Hey, guys. Thought I'd just tell you, the first twenty chapters or so are a tenth walker re-enactment of LotR, but then it takes on my own persional twist. Hope I haven't bored you too much. This is probably the last chapter i'm going to be posting in a while; exams are coming up and I really wanna do well. I'll post a boat load of chapters on the day exams end.

Disclaimer: No, Tolkien is the awesome author of Lord of the Rings

Chapter Ten: Through the Marshes

I listened to Gollum's croaking voice sing his cold hard lands/ never thirsting, ever whatever/ shadow/ fish (take your pick)song.

It sounded ominous, up until he got to the fish part.

I sighed, "Lemme guess; fish for breakfast? I could do with a break from lembas..."

Sam huffed in agreement.

"Frodo, before you try to feed him some, he doesn't eat lembas. He can't bear anything Elven..."

"Elves, the cruel-"

"We know, please don't go into that again!" all this talk of Elves was making me think of Legolas.

I smiled as I watched the peacefully sleeping Hobbits. I didn't sleep, I couldn't. I just rested. I stared at Gollum. He stared at me with those gigantic orbs. He sniffed at me, then backed away.

"It smells like Elves, precious. It reeks of them, gollum, gollum. It's choking us, precious. It-"

"Are you done complaining, yet?"

He growled, but didn't keep going, thankfully.

My thoughts strayed to Legolas. He was the most perfect guy I'd ever seen! Then again, he was an Elf. He was a prince. Elves were immortal. That was another thing, he couldn't love me, because I would age and die while he'd live on. Come on, what kind of love story ended with one dying? He was far out of my reach. But this was Tolkien's world, where only the chosen and strongest survived, and I was anything but. I couldn't run to save my life, I could only swim to keep myself afloat...though I could through a knife accurately, if that was any good. Then again, Tolkien didn't say anything about transportation...or girls...or Earth for that matter. Did that mean I was chosen? Or was it an accident? If I lived, would I ever get home? Would I stay until I died? Would I see Carmen again? Carmen...she is alive, waiting for you...

What was that supposed to mean?

Maybe I should have gone with Merry and Pippin...I had a few sarcastic comments about Treebeard that would have everyone in stitches...

Hey, was I falling asleep? Eh, a few hours won't hurt...

"Hullo!" Frodo and I woke at the sound of Sam's shouting, "Anything wrong? What's the time?"

"I dunno," said Sam, "After sundown, I reckon. And he's gone off. Say's he hungry."

I yawned, "I don't blame him. Anyone for boiled squirrel? Or was it a fox he brought back?...Or was it after the marshes?"

"Uuh...what?" Sam's blank stare indicated he had no idea what I was talking about.

"You'll find out in a minute..."

Nope, no furry things for breakfast. I must've been after they went through the marshes.
The next stage of our journey was much the same as the last. As we went on, the gully became even shallower and the slope of its floor more gradual.
Then we reached the fens.

"How do we shape our course now, Gollum?" asked Frodo, "Must we-"

"Ok, so," I really didn't want to repeat the whole chapter. Time to liven things up, "We cross the bog-marshie thingies, so the Orcs can't catch us, and we follow Gollum and we don't look at the lights and the Dead Faces or whatever they're called and we make it through and then from there we-"

"Come, master, we must go to the bog, as Elf-smelling girl says. Orcses can't go through though the bog, they don't know the way!"

Orcses... I burst out laughing.

"Luna? Are you feeling alright?" Frodo probably thought I was going mad.

"Yeah, c'mon, we've got some bog-marshie thingies, whatever they're called, we've got to cross...I mean we-You know what? Let's just go."

"Maybe someone should help him..." I muttered to Gollum as Sam yelled at Frodo to stop staring at the lights. A few moments ago, Frodo was like, "Yeah, yeah, we won't look at the lights, whatever" and now; "Oh look, lights".

...

I rest my case; they need help. Desperately.

I sat a little further away from where Gollum was now fishing Frodo out of the bog. I knew that Gollum should be the one to rescue Frodo to build trust between them.

Frodo came up coughing and spluttering and dripping like a sodden cloth.

"I said, don't follow the lightses." Gollum hissed, then carried on leaping across the dead marshes.

"Um, Frodo?"

He turned sharply, spraying me with bacteria-diluted water.

"Blurgh! Don't do that!"

"Sorry..."

"Anyway...he saved you. Maybe he's not so vicious after all?" I had the idea that things would go a lot more smoothly if Gollum and Frodo kept their trust.

"Maybe..."

Sam snorted, "Hah! He's just waiting for us to let our guard down. I still don't trust him!"

"Hobbitses must hurry! Black Gate is close!"

Close...there was a 'd' missing on the end of that.

The Black Gate is closed...

I should probably just say that any relation between my characters (Carmen and Luna) and anyone in real life is completely coincidental.

Please guys, a few more reviews would boost my confidence...A few tips and tricks are also welcome...I mean, I have over 550 views, could you take a minute to click the button, review, and click send? Please?