Author's Notes: I don't own anyone from Lord of the Rings. If I did Frodo wouldn't have gone on to the Grey Havens. Legolas would be teaching me how to use a bow and arrow. Aragorn and Arwen would have been married long before the Ring was found. I don't own any of the Inu-Yasha characters. If I did, Sesshomaru would be joining Legolas in teaching me how to use a sword. Enjoy.

Sorry about it taking so long to update but we've had to wait until my father-in-law to have surgery and my daughter is finishing school so I've been busy. Hopefully this summer will go fairly slowly but you never know what will happen as each day goes.


Realms of Middle Earth Part 2

By: Carey Ann Lupin

Chapter 1

What do we do now?

Frodo led Sango, Rin, and Sam up a hill that over looked Emyn Muil and along the horizon the fiery red of Mordor, home of Sauron. He looked over his shoulder at his three companions. "You can turn back now if you want. I won't blame you."

"We're in this with you, Frodo. You know you'll need me and Hiraikotsu if we are overtaken by Orcs." Sango gave Frodo a reassuring smile.

"And we made a promise to Gandalf, Mr. Frodo." Sam patted Rin's shoulder. "And we'll not be breaking it anytime soon."

Frodo smiled sadly. "I'm glad you guys are here." He turned back to face Emyn Muil before taking a deep breath and starting toward the maze of rocks and cliffs.

----

Sango looked down into the fog before looking up at Frodo, Rin and Sam. "I'm not sure how much farther down we have to go."

"Just keep going, Sango." Frodo slowly moved down to Elvish rope.

Sam groaned softly as he looked up at Rin making her way down the rope. "I hope we don't have to do anymore of this climbing." Suddenly a small box tumbled out of his pocket. "Oh no!" He stretched his hand out to catch it but it fell past his outstretched fingers. "Catch it!"

Frodo barely caught to box but he lost his hold on the rope. He started to fall and Sango caught him but by catching him she let go of the rope so that the two of them tumbled into the fog below.

Rin started to slide down the rope as Sam hurried to scramble down after their friends. "Frodo! Sango!"

Frodo and Sango looked up the rope and saw the other two hurrying down it. "Take it easy, guys. We just found the bottom."

Sam and Rin scurried down the rope to join the others at the bottom. "Are you guys okay?" Rin quickly ran her hands down Frodo's arms and legs to make sure nothing was broken. "Nothing broken. Thank goodness."

Sango frowned slightly. "I'd feel better if we weren't surrounded by these cliffs."

Sam looked toward the east where the sky seemed to be tinted permanently red. "Mordor. The one place in all the world no one wants to go, the one place we need to go, the one place we can't seem to get any closer." He turned to look at Frodo. "I don't this Mr. Gandalf meant for us to come this way, Mr. Frodo."

"He didn't mean for a lot of things to happen, Sam." Frodo looked down at the box in his hand. The same box he had saved for Sam. "What's this?"

"It's nothing. Just a bit of seasoning. I thought in case we were having roast chicken one night." Sam rubbed his neck slightly.

"Roast chicken!" Sango gave Sam a small smile. "If we find a chicken, we'll light a fire and roast it."

"Thanks, Ms. Sango." Sam gave her a bright smile before turning back to Frodo. "That's special seasoning, Mr. Frodo. It's the best salt in all the Shire."

"Yes, it is special, Sam. It's a bit of home." Frodo smiled slightly as he handed the small box back to Sam. He moved to the rope handing from the cliff above. "We can't leave this here for someone to follow us down."

"Lady Galadriel gave me that rope." Sam moved to stand beside Frodo. "It's real Elvish rope. Well, there's no help for it. It's one of my knots and it won't come undone easily." He tugged on the rope, which slowly untied.

Sango watched as the rope fell into a pile at Sam's feet. "Real Elvish rope. Guess that means that the one who tied it can untie it."

Sam took one last look up at the offending cliff before picking up the rope and checking it for any breaks as he wound it up again.

Rin looked up from her feet. "Mr. Sam, what do we have to eat?"

"Let me see." Sam sat on a rock and opened his pack. "Lembas, lembas, and oh yes, more lembas." Sam took out two of the packs of lembas and broke one in half. He tossed one half to Sango before handing the other half to Rin, who had moved to sit beside him. He broke the other lembas in half and tossed half to Frodo before eating his own. "You know I don't hold much to foreign food but this isn't half bad."

Rin smiled broadly before starting to eat. "When do you think we'll get out of this maze, Sango?"

"Soon, I hope." Sango looked around them. "The only problem is that I don't see a clear path out."

"Are you sure that Gandalf meant for us to come this way, Mr. Frodo?" Sam looked over at Frodo who was staring at his lembas.

"I don't think Gandalf meant for a lot of things, Sam." Frodo climbed to his feet before picking up his pack. "Shall we continue?"

Sango grabbed the pack that held her and Rin's things while Sam hurried to put everything away. Frodo started walking between the rocks not waiting for the others to follow him.

-----

Sam, Rin, Sango, and Frodo were asleep as a creature slowly moved down the rocks toward them. "They stole it from us. My precious." Rin's eyes were cracked open slightly as she watched the creature move toward Frodo. It looked a lot like a Hobbit except it was extremely thin. "Nasty little Hobbitses." The creature jumped toward Frodo. Sam, Rin, Frodo, and Sango jumped to their feet and grabbed the creature.

"I don't think so." Sango grabbed Gollum and flung him as far from Frodo as she could. "Rin, get Frodo out of here."

Gollum jumped to his feet and ran toward Frodo again as Sam tried to keep him away. Gollum merely jumped over Sam but he couldn't avoid Hiraikotsu as Sango swung it at his head. Gollum held his head for a minute before jumping toward Frodo once more. Sam and Rin tackled Gollum before he could reach Frodo. Gollum wrapped his legs around Sam and bit into his neck while Rin tried to pull Gollum off of Sam. Frodo pulled out his sword Sting and jumped over to Sam's side. He pressed the tip of Sting to Gollum's neck. "This is Sting. You've seen it before, haven't you,…Gollum? Release him go or I will cut your throat." Gollum tried to swallow as he slowly let go of Sam. Slowly tears started to form in his eyes.

"Gollum? The creature that Bilbo got the Ring from?" Rin watched Gollum for a moment.

"Yes. He's been following us since Moria." Frodo watched him for a moment.

Sam rubbed his neck as he watched Gollum. "I say he deserves to die."

"I agree. He'll just murder us in our sleep if we let him go." Sango's hand tightened slightly on the handle of Hiraikotsu as she glared at Gollum.

"Perhaps but now that I see him I do pity him." Frodo looked around the group. "I say we take him with us."

"If you want to." Sango stepped forward slightly as she held out a hand to Sam.

-----

The screaming could be heard for miles. Sam yanked on the rope that was wrapped around Gollum's neck making the pathetic creature stumble forward.

"It burns! It burns!" Gollum tried to pull the rope off of his neck. "Nasty elveses makes it."

"Quiet you!" Sango glared at Gollum who just started to scream even louder. "Every Orc in Mordor is going to hear him and come to investigate."

"I say we tie him up and leave him here." Sam yanked on the rope again.

"No! That would kill us!" Gollum turned his overly large blue eyes to Rin and Frodo. "Lets us go, nice Hobbit."

Sam stalked toward Gollum. "Stop looking at them!"

Gollum shrieked as he tried to scramble away from Sam. Sam yanked on the rope and pulled him down the rocky terrain. Rin rushed toward Sam and tried to pull the rope away from him. "Stop it, Mr. Sam."

"Rin, this thing will kill us in our sleep." Sango turned Rin to look her in the eyes. "Not everyone turns out to be kind under the rough surface like Sesshomaru. This creature has been under the influence of the Ring for centuries. He no longer has a heart."

Rin bowed her head slightly before jerking around to look at Frodo. "He's been to Mordor. I bet he knows a way through this maze."

"Yes! Yes, kind girl! We will shows you a way." Gollum reached out to touch Rin but Sam yanked on the rope.

"Stay away from her!" Sam stomped toward Gollum but Frodo stopped him.

"We swears to help Master. We swears it." Gollum cowered before Frodo.

Frodo looked down at Gollum. "There is nothing you can say that I can trust."

Gollum looked around quickly before his eyes fell on the Ring dangling from Frodo's neck. "We swears on the Precious."

Frodo's hand wrapped around the Ring hiding it from Gollum's view. "The Ring is treacherous. It will hold you to your word."

Sango laid a hand on Frodo's shoulder. "What's to say that he won't attack us once we're through this maze?"

Frodo turned back to look at Gollum who was looking hopeful. "He worships the Ring. He'll keep his word." He knelt before Frodo and slipped the rope form his neck. "You will take us to the Black Gate."

Gollum nodded slightly as Frodo climbed to his feet. Gollum looked around the group as they picked up their gear and cleaned up their campsite.

Sango bent slightly so that only Rin could hear her. "Keep an eye on Gollum. I don't trust him." Rin nodded as she shouldered her pack.

-----

Gollum darted through the maze looking for a way out. "To the Gate. The Gate." Gollum raced through the maze of razor sharp rocks completely ignoring the four people following him. "Master wants to go to the Black Gate." Suddenly it seemed like a completely different person was talking. "No. We's not going back." Gollum's face softened slightly as he clung to one of the rocks. "But we swore on the Precious." The sneer returned. "No! Ashes and dust there is. Pits and orcses. Thousands of orces and the great eye always watching." He buried his face into his hands as Frodo, Sango, Sam, and Rin stood near him. He looked up and screamed at them before hurrying off into the maze of rocks again.

Sam turned to look at Frodo. "What did I tell you? He left us here."

Gollum suddenly jumped up from behind one of the boulders. "Come on. This way. This way."

The group hurried to follow before he could disappear again.