Greetings!
Endymion - I agree with you! I'm trying to keep Frodo from doing an inordinate amount of whimpering in this fic. He may be small and cute, but he's got some fight in him. A good point that Frodo might have taken the risk of making more of a fuss. I considered that as an option. I just couldn't keep Bramblethorn from whacking him as a result, and I'm getting him whacked quite a lot. Letting my heart interfere with my writing - not good! Please continue to keep me in line! Others have had the same observations as you have!
Aelfgifu - Yes, between your evil Merry and my psychotic Bramblethorn, Frodo has been having a tough time lately! Thank you for mentioning this story along with your own. I appreciate it! Your comments have been very constructive and thought provoking!
Seregon - Thanks for being so consistent as a reader! Your points are well taken! You mention the same things that have nagged at me as I was writing. I pondered whether Frodo should be subdued by just a single hobbit, but I failed utterly at working out an accomplice for my villain. The best I could do was to make Frodo tired, unsuspecting and totally shocked, and give Bramblethorn the advantage of surprise, strength and viciousness. Shame on me! I hope Frodo will forgive me for placing him at a disadvantage.
Mariole - Frodo's starting to recover from that blow to the head. He's thinking a little more clearly now. As for going for a cuddle, moonlight is so romantic. And Frodo looks nice in the moonlight. I'm bad.
Aratlithiel - As to what Bramblethorn wants, he's ready to tell you!
Misstook1420 - A chance to escape on the way to Bywater? Possible. Lots of things are possible!
Author's note: great feedback has resulted in some revisions to this chapter as well as further parts of the story. How was it before? You'll never know, 'cause you're getting the improved version!
Chapter 4 - To Bywater
Frodo stumbled, nearly falling as the terrain beneath his feet became increasingly uneven. From behind him, two hands reached out and gripped his shoulders to steady him. "Can't have you turning an ankle and falling down, can we, love?" Bramblethorn said in his ear. "It's not that I'm not keen to have you in my arms, but I'd rather not have to carry you to Bywater."
~Elbereth! What is he going to do to me?~ Frodo thought fearfully. As they had made progress through the darkened woods, Frodo's muddled thinking had begun to clear. He had been too stunned from the blow to his head to think clearly earlier, but the fresh air seemed to be helping him recover his presence of mind.
Along with the clarity there came a heightened sense of danger. He found himself thinking about Bramblethorn's possible purpose for abducting him, and he wondered about the truth of the statement that they were going to Bywater. Bramblethorn had so far declined to tell him the reason for their journey to the nearby settlement.
A horrible image coalesced in Frodo's mind. He would never reach Bywater. The inevitable was upon him, unavoidable and unspeakable. Bramblethorn would force him deep into the woods where there would be no one to hear his screams. His attacker would violate and break him, glorying in his pain and shame. ~Will he kill me when he's finished? Will he just leave me battered and bleeding, alone in these dark woods?~
Frodo didn't think his already hammering heart could beat any faster until he heard Bramblethorn speak again.
"How nice. As I said, a walk in the moonlight." No longer walking directly behind Frodo, Bramblethorn moved to his prisoner's side. "Lovely, isn't it?" As he spoke, he pulled Frodo to a stop, grabbed him by the shoulders again, and backed him toward a tree. "Doesn't it just put you in the mood?" He whispered with a horrifying grin on his face.
Frodo fought to keep his fear and revulsion from showing in his expression, and failed utterly. "No!" He blurted. It was the best reply he could come up with and it came out in a strangled squeak.
"Frodo, I haven't seen your lovely face in two years," Bramblethorn said in that soft yet menacing tone. "Surely you know you're irresistible in the moonlight," he continued, pressing close to Frodo.
His back to the tree, Frodo cringed as his terror threatened to overwhelm him. "Please, I'm begging you!" he stammered. "Don't - don't force me to - " He couldn't finish the sentence.
"Oh, Frodo," Bramblethorn said slowly, feigning a slightly sad tone. "Not here. Not yet, my love, impatient as I am to have you for myself." He touched Frodo's cheek in a travesty of a gentle caress. "I fear the experience would be difficult for you. I can't risk damaging you at this stage of the game."
Frodo's already pale face drained of color completely at Bramblethorn's words. "What game?" he heard himself asking, the volume of his voice rising along with his panic. "What are you talking about?!"
Bramblethorn clamped a hand over Frodo's mouth to silence him. "No noise, now beloved." The menace had crept back into his voice as he regarded his captive. He pulled Frodo away from the tree and resumed herding him along toward their destination.
"I have plans for you, Frodo," Bramblethorn continued, punctuating the sentence with a shove. "We will discuss them soon. In the meantime, I'm contenting myself with the prospect of some time alone together."
It was too much for Frodo. "NO! Someone help me, please!" he cried out into the darkness. He sprang forward, every nerve in his body singing out to him to flee. Bramblethorn uttered a curse and followed on his heels. Frodo crashed through the underbrush gracelessly and off-balance from being bound, running without any thought to direction.
Bramblethorn caught up with him after a few moments. He grabbed Frodo's arms and whirled him around into another tree, face first. Frodo's chest hit the tree hard and the side of his face scraped against the bark painfully.
"No! Please let me go," he almost sobbed. The horrifying images came to him again as Bramblethorn roughly pulled him away from the tree.
"I can't bear to be parted from you, Frodo." Bramblethorn answered his plea. "You wound me so deeply, running from me this way." He had pulled a piece of dark cloth from his pack. "I know how to keep you by my side." He tied the cloth over Frodo's eyes, and said with satisfaction, "If you can't see where you're going, you cannot run. At least, it would be quite ill advised of you to try."
He pulled Frodo away from the tree and the march began again. Frodo found himself in the unenviable position of needing the touch of the very hands he loathed and feared to guide him and keep him from falling. He had no idea where he was or how long he would be forced to stumble, terrified, through the darkness to an unknown location and an uncertain fate.
~*~
They had circled around the town of Bywater itself, reaching the farthest edge of the settlement. A row of empty, unused smials occupied part of a hillside covered with grass, trees and bushes. They looked as if they had been abandoned long ago, and they were quite overgrown. The door where they stood now was partially obscured by the undergrowth, but opened under the pressure applied to it.
Bramblethorn pulled the blindfold from Frodo's eyes and shoved him forward into a dank, musty room, sparsely furnished and dusty from long disuse. More of his surroundings came into view as his captor lit a candle and the faint light penetrated deeper into the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the new light level, Frodo could make out the fireplace, and he could see several round windows that were completely boarded up. It was plain that nobody had been there in a long while.
"Not much, I'll admit, but it's cozy, don't you agree?" Bramblethorn said with maddening mock-politeness. He guided Frodo to a dirty, threadbare sofa. "Make yourself at home, Frodo dear."
Frodo collapsed wearily onto the sofa. Although the distance from Hobbiton to Bywater was not especially great on a large scale, and could be traversed in one evening, the journey had left him drained. Bramblethorn's advances had stretched his nerves taut, and the blindfold had made him feel more helpless than he ever had before in his life. He was also beginning to feel frustrated and angry.
"Why have you brought me here? What do you want, Bramblethorn?" Frodo pressed. He had thought he had known the answer, but the journey through the woods had caused him to wonder. If forcing himself upon Frodo was Bramblethorn's sole motive for all of this, why march him all the way to Bywater? It didn't add up. What elaborate, depraved plan could he possibly be hatching?
"You are here because I need you to do something for me, Frodo." Bramblethorn pulled a wooden chair close to the sofa and seated himself across from his captive. "You see, I've been living in Bree these past two years. I don't like it there, and I want to return to the Shire."
"And how am I able to help you do that?" Frodo said incredulously. "I'm not the Mayor. I cannot lift your banishment, nor would I if it were in my power!" His voice was uncharacteristically hard as he made that statement. The thought of Bramblethorn back in the Shire was abhorrent to him.
Bramblethorn leaned back casually in his chair and regarded Frodo evenly. "You were responsible for having me expelled from the Shire. You and that gardener of yours." He stood and began pacing to and fro as he spoke. "True, rumors had been flying regarding me and certain behavior the good folk of Hobbiton considered 'unnatural'. But it was your account of our interlude in the forest and your gardener's statement confirming it that swayed the Mayor and his council."
He turned back to Frodo, his voice suddenly taking on a harsh, menacing tone. "You will help me by recanting your testimony, Frodo." He leaned down and looked directly into Frodo's eyes. "You will sign a document stating that your accusation against me was falsely made."
Frodo could not believe what he was hearing. His accusation had been anything but false! Bramblethorn had sought him out with no other intent but to harm and humiliate him, to defile and break him. It was only the swift and sure actions of Sam that had saved him from this horror.
Two years had passed since the incident, but Frodo found that he still felt the urge to look over his shoulder whenever he was alone outside of his home. He still woke in the night on some occasions, trembling and striking out at thin air as the dreams lingered. In the last few months the dreams had diminished in number and his agitated state had calmed somewhat. Now, here Bramblethorn was again, staring down at him and demanding that he do this!
"I will do nothing of the kind!" Frodo cried, his defiance rising in spite of his fear.
Bramblethorn straightened and sighed. "I thought you would say as much." He turned away for a brief moment, then swung back around and backhanded his stubborn prisoner. Frodo gasped and fought back tears at the pain.
Bramblethorn grabbed Frodo by the front of his shirt and shook him. "I intend to persuade you to change your mind, Master Baggins. I can be very persuasive when I wish to be." He hauled Frodo up from the sofa and dragged him, twisting and squirming, to the far corner of the room near the hearth.
Frodo kicked with all his might as Bramblethorn wrestled him to the ground. Anger infused him with new strength. If this were to be his fate, he would try to face it bravely, fighting with all he had left. At a disadvantage without the use of his hands, he relied upon other resources. His feet found their mark upon his tormentor, forcefully enough to leave bruises behind. It also enraged Bramblethorn considerably.
"You have kicked me before, Frodo," Bramblethorn growled. "Have you forgotten the result?" He gripped Frodo's throat and squeezed. "Allow me to remind you!" With that, he struck Frodo with considerable force.
"There's your warning. You won't get another one!" Bramblethorn released his hold on Frodo's throat, but still gripped him tightly by one arm as he rummaged in his pack for something.
Frodo gasped as air flooded his lungs again. His fury helped him to recover himself somewhat and he planted a heel in Bramblethorn's side. "How dare you!" Frodo shouted back at him. "You're utterly mad! Release me!"
The fear that had paralyzed him at Bag End seemed, for the moment, to evaporate in the face of Frodo's anger and indignation. Bramblethorn had no right to make demands of him and threaten him like this!
Bramblethorn had recovered from the impact of Frodo's last strike against him. "If you want to do this the hard way, I don't mind!" Bramblethorn shouted as he delivered a hard slap to Frodo's face. He repeated the action until Frodo stopped kicking.
"I'm disappointed in you, Frodo," he said mockingly. "We were getting along so well up until now. Tell me, were you too frightened earlier this evening to behave badly?" Frodo did not respond. "Have you overcome your fear of me, by some chance?"
He drew another coil of rope from his pack and began to bind Frodo's ankles while his captive was semi-conscious. "You shall fear me again, Frodo Baggins. That I promise you!"
Frodo fought to clear the fog from his mind. As his eyes began to focus again, he found himself staring into Bramblethorn's face. What he saw there made his enemy's words begin to ring true. The nasty leer Frodo remembered and saw in his dreams was back again, boring into him, chilling his soul. Bramblethorn placed a bruising kiss on his lips as Frodo writhed in revulsion.
"You'll regret your actions, Bramblethorn," Frodo said, trying to catch his breath. "You're only adding to your troubles. Word of this will get out and you'll never be allowed within the borders of the Shire again!"
"When I need your advice, Baggins, I'll ask for it," Bramblethorn said with a nasty smile. "Meanwhile, you'll keep it to yourself." He shoved a cloth into Frodo's mouth and tied it behind his head, gagging him. Bramblethorn turned and strode from the room, leaving Frodo alone with his thoughts.
Frodo closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. This was unbelievable. Bramblethorn had been correct in stating that Frodo had been both stunned and frightened when he was abducted. Frodo silently cursed himself for not having his wits about him to a greater degree. Would Bramblethorn have succeeded if Frodo had fought harder? He had wanted to cry out for help, but his voice hadn't cooperated. Terror had robbed him of his sensibilities when he had been in the greatest need of them.
No use worrying about that now, he reminded himself bitterly. Hindsight wouldn't reveal his future. His panicked flight from his captor in the woods had brought him only further humiliation, and his cry for help had gone unheard. So what was he to do now?
He would have to keep himself focused and look for any mistakes Bramblethorn might make that would allow him an opportunity for escape.
His thoughts wandered to Sam, his beloved friend above all friends, for whom he cared so deeply. Why was it so hard for him to express to Sam how much he meant to him? He'd never really told Sam how much he truly cared for him and needed him. The words just didn't exist, or were somehow always just beyond his reach.
And now Sam was going to find him missing. Frodo's heart stung bitterly at the thought of the anguish Sam would surely feel over this. He will blame himself, Frodo thought morosely.
Darker thoughts were beginning to creep in around the edges of the anger that had been holding them at bay. Would he even see Sam again? Frodo made a promise to himself. If he should make it out of this in one piece, he would find a way to tell Sam how he felt. He would tell him how important it was to have his friendship and cheerful, loyal presence.
Weariness and his aching head began to overcome him, and Frodo sank into an uneasy sleep in the corner of the shabby parlor.
~*~To be continued ~*~
Endymion - I agree with you! I'm trying to keep Frodo from doing an inordinate amount of whimpering in this fic. He may be small and cute, but he's got some fight in him. A good point that Frodo might have taken the risk of making more of a fuss. I considered that as an option. I just couldn't keep Bramblethorn from whacking him as a result, and I'm getting him whacked quite a lot. Letting my heart interfere with my writing - not good! Please continue to keep me in line! Others have had the same observations as you have!
Aelfgifu - Yes, between your evil Merry and my psychotic Bramblethorn, Frodo has been having a tough time lately! Thank you for mentioning this story along with your own. I appreciate it! Your comments have been very constructive and thought provoking!
Seregon - Thanks for being so consistent as a reader! Your points are well taken! You mention the same things that have nagged at me as I was writing. I pondered whether Frodo should be subdued by just a single hobbit, but I failed utterly at working out an accomplice for my villain. The best I could do was to make Frodo tired, unsuspecting and totally shocked, and give Bramblethorn the advantage of surprise, strength and viciousness. Shame on me! I hope Frodo will forgive me for placing him at a disadvantage.
Mariole - Frodo's starting to recover from that blow to the head. He's thinking a little more clearly now. As for going for a cuddle, moonlight is so romantic. And Frodo looks nice in the moonlight. I'm bad.
Aratlithiel - As to what Bramblethorn wants, he's ready to tell you!
Misstook1420 - A chance to escape on the way to Bywater? Possible. Lots of things are possible!
Author's note: great feedback has resulted in some revisions to this chapter as well as further parts of the story. How was it before? You'll never know, 'cause you're getting the improved version!
Chapter 4 - To Bywater
Frodo stumbled, nearly falling as the terrain beneath his feet became increasingly uneven. From behind him, two hands reached out and gripped his shoulders to steady him. "Can't have you turning an ankle and falling down, can we, love?" Bramblethorn said in his ear. "It's not that I'm not keen to have you in my arms, but I'd rather not have to carry you to Bywater."
~Elbereth! What is he going to do to me?~ Frodo thought fearfully. As they had made progress through the darkened woods, Frodo's muddled thinking had begun to clear. He had been too stunned from the blow to his head to think clearly earlier, but the fresh air seemed to be helping him recover his presence of mind.
Along with the clarity there came a heightened sense of danger. He found himself thinking about Bramblethorn's possible purpose for abducting him, and he wondered about the truth of the statement that they were going to Bywater. Bramblethorn had so far declined to tell him the reason for their journey to the nearby settlement.
A horrible image coalesced in Frodo's mind. He would never reach Bywater. The inevitable was upon him, unavoidable and unspeakable. Bramblethorn would force him deep into the woods where there would be no one to hear his screams. His attacker would violate and break him, glorying in his pain and shame. ~Will he kill me when he's finished? Will he just leave me battered and bleeding, alone in these dark woods?~
Frodo didn't think his already hammering heart could beat any faster until he heard Bramblethorn speak again.
"How nice. As I said, a walk in the moonlight." No longer walking directly behind Frodo, Bramblethorn moved to his prisoner's side. "Lovely, isn't it?" As he spoke, he pulled Frodo to a stop, grabbed him by the shoulders again, and backed him toward a tree. "Doesn't it just put you in the mood?" He whispered with a horrifying grin on his face.
Frodo fought to keep his fear and revulsion from showing in his expression, and failed utterly. "No!" He blurted. It was the best reply he could come up with and it came out in a strangled squeak.
"Frodo, I haven't seen your lovely face in two years," Bramblethorn said in that soft yet menacing tone. "Surely you know you're irresistible in the moonlight," he continued, pressing close to Frodo.
His back to the tree, Frodo cringed as his terror threatened to overwhelm him. "Please, I'm begging you!" he stammered. "Don't - don't force me to - " He couldn't finish the sentence.
"Oh, Frodo," Bramblethorn said slowly, feigning a slightly sad tone. "Not here. Not yet, my love, impatient as I am to have you for myself." He touched Frodo's cheek in a travesty of a gentle caress. "I fear the experience would be difficult for you. I can't risk damaging you at this stage of the game."
Frodo's already pale face drained of color completely at Bramblethorn's words. "What game?" he heard himself asking, the volume of his voice rising along with his panic. "What are you talking about?!"
Bramblethorn clamped a hand over Frodo's mouth to silence him. "No noise, now beloved." The menace had crept back into his voice as he regarded his captive. He pulled Frodo away from the tree and resumed herding him along toward their destination.
"I have plans for you, Frodo," Bramblethorn continued, punctuating the sentence with a shove. "We will discuss them soon. In the meantime, I'm contenting myself with the prospect of some time alone together."
It was too much for Frodo. "NO! Someone help me, please!" he cried out into the darkness. He sprang forward, every nerve in his body singing out to him to flee. Bramblethorn uttered a curse and followed on his heels. Frodo crashed through the underbrush gracelessly and off-balance from being bound, running without any thought to direction.
Bramblethorn caught up with him after a few moments. He grabbed Frodo's arms and whirled him around into another tree, face first. Frodo's chest hit the tree hard and the side of his face scraped against the bark painfully.
"No! Please let me go," he almost sobbed. The horrifying images came to him again as Bramblethorn roughly pulled him away from the tree.
"I can't bear to be parted from you, Frodo." Bramblethorn answered his plea. "You wound me so deeply, running from me this way." He had pulled a piece of dark cloth from his pack. "I know how to keep you by my side." He tied the cloth over Frodo's eyes, and said with satisfaction, "If you can't see where you're going, you cannot run. At least, it would be quite ill advised of you to try."
He pulled Frodo away from the tree and the march began again. Frodo found himself in the unenviable position of needing the touch of the very hands he loathed and feared to guide him and keep him from falling. He had no idea where he was or how long he would be forced to stumble, terrified, through the darkness to an unknown location and an uncertain fate.
~*~
They had circled around the town of Bywater itself, reaching the farthest edge of the settlement. A row of empty, unused smials occupied part of a hillside covered with grass, trees and bushes. They looked as if they had been abandoned long ago, and they were quite overgrown. The door where they stood now was partially obscured by the undergrowth, but opened under the pressure applied to it.
Bramblethorn pulled the blindfold from Frodo's eyes and shoved him forward into a dank, musty room, sparsely furnished and dusty from long disuse. More of his surroundings came into view as his captor lit a candle and the faint light penetrated deeper into the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the new light level, Frodo could make out the fireplace, and he could see several round windows that were completely boarded up. It was plain that nobody had been there in a long while.
"Not much, I'll admit, but it's cozy, don't you agree?" Bramblethorn said with maddening mock-politeness. He guided Frodo to a dirty, threadbare sofa. "Make yourself at home, Frodo dear."
Frodo collapsed wearily onto the sofa. Although the distance from Hobbiton to Bywater was not especially great on a large scale, and could be traversed in one evening, the journey had left him drained. Bramblethorn's advances had stretched his nerves taut, and the blindfold had made him feel more helpless than he ever had before in his life. He was also beginning to feel frustrated and angry.
"Why have you brought me here? What do you want, Bramblethorn?" Frodo pressed. He had thought he had known the answer, but the journey through the woods had caused him to wonder. If forcing himself upon Frodo was Bramblethorn's sole motive for all of this, why march him all the way to Bywater? It didn't add up. What elaborate, depraved plan could he possibly be hatching?
"You are here because I need you to do something for me, Frodo." Bramblethorn pulled a wooden chair close to the sofa and seated himself across from his captive. "You see, I've been living in Bree these past two years. I don't like it there, and I want to return to the Shire."
"And how am I able to help you do that?" Frodo said incredulously. "I'm not the Mayor. I cannot lift your banishment, nor would I if it were in my power!" His voice was uncharacteristically hard as he made that statement. The thought of Bramblethorn back in the Shire was abhorrent to him.
Bramblethorn leaned back casually in his chair and regarded Frodo evenly. "You were responsible for having me expelled from the Shire. You and that gardener of yours." He stood and began pacing to and fro as he spoke. "True, rumors had been flying regarding me and certain behavior the good folk of Hobbiton considered 'unnatural'. But it was your account of our interlude in the forest and your gardener's statement confirming it that swayed the Mayor and his council."
He turned back to Frodo, his voice suddenly taking on a harsh, menacing tone. "You will help me by recanting your testimony, Frodo." He leaned down and looked directly into Frodo's eyes. "You will sign a document stating that your accusation against me was falsely made."
Frodo could not believe what he was hearing. His accusation had been anything but false! Bramblethorn had sought him out with no other intent but to harm and humiliate him, to defile and break him. It was only the swift and sure actions of Sam that had saved him from this horror.
Two years had passed since the incident, but Frodo found that he still felt the urge to look over his shoulder whenever he was alone outside of his home. He still woke in the night on some occasions, trembling and striking out at thin air as the dreams lingered. In the last few months the dreams had diminished in number and his agitated state had calmed somewhat. Now, here Bramblethorn was again, staring down at him and demanding that he do this!
"I will do nothing of the kind!" Frodo cried, his defiance rising in spite of his fear.
Bramblethorn straightened and sighed. "I thought you would say as much." He turned away for a brief moment, then swung back around and backhanded his stubborn prisoner. Frodo gasped and fought back tears at the pain.
Bramblethorn grabbed Frodo by the front of his shirt and shook him. "I intend to persuade you to change your mind, Master Baggins. I can be very persuasive when I wish to be." He hauled Frodo up from the sofa and dragged him, twisting and squirming, to the far corner of the room near the hearth.
Frodo kicked with all his might as Bramblethorn wrestled him to the ground. Anger infused him with new strength. If this were to be his fate, he would try to face it bravely, fighting with all he had left. At a disadvantage without the use of his hands, he relied upon other resources. His feet found their mark upon his tormentor, forcefully enough to leave bruises behind. It also enraged Bramblethorn considerably.
"You have kicked me before, Frodo," Bramblethorn growled. "Have you forgotten the result?" He gripped Frodo's throat and squeezed. "Allow me to remind you!" With that, he struck Frodo with considerable force.
"There's your warning. You won't get another one!" Bramblethorn released his hold on Frodo's throat, but still gripped him tightly by one arm as he rummaged in his pack for something.
Frodo gasped as air flooded his lungs again. His fury helped him to recover himself somewhat and he planted a heel in Bramblethorn's side. "How dare you!" Frodo shouted back at him. "You're utterly mad! Release me!"
The fear that had paralyzed him at Bag End seemed, for the moment, to evaporate in the face of Frodo's anger and indignation. Bramblethorn had no right to make demands of him and threaten him like this!
Bramblethorn had recovered from the impact of Frodo's last strike against him. "If you want to do this the hard way, I don't mind!" Bramblethorn shouted as he delivered a hard slap to Frodo's face. He repeated the action until Frodo stopped kicking.
"I'm disappointed in you, Frodo," he said mockingly. "We were getting along so well up until now. Tell me, were you too frightened earlier this evening to behave badly?" Frodo did not respond. "Have you overcome your fear of me, by some chance?"
He drew another coil of rope from his pack and began to bind Frodo's ankles while his captive was semi-conscious. "You shall fear me again, Frodo Baggins. That I promise you!"
Frodo fought to clear the fog from his mind. As his eyes began to focus again, he found himself staring into Bramblethorn's face. What he saw there made his enemy's words begin to ring true. The nasty leer Frodo remembered and saw in his dreams was back again, boring into him, chilling his soul. Bramblethorn placed a bruising kiss on his lips as Frodo writhed in revulsion.
"You'll regret your actions, Bramblethorn," Frodo said, trying to catch his breath. "You're only adding to your troubles. Word of this will get out and you'll never be allowed within the borders of the Shire again!"
"When I need your advice, Baggins, I'll ask for it," Bramblethorn said with a nasty smile. "Meanwhile, you'll keep it to yourself." He shoved a cloth into Frodo's mouth and tied it behind his head, gagging him. Bramblethorn turned and strode from the room, leaving Frodo alone with his thoughts.
Frodo closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. This was unbelievable. Bramblethorn had been correct in stating that Frodo had been both stunned and frightened when he was abducted. Frodo silently cursed himself for not having his wits about him to a greater degree. Would Bramblethorn have succeeded if Frodo had fought harder? He had wanted to cry out for help, but his voice hadn't cooperated. Terror had robbed him of his sensibilities when he had been in the greatest need of them.
No use worrying about that now, he reminded himself bitterly. Hindsight wouldn't reveal his future. His panicked flight from his captor in the woods had brought him only further humiliation, and his cry for help had gone unheard. So what was he to do now?
He would have to keep himself focused and look for any mistakes Bramblethorn might make that would allow him an opportunity for escape.
His thoughts wandered to Sam, his beloved friend above all friends, for whom he cared so deeply. Why was it so hard for him to express to Sam how much he meant to him? He'd never really told Sam how much he truly cared for him and needed him. The words just didn't exist, or were somehow always just beyond his reach.
And now Sam was going to find him missing. Frodo's heart stung bitterly at the thought of the anguish Sam would surely feel over this. He will blame himself, Frodo thought morosely.
Darker thoughts were beginning to creep in around the edges of the anger that had been holding them at bay. Would he even see Sam again? Frodo made a promise to himself. If he should make it out of this in one piece, he would find a way to tell Sam how he felt. He would tell him how important it was to have his friendship and cheerful, loyal presence.
Weariness and his aching head began to overcome him, and Frodo sank into an uneasy sleep in the corner of the shabby parlor.
~*~To be continued ~*~