At the same time, while Aragorn and the rest of the Hunters were entering Fangorn…
Gollum leaped through a narrow pathway in a rocky terrain before climbing a large rock while Frodo and Sam were walking behind him " See, see, we've led you out !" The thin creature remarked excitedly and the Hobbits looked up at him before climbing the rocks to reach the top.
" Hurry Hobbitses, hurry ! Very lucky we find you !" Gollum called them and then, the group found themselves out of the Maze of Emyn Muil. However, they now had to face another place : a massive and distant wide open land filled with what looked like grasses and ponds of water. Across the land was the high mountains of Mordor.
As Frodo continued forward, Sam staid behind a bit looking at the grassy land before following his comrade. But then he glanced at Gollum with a questioning look on his face which caused the thin creature to cower a bit " Nice Hobbit" Gollum said softy before leaping after the Ring-Bearer and his friend.
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Some times later…
Sam accidentally planted his feet into a pond of of wet-spongy ground which caused the Hobbit to yelp a bit " Whoa! It's a bog! He's led us into a swamp !" Sam remarked as he finally realized where they were. In fact, it was some kind of marshland with nasty spongy grounds and creepy looking plants along with mist all over the place.
"Swamp, yes yes. Come master. We will take you on safe paths, through the mist !" Gollum said as he waved his hand at them : a gesture to follow him "Come Hobbits come! We move quickly !" Frodo and Sam glanced at their guide but then followed him : they had no choice in the matter. " I found it ! I did ! The way through the marshes ! Orcs don't use it… Orcs don't know it... They go round for miles and miles ! Come quickly ! Soft and quick as shadows we must be !"
Frodo and Sam sat on the ground , exhausted. They walked for some time and they decided to rest for a bit. Gamgee was about to eat some Lembas but then his eyes landed on Gollum who was eating a large worm. At this sight, Sam instantly lost his appetite before remarking half-loudly half-softy "I hate this place ! It's too quiet... There's been no sight nor sound of a bird for two days..."
"No, no birdses to eat. No crunchable birdses. We are famished! Yes! Famished we are, precious !" Gollum cried out as he looked really sad to not have something to eat. "Here..." Frodo said softy : he took pity of him and tossed a piece of Elvish Bread toward the thin creature who looked at it "What does it eats? Is it tasty?" he asked as he circled it before grabbing it and tossing it in his mouth.
He started chewing only to suddenly start choking as he gaged before spitting the piece out into his hands "Aggh! It tries to chokes us! We can't eats Hobbit food! We must starve !" Gollum cried out as he looked at them before turning away " Well starve then, and good riddance !" Sam inquired with annoyance which caused the thin creature to crawl toward him.
"Oh! Cruel Hobbit! It does not care if we be hungry. It does not care if we should die !" Gollum said as he stopped a few feet away from the Blond Hobbit before looking at Frodo with a sad look on his face "Not like Master ! Master cares ! Master knows..." Those words caused the Ring-Bearer to slowly look at him.
"Yes Precious..." Gollum whispered loudly and Frodo putted his hand on his chest where the Ring was. The gesture was imitated by Gollum who whispered " Once it takes hold of us it never lets go..." then he reached out for the Ring.
Thankfully, this caught Frodo's attention and he swatted Gollum's hand away as quickly as possible "Don't touch me !" Gollum looked at him with shock clear on his thin face and then he slowly turned around before walking away. Sam , for his part, was eying him cautiously but then he slowly lowered himself to the ground before closing his eyes. He needed some rest..
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As the group made their way through the swamps, they noticed some burning bushes. Seeing it wasn't spreading, they weren't really worried by this. The Hobbits were carefully watching where they were stepping when something caught Sam's attention as he looked at the water. He gasped in shock shouting " There are dead things! Dead faces in the water !"
Frodo looked horrified and then froze when Gollum stopped in his tracks before explaining " All dead. All rotten. Elves and men and orcses. A great battle long ago !" As the others moved forward, the thin creature turned his head to look at them " The Dead Marshes. Yes, yes! That is their name. This way !" he said as he gestured forward " Don't follow the lights !" Gollum warned them but then Sam's legs slipped and fell into the water "Ohh !"
" Careful now! Or Hobbits go down to join the dead ones, and light little candles of their own !" Gollum said as he turned around again before resuming his walk. While Sam seemed to reluctantly agreeing with Gollum's words , Frodo was in half-trance and follows the lights, drawn to one of the faces : a dead Elf Soldier. He stared at it intently.
Sam turned around to check on the Ring-bearer and instantly spotted him which caused his face to turn into one of hear and shock "Frodo !" It was at this moment that the Dead Elf's eyes opened , revealing pale white eyes (pupils included). Frodo's eyes widened and he fell forward into the water.
Under the surface, the Ring-Bearer saw the greenish, ghotsly face of the Dead Elf Soldier, screaming and reaching out for him. Frodo found himself unable to move , his mind went bland as more and more ghostly forms appeared around him, all of them were reaching out for him.
But then just as something bad was about to happen, a hand reached out into the water grabbing his left shoulder before pulling him out. Frodo was pulled out of the water completely soaked and he gasped out for air. Catching his breath, he turned around to face his savior and was completely taken aback when he saw it was Gollum of all people who saved him.
" Gollum?" He asked the thin creature with disbelief. " Don't follow the lights !" Gollum warned again before turning around and walking away. Just then Sam appeared : he looked worried as he looked up and down at Frodo " Frodo! are you all right ?"
The Ring-Bearer didn't respond as he still looked at Gollum with a shocked look on his face. The heartless thin creature who want nothing but the Ring around his neck… just saved his life ?! His mind couldn't believe what just happened…
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It was the night and Sam was sleeping peacefully but Frodo was wide awake. He was holding the Ring in the palm of his hands , staring at the Golden Object and ins-consciously stroking it. "So bright, so beautiful..." he heard Gollum's voice echoing and he instantly hided the Ring under his clothes before turning around. Gollum was there but his back was turned at the Ring-Bearer. It was stroking something in his hands but Frodo couldn't see but then the thin creature whispered loudly "Our Precious..."
"What did you say ?" Frodo asked and Gollum turned his head , slightly but he did before saying " Master should be resting...Master needs to keep up his strength..." However, the Ring-Bearer stood up and walked over before stopping a few feet away from the thin creature "Who are you ?"
"Mustn't ask us, not its business… GOLLUM ! GOLLUM !" Gollum retorted coughing his name at the last part. Frodo came closer before kneeling down behind him "Gandalf told me you were one of the River Folk..." "Cold be heart and hand and bone. And called be travelers far from home" Gollum started to sng in an attempt to avoid Frodo's statements.
Sadly it didn't worked as the Ring-Bearer moved around so he could face the thin creature "He said your life was a sad story..." Only to Gollum to keep singing "They do not see what lies ahead when sun has failed and moon is dead" "You were not so different from a Hobbit once were you ?" Frodo's question caused Gollum to slowly (really slowly) turn his head to Frodo who then whispered something that seemed to caught his attention "Sméagol..."
Gollum looked at him with wide eyes " What did you call me ?" "That was your name once, wasn't it? A long time ago..." Frodo said as he looked at Sméagol whose eyes turned away from the Ring-Bearer to look down "My... My name… Smé...Sméagol"
He said as a smile started to appear on his face.
But suddenly, a very loud screech echoed in the swamp coming from the air which immediately woken Sam in panic as he along with Frodo looked toward where the sound came from. Gollum seemed to in a biggest panic state as he began to whimper " Black Riders !" Sam shouted as he scrambled to catch their bags and hide. "Hide ! Hide !" Gollum cried out just as Frodo began to cry in pain clutching his shoulder.
It was where he had been stabbed by Ringwaiths back at Weathertop. Thankfully, Aragorn (known as Strider back there) saved him and the Hobbits. Right now he was having a vision of the same Nazgul who stabbed him when he had the Ring on. Gollum quickly hided under a bush with Sam rushing over but then he noticed Frodo on the ground " C'mon Frodo ! C'mon!" The Blond Hobbit said as he grabbed the Ring-Bearer before dragging him to safety.
"Quick ! They will see us! They will see us!" Gollum urged them as the two of them came under the bush before Sam lied down. "I thought they were dead !" Sam inquired with disbelief and fear to which Gollum responded by saying " Dead? No, you cannot kill them. No..."
At this moment, a loud screech was heard and the group looked out from their hiding place. To their horror, the Nazgul was riding on top of a winged creature which looked a bit like a dragon. The Beast let out a terrifying roar as it and its master flied over the swamps. The Nazgil let out another screech just as the winged-beast passed high over the bushes where our friends were hiding.
"Wraiths! Wraiths on wings!" Gollum cried out but thankfully it wasn't loud enough for the Nazgul to hear. As Sam was keeping his eyes on the Ringwaith, Frodo went into another transe as his pupils turned up in his eyes. But this time, it seemed that it was because of the Ring as he grabbed it with his hands. "They are calling for It. They are calling for the Precious !" Gollum realized as the Nazgul and its beast were flying toward their hiding place.
Sam, who had heard about Gollum's comments, looked at Frodo and quickly grabbed his hand before yanking it away from the Ring " It's all right..." Sam said to the Ring-bearer to reassure him. "I'm here..." The Beast's shadow went over them which caused the group to look up to see the creature flying away after circling the area for a few moments.
Gollum looked back at the two with worry just as Frodo seemed to recover from this bad experience " Hurry Hobbits. The Black Gate is very close..." The thin creature inquired as they resumed their journey through the Marshland.
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Meanwhile, our group of Hunters was traveling deeper into Fangorn Forest looking for their missing friends. Kopa and Vitani were walking side by side as they looked around cautiously. They hated this type of place because you could never predict when something would attack as they were far too many hiding place for an enemy to catch them off guard.
Kopa then noticed a strange black liquid on the ground and sniffed the air. He was about to tell everyone what he found when Gimli came over. The Dwarf must have noticed the liquid as well because he instantly reached out to it with a finger before bringing it to his mouth (much to Kopa's digust). Then, he spitted out a second later " Orc Blood..." Gimli remarked with a hint of disgust.
"I could have told you by the smell..." The Brown Maned Lion inquired as he walked pass the Dwarf. Vitani , for her part, was too busy looking around with worry. She missed the Hobbits as she took a liking to them. Merry and Pippin acted like cubs so she was a 'bit' protective of them.
The group went deeper and deeper into the forest, following the tracks left by the Orc that was pursuing their friends. But , so far, they found nothing but they kept looking. Leaping across a small stream, our Hunters ran a bit before coming to a stop when Aragorn knelled down as if he spotted something.
Vitani came over along with her mate as the two looked at their Leader who mumbled "These are strange tracks..." then Gimli commented from behind "The air is so close here..." "I don't like this place…" The Beige Lioness remarked as she looked around at the creepy trees and plants. "Me neither…" Kopa agreed with a nod.
"This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory… and anger" Legolas said in a soft tone as he looked at the woods. Then , all of a sudden, a loud moan-like sound echoed through the dark forest which caused Gimli to raise his axe , ready to defend himself. "What's going on ?!" Kopa asked loudly as he looked around to find what made this sound.
" The trees are speaking to each other !" The Elf's responded as he looked at the Dwarf who still had his weapon raised. Kopa and Vitani glanced at each other before shrugging : they had seen and heard many things but talking trees ?! Why not ? After all they saw a creature made of Fire and shadow back in the Moria.
Aragorn turned around to face the Dwarf before calling out " Gimli !" "Huh ?" "Lower your axe..." Isildur's heir inquired waving his hand down to gesture him to do the same. Gimli seemed confused at first but soon understood and lowered his weapon which seemed to calm the moans a bit.
" They have feelings, my friend. The Elves began it: waking up the trees, teaching them to speak..." Legolas explained with a smile but then Gimli had to open his mouth " Talking trees...What do trees have to talk about, hmm ? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings !" These remark caused the Lions to snort in amusement even if they were fascinated by what they just heard.
But then Legolas became serious as he said in Elvish as he quickly walked past Strider attracting the others' attention "Aragorn, nad no ennas ! (Something is out there!)" They all followed him, curious and cautious about what was going on. Soon the Blond Elf stopped in his tracks and looked out the forest just as Aragorn got next to him who asked him in Elvish naturally "Man cenich ? (What do you see?)"
Kopa and Vitani approached the two , wanting to know what their Elf friend saw and his response froze them in place "The White Wizard approaches..." Everyone tensed up at those words. Kopa and Vitani growled as both of them unsheathed their claws. Saruman was the one who sent the Uruks to capture Merry and Pippin… who ordered his soldiers to kill them.
All of them turned toward Aragorn who looked dead serious at the moment as he whispered loud enough for everyone to hear " Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us !" He wrapped his hand around the hilt of his sword, Gimli tightened his hold on his axe, and Legolas fingers his arrow. Kopa and Vitani , for their parts, were ready to pounce on the Wizard.
"We must be quick..." Aragorn inquired before suddenly unsheathing his sword with a battle cry as he turned around. Instantly, Kopa and Vitani hissed in pain as they were blinded by a bright light and turned their heads away. Gimli threw his axe only for it to be destroyed by the White Wizard.
Legolas fired an arrow but it deflected away while the blade of Aragorn's sword suddenly turned orange in color. He tossed it because it burned his hand. Then the brightness of the light became too much as Aragorn covered his face taking a few steps away. Gimli was holding his other axe in a defensive manner while Legolas just stood there with his bow in his hand. Kopa and Vitani still had their heads turned away. Like all Felines, they were very sensitive of bright lights.
The other three waited for an attack from the Wizard but it never came. Then a deep voice echoed "You are tracking the footsteps of two young Hobbits..." "Where are they ?" Aragorn asked him still trying to avoid becoming blind "They passed this way, the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you ?" the deep voice responded again calmly.
"Who are you ? Show yourself !" Aragorn shouted as he faced the White Wizard defiantly. The light began to dim and the Lions could finally look ahead… only to froze at what they saw. They weren't the only ones however… Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn were in shock and they stood still, their eyes wide.
"No… it cannot be..." Vitani whispered in shock as her eyes looked at the Wizard. He was entirely white : staff, dress and barb… But that wasn't what shocked them : it was the Wizard's face. It was the face of someone they thought to be dead and who was now standing in front of them. " Gandalf ?" Kopa whispered in awe and shock as he stood near his mate.
(To be continued…)