Chapter 6 - A Knife in the Dark
LegolasLuver123: I'm glad you liked the mushy stuff! There's plenty more to come, I can assure you!
queenie: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
anime princess: Thanks for reminding me about the timeline stuff. The movie throws it way off kilter, because it only seems like a few days. I really have to brush up on my book skills. . .and I do try very hard with the descriptions. Description is *not* my strong point! ^_^
Warnings: AU, violence (very mild, though)
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Only one person does and he's dead. I'm obviously NOT dead.
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Merry had been right. The next morning, Strider woke all of the hobbits bright and early to get on their way. Lexi, who had never been very good in the mornings anyway, was only made crankier than usual by this. She trudged silently along, willing herself to not fall asleep standing up. Why so early? Couldn't this Strider fellow have allowed them a few more hours sleep, at least? She glanced at the Ranger. Perhaps all Rangers got up very early. 'Then I will remember to never become one of them,' she thought to herself, nodding in determination.
It was a long time before anyone spoke. They traveled about seven or eight miles from Bree in silence, but no one seemed to notice. It was after these first miles that they were all still walking off their slumber, but now they seemed awake and ready to face the day. . .for the most part. Lexi strayed behind the others, not used to so much walking.
'Back in the Shire, all I had to do was sort books and help Bilbo write his own!' she thought grumpily. 'Where I went wrong was listening to Merry and Pippin.' She glanced to the front of the group, where Frodo was walking. 'Well. . .at least the company's good.' A small, somewhat mischievous smile played her lips.
Almost as if on cue, Frodo's walking slowed and he fell behind to walk beside her. She didn't acknowledge his presence at first, trying to control the blush that was threatening to conquer her cheeks. Neither seemed to notice nor do anything to get rid of the awkward silence that now hung between them.
Then he cleared his throat. "Lexi. . .I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"That you've been dragged into this. It was only supposed to be me and Sam making this trip. And now I don't even know where we're going. Not to mention that we've already been in a lot of danger. I know how frightened you were of the Black Riders."
Lexi shrugged. "But that was not your fault, Frodo. Meridol, Pippin, Merry and I. . .we just happened to run into you. It almost seems like maybe we were meant to go with you. Don't be sorry."
Frodo smiled slightly. "That's why I like you, Lexi. You always figure things out so that no one gets hurt." He considered her for a moment. "It's strange, really, that I was so close to Pippin, yet never met you until the day of Bilbo's party."
"Well. . .I did work at Bag End, but - "
"You did?"
"Yes, I did. I helped Bilbo write his book, and sometimes I cleaned up a bit. He actually hired me to help him sort out his books and maps and things before he left. I never really saw you because you were gone during the day, and at night I went to the Green Dragon to see Meridol."
"I wasn't gone every day, was I? There must have been a day when I might have seen you."
Lexi blushed slightly. "Well, yes, there was. . .but I didn't go to Bag End those days. . .I mean I went, but then I left."
"Because I was there?"
"Yes, but not because I didn't like you, Frodo." She faltered.
He was confused. "Then what was it?"
"Oh, it's silly, really." She hesitated a minute, looking at her hands. "I. . .I guess it was sort of. . .an infatuation, if you will." Her eyes turned to look at him, waiting for a reaction. He seemed a bit stunned, not saying anything. "See, I told you it was silly."
She almost jumped when she felt Frodo's fingers brush up against hers. She looked down and saw him take her hand. He smiled at her as she gazed up at him, raising her hand to his mouth and kissing it, before releasing her and returning to walk behind Strider. Lexi was speechless.
* * *
"What is going on with you?" Meridol questioned sternly. It had been about a week and a half since the company had departed from Bree, and they had now stopped for the night in a place that Strider called Amon Sul. The boys were setting up for bed on the opposite side of the alcove as the girls.
For the past week and a half, Lexi had been acting stranger than normal. . .more cheerful, perhaps it was. Meridol thought at first that maybe the strange air of the Wild was just getting to her head, but she was sure something was up now.
"What do you mean?" Lexi questioned innocently.
"You've been acting very odd," Meridol said. "I want to know why."
Lexi grinned. "Promise you won't tell anyone? Not even Merry."
"I promise."
"I think Frodo fancies me."
"What?!"
"He kissed my hand when I told him that I had an infatuation with him. And he's been spending more time with me lately."
"Do you still have an infatuation with him?"
"Of course I do!" Lexi snapped. "I mean, who else is there?" Meridol didn't reply, simply shrugged. After a moment, Lexi continued, "I mean. . .maybe my infatuation with him isn't as strong as it used to be, but rest assured that it is still there."
Meridol again said nothing. She smiled slightly, finishing her bed, and walked over to where the boys were assembling firewood to build a fire. Frodo was already asleep. Out of his bag Merry was taking food to cook: tomatoes, sausages and bacon. As it became ready to eat, the smell wafted over to where Lexi was lying, and her stomach growled. She had almost forgotten about how hungry she actually was. She sat up to go and get some food, when suddenly Frodo's eyes shot open and he sprung up in an almost frenzied panic.
"What are you doing?!" he cried at the others.
"Tomatoes, sausages, nice crispy bacon," Merry replied. Sam held out a plate to Frodo.
"We saved some for you, Mr. Frodo," he explained, but before he could get the words out of his mouth, Frodo was on his feet, stamping at the flames of the fire.
"Put it out, you fools!" he shouted. "Put it out!"
"Oh, that's nice!" Pippin said in irritation. "Ash on my tomato!" Suddenly, a piercing cry ripped through the still night air. Lexi's heart jumped. The Black Riders. . . Before long, all six of them were on top of Amon Sul, the swords that Strider had given them drawn and ready. However, despite the outward appearance of being prepared to fight, they were all of them terrified at what might happen next.
Lexi stayed as close as she possibly could to the others. There was no way that she was going to be caught alone with these horrible Black creatures. She was constantly turning, looking every way that she could, making sure nothing was coming after them. Her heart stopped almost completely as the dark, looming figure of a Black Rider appeared. It stepped down towards them, and soon there were five of the foul creatures standing before them, swords drawn, faces cloaked, hands and feet gauntleted. The Hobbits backed away, but the Black Riders followed.
"Back, you devils!" came Sam's sudden cry. He ran forward, swiping at the Rider that was leading the others. The large monster swiped back, knocking Sam out of the way. Merry, Pippin, Meridol and Lexi moved to protect Frodo, but were pushed roughly aside and onto the ground. The landing was hard, and Lexi hit her head. Her vision was blurred for a few moments, as she fought to stay conscious and hold back tears. Her head pounded and, though she was never quite certain later on, for a moment she blacked out. The next thing she knew, a gut wrenching scream filled the air, and her vision shot back. She searched desperately for Frodo, but saw no one. She barely noticed when Strider suddenly appeared, fighting the Black Riders away.
Finally, her eyes traveled to a knock-over column, where in a split second, Frodo appeared, opening his mouth and screaming in pain. She quickly ran to his side, taking his hand. She searched his face, then to his chest. There, on his left shoulder, was a deep stab wound.
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A/N: And there I will leave you. Awful, I know, but it had to be done. *sigh* This chapter sucked majorly, but I have a very bad headache right now. I'm sorry for the poor quality. The next one will be better, I promise. Please review! Merci!
LegolasLuver123: I'm glad you liked the mushy stuff! There's plenty more to come, I can assure you!
queenie: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
anime princess: Thanks for reminding me about the timeline stuff. The movie throws it way off kilter, because it only seems like a few days. I really have to brush up on my book skills. . .and I do try very hard with the descriptions. Description is *not* my strong point! ^_^
Warnings: AU, violence (very mild, though)
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Only one person does and he's dead. I'm obviously NOT dead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merry had been right. The next morning, Strider woke all of the hobbits bright and early to get on their way. Lexi, who had never been very good in the mornings anyway, was only made crankier than usual by this. She trudged silently along, willing herself to not fall asleep standing up. Why so early? Couldn't this Strider fellow have allowed them a few more hours sleep, at least? She glanced at the Ranger. Perhaps all Rangers got up very early. 'Then I will remember to never become one of them,' she thought to herself, nodding in determination.
It was a long time before anyone spoke. They traveled about seven or eight miles from Bree in silence, but no one seemed to notice. It was after these first miles that they were all still walking off their slumber, but now they seemed awake and ready to face the day. . .for the most part. Lexi strayed behind the others, not used to so much walking.
'Back in the Shire, all I had to do was sort books and help Bilbo write his own!' she thought grumpily. 'Where I went wrong was listening to Merry and Pippin.' She glanced to the front of the group, where Frodo was walking. 'Well. . .at least the company's good.' A small, somewhat mischievous smile played her lips.
Almost as if on cue, Frodo's walking slowed and he fell behind to walk beside her. She didn't acknowledge his presence at first, trying to control the blush that was threatening to conquer her cheeks. Neither seemed to notice nor do anything to get rid of the awkward silence that now hung between them.
Then he cleared his throat. "Lexi. . .I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"That you've been dragged into this. It was only supposed to be me and Sam making this trip. And now I don't even know where we're going. Not to mention that we've already been in a lot of danger. I know how frightened you were of the Black Riders."
Lexi shrugged. "But that was not your fault, Frodo. Meridol, Pippin, Merry and I. . .we just happened to run into you. It almost seems like maybe we were meant to go with you. Don't be sorry."
Frodo smiled slightly. "That's why I like you, Lexi. You always figure things out so that no one gets hurt." He considered her for a moment. "It's strange, really, that I was so close to Pippin, yet never met you until the day of Bilbo's party."
"Well. . .I did work at Bag End, but - "
"You did?"
"Yes, I did. I helped Bilbo write his book, and sometimes I cleaned up a bit. He actually hired me to help him sort out his books and maps and things before he left. I never really saw you because you were gone during the day, and at night I went to the Green Dragon to see Meridol."
"I wasn't gone every day, was I? There must have been a day when I might have seen you."
Lexi blushed slightly. "Well, yes, there was. . .but I didn't go to Bag End those days. . .I mean I went, but then I left."
"Because I was there?"
"Yes, but not because I didn't like you, Frodo." She faltered.
He was confused. "Then what was it?"
"Oh, it's silly, really." She hesitated a minute, looking at her hands. "I. . .I guess it was sort of. . .an infatuation, if you will." Her eyes turned to look at him, waiting for a reaction. He seemed a bit stunned, not saying anything. "See, I told you it was silly."
She almost jumped when she felt Frodo's fingers brush up against hers. She looked down and saw him take her hand. He smiled at her as she gazed up at him, raising her hand to his mouth and kissing it, before releasing her and returning to walk behind Strider. Lexi was speechless.
* * *
"What is going on with you?" Meridol questioned sternly. It had been about a week and a half since the company had departed from Bree, and they had now stopped for the night in a place that Strider called Amon Sul. The boys were setting up for bed on the opposite side of the alcove as the girls.
For the past week and a half, Lexi had been acting stranger than normal. . .more cheerful, perhaps it was. Meridol thought at first that maybe the strange air of the Wild was just getting to her head, but she was sure something was up now.
"What do you mean?" Lexi questioned innocently.
"You've been acting very odd," Meridol said. "I want to know why."
Lexi grinned. "Promise you won't tell anyone? Not even Merry."
"I promise."
"I think Frodo fancies me."
"What?!"
"He kissed my hand when I told him that I had an infatuation with him. And he's been spending more time with me lately."
"Do you still have an infatuation with him?"
"Of course I do!" Lexi snapped. "I mean, who else is there?" Meridol didn't reply, simply shrugged. After a moment, Lexi continued, "I mean. . .maybe my infatuation with him isn't as strong as it used to be, but rest assured that it is still there."
Meridol again said nothing. She smiled slightly, finishing her bed, and walked over to where the boys were assembling firewood to build a fire. Frodo was already asleep. Out of his bag Merry was taking food to cook: tomatoes, sausages and bacon. As it became ready to eat, the smell wafted over to where Lexi was lying, and her stomach growled. She had almost forgotten about how hungry she actually was. She sat up to go and get some food, when suddenly Frodo's eyes shot open and he sprung up in an almost frenzied panic.
"What are you doing?!" he cried at the others.
"Tomatoes, sausages, nice crispy bacon," Merry replied. Sam held out a plate to Frodo.
"We saved some for you, Mr. Frodo," he explained, but before he could get the words out of his mouth, Frodo was on his feet, stamping at the flames of the fire.
"Put it out, you fools!" he shouted. "Put it out!"
"Oh, that's nice!" Pippin said in irritation. "Ash on my tomato!" Suddenly, a piercing cry ripped through the still night air. Lexi's heart jumped. The Black Riders. . . Before long, all six of them were on top of Amon Sul, the swords that Strider had given them drawn and ready. However, despite the outward appearance of being prepared to fight, they were all of them terrified at what might happen next.
Lexi stayed as close as she possibly could to the others. There was no way that she was going to be caught alone with these horrible Black creatures. She was constantly turning, looking every way that she could, making sure nothing was coming after them. Her heart stopped almost completely as the dark, looming figure of a Black Rider appeared. It stepped down towards them, and soon there were five of the foul creatures standing before them, swords drawn, faces cloaked, hands and feet gauntleted. The Hobbits backed away, but the Black Riders followed.
"Back, you devils!" came Sam's sudden cry. He ran forward, swiping at the Rider that was leading the others. The large monster swiped back, knocking Sam out of the way. Merry, Pippin, Meridol and Lexi moved to protect Frodo, but were pushed roughly aside and onto the ground. The landing was hard, and Lexi hit her head. Her vision was blurred for a few moments, as she fought to stay conscious and hold back tears. Her head pounded and, though she was never quite certain later on, for a moment she blacked out. The next thing she knew, a gut wrenching scream filled the air, and her vision shot back. She searched desperately for Frodo, but saw no one. She barely noticed when Strider suddenly appeared, fighting the Black Riders away.
Finally, her eyes traveled to a knock-over column, where in a split second, Frodo appeared, opening his mouth and screaming in pain. She quickly ran to his side, taking his hand. She searched his face, then to his chest. There, on his left shoulder, was a deep stab wound.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: And there I will leave you. Awful, I know, but it had to be done. *sigh* This chapter sucked majorly, but I have a very bad headache right now. I'm sorry for the poor quality. The next one will be better, I promise. Please review! Merci!
