Dis for the whole story cause I can't be bothered to write one for every
chapter: I OWN NUTTIN'
A/N: Now I know it was a little confusing to begin with like Aino Fuyu pointed out THANKS!!
NOW. It does take place AFTER The Return of the King BUT they haven't gone to the Grey Heavens YET! Don't kill me cause I've only seen the movie and read a chapter of the Fellowship of the Ring.
It takes a twist later on in this chapter so just be ready for it. This one took me TWO MONTHS to write and I would appreciate it if people (LIKE KIREN) didn't bitch to me about the length in waiting, if you want it written well then expect to wait. I apologise for spelling errors and anything else you can bitch about.
If you want to know when I upload then I'll contact you by email but you don't have to give me the address if you don't feel want to.
For my Rat, Marco (Mr Rat)
The laughter in my day
Chapter 2: The Ring Returns
Galloping hard and fast Aragorn felt like he was racing against time, and he had a feeling time was winning this fearsome race.
As soon as he had spotted Sam and a fallen Frodo, he pulled off the road and dismounted the horse then ran over to the hobbit, who was weeping.
"Sam what is the matter?" he asked fearing the worst.
"You are too late . . ." he sobbed to Aragorn. "You can't bring him back. Even Elrond won't be able too."
Aragorn looked at the hobbits anguished face, knelt down next to Sam and the still Frodo. Frodo was deathly pale and looked as though he had just died a few minutes earlier. In sorrow, Aragorn layed his hand onto Frodo's chest and began to weep.
"All is lost then," Aragorn thought miserably.
Then something caught him off guard.
A heartbeat. Slow and unsteady, but still that meant. . .
"Sam he's not dead. But he's very near it."
"What?" Sam asked wiping his eyes.
"He is not dead! He is alive. I can fell life in his chest. But we must hurry because if we are any later he may just die."
"My pony is too tired to go any faster. By the time we get there it may be too late!" Sam wailed.
"Than you will ride with me. My horse is fast and strong and two more riders will be nothing to him."
First he got Frodo in front of him, than Sam behind. He checked that Sam had a hold on him (in fact he was clutching Aragorn tightly around the waist with his eyes firmly closed.) and that Frodo wouldn't fall off. With that he pressed his horse again into a hard gallop.
Sam opened his eyes a fraction and looked behind him. Kingston, to his surprise, was following at a gallop that Sam thought wasn't possibly for a pony his size.
Kingston whinnied as if to say: 'You are not getting rid of me that easy, Samwise Gamgee.'
Sam smiled and thought what a wonderful little pony he was.
~*~
Merry and Pippin raced right through Elves dwelling's and within minutes were confronted by two Elves who looked as through they had never seen someone in such a hurry.
The one who had black hair and green eyes looked a little curious while the one who looked like Legolas a little startled.
"We . . . are . . . looking . . . fo-" Merry panted.
"Elrond?" asked the Elf with black hair and green eyes.
"Yes! Please tell us where he is." Pippin said frantically.
"He is in the Last House. Awaiting for a sick Frodo." Said the second elf pointing in the direction that Merry and Pippin sought.
"Thank you!" With that they both dashed off.
They burst into the room, much to the annoyance of Elrond, but when he saw the looks on both faces his features softened.
"What crisis calls for you two to burst in without an invitation." He asked of the two exhausted hobbits before him.
"It's Frodo." Pippin said breathlessly. "He's taken a turn for the worse."
Elrond went very quiet for a few seconds, and he looked like he was pondering something, but then he was on his feet and followed the two distressed hobbits but before they got to the end of the corridor, they spotted Aragorn, Sam, Gandalf, and an unconscious Frodo who was in Aragorn's arms, heading their way.
"We must get him in there immediately. He is fevered and the heat in him is rising." Aragorn said.
They set Frodo down on the soft mattress and Elrond began working. He glanced at something then looked up confused. "What did he do to his hand?"
So the three hobbits launched again into the story of how they found Frodo and the broken teapot.
After they had told the story Elrond sent them all out of the room but called for Gandalf to stay with him saying he would need his help.
Samwise, Meriadoc and Peregrin stood facing the closed door, Pippin with his mouth slightly open in shock. They stood in silence the air tingled with a force that made out if you uttered a single sound the one who you wanted to survive would perish.
"Someone's going to have to tell Bilbo." Came a grave voice from behind that made them all jump. They turned around and found that it was Aragorn who had spoken.
"Doesn't he know yet?" Sam asked his voice quivering.
"I had just arrived at Rivendell and was told that I should get you four here and fast. Only I wasn't expecting Frodo to be ill."
"I'll tell him." Said Pippin quietly. He turned around and started the search for Bilbo when Merry and Sam called out for him.
"We'll come too." Merry said while Sam nodded behind his back.
They walked through the beautiful scenery of Rivendell's corridors but neither of them noticed, instead their thoughts were on Frodo, but mostly of Bilbo. How would the old hobbit take the news? Most likely he would be worried and would ask Elrond if he could see Frodo.
"There he is." Sam said pointing to a figure hunched over a book.
Without another word they hurriedly made their way to the ageing hobbit. When they were at the doorway to his opened room he looked up a gasp of delight.
"My goodness, this is certainly a surprise." He said looking the three hobbits. "Now what can bring you three all the way from the Shire?"
They glanced nervously at each other and Bilbo's happy face fell a little. A look of seriousness came into his eyes. "What have you done this time Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took and how did Samwise get involved?"
Pippin swallowed. "It has nothing to do with us Bilbo,"
Bilbo's face fell further. "Well, then tell me, you silly hobbit!"
"It's Frodo, Bilbo." Pippin said quietly here."
The older hobbits face lightened up at the mention of his favourite cousin. "Well, where is my dear boy then?"
Merry shifted uncomfortably and started to play with his fingers behind his back, much like a child being caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing.
"Bilbo. He is not here to visit we brought him here because . . . he . . . he's very ill."
Bilbo sat stunned for a few seconds, then he looked at Sam asking him silently with his eyes if this news was real he both nodded then looked away not wanting to see the old hobbits heart shatter at the news.
There was an uncomfortable silence that took hold and Pippin shifted in it's presence he was never one to be still in the silence of gloom.
"Elrond may let us see him if we go back, he may have woken up." He said trying to life everyone's spirits. Unfortunately, it lifted no ones spirits. Bilbo gave a nod and stood up.
~*~
As soon as the mysterious voice had appeared it melted back into silence. Frodo sat down from the shock and suddenly realised he felt slightly cold but tried to ignore it. It would have worked but the cold slowly spread it's way along his tired body and seized control of him. It was harder to breath and all Frodo wanted was for this to end. He was alone and he felt helpless to do anything. His shoulder was paining him more and more with the hour until it became so intense that all he wanted to do was fall in a heap and cry until the pain went away or he slipped into a deeper blackness. Why it hadn't ended in the day was beyond Frodo.
All he just wanted simply was to wake up and see Merry, Pippin and Sam. He missed them terribly and remembered the last time he had seen Sam. He looked worried and close to tears. Looking around he didn't recognise the surroundings until Merry had said it was Rivendell. Rivendell? Was he that sick? It seemed like the conclusion that he had thought of earlier had finally chosen him. And it wasn't the one he was hoping for.
During the talk to Sam he felt a presence pull him back into unconsciousness but he felt that it was trying to pull him further than that. A terror filled Frodo. He knew that feeling. Death. But somehow his body fought and won, then it made the exhausting task of trying to gain conscious it did but only slightly so he was part aware what was happening. A while later he felt himself being lifted and movement much like the motion of horse-riding.
While this was happening he tried curled up into a ball hoping to get warm again, though he was having his doubts. Then the heat returned and it steadily grew until he was sweating buckets of water.
Someone or something lifted, then carried him in their strong arms and for a funny reason he felt safe. He clutched his shoulder moaned pain.
He was then layed on something soft and cool which made his body give an involuntary shudder at the sudden coldness applied to his hot and fevered back.
After a few minutes or a few a hours he could not tell, his head began to throb from the consent ache in his shoulder and a groan escaped his cracked lips. He then felt someone massaging his forehead which helped the throb to lessen. This, at least, was some relief, sighing his mind relaxed and cessed thinking for awhile.
~*~
When they had reached the room where Frodo was, Gandalf was waiting for them and when he saw Bilbo he welcomed him like a long lost friend.
"Bilbo, how good to see you if only it were of better times." The wizard said.
"You too, Gandalf," said Bilbo sadly. "Please tell me. How is he?"
Gandalf breathed heavily through his nose. "It's not looking too good at the moment. Elrond is not sure what is making him so ill, but whatever it is he seems to be fighting it. So he's not going anywhere anytime soon."
Bilbo studied his friends face for a few seconds before asking. "Do you think he will live Gandalf?"
"If he is strong enough, which I know he is, he might recover with nothing more than nightmares."
"I hope so Gandalf, for I don't know what I'd do if I lost him." Bilbo said sadly.
"Do not think of that," Gandalf said, waving his hand. "Just think of the present."
Gandalf put his hand on the hobbits shoulder and guided him to the oak door which had Frodo behind it's wondrous carvings which showed of times and lands long forgotten.
Before they nocked Elrond opened the door and came out looking as if he were pondering a puzzle of which the pieces were starting to fall into place Gandalf and Bilbo, however, broke his train of thought.
All at once the four hobbits pounced and asked if their friend was alright, when he would awake and other such questions until Elrond held up his hand meaning he needed silence.
"To answer the first question thrown at me: No, he is not awake and is too weak to be woken at the moment. I have healed his hand but am bewildered why the old wound of his shoulder looks as if it has never been healed. I suspect it has something to do with my theories."
"And what are these theories?" Merry asked, hoping to get a clear answer.
Instead all he got was, "I am not sure they are true and I will not speak them until they are."
This just made everyone suspicious of what Elrond was planning for Frodo later.
"I need to know what happened." Was he's next sentence.
"Well, Peregrine, Samwise and I were out for the day and decided to go to Bag End because we hadn't seen Frodo for a while. When we got there he didn't answer the door so we let ourselves in but saw no evidence saying he was at home. Now he usually tells Sam when he's going somewhere but this time he hadn't so we got really worried and began to search for him. Sam took the garden while Pip and I took the house. We had nearly stopped searching when we noticed a chair overturned in the kitchen and that's where we found him his hand bleedin' and everything."
This made Bilbo more determined to see Frodo, mostly to see if Meriadoc's tale was really true.
"Elrond, I must see him!" Bilbo blurted out. "I . . . I need to know if this is all true."
"Of course, Bilbo." Elrond said solemnly and he led the aged hobbit to where Frodo was and closed the door behind them.
"If only we had came sooner, none of this would have happened." Pippin said sadly.
"Don't blame something that has already happened," Merry said sitting down. "It still would have been the same result."
"Yes! But we should have known something was wrong from the start! Then we could have brought him sooner rather than later, he could be well again, Merry!" Pippin exploded.
Only Sam was silent. He saw no use in getting between the cousins argument although he quietly agreed with Pippin.
~*~
The conscious is a powerful thing. It can lead a man to victory yet ruin another in guilt. It has a voice that reminds us when and how to do a certain thing in life, but this voice can be silent for years on end and will only resurface when an event of either grief or joy triggers it.
And it was this same voice that was in Bilbo's mind that was condemning with what the old hobbit had done years before.
'If only I never found the blasted ring, none of this would have happened.' Said Bilbo, raking his nervous hands through his curly, now white, hair. 'He wouldn't have to go through this torment.'
His self-loathing was doing nothing to suppress the memories of his encounter with the wicked creature Gollum. He had found the ring quite by mistake and not knowing of it's terrible power pocketed it. Only years later did Gandalf realise that the ring was evil.
He had never expected Frodo to take it upon himself and his friends to try to complete the journey to Mount Doom. It was only when he had found out that his boy had been injured that he felt despair take hold of his heart. If he couldn't make it that far then how was he expected to survive? Yet Frodo's courage and pure heart showed again and he came back but he was different. He was not the fun loving person anymore not like Meriadoc and Peregrin. He seemed to take things more seriously and looked as if he'd lost his innocence.
He watched the young face and placed his hand on Frodo's forehead. It was hot and clammy which showed that the fever wasn't going to give in without a fight and it was putting one up to match each and everybody's nerves.
He was scared he would lose him, like he lost he dear cousin, Drogo, so many years ago. He had his fathers bright, blue and curious eyes and dark brown ringlets but had his mothers love for life and this would probably save his very life.
All Bilbo had to do was wait and see.
Frodo gave a slight moan and put his newly healed hand on his forehead and it looked like he was attempting to rid of something as he weakly pushed at his face.
Bilbo's thoughts wondered back to when Frodo was still a baby and still had his parents, Drogo and Primula before they had died in a boating accident. He remembered when he had a slight fever and wouldn't settle for his mother. So Bilbo took his favourite cousin and hushed the child by rubbing his thumb up and down the bridge of the child's nose. After the massage, he had slept soundly and awoke the next morning as if he never had a fever.
Bilbo attempted this again and instantly Frodo seemed to settle slightly, although the red colour in his face didn't lighten and the hotness and clamminess was still rising more but maybe, as Bilbo thought, dragging himself away from the past and in to the present, this was the fevers last battle.
He never knew how right he was...
~*~
The darkness was growing thicker, and it was getting harder to breath and keep warm but the fever was still rising. But through this Frodo wanted desperately to open his eyes and put everyone's worries to rest.
He was exhausted but his willpower was as strong as ever and he soon found himself leaving the culches of darkness for a time and opening his eyes to see his relieved uncle.
~*~
Bilbo watched as Frodo's eyes started to flutter open. But they weren't clear, instead they were glazed over in pain and fever but he seemed to be taking in his surroundings.
"Bilbo?" his voice cracked, "What are you doing here?"
Bilbo smiled slightly, "I live here, my boy."
"Rivendell?" Frodo muttered confused. "I remember Sam and Merry talking to me about bringing me here but after that my memory is nothing afterwards."
"Well of course it would be you've been unconscious for little over a week." Bilbo replied. "Which reminds me I need to and tell Elrond that you are awake. I am sure Meriadoc, Peregrin and mostly poor Samwise will be overjoyed your back." And with that Bilbo got up to get the people whom he had just spoken about when he was stopped by Frodo who had grabbed his shirts sleeve.
"Before you go can you get me an extra blanket because it feels like winter in here."
"Why would you want a blanket on a beautiful day like this?" Bilbo wondered out loud.
"I am cold, Bilbo." Frodo said simply.
"But you are boiling," Bilbo said getting a little worried at his cousin's request and statement. "Is that all that is wrong?"
"I also cannot breath properly, I feel as if each breath is stolen as soon as it is in my chest." He said gasping slightly.
Bilbo, who had completely forgotten about the blanket, hurried out of the room and ran right into Aragorn. He took one look at Bilbo's completely white face and, without a word, he raced off to find Elrond.
While Aragorn had disappeared from view Bilbo, feeling slightly reassured, walked back into the room and sat next to the bed.
"Elrond is coming. He will be here shortly." Bilbo said and pushed Frodo's curly but mattered hair back but it just flopped back into it unnatural place.
"I wish it would be sooner, my chest is becoming tighter." Frodo gasped trying to get a full breath but failing.
Bilbo became extremely worried and took hold of Frodo hand. He found it extremely cold and his worry rosed into panic mode.
"Where is Elrond?" he asked himself savagely.
"I am right here. What is the matter?" he asked but he didn't need an answer for he saw Frodo on the bed gasping for breath.
"How long has he been like this?" Elrond asked urgently.
"A little over ten minutes." Bilbo stuttered
"Then there may still be hope." The elf lord said. He looked down and noticed Frodo was still awake. "Try to relax, until I get the right herbs."
Bilbo noticed Frodo's eyes seemed to go in the back in his head but he knew he was being silly and rolling them in sarcasm.
Elrond left the bedroom and Aragorn came beside the bed and peeled back the shirt and bandage revealing the wound which was bleeding profusely. Around the wound the area was an ugly crimson tinged with a slight greenish colour.
Aragorn muttered something under his breath and placed the bandage and cloth back in place. He looked at Frodo's flushed face, and Bilbo saw self- hatred in Aragorn's eyes.
'But why is he hating himself?' the hobbit wondered but was cut from further thought from the look of fear he saw in his nephew's eyes.
"It becoming harder for him to breath!" Bilbo said alarmed. "Can't you do anything for him?"
"There's little we can do at the moment, only Elrond has the herbs that can ease Frodo's suffering."
Bilbo sat on the bed and took his nephew in his arms, he soothed the matted and damp curls which were frizzled up due to the face that Frodo had been in bed for over a week.
Elrond returned a few minutes later with a small pouch of herbs of some kind.
"Frodo if you do not relax it will get worse!" Elrond said.
"I . . . am relaxed! My . . . chest . . . is doing . . . this . . . on . . . it's own . . ." suddenly his body gave a terrible shudder and took Frodo's conscious with it.
Frodo went limp in Bilbo's arms and did not awake when Elrond shook or called for him to open his eyes.
Bilbo layed him down carefully and looked up at Elrond frightened. "What happened?"
"I am not sure but I think we need to get to the bottom of this." The elf replied grimily.
~*~
The darkness consumed him as he screamed for more time and mercy.
"WAIT!!" he yelled pleadingly. "I WANT TO AT LEAST GOOD-BYE!!!"
When it did not lighten around him he fell to the ground in dispair. Emotions, that had layed in wait since the day his parents had died, resurfaced.
'I am lost,' he thought finally, as tears fell down his hot face. 'I am never to see my friends again, not until they walk the same path.'
Then from somewhere deep within his very own soul came a voice. "Do not let go yet. Your time is not now but it is near. Don't give up when the hope dies down. Re-light it. And let it burn with all the power it has." And with that the tiny voice was gone, but it left an affect on Frodo's esteem.
'No,' he thought a little of his strength coming to him, 'my time is not now, I can feel it. The darkness is trying to consume me earlier. But I won't let it get that satisfaction.'
The heat and now the shaking were still raging through his body but he knew if he fought, he would live to see another day.
'If only that day would come sooner.' He said to himself mournfully
Don't give up when the hope dies down. Re-light it. And let it burn with all the power it has.
And that was exactly what Frodo was going to do.
~*~
"So you think you know what's causing this grief?" Aragorn asked as he leaned against the wall in Frodo's room.
"I indeed do." Elrond said heavily. "When he was brought here last because of the injury at Weathertop I managed to remove the shard from him without any trouble. That was the start of my doubts, because nothing from the darkness comes to good willingly."
"And you think that the shard was a dud?" Legolas asked confusion setting in.
"Yes," Elrond said, conforming uncertain thoughts. "I believe it was, but inside the dud was a true shard. And when it surfaced the dud released the real one which layed in wait."
"Layed in wait for what?" Bilbo asked from his chair next to Frodo.
"For the right time to kill him. But he defeated Sauron and with him the ring. Only it now turns out it was not completely destroyed."
Sam stood up. "But it was sir, beggen your pardon, me and Mr Frodo watched it fall with that wicked creature, Gollum. So there's no way it could have not been destroyed."
Elrond smiled gently. "Samwise did you see the ring go into the fire?"
Sam blinked. "No Mr Elrond I did not." And he sat down.
"And now it's trying to kill him because Sauron wasn't destroyed." Gimli said.
"Exactly," was Elrond's reply.
"Well, why don't you just remove it?" Merry said speaking up for the first time.
"I have already taken care of that a few minutes ago I placed herbs that drawl out the shard then hopefully he will find he's own way back to us." Elrond said looking at the shaking and fever-ridden hobbit.
~*~
"Hold him!" Elrond yelled to Legolas and Aragorn as they struggled to hold onto the squirming Frodo.
During the short meeting Frodo's fever had gone down till he looked normal then without warning it came back with vengeance. It was attempting to take to take him before their very eyes.
"There it is!!" cried Sam. Jumping up and down in excitement.
"Gandalf pass the tweezers!" Elrond commanded. Seconds later the tweezers were probing the wound which was turning blue but was pulsing blood like the Ford.
"I can not see!" Elrond said frustrated then . . . "I have it!"
Slowly and carefully be pulled the tiny shard out of Frodo's shoulder, the bleeding reduced to a dribble but it slowly returned to a healthy pink.
"All is well now." Elrond said cleaning the wound with warm water that had Kingsfoil in it. "All we have to do now is wait for him to wake.
"But he is still hot. Shouldn't it be gone now?" Pippin asked letting go of his cousins ankles.
"Yes . . ." Gandalf said vaguely. "It seems there is more to this then we first thought."
~*~
Three days later a meeting was called for the Fellowship. All except Frodo, who was still a little to week to walk, had come, including Bilbo.
"This meeting is here to decide the fate of the ring and Frodo." Elrond said. "As you all know by now it wasn't destroyed but it probably had enough power to disappear and fall on the ledge. I know all of you have been through great perils and wish never to see them again, and I assure you that you will not for the dark lord was destroyed but we must not risk it to give him a chance to come back is monstrous."
"And Frodo? What about Frodo? What has this got to do with him?" Merry asked.
Elrond sighed. "And as long as the Ring exists is as long as Frodo will be ill."
"But he is well and shows no sign of his fever or any sickness and his shoulder wound is healed again ." Pippin argued.
"Yes but it will get worse as each year goes by next year we may not be so lucky as we we're this time."
"What might happen if the ring is destroyed." Bilbo asked finally.
Elrond gave Bilbo a look that said he would rather discus that in privet. But the question was said and couldn't be taken back.
"The evil that is in the ring in also in Frodo. But . . ." he said at the looks and whispers of protest that
erupted. "It does not mean that Frodo is in it's clutches. It simply means that if the ring is destroyed . . . it may take Frodo with it."
Of all the questions that had been asked and answered all had thought they knew the answer. But this showed the exact opposite.
There was more outrage to this.
Legolas stood up, his eyes flashing. "So you are saying that if we do this again we may actually kill the ring-bearer, one of our own?"
Elrond also stood in anger. "I did not say that it will I said simply that it might. But there is a good chance that it could. I am asking you, not forcing you, to take this quest again."
Apart from Legolas's angry breathing, all was quiet.
"Please don't be angary at me for how the future works out, I can't control it." Elrond said.
"We must find a new ring-bearer." Legolas said calmly. "He has done much already and he does not need to lose his life for what could be a theory."
Nearby Frodo heard everything and made up his mind. He rushed as quickly as his body would let him and reached the stables where he found Frost, Brandy and Kingston eating oats. He did a double take and realised they had Bill with them.
"Well how did you get here?" he chuckled patting Bill's muzzle. "Sam will be surprised won't he my old friend."
Still smiling he tacked Kingston up and quickly gathered supplies for the trip ahead. Frodo mounted and set off at a trot and when he was clear he cantered the rest of the way out of the valley.
Back in the court all ready to go on a journey that would be much less dangerous and shorter.
"When will we set off?" Aragorn asked.
"Whenever is comfortable with you people."
"I'll go and get ponies ready." Pippin said walking out.
"Then everything is set," said Legolas. "Though I feel like we are betraying Frodo by not taking him with us."
"Don't worry. He's a strong boy he can take it well," Bilbo said, and walked out to his room for a nap.
Suddenly Pippin ran back into the court looking distressed and angry.
"Kingston's gone." He said.
"Maybe one of the elves took him to a -." Marry began but was cut off.
"And so is Frodo."
"WHAT?" Gandalf thundered.
"My pony. He's gone and nicked my pony." Was all Pippin could say in disbelief at what Frodo had gone and done.
A/N: Now I know it was a little confusing to begin with like Aino Fuyu pointed out THANKS!!
NOW. It does take place AFTER The Return of the King BUT they haven't gone to the Grey Heavens YET! Don't kill me cause I've only seen the movie and read a chapter of the Fellowship of the Ring.
It takes a twist later on in this chapter so just be ready for it. This one took me TWO MONTHS to write and I would appreciate it if people (LIKE KIREN) didn't bitch to me about the length in waiting, if you want it written well then expect to wait. I apologise for spelling errors and anything else you can bitch about.
If you want to know when I upload then I'll contact you by email but you don't have to give me the address if you don't feel want to.
For my Rat, Marco (Mr Rat)
The laughter in my day
Chapter 2: The Ring Returns
Galloping hard and fast Aragorn felt like he was racing against time, and he had a feeling time was winning this fearsome race.
As soon as he had spotted Sam and a fallen Frodo, he pulled off the road and dismounted the horse then ran over to the hobbit, who was weeping.
"Sam what is the matter?" he asked fearing the worst.
"You are too late . . ." he sobbed to Aragorn. "You can't bring him back. Even Elrond won't be able too."
Aragorn looked at the hobbits anguished face, knelt down next to Sam and the still Frodo. Frodo was deathly pale and looked as though he had just died a few minutes earlier. In sorrow, Aragorn layed his hand onto Frodo's chest and began to weep.
"All is lost then," Aragorn thought miserably.
Then something caught him off guard.
A heartbeat. Slow and unsteady, but still that meant. . .
"Sam he's not dead. But he's very near it."
"What?" Sam asked wiping his eyes.
"He is not dead! He is alive. I can fell life in his chest. But we must hurry because if we are any later he may just die."
"My pony is too tired to go any faster. By the time we get there it may be too late!" Sam wailed.
"Than you will ride with me. My horse is fast and strong and two more riders will be nothing to him."
First he got Frodo in front of him, than Sam behind. He checked that Sam had a hold on him (in fact he was clutching Aragorn tightly around the waist with his eyes firmly closed.) and that Frodo wouldn't fall off. With that he pressed his horse again into a hard gallop.
Sam opened his eyes a fraction and looked behind him. Kingston, to his surprise, was following at a gallop that Sam thought wasn't possibly for a pony his size.
Kingston whinnied as if to say: 'You are not getting rid of me that easy, Samwise Gamgee.'
Sam smiled and thought what a wonderful little pony he was.
~*~
Merry and Pippin raced right through Elves dwelling's and within minutes were confronted by two Elves who looked as through they had never seen someone in such a hurry.
The one who had black hair and green eyes looked a little curious while the one who looked like Legolas a little startled.
"We . . . are . . . looking . . . fo-" Merry panted.
"Elrond?" asked the Elf with black hair and green eyes.
"Yes! Please tell us where he is." Pippin said frantically.
"He is in the Last House. Awaiting for a sick Frodo." Said the second elf pointing in the direction that Merry and Pippin sought.
"Thank you!" With that they both dashed off.
They burst into the room, much to the annoyance of Elrond, but when he saw the looks on both faces his features softened.
"What crisis calls for you two to burst in without an invitation." He asked of the two exhausted hobbits before him.
"It's Frodo." Pippin said breathlessly. "He's taken a turn for the worse."
Elrond went very quiet for a few seconds, and he looked like he was pondering something, but then he was on his feet and followed the two distressed hobbits but before they got to the end of the corridor, they spotted Aragorn, Sam, Gandalf, and an unconscious Frodo who was in Aragorn's arms, heading their way.
"We must get him in there immediately. He is fevered and the heat in him is rising." Aragorn said.
They set Frodo down on the soft mattress and Elrond began working. He glanced at something then looked up confused. "What did he do to his hand?"
So the three hobbits launched again into the story of how they found Frodo and the broken teapot.
After they had told the story Elrond sent them all out of the room but called for Gandalf to stay with him saying he would need his help.
Samwise, Meriadoc and Peregrin stood facing the closed door, Pippin with his mouth slightly open in shock. They stood in silence the air tingled with a force that made out if you uttered a single sound the one who you wanted to survive would perish.
"Someone's going to have to tell Bilbo." Came a grave voice from behind that made them all jump. They turned around and found that it was Aragorn who had spoken.
"Doesn't he know yet?" Sam asked his voice quivering.
"I had just arrived at Rivendell and was told that I should get you four here and fast. Only I wasn't expecting Frodo to be ill."
"I'll tell him." Said Pippin quietly. He turned around and started the search for Bilbo when Merry and Sam called out for him.
"We'll come too." Merry said while Sam nodded behind his back.
They walked through the beautiful scenery of Rivendell's corridors but neither of them noticed, instead their thoughts were on Frodo, but mostly of Bilbo. How would the old hobbit take the news? Most likely he would be worried and would ask Elrond if he could see Frodo.
"There he is." Sam said pointing to a figure hunched over a book.
Without another word they hurriedly made their way to the ageing hobbit. When they were at the doorway to his opened room he looked up a gasp of delight.
"My goodness, this is certainly a surprise." He said looking the three hobbits. "Now what can bring you three all the way from the Shire?"
They glanced nervously at each other and Bilbo's happy face fell a little. A look of seriousness came into his eyes. "What have you done this time Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took and how did Samwise get involved?"
Pippin swallowed. "It has nothing to do with us Bilbo,"
Bilbo's face fell further. "Well, then tell me, you silly hobbit!"
"It's Frodo, Bilbo." Pippin said quietly here."
The older hobbits face lightened up at the mention of his favourite cousin. "Well, where is my dear boy then?"
Merry shifted uncomfortably and started to play with his fingers behind his back, much like a child being caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing.
"Bilbo. He is not here to visit we brought him here because . . . he . . . he's very ill."
Bilbo sat stunned for a few seconds, then he looked at Sam asking him silently with his eyes if this news was real he both nodded then looked away not wanting to see the old hobbits heart shatter at the news.
There was an uncomfortable silence that took hold and Pippin shifted in it's presence he was never one to be still in the silence of gloom.
"Elrond may let us see him if we go back, he may have woken up." He said trying to life everyone's spirits. Unfortunately, it lifted no ones spirits. Bilbo gave a nod and stood up.
~*~
As soon as the mysterious voice had appeared it melted back into silence. Frodo sat down from the shock and suddenly realised he felt slightly cold but tried to ignore it. It would have worked but the cold slowly spread it's way along his tired body and seized control of him. It was harder to breath and all Frodo wanted was for this to end. He was alone and he felt helpless to do anything. His shoulder was paining him more and more with the hour until it became so intense that all he wanted to do was fall in a heap and cry until the pain went away or he slipped into a deeper blackness. Why it hadn't ended in the day was beyond Frodo.
All he just wanted simply was to wake up and see Merry, Pippin and Sam. He missed them terribly and remembered the last time he had seen Sam. He looked worried and close to tears. Looking around he didn't recognise the surroundings until Merry had said it was Rivendell. Rivendell? Was he that sick? It seemed like the conclusion that he had thought of earlier had finally chosen him. And it wasn't the one he was hoping for.
During the talk to Sam he felt a presence pull him back into unconsciousness but he felt that it was trying to pull him further than that. A terror filled Frodo. He knew that feeling. Death. But somehow his body fought and won, then it made the exhausting task of trying to gain conscious it did but only slightly so he was part aware what was happening. A while later he felt himself being lifted and movement much like the motion of horse-riding.
While this was happening he tried curled up into a ball hoping to get warm again, though he was having his doubts. Then the heat returned and it steadily grew until he was sweating buckets of water.
Someone or something lifted, then carried him in their strong arms and for a funny reason he felt safe. He clutched his shoulder moaned pain.
He was then layed on something soft and cool which made his body give an involuntary shudder at the sudden coldness applied to his hot and fevered back.
After a few minutes or a few a hours he could not tell, his head began to throb from the consent ache in his shoulder and a groan escaped his cracked lips. He then felt someone massaging his forehead which helped the throb to lessen. This, at least, was some relief, sighing his mind relaxed and cessed thinking for awhile.
~*~
When they had reached the room where Frodo was, Gandalf was waiting for them and when he saw Bilbo he welcomed him like a long lost friend.
"Bilbo, how good to see you if only it were of better times." The wizard said.
"You too, Gandalf," said Bilbo sadly. "Please tell me. How is he?"
Gandalf breathed heavily through his nose. "It's not looking too good at the moment. Elrond is not sure what is making him so ill, but whatever it is he seems to be fighting it. So he's not going anywhere anytime soon."
Bilbo studied his friends face for a few seconds before asking. "Do you think he will live Gandalf?"
"If he is strong enough, which I know he is, he might recover with nothing more than nightmares."
"I hope so Gandalf, for I don't know what I'd do if I lost him." Bilbo said sadly.
"Do not think of that," Gandalf said, waving his hand. "Just think of the present."
Gandalf put his hand on the hobbits shoulder and guided him to the oak door which had Frodo behind it's wondrous carvings which showed of times and lands long forgotten.
Before they nocked Elrond opened the door and came out looking as if he were pondering a puzzle of which the pieces were starting to fall into place Gandalf and Bilbo, however, broke his train of thought.
All at once the four hobbits pounced and asked if their friend was alright, when he would awake and other such questions until Elrond held up his hand meaning he needed silence.
"To answer the first question thrown at me: No, he is not awake and is too weak to be woken at the moment. I have healed his hand but am bewildered why the old wound of his shoulder looks as if it has never been healed. I suspect it has something to do with my theories."
"And what are these theories?" Merry asked, hoping to get a clear answer.
Instead all he got was, "I am not sure they are true and I will not speak them until they are."
This just made everyone suspicious of what Elrond was planning for Frodo later.
"I need to know what happened." Was he's next sentence.
"Well, Peregrine, Samwise and I were out for the day and decided to go to Bag End because we hadn't seen Frodo for a while. When we got there he didn't answer the door so we let ourselves in but saw no evidence saying he was at home. Now he usually tells Sam when he's going somewhere but this time he hadn't so we got really worried and began to search for him. Sam took the garden while Pip and I took the house. We had nearly stopped searching when we noticed a chair overturned in the kitchen and that's where we found him his hand bleedin' and everything."
This made Bilbo more determined to see Frodo, mostly to see if Meriadoc's tale was really true.
"Elrond, I must see him!" Bilbo blurted out. "I . . . I need to know if this is all true."
"Of course, Bilbo." Elrond said solemnly and he led the aged hobbit to where Frodo was and closed the door behind them.
"If only we had came sooner, none of this would have happened." Pippin said sadly.
"Don't blame something that has already happened," Merry said sitting down. "It still would have been the same result."
"Yes! But we should have known something was wrong from the start! Then we could have brought him sooner rather than later, he could be well again, Merry!" Pippin exploded.
Only Sam was silent. He saw no use in getting between the cousins argument although he quietly agreed with Pippin.
~*~
The conscious is a powerful thing. It can lead a man to victory yet ruin another in guilt. It has a voice that reminds us when and how to do a certain thing in life, but this voice can be silent for years on end and will only resurface when an event of either grief or joy triggers it.
And it was this same voice that was in Bilbo's mind that was condemning with what the old hobbit had done years before.
'If only I never found the blasted ring, none of this would have happened.' Said Bilbo, raking his nervous hands through his curly, now white, hair. 'He wouldn't have to go through this torment.'
His self-loathing was doing nothing to suppress the memories of his encounter with the wicked creature Gollum. He had found the ring quite by mistake and not knowing of it's terrible power pocketed it. Only years later did Gandalf realise that the ring was evil.
He had never expected Frodo to take it upon himself and his friends to try to complete the journey to Mount Doom. It was only when he had found out that his boy had been injured that he felt despair take hold of his heart. If he couldn't make it that far then how was he expected to survive? Yet Frodo's courage and pure heart showed again and he came back but he was different. He was not the fun loving person anymore not like Meriadoc and Peregrin. He seemed to take things more seriously and looked as if he'd lost his innocence.
He watched the young face and placed his hand on Frodo's forehead. It was hot and clammy which showed that the fever wasn't going to give in without a fight and it was putting one up to match each and everybody's nerves.
He was scared he would lose him, like he lost he dear cousin, Drogo, so many years ago. He had his fathers bright, blue and curious eyes and dark brown ringlets but had his mothers love for life and this would probably save his very life.
All Bilbo had to do was wait and see.
Frodo gave a slight moan and put his newly healed hand on his forehead and it looked like he was attempting to rid of something as he weakly pushed at his face.
Bilbo's thoughts wondered back to when Frodo was still a baby and still had his parents, Drogo and Primula before they had died in a boating accident. He remembered when he had a slight fever and wouldn't settle for his mother. So Bilbo took his favourite cousin and hushed the child by rubbing his thumb up and down the bridge of the child's nose. After the massage, he had slept soundly and awoke the next morning as if he never had a fever.
Bilbo attempted this again and instantly Frodo seemed to settle slightly, although the red colour in his face didn't lighten and the hotness and clamminess was still rising more but maybe, as Bilbo thought, dragging himself away from the past and in to the present, this was the fevers last battle.
He never knew how right he was...
~*~
The darkness was growing thicker, and it was getting harder to breath and keep warm but the fever was still rising. But through this Frodo wanted desperately to open his eyes and put everyone's worries to rest.
He was exhausted but his willpower was as strong as ever and he soon found himself leaving the culches of darkness for a time and opening his eyes to see his relieved uncle.
~*~
Bilbo watched as Frodo's eyes started to flutter open. But they weren't clear, instead they were glazed over in pain and fever but he seemed to be taking in his surroundings.
"Bilbo?" his voice cracked, "What are you doing here?"
Bilbo smiled slightly, "I live here, my boy."
"Rivendell?" Frodo muttered confused. "I remember Sam and Merry talking to me about bringing me here but after that my memory is nothing afterwards."
"Well of course it would be you've been unconscious for little over a week." Bilbo replied. "Which reminds me I need to and tell Elrond that you are awake. I am sure Meriadoc, Peregrin and mostly poor Samwise will be overjoyed your back." And with that Bilbo got up to get the people whom he had just spoken about when he was stopped by Frodo who had grabbed his shirts sleeve.
"Before you go can you get me an extra blanket because it feels like winter in here."
"Why would you want a blanket on a beautiful day like this?" Bilbo wondered out loud.
"I am cold, Bilbo." Frodo said simply.
"But you are boiling," Bilbo said getting a little worried at his cousin's request and statement. "Is that all that is wrong?"
"I also cannot breath properly, I feel as if each breath is stolen as soon as it is in my chest." He said gasping slightly.
Bilbo, who had completely forgotten about the blanket, hurried out of the room and ran right into Aragorn. He took one look at Bilbo's completely white face and, without a word, he raced off to find Elrond.
While Aragorn had disappeared from view Bilbo, feeling slightly reassured, walked back into the room and sat next to the bed.
"Elrond is coming. He will be here shortly." Bilbo said and pushed Frodo's curly but mattered hair back but it just flopped back into it unnatural place.
"I wish it would be sooner, my chest is becoming tighter." Frodo gasped trying to get a full breath but failing.
Bilbo became extremely worried and took hold of Frodo hand. He found it extremely cold and his worry rosed into panic mode.
"Where is Elrond?" he asked himself savagely.
"I am right here. What is the matter?" he asked but he didn't need an answer for he saw Frodo on the bed gasping for breath.
"How long has he been like this?" Elrond asked urgently.
"A little over ten minutes." Bilbo stuttered
"Then there may still be hope." The elf lord said. He looked down and noticed Frodo was still awake. "Try to relax, until I get the right herbs."
Bilbo noticed Frodo's eyes seemed to go in the back in his head but he knew he was being silly and rolling them in sarcasm.
Elrond left the bedroom and Aragorn came beside the bed and peeled back the shirt and bandage revealing the wound which was bleeding profusely. Around the wound the area was an ugly crimson tinged with a slight greenish colour.
Aragorn muttered something under his breath and placed the bandage and cloth back in place. He looked at Frodo's flushed face, and Bilbo saw self- hatred in Aragorn's eyes.
'But why is he hating himself?' the hobbit wondered but was cut from further thought from the look of fear he saw in his nephew's eyes.
"It becoming harder for him to breath!" Bilbo said alarmed. "Can't you do anything for him?"
"There's little we can do at the moment, only Elrond has the herbs that can ease Frodo's suffering."
Bilbo sat on the bed and took his nephew in his arms, he soothed the matted and damp curls which were frizzled up due to the face that Frodo had been in bed for over a week.
Elrond returned a few minutes later with a small pouch of herbs of some kind.
"Frodo if you do not relax it will get worse!" Elrond said.
"I . . . am relaxed! My . . . chest . . . is doing . . . this . . . on . . . it's own . . ." suddenly his body gave a terrible shudder and took Frodo's conscious with it.
Frodo went limp in Bilbo's arms and did not awake when Elrond shook or called for him to open his eyes.
Bilbo layed him down carefully and looked up at Elrond frightened. "What happened?"
"I am not sure but I think we need to get to the bottom of this." The elf replied grimily.
~*~
The darkness consumed him as he screamed for more time and mercy.
"WAIT!!" he yelled pleadingly. "I WANT TO AT LEAST GOOD-BYE!!!"
When it did not lighten around him he fell to the ground in dispair. Emotions, that had layed in wait since the day his parents had died, resurfaced.
'I am lost,' he thought finally, as tears fell down his hot face. 'I am never to see my friends again, not until they walk the same path.'
Then from somewhere deep within his very own soul came a voice. "Do not let go yet. Your time is not now but it is near. Don't give up when the hope dies down. Re-light it. And let it burn with all the power it has." And with that the tiny voice was gone, but it left an affect on Frodo's esteem.
'No,' he thought a little of his strength coming to him, 'my time is not now, I can feel it. The darkness is trying to consume me earlier. But I won't let it get that satisfaction.'
The heat and now the shaking were still raging through his body but he knew if he fought, he would live to see another day.
'If only that day would come sooner.' He said to himself mournfully
Don't give up when the hope dies down. Re-light it. And let it burn with all the power it has.
And that was exactly what Frodo was going to do.
~*~
"So you think you know what's causing this grief?" Aragorn asked as he leaned against the wall in Frodo's room.
"I indeed do." Elrond said heavily. "When he was brought here last because of the injury at Weathertop I managed to remove the shard from him without any trouble. That was the start of my doubts, because nothing from the darkness comes to good willingly."
"And you think that the shard was a dud?" Legolas asked confusion setting in.
"Yes," Elrond said, conforming uncertain thoughts. "I believe it was, but inside the dud was a true shard. And when it surfaced the dud released the real one which layed in wait."
"Layed in wait for what?" Bilbo asked from his chair next to Frodo.
"For the right time to kill him. But he defeated Sauron and with him the ring. Only it now turns out it was not completely destroyed."
Sam stood up. "But it was sir, beggen your pardon, me and Mr Frodo watched it fall with that wicked creature, Gollum. So there's no way it could have not been destroyed."
Elrond smiled gently. "Samwise did you see the ring go into the fire?"
Sam blinked. "No Mr Elrond I did not." And he sat down.
"And now it's trying to kill him because Sauron wasn't destroyed." Gimli said.
"Exactly," was Elrond's reply.
"Well, why don't you just remove it?" Merry said speaking up for the first time.
"I have already taken care of that a few minutes ago I placed herbs that drawl out the shard then hopefully he will find he's own way back to us." Elrond said looking at the shaking and fever-ridden hobbit.
~*~
"Hold him!" Elrond yelled to Legolas and Aragorn as they struggled to hold onto the squirming Frodo.
During the short meeting Frodo's fever had gone down till he looked normal then without warning it came back with vengeance. It was attempting to take to take him before their very eyes.
"There it is!!" cried Sam. Jumping up and down in excitement.
"Gandalf pass the tweezers!" Elrond commanded. Seconds later the tweezers were probing the wound which was turning blue but was pulsing blood like the Ford.
"I can not see!" Elrond said frustrated then . . . "I have it!"
Slowly and carefully be pulled the tiny shard out of Frodo's shoulder, the bleeding reduced to a dribble but it slowly returned to a healthy pink.
"All is well now." Elrond said cleaning the wound with warm water that had Kingsfoil in it. "All we have to do now is wait for him to wake.
"But he is still hot. Shouldn't it be gone now?" Pippin asked letting go of his cousins ankles.
"Yes . . ." Gandalf said vaguely. "It seems there is more to this then we first thought."
~*~
Three days later a meeting was called for the Fellowship. All except Frodo, who was still a little to week to walk, had come, including Bilbo.
"This meeting is here to decide the fate of the ring and Frodo." Elrond said. "As you all know by now it wasn't destroyed but it probably had enough power to disappear and fall on the ledge. I know all of you have been through great perils and wish never to see them again, and I assure you that you will not for the dark lord was destroyed but we must not risk it to give him a chance to come back is monstrous."
"And Frodo? What about Frodo? What has this got to do with him?" Merry asked.
Elrond sighed. "And as long as the Ring exists is as long as Frodo will be ill."
"But he is well and shows no sign of his fever or any sickness and his shoulder wound is healed again ." Pippin argued.
"Yes but it will get worse as each year goes by next year we may not be so lucky as we we're this time."
"What might happen if the ring is destroyed." Bilbo asked finally.
Elrond gave Bilbo a look that said he would rather discus that in privet. But the question was said and couldn't be taken back.
"The evil that is in the ring in also in Frodo. But . . ." he said at the looks and whispers of protest that
erupted. "It does not mean that Frodo is in it's clutches. It simply means that if the ring is destroyed . . . it may take Frodo with it."
Of all the questions that had been asked and answered all had thought they knew the answer. But this showed the exact opposite.
There was more outrage to this.
Legolas stood up, his eyes flashing. "So you are saying that if we do this again we may actually kill the ring-bearer, one of our own?"
Elrond also stood in anger. "I did not say that it will I said simply that it might. But there is a good chance that it could. I am asking you, not forcing you, to take this quest again."
Apart from Legolas's angry breathing, all was quiet.
"Please don't be angary at me for how the future works out, I can't control it." Elrond said.
"We must find a new ring-bearer." Legolas said calmly. "He has done much already and he does not need to lose his life for what could be a theory."
Nearby Frodo heard everything and made up his mind. He rushed as quickly as his body would let him and reached the stables where he found Frost, Brandy and Kingston eating oats. He did a double take and realised they had Bill with them.
"Well how did you get here?" he chuckled patting Bill's muzzle. "Sam will be surprised won't he my old friend."
Still smiling he tacked Kingston up and quickly gathered supplies for the trip ahead. Frodo mounted and set off at a trot and when he was clear he cantered the rest of the way out of the valley.
Back in the court all ready to go on a journey that would be much less dangerous and shorter.
"When will we set off?" Aragorn asked.
"Whenever is comfortable with you people."
"I'll go and get ponies ready." Pippin said walking out.
"Then everything is set," said Legolas. "Though I feel like we are betraying Frodo by not taking him with us."
"Don't worry. He's a strong boy he can take it well," Bilbo said, and walked out to his room for a nap.
Suddenly Pippin ran back into the court looking distressed and angry.
"Kingston's gone." He said.
"Maybe one of the elves took him to a -." Marry began but was cut off.
"And so is Frodo."
"WHAT?" Gandalf thundered.
"My pony. He's gone and nicked my pony." Was all Pippin could say in disbelief at what Frodo had gone and done.