Chapter 22 - A Shortcut to Misery
Frodo's eyes widened as he backed away in panic from his cousin.
"Merry!" Frodo repeated, half in shock, half in horror.
"You haven't forgotten about your cousins, have you, Beloved?"
"Stay away from me!" cried Frodo, "Stay back!" He should have known Merry could find them in here. Part of the job of the Master of Buckland was to map the Old Forest and keep its borders safe. Merry's father had been taking his son in here since he was a 'tween, preparing him for the mantle of leadership that would one day pass to him. The realization rocked him further and he cursed himself for not thinking of it before they had ventured in, but how Merry had thought to follow them here was beyond his reckoning. Even with the ponies, he couldn't imagine they'd left that obvious a trail.
"Time to come out of these foul woods and back home, Frodo!" purred Merry as he approached the horrified hobbit with open arms, as if to capture him in an embrace.
Frodo backed up wildly.
"No! Stay back!"
"Please come home," whimpered a voice from atop the pony. "Come back to us."
Frodo cast his glance up to the small bundle hunched over the pony. Even in the pale moonlight, Frodo could see the figure was wincing and in obvious pain.
"Pippin!" exclaimed Frodo-suddenly understanding the turn of events that brought his cousins here. "Oh Pip! You will rue this -Pippin! Why did you not heed our warning?"
Pippin could not bring himself to make eye contact with Frodo-remembering suddenly the breaking of a vow. Pippin seemed to be doing a lot of that just lately and he suddenly felt abashed and small. If he wasn't failing Merry, he was disappointing Frodo. He just couldn't seem to get it right where the two most dear to him were concerned.
"There are a great many things that Pippin will rue," said Merry coldly. "But opening the door is not one of them. Besides, it was not Pippin who was calling for help just now; it was you."
Frodo felt himself being dragged between two nightmares. But Sam. He must save Sam. Frodo felt himself trapped between two nightmares and the weight of them both pressing upon him threatened to crush his heart and steal his breath. He wanted to do nothing more at the moment than to flee from Merry, Pippin and this horrible, oppressive forest. But he couldn't. Flee from Merry, certainly - that was not a question. He knew perfectly well where he would end up and in what condition he would be in should he fall to Merry's will again. But he couldn't flee the forest because there was still Sam to consider. Sam was trapped - even more so than was Frodo right now - and his very life was in peril. Frodo couldn't possibly abandon him.
"What did you need help with, Frodo?" asked Merry. "Help for whom?"
The fey fit that had washed over him earlier had now fallen away-his head was now clear. There was nothing in these awful woods to aid him. He must put as much forest between he and his cousins and save his Sam. Frodo took one deep intake of breath before whirling round and setting in a dash back to the aid of his friend.
"Tree caught Samwise, didn't it, Frodo?" yelled Merry.
Frodo skidded to a halt from his place down the path.
"The tree will crush Sam alive, you know!" continued Merry in a voice that echoed throughout the trees. "Frodo-I can save him!"
Frodo turned slowly, his eyes a mixture of fury and hope.
"Can you?!" yelled Frodo against his better judgement "At what price, Cousin?" Frodo ground out. But-Lo! thought Frodo-his options ran thin!
"Cost will be tallied later," Merry called back. "Do you wish my help or not, Frodo? Now is not the time to haggle over Sam's life. Would you rather see Old Man Willow have his way? You may come back in a year when, perhaps, he may have spit out the bones!"
A cry of agony stuck in Frodo's throat. Foul foul choices indeed! He couldn't allow himself to be detained yet again by Merry but he certainly couldn't allow Sam to be crushed and killed by that horrible and unnatural creature that had him in its very jaws. He would have to take his chances with Merry and hope that he was clever enough to outwit him. Finally, Frodo called out from down the path.
"Follow me -but at a fair distance!" ordered Frodo as he hightailed it back along the path with his unwelcome savior.
Frodo arrived at the tree breathless, lungs burning. He pried at the back once more.
"Sam! Sam!"
Merry dismounted, strangely calm.
"He can't hear you, love," said Merry. "He's under Old Man Willow's spell."
"Help him, Merry!" cried Frodo. "As you promised!"
"I promised nothing," answered Merry. "Not yet at any rate. Now is the time to deal, dear one."
Frodo gasped. "You must help! Sam will die! Surely even you couldn't let a fellow hobbit breathe their last without trying to help! I won't believe you're that contemptible. Merry, he'll die!"
"True," said Merry. "So here are my terms. Sam and you must come back home to Crickhollow where we may keep an eye on you. And you must come home without struggle or complaint. Decide quickly, Frodo. Sam has very little time."
"I cannot!" spluttered Frodo. "Merry-please this is so much bigger than you know!"
"Then there is nothing I can do for Sam."
"Meriadoc!" screeched Frodo.
"Come home, Frodo!"
"Please! Merry!"
Merry stepped calmly to the side of the tree.
"Let us see if Sam is still unharmed," said Merry, lips turned up in a wry grin. He gave Frodo a conspiratory wink, cupped his hand to his mouth and whispered into the bark. The response was immediate. The tree shifted and creaked and Sam began to scream.
Frodo fell on his knees beside the crack, placing his hands against the rough surface of the bark as if he could comfort Sam just by wishing it.
"Sam! Sam! I'm here! Are you hurt?"
The tree creaked and shifted again. Sam's shrill scream of pain cut through the thick forest air like an ax.
"Frodo! He'll crush me! He said so! Help!" came Sam's muffled yells from beneath the bark.
"Little time, Frodo," tutted Merry. "Sam has just a little time!"
Consumed by fury and anxiety, Frodo leapt up and shoved Merry violently against the tree, his hands wrapped around his neck. His eyes blazed and his teeth clenched as he tightened his grip around his cousin's neck. He had never been more furious.
"You will release him, Merry!" Frodo growled. "NOW! Or-"
"Or what, cousin?" asked Merry in a mocking tone that further infuriated Frodo. "Or you will strangle me? If you kill me, you are killing Sam right along with me. Is that what you want? I am Sam's last hope."
Frodo stood in place, muscles taut and body frozen, holding the pose of undiluted anger. Merry observed the inner conflict in Frodo's azure orbs.
Frodo had no choice and he knew it. As much as he'd like to throttle his cousin and wipe the smirk from his face for good and all, it seemed that Merry was Sam's only chance. Finally Frodo relaxed his grip and backed up a step. Merry straightened his collar and grinned.
"That's better."
"Free him, Merry!"
"Come home and Sam will survive," offered Merry. "Refuse, and I can't be responsible for what happens. Up to you."
Sam's pitiful whimpers could be heard from below the earth.
"Frodo?" Merry chased.
'Stars!' thought Frodo, 'it never ends!' One evil choice after another. One more rickety bridge over fathomless depths to cross with no haven in sight. He still had the Ring and Its safety to consider, but he knew if he refused Merry now, that Merry would certainly let Sam die in the malevolent embrace of Old Man Willow. Sam had left his home and all that he loved to follow Frodo - to help him and protect him. Frodo simply couldn't allow him to die this horrible death if there was a way - any way he could stop it.
Frodo staggered back to the spot where Sam was imprisoned and fell to the ground. "Sam!" Frodo cried. "Sam! We'll get you out!"
Frodo's eyes were wet with tears-more of frustration than of sorrow. These choices were rending his heart in two.
Crushed and defeated, Frodo kept his eyes on the ground below him. "You win," he said in low even voice, not lifting his gaze. We shall return with you. Please, Merry, just get Samwise out of that abominable tree."
Merry approached Frodo, a new tenderness in his features. He placed a reassuring hand down on Frodo's shoulder as the older hobbit sobbed into the bark. Sam still whined and whimpered below. Merry nodded at Pip with a silent direction.
Frodo turned and glared into Merry's eyes, his tears now buried beneath resentment.
"So on to it!" Frodo ordered. "And just to be clear, I shall return with you, but I won't be bound. I cannot brook it."
Merry shook his head. "You can and you shall," answered Merry tersely. "You are in no position to dictate terms, nor is Samwise."
Frodo jerked his head up in shock and dismay. Merry responded by whispering into the tree, causing a piercing shriek to emanate from the ground.
"Release him! Damn you!" cried Frodo. "Let him go!"
"First things first, Frodo."
Pippin appeared at Merry's side with a length of rope he had fetched from Merry's pack. Frodo suppressed an urge to clout the lad. Pip glanced up at Merry for approval, and, having received it, began to unwrap the coil of rope.
"Arms in front, Frodo," ordered Merry.
Frodo stepped back defensively. "Release Sam first!"
"Very well."
Merry whispered into the tree. A loud cracking noise like splitting logs rent the silence, and the cavern open up. Sam's body was thrown forward on a pile of leaves as if he had been tossed. Before Sam could struggle all the way out, the crack slammed shut on Sam's calf, causing Sam to shriek out in pain. He bent down and began to tug wildly at his captured foot.
"Sam!" cried Frodo, dashing up to his friend and embracing him in a fierce embrace. "Thank heavens you 're alive!"
"Me foot!" gasped Sam, still unaware of Merry or Pip. "The foul tree still has my foot!"
Merry whispered something else into the tree, and Sam again felt bark tightening around his ankle. He winced violently and let out a hiss of pain.
"Merry!" demanded Frodo. "Sam's foot."
"Merry?!" gasped Sam. "Of all the rotten-"
Merry and Pip each grabbed one of Frodo's forearms and pulled him away from the increasingly furious Sam.
"A deal is a deal," said Merry, now a safe distance from Sam. "I've shown you my good faith; it's time you show yours. Or," Merry paused to glance down at Sam's trapped foot. "Or I can have the tree squeeze Sam's foot off as you watch. Arms up, Cousin."
Tears poured down Frodo's face as he passively, pliantly held his arms straight in front of him. He winced hard and shuddered at the all-too- familiar feel of rough cords coiling around his wrists, this time through the means of a pensive-looking Pip.
"No! Mr. Frodo! No!" yelled Sam desperately. "Leave me! Forget my blasted leg! Frodo! No!"
Sam lunged forward toward his master, only to be held firmly in place by the unforgiving wood.
"Damn you, Merry! Frodo! NO!"
"No choice, Sam," sighed Frodo in a barely audible whisper. "No choice."
Pippin gave a final tug on the knot and glanced up to meet Merry's approving nod.
"Lie down on your stomach now, Frodo," instructed Merry in a parental voice, loving but firm.
Both Frodo and Merry ignored Sam's booming stream of curses, threats, and pleadings. Frodo avoided looking into Sam's eyes as he eased himself down, balancing on his tied hands.
"Pip," said Merry.
"Pippin obediently bound Frodo's ankles together. After completing the task, Pippin crawled round to Frodo's head and leaned down.
"Is that alright, Frodo?" he asked quietly.
Frodo lifted his chin out of the dirt with massive effort. Small crushed leaves and specks of dirt clinging to the side of his face where his tears had wet his skin. Frodo threw Pippin a withering accusatory glance that pierced Pippin's composure and froze his heart.
"NO."
Even with his leg trapped, Sam was almost impossible to subdue. He fought his captor like a cornered animal, punching anything that came within the radius of his fist. Pip's first attempt to bind Sam's hands earned him a push that sent him flying backwards onto his already tender rear, his rope flopping down on the forest floor like a dead snake. Pip stood up and approached Sam a second time, this time with obvious trepidation.
"Try again, Pip and you'll get more o' the same!"exclaimed Sam.
But Pippin would not fail Merry again. This next attempt elicited a hard slap from Sam.
"I warn ye, Lad!," threatened Sam. "There's more where that came from."
On Pippin's third try, Sam punched Pippin in the gut. Pip began to cry, as much from the pain of failure as from that of the blows.
Merry watched the scene with a combination of irritation and amusement. He stepped over to Pippin and held out a hand to help Pippin to his feet. He took up the fallen rope and approached the utterly combative Sam.
"Sam! You'll wear these bracelets or you'll regret it!"
"Vile rascal!" bellowed Sam. "I have a fist right here that's got your bloody name all o'er it!"
Merry caught Sam's fists in his hands and struggled to draw them together. This action ended as Merry doubled over in agony. Sam had used his free leg to knee Merry handily in the crotch.
Sam nearly grinned. "I reckon my knee had your name on it as well, Master Brandybuck!"
Merry glared up into Sam's defiant eyes.
"You shall be restrained, Master Samwise!" yelled Merry.
"Shall I, villain!" crowed Sam. "'Cause it don't seem to be going your way!"
Merry grasped the coil of rope with whitened knuckles as he raised his hand to slap Sam. Sam had already raised his two hands, tightly balled into fists, to ward off the expected blow.
Suddenly, an evil gleam came into Merry's eyes and a sinister grin spread across his face as he lowered his hand. Sam lowered his own fists, assuming that he'd won this round. Merry calmly turned his back on Sam and stepped toward Frodo, lying prone on a pile of leaves.
"Sorry Frodo," said Merry.
Frodo glanced up in confusion.
He looked up just in time to see Merry deliver a crushing kick to his side. Frodo cried out in pain; Sam in fury.
"Snake!" screeched Sam. "Don' ye dare hurt 'im! Your quarrel is with me!"
Merry turned to face Sam, his face carrying the expression of someone who had suddenly, unexpectedly gained the upper hand.
"Indeed it is," Merry answered, delivering Frodo two more kicks. Frodo rolled on his side and drew his knees up to defend his belly. (His teeth locked and he closed his eyes tight, trying to concentrate on forcing breath into his seizing lungs.
Merry yanked Frodo's tied hands out and planted his feet on Frodo's knees before leaning down to punch Frodo violently straight in the gut. Frodo gasped in pain before rolling to his side and vomiting.
"Frodo!" screamed Sam.
"Do you accept your binds, Sam?" asked Merry, panting.
"Villain!" retorted Sam, earning Frodo a slap to his face.
Sam sighed hard and relented - his face contorted with rage. Each muscle an over-wound spring.
Pip nervously inched toward Sam with the rope and bound Sam's wrists in front of him. Merry set down Frodo gently -kissing his temple before leading his pony over to Sam. Merry tied a long rope to the horn of his saddle and threaded the other end through the rope binding Sam's hands. Sam glared fiercely, but did not struggle-not even when Merry pulled a tattered cloth over Sam's mouth as a gag.
Merry rubbed his palms together and walked over to Frodo-who flinched.
"No worries, beloved. Your Sam is behaving himself now. You shan't be harmed.
"Pip," continued Merry. "I'll need your help with Frodo."
Pip nodded, taking his expected position at Frodo's feet.
"We need to lift Frodo across the pony.
With a coordinated heave, Frodo was lifted face-down over his pony, his arms and head hanging down on one side, his tied legs over the other.
"I can ride, Merry" muttered Frodo. "Even like this I may if you unbind my legs. I can't go anywhere with my hands tied. Sit me up."
Merry walked over by Frodo and leaned down by his face.
"No," answered Merry. "You may not. You have lost that right."
Frodo noted with dismay that Merry was winding a second piece of rope around his wrists, running it under the pony's belly, and moving around to attach it to his bound feet. Frodo heard Sam across the way screaming his disapproval through his gag.
"This is humiliating and unnecessary, Merry," growled Frodo. "I'm not a game animal brought back from the hunt. And I'm not baggage either."
Merry smiled.
"No, Frodo, you are not. But tonight you shall be treated as such. You have proven yourself devious and therefore you don't get to ride. Tonight you will be the animal I brought back from the hunt. You will be baggage, albeit very precious baggage. But baggage none the less." Merry punctuated his statement with a playful slap to Frodo's rump, sending shudders of humiliation and revulsion through his tied body. He wondered to himself what manner of trip Sam might be forced to endure. He did not have to wait long.
Frodo watched as Merry helped Pippin up on his horse, Pippin wincing again in pain from his older wounds, and the new ones Sam had delivered. Pippin seemed to be leaning at a strange angle, even staring at Frodo with some envy at his posterior-saving position. Merry led Pippin and the pony over to Frodo, taking another long length of rope to tether the two ponies together. All of the hobbits' combined packs were loaded onto what had been Sam's pony.
Sam had been tethered to Merry's pony in what, Frodo had assumed, was a temporary arrangement. Frodo saw Merry glance at Sam before giving a final whisper into the tree which, with a load creak, finally released Sam's foot. Merry led his own pony, with Sam pulled behind by his tied hands, to the glade where Frodo waited. Frodo watched with alarm as Merry mounted his own pony and prepared to set off. It did not seem that Sam would be riding anything.
"Merry," called Frodo from his up-ended position. "Sam may ride!"
"Sam may walk," retorted Merry sharply. "If his feet are strong enough to kick, they are strong enough to march. Besides," Merry added, chuckling, "I think he'll be more manageable if we give him a bit of exercise.
Frodo glared at Merry, realizing the hard fact that he was in a position to do nothing.
"At least ungag him, for pity's sake!" pleaded Frodo forcefully. "He'll not be able to walk if he can't breathe!"
Merry scratched at his head as if in deep thought. After a few seconds, Merry looked up and spoke.
"Frodo," he said. "I'm going to give you the opportunity to have Sam ungagged for this little trek. Here is my proposition. If I agree to ungag Sam, he must not say one word this entire trip back home. Mark me-- not ONE word. No complaints, no groans, no mumbles of dissent. Not a single sound. If you can convince Sam to keep his trap shut, I will remove his gag."
Frodo nodded. Merry pulled Frodo's pony over so that the two friends could face each other. Frodo noticed that Sam's face was lined with tears.
"Sam," said Frodo softly. "Sam dear, Merry agreed to ungag you if you'll not speak, not at all. Not to defend me, not to complain on my behalf. Sam, I want you to do this.for me, Sam. Do this for me. Please nod if you understand, Sam. Not one word."
Sam nodded sadly, the sight of noble Mr. Frodo tied down on the pony almost too much for him to bear.
Merry smiled, reached behind Sam's head, and untied the cloth. That done, Merry spun Sam to face him.
"So we understand each other, Mr. Gamgee? Silence, or the gag goes back on,"
Sam nodded, biting his curses and threats tightly behind clenched teeth. Merry ruffled his sandy curls like a child, and Sam bit down even harder.
"Frodo," said Merry, now turning to Frodo's upside-down face. I have an offer for you as well since you are being so cooperative now. I will allow you to have a drink of my sleeping tea so that you may sleep though most of the journey. I know that you are embarrassed and uncomfortable, and I predict that your head will start to ache from being turned in the wrong direction. Seeing Sam having to be pulled like an animal the whole walk will also be painful for you to witness, I'm sure. But if you drink the tea, you will wake up, and it will be all over, home safe and sound. This walk need not be unpleasant for you. You've been cooperative and I grant you this.
Frodo looked at Merry with absolute distain. "Merry," Frodo replied defiantly. "I want to be awake to share every second of every step with Sam. You needn't do this to him and you needn't do this to me. Your rewards are artificial when you could so easily dispose of the situation that makes them attractive. No, I shall not sleep. I shall be alert, and I shall remember this, all of it."
Merry was taken aback by Frodo's response. He could not let this insolence stand, not when he needed to bring Frodo under his will. Merry leaned up very close to Frodo's ear so that Sam would not hear.
"Frodo," he whispered, "If you refuse the gift of slumber, I shall prod the ponies on so fast that Sam will have to run to catch up. And I shall not slow, even when he collapses in exhaustion. I shall drag him, literally drag him all the way back the Shire until he is broken and battered and barely alive. If that is your desire, then by all means, refuse the tea. Or you can be reasonable."
"I'll drink it, damn you," replied Frodo with thinly concealed rage. "I'll drink it."
"Good lad," answered Merry as he brought the skin over and tipped it into Frodo's opening mouth. Frodo coughed and sputtered as the drink poured down over the side of his face and chin as he drank from this wretched angle. But he drank. By the last swallow, his head swam, the forest around him spun, and finally the last traces of light in the Old Forest faded to black, and Frodo saw no more.
TBC
Alisaundre - I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations!! In the next two chapters, mery will be very cagey about getting Frodo and Sam to do eXACTLY the opposite of what they want to do!!
Aratlithiel Tinuviel; --My beta-yeah-you know what is coming-tee hee hee!!!
endymion;- LOL about merry getting mad at Frodo stealing his line! Well, as you see, Sam is not yet out of the way-for he is far too valuable a tool in manipulating Frodo! Next chapter gets very intense!
Tesekian-Now you know about the willow-the how but not the why. Keep reading! The next chappie is really something!
Sue - Yes- more trouble for Pip-but not for a chapter or two-but-oh-it is coming!
Sven the Bounder-You might send a reminder to your readers, as they may not even know you updated!! I will give out the places to find all 3 chapters when it is time!
Iorhael- I will say that Nasty Hobbitsess is getting SO exciting!!!! You write so fast I can hardly beta up to your speed! But, guess what-I just caught up!! I'm glad you like this story so far. Boy-will Merry be nasty next chapter!
Krista- I will be happy to give you the link to the hardest version! I will say, beforehand that it will be on the Merry-Pip lovers site and well worth the trek over there.
MBradford- Thank you for the preview comments! I hope you still drop by and tell me how this looks! ;)
Natta-You'll REALLY feel sorry for Pippin pretty soon!
Pointyearedarcher - another Tom Bomadil hater! Horay!
; QTPie- I do not think that chapter 25 will be any worse than, let's say 5, but it will be more violent and painful. If you start to read it and dislike it, then you can go to the rape-free version! But, as I said, the R-rated 25 will be MUCH more powerful.
Camilla Gamgee-Took - see-I've updated-but here we are-another cliffhanger!
Chloe Amethyst -Welcome! Well-if you want to know, I am planning on Merry breaking Frodo-beginning in earnest with chapter 23. It will be much harder for Merry to break Frodo than Pippin, and he will definitely use Sam. Sam will not be broken, nor do I think Merry could. Keep reading-my beta and I have done some evil research, so Evil!Merry is well endowed with "tool" to bring down Frodo.
Story Recs-
Here are some good fics that I would like to suggest!
As you know, for dark fic, you could not go wrong with Iorhael's Nasty Hobbitsess
MBradford is a new writer and I would suggest any of her tales-both lighthearted and dark.
My beta has some wonderful poetic Frodo angst-Aratlithiel will not disappoint!
Sven the Bounder has an original story called fighting for love. She had a busy few months, but now is updating again! Do go check it out and leave a nice review!
End of his rope by Lindelia is just charming!
Baylor writes some very high quality hobbit stuff! I just read Barrels Out of Bond Revisited and suggest it highly for those who want to see what the second generation of hobbit children get into! If you read it, tell her I sent you!
Calefaction by Camilla Gamgee-Took -another good read!!
Finally, "The importance of Kittens" by roz Morgan is perfect Merry and Pip fluff that will leave you grinning! BTW-Roz helped with chapter 5 ;)
For a really unusual ride, read "Pippin and the Beast"-a great alteration of Beauty and the Beast. It is by Anemone frost-who is the guest co-author for the harder versions of chapter 25 (coming up)
That is all for now! Do review and tell me what you think! And I hope you like my uber-angsty chapter 23 NEXT TIME!!!
Frodo's eyes widened as he backed away in panic from his cousin.
"Merry!" Frodo repeated, half in shock, half in horror.
"You haven't forgotten about your cousins, have you, Beloved?"
"Stay away from me!" cried Frodo, "Stay back!" He should have known Merry could find them in here. Part of the job of the Master of Buckland was to map the Old Forest and keep its borders safe. Merry's father had been taking his son in here since he was a 'tween, preparing him for the mantle of leadership that would one day pass to him. The realization rocked him further and he cursed himself for not thinking of it before they had ventured in, but how Merry had thought to follow them here was beyond his reckoning. Even with the ponies, he couldn't imagine they'd left that obvious a trail.
"Time to come out of these foul woods and back home, Frodo!" purred Merry as he approached the horrified hobbit with open arms, as if to capture him in an embrace.
Frodo backed up wildly.
"No! Stay back!"
"Please come home," whimpered a voice from atop the pony. "Come back to us."
Frodo cast his glance up to the small bundle hunched over the pony. Even in the pale moonlight, Frodo could see the figure was wincing and in obvious pain.
"Pippin!" exclaimed Frodo-suddenly understanding the turn of events that brought his cousins here. "Oh Pip! You will rue this -Pippin! Why did you not heed our warning?"
Pippin could not bring himself to make eye contact with Frodo-remembering suddenly the breaking of a vow. Pippin seemed to be doing a lot of that just lately and he suddenly felt abashed and small. If he wasn't failing Merry, he was disappointing Frodo. He just couldn't seem to get it right where the two most dear to him were concerned.
"There are a great many things that Pippin will rue," said Merry coldly. "But opening the door is not one of them. Besides, it was not Pippin who was calling for help just now; it was you."
Frodo felt himself being dragged between two nightmares. But Sam. He must save Sam. Frodo felt himself trapped between two nightmares and the weight of them both pressing upon him threatened to crush his heart and steal his breath. He wanted to do nothing more at the moment than to flee from Merry, Pippin and this horrible, oppressive forest. But he couldn't. Flee from Merry, certainly - that was not a question. He knew perfectly well where he would end up and in what condition he would be in should he fall to Merry's will again. But he couldn't flee the forest because there was still Sam to consider. Sam was trapped - even more so than was Frodo right now - and his very life was in peril. Frodo couldn't possibly abandon him.
"What did you need help with, Frodo?" asked Merry. "Help for whom?"
The fey fit that had washed over him earlier had now fallen away-his head was now clear. There was nothing in these awful woods to aid him. He must put as much forest between he and his cousins and save his Sam. Frodo took one deep intake of breath before whirling round and setting in a dash back to the aid of his friend.
"Tree caught Samwise, didn't it, Frodo?" yelled Merry.
Frodo skidded to a halt from his place down the path.
"The tree will crush Sam alive, you know!" continued Merry in a voice that echoed throughout the trees. "Frodo-I can save him!"
Frodo turned slowly, his eyes a mixture of fury and hope.
"Can you?!" yelled Frodo against his better judgement "At what price, Cousin?" Frodo ground out. But-Lo! thought Frodo-his options ran thin!
"Cost will be tallied later," Merry called back. "Do you wish my help or not, Frodo? Now is not the time to haggle over Sam's life. Would you rather see Old Man Willow have his way? You may come back in a year when, perhaps, he may have spit out the bones!"
A cry of agony stuck in Frodo's throat. Foul foul choices indeed! He couldn't allow himself to be detained yet again by Merry but he certainly couldn't allow Sam to be crushed and killed by that horrible and unnatural creature that had him in its very jaws. He would have to take his chances with Merry and hope that he was clever enough to outwit him. Finally, Frodo called out from down the path.
"Follow me -but at a fair distance!" ordered Frodo as he hightailed it back along the path with his unwelcome savior.
Frodo arrived at the tree breathless, lungs burning. He pried at the back once more.
"Sam! Sam!"
Merry dismounted, strangely calm.
"He can't hear you, love," said Merry. "He's under Old Man Willow's spell."
"Help him, Merry!" cried Frodo. "As you promised!"
"I promised nothing," answered Merry. "Not yet at any rate. Now is the time to deal, dear one."
Frodo gasped. "You must help! Sam will die! Surely even you couldn't let a fellow hobbit breathe their last without trying to help! I won't believe you're that contemptible. Merry, he'll die!"
"True," said Merry. "So here are my terms. Sam and you must come back home to Crickhollow where we may keep an eye on you. And you must come home without struggle or complaint. Decide quickly, Frodo. Sam has very little time."
"I cannot!" spluttered Frodo. "Merry-please this is so much bigger than you know!"
"Then there is nothing I can do for Sam."
"Meriadoc!" screeched Frodo.
"Come home, Frodo!"
"Please! Merry!"
Merry stepped calmly to the side of the tree.
"Let us see if Sam is still unharmed," said Merry, lips turned up in a wry grin. He gave Frodo a conspiratory wink, cupped his hand to his mouth and whispered into the bark. The response was immediate. The tree shifted and creaked and Sam began to scream.
Frodo fell on his knees beside the crack, placing his hands against the rough surface of the bark as if he could comfort Sam just by wishing it.
"Sam! Sam! I'm here! Are you hurt?"
The tree creaked and shifted again. Sam's shrill scream of pain cut through the thick forest air like an ax.
"Frodo! He'll crush me! He said so! Help!" came Sam's muffled yells from beneath the bark.
"Little time, Frodo," tutted Merry. "Sam has just a little time!"
Consumed by fury and anxiety, Frodo leapt up and shoved Merry violently against the tree, his hands wrapped around his neck. His eyes blazed and his teeth clenched as he tightened his grip around his cousin's neck. He had never been more furious.
"You will release him, Merry!" Frodo growled. "NOW! Or-"
"Or what, cousin?" asked Merry in a mocking tone that further infuriated Frodo. "Or you will strangle me? If you kill me, you are killing Sam right along with me. Is that what you want? I am Sam's last hope."
Frodo stood in place, muscles taut and body frozen, holding the pose of undiluted anger. Merry observed the inner conflict in Frodo's azure orbs.
Frodo had no choice and he knew it. As much as he'd like to throttle his cousin and wipe the smirk from his face for good and all, it seemed that Merry was Sam's only chance. Finally Frodo relaxed his grip and backed up a step. Merry straightened his collar and grinned.
"That's better."
"Free him, Merry!"
"Come home and Sam will survive," offered Merry. "Refuse, and I can't be responsible for what happens. Up to you."
Sam's pitiful whimpers could be heard from below the earth.
"Frodo?" Merry chased.
'Stars!' thought Frodo, 'it never ends!' One evil choice after another. One more rickety bridge over fathomless depths to cross with no haven in sight. He still had the Ring and Its safety to consider, but he knew if he refused Merry now, that Merry would certainly let Sam die in the malevolent embrace of Old Man Willow. Sam had left his home and all that he loved to follow Frodo - to help him and protect him. Frodo simply couldn't allow him to die this horrible death if there was a way - any way he could stop it.
Frodo staggered back to the spot where Sam was imprisoned and fell to the ground. "Sam!" Frodo cried. "Sam! We'll get you out!"
Frodo's eyes were wet with tears-more of frustration than of sorrow. These choices were rending his heart in two.
Crushed and defeated, Frodo kept his eyes on the ground below him. "You win," he said in low even voice, not lifting his gaze. We shall return with you. Please, Merry, just get Samwise out of that abominable tree."
Merry approached Frodo, a new tenderness in his features. He placed a reassuring hand down on Frodo's shoulder as the older hobbit sobbed into the bark. Sam still whined and whimpered below. Merry nodded at Pip with a silent direction.
Frodo turned and glared into Merry's eyes, his tears now buried beneath resentment.
"So on to it!" Frodo ordered. "And just to be clear, I shall return with you, but I won't be bound. I cannot brook it."
Merry shook his head. "You can and you shall," answered Merry tersely. "You are in no position to dictate terms, nor is Samwise."
Frodo jerked his head up in shock and dismay. Merry responded by whispering into the tree, causing a piercing shriek to emanate from the ground.
"Release him! Damn you!" cried Frodo. "Let him go!"
"First things first, Frodo."
Pippin appeared at Merry's side with a length of rope he had fetched from Merry's pack. Frodo suppressed an urge to clout the lad. Pip glanced up at Merry for approval, and, having received it, began to unwrap the coil of rope.
"Arms in front, Frodo," ordered Merry.
Frodo stepped back defensively. "Release Sam first!"
"Very well."
Merry whispered into the tree. A loud cracking noise like splitting logs rent the silence, and the cavern open up. Sam's body was thrown forward on a pile of leaves as if he had been tossed. Before Sam could struggle all the way out, the crack slammed shut on Sam's calf, causing Sam to shriek out in pain. He bent down and began to tug wildly at his captured foot.
"Sam!" cried Frodo, dashing up to his friend and embracing him in a fierce embrace. "Thank heavens you 're alive!"
"Me foot!" gasped Sam, still unaware of Merry or Pip. "The foul tree still has my foot!"
Merry whispered something else into the tree, and Sam again felt bark tightening around his ankle. He winced violently and let out a hiss of pain.
"Merry!" demanded Frodo. "Sam's foot."
"Merry?!" gasped Sam. "Of all the rotten-"
Merry and Pip each grabbed one of Frodo's forearms and pulled him away from the increasingly furious Sam.
"A deal is a deal," said Merry, now a safe distance from Sam. "I've shown you my good faith; it's time you show yours. Or," Merry paused to glance down at Sam's trapped foot. "Or I can have the tree squeeze Sam's foot off as you watch. Arms up, Cousin."
Tears poured down Frodo's face as he passively, pliantly held his arms straight in front of him. He winced hard and shuddered at the all-too- familiar feel of rough cords coiling around his wrists, this time through the means of a pensive-looking Pip.
"No! Mr. Frodo! No!" yelled Sam desperately. "Leave me! Forget my blasted leg! Frodo! No!"
Sam lunged forward toward his master, only to be held firmly in place by the unforgiving wood.
"Damn you, Merry! Frodo! NO!"
"No choice, Sam," sighed Frodo in a barely audible whisper. "No choice."
Pippin gave a final tug on the knot and glanced up to meet Merry's approving nod.
"Lie down on your stomach now, Frodo," instructed Merry in a parental voice, loving but firm.
Both Frodo and Merry ignored Sam's booming stream of curses, threats, and pleadings. Frodo avoided looking into Sam's eyes as he eased himself down, balancing on his tied hands.
"Pip," said Merry.
"Pippin obediently bound Frodo's ankles together. After completing the task, Pippin crawled round to Frodo's head and leaned down.
"Is that alright, Frodo?" he asked quietly.
Frodo lifted his chin out of the dirt with massive effort. Small crushed leaves and specks of dirt clinging to the side of his face where his tears had wet his skin. Frodo threw Pippin a withering accusatory glance that pierced Pippin's composure and froze his heart.
"NO."
Even with his leg trapped, Sam was almost impossible to subdue. He fought his captor like a cornered animal, punching anything that came within the radius of his fist. Pip's first attempt to bind Sam's hands earned him a push that sent him flying backwards onto his already tender rear, his rope flopping down on the forest floor like a dead snake. Pip stood up and approached Sam a second time, this time with obvious trepidation.
"Try again, Pip and you'll get more o' the same!"exclaimed Sam.
But Pippin would not fail Merry again. This next attempt elicited a hard slap from Sam.
"I warn ye, Lad!," threatened Sam. "There's more where that came from."
On Pippin's third try, Sam punched Pippin in the gut. Pip began to cry, as much from the pain of failure as from that of the blows.
Merry watched the scene with a combination of irritation and amusement. He stepped over to Pippin and held out a hand to help Pippin to his feet. He took up the fallen rope and approached the utterly combative Sam.
"Sam! You'll wear these bracelets or you'll regret it!"
"Vile rascal!" bellowed Sam. "I have a fist right here that's got your bloody name all o'er it!"
Merry caught Sam's fists in his hands and struggled to draw them together. This action ended as Merry doubled over in agony. Sam had used his free leg to knee Merry handily in the crotch.
Sam nearly grinned. "I reckon my knee had your name on it as well, Master Brandybuck!"
Merry glared up into Sam's defiant eyes.
"You shall be restrained, Master Samwise!" yelled Merry.
"Shall I, villain!" crowed Sam. "'Cause it don't seem to be going your way!"
Merry grasped the coil of rope with whitened knuckles as he raised his hand to slap Sam. Sam had already raised his two hands, tightly balled into fists, to ward off the expected blow.
Suddenly, an evil gleam came into Merry's eyes and a sinister grin spread across his face as he lowered his hand. Sam lowered his own fists, assuming that he'd won this round. Merry calmly turned his back on Sam and stepped toward Frodo, lying prone on a pile of leaves.
"Sorry Frodo," said Merry.
Frodo glanced up in confusion.
He looked up just in time to see Merry deliver a crushing kick to his side. Frodo cried out in pain; Sam in fury.
"Snake!" screeched Sam. "Don' ye dare hurt 'im! Your quarrel is with me!"
Merry turned to face Sam, his face carrying the expression of someone who had suddenly, unexpectedly gained the upper hand.
"Indeed it is," Merry answered, delivering Frodo two more kicks. Frodo rolled on his side and drew his knees up to defend his belly. (His teeth locked and he closed his eyes tight, trying to concentrate on forcing breath into his seizing lungs.
Merry yanked Frodo's tied hands out and planted his feet on Frodo's knees before leaning down to punch Frodo violently straight in the gut. Frodo gasped in pain before rolling to his side and vomiting.
"Frodo!" screamed Sam.
"Do you accept your binds, Sam?" asked Merry, panting.
"Villain!" retorted Sam, earning Frodo a slap to his face.
Sam sighed hard and relented - his face contorted with rage. Each muscle an over-wound spring.
Pip nervously inched toward Sam with the rope and bound Sam's wrists in front of him. Merry set down Frodo gently -kissing his temple before leading his pony over to Sam. Merry tied a long rope to the horn of his saddle and threaded the other end through the rope binding Sam's hands. Sam glared fiercely, but did not struggle-not even when Merry pulled a tattered cloth over Sam's mouth as a gag.
Merry rubbed his palms together and walked over to Frodo-who flinched.
"No worries, beloved. Your Sam is behaving himself now. You shan't be harmed.
"Pip," continued Merry. "I'll need your help with Frodo."
Pip nodded, taking his expected position at Frodo's feet.
"We need to lift Frodo across the pony.
With a coordinated heave, Frodo was lifted face-down over his pony, his arms and head hanging down on one side, his tied legs over the other.
"I can ride, Merry" muttered Frodo. "Even like this I may if you unbind my legs. I can't go anywhere with my hands tied. Sit me up."
Merry walked over by Frodo and leaned down by his face.
"No," answered Merry. "You may not. You have lost that right."
Frodo noted with dismay that Merry was winding a second piece of rope around his wrists, running it under the pony's belly, and moving around to attach it to his bound feet. Frodo heard Sam across the way screaming his disapproval through his gag.
"This is humiliating and unnecessary, Merry," growled Frodo. "I'm not a game animal brought back from the hunt. And I'm not baggage either."
Merry smiled.
"No, Frodo, you are not. But tonight you shall be treated as such. You have proven yourself devious and therefore you don't get to ride. Tonight you will be the animal I brought back from the hunt. You will be baggage, albeit very precious baggage. But baggage none the less." Merry punctuated his statement with a playful slap to Frodo's rump, sending shudders of humiliation and revulsion through his tied body. He wondered to himself what manner of trip Sam might be forced to endure. He did not have to wait long.
Frodo watched as Merry helped Pippin up on his horse, Pippin wincing again in pain from his older wounds, and the new ones Sam had delivered. Pippin seemed to be leaning at a strange angle, even staring at Frodo with some envy at his posterior-saving position. Merry led Pippin and the pony over to Frodo, taking another long length of rope to tether the two ponies together. All of the hobbits' combined packs were loaded onto what had been Sam's pony.
Sam had been tethered to Merry's pony in what, Frodo had assumed, was a temporary arrangement. Frodo saw Merry glance at Sam before giving a final whisper into the tree which, with a load creak, finally released Sam's foot. Merry led his own pony, with Sam pulled behind by his tied hands, to the glade where Frodo waited. Frodo watched with alarm as Merry mounted his own pony and prepared to set off. It did not seem that Sam would be riding anything.
"Merry," called Frodo from his up-ended position. "Sam may ride!"
"Sam may walk," retorted Merry sharply. "If his feet are strong enough to kick, they are strong enough to march. Besides," Merry added, chuckling, "I think he'll be more manageable if we give him a bit of exercise.
Frodo glared at Merry, realizing the hard fact that he was in a position to do nothing.
"At least ungag him, for pity's sake!" pleaded Frodo forcefully. "He'll not be able to walk if he can't breathe!"
Merry scratched at his head as if in deep thought. After a few seconds, Merry looked up and spoke.
"Frodo," he said. "I'm going to give you the opportunity to have Sam ungagged for this little trek. Here is my proposition. If I agree to ungag Sam, he must not say one word this entire trip back home. Mark me-- not ONE word. No complaints, no groans, no mumbles of dissent. Not a single sound. If you can convince Sam to keep his trap shut, I will remove his gag."
Frodo nodded. Merry pulled Frodo's pony over so that the two friends could face each other. Frodo noticed that Sam's face was lined with tears.
"Sam," said Frodo softly. "Sam dear, Merry agreed to ungag you if you'll not speak, not at all. Not to defend me, not to complain on my behalf. Sam, I want you to do this.for me, Sam. Do this for me. Please nod if you understand, Sam. Not one word."
Sam nodded sadly, the sight of noble Mr. Frodo tied down on the pony almost too much for him to bear.
Merry smiled, reached behind Sam's head, and untied the cloth. That done, Merry spun Sam to face him.
"So we understand each other, Mr. Gamgee? Silence, or the gag goes back on,"
Sam nodded, biting his curses and threats tightly behind clenched teeth. Merry ruffled his sandy curls like a child, and Sam bit down even harder.
"Frodo," said Merry, now turning to Frodo's upside-down face. I have an offer for you as well since you are being so cooperative now. I will allow you to have a drink of my sleeping tea so that you may sleep though most of the journey. I know that you are embarrassed and uncomfortable, and I predict that your head will start to ache from being turned in the wrong direction. Seeing Sam having to be pulled like an animal the whole walk will also be painful for you to witness, I'm sure. But if you drink the tea, you will wake up, and it will be all over, home safe and sound. This walk need not be unpleasant for you. You've been cooperative and I grant you this.
Frodo looked at Merry with absolute distain. "Merry," Frodo replied defiantly. "I want to be awake to share every second of every step with Sam. You needn't do this to him and you needn't do this to me. Your rewards are artificial when you could so easily dispose of the situation that makes them attractive. No, I shall not sleep. I shall be alert, and I shall remember this, all of it."
Merry was taken aback by Frodo's response. He could not let this insolence stand, not when he needed to bring Frodo under his will. Merry leaned up very close to Frodo's ear so that Sam would not hear.
"Frodo," he whispered, "If you refuse the gift of slumber, I shall prod the ponies on so fast that Sam will have to run to catch up. And I shall not slow, even when he collapses in exhaustion. I shall drag him, literally drag him all the way back the Shire until he is broken and battered and barely alive. If that is your desire, then by all means, refuse the tea. Or you can be reasonable."
"I'll drink it, damn you," replied Frodo with thinly concealed rage. "I'll drink it."
"Good lad," answered Merry as he brought the skin over and tipped it into Frodo's opening mouth. Frodo coughed and sputtered as the drink poured down over the side of his face and chin as he drank from this wretched angle. But he drank. By the last swallow, his head swam, the forest around him spun, and finally the last traces of light in the Old Forest faded to black, and Frodo saw no more.
TBC
Alisaundre - I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations!! In the next two chapters, mery will be very cagey about getting Frodo and Sam to do eXACTLY the opposite of what they want to do!!
Aratlithiel Tinuviel; --My beta-yeah-you know what is coming-tee hee hee!!!
endymion;- LOL about merry getting mad at Frodo stealing his line! Well, as you see, Sam is not yet out of the way-for he is far too valuable a tool in manipulating Frodo! Next chapter gets very intense!
Tesekian-Now you know about the willow-the how but not the why. Keep reading! The next chappie is really something!
Sue - Yes- more trouble for Pip-but not for a chapter or two-but-oh-it is coming!
Sven the Bounder-You might send a reminder to your readers, as they may not even know you updated!! I will give out the places to find all 3 chapters when it is time!
Iorhael- I will say that Nasty Hobbitsess is getting SO exciting!!!! You write so fast I can hardly beta up to your speed! But, guess what-I just caught up!! I'm glad you like this story so far. Boy-will Merry be nasty next chapter!
Krista- I will be happy to give you the link to the hardest version! I will say, beforehand that it will be on the Merry-Pip lovers site and well worth the trek over there.
MBradford- Thank you for the preview comments! I hope you still drop by and tell me how this looks! ;)
Natta-You'll REALLY feel sorry for Pippin pretty soon!
Pointyearedarcher - another Tom Bomadil hater! Horay!
; QTPie- I do not think that chapter 25 will be any worse than, let's say 5, but it will be more violent and painful. If you start to read it and dislike it, then you can go to the rape-free version! But, as I said, the R-rated 25 will be MUCH more powerful.
Camilla Gamgee-Took - see-I've updated-but here we are-another cliffhanger!
Chloe Amethyst -Welcome! Well-if you want to know, I am planning on Merry breaking Frodo-beginning in earnest with chapter 23. It will be much harder for Merry to break Frodo than Pippin, and he will definitely use Sam. Sam will not be broken, nor do I think Merry could. Keep reading-my beta and I have done some evil research, so Evil!Merry is well endowed with "tool" to bring down Frodo.
Story Recs-
Here are some good fics that I would like to suggest!
As you know, for dark fic, you could not go wrong with Iorhael's Nasty Hobbitsess
MBradford is a new writer and I would suggest any of her tales-both lighthearted and dark.
My beta has some wonderful poetic Frodo angst-Aratlithiel will not disappoint!
Sven the Bounder has an original story called fighting for love. She had a busy few months, but now is updating again! Do go check it out and leave a nice review!
End of his rope by Lindelia is just charming!
Baylor writes some very high quality hobbit stuff! I just read Barrels Out of Bond Revisited and suggest it highly for those who want to see what the second generation of hobbit children get into! If you read it, tell her I sent you!
Calefaction by Camilla Gamgee-Took -another good read!!
Finally, "The importance of Kittens" by roz Morgan is perfect Merry and Pip fluff that will leave you grinning! BTW-Roz helped with chapter 5 ;)
For a really unusual ride, read "Pippin and the Beast"-a great alteration of Beauty and the Beast. It is by Anemone frost-who is the guest co-author for the harder versions of chapter 25 (coming up)
That is all for now! Do review and tell me what you think! And I hope you like my uber-angsty chapter 23 NEXT TIME!!!