Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR.
Face to Face With Royalty
Not a second after they'd hidden, a man in black appeared on a black horse. She looked at him. He had no face! It was just a large black hood with nothing inside. And the horse looked dead. Its hooves were rotten and it had spots of blood on it. It was evil; there wasn't any good at all in its presence. She felt cold. The rider got down from the horse and began sniffing the air. She thought the poor Hobbits would get caught. It seemed to be looking for something. She watched Frodo take the ring out. It was on a little chain around his neck. He was about to put it on when the Hobbit next to him stopped him.
The ring! He was looking for the ring. Why? She broke a limb on the tree to get his attention. He made this awful shriek and began ascending the tree towards her. She leapt out of it and began running until she was sure that the creature was far enough behind. She stopped for a second as she felt that chilled feeling down her back again. She looked up. There he was, right above her. Had he seen her? No, not yet. She heard a horse galloping, and another one appeared. Two? Could there be more?
She had to get to Bree, she didn't want to be left behind with these freaks. Where was Bree? She could remember the maps well enough, but it didn't help her figure out which way she had to go. She listened closely. Water!
"Ah, a river," she said as she made her way to a tiny one. Rivers went downhill, which meant South. Right? She always associated South with downhill. Unless in Middle-earth there was a different way to do things. But, no. A place without electricity would not have uphill-flowing water. At least she hoped. So all she had to do was make it to the next village. Which meant making it across those fog-covered hills up ahead. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She managed to make it to Bree safely enough, when it was pouring rain and she had nothing on but her little blue Calvin Klein top with an old pair of jeans. Wandering around until she saw a sign with a pony on it, she was freezing. She entered the inn and was able to sit there in front of the fire inconspicuously enough. But she saw no sign of Gandalf.
As she dried, she sensed someone staring at her. It was a stranger in the back corner, smoking a pipe. She tried to ignore him, but it wasn't working. The uncomfortable air was broken when Frodo and the others burst in the doorway, shaking their soaked heads.
Frodo seemed distressed when he talked to the innkeeper. The four of them sat down at a table and she joined them. "I'm glad to see you've made it," Frodo said gratefully. He introduced her to all of them. Sitting next to him was Samwise Gamgee, his friend and gardener. Across from them were Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, his cousin.
"What happened with those black riders?" she asked them.
Merry leaned in close. "They chased us until we were able to get to the Brandywine Bridge. There were about three of them that we could count."
"Well, I don't like the look of that one over there. He's done nothing but stare at us since we came in. Mr. Butterbur over there said his name was Strider," Sam murmured.
She looked. He was still focused on their group, as the little one called Peregrin got up to get a pint of beer. He began talking with the people at the bar as Frodo took the ring out and began rotating it with his fingers.
"Frodo, put that away! Remember what happened last time?" she said harshly.
All of a sudden they both heard, "Baggins? Sure, I know a Baggins. That's Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side."
Frodo seemed distraught by this and ran over. "Pippin!" he cried as he tripped and fell. Still holding the ring, he let go of it. Laura gasped as it flew into the air. The stranger stood up and looked intently at the scene. Wait a second, there was nothing odd about dropping a ring. She sat back down.
As Frodo put his finger out to catch the ring, things got weird. He disappeared completely! And while the other astonished men were drunk, she wasn't. And neither were Sam, Merry, Pippin, or the stranger. "Oh boy," she said as the stranger moved closer. She watched him cautiously. He was indeed searching for something. He knew about the ring.
Shortly after the episode, Frodo appeared and was grabbed by the man and dragged upstairs. The rest followed him, as she stayed behind trying to decide whether she should go up there or not. It was too strange. That man seemed all too familiar to her. She finally decided she had to go up. None of the doors were closed except one.
She opened the door and found herself face to face with him and his sword. He was very rugged-looking. His hair was long and dark, and his face was unshaven. He wore dark clothes, also. And the room was dark. Was this her dream? Who was this man, was he the king? Upon seeing her, he put his sword away. The Hobbits lay sleeping in the room.
She quietly closed the door behind her. "Strider?" she whispered. He took a seat in a chair by the window, as she stood close by. He did not reply just yet.
After looking at her for another moment he said, "You look just like your father."
"So that must be why I'm here. It has to do with my father?"
He looked unsure about what he could say. "That is questionable. Whether your father intended on you being involved in this, I cannot say."
"Involved in what?" She heard a sudden shrieking sound and turned to the window. There were riders in the street. The four Hobbits woke up looking very frightened. She knelt down beside Pippin and consoled him.
Frodo looked out the window, his blue eyes wide. "What are they?" he asked.
"They were once men," Strider replied calmly. "They are the Nazgul; the undead. The Ring calls to them at all times, and they will never stop hunting you."
Something about the way he said it made her shudder. She watched them run up and down the streets, shrieking and waving their horrific blades. They were all anxious for Strider to say more, but he stayed silent in his corner, so the Hobbits fell back asleep one by one, and the next day they set out.
Sam at first did not trust Strider at all, and expressed his concern to them. They all seemed a bit unsure. "Sam, I'm pretty sure that we can trust this man," Laura tried to reassure him.
Face to Face With Royalty
Not a second after they'd hidden, a man in black appeared on a black horse. She looked at him. He had no face! It was just a large black hood with nothing inside. And the horse looked dead. Its hooves were rotten and it had spots of blood on it. It was evil; there wasn't any good at all in its presence. She felt cold. The rider got down from the horse and began sniffing the air. She thought the poor Hobbits would get caught. It seemed to be looking for something. She watched Frodo take the ring out. It was on a little chain around his neck. He was about to put it on when the Hobbit next to him stopped him.
The ring! He was looking for the ring. Why? She broke a limb on the tree to get his attention. He made this awful shriek and began ascending the tree towards her. She leapt out of it and began running until she was sure that the creature was far enough behind. She stopped for a second as she felt that chilled feeling down her back again. She looked up. There he was, right above her. Had he seen her? No, not yet. She heard a horse galloping, and another one appeared. Two? Could there be more?
She had to get to Bree, she didn't want to be left behind with these freaks. Where was Bree? She could remember the maps well enough, but it didn't help her figure out which way she had to go. She listened closely. Water!
"Ah, a river," she said as she made her way to a tiny one. Rivers went downhill, which meant South. Right? She always associated South with downhill. Unless in Middle-earth there was a different way to do things. But, no. A place without electricity would not have uphill-flowing water. At least she hoped. So all she had to do was make it to the next village. Which meant making it across those fog-covered hills up ahead. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She managed to make it to Bree safely enough, when it was pouring rain and she had nothing on but her little blue Calvin Klein top with an old pair of jeans. Wandering around until she saw a sign with a pony on it, she was freezing. She entered the inn and was able to sit there in front of the fire inconspicuously enough. But she saw no sign of Gandalf.
As she dried, she sensed someone staring at her. It was a stranger in the back corner, smoking a pipe. She tried to ignore him, but it wasn't working. The uncomfortable air was broken when Frodo and the others burst in the doorway, shaking their soaked heads.
Frodo seemed distressed when he talked to the innkeeper. The four of them sat down at a table and she joined them. "I'm glad to see you've made it," Frodo said gratefully. He introduced her to all of them. Sitting next to him was Samwise Gamgee, his friend and gardener. Across from them were Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, his cousin.
"What happened with those black riders?" she asked them.
Merry leaned in close. "They chased us until we were able to get to the Brandywine Bridge. There were about three of them that we could count."
"Well, I don't like the look of that one over there. He's done nothing but stare at us since we came in. Mr. Butterbur over there said his name was Strider," Sam murmured.
She looked. He was still focused on their group, as the little one called Peregrin got up to get a pint of beer. He began talking with the people at the bar as Frodo took the ring out and began rotating it with his fingers.
"Frodo, put that away! Remember what happened last time?" she said harshly.
All of a sudden they both heard, "Baggins? Sure, I know a Baggins. That's Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side."
Frodo seemed distraught by this and ran over. "Pippin!" he cried as he tripped and fell. Still holding the ring, he let go of it. Laura gasped as it flew into the air. The stranger stood up and looked intently at the scene. Wait a second, there was nothing odd about dropping a ring. She sat back down.
As Frodo put his finger out to catch the ring, things got weird. He disappeared completely! And while the other astonished men were drunk, she wasn't. And neither were Sam, Merry, Pippin, or the stranger. "Oh boy," she said as the stranger moved closer. She watched him cautiously. He was indeed searching for something. He knew about the ring.
Shortly after the episode, Frodo appeared and was grabbed by the man and dragged upstairs. The rest followed him, as she stayed behind trying to decide whether she should go up there or not. It was too strange. That man seemed all too familiar to her. She finally decided she had to go up. None of the doors were closed except one.
She opened the door and found herself face to face with him and his sword. He was very rugged-looking. His hair was long and dark, and his face was unshaven. He wore dark clothes, also. And the room was dark. Was this her dream? Who was this man, was he the king? Upon seeing her, he put his sword away. The Hobbits lay sleeping in the room.
She quietly closed the door behind her. "Strider?" she whispered. He took a seat in a chair by the window, as she stood close by. He did not reply just yet.
After looking at her for another moment he said, "You look just like your father."
"So that must be why I'm here. It has to do with my father?"
He looked unsure about what he could say. "That is questionable. Whether your father intended on you being involved in this, I cannot say."
"Involved in what?" She heard a sudden shrieking sound and turned to the window. There were riders in the street. The four Hobbits woke up looking very frightened. She knelt down beside Pippin and consoled him.
Frodo looked out the window, his blue eyes wide. "What are they?" he asked.
"They were once men," Strider replied calmly. "They are the Nazgul; the undead. The Ring calls to them at all times, and they will never stop hunting you."
Something about the way he said it made her shudder. She watched them run up and down the streets, shrieking and waving their horrific blades. They were all anxious for Strider to say more, but he stayed silent in his corner, so the Hobbits fell back asleep one by one, and the next day they set out.
Sam at first did not trust Strider at all, and expressed his concern to them. They all seemed a bit unsure. "Sam, I'm pretty sure that we can trust this man," Laura tried to reassure him.