Chapter Four
Merry rested his hand against the table top as he gazed at the elleth tempting him. Struggling to clear his mind and his senses it felt almost as though he might be asleep. Maybe he was and he just didn't know it. It was almost like a dream, a hallucination perhaps? He hadn't been sleeping well since Moria and it was not entirely impossible.
Frodo had no choice now, for he must save his friend! He had to get out of the spell. Taking a deep breath he pulled the ring from his pocket and slipped it on. Almost immediately, his eyes began to adjust to reality. The illusion was dropping and the site before him caused him to drop to the ground petrified. It was no elleth that stood before Merry, it was almost like the ringwraiths in appearance. She was constructed of whispy fearsome light, deadly frigid and colder than the ice of Caradrahas. The Witch King's face rose into his mind and he trembled, closing his eyes and trying to think of anything else but the pain in his shoulder. He strove to drive the fear away, to pull himself together. He had to have the strength to take the ring off, he had to keep his senses. But, he was so horrified, and the pain was so intence...he could barely rise.
She knew…her form was as great and terrible as the wraiths when he first saw them, but altogether different. Beautiful and somehow intriguing as she beckoned him to come closer. In the world of the ring he saw Merry's shadow, reaching out towards something upon the table and then he screamed.
It twas no hobbit feast. There were no fresh tomatoes or spicy potatoes. There were no mushrooms, breads, meats and pies, there was nothing upon that table that would wet the appetite of anyone made of flesh and blood.
What he saw made him want to flee, to run far and away from there. It was a writhing, wiggling mass of things better not spoken of for it chilled him straight to the bone The entity was devised of thousands of broken beings churning and squirming as one, seeing without site. It seemed to reach out towards Merry but was lashed to the table by shadows. It was all kinds of parts of many different things. Somehow…they had all come together as one…a collection of evil. He cried out again, but no sound came from his lungs…nothing but his breath in the cold. His lips began to chatter as he rose, moving forward. He tried to pull off the ring now that he was free of the spell, crying Merry's name.
Merry glanced back into the wood, frowning suddenly, he thought he might have heard something in the distance. A cry? Perhaps it was only his imagination. He held an Tomato in the palm of his hand thoughtfully and turned to the elleth who was watching him with clear…provocative eyes. "Tell me." he said. "How will you help me to choose, and what price comes from this help? What must I do for you?"
Merry was no fool. He knew that something was not quite right. He also…wasn't quite certain that she was what she seemed. He was really too tierd though to see anything more than someone who could help get rid of the self-doubt that was building in his heart. The terror that one day he might attack his friend, and take the One Ring for himself.
The elleth clasped her hands together, she was still watching Frodo's struggle while weaving her spell around his friend. Merry did not bite yet, not quite so impulsive as Pippin, steadfast as Sam, or easily intimidated as Frodo "I chose you because I knew that you needed what I had to give the most. Because of this…you had the power to free me from this cursed existence. You think that you can win against your own mind on your own, but the One Ring does not take its victims easily, like a slayer in the night. It tempts them and woos them, by promises it will never keep. If you are not prepared…if you are not ready…you will lose, and yea…your hand may be the one to strike down the Ringbearer."
"I do not doubt that you can, but at what cost to me? What must I do?" Merry said again, starting to get more and more tired. He turned the Tomatoes over in his hand. He shivered. He was so hungry and tired, all he wanted to do was sleep.
Between him and Merry, five dark shapes glided towards Frodo, servants of the shadow world that the Elleth lived in. They were not ring wraiths, and neither was she. They were shadows and darkness, forms and shapes from nightmare…and they began to surround him. He could hear their laughter, muffled in his mind. Their long, jagged claws lashed out with blinding speed and searing pain shot through his skin every time the claws connected. They taunted him….calling him into the shadows, enticing him to give up and to leave the ring on. If only he gave in…the pain would stop. The eye was near, but for some reason it could not penetrate the protection of Lothlorien, it was looking for him, he could feel it. He summoned all the courage in the heart and thought of the one thing that could help him. Gandalf. Gandalf had not died so they could be defeated by shadows in Lorien. "Merry!" the anguished cry came from his lips, finally managing to pierce the barrier between shadow and light. As another blow came, Frodo finally pulled the ring off and fell to the ground in pain, suddenly there for all to see.
"The Cost, Meriadoc Brandybuck…" she begins…smiling as she sees Merry's eyes begin to glaze over, the trials of the past . "There is no cost to you…you simply accept what you have to do. I *can* help you…all you have to do…" The gleeful gaze that lights in her eyes was a terrible thing to behold as Merry bit into the Tomatoe, and she smiled at Frodo in triumph. "And look there..." Merry turned to see his friend upon the ground with eyes that were not his own. "See what is your reward?"
Frodo clutched his shoulder, tears building in his eyes from the pain that wracked his body. Each place the shadows had touched him throbbed and burned, but there was no blood nor wounds. Was he too late? He looked at the "tomatoe" in Merry's hand. "Nooooo!" Frodo cried out, launching himself forward with all the strength he had left within, barreling into Merry in a way that would have made Sam proud. "Spit it out!" he shook his friend with all the will he could gather.
To Be Continued
Merry rested his hand against the table top as he gazed at the elleth tempting him. Struggling to clear his mind and his senses it felt almost as though he might be asleep. Maybe he was and he just didn't know it. It was almost like a dream, a hallucination perhaps? He hadn't been sleeping well since Moria and it was not entirely impossible.
Frodo had no choice now, for he must save his friend! He had to get out of the spell. Taking a deep breath he pulled the ring from his pocket and slipped it on. Almost immediately, his eyes began to adjust to reality. The illusion was dropping and the site before him caused him to drop to the ground petrified. It was no elleth that stood before Merry, it was almost like the ringwraiths in appearance. She was constructed of whispy fearsome light, deadly frigid and colder than the ice of Caradrahas. The Witch King's face rose into his mind and he trembled, closing his eyes and trying to think of anything else but the pain in his shoulder. He strove to drive the fear away, to pull himself together. He had to have the strength to take the ring off, he had to keep his senses. But, he was so horrified, and the pain was so intence...he could barely rise.
She knew…her form was as great and terrible as the wraiths when he first saw them, but altogether different. Beautiful and somehow intriguing as she beckoned him to come closer. In the world of the ring he saw Merry's shadow, reaching out towards something upon the table and then he screamed.
It twas no hobbit feast. There were no fresh tomatoes or spicy potatoes. There were no mushrooms, breads, meats and pies, there was nothing upon that table that would wet the appetite of anyone made of flesh and blood.
What he saw made him want to flee, to run far and away from there. It was a writhing, wiggling mass of things better not spoken of for it chilled him straight to the bone The entity was devised of thousands of broken beings churning and squirming as one, seeing without site. It seemed to reach out towards Merry but was lashed to the table by shadows. It was all kinds of parts of many different things. Somehow…they had all come together as one…a collection of evil. He cried out again, but no sound came from his lungs…nothing but his breath in the cold. His lips began to chatter as he rose, moving forward. He tried to pull off the ring now that he was free of the spell, crying Merry's name.
Merry glanced back into the wood, frowning suddenly, he thought he might have heard something in the distance. A cry? Perhaps it was only his imagination. He held an Tomato in the palm of his hand thoughtfully and turned to the elleth who was watching him with clear…provocative eyes. "Tell me." he said. "How will you help me to choose, and what price comes from this help? What must I do for you?"
Merry was no fool. He knew that something was not quite right. He also…wasn't quite certain that she was what she seemed. He was really too tierd though to see anything more than someone who could help get rid of the self-doubt that was building in his heart. The terror that one day he might attack his friend, and take the One Ring for himself.
The elleth clasped her hands together, she was still watching Frodo's struggle while weaving her spell around his friend. Merry did not bite yet, not quite so impulsive as Pippin, steadfast as Sam, or easily intimidated as Frodo "I chose you because I knew that you needed what I had to give the most. Because of this…you had the power to free me from this cursed existence. You think that you can win against your own mind on your own, but the One Ring does not take its victims easily, like a slayer in the night. It tempts them and woos them, by promises it will never keep. If you are not prepared…if you are not ready…you will lose, and yea…your hand may be the one to strike down the Ringbearer."
"I do not doubt that you can, but at what cost to me? What must I do?" Merry said again, starting to get more and more tired. He turned the Tomatoes over in his hand. He shivered. He was so hungry and tired, all he wanted to do was sleep.
Between him and Merry, five dark shapes glided towards Frodo, servants of the shadow world that the Elleth lived in. They were not ring wraiths, and neither was she. They were shadows and darkness, forms and shapes from nightmare…and they began to surround him. He could hear their laughter, muffled in his mind. Their long, jagged claws lashed out with blinding speed and searing pain shot through his skin every time the claws connected. They taunted him….calling him into the shadows, enticing him to give up and to leave the ring on. If only he gave in…the pain would stop. The eye was near, but for some reason it could not penetrate the protection of Lothlorien, it was looking for him, he could feel it. He summoned all the courage in the heart and thought of the one thing that could help him. Gandalf. Gandalf had not died so they could be defeated by shadows in Lorien. "Merry!" the anguished cry came from his lips, finally managing to pierce the barrier between shadow and light. As another blow came, Frodo finally pulled the ring off and fell to the ground in pain, suddenly there for all to see.
"The Cost, Meriadoc Brandybuck…" she begins…smiling as she sees Merry's eyes begin to glaze over, the trials of the past . "There is no cost to you…you simply accept what you have to do. I *can* help you…all you have to do…" The gleeful gaze that lights in her eyes was a terrible thing to behold as Merry bit into the Tomatoe, and she smiled at Frodo in triumph. "And look there..." Merry turned to see his friend upon the ground with eyes that were not his own. "See what is your reward?"
Frodo clutched his shoulder, tears building in his eyes from the pain that wracked his body. Each place the shadows had touched him throbbed and burned, but there was no blood nor wounds. Was he too late? He looked at the "tomatoe" in Merry's hand. "Nooooo!" Frodo cried out, launching himself forward with all the strength he had left within, barreling into Merry in a way that would have made Sam proud. "Spit it out!" he shook his friend with all the will he could gather.
To Be Continued