A/N: Greetings! This chapter isn't exactly on schedule, but I'm writing the next one as we speak so it will probably be a little early than expected. I very well hope you enjoyed the last chapter of mad Mr. Frodo! Poor him… I should cut down on the torture and all (thinks for a moment) Nah. It would be boring… and everyone needs Frodo/general hobbit angst. There should be a technical, proper term and even a category for 'general hobbit angst' (sigh) that'll be the day.
I hope indeed that you will notice of the description of Minas Morgul. I chose this description (following Tolkien's description, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Book Four, The Stairs of Cirith Ungol) because I intend to stay true to some of the deeds of Frodo and Sam in the books. It makes one feel like a traitor if one ignores the books completely from the point of Amon Hen! And, hopefully, this will give you a chance to pick up from where Orli, Frodo and Gollum are, to as whereabouts be Sam, Frodo and Gollum in the chapter.
And another thing, this chapter covers a hell of a lot so I hope you don't get lost anywhere! (I needed to speed things up a tad)
Normal Human Being: Gollum is the best 'vile-creature' there ever was, but I wouldn't say he was a god. More of a 'supreme being'. Gems? Did someone say gems? Can I have gems?
Ash N Brock: Fido's a nasty piece of work, isn't he just?! My side-kick Elijah Jordan Wood is in the cupboard as we speak talking to my Frodo doll about my coat hangers. And my yappy little other-sidekick Frodog is sitting on my head. He's warping my miiiind!! Glad ya liked the chapters.Curly29: Why, Orli scaring ya? ;D
Luichen Greenleaf: It's scary how fast you review, you know! (Shivers in the corner and adopts a face that looked a little like this 0_0) don't worry, we will see Legolas in the next chapter or so, I promise you!
Tiggivon: Okay :D and a happy New Year to you too! (excuse the lateness!)
Chapter 15: Noxious Ways"Here it is, precious, here it is!" Gollum crawled to a verge and sprang down onto the edge of a plain. Orli and Frodo staggered behind him, tired through due to the miles and miles covered without rest overnight, "Dagorlad! Make haste, hurry, Easterlings, yes, Easterlings pass!" and bounded forward like a spider.
Despite their haste, they went around the field of Dagorlad, intending to pass the guards of Morannon unnoticed. As Frodo cast his eyes toward the Black Gate of Mordor, he saw tiny armies of Easterlings cut across the plain.
"Where now does he ask us, precious, where now do we take master? To the gates, precious?" Gollum crouched low and hunched his shoulders, looking over to where the Black Gate of Mordor was.
"No. Not to the Gates, our presence will be taken into account. Is there another way round, Smèagol?"
Gollum's eyes strangely flickered with a new light, "There is one. Orcs don't use it much, we calls it- Cirith Ungol, yes, that is the name… precious… my dear, that is the name!" He blinked to himself a couple of times as if to not believe his luck, but to his fellow travellers it was only a flashing thought.
Orli stared at Gollum curiously as he started shivering, looking almost shaken with excitement, "A long stair," Gollum went on, "A winding stair, and then… a long, dark tunnel. We escaped from Cirith Ungol, yes we did, precious…"
They trudged on round Dagorlad and rested during what would be daylight hours. They then passed into North Ithilien, every so often having to duck down in fear of being discovered by orcs, or even troops of men that were seen marching to Osgiliath. Once, they came upon a gloomy, yet beautiful place as a pale moon rose. "Henneth Annûn, Window of the Sunset" Orli explained a little impatiently as they stood in front of a small trickle of a fountain, "When the sun sets, the shafts of red light shine upon the water and make it come alive with dancing jewels of rubies, sapphire and gold. Men visit this often, we should leave now" and he turned and marched away, leaving Frodo somewhat confused and mortified that he was.
After that, Orli seemed a little more reserved and just listened as Gollum babbled and muttered to himself. Many a time Frodo thought he heard Gollum speak about 'her'; it made him wonder who 'she' was. Every so often, when he did, a strange light would pass in his eyes, a light very similar to when Gollum tried to take the ring from him. Frodo suddenly felt a spasm of hatred toward the creature. How dare he! Trying to take his ring, his own ring, and his precious...
"Make haste!" the creature spluttered as he stopped to sniff at the air once or twice, "We will soon be at the stairs!"
The stairs… the long stair, the winding stair and the tunnel. How could a passing be so 'unnoticed', as Gollum had said? How could such a passing have no presence to those who lived in this land?
Presently, they came close to Osgiliath. It was perhaps some leagues away, but even at such a distance smoke could be seen fuming closely about it. Frodo suddenly sneezed loudly, feeling the sudden coldness chill him to the bone. At the sudden noise, Orli almost jumped out of his skin, and realising who it was a swearing loudly at him, he cuffed Frodo hard around the back of the head, and Frodo felt a slight spasm of pain travel down his neck.
As he held his hand up to the back of his head and looked up, he felt the coldness again. This time, it was more than chilling, and as he turned to the east, he saw what looked like dragons flying his way, "Winged Nazgûl!" Orli hissed and pushed Frodo to the ground, cursing as Gollum sprawled himself upon the dry earth whining.
"Shut up!" Orli elbowed Frodo hard in the ribs as he started to gasp on hearing the shrieking. He coughed slightly, and lay on his back, watching the Nazgûl flying directly above him, in terror.
His hand slowly began to crawl its way to the ring. Frodo's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed the ring from hand to hand, tracing its fine gold outline. "He is calling for it!" Gollum whispered to Orli in terrified babble, "he is calling for the precious!" and twisted his arms and head together to bury his face.
Orli frowned at the sight of Frodo in this way, but saw that he was inches from putting the ring on. He grabbed the hobbit's wrist and dragged it away from the ring as he heard it whisper and sigh, pinning Frodo's arm awkwardly to the floor and placing his elbow on it so he couldn't move. Frodo wretched a couple of times and Orli had to push a rag into the hobbit's mouth to stop him from coughing.
Presently, the Nazgûl passed over their heads and headed for the wreath of smoke that was Osgiliath. Gollum leapt to his feet, "Make haste!" he cried, and said "Make haste, we must be moving" as he continued.
He turned and went to make a leap but was violently pulled back by strong hands, "Wait, Smèagol!" Orli uttered. Gollum went to open his mouth to object but Orli was firm, "Just wait!" he sighed angrily.
He knelt beside Frodo and sat him up a little sharply, whispering angrily in his ear, "For the-- halfling, hold your tongue and don't get our throats cut! Come on, stand up!" and he shook the hobbit by the shoulders lightly, to wake him out of the trance he had fallen into.
Frodo managed to stand shakily to his feet but almost halted instantly and gasped. Orli let go of he arm and let him sink to the ground, releasing a sigh of exasperation, "Frodo, what is it now?"
Frodo stood there for a moment and his eyes widened in horror, "He's calling for it, he's calling for the Ring, his eye is almost on me!" Frodo looked up at the man fearfully just as his ears had a feeling that they were losing their hearing. He saw Orli utter fast words to him and heard no sound, except the dull thudding of his rising heartbeat and a curious whisper about him, in a fiery tongue that he could neither make out nor understand. Soon, the feeling passed, sound returned to him but his body was swamped by an overwhelming desire to sleep, and he crumpled to the floor.
Orli stared at this shivering wreck on the floor. For a moment he could almost see this hobbit become a cowering and even more wretched version of Gollum, and a hint of pity stirred inside him for a split second. He had forgotten that their whereabouts was in direct line of sight from the Dark Tower of Barad-dûr to Osgiliath; Sauron would be looking this way this very hour.
The hobbit gagged upon the ground once again and a choking welled up inside his throat. Frodo turned a familiar pale shade, rolled over to with his back to the sky as he painfully new what was coming and vomited, there before them, on the ground. Gollum looked at the halfling in disgust and Orli shook his head in irritation. At last, when Frodo was done, he rolled onto his back breathless, his eyes watering. Orli once again felt pity for him. Gollum stared warily about himself for enemies and tugged on Orli's cloak, begging him to let them continue their journey but Orli stayed put, staring down at the hobbit.
"All this unclean air in Mordor," he muttered, reaching into his pack for the flask of Miruvor, "makes any weak-stomached being ill," he unscrewed the cap and gave Frodo a mouthful of the drink. Frodo nodded slightly in thanks and sat up gingerly, "mind you try and keep that down," he continued and pulled Frodo to his feet.
They continued on foot, Frodo dragging slightly behind so that Orli had to drag him by his hood, Gollum almost too fast for them. They stopped for rest. No one said a word. Then, as night drew its torrent over dark grey skies and they slowed their pace through tiredness once more, they came within sight of a haunting place, far beyond the nightmares of any untouched mind. A long tilted valley, a deep ravine of darkness, ran far back in the mountains. Some way within the valley's arms stood the walls and tower of Minas Morgul. Dark was all about it, earth and sky, but it was lit with light. Not of radiance, not like the splendour of the rays of Henneth Annûn. Paler indeed than the moon sick in an unsound eclipse was the light of it now, wavering, blowing like a noisome exhalation of decay, a corpse-light, a light that illuminated nothing.
"Minas Morgul," Gollum croaked and hopped forward a pace, "Soon we will be reaching the stairs, soon… not far to go, precious, not far to go!" and he ushered them forward, protruding his head forward to get a closer look at the walls. Frodo definitely hoped that it wouldn't be far to go, but he was beginning to feel the pressure of the One Ring.
He constantly felt as if he was bent double, always feeling the aftermath of a crushing blow to the back of his head. As he took each step further with Orli and Gollum towards the black towers, he felt a strange urge to turn around and crawl his way back. It was almost as if the Ring was willing him to turn around… to forget the danger and go back. It seemed like a good idea. It did seem like a good idea. But Frodo's thoughts were interrupted once more.
"We are here precious, we are here!"
To be continued