Another chapter! I'm so happy we have reviewers! I love you all… well… I like you all a lot! Lol! Bye!
~Hoshiko, PM, ILH
As Long as the Pony's Don't Prance
'Estella?' Merry choked on his pint of ale. 'Where did you three come from?' he asked, as Colleen sat next to him, Megan wedged between Frodo and Sam, while Susan took a seat at the edge of the table near Sam.
'You know, the strangest thing happened to us.' Colleen said, and looked worried. 'We were chased by a gigantic rider in black onto the smaller Ferry!' she said, and the men of the table glanced at each other.
'Are you all right?' Frodo asked, and Megan nodded.
'Oh, yes, we're fine, just a little shook up.' She said, and to her surprise Sam hugged her. Susan grew red with jealousy, and Colleen held back laughter. She soon stopped, though, when they heard Pippin's voice ring out loud and clear through the bustle of men.
'Sure I know a Baggins, he's over there! Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side…' he said, and kept going on. Colleen groaned, while Megan rolled her eyes, and Susan shook her head.
'Pippin!' Frodo cried, and jumped up, running over to his younger cousin. When he got over to the bar he tripped, and the ring fell out of his hand, and onto his finger. He disappeared from view. Everyone jumped up in surprise, even the three hobbit-lasses. Even if they did know what happened, it looked so strange in real life. They saw the man in the corner jump up too, search frantically under tables, and after a moment pull Frodo from underneath one of them. Pippin by now had come back over to the table, head hung low.
'Pippin!' Merry scolded his younger cousin, and Pippin looked as if he were ready to be hit.
'It's ok Pip, just keep you're mouth shut next time.' Susan offered, but Sam shot her a glance. 'I mean… what were you thinking?'
'No time for that now, Strider's taken Frodo!' Megan said, and the six ran up the stairs, Sam leading the way, Pippin and Merry grabbing whatever they saw for defense, and the other three following close behind. When they burst into the room, Strider turned on them with his sword. When he saw who it was he sheathed it.
'You have a stout heart young hobbits, but that will not help you now. You are no longer traveling with the Grey Wizard.' He said, and the three other hobbits came into the room. 'I was only told of two halflings, yet there are seven here. Who are you all, one by one.' he said, and Merry and Pippin introduced themselves, followed by Megan, Susan, and Colleen.
'And now my sister and her friends need to go back.' Sam said when they were done. 'I don't want them to come, it's going to be dangerous.'
'It would be more dangerous, Master Gamgee, to let them travel back alone. They will be safer where we are going.' Strider said, and Sam was about to object, but Frodo shook his head.
'No Sam, he is right.' He said, and Sam fell quiet.
'Now, we mustn't stay here, for they will be looking for you.' Strider said, and the hobbits went back into the common room, gathered their belongings, and went to the Inn across the street. All the hobbits except Frodo fell asleep quickly, and were only awoken when they heard the shrill cry of the Nazgul. They all jerked awake, and huddled together in the bed.
'What are they?'
'They were once men. Great kings of men, then Sauron the deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed they took them with out question. They are the Nazgul; Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring. They will never stop hunting you.' Strider explained, and they all gulped, or color drowned from their face; or in some people's cases, both.
'We will leave in the morning, so get some rest.' Strider said, and they all fell asleep, uneasily. When they did wake up in the morning, Strider hurried them out of the Inn and out of Bree as quickly as possible. After a few hours of walking, Merry walked up to Frodo.
'How do we know this Strider guy can be trusted?' he said, and Frodo looked up at the tall man they were following.
'I believe a servant of the Dark Lord would look fairer, but feel fouler.'
'He's foul enough.' Merry remarked, and Colleen piped in from behind the group.
'How do you think you'd be if you hadn't bathed for a few months?' She said, Megan shook her head.
'Only a few months?' she asked skeptically.
'But where is he leading us?' Sam asked, and Strider turned.
'To Rivendell, Master Gamgee.' He said, and Sam smiled at the thought.
'Rivendell… we're going to see the elves.' The group walked on, and after a few day's walk came upon the Midge-water marshes. This was not a happy trip, as they were constantly slapping bugs off of themselves.
'What do they eat when they don't have a hobbit?' Merry asked as he slapped one off his face. Pippin fell after Sam tried to help him, landing face-first in the marsh. Susan cracked up laughing, but soon stopped when Colleen shoved her into the water.
'Hey!' Susan said as she spit the dirty water out of her mouth.
'Don't laugh at Pippin, then!' Colleen proclaimed, watching Sam help Susan out of the water. Sam just shook his head and kept going. By the sixth night they reached the end of the Marshes, and climbed Weathertop.
Everyone plopped down, exhausted, groaning about how their feet hurt.
'We will camp here for the night.' Strider said, and took out five small swords. 'I must admit: I did not expect these many of you. Who should have the last one?' he asked, after throwing the four to the men. 'One of you young lasses might as well have one.'
The three girls glanced at each other, until Megan and Susan's eyes fell upon Colleen. She looked rather frantically at the two, and her voice came out as a squeak.
'Me?' she asked, and Strider gave her the last one. She just looked down at it in her lap, looking as if she were scared to touch it. 'B-but-'
'You'll do great!' Megan said and pats her on the back. Colleen wasn't reassured. As they rested, Frodo fell asleep, and the other hobbits, excluding Colleen, ran over to make a fire for some food. She, instead, looked sadly at her sword, and partially took it out of the sheath. She hoped to Valar she could use it. It was not long before Frodo woke up again, and ran over to the hobbits.
'What are you doing?' he cried, and Merry looked up.
'Tamaetos, sausages, and nice, crispy bacon.'
'We've saved some for you, Mr. Frodo.' Sam said, and Frodo ran over, stomping it with his foot.
'Put it out, you fools, put it out!' he said, and Pippin jumped back.
'Well that's nice! There's ashes all over my tomatoes!' he said, and while he continued complaining they heard a shriek off in the distance. All of the hobbits looked over the ledge, and saw black riders coming through the misty night. While Frodo, Merry, Colleen, and Pippin ran up to the top of Weathertop, Sam hid Susan and Megan under a blanket.
'Don't move.' He said, and joined the other four up top.
The seemed to have to group while they waited for the black hoods to show themselves in the night. They did so all too soon. Sam stood in the lead, while Merry and Pippin were behind him, followed by Frodo, and finally Colleen. The wraiths drew their swords, and pointed them at the group, perfectly in time with each other.
'Back you devils!' Sam cried, and attacked the first one, but was soon thrown into a stone pillar. It reached a hand out, and Merry and Pippin were immediately discarded to the sides. The wraith then turned his head towards Frodo, and Frodo tried to run, but dropped his sword, and as he backed up, he fell. Colleen just missed impaling him with her sword, and instead pointed her sword protectively in front of her. It did no use, though, she too was thrown to the side.
Megan and Susan could hear the shouts of the battle going on above them, and when Frodo screamed in pain, Megan couldn't take it anymore, and she ran up to the top of the hill. She practically shoved Sam out of the way, and Susan went over to see if Sam was ok. Merry and Pippin looked on. Pippin glanced at Merry and got a very strange idea for the time. He took out both of Merry's legs, sending Merry down to the ground, and sure enough, Colleen rushed over to the fallen Merry.
'Are you all right?' she said, and Merry glanced up to Pippin, who had a smug look on his face.
'Yes, of coarse.' Merry said, and after Colleen had helped him up, he brushed himself off. 'What was that for?'
'You were looking a little left out.' Pippin remarked, and they went over to Frodo.
'This is beyond my skill to heal, he needs Elvish medicine.' Strider said, and picked Frodo up. They gathered their things, and ran quickly down the hill.
'But we're six days from Rivendell, he'll never make it!' Sam cried, and Strider shook his head.
'Hang on, Frodo.' He whispered to himself, and Frodo's face twisted in more pain.
'Gandalf!' Frodo cried, and Megan looked up at him worried.
'It's ok, Frodo, come on, be all right, I know you can, fight it…' she said, and they hurried on through the woods. After a while they stopped, and Frodo was set carefully on the ground.
'Look Frodo, it's Mr. Bilbo's trolls!' Sam said, trying any thing to calm him down, as Daisy held his hand. 'He's going cold!' Sam said, and Strider asked him to help find some athelas. While they did so, Pippin and Merry kept their torches ready. Frodo made another one of his painful sounds, and Colleen grimaced. She hated that.
'Come along, Mr. Frodo!' she said, and joined the other two who were kneeling down next to him. 'Look at his eyes…' she said. They were a really pale blue, she felt like getting sick to her stomach. Susan hit her, and Colleen rubbed her shoulder.
'Ow…'
'Now isn't the time to worry about his eyes!' she scolded, and Colleen looked down at him.
'Sorry.' She said, and their heads turned at the sound of the galloping of horse hooves. 'Arwen's here…' she said, and got up, the other's following. Sam had returned by now, and Merry looked at the elf-maiden that had just gotten off her horse.
'What is she?'
'She's an elf…' Sam said, as she got off of her horse. Frodo's eye's opened in wonder, and as she spoke to him in Sindarin, the hobbit-lasses recited it in their heads; they had memorized it all. Strider picked up Frodo, and after a moment of talking with Arwen, she mounted her horse, and took off.
'What are you doing, those wraiths are still out there!' Sam said, and Megan put her hand on his shoulder.
'It's all right, Sam, she can do it.' she said, and Sam calmed down a bit. They watched Arwen go as far as the forest would allow, and when she was out of sight, Strider picked up his things.
'Come along, everyone, it is still a long journey to our destination.' He said, and they all got up wearily. Now everyone was tired from walking, but they did as they were told, and started on their way. At this slower pace they made it to Rivendell in a week's time.