Frodo awoke to the sound of Shrell's flute. She was playing a fast but smooth tune. Frodo waited for the song to end before crawling out of the cave.

"Awake, are we?" she asked.

"Phase that differently. It reminds me of Gollum" Frodo answered, yawning.

"And what's so bad about Smeagol?" she asked, hopping off the rock she had been sitting on.

"Nothing. Just not the kind of person I like to wake up to in the morning" Frodo answered.

"You don't like to wake up at all in the morning. I myself would have liked to wake up to food." she walked over to him.

"Yes, the others have what little food we had left" Frodo answered, frowning.

Shrell began to think.

"Would there be any berries up here?"

"I don't think so"

Well, It wouldn't hurt to look"

"Nonsense, Shrell, It's no use"

Shrell looked suddenly confused.

"Did you get enough sleep last night?" she asked.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, you just seem rather.....upset" she said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Upset! Upset!? Here I am in the middle of no where with the whole of middle earth depending on me! Well, easy for you to be cheerful, you aren't carrying around this god-damn ring and you think I'm upset! Well, I'm much more than upset, I'm furious!" Frodo yelled pushing her into the rocks. She pulled herself up looking quite shocked.

"Frodo, calm d--"

"Calm down!!!! Would you be calm if you were the one with the ring?! The ring that's turning everyone against me?! " he shouted. Shrell sighed as though she didn't know what to say.

"For all I know You could be trying to steal the ring, too" Frodo continued.

"Frodo, stop it!" Shrell said, putting both hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eye. Frodo started to breathe harder, tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I'm-I'm afraid" he said shakily.

"I am, too" Shrell answered.

"I feel so alone."

Frodo let his head fall on Shrell's shoulder as he cried. He felt her hands on his shoulders loosen and fall to her sides. Her head moved slightly.

"Never shall you be alone, Master Frodo. I shall never leave you" she whispered in his ear.

Frodo wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She seemed very shocked but returned the embrace.

"Am I interrupting anything?" came a voice from behind the trees. Shrell jumped and spun around to see Sam walking towards them. Frodo had never seen Shrell's cheeks so pink in his life.

"Samwise, never do that again" she said, releasing the breath she had been holding. Sam grinned.

Frodo wiped a tear from his face and smiled.

"Sam, where are the others?" Shrell asked.

"We split up to look for you. Arwen is headed back to Rivendell" Sam answered. Shrell nodded.

Frodo felt his stomach churn.

"I think we should find the others" he said. Sam nodded.

"We said we meet back at the fire by nightfall" Sam said. "We should start heading back."

They started to walk back to the fire. None of them talked much. It seemed they were now realizing just how dangerous the task was and it seemed to grow on them.

Though it was midday the sun was not in the sky and it was very dark and gloomy. There was groans and moans from behind the trees but nothing appeared to be there.

Sam had been a good few paces ahead when he let out a hobbit-like squeak. Frodo and Shrell ran towards him.

There in front of him was the biggest Orc imaginable. Frodo recognized it at once as not an Orc but a Uruk-Hai.

Shrell drew her two daggers. The beast glared down at her, smirking. Frodo could see she was frightened by the way her hands were shaking but she didn't back down. Without another thought she charged at it and attempted to stab it in the leg but it blocked her quite easily. Frodo and Sam readied their weapons then attacked. They still were no match for the Uruk-Hai.

Sam was soon knocked to the ground, unconscientious but not badly injured. Frodo didn't think he could fight much longer.

The Uruk-Hai attacked Shrell and soon had it's sword to her neck. Frodo saw her swallow as the creature smirked evilly.

Frodo had no time to think. He trust his sword into the Uruk-Hai's back. It spun around so it was looking straight down at Frodo. It swung it blade. Frodo had no time to move. He jumped back best he could but the blade cut deep into his leg.

Frodo yelped and fell to one knee. Not wanting to be injured again he scrambled into the bushes. The Uruk-Hai searched for him but didn't succeed. Shrell had stabbed the back of the creature's arm before it could even see the bushes. It whirled around, knocking Shrell in the head with it's fist. She fell to her knees. Her lip was bleeding. The Uruk-Hai turned and faced her, it's eyes gleamed. Using it's foot, the creature knocked her to one side.

She lay on the ground as the Uruk-Hai came closer. Smirking, it raised it's sword. It then swung it down at Shrell.

Shrell was just able to roll out of the way in time. Frodo saw something roll out of her cloak. She regained her footing and turned to face the Uruk-Hai. Her eyes drifted down to one of it's feet.

Frodo saw her swallow. Under the foot of the Uruk-Hai was a wooden flute. It had Elven carvings on it and was of a light colored wood. Shrell's flute.

The Uruk-Hai gleamed with an evil pleasure. It slowly brought it's foot down, sending cracks through the pure wood. Then, stepped down harder, breaking it into pieces.

Shrell was twitching with anger. She spat and then attached her two daggers. They spent a good amount of time just staring at eachother then Shrell attracked.

Before the Uruk-Hai knew it, Shrell had run one end of her double-bladed staff through it's stomach. She pulled the blade back and watched the giant creature fall to the ground.

Shrell then woke Sam who seemed a little dizzy. Frodo gave a cry from the bushes and Shrell came quickly.

"I can't move my leg" Frodo said, weakly.

"Give me your hand" Shrell said, holding out hers. Frodo took it and she pulled him up. Then he leaned on her as the made their way slowly back to the camp, Sam just ahead.........to be continued.