Gayalondiel - Oh, I've done terrible things to Frodo, haven't I? Gavin and
Fergus definitely deserve to get their comeuppance!
Aelfgifu - Frodo is definitely experiencing some real misery right now. We have to save him! Merry fully expected to be going along to help the rescue party. Merry and Saradoc do certainly have a part to play, whether it's what you might think or no.
Krista - Fergus and Gavin are definitely not the type to give up without a ruckus. You will see Dolan again, and that's all I'm gonna say. Mean of me, but this chapter reveals all!
Camellia - Gamgee - Took - I like Aiden more and more too. He's just a nice guy, through and through.
Curious Cat - Saradoc will deal with Bargo and Reginard, rest assured. Redemption for Dolan? There is always hope!
Midgette - Bilbo definitely won't like what they've done to Frodo. Run? Oh, they had better run and hide!
Endymion - Bilbo would love to have Sting with him right now. True, he had no idea a routine visit to Buckland would end up like this! Poor Merry has a lot of forces arrayed against his youthful enthusiasm. Dolan is certainly experiencing something close to an attack of conscience. Don't tell him that, though. He'll deny it! Will Bilbo have to use the Ring? An intriguing possibility!
QTPie -2488 - Ah, reviewer of many chapters! Welcome back, I missed you! I don't think I could have handled it if Aiden had been killed either. I like him too! You had a feeling way back at chapter 15 that Dolan would be back? Good intuition! Gavin is way meaner than Dolan and Fergus were, certainly. Fergus has the potential for meanness, but his stupidity gets in the way.
FrodoBaggins1982 - Frodo can't help standing up for himself. He's just got that kind of spirit. And Bilbo has the Ring, all right!
GamgeeFest - Thanks for joining us and reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for the geography tip! That was never my best subject. I should have been clearer in explaining that the men were actually on the Shire side of the Brandywine when Bargo and Reginard met them earlier in the story. Whether they belonged in the Shire is wholly open to conjecture, but as traders, they may have had folk to buy and sell from/to on both sides of the river.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Chapter 19 - A Struggle in the Moonlight
~*~The Prancing Pony, Bree~*~
Merry moved the washbasin closer to the bed and lay the clean cloths atop it carefully. He stood staring at them, wondering why they were needed. The thoughts that flooded his mind were terrible and he tried to shut them out. The corner of the room had begun to look like the healer's rooms at Brandy Hall, ready to receive a patient who was sick or - or injured.
Saradoc tended the fire at the hearth and placed a kettle full of water nearby, ready to be heated at a moment's notice. He felt terrible guilt for not accompanying Bilbo and Aiden on their errand, but he knew it was wiser for him to remain at the inn. He couldn't leave Merry there by himself, for the lad had already proven himself willing to follow others into danger even if he had been ordered not to.
He turned from the fireplace, meeting Merry's gaze. "I'm scared," Merry told him simply. "I'm afraid they won't find Frodo, or they'll find him but too late. I'm scared that something bad will happen to them. " He sat on the bed and smoothed the covers carefully, not looking up.
"I know, Merry lad." Saradoc seated himself next to his son. "I'm scared too."
"You are?" Merry did look up at those words, the last ones he expected to hear from his father. His father was the Master of Buckland, and a bastion of strength and iron will. He kept order at the Hall with a fair but firm hand, and commanded the respect of all who knew him.
"I would be a fool were I not," Saradoc replied. "Fear is a natural response, Merry. Everyone feels it, and it is nothing to be ashamed of." He looked directly into his son's eyes. "It is important that fear does not overwhelm hope at times like these."
Merry nodded and sat up a little straighter. Fear must not overwhelm hope. And there was still hope, wasn't there? There had to be!
"Hope with me, Meriadoc. Frodo will return to us." Merry spoke nothing further. He and his father sat together, Saradoc's arm around Merry's shoulders. Their thoughts and hearts went out from them, through the darkened streets of Bree to an unnamed location where they knew something was happening in their absence.
~*~
"I swear, that halfling ain't such a bargain after all," Gavin groused. "He's got himself a mighty big attitude for such a little rat." He paced the floor, looking displeased.
"Don't be worried," Fergus counseled him. "It might take a while to break 'im in, but 'e's gonna get tired o' lackin' fer food an' comfort." Fergus took a prodigious swallow of his ale.
"You'd better be right, you ale sponge," Gavin said, glowering. "I don't intend on stayin' in Bree for the winter just waiting for that creature to fall in line. He'd better learn the order of things right quick, if he knows what's good for him." His pacing took him near the window and he paused, gazing through the layers of grime that had accumulated on the pane.
"See somethin'?" Fergus asked, hoping for a negative answer. It was fairly warm in the house and he'd a fresh ale on the table. It would be a shame to have to go out into the cold now.
"Might be nothing, but let's check it out," Gavin said, still staring out the window. "Thought I saw something moving out there."
Dammit, Fergus thought sourly. Back out into the cold, and for what? To run a stray dog off the property, more than likely. He grabbed his dagger and stomped to the door. Might as well be the first one out. Maybe then he'd be the first one back in as well.
~*~
The cellar was barred by a thick wooden crossbeam, and it took Aiden a moment to wrestle it aside. It fell to the ground with a heavy thump, scattering dewdrops from the grass as it landed.
Bilbo and Aiden glanced at each other and each of them grasped the handle of one of the heavy wooden doors. They began to pull them open, peering intently into the darkness beyond. "Frodo!" Bilbo hissed into the darkness. "Frodo, lad, are you there?"
In the darkness of the cellar, Frodo stirred at the sound of the voice calling to him from atop the stairs. His mind was foggy with pain and it seemed to him the voice was coming from a long way off. Maybe he was dreaming. Yes, dreaming. That had to be it.
It had almost sounded like Bilbo's voice, but that was absurd. Bilbo wasn't there. How could he be? Frodo was sure that everyone he loved could not possibly be farther from him than they were at that moment. Bilbo, Merry, Aiden, his parents - they were all memories, nothing more.
The moonlight shining down above and behind Aiden and Bilbo only lit the first two stairs going down into the cellar. As Bilbo took a cautious step forward, intending to descend the stairs to confront whatever lay in the darkness below, the moonlight dimmed as something blocked it.
Bilbo and Aiden whirled to find Fergus standing before them with a sneer on his face and his dagger drawn and ready. It glinted brightly in the moonlight as he brandished it. Running out of the house with his sword already unsheathed was Gavin, and he was making for them with an enraged snarl.
"Don't ye know when ye've 'ad enough?" Fergus sneered at Aiden. "I should've sliced yer throat when I 'ad the chance," he said with a nasty grin. "I won't be turnin' away a second opportunity, mind ye."
With that, the ruffian lunged forward, making a swipe at Aiden with the dagger. As he danced back out of Fergus' reach, Aiden unsheathed the old sword and held it in a fairly decent imitation of a defensive position.
"I've had enough, all right!" Aiden's words were at least as sharp as the blade he held. "Enough of seeing that innocent lad harmed. You will release him to us immediately!"
As Fergus laughed in derision, Bilbo turned to face the oncoming threat of the other man. It was hardly a fair fight, a man against an aging hobbit, but Bilbo was surprisingly quick for his age, and ducked Gavin's first swing of the blade.
"Outta the way, old fool! I'll have your head mounted on my wall for your interference!" Gavin was glaring down at Bilbo and swung again, rather clumsily, in Bilbo's opinion. Perhaps the man had been drinking or was accustomed to fighting someone his own size.
"I would dearly love to see you try, you filthy wretch," Bilbo shot back, ducking and weaving nimbly. The dagger flashed in his hand. "Give me the boy, now. He is not yours to hold."
"I'll give you a taste of steel, you doddering old rodent," Gavin growled. He swung the blade again as the two circled each other warily.
Aiden had managed to evade Fergus so far, but the knave was quick. Fergus swung a fist and caught the merchant in the chin with a glancing blow. In the split second that Aiden's eyes were off him, the ruffian's knife flashed in his other hand.
Aiden saw it just in time out of the corner of his eye, and dodged aside. The knife nearly missed him, merely clipping his upper arm. He hissed in pain as the sharp blade sliced through fabric and skin, and blood began to trickle from the wound.
"Keep it up, fancy man," Fergus taunted him. "I'm only playin' wi' ye right now, but I could decide to get serious." Fergus swung the knife again, and it glanced off the old sword as Aiden parried the blow. In an instant, Fergus suited action to words, using his free hand to grab Aiden's wrist and twist it hard.
Aiden grunted and the sword fell from his hand as Fergus' fingers pressed down hard into his wrist. Fergus kicked the fallen sword away, and the combat became hand - to - hand as Aiden was disarmed. Both grappled with each other for possession of the dagger, Fergus knocking Aiden to the ground and pouncing on him, driving the point of the dagger closer and closer to the man's throat as Aiden resisted.
His wounded arm had less strength than he had hoped. He punched Fergus in the face, the blow sending a shock wave of pain coursing through the injured limb. Fergus seemed barely to notice, although the impact did cause him to drop the dagger momentarily. He retaliated with vicious blow that made Aiden's vision blur momentarily. Grasping the dagger again, Fergus bore down on his opponent in fury, and Aiden barely managed to keep his assailant's blade from reaching its mark.
Bilbo and Gavin were still trading insults and advances, but neither one seemed able to strike the other with his blade. Gavin's sword gave him the superior reach, but Bilbo always managed to duck, sidestep or parry. The dagger the hobbit held was too short to get him past the menacing sword that always came back to its position between them. They squared off, Bilbo standing between Gavin and the doors of the cellar.
Gavin swung the sword viciously, and Bilbo ducked the blade. The man kicked outward and his boot caught Bilbo in the leg, dropping the hobbit to the ground. Gavin was about to swing again when something made him stop and look up.
As Aiden struggled to keep the sharp point of the dagger from piercing his throat, steel flashed in the moonlight and the tip of a sword slipped neatly between the two combatants, resting lightly against Fergus' neck.
"Give it up, Fergus. You may not have been outmatched before, but you certainly are now." Aiden looked up in shock at the smiling face of Dolan who was standing over them. "What are you looking at?" the dark - haired man asked, not really expecting Aiden to answer him.
Fergus backed away at the point of Dolan's blade, a look of astonishment and hatred flooding his features. "I knew ye'd turn," he spat. "Disloyal bast - "
The rest of the sentence was drowned out by Gavin's bellow of rage. Frenzied in his anger, the man kicked Bilbo solidly, causing the aged hobbit to cry out and roll to the side. In the very next instant, the man dashed past the fallen hobbit and reached the cellar doors. He bolted down the stairs two at a time.
Roused by the commotion, Frodo looked up as Gavin grabbed him by the back of his collar. Frodo screamed into the gag in protest and agony as he was dragged upward. Gavin slashed the bonds at his ankles and hauled him up the stairs roughly, snarling like a ferocious beast.
When they emerged into the moonlight, Frodo's eyes widened in disbelief. Bilbo was there, and Aiden! His friend was not dead as he feared, and Bilbo had come for him! Hope surged through him despite the pain and fear he felt. He caught sight of Dolan and confusion washed over him. What was he doing there? Was he there to help Fergus and Gavin? No, that couldn't be it. Dolan was pointing the tip of his sword in Fergus' face, not Aiden's. Before Frodo could adequately assimilate the strange turn of events, he was shaken back to the moment roughly by Gavin.
"Here's your precious little rat, fellas," the ruffian rumbled as he pushed Frodo forward to stand before him. "Give up, or he's dead." He held the sharp edge of the dagger against Frodo's pale throat.
Bilbo had regained his feet and stared in shock as the man gripped Frodo and held him by the arm with one hand, keeping the blade of a knife to his throat with the other. Time seemed suspended as the eyes of both hobbits met. Bilbo had never seen such fear and pain in anyone's eyes before.
In horror and panic, he nearly shouted Frodo's name, but thought better of it as his senses steadied themselves. He had to get Frodo away from his captor, and he knew of only one way. His hand brushed the fabric of his weskit, feeling the familiar shape of a hard, round little object in the pocket.
The ring! His magic ring, with which he had slipped unseen past Gollum in the cave, and captured treasure from a dragon's lair. Bilbo stepped backward and away from Gavin, who seemed to focus his attention upon the other men. Perhaps he felt that an old hobbit wasn't much of a threat.
Slipping into the shadows nearby, Bilbo pulled the ring from his pocket and slid it onto his finger when neither Gavin nor Fergus were looking in his direction. Unseen by his enemies and allies alike, the hobbit advanced slowly toward Frodo's captor with his dagger drawn. If Frodo had just seen his favorite relative disappear before his eyes, he gave no sign.
"I'll kill the miserable little imp," Gavin threatened, eyeing the men before him. Aiden had climbed to his feet, while Dolan continued to hold Fergus at bay with his sword. "I'll slice his throat right here, and you can watch him bleed to death."
Everyone stood still, not daring to move. The sharp blade hovered barely an inch from Frodo's neck, and one wrong move could prove disastrous. Gavin had begun to back away toward the house, dragging Frodo with him. Aiden dared a step forward, cautiously following.
"Please, I beg you," he said, holding both hands out before him, palms upward to show he was unarmed. "Harm him no further. Surely you can see, he is but a young lad - "
Gavin tightened his grip on Frodo and pointed the dagger in Aiden's direction. "He's not any of your concern," Gavin spat. "I'm takin' him with me, now. If you try to stop me, I'll finish him off, and you'll be next."
Frodo looked at Aiden with unfocused eyes. If not for Gavin's grip on him, he would have fallen. He couldn't speak with the gag in his mouth, but he tried to let his eyes convey his thoughts. ~No. Go back! Please don't put yourself in danger for me anymore!~
Aiden moved forward another step. "If you touch him with that blade, you shall have to kill me." There was resolve and fury in the young merchant's eyes as he faced his foe. "Failing that, you shall not see another day."
What happened next was a blur of movement and sound. As Gavin backed away another step, he seemed to trip over something, yet nothing was there. The ruffian fell backward with a yell of surprise, releasing Frodo and dropping the dagger. Frodo, weakened by hunger and pain, dropped to the ground and lay still.
Aiden dove toward Frodo, intending to pull him to safety. Gavin was rolling on the ground, attempting to right himself. Suddenly aware that he was losing the battle, he reached out for the only thing he could use to stop his enemies.
Gavin's hand closed around Frodo's ankle as he dragged him back out of Aiden's reach. With his other hand, the ruffian scooped up his fallen dagger and threw it at the other man. Aiden collapsed as the blade struck him, biting deeply into his left shoulder.
Frodo felt hands close around his throat and begin to squeeze. He was defenseless against them, with his own hands still bound. He struggled weakly against the pressure and fought for air. Still gagged, he arched his head back trying to breathe through his nose.
"You won't have him," Gavin shouted as he continued to strangle Frodo. "Your meddling has cost him his life!" Frodo was in serious distress, unable to draw even the slightest breath.
"NO!" Aiden cried in desperation, crawling forward using his good arm for balance. The look of sheer terror in Frodo's wide eyes froze his soul.
Dolan had been watching the whole scene out of the corner of his eye as he held Fergus at bay. He drew back his fist and slammed it into Fergus' temple, knocking him down. Satisfied that Fergus wasn't about to get up, he turned and took several steps toward Gavin and Frodo. He need not have bothered.
Aiden and Dolan gaped in open astonishment as Gavin suddenly released his hold on Frodo and reeled backward, blood streaming from his nose. Some unseen force seemed to assault the big man, raining blow after blow upon him.
Bilbo removed the ring from his finger and gasps of disbelief sounded around him. He held the blade of the dagger against Gavin's throat as the man looked at him in stunned silence. Leaning close to Gavin's bloodied face, Bilbo smiled grimly. "Boo." He said.
Dropping his sword beside Aiden, Dolan rushed forward to Bilbo's aid. "I don't know how you did that, old fellow, and I'm not sure I want to," he remarked as he yanked the gag off and severed Frodo's bonds with the hobbit's dagger. Bilbo turned his attention solely to Frodo, gathering the limp form of the young hobbit into his arms while Dolan used the discarded rope to bind Gavin's hands. Gavin was in no condition to protest, having gotten the worst of Bilbo's accurate fists in his face.
Aiden had managed to right himself and stood unsteadily, holding the sword over Fergus with his good hand as Dolan shoved Gavin down the stairs of the cellar. Fergus was next, his hands bound with his own bootlaces. As Dolan secured the cellar doors with the crossbeam, Aiden joined Bilbo as the elderly hobbit pressed his ear to Frodo's chest.
"He's breathing!" Tears of relief flooded the eyes of man and hobbit alike. "Thank the Valar, he's alive!"
~*~To be continued~*~
Aelfgifu - Frodo is definitely experiencing some real misery right now. We have to save him! Merry fully expected to be going along to help the rescue party. Merry and Saradoc do certainly have a part to play, whether it's what you might think or no.
Krista - Fergus and Gavin are definitely not the type to give up without a ruckus. You will see Dolan again, and that's all I'm gonna say. Mean of me, but this chapter reveals all!
Camellia - Gamgee - Took - I like Aiden more and more too. He's just a nice guy, through and through.
Curious Cat - Saradoc will deal with Bargo and Reginard, rest assured. Redemption for Dolan? There is always hope!
Midgette - Bilbo definitely won't like what they've done to Frodo. Run? Oh, they had better run and hide!
Endymion - Bilbo would love to have Sting with him right now. True, he had no idea a routine visit to Buckland would end up like this! Poor Merry has a lot of forces arrayed against his youthful enthusiasm. Dolan is certainly experiencing something close to an attack of conscience. Don't tell him that, though. He'll deny it! Will Bilbo have to use the Ring? An intriguing possibility!
QTPie -2488 - Ah, reviewer of many chapters! Welcome back, I missed you! I don't think I could have handled it if Aiden had been killed either. I like him too! You had a feeling way back at chapter 15 that Dolan would be back? Good intuition! Gavin is way meaner than Dolan and Fergus were, certainly. Fergus has the potential for meanness, but his stupidity gets in the way.
FrodoBaggins1982 - Frodo can't help standing up for himself. He's just got that kind of spirit. And Bilbo has the Ring, all right!
GamgeeFest - Thanks for joining us and reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for the geography tip! That was never my best subject. I should have been clearer in explaining that the men were actually on the Shire side of the Brandywine when Bargo and Reginard met them earlier in the story. Whether they belonged in the Shire is wholly open to conjecture, but as traders, they may have had folk to buy and sell from/to on both sides of the river.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Chapter 19 - A Struggle in the Moonlight
~*~The Prancing Pony, Bree~*~
Merry moved the washbasin closer to the bed and lay the clean cloths atop it carefully. He stood staring at them, wondering why they were needed. The thoughts that flooded his mind were terrible and he tried to shut them out. The corner of the room had begun to look like the healer's rooms at Brandy Hall, ready to receive a patient who was sick or - or injured.
Saradoc tended the fire at the hearth and placed a kettle full of water nearby, ready to be heated at a moment's notice. He felt terrible guilt for not accompanying Bilbo and Aiden on their errand, but he knew it was wiser for him to remain at the inn. He couldn't leave Merry there by himself, for the lad had already proven himself willing to follow others into danger even if he had been ordered not to.
He turned from the fireplace, meeting Merry's gaze. "I'm scared," Merry told him simply. "I'm afraid they won't find Frodo, or they'll find him but too late. I'm scared that something bad will happen to them. " He sat on the bed and smoothed the covers carefully, not looking up.
"I know, Merry lad." Saradoc seated himself next to his son. "I'm scared too."
"You are?" Merry did look up at those words, the last ones he expected to hear from his father. His father was the Master of Buckland, and a bastion of strength and iron will. He kept order at the Hall with a fair but firm hand, and commanded the respect of all who knew him.
"I would be a fool were I not," Saradoc replied. "Fear is a natural response, Merry. Everyone feels it, and it is nothing to be ashamed of." He looked directly into his son's eyes. "It is important that fear does not overwhelm hope at times like these."
Merry nodded and sat up a little straighter. Fear must not overwhelm hope. And there was still hope, wasn't there? There had to be!
"Hope with me, Meriadoc. Frodo will return to us." Merry spoke nothing further. He and his father sat together, Saradoc's arm around Merry's shoulders. Their thoughts and hearts went out from them, through the darkened streets of Bree to an unnamed location where they knew something was happening in their absence.
~*~
"I swear, that halfling ain't such a bargain after all," Gavin groused. "He's got himself a mighty big attitude for such a little rat." He paced the floor, looking displeased.
"Don't be worried," Fergus counseled him. "It might take a while to break 'im in, but 'e's gonna get tired o' lackin' fer food an' comfort." Fergus took a prodigious swallow of his ale.
"You'd better be right, you ale sponge," Gavin said, glowering. "I don't intend on stayin' in Bree for the winter just waiting for that creature to fall in line. He'd better learn the order of things right quick, if he knows what's good for him." His pacing took him near the window and he paused, gazing through the layers of grime that had accumulated on the pane.
"See somethin'?" Fergus asked, hoping for a negative answer. It was fairly warm in the house and he'd a fresh ale on the table. It would be a shame to have to go out into the cold now.
"Might be nothing, but let's check it out," Gavin said, still staring out the window. "Thought I saw something moving out there."
Dammit, Fergus thought sourly. Back out into the cold, and for what? To run a stray dog off the property, more than likely. He grabbed his dagger and stomped to the door. Might as well be the first one out. Maybe then he'd be the first one back in as well.
~*~
The cellar was barred by a thick wooden crossbeam, and it took Aiden a moment to wrestle it aside. It fell to the ground with a heavy thump, scattering dewdrops from the grass as it landed.
Bilbo and Aiden glanced at each other and each of them grasped the handle of one of the heavy wooden doors. They began to pull them open, peering intently into the darkness beyond. "Frodo!" Bilbo hissed into the darkness. "Frodo, lad, are you there?"
In the darkness of the cellar, Frodo stirred at the sound of the voice calling to him from atop the stairs. His mind was foggy with pain and it seemed to him the voice was coming from a long way off. Maybe he was dreaming. Yes, dreaming. That had to be it.
It had almost sounded like Bilbo's voice, but that was absurd. Bilbo wasn't there. How could he be? Frodo was sure that everyone he loved could not possibly be farther from him than they were at that moment. Bilbo, Merry, Aiden, his parents - they were all memories, nothing more.
The moonlight shining down above and behind Aiden and Bilbo only lit the first two stairs going down into the cellar. As Bilbo took a cautious step forward, intending to descend the stairs to confront whatever lay in the darkness below, the moonlight dimmed as something blocked it.
Bilbo and Aiden whirled to find Fergus standing before them with a sneer on his face and his dagger drawn and ready. It glinted brightly in the moonlight as he brandished it. Running out of the house with his sword already unsheathed was Gavin, and he was making for them with an enraged snarl.
"Don't ye know when ye've 'ad enough?" Fergus sneered at Aiden. "I should've sliced yer throat when I 'ad the chance," he said with a nasty grin. "I won't be turnin' away a second opportunity, mind ye."
With that, the ruffian lunged forward, making a swipe at Aiden with the dagger. As he danced back out of Fergus' reach, Aiden unsheathed the old sword and held it in a fairly decent imitation of a defensive position.
"I've had enough, all right!" Aiden's words were at least as sharp as the blade he held. "Enough of seeing that innocent lad harmed. You will release him to us immediately!"
As Fergus laughed in derision, Bilbo turned to face the oncoming threat of the other man. It was hardly a fair fight, a man against an aging hobbit, but Bilbo was surprisingly quick for his age, and ducked Gavin's first swing of the blade.
"Outta the way, old fool! I'll have your head mounted on my wall for your interference!" Gavin was glaring down at Bilbo and swung again, rather clumsily, in Bilbo's opinion. Perhaps the man had been drinking or was accustomed to fighting someone his own size.
"I would dearly love to see you try, you filthy wretch," Bilbo shot back, ducking and weaving nimbly. The dagger flashed in his hand. "Give me the boy, now. He is not yours to hold."
"I'll give you a taste of steel, you doddering old rodent," Gavin growled. He swung the blade again as the two circled each other warily.
Aiden had managed to evade Fergus so far, but the knave was quick. Fergus swung a fist and caught the merchant in the chin with a glancing blow. In the split second that Aiden's eyes were off him, the ruffian's knife flashed in his other hand.
Aiden saw it just in time out of the corner of his eye, and dodged aside. The knife nearly missed him, merely clipping his upper arm. He hissed in pain as the sharp blade sliced through fabric and skin, and blood began to trickle from the wound.
"Keep it up, fancy man," Fergus taunted him. "I'm only playin' wi' ye right now, but I could decide to get serious." Fergus swung the knife again, and it glanced off the old sword as Aiden parried the blow. In an instant, Fergus suited action to words, using his free hand to grab Aiden's wrist and twist it hard.
Aiden grunted and the sword fell from his hand as Fergus' fingers pressed down hard into his wrist. Fergus kicked the fallen sword away, and the combat became hand - to - hand as Aiden was disarmed. Both grappled with each other for possession of the dagger, Fergus knocking Aiden to the ground and pouncing on him, driving the point of the dagger closer and closer to the man's throat as Aiden resisted.
His wounded arm had less strength than he had hoped. He punched Fergus in the face, the blow sending a shock wave of pain coursing through the injured limb. Fergus seemed barely to notice, although the impact did cause him to drop the dagger momentarily. He retaliated with vicious blow that made Aiden's vision blur momentarily. Grasping the dagger again, Fergus bore down on his opponent in fury, and Aiden barely managed to keep his assailant's blade from reaching its mark.
Bilbo and Gavin were still trading insults and advances, but neither one seemed able to strike the other with his blade. Gavin's sword gave him the superior reach, but Bilbo always managed to duck, sidestep or parry. The dagger the hobbit held was too short to get him past the menacing sword that always came back to its position between them. They squared off, Bilbo standing between Gavin and the doors of the cellar.
Gavin swung the sword viciously, and Bilbo ducked the blade. The man kicked outward and his boot caught Bilbo in the leg, dropping the hobbit to the ground. Gavin was about to swing again when something made him stop and look up.
As Aiden struggled to keep the sharp point of the dagger from piercing his throat, steel flashed in the moonlight and the tip of a sword slipped neatly between the two combatants, resting lightly against Fergus' neck.
"Give it up, Fergus. You may not have been outmatched before, but you certainly are now." Aiden looked up in shock at the smiling face of Dolan who was standing over them. "What are you looking at?" the dark - haired man asked, not really expecting Aiden to answer him.
Fergus backed away at the point of Dolan's blade, a look of astonishment and hatred flooding his features. "I knew ye'd turn," he spat. "Disloyal bast - "
The rest of the sentence was drowned out by Gavin's bellow of rage. Frenzied in his anger, the man kicked Bilbo solidly, causing the aged hobbit to cry out and roll to the side. In the very next instant, the man dashed past the fallen hobbit and reached the cellar doors. He bolted down the stairs two at a time.
Roused by the commotion, Frodo looked up as Gavin grabbed him by the back of his collar. Frodo screamed into the gag in protest and agony as he was dragged upward. Gavin slashed the bonds at his ankles and hauled him up the stairs roughly, snarling like a ferocious beast.
When they emerged into the moonlight, Frodo's eyes widened in disbelief. Bilbo was there, and Aiden! His friend was not dead as he feared, and Bilbo had come for him! Hope surged through him despite the pain and fear he felt. He caught sight of Dolan and confusion washed over him. What was he doing there? Was he there to help Fergus and Gavin? No, that couldn't be it. Dolan was pointing the tip of his sword in Fergus' face, not Aiden's. Before Frodo could adequately assimilate the strange turn of events, he was shaken back to the moment roughly by Gavin.
"Here's your precious little rat, fellas," the ruffian rumbled as he pushed Frodo forward to stand before him. "Give up, or he's dead." He held the sharp edge of the dagger against Frodo's pale throat.
Bilbo had regained his feet and stared in shock as the man gripped Frodo and held him by the arm with one hand, keeping the blade of a knife to his throat with the other. Time seemed suspended as the eyes of both hobbits met. Bilbo had never seen such fear and pain in anyone's eyes before.
In horror and panic, he nearly shouted Frodo's name, but thought better of it as his senses steadied themselves. He had to get Frodo away from his captor, and he knew of only one way. His hand brushed the fabric of his weskit, feeling the familiar shape of a hard, round little object in the pocket.
The ring! His magic ring, with which he had slipped unseen past Gollum in the cave, and captured treasure from a dragon's lair. Bilbo stepped backward and away from Gavin, who seemed to focus his attention upon the other men. Perhaps he felt that an old hobbit wasn't much of a threat.
Slipping into the shadows nearby, Bilbo pulled the ring from his pocket and slid it onto his finger when neither Gavin nor Fergus were looking in his direction. Unseen by his enemies and allies alike, the hobbit advanced slowly toward Frodo's captor with his dagger drawn. If Frodo had just seen his favorite relative disappear before his eyes, he gave no sign.
"I'll kill the miserable little imp," Gavin threatened, eyeing the men before him. Aiden had climbed to his feet, while Dolan continued to hold Fergus at bay with his sword. "I'll slice his throat right here, and you can watch him bleed to death."
Everyone stood still, not daring to move. The sharp blade hovered barely an inch from Frodo's neck, and one wrong move could prove disastrous. Gavin had begun to back away toward the house, dragging Frodo with him. Aiden dared a step forward, cautiously following.
"Please, I beg you," he said, holding both hands out before him, palms upward to show he was unarmed. "Harm him no further. Surely you can see, he is but a young lad - "
Gavin tightened his grip on Frodo and pointed the dagger in Aiden's direction. "He's not any of your concern," Gavin spat. "I'm takin' him with me, now. If you try to stop me, I'll finish him off, and you'll be next."
Frodo looked at Aiden with unfocused eyes. If not for Gavin's grip on him, he would have fallen. He couldn't speak with the gag in his mouth, but he tried to let his eyes convey his thoughts. ~No. Go back! Please don't put yourself in danger for me anymore!~
Aiden moved forward another step. "If you touch him with that blade, you shall have to kill me." There was resolve and fury in the young merchant's eyes as he faced his foe. "Failing that, you shall not see another day."
What happened next was a blur of movement and sound. As Gavin backed away another step, he seemed to trip over something, yet nothing was there. The ruffian fell backward with a yell of surprise, releasing Frodo and dropping the dagger. Frodo, weakened by hunger and pain, dropped to the ground and lay still.
Aiden dove toward Frodo, intending to pull him to safety. Gavin was rolling on the ground, attempting to right himself. Suddenly aware that he was losing the battle, he reached out for the only thing he could use to stop his enemies.
Gavin's hand closed around Frodo's ankle as he dragged him back out of Aiden's reach. With his other hand, the ruffian scooped up his fallen dagger and threw it at the other man. Aiden collapsed as the blade struck him, biting deeply into his left shoulder.
Frodo felt hands close around his throat and begin to squeeze. He was defenseless against them, with his own hands still bound. He struggled weakly against the pressure and fought for air. Still gagged, he arched his head back trying to breathe through his nose.
"You won't have him," Gavin shouted as he continued to strangle Frodo. "Your meddling has cost him his life!" Frodo was in serious distress, unable to draw even the slightest breath.
"NO!" Aiden cried in desperation, crawling forward using his good arm for balance. The look of sheer terror in Frodo's wide eyes froze his soul.
Dolan had been watching the whole scene out of the corner of his eye as he held Fergus at bay. He drew back his fist and slammed it into Fergus' temple, knocking him down. Satisfied that Fergus wasn't about to get up, he turned and took several steps toward Gavin and Frodo. He need not have bothered.
Aiden and Dolan gaped in open astonishment as Gavin suddenly released his hold on Frodo and reeled backward, blood streaming from his nose. Some unseen force seemed to assault the big man, raining blow after blow upon him.
Bilbo removed the ring from his finger and gasps of disbelief sounded around him. He held the blade of the dagger against Gavin's throat as the man looked at him in stunned silence. Leaning close to Gavin's bloodied face, Bilbo smiled grimly. "Boo." He said.
Dropping his sword beside Aiden, Dolan rushed forward to Bilbo's aid. "I don't know how you did that, old fellow, and I'm not sure I want to," he remarked as he yanked the gag off and severed Frodo's bonds with the hobbit's dagger. Bilbo turned his attention solely to Frodo, gathering the limp form of the young hobbit into his arms while Dolan used the discarded rope to bind Gavin's hands. Gavin was in no condition to protest, having gotten the worst of Bilbo's accurate fists in his face.
Aiden had managed to right himself and stood unsteadily, holding the sword over Fergus with his good hand as Dolan shoved Gavin down the stairs of the cellar. Fergus was next, his hands bound with his own bootlaces. As Dolan secured the cellar doors with the crossbeam, Aiden joined Bilbo as the elderly hobbit pressed his ear to Frodo's chest.
"He's breathing!" Tears of relief flooded the eyes of man and hobbit alike. "Thank the Valar, he's alive!"
~*~To be continued~*~