Disclaimer: AU Story. The fourth large LOTR fic! My word, not another,
surely? The characters are not mine. The settings are not mine. The plot
is, however, my creation. I hope you find this an enjoyable read.
Shirebound: It was hard trying to convey that scene where Sam is watching Frodo sleep but I wanted to include Frodo's "light" in it as well. So pleased it worked! Yes, precious, evil cliffhangerses...
Holly Wood: Of course! Where would I be without my angst? Hehe...
Koko Kung: I know what's happening next, don't worry. Alternatively, I could just write two chapters and leave you guessing. :-) Hobbit torture on the way!
Bookworm2000: Hmm, Captain Birdseyeses, precious- heh. Scary thought- talk about split personality! You've got 2000 of them! Can't say I'm Gollum's biggest fan either. In this story, least of all! Thankies for the review- you have given me ideases
MagicalRachel: Yay for torture! Angst and pain! MWA HA HA! Ahem. Darkness is scary; you may have your torch but I've got a cushion. *whimper* Yay! So happy I got Sam right for you
CStini: The drums, the drums, the drums! Me too! I'd run away really fast. "Run, Ailsa!" Sam cried, "Find somewhere to hide. I'll run off in t'other direction." Ailsa shrugged. "OK!" and she ran off. Teehee
????: Oh, trust me, all the women on radio in those days (in Britain) sound exactly the same and get on everybody's nerves. Yeah! The Mouth of Sauron was terrifying! Thanks for the review!
QTPie-2488: Yes, how could I leave people? *sniff* I love you guys! And now you'll be able to be here for each update. :-)
~ Chapter Three ~
Frodo found himself lying on a bed of moss in a most uncomfortable position. His head was throbbing terribly. High above him, a dark curtain of sky swung behind the moon's bright eye. Strange noises seemed to be echoing all around him and...voices? Frodo sat up and winced as a stab of pain shot along his arm. He looked about in the unpleasant blackness and saw that he was shut in on every side by thorns and branches. For a long time, the hobbit could not understand what had happened. He thought, for one awful moment, that he had been captured by the orcs. But then...where was Sam? And where were the orcs, come to that? It was almost too much for Frodo and he had to stop himself crying out to his friend. The night had never seemed so dark.
"Mister Frodo?"
His heart gave a great leap and he swung round and about, searching for the owner of the voice.
"Sam?" he called out faintly, "Sam, where are you?"
Then, he thought he could make out a figure just beyond the thorns. He crawled over and, in the silvery glow of moonlight, he could make out Sam's scratched and bruised face.
"Frodo, there you are," he whispered, "I thought I was all on my own here. But where are we? What's happening?"
"I've no idea, Sam. Where are those orcs? I thought they were right behind us. And didn't we fall?"
"I don't understand it neither. But I think we'd best stay in these bushes until dawn, so at least we don't blunder off the path or come out in the wrong place. Here...do you hear that? Either I'm going daft or that's- that's voices."
They were silent for a moment, listening carefully to the shufflings and mutterings not far away. Sure enough, they could make out the odd word. Angry and frustrated voices snapping orders.
"Any sign?" the hobbits heard. It was unsettlingly close.
"N'ah," someone else replied, "They probably fell into a hole. Or p'r'aps that mangy frog ate 'em. This is a waste of time! We've been over this ground a hundred times or more."
"'Ang on, there's something 'ere. Look! What's this? A pan!"
Sam let out a small whimper and put a hand to his pack. One of the pans was gone.
"It must've fallen off when we came down the hill," he whispered, "Oh, I'm such a fool!"
"Quiet, Sam! Don't let them hear us," Frodo hissed, "We're completely hidden, and if we're lucky, we might be able to get away."
There was the sound of approaching feet crunching over the bristly grass and the orc troop gathered round to examine the find.
"They must be round 'ere somewhere," commented one. There was a murmur of agreement and then more footsteps. They circled round the thorn-bush and the hobbits held their breath and flattened themselves to the ground. But the orcs could see little in the darkness. None were willing to look in amongst the vast net of thorns surrounding the hill. At last, the troop moved further round and their voices grew fainter and fainter until the landscape was almost silent again. Frodo sighed heavily and sat up.
"Thank goodness," he murmured, "That fall saved us. See?" He pointed to the thin canopy over their heads. Two holes gaped down through the barbed limbs from where the hobbits had tumbled through. "Now," Frodo went on, "We must get back into the garden and go as far as we may before the sun rises."
"But how? These thorns are like walls."
"Sting. Sting will cut through these easily. Come on, Sam, we have to get moving."
He drew out the elven blade and saw the sheen of blue still glowing at its point. He held it out and drove it through the stiff wood so that a passage stretched before them. Step by step, moving as quietly as ghosts, the companions worked their way through the maze. Sting clove the bushes in two and, finally, when it felt as if they had crawled for an age, it broke through to fresh air. Frodo sheathed his sword and quickly ducked out. Sam followed close behind and glanced back over his shoulder. He could make out the faintest movements near the edge of the hill and the flutter of shadows on the trees. They went quickly on into a thicket of conifers, where the earth was damp and crawling with insects. Two, maybe three miles they ran until the hill passed out of sight and they collapsed into a bed of ferns.
-- "Sam! Sam, wake up," Frodo said, "We must get moving."
The gardener rubbed at his eyes and sat up blearily.
"Bless me, I'm still exhausted. How far did we run?"
"It's not that; we've only slept an hour or so. I want to get going now. If Sméagol alerted those orcs, he might still be following us. It's best if we lose him."
Again, Sam bit back any comment to this and began gathering his belongings together.
"How far is there to go?" he asked, hoisting his pack onto his shoulders.
"Another day or so to the mountains," said Frodo, "But...to be honest, Sam, I have no idea how we can cross them. From here, it just looks like a black fence."
"Keeping whatever's in there locked in," the gardener muttered. His friend grimaced.
"And keeping us out."
Shirebound: It was hard trying to convey that scene where Sam is watching Frodo sleep but I wanted to include Frodo's "light" in it as well. So pleased it worked! Yes, precious, evil cliffhangerses...
Holly Wood: Of course! Where would I be without my angst? Hehe...
Koko Kung: I know what's happening next, don't worry. Alternatively, I could just write two chapters and leave you guessing. :-) Hobbit torture on the way!
Bookworm2000: Hmm, Captain Birdseyeses, precious- heh. Scary thought- talk about split personality! You've got 2000 of them! Can't say I'm Gollum's biggest fan either. In this story, least of all! Thankies for the review- you have given me ideases
MagicalRachel: Yay for torture! Angst and pain! MWA HA HA! Ahem. Darkness is scary; you may have your torch but I've got a cushion. *whimper* Yay! So happy I got Sam right for you
CStini: The drums, the drums, the drums! Me too! I'd run away really fast. "Run, Ailsa!" Sam cried, "Find somewhere to hide. I'll run off in t'other direction." Ailsa shrugged. "OK!" and she ran off. Teehee
????: Oh, trust me, all the women on radio in those days (in Britain) sound exactly the same and get on everybody's nerves. Yeah! The Mouth of Sauron was terrifying! Thanks for the review!
QTPie-2488: Yes, how could I leave people? *sniff* I love you guys! And now you'll be able to be here for each update. :-)
~ Chapter Three ~
Frodo found himself lying on a bed of moss in a most uncomfortable position. His head was throbbing terribly. High above him, a dark curtain of sky swung behind the moon's bright eye. Strange noises seemed to be echoing all around him and...voices? Frodo sat up and winced as a stab of pain shot along his arm. He looked about in the unpleasant blackness and saw that he was shut in on every side by thorns and branches. For a long time, the hobbit could not understand what had happened. He thought, for one awful moment, that he had been captured by the orcs. But then...where was Sam? And where were the orcs, come to that? It was almost too much for Frodo and he had to stop himself crying out to his friend. The night had never seemed so dark.
"Mister Frodo?"
His heart gave a great leap and he swung round and about, searching for the owner of the voice.
"Sam?" he called out faintly, "Sam, where are you?"
Then, he thought he could make out a figure just beyond the thorns. He crawled over and, in the silvery glow of moonlight, he could make out Sam's scratched and bruised face.
"Frodo, there you are," he whispered, "I thought I was all on my own here. But where are we? What's happening?"
"I've no idea, Sam. Where are those orcs? I thought they were right behind us. And didn't we fall?"
"I don't understand it neither. But I think we'd best stay in these bushes until dawn, so at least we don't blunder off the path or come out in the wrong place. Here...do you hear that? Either I'm going daft or that's- that's voices."
They were silent for a moment, listening carefully to the shufflings and mutterings not far away. Sure enough, they could make out the odd word. Angry and frustrated voices snapping orders.
"Any sign?" the hobbits heard. It was unsettlingly close.
"N'ah," someone else replied, "They probably fell into a hole. Or p'r'aps that mangy frog ate 'em. This is a waste of time! We've been over this ground a hundred times or more."
"'Ang on, there's something 'ere. Look! What's this? A pan!"
Sam let out a small whimper and put a hand to his pack. One of the pans was gone.
"It must've fallen off when we came down the hill," he whispered, "Oh, I'm such a fool!"
"Quiet, Sam! Don't let them hear us," Frodo hissed, "We're completely hidden, and if we're lucky, we might be able to get away."
There was the sound of approaching feet crunching over the bristly grass and the orc troop gathered round to examine the find.
"They must be round 'ere somewhere," commented one. There was a murmur of agreement and then more footsteps. They circled round the thorn-bush and the hobbits held their breath and flattened themselves to the ground. But the orcs could see little in the darkness. None were willing to look in amongst the vast net of thorns surrounding the hill. At last, the troop moved further round and their voices grew fainter and fainter until the landscape was almost silent again. Frodo sighed heavily and sat up.
"Thank goodness," he murmured, "That fall saved us. See?" He pointed to the thin canopy over their heads. Two holes gaped down through the barbed limbs from where the hobbits had tumbled through. "Now," Frodo went on, "We must get back into the garden and go as far as we may before the sun rises."
"But how? These thorns are like walls."
"Sting. Sting will cut through these easily. Come on, Sam, we have to get moving."
He drew out the elven blade and saw the sheen of blue still glowing at its point. He held it out and drove it through the stiff wood so that a passage stretched before them. Step by step, moving as quietly as ghosts, the companions worked their way through the maze. Sting clove the bushes in two and, finally, when it felt as if they had crawled for an age, it broke through to fresh air. Frodo sheathed his sword and quickly ducked out. Sam followed close behind and glanced back over his shoulder. He could make out the faintest movements near the edge of the hill and the flutter of shadows on the trees. They went quickly on into a thicket of conifers, where the earth was damp and crawling with insects. Two, maybe three miles they ran until the hill passed out of sight and they collapsed into a bed of ferns.
-- "Sam! Sam, wake up," Frodo said, "We must get moving."
The gardener rubbed at his eyes and sat up blearily.
"Bless me, I'm still exhausted. How far did we run?"
"It's not that; we've only slept an hour or so. I want to get going now. If Sméagol alerted those orcs, he might still be following us. It's best if we lose him."
Again, Sam bit back any comment to this and began gathering his belongings together.
"How far is there to go?" he asked, hoisting his pack onto his shoulders.
"Another day or so to the mountains," said Frodo, "But...to be honest, Sam, I have no idea how we can cross them. From here, it just looks like a black fence."
"Keeping whatever's in there locked in," the gardener muttered. His friend grimaced.
"And keeping us out."