Snap. Crack. Pop.

They had left the wastes that surrounded the Black Gate and had started a path that was far more traveller friendly, with soft grass underfoot and a bubbling stream that provided water and food. Sméagol had taken to chasing fish from the water and Chris couldn't help but laugh at him. Not a big laugh mind, more a small chuckle to herself. It seemed the more time the creature spent as Sméagol the more childlike he became. She knew deep down that this innocence wouldn't last but she wanted to enjoy seeing him so happy.

Another loud splash from the stream was heard as Sméagol dived after a particularly wriggly fish, causing him to get a little ways ahead of the group. Sam warned him not to get too far in quite a nasty fashion. Again Chris knew that in the end Sam would be right about the creature but his constant bullying of Sméagol when he had yet to do anything irritated her and it seemed to also be on Frodo's mind. Slightly annoyed at the chubby hobbit she walked ahead to let Frodo say his piece.

Sméagol was crouched over the stream with a writhing silver fish between his teeth as he watched to catch another. After a moment he sat back on the rock and started biting into the still live fish. Chris winced a little but said nothing as she sat on a dry rock a little away from Sméagol. Her eyes glanced back to the hobbits that had paused, talking to each other. As she turned to look back she saw a fish staring at her roughly two inches from her face.

"Woah!" She said as she attempted to move away from the slippery fish held towards her.

"See what Sméagol catches!" he said happily as he offered the limp fish to her.

"Oh God!" Chris murmured and couldn't help but cover her mouth as Sméagol started to chomp into a second fish he must have caught when she stopped watching. "I er… thanks, I guess." She said gingerly placing the fish on a nearby rock, its dead eyes seemingly staring at her. With a shudder she stood and told Sméagol she wasn't hungry, he shrugged and continued to eat his own. The crunching of rocks underfoot signalled the hobbits that had seemed to have finished their little chat.

"Are you alright Eadgyth? You look a little green." Frodo looked from her to the fish and finally to Sméagol who had just finished his own fish. She noticed the smirk that started to form on the little hobbits lips.

"Raw meat doesn't exactly agree with me, especially when its eyes are looking at me." She replied knowing soon Frodo would have a similar treat to look forward to.

"LEAVE. NOW. AND. NEVER. COME. BACK!"

Chris startled awake, which was strange enough. It must have been the longest she had slept since the fellowship had been broken. It was still dark and she could hear Sméagol scurrying about the camp happily.

"We... we told him to go away! And away he goes, preciousss. Gone, gone, gone! Sméagol is free!" he danced around happily, clearly unaware she had woken up. She couldn't help but smile despite him having woken her, he was free from the poison of Gollum.

'For the time being at least.' She thought sadly.

Snap. Crack. Pop. Chris glanced up to see Sméagol ripping into the flesh of one of the young rabbits he had just dumped into Frodo's lap. At first the hobbit had seemed amused at the affection the grey creature was showing him but his had soon turned a little nauseous when it came to the eating of raw meat. Quickly Sam snapped the rabbits up and berated Sméagol.

"You'll make 'im sick, you will, behaving like that! There's only one way to eat a brace of coneys." He said as he began preparing a stewing pot.

"Leave some raw for Sméagol." Chris spoke as she stood up and adjusted the Lórien horseshoe broach that held her cloak together. She wondered if it would have been better to have an actual horse than to have a little shoe but she knew better than to question an elf, especially the glowing all-knowing type.

"What? Miss Eadgyth-" Sam blustered before she interrupted him.

"He caught them;" She spoke bluntly as she watched Frodo wander the edges of the camp "at least let him eat some of it as he wants."

"But, there's hardly any meat on 'em." He complained as the pot began to boil and he put various herbs and stock into the hot water.

"And there wouldn't be any meat at all if he hadn't caught them." She reminded as she looked up from her broach. Sam and Sméagol had continued the conversation more or less exactly as she remembered it so she paid little attention, she watched Frodo more closely as he seemed to hear something the others hadn't noticed. She knew that his hearing was sharper than hers but it was strange that she really couldn't hear anything that would indicate they were near any danger. It was then that Sam looked up and noticed Frodo's disappearance.

Quickly they found the hobbit laid down in some soft long grass overlooking a large army crossing the ravine below them. Chris got as low as she could, not wanting to draw attention to them because she was easier to see than the stealthy hobbits and they watched as the horde marched by. A slight vibration in the ground was the only warning before the oliphaunts appeared. She was as shocked as the hobbits, to say the least. Chris hadn't even seen an elephant in real life before, on tv sure, but never stomping around spraying water in your eyes real. And the oliphaunts were huge, no huge wasn't a big enough word, enormous! Like the size of three houses stacked on top of each other, if each house had three floors and a cellar!

"No one at 'ome will believe this." Sam said with awe evident as they watched the gigantic creatures march to war on the side of their enemy. Then strange bird calls sounded and Chris noticed the crunch of leaves as Sméagol slipped away from their group. Quietly she pulled her hood low over her face and gestured for the hobbits to be silent. Confusion flashed across their faces before she pointed to the army whom had suddenly come under volleys from unknown archers. Below them chaos reigned as the soldiers and oliphaunts alike fell to the accurate strangers, in the anarchy a rouge oliphaunt charged at their hiding place before falling just before them and the lone body of a soldier fell from the creature, landing close to where they hid.

"We've lingered here too long. Come on!" Frodo announced hurriedly as he began to back away from their hidden perch before he turned and ran into a tall cloaked figure who grabbed him tightly. Chris and Sam stood immediately as it became apparent that they were surrounded. Quickly she drew her sword and shield as Sam ran at the strangers, sword raised as he charged. The hobbits struggled against their attackers but as she moved forward to protect them. Both hobbits were on the ground at sword point before she could move very far; they would be dead before she could raise her sword.

"Wait! We're innocent travellers!" Sam pleaded hoping that his rouse would compel the men to release them. From behind his comrades a leader stepped out with his face uncovered to them.

"There are no travellers in this land." He said gravely as he inspected his prisoners. "Only servants of the dark tower." He continued as he looked over at Chris' hooded form, she was reluctant to speak not knowing how her presence would alter things. She was unsure whether they had taken note of her gender but she did now that the scouts probably hadn't seen a woman in a while and was quiet unwilling to test their chivalry on an assumed enemy.

"We are bound on an errand of secrecy. Those that claim to oppose the enemy would do well not to hinder us." The ring bearer pleaded as he struggled against his captor. Then a strong hand gripped her sword arm, she had not noticed his approach and did not appreciate the breach in her personal bubble. She attempted to pull her arm away but to no avail.

"The enemy?" The young captain queried as he turned over the fallen solider with his boot. "His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem." As he continued to speak about the dead guy, Chris glanced around counting the rangers and concluded there were far too many to fight if it came to it. She knew they were meant to go with the men to Ithilien and then on to the tunnels of doom with the evil gigantic spider but suffice to say she wasn't really looking forward to it. "War will make corpses of us all." He said as he turned back to face them. "Bind their hands." He motioned to his men as he moved ahead.

'Bondage? Really?' Chris couldn't help but think as the rangers pulled out rope from their packs and began their task. One attempted to take her sword, which she was not pleased about.

"No, mine!" She snapped as the ranger took a step back clearly confused. Then the Gondorian captain was stood before her with a pensive look on his face. Two rangers grabbed her arms as he stretched out his hand to pull down her hood. As the hood fell some of her golden locks spilled out around her rather annoyed face and the man before her was clearly stunned. "You gunna let go?" She demanded, which seemed to wake him from his confusion.

"Indeed, the enemy plays many tricks, but to spend a woman…" He paused as he looked over at the now bound hobbits "With such little protection." He shook his head as he snatched her weapons from her before nodding to another ranger. Soon her hands were tied together tightly with a thick black rag blindfolded across her eyes.

'Well, poo.' She thought glumly as they were lead away by the rangers.

Yes, Chris has finally met Faramir! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will tune in next tuesday for Elle's chapter.

As always R&R, I love your reviews :D