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: Ooh. Thank you! I thought the line would be appropriate in the context; what the Ring wants more than anything else.
Stephanie-Lou: Teehee. Well, there's only one lil'bee! It wasn't Frodo who was worried about the cooking gear- it was Sam. Honest! No, I didn't think he would get upset about it. He has other problems. Don't worry! I like your reviews!
Koko Kung: *shakes Koko* It's OK! It's OK! Oh no, I'm so sorry! I know, there is nothing in the world I can do or make you feel better about it but I am just so sorry and I hope that you can get stuff fixed soon.
Hmsgirl:......*bursts into tears*
MagicalRachel: Haha, yes, precious! Tautses we does. Tauntses the Rachel hobbitses. Yay! You spotted my weird link-y thing! It is supposed to sound like the Nimrodel thing because the Nimrodel had been overcome by the power of the Ring and was singing the Ring's song to Frodo. A...reflection! I know. Very stupid. But that's the only explanation I can give you *cringe*. Yeees, I saw The Two Towers again and that has always been my favourite scene. Five times I've seen it now! I'm terrible!
????: I always loved the thought that the Ring had a secret evil song that only the bearer could hear, just to show its power. Yes! Sam's gone and dropped his sword! But can you blame him? Poor Frodo!
ViNguyen: Heh. Thank you! Huggles!
CStini: Really? Thank you so much! *takes a bow* So pleased you enjoyed it!
Bookworm2000: Eerie is my middle name. :-) That would quite strange if it was... *claps* Great poem! Hope you find your personality soon!
QTPie-2488: Glad you liked it so much. I hope this sums up as more!
Holly Wood: *returns vaguely creepy noises* Yeah, I know, I hate the Ring! I think they should just throw it away. I love writing Sam- heh- glad he turned out sounding like himself.
~ Chapter Five ~
They stopped for the rest of the day, hiding behind the small bushes at the bottom. It was when the light was failing that Sam was reminded of his sword.
"I dropped it right in front of that sneaking devil," he cried, "Oh, if he's got hold of it, no doubt he'll be up and making mischief with it. I'd rather not be skewered on my own sword while- oh. Oh, I'm sorry, Mister Frodo. I didn't mean to go and say that."
The expression on Frodo's face was unreadable. He was frowning down at the earth, hands pressed flat to the ground, as if listening carefully for something. He took in a deep breath and glanced up at his friend.
"It's alright, Sam. You just don't get along with him, that's all. Maybe that's a good thing, all considered."
Sam sighed and gave a small smile. Then, he began climbing back up the cliffside. Near the top, he thought he heard a sound, but after a pause, he put it down to his imagination. With a grunt, he pulled himself up onto the ledge and made to stand up when he felt the tap of metal at his cheek. It was his sword. At once, the picture of Gollum came to his mind.
"You little thief!" he shouted, "Wait till I get my hands on you! Swingin' my sword round like-"
He found himself staring up into the face of a leering orc chief. It laughed at him and then spat in his face.
"Bold words for a creepin' rat."
--
Frodo was tossed down next to Sam, hands chafing painfully in their tight bonds. He managed to roll himself onto his side.
"Sam? Sam, are you alright?"
"I'm well enough, sir. Well as anyone can be. That wretched Gollum! He did this, I know it!"
"...Yes. I think he did."
Frodo could feel something slipping from his heart. He had trusted Sméagol. But his word had not held even as far as here. Now it appeared the quest was finished. All had been in sole sacrifice to Gollum. It made him sick just to think of it and he closed his eyes against the cold reality. Sam brought him back.
"Well, one thing's certain, you've got to escape. If I shout and make a fuss, the orcs will be worrying about me and then you can get away. You have to, Frodo!"
"But I can't," the hobbit answered at once, "It may be what's best for Middle-Earth but I can't do it. I think the others would understand."
Sam looked perplexed and forced himself up to stare at Frodo.
"Understand what, Mister Frodo? You can't stay. The orcs'll find It! What then? If I just-"
"No! No, I won't let you."
Sam drew back at the wild light in his friend's eyes.
"But, sir, you have to get into Mordor. That's what we came all this way for."
"The only reason I reached Ithilien was because you were there with me. I wouldn't get two steps in Mordor on my own, Sam. Surely, you can see that."
"But the orcs'll get It!"
"Oi, you two! Pipe down or we'll roast you both over this fire!"
The hobbits fell silent. Sam looked pleadingly at his master but Frodo turned away to look up at the sky. Sighing, Sam leant back and released the strain on his arms. He had to think. They had to escape soon, or no doubt the orcs would find the Ring. Or it would get lost somewhere in the gardens. Then everything would have been in vain. Worse than that...even worse than that, Gollum could get the Ring. Why else would he betray them? That was all he wanted. All he craved. Sam had to get Frodo away as soon as possible or it would all be up. The Dark Lord or Gollum. He would never make that choice in a hundred years; he'd rather die. They needed help now. More than anything else.
"If only Gandalf were here," he whispered to himself for the thousandth time. Gandalf would be so much better at all this. He must have known Sam would mess it all up and get them caught. "He should have turned me into a toad. I'd be a better one of them than I am a friend." If Strider were here. Yes, he would be able to save Frodo. He could deal with this rabble with a few strokes of his sword and then he would lead them right through Mordor without a care. If Legolas were here instead, he could carry Frodo all the way! Anyone who even thought of harming him would be dead in seconds. Gimli, Boromir, the Lady, even Merry and Pippin might have been better for this task. But there was only Sam.
Suddenly, a cry went up at the end of the camp. Frodo started out of a light rest and struggled to a sitting position. There were more yells of alarm and to his amazement, orcs began to drop like flies, arrows piercing their necks.
"Get down!" he hissed to Sam and the hobbits fell flat on their backs. Arrows zipped overhead and there was the sound of voices from the bushes surrounding the camp. Orcs were running towards their prey, in a last futile attempt to bear them away. But they were struck dead. Sam kicked a great corpse from his legs and tried to make out the shapes amid the trees. But in the evening dim, he could see little more than the outline of bent bows. He suddenly heard the faintest patter of webbed feet on the earth. Before he could even turn his head, Gollum lashed out at him and knocked him aside. The creature was in a frenzy. He began to grope at Frodo's neck, his long thin fingers digging into his skin.
"Where is It? Give It to us! Filthy hobbit hideses It? We finds It soon. Aha! We has It. It is here, precious! The precious is here!"
Frodo roared with fury and bit into the hand. Gollum jumped back, but did not loosen his hold on the hobbit's shirtcollar. He began dragging his backwards into the trees, all the while murmuring,
"Precious...we will find It..."
"Master!" Sam screamed, kicking back at his attacker, to little avail. Before a black cloth was wound over his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Frodo giving a last futile snap at the grey fingers before they tugged him away, like the predator does its prey.
~
Sorry it's taken so very long to get here but I've finally let them reach an important juncture in the story. Hope it worked!
Shirebound: Ooh. Thank you! I thought the line would be appropriate in the context; what the Ring wants more than anything else.
Stephanie-Lou: Teehee. Well, there's only one lil'bee! It wasn't Frodo who was worried about the cooking gear- it was Sam. Honest! No, I didn't think he would get upset about it. He has other problems. Don't worry! I like your reviews!
Koko Kung: *shakes Koko* It's OK! It's OK! Oh no, I'm so sorry! I know, there is nothing in the world I can do or make you feel better about it but I am just so sorry and I hope that you can get stuff fixed soon.
Hmsgirl:......*bursts into tears*
MagicalRachel: Haha, yes, precious! Tautses we does. Tauntses the Rachel hobbitses. Yay! You spotted my weird link-y thing! It is supposed to sound like the Nimrodel thing because the Nimrodel had been overcome by the power of the Ring and was singing the Ring's song to Frodo. A...reflection! I know. Very stupid. But that's the only explanation I can give you *cringe*. Yeees, I saw The Two Towers again and that has always been my favourite scene. Five times I've seen it now! I'm terrible!
????: I always loved the thought that the Ring had a secret evil song that only the bearer could hear, just to show its power. Yes! Sam's gone and dropped his sword! But can you blame him? Poor Frodo!
ViNguyen: Heh. Thank you! Huggles!
CStini: Really? Thank you so much! *takes a bow* So pleased you enjoyed it!
Bookworm2000: Eerie is my middle name. :-) That would quite strange if it was... *claps* Great poem! Hope you find your personality soon!
QTPie-2488: Glad you liked it so much. I hope this sums up as more!
Holly Wood: *returns vaguely creepy noises* Yeah, I know, I hate the Ring! I think they should just throw it away. I love writing Sam- heh- glad he turned out sounding like himself.
~ Chapter Five ~
They stopped for the rest of the day, hiding behind the small bushes at the bottom. It was when the light was failing that Sam was reminded of his sword.
"I dropped it right in front of that sneaking devil," he cried, "Oh, if he's got hold of it, no doubt he'll be up and making mischief with it. I'd rather not be skewered on my own sword while- oh. Oh, I'm sorry, Mister Frodo. I didn't mean to go and say that."
The expression on Frodo's face was unreadable. He was frowning down at the earth, hands pressed flat to the ground, as if listening carefully for something. He took in a deep breath and glanced up at his friend.
"It's alright, Sam. You just don't get along with him, that's all. Maybe that's a good thing, all considered."
Sam sighed and gave a small smile. Then, he began climbing back up the cliffside. Near the top, he thought he heard a sound, but after a pause, he put it down to his imagination. With a grunt, he pulled himself up onto the ledge and made to stand up when he felt the tap of metal at his cheek. It was his sword. At once, the picture of Gollum came to his mind.
"You little thief!" he shouted, "Wait till I get my hands on you! Swingin' my sword round like-"
He found himself staring up into the face of a leering orc chief. It laughed at him and then spat in his face.
"Bold words for a creepin' rat."
--
Frodo was tossed down next to Sam, hands chafing painfully in their tight bonds. He managed to roll himself onto his side.
"Sam? Sam, are you alright?"
"I'm well enough, sir. Well as anyone can be. That wretched Gollum! He did this, I know it!"
"...Yes. I think he did."
Frodo could feel something slipping from his heart. He had trusted Sméagol. But his word had not held even as far as here. Now it appeared the quest was finished. All had been in sole sacrifice to Gollum. It made him sick just to think of it and he closed his eyes against the cold reality. Sam brought him back.
"Well, one thing's certain, you've got to escape. If I shout and make a fuss, the orcs will be worrying about me and then you can get away. You have to, Frodo!"
"But I can't," the hobbit answered at once, "It may be what's best for Middle-Earth but I can't do it. I think the others would understand."
Sam looked perplexed and forced himself up to stare at Frodo.
"Understand what, Mister Frodo? You can't stay. The orcs'll find It! What then? If I just-"
"No! No, I won't let you."
Sam drew back at the wild light in his friend's eyes.
"But, sir, you have to get into Mordor. That's what we came all this way for."
"The only reason I reached Ithilien was because you were there with me. I wouldn't get two steps in Mordor on my own, Sam. Surely, you can see that."
"But the orcs'll get It!"
"Oi, you two! Pipe down or we'll roast you both over this fire!"
The hobbits fell silent. Sam looked pleadingly at his master but Frodo turned away to look up at the sky. Sighing, Sam leant back and released the strain on his arms. He had to think. They had to escape soon, or no doubt the orcs would find the Ring. Or it would get lost somewhere in the gardens. Then everything would have been in vain. Worse than that...even worse than that, Gollum could get the Ring. Why else would he betray them? That was all he wanted. All he craved. Sam had to get Frodo away as soon as possible or it would all be up. The Dark Lord or Gollum. He would never make that choice in a hundred years; he'd rather die. They needed help now. More than anything else.
"If only Gandalf were here," he whispered to himself for the thousandth time. Gandalf would be so much better at all this. He must have known Sam would mess it all up and get them caught. "He should have turned me into a toad. I'd be a better one of them than I am a friend." If Strider were here. Yes, he would be able to save Frodo. He could deal with this rabble with a few strokes of his sword and then he would lead them right through Mordor without a care. If Legolas were here instead, he could carry Frodo all the way! Anyone who even thought of harming him would be dead in seconds. Gimli, Boromir, the Lady, even Merry and Pippin might have been better for this task. But there was only Sam.
Suddenly, a cry went up at the end of the camp. Frodo started out of a light rest and struggled to a sitting position. There were more yells of alarm and to his amazement, orcs began to drop like flies, arrows piercing their necks.
"Get down!" he hissed to Sam and the hobbits fell flat on their backs. Arrows zipped overhead and there was the sound of voices from the bushes surrounding the camp. Orcs were running towards their prey, in a last futile attempt to bear them away. But they were struck dead. Sam kicked a great corpse from his legs and tried to make out the shapes amid the trees. But in the evening dim, he could see little more than the outline of bent bows. He suddenly heard the faintest patter of webbed feet on the earth. Before he could even turn his head, Gollum lashed out at him and knocked him aside. The creature was in a frenzy. He began to grope at Frodo's neck, his long thin fingers digging into his skin.
"Where is It? Give It to us! Filthy hobbit hideses It? We finds It soon. Aha! We has It. It is here, precious! The precious is here!"
Frodo roared with fury and bit into the hand. Gollum jumped back, but did not loosen his hold on the hobbit's shirtcollar. He began dragging his backwards into the trees, all the while murmuring,
"Precious...we will find It..."
"Master!" Sam screamed, kicking back at his attacker, to little avail. Before a black cloth was wound over his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Frodo giving a last futile snap at the grey fingers before they tugged him away, like the predator does its prey.
~
Sorry it's taken so very long to get here but I've finally let them reach an important juncture in the story. Hope it worked!