Chapter Nine: Mornië Utulië ["Darkness Has Come"]

Written by Carithawen

Writer's notes: Again, a mixture of movie scenarios along with my own. Will I ever write a chapter just by my own? ; )

Gandalf and Elfindel sat at the kitchen table, while Frodo made tea.

Gandalf glanced at the ring on the table before him. "This is the One Ring… forged by the Dark Lord, Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom, taken by Isildur from the hand of Sauron himself."

Frodo turned around. "Bilbo found it… In Gollum's cave."

"Yes… For 60 years the Ring lay quiet, in Bilbo's keeping, prolonging his life, delaying old age. But no longer, Frodo. Evil is stirring in Mordor. The Ring has awoken. It's heard its master's call."

"But he was destroyed," Frodo said, almost questionably. "Sauron was destroyed." Dark whispers suddenly sounded from the Ring, and all three pairs of eyes looked down upon it.

Gandalf whispered, "No, Frodo… The spirit of Sauron endured. His life force is bound to the Ring, and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned… His Orcs have multiplied, his fortress of Barad-dûr is rebuilt in the land of Mordor. Sauron needs only this Ring to cover all the lands in a second darkness. He is seeking it. Seeking it, all his thought is bent on it. The Ring yearns above all else to return to the hand of its master…" He glanced at Elfindel, before continuing, "They are one. The Ring, and the Dark Lord. Frodo - he must never find it!"

Frodo grabbed the empty envelope, placing the Ring inside, and hurried into the next room, as though he was seeking a place to hide it. "All right… We put it away. We keep it hidden. We never speak of it again! No one knows it's here, do they?" Gandalf and Elfindel remained uncomfortably silent.

Frodo turned around fearfully. "…Do they, Gandalf?"

Elfindel placed her eyes on Gandalf as he spoke. "There is one other that knew that Bilbo had the Ring… I looked everywhere for the creature Gollum… But the enemy found him first. …I don't know how long they tortured him for… But amidst the endless screams and inane babble, they discerned two words that gave them all the clues that they needed to find the Ring's hiding place…"

Frodo thought long and hard for a moment. Then his eyes suddenly widened, and his voice hinted horror. "Shire! Baggins?! But that would lead them here!"

Frodo held up the Ring to Gandalf, urging desperately. "Take it Gandalf! Take it!"

Gandalf backed away fearfully, the same amount of fear in his voice. "No, Frodo!"

Frodo continued urgently, "You must take it!"

Gandalf spoke firmly, yet still fearfully. "You cannot offer me this Ring!"

Frodo spoke still desperately. "I'm giving it to you!"

"DON'T ... tempt me, Frodo!"

Frodo lowered his hand, glancing quickly at Elfindel. Before he could make a move to offer it to her, Gandalf spoke. "I dare not take it… Not even to keep it safe… Understand, Frodo, I would use this Ring from a desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine…"

"But it cannot stay in the Shire!" Frodo countered.

"No! …No it can't…"

Frodo closed his hand over the Ring, silent for a long moment before speaking. "What must I do?"

A cupboard door creaked, and Frodo took some food out of it, packing to leave.

"You must leave," said Gandalf, handing clothes to him. "And leave quickly."

"Where?" Frodo asked. "Where do I go?"

"Get out of the Shire. Elfindel will accompany you as you make for the village of Bree."

"Bree..." Frodo breathed. "What about you?"

"I'll be waiting for you and Elfindel," Gandalf answered, "at the inn of the Prancing Pony."

"And the Ring will be safe there?" the hobbit asked.

"I don't know, Frodo… I don't have any answers. I must see the head of my order. He is both wise, and powerful. Trust me, Frodo. He'll know what to do…" Frodo closed his bag as he continued. "You'll have to leave the name of Baggins behind you, for that name is not safe outside the Shire..." He spoke to both him and Elfindel. "Travel only by day, and stay off the road."

"I can cut across country easily enough…" Frodo said, as he placed the bag on his shoulders, ready.

Gandalf sighed, smiling gently. "My dear Frodo… Hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years, they can still surprise you." Suddenly, a clicking noise sounded from the window. Gandalf and Elfindel quickly turned their heads to glance at it. "Get down!" Gandalf whispered to Frodo. He took hold of his staff, slowly moving towards the window. He suddenly jolts his staff out of the window, hitting something hard below, a barely audible moan sounding from the outside quickly after. Quickly, Gandalf leant out of window, grabbing whatever made that noise, sending the form flying through the window and onto the kitchen table, knocking over everything that was on it. It turned out to be a young, frightened, male hobbit… a familiar one at that. "Confound it all, Samwise Gamgee!" Gandalf boomed. "Have you been eavesdropping?"

"I-I haven't been dropping no eaves, sir… honest!" Sam managed to gasp out. "I was just cutting the grass under the window there, if you follow me."

Gandalf eyed him suspiciously. "A little late for trimming the verge, don't you think? What did you hear? SPEAK!"

"N-n-n-nothing important!" Sam cried out. "That is… I heard a good deal about a ring, Dark Lord, and something about the end of the world, but-- please Mr. Gandalf, sir, please don't hurt me… Don't turn me into anything-unnatural..."

"No... Perhaps not..." The wizard turned to Frodo and Elfindel, who ere both grinning slightly at each other, feeling sorry for Sam. Gandalf turned back to Sam, whispering. "I've thought of a better use for you."

The next day, at dawn, Gandalf led his horse into the woods, with Elfindel, now dressed in her forest-colored travelling outfit, Frodo, and Sam following close behind him.

"Come along, Samwise, keep up!" Gandalf called to the trailing hobbit, who was carrying a load heavier than his own body weight. The group paused, and Gandalf turned to them. "Be careful, all three of you…" He turned to Elfindel. "The enemy has many spies in his service: Birds, beasts..." He turned to Frodo. "Is it safe?" Frodo placed his hand over his secure coat pocket, showing Gandalf that the Ring was hidden.

Gandalf nodded once. "Never put it on, for the agent of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power… Always remember, Frodo. The Ring is trying to get back to its master. It wants to be found." With that last word, Gandalf galloped off on his horse into the woods. Birds began to screech. Without delay, Elfindel, Sam, and Frodo set off.

They traveled long across the countryside, through North Farthing, past Overhill… After some time, they came to a field, with knee-high (to the hobbits) crops.

Samwise stopped. "This is it."

Frodo turned, and so did Elfindel. "This is what?" Frodo asked.

"If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been," Sam answered.

Both Frodo and Elfindel grinned softly, as Frodo approached him. "Come on, Sam…"

Sam took that slow step forward, and he sighed (perhaps in relief?) as he did so.

Frodo placed his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Remember what Bilbo used to say…?"

All three of them continued walking as Frodo continued, "It's a dangerous business..., going out your door. You step out onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

***

Samwise walked through a path between rows of tall (considerably taller than himself) corn, searching eagerly for the rest of the group that he got separated from. Sam called worriedly, "Mr. Frodo? Elfindel? Frodo? FRODO?!"

Suddenly, Frodo and Elfindel emerged from the corn stalks, and Sam sighed loudly in relief. "I thought I'd lost you," the gardener breathed

"What are you talking about?" Frodo asked.

Sam approached them slowly. "It's just something Gandalf said…"

"What did he say?" Frodo asked.

"Don't you lose them, Samwise Gamgee… And I don't mean to." Both Frodo and Elfindel grinned halfly, as they both closer approached Sam.

"Sam, we're still in the Shire," Frodo said. "What could possibly happen?" Suddenly, as if in answer, Merry and Pippin come out from the corn stalks, running from something, or someone. Not noticing the three in their path, they rammed into them, sending them all careening to the ground, even Elfindel, who had her legs rammed into.

Pippin shook his head, shaking off his daze. Finally opening his eyes, he realized that he fell on Frodo. "Frodo! Merry- It's Frodo Baggins!" he exclaimed, turning to his comrade.

"Hello, Frodo!" Merry looked forward, noticing that he careened into the Elf maiden. "And Elfindel!"

Pippin did a double-take. "…And w-who-?"

Sam stood up, and grabbed Pippin, heaving him off Frodo. "Get off him! Come on, Frodo."

Frodo straightened his shirt after he was helped up. "What's the meaning of this?"

Merry finally stood up, off of Elfindel, and out of his temporary daze. He turned to Sam. "Hold these-" He placed an armful of cabbages into Sam's arms.

Sam gasped. "You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!"

Barking was suddenly heard, along with Farmer Maggot's angered voice behind it. "Oi! You get back here! Get out of my fields! You know what's gonna happen when I catch up with you?"

"Run!" Merry yelled, and all of them dashed into the corn stalk...

All except for Sam, who stood still, holding the cabbages and carrots. "Oh....!" He quickly dropped the goods to the ground and quickly followed the others into the cover of Farmer Maggot's crop.

Merry yelled to them as they dashed through the crops. "I don't know why he's so upset! It's only a couple of carrots-!"

"-And some cabbages!" Pippin added. "And then those three bags of potatoes we lifted last week, and-and the mushrooms, the week before!

"Yes, Pippin," Merry replied back to him. "My point is, he's clearly overreacting! Run!"

They did nothing but run. Soon, they came to the edge of a steep slope. Elfindel, Pippin, Merry, and Frodo tried to keep their balance, and almost managed, but then Sam rammed into the back of Frodo, causing them all to fall down the slope. Elfindel landed first, then Frodo, Pippin (who landed just inches away from a pile of manure), Merry, then Sam.

"Oh," Pippin breathed. "That was close!"

"Ahhh… Ohhh…." Merry groaned. "I think I've broken something…" He pulled out a broken carrot from underneath him.

Sam raised himself off the pile. "Trust a Brandybuck and a Took!"

Merry sat up. "What? It was just a detour. A shortcut!"

"A shortcut to what?" Sam asked angrily.

Pippin suddenly spotted something worth while on the ground ahead of them. "Mushrooms!!" Sam, Pippin, and Merry stood up quickly, running to the patch of mushrooms. They quickly started to put some mushrooms into a bag.

"Take that one...!" Merry instructed.

"That's mine...!" Pippin announced. "Mmmm... Here's a nice one, Sam!"

Frodo stood up, giving Elfindel a hand to stand up. Elfindel brushed herself off. When her eyes were lowered to observe her tunic shirt, she noticed a path on the ground… and they were standing on it. She turned to Frodo, whispering. "Frodo! Look!"

Frodo glanced at the path, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He quickly turned to the other hobbits. "I think we should get off the road…"

Suddenly, the sound of a horse neighing was heard, and the leaves rustled on the ground as if upswept by a sudden gust of wind.

Frodo's eyes widened. "Get off the road! QUICK!"

Elfindel and Frodo hurried off the road, followed by the other hobbits. They found a hiding place under the roots of a tree, Elfindel having to closely duck into the tree to be obscured from view. Merry and Pippin began to fight over the bag of mushrooms.

Sam turned to them angrily. "Be quiet!" he whispered.

All became quiet as a rider in black robes mounted on a dark horse trotted slowly to the place on the road in which they jumped. He dismounted and walked towards their hiding place, bending down, sniffing. Frodo closed his eyes, and took out the Ring, and as he did so, the rider turned his hooded and shadowed face towards him. Frodo held the Ring near to his finger, preparing to put it on, but Sam soon noticed, and tapped him firmly on the shoulder. Frodo opened his eyes, and quickly put the Ring away, and as he does, the Rider looked away. Merry threw the bag of mushrooms off into the distance, creating a loud rustle in the bushes far from them, and the rider moved towards it. Soon after, the Elf and the hobbits bolt from their hiding place and ran. As soon as they were at a safe distance, they all stopped running. Merry collapsed onto the ground. "What was that?" he said, out of breath. Frodo did not answer, but took out the Ring, holding it in the palm of his hand.

* * *

They were running again. Darkness had fallen, and they were encompassed by woodland. They all slowed. "Anything?" Merry asked.

"Nothing!" Frodo quickly answered.

Pippin stopped altogether, halting beside Elfindel, who was listening with her Elven ears. "What is going on…?"

Merry approached Frodo from behind. "That Black Rider was looking for something. Or someone... Frodo?" Frodo turned around to face Merry.

"Get down!" Pippin suddenly shouted urgently. All of them hit the floor, and, through the trees, they saw a dark rider in the distance.

"I have to leave the Shire," Frodo whispered. "Sam, Elfindel, and I must get to Bree."

Merry nodded slowly. "Right... Buckleberry Ferry. Follow me!" They all began to follow Merry, but they were quickly cut short, when a dark rider rode up in front of them.

"Watch out!" Pippin exclaimed.

"Run! Frodo, this way!" Merry exclaimed. "Follow me! Frodo! Hurry! Run! Frodo!" They broke into a fast sprint, and soon come to the Brandywine River. Elfindel hopped onto the wooden ferry first, steadying her weight on it before she turned around to help Sam, Merry, and Pippin get onto it. Frodo was still being pursued by the dark rider.

Sam caught sight of the fleeing hobbit. "Frodo!"

Soon, everyone on the ferry was calling out to Frodo, words of both worry and encouragement. The ferry was untied and it was drifting off.


Frodo ran onto the bridge. "No…!" Reaching the edge of the bridge, he jumped forward, longly and fell onto the boat. The rider skidded to a halt at the river bank, and watched as the ferry drifted off. Frodo raised his head to look at the far rider. "How far to the nearest crossing?" he asked Merry.

"The Brandywine bridge," he answered. "Twenty miles." Was that enough distance...?