Disclaimer: I own nothing lotr unfortunately. I do own the characters of
Bob, Fred and Ned and David is mine, all mine. Sorry.
A/N: Please tell me if this is getting too confusing and please review. I love getting them and I promise this time I'll try and respond to them. I know I always say that and I never do but this time I really will try. Your reviews fuel my imagination.
Ch 8 A Shocking Discovery
Fred was instantly at his side trying to calm him down. She couldn't really believe what was happening, there was no way David could be there, it was impossible. She wanted to ask him so many questions but knew they would have to wait until he was less frightened. She made sure she was facing him and that he could see who it was. When she looked at him he seemed to calm down a little and he looked straight back at her as if trying to see if it was really her or whether it was yet another trick by Saruman.
He slowly and cautiously lifted his hand and touched her face. He felt her, she was real. He couldn't understand what was going on. He stroked her face until she gently touched his hand and held it tightly making sure he understood that it was comfort instead of danger. On doing this he seemed to relax a lot and held onto her hand equally tightly obviously reluctant to let go.
"Fred?" He croaked. "I thought I'd never see you again." He smiled although it seemed to take a lot of effort.
"Snap." She said quietly.
He leaned towards her and held her tightly leaning his head on her shoulder, she heard him crying softly, she also felt the blood on his shirt. She thought it best to leave him for the moment. Something was wrong but she would let him calm down before she went into that questioning. When he looked up at her she knew that she didn't even need to ask what had happened to him for him to get the numerous cuts and bruises on his face. Saruman had done this to him.
Bob and Ned watched silently in amazement as the two sat together in the corner just looking at each other like they had been apart for years. Bob understood this far better than Ned who was now looking nervously outside for any danger whilst Fred was looking at David's bruised face.
"Bob, do you feel safe here?" Ned whispered.
Bob looked around slightly startled by Ned's interruption of her thoughts. She looked at her confused for a moment before replying that she felt safe although she could sense that there was danger near-by. Bob was surprised that Ned finally believed that she could sense things but her mind was too occupied with Fred and David.
"How did you get here?" Fred was asking quietly as David leaned against her once more.
"I.I have no idea, I just arrived at this hut and built the fire. I don't remember much of what happened after I got out of Orthanc. I think I was hurt but I don't know."
"You got out of Orthanc, how? I thought it was impossible, you remember what happened when we tried."
David nodded. "They made it easy for me. They let me go, then I was shot and that was the last thing I remember, somehow I got here."
Fred held onto David whilst he was telling his story, she couldn't quite believe what was happening. Why had Saruman allowed David to leave when he had worked so hard to keep him there? And another thing,
"Why are you alive?" Fred said suddenly causing David to look up. "You died when the Orb broke. I saw you."
"You saw what Saruman wanted you to see. They were real flames but my body didn't burn it was like I was protected by some kind of bubble or something. Look this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me either so.I'm just so pleased to see you again. I never thought I'd." He threw his arms around here again and hugged her tightly. She did the same. Suddenly she felt safer than she had since she was in his arms in Orthanc.
She turned around to Bob and Ned who were looking on in fascination.
"Are we safe here? I think we should stay here for the night. It beats sleeping outside. We have a fire and I don't think it would do David good to move right now."
Bob and Ned nodded in agreement.
"You should be careful. There's something out there. I don't know what but I heard something a few hours ago that's why I locked the door." David said letting go of Fred and leaning against the wall.
"I think we should try and make this door more solid and stay here the night like Fred said. We're probably safer here than outside anyway and I have no desire to stay out there if something is hunting us." Ned said closing the door and shutting out the cold wind that had been blowing in for some time.
"I know there's something bad out there. I can sense it but I don't think its Gollum. It seems more wild." Bob added walking over to the fire and warming her hands in front of it. "By the way, it's good to see you again David." She smiled.
"Oh, I almost forgot, this is Ned." Fred introduced Ned who was looking out the small window of the hut nervously.
"Hi. I've heard a lot about you David." She said not really looking around to see him. He nodded and smiled at Fred who gave a small shake of her head.
"We should collect some more wood for this fire. We want to keep this place warm." Bob said.
"It'll take a lot more than a fire to warm this place." Ned said looking around the small wooden hut.
"You know that Frank is dead, there's no way he can come back. I don't think he would mind us borrowing his home for a while." Bob smiled. Ned nodded but couldn't hide the nervousness that was taking over her thoughts. There was something wrong in there but she couldn't quite work it out, Bob didn't feel it so maybe she was wrong.
**
It was almost dark by the time Bob had come back with the wood and Ned was keeping a lookout through the window. She pretended that it was in case they saw Gollum but she was still worried about the fact that she had been hurt here before and it might happen again. She couldn't understand why no one else felt it. Maybe it was just her imagination. She shook her head hoping it would clear it. The hut gave her the creeps she didn't like being in there but she knew they couldn't just abandon David and he was too weak to walk through the forest even with their help.
Ned sighed and turned away from the window as Bob walked in with the wood. She put it down on the floor noisily, which got a warning from Fred that David was asleep. Fred had been tending to his wounds since Bob had left; she was just finishing when he fell asleep. She hadn't wanted to wake him so just left him hoping he would build up his strength so they could walk out of there.
Fred got up and walked over to where Bob and Ned were standing. They had to work out what they were going to do next.
"We can't stay here tomorrow as well. It's too dangerous. If something is following us we'll need to keep moving so it can't attack us if it is dangerous." Ned whispered receiving nods from the other two.
"David should be okay, he said he was shot or something but it must have been some time ago, the wound is already healing. That's the good news. The bad news is that he's still weak; I don't think he's eaten much the past few days and he's been in here for some time. I'm not sure whether he'll be able to walk by tomorrow but he's pretty determined so you never know." Fred smiled and looked over at the sleeping form of David.
"Even so, we came out here to look for Gollum and that's what we have to do. David's human right?" Ned asked. Fred nodded. "Then as soon as we get out of the forest we take him to a hospital. And get you back there Fred." Fred looked at the ground and shook her head.
"I don't think you'd ever get him into a hospital. He's far too stubborn." She whispered with a slight hint of humour in her voice.
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, what's important now is that we keep safe in here for tonight and get out of this forest as soon as we can. Hopefully we won't have to go too far to find Gollum but you never know. For tonight I suggest we keep to the hut and stay low. We find something to strengthen the door just in case and don't go out there. Something is hunting us according to David and I'm not taking any chances. I think we should get weapons as well, we might need to fight whatever it is." Ned suggested.
"Ned whatever's out there I don't feel anything but annoyance. Like we shouldn't be here. Maybe we should leave." Bob looked around her.
"No, we're far safer in here than outside. Besides I don't think he's in any fit state to move and we could use some rest after all that walking." Fred nodded. "We're agreed then?" Bob also nodded although more reluctantly.
"Okay, but just be careful, there's something out there and it is very angry with us."
"Is it Gollum?" Fred asked.
"No, it's something else and it doesn't seen nice. I think we need to get ready to fend it off if it comes near." Bob whispered as if someone was listening and she didn't want them to hear. Fred nodded and looked around.
"Maybe we should keep a look-out, just in case something happens during the night. At least then we'll have a slight warning." Fred suggested.
"Good idea. I'll go first, Fred you next and then Bob last. The rest will get some sleep and take over when it's there turn."
"You'll have to keep an eye on David as well. I'm still worried about him. Just shout if anything changes." Fred looked over at him.
"And if you see anything unusual shout and we'll all be ready." Bob said.
"Oh don't worry. If anything dangerous comes anywhere near you'll hear me scream long before it gets here." Fred laughed although the others knew she was very serious.
Ned went to put some of the wood next to the door as a little more protection although she knew that it wouldn't do a whole lot of good if something did try and break in. It would at least make them feel a little safer to know there was slightly more protection against whatever was out there. Whilst Ned was doing that Bob was making sure the fire was burning strongly and constantly putting wood on it.
Fred was looking after David, she kept looking at him, checking over her shoulder to make sure he was still there and that this wasn't just a dream like all the other times. It always surprised her when she saw that he was still sat there sleeping peacefully. Although she didn't understand why he was there or how he managed to get to Earth she soon decided that she didn't really care anyway. He was with her and that was all that was important. The only problem was that seeing him again reminded her of all the terrible things she went through in Orthanc, still the good feeling she got at seeing him again was enough to balance out those feelings.
Eventually everything settled down in the hut and Ned took up her position at the window. They had found some weapons that Ned had packed, thinking that maybe they would need them for Gollum. Although they weren't much, just knives really they still made the three girls feel safer.
Fred sat close to David and Bob close to the fire. It was almost completely dark by then and the blackness was beginning to make all of them anxious. Suddenly Ned wanted to be back in that flat that she hated so much. It was better to be claustrophobic in a safe place than to be in open space but be in terrible danger. The feeling of fear was very evident in the hut now. It was making it almost unbearable but no one dared to speak just in case it disturbed something outside. Even the slightest sound made them jump even if it was just a small creak that couldn't possible have been the hunter.
The fire cast dark shadows on the walls and in the corners of the small hut, which made them even more nervous at not being able to see all of it even though it was quite small. The orange flames which normally would have been relaxing made them jumpy and the crackle of the fire could have drowned out the sounds outside that they should have heard.
"You should try and get some sleep." Ned said making both Bob and Fred jump slightly. "You have to watch tonight as well. There's no point in us all staying up all night." She looked at them and smiled. "Don't worry, if anything happens I'll shout. You'll be safe I promise."
"Yeah, you remember that I never feel safe around you? Well." Fred smiled.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you whilst I'm on watch." Ned insisted trying to sound confident and certain although they didn't look that convinced.
Bob and Fred nodded and Bob leaned back against the wall whilst Fred leaned over and rested her head on David's shoulder. He moved to put his arm around her protectively; she smiled when she remembered that he had done the same thing many times in Isengard. She snuggled in closer and closed her eyes. Before she fell asleep she said to Ned,
"Don't forget to wake me." Ned said something that Fred couldn't hear probably because she was almost half asleep.
**
She was in the corridor again, something was running towards her but still she couldn't move. She wanted to though, she was so afraid. She knew if she didn't move she would die and yet her legs just felt like lead. It was so black and dark, it looked like a Wraith but there wasn't the evil feeling that went with the Nazgul. This was different. Strangely she didn't feel that scared all of a sudden, it was as if she almost wanted to see what it was. There was a malice there that she wanted to uncover and still something told her she should be running and not just staring at the thing running gracefully towards her although she noticed that it didn't seem to be getting much closer.
She stood there waiting for something to happen although nothing did. She could feel it, it was so close now and yet it looked to be so far away. Why? Why wasn't it reaching her?
All of a sudden it seemed to come at her far more quickly like it was unleashed. It was instantly in front of her but abruptly came to a halt at her feet. It was smaller now; either that or she had grown. It looked almost scared and yet it had a feeling of great power about it. Fred looked down hoping to see what was hiding underneath that thick black cloak.
She went to lift the hood back and was surprised when it suddenly drew out a glittering, almost shining sword. It held it in front of its face as a salute to Fred but didn't move any more. She once again held out her hand and went to touch the sword, she no longer felt the fear that had been there a few moments ago. When she touched it it felt cold, she pushed against it and gasped and pulled her hand back when the image wavered and her hand went right through.
It wasn't real. The sword wasn't really there and yet it looked real. That feeling of coldness that she had experienced when she had touched the sword seemed to be going through her whole body. It was spreading and she couldn't stop it. By now she was shaking and was cowering closer to the floor. She couldn't figure out whether it was because of the cold or fear.
Before she fell she reached out and pulled the hood of the black thing back. She did it slowly not wanting the thing to hurt her any more. What was it and why was she so afraid of it? The hood was peeled back revealing...
**
Ned shook Fred over and over again, accidentally waking David in the process who groaned slightly and woke properly. He realised Ned was calling for Fred to wake and gently shook her gently as well. He moved his arm to rouse her.
That did work. Fred sat up straight and looked alarmingly around her. She saw Ned looking at her worriedly and shook her head trying to clear away the nightmare. That awful image of the hooded figure wouldn't leave her.
"Fred are you alright?" Ned asked concerned, she was still holding onto Fred's arm and could feel her shaking. "Fred?"
"I.I'm alright." She could hear her voice shaking. "It's nothing, just a bad dream that's all." She tried to smile but she didn't know whether it worked or not and from the look on Ned's face she guessed not.
"Are you sure? You look a little pale." Ned persisted.
"I'm fine. Really. Is it my turn to watch?" Fred was standing up.
"Are you sure you're alright? I can do lookout for another few hours if you want to get some more sleep. Really maybe you should get some more rest. We did a lot of walking today." Ned said standing with Fred; she still kept her hand on Fred's arm noticing her friend was a little unsteady.
"No, I'll keep lookout like we agreed." Fred nodded when Ned once again shot her a concerned look. "I'm fine Ned, honestly." Once again she smiled. This time it must have been convincing because after looking at David she nodded and sat down.
"Fred, if you feel unwell I want you to wake me and I'll take over." Ned said very seriously.
"Don't worry I am fine. It was just a nightmare." Fred insisted although she could tell that Ned really knew that it was more than that. She couldn't blame her, if she looked as scared as she felt she must have looked terrible.
"I think I'll stay up with you for a while if you don't mind Fred." David said standing up as well.
"David really I'm fine. I don't need you to stay up as well." Fred said looking him in the eyes.
"I know. Remember that time in Orthanc you stayed up with me when I wasn't feeling great? Well, now it's my turn to help you." He said taking her hands.
"I think you already have." She smiled at him.
"Maybe but I can't sleep anyway. I'd like to talk you again. It's been a long time." David smiled at her, she knew that look, he wasn't going to give in. She nodded and smiled at him.
They walked over to the window. Secretly she was glad that she didn't have to stand on her own all night. She didn't want to be on her own and the fact that David was there was even better, it would be nice to spend some time with him. Plus he was a far better fighter than her so he could chase whatever was coming away.
They sat down on the small ledge on the window and looked out for a few moments, they didn't say anything but occasionally they looked over at each other and smiled. They had hardly spoken since they had they had seen each other, David had been ill, now though he looked.he looked almost as though nothing had happened.
"Are you alright David?" He looked at her confused. "I mean you're not in pain are you? It's just you look like nothing's happened."
"I'm fine, I really feel normal. Why do you ask anyway?" He asked looking through the window anxiously.
"What do you mean? When we came here you couldn't even stand up and now you're fine. I know it's been a while since I was in Orthanc but I remember Saruman's torture methods lasting longer than a few hours. What is going on? There's something you're not telling me. I know there is, so what is it? You know you can trust me, you always did before." She looked into his eyes, which seemed full of regret.
"I'm not sure whether you really want to hear this." He said gazing past her.
"So there is something. Look, you know what we went through together, how can you not trust me now?"
"I just.I know what I'm going to tell you will upset you and I want you to stay calm about it and not shout out alright?" Fred nodded. "This is going to sound slightly 'odd' but you have to believe me."
"You know I will." She said taking his hand in hers for comfort and to encourage him to tell her. She also tried to hide the impatience in her voice; this secrecy wasn't like him at all.
"Alright, but I warn you. You cannot tell your friends about this, not yet, they're not ready to understand. If you tell them it could do them more damage than good. Do you understand?"
"Of course. If you say so." She said confidently although his strange behaviour was starting to make her nervous.
"I suppose I should start at the beginning, or in your case the end. When I broke the Orb I was protected by something. I'm not sure whether it was Saruman or something within the Orb itself. All I know is that I survived. I saw you and Bob being thrown through some kind of hole, which appeared, and I assumed you were taken back to Earth, which you were. I was left behind though. It took me a while to realise what happened.
"I was still in Orthanc and left with Saruman but the strangest thing was that the Orb was still whole. You saw it smash and I too but it was there, in one piece but there was no colour to it. It was just a normal crystal. Saruman took it but didn't know what to do with it. He assumed that I did, that's why he kept me there. He tortured me for information for a long time. I couldn't tell him anything simply because I didn't know what happened any more than he did. I kept insisting that I had nothing to do with it but he wouldn't believe me. You know how persuasive he can be.
"All the while he was trying to make the thing work again, I'm not sure he ever did but from the shouts and screams I heard from his private chambers I'm saying he didn't get it working. He grew ever more frustrated until my torture almost became too much. I think he must have got bored with me because he gave up pretty quickly and threw me in the dungeon."
"I'm sorry." Fred said as David paused taking a deep breath.
"Don't be. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. It sent me back to you." He smiled lovingly at her.
"I'm not sure I understand. How does being in a dungeon after days of torture suddenly take you to Earth? Have I missed something in the story?" Fred said trying desperately to work it out in her mind.
"I'm sorry, this must seem very confusing to an outsider. You remember that I said that Saruman set me free?"
"Yes. But how did you get from Isengard to Britain? I don't think there's a ten o'clock train."
"When I say Saruman set me free.I'm probably not explaining this very well am I?" He sighed and tried to think of a better way of putting it. "Saruman, as I said can be very persuasive. You yourself have seen people die in those dungeons." He trailed off hoping now she'd understand. "He set me free by killing me. Just like he did you."
"What?" Fred said simply.
"Come on, you haven't wondered why Ned is 'alive'? Why she's not hurt? Why she could climb out of that grave?"
"She was poisoned, it brought he back to life after a few weeks." Fred said looking at the floor and thinking about what she had just heard.
"No. There's no poison that could do that. And you. Look at how you survived. You and Bob should have been dead after being sent through that hole. And yet you survived."
"It was magic. It wouldn't have killed us." Fred said shaking her head trying to make some sense out of it all.
"You know that's not true. You were never in the hospital Fred, not you as a living being. When the search party found you they found the dead bodies of Roberta and Winifred. Not the living you."
"That's not true." She cried out. "Why are you saying these things?" He tried to calm her.
"Shh. You'll wake your friends. Please they mustn't know. I probably shouldn't even be telling you."
"How could you? Why are you lying to me?" She was crying now. She tried to pull her hand away from him but something told her that she should stay and keep quiet.
"I'm not lying to you. I would never do that. You know that. Please you have to believe me. Fred. I love you; I was given a second chance. We're together again, that's all that matters. Please. You have to believe me, I would never lie to you." He begged with her.
Fred tried to calm herself. "Why can't I tell the others?" She asked quietly.
"Because they're not ready to know. Fred things are happening. Bad things. I don't know what they are at the moment but I know something is happening. Your friend can sense them; you should trust her she knows more than she's letting on. Understand Fred Bob was right. Gollum is still here and you are the only people that can get him out of here and back to Middle Earth where he belongs but there are other people looking for him and now you. Bad people that would kill you as soon as they got the chance. You can't let them. You have no idea how important the three of you are. Middle Earth relies on you."
Fred tried to take all this in. It didn't make any sense and yet she knew he was telling the truth.
"Why am I still hurt? You said Ned wasn't so why am I still feeling like I should be in hospital?"
"It has different affects on different people. Bob and Ned are probably feeling the same discomfort but it's not real. I know this is hard to understand but please try."
"How do you know all this?" Fred asked looking at him calmly for the first time since they had began.
"I don't know. You remember when Bob said that she just knew about the Orb? It's like that. I don't know how I know I just do. Fred I'm having a hard time explaining this. I never wanted to hurt you but it's the truth. Do you believe me?"
Fred thought for a moment. She wanted to say no so much but she realised that she did believe him. "Yes." She whispered. "Does this mean that we can be together forever now?"
He smiled that warm inviting smile. "That means nothing can take you away from me. Not now. You're mine forever."
"I like the sound of that." She leaned forward to kiss him.
Just before their mouths could meet something smashed through the glass window shattering it over them causing them both to fall to the floor, hands over heads to shield themselves from the splinters of falling glass. The others woke up as the thing came flying through the window landing in the middle of the hut.
TBC
A/N: Please tell me if this is getting too confusing and please review. I love getting them and I promise this time I'll try and respond to them. I know I always say that and I never do but this time I really will try. Your reviews fuel my imagination.
Ch 8 A Shocking Discovery
Fred was instantly at his side trying to calm him down. She couldn't really believe what was happening, there was no way David could be there, it was impossible. She wanted to ask him so many questions but knew they would have to wait until he was less frightened. She made sure she was facing him and that he could see who it was. When she looked at him he seemed to calm down a little and he looked straight back at her as if trying to see if it was really her or whether it was yet another trick by Saruman.
He slowly and cautiously lifted his hand and touched her face. He felt her, she was real. He couldn't understand what was going on. He stroked her face until she gently touched his hand and held it tightly making sure he understood that it was comfort instead of danger. On doing this he seemed to relax a lot and held onto her hand equally tightly obviously reluctant to let go.
"Fred?" He croaked. "I thought I'd never see you again." He smiled although it seemed to take a lot of effort.
"Snap." She said quietly.
He leaned towards her and held her tightly leaning his head on her shoulder, she heard him crying softly, she also felt the blood on his shirt. She thought it best to leave him for the moment. Something was wrong but she would let him calm down before she went into that questioning. When he looked up at her she knew that she didn't even need to ask what had happened to him for him to get the numerous cuts and bruises on his face. Saruman had done this to him.
Bob and Ned watched silently in amazement as the two sat together in the corner just looking at each other like they had been apart for years. Bob understood this far better than Ned who was now looking nervously outside for any danger whilst Fred was looking at David's bruised face.
"Bob, do you feel safe here?" Ned whispered.
Bob looked around slightly startled by Ned's interruption of her thoughts. She looked at her confused for a moment before replying that she felt safe although she could sense that there was danger near-by. Bob was surprised that Ned finally believed that she could sense things but her mind was too occupied with Fred and David.
"How did you get here?" Fred was asking quietly as David leaned against her once more.
"I.I have no idea, I just arrived at this hut and built the fire. I don't remember much of what happened after I got out of Orthanc. I think I was hurt but I don't know."
"You got out of Orthanc, how? I thought it was impossible, you remember what happened when we tried."
David nodded. "They made it easy for me. They let me go, then I was shot and that was the last thing I remember, somehow I got here."
Fred held onto David whilst he was telling his story, she couldn't quite believe what was happening. Why had Saruman allowed David to leave when he had worked so hard to keep him there? And another thing,
"Why are you alive?" Fred said suddenly causing David to look up. "You died when the Orb broke. I saw you."
"You saw what Saruman wanted you to see. They were real flames but my body didn't burn it was like I was protected by some kind of bubble or something. Look this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me either so.I'm just so pleased to see you again. I never thought I'd." He threw his arms around here again and hugged her tightly. She did the same. Suddenly she felt safer than she had since she was in his arms in Orthanc.
She turned around to Bob and Ned who were looking on in fascination.
"Are we safe here? I think we should stay here for the night. It beats sleeping outside. We have a fire and I don't think it would do David good to move right now."
Bob and Ned nodded in agreement.
"You should be careful. There's something out there. I don't know what but I heard something a few hours ago that's why I locked the door." David said letting go of Fred and leaning against the wall.
"I think we should try and make this door more solid and stay here the night like Fred said. We're probably safer here than outside anyway and I have no desire to stay out there if something is hunting us." Ned said closing the door and shutting out the cold wind that had been blowing in for some time.
"I know there's something bad out there. I can sense it but I don't think its Gollum. It seems more wild." Bob added walking over to the fire and warming her hands in front of it. "By the way, it's good to see you again David." She smiled.
"Oh, I almost forgot, this is Ned." Fred introduced Ned who was looking out the small window of the hut nervously.
"Hi. I've heard a lot about you David." She said not really looking around to see him. He nodded and smiled at Fred who gave a small shake of her head.
"We should collect some more wood for this fire. We want to keep this place warm." Bob said.
"It'll take a lot more than a fire to warm this place." Ned said looking around the small wooden hut.
"You know that Frank is dead, there's no way he can come back. I don't think he would mind us borrowing his home for a while." Bob smiled. Ned nodded but couldn't hide the nervousness that was taking over her thoughts. There was something wrong in there but she couldn't quite work it out, Bob didn't feel it so maybe she was wrong.
**
It was almost dark by the time Bob had come back with the wood and Ned was keeping a lookout through the window. She pretended that it was in case they saw Gollum but she was still worried about the fact that she had been hurt here before and it might happen again. She couldn't understand why no one else felt it. Maybe it was just her imagination. She shook her head hoping it would clear it. The hut gave her the creeps she didn't like being in there but she knew they couldn't just abandon David and he was too weak to walk through the forest even with their help.
Ned sighed and turned away from the window as Bob walked in with the wood. She put it down on the floor noisily, which got a warning from Fred that David was asleep. Fred had been tending to his wounds since Bob had left; she was just finishing when he fell asleep. She hadn't wanted to wake him so just left him hoping he would build up his strength so they could walk out of there.
Fred got up and walked over to where Bob and Ned were standing. They had to work out what they were going to do next.
"We can't stay here tomorrow as well. It's too dangerous. If something is following us we'll need to keep moving so it can't attack us if it is dangerous." Ned whispered receiving nods from the other two.
"David should be okay, he said he was shot or something but it must have been some time ago, the wound is already healing. That's the good news. The bad news is that he's still weak; I don't think he's eaten much the past few days and he's been in here for some time. I'm not sure whether he'll be able to walk by tomorrow but he's pretty determined so you never know." Fred smiled and looked over at the sleeping form of David.
"Even so, we came out here to look for Gollum and that's what we have to do. David's human right?" Ned asked. Fred nodded. "Then as soon as we get out of the forest we take him to a hospital. And get you back there Fred." Fred looked at the ground and shook her head.
"I don't think you'd ever get him into a hospital. He's far too stubborn." She whispered with a slight hint of humour in her voice.
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, what's important now is that we keep safe in here for tonight and get out of this forest as soon as we can. Hopefully we won't have to go too far to find Gollum but you never know. For tonight I suggest we keep to the hut and stay low. We find something to strengthen the door just in case and don't go out there. Something is hunting us according to David and I'm not taking any chances. I think we should get weapons as well, we might need to fight whatever it is." Ned suggested.
"Ned whatever's out there I don't feel anything but annoyance. Like we shouldn't be here. Maybe we should leave." Bob looked around her.
"No, we're far safer in here than outside. Besides I don't think he's in any fit state to move and we could use some rest after all that walking." Fred nodded. "We're agreed then?" Bob also nodded although more reluctantly.
"Okay, but just be careful, there's something out there and it is very angry with us."
"Is it Gollum?" Fred asked.
"No, it's something else and it doesn't seen nice. I think we need to get ready to fend it off if it comes near." Bob whispered as if someone was listening and she didn't want them to hear. Fred nodded and looked around.
"Maybe we should keep a look-out, just in case something happens during the night. At least then we'll have a slight warning." Fred suggested.
"Good idea. I'll go first, Fred you next and then Bob last. The rest will get some sleep and take over when it's there turn."
"You'll have to keep an eye on David as well. I'm still worried about him. Just shout if anything changes." Fred looked over at him.
"And if you see anything unusual shout and we'll all be ready." Bob said.
"Oh don't worry. If anything dangerous comes anywhere near you'll hear me scream long before it gets here." Fred laughed although the others knew she was very serious.
Ned went to put some of the wood next to the door as a little more protection although she knew that it wouldn't do a whole lot of good if something did try and break in. It would at least make them feel a little safer to know there was slightly more protection against whatever was out there. Whilst Ned was doing that Bob was making sure the fire was burning strongly and constantly putting wood on it.
Fred was looking after David, she kept looking at him, checking over her shoulder to make sure he was still there and that this wasn't just a dream like all the other times. It always surprised her when she saw that he was still sat there sleeping peacefully. Although she didn't understand why he was there or how he managed to get to Earth she soon decided that she didn't really care anyway. He was with her and that was all that was important. The only problem was that seeing him again reminded her of all the terrible things she went through in Orthanc, still the good feeling she got at seeing him again was enough to balance out those feelings.
Eventually everything settled down in the hut and Ned took up her position at the window. They had found some weapons that Ned had packed, thinking that maybe they would need them for Gollum. Although they weren't much, just knives really they still made the three girls feel safer.
Fred sat close to David and Bob close to the fire. It was almost completely dark by then and the blackness was beginning to make all of them anxious. Suddenly Ned wanted to be back in that flat that she hated so much. It was better to be claustrophobic in a safe place than to be in open space but be in terrible danger. The feeling of fear was very evident in the hut now. It was making it almost unbearable but no one dared to speak just in case it disturbed something outside. Even the slightest sound made them jump even if it was just a small creak that couldn't possible have been the hunter.
The fire cast dark shadows on the walls and in the corners of the small hut, which made them even more nervous at not being able to see all of it even though it was quite small. The orange flames which normally would have been relaxing made them jumpy and the crackle of the fire could have drowned out the sounds outside that they should have heard.
"You should try and get some sleep." Ned said making both Bob and Fred jump slightly. "You have to watch tonight as well. There's no point in us all staying up all night." She looked at them and smiled. "Don't worry, if anything happens I'll shout. You'll be safe I promise."
"Yeah, you remember that I never feel safe around you? Well." Fred smiled.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you whilst I'm on watch." Ned insisted trying to sound confident and certain although they didn't look that convinced.
Bob and Fred nodded and Bob leaned back against the wall whilst Fred leaned over and rested her head on David's shoulder. He moved to put his arm around her protectively; she smiled when she remembered that he had done the same thing many times in Isengard. She snuggled in closer and closed her eyes. Before she fell asleep she said to Ned,
"Don't forget to wake me." Ned said something that Fred couldn't hear probably because she was almost half asleep.
**
She was in the corridor again, something was running towards her but still she couldn't move. She wanted to though, she was so afraid. She knew if she didn't move she would die and yet her legs just felt like lead. It was so black and dark, it looked like a Wraith but there wasn't the evil feeling that went with the Nazgul. This was different. Strangely she didn't feel that scared all of a sudden, it was as if she almost wanted to see what it was. There was a malice there that she wanted to uncover and still something told her she should be running and not just staring at the thing running gracefully towards her although she noticed that it didn't seem to be getting much closer.
She stood there waiting for something to happen although nothing did. She could feel it, it was so close now and yet it looked to be so far away. Why? Why wasn't it reaching her?
All of a sudden it seemed to come at her far more quickly like it was unleashed. It was instantly in front of her but abruptly came to a halt at her feet. It was smaller now; either that or she had grown. It looked almost scared and yet it had a feeling of great power about it. Fred looked down hoping to see what was hiding underneath that thick black cloak.
She went to lift the hood back and was surprised when it suddenly drew out a glittering, almost shining sword. It held it in front of its face as a salute to Fred but didn't move any more. She once again held out her hand and went to touch the sword, she no longer felt the fear that had been there a few moments ago. When she touched it it felt cold, she pushed against it and gasped and pulled her hand back when the image wavered and her hand went right through.
It wasn't real. The sword wasn't really there and yet it looked real. That feeling of coldness that she had experienced when she had touched the sword seemed to be going through her whole body. It was spreading and she couldn't stop it. By now she was shaking and was cowering closer to the floor. She couldn't figure out whether it was because of the cold or fear.
Before she fell she reached out and pulled the hood of the black thing back. She did it slowly not wanting the thing to hurt her any more. What was it and why was she so afraid of it? The hood was peeled back revealing...
**
Ned shook Fred over and over again, accidentally waking David in the process who groaned slightly and woke properly. He realised Ned was calling for Fred to wake and gently shook her gently as well. He moved his arm to rouse her.
That did work. Fred sat up straight and looked alarmingly around her. She saw Ned looking at her worriedly and shook her head trying to clear away the nightmare. That awful image of the hooded figure wouldn't leave her.
"Fred are you alright?" Ned asked concerned, she was still holding onto Fred's arm and could feel her shaking. "Fred?"
"I.I'm alright." She could hear her voice shaking. "It's nothing, just a bad dream that's all." She tried to smile but she didn't know whether it worked or not and from the look on Ned's face she guessed not.
"Are you sure? You look a little pale." Ned persisted.
"I'm fine. Really. Is it my turn to watch?" Fred was standing up.
"Are you sure you're alright? I can do lookout for another few hours if you want to get some more sleep. Really maybe you should get some more rest. We did a lot of walking today." Ned said standing with Fred; she still kept her hand on Fred's arm noticing her friend was a little unsteady.
"No, I'll keep lookout like we agreed." Fred nodded when Ned once again shot her a concerned look. "I'm fine Ned, honestly." Once again she smiled. This time it must have been convincing because after looking at David she nodded and sat down.
"Fred, if you feel unwell I want you to wake me and I'll take over." Ned said very seriously.
"Don't worry I am fine. It was just a nightmare." Fred insisted although she could tell that Ned really knew that it was more than that. She couldn't blame her, if she looked as scared as she felt she must have looked terrible.
"I think I'll stay up with you for a while if you don't mind Fred." David said standing up as well.
"David really I'm fine. I don't need you to stay up as well." Fred said looking him in the eyes.
"I know. Remember that time in Orthanc you stayed up with me when I wasn't feeling great? Well, now it's my turn to help you." He said taking her hands.
"I think you already have." She smiled at him.
"Maybe but I can't sleep anyway. I'd like to talk you again. It's been a long time." David smiled at her, she knew that look, he wasn't going to give in. She nodded and smiled at him.
They walked over to the window. Secretly she was glad that she didn't have to stand on her own all night. She didn't want to be on her own and the fact that David was there was even better, it would be nice to spend some time with him. Plus he was a far better fighter than her so he could chase whatever was coming away.
They sat down on the small ledge on the window and looked out for a few moments, they didn't say anything but occasionally they looked over at each other and smiled. They had hardly spoken since they had they had seen each other, David had been ill, now though he looked.he looked almost as though nothing had happened.
"Are you alright David?" He looked at her confused. "I mean you're not in pain are you? It's just you look like nothing's happened."
"I'm fine, I really feel normal. Why do you ask anyway?" He asked looking through the window anxiously.
"What do you mean? When we came here you couldn't even stand up and now you're fine. I know it's been a while since I was in Orthanc but I remember Saruman's torture methods lasting longer than a few hours. What is going on? There's something you're not telling me. I know there is, so what is it? You know you can trust me, you always did before." She looked into his eyes, which seemed full of regret.
"I'm not sure whether you really want to hear this." He said gazing past her.
"So there is something. Look, you know what we went through together, how can you not trust me now?"
"I just.I know what I'm going to tell you will upset you and I want you to stay calm about it and not shout out alright?" Fred nodded. "This is going to sound slightly 'odd' but you have to believe me."
"You know I will." She said taking his hand in hers for comfort and to encourage him to tell her. She also tried to hide the impatience in her voice; this secrecy wasn't like him at all.
"Alright, but I warn you. You cannot tell your friends about this, not yet, they're not ready to understand. If you tell them it could do them more damage than good. Do you understand?"
"Of course. If you say so." She said confidently although his strange behaviour was starting to make her nervous.
"I suppose I should start at the beginning, or in your case the end. When I broke the Orb I was protected by something. I'm not sure whether it was Saruman or something within the Orb itself. All I know is that I survived. I saw you and Bob being thrown through some kind of hole, which appeared, and I assumed you were taken back to Earth, which you were. I was left behind though. It took me a while to realise what happened.
"I was still in Orthanc and left with Saruman but the strangest thing was that the Orb was still whole. You saw it smash and I too but it was there, in one piece but there was no colour to it. It was just a normal crystal. Saruman took it but didn't know what to do with it. He assumed that I did, that's why he kept me there. He tortured me for information for a long time. I couldn't tell him anything simply because I didn't know what happened any more than he did. I kept insisting that I had nothing to do with it but he wouldn't believe me. You know how persuasive he can be.
"All the while he was trying to make the thing work again, I'm not sure he ever did but from the shouts and screams I heard from his private chambers I'm saying he didn't get it working. He grew ever more frustrated until my torture almost became too much. I think he must have got bored with me because he gave up pretty quickly and threw me in the dungeon."
"I'm sorry." Fred said as David paused taking a deep breath.
"Don't be. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. It sent me back to you." He smiled lovingly at her.
"I'm not sure I understand. How does being in a dungeon after days of torture suddenly take you to Earth? Have I missed something in the story?" Fred said trying desperately to work it out in her mind.
"I'm sorry, this must seem very confusing to an outsider. You remember that I said that Saruman set me free?"
"Yes. But how did you get from Isengard to Britain? I don't think there's a ten o'clock train."
"When I say Saruman set me free.I'm probably not explaining this very well am I?" He sighed and tried to think of a better way of putting it. "Saruman, as I said can be very persuasive. You yourself have seen people die in those dungeons." He trailed off hoping now she'd understand. "He set me free by killing me. Just like he did you."
"What?" Fred said simply.
"Come on, you haven't wondered why Ned is 'alive'? Why she's not hurt? Why she could climb out of that grave?"
"She was poisoned, it brought he back to life after a few weeks." Fred said looking at the floor and thinking about what she had just heard.
"No. There's no poison that could do that. And you. Look at how you survived. You and Bob should have been dead after being sent through that hole. And yet you survived."
"It was magic. It wouldn't have killed us." Fred said shaking her head trying to make some sense out of it all.
"You know that's not true. You were never in the hospital Fred, not you as a living being. When the search party found you they found the dead bodies of Roberta and Winifred. Not the living you."
"That's not true." She cried out. "Why are you saying these things?" He tried to calm her.
"Shh. You'll wake your friends. Please they mustn't know. I probably shouldn't even be telling you."
"How could you? Why are you lying to me?" She was crying now. She tried to pull her hand away from him but something told her that she should stay and keep quiet.
"I'm not lying to you. I would never do that. You know that. Please you have to believe me. Fred. I love you; I was given a second chance. We're together again, that's all that matters. Please. You have to believe me, I would never lie to you." He begged with her.
Fred tried to calm herself. "Why can't I tell the others?" She asked quietly.
"Because they're not ready to know. Fred things are happening. Bad things. I don't know what they are at the moment but I know something is happening. Your friend can sense them; you should trust her she knows more than she's letting on. Understand Fred Bob was right. Gollum is still here and you are the only people that can get him out of here and back to Middle Earth where he belongs but there are other people looking for him and now you. Bad people that would kill you as soon as they got the chance. You can't let them. You have no idea how important the three of you are. Middle Earth relies on you."
Fred tried to take all this in. It didn't make any sense and yet she knew he was telling the truth.
"Why am I still hurt? You said Ned wasn't so why am I still feeling like I should be in hospital?"
"It has different affects on different people. Bob and Ned are probably feeling the same discomfort but it's not real. I know this is hard to understand but please try."
"How do you know all this?" Fred asked looking at him calmly for the first time since they had began.
"I don't know. You remember when Bob said that she just knew about the Orb? It's like that. I don't know how I know I just do. Fred I'm having a hard time explaining this. I never wanted to hurt you but it's the truth. Do you believe me?"
Fred thought for a moment. She wanted to say no so much but she realised that she did believe him. "Yes." She whispered. "Does this mean that we can be together forever now?"
He smiled that warm inviting smile. "That means nothing can take you away from me. Not now. You're mine forever."
"I like the sound of that." She leaned forward to kiss him.
Just before their mouths could meet something smashed through the glass window shattering it over them causing them both to fall to the floor, hands over heads to shield themselves from the splinters of falling glass. The others woke up as the thing came flying through the window landing in the middle of the hut.
TBC