Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien has created although I often wish I did.
Especially Frodo.
A/N: I know this has been going on for some time but it's over so enjoy the last chapter.
Ch 33 The final battle
Fred cowered in a corner as Saruman and Bob fought. It seemed like it was perfectly normal for Bob to be so powerful but Fred had never seen anything like it. It was so powerful that she was sure that one of them would die eventually and she prayed that it would be Saruman and not Bob. They threw each other to the floor with nothing more than a wave of their hands. It was strange and frightening to see and Fred was glad that she wasn't caught up in the middle of it although she feared for her friend's life.
Bob knocked Saruman off his feet and he fell to the ground with a thud but was soon up again and threw Bob up against the wall. She fell to the ground and looked over at Fred who was shaking uncontrollably. Surprisingly Bob smiled and got to her feet much to Saruman's surprise who had thought he had finally defeated her.
"Is that all you've got?" She said as she wiped blood from her mouth. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up even though she did feel very powerful.
Saruman smiled and the fight began again. Fred didn't want to watch she shut her eyes tightly and ignored the tremendous pain this caused her left eye. She wanted to just sink back into the walls but she knew that was impossible. She heard a loud crash and opened her eyes suddenly.
At first she couldn't see anything. There was a thick wall of dust clouding her already poor vision. She knew that something big had happened but she didn't know who had won the fight or what had happened. She peered through the dust and saw a figure walking confidently towards her. Her first instinct was that it was Saruman and she cowered further into the corner and covered her face with her arm knowing it would do much good. She expected him to pull her up roughly but instead she felt a light hand touch her shoulder and someone gently say her name.
"Fred. Are you okay?"
Fred instantly recognised that voice Bob. She let her arm fall down and was relieved to find that it wasn't a trick and that Bob really was kneeling in front of her. She studied Bob's face for a second as if making absolutely sure that it wasn't fake. When she realised that it was true she threw herself forward and cried in relief. She didn't want to let go of her friend. It had been so long since she had felt even remotely safe and she didn't want to feel threatened again.
"I thought you'd never come. I thought I'd be stuck here forever." She sobbed into Bob's shoulder as her friend tried to comfort her and stop her shaking. She was trying to help Fred but also keep herself from breaking down in tears; she had to complete her mission. She had to destroy that Orb. She gently motioned for Fred to pull away which she did.
"It's going to be alright now. I'm going to get you out of here. We have to leave now, I'm not sure how much longer Saruman will be unconscious."
"What happened to you? Why are you so powerful? Not that I'm complaining."
"Gandalf contacted me through my dreams and told me what to do. He also passed some kind of magic onto me but we have to do one more thing before we can leave then I'm getting us home. You wouldn't believe how hard this has all been."
"I can't believe you're here. After the.box incident I didn't think you'd come back."
"I know. I'm sorry about that. I thought it would be better if I did it rather than one of those Orcs. I couldn't tell him about Frodo. You know that."
"It's okay you did the right thing although I can't say I'm pleased that you nailed my hands to a box." Fred almost laughed.
"We have to get going. I don't know about you but I can't wait to get home. One night in that cell was more than enough. Can you walk?"
"I can try." Fred smiled. She was determined to get out of Orthanc. "I can't see very well though." She shivered as she remembered what had happened.
"I know. I felt it. I'll explain later." Bob said at Fred's confused look.
"There's someone we have to get out of here first. He's in the dungeons. He helped me out and I promised I wouldn't leave him behind. It's not far down the corridor plus he knows his way around Orthanc."
"Good. We could use a little help. Come on." Bob helped Fred up and supported her when she found that she wasn't quite as strong as she had first thought.
They stumbled through the room and out into the corridor. They were quickly confronted with two armed Orcs. Bob turned so Fred was out of the way and she held out her hand and the Orcs were instantly on the ground unconscious.
"Hey, that's pretty clever." Fred smiled as they stepped over the Orcs. Fred was trying to walk without Bob's help and was succeeding although she was still a little unsteady so Bob kept an arm around her waist for support.
They quickly reached the cells and Fred showed Bob where David was. Bob easily broke the lock and Fred stumbled into the room to find David sat on the bed with chains around his ankles. He stood up when he saw Fred. Bob went straight over to him and broke the chains. David stood up and threw his arms around Fred who leaned against him. They kissed quickly and passionately as Bob looked on in surprise. She smiled when Fred looked over at her.
"You must be the infamous Bob. I'm David" He bowed slightly. "Fred said you'd come but I didn't believe her. I suppose I owe you an apology." Fred smiled at him and leaned against him when she suddenly felt dizzy. "She needs to rest." He said sitting her down on the bed and looking at her.
"I wish we had time but we need to get out of here now. I don't know how much longer Saruman will be unconscious. The sooner we break that Orb the sooner we can get out of here and help Fred. Then we can rest."
David didn't like that but knew that there was nothing he could do and nodded. He picked Fred up easily and stroked her hair. She leaned her head against his shoulder and shut her eyes.
"Come on. I need to find Saruman's private quarters do you know the way?" Bob asked walking out of the door.
"Yes but this whole place is crawling with Orcs. We didn't make it last time what makes you think we can do it this time?"
"Because this time you have me. Just keep Fred safe and show me the way to that room and I'll deal with the Orcs." She said as David showed her which corridor to go down. Bob strode confidently ahead whilst David gave her instructions on which way to go.
Along the way they encountered several Orcs but they were no problem to Bob, she just held out her hands and they were instantly on the ground.
"Who are you?" David asked in amazement.
"I told you. I'm here to rescue you. Maybe Fred's stories about me are true." She smiled and noticed Fred smiling tiredly back.
They sharply turned one corner and were faced with a group of about thirty Orcs all lined up with weapons waiting for battle. Bob stopped. A few Orcs was okay but there was no way she could handle thirty of them then she also noticed Saruman come out from behind them. Bob and David turned to go the other way but ten more Orcs were blocking that way. That made forty. There was no way she could deal with forty Orcs and Saruman.
David carefully put Fred down but kept a firm arm around her waist in case she fell.
"I can't take them all out. I'll deal with some of them and Saruman and you and Fred will have to do what you can with the others." Bob whispered.
"Good to see you again Fred. I didn't think I'd see you again but I'm so glad I have. And you've brought young David along as well. How sweet. Tell me David did you like watching you true love being tortured? I think you did." Saruman snarled.
David was about to rush forward in anger but Bob held out a hand to stop him and he was frozen to the spot. Saruman smiled.
"There's no point. He'll only kill you. Leave him to me." Bob said never taking her eyes off Saruman. "Are you alright Fred?"
"Yeah." Fred said trying unsuccessfully to keep the quiver from her voice.
Saruman smiled and suddenly gave his order to the Orcs who rushed forward to the three companions. The ones that came too close to Bob were killed instantly but her main priority was to get to Saruman. She wanted him to pay for what he had done to both her and Fred. He wasn't going to get away from this although she knew she couldn't kill him, she couldn't change the timeline that drastically. Even so she headed towards him as he stood waiting for her.
David knocked an Orc over the head and grabbed it's weapon and handed to Fred who was looking terrified. She held it tightly as he knocked another Orc to the ground and took its weapon. He grabbed Fred by the shoulders and said,
"Kill as many as you can and stay alive. If you can't get out of here and hide somewhere and I'll come and find you. You understand? And Fred be careful."
"You know me." She smiled.
"That's what I mean." He smiled back. He kissed her quickly and attacked an Orc that came upon him. Fred did the same and was surprised that she could conjure up so much energy. She slashed at the Orcs as best she could although she quickly felt the tiredness settling in but she was determined not to leave her friends to do this alone so she ignored it and carried on. Soon her weapon and her were covered in the black blood of the Orcs although she took no notice of it. She wanted to kill them all but knew there was no way she could do that. She also noticed that their numbers were not getting any less, no matter how many she killed more took their place.
David had also noticed this and although he was doing slightly better than Fred he was beginning to doubt that he could do much to help. He too was covered in black blood of Orcs but also a little of his own red blood. He tried as best he could to stay close to Fred killing any Orcs that came up on her left that she couldn't see. He wouldn't let them hurt her even if it meant dying himself.
It seemed there was no end to the amount of Orcs that came at them. They were all heavily armed but as of yet had not hurt Bob, Fred or David. The floor of the hall was almost completely covered in the thick black blood of the Orcs that the three people had killed but still their numbers didn't fall. Saruman seemed to have an endless supply. David's attempts at protecting Fred were failing, she had already been cut across her arm but she knew it wasn't too serious. David himself had been hurt.
Bob, however, was still strolling through the Orcs like they were nothing to worry about. Whenever she touched one it just fell to the floor dead. Her main aim was to get to Saruman even though it meant leaving Fred at the mercy of the horrible creatures. Saruman was the most important thing and she couldn't afford to let him go. She just hoped that Fred and David could handle all the Orcs that where bound to come to this spot.
Saruman just stood there waiting for Bob to reach him but wanting her to work her way through the Orcs as if teasing her. He knew that the Orcs wouldn't stop her but there was a certain satisfaction in watching them try to kill her even if there was no way they could succeed. He smiled when he saw her coming towards him.
Finally Bob reached Saruman and the Orcs seemed to move away so they would not interrupt the two with their fighting. Bob and Saruman stood face-to- face not saying anything and just staring at each other. Neither knew what was going to happen next and both wanted to make the first move. Bob was beginning to feel that same hate coupled with extreme power she had felt in the room before. She felt that power and hate rising and had to restrain herself to stop herself jumping forward.
"I know what it is you want." Saruman said having to shout above the noise of the battle.
"What's that?" Bob replied also shouting.
"You want the Orb. I can't let you have it I'm afraid. If I gave it to you I would have nothing to work with. You should have taken your friends out of here while you had the chance, I'm afraid now they're going to die no matter how powerful you are I don't think you can bring them back to life." He smiled.
"I don't think I'll need to bring them back to life. Get these Orcs out of my way and I'll consider letting you live." She tried to sound threatening but obviously it didn't work because Saruman laughed.
"If I know Gandalf, and I think I do, he has already told you that you can't alter the timeline. That means you can't kill me."
"Maybe not but I can do far worse." Bob knocked Saruman to the ground and a few Orcs near him also went down. This wasn't going to be as easy as she had first thought.
Saruman got to his feet quickly and said,
"We're not going to go through all this again are we? It was so boring last time."
"As I recall I won." Bob smiled.
"Yes, a mistake that I will now rectify. You may not be able to kill me but I can do an awful lot to you." He tried to strike Bob down but she moved just in time.
She held out her hand and Saruman stood paralysed. He looked frightened but angry. Bob turned round quickly and tried to find her friend. She saw Fred and David struggling with many Orcs. She knew that they couldn't fight all of them on their own and thought the least she could do was help them. She held out her hand and almost two dozen Orcs fell to the floor dead. Also the steady flow of the creatures joining the fight had stopped although even Bob couldn't explain that. Through the gap that now filled the hall Bob could see Fred and David looking tired but still fighting with the Orcs that remained. However, Fred gave her a slight smile of thank you and continued fighting.
Bob swung round and looked at Saruman who was still frozen to the spot, Bob smiled at the frustration on his face. She had won - again.
Fred and David were so relieved when Bob had made some of the Orcs die but they were exhausted and there were still many Orcs to deal with although their numbers were rapidly dropping now. There were only about ten left. David was doing most of the work but Fred was trying her best and had already slain a good number.
Finally they were dealing with one each. Fred threw her sword over the neck of hers and it's head and body fell to the floor separately. She noticed that David was having more trouble with his so she ran towards them and slashed at the Orc's back. David finished it off by sticking his sword through its heart. He stood silently for a moment and let his sword fall to the floor with a noisy clatter. Fred did the same.
Both Fred and David were too tired to move for the moment and just looked at the piles of Orcs that lay around on the blood stained floor. The battle was over. David and Fred looked at each other and rushed into each other's arms. David held Fred tightly and kissed her hair ignoring the bitter taste of Orc blood that still remained.
Bob walked over to the two and left them for a moment. They finally parted and looked at Bob who was also covered in blood although hers was red not black. Fred quickly looked for her injury and found a gash across her side. She looked into Bob's eyes and didn't see any pain.
"You're hurt." Fred said pointing to her wound.
"I'll be fine, it's just a scratch. Well done with the Orcs. This place looks more like a graveyard now. We had better go. I don't know how long that thing will hold Saruman."
With that they all ran off towards the room where they knew the Orb was being kept. Bob opened the door and walked straight inside killing the two Orcs standing guard of the Orb. She walked straight over to the deep red ball. She looked inside it and saw the swirling of the inside. It was amazing, like nothing she had ever seen before. She wanted to reach out and touch it but something told her that it would be too dangerous so she left it alone.
"What do we do with it?" Fred asked also entranced by the Orb.
"We smash it. Then it will send the others home." Bob replied.
Fred nodded and then thought about what Bob had just told her. Suddenly it hit her, "What do you mean send the others home? Can't we all go?"
"When you break the Orb the thing kind of explodes and sends out a pulse strong enough to send the two standing furthest away home but also strong enough to kill the one closest. The one smashing it. That means that one of us is going to have to smash the Orb to send the other two home." Bob hated telling them this but knew they had to know.
"Then what do we do?" Fred asked knowing that she was going to lose one of them but not wanting to face up to it. She hoped there was another way but secretly she knew there wasn't.
There was silence.
"I'll break it." Fred finally said quietly. David almost fainted when he heard this.
"No you won't. I'm not letting you kill yourself so I can go to a place that will be hell without you. I'll break it." Bob knew this was going to take some time.
"I think you already know what I'm going to say. The truth is only one of us can break it and we are running out of time. We must decide now." Bob wished she didn't have to do this. "Listen, I am stronger and I have more chance of pulling this off than you. Let me do it."
"No. You're my best friend and I won't let you die. I will do it. I will only slow you down if I go with you."
"This is getting us nowhere. Like Bob said we are running out of time. Fred there is no way I'm letting you do this. Bob you're right you are the most powerful and Fred is going to need your help. I'm the only one that doesn't belong in your world. I'll do it. It makes sense, you know it does."
"No. No you can't. David please, there has to be another way. Bob?"
"There is no other way. I hate to say it but David's right. He doesn't belong on Earth and we do. If he comes with us he could change the whole timeline for Middle Earth. We can't risk it. I'm sorry." Bob said.
"No. David you can't do this." Fred screamed trying to make him see sense.
"I have to. You'll be alright. Go. Fred go." David nodded at Bob who nodded back and pulled Fred back away from David and the Orb.
"All you have to do is smash it so it breaks on the ground. Good luck." Bob smiled sadly.
Fred screamed at David begging him not to do it. She was struggling to get away from Bob who was holding her tightly. She finally managed to get free just as David was about to pick up the Orb. She ran towards him and he opened his arms. She threw herself into his embrace and held him tightly sobbing into his tunic. He held her tightly allowing his own tears to fall. He gently rocked her hoping to calm her down although it wasn't working.
"You know this has to be done. I have no choice. You are everything to me, if it means that I have to die so you can live then so be it." He cried.
"I don't want to lose you." She sobbed.
"I know but this is the right thing to do you know that."
"I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too. More than you'll ever know." He kissed her hair and held her out in front of him. He bent down and kissed her softly. She returned the kiss wishing that it would never end. He pulled away and looked at her one last time brushing a strand of hair away from her tear-streaked face. He kissed her one last time and motioned for her to go and join Bob. At first she hesitated but then realised there was nothing she could do so did as he instructed.
She met Bob who stood and watched David pick up the Orb. She could hear Fred softly crying next to her. David looked at Fred one last time and smiled. He mouthed the words 'I love you' and held the Orb above his head getting ready to smash it. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see his death and brought the Orb down hard and fast to the floor.
There was silence for a moment as everything went into slow motion. The Orb shattered into a million pieces on the floor and an orange light spread out around it like a visible shock wave. This light was closely followed by a burst of fire that was so intense that it killed David as soon as it hit him. He still had his eyes closed as Fred watched him be engulfed in the orange flame.
Fred and Bob just stood still watching what was happening. The shock wave pushed past them sending them reeling back but they forced themselves to remain standing. The fire killed David and sent a wave of heat flowing over them. The last thing to happen was a giant flash of bright white light came over them and blinded them. After that everything was silent and black. They were on their way home.
**
In the New Forest the same white light had appeared and Gandalf was motioning the other members of the Fellowship towards it. They each stepped into it and disappeared. They too were on their way home. After the last member of the Fellowship was through two figures appeared in the place of the light. It died down until it was nothing more than a gentle wind blowing.
Fred and Bob were still standing with their eyes closed and as the harsh wind that accompanied the blast died down they opened their eyes and allowed them to adjust for a second. They were in the New Forest again. They stood still for a moment not quite believing what had happened or that they were home. Neither said anything but Bob looked over at Fred who was looking into space in disbelief. When she felt Bob watching her she turned her head and looked at her friend. Bob smiled knowing that Fred would not return the gesture.
Finally Bob came to her senses slightly. She took a step forwards and turned round to look at Fred who was still stood in the same position. This was the first time Bob had a chance to look at her friend properly. She was extremely pale and shaking all over. He left eye was closed and red and she had numerous cuts and bruises on her face, neck and arms. Her face was covered in both red and black blood as well as dirt and tears. She wasn't standing up properly and looked as if she was about to collapse. She looked tired and scared although Bob was sure there was a slight hint of relief there as well.
She reached forwards and touched her friend's arm. Fred looked at her and inspected her friend's wounds. Bob had a small cut on her forehead and a large gash on her side. She too was covered in both red and black blood and looked exhausted. The relief was more evident in Bob's face than it was in Fred's.
"Come on let's get out of here. I want to go home." Bob said quietly making Fred look up.
Fred nodded numbly and walked forwards slowly and tiredly. Bob walked beside her making sure she went at the same pace as Fred. They weren't far away from the place where Bob had left Ned, Frodo and Sam but the walk seemed to take a long time.
Eventually they reached the clearing where Bob had left them. Fred's father had gone to get help. Bob looked around hoping to find Ned near by. She couldn't see her anywhere. Fred walked to the other side of the clearing. She screamed when she saw Ned's pale face under the blanket. Fred fell to her knees and cried.
Bob came running towards where Fred was and stopped suddenly when she saw Ned.
"Oh my God." She whispered moving closer so she was stood behind Fred. "I shouldn't have left. This is all my fault." She kneeled down next to Fred and looked in disbelief at the body of her friend.
They sat there for almost an hour trying to come to terms with the fact Ned was dead. Finally Fred stood painfully up and walked over to a fallen tree and sat down.
"Do you think we should stay here until someone finds us?" She asked Bob who was copying her actions.
Bob sat down and said, "It's getting dark so we can't go anywhere anyway. I could really use some sleep and I'm sure you could too." Fred nodded. "Good. We stay here and move in the morning."
Fred nodded again and moved onto the floor. Bob did the same and closed her eyes; she opened them again when she felt Fred looking at her.
"Is that what I think it is? Mithril?" Fred asked.
"Yeah. I found it in my cell. It was leant to me by a very kind Dwarf."
"There was someone else in your cell?" Fred questioned.
"I didn't say that. It was before I got all those powers and I didn't know what to do. I found this skeleton in my cell and he had this vest on so I thought I'd borrow it. I didn't think he'd mind."
"You stole off a dead person?"
"I didn't steal, I borrowed besides I needed it more than he did. What was I meant to do just leave it there for some Orc to find and sell? I used it for good so I took it."
"Okay."
"I found something else too. You remember when we were at school and Ned was reading that book and you had an obsession with a ruby dagger?"
"Yeah."
"Well the Dwarf didn't have a ruby dagger but he did have a ruby medallion. I thought we might get stranded in Middle Earth so I thought we could use it as a bargaining tool but I don't think we'll need it now."
"So let me get this straight, you not only stole the Dwarf's armour but you also stole a ruby medallion to sell in case we needed it? Don't you think that's a little.morbid?"
"No. We would have needed it. I'm sure he would have wanted it put to good use anyway."
"And good use is taking it and selling it so we can have a slice or two of bread?"
"At the time yes. I didn't know any of this was going to happen." Bob said defensively.
"Hey, I'm not saying you did wrong. I would have probably done the same thing too." Fred didn't want to upset her friend.
"I'm sure you would have. We should try and get some sleep."
"Do you want me to take a look at that wound for you? It might still be bleeding." When Fred said this Bob couldn't help thinking about Ned. The whole stitching incident seemed like years ago but she couldn't get it out of her mind. She felt a tear run down her cheek.
"Are you okay?" Fred asked sitting up ignoring her own pain.
"Yeah. I was just thinking about Ned. She asked me to stitch up her wound. The one Frank gave her."
"Frank?"
"It's a long story." Bob almost laughed.
"Here, I'll try and make a bandage and stop that bleeding." Fred said. She crawled over to one of the Hobbit's bags and pulled out a spare blanket and went back over to Bob. "Do you think the Hobbits are okay?" She didn't get a reply and realised Bob was asleep. She smiled and set to work cleaning the wound.
Soon the wound was covered and the bleeding had stopped. Fred laid back and looked up at the stars that now filled the sky. She thought about all the terrible things that had happened to her. It was strange, she still felt the intense pain that filled her body but it no longer seemed to matter any more. She thought about David, how he had risked her life to save her, how much she loved him and how much he loved her. In a way she almost missed Orthanc, she missed curling up into those strong arms and falling asleep. She missed waking up and seeing his handsome face. She missed talking to him. She even missed seeing him worry about her when she was brought back from Saruman's torture chamber.
Fred couldn't believe that she was actually missing that terrible place. The thought that she was doing something good was what kept her going, that and the hope that someone would find her and rescue her. There had always been hope, it's what kept her alive, and David of course, she couldn't have survived without him. She had neither of these things any more. No hope and no David. What did that leave? The thought of returning home? She didn't want that. She would go through all of that again just to be with David a few more minutes.
She felt the tears falling again but refused to make them stop. She wanted him back but there was no way. How could Bob have done that to her? She had taken her away from the man she loved. No, she couldn't allow herself to think like that. Bob had saved her. Without her she would still be being tortured. Strangely that was appealing. Had the whole thing driven her mad? She was beginning to think so.
She was startled when she heard a voice. She looked down at Bob but she was sleeping soundly. She listened again and again she heard the voice. It was still fairly distant but she thought it was getting closer. She heard it again and this time heard what the voice was saying. "Fred." They were calling her name. She was about to shout back when something jumped on her.
Her first thought was that it was something bad. She screamed loudly, enough to alert the rescue team where she was. She looked down at the thing and saw a little red squirrel. Bob sat up and looked across.
"Percy?" She shouted. The squirrel jumped off Fred and leapt towards Bob. Bob held it in her hand. "I never thought I'd see you again." She smiled.
"Bob? Are you talking to a squirrel?" Fred asked confused.
"Percy saved us from Frank. He's a hero."
"And you called him Percy?" Bob nodded happily.
Just at that moment people burst through the trees and towards the two girls and the squirrel. Percy ran off into the trees and left Bob and Fred looking surprised at the people rushing towards them with blankets. Fred's parents came running towards her and held her tightly causing her to shout out in pain. She was quickly joined by a paramedic. Bob's mother did the same only Bob just hugged her back crying softly in relief. A paramedic helped her up and she stood with his help.
Bob watched as Fred was taken into an ambulance by stretcher. She smiled. They were safe at last. She ran from her mother and jumped into the ambulance with Fred, she wasn't going to leave her friend now. She smiled at her and Fred smiled back. They held hands refusing to be separated by the paramedics who were telling them they would have to move.
Soon they were on their way to the hospital. It was all over. They were finally safe.
**
Just beyond the trees a small grey figure stalked making sure he wasn't seen. His big bright eyes shone in the dark and he made slight grumbling noises. It seemed the spell hadn't been entirely broken after all.
Gollum remained on Earth...
**
A/N: I hope you liked the final chapter. Thanks to everyone that's reviewed. Look out for the sequel coming soon.
A/N: I know this has been going on for some time but it's over so enjoy the last chapter.
Ch 33 The final battle
Fred cowered in a corner as Saruman and Bob fought. It seemed like it was perfectly normal for Bob to be so powerful but Fred had never seen anything like it. It was so powerful that she was sure that one of them would die eventually and she prayed that it would be Saruman and not Bob. They threw each other to the floor with nothing more than a wave of their hands. It was strange and frightening to see and Fred was glad that she wasn't caught up in the middle of it although she feared for her friend's life.
Bob knocked Saruman off his feet and he fell to the ground with a thud but was soon up again and threw Bob up against the wall. She fell to the ground and looked over at Fred who was shaking uncontrollably. Surprisingly Bob smiled and got to her feet much to Saruman's surprise who had thought he had finally defeated her.
"Is that all you've got?" She said as she wiped blood from her mouth. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up even though she did feel very powerful.
Saruman smiled and the fight began again. Fred didn't want to watch she shut her eyes tightly and ignored the tremendous pain this caused her left eye. She wanted to just sink back into the walls but she knew that was impossible. She heard a loud crash and opened her eyes suddenly.
At first she couldn't see anything. There was a thick wall of dust clouding her already poor vision. She knew that something big had happened but she didn't know who had won the fight or what had happened. She peered through the dust and saw a figure walking confidently towards her. Her first instinct was that it was Saruman and she cowered further into the corner and covered her face with her arm knowing it would do much good. She expected him to pull her up roughly but instead she felt a light hand touch her shoulder and someone gently say her name.
"Fred. Are you okay?"
Fred instantly recognised that voice Bob. She let her arm fall down and was relieved to find that it wasn't a trick and that Bob really was kneeling in front of her. She studied Bob's face for a second as if making absolutely sure that it wasn't fake. When she realised that it was true she threw herself forward and cried in relief. She didn't want to let go of her friend. It had been so long since she had felt even remotely safe and she didn't want to feel threatened again.
"I thought you'd never come. I thought I'd be stuck here forever." She sobbed into Bob's shoulder as her friend tried to comfort her and stop her shaking. She was trying to help Fred but also keep herself from breaking down in tears; she had to complete her mission. She had to destroy that Orb. She gently motioned for Fred to pull away which she did.
"It's going to be alright now. I'm going to get you out of here. We have to leave now, I'm not sure how much longer Saruman will be unconscious."
"What happened to you? Why are you so powerful? Not that I'm complaining."
"Gandalf contacted me through my dreams and told me what to do. He also passed some kind of magic onto me but we have to do one more thing before we can leave then I'm getting us home. You wouldn't believe how hard this has all been."
"I can't believe you're here. After the.box incident I didn't think you'd come back."
"I know. I'm sorry about that. I thought it would be better if I did it rather than one of those Orcs. I couldn't tell him about Frodo. You know that."
"It's okay you did the right thing although I can't say I'm pleased that you nailed my hands to a box." Fred almost laughed.
"We have to get going. I don't know about you but I can't wait to get home. One night in that cell was more than enough. Can you walk?"
"I can try." Fred smiled. She was determined to get out of Orthanc. "I can't see very well though." She shivered as she remembered what had happened.
"I know. I felt it. I'll explain later." Bob said at Fred's confused look.
"There's someone we have to get out of here first. He's in the dungeons. He helped me out and I promised I wouldn't leave him behind. It's not far down the corridor plus he knows his way around Orthanc."
"Good. We could use a little help. Come on." Bob helped Fred up and supported her when she found that she wasn't quite as strong as she had first thought.
They stumbled through the room and out into the corridor. They were quickly confronted with two armed Orcs. Bob turned so Fred was out of the way and she held out her hand and the Orcs were instantly on the ground unconscious.
"Hey, that's pretty clever." Fred smiled as they stepped over the Orcs. Fred was trying to walk without Bob's help and was succeeding although she was still a little unsteady so Bob kept an arm around her waist for support.
They quickly reached the cells and Fred showed Bob where David was. Bob easily broke the lock and Fred stumbled into the room to find David sat on the bed with chains around his ankles. He stood up when he saw Fred. Bob went straight over to him and broke the chains. David stood up and threw his arms around Fred who leaned against him. They kissed quickly and passionately as Bob looked on in surprise. She smiled when Fred looked over at her.
"You must be the infamous Bob. I'm David" He bowed slightly. "Fred said you'd come but I didn't believe her. I suppose I owe you an apology." Fred smiled at him and leaned against him when she suddenly felt dizzy. "She needs to rest." He said sitting her down on the bed and looking at her.
"I wish we had time but we need to get out of here now. I don't know how much longer Saruman will be unconscious. The sooner we break that Orb the sooner we can get out of here and help Fred. Then we can rest."
David didn't like that but knew that there was nothing he could do and nodded. He picked Fred up easily and stroked her hair. She leaned her head against his shoulder and shut her eyes.
"Come on. I need to find Saruman's private quarters do you know the way?" Bob asked walking out of the door.
"Yes but this whole place is crawling with Orcs. We didn't make it last time what makes you think we can do it this time?"
"Because this time you have me. Just keep Fred safe and show me the way to that room and I'll deal with the Orcs." She said as David showed her which corridor to go down. Bob strode confidently ahead whilst David gave her instructions on which way to go.
Along the way they encountered several Orcs but they were no problem to Bob, she just held out her hands and they were instantly on the ground.
"Who are you?" David asked in amazement.
"I told you. I'm here to rescue you. Maybe Fred's stories about me are true." She smiled and noticed Fred smiling tiredly back.
They sharply turned one corner and were faced with a group of about thirty Orcs all lined up with weapons waiting for battle. Bob stopped. A few Orcs was okay but there was no way she could handle thirty of them then she also noticed Saruman come out from behind them. Bob and David turned to go the other way but ten more Orcs were blocking that way. That made forty. There was no way she could deal with forty Orcs and Saruman.
David carefully put Fred down but kept a firm arm around her waist in case she fell.
"I can't take them all out. I'll deal with some of them and Saruman and you and Fred will have to do what you can with the others." Bob whispered.
"Good to see you again Fred. I didn't think I'd see you again but I'm so glad I have. And you've brought young David along as well. How sweet. Tell me David did you like watching you true love being tortured? I think you did." Saruman snarled.
David was about to rush forward in anger but Bob held out a hand to stop him and he was frozen to the spot. Saruman smiled.
"There's no point. He'll only kill you. Leave him to me." Bob said never taking her eyes off Saruman. "Are you alright Fred?"
"Yeah." Fred said trying unsuccessfully to keep the quiver from her voice.
Saruman smiled and suddenly gave his order to the Orcs who rushed forward to the three companions. The ones that came too close to Bob were killed instantly but her main priority was to get to Saruman. She wanted him to pay for what he had done to both her and Fred. He wasn't going to get away from this although she knew she couldn't kill him, she couldn't change the timeline that drastically. Even so she headed towards him as he stood waiting for her.
David knocked an Orc over the head and grabbed it's weapon and handed to Fred who was looking terrified. She held it tightly as he knocked another Orc to the ground and took its weapon. He grabbed Fred by the shoulders and said,
"Kill as many as you can and stay alive. If you can't get out of here and hide somewhere and I'll come and find you. You understand? And Fred be careful."
"You know me." She smiled.
"That's what I mean." He smiled back. He kissed her quickly and attacked an Orc that came upon him. Fred did the same and was surprised that she could conjure up so much energy. She slashed at the Orcs as best she could although she quickly felt the tiredness settling in but she was determined not to leave her friends to do this alone so she ignored it and carried on. Soon her weapon and her were covered in the black blood of the Orcs although she took no notice of it. She wanted to kill them all but knew there was no way she could do that. She also noticed that their numbers were not getting any less, no matter how many she killed more took their place.
David had also noticed this and although he was doing slightly better than Fred he was beginning to doubt that he could do much to help. He too was covered in black blood of Orcs but also a little of his own red blood. He tried as best he could to stay close to Fred killing any Orcs that came up on her left that she couldn't see. He wouldn't let them hurt her even if it meant dying himself.
It seemed there was no end to the amount of Orcs that came at them. They were all heavily armed but as of yet had not hurt Bob, Fred or David. The floor of the hall was almost completely covered in the thick black blood of the Orcs that the three people had killed but still their numbers didn't fall. Saruman seemed to have an endless supply. David's attempts at protecting Fred were failing, she had already been cut across her arm but she knew it wasn't too serious. David himself had been hurt.
Bob, however, was still strolling through the Orcs like they were nothing to worry about. Whenever she touched one it just fell to the floor dead. Her main aim was to get to Saruman even though it meant leaving Fred at the mercy of the horrible creatures. Saruman was the most important thing and she couldn't afford to let him go. She just hoped that Fred and David could handle all the Orcs that where bound to come to this spot.
Saruman just stood there waiting for Bob to reach him but wanting her to work her way through the Orcs as if teasing her. He knew that the Orcs wouldn't stop her but there was a certain satisfaction in watching them try to kill her even if there was no way they could succeed. He smiled when he saw her coming towards him.
Finally Bob reached Saruman and the Orcs seemed to move away so they would not interrupt the two with their fighting. Bob and Saruman stood face-to- face not saying anything and just staring at each other. Neither knew what was going to happen next and both wanted to make the first move. Bob was beginning to feel that same hate coupled with extreme power she had felt in the room before. She felt that power and hate rising and had to restrain herself to stop herself jumping forward.
"I know what it is you want." Saruman said having to shout above the noise of the battle.
"What's that?" Bob replied also shouting.
"You want the Orb. I can't let you have it I'm afraid. If I gave it to you I would have nothing to work with. You should have taken your friends out of here while you had the chance, I'm afraid now they're going to die no matter how powerful you are I don't think you can bring them back to life." He smiled.
"I don't think I'll need to bring them back to life. Get these Orcs out of my way and I'll consider letting you live." She tried to sound threatening but obviously it didn't work because Saruman laughed.
"If I know Gandalf, and I think I do, he has already told you that you can't alter the timeline. That means you can't kill me."
"Maybe not but I can do far worse." Bob knocked Saruman to the ground and a few Orcs near him also went down. This wasn't going to be as easy as she had first thought.
Saruman got to his feet quickly and said,
"We're not going to go through all this again are we? It was so boring last time."
"As I recall I won." Bob smiled.
"Yes, a mistake that I will now rectify. You may not be able to kill me but I can do an awful lot to you." He tried to strike Bob down but she moved just in time.
She held out her hand and Saruman stood paralysed. He looked frightened but angry. Bob turned round quickly and tried to find her friend. She saw Fred and David struggling with many Orcs. She knew that they couldn't fight all of them on their own and thought the least she could do was help them. She held out her hand and almost two dozen Orcs fell to the floor dead. Also the steady flow of the creatures joining the fight had stopped although even Bob couldn't explain that. Through the gap that now filled the hall Bob could see Fred and David looking tired but still fighting with the Orcs that remained. However, Fred gave her a slight smile of thank you and continued fighting.
Bob swung round and looked at Saruman who was still frozen to the spot, Bob smiled at the frustration on his face. She had won - again.
Fred and David were so relieved when Bob had made some of the Orcs die but they were exhausted and there were still many Orcs to deal with although their numbers were rapidly dropping now. There were only about ten left. David was doing most of the work but Fred was trying her best and had already slain a good number.
Finally they were dealing with one each. Fred threw her sword over the neck of hers and it's head and body fell to the floor separately. She noticed that David was having more trouble with his so she ran towards them and slashed at the Orc's back. David finished it off by sticking his sword through its heart. He stood silently for a moment and let his sword fall to the floor with a noisy clatter. Fred did the same.
Both Fred and David were too tired to move for the moment and just looked at the piles of Orcs that lay around on the blood stained floor. The battle was over. David and Fred looked at each other and rushed into each other's arms. David held Fred tightly and kissed her hair ignoring the bitter taste of Orc blood that still remained.
Bob walked over to the two and left them for a moment. They finally parted and looked at Bob who was also covered in blood although hers was red not black. Fred quickly looked for her injury and found a gash across her side. She looked into Bob's eyes and didn't see any pain.
"You're hurt." Fred said pointing to her wound.
"I'll be fine, it's just a scratch. Well done with the Orcs. This place looks more like a graveyard now. We had better go. I don't know how long that thing will hold Saruman."
With that they all ran off towards the room where they knew the Orb was being kept. Bob opened the door and walked straight inside killing the two Orcs standing guard of the Orb. She walked straight over to the deep red ball. She looked inside it and saw the swirling of the inside. It was amazing, like nothing she had ever seen before. She wanted to reach out and touch it but something told her that it would be too dangerous so she left it alone.
"What do we do with it?" Fred asked also entranced by the Orb.
"We smash it. Then it will send the others home." Bob replied.
Fred nodded and then thought about what Bob had just told her. Suddenly it hit her, "What do you mean send the others home? Can't we all go?"
"When you break the Orb the thing kind of explodes and sends out a pulse strong enough to send the two standing furthest away home but also strong enough to kill the one closest. The one smashing it. That means that one of us is going to have to smash the Orb to send the other two home." Bob hated telling them this but knew they had to know.
"Then what do we do?" Fred asked knowing that she was going to lose one of them but not wanting to face up to it. She hoped there was another way but secretly she knew there wasn't.
There was silence.
"I'll break it." Fred finally said quietly. David almost fainted when he heard this.
"No you won't. I'm not letting you kill yourself so I can go to a place that will be hell without you. I'll break it." Bob knew this was going to take some time.
"I think you already know what I'm going to say. The truth is only one of us can break it and we are running out of time. We must decide now." Bob wished she didn't have to do this. "Listen, I am stronger and I have more chance of pulling this off than you. Let me do it."
"No. You're my best friend and I won't let you die. I will do it. I will only slow you down if I go with you."
"This is getting us nowhere. Like Bob said we are running out of time. Fred there is no way I'm letting you do this. Bob you're right you are the most powerful and Fred is going to need your help. I'm the only one that doesn't belong in your world. I'll do it. It makes sense, you know it does."
"No. No you can't. David please, there has to be another way. Bob?"
"There is no other way. I hate to say it but David's right. He doesn't belong on Earth and we do. If he comes with us he could change the whole timeline for Middle Earth. We can't risk it. I'm sorry." Bob said.
"No. David you can't do this." Fred screamed trying to make him see sense.
"I have to. You'll be alright. Go. Fred go." David nodded at Bob who nodded back and pulled Fred back away from David and the Orb.
"All you have to do is smash it so it breaks on the ground. Good luck." Bob smiled sadly.
Fred screamed at David begging him not to do it. She was struggling to get away from Bob who was holding her tightly. She finally managed to get free just as David was about to pick up the Orb. She ran towards him and he opened his arms. She threw herself into his embrace and held him tightly sobbing into his tunic. He held her tightly allowing his own tears to fall. He gently rocked her hoping to calm her down although it wasn't working.
"You know this has to be done. I have no choice. You are everything to me, if it means that I have to die so you can live then so be it." He cried.
"I don't want to lose you." She sobbed.
"I know but this is the right thing to do you know that."
"I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too. More than you'll ever know." He kissed her hair and held her out in front of him. He bent down and kissed her softly. She returned the kiss wishing that it would never end. He pulled away and looked at her one last time brushing a strand of hair away from her tear-streaked face. He kissed her one last time and motioned for her to go and join Bob. At first she hesitated but then realised there was nothing she could do so did as he instructed.
She met Bob who stood and watched David pick up the Orb. She could hear Fred softly crying next to her. David looked at Fred one last time and smiled. He mouthed the words 'I love you' and held the Orb above his head getting ready to smash it. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see his death and brought the Orb down hard and fast to the floor.
There was silence for a moment as everything went into slow motion. The Orb shattered into a million pieces on the floor and an orange light spread out around it like a visible shock wave. This light was closely followed by a burst of fire that was so intense that it killed David as soon as it hit him. He still had his eyes closed as Fred watched him be engulfed in the orange flame.
Fred and Bob just stood still watching what was happening. The shock wave pushed past them sending them reeling back but they forced themselves to remain standing. The fire killed David and sent a wave of heat flowing over them. The last thing to happen was a giant flash of bright white light came over them and blinded them. After that everything was silent and black. They were on their way home.
**
In the New Forest the same white light had appeared and Gandalf was motioning the other members of the Fellowship towards it. They each stepped into it and disappeared. They too were on their way home. After the last member of the Fellowship was through two figures appeared in the place of the light. It died down until it was nothing more than a gentle wind blowing.
Fred and Bob were still standing with their eyes closed and as the harsh wind that accompanied the blast died down they opened their eyes and allowed them to adjust for a second. They were in the New Forest again. They stood still for a moment not quite believing what had happened or that they were home. Neither said anything but Bob looked over at Fred who was looking into space in disbelief. When she felt Bob watching her she turned her head and looked at her friend. Bob smiled knowing that Fred would not return the gesture.
Finally Bob came to her senses slightly. She took a step forwards and turned round to look at Fred who was still stood in the same position. This was the first time Bob had a chance to look at her friend properly. She was extremely pale and shaking all over. He left eye was closed and red and she had numerous cuts and bruises on her face, neck and arms. Her face was covered in both red and black blood as well as dirt and tears. She wasn't standing up properly and looked as if she was about to collapse. She looked tired and scared although Bob was sure there was a slight hint of relief there as well.
She reached forwards and touched her friend's arm. Fred looked at her and inspected her friend's wounds. Bob had a small cut on her forehead and a large gash on her side. She too was covered in both red and black blood and looked exhausted. The relief was more evident in Bob's face than it was in Fred's.
"Come on let's get out of here. I want to go home." Bob said quietly making Fred look up.
Fred nodded numbly and walked forwards slowly and tiredly. Bob walked beside her making sure she went at the same pace as Fred. They weren't far away from the place where Bob had left Ned, Frodo and Sam but the walk seemed to take a long time.
Eventually they reached the clearing where Bob had left them. Fred's father had gone to get help. Bob looked around hoping to find Ned near by. She couldn't see her anywhere. Fred walked to the other side of the clearing. She screamed when she saw Ned's pale face under the blanket. Fred fell to her knees and cried.
Bob came running towards where Fred was and stopped suddenly when she saw Ned.
"Oh my God." She whispered moving closer so she was stood behind Fred. "I shouldn't have left. This is all my fault." She kneeled down next to Fred and looked in disbelief at the body of her friend.
They sat there for almost an hour trying to come to terms with the fact Ned was dead. Finally Fred stood painfully up and walked over to a fallen tree and sat down.
"Do you think we should stay here until someone finds us?" She asked Bob who was copying her actions.
Bob sat down and said, "It's getting dark so we can't go anywhere anyway. I could really use some sleep and I'm sure you could too." Fred nodded. "Good. We stay here and move in the morning."
Fred nodded again and moved onto the floor. Bob did the same and closed her eyes; she opened them again when she felt Fred looking at her.
"Is that what I think it is? Mithril?" Fred asked.
"Yeah. I found it in my cell. It was leant to me by a very kind Dwarf."
"There was someone else in your cell?" Fred questioned.
"I didn't say that. It was before I got all those powers and I didn't know what to do. I found this skeleton in my cell and he had this vest on so I thought I'd borrow it. I didn't think he'd mind."
"You stole off a dead person?"
"I didn't steal, I borrowed besides I needed it more than he did. What was I meant to do just leave it there for some Orc to find and sell? I used it for good so I took it."
"Okay."
"I found something else too. You remember when we were at school and Ned was reading that book and you had an obsession with a ruby dagger?"
"Yeah."
"Well the Dwarf didn't have a ruby dagger but he did have a ruby medallion. I thought we might get stranded in Middle Earth so I thought we could use it as a bargaining tool but I don't think we'll need it now."
"So let me get this straight, you not only stole the Dwarf's armour but you also stole a ruby medallion to sell in case we needed it? Don't you think that's a little.morbid?"
"No. We would have needed it. I'm sure he would have wanted it put to good use anyway."
"And good use is taking it and selling it so we can have a slice or two of bread?"
"At the time yes. I didn't know any of this was going to happen." Bob said defensively.
"Hey, I'm not saying you did wrong. I would have probably done the same thing too." Fred didn't want to upset her friend.
"I'm sure you would have. We should try and get some sleep."
"Do you want me to take a look at that wound for you? It might still be bleeding." When Fred said this Bob couldn't help thinking about Ned. The whole stitching incident seemed like years ago but she couldn't get it out of her mind. She felt a tear run down her cheek.
"Are you okay?" Fred asked sitting up ignoring her own pain.
"Yeah. I was just thinking about Ned. She asked me to stitch up her wound. The one Frank gave her."
"Frank?"
"It's a long story." Bob almost laughed.
"Here, I'll try and make a bandage and stop that bleeding." Fred said. She crawled over to one of the Hobbit's bags and pulled out a spare blanket and went back over to Bob. "Do you think the Hobbits are okay?" She didn't get a reply and realised Bob was asleep. She smiled and set to work cleaning the wound.
Soon the wound was covered and the bleeding had stopped. Fred laid back and looked up at the stars that now filled the sky. She thought about all the terrible things that had happened to her. It was strange, she still felt the intense pain that filled her body but it no longer seemed to matter any more. She thought about David, how he had risked her life to save her, how much she loved him and how much he loved her. In a way she almost missed Orthanc, she missed curling up into those strong arms and falling asleep. She missed waking up and seeing his handsome face. She missed talking to him. She even missed seeing him worry about her when she was brought back from Saruman's torture chamber.
Fred couldn't believe that she was actually missing that terrible place. The thought that she was doing something good was what kept her going, that and the hope that someone would find her and rescue her. There had always been hope, it's what kept her alive, and David of course, she couldn't have survived without him. She had neither of these things any more. No hope and no David. What did that leave? The thought of returning home? She didn't want that. She would go through all of that again just to be with David a few more minutes.
She felt the tears falling again but refused to make them stop. She wanted him back but there was no way. How could Bob have done that to her? She had taken her away from the man she loved. No, she couldn't allow herself to think like that. Bob had saved her. Without her she would still be being tortured. Strangely that was appealing. Had the whole thing driven her mad? She was beginning to think so.
She was startled when she heard a voice. She looked down at Bob but she was sleeping soundly. She listened again and again she heard the voice. It was still fairly distant but she thought it was getting closer. She heard it again and this time heard what the voice was saying. "Fred." They were calling her name. She was about to shout back when something jumped on her.
Her first thought was that it was something bad. She screamed loudly, enough to alert the rescue team where she was. She looked down at the thing and saw a little red squirrel. Bob sat up and looked across.
"Percy?" She shouted. The squirrel jumped off Fred and leapt towards Bob. Bob held it in her hand. "I never thought I'd see you again." She smiled.
"Bob? Are you talking to a squirrel?" Fred asked confused.
"Percy saved us from Frank. He's a hero."
"And you called him Percy?" Bob nodded happily.
Just at that moment people burst through the trees and towards the two girls and the squirrel. Percy ran off into the trees and left Bob and Fred looking surprised at the people rushing towards them with blankets. Fred's parents came running towards her and held her tightly causing her to shout out in pain. She was quickly joined by a paramedic. Bob's mother did the same only Bob just hugged her back crying softly in relief. A paramedic helped her up and she stood with his help.
Bob watched as Fred was taken into an ambulance by stretcher. She smiled. They were safe at last. She ran from her mother and jumped into the ambulance with Fred, she wasn't going to leave her friend now. She smiled at her and Fred smiled back. They held hands refusing to be separated by the paramedics who were telling them they would have to move.
Soon they were on their way to the hospital. It was all over. They were finally safe.
**
Just beyond the trees a small grey figure stalked making sure he wasn't seen. His big bright eyes shone in the dark and he made slight grumbling noises. It seemed the spell hadn't been entirely broken after all.
Gollum remained on Earth...
**
A/N: I hope you liked the final chapter. Thanks to everyone that's reviewed. Look out for the sequel coming soon.