Chapter 5 (Iorhael is still the author)
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"Hey, what's this?" Merry showed the golden trinket to Pippin.
Pippin squinted at it.
"That's Bilbo's ring!" Pippin exclaimed. "What is it doing in
Frodo's pocket?"
Merry shrugged. "Frodo stole it?" he murmured.
Not wanting to have anything to do with the ring anymore, Merry put
it back in the waistcoat pocket and continued the search over
Frodo's clothes. But he couldn't find anything else of value
although he had felt all the hems and rummaged through all the
pockets.
He glanced over Frodo who was still curled up on the rug
unconscious. Both he and Pippin had stripped Frodo until he wore
only his breeches. Frodo's shirt, waistcoat, coat, and cloak were
piled up on one of the beds, and Merry had found the ring inside one
of the pockets. Fortunately, Merry didn't know that it was the One
Ring.
All of sudden there was a soft mumbling sound. It seemed that Frodo
was beginning to regain consciousness. His mumble soon became a loud
noise as his teeth chattered. Frodo shivered terribly against the
cold night. A soft breeze brushed his naked form. But he hadn't been
able to register why he was so cold.
His eyes fluttered open; he noted the hazy forms of Merry and Pippin
rifling through his clothes. It took Frodo a few moments to piece
everything together. Frodo figured out why he was so cold. He had
been undressed.
Frodo sat up. He still felt sore in his arms and hands.
"What are you doing?" His voice was hoarse. But suddenly he
remembered something. The ring! Without realizing it, his hand flew
to his chest as if he was trying to reach for his pocket where he
kept it. When he found only bare skin, he was enraged.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Frodo screeched. Not realizing where he got
the energy from, Frodo jumped and shoved Merry away from his clothes.
"GIVE IT BACK! GIVE IT BACK TO ME!!" he yelled. Merry reeled when
Frodo's fist met his left jaw.
Pippin was stunned. As far as he knew, Frodo was too weak to do such
a thing. Astonishment leaving him, Merry started to understand what
was going on. He got up.
"So, this is all about. That ring, is it?" asked Merry,
frighteningly calm.
Frodo stared at him challengingly. He growled, very nearly feral.
"Where is it? You have it, don't you!"
"Oh, yes, I have it," lied Merry and he snatched Frodo's waistcoat
from the bed before the other hobbit could do anything.
Merry groped into the left pocket and took the ring out. Frodo
snarled, trying to grasp it. But Merry was faster. He clutched it
high above his head, beyond the reach of Frodo's grasping hands.
Then, with his right hand, he backhanded Frodo cruelly, sending him
reeling backwards onto the floor. Frodo looked up at Merry
fearfully. The anger had vanished from his eyes.
Merry sneered. "That's what you get when you are naughty, Frodo."
Then with a darker tone he added, "Don't you ever! EVER! Do that
again!"
Merry approached Frodo glowing with rage. Without warning, Merry
kicked him hard in the stomach.
Surprised by the action and the sharp pain in his belly, Frodo
choked. But Merry wasn't satisfied yet. He kicked Frodo again, and
again, and again, until Frodo was sure not one rib of him was left
undamaged. He gasped and panted and tried to curl up despite wanting
to retch. Finally, Frodo raised his hand to signal his defeat.
"No more, no more," he said in between his panting breaths. "Merry,
please ---"
"What is it about the ring?" Merry asked the hobbit crumpled beneath
him.
Merry didn't care about how bad Frodo's situation was. "Did you take
it by force from Bilbo?"
Frodo shut his eyes wearily.
Merry moved on. "That's not impossible, is it, judging from how you
reacted just now. You attacked me, Frodo, although you didn't know
if I really had that ring or not. Were you worried he wouldn't give
you that one treasure of his? What do you plan to do with it?"
Frodo knew Merry was talking about Bilbo but he was shocked to hear
the accusation. Though he couldn't deny that he did really attack
Merry. Whatever came over him? Frodo himself couldn't explain.
Frodo shuddered, both because of the chilly air and the effect of
Merry's words.
"I didn't steal it from Bilbo," he said weakly. "Bilbo gave it to me
together with the hole and the things in it. It was horrid of you to
say that about me. I grieved so much about his leaving, Merry. If I
could choose, I'd rather have him than his treasure. I don't care a
bit about the ring." He sat up, feeling the pain in the stomach had
dulled a little.
"You are lying," hissed Merry. "You took everything from Bilbo and
after he left, you were terrified because you thought someone was
going to find out about your wrongdoings. Then you left too. You
took Sam with you as a cover up so that nobody would be suspicious."
Merry's mentioning of Sam made Frodo grieve even more.
"Or did Sam know about that, too? He was your accomplice, huh,
Frodo?"
"Don't you dare say bad things about Sam, you murderer!"
Frodo stood up, or rather, tried to stand up. But before he realized
it, a pair of arms restrained him. Weakened by the fact that he had
not eaten for days, Frodo couldn't loose himself from Pippin's grip.
Then Merry made everything infinately worse. He tore a sheet off one
of the beds and threw it over Frodo's head and body. Frodo cried
out in shock, as the cousins wound a rope tightly about his upper
body. Though Frodo thrashed and struggled to break free, the hated
sheet was now fastened securely around the unhappy hobbit.
Frodo was wrapped like a bundle or gift. He couldn't see anything
and when he tried to rise he was snatched back. Merry and Pippin had
tied Frodo, sheet and all, to the leg of the bed. He wouldn't be
going anywhere.
"There," said Merry, satisfied. "Now you can't go anywhere, thief,"
he spat. "We're going to the law to inform them about you. Oh yes, I
guess that would be the best thing to do."
"No!!" From under the sheet, Frodo's shout was muffled down to a
mere grumble. Merry was nearly amused.
"We're going now, Frodo," exclaimed Merry nonchalantly as the
cousins left the still struggling form.
Once outside, Pippin felt his curiousity burst. He had kept silent
but now he couldn't stand not to ask.
"Did Frodo really do that, Cousin, stealing and all, hurting Bilbo?"
Merry turned to him, an ugly grin on his face. "My, my, Pippin. You
really are naïve, aren't you? Even if he really did that, oh, no.
Of
course not. Frodo is too soft, Pippin. He wouldn't ever be able to
do such things."
TBC
__________________________________________________________________
"Hey, what's this?" Merry showed the golden trinket to Pippin.
Pippin squinted at it.
"That's Bilbo's ring!" Pippin exclaimed. "What is it doing in
Frodo's pocket?"
Merry shrugged. "Frodo stole it?" he murmured.
Not wanting to have anything to do with the ring anymore, Merry put
it back in the waistcoat pocket and continued the search over
Frodo's clothes. But he couldn't find anything else of value
although he had felt all the hems and rummaged through all the
pockets.
He glanced over Frodo who was still curled up on the rug
unconscious. Both he and Pippin had stripped Frodo until he wore
only his breeches. Frodo's shirt, waistcoat, coat, and cloak were
piled up on one of the beds, and Merry had found the ring inside one
of the pockets. Fortunately, Merry didn't know that it was the One
Ring.
All of sudden there was a soft mumbling sound. It seemed that Frodo
was beginning to regain consciousness. His mumble soon became a loud
noise as his teeth chattered. Frodo shivered terribly against the
cold night. A soft breeze brushed his naked form. But he hadn't been
able to register why he was so cold.
His eyes fluttered open; he noted the hazy forms of Merry and Pippin
rifling through his clothes. It took Frodo a few moments to piece
everything together. Frodo figured out why he was so cold. He had
been undressed.
Frodo sat up. He still felt sore in his arms and hands.
"What are you doing?" His voice was hoarse. But suddenly he
remembered something. The ring! Without realizing it, his hand flew
to his chest as if he was trying to reach for his pocket where he
kept it. When he found only bare skin, he was enraged.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Frodo screeched. Not realizing where he got
the energy from, Frodo jumped and shoved Merry away from his clothes.
"GIVE IT BACK! GIVE IT BACK TO ME!!" he yelled. Merry reeled when
Frodo's fist met his left jaw.
Pippin was stunned. As far as he knew, Frodo was too weak to do such
a thing. Astonishment leaving him, Merry started to understand what
was going on. He got up.
"So, this is all about. That ring, is it?" asked Merry,
frighteningly calm.
Frodo stared at him challengingly. He growled, very nearly feral.
"Where is it? You have it, don't you!"
"Oh, yes, I have it," lied Merry and he snatched Frodo's waistcoat
from the bed before the other hobbit could do anything.
Merry groped into the left pocket and took the ring out. Frodo
snarled, trying to grasp it. But Merry was faster. He clutched it
high above his head, beyond the reach of Frodo's grasping hands.
Then, with his right hand, he backhanded Frodo cruelly, sending him
reeling backwards onto the floor. Frodo looked up at Merry
fearfully. The anger had vanished from his eyes.
Merry sneered. "That's what you get when you are naughty, Frodo."
Then with a darker tone he added, "Don't you ever! EVER! Do that
again!"
Merry approached Frodo glowing with rage. Without warning, Merry
kicked him hard in the stomach.
Surprised by the action and the sharp pain in his belly, Frodo
choked. But Merry wasn't satisfied yet. He kicked Frodo again, and
again, and again, until Frodo was sure not one rib of him was left
undamaged. He gasped and panted and tried to curl up despite wanting
to retch. Finally, Frodo raised his hand to signal his defeat.
"No more, no more," he said in between his panting breaths. "Merry,
please ---"
"What is it about the ring?" Merry asked the hobbit crumpled beneath
him.
Merry didn't care about how bad Frodo's situation was. "Did you take
it by force from Bilbo?"
Frodo shut his eyes wearily.
Merry moved on. "That's not impossible, is it, judging from how you
reacted just now. You attacked me, Frodo, although you didn't know
if I really had that ring or not. Were you worried he wouldn't give
you that one treasure of his? What do you plan to do with it?"
Frodo knew Merry was talking about Bilbo but he was shocked to hear
the accusation. Though he couldn't deny that he did really attack
Merry. Whatever came over him? Frodo himself couldn't explain.
Frodo shuddered, both because of the chilly air and the effect of
Merry's words.
"I didn't steal it from Bilbo," he said weakly. "Bilbo gave it to me
together with the hole and the things in it. It was horrid of you to
say that about me. I grieved so much about his leaving, Merry. If I
could choose, I'd rather have him than his treasure. I don't care a
bit about the ring." He sat up, feeling the pain in the stomach had
dulled a little.
"You are lying," hissed Merry. "You took everything from Bilbo and
after he left, you were terrified because you thought someone was
going to find out about your wrongdoings. Then you left too. You
took Sam with you as a cover up so that nobody would be suspicious."
Merry's mentioning of Sam made Frodo grieve even more.
"Or did Sam know about that, too? He was your accomplice, huh,
Frodo?"
"Don't you dare say bad things about Sam, you murderer!"
Frodo stood up, or rather, tried to stand up. But before he realized
it, a pair of arms restrained him. Weakened by the fact that he had
not eaten for days, Frodo couldn't loose himself from Pippin's grip.
Then Merry made everything infinately worse. He tore a sheet off one
of the beds and threw it over Frodo's head and body. Frodo cried
out in shock, as the cousins wound a rope tightly about his upper
body. Though Frodo thrashed and struggled to break free, the hated
sheet was now fastened securely around the unhappy hobbit.
Frodo was wrapped like a bundle or gift. He couldn't see anything
and when he tried to rise he was snatched back. Merry and Pippin had
tied Frodo, sheet and all, to the leg of the bed. He wouldn't be
going anywhere.
"There," said Merry, satisfied. "Now you can't go anywhere, thief,"
he spat. "We're going to the law to inform them about you. Oh yes, I
guess that would be the best thing to do."
"No!!" From under the sheet, Frodo's shout was muffled down to a
mere grumble. Merry was nearly amused.
"We're going now, Frodo," exclaimed Merry nonchalantly as the
cousins left the still struggling form.
Once outside, Pippin felt his curiousity burst. He had kept silent
but now he couldn't stand not to ask.
"Did Frodo really do that, Cousin, stealing and all, hurting Bilbo?"
Merry turned to him, an ugly grin on his face. "My, my, Pippin. You
really are naïve, aren't you? Even if he really did that, oh, no.
Of
course not. Frodo is too soft, Pippin. He wouldn't ever be able to
do such things."
TBC
