The Tower of Cirith Ungol
Chapter 2: Orcs and Introductions
Sam forced himself to keep calm and think of a solution to this invisible barrier. Evil-looking were the statues: three giant heads, menacing on each side, with outstretched wings meant to prevent intruders from passing. The hobbit suddenly thought of the phial of light that he had taken from Frodo. Light in dark places, the Lady said, thought Sam. He reached into his breast pocket. "Galadriel!" he called, trying to sound brave and failing. The light was not shining—wait, there! From his faithful brown hand came a sudden brightness, the same glare that had overpowered the monstrous Shelob. A furious wailing came from above his head, and he almost cowered because of the sound. He forced himself to stand. He must not abandon Frodo! A great bell let out a large clang. He ran through the two statues quickly.
"There," he cried. "Let's tell Captain Shagrat that I've rung the front doorbell! I'm ready to fight!" He waited, rather apprehensively, for an Orc to come and challenge him, but nothing happened. Cautiously approaching the front door, holding the Phial of Galadriel closely to his breast, he let out a great yelp. Many Orc bodies were piled up in front of the tower door. "Seems like they've done all the killing themselves," he muttered. "Still, better to be safe than sorry, as my Gaffer always says!" He drew out Sting, which was glowing ferociously with a blue light. "Hold on, Mr. Frodo," he said softly. "Just wait for your Sam to come and rescue you!" He walked through the great tower.
An Orc! It was coming near the hobbit. Sting glowed brighter than ever. Sam gripped the phial of light tightly. The horrid creature was coming closer, closer…it was carrying a whip…
Suddenly the Orc let out a frightened yell and scampered off in the other direction. Sam looked around, startled. No one was there.
The Orc had seen, in Sam, a great, menacing vision of light and power that it could not overcome. It had been frightened and had gone off in search of its comrades.
Sam continued walking through the tower, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the dead bodies which lay piled up against the walls. "Big fight about something, apparently," he said to himself. He began climbing to the top of the staircase, where his master was.
Suddenly he heard voices approaching. "I tell you, Captain, it was there," came a harsh croak filled with fear. "One of them Elves, I reckon, come to rescue the prisoners."
"I'll deal with that filthy Elf warrior," was the snarling answer. "With two of us we can take him."
"Yes, sir," was the submissive reply.
Sam gripped Sting tightly, ready to fight the Orcs. He could see the figures approaching in the darkness. In a flash, he tried recalling every sword movement that he had seen Legolas, Boromir, and Aragorn use. The remembrance of the three friends filled his heart with aching, but he quickly shook it off. He could not let the Orcs get to his master.
His heart pounding, Sam watched as the Orcs drew nearer to him.
Harry stirred in his sleep, and Frodo watched his movements with large, terrified blue eyes. He hoped that Harry was good; it seemed like he was. Otherwise the young boy wizard would not have stood up for him, would he? Perhaps he wanted the Ring to himself, like Saruman. Maybe he worked for Saruman! The thought alarmed Frodo. Yet Harry had given the impression that he was very confused of his whereabouts.
Harry's eyes snapped open suddenly, revealing a startling bright green. He gasped and tried to sit up, but found his hands and feet bound. Looking around, he spotted Frodo watching him. "What happened?" he asked thickly. "Wait…" his voice became clearer. "Where's my wand?" He saw it on the opposite side of the room and widened his eyes. "Oh, no!" Pitifully he tried to crawl toward the faithful wooden rod, but it was useless. He couldn't move far enough.
"I'm sorry," Harry told Frodo miserably. "I'm so sorry I got you into this mess. Trouble always finds me at the worst times."
Frodo shook his head. "I should not have been so foolish in the first place. I would not be here. You would not be here. We would not have to fear for our lives."
"They're going to kill us?" Harry asked timidly. "Those…goblins?"
Frodo shook his head thoughtfully. "No. I think they will hurt us or whip us first, and then the Questioner will come." He paused, hearing odd sounds of a fight below him. "Wait here," he told Harry. With surprising agility he climbed down the trapdoor, investigating the scuffle underneath the room.
Harry struggled against his bonds, but it was useless. The ropes were tight and would not come free. Breathing heavily, he sat and waited for Frodo to come.
Sam had sprung out of the darkness, surprising the two impending Orcs. With Sting upraised, he had quickly (and fearfully) cleaved the head of the Orc that had run from him previously. The Orc's comrade was much larger, and Sam was losing strength for the fight. Even the bright light of the Phial of Galadriel could not hold the captain back. Breathless, Sam raised his hand for one final blow. "Mister Frodo, I'm so sorry I failed you!" he cried to himself as his arm struck downward.
He was no longer alone. His master, wide-eyed, half-naked, and with an uncharacteristic animal fury, had attacked the creature from behind. The Orc let out a feral yell and stumbled. Sam gave Frodo his sword and Frodo killed the beast.
"Mr. Frodo!" cried Sam, as soon as the fight was over. "Mr. Frodo, you're alive!"
"Yes, Sam," Frodo answered, hugging his servant in a brotherly way. "I'm so glad to see you alive!"
"Mr. Frodo, I've been wondering," said Sam, after a moment of joyful reunion. "The Orc that I killed said something about prisoners. Now you're only one hobbit. Who's the other prisoner?"
"A boy named Harry," replied Frodo. He did not tell Sam yet that Harry was a wizard. "We must go up to him." He led the way up the trapdoor. Harry was sitting there, frustrated tears rolling down his face. He was struggling against his bonds once again.
"Harry?" Frodo called. The boy turned around. "This is Sam," Frodo introduced. "Samwise Gamgee. He's my companion."
"Hi, Sam." Harry looked at the adult that was the same size as Frodo. Frodo went to the wizard and cut his bonds. Harry rubbed his wrists and looked at him gratefully. "Thank you." He crossed the room and took his wand, waving it around a bit to make sure it still worked.
"What's that, Mr. Harry?" asked Sam, looking at it curiously. "Seems like one of Gandalf's old tricks."
"A wand," Harry explained, moving the wooden stick around leisurely. "Magic. Who's Gandalf?"
"He was a wizard friend of ours," said Frodo. "He was lost in Moria fighting against the Balrog, an evil creature."
"He had great fireworks," added Sam.
"I wish I could have met him," Harry told the hobbits. He stopped moving his wand. "I want to meet another wizard."
"You're a wizard?" Sam asked, his eyes widening in fear and shock. He turned to Frodo. "Why didn't you tell me, Mr. Frodo?"
"I didn't feel it was the right time," said Sam's master.
"I'm a wizard," Harry told Sam. "I'm still in training. I'm on the good side." He fingered his scar under his bangs, then suddenly turned. "Oh, no…" his face went pale.
"What is it?" asked Frodo.
Wordlessly Harry pointed toward the trapdoor. An Orc was coming up the stairs.
"The Questioner!" Frodo whispered. "We forgot about him. We're trapped!"
A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review.
Special thanks to: Michiru-chan, Shelob, Amy, MeShelly, and Eowyn of Ithilien for reviewing the first chapter. I really appreciate it!