Disclaimer : I own nothing from lotr at all. Bad luck.
Ch 19 Rememberance and Tourment
Bob and Ned were eger to get on with their journey, they didn't like just waiting around and they had already done too much of it. They knew that if they stayed in the same place much longer they were bound to be found by a Wraith. There was another problem to add to their ever-growing list. Gollum was making a lot of noise and they feared that they would be caught if they didn't find a way of keeping him quiet. He was likely to attract attention to any Wraith that was in the area and they didn't need that.
Bob knew that if they had to run from a Wraith again they were going to lose someone. Ned was injured, Sam was sulking and Frodo was undoubtably missing Middle Earth. Bob knew the power of the Ring and knew that it must have been pressing down on him, after all she herself had often imagined how awful it must be to carry something as powerful as the One Ring.
Bob felt a sudden longing to touch it but the feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come. She wondered if she was being affected by the Ring's power or whether it was just her being paranoid. Bob remembered what happened to Boromir in the story, he had tried to take the Ring from Frodo. Bob didn't want that to happen to her, she hadn't felt that kind of power before and it overwhelmed her slightly. She hoped that the feeling was a one off and would not come again, she didn't want to turn into Boromir and end up hating the Hobbits and then getting shot by an Orc with lots of arrows.
She wondered if any of the others had felt it, she thought about asking them but then she realised that they might think she was weak and she had only just gained Sam's trust. She knew how protective of Frodo he was. She decided it was best if she just kept it to herself and didn't tell anyone.
Bob wandered over to where Ned was packing her things into the bag, she was surprised to see that Ned was no longer in a large amount of pain, her shoulder seemed much better than the night before. To Bob this didn't make much sense, after all she was stabbed by Frank and that kind of wound shouldn't have healed very quickly.
For now she decided not to voice her thoughts, she didn't want to concern Ned with something that could have a perfectly reasonable explanation. Ned had said many times that her threshold of pain was very different to that of others. This didn't sound much like an explanation but Bob didn't want to worry the others so she kept quiet and hoped it was nothing.
She began to help Ned put all the things back in the bag. They began to ask what to do with their new companion, they couldn't just leave him lying in the woods for anyone to find.
'We can't just leave him here. Someone is sure to find him and what do you think they're going to do if they find a character from a movie tied up in the middle of the Forest ? It's too dangerous, if someone finds him they could tell them about the Hobbits and that would completely ruin the plan. All of this would be worthless.' Bob argued her point.
'Well, we can't take him with us. He'll slow us down and you remember how he betrayed Sam and Frodo in Mordor, he led them into danger.'
'I know that but this isn't Middle Earth and we're not in Mordor. He doesn't know anything about Earth anyway, he couldn't lead us anywhere.'
'What if he tries to take the Ring from Frodo ? Then what ? We lose a fictional character in the New Forest who's running around with the Ring of Power. It's too dangerous.'
'We'll keep watch, not let him leave. It can't be that hard. He'll be tied up all the time, there'll be no way he can escape or take the Ring from Frodo.'
Ned nodded and agreed that they couldn't leave him in the Forest.
**
Bob and Ned continued to pack their things away. They kept a watchful eye on Gollum who was continuing to try and encourage Frodo over to where he was tied up. Bob didn't trust him at all. Ned was worried that Frodo might give in and give Gollum the Ring. She used this excuse but she had been secretly worried about what would happen to Frodo, she had never felt this way about Elijah Wood before. It made no sense to her and she didn't like the way she was feeling. Maybe it was the knife wound that was making her like that.
Bob was equally as worried about Frodo but she was concerned that a Wraith could find them any minute. Gollum was making a lot of noise and Bob was sure that he would attract a Ring Wraith eventually. She remembered that in the film Gollum was always making trouble for the Hobbits and almost got them caught once. She knew that if they stayed in the same place for too long they would be found.
**
After about an hour they had packed up all their things and Sam was putting the fire out. It was beginning to rain and they knew that they would get very wet but they couldn't delay any longer. Sam was getting very impatient and was pacing up and down and muttering something under his breath.
Bob and Ned were still checking the site to make sure they hadn't left anything behind. Ned was stooped down and checking that no sign of the fire could be seen, she remembered reading this in the book and was insistant that she did it.
'A Wraith could track us through this, you know.' She said.
'How do you think they're going to track us by a fire ? They already know that we're around this area. I don't think a fire is going to change that. Now come on we're wasting time and Sam wants to leave I think he's getting impatient.'
Ned looked down at the floor just to check that there was nothing left behind. She still thought they should get rid of the remains of the fire. Bob laughed and walked towards Sam and Frodo. Ned couldn't understand what she was laughing at and followed her not realy wanting to move. She moved and a pain shot through her shoulder. She was tempted to sit down but she knew that Bob would want to get out of this place. She straightened and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, she still had that feeling that something else was wrong.
Her head felt light and she moved towards a near-by tree. She leaned against it and tried to clear her head slightly. She thought about sitting down but was put off by Bob shouting that they should get moving as quickly as possible. There were still Wraiths out there and Bob didn't want to get caught by them.
Ned tried to stand up without the aid of the tree but her head still spun and she knew that something was wrong. She stood up and was immediately faced with Bob staring at her and asking what was wrong.
'Nothing. I'm fine, honestly.' Ned insisted.
Bob nodded and walked towards the Hobbits who were stood waiting impatiently. Sam was tapping his foot and mumbling that they shouldn't be wasting time, he didn't like waiting around for people. He was about to say something but when he saw Bob's concerned look he decided not to.
Ned straightened herself and began to walk towards the Company, she was determined to keep walking with them, she had held them up for too long already even though Bob had insisted that they were glad for the rest. She wandered slowly over to them and noticed how angry Sam looked.
'At least you know that Hobbits aren't the slowest people any more, Sam.' Ned joked.
Bob smiled but didn't find the joke very funny seeing as Ned had recently been stabbed by a psycopathic murderer. She was concerned about her friend, she tried not to show it as Ned wouldn't approve. Bob had spent some time trying to figure out what was wrong with Ned but she couldn't think of anything, besides there was nothing she could do in the middle of the Forest.
Ned finally reached them and smiled that she had made it with out falling over. Just as she thought this she felt her balance going slightly and tried to grab something to support herself but there was nothing. Bob was right beside her and grabbed her arm which gave her the support she needed. Ned waited for a minute and then signalled that she no longer needed Bob's help. She got her balance again.
'Thanks.' She said shortly.
'No problem.' Replied Bob.
'Are we ready to go now ? It'll be night soon.' Sam was getting impatient again.
Both Bob and Ned nodded and they began to continue their walk through the Forest. Behind them they pulled Gollum who was being just as stubborn as in the movie. They knew he would be a problem and were prepared for a hard time but Ned was not happy when they had to stop to check that the rope around his neck was tight enough. The thought of having to walk all that way with a wriggling creature tied up behind you was not very appealing to any of the company. They wanted to get out of the Forest as quickly as possible and Gollum was slowing them down.
**
In Orthanc Fred was still asleep. David was looking down at her and trying to imagine what she was like without all the cuts and bruises. She had spoken of a magical and wonderful place and he longed for her to tell him more, he wondered whether he should wake her but he knew that she had been tortured and that she was only young and he thought it best to let her sleep.
One of the stangest things she had spoken about was her friends, he tried to recall what she had told him.
The first thing she had spoken about was her school. She had said that she had been going there for four years, she hadn't been very enthusiastic but he couldn't tell whether that was the torture or not. The next thing he had asked her about were her friends. She had laughed at this but he didn't understand why.
Fred had described two of her friends at school,
'Well,' she said ' there's Bob, Roberta, I met her when I was in Middle School, she was friends with this other girl and she introduced us. After that we became best friends and that hasn't changed since. Then there's Ned, Nedine, she's mad, like completely insane. She was friends with Bob and then we all kinda met up and that was that. We've been friends ever since.'
'Is that it ? I mean there must be more to them than just names. In my land our friends are the most important people in our lives. Is it not like that where you come from ?'
Fred didn't say anything for some time whilst she thought about the question. She had never considered defining her relationship with her friends, they were just there and they were instantly friends when they met and that had never changed.
'I don't know. I've never really thought about it. Of course they're important.'
'Would you die for them ?' David asked.
Fred didn't know what to say, Ned had often asked her that question for her fanfics but she had always thought that it was impossible so she never took it seriously but this was very real and not she was being aksed it she didn't know how to answer. She thought for a minute.
'Yes.'
Fred was surprised that she answered that question with a 'yes', she had never thought that she would die for her friends but now she was forced to think about it and the answer surprised her as much as it did David.
It was true that she had always been close to her friends but she had never thought that she would die for them, however, she had no reason to even consider it in the quiet town she lived in. She began to wonder if she would actually do it. She could imagine herself being a hero and dying for them but she didn't know whether she could actually die for them. She hoped that the time would never come when she would test her theory.
'Your answer surprised you didn't it ?' David interrupted her thoughts.
She didn't know what to say.
'It's just that I've never had to think about dying before, where I come from it's not really something that we have to think about.'
'You mean there's no death where you come from ?'
'Yes, of course people die, just not like you would expect. People don't get killed very often in Wilton, where I come from.'
'Your people do not fight ?'
'Yes they fight, great wars, but not where I live. I guess it's not important enough.' Fred smiled remembering her own town. She wished she was there now.
As she was thinking about this she heard someone trying to open the door. As the heavy door opened she saw the image of a very tall Orc with chains ready to tie her up. She knew there was nothing she could do so she did not fight back.
Ch 19 Rememberance and Tourment
Bob and Ned were eger to get on with their journey, they didn't like just waiting around and they had already done too much of it. They knew that if they stayed in the same place much longer they were bound to be found by a Wraith. There was another problem to add to their ever-growing list. Gollum was making a lot of noise and they feared that they would be caught if they didn't find a way of keeping him quiet. He was likely to attract attention to any Wraith that was in the area and they didn't need that.
Bob knew that if they had to run from a Wraith again they were going to lose someone. Ned was injured, Sam was sulking and Frodo was undoubtably missing Middle Earth. Bob knew the power of the Ring and knew that it must have been pressing down on him, after all she herself had often imagined how awful it must be to carry something as powerful as the One Ring.
Bob felt a sudden longing to touch it but the feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come. She wondered if she was being affected by the Ring's power or whether it was just her being paranoid. Bob remembered what happened to Boromir in the story, he had tried to take the Ring from Frodo. Bob didn't want that to happen to her, she hadn't felt that kind of power before and it overwhelmed her slightly. She hoped that the feeling was a one off and would not come again, she didn't want to turn into Boromir and end up hating the Hobbits and then getting shot by an Orc with lots of arrows.
She wondered if any of the others had felt it, she thought about asking them but then she realised that they might think she was weak and she had only just gained Sam's trust. She knew how protective of Frodo he was. She decided it was best if she just kept it to herself and didn't tell anyone.
Bob wandered over to where Ned was packing her things into the bag, she was surprised to see that Ned was no longer in a large amount of pain, her shoulder seemed much better than the night before. To Bob this didn't make much sense, after all she was stabbed by Frank and that kind of wound shouldn't have healed very quickly.
For now she decided not to voice her thoughts, she didn't want to concern Ned with something that could have a perfectly reasonable explanation. Ned had said many times that her threshold of pain was very different to that of others. This didn't sound much like an explanation but Bob didn't want to worry the others so she kept quiet and hoped it was nothing.
She began to help Ned put all the things back in the bag. They began to ask what to do with their new companion, they couldn't just leave him lying in the woods for anyone to find.
'We can't just leave him here. Someone is sure to find him and what do you think they're going to do if they find a character from a movie tied up in the middle of the Forest ? It's too dangerous, if someone finds him they could tell them about the Hobbits and that would completely ruin the plan. All of this would be worthless.' Bob argued her point.
'Well, we can't take him with us. He'll slow us down and you remember how he betrayed Sam and Frodo in Mordor, he led them into danger.'
'I know that but this isn't Middle Earth and we're not in Mordor. He doesn't know anything about Earth anyway, he couldn't lead us anywhere.'
'What if he tries to take the Ring from Frodo ? Then what ? We lose a fictional character in the New Forest who's running around with the Ring of Power. It's too dangerous.'
'We'll keep watch, not let him leave. It can't be that hard. He'll be tied up all the time, there'll be no way he can escape or take the Ring from Frodo.'
Ned nodded and agreed that they couldn't leave him in the Forest.
**
Bob and Ned continued to pack their things away. They kept a watchful eye on Gollum who was continuing to try and encourage Frodo over to where he was tied up. Bob didn't trust him at all. Ned was worried that Frodo might give in and give Gollum the Ring. She used this excuse but she had been secretly worried about what would happen to Frodo, she had never felt this way about Elijah Wood before. It made no sense to her and she didn't like the way she was feeling. Maybe it was the knife wound that was making her like that.
Bob was equally as worried about Frodo but she was concerned that a Wraith could find them any minute. Gollum was making a lot of noise and Bob was sure that he would attract a Ring Wraith eventually. She remembered that in the film Gollum was always making trouble for the Hobbits and almost got them caught once. She knew that if they stayed in the same place for too long they would be found.
**
After about an hour they had packed up all their things and Sam was putting the fire out. It was beginning to rain and they knew that they would get very wet but they couldn't delay any longer. Sam was getting very impatient and was pacing up and down and muttering something under his breath.
Bob and Ned were still checking the site to make sure they hadn't left anything behind. Ned was stooped down and checking that no sign of the fire could be seen, she remembered reading this in the book and was insistant that she did it.
'A Wraith could track us through this, you know.' She said.
'How do you think they're going to track us by a fire ? They already know that we're around this area. I don't think a fire is going to change that. Now come on we're wasting time and Sam wants to leave I think he's getting impatient.'
Ned looked down at the floor just to check that there was nothing left behind. She still thought they should get rid of the remains of the fire. Bob laughed and walked towards Sam and Frodo. Ned couldn't understand what she was laughing at and followed her not realy wanting to move. She moved and a pain shot through her shoulder. She was tempted to sit down but she knew that Bob would want to get out of this place. She straightened and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, she still had that feeling that something else was wrong.
Her head felt light and she moved towards a near-by tree. She leaned against it and tried to clear her head slightly. She thought about sitting down but was put off by Bob shouting that they should get moving as quickly as possible. There were still Wraiths out there and Bob didn't want to get caught by them.
Ned tried to stand up without the aid of the tree but her head still spun and she knew that something was wrong. She stood up and was immediately faced with Bob staring at her and asking what was wrong.
'Nothing. I'm fine, honestly.' Ned insisted.
Bob nodded and walked towards the Hobbits who were stood waiting impatiently. Sam was tapping his foot and mumbling that they shouldn't be wasting time, he didn't like waiting around for people. He was about to say something but when he saw Bob's concerned look he decided not to.
Ned straightened herself and began to walk towards the Company, she was determined to keep walking with them, she had held them up for too long already even though Bob had insisted that they were glad for the rest. She wandered slowly over to them and noticed how angry Sam looked.
'At least you know that Hobbits aren't the slowest people any more, Sam.' Ned joked.
Bob smiled but didn't find the joke very funny seeing as Ned had recently been stabbed by a psycopathic murderer. She was concerned about her friend, she tried not to show it as Ned wouldn't approve. Bob had spent some time trying to figure out what was wrong with Ned but she couldn't think of anything, besides there was nothing she could do in the middle of the Forest.
Ned finally reached them and smiled that she had made it with out falling over. Just as she thought this she felt her balance going slightly and tried to grab something to support herself but there was nothing. Bob was right beside her and grabbed her arm which gave her the support she needed. Ned waited for a minute and then signalled that she no longer needed Bob's help. She got her balance again.
'Thanks.' She said shortly.
'No problem.' Replied Bob.
'Are we ready to go now ? It'll be night soon.' Sam was getting impatient again.
Both Bob and Ned nodded and they began to continue their walk through the Forest. Behind them they pulled Gollum who was being just as stubborn as in the movie. They knew he would be a problem and were prepared for a hard time but Ned was not happy when they had to stop to check that the rope around his neck was tight enough. The thought of having to walk all that way with a wriggling creature tied up behind you was not very appealing to any of the company. They wanted to get out of the Forest as quickly as possible and Gollum was slowing them down.
**
In Orthanc Fred was still asleep. David was looking down at her and trying to imagine what she was like without all the cuts and bruises. She had spoken of a magical and wonderful place and he longed for her to tell him more, he wondered whether he should wake her but he knew that she had been tortured and that she was only young and he thought it best to let her sleep.
One of the stangest things she had spoken about was her friends, he tried to recall what she had told him.
The first thing she had spoken about was her school. She had said that she had been going there for four years, she hadn't been very enthusiastic but he couldn't tell whether that was the torture or not. The next thing he had asked her about were her friends. She had laughed at this but he didn't understand why.
Fred had described two of her friends at school,
'Well,' she said ' there's Bob, Roberta, I met her when I was in Middle School, she was friends with this other girl and she introduced us. After that we became best friends and that hasn't changed since. Then there's Ned, Nedine, she's mad, like completely insane. She was friends with Bob and then we all kinda met up and that was that. We've been friends ever since.'
'Is that it ? I mean there must be more to them than just names. In my land our friends are the most important people in our lives. Is it not like that where you come from ?'
Fred didn't say anything for some time whilst she thought about the question. She had never considered defining her relationship with her friends, they were just there and they were instantly friends when they met and that had never changed.
'I don't know. I've never really thought about it. Of course they're important.'
'Would you die for them ?' David asked.
Fred didn't know what to say, Ned had often asked her that question for her fanfics but she had always thought that it was impossible so she never took it seriously but this was very real and not she was being aksed it she didn't know how to answer. She thought for a minute.
'Yes.'
Fred was surprised that she answered that question with a 'yes', she had never thought that she would die for her friends but now she was forced to think about it and the answer surprised her as much as it did David.
It was true that she had always been close to her friends but she had never thought that she would die for them, however, she had no reason to even consider it in the quiet town she lived in. She began to wonder if she would actually do it. She could imagine herself being a hero and dying for them but she didn't know whether she could actually die for them. She hoped that the time would never come when she would test her theory.
'Your answer surprised you didn't it ?' David interrupted her thoughts.
She didn't know what to say.
'It's just that I've never had to think about dying before, where I come from it's not really something that we have to think about.'
'You mean there's no death where you come from ?'
'Yes, of course people die, just not like you would expect. People don't get killed very often in Wilton, where I come from.'
'Your people do not fight ?'
'Yes they fight, great wars, but not where I live. I guess it's not important enough.' Fred smiled remembering her own town. She wished she was there now.
As she was thinking about this she heard someone trying to open the door. As the heavy door opened she saw the image of a very tall Orc with chains ready to tie her up. She knew there was nothing she could do so she did not fight back.