Chapter 11:

Frodo rode on for an hour, fear and rage kept him moving. Also his fear of what he might think of when he stopped to think overwhelmed him. The dark countryside passed by quickly, and he kept to the grass verge at the side of the road, to muffle the hoof beats as much as possible. Gradually he slowed down to a trot, before finally stopping. Panting heavily, he listened for the sound of the two men, but there was nothing. Silence. The very earth seemed to be paused waiting, listening... Exhaustion crept up on him like a gentle breeze, and it took all of his will power to keep his eyes open as he dismounted and tethered his pony to the wooden fence bordering the road. This done he curled up in his cloak under the hedge and was asleep within minutes.

***

Merry was woken by the sound of urgent tapping on the door. Grumbling, he crawled out of bed and started across the room. By the time he reached the door, Pippin was awake too, disturbed by the loud curses issuing from Merry's mouth as he first stubbed his toe on the wooden chest and then tripped over Pippins pack, which was lying in the middle of the floor. When he finally pulled upon the door, he was quite irritable and snapped at the small hobbit stood nervously waiting in the hall.

"What!"

"I'm sorry sir, but something happened, and I thought I ought to let you know."

The boy mumbled nervously at the floor, twisting his cap in his hands. Merry's irritation dispersed, and his tone softened.

"What's happened lad?"

"The third member of your party, the...the dark haired one? Him. He came to me an hour ago, maybe more now, and gave me a silver coin and asked for a saddlebag of food and for his pony to be saddled. Well I'm not one to question the guests, so I did what he asked, and he set off at a steady pace to the south gate. He passed through, and I watched him till he rounded the bend in the road. I thought no more of it then, but it's been bothering me, so I thought I should come and tell you. I'm sorry if it's been any inconvenience sir."

Having finished giving his information, the boy turned to leave, but Merry stopped him long enough to give him a small copper coin, before turning back inside the room and shutting the door.

"Come on get up you lazy boy!"

Merry pulled the blanket off Pippin, who then proceeded to tug it back and kick up a fuss. Grinning at his cousin's antics, Merry pulled Pippin straight out of bed before relinquishing his hold on the blanket.

"Why are you always so mean to me? You shouldn't pick on me just cos I'm younger than you! Anyway, why the rush, you suddenly got the urge for a moonlit walk? If that's the case, then I thank you, but leave me here! I'll be fine here on my own!"

Pippin then tried to curl back up in his bed and find some peaceful dreams to wander in. This new plan was thwarted by Merry yet again, when he finally lost patience and pushed Pippin out of his bed and onto the hard wooden floor.

"I'm guessing it's more urgent than I originally thought."

Pippin grumbled to the floor.

"Too right! Besides the late night exercise will be good for you!"

Merry retorted before starting to dress, and throw things into his pack.

"Um, wha'? I think I've missed something here! Exercise?!"

Pippin's disbelief made Merry smile. His cousin could be ridiculous when he tried!

"Were you asleep when that boy gave me his message?"

"Well I was trying!"

"Well you missed the fact that Frodo has gone!"

Pippin stopped. Disbelief showed on his tired face.

"What do you mean gone? "

"He took a horse and left Bree, over an hour ago."

This information sunk in gradually, and Pippin sat down heavily on the bed.

"I take it you feel the obligation to go after him then?!"

Pippin glanced up at Merry as he said this

"Yes I do, and you will be coming with me!"

"I thought as much"

Pippin continued to grumble about the unfairness of life, and how he was soon going to die of tiredness for the next five minutes, as the two of them quickly readied themselves for the journey. Leaving the room quietly they tiptoed down the hall to the common room, where the fire had been reduced to a pile of ash and glowing embers. To their surprise Butterbur was still up, although he was now dressed in his nightshirt and cap.

"I heard you were leaving on an urgent errand."

This remark was followed by a very large yawn.

"You mean you didn't want us to forget to pay you!"

Pippin grinned wickedly at Butterbur as he said this. Merry smirked and then handed over a bag full of coins to Butterbur,

"Go back to sleep! It's all there, and we'll be back in a few days anyway!"

Butterbur yawned again as he showed them out and then shut the door on the night and proceeded back to bed.

Merry and Pippin saddled up their ponies and set off at a brisk trot in the direction that Frodo was reported to have taken. They soon passed through the gate, and were out in the open country again. Silence descended for a while till Pippin started to sing a quiet song under his breath.

"Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread; And round the corner there may wait A new road or a secret gate, And hidden pathways there may run Towards the moon or to the sun.

Down hill, up hill walks the way From sunrise to the falling day, Through shadow to the edge of night, Until the stars are all alight; Mist and shadow, cloud and shade, All shall fade, oh all shall fade." *

His voice faded to a whisper as he sung the last line, and then he was quiet. Unease made them urge the ponies on and they continued, passing like shadows in the night.

***

Frodo woke, only an hour later, feeling not much better than he had before, but he was at least slightly more awake, and mounted up quickly before setting off once again. He'd watched Merry's tracking, very closely so understood the basics of it, that was probably the only way he managed to find the trail. He followed the path laid before him at a steady canter, trying to make up for the precious time that he'd lost already.

***

Eowyn was jerked roughly awake. Her head throbbed and her limbs ached from the position she was in. The rocking motion from beneath her indicated that she was on a horse, and that comforted her a little. At least she was no longer alone. Thinking back to the cool hands on her head, she realized that she had probably been dreaming, that he'd never been... She wanted to cry again, but bit back her tears and tried to think of a way out of this situation. There was no way that she was just going to stay here and wait for these people to kill her! No, she was going to have to get away. But how... Suddenly she heard another set off hoof beats, quite faint but still distinct. The people who had captured her, or were these different people? She was so confused! She heard them muttering to each other, and then the rocking motion quickened, and she was thrown about on the horse. Trying to piece together the snatches of conversation that she'd heard, she realized that someone was following them, and from the sounds of things, her captors were afraid by this! Maybe someone was trying to rescue her after all! With that comforting piece of information, she cleared her mind and tried to work out a plan.

***

Frodo came round a bend in the road at a fast canter. Trees rose to great heights either side of the road, and overshadowed him, reaching out long limbs towards him, fighting to grab him and ensnare him. Looking ahead at the road before him, he noticed a darker blur on the road ahead. Pausing briefly he listened. Yes! There it was! Hoof beats! He had caught up with them! As if to celebrate his uplifted mood, the moon cast off her dark cloak, and shone out upon the road, illuminating all she could see. The two horses ahead of Frodo were thrown into relief. His suspicion was conformed, and Frodo grinned to see his enemy finally in sight. Having shown Frodo what he needed to see, the moon then cast her cloak about her once again aiding him again in secrecy. Smiling, Frodo gathered his reins and urged his pony onwards.

He galloped down the stretch of road, but they must have heard him approaching, as they were soon out of sight again behind the woods as the road twisted and turned. Frodo rode faster, adrenalin giving him new wings to fly on. Rounding the last bend in the road, Frodo stopped. They were nowhere in site! They had simply just disappeared. He couldn't understand it. They had been there! Trotting slowly down the center of the road, Frodo looked around for signs of where they might have gone. There were none. He looked higher up, for places they might have headed to. Almost directly ahead of him was a huge hill, crowned by a ring of large stones. It seemed like the sort of place that they might aim for, so turning Goldberry, Frodo turned off the road and set off towards the hill.

***

Merry and Pippin continued on. They were headed at a steady canter along the road, keeping a sharp eye out for signs of scuffles or any people turning off. Silence covered them as they continued, and worry showed deeply on Merry's face. That Frodo had gone after Eowyn there was no doubt about it. There seemed to be no other explanation for his sudden disappearance. At one time they had heard hoof beats on the road ahead, and had hurried on, hoping to see signs of their quarry, but there had been no one. They stopped briefly to give their ponies a rest, and to have something to eat, before continuing on.

*** They had stopped moving. Eowyn was slung down off the horse, and thrown roughly on the ground. Bruised and aching, she bit back a scream of pain, fighting herself to keep calm. She had been trying to pull the bonds off her hands for the past few days, and had got nowhere with it. There was something different this time though. The ropes didn't hurt anymore... She tried an experimental wriggle and the rope slipped off. She stopped in surprise. Who had loosened them? She remembered her dream of Frodo coming to save her, maybe that had been real?! She tried her feet as well, but was not quite so lucky with these. Although they were not so tight, they also did not slip off. Patience child. The words her mother had told her when she was younger. She quieted, and lay as still as she could, trying not to draw attention to herself. She would wait. Wait till they were asleep, and then...

Time passed, and gradually the two men's breathing evened out and slowed. Eowyn moved carefully, and slowly undid the blindfold. She bit her tongue as the pain of the light hit her brain. Although only a dull glow from the fire's embers, the light was still too much for her to bear after days of being in the dark. Blinking, she gritted her teeth and set to work carefully on the bonds tying her ankles. She was soon free, and stood up hesitantly. Looking around her, she saw two men, complete strangers, sleeping by the fire, the remains of a meal scattered around them. She hobbled round them and gathered some food and a water bottle. This was her chance, and moving as quietly as possible she set off down the side of the hill. She finally reached the road, and glancing up and down it saw no one. She had no idea which way she had come, so taking a gamble she set off to the left, keeping close to the road but just out of sight from anyone passing. She had no idea where she was, where she had been or where she was going to, but her spirits rose as she walked, she was finally free!

***

Frodo neared the hill, and leaving Goldberry at the base, he started to climb. He toiled up for at least twenty minutes, and eventually his head peeped over the brow of the hill. The two men were asleep, one snoring slightly, the remains of their supper spread around them, their dying fire in the center. He could see no sign of Eowyn, and so tiptoeing carefully around the men, he examined the site. There was nothing to show of her, until he came to the darkest part of the hill, overshadowed by some of the biggest of the stones. There he found some ropes, and what he guessed to be Eowyn's blindfold. There was no other sign. That had to be good. Surely that meant that she had escaped! Didn't it? He looked at the grass at the edge of the hill, and found some light prints leading down towards the road. His hopes rising, he followed the tracks down, wandering how long she'd been gone. Not concentrating on where he was placing his feet, he slipped on a rock, and slid down a short way, cursing quietly to himself. He continued down to the road, and saw nothing. She must have gone already. He raced round the hill to where he had left Goldberry and led her back to where the foot marks started at the base of the hill, following them as quickly as he could.

***

Eowyn was more wary now as she walked. As she had descended the hill, she thought she had heard someone follow her. She had to be careful. They weren't going to get her again! As her legs became accustomed to supporting her again she started to jog gently, and then to run. She wanted to get away. They were never going to find her again! She ran for as long as she could, and then slowed to a walk again, eating some of the bread she had picked up before she had left. She ate little, saving as much as possible for the road ahead. Finding new strength from the food, she ran on again. Soon losing herself in the undergrowth but always keeping to the line of the road.

*** Frodo was forced to go slowly, not daring to risk mounting up or going faster in case he missed Eowyn's light marks. He kept going until he could no longer keep his eyes open, and then halted where he was, curling up in the undergrowth and sleeping deeply, restoring strength to his tired limbs.

***

Eowyn continued like this for days. No change came about to the countryside around her, and no one passed by on the road to her right. The only thing that changed was the amount of food she had with her. No matter how careful she was, her supplies dwindled. She tried to eat some berries that she found around her, but they didn't satisfy her hunger. Her desperation to keep going was the only thing that stopped her from giving up there and then. She slept fitfully for small patches of time, but for the most part ran, on and on...

***

Frodo continued along her path, hope keeping him going. So long as the marks continued, he knew she was alive. He mounted up on Goldberry for short periods of time to rest his tired legs, but for the most part he walked. Never turning back, always going onwards...

***

Her journey continued, for days never changing, and she was almost sleeping as she walked. Her clothes were torn from the brambles that snatched at her, and her face, arms and legs were streaked with dirt. She wanted to cry, but if she did then she would waste precious water she couldn't afford to lose. Many days later, she stopped in shock. There before her was a river. Not very deep, but rushing past, tumbling stones as it went. Her strength returned, and she ran to the edge of the water, gulping its coolness down and bathing her tired face in it. She had nothing to loose, so lifting her skirts up out of its cool grasp, she stepped into it, enjoying the gentle caress as it washed away the wear and dirt from her feet. She walked nimbly across it, minding for pitfalls, and was soon on the other side. The other side was completely different. The trees were no longer menacing, and the grass felt fresh under her feet. Flowers bloomed, making the other bank seem bleak and gray in comparison to the washes of colour that now greeted her. She set off up the bank, gazing in wonder at everything she saw. She wandered among the flowers, sniffing each glorious scent and came at last to the brow of the hill. There she stopped and gazed in wonder at what she saw. A beautiful house, if it could be called that, stood proudly on the other side of the valley. A second rushing river, this time much deeper, ran at the bottom of the valley, and she gazed speechless at all she saw. The house was exquisite, even from this distance she could see its beauty, radiating across the valley. Looking for a way across, she saw a slender bridge some way to her right, and set off for it, looking in awe at everything she saw.

***

Frodo continued along this path for many days and nights. Nothing changed, but still he went on, determined to find her, no matter how long it took. Eventually he came upon a welcome sight, a river. Strong and fast it flowed and yet still quite shallow. He ran forward eagerly to splash some on his weary face. Looking up some moments later, he saw a figure, small but distinct on the far side. It was hobbit wearing a torn and tattered blue dress. Frodo jumped up eagerly. It was her! It had to be! As he watched her, she passed to the top of the hill, paused before gradually moving down into the valley beyond. She was safe! Knowing she wouldn't go too far, he sat down for a quick rest, eating a little and drinking from the cool water, before gathering up his pack and setting off across the river.

I'm getting good at this whole long chapter thing! A few notes:

*This song is taken directly from Tolkien. It's one of his earlier versions of 'the road goes ever on and on' and can be found in the history of the lord of the rings book 6, "The Return of the Shadow"

Also for those of you who are as asleep as I am right now, the strong fast shallow river was the ford of Bruinuien (probably spelt wrong...) and the large hill crowned with stones is Weathertop.