Disclaimer: I don't own Sam or Frodo.but I wouldn't mind borrowing Sam
every now and again.
A/N: Thanks so much to everyone that has read this little story and reviewed it. I appreciate it so much! Reading your comments makes me want to keep writing this story!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A shriek tore Sam from the fitful sleep he had just entered. Half-rising from his blanket, he looked over the still form of Frodo to see an uneven edge of oily blackness moving towards his end of the courtyard. The wave of darkness was picking up the hobbits, roughing them up, and throwing them on the ground. It was only after a moment when his eyes adjusted, did Sam figure out what it was.Orcs.
Hot panic clawed into Sam's throat and he violently shook Frodo awake. "Mr. Frodo.Mr. Frodo.wake up! Orcs sir, lots of 'em, if you follow me!"
"What's that Sam?" Frodo asked, rubbing his eyes, slowly becoming aware that evilness was nearly upon them.
"Orcs, sir. Put on the Ring! If you don't, they'll have you! Hurry! They're lookin' for you and the Ring!"
The huge blue eyes became even wider as Frodo realized what was going on and that Sam was right. The Ring was the cause of the fiasco, but now it would be the only thing to save him from being put into Saruon's hands. Sam's round face was set into determined lines..he liked the idea no more than Frodo did. But what other choice was there?
Frodo quickly slipped the chain bearing the ring over his head, and slipped the cool band of gold over his third finger. He disappeared just before the Orcs reached Sam.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Durein sat in the cold water, still unsure of what to do, but every muscle tensed for the first opportunity to turn the advantage. The Orc stood above her, the ugly face contorted into a parody of a smile. It knew it had her at the mercy of the blade in its hand.
The Orc walked closer to the tub, and Durein's chin went up, her eyes narrowed. She would not cower before this thing, it was beneath her to be afraid. The sword swung around, coming to rest against her throat, the sharp edge of the blade biting into the skin. A warm trickle of blood mingled with the old blood already there.
Her hands gripped the sides of the tub tighter, feeling the razor edge press harder into her throat. She looked up into the face of the creature above her.and something snapped. She wouldn't sit here and be killed this way. Her hand shot up, and slapped the blade away from her neck, deepening the mark already made by the sword.
At that moment, the door burst open and guards spilled into the room. The first one through distracted the Orc enough for Durein to jump out of the tub and slip-slide across the room for her sword. Unfortunately, that same guard was the first to feel the Orc's blade when his head was separated from his shoulders.
Durein drew her sword and looked in horror at the blood spurting from the fallen guard. It was sickening and sad, the feeling you got when someone traded their life for yours. A hard knot of dread formed in the pit of her stomach.a family would be notified that their son, husband, or brother had died this night.
Gripping the sword tighter in her slippery hand, Durein circled behind the Orc as it fought with the fury of a cornered animal against the remaining guards. It knew that there was no chance of it getting out of this room alive, it was merely trying to take as many down as it could.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sam was trying to catch his breath after being picked up, shaken roughly and thrown to the ground. Foul breath had brushed across his face, making him sick to his stomach while he was held tightly by the upper arms, several feet above the ground, while another Orc came over and pawed through his clothes. They were searching for the Ring.Sam knew it as surely as he knew his name.
Soon after, the next hobbit was picked up, roughed up. and bouncing across the ground beside him. It was hard to think in the midst of the widespread panic the surprise attack caused. Little else mattered to Sam at the moment, only one thought was repeated in his head, while his eyes scanned shadow and light.Where was Mr. Frodo?
Hundreds of guards flooded the square then, wading into the dark mass of Orcs. The face of the moon was mostly hidden, shedding little light on the conflict, only dull glinting on the armor and swords. Groans and cries of the fallen guards and unearthly screams of the Orcs echoed from the enclosed walls, adding to the chaos.
Sam felt a hand fall on his shoulder and then a slight squeeze. Looking around, he saw nothing, but knew that it was Mr. Frodo reassuring him that the Ring had not been found. It still lay safe at the base of Frodo's third finger, and the lives of the Orcs were being spent in vain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A hot spray of blood covered Durein as she lopped off the head of the Orc. It had made one last bid for freedom, running toward her and the open window behind her. Panting, she weakly lowered her sword and nudged the ghastly head with her toe. Now that it wasn't connected to the body, it looked smaller and somehow less frightening..like the masks the children wore to scare each other on the holidays. The guards began to file out of the room then, only two staying behind to protect Durein. The others were going to search the rest of the fortress for other invaders.
A warm robe slipped over her shoulders and she looked up into the frightened eyes of Isliene. She had been awakened by the noises in the courtyard and had come to Durein's rooms first to look after her and Terran. She had come in just as the Orc had charged for the window.
"Mistress," Isliene finally said, after a few seconds of her mouth working soundlessly. She took a corner of the robe and wiped at the blood on Durein's face and across the cut on her neck. She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Teren.is he ok?" Durein asked, to keep Isliene from falling apart now when she was needed the most.
One of the guards that had stayed behind, came out of Teren's room then, holding the lad in the crook of his arm. Teren was still half asleep and had apparently slept through the whole ordeal-fortunately. Durein broke from the nurse to gather her sleeping child in her arms, to hold him close and smell the innocence and cleanness of him. Would it ever stop, the violence, the killing, the ugliness of life was hard too hard to be borne sometimes. She sat rocking him back and forth on the bed, while death was being dealt out in the courtyard below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bodies littered the square, blood staining the once white stepping stones and dark green grasses. Sam sat with his back against the thick outer walls, and watched the remaining hobbit and human guards gather the wounded to be taken inside. The Orcs were placed in their own pile, to be taken outside the gates after daybreak and burned. Not only as a cleansing process, but as a warning to those that continued to hound the borders.
The refugee hobbits were cleaning themselves up, bandaging minor cuts and scrapes, doing general simple things to put things back in order. Small lads and lasses were still be comforted on their parent's knees, while the older children were trying to outdo each other with how brave they were when the Orcs searched them. Sam shook his head, the way youngsters bounced back from things like that.
Mr. Frodo suddenly reappeared beside Sam, hanging the chain with the Ring back around his neck. Looking around, Sam didn't see that anyone noticed, being busy with the mopping up, but it was still dangerous of Mr. Frodo to do. Sam said so.
"Sam, I had to take off the Ring," Frodo said, looking drawn and pale. "Every moment I have the ring on, the easier it is for the Eye to find me." He rubbed his forehead with an unsteady hand. "It also takes so much from me to bear the Ring, much less to wear it for any period of time."
"You there, what wizardry is this? Suddenly appearing from thin air?" A guard was standing before them, with a spear pointed squarely at Frodo's throat.
"Here now! Don't be pointin' no spear at Mr. Frodo!" Sam exclaimed, batting the spear away, ready to fight.
Another guard joined the first, drawing his sword, and eyeing the pair of hobbits sitting against the wall. "Come on then, up with the both of you. You," and he pointed at Frodo, "Are to come with me to see the higher ups. Mayhap you had something to do with this.and mayhap you didn't. They'll be the judges."
"And you," he continued, pointing to Sam, "Are going to go with him. The two of you have been thick as thieves. There's something going on, we're going to get to the bottom of it."
Each roughly seized one of the pair and hustled them off to a room in a tower of the fortress. Both were given a blanket and a soft tick of hay to sleep on, with word that on the marrow they would be spoken to. Sam sat against the wall, wrapped in his blanket, looking out the high window of his cell, until he finally fell asleep.
The next morning, a plate of the usual fare was brought in for breakfast. Sam picked at his food, wondering more about how him and Mr. Frodo were going to get themselves out of this instead of filling his stomach. In a little while, the guard returned, taking the half empty plate from Sam with word that soon they would be questioned.
Sam wondered what he would say. He knew that he couldn't say anything about the Ring, or the quest, but how would he explain Mr. Frodo suddenly reappearing after being overrun with Orcs? He could see how the guards were suspicious about the whole thing. He, himself, would have been.
The door opened again, and a mixed group of men and hobbits filed in the narrow doorway. Sam and Frodo stood up to face the group. Before any of the newcomers could say anything, Frodo made a statement.
"Before myself, or my servant, answer any of your questions, we want to see Mistress Durein or Master Blian. We have that right, we have done nothing wrong and are wrongly imprisoned here."
One of the group stepped forward, a human, with kind eyes and dark hair. "I believe you may not have a choice in the matter. We suspect you may have had something to do with the raid last night. The Orcs were able to infiltrate our gates in some manner. That occurrence and your sudden reappearance are two strange things to happen in one night and not be related."
"That may be, but neither of us will speak until we have seen either Mistress Durein or Master Blian." And Frodo turned and sat back against the wall, his mouth closed in a firm line.
Sam glanced from the group to his master, and back again. He would follow Frodo's lead, for better or worse. He also sat down again, arms crossed on his chest.
Bemusement flickered across their faces as they looked to each other. It was obvious from the attitude the two hobbits had assumed, they would get no answers until their demands were met. Almost as one, the assembled nodded and the spokesman turned to the captives.
"Be it as it may, you will be questioned. But," and he paused, the others of his assemblage were leaving, "You will have the privilege of speaking with both the Mistress and Master." With that, the door was once more closed and locked behind him.
"So, Mr. Frodo, you know what you're goin' to do then? What we're goin' to tell them?"
"Sam, I have no idea. I just asked to see them to buy us some time until I figure it out."
~TBC~
A/N: Thanks so much to everyone that has read this little story and reviewed it. I appreciate it so much! Reading your comments makes me want to keep writing this story!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A shriek tore Sam from the fitful sleep he had just entered. Half-rising from his blanket, he looked over the still form of Frodo to see an uneven edge of oily blackness moving towards his end of the courtyard. The wave of darkness was picking up the hobbits, roughing them up, and throwing them on the ground. It was only after a moment when his eyes adjusted, did Sam figure out what it was.Orcs.
Hot panic clawed into Sam's throat and he violently shook Frodo awake. "Mr. Frodo.Mr. Frodo.wake up! Orcs sir, lots of 'em, if you follow me!"
"What's that Sam?" Frodo asked, rubbing his eyes, slowly becoming aware that evilness was nearly upon them.
"Orcs, sir. Put on the Ring! If you don't, they'll have you! Hurry! They're lookin' for you and the Ring!"
The huge blue eyes became even wider as Frodo realized what was going on and that Sam was right. The Ring was the cause of the fiasco, but now it would be the only thing to save him from being put into Saruon's hands. Sam's round face was set into determined lines..he liked the idea no more than Frodo did. But what other choice was there?
Frodo quickly slipped the chain bearing the ring over his head, and slipped the cool band of gold over his third finger. He disappeared just before the Orcs reached Sam.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Durein sat in the cold water, still unsure of what to do, but every muscle tensed for the first opportunity to turn the advantage. The Orc stood above her, the ugly face contorted into a parody of a smile. It knew it had her at the mercy of the blade in its hand.
The Orc walked closer to the tub, and Durein's chin went up, her eyes narrowed. She would not cower before this thing, it was beneath her to be afraid. The sword swung around, coming to rest against her throat, the sharp edge of the blade biting into the skin. A warm trickle of blood mingled with the old blood already there.
Her hands gripped the sides of the tub tighter, feeling the razor edge press harder into her throat. She looked up into the face of the creature above her.and something snapped. She wouldn't sit here and be killed this way. Her hand shot up, and slapped the blade away from her neck, deepening the mark already made by the sword.
At that moment, the door burst open and guards spilled into the room. The first one through distracted the Orc enough for Durein to jump out of the tub and slip-slide across the room for her sword. Unfortunately, that same guard was the first to feel the Orc's blade when his head was separated from his shoulders.
Durein drew her sword and looked in horror at the blood spurting from the fallen guard. It was sickening and sad, the feeling you got when someone traded their life for yours. A hard knot of dread formed in the pit of her stomach.a family would be notified that their son, husband, or brother had died this night.
Gripping the sword tighter in her slippery hand, Durein circled behind the Orc as it fought with the fury of a cornered animal against the remaining guards. It knew that there was no chance of it getting out of this room alive, it was merely trying to take as many down as it could.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sam was trying to catch his breath after being picked up, shaken roughly and thrown to the ground. Foul breath had brushed across his face, making him sick to his stomach while he was held tightly by the upper arms, several feet above the ground, while another Orc came over and pawed through his clothes. They were searching for the Ring.Sam knew it as surely as he knew his name.
Soon after, the next hobbit was picked up, roughed up. and bouncing across the ground beside him. It was hard to think in the midst of the widespread panic the surprise attack caused. Little else mattered to Sam at the moment, only one thought was repeated in his head, while his eyes scanned shadow and light.Where was Mr. Frodo?
Hundreds of guards flooded the square then, wading into the dark mass of Orcs. The face of the moon was mostly hidden, shedding little light on the conflict, only dull glinting on the armor and swords. Groans and cries of the fallen guards and unearthly screams of the Orcs echoed from the enclosed walls, adding to the chaos.
Sam felt a hand fall on his shoulder and then a slight squeeze. Looking around, he saw nothing, but knew that it was Mr. Frodo reassuring him that the Ring had not been found. It still lay safe at the base of Frodo's third finger, and the lives of the Orcs were being spent in vain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A hot spray of blood covered Durein as she lopped off the head of the Orc. It had made one last bid for freedom, running toward her and the open window behind her. Panting, she weakly lowered her sword and nudged the ghastly head with her toe. Now that it wasn't connected to the body, it looked smaller and somehow less frightening..like the masks the children wore to scare each other on the holidays. The guards began to file out of the room then, only two staying behind to protect Durein. The others were going to search the rest of the fortress for other invaders.
A warm robe slipped over her shoulders and she looked up into the frightened eyes of Isliene. She had been awakened by the noises in the courtyard and had come to Durein's rooms first to look after her and Terran. She had come in just as the Orc had charged for the window.
"Mistress," Isliene finally said, after a few seconds of her mouth working soundlessly. She took a corner of the robe and wiped at the blood on Durein's face and across the cut on her neck. She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Teren.is he ok?" Durein asked, to keep Isliene from falling apart now when she was needed the most.
One of the guards that had stayed behind, came out of Teren's room then, holding the lad in the crook of his arm. Teren was still half asleep and had apparently slept through the whole ordeal-fortunately. Durein broke from the nurse to gather her sleeping child in her arms, to hold him close and smell the innocence and cleanness of him. Would it ever stop, the violence, the killing, the ugliness of life was hard too hard to be borne sometimes. She sat rocking him back and forth on the bed, while death was being dealt out in the courtyard below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bodies littered the square, blood staining the once white stepping stones and dark green grasses. Sam sat with his back against the thick outer walls, and watched the remaining hobbit and human guards gather the wounded to be taken inside. The Orcs were placed in their own pile, to be taken outside the gates after daybreak and burned. Not only as a cleansing process, but as a warning to those that continued to hound the borders.
The refugee hobbits were cleaning themselves up, bandaging minor cuts and scrapes, doing general simple things to put things back in order. Small lads and lasses were still be comforted on their parent's knees, while the older children were trying to outdo each other with how brave they were when the Orcs searched them. Sam shook his head, the way youngsters bounced back from things like that.
Mr. Frodo suddenly reappeared beside Sam, hanging the chain with the Ring back around his neck. Looking around, Sam didn't see that anyone noticed, being busy with the mopping up, but it was still dangerous of Mr. Frodo to do. Sam said so.
"Sam, I had to take off the Ring," Frodo said, looking drawn and pale. "Every moment I have the ring on, the easier it is for the Eye to find me." He rubbed his forehead with an unsteady hand. "It also takes so much from me to bear the Ring, much less to wear it for any period of time."
"You there, what wizardry is this? Suddenly appearing from thin air?" A guard was standing before them, with a spear pointed squarely at Frodo's throat.
"Here now! Don't be pointin' no spear at Mr. Frodo!" Sam exclaimed, batting the spear away, ready to fight.
Another guard joined the first, drawing his sword, and eyeing the pair of hobbits sitting against the wall. "Come on then, up with the both of you. You," and he pointed at Frodo, "Are to come with me to see the higher ups. Mayhap you had something to do with this.and mayhap you didn't. They'll be the judges."
"And you," he continued, pointing to Sam, "Are going to go with him. The two of you have been thick as thieves. There's something going on, we're going to get to the bottom of it."
Each roughly seized one of the pair and hustled them off to a room in a tower of the fortress. Both were given a blanket and a soft tick of hay to sleep on, with word that on the marrow they would be spoken to. Sam sat against the wall, wrapped in his blanket, looking out the high window of his cell, until he finally fell asleep.
The next morning, a plate of the usual fare was brought in for breakfast. Sam picked at his food, wondering more about how him and Mr. Frodo were going to get themselves out of this instead of filling his stomach. In a little while, the guard returned, taking the half empty plate from Sam with word that soon they would be questioned.
Sam wondered what he would say. He knew that he couldn't say anything about the Ring, or the quest, but how would he explain Mr. Frodo suddenly reappearing after being overrun with Orcs? He could see how the guards were suspicious about the whole thing. He, himself, would have been.
The door opened again, and a mixed group of men and hobbits filed in the narrow doorway. Sam and Frodo stood up to face the group. Before any of the newcomers could say anything, Frodo made a statement.
"Before myself, or my servant, answer any of your questions, we want to see Mistress Durein or Master Blian. We have that right, we have done nothing wrong and are wrongly imprisoned here."
One of the group stepped forward, a human, with kind eyes and dark hair. "I believe you may not have a choice in the matter. We suspect you may have had something to do with the raid last night. The Orcs were able to infiltrate our gates in some manner. That occurrence and your sudden reappearance are two strange things to happen in one night and not be related."
"That may be, but neither of us will speak until we have seen either Mistress Durein or Master Blian." And Frodo turned and sat back against the wall, his mouth closed in a firm line.
Sam glanced from the group to his master, and back again. He would follow Frodo's lead, for better or worse. He also sat down again, arms crossed on his chest.
Bemusement flickered across their faces as they looked to each other. It was obvious from the attitude the two hobbits had assumed, they would get no answers until their demands were met. Almost as one, the assembled nodded and the spokesman turned to the captives.
"Be it as it may, you will be questioned. But," and he paused, the others of his assemblage were leaving, "You will have the privilege of speaking with both the Mistress and Master." With that, the door was once more closed and locked behind him.
"So, Mr. Frodo, you know what you're goin' to do then? What we're goin' to tell them?"
"Sam, I have no idea. I just asked to see them to buy us some time until I figure it out."
~TBC~
