frodo repeated with a teasing smile on his face. But Hazel was not at all humored.
"I should have tied that knot!" Hazel said.
"What do you know about tying knots?!" Sam demanded as Hazel walked away. "Have you read about it?"
Hazel turned and gave Sam a dirty look.
"Sam," She said, trying to stay calm. "That is the most idiotic question you have ever asked me."
"She is right," Frodo agreed. "Very unnecessary."
Sam stood there examining the rope. Then it dawned on him.
"Real elfish rope!" He gasped.
"Don't feel too bad Sam." Hazel said. "Accidents happen."
"No," Sam said. "It did not fall by coincidence!"
"The rope might have broken," Hazel said. "Or frayed on the rock-edge, I expect."
"I bet it didn't," Sam said. "It doesn't look broken or frayed at all!"
"Then I'm afraid it must have been the knot." Hazel said.
Sam shook his head. "Have it your own way Miss Hazel. But I think it came off itself-when I called!"
Frodo smiled at the bickering cousins.
It was as if some things would never change, no matter how far they were from home.
~jb~
Of course the hobbits couldn't linger. They had to continue. The argument led on for another hour or so, and then all became silent as they walked on. Until Sam had stopped and gasped, looking at a red sky in the distance.
"Mordor," He breathed. "The one place in all the lands we don't want to see any closer. The one place we're trying to get to. The one place where just can't get." He turned around. "Let's face it Mr. Frodo, we're lost. I don't think Mr. Gandalf meant for us to come this way."
"Gandalf didn't mean for a lot of things to happen," Frodo replied. "But they did." He looked out into the red sky and gasped, a look of pain coming across his face.
He sat down on the rock, taking deep breaths.
"Frodo?" Hazel asked.
"It's the ring, isn't it?" Sam asked.
"It's getting heavy," He said, grasping his chest. He lifted his water bottle and took a drink.
"What food have we got left?" Frodo asked.
"Let me see," Sam settled himself on the ground and opened his pack. "Lembas bread." He said. He started looking through his pack. "And look! More lembas bread."
"Better than nothing," Hazel said. "Hand me two." Sam gave Hazel her request and she brought one of the leaf wraps over to Frodo. Then she sat on the ground by his feet, leaning against his legs.
"I'm not all for foreign food," Hazel said. "But this elfish stuff…it's not bad."
"Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it Hazel?" Frodo said, playing with her hair. Hazel smiled at him and looked off into the distance, catching a sight of dark clouds.
"Those storm clouds might." Hazel said.
"All right," Sam said. "Who's taking the first watch?"
"I am," Said Hazel.
"I am," Said Frodo.
"All right Frodo," Sam said. "Wake me up when it's my turn though."
"Hey!" Hazel cried. "What about me?!"
"What?" Sam asked.
"I spoke first-I'm taking the first watch!" Hazel declared.
"No," Frodo said. "One of us has to keep their strength up, might as well be you."
"No," Hazel said, standing up. "If any of us needs rest it's you!"
They glanced at each other for a long moment, hiding their argument from Sam.
"How about this," Sam proposed, standing up. "How about I take the first watch, and then I'll wake you up Hazel so you can take the second, how's that?"
"Not good," Hazel said. "You said that last night, and the night before."
"All right!" Frodo snapped, standing on his feet as well. "I will take the first watch, and Hazel, I will wake you up, I promise!"
Hazel turned to stare him in the eye, making sure he was telling the truth. She finally nodded her head, but she was very surprised. She sat down in shock and fear.
For once, they couldn't read each other.
~jb~
That night, Frodo waited and waited. The rain was pouring down on them. Even their small shelter wasn't keeping them dry. He looked up as he heard a strange growling from above him. He knew what it was, but he couldn't see it.
He went over to Hazel and shook her awake, unsure how she was able to sleep in the rain.
"It's your turn," He whispered. She sat up and stretched.
"Don't hesitate to wake Sam up when you feel tired." Frodo said. "And don't hesitate if something comes near, better safe than sorry."
~jb~
It was dry the next morning. They packed up and continued. The rocks seemed malicious as they walked on.
They walked on, surrounded by rocks.
They walked on, surrounded by rocks.
They walked on, surrounded by rocks.
If you are wondering why I'm writing this over and over, it's because that's how the hobbits felt. They felt like they had been in the same place, over and over. They walked on, surrounded by rocks.
"This looks strangely familiar," Sam said.
"It's because we've been here before!" Frodo exclaimed. "We're going in circles!"
"What is that horrid stink?" Hazel asked suddenly. "I wonder if there's a nasty bog nearby, can you smell it?"
"Yes," Frodo said. "I can smell it, we're not alone."
~jb~
That night, everyone slept with their heads to the cliff. Suddenly, a creature peered over, breathing strangely. He seized his moment of opportunity and crawled down the cliff, very insect-like.
"Thieves!" It growled. "They're thieves! They're fifthly little thieves! Where is it? Where is it? They stole it from us! My…Precious… Curse them! We hates them! It's ours it is! And we wants it!"
Frodo and Sam jumped up and seized the creature by the wrists. All three of them yelled out and woke Hazel.
"Hazel, get back!" Frodo ordered. Hazel obeyed and watched them as the creature wrestled Frodo for the ring. Sam tried to pull it away from Frodo, only to be kicked in the face and dazed. The creature jumped onto Frodo once more, and Hazel decided not to stand back and watch. She ran over and wrapped her arms around the creature's body and lifted him off of Frodo. But then the creature turned unexpectedly on Hazel, head-butting her, pulling her hair, and then biting her shoulder. She let out a cry and then fell to the ground. The creature wrapped an arm around her throat and both legs around her body.
Things would have been unfortunate for Hazel if she had been alone. But Frodo ran over and pulled back black strings that were once considered hair, making the creature's head roll back. Frodo put his sword under its throat.
"This is Sting." Frodo said. "You've seen it before, haven't you?" Frodo had never felt so angry in his life, and his patience was just about out. "Gollum," He growled. "Now release her, or you will feel it this time! Release her now, or I'll cut your throat!" Gollum was reluctant at first, but then he obeyed. Hazel quickly stood up and gasped for air.
Gollum let out a cry like a child, and he did so, even as Sam tied the rope around his neck and dragged him along.
"It burns!" He cried. "It burns us! It freezes us!" He grabbed onto rocks or any anchors he could find. "You twisted heads! Take it off us!"
"Quiet you!" Sam yelled.
"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Gollum threw back his head and hands and let out a cry.
"It's no use!" Hazel said. "Every orc in Mordor is going to hear this!"
"I think we should just tie him up and leave him!" Sam stated.
"No, no," Gollum cried. "That would kill us! Kill us!"
"It's no better than you deserve!" Sam said.
"Maybe he does deserve to die," Frodo said.
"But now that I see him," Hazel admitted. "I do pity him." Frodo looked at Hazel in surprise, in a mixture of her just being attacked by Gollum and also speaking Frodo's mind.
Gollum sat up. "We be nice to them if they be nice to us. Take it off us. We swears to do whatever you wants us…we swears!" He said, bowing his head to the ground.
"There's no promise you can make that I can trust." Frodo said firmly. "You attacked my friends and me."
Gollum lifted his head. "We swears," He said. "To serve the Master of the Precious…we swear on the…the…the Precious! Gollum! Gollum!"
"The ring is treacherous; it will hold you to your word." Frodo said.
"Yes," Gollum said. "On the Precious…" He crawled toward Frodo. "On the Precious…and we will not hurt the Mistress again…we swears!"
"I don't believe you!" Sam shouted, rushing at Gollum. The creature cowered away and made a run for it, only to be pulled down by the rope that held him.
"Sam!" Hazel cried.
"He's trying to trick us!" Sam said. "If we let him go he'll throttle us in our sleep!"
Frodo walked toward Gollum, who cowered in fear of being hurt any further. He knelt down in front of Gollum.
"You know the way to Mordor?" Frodo asked.
"Yes," Gollum hesitated.
"You've been there before?" Frodo asked.
Gollum hesitated again. "Yes,"
Frodo reached out and lifted the rope over Gollum's head.
"You will lead us to the Black Gate." Frodo said.
At that same second, Gollum took off while the hobbits followed. He glanced back a few times to see if they were still following. But Gollum started talking to himself again.
"To the gate, to the gate, to the gate, Master says."
"No! We can't go back, not there! Not to him! They can't make us! Gollum! Gollum!"
"But we swore to serve the Master and the Mistress of the Precious!"
"No! Ashes and dust and thirst there is, and pits, pits, pits! And orcses! Thousands of orcses! And the great eye always watching…watching! Raaaaaah!" He turned around and growled at the hobbits and ran off.
"Hey!" Sam yelled. "Come back now! Come back you!" He turned on Frodo. "There now, what did I tell you?! He's run off the old villain! So much for his promises!"
"This way, hobbits," Gollum said, peeking his head from behind a rock. "Follow me!"
Author's note: Yay! Book two is here! And I find it funny that Gollum calls Frodo and Hazel the Master and the Mistress of the Precious! Even he ships them! Anyways, leave a review, and let me know what you liked! ;)