Chapter 5
My world was now upside down. We traveled for a few days, and Frodo seemed to get weaker as we gained distance from the Nazgul. We thought that the Nazgul had lost our tracks. Then one night that we stopped to rest, everyone else was sleeping, (I had my eyes closed but that was as close as I could get to sleep) I heard someone in armor creeping closer to our camp. I turned my head only slightly squinting to see who it was. I could tell there was more than one. "Another is near?" I heard them whisper. "Yes. But it will come to him. The other is the present matter. We will claim him when he has no protector." They walked away, and I knew they were the Nazgul. I nearly told Aragorn what I had heard, but then he'd have known that any one of us could become a target. So, I didn't mention the event to anyone. I just kept a very close watch over Frodo. The next morning, Frodo developed a fever from what he was going through. His eyes gained a glazed, far away look, and I doubted that he even knew we were there. We stopped one night at Trollshaw. We laid Frodo down on the ground, and I had his head on my knees, while Sam felt his forehead. "He's goin' cold!" Sam yelled at Aragorn. "Is he going to die?" Pippin asked trying to keep tears back. "He is passing into the Shadow World." Aragorn said answering Pippin's question. "He's becoming weaker, but soon he will become one of them." "We must keep going." I said. "If we go fast enough we may have a chance to get to Rivendell and Elrond can save him." "We need something to help Frodo now if we can." Aragorn said he turned to Sam. "Do you know the athelas plant?" "Athelas?" Sam asked. "King's foil." Aragorn replied. "That's a weed!" Sam said. "It may be the only thing that can help." Aragorn said handing Sam a torch. I got up and Merry and Pippin helped me get Bill ready to go. Less than two minutes later, Sam returned without anything. Right after, Aragorn returned with athelas, and Glorfindel an Elf from Rivendell, who had a horse. Glorfindel bent down next to Frodo, who flinched and groaned in pain as Aragorn put the athelas on the wound. "Who is he?" Asked Merry. "He won't last much longer." Glorfindel spoke in Elvish. "I shall take him to Rivendell." "It's an Elf!" Sam said in amazement. "His name is Glorfindel." I said. "Lord Elrond has had search parties out looking for you for two days." Glorfindel told Aragorn, who picked Frodo up and set him on the horse. "Come swiftly to Rivendell!" Then Glorfindel mounted and rode off with Frodo. "What are you doing?!" Sam cried. " Those Wraiths are still out there!" "We all know that, Sam." I said with despair. I stood there staring after Frodo. I knew that this was his only chance, and yet, I found no comfort, even knowing that he was in safe hands. For he was still in great danger.
******************************************* When our company finally arrived at Rivendell, Merry, Pippin, and Sam were amazed. I was rather impatient, because I wanted to know if Frodo was all right. We found out that the date was October 23rd, and we also found Gandalf waiting for us. " Gandalf!" Sam, Merry, Pippin cried. "How's Frodo?" I asked urgently. "It was a close call, but Frodo should be alright." Gandalf replied.
"Where is he?" I said. "I will show you." He answered. Gandalf led us through the halls that filled my memory until we reached a room where Elrond was checking Frodo's condition, just to be safe. We discovered that we arrived four days after Glorfindel and Frodo. Sam and I stayed in that room for a long time, waiting for Frodo to wake up. When it got very late, Gandalf told us that we needed to leave and get something to eat and some rest. Sam agreed, but I did not. I wanted to be sure that Frodo would be all right. "I'm staying right here." I said. "Just get something to eat and some sleep." Gandalf said sternly. So I went down to the dining area, where I saw Bilbo talking to Merry, Pippin, and Sam. He looked so much older than the year before. "Hello, Xandra!" He said, giving me a hug. "Merry and Pippin told me that you and Frodo got married last winter." "Yes Bilbo, we did." I replied. "I'm happy for you both." Bilbo said. "I was worried that Frodo would want to wait for my return. So, have you two had a happy marriage so far?" "Except for what has happened recently, yes" I answered. "How are you Bilbo?" "Just fine." He said. "Although, my appearance has finally caught up with my age. Come sit and eat." So I did, and afterwards, I reluctantly let myself be shown to a room, changed into an old nightgown I had left in Rivendell last September, and fell into an uneasy sleep. I woke up suddenly, when I heard someone banging on the door. "Frodo's awake!" Sam yelled through the door. I jumped out of bed and ran as fast as possible to the room where Frodo had been, thanking Sam as I went out the door. While I was running there, I passed stairs to the room's balcony and saw Frodo standing there. "Frodo!" I called happily as I ran to him. He turned around and we hugged and kissed. We were so happy to see the other was all right. "Your alright!" He said as though I shouldn't be. "Of course I'm all right." I said. "Why shouldn't I be?" "The last thing I remember was one of those wraiths squeezing your neck." Frodo said. "I thought he was going to kill you." "It's in the past now." I said. "I'm here and well. How are you?" "Better than I was before." He replied. "Where are Merry and Pippin? I haven't seen them yet." "I'm not sure." I answered. "I came straight here after Sam came to get me. But, knowing them, they're probably eating." I changed my clothes and we started walking around. We met up with Sam and I showed them around Rivendell. We soon came upon Merry and Pippin. They both hugged Frodo. Then Frodo saw Bilbo. He ran up to Bilbo and hugged him. None of us had seen him in a year, and now we were all together in Rivendell. The others and I decided to let Frodo and Bilbo talk to each other without interruption. They went to get some more food, and I decided to go walk around the rest of Rivendell. I started walking towards the library when Gandalf stopped me. "There is to be a council tomorrow, and you, Frodo, and Bilbo should be in attendance." He said. "Bring your staff." Then he hurried off, just as quickly as he'd come. I kept walking around until a while after I had seen Lord Boromir of Gondor, Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, Lord Gimli son of Gloin, and other representatives of their kind arrive for the council. I was somewhere near where the shards of Narsil were kept when I heard someone behind me.
My world was now upside down. We traveled for a few days, and Frodo seemed to get weaker as we gained distance from the Nazgul. We thought that the Nazgul had lost our tracks. Then one night that we stopped to rest, everyone else was sleeping, (I had my eyes closed but that was as close as I could get to sleep) I heard someone in armor creeping closer to our camp. I turned my head only slightly squinting to see who it was. I could tell there was more than one. "Another is near?" I heard them whisper. "Yes. But it will come to him. The other is the present matter. We will claim him when he has no protector." They walked away, and I knew they were the Nazgul. I nearly told Aragorn what I had heard, but then he'd have known that any one of us could become a target. So, I didn't mention the event to anyone. I just kept a very close watch over Frodo. The next morning, Frodo developed a fever from what he was going through. His eyes gained a glazed, far away look, and I doubted that he even knew we were there. We stopped one night at Trollshaw. We laid Frodo down on the ground, and I had his head on my knees, while Sam felt his forehead. "He's goin' cold!" Sam yelled at Aragorn. "Is he going to die?" Pippin asked trying to keep tears back. "He is passing into the Shadow World." Aragorn said answering Pippin's question. "He's becoming weaker, but soon he will become one of them." "We must keep going." I said. "If we go fast enough we may have a chance to get to Rivendell and Elrond can save him." "We need something to help Frodo now if we can." Aragorn said he turned to Sam. "Do you know the athelas plant?" "Athelas?" Sam asked. "King's foil." Aragorn replied. "That's a weed!" Sam said. "It may be the only thing that can help." Aragorn said handing Sam a torch. I got up and Merry and Pippin helped me get Bill ready to go. Less than two minutes later, Sam returned without anything. Right after, Aragorn returned with athelas, and Glorfindel an Elf from Rivendell, who had a horse. Glorfindel bent down next to Frodo, who flinched and groaned in pain as Aragorn put the athelas on the wound. "Who is he?" Asked Merry. "He won't last much longer." Glorfindel spoke in Elvish. "I shall take him to Rivendell." "It's an Elf!" Sam said in amazement. "His name is Glorfindel." I said. "Lord Elrond has had search parties out looking for you for two days." Glorfindel told Aragorn, who picked Frodo up and set him on the horse. "Come swiftly to Rivendell!" Then Glorfindel mounted and rode off with Frodo. "What are you doing?!" Sam cried. " Those Wraiths are still out there!" "We all know that, Sam." I said with despair. I stood there staring after Frodo. I knew that this was his only chance, and yet, I found no comfort, even knowing that he was in safe hands. For he was still in great danger.
******************************************* When our company finally arrived at Rivendell, Merry, Pippin, and Sam were amazed. I was rather impatient, because I wanted to know if Frodo was all right. We found out that the date was October 23rd, and we also found Gandalf waiting for us. " Gandalf!" Sam, Merry, Pippin cried. "How's Frodo?" I asked urgently. "It was a close call, but Frodo should be alright." Gandalf replied.
"Where is he?" I said. "I will show you." He answered. Gandalf led us through the halls that filled my memory until we reached a room where Elrond was checking Frodo's condition, just to be safe. We discovered that we arrived four days after Glorfindel and Frodo. Sam and I stayed in that room for a long time, waiting for Frodo to wake up. When it got very late, Gandalf told us that we needed to leave and get something to eat and some rest. Sam agreed, but I did not. I wanted to be sure that Frodo would be all right. "I'm staying right here." I said. "Just get something to eat and some sleep." Gandalf said sternly. So I went down to the dining area, where I saw Bilbo talking to Merry, Pippin, and Sam. He looked so much older than the year before. "Hello, Xandra!" He said, giving me a hug. "Merry and Pippin told me that you and Frodo got married last winter." "Yes Bilbo, we did." I replied. "I'm happy for you both." Bilbo said. "I was worried that Frodo would want to wait for my return. So, have you two had a happy marriage so far?" "Except for what has happened recently, yes" I answered. "How are you Bilbo?" "Just fine." He said. "Although, my appearance has finally caught up with my age. Come sit and eat." So I did, and afterwards, I reluctantly let myself be shown to a room, changed into an old nightgown I had left in Rivendell last September, and fell into an uneasy sleep. I woke up suddenly, when I heard someone banging on the door. "Frodo's awake!" Sam yelled through the door. I jumped out of bed and ran as fast as possible to the room where Frodo had been, thanking Sam as I went out the door. While I was running there, I passed stairs to the room's balcony and saw Frodo standing there. "Frodo!" I called happily as I ran to him. He turned around and we hugged and kissed. We were so happy to see the other was all right. "Your alright!" He said as though I shouldn't be. "Of course I'm all right." I said. "Why shouldn't I be?" "The last thing I remember was one of those wraiths squeezing your neck." Frodo said. "I thought he was going to kill you." "It's in the past now." I said. "I'm here and well. How are you?" "Better than I was before." He replied. "Where are Merry and Pippin? I haven't seen them yet." "I'm not sure." I answered. "I came straight here after Sam came to get me. But, knowing them, they're probably eating." I changed my clothes and we started walking around. We met up with Sam and I showed them around Rivendell. We soon came upon Merry and Pippin. They both hugged Frodo. Then Frodo saw Bilbo. He ran up to Bilbo and hugged him. None of us had seen him in a year, and now we were all together in Rivendell. The others and I decided to let Frodo and Bilbo talk to each other without interruption. They went to get some more food, and I decided to go walk around the rest of Rivendell. I started walking towards the library when Gandalf stopped me. "There is to be a council tomorrow, and you, Frodo, and Bilbo should be in attendance." He said. "Bring your staff." Then he hurried off, just as quickly as he'd come. I kept walking around until a while after I had seen Lord Boromir of Gondor, Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, Lord Gimli son of Gloin, and other representatives of their kind arrive for the council. I was somewhere near where the shards of Narsil were kept when I heard someone behind me.