Disclaimer: Why don't I own Lord of the Rings? *sigh* Well, until maybe the
Tolkien family takes pity on me, I do not own any of the characters or
places mentioned in this story. Please don't sue me! I know I am cruel to
them but I swear I will try to save them. Hope you enjoy!
Lil*bee: Please don't cry! I'm sorry! Legolas as a Dark Lord? Hmm, could there be a story in there somewhere? Why'd you hate poor Frod-si? I always feel sorry for my little blue-eyed angel!
FrodoFan: *evil witch cackle* I am evil, evil!
Elf of Rivendell: Updating quickly? I just rush in from wherever I've been and get typing. Unfortunately I have dreams about new ideas and then I have to get up at six in the morning to write them up. :-) So glad you liked Ch. 7. It is supposed to be very hard on both characters having to part again.
Barmy-the-elf: Aha! I will answer your questions soon, my friend. Very happy this is bringing you so much pleasure!
Bulma Greenleaf: *bows* Thank you!
Kayleigh_talitha: Read on, my dear reader and you vill see for yourselv!
TrueFan: Bunny! Ah! AAAAH! So much AAAHing! Really glad this is keeping you on your toes!
~ Chapter Nine ~
The Fellowship heard nothing, saw nothing and felt only fear for their lost companions. They paced about the chamber, hoping for news or perhaps a sign. But nothing came. No sounds. No sights. Just the pit that welled open before them. The mouth that swallowed Legolas and the Ringbearer.
Merry and Pippin stared gloomily into the hole, occasionally sharing the odd word.
"How do you think it happened?"
"I don't know, Merry. Why would Legolas have put an arrow to his bow?"
"And why was Frodo with him?"
"..I have an idea."
"Oh no."
"No, listen for just a moment. Why don't we go down? We could try and find one of them."
"Don't be stupid, Pippin."
"We could find out what happened. We could do it."
"We could send Gandalf into a panic and force him to burn off our ears when we get back. If we even do."
"But Frodo is our cousin. We have a duty to him. And look at poor Sam. He is distraught!"
"..I want to help."
"Tonight then. We ask to go on guard and then down we go."
"But we leave a message too."
"Oh, alright. But you write it."
"Why me?"
"It was your idea!"
"It was your idea to go down the hole in the first place."
"Yes, but you started the conversation."
"You implyed it!"
"I did not!"
"..Shall I write the message?"
"Yes, Merry."
Revtaz came back some hours later looking very pale. Frodo was awake but felt groggy from his restless sleep. The orc reached him, bearing nothing but a cruel smile on his features. He looked as if he had been through caverns of fire to get it though.
"There's been a change of plan," he said, "We ain't keepin' you hostage. You don't have to stay and be quiet anymore. In fact, you don't have to do much for the rest of yer mis'rable life. Won't last long. We have to get rid of you. You know, like after yer cheated in a game, you hide yer cards!"
He slapped his thigh and laughed uproariously at his own joke. After he had calmed himself down he continued. "The master says you gotta die. So yer comin' to see him."
Frodo's eyes closed. When he set out from the Shire, he would never have believed that he was walking into death. Even in Rivendell he had not been without hope. At the doors of Moria, he knew he would have given anything to be back on that snowy mountain. He did not care if he was freezing cold. He did not care if his head was sweating with fever. He did not care if icicles had him trapped under the snow. He did not want to die in so black and evil place. Not lost amid the darkness of orcs. And what of his friends? Gandalf, Strider, Legolas, Boromir, Gimli and his cousins? What of Sam? The last thought brought his crashing to the floor. Revtaz hauled him up from the flagstones and dragged him along. Frodo could feel pain seeping through every part of him. The fear of being lost is nothing to the fear of death. All his memories would be lost. His life on this earth just taken away. All wasted.
Revtaz knocked on the door. A voice boomed from inside,
"Enter."
Revtaz prodded Frodo. He hit him hard across the face when he did not respond.
"Gerrup, you slug. Stand on yer feet and see the Master o' Moria. Gawn- get in, you lazy fool!"
The hobbit felt himself thrust into the room beyond the door and he collapsed. He heard the door slam. He staggered to his feet and focused on the short figure standing in the room. His back was turned so Frodo could not see him. There was a blade in his hand. It shone bright blue and it slowly came through to the prisoner that it was Sting. He opened his mouth a fraction to cry out angrily but he was stopped as the figure spoke.
"Welcome, Frodo Baggins, to Moria. I take it my orcs took care of you? They are less than courteous beasts."
"Why do you have my sword?" Frodo pressed.
"Oh, that," the host said airily, "Well, it does belong to my kind rightfully so I took it."
The figure turned about and Frodo let his jaw drop farther down. It was a haggard old dwarf. His face stretched out of place. Two pale blue eyes leered out from under a soot-grey beard and moustache. He moved stiffly towards Frodo.
"Surprised, hobbit? My forefathers carved out Moria's very bones. It belongs to me. Even the orcs can see that."
"You joined them?" the hobbit breathed. He was outraged- seething. How could he? A free person of Middle-Earth. Frodo had come all this way to save people who went against their own kind?
"What choice did I have?" the dwarf spat, "They were everywhere. They killed my miners and pulled down my fortunes. Only me left. So I declared that I would serve their lord. I had nothing left. And I would be dead before I saw Lord Balin reduced to naught but another corpse in the shadowy pits of the earth."
Balin was alive. It was far too much for Frodo to take in. He sank to his knees.
"But Bilbo.. does he mean nothing to you now? Do you not even remember how he helped you win back your dwarven treasures?"
"What choice did I have?" Balin roared, turning on Frodo and slamming the sword down on a rock shelf. "I was at their mercy! Are you telling me that Bilbo would have rushed in to save me then? Oh and if you mean to say I will spare your life because he helped Thorin and my people, you are mistaken. The orcs wanted to see blood. Revtaz- the one who brought you to see me- wanted to see your friends dead but I will not waste time with that. They are walking straight into a hive of my minions. Uruk-hai wait for them at the end of the centre tunnel. I do not worry for them. As for you, I wanted to see how much you resembled Bilbo. Hates adventures. Inventing songs. Eating food. Spreading wild rumours. I know what the Shire- folk called him. 'Mad old Baggins!'"
"But Bilbo is not mad! He-"
"Of course not. I know that. But the people of Hobbiton do not. Nor of Bywater or Buckleberry. Neither do orcs. You know that when they heard of you the orcs all thought you were mad too. I thought otherwise. But think about it. What would I say? That I feel that they are wrong. I would be dead at the next sunrise. It is the same now. If you do not die, then the orcs will see me as nothing but a soft old dwarf. Maybe going senile. And they would get rid of me. Replace me. And if I let you go, you tell your friends that they must go back. And suddenly Sauron is defeated. I told you- I have no choice in the matter any longer. I swore allegiance to the Dark Lord. He will never forget me. His eye is watching me always. And it is either my life or your's. Self-preservation, my boy. It comes first."
With that, he pushed Sting's blade into Frodo's chest.
~
Sorry that this chapter isn't very good but I'll do better next time.
Lil*bee: Please don't cry! I'm sorry! Legolas as a Dark Lord? Hmm, could there be a story in there somewhere? Why'd you hate poor Frod-si? I always feel sorry for my little blue-eyed angel!
FrodoFan: *evil witch cackle* I am evil, evil!
Elf of Rivendell: Updating quickly? I just rush in from wherever I've been and get typing. Unfortunately I have dreams about new ideas and then I have to get up at six in the morning to write them up. :-) So glad you liked Ch. 7. It is supposed to be very hard on both characters having to part again.
Barmy-the-elf: Aha! I will answer your questions soon, my friend. Very happy this is bringing you so much pleasure!
Bulma Greenleaf: *bows* Thank you!
Kayleigh_talitha: Read on, my dear reader and you vill see for yourselv!
TrueFan: Bunny! Ah! AAAAH! So much AAAHing! Really glad this is keeping you on your toes!
~ Chapter Nine ~
The Fellowship heard nothing, saw nothing and felt only fear for their lost companions. They paced about the chamber, hoping for news or perhaps a sign. But nothing came. No sounds. No sights. Just the pit that welled open before them. The mouth that swallowed Legolas and the Ringbearer.
Merry and Pippin stared gloomily into the hole, occasionally sharing the odd word.
"How do you think it happened?"
"I don't know, Merry. Why would Legolas have put an arrow to his bow?"
"And why was Frodo with him?"
"..I have an idea."
"Oh no."
"No, listen for just a moment. Why don't we go down? We could try and find one of them."
"Don't be stupid, Pippin."
"We could find out what happened. We could do it."
"We could send Gandalf into a panic and force him to burn off our ears when we get back. If we even do."
"But Frodo is our cousin. We have a duty to him. And look at poor Sam. He is distraught!"
"..I want to help."
"Tonight then. We ask to go on guard and then down we go."
"But we leave a message too."
"Oh, alright. But you write it."
"Why me?"
"It was your idea!"
"It was your idea to go down the hole in the first place."
"Yes, but you started the conversation."
"You implyed it!"
"I did not!"
"..Shall I write the message?"
"Yes, Merry."
Revtaz came back some hours later looking very pale. Frodo was awake but felt groggy from his restless sleep. The orc reached him, bearing nothing but a cruel smile on his features. He looked as if he had been through caverns of fire to get it though.
"There's been a change of plan," he said, "We ain't keepin' you hostage. You don't have to stay and be quiet anymore. In fact, you don't have to do much for the rest of yer mis'rable life. Won't last long. We have to get rid of you. You know, like after yer cheated in a game, you hide yer cards!"
He slapped his thigh and laughed uproariously at his own joke. After he had calmed himself down he continued. "The master says you gotta die. So yer comin' to see him."
Frodo's eyes closed. When he set out from the Shire, he would never have believed that he was walking into death. Even in Rivendell he had not been without hope. At the doors of Moria, he knew he would have given anything to be back on that snowy mountain. He did not care if he was freezing cold. He did not care if his head was sweating with fever. He did not care if icicles had him trapped under the snow. He did not want to die in so black and evil place. Not lost amid the darkness of orcs. And what of his friends? Gandalf, Strider, Legolas, Boromir, Gimli and his cousins? What of Sam? The last thought brought his crashing to the floor. Revtaz hauled him up from the flagstones and dragged him along. Frodo could feel pain seeping through every part of him. The fear of being lost is nothing to the fear of death. All his memories would be lost. His life on this earth just taken away. All wasted.
Revtaz knocked on the door. A voice boomed from inside,
"Enter."
Revtaz prodded Frodo. He hit him hard across the face when he did not respond.
"Gerrup, you slug. Stand on yer feet and see the Master o' Moria. Gawn- get in, you lazy fool!"
The hobbit felt himself thrust into the room beyond the door and he collapsed. He heard the door slam. He staggered to his feet and focused on the short figure standing in the room. His back was turned so Frodo could not see him. There was a blade in his hand. It shone bright blue and it slowly came through to the prisoner that it was Sting. He opened his mouth a fraction to cry out angrily but he was stopped as the figure spoke.
"Welcome, Frodo Baggins, to Moria. I take it my orcs took care of you? They are less than courteous beasts."
"Why do you have my sword?" Frodo pressed.
"Oh, that," the host said airily, "Well, it does belong to my kind rightfully so I took it."
The figure turned about and Frodo let his jaw drop farther down. It was a haggard old dwarf. His face stretched out of place. Two pale blue eyes leered out from under a soot-grey beard and moustache. He moved stiffly towards Frodo.
"Surprised, hobbit? My forefathers carved out Moria's very bones. It belongs to me. Even the orcs can see that."
"You joined them?" the hobbit breathed. He was outraged- seething. How could he? A free person of Middle-Earth. Frodo had come all this way to save people who went against their own kind?
"What choice did I have?" the dwarf spat, "They were everywhere. They killed my miners and pulled down my fortunes. Only me left. So I declared that I would serve their lord. I had nothing left. And I would be dead before I saw Lord Balin reduced to naught but another corpse in the shadowy pits of the earth."
Balin was alive. It was far too much for Frodo to take in. He sank to his knees.
"But Bilbo.. does he mean nothing to you now? Do you not even remember how he helped you win back your dwarven treasures?"
"What choice did I have?" Balin roared, turning on Frodo and slamming the sword down on a rock shelf. "I was at their mercy! Are you telling me that Bilbo would have rushed in to save me then? Oh and if you mean to say I will spare your life because he helped Thorin and my people, you are mistaken. The orcs wanted to see blood. Revtaz- the one who brought you to see me- wanted to see your friends dead but I will not waste time with that. They are walking straight into a hive of my minions. Uruk-hai wait for them at the end of the centre tunnel. I do not worry for them. As for you, I wanted to see how much you resembled Bilbo. Hates adventures. Inventing songs. Eating food. Spreading wild rumours. I know what the Shire- folk called him. 'Mad old Baggins!'"
"But Bilbo is not mad! He-"
"Of course not. I know that. But the people of Hobbiton do not. Nor of Bywater or Buckleberry. Neither do orcs. You know that when they heard of you the orcs all thought you were mad too. I thought otherwise. But think about it. What would I say? That I feel that they are wrong. I would be dead at the next sunrise. It is the same now. If you do not die, then the orcs will see me as nothing but a soft old dwarf. Maybe going senile. And they would get rid of me. Replace me. And if I let you go, you tell your friends that they must go back. And suddenly Sauron is defeated. I told you- I have no choice in the matter any longer. I swore allegiance to the Dark Lord. He will never forget me. His eye is watching me always. And it is either my life or your's. Self-preservation, my boy. It comes first."
With that, he pushed Sting's blade into Frodo's chest.
~
Sorry that this chapter isn't very good but I'll do better next time.