Author's Notes: Thanks again for all the wonderful review! May be a few
days before the next update as things are a bit busy right now, but
hopefully not too long.
Chapter 14 Free at Last
Sam was still in shock. Although he couldn't recall his name, he had instantly recognized the man by the gate as one of Captain's Faramir's men. He had been the one to blindfold Sam and Frodo before taking them to the secret cave. What was he doing here? It was obvious that he had recognized Sam. He'd called his name, hadn't he? Could he possibly help Sam escape from this living hell? He sighed. It didn't seem likely. He was only one man and the Emperor wasn't going to simply hand Sam over just to be nice. But, maybe, just maybe, the man could at least get word back to Aragorn or the others and let them know that Sam was alive! That would have to do. Oddly enough, Sam didn't quite feel so alone now.
Sam and the other slaves were led to their dungeon quarters and chained to the wall as usual. At least they would be allowed some rest before resuming their duties in the morning. Sam lay on his little pile of filthy straw, listening to the moans and noises of the other slaves. He was flanked by two men, one seemed to be very old, and the other a mere boy but they had never spoken. Any conversation was strictly forbidden, although many flaunted the rule to some degree. The other slaves had been fascinated by Sam when he first arrived. Hobbits were unknown here. However, some grumbled that such a small creature would not be able to keep up with the work load and they would be forced to take up the slack. Fortunately, Sam had proven his worth and his fellow slaves gave him their grudging respect.
Now, Sam was pondering the possibility of escape. Would the ranger help him? He couldn't help but harbor a small flame of hope that he would get out of here alive. Samwise Gamgee was never entirely without hope, even in this foul place. He sighed wearily, burrowed himself in the straw as best he could, and almost immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
Sam was given easier duties over the next few days, much to his relief. His strength was failing fast and even the simplest chores had become difficult. He was nothing but skin and bones now and always felt ill. Yet, he knew that if he couldn't keep up, he would be killed, so he tried to ignore his pain and discomfort and do the best he could. Unfortunately, this sojourn did not last for long and one morning, Sam and his unfortunate companions were ordered to work in the forests higher in the mountains north of the city.
It was difficult labor. The slaves were forced to fell large trees, chop them up and move them down to the city. Many died when they could not get out of the way of falling trees and branches. Many were injured or crippled by the unwieldy axes. Sam wasn't sure this was an improvement over the salt flats.
It was the second night of their detail in the forest and everyone had settled down for the night. It was overcast and there was no moon, so the darkness was complete. The slaves were chained to individual trees to prevent them from wandering off in the darkness. Sam nestled down in the roots of a large oak trying to get comfortable. He was completely done in and was nursing a bad gash in his arm. He had lost a lot of blood and felt weak and light-headed, but had managed to keep working. Now, all he wanted to do was rest. It wasn't long before desperate sleep overcame him. It seemed he had only been asleep for a moment when he was awakened by screams of terror rending the silence of the night.
He jerked awake and was alarmed by the heavy cloud of smoke that permeated the area. Fighting for breath, he struggled to his feet and looked wildly about. The other slaves were also up, anxiously calling to each other. Then, just beyond the clearing in which they stood, Sam could see the ominous glow of flames. The overseers had run toward the source of the fire, but it quickly became apparent that the fire was too big for them to handle and without a second thought, they mounted their horses and disappeared, leaving the chained slaves to their fate. The panicked slaves began yanking on their chains trying to break free. The flames were moving quickly and had already entered the edge of the clearing. Screams of pain and fear could be heard over the crackling of the raging fire.
Sam was terrified. He was coughing hard and it was hard to think in all the smoke. Suddenly, he felt someone grab his chain and with a loud clank, he was free! Through tearing eyes, he saw a masked figure dressed all in dark green holding the broken end of the chain. Sam knew instantly that he must be the ranger from Ithilien. The man reached down, grabbed Sam roughly and carried him off into the woods, away from the fire. Sam was relieved to see that several other men had appeared in the clearing and were freeing the other trapped slaves. None of them deserved to die in this forsaken place. The man ran silently through the dark woods, never hesitating. Soon he came to his waiting horse. He placed Sam on the horse, leapt up behind him and in a moment they were away. Sam was free at last.
The man said nothing until they had traveled for some time. When they were well away from the site of the fire, he pulled up and looked back the way they had come. They were situated atop a small hill and could see the glow of the fire a few miles behind them. The man removed his mask and looked down at the haggard hobbit seated before him. "Samwise Gamgee, I presume?" the man's smile was bright in his smoke blackened face.
"Yes," croaked Sam in amazement, his throat parched and raw from the smoke. "Pardon me sir, but aren't you one of Captain Faramir's men?"
The man nodded and handed Sam a canteen of water. "Yes, I am. I am pleased to see that you remember me. My name is Damrod and I was sent as part of an envoy from King Elessar to make peace with Haradrim. You can imagine my shock at seeing a hobbit here in Haradirith and a slave no less! I could think of no other hobbit, besides Samwise Gamgee, who might have ended up as a prisoner of the enemy. I made it my mission to rescue you, although, we did have help. But come, we must be away from here and put as much distance between ourselves and the city as possible. Hopefully, they will assume that all the slaves perished in the fire and no pursuit will follow." He urged his horse onward into the darkness.
They rode all night and well into the day. They were in open plains now and Damrod was looking for a sheltered place for them to rest. Finally, they came to a small grove of trees surrounding a little, bubbling spring. The grove was currently abandoned, but it was obvious it had been used by travelers in the past. Damrod helped Sam down from the horse and settled him comfortably on a bed of fallen leaves. After caring for his horse, he examined and treated Sam's wounded arm. Sam lay back, pale and weary before him. Damrod wondered how the hobbit had managed as long as he had in his current condition. He hoped Sam would make it all the way to Minas Tirith.
Sam slowly opened his eyes and found the ranger studying him. "Thank you, Mr. Damrod, for saving me." Sam's voice scarcely above a whisper.
"You are more than welcome, Master Gamgee," replied Damrod warmly, "But, I did not do it alone. You had a well-placed friend who worked with us to rescue you."
Sam thought for a moment, "Prince Sayeed?"
Damrod nodded. "He contacted us when his informants told him that we were asking about a hobbit seen in the city. He was most upset that his father had enslaved rather than freed you after you had saved his life. The Prince was hoping he could still rescue you before it was too late. He arranged to have you assigned to the forest detail. My men and I started the fire to provide a diversion." Damrod laughed softly, "I did not realize it would work as well as it did. I did not expect the overseers to just abandon you all to your deaths. Now, there will many slaves for them to wonder about. Not just one!"
"I had almost given up hope of ever gettin' out o' there alive," sighed Sam shaking his head in disbelief.
Damrod smiled and gently patted Sam's shoulder. "You have had a cruel time of it, Master Gamgee. Now, let us eat and rest before we continue on our way. There are many in Minas Tirith who would be glad to see you alive and well." He looked down and saw that Sam had already fallen asleep.
Chapter 14 Free at Last
Sam was still in shock. Although he couldn't recall his name, he had instantly recognized the man by the gate as one of Captain's Faramir's men. He had been the one to blindfold Sam and Frodo before taking them to the secret cave. What was he doing here? It was obvious that he had recognized Sam. He'd called his name, hadn't he? Could he possibly help Sam escape from this living hell? He sighed. It didn't seem likely. He was only one man and the Emperor wasn't going to simply hand Sam over just to be nice. But, maybe, just maybe, the man could at least get word back to Aragorn or the others and let them know that Sam was alive! That would have to do. Oddly enough, Sam didn't quite feel so alone now.
Sam and the other slaves were led to their dungeon quarters and chained to the wall as usual. At least they would be allowed some rest before resuming their duties in the morning. Sam lay on his little pile of filthy straw, listening to the moans and noises of the other slaves. He was flanked by two men, one seemed to be very old, and the other a mere boy but they had never spoken. Any conversation was strictly forbidden, although many flaunted the rule to some degree. The other slaves had been fascinated by Sam when he first arrived. Hobbits were unknown here. However, some grumbled that such a small creature would not be able to keep up with the work load and they would be forced to take up the slack. Fortunately, Sam had proven his worth and his fellow slaves gave him their grudging respect.
Now, Sam was pondering the possibility of escape. Would the ranger help him? He couldn't help but harbor a small flame of hope that he would get out of here alive. Samwise Gamgee was never entirely without hope, even in this foul place. He sighed wearily, burrowed himself in the straw as best he could, and almost immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
Sam was given easier duties over the next few days, much to his relief. His strength was failing fast and even the simplest chores had become difficult. He was nothing but skin and bones now and always felt ill. Yet, he knew that if he couldn't keep up, he would be killed, so he tried to ignore his pain and discomfort and do the best he could. Unfortunately, this sojourn did not last for long and one morning, Sam and his unfortunate companions were ordered to work in the forests higher in the mountains north of the city.
It was difficult labor. The slaves were forced to fell large trees, chop them up and move them down to the city. Many died when they could not get out of the way of falling trees and branches. Many were injured or crippled by the unwieldy axes. Sam wasn't sure this was an improvement over the salt flats.
It was the second night of their detail in the forest and everyone had settled down for the night. It was overcast and there was no moon, so the darkness was complete. The slaves were chained to individual trees to prevent them from wandering off in the darkness. Sam nestled down in the roots of a large oak trying to get comfortable. He was completely done in and was nursing a bad gash in his arm. He had lost a lot of blood and felt weak and light-headed, but had managed to keep working. Now, all he wanted to do was rest. It wasn't long before desperate sleep overcame him. It seemed he had only been asleep for a moment when he was awakened by screams of terror rending the silence of the night.
He jerked awake and was alarmed by the heavy cloud of smoke that permeated the area. Fighting for breath, he struggled to his feet and looked wildly about. The other slaves were also up, anxiously calling to each other. Then, just beyond the clearing in which they stood, Sam could see the ominous glow of flames. The overseers had run toward the source of the fire, but it quickly became apparent that the fire was too big for them to handle and without a second thought, they mounted their horses and disappeared, leaving the chained slaves to their fate. The panicked slaves began yanking on their chains trying to break free. The flames were moving quickly and had already entered the edge of the clearing. Screams of pain and fear could be heard over the crackling of the raging fire.
Sam was terrified. He was coughing hard and it was hard to think in all the smoke. Suddenly, he felt someone grab his chain and with a loud clank, he was free! Through tearing eyes, he saw a masked figure dressed all in dark green holding the broken end of the chain. Sam knew instantly that he must be the ranger from Ithilien. The man reached down, grabbed Sam roughly and carried him off into the woods, away from the fire. Sam was relieved to see that several other men had appeared in the clearing and were freeing the other trapped slaves. None of them deserved to die in this forsaken place. The man ran silently through the dark woods, never hesitating. Soon he came to his waiting horse. He placed Sam on the horse, leapt up behind him and in a moment they were away. Sam was free at last.
The man said nothing until they had traveled for some time. When they were well away from the site of the fire, he pulled up and looked back the way they had come. They were situated atop a small hill and could see the glow of the fire a few miles behind them. The man removed his mask and looked down at the haggard hobbit seated before him. "Samwise Gamgee, I presume?" the man's smile was bright in his smoke blackened face.
"Yes," croaked Sam in amazement, his throat parched and raw from the smoke. "Pardon me sir, but aren't you one of Captain Faramir's men?"
The man nodded and handed Sam a canteen of water. "Yes, I am. I am pleased to see that you remember me. My name is Damrod and I was sent as part of an envoy from King Elessar to make peace with Haradrim. You can imagine my shock at seeing a hobbit here in Haradirith and a slave no less! I could think of no other hobbit, besides Samwise Gamgee, who might have ended up as a prisoner of the enemy. I made it my mission to rescue you, although, we did have help. But come, we must be away from here and put as much distance between ourselves and the city as possible. Hopefully, they will assume that all the slaves perished in the fire and no pursuit will follow." He urged his horse onward into the darkness.
They rode all night and well into the day. They were in open plains now and Damrod was looking for a sheltered place for them to rest. Finally, they came to a small grove of trees surrounding a little, bubbling spring. The grove was currently abandoned, but it was obvious it had been used by travelers in the past. Damrod helped Sam down from the horse and settled him comfortably on a bed of fallen leaves. After caring for his horse, he examined and treated Sam's wounded arm. Sam lay back, pale and weary before him. Damrod wondered how the hobbit had managed as long as he had in his current condition. He hoped Sam would make it all the way to Minas Tirith.
Sam slowly opened his eyes and found the ranger studying him. "Thank you, Mr. Damrod, for saving me." Sam's voice scarcely above a whisper.
"You are more than welcome, Master Gamgee," replied Damrod warmly, "But, I did not do it alone. You had a well-placed friend who worked with us to rescue you."
Sam thought for a moment, "Prince Sayeed?"
Damrod nodded. "He contacted us when his informants told him that we were asking about a hobbit seen in the city. He was most upset that his father had enslaved rather than freed you after you had saved his life. The Prince was hoping he could still rescue you before it was too late. He arranged to have you assigned to the forest detail. My men and I started the fire to provide a diversion." Damrod laughed softly, "I did not realize it would work as well as it did. I did not expect the overseers to just abandon you all to your deaths. Now, there will many slaves for them to wonder about. Not just one!"
"I had almost given up hope of ever gettin' out o' there alive," sighed Sam shaking his head in disbelief.
Damrod smiled and gently patted Sam's shoulder. "You have had a cruel time of it, Master Gamgee. Now, let us eat and rest before we continue on our way. There are many in Minas Tirith who would be glad to see you alive and well." He looked down and saw that Sam had already fallen asleep.