Sam stumbled and fell, still holding the thin elfish rope in his hand. He
lay still for a moment trying to regain some strength. He heard soft feet
padding towards him. He looked up and saw Gullom crawling towards him. He
was about to stand, but he saw a look in the creature's eyes he had never
seen before. It was a slight look of gentleness. Only slight, but he had
lost the maddened look that haunted his eyes.
"Why is the hobbit taking the precious to the Mountain of Fire?" he asked.
"Because I have to destroy it," Sam said shortly.
Gullom seemed to want to hiss, but he held it back. "Why destroy it when the hobbit could use it? He could use it to get out of this barren place and go back home. Or he could give it to us! Yes, nice hobbit could give us the precious and be rid of the burden!" Gullom's eyes gleamed as he spoke and Sam saw the insane look coming back to them.
"I won't give it to you and I won't use it," Sam said hotly, as if he were talking to a child who had done wrong, "Master Frodo couldn't do it, so it was passed to me to destroy it. It's the main reason he was killed. He would be happily living in the Shire if it hadn't have been for the Ring. I owe it to Frodo to destroy it."
"But master would never know! Just give it to Smeagol and you'll have gotten rid of it like you had originally set out to do," Gullom said creeping closer.
Sam shot to his feet and Gullom cowered back.
"Don't you talk of things you don't understand! I am going to destroy the Ring! End of story! It-" Sam looked up and caught sight of something moving in he darkness. He ducked down behind a rock and waited for the figure to pass by, praying that it hadn't noticed him. He pulled Gullom down beside him, who cowered by the rocks.
They had only waited for a minute when he heard of timid voice.
"Sam?"
Sam froze. No, it couldn't be... Not...
A curly head peeked from around the rock and looked at him.
"Sam?" Frodo said kindly. "Come on out. There's no one around."
Sam didn't know what to say or do. He sat where he was, to shocked to do anything. Finally he found his voice.
"N-no... I can't... this... I have to be dreaming!" he said at last.
"Sam, it's alright. There's no one looking, There's only you and me in this part of Mordor," Frodo said kindly.
"No... this can't be true... your dead... they took you to Barad-dur! No! Stop it! This isn't true!" Sam cried out. He could feel hot tears stinging his eyes, threatening to spill over.
"Sam, it's me, Frodo. Come out here so we can talk. It's as real as anything. This isn't a dream if that's what your thinking. Come out here," Frodo said.
"No! This isn't true! This is just a terrible dream! Don't do this to me! You died! Your gone, there's no bringing you back! This is a trick of some sort!" Sam said.
Frodo extended his hand. "Take my hand. I swear to you it's real. I wouldn't break a promise to you."
Sam stayed still where he was. At first it didn't look like he would take the offered hand. But then, very slowly, he extended his hand, and carefully placed it in Frodo's.
Frodo smiled. "See?"
Sam's face turned to a mixture of sadness and happiness. Frodo pulled him into an embrace, and all of Sam's emotions spilled. He began to sob on Frodo's shoulder, clinging to the one he thought he had lost. Between his tears he managed on word;
"H-how?"
Frodo smiled softly. "Let's not discuss it right now, Sam. What of the quest? Do you have the Ring?"
Sam let go of Frodo and looked into his eyes. He saw what he thought was excitement, but he shoved it out of his mind in his happiness to see him again.
"Yes, I do have it here, but do you think we should speak of it here?" Sam said looking around.
"Yes, Sam, I would like for you to give it to me. It was my burden, and I don't want it to be yours any more. You've suffered much," Frodo said gently.
"As you say, Mr. Frodo," Sam said and took the chain with the Ring on it from around his neck. He began to hand it to Frodo's outstretched hand. Then he pulled it back. "Mr. Frodo, won't you tell me how it is that you're here now?"
"Later, Sam, give me the Ring first. Then you'll have an explanation," Frodo said, and Sam saw something strange in his eyes as his hand stretched out again for the Ring. Frodo's hand was shaking with excitement.
Sam began to give it to him again, but then hesitated for a second time. "Mr. Frodo, will you please explain. I don't mean to be snooping or anything, but I would feel more comfortable to know how this came along and that it was the real you. It pains me to accuse you of not being the real you, but something don't feel right, if you take my meaning."
"SAM! GIVE ME THE RING!" Frodo yelled, almost looking like he was about to pounce on Sam.
Sam had a look of horror on his face and tears began to stream from his eyes again. "I knew it," he said quietly, "it isn't really you! This is all a trick to get the Ring!"
Frodo seemed to get a hold on himself again, and he looked sorrowful. "Sam, I'm sorry. Please don't think that. It is me. It's just the hold of the Ring on me. I'm so sorry, Sam. Please give me the Ring?" He said apologetically.
"No! You give me an explanation first! Then I'll believe you!" Sam cried.
Frodo's anger showed in his face. "Sam, Sam, Sam," he said shaking his head, "I always did under estimate your intelligence," he began to get taller before Sam's eyes, and a shadow seemed to fall on them. "If you do not give me the Ring, I will take it by force," Frodo continued in a menacing voice. A voice that was not his own. He continued to grow until he was a man Sam did not recognize.
"I won't give you the Ring!" Sam said fiercely, trying to get it back on his neck.
The man in front of him took a step closer and unsheathed a knife from inside the cloak he was wearing. He took another step towards Sam.
Sam cowered to the rocks he had been hiding by. He felt a sudden urge to put the Ring on. To disappear and get away from the frightening man.
"Yes, Sam. Put on the Ring," the man said tauntingly, "disappear from my sight and go into the sight of my master."
Sam tried with all his strength to resist the urge to put on the Ring, but his hand was slowly moving toward the chain.
Unexpectedly, there came what looked like a dull grey flash rushing from behind the tall man. It pounced onto the Sam and he was able to make out two glowing green eyes.
"Give it to usssss!" Gullom hissed as he wrestled with Sam, "Give ussss the precioussss!"
"NO! GET AWAY YOU FOUL CREATURE!" Seltaeb cried and stabbed his knife forward. With a cry, Gullom fell away from Sam, clasping his side near the ribs.
"You is stabbed us!" he cried, "You is stabbed us! Precioussss save ussss!"
Seltaeb kicked the poor creature away from the hobbit who was trying to catch his breath.
"I have you now, Sam," he said tauntingly.
Without warning, Sam took something out of his cloak. It began to shine bright, and Seltaeb tried to cover his eyes.
"What the- no, not that!" he cried as he cringed from the brightness of the light.
Sam lifted the Light of Galadriel above his head at the man who stumbled away from his shielding his eyes. Then he fell to the ground. He seemed to be shrinking, though Sam wasn't sure if it was his imagination.
Then the light ended abruptly, and Sam waited for his eyes to get used to the darkness again. When his eyes adjusted, he saw Frodo Baggins the hobbit lying on the ground with a dark cloak covering his shaking form.
************************************************************************
"Why is the hobbit taking the precious to the Mountain of Fire?" he asked.
"Because I have to destroy it," Sam said shortly.
Gullom seemed to want to hiss, but he held it back. "Why destroy it when the hobbit could use it? He could use it to get out of this barren place and go back home. Or he could give it to us! Yes, nice hobbit could give us the precious and be rid of the burden!" Gullom's eyes gleamed as he spoke and Sam saw the insane look coming back to them.
"I won't give it to you and I won't use it," Sam said hotly, as if he were talking to a child who had done wrong, "Master Frodo couldn't do it, so it was passed to me to destroy it. It's the main reason he was killed. He would be happily living in the Shire if it hadn't have been for the Ring. I owe it to Frodo to destroy it."
"But master would never know! Just give it to Smeagol and you'll have gotten rid of it like you had originally set out to do," Gullom said creeping closer.
Sam shot to his feet and Gullom cowered back.
"Don't you talk of things you don't understand! I am going to destroy the Ring! End of story! It-" Sam looked up and caught sight of something moving in he darkness. He ducked down behind a rock and waited for the figure to pass by, praying that it hadn't noticed him. He pulled Gullom down beside him, who cowered by the rocks.
They had only waited for a minute when he heard of timid voice.
"Sam?"
Sam froze. No, it couldn't be... Not...
A curly head peeked from around the rock and looked at him.
"Sam?" Frodo said kindly. "Come on out. There's no one around."
Sam didn't know what to say or do. He sat where he was, to shocked to do anything. Finally he found his voice.
"N-no... I can't... this... I have to be dreaming!" he said at last.
"Sam, it's alright. There's no one looking, There's only you and me in this part of Mordor," Frodo said kindly.
"No... this can't be true... your dead... they took you to Barad-dur! No! Stop it! This isn't true!" Sam cried out. He could feel hot tears stinging his eyes, threatening to spill over.
"Sam, it's me, Frodo. Come out here so we can talk. It's as real as anything. This isn't a dream if that's what your thinking. Come out here," Frodo said.
"No! This isn't true! This is just a terrible dream! Don't do this to me! You died! Your gone, there's no bringing you back! This is a trick of some sort!" Sam said.
Frodo extended his hand. "Take my hand. I swear to you it's real. I wouldn't break a promise to you."
Sam stayed still where he was. At first it didn't look like he would take the offered hand. But then, very slowly, he extended his hand, and carefully placed it in Frodo's.
Frodo smiled. "See?"
Sam's face turned to a mixture of sadness and happiness. Frodo pulled him into an embrace, and all of Sam's emotions spilled. He began to sob on Frodo's shoulder, clinging to the one he thought he had lost. Between his tears he managed on word;
"H-how?"
Frodo smiled softly. "Let's not discuss it right now, Sam. What of the quest? Do you have the Ring?"
Sam let go of Frodo and looked into his eyes. He saw what he thought was excitement, but he shoved it out of his mind in his happiness to see him again.
"Yes, I do have it here, but do you think we should speak of it here?" Sam said looking around.
"Yes, Sam, I would like for you to give it to me. It was my burden, and I don't want it to be yours any more. You've suffered much," Frodo said gently.
"As you say, Mr. Frodo," Sam said and took the chain with the Ring on it from around his neck. He began to hand it to Frodo's outstretched hand. Then he pulled it back. "Mr. Frodo, won't you tell me how it is that you're here now?"
"Later, Sam, give me the Ring first. Then you'll have an explanation," Frodo said, and Sam saw something strange in his eyes as his hand stretched out again for the Ring. Frodo's hand was shaking with excitement.
Sam began to give it to him again, but then hesitated for a second time. "Mr. Frodo, will you please explain. I don't mean to be snooping or anything, but I would feel more comfortable to know how this came along and that it was the real you. It pains me to accuse you of not being the real you, but something don't feel right, if you take my meaning."
"SAM! GIVE ME THE RING!" Frodo yelled, almost looking like he was about to pounce on Sam.
Sam had a look of horror on his face and tears began to stream from his eyes again. "I knew it," he said quietly, "it isn't really you! This is all a trick to get the Ring!"
Frodo seemed to get a hold on himself again, and he looked sorrowful. "Sam, I'm sorry. Please don't think that. It is me. It's just the hold of the Ring on me. I'm so sorry, Sam. Please give me the Ring?" He said apologetically.
"No! You give me an explanation first! Then I'll believe you!" Sam cried.
Frodo's anger showed in his face. "Sam, Sam, Sam," he said shaking his head, "I always did under estimate your intelligence," he began to get taller before Sam's eyes, and a shadow seemed to fall on them. "If you do not give me the Ring, I will take it by force," Frodo continued in a menacing voice. A voice that was not his own. He continued to grow until he was a man Sam did not recognize.
"I won't give you the Ring!" Sam said fiercely, trying to get it back on his neck.
The man in front of him took a step closer and unsheathed a knife from inside the cloak he was wearing. He took another step towards Sam.
Sam cowered to the rocks he had been hiding by. He felt a sudden urge to put the Ring on. To disappear and get away from the frightening man.
"Yes, Sam. Put on the Ring," the man said tauntingly, "disappear from my sight and go into the sight of my master."
Sam tried with all his strength to resist the urge to put on the Ring, but his hand was slowly moving toward the chain.
Unexpectedly, there came what looked like a dull grey flash rushing from behind the tall man. It pounced onto the Sam and he was able to make out two glowing green eyes.
"Give it to usssss!" Gullom hissed as he wrestled with Sam, "Give ussss the precioussss!"
"NO! GET AWAY YOU FOUL CREATURE!" Seltaeb cried and stabbed his knife forward. With a cry, Gullom fell away from Sam, clasping his side near the ribs.
"You is stabbed us!" he cried, "You is stabbed us! Precioussss save ussss!"
Seltaeb kicked the poor creature away from the hobbit who was trying to catch his breath.
"I have you now, Sam," he said tauntingly.
Without warning, Sam took something out of his cloak. It began to shine bright, and Seltaeb tried to cover his eyes.
"What the- no, not that!" he cried as he cringed from the brightness of the light.
Sam lifted the Light of Galadriel above his head at the man who stumbled away from his shielding his eyes. Then he fell to the ground. He seemed to be shrinking, though Sam wasn't sure if it was his imagination.
Then the light ended abruptly, and Sam waited for his eyes to get used to the darkness again. When his eyes adjusted, he saw Frodo Baggins the hobbit lying on the ground with a dark cloak covering his shaking form.
************************************************************************