The Kiss of Hope
A Frodo One-Shot for Emma Gawron
Emma heard Sméagol talking to himself once more. There was nothing unusual about that, so she tried to ignore him. She shifted her position, trying to become more comfortable. A rock jutted into her side. Annoyed, she returned to her previous position. Sméagol's conversation with himself became louder-loud enough for her to hear his plan to kill them. Emma was Samwise Gamgee's younger sister. They were a part of the Fellowship helping Frodo Baggins carry the One Ring into Mordor to cast it into the fires of Mount Doom.
Slowly, she sat up. Looking around, she saw her brother asleep a few feet from Frodo. Sméagol was staring into a pool of water never noticing that she was up. Emma crawled down from the rock she was sleeping upon to wake her brother up. Placing one hand upon his mouth, she used her other hand to gently shake him. He awoke immediately, startled. As soon as his eyes landed upon his sister, he calmed down and watched as she pointed at something, or someone. His eyes followed her finger until he saw Sméagol.
Sam listened to a small portion of his plotting before grabbing his miniature cauldron. Emma watched her brother stand up and carefully walk up to Sméagol. "You treacherous little toad!" Clang! Sam had hit the creature with the pot. Emma simply stood and watched her brother beat Sméagol. She only felt a twang of sympathy for him; she never fully trusted him and was eager to be rid of him as soon as possible.
"No Sam, leave him alone!" Frodo's voice cut through the air, making Emma jump. Sam stopped in his tracks as Sméagol cradled his wounded head. Frodo ran over to Sam wondering why Sam was beating Sméagol.
"I heard if from his own mouth; he means to murder us!" Sam yelled.
"Never! Sméagol wouldn't hurt a fly."
Emma jumped down from the ledge she was standing upon to aid her brother. "Frodo, I heard it to. Sméagol cannot be trusted."
Sméagol began to scream, "Ah! They are both horrid, fat, hobbits who hate Sméagol and who make up nasty lies!"
"You miserable little maggot! I stove your head in! Call me a liar? You're a liar!" Sam frantically yelled, charging at the creature.
There was no denying the facts-Sméagol was leading them to their deaths. Though, under the influence of the Ring, Frodo's common sense and judge of character became severely impaired. "Don't scare him off, we're lost!"
"Frodo!" Emma hollers, "We cannot wait around for him to kill us. He needs to leave."
Frodo turned his head to look at Emma. Her curly dirty blonde hair was in a tangled mess, her visage worn and tired, and her eyes full of fear. Still, he defended Sméagol. "We cannot do this alone, Emma, not without a guide." Emma sighed, defeated. Her brother put away his pot and issued out the lembas bread. There was nothing else they could do except move on, Emma feeling very hurt.
For the longest time, she had feelings towards Frodo, but she never knew what to make of them. He had always been kind to her, a trait most common among hobbits, so she never knew how he truly felt about her. Ever since Frodo had the Ring, his behavior changed drastically. Some nights, Emma would cry. Sam knew his sister fancied Frodo and often did his best to have Frodo notice her more. Nonetheless, he never took much of an interest in her-she was a friend and companion to him, much like Sam.
Hours later, they arrived at the Dead City. A green tint in the sky illuminated the dark tower that loomed above their heads. Emma felt cold and had an urge to flee the dismal place, yet she stood her ground. Sméagol jumped up and down like an excited puppy, leading them to a winding old staircase that jutted out of a wall of stone. Emma's stomach flipped, "You want us to climb this?"
Sméagol nodded, already making his way up. Emma glanced at her brother; he shook his head in disgust, but followed after Frodo who began to climb as well. The stone was damp and cold beneath her palms. She refused to look down to avoid getting vertigo, so she took deep breaths and steadily made her way up.
Their sense of time was obscured by a never ending darkness. Sitting down on a ledge to rest, neither of them could venture a guess as to how long they had been climbing. Sam proposed that they sleep for a few hours before finishing the climb. No one argued against it, so they drank some water and lay down.
For the second time, Emma was jolted awake. She heard Sam and Frodo yelling, Sméagol smirking in the background. Suddenly, Frodo collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Emma rushed over to him, her heart thudding wildly.
Emma kneeled before Frodo. "Are you all right?"
"No, he is not all right. He is exhausted." Sam said, holding back tears. Whatever happened while Emma was asleep took a great toll on him.
"What happened?" Emma asked, handing Frodo her canteen.
"Sméagol tried to frame me-he said that I ate all the food!" Sam said.
Emma reached for her brother's pack and rummaged through it. Inside, she found only the leaf wrappings for the bread. "Sméagol, what did you do with our food?"
"He did not do anything-he hates lembas bread." Frodo croaked.
Emma sighed, "Just because he hates it does not mean he did to touch it. For all we know, he could have tossed it off the cliff!" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sméagol's fake shocked reaction. At that moment, she knew that is exactly what he had done. Still, she could not convince Frodo otherwise. Even though Frodo was tired, the argument was intensified. Sam suggested carrying the Ring for a while, angering Frodo.
He bolted upright screaming, "Get away!" Frodo shoved Sam against the rocks. Emma shrieked, running to her brother.
"I don't want to keep it," Sam said, defensively.
"Frodo, he is only trying to help." Emma pleaded.
There was no use. Frodo's mind was twisted and he no longer believed them. Frodo told Sam to leave, startling Emma. She ardently battled with Frodo, but he insisted. Hot tears rolled down Sam's cheeks. "He doesn't want me anymore." He said to his sister as he gathered his belongings.
"Do not leave. You know he does not mean it-he is not himself."
"Stay with him. He cannot be left alone with that thing." Emma began to cry. "Sam, do not leave me here alone with them. You are supposed to protect me! How can you do that if you leave?"
"You heard him; he will not carry on with me around. He does not mind you, so you must stay." Sam stood up and placed the pack on his back. After, he stepped towards his sister. Cupping his hands under her chin, he gazed deep into her eyes. "He needs you, Emma. This is your time to shine. I have tried to protect him this far, and now it is your turn." With a long embrace, he left.
Emma continued to cry silently to herself. Frodo and Sméagol were several feet above her climbing. "Goodbye, brother." With that, she turned to begin her ascent.
The tunnel rank with the odor of decaying orcs, a smell that made Emma want to hurl. They were at the top of the stairs and Sméagol was trying to urge them forward. "Now that I am here, I do not think I want to." Frodo said.
Emma nodded, "Who knows what could be in there; it looks dangerous."
"There are no safe places here," Sméagol says, getting edgy. He then goes on to say, "It's the only way. Go in…or go back."
"I can't go back," Frodo says, taking a step into the pitch black tunnel. Emma remains hesitant, positive that Sméagol means to kill them in the tunnel. She glances at Sméagol, giving him an evil glare, before following Frodo.
When the entrance to the tunnel can no longer be seen, Emma begins to feel afraid. She cannot see anything; she can only hear. She uses her hands to feel her way around, calling out to Frodo, "Where are you?"
"I'm here, follow my voice." Frodo stands still, allowing Emma to catch up with him. When Emma finally finds him, he takes her by the hand. "Come, we must stay close."
Emma's heart leaps for joy at his touch, but she is still concerned for their well-being. They only walk several feet before they run into something sticky. "What is this?" Emma, asks, not really wanting to know.
"You'll see," Sméagol says, from a distance. Frodo leads Emma forward, not knowing where he is really going.
"Sméagol!" Frodo yells. No answer. "Sméagol!" Again, there was no answer.
"Sméagol!" Emma screams, her heart sinking.
"Sméagol. Sméagol!" The tunnel is silent, save for their yelling. Frodo begins to feel despair. "Emma, you and Sam were right."
Emma says nothing as Frodo hopelessly continues forward. He stops abruptly once his foot hit something. He looks down. Despite the fact that it was dark, they were sure he had stumbled across bones. They both try not to panic, but a noise from behind them causes them to start running.
For several minutes, they run, but to no avail. The sound is following them and they can never find a way out. Frodo suddenly trips and falls, sending Emma tumbling down after him. They land in a pile of bones topped with the sticky material. Frightened and weary, they lay there for a short while until Frodo wriggles and pulls out a glass vile. It was the light of Eärendil that Galadriel gave Frodo. He spoke in a language that Emma did not understand, the light bursting from the vile.
For the first time, they could see. The tunnel was littered with bones and webs. The noise they had been hearing came from behind them once more. Cautiously, Frodo turned around, Emma too scared to move. Frodo lets out a panicked exclamation. Emma grudgingly looks behind her to see the giant spider-like creature. It moves to attack them, but Frodo stands up in time, holding out the light. The spider yelps, stopping in her tracks. She places her legs in front of her eyes to try to block out the light.
Frodo grabs Emma and runs faster than before. Every few seconds, he would turn to shine the light at the creature, allowing them to gain more ground. For the third time, Frodo lost his balance and fell. The Spider used their blunder to her advantage. She walked over, her tender underbelly over them. Just when Emma thought they were done for, Frodo pulled out Sting and began hacking away at the beast.
The Spider dwindled back enough for them to get up and flee. Before long, they found a hole. Without thinking, they dove through, the spider unable to follow them. She gave up and began looking for another route to get to them. As they dove, Frodo dropped his light, but never goes back to get it. He drags Emma as they race through the cave. Soon, they see a light. They keep going. Frodo takes a quick look behind them and as he starts to look forward, Emma comes to a complete halt. The force from the stop tugged on Frodo's arm, hurting him. "Ouch!" He says no more once he sees why Emma had stopped. In front of them stood a wall of web waiting for them to become caught in.
The spider can be heard once again. Frodo takes his sword and starts to cut through the web. Their progress is slow and eventually they do become caught. Out of the darkness, they hear Sméagol chant, "Naughty little fly. Why does he cry? Caught in a web, soon you'll be…eaten!"
The spider was nearing them, angry that they had eluded her for so long. Frodo pushed forward with all his might. On the other side, they could see Sméagol, his face amazed and confused. He could not believe how they were able to escape Shelob, the giant spider. Before the spider could get to them, they made it out of the tunnel, sliding down a small ledge, Sting still caught in the web.
Sméagol was furious. He dived at Frodo, slamming his head against the rocks. "Got away did it, Precious. Not this time!"
Emma jumped Sméagol, pushing him off Frodo. Sméagol screamed as he viciously attacked Emma. She managed to hold him down for a while, but he weaseled his way out of her grip. He pushed her away and focused on Frodo, lunging forward. Frodo met him half way, and since he was heavier, had Sméagol knocked to the ground. With his hands around the creature's neck, Frodo began strangling him.
Never before had Emma seen Frodo beat Sméagol like this. The scene was odd to her and she hoped Frodo would kill him. Sméagol begged for his life saying that the Precious made him do it. Emma watched as Frodo calmed down and let go of him. "I have to destroy it." Frodo said, breathing heavily. "I have to destroy it for both our sakes."
Emma wished Frodo had held his tongue; Sméagol never knew the reason why Frodo was going to Mordor until then. Fury swelled inside Sméagol. He sprang forward, tackling Frodo. On the ground, Frodo was able to maneuver pushing Sméagol off him and down a steep hole. Shaking her head, Emma could not believe Sméagol was gone. She was proud of Frodo and helped him to his feet. He was panting and looked as though he were about to collapse. "Here," Emma handed him her canteen, "drink."
After he took a sip, he sat down. "Thanks." Emma placed the canteen to her lips, pouring the cool water down her parched throat. She wanted more, but forcibly placed the cap back on knowing she had to reserve what little water they had. As she put the canteen away, she felt Frodo's eyes upon her. Unsure what to do or say, she awkwardly stood against the stone wall.
"I should have listened to you and your brother. Sméagol was intending to have us killed." Frodo buried his head in his hands.
"Aye, but what is done is done." Emma said, trying to cheer him up, although her heart ached. She missed her brother and wished he was there with them.
"That does not make things all right. I pushed your brother away and now he is gone, separating you from him. I do not think I can ever forgive myself for that."
Emma gazed down at Frodo. His head was no longer in his hands, their eyes locking on one another's. "I am sorry, Emma. I have been a fool." His apology comforted Emma- Frodo was coming to his senses.
"Thank you, Frodo." Emma managed to crack a small smile. "Now, come, we should go. We must not linger here for too long." Emma pushed off against the rock and hands out her hand for Frodo to grab.
"You are right." He took her hand and as soon as he was up, he leaned forward, pressing his lips against Emma's.
The kiss caught Emma entirely off guard, but she quickly composed herself to enjoy it. She ignored their chapped lips, dirt, and smell, focusing only on their love. In that moment, she knew that no matter what, they had each other; whatever their future held, they were going to face it together as a couple.