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