Disclaimer: AU Story. 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!
MagicalRachel: Of course you are worthy. Pish tush, Rachel, you are fantastic!!! I can't thank you enough for putting me in your story. Please speak to me- I'm working hard! A pub? GIMME THE DRINK!! The booze is the only thing getting me through the day. Have a vision of a stubbly author slouched in a darkened room facing the light of the computer, a bottle in a brown paper bag in her hand. Cigarette sticking out of her mouth. Hehe. ;-)
Mits: Well, Frodo's alive.. ish. I wish I could tell you everything will be OK but *sniff* I am afraid that the author does not yet know. The author works in mysterious ways!
Celenathil-the-elf: *Hugs Frodo* Everything will be OK! Updating updating!
Barmy-the-elf: Of course you were right. You right person, you! I'm sorry, master, sorry 'bout my ter'ble m'stakes! Yeah, I thought I liked Frodo too but I can't help but torture the little guy. He's scho schweet!
Shirebound: Oh thank you! But the idea of me as a teenager..*shudders* that's a bit much. Wow! Thank you very much for lovely comments!
Vana Everyoung: What a fantastic name! Oh, please don't die. I will have to pay your parents and next of kin and I'll face several charges...sorry, rambling. Heehee. I only included Belladonna to freak you out, my friend. MWA HA HA- I kill Frodo now. Ja, you see, you vill! MWA HA HA!
Elf of Rivendell: Are you really calling Balin evil or me? Hehe. God, I am awful. Well, I'd better set to and save him. Or kill him- that would be a lot easier..
~ Chapter Twelve ~
"Frodo?"
The hobbit felt a surge of nausea building in his stomach.
"I'm fine," he said faintly and kept running. Legolas jogged alongside him, unconvinced.
"No, you are not. What's wrong, Frodo? I can help."
'No, you can't,' Frodo thought but brushed this aside. He glared at his companion.
"We have no time for this and you know that."
"But I can see that you are hurt. Let me-"
"Legolas!" Frodo shouted. But his voice was weak and his throat was burning dry. He felt hot and worn out. All his wounds were giving him considerable pain. He felt his whole body quake with fever. How could the poison work so fast? Already he could hear the door splintering behind them. "Come on," he urged. But he felt so light-headed. Everything was rushing past in a haze. As if none of it existed. As if all that was really real was the agony flaming inside him. Legolas complied at long last and sprinted ahead again. But he clearly knew something was amiss. Frodo's head was spinning. His breath was coming in great long gasps now. He could hear his heart beating in his ears and everything was rising up like water around him. Flooding in over his head and all around. The poison flowed around him. He stumbled and sprawled out across the corridor. Legolas' head turned at the sound of my fall. The hobbit was trying to desperately to pull himself upright but he suddenly paused. Frodo began to heave and was violently sick on the floor.
"Frodo!" Legolas cried in alarm, running back. The hobbit's face was flushed red and he was still letting out hacking breaths as he tried to get rid of all the vomit in his mouth.
"It's just- I-" he tried, gazing up at his friend. But the elf could see how much pain was in that face.
"Why did you not tell me?" he said gently, bending down to scoop Frodo up in his arms. "Frodo?" He was out cold. Legolas put a hand to his forehead. It was burning. Frodo's breathing was so harsh and aching and his pulse only a flicker. Legolas ran. He ran like he never had before. Faster than any time. He moved like the wind, passing from each level to the next in a blur. And still he felt the time falling like sand through his fingers. Felt Frodo's body begin to become cold as stone.
Merry and Pippin stopped on the second level for a midnight snack. Both of them were tired from climbing. They pulled cheese and berries from their trouser pockets, removed the little fragments of mithril and were just about to tuck into a lovely meal when they heard footsteps approach. Echoing distantly higher up the tunnel. They froze.
"Merry," hissed Pippin, "Merry, do you hear them?"
"Of course I do."
"Do they sound.. like.. er.."
"What?"
"Well, do they sound orc-ish to you?"
They both listened. Then Merry shook his head.
"Too light. I don't know what it sounds like to be honest."
"Too light for a hobbit or a dwarf."
"Then it has to be an elf."
"Legolas? Is that you?" Pippin yelled up into the darkness. There was no reply. Only silence. There are many different varieties of silence. That of a creature not wishing to be found. A silence of no one else being there. That of people waiting for something and then the startled silence when something important has just been announced.
"Pippin."
It was a statement. More footsteps and then Legolas appeared. He was carrying Frodo in his arms. The hobbits opened their mouths but the elf stopped them.
"No time to explain. We need to get back to the chamber."
The three of them set off at a long run, all looking anxiously on as Frodo grew paler and paler.
"But Legolas," Pippin gasped, "What-.. happened?"
"I do not know. All I do know is that time appears to be running out for Frodo. We must get back to the Fellowship. Can you lead the way?"
Merry and Pippin nodded eagerly.
They reached the chamber within the next five minutes and raced across to the tunnel, still bearing the torch. Merry supported it in a beacon at the side then joined his companions at the tunnel entrance. Frodo had been tied to Legolas' back and Pippin had already started to difficult ascent back upwards. Legolas' bare foot was bleeding readily where he had cut it on the mithril shards and he had to grit his teeth against the pain as he groped his way higher. Merry was coming up close behind him, tugging on his cloak.
"What is it?" he asked, trying not to hit Frodo's head on the wall.
"Orcs," Merry replied in a whisper, "The whole chamber has filled up with orcs!"
"Stay still," Legolas ordered, "Stay perfectly still."
They all stopped and held their breath. They were not a far way away and could hear the snorts and grunts of angry orcs as they searched in vain for the elf and hobbit. Frodo let out a soft moan in his sleep. Legolas tensed. There was a loud shout from below and he was almost certain that all was up. But then there was sudden quiet. Just a hush. No voices or footsteps. Just an emptiness of any life. Then the whole tunnel exploded with light.
MagicalRachel: Of course you are worthy. Pish tush, Rachel, you are fantastic!!! I can't thank you enough for putting me in your story. Please speak to me- I'm working hard! A pub? GIMME THE DRINK!! The booze is the only thing getting me through the day. Have a vision of a stubbly author slouched in a darkened room facing the light of the computer, a bottle in a brown paper bag in her hand. Cigarette sticking out of her mouth. Hehe. ;-)
Mits: Well, Frodo's alive.. ish. I wish I could tell you everything will be OK but *sniff* I am afraid that the author does not yet know. The author works in mysterious ways!
Celenathil-the-elf: *Hugs Frodo* Everything will be OK! Updating updating!
Barmy-the-elf: Of course you were right. You right person, you! I'm sorry, master, sorry 'bout my ter'ble m'stakes! Yeah, I thought I liked Frodo too but I can't help but torture the little guy. He's scho schweet!
Shirebound: Oh thank you! But the idea of me as a teenager..*shudders* that's a bit much. Wow! Thank you very much for lovely comments!
Vana Everyoung: What a fantastic name! Oh, please don't die. I will have to pay your parents and next of kin and I'll face several charges...sorry, rambling. Heehee. I only included Belladonna to freak you out, my friend. MWA HA HA- I kill Frodo now. Ja, you see, you vill! MWA HA HA!
Elf of Rivendell: Are you really calling Balin evil or me? Hehe. God, I am awful. Well, I'd better set to and save him. Or kill him- that would be a lot easier..
~ Chapter Twelve ~
"Frodo?"
The hobbit felt a surge of nausea building in his stomach.
"I'm fine," he said faintly and kept running. Legolas jogged alongside him, unconvinced.
"No, you are not. What's wrong, Frodo? I can help."
'No, you can't,' Frodo thought but brushed this aside. He glared at his companion.
"We have no time for this and you know that."
"But I can see that you are hurt. Let me-"
"Legolas!" Frodo shouted. But his voice was weak and his throat was burning dry. He felt hot and worn out. All his wounds were giving him considerable pain. He felt his whole body quake with fever. How could the poison work so fast? Already he could hear the door splintering behind them. "Come on," he urged. But he felt so light-headed. Everything was rushing past in a haze. As if none of it existed. As if all that was really real was the agony flaming inside him. Legolas complied at long last and sprinted ahead again. But he clearly knew something was amiss. Frodo's head was spinning. His breath was coming in great long gasps now. He could hear his heart beating in his ears and everything was rising up like water around him. Flooding in over his head and all around. The poison flowed around him. He stumbled and sprawled out across the corridor. Legolas' head turned at the sound of my fall. The hobbit was trying to desperately to pull himself upright but he suddenly paused. Frodo began to heave and was violently sick on the floor.
"Frodo!" Legolas cried in alarm, running back. The hobbit's face was flushed red and he was still letting out hacking breaths as he tried to get rid of all the vomit in his mouth.
"It's just- I-" he tried, gazing up at his friend. But the elf could see how much pain was in that face.
"Why did you not tell me?" he said gently, bending down to scoop Frodo up in his arms. "Frodo?" He was out cold. Legolas put a hand to his forehead. It was burning. Frodo's breathing was so harsh and aching and his pulse only a flicker. Legolas ran. He ran like he never had before. Faster than any time. He moved like the wind, passing from each level to the next in a blur. And still he felt the time falling like sand through his fingers. Felt Frodo's body begin to become cold as stone.
Merry and Pippin stopped on the second level for a midnight snack. Both of them were tired from climbing. They pulled cheese and berries from their trouser pockets, removed the little fragments of mithril and were just about to tuck into a lovely meal when they heard footsteps approach. Echoing distantly higher up the tunnel. They froze.
"Merry," hissed Pippin, "Merry, do you hear them?"
"Of course I do."
"Do they sound.. like.. er.."
"What?"
"Well, do they sound orc-ish to you?"
They both listened. Then Merry shook his head.
"Too light. I don't know what it sounds like to be honest."
"Too light for a hobbit or a dwarf."
"Then it has to be an elf."
"Legolas? Is that you?" Pippin yelled up into the darkness. There was no reply. Only silence. There are many different varieties of silence. That of a creature not wishing to be found. A silence of no one else being there. That of people waiting for something and then the startled silence when something important has just been announced.
"Pippin."
It was a statement. More footsteps and then Legolas appeared. He was carrying Frodo in his arms. The hobbits opened their mouths but the elf stopped them.
"No time to explain. We need to get back to the chamber."
The three of them set off at a long run, all looking anxiously on as Frodo grew paler and paler.
"But Legolas," Pippin gasped, "What-.. happened?"
"I do not know. All I do know is that time appears to be running out for Frodo. We must get back to the Fellowship. Can you lead the way?"
Merry and Pippin nodded eagerly.
They reached the chamber within the next five minutes and raced across to the tunnel, still bearing the torch. Merry supported it in a beacon at the side then joined his companions at the tunnel entrance. Frodo had been tied to Legolas' back and Pippin had already started to difficult ascent back upwards. Legolas' bare foot was bleeding readily where he had cut it on the mithril shards and he had to grit his teeth against the pain as he groped his way higher. Merry was coming up close behind him, tugging on his cloak.
"What is it?" he asked, trying not to hit Frodo's head on the wall.
"Orcs," Merry replied in a whisper, "The whole chamber has filled up with orcs!"
"Stay still," Legolas ordered, "Stay perfectly still."
They all stopped and held their breath. They were not a far way away and could hear the snorts and grunts of angry orcs as they searched in vain for the elf and hobbit. Frodo let out a soft moan in his sleep. Legolas tensed. There was a loud shout from below and he was almost certain that all was up. But then there was sudden quiet. Just a hush. No voices or footsteps. Just an emptiness of any life. Then the whole tunnel exploded with light.