A/N: Ok, I know this chapter doesn't really move the plot along that much
but I'm really working on the next one which may take a little longer.
Sorry if the last chapter was a little confusing when Frodo was thinking to
himself, but the italics weren't working. Hopefully this will be easier to
understand. By the way, I think Tolkien had orcs question Frodo about the
Ring, but I'm going to have a couple of those evil Men do it because I
think they need someone a little more intelligent than an orc to do it.
Besides, I'm going to be changing this story so much later, why not start
now, right? Anyway, thanks so much for the lovely reviews, and please keep
them coming!
Enough of my blabbing, on with the story.
Chapter 3
The trap door flew open with a crash. Frodo's heart began to pound again. He desperately clung to the image of Sam as if it were a lifeline.
A pair of heavily booted feet stomped in. A strong hand grabbed Frodo's shoulder painfully. He could feel hot, putrid breath on his wet cheeks. The orc shook him a bit and, despite all he tried, the comforting vision of Sam slowly melted away, drowned by his terror. He opened his eyes.
The huge black face of Gugruk leered down at him. When the hobbit opened his eyes Gugruk grabbed him hard by the upper arms and pulled him close to him, so their faces were inches apart and began speaking in a low growl.
"Alright, Imp, I'm not waitin' any longer for those good-for-nothin' Men to get their lazy hides over here. I want answers and I want em now." Frodo's arms were really starting to hurt him now and he tried to wiggle out of the orc's grasp but he only held him tighter. "Now I know you got somethin' the Master wants," Frodo's blue eyes widened and Gugruk grinned. "What is it?"
Frodo remained silent. He didn't know what to do. He just stared into that horrible face, completely petrified. A spasm of anger flashed across Gugruk's yellow eyes.
"Well? WHAT IS IT?" Gugruk yelled with deafening volume into Frodo's face. Frodo remained silent. He felt frozen with fear and wasn't sure if he would have been able to answer even if he had wanted to.
"Answer me!" Gugruk backhanded Frodo across the face so hard he fell, reeling, to the floor. For a moment everything was spinning, and Frodo could not tell which way was which. His face throbbed. He could taste blood. Then he felt himself being lifted off the floor again and slowly his eyes came into focus on the hideous orc-face, whose eyes now gleamed with a mad desire.
'He's looking for the Ring.' Frodo thought weakly. 'He's seeking it but he doesn't know what it is, just that it's very important.' He thought with growing terror, 'It's driving him mad.'
"I know you carried it. It, that the Master seeks at all times." He growled, his face very close to Frodo's again. His breath smelled of rancid meat, and Frodo tried to hold his breath, but his heart was pumping too fast out of fear. Gugruk pulled him closer still. "Tell me the truth. Where is it?" His voice was low but menacing.
'What should I do?' Frodo thought desperately. He could not look away from those terrible eyes that bored into him, searching for an answer. Frodo struggled to make his voice work. "I-I don't know w-what you mean-" he squeaked.
"You do know what I mean!" Gugruk yelled back, rage emanating in his eyes once more. He could not control his anger any longer. He shook Frodo violently, mercilessly. "Don't lie to me you miserable rat!" He roared, still shaking Frodo who was too weak to resist, Shelob's poison still in his veins. Frodo's head snapped back and forth and he cried out as a sharp pain ran through his neck, he felt that if this continued a moment longer his neck would surely snap--
And then he was thrown onto the floor again with great force and slid into the wall where he lay in a painful heap. Gugruk roared with rage and Frodo felt a violent kick to his side that nearly knocked the wind out of him. He lay there, gasping, as another kick was aimed at him. Tears of rage and utter despair appeared in Frodo's eyes as he desperately tried to shrink away from the savage blows.
Eventually the blows stopped. They left Frodo bruised and gasping. He lay on the floor with his eyes tightly closed, the side of his face pressed against the cold stone of the floor. He didn't dare to move.
He could hear Gugruk still in the room, breathing hard and growling. What was he going to do?
'Please just let him leave me here.please.' Frodo thought desperately. 'Just let him leave me alone.'
But Gugruk was wild with rage at being resisted, and forgetting all orders, grabbed Frodo's head and lifted him up once more, sliding his long sword-blade under the hobbits throat as he did so.
Frodo's eyes immediately flew open as he felt the touch of cold metal against his skin. He held his breath, his heart pounding frantically against his chest.
"You will tell me where it is," growled Gugruk, that menacing gleam still in his eyes, "or I will cut your throat."
Frodo only looked up at him, eyes wide with fear. Words would not come.
Just then the trap door crashed open again and Frodo could hear several orc voices begin yelling at the same time. Gugruk quickly withdrew the blade and dropped Frodo who sunk to the floor.
Frodo slowly raised his head off the floor so he could see what was happening. Three other orcs, all just as ugly but perhaps not quite as large as Gugruk, had entered the room and they were all yelling to each other in their own language. The surprised anger from the others was evident. Abruptly, they switched to the Common Speech and Frodo could understand.
"So you just thought you would come up here and work the information outta him yerself, did you?" one was saying loudly. "Thought you would be the one to present the Master with his prize, eh?"
"The prisoner was to be stripped and left at that until further notice," another said. "Or do you want us all to be killed?"
The others all began to yell loudly in unison at this, so it was impossible for Frodo to tell just what they were saying. His head began to ache terribly again and he let it drop onto him arm, still listening intently.
"Silence!" Gugruk roared and the others immediately stopped. He was in a blind rage now and this interference had put him over the edge. "I am Gugruk! I am in charge of this force! I will not be told what to do! I am tired of taking orders from those filthy pigs the Master sends as messengers. I wish for answers now!" And then he went on with a long line of ranting in his own speech, which seemingly enraged the others, and one stepped forward.
In an flash, and before anyone had time to react, Gugruk leaped forward drawing his blade and swinging it through the air, quickly beheading the other orc, whose body fell to the earth with a soft thump.
The head of the orc rolled across the floor until it came to a rest in front of Frodo who backed away. But he could not tear his eyes away from the open, glassy eyes of the orc. Eyes that were still wide open in an expression of surprise. They stared back at him eerily, until he finally looked away, breathing hard, shocked at how fast a life could be snatched away. That severed head had belonged to a living, breathing creature just moments before. Just one quick instant and your whole life could be over.
Frodo began to tremble and dragged himself further away from the orc- head, its gaze still staring blankly ahead. Is that what would happen to him?
Gugruk looked down at his work with satisfaction. But the maddening look that had grown in his eyes since he had first entered the room and questioned Frodo about the Ring was slowly fading. "Let this be a warning to you," he announced to the others who now looked a bit frightened. "No one will question my authorities. If they do they will only end up like this."
He looked over at the little hobbit; half lying on the floor staring at what Gugruk had done with eyes wide with fear. He chuckled; the stupid imp had probably never seen any creature be killed like that before. He reached out and grabbed Frodo by the shoulder again. Frodo started and his petrified gaze snapped up to focus on Gugruk. "If you don't want the same to happen to you," Gugruk said, smiling a little at the hobbit's obvious fear, "then you'd better learn to cooperate. The Questioners will not stand for resistance."
Gugruk let Frodo go. He landed weakly on the floor, bruised and throbbing. Gugruk then glared around the room, spat on the ground, and slouched out. The others slowly followed, muttering to each other. The body of the dead orc was left on the floor, lying in a puddle of black blood.
Soon the trap door had swung closed again and all that was left was a small heap on the floor, sobbing quietly.
~AC~
Enough of my blabbing, on with the story.
Chapter 3
The trap door flew open with a crash. Frodo's heart began to pound again. He desperately clung to the image of Sam as if it were a lifeline.
A pair of heavily booted feet stomped in. A strong hand grabbed Frodo's shoulder painfully. He could feel hot, putrid breath on his wet cheeks. The orc shook him a bit and, despite all he tried, the comforting vision of Sam slowly melted away, drowned by his terror. He opened his eyes.
The huge black face of Gugruk leered down at him. When the hobbit opened his eyes Gugruk grabbed him hard by the upper arms and pulled him close to him, so their faces were inches apart and began speaking in a low growl.
"Alright, Imp, I'm not waitin' any longer for those good-for-nothin' Men to get their lazy hides over here. I want answers and I want em now." Frodo's arms were really starting to hurt him now and he tried to wiggle out of the orc's grasp but he only held him tighter. "Now I know you got somethin' the Master wants," Frodo's blue eyes widened and Gugruk grinned. "What is it?"
Frodo remained silent. He didn't know what to do. He just stared into that horrible face, completely petrified. A spasm of anger flashed across Gugruk's yellow eyes.
"Well? WHAT IS IT?" Gugruk yelled with deafening volume into Frodo's face. Frodo remained silent. He felt frozen with fear and wasn't sure if he would have been able to answer even if he had wanted to.
"Answer me!" Gugruk backhanded Frodo across the face so hard he fell, reeling, to the floor. For a moment everything was spinning, and Frodo could not tell which way was which. His face throbbed. He could taste blood. Then he felt himself being lifted off the floor again and slowly his eyes came into focus on the hideous orc-face, whose eyes now gleamed with a mad desire.
'He's looking for the Ring.' Frodo thought weakly. 'He's seeking it but he doesn't know what it is, just that it's very important.' He thought with growing terror, 'It's driving him mad.'
"I know you carried it. It, that the Master seeks at all times." He growled, his face very close to Frodo's again. His breath smelled of rancid meat, and Frodo tried to hold his breath, but his heart was pumping too fast out of fear. Gugruk pulled him closer still. "Tell me the truth. Where is it?" His voice was low but menacing.
'What should I do?' Frodo thought desperately. He could not look away from those terrible eyes that bored into him, searching for an answer. Frodo struggled to make his voice work. "I-I don't know w-what you mean-" he squeaked.
"You do know what I mean!" Gugruk yelled back, rage emanating in his eyes once more. He could not control his anger any longer. He shook Frodo violently, mercilessly. "Don't lie to me you miserable rat!" He roared, still shaking Frodo who was too weak to resist, Shelob's poison still in his veins. Frodo's head snapped back and forth and he cried out as a sharp pain ran through his neck, he felt that if this continued a moment longer his neck would surely snap--
And then he was thrown onto the floor again with great force and slid into the wall where he lay in a painful heap. Gugruk roared with rage and Frodo felt a violent kick to his side that nearly knocked the wind out of him. He lay there, gasping, as another kick was aimed at him. Tears of rage and utter despair appeared in Frodo's eyes as he desperately tried to shrink away from the savage blows.
Eventually the blows stopped. They left Frodo bruised and gasping. He lay on the floor with his eyes tightly closed, the side of his face pressed against the cold stone of the floor. He didn't dare to move.
He could hear Gugruk still in the room, breathing hard and growling. What was he going to do?
'Please just let him leave me here.please.' Frodo thought desperately. 'Just let him leave me alone.'
But Gugruk was wild with rage at being resisted, and forgetting all orders, grabbed Frodo's head and lifted him up once more, sliding his long sword-blade under the hobbits throat as he did so.
Frodo's eyes immediately flew open as he felt the touch of cold metal against his skin. He held his breath, his heart pounding frantically against his chest.
"You will tell me where it is," growled Gugruk, that menacing gleam still in his eyes, "or I will cut your throat."
Frodo only looked up at him, eyes wide with fear. Words would not come.
Just then the trap door crashed open again and Frodo could hear several orc voices begin yelling at the same time. Gugruk quickly withdrew the blade and dropped Frodo who sunk to the floor.
Frodo slowly raised his head off the floor so he could see what was happening. Three other orcs, all just as ugly but perhaps not quite as large as Gugruk, had entered the room and they were all yelling to each other in their own language. The surprised anger from the others was evident. Abruptly, they switched to the Common Speech and Frodo could understand.
"So you just thought you would come up here and work the information outta him yerself, did you?" one was saying loudly. "Thought you would be the one to present the Master with his prize, eh?"
"The prisoner was to be stripped and left at that until further notice," another said. "Or do you want us all to be killed?"
The others all began to yell loudly in unison at this, so it was impossible for Frodo to tell just what they were saying. His head began to ache terribly again and he let it drop onto him arm, still listening intently.
"Silence!" Gugruk roared and the others immediately stopped. He was in a blind rage now and this interference had put him over the edge. "I am Gugruk! I am in charge of this force! I will not be told what to do! I am tired of taking orders from those filthy pigs the Master sends as messengers. I wish for answers now!" And then he went on with a long line of ranting in his own speech, which seemingly enraged the others, and one stepped forward.
In an flash, and before anyone had time to react, Gugruk leaped forward drawing his blade and swinging it through the air, quickly beheading the other orc, whose body fell to the earth with a soft thump.
The head of the orc rolled across the floor until it came to a rest in front of Frodo who backed away. But he could not tear his eyes away from the open, glassy eyes of the orc. Eyes that were still wide open in an expression of surprise. They stared back at him eerily, until he finally looked away, breathing hard, shocked at how fast a life could be snatched away. That severed head had belonged to a living, breathing creature just moments before. Just one quick instant and your whole life could be over.
Frodo began to tremble and dragged himself further away from the orc- head, its gaze still staring blankly ahead. Is that what would happen to him?
Gugruk looked down at his work with satisfaction. But the maddening look that had grown in his eyes since he had first entered the room and questioned Frodo about the Ring was slowly fading. "Let this be a warning to you," he announced to the others who now looked a bit frightened. "No one will question my authorities. If they do they will only end up like this."
He looked over at the little hobbit; half lying on the floor staring at what Gugruk had done with eyes wide with fear. He chuckled; the stupid imp had probably never seen any creature be killed like that before. He reached out and grabbed Frodo by the shoulder again. Frodo started and his petrified gaze snapped up to focus on Gugruk. "If you don't want the same to happen to you," Gugruk said, smiling a little at the hobbit's obvious fear, "then you'd better learn to cooperate. The Questioners will not stand for resistance."
Gugruk let Frodo go. He landed weakly on the floor, bruised and throbbing. Gugruk then glared around the room, spat on the ground, and slouched out. The others slowly followed, muttering to each other. The body of the dead orc was left on the floor, lying in a puddle of black blood.
Soon the trap door had swung closed again and all that was left was a small heap on the floor, sobbing quietly.
~AC~
