DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely nothing!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!
:: The Black Riders::
"Frodo?!"
The tiny hobbits were too short for me to see above the cornstalks and I knew that he had gotten ahead of us somehow.
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam called from behind me.
The curly-haired hobbit popped his head out of one of the paths.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Frodo, we were worried that you had gotten lost," I put simply.
"You guys would never lose me . . . Besides what could happen out here--?"
Suddenly, two figures crashed through the path and nearly tripped over Frodo entirely. There a was a cry of surprise and a grunt as the hobbit was tackled.
"Look Merry! It's Frodo Baggins!" Pippin cried happily.
"Hello, Frodo!"
I picked up an item that the two troublemakers and dropped. I stared at the vegetable suspiciously, "Have you tow been into Farmer Maggot's crops?"
They didn't have time to answer, however, as an angry cry rang over the field. A pitch fork bobbed above the cornstalks as the farmer raced towards us.
"Run!" Merry cried.
In one swift motion, we all sprinted off through the field with Farmer Maggot racing after us. Merry and Pippin began listing off the crops they had stolen the days before. I shook my head playfully. Could they go one day without getting into trouble? Wait . . . no they couldn't.
I stopped suddenly as I came to a ledge. Someone behind me must have not seen it, because the last person stumbled and pushed us all over.
We tumbled down the slope and several times, I felt either a rock or a stick poking into my back.
Then, the ground disappeared from below me and I fell to the ground. Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin fell too, and landed on top of me.
I groaned and pushed them off, "Thanks a lot you two," I said slightly sarcastically as I dusted myself off, "Where are we . . .?" I sighed heavily, "We're back on the road . . ."
"Isn't that where you want to be?" Merry asked, "Besides, it's a shortcut . . ."
"A shortcut to what?" Sam asked irritably.
"Mushrooms!" Pippin cried suddenly.
The hobbits stumbled over one another towards a small pile of mushrooms on the side of the road. They picked them greedily, but Frodo had no interest in them; instead, he looked cautiously on either end of the path.
"Frodo?" I asked, "What is it?"
"I think we should get off the road," he said.
"Why--?" but I was cut off suddenly. A screech like nothing I had ever heard howled with the wind across the road. It sent a chill down my spine and caused my skin to pale.
"Get off the road!" the hobbit cried, "Quick!"
The four hobbits and I jumped off into a ditch on one side. They huddled together beneath a pile of tree roots and I behind the massive tree itself.
And we waited.
It was as if the very forest had grown silent. The wind did not stir and the birds did not sing. The world was holding its breath. The hobbits—that had been looking through their bag of mushrooms—grew silent and pale.
My heart wrenched up through my throat and its pace quickened. Sweat perspired off my brow and I clenched my fists in anticipation.
Then, a steady clopping of hooves padded along the path and its whinny echoed in the silence. A rider, clad in black like the night itself, came into view. The metal gloves he wore gripped at the reins and his iron-toed boots dug into the horse's sides. The steed was as black midnight and eyes and red as flame. It looked as if death himself had come to claim us.
The Rider turned his neck slowly, searching for me and my companions.
He dismounted, his boots pounding on the earth. The creature of the night suddenly gripped the roots where the hobbits sat just beneath.
Oh, Gods, don't let him see; don't let him find them!
The Black Rider sniffed the air, as if searching for more than just the scent of hobbits . . .
I looked down at them. All of them terrified and white as moonlight. Frodo looked as if he were in pain; his eyes rolled into his head and his hand . . . oh, gods, no . . . his hand held the One Ring; poised and ready to be placed on his finger.
Desperately, I looked at my hand; at my glove. Was this a time I could use Narulin? I stared back at the Halflings. It didn't matter now; they needed my help . . . and I couldn't let Frodo put on the Ring.
I ripped off my glove and stepped out from my hiding place, the pearl-white ring shining in the gloom.
"Este lin glorfindel lunia ni!!" I cried at the beast.
A light like the sun enveloped the surrounding areas. The Black Rider screamed and shielded his eyes from the light. Frodo and the others stared awe-struck at the sight.
"Go!" I commanded, "Make for Bree, now!!"
They took a final glance at me before ducking out from beneath their hiding place and dodged around me, Frodo, however stayed behind; his eyes wide in awe.
"By the gods, go!!" I cried in frustration. The hobbit watched me before his senses came back to him; he ran after his companions and away from the beast that rode with the shadows.
"What about you?!" he called.
"I'll meet you there! Now go!!"
I heard him crash through the brush and away from the light. I heard also the galloping of a horse. Did the Black Rider leave, then? Or did his steed run in fear? I couldn't bring myself to dim the light of Narulin in fear that the Rider's faceless head would be before me. I glanced behind my back. Oh gods, let the hobbits be far enough away!
"HADRANIN!" I cried and immediately the light diminished. I did not wait to see where the Rider had gone, or if it was in front of me; no, instead, I ran as if death was licking at my heels.
------
"Frodo!" I hissed.
The four hobbits turned as I caught up to them when the sun began to set. Each one of them looked pale and shaken from the encounter with the demon. I leaned up against a tree to catch my breath. Gods, it didn't pay to be half human.
"Kaye! What happened?" Merry asked, "Where did that thing go?!"
I shook my head; "I don't know . . . I ran as soon as I . . ." I stopped and glanced down at my exposed hand. I flushed seeing as it was my left glove so that I could clearly see Narulin. Quickly, I ripped off part of my cloak and wrapped it around my hand.
"Come on," I continued, skipping the subject, "There'll be more of those beasts on our tail if we don't hurry . . ."
"More?" Sam repeated in horror.
"But how will we get to Bree?" Frodo asked, "If all the roads are crawling with those things?"
Merry looked around the group, "Buckleberry Ferry."
Together, we nodded. Anything would be better than encountering another of those Black Riders and we didn't have any other choice. So the group made their way through the bleak dim of the forest.
Night soon envelope the woods and we were thrown into darkness.
But I knew that it was not the last of the riders we had seen. No, the foulness in the air made sure of that.
Suddenly, we stopped to catch our breath and hid behind the safety of the trees.
Merry walked up to Frodo; his expression grave, "That Black Rider was looking for something . . . Frodo? . . . Kaye?" he asked turning to me. But before either of us could respond, Pippin cried out.
"Get down!"
Immediately, we fell to the ground and looked up to see what the hobbit had seen. And as we watched, a shadow passed through the trees; atop of a steed with fiery red eyes sat glaring at us. I felt the hobbit's freeze beside me as the Rider sent a chill through the air.
But then, he trotted back into the darkness.
"Go!" I hissed and stood, "We have to go now!"
As I began to run, the hobbits followed hurriedly, running as far away from the beast as they could. I dodged between trees, trying to shake off any other Riders on our tail.
Suddenly, a Rider leaped out from behind an upcoming tree. His steed towered above the tiny hobbits; making it liable for them to get crushed. But the Black Rider paid no attention to them; instead, his angry fury was focused on me. Only I, however, could hear its horrid voice hissing from within.
"Light Bearer . . ." it hissed menacingly.
"Lunia ni!!" I cried without listening to them. And from within my covering around my hand, the same light began to shine once more. The Black Rider screeched and backed his horse away.
"Come on!" I yelled and continued running. The hobbits followed quickly behind me; taking advantage of the Rider's confusion. Narulin continued to glow as I ran.
Pippin and Merry shouted directions to me from behind.
"Left!" Merry cried, "LEFT!"
"Okay! Okay!" I yelled over my shoulder and quickened my pace. The Rider was behind us now; the galloping hooves of the night pounding after us.
Then, we broke through the last of the trees. A river bank and a dock housed a small raft next to a tiny cottage. Together, we ran down the path towards the fence guarding the riverbank and one by one hopped over it. And one by one, we jumped onto the raft.
"Where's Frodo?!" I cried in distress.
I turned and stared in horror as the hobbit stumped along the path . . .
The Black Rider following close behind.
(for my cuzin's sake: dun dun dunnnnnnnnn)
But the raft was already pushing off and Frodo was still a ways off.
"Frodo!"
I raised my hand above my head.
"Bren nin le tu re kel!"
The Black Rider suddenly stopped, its steed's hooves paralyzed by the sudden force that emitted from Narulin. Its horse whinnied at the shield; allowing Frodo to race across the path. I wasn't able to hold it up for long, though, and the horse sprinted after the hobbit once more.
"Frodo!" we cried in unison.
The hobbit raced across the dock and with a final burst of strength, he leapt onto the now moving raft. Three of us caught him as he fell.
We all looked up and watched as the Black Rider backed away and regrouped with five more of his companions . . . all dressed in a deathly black.
"How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo asked wide-eyed.
"Brandywine Bridge," Merry said as he began to steer down the river, "Twenty miles . . ."
hope you all enjoyed chappie numero 4!! Gomen Ja'ne!
:: The Black Riders::
"Frodo?!"
The tiny hobbits were too short for me to see above the cornstalks and I knew that he had gotten ahead of us somehow.
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam called from behind me.
The curly-haired hobbit popped his head out of one of the paths.
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Frodo, we were worried that you had gotten lost," I put simply.
"You guys would never lose me . . . Besides what could happen out here--?"
Suddenly, two figures crashed through the path and nearly tripped over Frodo entirely. There a was a cry of surprise and a grunt as the hobbit was tackled.
"Look Merry! It's Frodo Baggins!" Pippin cried happily.
"Hello, Frodo!"
I picked up an item that the two troublemakers and dropped. I stared at the vegetable suspiciously, "Have you tow been into Farmer Maggot's crops?"
They didn't have time to answer, however, as an angry cry rang over the field. A pitch fork bobbed above the cornstalks as the farmer raced towards us.
"Run!" Merry cried.
In one swift motion, we all sprinted off through the field with Farmer Maggot racing after us. Merry and Pippin began listing off the crops they had stolen the days before. I shook my head playfully. Could they go one day without getting into trouble? Wait . . . no they couldn't.
I stopped suddenly as I came to a ledge. Someone behind me must have not seen it, because the last person stumbled and pushed us all over.
We tumbled down the slope and several times, I felt either a rock or a stick poking into my back.
Then, the ground disappeared from below me and I fell to the ground. Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin fell too, and landed on top of me.
I groaned and pushed them off, "Thanks a lot you two," I said slightly sarcastically as I dusted myself off, "Where are we . . .?" I sighed heavily, "We're back on the road . . ."
"Isn't that where you want to be?" Merry asked, "Besides, it's a shortcut . . ."
"A shortcut to what?" Sam asked irritably.
"Mushrooms!" Pippin cried suddenly.
The hobbits stumbled over one another towards a small pile of mushrooms on the side of the road. They picked them greedily, but Frodo had no interest in them; instead, he looked cautiously on either end of the path.
"Frodo?" I asked, "What is it?"
"I think we should get off the road," he said.
"Why--?" but I was cut off suddenly. A screech like nothing I had ever heard howled with the wind across the road. It sent a chill down my spine and caused my skin to pale.
"Get off the road!" the hobbit cried, "Quick!"
The four hobbits and I jumped off into a ditch on one side. They huddled together beneath a pile of tree roots and I behind the massive tree itself.
And we waited.
It was as if the very forest had grown silent. The wind did not stir and the birds did not sing. The world was holding its breath. The hobbits—that had been looking through their bag of mushrooms—grew silent and pale.
My heart wrenched up through my throat and its pace quickened. Sweat perspired off my brow and I clenched my fists in anticipation.
Then, a steady clopping of hooves padded along the path and its whinny echoed in the silence. A rider, clad in black like the night itself, came into view. The metal gloves he wore gripped at the reins and his iron-toed boots dug into the horse's sides. The steed was as black midnight and eyes and red as flame. It looked as if death himself had come to claim us.
The Rider turned his neck slowly, searching for me and my companions.
He dismounted, his boots pounding on the earth. The creature of the night suddenly gripped the roots where the hobbits sat just beneath.
Oh, Gods, don't let him see; don't let him find them!
The Black Rider sniffed the air, as if searching for more than just the scent of hobbits . . .
I looked down at them. All of them terrified and white as moonlight. Frodo looked as if he were in pain; his eyes rolled into his head and his hand . . . oh, gods, no . . . his hand held the One Ring; poised and ready to be placed on his finger.
Desperately, I looked at my hand; at my glove. Was this a time I could use Narulin? I stared back at the Halflings. It didn't matter now; they needed my help . . . and I couldn't let Frodo put on the Ring.
I ripped off my glove and stepped out from my hiding place, the pearl-white ring shining in the gloom.
"Este lin glorfindel lunia ni!!" I cried at the beast.
A light like the sun enveloped the surrounding areas. The Black Rider screamed and shielded his eyes from the light. Frodo and the others stared awe-struck at the sight.
"Go!" I commanded, "Make for Bree, now!!"
They took a final glance at me before ducking out from beneath their hiding place and dodged around me, Frodo, however stayed behind; his eyes wide in awe.
"By the gods, go!!" I cried in frustration. The hobbit watched me before his senses came back to him; he ran after his companions and away from the beast that rode with the shadows.
"What about you?!" he called.
"I'll meet you there! Now go!!"
I heard him crash through the brush and away from the light. I heard also the galloping of a horse. Did the Black Rider leave, then? Or did his steed run in fear? I couldn't bring myself to dim the light of Narulin in fear that the Rider's faceless head would be before me. I glanced behind my back. Oh gods, let the hobbits be far enough away!
"HADRANIN!" I cried and immediately the light diminished. I did not wait to see where the Rider had gone, or if it was in front of me; no, instead, I ran as if death was licking at my heels.
------
"Frodo!" I hissed.
The four hobbits turned as I caught up to them when the sun began to set. Each one of them looked pale and shaken from the encounter with the demon. I leaned up against a tree to catch my breath. Gods, it didn't pay to be half human.
"Kaye! What happened?" Merry asked, "Where did that thing go?!"
I shook my head; "I don't know . . . I ran as soon as I . . ." I stopped and glanced down at my exposed hand. I flushed seeing as it was my left glove so that I could clearly see Narulin. Quickly, I ripped off part of my cloak and wrapped it around my hand.
"Come on," I continued, skipping the subject, "There'll be more of those beasts on our tail if we don't hurry . . ."
"More?" Sam repeated in horror.
"But how will we get to Bree?" Frodo asked, "If all the roads are crawling with those things?"
Merry looked around the group, "Buckleberry Ferry."
Together, we nodded. Anything would be better than encountering another of those Black Riders and we didn't have any other choice. So the group made their way through the bleak dim of the forest.
Night soon envelope the woods and we were thrown into darkness.
But I knew that it was not the last of the riders we had seen. No, the foulness in the air made sure of that.
Suddenly, we stopped to catch our breath and hid behind the safety of the trees.
Merry walked up to Frodo; his expression grave, "That Black Rider was looking for something . . . Frodo? . . . Kaye?" he asked turning to me. But before either of us could respond, Pippin cried out.
"Get down!"
Immediately, we fell to the ground and looked up to see what the hobbit had seen. And as we watched, a shadow passed through the trees; atop of a steed with fiery red eyes sat glaring at us. I felt the hobbit's freeze beside me as the Rider sent a chill through the air.
But then, he trotted back into the darkness.
"Go!" I hissed and stood, "We have to go now!"
As I began to run, the hobbits followed hurriedly, running as far away from the beast as they could. I dodged between trees, trying to shake off any other Riders on our tail.
Suddenly, a Rider leaped out from behind an upcoming tree. His steed towered above the tiny hobbits; making it liable for them to get crushed. But the Black Rider paid no attention to them; instead, his angry fury was focused on me. Only I, however, could hear its horrid voice hissing from within.
"Light Bearer . . ." it hissed menacingly.
"Lunia ni!!" I cried without listening to them. And from within my covering around my hand, the same light began to shine once more. The Black Rider screeched and backed his horse away.
"Come on!" I yelled and continued running. The hobbits followed quickly behind me; taking advantage of the Rider's confusion. Narulin continued to glow as I ran.
Pippin and Merry shouted directions to me from behind.
"Left!" Merry cried, "LEFT!"
"Okay! Okay!" I yelled over my shoulder and quickened my pace. The Rider was behind us now; the galloping hooves of the night pounding after us.
Then, we broke through the last of the trees. A river bank and a dock housed a small raft next to a tiny cottage. Together, we ran down the path towards the fence guarding the riverbank and one by one hopped over it. And one by one, we jumped onto the raft.
"Where's Frodo?!" I cried in distress.
I turned and stared in horror as the hobbit stumped along the path . . .
The Black Rider following close behind.
(for my cuzin's sake: dun dun dunnnnnnnnn)
But the raft was already pushing off and Frodo was still a ways off.
"Frodo!"
I raised my hand above my head.
"Bren nin le tu re kel!"
The Black Rider suddenly stopped, its steed's hooves paralyzed by the sudden force that emitted from Narulin. Its horse whinnied at the shield; allowing Frodo to race across the path. I wasn't able to hold it up for long, though, and the horse sprinted after the hobbit once more.
"Frodo!" we cried in unison.
The hobbit raced across the dock and with a final burst of strength, he leapt onto the now moving raft. Three of us caught him as he fell.
We all looked up and watched as the Black Rider backed away and regrouped with five more of his companions . . . all dressed in a deathly black.
"How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo asked wide-eyed.
"Brandywine Bridge," Merry said as he began to steer down the river, "Twenty miles . . ."
hope you all enjoyed chappie numero 4!! Gomen Ja'ne!