A/N: Once again, thanks for the reviews! I get an urge to write more every time I see a new one. Don't worry, Jester, this is not a slash. I am not a big fan of slash and I would never write one.

Now, on to the chapter.

Chapter 4

Not long after the orcs left Frodo had dropped off to sleep out of pure exhaustion. He had crawled back into the dark corner furthest away from the door and huddled under the thin blanket again.

Throughout his sleep Frodo was haunted by nightmares in which Sam stood before him, smiling his cheerful smile, warming Frodo's very heart. But as Frodo reached out to him, he felt many clawed hands grope at him, always pulling him away. Then Sam began to fade slowly into the shadows, leaving nothing but the terrible clawed creatures that hid in the darkness. "Sam!" Frodo cried out, groping blindly in the darkness, "Sam don't leave me! Please!" But Sam had gone.

Frodo was so deeply lost in his nightmares he did not hear the echoing footsteps that approached once more.

The trap door opened and a Man and several Orcs entered. They approached the small trembling figure that lay tossing and turning on the floor, it's small voice murmuring something they could not understand. Its brow was furrowed with pain and tears trickled down its cheeks from behind tightly closed eyes.

"Wake 'im up, Drenymer. What're you waitin' for?" growled one of the orcs impatiently.

The Man impatiently stepped forward and grabbed a fistful of dark curls and tossed the small figure roughly into the wall.

Frodo landed with a groan. His ribs were badly bruised and swollen. His eyes fluttered open. It took him a moment to focus, his head pounded so badly.

Eventually he came to realize that the faces of a Man and several of the largest, cruelest looking Orcs Frodo had ever seen were peering down at him. He recognized one of them as Gugruk and shuddered. Gugruk eyed Frodo from behind Drenymer's back.

Drenymer himself had shoulder-length stringy black hair and squinting black eyes that held no warmth. The Orcs glared down at Frodo with their yellow eyes, bearing their fangs, and fingering their sword hilts. Several of them also held whips.

Frodo gasped and started to back away, but Drenymer reached out a strong hand and grabbed him hard by the wrist, dragging him forward. The rag fell in a heap to the floor.

"You're not going anywhere, Halfling," he growled, sneering down at Frodo. "You've got some information we want." His grip on Frodo's wrist tightened, and he slowly began to twist it into an extremely uncomfortable position. "Now if you answer straight out without any fuss, things'll go a lot easier for you." He twisted Frodo's arm further. Frodo bit back a whimper.

"Now, what is it you and your companion were doing wandering the Dark Lands?"

Frodo's eyes widened at this. His companion? They knew about Sam? How? The Man saw the flash of fear pass over Frodo's eyes and grinned. He twisted the small wrist further until Frodo cried out.

"Answer me," he whispered, close to Frodo's ear. "What were you doing?" Frodo had nothing to answer.

His first thought was that he musn't answer anything. He had to protect Sam. He shuddered at the thought of what might happen if they found Sam too.

No, he couldn't bear that. He couldn't let them hurt Sam. And the rest of the Fellowship were still out there--he could not betray their trust. No, he would not put his friends in danger. He was willing to endure pain, even death, before he would do that.

Drenymer still had a firm hold on Frodo's arm. Frodo gritted his teeth from the pain. He couldn't struggle out of the painful grasp.

Anger flashed through Drenymer's cold eyes and in one swift motion he tugged hard at Frodo's wrist and a loud crack of braking bone sounded through the room. Frodo howled in pain as he was released and landed back on the floor, cradling his injured wrist. He nearly blacked out from the pain. He struggled to look up, tears of pain trickling down his cheeks.

Drenymer looked grimly down at him, a look in his eyes that made Frodo's blood run cold. No emotion whatsoever. He was completely undaunted by Frodo's pain. It was in that moment that Frodo realized this Man would do whatever was necessary to complete his appointed task. He had no free will left. He was completely controlled by the mind of Sauron. Frodo began to shake, preparing himself for whatever there was to come.

Just then Drenymer stepped forward and grabbed Frodo by the wrists, dragging him up, forcing him to stand on trembling legs. Frodo cried out in agony from the excruciating pain in his wrist, but Drenymer did not let go, he held Frodo tightly, pulling him close.

"Did that hurt?" he asked quietly. Frodo could barely think from the pain and did not answer. "Because that's only the beginning," he continued. "Unless you answer me now. Where do you come from? Why are you here? Who sent you?" Frodo clenched his teeth and tried to stifle a cry of pain. His wrist throbbed and he was beginning to see black spots before his eyes. He did not look at Drenymer but focused on the stone floor.

The Man let out a growl of frustration and let Frodo go. But he barely had a moment of relief before he felt Drenymer's hand on his throat, forcing him to look into his cold, dark, fathomless eyes. Drynemer tightened his grip, cutting off the Frodo's air supply, and he began to gasp, clutching at the hand that held him but it didn't let go.

Mad anger reflected in the Drenymer's eyes at being resisted. "I'll break your neck," he hissed. Frodo couldn't breathe. He needed air. He tried to gasp but no air came to fill his searing lungs. He began to get weaker.

Drenymer smiled grimly as he saw Frodo's eyes begin to unfocus. Frodo himself felt as though the ground had pulled out from under him and he was falling. A darkness crept into the corners of his vision. He couldn't breathe.needed air. Is this what it was like to die?

But just as the world slipped away, Frodo felt the iron-strong grip relax and suddenly he could breathe again. He landed weakly on the floor, coughing, gasping for air, filling his lungs again and again. Slowly his vision came back into focus. He could see the tall Man standing above him, and the Orcs looking down at him. They seemed amused.

Then Drenymer began to speak in a low rumble, "There's no use holding back," he said, "we'll get all there is to know and more out of you sooner or later." Several of the orcs chuckled at this but the Man ignored them. "There's no use worrying about your companion anymore, either." At this Frodo lifted his head, searching Drenymer's dark face. Terror welled in Frodo's heart. What had they done? Drenymer continued slowly, a grin forming at the corners of his mouth.

"He is dead. We killed him."

Frodo's heart stopped. Time stopped. He stared blankly back at the Man as though he had not heard him but his eyes grew as wide as ever. Sam? Dead? It was what he had been dreading, but he had never imagined what the impact of those words would be. "He is dead." Dead. In that moment every memory he had of Sam seemed to come flooding back to him. Sam had always been there, was his lifeline. How could he be gone? Then slowly the reality hit him.

He's gone. Gone forever. He will never come back.

A sob of pure despair rose from the depths of Frodo's heart and his vision blurred as a waterfall of tears cascaded down his face. Frodo's mind whirled. In a matter of moments his whole world had come crashing down. His heart had been shattered into a million pieces.

"Stop yer sniveling!" Drenymer barked, stepping forward and slapping Frodo hard across the face, knocking him forward into the stone floor. But Frodo didn't care. He was numbed with shock and grief. He was numb to the stinging of his face, the pain of his bruised ribs and his wrist. All he could feel was the terrible ache in his heart. "Now answer me." Drenymer's voice was deathly cold.

But Frodo had had enough. Sam was dead. All was lost. He felt nothing but overwhelming despair and hopelessness. He slowly turned his tear-streaked face toward the Man.

"No." Frodo croaked, barely audible. He kept his eyes locked on the Dremymer's. He was terribly afraid but tried to keep his voice steady. "You will get no such answer from me. I do not care not what you do. My quest has failed."

Drenymer had a dangerous gleam in his eyes that frightened Frodo. He was growing impatient. The imp was not cooperating. Well, he would make him. He would not leave until his task was fulfilled.

He turned and signaled to some orcs who stepped forward, looking eager to be of assistance. Gugruk one of them.

Drenymer stepped back as they approached Frodo. This would do it, he thought, this would make him squeal. He could not hold out forever.

Frodo didn't understand what was happening. His head had dropped back onto his arm. He was extremely dizzy. He felt sick.

The nearest orc stepped right up to where Frodo was still lying on the floor. His breathing had become shallower and raspy. The orc slowly undid a clasp that fastened a long whip to his belt and uncoiled it, raising it over his head. Before Frodo knew what was happening he swung it through the air and brought it down with a crack across the hobbit's back.

Frodo felt the excruciating pain and screamed in agony, twisting his head around just in time to see the orc raise the whip for a second time. Frodo attempted to dodge the blow but, quick as a flash, two more orcs had closed in on him. They grabbed hold of him, holding him down as the whip sounded a second time and another blow fell, emitting another scream. Over and over this was repeated.

Over the sound of the whip cracking and Frodo's own tormented cries, the Man called, "Just give in. Give in any time and it will stop. Just give in and answer me now or it will only get worse." Through his blind pain Frodo faintly heard him but he would not give in. He would not tell them anything. He would not betray his friends and give the Drenymer that satisfaction.

Frodo bit his lip, trying to stifle the cries of pain that threatened to escape his throat. He bit so hard that soon he could taste blood and feel it trickling down his chin. He struggled madly against the grips that held him, but they did not let go. Frodo heard laughing, soft laughter close to his ear. He knew it was Gugruk. Gugruk laughing at him.

'Please stop.just make it stop.' Frodo's mind was in a haze of pain and fear. He had one last fleeting thought before he dropped into unconsciousness. 'Sam.' Then he saw no more.

The orcs continued the vicious beating until the little hobbit ceased struggling and lay very still. Then Drenymer signaled for the orc to stop. He quickly recoiled the whip, chuckling softly, and the others let go of Frodo, stepping back. The hobbit still lay unconscious. His back was now a bloody mess.

By this point Drenymer was now very angry that the little imp had not given in. He stood for a moment in doubt. Soon enough his confusion transformed to anger and he kicked the sorry-looking bleeding heap on the floor. It groaned.

Another vicious kick slowly brought Frodo back to reality. As soon as he was conscious he couldn't concentrate on anything but the pain. His wrist throbbed, his sides ached, and his back felt as if it were on fire. He nearly blacked out again.

Drenymer stepped forward. Anger seemed to radiate from his body. Frodo squeezed his eyes shut. He was nearly blinded with pain. He didn't think he could handle any more pain, emotionally or physically. He began to weep. He was so tired, tired in his body and his mind. And the ache in his heart burned with his love for Sam. But Sam was gone. There was no reason to live anymore. Frodo began to wish for death. He just wanted it all to end. To black out, to die. So he could be with Sam and leave all the pain behind. He couldn't stand this anymore. His quest had failed. Middle Earth would be destroyed. He deserved to die.

Frodo lay waiting, dreading whatever was to come next. But nothing happened. Then faintly, through his own fogged thoughts, Frodo heard an orc speaking, quite harshly. He listened harder. Yes, it was Gugruk. It took a few moments before Frodo understood what he was saying.

".foolish!.dang waste of time! Take control! Show 'im who's boss! You don't know what yer doin'. Yer just playin' with 'im. You need to get serious! I won't stand here anymore and watch this! You filthy swines don't know how to handle nothin'!"

Then Drenymer began yelling back. It seemed he was now very angry. The other orcs soon joined in and their yells echoed off the stone walls and pounded through Frodo's sore head. He couldn't concentrate anymore. It was too much effort.

A sudden movement near to where Frodo lay made him open his eyes a crack. Gugruk and the Man were now standing across from each other very near to Frodo, still yelling. Gugruk was gripping his sword-hilt. He seemed to be threatening. Frodo gasped. He lifted himself slowly, trying not to be noticed, until he was leaning on his arms and dragged himself further away from the pair, his heart pounding. Soon he felt the wall again. He dropped back into a lying position gasping. It was extremely painful to move.

He closed his eyes, breathing heavily, fighting to remain conscious. Suddenly the volume of the shouts increased and faintly Frodo was aware of the sound of metal against metal as weapons were unsheathed.

~AC~

A/N: Just to let you know, Sam is NOT dead. I didn't kill him. Drenymer just told Frodo that to scare him. Sam will most likely be in the next chapter. (