Chapter 23 (My birth date!)

As he was eyeing the hobbit lying unconscious near the tree trunk, Sam could see again how this all started.
He was barely able to hear the voices but he knew something terrible was happening at that time. He stared in horror at how Mr. Frodo was pushed roughly to a tree, making a loud thud when his back hit the tree. Sam remembered how he ran to his master to give some help. He still couldn't forgive himself why he had wandered too far apart from Frodo. Gandalf had warned him about the dangers his master would have to face. But how could he ever suspect Frodo's own cousin to be one of them? Sam shouted, telling Frodo that he was coming and telling Merry, who was holding Frodo, to get away. Sam couldn't believe his ears when Frodo told him that everything would be all right, and that he needed not to worry because it was just Merry. Just Merry, his cousin.

But the skeptical Sam didn't fall as easily as that after what Merry had done earlier. It was just typical Frodo with his gentle heart, who still believed his own cousin would not do anything to cause him more harm.

But then Sam saw, or rather, heard Frodo shouting his name as if he were trying to warn him something. What? What was he trying to say?

There were sounds of steps when Sam was aware of his surroundings again. But he didn't have the chance to find out whose they were as everything suddenly went dark. The last thing he heard was Frodo's long, wailing scream calling his name.
Sam didn't notice that Strider had stood beside him for a while. The man was holding his breathe.

"I know him. It was this one with someone else whom I saw dragging Frodo out of the Pony."

Sam turned around. His face looked contorted.

"It had to be Pippin," he sighed heavily. "Did they torture him?" asked Sam more to himself. "Did Mr. Frodo suffer a lot? Does he still? Oh, Strider. I cannot stand it anymore. I have to find him, Strider, now! Or he will die ---"

Strider hugged the little hobbit in a manner he would do to a little boy. His mind desperately searched for words to comfort him but he failed. Nothing seemed sufficient to make Sam feel better. Strider was realizing now how dear Frodo was to his gardener, more than to Gandalf. Or was it just the same?

Suddenly Sam sent a harsh kick to the hobbit's shin.

"Wake up, you devil! MISTER Merry!" He pronounced the title in a mocking tone. Merry stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

Strider jumped and grabbed Sam.

"Sam! Don't do that! We shouldn't do something like that!"

"No!" Sam struggled to get free. "He had ill-treated my master! He has to pay for that!"

"Be patient, Sam! He must pay for it but not like this."

Sam panted. Realization slowly came to his mind.

"Perhaps you're right, Strider. I'll just leave it to you then." Strider nodded.

Blurrily Merry watched what was happening before him. And when everything became clear, his mouth went wide.

"S - Sam?!" he said chokingly. "You were dead! Pippin has killed you!"

"WHAT!" Sam burst out again. This time Strider wasn't able to hold him back. The gardener went to Merry and snatched his collar, jerking him up. "Pippin! Pippin was the one who hit me?!"

Merry was still too stunned to answer.

Sam slammed Merry to the tree, just like what Merry did to Frodo. Merry winced in pain. His chest was still hurt from Pippin's kick.

"Right. It's hurt, isn't it? Now you can feel what Mr. Frodo felt at that time!"

"So-" Merry gasped. "So you're not dead yet, Sam?"

"No!" spat Sam. "No, not thanks to you! Now tell me where Mr. Frodo is!"

***

Saruman got Frodo propped against a tree and tied up at his waist. Frodo grimaced when Ted tightened the rope around his body and knotted it at the back of the tree. Promising to these men that he would not run away would be futile so Frodo kept quiet. He just tried to make an eye contact with Ted, desperately seeking for any sign of humanity in him in which Frodo could hold on to. He found none.

Ted was observing the result of his work. Frodo wouldn't be able to move at all now. Even his legs were bound together at the ankles and knees. What a pity. Ted had actually grown to like this miserable creature. He didn't know why but since he first laid his eyes on him, he could feel how Frodo had suffered enough in the hands of his fellow hobbits. Ted hadn't wanted to add to his misery.

But everything had changed when Saruman appeared. Ted recalled how his leader had degraded him with his words. Ted's face hardened. He would not allow that to happen again. From now on, there would only be him and his duty. There wouldn't be such thing like pity standing between them.

Ted shoved a shred of bread through Frodo's diminutive lips. Surprised at this sudden intrusion, Frodo coughed and threw the bread out.

"Eat!" snarled Ted, putting the bread back into Frodo's mouth. That really wasn't a problem for Frodo as he was actually very hungry. He chewed gratefully the pieces of bread fed by Ted.

When it was all finished, Frodo gulped some water from the water skin and sighed satisfyingly. Watching this, Ted smiled in his heart. With his stomach full, the hobbit would surely fall to sleep any minute now.
TBC