"Well, what do you think?" Bingo asked the hobbits, curious. "The dwarves built this place shortly after the Doppelgangers came around. It's meant to be a refuge, in case they didn't find their hosts right away."
"Hosts?" Frodo asked, confused.
"The Doppelgangers have been here?" Pippin asked, looking around.
"Why yes, they were." Bingo faced them again. "It's a historic relic. It's meant to be the most secure area for Doppelgangers to the hideout." He admitted, pointing out the various tunnels along the chamber's outer walls. "These passages served me well, during the time when I was a Doppelganger." He shook his index finger in the air. "If my memory serves me right, we should be able to find what we need, before that mysterious man in shadows shows up."
"What's his business with you, anyway?" Frodo asked, following Bingo over to a bookcase.
"He's dangerous. He hates Doppelgangers!" Bingo hissed. "There's more than one. They call themselves the Shadow Rangers, because Doppelgangers move about in the shadows, sneaking up on their hosts until they die." He faced his younger brother, admitting truthfully. "I'm sorry I did that to you. Nearly killing you. I couldn't help it! That's what Doppelgangers do, Frodo! They wait until their host is out in the open, by themselves, and then they sneak up on them until the hosts meet their fate. I couldn't control myself. It's just how it works, I'm afraid."
He added, sincerely, "You have to understand that since I've been alive, all I've been trying to do is protect you." He shook his head. "I never want to be a Doppelganger again. I've risked too much coming back to this place! I'm not about to lose you now. If I have to lose my life to save yours, then I've done some good in this world."
"Bingo," Frodo asked, nervously, "who are these hosts that attract the Doppelgangers?"
"Usually, they're the twin of someone who died. In this case, you were my host. Since I was your Doppelganger, it felt it best to kill you. I almost succeeded!" Bingo shook his head. "I'm never doing that again, not if I go mad afterward." He shrugged. "It's better this way, that we find a cure for this bond before it kills us both." He added, remorseful, "I don't want you going through the same fate as me. It's not your time!"
"Alright." Frodo nodded. "Let's find this cure."
"Thank you." Bingo smiled, turning to the bookcase.
"You're welcome," Frodo said, joining him.
.
Frodo and his friends searched the room for hours. They hardly had any luck finding the cure. Maybe it wasn't in these books! Maybe it was elsewhere! Or maybe the cure wasn't there at all!
Either way, Frodo was exhausted. He sat down in front of the table, unsure where else to look. He closed his eyes, allowing sleep to overwhelm his thoughts. He descended into a strange dream, wondering how he got there in the first place.
Frodo wandered through the Royal Archives. The blue light from the silvery moon shone best in the center tunnel, across the room from the door leading into the archives. He followed this tunnel, coming across a strange room with a metal wheel and a stone well.
The next minute, he looked at himself and Bingo, performing a spell, causing a great light to appear in-between them. Frodo turned around, finding Sam, Merry, and Pippin watching the scene, enveloped by what they witnessed.
The light grew brighter, making it hard for Frodo to see what was happening. He looked up again at the red roses with their thorny green bushes. They grew here. They turned white. Could this room be enchanted?
Frodo stirred, unsure what was going on. He lifted his head up off the table, finding Bingo sitting next to him, watching him cautiously. Frodo nodded to him.
"It was just a dream." He yawned.
"What did you see? It might help us." Bingo said, curious.
"There was a room at the end of that tunnel," Frodo pointed out the center tunnel, bathed in the moonlight, "with a metal wheel and a well. I'm not sure what it means, but in the dream, you and I were standing across from each other. A brilliant flash of light showed up, and then the dream ended. I woke up." He added in surprise, "I can hardly believe it myself. If that room is real, then we must find it!"
"I'll be right back!" Bingo stood up. "I think I know which book we can use!" He rushed over to the bookcase and pulled out one of the thicker books. He returned to the table, setting the book down and flipping to the middle page. He looked up as Sam, Merry, and Pippin joined them, before speaking with Frodo again. "There! There are the fountain and the well, the well that you described in the dream! They're in a place called the Room of Dreams."
"How fitting," Pippin shrugged.
"What else does it say?" Merry asked Bingo, curious.
"It says here," Bingo read aloud, "that if the wheel is turned, the well and the fountain will start up. The fountain will let us," he pointed to himself and Frodo, "use its waters to create a severing charm or, if we're worthy, find a way to sever the bond without actually killing ourselves. There is a third way, which will dampen the bond, revert it to its original state. In other words, Frodo, we would still have the bond, but we would be allowed to lead separate lives." He looked at his younger brother with concern. "I wasn't sure which path you might take." He asked, sitting down, "What do you think?"
Frodo looked at the table, lost in thought. It was possible to sever this bond with Bingo, but what would that cost? Would they die? Would they still live? Severing the bond seemed a lot more painful than he thought, but dampening this bond sounded like the right decision. Frodo looked up at Bingo again, knowing which path to take.
"Let's revert the bond to its original state," Frodo answered, confident. "I think it's better than attempting to hurt ourselves. Besides, without the bond, we'd both be lost." He shook his head. "No. This is the right option."
"Good choice," Bingo smiled, patting his brother on the back. He stood up, encouraging Frodo and his friends, "Shall we go now? We don't want to risk getting caught." He grabbed the book before another word was spoken. "I'd best take this with me. You never know when we're going to need it, especially when we reach the Room of Dreams."
"Good idea," Frodo said, following his brother. He looked back to see Sam, Merry, and Pippin follow after him towards the center tunnel.
"Who do you think lives here?" Sam asked, when they reached the tunnel.
"Dwarves," Frodo answered with a warm smile.
"It's not too bad," Merry said, admitting freely.
"Trust me, Merry! Dampening the bond is a lot harder than it looks!" Bingo said, unwittingly.
"Well, let's hope this doesn't take too long. I'm starving." Pippin said, his stomach growled.
"We'll find food, Pippin," Merry said, clasping his shoulder. "Don't worry!"
Frodo looked at the archive room, the second the others walked down the tunnel. It would have been a shame to leave it behind. Still, he and his friends had no choice! They would have to go on. He turned now to the tunnel, descending further underground. The lit torches guided his and his friends' path, making it easier to see where they were going. As they left the tunnel and entered the next room, Frodo had this sinking feeling that everything was about to change.
*.*.*
Thanks for reading. :)