Disclaimer: See last chapter.
A/N: By the way, I hope that no one has a problem with me quoting directly from the book … it's just that some of the lines Sam says are so hilarious, I feel like I have to put them in! Also, I have my MAJOR exams coming up in three weeks time, so I'll be typing less from now on, but I'll be thinking of my precious fanfic everyday! So, on we go…
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Sam woke up in a hurry as Casey peered through the gloom.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's that Gollum!" Sam said. "Snakes and adders! I though that we'd puzzle him with our bit of climb, but look at him! Like a nasty crawling spider on a wall." Casey shuddered, as the hairs on the back of her neck began to prickle, as Frodo breathed in sharply.
Down the face of the precipice, a small black shape was moving with its limbs splayed out. It was coming down head first, as if smelling its way down, looking as if it were creeping down on sticky pads like some large prowling thing of insect-kind. Now and again it lifted its head and a glimpse of two small pale gleaming eyes could be caught, that blinked at the moon for a moment and then were quickly lidded again.
"Do you think he can see us?" said Sam.
"Is it a he?" asked Casey. Sam looked puzzled for a moment, and then nodded.
"Why is he coming down here if he can't see us?" Sam pondered.
"How can you tell it's a he?" pestered Casey, but Frodo, who hadn't been listening to their little conversation, gave a start.
"Quiet! He can smell us, perhaps. Maybe that is why he is coming down here," Frodo said.
"Well, we did do a lot of shouting back there," said Casey, mockingly at Frodo who blushed.
"Well, I'm sick of him," said Sam. "He's come once too often for me, and I'm going to have a word with him." He left their makeshift shelter and headed for the base of the cliff, drawing his gray hood over his face.
"Be careful Sam!" said Frodo, coming behind. "He's much more dangerous than he looks."
The black crawling shape was now three-quarters of the way down the cliff, almost directly above the hobbits and the angel-elf as they crouched in the shadow of a large boulder below the cliff. Gollum muttered to himself as he went, sniffing and hissing.
"What's he saying?" whispered Casey. Frodo put a finger to her lips.
"Something about his Precious," whispered Sam back. "What's his Precious? Does he mean the - "
"Ssh!" breathed Frodo. "He's getting nearer now, he'll be able to hear us."
Indeed Gollum had paused again, as if listening. The hobbits and the angel- elf held their breaths, but obviously he had not heard anything, and carried on his passage to the ground. He was no more than a dozen feet from the ground when he found himself at a sheer drop, and even Gollum could not find a hold of any kind. He was trying to twist round, as if to go head first, when suddenly he fell with shrill whistling shriek.
Before Frodo could react, Sam bounded out of their hiding place. Before Gollum could get up, he was on top of him. But Sam had underestimated Gollum; before he could get a hold, long arms were wound round him, pinning his arms and squeezing him like slowly tightening cords. Pain seared through Sam's shoulder, as sharp teeth bit in. But now it seemed that Gollum had underestimated his foes. Frodo had sprung up behind Sam, and wrenched Gollum's head by his thin lank hair. Gollum hissed and bared his teeth, at which Casey muffled a scream and hide behind Frodo. He unsheathed Sting, and Casey was surprised that it did not glow blue.
"Let go Gollum," said Frodo. "Let go, or else I'll cut your throat." Gollum collapsed. Casey fingered Sam's shoulder while the hobbit glared at Gollum, his normally soft eyes smouldering with anger.
"Don't hurts us!" whined Gollum, as he lay on the ground. "Don't let them hurts us, precious! They won't hurt us will they, nice little hobbitses? We didn't mean no harm, but they jumps on us like cats on poor mices, they did, precious. And we're so lonely, gollum. We'll be nice to them, very nice, if they'll be nice to us, won't we, yes, yess."
"Does he always talk this much?" whispered Casey to Frodo. The hobbit merely shrugged.
"Kill him, or tie him up and leave him here," said Sam angrily.
"He looks pretty harmless though," said Casey. Sam pointed at his wounded shoulder.
"Well he isn't," replied Sam indignantly.
"Frodo?" asked Casey. But Frodo was lost in thought. Voices from the past were coming back to him.
:::
What a pity Bilbo did not kill him when he had the chance.
Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need.
I do not feel any pity for him. He deserves death.
Deserves death! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give that to them? Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety. And somehow, I think that Gollum has some part to play in all this business.
:::
"Very well," said Frodo, lowering his sword.
"You are not going to kill him?" asked Sam.
"No, for now that I see him, I do pity him," said Frodo. "But one good turn deserves another, and you must help us Gollum."
"Yess, nice hobbitses! We will come with them. Find them safe paths in the dark, yes we will. And where are the hobbitses going, with the strange lady, in these cold hard land, we wonders, yes we wonders?" He looked up at them and a faint light of cunning and eagerness flickered for a second, but vanished when Sam scowled at him.
Casey bit her nails nervously, exchanging worried glances from Sam. What was on Frodo's mind?
Frodo looked straight into Gollum's eyes, his intense stare making Gollum flinch.
"You know where we're going," he said quietly and sternly. "We are going to Mordor, and you know the way there." Gollum covered his ears with his hands and whimpered, as if the very word "Mordor" hurt him.
"I know you have been there before," said Frodo. "And you're being drawn back there, aren't you?"
"Sss! No, precious, not nice hobbitses, mustn't go to those places," whimpered Gollum.
"But we must," replied Frodo, "and you must lead us there."
"He is coming with us?" said Sam with disgust.
"Can't we vote about this?" asked Casey.
"No, we must go, and only Gollum can lead us there," said Frodo. "Get up!"
Gollum stood up and backed away against the cliff.
"Now, can you find a path easier by day or by night?" asked Frodo.
"The big lights hurt our eyes, they do," Gollum whined.
"Is he scared of the sun?" asked Casey.
"Sss, and the White Face," muttered Gollum, while Sam mouthed "Moon" to Casey.
"Then we'll start tonight," said Frodo.
"But first we must have a rest," said Sam, sitting down on the ground. "And don't you run anywhere!" he said to Gollum.
The three of them sat with their backs against the wall, resting their legs. Gollum sat with his legs drawn up, knees under chin, his eyes closed, as if thinking or listening. Casey closed her eyes and rested her head against Frodo's shoulder, and was asleep in moments. Frodo looked across at Sam. Their eyes met and they understood. They relaxed, leaning their heads back, and shutting their eyes or seeming to. Soon the sound of their soft breathing was all that could be heard.
Gollum's hands twitched. His eyes opened one by and one. Suddenly with startling speed, Gollum bounded forward like a grasshopper. But that was just what Frodo and Sam had expected. Sam was on him before he had gone two paces, with Frodo coming behind and grabbing his legs.
"Hey, what's going on," murmured Casey sleepily, as her "pillow" disappeared from under her head.
"Mr. Gollum decided to give us a slip," growled Sam. "But where were you off to in these cold hard lands, hmm?"
"Get out Sam's rope," said Frodo to Casey as she stood up. She nodded and rummaged around Sam's pack for the elf-rope. Once found, she handed it to Frodo who tied one end around Gollum's ankle, leaving the other end free for someone to hold. In this way, the rope acted as a sort of leash, thus taming Gollum.
"No, please, it hurts us, yes it does," whimpered Gollum.
"Don't be so cruel, take it off him," said Casey, looking at the poor pathetic creature before her, his skin literally stretched over his bones.
"No, leave it on," said Sam, eyeing the suspicious creature before him.
Frodo was torn into two. Should he listen to Sam or Casey?
A/N: By the way, I hope that no one has a problem with me quoting directly from the book … it's just that some of the lines Sam says are so hilarious, I feel like I have to put them in! Also, I have my MAJOR exams coming up in three weeks time, so I'll be typing less from now on, but I'll be thinking of my precious fanfic everyday! So, on we go…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sam woke up in a hurry as Casey peered through the gloom.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's that Gollum!" Sam said. "Snakes and adders! I though that we'd puzzle him with our bit of climb, but look at him! Like a nasty crawling spider on a wall." Casey shuddered, as the hairs on the back of her neck began to prickle, as Frodo breathed in sharply.
Down the face of the precipice, a small black shape was moving with its limbs splayed out. It was coming down head first, as if smelling its way down, looking as if it were creeping down on sticky pads like some large prowling thing of insect-kind. Now and again it lifted its head and a glimpse of two small pale gleaming eyes could be caught, that blinked at the moon for a moment and then were quickly lidded again.
"Do you think he can see us?" said Sam.
"Is it a he?" asked Casey. Sam looked puzzled for a moment, and then nodded.
"Why is he coming down here if he can't see us?" Sam pondered.
"How can you tell it's a he?" pestered Casey, but Frodo, who hadn't been listening to their little conversation, gave a start.
"Quiet! He can smell us, perhaps. Maybe that is why he is coming down here," Frodo said.
"Well, we did do a lot of shouting back there," said Casey, mockingly at Frodo who blushed.
"Well, I'm sick of him," said Sam. "He's come once too often for me, and I'm going to have a word with him." He left their makeshift shelter and headed for the base of the cliff, drawing his gray hood over his face.
"Be careful Sam!" said Frodo, coming behind. "He's much more dangerous than he looks."
The black crawling shape was now three-quarters of the way down the cliff, almost directly above the hobbits and the angel-elf as they crouched in the shadow of a large boulder below the cliff. Gollum muttered to himself as he went, sniffing and hissing.
"What's he saying?" whispered Casey. Frodo put a finger to her lips.
"Something about his Precious," whispered Sam back. "What's his Precious? Does he mean the - "
"Ssh!" breathed Frodo. "He's getting nearer now, he'll be able to hear us."
Indeed Gollum had paused again, as if listening. The hobbits and the angel- elf held their breaths, but obviously he had not heard anything, and carried on his passage to the ground. He was no more than a dozen feet from the ground when he found himself at a sheer drop, and even Gollum could not find a hold of any kind. He was trying to twist round, as if to go head first, when suddenly he fell with shrill whistling shriek.
Before Frodo could react, Sam bounded out of their hiding place. Before Gollum could get up, he was on top of him. But Sam had underestimated Gollum; before he could get a hold, long arms were wound round him, pinning his arms and squeezing him like slowly tightening cords. Pain seared through Sam's shoulder, as sharp teeth bit in. But now it seemed that Gollum had underestimated his foes. Frodo had sprung up behind Sam, and wrenched Gollum's head by his thin lank hair. Gollum hissed and bared his teeth, at which Casey muffled a scream and hide behind Frodo. He unsheathed Sting, and Casey was surprised that it did not glow blue.
"Let go Gollum," said Frodo. "Let go, or else I'll cut your throat." Gollum collapsed. Casey fingered Sam's shoulder while the hobbit glared at Gollum, his normally soft eyes smouldering with anger.
"Don't hurts us!" whined Gollum, as he lay on the ground. "Don't let them hurts us, precious! They won't hurt us will they, nice little hobbitses? We didn't mean no harm, but they jumps on us like cats on poor mices, they did, precious. And we're so lonely, gollum. We'll be nice to them, very nice, if they'll be nice to us, won't we, yes, yess."
"Does he always talk this much?" whispered Casey to Frodo. The hobbit merely shrugged.
"Kill him, or tie him up and leave him here," said Sam angrily.
"He looks pretty harmless though," said Casey. Sam pointed at his wounded shoulder.
"Well he isn't," replied Sam indignantly.
"Frodo?" asked Casey. But Frodo was lost in thought. Voices from the past were coming back to him.
:::
What a pity Bilbo did not kill him when he had the chance.
Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need.
I do not feel any pity for him. He deserves death.
Deserves death! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give that to them? Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety. And somehow, I think that Gollum has some part to play in all this business.
:::
"Very well," said Frodo, lowering his sword.
"You are not going to kill him?" asked Sam.
"No, for now that I see him, I do pity him," said Frodo. "But one good turn deserves another, and you must help us Gollum."
"Yess, nice hobbitses! We will come with them. Find them safe paths in the dark, yes we will. And where are the hobbitses going, with the strange lady, in these cold hard land, we wonders, yes we wonders?" He looked up at them and a faint light of cunning and eagerness flickered for a second, but vanished when Sam scowled at him.
Casey bit her nails nervously, exchanging worried glances from Sam. What was on Frodo's mind?
Frodo looked straight into Gollum's eyes, his intense stare making Gollum flinch.
"You know where we're going," he said quietly and sternly. "We are going to Mordor, and you know the way there." Gollum covered his ears with his hands and whimpered, as if the very word "Mordor" hurt him.
"I know you have been there before," said Frodo. "And you're being drawn back there, aren't you?"
"Sss! No, precious, not nice hobbitses, mustn't go to those places," whimpered Gollum.
"But we must," replied Frodo, "and you must lead us there."
"He is coming with us?" said Sam with disgust.
"Can't we vote about this?" asked Casey.
"No, we must go, and only Gollum can lead us there," said Frodo. "Get up!"
Gollum stood up and backed away against the cliff.
"Now, can you find a path easier by day or by night?" asked Frodo.
"The big lights hurt our eyes, they do," Gollum whined.
"Is he scared of the sun?" asked Casey.
"Sss, and the White Face," muttered Gollum, while Sam mouthed "Moon" to Casey.
"Then we'll start tonight," said Frodo.
"But first we must have a rest," said Sam, sitting down on the ground. "And don't you run anywhere!" he said to Gollum.
The three of them sat with their backs against the wall, resting their legs. Gollum sat with his legs drawn up, knees under chin, his eyes closed, as if thinking or listening. Casey closed her eyes and rested her head against Frodo's shoulder, and was asleep in moments. Frodo looked across at Sam. Their eyes met and they understood. They relaxed, leaning their heads back, and shutting their eyes or seeming to. Soon the sound of their soft breathing was all that could be heard.
Gollum's hands twitched. His eyes opened one by and one. Suddenly with startling speed, Gollum bounded forward like a grasshopper. But that was just what Frodo and Sam had expected. Sam was on him before he had gone two paces, with Frodo coming behind and grabbing his legs.
"Hey, what's going on," murmured Casey sleepily, as her "pillow" disappeared from under her head.
"Mr. Gollum decided to give us a slip," growled Sam. "But where were you off to in these cold hard lands, hmm?"
"Get out Sam's rope," said Frodo to Casey as she stood up. She nodded and rummaged around Sam's pack for the elf-rope. Once found, she handed it to Frodo who tied one end around Gollum's ankle, leaving the other end free for someone to hold. In this way, the rope acted as a sort of leash, thus taming Gollum.
"No, please, it hurts us, yes it does," whimpered Gollum.
"Don't be so cruel, take it off him," said Casey, looking at the poor pathetic creature before her, his skin literally stretched over his bones.
"No, leave it on," said Sam, eyeing the suspicious creature before him.
Frodo was torn into two. Should he listen to Sam or Casey?