Chapter 3: The Real Danger Is Finally Shown
When Robert saw the sign 'The Prancing Pony Inn', he entered the building and was quickly greeted by a fat man with a dark beard. "Good evening to you," said the man from behind the counter. "I'm Butterbur, the proprietor, how may I help you?" asked the innkeeper as the ex-CIA agent approached.
"I would like to have a room for few days, if it's possible," responded Robert quietly after considering the man's words for a few minutes.
"You are in luck. I happen to have four rooms available, Mister…?" replied the innkeeper, who was used to dealing with strangers.
"Fraser. My name is Robert Fraser," answered the young man.
"Very well. Have a nice stay, Mr. Fraser," declared the man as he gave the ex-CIA agent the key to his room.
Robert left the counter and went into the next room where people were talking animatedly and a fire was burning brightly in the fireplace. The secret agent took a seat at a vacant table. The innkeeper soon walked in carrying a tray with several pints of beer, he handed one to Robert and then hurriedly served the remaining ones to other guests.
The young man was deep in thought having decided that he would start his investigation the following morning. He then noticed that four little men had arrived and sat at a nearby table; two of them were amazed to see pints instead of the half pints they were accoustomed to. They happened to catch the young man's attention because they were small, about the same height as a dwarf.
They saw him and the oldest-looking member of their group asked the innkeeper, "Excuse me but can you tell me, who is that man at that table and the one in the corner?"
"His name is Robert Fraser and he has arrived only few minutes ago. The other man is one of the Rangers and in this village we know him as Strider," responded Butterbur before leaving them to their discussion.
"Robert Fraser and Strider," repeated the same Hobbit known as Frodo Baggins in a thoughtful tone. The four Halflings continued their discussion and ignored the other people.
Once he finished his beer, the young man decided he would like to take a hot bath before bed. It felt so good to wash all that dirt off after traveling for so many days in the wilderness. The water was hot and he found his bath to be very relaxing. When Robert finished, he slid under the clean white blankets and was glad to be sleeping on a comfortable bed instead of the hard ground like he did for two whole weeks. He fell into a deep sleep once his head touched the pillow.
The young man awoke the next morning, crawled out of bed and put on his clothes. When he finished dressing, Robert went downstairs to have breakfast. His meal consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage and cheese. He washed it down with a large cup of water before venturing into the village.
When the young man was done eating, he decided it was time to interrogate the people in the village about Sauron and the Nazgûls. He left the inn and walked through the village savoring the fresh morning air that blew up the hill. Robert then saw a merchant and approached him. "Good morning," said the ex-CIA agent in a courteous tone. "I was hoping that you could tell me what is happening in this region?" he asked.
The man looked at him for few moments pondering the question when he finally understood what this stranger wanted to know. "Good morning to you," greeted the man. "Things are not going well. Nine Black Riders have been seen all over town and I've been told that one of them had left two weeks ago. Seven days later, a strange lonely traveler arrived in the village and spent the night at the inn before heading north for some unknown business," responded the merchant.
"Was this guy taller than a normal man including the Black Riders?"asked Robert.
"Why do you want to know this information?" inquired the man.
"I just want to know about this traveler because I think that he may be linked to me," explained the young man.
"Very well. I will tell you everything I know about this lonely traveler. He was taller than any man that I have seen before including the ones that are watching the roads. He was dressed in black clothes and his boots were extremely pointy. He had a long sword attached to the belt around his waist and he wore a dark heavy hood that covered his face. None of his bodys features were visible and his voice was peculiar; it was a deep, menacing and sonorous tone," responded the merchant.
"It's Him," announced the secret agent in a grave tone.
"Who do you think that traveler was?" asked the man in a puzzled tone.
"It was Sauron, the Lord of Mordor," responded Robert.
"Ssh… not so loud! We do not say that name aloud nor to we talk about Him openly. Anyway, why would He dare leave His territory?" asked the merchant in a frightened tone.
"I'm sorry, I forgot that was something not talked about in conversation even with someone from Bree. I'm the reason for motivating the Enemy to travel outside His lands," responded the New Yorker.
"What would He want from a lonely unarmed man like you?" asked the merchant.
"If I knew that answer do you think that I would be here interrogating everybody in this village?" exclaimed the secret agent in an indignant tone.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just don't understand what interest the Dark Lord would have with you," replied the man.
"It's alright and I accept your appology. I have no idea why He is so concerned with me either. That's what I'm trying to discover," said the ex-CIA agent.
"I think that you should ask the Black Riders' friend that is still hiding himself in his home. You can't miss it because it's the last one in the village," informed the man in a thoughtful tone.
"Thanks for the information. I will pay this man a visit when I am done with everybody in the village," said Robert before leaving the merchant.
The young man returned to his business and spent the whole day trying to interrogate every person he saw in Bree but nobody was willing to answer his questions. After attempting to interrogate the last person, Robert decided to go to the house that the merchant told him about but he found it abandoned. Planks of wood were fixed to the windows with nails and the door was sealed shut. It reminded him of an old crime scene back on Earth.
The young man approached the door and pulled out his Colt 45 and started shooting the seal. The planks of wood were unable to resist the repetitive blasts from his gun as they fell in pieces to the ground. He put his weapon back into his pocket and entered the house. There were spiderwebs on the walls and a thick layer of dust on the floor that formed clouds with each step he took.
The secret agent explored every corner of that place when out of the blue he found a terrified man locked in a trunk. The New Yorker took out his knife and tried to unlock it. After few minutes, he undid the lock and he opened the trunk. The poor scared man was quite surprised to see him instead of the Black Riders.
"Thanks for rescuing me from this trunk! How can I ever repay you?'" asked the relieved captive. He was expecting to see the servants of the Dark Lord, not a man.
"It's nothing. Tell me why Sauron is interested in me and I will consider your information as my reward for saving you from your prison," responded his rescuer.
"The Nazgûl have imprisoned me here to make sure that I would never talk to anyone about their Master. He considers you a warrior and wants to have you as one of his minions. After I overheard that, I was discovered and captured by the Black Riders," said the man.
"He is wrong because I'm not who he thinks I am, for war is not my specialty. My job is to defend the world from bad guys like him and I prefer to do it in secret. It gives me great joy to empty the barrels of my gun into their heads," replied Robert in a firm tone.
"I wish I knew more about his dark plot but I don't. You may learn more if you go to the inn," said the man sadly.
"Thanks for the information you gave me. I will return to the Prancing Pony to interrogate the strangers I have seen there yesterday," replied the ex-CIA agent before leaving the inhabitant of the wooden house.
The young man, satisfied with the knowledge he acquired, left the house and walked in the direction of the inn. When he arrived, the place was packed with people again as Robert took a seat at a table and ordered his meal. His order was brought by the innkeeper a few minutes later and he began to eat.
While the secret agent was fulfilling his objectives in Bree, somewhere in the north, Sauron finally arrived to a secret hidden fortress where the Witch-King was awaiting him. When his horse stopped, he dismounted his steed and attached it to a tree trunk before entering through the gates.
"I'm glad to see that you have finally made it, Master," said the wraith, greeting the Dark Lord in an unearthly whisper.
"I have been delayed because of the weather. Now the time has come for you to know why I have summoned you here. As you know, I have a new plan because of this newcomer called Robert Fraser," stated Sauron.
"Please Master, tell me, what is this new plan?" asked the wraith.
"It is simple, Morgul. I want you to find this man and bring him to me in Barad-Dûr. I want to meet him face-to-face. Afterwards, I will use the key to release Melkor upon Middle-earth. This Mr. Fraser will be forced to bow down in front of him… only to become His first knight. I also need your help forging the infamous object that I will use in my new scheme," explained the Dark Lord to his deadly servant.
"Very well. I will do as you wish, Master," answered the Witch-King before bowing deeply to Sauron.
"Perfect. Now rise and follow me," ordered the evil Maia before walking in the direction of the forge.
Both Sauron and the wraith started to work when they arrived to that area. They wore heavy gloves to protect their hands against the burning flames. The Dark Lord busied himself with smithing the metal while the Witch-King chanted in the Black Speech. He was helping Saruon in creating the tool of His new evil plot by combining magic with Morgoth's essence that was contained in a little vial. They continued to work in secrecy as the Lord of Mordor laughed like the devil. He was pleased with what was currently happening at the moment.
Robert finished his meal and retreated to the little living room in order to think clearer about his enemy. He decided to try to penetrate the Dark Lord's thoughts again, judging that the time had now come for him to attempt it once more. The young man concentrated as he sat on the couch.. After a while, he closed his eyes and began to drift to sleep. The connection was made automatically and the ex-CIA agent heard the voice of his adversary in his mind for the second time.
''My plan has no flaws. Nobody will be able to stop me, not the Elves and certainly not Men. This time, all the powers of darkness will be unleashed upon Arda and this Mr. Fraser will face the great Dark Lord from ages past because he will be the only mortal to survive the attack!''
'So this is what you are thinking now bastard?' thought the New Yorker. 'Very well, continue to dream if you want and let me see what you are thinking in that evil mind of yours.'
"Mr. Fraser will soon join the Ring-bearer on his way to Rivendell to attend the secret Council of that son of a bitch. They won't get far before they are intercepted by the Nazgûls… because they will be waiting with a little surprise for them." Robert heard those words in his mind but suddenly, the voice stopped. A deadly silence came between them and that was not a good sign.
'That Sauron! He has broken the connection by himself!' That was the young man's first reaction but as he opened his eyes, he saw one of the strange little men staring at him. He fixed his blue eyes straight into Robert's green ones.
"Who or what are you?" asked the secret agent in a puzzled tone.
"I'm Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit from the Shire," responded the little man in a clear voice full of wisdom.
"Who are you?" asked another voice.
"I'm Robert Frazer, ex-CIA agent from the Earth and the new interest of the Dark Lord Sauron," announced the young man in response to the Ranger's question.
"I'm Strider and I'm their new guide. What were you trying to do?" asked the man as his eyes met Robert's gaze.
"I was trying to penetrate Sauron's mind in order to know what he is thinking when I was interrupted by Frodo's sudden arrival. He was so silent that I did not notice his presence until I opened my eyes," explained the secret agent.
"How are you be able to read his mind?" asked Strider.
"I already have made a profile of my enemy. I am able to analyze each detail carefully and with a great deal of concentration I'm able to see another's mind and how it functions. By doing this I can discover what the enemy has in store. It's something that I have been taught in my training back home on Earth," answered Robert.
After listening to him, Frodo and the Ranger understood that he was not from their world. Sam, Merry and Pippin arrived two minutes later carrying trays laden with food.
"We went to the kitchen and Mr. Butterbur prepared this food and drink for us to have for our supper," announced Pippin.
"I think that it's time for introductions," said Strider after introducing the ex-CIA agent to the Halflings. "This is Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took."
"I have been told by Tom Bombadil that there's a secret Council given by Elrond in Rivendell. I think that I will go there to get more information about Sauron," declared the young man.
The trays were placed on a table. There was an assortment of food prepared for all of them, courtesy of the innkeeper.
"The Black Riders are watching the roads. How will you reach Rivendell unnoticed?" asked Merry.
"They were already watching the roads when I left Tom's home in the Old Forest. I have by-passed them easily before by hiding in the bushes. I will do the same until I reach the famous Elven valley," responded Robert.
"The road from Bree to Rivendell does not always have vegetation in which one can hide," warned the Ranger.
"I have a better idea. You can travel with us if you want," offered Frodo in a gentle tone. "That way you will be able to reach the House of Elrond unharmed because Strider seems to know the road like the back of his hand."
"I have no objection to a bit of company during the journey though I have traveled alone from my friend's home to here. And I can tell you honestly that it was a bitter time because of the wraiths constant presence. I accept your offer with pleasure," declared the young man with a smile to the Hobbit.
"I'm pleased that you are accepting my offer but I have to warn you that I carry something that is extremely dangerous with me," said Frodo in a grave tone. He pulled out a gold ring from one of his pockets.
The secret agent glanced at it, as it caught his attention. "Does it belong to the Dark Lord?" he asked.
"Unfortunately. This is the One Ring and he wants to retrieve it because the Lord of Mordor is its original creator," responded Frodo in a gloomy tone.
The young man swallowed hard as he digested this new information. "Shit! Those nasty Nazgûls have yet another reason to pursue us!" exclaimed Robert. "This time, those wraiths are going to eat bullets from my guns because I'm going to show them what's on my mind!" he added in a fierce and determined tone, pushed by his hatred.
"Be at ease. They are not going to attack an inn filled with lights because their domain is darkness. You should try to sleep but it will be wisest to do it here instead of going to our rooms," declared the Ranger.
They all agreed. They ate all the food that the Hobbits brought in and drained their cups of beer. Once they were done, Merry with the help of Sam took the empty trays back to the kitchen. They returned back to the little living room a few minutes later to help the others prepare the room for the night.
Bedrolls were placed on the floor, the couch was pushed against the door and the window was closed to ensure everybody's security. Wood was put in the fireplace and the fire revived before the candles were blown out. Once everything was done, they all went to sleep while the Ranger sat on one couch and Robert sat on the other one. They were both keeping watch as the four Halflings were now asleep on their bedrolls. After a while, the two men fell asleep too. The room had fallen into a complete silence broken only by the cracking sounds from the burning flames in the fireplace.