CHAPTER TEN - POSSESSED
Frodo laid in the soft bed in the House of Healing at Minas Tirith. All he could think about was the ring. He could imagine it's shiny surface, glittering in the sunshine, it's smooth feel around his neck. He missed the simple presence of it around his neck when he moved; which given his current condition wasn't very far.
Everyone had been fussing around him when he arrived, looking at his wounds and saying how terrible it was. Frodo no longer thought of it as terrible, he was not there anymore. The Master had said they were for his own good, so he had probably deserved it; he had tried to escape several times after all.
Flashes of his imprisonment went through his mind as he rested, reminding him of everything he went through. The first time the orcs slashed him with the whip until they hit the back of his rib cage. The time when they'd burned their names into his stomach with a poker. He'd been lucid through it all, yet he felt like it had happened to someone else.
Pippin slept in the bed next to him, but Frodo didn't feel like talking to him. He still refused to speak, even after Aragorn had told him that he had no need to fear to wrath of master's retribution. Aragorn had sworn to protect him when he first met him in Bree and he hadn't. The Ranger couldn't be trusted the voice said.
No one had come after him, no one had come to save him. It was just as Master had said it would be; they had only liked him because he had the ring, which was their only concern. A tear slipped down his cheek. He didn't want to believe it as he watched the small figure of his cousin breathe deeply in and out whilst asleep. Master had told him that the elves always deceived and anyone that counted them friends was a fool.
Another tear slipped down his cheek. He'd known Gandalf for over sixty years, and knew him to be wise and just. *But* Master was right, the ring had changed everyone he knew, and Gandalf was no longer his friend now that Frodo didn't have the ring.
A healer came into check on him and Frodo eyed her suspiciously. Master had warned him not to trust *anyone*. She took his hand and concentrated on listening to his pulse. This is not good something inside Frodo said. She's going to betray you, she's going to hurt you, they'll all going to hurt you, they're going to abandon you again, they're going to try and make you speak.
"AAAHHH!" Frodo shouted, trying to close off the voices in his head. There was fire in his eyes when he looked up at the healer. He looked at his hand; she had refused to let go. He tried to free it from her grasp, but she went white with fear and held on tighter.
"Alamanter! Gandalf! Frodo's gone mad!"
She started calling for others now and tried to restrain him. Frodo snarled and spit at her, but when he heard Gandalf's name, he used his hatred of those that betrayed to give him strength. He pulled her hand towards him and bit it as hard as he could. She recoiled in pain, screaming. The voices urged him on, bating him and provoking him. He put his hands over his ears to try to make them stop.
Pippin woke up and walked over to where Frodo had gotten off the bed.
"What's the matter Frodo?" Pippin said innocently.
Pippin was not innocent, the voice said. He had left Frodo there to die like the rest of them. Frodo launched himself at Pippin, feeling half a dozen stitches fly out at the sudden move. His neck felt like fire, but he didn't care. He grabbed handfuls of Pippin's hair and smacked his head against the wall in fury.
Suddenly, as soon as it had come; the fury and the voices left him. Tears rolled down his face. Pippin lay unmoving, a small line of blood trickling from his mouth and nose. The healer was scrunched into the corner, violently shaking with fear. Gandalf entered the room and looked around. He put up his hands.
"Now, Frodo. Everything's all right now. No one will hurt you."
He's said that before, the voice inside him said. The tears stopped and anger flashed in his eyes. He pulled himself up despite the pain and moved towards Gandalf.
***
Gandalf was starting to panic. He'd fought many agents of the Darklord; Balrogs, Wraiths and Orcs, but none had ever scared him as much as Frodo was now.
"Frodo? Can you hear me?" He tried again, desperately trying to get through to the little hobbit. Whatever Saruman had done to Frodo, he had done it well.
Frodo staggered on his feet and Gandalf noticed the trail of blood shadowing Frodo's movements. If he lost much more he would be dead.
"Come on now Frodo. Don't you want to go back to bed? Aren't you tired? We can dress your wounds later."
Frodo carried on shuffling towards him, a fire of anger lit in his eyes.
"You know that I'd never hurt you, Frodo. We've been friends all these long years. I'm trying to help you."
Frodo paused and swayed slightly on his feet.
"I didn't want to believe it Gandalf, but he told me, *he* told me you'd all abandoned me and then it happened and I didn't know what to do." He whispered.
His voice came out in short rasps from disuse. Gandalf wondered how long it'd been since he'd spoken to anyone. Tears streamed down the hobbit's face.
Gandalf knelt before the hobbit and put his large arms around him.
"It's alright now, Frodo. It's going to be okay. Shhh now." He said as he gently stroked the Frodo's hair.
***
When Frodo had sufficiently calmed down, Gandalf laid him down on the bed and staunched the worst of the bleeding. Some of his wounds were healing well and others.not so well. They would need to be re-stitched if they were ever to heal, but he guessed now was not the best time.
Healers were already attending to young Peregrin and the lady healer was now drinking a cup of stiff tea to calm her nerves. Gandalf couldn't fathom exactly what had caused Frodo to become so agitated in such a short space of time. He let his mind drift, seeing if any ideas would present themselves.
He recalled Eomer telling him of the time he first suspected the King to be under the sway of Grima and therefore Saruman. The King had been known to have rapid mood swings and complain of there being voices in the air. Soon after, the King had sat down to think and hadn't gotten up for many years.
Gandalf cleared his mind and lightly touched Frodo's forehead. He was stung in a similar manner to the time he had touched the Palantir in Saruman's chambers so long ago.
So Saruman still held sway over Frodo and there was no doubt in Gandalf's mind that it had been Saruman who had incited Frodo's rage. But why, he thought. What purpose could that possibly serve?
Of course, he could try and draw Saruman out of Frodo, in the same manner as he had done King Theoden. But what of the consequences? The King had barely survived the process and Saruman had held a fairly weak grasp over the King since he hadn't physically met the man in many, many years. Who knows what kind of grasp Saruman had over a small hobbit who he'd tortured and humiliated for months?
Was getting rid of Saruman worth the hobbit's life? He wished he could speak to Elrond now, or even Aragorn. Both were knowledgeable in the arts of healing and although Gandalf's knowledge was great, it was not conclusive.
Gandalf sat beside Frodo all night, pondering all courses of action. As the dawn sunlight rushed into the room, he decided on a course of action. It wasn't entirely ethical and didn't seem fair to Frodo, but it was the action best suited to the situation. Overnight, he had pondered Frodo's words and determined Frodo's fate. He hoped someday in another place and time Frodo would forgive him, for he knew he could never forgive himself for the action he was about to take.
*** Sorry I haven't answered reviews yet!!
Imbefanial: Thanks for the compliment. Was kinda going for the tearjerker to start with.
Imbefanial: I know I'm mean, but this is a Frodo angst story, so what were you expecting exactly?
Aelfgifu: I am going at the speed of light!! And yes I do now accept unsigned reviews thanks to you!
Rose Cotton: If you're reading this far you'll know Frodo was rescued that time, but I'm not so sure about next time.
Imbefanial: Yeah well that chapter was kind of an interlude before my mass 'I want to kill Frodo scene'
Aelfgifu: Like the pun. As you know paramedics in the form of Aragorn and Legolas were there and now in the House of Healing there are more *Paramedics* just dying to help poor Frodo.(pun intended)
Chrissie: You don't belong in this story! Pain in ways I can't even imagine.hhmmmm.wonder if you could tell me so I can think up new evil ways to torture Frodo.
Imbefanial: Well as much as I wanted it to be the end of Frodo, I bow to the wishs of my reviewers and surprisingly the majority wanted him to survive. Can't understand it really.
Imbefanial: *Receives the prize for most amount of reviews* You're already thinking about my next story? Wow.
Sailor Mystic: I have written almost an entire chapter of Sam just for you, hope you like it! (C9).
Bookworm2000: Smeagol does get to meet the fat hobbit and yes Frodo does sound a lot like Smeagol most of the time. They have a lot in common.
Frodo laid in the soft bed in the House of Healing at Minas Tirith. All he could think about was the ring. He could imagine it's shiny surface, glittering in the sunshine, it's smooth feel around his neck. He missed the simple presence of it around his neck when he moved; which given his current condition wasn't very far.
Everyone had been fussing around him when he arrived, looking at his wounds and saying how terrible it was. Frodo no longer thought of it as terrible, he was not there anymore. The Master had said they were for his own good, so he had probably deserved it; he had tried to escape several times after all.
Flashes of his imprisonment went through his mind as he rested, reminding him of everything he went through. The first time the orcs slashed him with the whip until they hit the back of his rib cage. The time when they'd burned their names into his stomach with a poker. He'd been lucid through it all, yet he felt like it had happened to someone else.
Pippin slept in the bed next to him, but Frodo didn't feel like talking to him. He still refused to speak, even after Aragorn had told him that he had no need to fear to wrath of master's retribution. Aragorn had sworn to protect him when he first met him in Bree and he hadn't. The Ranger couldn't be trusted the voice said.
No one had come after him, no one had come to save him. It was just as Master had said it would be; they had only liked him because he had the ring, which was their only concern. A tear slipped down his cheek. He didn't want to believe it as he watched the small figure of his cousin breathe deeply in and out whilst asleep. Master had told him that the elves always deceived and anyone that counted them friends was a fool.
Another tear slipped down his cheek. He'd known Gandalf for over sixty years, and knew him to be wise and just. *But* Master was right, the ring had changed everyone he knew, and Gandalf was no longer his friend now that Frodo didn't have the ring.
A healer came into check on him and Frodo eyed her suspiciously. Master had warned him not to trust *anyone*. She took his hand and concentrated on listening to his pulse. This is not good something inside Frodo said. She's going to betray you, she's going to hurt you, they'll all going to hurt you, they're going to abandon you again, they're going to try and make you speak.
"AAAHHH!" Frodo shouted, trying to close off the voices in his head. There was fire in his eyes when he looked up at the healer. He looked at his hand; she had refused to let go. He tried to free it from her grasp, but she went white with fear and held on tighter.
"Alamanter! Gandalf! Frodo's gone mad!"
She started calling for others now and tried to restrain him. Frodo snarled and spit at her, but when he heard Gandalf's name, he used his hatred of those that betrayed to give him strength. He pulled her hand towards him and bit it as hard as he could. She recoiled in pain, screaming. The voices urged him on, bating him and provoking him. He put his hands over his ears to try to make them stop.
Pippin woke up and walked over to where Frodo had gotten off the bed.
"What's the matter Frodo?" Pippin said innocently.
Pippin was not innocent, the voice said. He had left Frodo there to die like the rest of them. Frodo launched himself at Pippin, feeling half a dozen stitches fly out at the sudden move. His neck felt like fire, but he didn't care. He grabbed handfuls of Pippin's hair and smacked his head against the wall in fury.
Suddenly, as soon as it had come; the fury and the voices left him. Tears rolled down his face. Pippin lay unmoving, a small line of blood trickling from his mouth and nose. The healer was scrunched into the corner, violently shaking with fear. Gandalf entered the room and looked around. He put up his hands.
"Now, Frodo. Everything's all right now. No one will hurt you."
He's said that before, the voice inside him said. The tears stopped and anger flashed in his eyes. He pulled himself up despite the pain and moved towards Gandalf.
***
Gandalf was starting to panic. He'd fought many agents of the Darklord; Balrogs, Wraiths and Orcs, but none had ever scared him as much as Frodo was now.
"Frodo? Can you hear me?" He tried again, desperately trying to get through to the little hobbit. Whatever Saruman had done to Frodo, he had done it well.
Frodo staggered on his feet and Gandalf noticed the trail of blood shadowing Frodo's movements. If he lost much more he would be dead.
"Come on now Frodo. Don't you want to go back to bed? Aren't you tired? We can dress your wounds later."
Frodo carried on shuffling towards him, a fire of anger lit in his eyes.
"You know that I'd never hurt you, Frodo. We've been friends all these long years. I'm trying to help you."
Frodo paused and swayed slightly on his feet.
"I didn't want to believe it Gandalf, but he told me, *he* told me you'd all abandoned me and then it happened and I didn't know what to do." He whispered.
His voice came out in short rasps from disuse. Gandalf wondered how long it'd been since he'd spoken to anyone. Tears streamed down the hobbit's face.
Gandalf knelt before the hobbit and put his large arms around him.
"It's alright now, Frodo. It's going to be okay. Shhh now." He said as he gently stroked the Frodo's hair.
***
When Frodo had sufficiently calmed down, Gandalf laid him down on the bed and staunched the worst of the bleeding. Some of his wounds were healing well and others.not so well. They would need to be re-stitched if they were ever to heal, but he guessed now was not the best time.
Healers were already attending to young Peregrin and the lady healer was now drinking a cup of stiff tea to calm her nerves. Gandalf couldn't fathom exactly what had caused Frodo to become so agitated in such a short space of time. He let his mind drift, seeing if any ideas would present themselves.
He recalled Eomer telling him of the time he first suspected the King to be under the sway of Grima and therefore Saruman. The King had been known to have rapid mood swings and complain of there being voices in the air. Soon after, the King had sat down to think and hadn't gotten up for many years.
Gandalf cleared his mind and lightly touched Frodo's forehead. He was stung in a similar manner to the time he had touched the Palantir in Saruman's chambers so long ago.
So Saruman still held sway over Frodo and there was no doubt in Gandalf's mind that it had been Saruman who had incited Frodo's rage. But why, he thought. What purpose could that possibly serve?
Of course, he could try and draw Saruman out of Frodo, in the same manner as he had done King Theoden. But what of the consequences? The King had barely survived the process and Saruman had held a fairly weak grasp over the King since he hadn't physically met the man in many, many years. Who knows what kind of grasp Saruman had over a small hobbit who he'd tortured and humiliated for months?
Was getting rid of Saruman worth the hobbit's life? He wished he could speak to Elrond now, or even Aragorn. Both were knowledgeable in the arts of healing and although Gandalf's knowledge was great, it was not conclusive.
Gandalf sat beside Frodo all night, pondering all courses of action. As the dawn sunlight rushed into the room, he decided on a course of action. It wasn't entirely ethical and didn't seem fair to Frodo, but it was the action best suited to the situation. Overnight, he had pondered Frodo's words and determined Frodo's fate. He hoped someday in another place and time Frodo would forgive him, for he knew he could never forgive himself for the action he was about to take.
*** Sorry I haven't answered reviews yet!!
Imbefanial: Thanks for the compliment. Was kinda going for the tearjerker to start with.
Imbefanial: I know I'm mean, but this is a Frodo angst story, so what were you expecting exactly?
Aelfgifu: I am going at the speed of light!! And yes I do now accept unsigned reviews thanks to you!
Rose Cotton: If you're reading this far you'll know Frodo was rescued that time, but I'm not so sure about next time.
Imbefanial: Yeah well that chapter was kind of an interlude before my mass 'I want to kill Frodo scene'
Aelfgifu: Like the pun. As you know paramedics in the form of Aragorn and Legolas were there and now in the House of Healing there are more *Paramedics* just dying to help poor Frodo.(pun intended)
Chrissie: You don't belong in this story! Pain in ways I can't even imagine.hhmmmm.wonder if you could tell me so I can think up new evil ways to torture Frodo.
Imbefanial: Well as much as I wanted it to be the end of Frodo, I bow to the wishs of my reviewers and surprisingly the majority wanted him to survive. Can't understand it really.
Imbefanial: *Receives the prize for most amount of reviews* You're already thinking about my next story? Wow.
Sailor Mystic: I have written almost an entire chapter of Sam just for you, hope you like it! (C9).
Bookworm2000: Smeagol does get to meet the fat hobbit and yes Frodo does sound a lot like Smeagol most of the time. They have a lot in common.
