Author's Note: Hello Minty! I couldn't seem to find your email address to
let you know I had another story going. Sorry. Thanks for the wonderful
review!
Also, thanks again to Actias, Amrun, Kay, Irish Flying Fish (love that name!), Senni, Aemelia, and Samwise the Strong. I really am having a great time with story and your terrific support has been wonderful! I really appreciate you taking the time to review. (
Chapter 13 Searching for Sam
Damrod rode slowly towards the palace deep in thought. He was part of an envoy from King Elessar and as such had to be very careful about what he did. His first responsibility was to the mission. On the other hand, he couldn't allow one of the heroes of Middle Earth to rot as a slave in this foreign land. There must be some way to rescue Sam without endangering their mission for peace.
He left his horse with a groom and entered the castle looking for his companions. They had been housed in the western wing of the palace in a suite of rooms overlooking the courtyard. His friend, Mablung awaited him, a tankard of ale in his hand. "There you are, Damrod!" he called in greeting. "Where have you been? Did you find out more concerning your little slave?"
Damrod hurried over and sat at the table next to his friend. Their hosts had provided a wide variety of food and drink for their travel-weary guests. "Mablung," Damrod said urgently, "Do you remember when we captured the two hobbits in Ithilien? Frodo and his companion, Samwise Gamgee?"
Mablung stared at his fellow ranger in confusion, "Yes," he replied slowly, "Frodo carried the Ring to Mt. Doom, but Samwise never returned. What of it?"
Damrod grabbed Mablung's arm in excitement, "I believe the slave I saw to be a Hobbit and that the Hobbit is none other than Samwise Gamgee! I called to him as he passed and he recognized me! Granted, he hardly looks as I remember Sam from Ithilien, but I am positive it is he!"
Mablung sat back, blinking in surprise. "Can it be true? Mithrandir reported seeing Sam disappear in the last explosion on Mt. Doom. How could a hobbit have gotten all the way here? And if it is Samwise, what are we to do? We cannot endanger our mission, yet at the same time, we cannot leave him here!"
Damrod stood up and began pacing the room. "I think we must do some scouting around. See what we can find out about the slaves and perhaps how a Hobbit came to be in their number. We cannot show too much interest in Sam in particular or it may go badly for him. If Emperor Assadim knows of Sam's role in the destruction of the Ring, he may be loathe to release him to us."
Mablung nodded in agreement. "I fear that may be the case." He took a deep swig of his ale, watching his friend thoughtfully.
Damrod continued urgently, "But, we must move quickly. Sam looks very poorly and I do not believe he will be able survive such hardships much longer. A man in the street told me that Sam and the others had just returned from two weeks working in the salt flats several days south of here. He said that half the slaves that go there never come back. Those that do return are hardly fit for the harsh labors they must continue to perform here in the city. Most of these die within six months. I do not believe Sam will last even one."
The two men felt it would best to keep their secret between just the two of them for the time being, at least until they found out more. Their primary duties concerning the diplomatic mission involved guiding the emissary to Hardirith and providing the party with protection. The emissary, Lord Benar, had long been an important figure in the city of Minas Tirith and one of Lord Denethor's closest advisors. King Elessar believed he would be a good emissary to meet with the Emperor of Harad. When Damrod and Mablung were not needed for official duties, the companions spent their time scouting around the palace, casually asking questions, trying to find out more concerning the slaves of Haradirith.
The two were returning from a frustrating day of searching when a young boy approached them. He was wearing the livery of an imperial houseboy and he was nervous approaching two foreigners. "Please sirs," he began in halting Westron. "My Lord, Prince Sayeed wishes to speak with you." The Rangers exchanged puzzled glances, but were agreeable to following the boy through the area of the palace reserved for the royal family. After traveling down many corridors and climbing numerous flights of stairs, they found themselves in front of an elegantly carved door. Two guards stood to either side. They eyed the two rangers suspiciously, but opened the door when the boy explained their mission.
Damrod and Mablung found themselves in a large, exquisitely decorated sitting room. Rich mahogany paneling covered the walls and a large, marble fireplace stood at one end of the expansive room. Windows, from floor to ceiling extended across one end of the room and opened up onto a large balcony. A young man stood staring pensively at the fire. He looked up as the boy led the men into the room. Damrod quickly realized that the prince was little more than a boy himself, but was favorably impressed by his handsome, open face. The two Rangers bowed politely as the prince approached them. He had a pronounced limp.
"Welcome, gentlemen," smiled the prince courteously, "Thank you for coming. Please, be seated. Would you care for some refreshment?" The two men declined the offer for food, but seated themselves across from the prince in two elaborately carved chairs.
"How may we be of service, your Highness?" asked Damrod watching the prince. The young man seemed nervous and troubled.
"My name is Prince Sayeed," began the prince, "And I would like to ask you for your assistance. Word has come to me that you have been asking questions concerning our slaves. Well, one slave in particular. A hobbit." Damrod and Mablung exchanged startled glances but said nothing. The prince continued. "I wish to help you rescue Samwise Gamgee." He looked into their surprised faces. "Yes, I know about Samwise. When my father made a pact with Lord Sauron, I rode with the Emperor's Mounted 5th, under the command of Captain Fahim. After Lord Sauron's defeat, we had been ordered to return to Harad as best we could. On our journey, we came upon a group of orcs torturing what we thought was a small child. We slew the orcs, but were surprised to find not a child, but a tiny man! He said his name was Samwise Gamgee, a hobbit from someplace called the Shire. An orc revealed to us that Samwise had been involved in the destruction of the ring. The captain took Samwise prisoner.
When we crossed the Mountains of Shadow, we were caught in a flash flood. I would have drowned had not Samwise pulled me from the river and held onto me until we could be rescued. As his reward, the captain gave Sam his freedom. Unfortunately, we encountered Battle Master Perang at the Crossing of Poros and he decided Samwise must return to Harad with us. I begged my father to be merciful and to remember I owed my life to Samwise. Unfortunately, his idea of "mercy" was to spare Sam's life, but make him one of the lowest ranking slaves." Sayeed stood up and began pacing the room in agitation. "He would have been more merciful to have simply killed him outright!" he growled bitterly, "Sam had been injured many times in his journeys and was not well. I have seen him since our return and he looks worse than ever! I am forbidden to approach him or help him in any way."
Sayeed stopped pacing and faced the two men. "I owe him my life! I know he destroyed my father's plans, but I have life debt to Samwise Gamgee and I will not rest until it is repaid. I want you to help me. He must be rescued and taken out of this place. Otherwise, he will soon be dead." He sat back down and stared beseechingly at the two outlanders. "Will you help me?"
Damrod leaned forward, "What do you want us to do?"
Also, thanks again to Actias, Amrun, Kay, Irish Flying Fish (love that name!), Senni, Aemelia, and Samwise the Strong. I really am having a great time with story and your terrific support has been wonderful! I really appreciate you taking the time to review. (
Chapter 13 Searching for Sam
Damrod rode slowly towards the palace deep in thought. He was part of an envoy from King Elessar and as such had to be very careful about what he did. His first responsibility was to the mission. On the other hand, he couldn't allow one of the heroes of Middle Earth to rot as a slave in this foreign land. There must be some way to rescue Sam without endangering their mission for peace.
He left his horse with a groom and entered the castle looking for his companions. They had been housed in the western wing of the palace in a suite of rooms overlooking the courtyard. His friend, Mablung awaited him, a tankard of ale in his hand. "There you are, Damrod!" he called in greeting. "Where have you been? Did you find out more concerning your little slave?"
Damrod hurried over and sat at the table next to his friend. Their hosts had provided a wide variety of food and drink for their travel-weary guests. "Mablung," Damrod said urgently, "Do you remember when we captured the two hobbits in Ithilien? Frodo and his companion, Samwise Gamgee?"
Mablung stared at his fellow ranger in confusion, "Yes," he replied slowly, "Frodo carried the Ring to Mt. Doom, but Samwise never returned. What of it?"
Damrod grabbed Mablung's arm in excitement, "I believe the slave I saw to be a Hobbit and that the Hobbit is none other than Samwise Gamgee! I called to him as he passed and he recognized me! Granted, he hardly looks as I remember Sam from Ithilien, but I am positive it is he!"
Mablung sat back, blinking in surprise. "Can it be true? Mithrandir reported seeing Sam disappear in the last explosion on Mt. Doom. How could a hobbit have gotten all the way here? And if it is Samwise, what are we to do? We cannot endanger our mission, yet at the same time, we cannot leave him here!"
Damrod stood up and began pacing the room. "I think we must do some scouting around. See what we can find out about the slaves and perhaps how a Hobbit came to be in their number. We cannot show too much interest in Sam in particular or it may go badly for him. If Emperor Assadim knows of Sam's role in the destruction of the Ring, he may be loathe to release him to us."
Mablung nodded in agreement. "I fear that may be the case." He took a deep swig of his ale, watching his friend thoughtfully.
Damrod continued urgently, "But, we must move quickly. Sam looks very poorly and I do not believe he will be able survive such hardships much longer. A man in the street told me that Sam and the others had just returned from two weeks working in the salt flats several days south of here. He said that half the slaves that go there never come back. Those that do return are hardly fit for the harsh labors they must continue to perform here in the city. Most of these die within six months. I do not believe Sam will last even one."
The two men felt it would best to keep their secret between just the two of them for the time being, at least until they found out more. Their primary duties concerning the diplomatic mission involved guiding the emissary to Hardirith and providing the party with protection. The emissary, Lord Benar, had long been an important figure in the city of Minas Tirith and one of Lord Denethor's closest advisors. King Elessar believed he would be a good emissary to meet with the Emperor of Harad. When Damrod and Mablung were not needed for official duties, the companions spent their time scouting around the palace, casually asking questions, trying to find out more concerning the slaves of Haradirith.
The two were returning from a frustrating day of searching when a young boy approached them. He was wearing the livery of an imperial houseboy and he was nervous approaching two foreigners. "Please sirs," he began in halting Westron. "My Lord, Prince Sayeed wishes to speak with you." The Rangers exchanged puzzled glances, but were agreeable to following the boy through the area of the palace reserved for the royal family. After traveling down many corridors and climbing numerous flights of stairs, they found themselves in front of an elegantly carved door. Two guards stood to either side. They eyed the two rangers suspiciously, but opened the door when the boy explained their mission.
Damrod and Mablung found themselves in a large, exquisitely decorated sitting room. Rich mahogany paneling covered the walls and a large, marble fireplace stood at one end of the expansive room. Windows, from floor to ceiling extended across one end of the room and opened up onto a large balcony. A young man stood staring pensively at the fire. He looked up as the boy led the men into the room. Damrod quickly realized that the prince was little more than a boy himself, but was favorably impressed by his handsome, open face. The two Rangers bowed politely as the prince approached them. He had a pronounced limp.
"Welcome, gentlemen," smiled the prince courteously, "Thank you for coming. Please, be seated. Would you care for some refreshment?" The two men declined the offer for food, but seated themselves across from the prince in two elaborately carved chairs.
"How may we be of service, your Highness?" asked Damrod watching the prince. The young man seemed nervous and troubled.
"My name is Prince Sayeed," began the prince, "And I would like to ask you for your assistance. Word has come to me that you have been asking questions concerning our slaves. Well, one slave in particular. A hobbit." Damrod and Mablung exchanged startled glances but said nothing. The prince continued. "I wish to help you rescue Samwise Gamgee." He looked into their surprised faces. "Yes, I know about Samwise. When my father made a pact with Lord Sauron, I rode with the Emperor's Mounted 5th, under the command of Captain Fahim. After Lord Sauron's defeat, we had been ordered to return to Harad as best we could. On our journey, we came upon a group of orcs torturing what we thought was a small child. We slew the orcs, but were surprised to find not a child, but a tiny man! He said his name was Samwise Gamgee, a hobbit from someplace called the Shire. An orc revealed to us that Samwise had been involved in the destruction of the ring. The captain took Samwise prisoner.
When we crossed the Mountains of Shadow, we were caught in a flash flood. I would have drowned had not Samwise pulled me from the river and held onto me until we could be rescued. As his reward, the captain gave Sam his freedom. Unfortunately, we encountered Battle Master Perang at the Crossing of Poros and he decided Samwise must return to Harad with us. I begged my father to be merciful and to remember I owed my life to Samwise. Unfortunately, his idea of "mercy" was to spare Sam's life, but make him one of the lowest ranking slaves." Sayeed stood up and began pacing the room in agitation. "He would have been more merciful to have simply killed him outright!" he growled bitterly, "Sam had been injured many times in his journeys and was not well. I have seen him since our return and he looks worse than ever! I am forbidden to approach him or help him in any way."
Sayeed stopped pacing and faced the two men. "I owe him my life! I know he destroyed my father's plans, but I have life debt to Samwise Gamgee and I will not rest until it is repaid. I want you to help me. He must be rescued and taken out of this place. Otherwise, he will soon be dead." He sat back down and stared beseechingly at the two outlanders. "Will you help me?"
Damrod leaned forward, "What do you want us to do?"