Ch 3 Amon Sûl
They walked. And walked. And walked some more. At the end of the day Kylie couldn't walk another step. She was exhausted.
"Have you ever walked like this before?" asked Merry, or was it Pippin? She still couldn't tell the difference.
"Maybe at like the mall."
"What's a mall?"
"Never mind."
The next day was about the same, except she tried to make conversation with the five others. But they seemed very uninterested in talking. Wait, that wasn't the right phrase for it. They were very intent on not being seen or heard. Kylie had a strange feeling there was something about this hike they were not telling her.
The day after that she looked up to see a strange hill, with a stone structure on top.
"Weathertop, and the watch tower of Amon Sûl," said Strider, almost reverently, "We will camp here tonight."
"Do we have to?" asked Kylie, "This place is kind of creepy."
"It's old," said Strider, "but it is sturdy. We should be able to see anyone coming from here." This was directed mostly to the hobbits, but it disturbed Kylie quite a bit.
"Who would we need to see?" she asked. Nobody answered.
They went into a small cave on the side of the cliff. Strider took Frodo and Merry to the top of the tower. Kylie stayed with Sam and Pippin.
"So, what is it like? Your home?" she asked.
Both hobbits looked at her. "What do you mean?" they asked.
"What's it like there? Is everybody as short as… I mean… your height?" she asked.
Frodo snorted.
"Well," said Sam, "we come from the Shire. Hobbiton, in the Shire, if you take my meaning. There are hobbits everywhere. It's very green there. I have yet to see a greener place in our travels."
Kylie nodded. "What are your houses like?" She asked, just trying to make more small talk.
"We live in hobbit holes underground," said Pippin.
"Holes?" the girl gaped.
"All big people react like that," said Sam.
"It's just that… I mean, holes? That can't be comfortable!"
"Well, they're as comfortable as them halls in Rivendell I'll warrant," said Sam, "after all this if over, how about you come back with us and see the Shire? Mr. Frodo there, he lives in Buckland now, but I imagine that you can still visit once this is all over."
"We'll see," said Kylie vaguely.
At that moment Strider, Frodo, and Merry rushed in. "They've seen us! They know we're here!" panted Merry.
All the hobbits faces turned pale. Kylie was confused. At first she was just mildly amused, but then she got a little scared. "Who? What are you talking about?"
"Long story," panted Frodo.
"Well you'd better think of a short version if I'm going to get in trouble for being with you guys," said Kylie. She was starting to get really afraid. And the fear was causing her anger to stir up.
The hobbits all exchanged a look, then Frodo stepped forward. "My name is not Frodo Underhill. My name is Baggins. Does that mean anything to you?" asked Frodo. When Kylie shook her head, he continued. "These Black Riders have been chasing me, ever since I left home. They're searching for me. They…"
"Mr. Frodo has this ring, see, and the Black Riders, well, they want it," finished Sam.
"Sam!" said Frodo.
"I'm sorry, sir, it's just that I imagine she deserves to hear the truth."
"Thank you Sam!" said Kylie, "But if that's it... I mean... it's just a ring. Why don't you just give it back?"
"It is not a normal ring, Kylie," said Frodo urgently. "It is a ring of power. The Black Riders… their master wants it. It is his ring. All he needs is this ring, and he will rule all of Middle Earth."
Frodo drew a chain around his neck and showed the girl this ring. It didn't look like much, just like an average wedding ring. What was so special about this?
"How? Why would a ring help him?" asked Kylie.
"The ring is his greatest source of power. When he made it, he put his very life, his very self into it. He fell long ago, but he has come back. Right now, he has no body. But if he obtained this ring again, he could once again try to cover all of Middle Earth in darkness," said Frodo quietly.
"Darkness?" asked Kylie.
Frodo nodded.
"Pure, essential evil," clarified Strider. "He loathes all races. He would rather see us enchained and mutilated than free. The wrath of Sauron knows no bounds."
It took a minute to sink in, but then the wrath of Kylie broke loose. "Why didn't you tell me this a little sooner?" she screamed.
"We didn't know if we can trust you. The enemy has spies…"
"Oh," said Kylie sarcastically, "so now that we're all about to be killed or something, now you decide to tell me? You couldn't have even told me that someone freaky was following you…"
A high-pitched, inhuman scream filled the camp.
"They're here!" cried Pippin.
"Swords!" cried Merry, "Grab one!"
"Where's Strider?" asked Sam.
"It does not matter, Sam," said Frodo as he reached for a sword.
The rest of the hobbits grabbed their swords, leaving the human unarmed. "Well thanks!" she cried as she ran for her bag. Kylie knew there was nothing especially useful in there, but even her tennis racket would be better than nothing.
To her shock, the racket wasn't there. There were a lot of odd things in her bag, most that she knew she might need for a tennis tournament. But it was the thing on the top that caught her eye. "What's this?" she asked herself. She picked it up. A flamethrower? Well she certainly hadn't put that in her bag this morning.
"Maybe?" she muttered, examining the foreign object.
"Go, go now!" cried Frodo, drawing his little sword.
All five being ran up to the very top of the hill, onto the old watchtower itself. Kylie shivered, as it seemed to get very cold very fast. Everyone seemed to be getting in positions to protect Frodo. It made sense. If these men were after the ring, then they would go for him first.
A/N: If you have/have not noticed, I've been going back to edit some of the first chapters. Mostly, because they were originally written so long ago and I know I've gotten much better. Some of the jokes I tried were pretty bad, and honestly sometimes it was painful for me to read. So enjoy, and keep reading the later editions! And please review!