Sorry this update is a week late. see had had the first few chapters prewritten before posting but I went through those so updates may take a bit longer.

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything but my OC and story changes.

Chapter Six: From Bree to Weathertop

I woke up the next morning to Strider opening the window. A cold rush of wind blew into the room. I sighed and then without even thinking about it rolled off the couch, startling Strider.

"Are you all right?" he asked me as I stood up.

"I'm fine," I told him, laughing. "I've been doing that for years, it's basically habit now. Sorry for startling you though."

"I didn't know you were up," he said.

"Oh I just woke up," I said smiling and through the blanket back on the couch. "Are we leaving soon?"

"Well we need to get the hobbits up first"

"I'm already up," Frodo mumbled.

"I'll wake the others up," I volunteered. No one argued to I walked over to the closest hobbit, Pippin. "It's time to wake up," I said, shaking him. Pippin mumbled something inaudible and rolled over. "Pippin get up, I know you're awake." Pippin didn't move. "If you don't get up I will pour a glass of ice water on your head."

Pippin opened his eyes. "You don't have any ice water," he told me closing his eyes. I grinned, picked up a glass from across the room using the force, grabbed it, and dumped it on his face. Pippin shrieked in surprise and surprise got out of bed. The other two were much easier to convince to get up, not wanting me to repeat to them what I did to Pippin.

The rooms we would have slept in were a disaster. The windows were forced open, blankets and the rug were in pieces, and the beds were tipped over. Strider went to get Butterbur at once.

"Never has such a thing happened in my time!" he cried in horror when he saw what had happened. "Guests unable to sleep in their beds, and good bolsters ruined! What are we coming to?"

"Dark times," Strider told him. "But for the present you may be left in peace, when you have got rid of us. We will leave at once. Never mind about breakfast. A drink and a bite standing will do. We shall be packed in a few minutes."

Butterbur nodded and hurried out of the room. Minutes later he came back in dismay.

"The ponies are gone!" he exclaimed. "All of them!"

"What?!" Was Pippin's response. Frodo looked crestfallen.

"Good grief," I said, exasperated. "You cannot be serious."

"I'm afraid it's true," Butterbur said.

"Ponies would not help us escape horsemen," Strider broke in. "We should not go much slower on foot, not by the roads I mean to take. I was going to walk in any case. It is the food and stores that trouble me. We cannot count on getting anything to eat between here and Rivendell, except what we take with us. And we ought to take plenty to spare, for we may be delayed, or forced to go round-about, far out of the direct way. How much are you prepared to carry on your backs?"

"As much as we must," Pippin said.

"I can carry enough for two," Sam said defiantly.

"Can't anything be done?" Frodo asked almost desperately. "Can't we get a couple ponies from the village? I suppose we couldn't hire any but we might be able to buy one, just for the baggage."

"I doubt it," he told us. "The two or three riding ponies that were in Bree were stabled in my yard, and their gone. As for the other animals, horses or ponies for draught or not, there are very few in Bree, and they won't be for sale. But I'll do what I can. I'll send Bob around as soon as can be."

"Yes," Strider said reluctantly, "you had better do that. I am afraid we shall have to try and get at least one pony. But so ends all hope of leaving early, and slipping away quietly. We might as well have blown a horn to announce our departure. That was part of the plan no doubt."

"There is one crumb of comfort," said Merry, "and more than a crumb, I hope. We can have breakfast while we wait, and sit down to it. Let's get a hold of Nob!" The four hobbits cheered at the mention of food and hurried out of the room to find Nob.

I let out a small laugh. "Hobbits," I said, "always thinking about their stomach."

"Indeed," Strider responded.

… Page Break …

It was at least three hours before we were able to leave and the only pony we were able to get was a poor, bony, dispirited creature. To make matters worse it seemed as though the entire town and the surrounding countryside had come out to watch us leave, so much for leaving unnoticed. The people seemed to hold Strider in a sort of awe or even fear, and the ones he stared at would shut up and scurry away.

When we got to the end of the village there was one last dejected looking house, behind a thick hedge. A man was staring at us from behind the hedge, his head sticking out just above it. His mouth was curled up in a sneer and his face was all together, in my opinion, annoying.

"Morning, Longshanks!" he said. "Off early? Found some friends at last?" Strider nodded, and I was caught between glaring at him and just ignoring him.

"Morning, my little friends," he said to the hobbits. "I suppose you know who you've taken up with? That's Stick-at-naught Strider, that is! Though I've heard other names less pretty. Watch out tonight! And you, Sammie, don't go ill-treating my old poor pony!" I raised an eyebrow at this. If anyone mistreated the pony it was him. He then turned to me. "And you little girl don't get into things out of your reach, you should be at home tending your house or are you a runaway?"

Sam turned toward him quickly. "And you, Ferny," he said, "put your ugly face out of sight, or it will get hurt." Sam then suddenly threw the apple he was eating and it hit Bill Ferny right on his nose knocking him over. "Waste of a good apple," Sam said, "but I wouldn't have him insulting a lady."

I laughed. "Well I appreciate the thought," I told him.

… Page Break …

We had to stay on the road for a good while before Strider decided to lead us off into the woods. There was a small narrow path leading off the road towards the north.

"This is where we leave the open and take cover," Strider told us.

"Not a short-cut, I hope," Pippin said. "Our last short cut through woods nearly ended in disaster."

"Ah, but you had not got me then with you then," Strider responded laughing.

"I do not remember this adventure," I said. "When did this happen?"

"While we were still in the Shire," Sam told me. "We hadn't met you yet."

"Well," Strider said, leading us down the trail. "My cuts, short or long, don't go wrong."

"Great," I said, in mock exasperation. "You just jinxed yourself."

The next few days went by without anything exciting happening. The first day we twisted and back tracked and such to keep any possible pursuit off our trail, but after that we went on a relatively straight path through the woods, staying away from the main road of course. It was actually somewhat relaxing for me, not being in or planning for a battle for several days had been a nice change.

Our nice stroll through the woods though was too good to last for long. By the end of our third day from Bree we had hit what Strider called the Midgewater Marshes. We were ok at first but as we got farther in it got worse and worse. We had to slowly work our way along and were constantly swarmed by flies and midges. There was little that could be done to avoid them though I did use the force to an extant to keep some of them away, not all. I had been through worse though so I didn't complain, unlike the hobbits. I think the most annoying thing those two days was the hobbits' constant complaining.

They frequently said things like, "I am being eaten alive!" or "What do they live on when they can't get hobbit?" or "Midgewater! There are more midges than water!"

Needless to say none of us got much sleep.

Our last night in the marshes we saw a bright light in the distance around one or two in the morning. The hobbits had managed to fall asleep, except for Frodo, and Strider seemed to always be awake.

"What's that?" Frodo asked pointing to it.

"I do not know," Strider said. "It's too far away to make out. It looks like lighting leaping off the hill tops."

" Or several space craft taking off," I added.

"Several what?" Frodo asked confused.

"Sorry," I said. "I keep forgetting you don't know what that stuff is, and you would probably never understand even if I explained it to you."

"Oh," Frodo said, laying back down.

On our fifth day from Bree, we finally left the marshes behind. There was a slight incline in the path, but that was basically it. In the distance we could see a line of hills.

Strider pointed to the tallest one, which was set off a little from the others. "That is Weathertop," He told us. "The Old Road, which is now far to our right, passes south of it not far from its foot. We might reach it by noon tomorrow, if we head straight towards it. I suppose we had better do so."

"What do you mean?" Frodo asked.

"I mean, that when we do get there, it is not certain what we shall find. It is close to the Road," Strider said.

"But surely we were hoping to find Gandalf there?"

"Yes, but the hope is faint. If he comes this way at all, h may not go through Bree, and so he may not know what we are doing. And anyway, unless by luck we arrive together, we shall miss one another. It is not safe to remain there long. If the Riders cannot find us in the wilderness they are likely to make for Weathertop themselves. It commands a wide view all around. Indeed, there are birds and beasts in this country that could see us as we stand here, from the hill top. Not all birds should be trusted and there are other spies much more evil."

I nodded mentally to myself, as I listened in on the conversation. Besides the part about the animals seeing us (I could not see how that was relevant), it made sense.

The rest of the day was terribly uneventful. We were able to get a decent amount of sleep, which had been impossible in the Marshes.

The next day was equally uneventful, but we were now less than a day away from Weathertop.

The next day, we followed a very well concealed path. It seemed to have been made for moving unseen from either side, but while on it, the path was clear enough. Of course if they had any aircraft in this world the concealment would be rendered useless, but they don't.

"I wonder who made this path, and what for," Merry said as we walked down the path. "I'm not I like it. It looks rather barrow-wightish. Is there any barrow on Weathertop?" he asked looking at me.

"How would I know?" I replied. "You know very well that I am not from here."

"There is no barrow on Weathertop, or on any of these hills," Strider said. "The Men of the West did not live here, but in their latter days they defended the hills for a while against Angmar. This path was made to serve the forts along the wall. But long before, in the first days of the North Kingdom, they built a great watch-tower on Weather top. They called it Amon Sul. It was burned and broken, and now nothing remains of it but a tumbled ring. Yet once it was tall and fair. It is told that Elendil stood there watching for the coming of Gil-galad out of the west, in the days of the Last Alliance."

"Who was Gil-galad?" Merry asked.

To our surprise it was not Strider who answered, but Sam.

Gil-galad was an Elven-king.

Of him the harpers sadly sing:

the last whose realm was fair and free

between the Mountains and the Sea.

His sword was long, his lance was keen,

his shining helm afar was seen;

the countless stars of heaven's field

were mirrored in his silver shield.

But long ago he rode away,

and where he dwelleth none can say;

for into darkness fell his star

in Mordor were the shadows are.

"Don't stop!" Merry said.

"That's all I know," Sam said, blushing slightly. "I learned it form Mr. Bilbo when I was a lad. He used to tell me tales like that, knowing I was always one for hearing about Elves. It was Mr. Bilbo who taught me my letters. He was mighty book learned was dear old Mr. Bilbo. And he wrote poetry. He wrote what I have just said.

"He did not make it up," Strider said. "It is part of the lay that is call The fall of Gil-galad, which is in the ancient tongue. He must have translated it. I did not know that."

"There is a lot more," Sam said, "all about Mordor. I didn't learn that part, because it gave me the shivers. I never thought I should go there myself."

"Going to Mordor!" Pippin cried. "I hope it won't come to that!"

"Do not speak that name so loudly!" Strider warned.

"How about just no yelling in general," I put in.

We reached Weathertop at mid-day. But as we were crossing the Road to it, we saw a black horse coming down the path towards us.

Mahahaha, cliff hanger! If you want to wait less time for another chapter. Here's my advice: review. seriously it should work plus you make me really happy. Oh and there will be much more action in the next chapter, and possible sassiness from Neka, promise.