Chapter 7
Both the hobbits were about to take Frodo back to the inn when one of the men called out.
"Hey! Wait a second! What's going on here? Is he in trouble?" He nodded to Frodo.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," said Merry, still heading toward the inn. "But that's none of your business."
"I said, wait a second!" The man became harsher. "Who is he? What's it with 'em?"
"He is our cou---" Pippin had no chance to finish as a kick was blown hard to his shin.
"We don't really know who he is," Merry continued for him. "He's mad, can you see? His family in the Shire asked us to take care of him. But it is, my! Very, very difficult!"
Frodo looked at him with widened eyes. "That's not ---" But Merry elbowed him so hard he couldn't complete the sentence. He bent down in agony, panting.
"So, dear friends, can we go now?" asked Merry. "I guess it's time for him to eat." With that Merry grabbed Frodo and turned around, leaving the questioning looks on the men's faces.
In the room, he tossed Frodo to the floor.
"It's outrageous, Frodo. I can't seem to be able to control you anymore. We have to do something about it." Frodo looked up at him apprehensively.
"Why?" asked him in a hoarse voice. "You got the ring. Leave me alone now!"
Merry leered. "Do you think it's that easy, Frodo? If I let you go, you'll run directly to that man in the Prancing Pony or even go back to the Shire where you can talk to everyone about what happened. And what will come next? They will all hunt Pippin and me!" He walked toward him, pushing Frodo to back away.
"I --- I will not do that. I'll just say that you are traveling somewhere. Please, Merry, I am useless for you. I'm just a burden."
Something flashed through Merry's mind but then he shrugged it off. "You! Cannot tell me what to do or not do. Now shut up! Pippin."
Pippin handed him a cup of something that looked like tea. "I need you to drink this," Merry said while drawing the cup to Frodo. Alarmed, Frodo moved back a little further.
"What's that?!" Nobody had given him anything to eat so far and suddenly they offered him tea?
"It's nothing," Pippin approached him threateningly. And he had something in his hand, too. Frodo's eyes moved back and forth from Merry to Pippin. What were they going to do this time?
"You want us to do this the hard way, Frodo? Fine!"
Suddenly they all both were right in front of his face, Merry holding the cup and pressing it to his tightly shut lips and Pippin --- he nudging the tip of his dagger on his throat. Frodo lifted his head involuntarily.
"Drink, or I'll slice your throat, beloved!" Frodo could do nothing but obey. He gulped down several times and grimaced. It tasted a little bitter.
Just a short while later his eyes felt heavy. He looked up, his two cousins a blur to him. "You are drugging me?" Frodo whimpered. What a rhetorical question. He felt dizzier and dizzier and the world seemed to spin around him. He was forced to close his eyes. At last he fell to his side and the darkness engulfed him completely.
***
Sounds of clicking glasses mixed with laughter and dirty words could help disguise their secret conversation. It was the men that chased Frodo and another three men who looked just as terrible.
"Are you sure he said the Shire?"
"Positive!"
"Which one from there?"
"The beautiful one. The one with big eyes and dark curly hair. He looks terrible, though. I don't know what had happened to him."
"What do you mean?"
"Yeah, he had bruises all over his face and body. He was bound too."
The other one snapped. "That's not our business. Who knows, that even made it easier for us. He won't give us a hard time later. Tell us, where can we find him?"
The ruffian he talked to just shrugged. "That's not a part of our deal, is it? You just asked us to find any information about any halflings from the Shire. You didn't mention anything about helping you find them."
The man growled and banged at the table. "Do you want the same fate come upon you?!" The other one raised his hands, giving in.
"All right, all right. But there's not much to say anymore anyway. He was with two other halflings who then took him away; I don't know where to!"
The man waved his hand, motioning him to leave. "It's easy. We'll find them." He squinted when the group still didn't move. "Well, what are you waiting for??"
"Uh, the money?"
"No money until the halfling is in our hands. Period." They just nodded and left, too terrified to suggest any other things.
When they were alone, the three men looked at each other. "Finally, we have something to give Sharkey."
"Right. After all these years."
"But we need to be careful. I heard rangers are looking for him, too."
"Why does everyone want him?"
"Who knows? We're just told to bring him to Isengard, and to Isengard we will take him."
"Fine, fine."
***
Strider heard a noise under the window of his bedroom. He opened it silently and reached down. Apparently it was a dwarf or a hobbit to tell from the size. He pulled the form up with all his might.
"Ahh!" The being cried out. "Beggin' your pardon, Sir, but---"
"You! You must be one of them. What are you doing outside my room?" Strider snapped, shaking him violently.
Then he looked more closely. Hmm, maybe not. This one was sturdier and he looked dirty and pale and frightened.
"I'm looking for my master, if you see my meaning."
Strider released him. "I don't. Who is your master? Who are you, and what happened to you?"
Sam observed the man before him, terrified. "Please sir, don't do anything to me. I don't have anything. They hit me sir, hit me so hard I slept for days. And they took my master."
The ranger knew very few hobbits traveled this far. And those came to Bree recently were --- He asked the question carefully.
"Does your master --- happen to be Frodo?"
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam gasped. "Indeed sir! But, how do you know?" Sam squinted at him suspiciously. "Do you have him in your keeping?"
Strider sighed. "Unfortunately no. I saw him with another two hobbits. And he didn't look very well. By the way, do you know them?"
"Oh, no." Sam covered his face with his hands, starting sobbing. "I know them sir. I mean I know who they are but I don't think I know them anymore from what they did to Mr. Frodo. I was to help him, sir, but, but ---" His sobbing was harder.
Strider grasped Sam's shoulders and drew him to a chair. "Sit down first. Then tell me everything you know. We must save your master. I hope it's not too late."
***
Frodo awoke and opened his eyes. But to his wonder, he couldn't see anything. Everything was pitch black. He felt his eyes, checking if he was blindfolded. He wasn't. Then he realized that he wasn't bound anymore. But why couldn't he see? Panic started to grow in him.
TBC
Both the hobbits were about to take Frodo back to the inn when one of the men called out.
"Hey! Wait a second! What's going on here? Is he in trouble?" He nodded to Frodo.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," said Merry, still heading toward the inn. "But that's none of your business."
"I said, wait a second!" The man became harsher. "Who is he? What's it with 'em?"
"He is our cou---" Pippin had no chance to finish as a kick was blown hard to his shin.
"We don't really know who he is," Merry continued for him. "He's mad, can you see? His family in the Shire asked us to take care of him. But it is, my! Very, very difficult!"
Frodo looked at him with widened eyes. "That's not ---" But Merry elbowed him so hard he couldn't complete the sentence. He bent down in agony, panting.
"So, dear friends, can we go now?" asked Merry. "I guess it's time for him to eat." With that Merry grabbed Frodo and turned around, leaving the questioning looks on the men's faces.
In the room, he tossed Frodo to the floor.
"It's outrageous, Frodo. I can't seem to be able to control you anymore. We have to do something about it." Frodo looked up at him apprehensively.
"Why?" asked him in a hoarse voice. "You got the ring. Leave me alone now!"
Merry leered. "Do you think it's that easy, Frodo? If I let you go, you'll run directly to that man in the Prancing Pony or even go back to the Shire where you can talk to everyone about what happened. And what will come next? They will all hunt Pippin and me!" He walked toward him, pushing Frodo to back away.
"I --- I will not do that. I'll just say that you are traveling somewhere. Please, Merry, I am useless for you. I'm just a burden."
Something flashed through Merry's mind but then he shrugged it off. "You! Cannot tell me what to do or not do. Now shut up! Pippin."
Pippin handed him a cup of something that looked like tea. "I need you to drink this," Merry said while drawing the cup to Frodo. Alarmed, Frodo moved back a little further.
"What's that?!" Nobody had given him anything to eat so far and suddenly they offered him tea?
"It's nothing," Pippin approached him threateningly. And he had something in his hand, too. Frodo's eyes moved back and forth from Merry to Pippin. What were they going to do this time?
"You want us to do this the hard way, Frodo? Fine!"
Suddenly they all both were right in front of his face, Merry holding the cup and pressing it to his tightly shut lips and Pippin --- he nudging the tip of his dagger on his throat. Frodo lifted his head involuntarily.
"Drink, or I'll slice your throat, beloved!" Frodo could do nothing but obey. He gulped down several times and grimaced. It tasted a little bitter.
Just a short while later his eyes felt heavy. He looked up, his two cousins a blur to him. "You are drugging me?" Frodo whimpered. What a rhetorical question. He felt dizzier and dizzier and the world seemed to spin around him. He was forced to close his eyes. At last he fell to his side and the darkness engulfed him completely.
***
Sounds of clicking glasses mixed with laughter and dirty words could help disguise their secret conversation. It was the men that chased Frodo and another three men who looked just as terrible.
"Are you sure he said the Shire?"
"Positive!"
"Which one from there?"
"The beautiful one. The one with big eyes and dark curly hair. He looks terrible, though. I don't know what had happened to him."
"What do you mean?"
"Yeah, he had bruises all over his face and body. He was bound too."
The other one snapped. "That's not our business. Who knows, that even made it easier for us. He won't give us a hard time later. Tell us, where can we find him?"
The ruffian he talked to just shrugged. "That's not a part of our deal, is it? You just asked us to find any information about any halflings from the Shire. You didn't mention anything about helping you find them."
The man growled and banged at the table. "Do you want the same fate come upon you?!" The other one raised his hands, giving in.
"All right, all right. But there's not much to say anymore anyway. He was with two other halflings who then took him away; I don't know where to!"
The man waved his hand, motioning him to leave. "It's easy. We'll find them." He squinted when the group still didn't move. "Well, what are you waiting for??"
"Uh, the money?"
"No money until the halfling is in our hands. Period." They just nodded and left, too terrified to suggest any other things.
When they were alone, the three men looked at each other. "Finally, we have something to give Sharkey."
"Right. After all these years."
"But we need to be careful. I heard rangers are looking for him, too."
"Why does everyone want him?"
"Who knows? We're just told to bring him to Isengard, and to Isengard we will take him."
"Fine, fine."
***
Strider heard a noise under the window of his bedroom. He opened it silently and reached down. Apparently it was a dwarf or a hobbit to tell from the size. He pulled the form up with all his might.
"Ahh!" The being cried out. "Beggin' your pardon, Sir, but---"
"You! You must be one of them. What are you doing outside my room?" Strider snapped, shaking him violently.
Then he looked more closely. Hmm, maybe not. This one was sturdier and he looked dirty and pale and frightened.
"I'm looking for my master, if you see my meaning."
Strider released him. "I don't. Who is your master? Who are you, and what happened to you?"
Sam observed the man before him, terrified. "Please sir, don't do anything to me. I don't have anything. They hit me sir, hit me so hard I slept for days. And they took my master."
The ranger knew very few hobbits traveled this far. And those came to Bree recently were --- He asked the question carefully.
"Does your master --- happen to be Frodo?"
"Mr. Frodo!" Sam gasped. "Indeed sir! But, how do you know?" Sam squinted at him suspiciously. "Do you have him in your keeping?"
Strider sighed. "Unfortunately no. I saw him with another two hobbits. And he didn't look very well. By the way, do you know them?"
"Oh, no." Sam covered his face with his hands, starting sobbing. "I know them sir. I mean I know who they are but I don't think I know them anymore from what they did to Mr. Frodo. I was to help him, sir, but, but ---" His sobbing was harder.
Strider grasped Sam's shoulders and drew him to a chair. "Sit down first. Then tell me everything you know. We must save your master. I hope it's not too late."
***
Frodo awoke and opened his eyes. But to his wonder, he couldn't see anything. Everything was pitch black. He felt his eyes, checking if he was blindfolded. He wasn't. Then he realized that he wasn't bound anymore. But why couldn't he see? Panic started to grow in him.
TBC
