Disclaimer: See chapter one of part one. I am very grateful for all the reviews.
Chapter Four: Gollum
"Gollum " Frodo exclaimed loudly as two guards carried the gray creature through the door. They had bound his wrists and ankles tightly and he was struggling with all his might to get out of their grasps. When he saw Frodo, his eyes widened with fear, before they narrowed in hatred and he glared, but calmed down. He had a half eaten fish in his mouth, and in one of his hands, he was clutching the rest of it.
"Gollum?" Faramir asked puzzled.
"This…this is our guide" Sam said slowly, taking in a deep breaths.
"This is your guide, this becomes truly stranger" said Faramir and walked towards Gollum. Gollums`s eyes narrowed as Faramir walked up to him, and they stared at each other for a long time in silence. Suddenly Gollum spat the fish in Faramir`s face, hissed loudly and started to struggle again.
Faramir wiped the remains of fish guts off his face and reached for his sword, but Frodo stopped him.
"No, you can't harm him" he said desperately "Gandalf forbid it…though I can't say I know why" he added thoughtfully. Faramir looked at Frodo skeptical, but lowered his sword. Gollum went limp and then started to whine and weep.
"Poor Sméagol, master goes with new friends and leaves poor Sméagol alone"
The guards looked at each other uncertain before they turned to Faramir who hesitated before he nodded. They dumped Gollum on the floor and then looked once again at Faramir, just to make sure, and he nodded again. They saluted and then walked away.
Feavair crept out of the bed and wiped a hand across her face as if she could rub the nightmares away. She stared at Gollum, who continued to weep and mutter nonsense to him self and walked slowly over to the others.
"Do you have to tie him up like that?" she asked concerned when she saw the bruises he had gotten from the ropes.
"Loose us! Loose us!" Gollum cried, "the cord hurts us, yes it does so bad, it hurts and we have done nothing"
"Nothing?" said Faramir looking at the creature wondering if he should be angry. "Have you never done anything that is worthy of punishment? Well that is not for me to decide. But tonight you have come where it is death to come, the fish in the pool are dearly bought"
Gollum dropped the fish from his hand "don't want fish" he said quickly hoping that he would be released.
"The price is not set on fish" Faramir started, but Feavair said sharply.
"Enough, the ropes are hurting him set him free. He can't hurt you,"
Sam took a step back and stared at Feavair in wonder. He had never heard her speak so harshly to anybody before, and was surprised with the amount of anger her voice held.
Faramir was about to protest when he caught the glee in the green elf eyes, he tightened his fists and was about to reply, when Frodo said.
"She is right, let me unloose him"
Faramir sighed deeply, but then handed Frodo a small nail knife, never removing his eyes from Feavair. Her eyes were narrowed, and they seemed to grow darker as an unfamiliar voice started to whisper in his head. He shook it quickly away and noticed that her body tensed.
"Now" said Faramir tearing his eyes away from the elf and looked at Gollum who was rubbing his wrists and ankles. "Come here, do you know the name of this place, have you been here before?" For a long time, there was only silence before Gollum whimpered.
"We doesn't know and we doesn't want to know. Never came here, will never come again!"
"I judge that you speak the truth, what oath will you swear never to return and never to lead any living creature here hither by word or sign?" Faramir asked.
Gollum looked around in the room and then he pointed a long and thin finger at Frodo and hissed.
"Hobbits know, we will promise master" then suddenly he took a sidelong glance at Feavair. "We will even promise not so nasty elf," he muttered. "What oath?" said Faramir sternly and Gollum shivered visibly and crawled over to Frodo`s feet.
"Save us, nice master. Sméagol promise to Precious, promise faithfully. Never come never speak, never!" he whined and held on to Frodo`s feet while he stared at Faramir like a dog that had been kicked.
"Are you satisfied?" Faramir asked and Frodo nodded slowly while he unclasped the grip around his ankles.
"Then I surrender you to your master Frodo son of Drogo" said Faramir. Gollum hesitated and stared once again around in the room with a wild look in his eyes, before they rested at the elf. Then he turned to Faramir and nodded his head eagerly.
"Now then" sighed Faramir and stretched his arms "We have much more to talk about" he said and motioned to them to sit down around the table again. Gollum stared at them for a long time; before he crawled over to his fish and hungrily eat the rest of it.
Feavair hesitated before she slowly walked over to where Gollum was sitting, in a corner, liking his fingers. When he noticed that she approached, his whole body tensed and he quickly turned his head and looked at her. She stopped walking and crouched down.
"Not so very nasty elf" he muttered " help us did it…. take us from the ropes" he said and then crawled up to her face, their nooses almost rubbing, and sniffed at her.
His pale and drunken eyes stared at her green ones as a small fire started to flicker in them.
"Are you hurt?" she asked and stared at his wrists. Gollum looked at his own writs in wonder, as if he had never seen them before. They were, slightly swollen and small drops of blood were running down to his palm. Without even thinking, he stretched out his hands to her.
Feavair paused and looked towards the others who were still talking. She slowly placed her hands on his wrists. Gollum tensed as he felt her cold fingers wrap around his gray skin before unfamiliar warmth spread through his arms.
Suddenly both his hands grabbed her wrists and he forced her eyes to stare at him. She tried to pull her arms free, but Gollum had the strength of ten men.
Feavair struggled to keep her eyes open, knowing what was coming, but it was as if they were heavy with sleep and slowly they closed. When she opened them again, there was nothing but whiteness around her and her body felt cold and empty.
She looked around, waiting to see the blue spirit, but saw nothing, there was nothing here not even a fracture or a remains of what had once had been a soul. A cold wind washed over her and mutters without words where whispered everywhere.
A foggy black mist started to twirl around her feet, she felt pressure build in her chest, and she struggled to breath. The shadow twirled around her feet before they started to take shape, brining back the vision from her dream.
She prepared her self for the pain to start, when she was, suddenly, brought back to the present. A sharp jolt of ache throbbed through her body and her eyes flew open as she stared into the lifeless eyes of Gollum.
"Death follows me, and death will follow you"
His voice was solemn and calm and his eyes clear and his body rigid. She blinked her eyes several times and pulled her arms out of his grasp. He continued to stare at her and slowly blinked his eyes that were starting to fill with water. Suddenly he seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, and he shook his head.
"Not so nasty elf want any fish?" he asked and handed her the bones from his dinner.
She rose, slowly, feeling the bones in her body shake and her heart thundering in her chest. There was also a strange sense of calmness she had not felt in a long time.
"So where was this guide leading you?" Faramir asked.
"To the Black Gate, but it was impassible" said Frodo and Faramir nodded.
"There is no open Gates to the Nameless land"
"That was why we ventured southward," Sam said, feeling a need to take part of the conversation. "Gollum said there is, or was a path near Minas Ithil" "Minas Morgul" Faramir corrected.
"Where was this pass?" Faramir asked and Frodo was silent for a couple of minutes, thinking.
"I am not sure, but the path climbs up into the mountains on the northern side of that vale where the old city stands. It goes up to a high cleft and so down to- that which is beyond"
"Do you know the name of the high pass?" asked Faramir and both the hobbit shook their head.
"Cirith Ungol" said Feavair coming towards them, without a word she sat down.
"You know much" said Faramir darkly "for one who has never been to the Dark Lands"
Feavair tilted her head and wiped some hair away from her face.
"Both the hobbits look at each other shocked and turned towards Feavair with disbelief written all over their faces.
"So you have been here before." Faramir asked and she shook her head.
"No I have not, but my guardian has, he spoke often of this place and I have had my time to learn a little about the world I walk on" she answered calmly.
Frodo, who was sensing another fall out between the man and elf, said quickly"We must try to get inn"
Sam nodded " Or we could walk up and knock on the Black Gates" he said "maybe they will greet us with milk and cookies"
"More like death and torture" Faramir answered, not appreciating Sam`s attempted joke.
"So you will let this creature lead your way?" he asked, Frodo, and the hobbit nodded, feeling the ring burn around his neck.
" I am destined to take the path to the mountain and I have little choice"
"Well I will not be the one that stands in the way of your destiny when it surly weighs heavily on all the shoulders" said Faramir and sighed deeply, and then he turned to Feavair.
"But the maiden elf then, will she embark on such a dangerous task, or will she stay and seek refuge here?" Feavair turned to Frodo and could clearly see what he was thinking. He would not blame her for staying; in fact, he wanted her to stay.
"No" she said shortly. " I will not, the hands of kismet pulls more then one string".
"Then may it be" said Faramir slowly and rubbed his temples. " I will give you what food and supplies you can carry and show you back to your path." He smiled sadly.
"But let the sun set for it is low already. Rest now in peace for I do not know if you will get the chance to do so again among these dark rocks"
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