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.
MagicalRachel: Oh no, not that far. Well, er, Frodo's not sure. He doesn't really know what to do. Neither...do...I...but that's beside the point. Mwa ha ha! If you becoming an evil hobbit torturer like me then we can both rule this FF.net... Thank you so much! I'm really touched that you're enjoying this.
QTPie-2488: Hehe- first time the little hobbits have been so far away from one another! Yay! Opportunities for reunions!
Hmsgirl: *manic giggling* Go MasterCard! Oh, yes, imagine it- turn up to the airport with Frodo tucked under your arm and you get a hundred Frequent Flyer Miles!
CStini: Foreshadow...foreshadow...mmm...Stop encouraging Gollum! He's insane enough already. It's bad enough with One Ring of Power. Heh, I wonder if he enjoys a bit of Frodo torture too, though, now and again.
Shirebound: Ve shall zee... Gosh, I hope I haven't gone and ruined a perfectly good friendship by separating Frod-si and Samboy! Gah! Can you imagine the consequences? Hmm, thanks for reminding me about the food...
Holly Wood: *blush* Thank you. Well, I suppose I am a hobbit torturer- so I have to live up to the title once in a while. :-)
Bookworm2000: Of course! Gollum's an important part of this li'l community. *reads paragraph* Whoa...what have I got myself into? I might accidentally go and destroy Middle Earth! Ah! No! My little hobbit hole will be burned to the ground! Oops, just gave away my secret location. Ooh, thank you for reading the other fics. Thank you so much- you make me feel so special! Ah...yes, the Fellowship. *glances outside to mob of angry Gondorian soldiers led by a certain elf, dwarf and King Elessar* Ahem. They're...they're OK with it. *personality throws itself at window* Eeeeek! *hides in hobbit hole cellar, hugging laptop*
~ Chapter Eight ~
Torches lit up the stretch of grass as a troop of Faramir's men set out across the field. Faramir bent down to undo the blindfold that had covered Sam's eyes. The hobbit blinked and then looked around at the dark landscape, pinpricked by the odd flame as the men searched in every niche and hole, every crack and alcove. But the thick blackness closed about Sam like claws, choking the hope from him. They would never find his master like this.
"Why can't we come in the day?"
"That's when the orcs are most active," said Faramir, "My men can fight off one troop, but not hundreds. We have to be careful, even at night now."
"But Mister Frodo's out there somewhere! There ain't no way we're going to find him in the dark!"
"We will try our best, Sam," Faramir assured him. They went across the damp grass to join a group of rangers tugging their way through a net of brambles and thorns. Here, the trees grew as thickly as cabbages, their branches knotting and twisting overhead.
"Sir," cried one, "Do you suppose the halfling would have gone to the statue of the king? He may have reached there and sheltered."
"I shall go and-"
"It's hobbit."
"What?"
"Why do you keep callin' us by different names? An orc and now a halfling. I'm a hobbit! Hole-dweller, if you like."
"Yes...well, let's go and see if your friend has sheltered under the king's statue. It would be a safe place for him to be."
"Frodo won't have stopped there," Sam said unhappily, "He won't stop at all. He'll keep going all night, if he has to."
"Why on earth would he need to do that?" the captain asked, as he began breaking his way through the underbrush. The hobbit sighed,
"No reason. He just...that's just his way."
They travelled by the faint flickering of other men's torches for about an hour, before coming out onto a wide palisade of stone. All around were great carvings of faces. Stony debris littered the floor and, among them, Sam spotted something that made him cry out with joy.
"He was here," he said, leaping towards it, "This proves it."
He beckoned Faramir to come over and they both stared down at the sparkling dust lying on the floor.
"What is this?" Faramir breathed.
"It's lembas crumbs. It shimmers like that 'cause the elves made it. Stone me, he was here alright." Sam let out a sigh of relief, mostly because of the thought that at least his master was still eating. But he had been right, Frodo had not stopped...
--
...He had gone on as far as he could. The mountains seemed ever closer now, but there appeared to be no gap or pass at any point. Surely, he thought, if Gandalf had meant to lead them right into Mordor, he would have known if there was an opening in the mountains. But it seemed as if all the world was against Frodo now. He kept going south. It was a test of willpower just to lift one foot after another, and with each step, he grew wearier.
All at once, he spun round. He found that his senses were sharpened in the darkness, by the Ring or just born of fear, he was not sure. He had heard something. It crept through the bristling grass steadily, unhurried. Frodo knew that he was completely alone. There was no Sam to fend off any attack now. Eventually, it would come to the point where Frodo would have to fight on his own. He prayed that it would not be now. The noises ceased for a long time. Then, there was a sharp intake of breath and an angry hiss before a sudden rush of flapping feet. All was silent. It seemed that the whole garden was without life...
--
...Even the moon paused briefly in its endless spiralling of the sky. It rocked on the waves of night and, as he stared up at its silvery bows, Sam wondered if Frodo was looking at that selfsame moon. At the same sky. Frodo must be on the same ground as he was and this lifted a weight from Sam's shoulders. Faramir came hurrying back through the trees to where the halfling- no, the hobbit- was sitting, under the vigil of the statues.
"Come, Sam," he commanded, "We must go."
"What's the matter? Have you found him?"
"No, but they'll be no more searching tonight. Orcs are on the prowl. It's a big pack and we've no idea where they've sprung from. It's too big to fight, come on, we're all going back."
He began to run but then remembered that Sam was a little disadvantaged in this aspect and picked the hobbit up. Almost as soon as they had left the clearing, they ran into a small gathering of Faramir's men. He spoke to one, who nodded, and began ushering the others into line. They darted from tree to tree, swamping themselves in shadow, only moving after long intervals of silence. Sam was beginning to be able to make out other noises in the night. Breaking branches and the clatter of metal. He strained his ears to hear more, unconsciously hoping for the sound of Frodo's voice. There was nothing but the chorus of orcs as they forced their way into the beauty of Ithilien.
--
Frodo crouched by the cluster of trees. He was frozen with fear as orc after orc raced right past him. But for the cover of shadow, he would have been discovered. He put a hand distractedly to his neck and fidgeted with the Ring's chain. Where was Sam? Surely he had not been...but then, how could he have avoided it in the fray of the attack? Yet somehow, Frodo could not make the appropriate leap to believe that his friend had died. It was, well, not really like Sam to die. He was too determined and steadfast for such things. So why was Frodo leaving?
Because of the Ring. It lured him south. It was not his own feet that guided him, but a quiet whispering at his ear, a gentle tug at his arm.
*Come this way. Come South. Into Mordor.*
The Ring knew Its way. It knew where to lead Its bearer. Frodo, to It, was little more than a carrier, a tool. A foolish halfling that had dared test the Ring's power. He would know soon enough. He would discover the true anger It felt, the rage and hatred It seethed with. The Ring despised all life and yet still yearned to own it.
*Come this way. Into Mordor.*
Nothing but a poor fool.
Frodo snapped out of his reverie as another squall of orcs and Uruk-Hai sped past, swearing and cursing loudly. He wondered again where the others were. He wished he could see them and tell them that he was alright and that he was nearly there. It was so close now. Every day, he came a league closer to Orodruin and the red lights on the mountains flickered brighter.
*Come this way. You must come. Take me into Mordor.*
~
I'm really sorry. The writing style's sort of deteriorated and I've been so busy scraping my novel together. I will try to update faster and with better stuff. :-)
MagicalRachel: Oh no, not that far. Well, er, Frodo's not sure. He doesn't really know what to do. Neither...do...I...but that's beside the point. Mwa ha ha! If you becoming an evil hobbit torturer like me then we can both rule this FF.net... Thank you so much! I'm really touched that you're enjoying this.
QTPie-2488: Hehe- first time the little hobbits have been so far away from one another! Yay! Opportunities for reunions!
Hmsgirl: *manic giggling* Go MasterCard! Oh, yes, imagine it- turn up to the airport with Frodo tucked under your arm and you get a hundred Frequent Flyer Miles!
CStini: Foreshadow...foreshadow...mmm...Stop encouraging Gollum! He's insane enough already. It's bad enough with One Ring of Power. Heh, I wonder if he enjoys a bit of Frodo torture too, though, now and again.
Shirebound: Ve shall zee... Gosh, I hope I haven't gone and ruined a perfectly good friendship by separating Frod-si and Samboy! Gah! Can you imagine the consequences? Hmm, thanks for reminding me about the food...
Holly Wood: *blush* Thank you. Well, I suppose I am a hobbit torturer- so I have to live up to the title once in a while. :-)
Bookworm2000: Of course! Gollum's an important part of this li'l community. *reads paragraph* Whoa...what have I got myself into? I might accidentally go and destroy Middle Earth! Ah! No! My little hobbit hole will be burned to the ground! Oops, just gave away my secret location. Ooh, thank you for reading the other fics. Thank you so much- you make me feel so special! Ah...yes, the Fellowship. *glances outside to mob of angry Gondorian soldiers led by a certain elf, dwarf and King Elessar* Ahem. They're...they're OK with it. *personality throws itself at window* Eeeeek! *hides in hobbit hole cellar, hugging laptop*
~ Chapter Eight ~
Torches lit up the stretch of grass as a troop of Faramir's men set out across the field. Faramir bent down to undo the blindfold that had covered Sam's eyes. The hobbit blinked and then looked around at the dark landscape, pinpricked by the odd flame as the men searched in every niche and hole, every crack and alcove. But the thick blackness closed about Sam like claws, choking the hope from him. They would never find his master like this.
"Why can't we come in the day?"
"That's when the orcs are most active," said Faramir, "My men can fight off one troop, but not hundreds. We have to be careful, even at night now."
"But Mister Frodo's out there somewhere! There ain't no way we're going to find him in the dark!"
"We will try our best, Sam," Faramir assured him. They went across the damp grass to join a group of rangers tugging their way through a net of brambles and thorns. Here, the trees grew as thickly as cabbages, their branches knotting and twisting overhead.
"Sir," cried one, "Do you suppose the halfling would have gone to the statue of the king? He may have reached there and sheltered."
"I shall go and-"
"It's hobbit."
"What?"
"Why do you keep callin' us by different names? An orc and now a halfling. I'm a hobbit! Hole-dweller, if you like."
"Yes...well, let's go and see if your friend has sheltered under the king's statue. It would be a safe place for him to be."
"Frodo won't have stopped there," Sam said unhappily, "He won't stop at all. He'll keep going all night, if he has to."
"Why on earth would he need to do that?" the captain asked, as he began breaking his way through the underbrush. The hobbit sighed,
"No reason. He just...that's just his way."
They travelled by the faint flickering of other men's torches for about an hour, before coming out onto a wide palisade of stone. All around were great carvings of faces. Stony debris littered the floor and, among them, Sam spotted something that made him cry out with joy.
"He was here," he said, leaping towards it, "This proves it."
He beckoned Faramir to come over and they both stared down at the sparkling dust lying on the floor.
"What is this?" Faramir breathed.
"It's lembas crumbs. It shimmers like that 'cause the elves made it. Stone me, he was here alright." Sam let out a sigh of relief, mostly because of the thought that at least his master was still eating. But he had been right, Frodo had not stopped...
--
...He had gone on as far as he could. The mountains seemed ever closer now, but there appeared to be no gap or pass at any point. Surely, he thought, if Gandalf had meant to lead them right into Mordor, he would have known if there was an opening in the mountains. But it seemed as if all the world was against Frodo now. He kept going south. It was a test of willpower just to lift one foot after another, and with each step, he grew wearier.
All at once, he spun round. He found that his senses were sharpened in the darkness, by the Ring or just born of fear, he was not sure. He had heard something. It crept through the bristling grass steadily, unhurried. Frodo knew that he was completely alone. There was no Sam to fend off any attack now. Eventually, it would come to the point where Frodo would have to fight on his own. He prayed that it would not be now. The noises ceased for a long time. Then, there was a sharp intake of breath and an angry hiss before a sudden rush of flapping feet. All was silent. It seemed that the whole garden was without life...
--
...Even the moon paused briefly in its endless spiralling of the sky. It rocked on the waves of night and, as he stared up at its silvery bows, Sam wondered if Frodo was looking at that selfsame moon. At the same sky. Frodo must be on the same ground as he was and this lifted a weight from Sam's shoulders. Faramir came hurrying back through the trees to where the halfling- no, the hobbit- was sitting, under the vigil of the statues.
"Come, Sam," he commanded, "We must go."
"What's the matter? Have you found him?"
"No, but they'll be no more searching tonight. Orcs are on the prowl. It's a big pack and we've no idea where they've sprung from. It's too big to fight, come on, we're all going back."
He began to run but then remembered that Sam was a little disadvantaged in this aspect and picked the hobbit up. Almost as soon as they had left the clearing, they ran into a small gathering of Faramir's men. He spoke to one, who nodded, and began ushering the others into line. They darted from tree to tree, swamping themselves in shadow, only moving after long intervals of silence. Sam was beginning to be able to make out other noises in the night. Breaking branches and the clatter of metal. He strained his ears to hear more, unconsciously hoping for the sound of Frodo's voice. There was nothing but the chorus of orcs as they forced their way into the beauty of Ithilien.
--
Frodo crouched by the cluster of trees. He was frozen with fear as orc after orc raced right past him. But for the cover of shadow, he would have been discovered. He put a hand distractedly to his neck and fidgeted with the Ring's chain. Where was Sam? Surely he had not been...but then, how could he have avoided it in the fray of the attack? Yet somehow, Frodo could not make the appropriate leap to believe that his friend had died. It was, well, not really like Sam to die. He was too determined and steadfast for such things. So why was Frodo leaving?
Because of the Ring. It lured him south. It was not his own feet that guided him, but a quiet whispering at his ear, a gentle tug at his arm.
*Come this way. Come South. Into Mordor.*
The Ring knew Its way. It knew where to lead Its bearer. Frodo, to It, was little more than a carrier, a tool. A foolish halfling that had dared test the Ring's power. He would know soon enough. He would discover the true anger It felt, the rage and hatred It seethed with. The Ring despised all life and yet still yearned to own it.
*Come this way. Into Mordor.*
Nothing but a poor fool.
Frodo snapped out of his reverie as another squall of orcs and Uruk-Hai sped past, swearing and cursing loudly. He wondered again where the others were. He wished he could see them and tell them that he was alright and that he was nearly there. It was so close now. Every day, he came a league closer to Orodruin and the red lights on the mountains flickered brighter.
*Come this way. You must come. Take me into Mordor.*
~
I'm really sorry. The writing style's sort of deteriorated and I've been so busy scraping my novel together. I will try to update faster and with better stuff. :-)