AU: Surprised! Here is a new chapter for you all, my beautiful reviewers. It's a gift to you because the next 2 days I will take a holiday - and I'm very happy! - and I might not be near any computer and internet! Thanks for Krista, QTPie, endymion and Emma for the last reviews.

Warning: AU, angst
Chapter 46
They wasted no time at all. All the men and the orcs rode their wargs as fast as they could, paying no attention to their passengers, the two hobbits.

Spurred by the adrenaline in his system, Merry didn't find the fast pace as a problem. But the opposite, on the other hand, happened to Frodo. Not having fully recovered from his semi-death experience, Frodo hardly managed to condition his body to adjust to the high speed. Soon he felt his head start to spin around. Cold sweat drenched all over his body and his stomach churned, ready to spill over its content. Frodo gradually felt his vision blur.

"Sir-" he managed to let out in the middle of his panting breaths. "Could - slow - down - please -?"

He felt much worse now. And all of a sudden the warg he rode on made a high jump over a small bush and landed hard, knocking air out of him. He couldn't hold back any longer, and he heaved, luckily, to the side. But the sour-smelled liquid still spilled on the leader's arm, enraging him.

"You!" he yanked Frodo's hair to the back until the hobbit's tearful eyes met his. "Don't you do that again!"

Frodo nodded his head despite the hand locked in his curls. He was a bit relieved, though, after throwing up. And thank Eru, the man slowed down his warg a bit.

The journey tired Frodo so and he ended up sleeping almost at the entire of it. He didn't even realize when they finally stopped after a day and a night run, to eat. They apparently didn't eat as often as hobbits. Merry grimaced over the fact. He was not only starving but also dying as hell!

He eyed with great interest to the meat and bread brought out by the men. He was sure he could eat all of them! He jumped off from the warg and ran to Frodo who was still curling up on the ground even after the man released him from the leash and took him down.

Frodo squeezed his eyes shut, too exhausted and weak to get up, let alone eat. He had no appetite at all. The thought and smell of food made him feel sick even more.

"Frodo!" Merry pulled his shoulder. "Get up and eat your share. Collect it from the men over there."

Frodo's lids fluttered open a little but closed again even more tightly.

"Not - hungry," he mumbled weakly. He really wasn't. He had no intentions at all to move his body. If only Merry just left him alone, he thought miserably.

But Merry wouldn't leave Frodo alone. Reaching out, he tilted the lying hobbit's chin but immediately pulled his hand back.

"Gods, you are burning!" he exclaimed. Indeed. Frodo knew when this was coming. The fever.

"That makes it even more important that you eat, Frodo! You'll get worse otherwise."

Frodo barely heard his cousin's words, though it surprised him, too, why Merry seemed so concerned with his well-being. Ah, right. Of course. Merry cared for him very much. That was why.

Suddenly Frodo felt himself being lifted up. Two men, each on his side, grasped his arms and dragged him to the group of the others sitting around the fire. None of them heeded his protest.

"Let go, uuhhh--" He had no energy to struggle, though. In fact, he felt terribly dizzy and he let his head loll backward while he was being carried. Everything seemed hazy.

Half a moment later he felt his being lowered down and gratefully he resumed his fetal position. But when he was about to drift to slumber, a hand patted his cheek softly.

"Come on, Frodo. I know you are sick. But you need to eat something. Sit up!" Merry helped him shift to a sitting position. Frodo grumbled unconsciously and opened his heavy-lidded eyes. Merry put a piece of meat on his palm without saying anything. Frodo looked at it in dismay. The meat was dried and dark. He didn't want to know how it was cooked. And the smell made him feel sicker. He stretched his hand out while shaking his head. Merry sighed.

"Look, Frodo. I'm not in the mood to force you eat seeing that you are that sick. But it's for your own good. We don't want you to fade away."

Tears flowed freely down Frodo's cheeks. He was sick, really sick, and he didn't want to eat anything. He couldn't. Didn't Merry realize that? He couldn't stand to even think about food. And - fade away? Frodo put the meat on top of the pile of the other slices and hugged his legs, drawing them close to his chest. He rocked back and forth, his memory going back to the place where he saw the bright, white light. If that was how it felt to fade away, how desperately he wanted to go back there.

Frodo blurrily gazed around at the many of beastly-looking faces of the orcs. He felt himself so small and helpless in the middle of them. Yes. The big light would be the most perfect escape.

The thought warmed his agonized heart and he slowly drew back to bottomless sleep.

***

"Your highness! The guards on the north borders located a spot on the horizon that is getting bigger and bigger!"

Having their conversation interrupted by such intriguing news, both Gandalf and Lord Elrond rose from their seats.

"A spot!" exclaimed the Lord of Rivendell. "Anything else? If not, go back and return here immediately after you gather more information." Waving his right hand, he sent the courier away.

When the young elf was no longer in sight, Elrond turned to Gandalf. Both went back to sit down.

"What do you think, my friend? Will they be friendly faces or not??

Gandalf was deep in his thought.

"North?" he muttered as if to himself. "There is the Shire in the north but I have great doubts that the spot we see are the halflings as they are quite reluctant to get out of their comfortable holes."

He shook his head.

"No. That sounds so absurd, even just to imagine. They are rather - cowardice, if I may say - and they don't really care for what is happening in the outside world."

"Hmm," Elrond mused at the lecture from the old wizard.

"Anyway," added Gandalf. "There are two fellow hobbits of mine that I know for sure their courage and braveness." He chucked a little. "Bilbo, of course, and the other one is--"

As if suddenly struck by a lightning, Gandalf jumped up. His eyes almost popped out.

"Frodo!"

He remembered the vision he had some time ago. He had told Elrond about that but neither of them knew how to proceed. They had no idea where to find him, but that didn't stop Gandalf to regret why they didn't even try to.

"Elrond," called Gandalf. "Prepare your best elves! I don't know what is coming over but I sense something foul. And my heart is telling me that it has something to do with Bilbo's dearest nephew!"

***

Frodo stirred, yawning widely, and in the middle of his hazy feeling he was sadly realizing that he was back on the animal's back and tied securely again. However, he was glad to have spent some time dozing off for he felt much better now. The nauseated feeling that had engulfed him since he was brought out of the water was no longer threatening him. It was just this warg that was running wildly in full speed that made him uncomfortable. And the man behind him had not said anything although Frodo was sure he knew of his waking up. The man just tightened his gripping arm around Frodo's waist.

They were not leading the group. In fact, Frodo was just aware of this; they seemed to be always surrounded by orcs in the front, back, and at the two sides. To protect him? Frodo doubted that. And he could not locate Merry. He had to be way ahead of them.

All of a sudden, Frodo felt the man grow tense and in the mean time the orcs around them started to shout out words in a language that Frodo hardly recognized. Frodo tilted his head up to ask the man but he hushed Frodo even before words were spoken. He kept on speeding but, like a déjà vu to Frodo, a flying thing suddenly sliced the air with a wheezing sound. Frodo knew that had to be an arrow even before he heard a loud grunt that followed. It had hit an orc apparently.

That didn't make the man slow down. With a piercing yell he unsheathed his long, heavy sword and leant forward, pressing Frodo to the warg and squeezing him. What was it? Frodo's mind went wild. Who was attacking them?

Some of the men who were equipped with bows and arrows started to shoot. So when the first enemy came in sight, he was directly welcomed by an arrow that was flying directly to his chest. Frodo caught sight of him falling down with a screeching noise, and gasped in shock. The slender body and long, fair hair could not cheat Frodo's eyes. He was an elf! Frodo thrashed wildly in the man's grip, shuddering at how these men had killed an elf.

TBC