Ack. this chapter was disgustingly hard to write. I'm not going to give
anything away, but once you're done reading I think you'll have figured out
why. *prays that she didn't butcher Tolkien's work entirely* I don't want
to be like a certain PJ who's name shan't be mentioned here... As always,
review or die!
Chapter 2: Giving In
Sam was on his knees, fighting the swoon which was about to overcome him. He tried to focus and make sense of the world around him, but it was swimming before his eyes. Poor Sam was dazed and confused. Why? Why? Why had his Mr. Frodo, his sweet master, do such a thing? Had Sam done something wrong? Didn't master care for him any more? The simple gardener, in his state of shock, could not see the simple answer: after all their struggles Frodo had succumbed to the will of the ring at the bitter end.
Sam moaned miserably. There was nothing he could do. Nothing! He ordered his limbs to move, but they would not obey. "Mr. Frodo, come back! Come back to your Sam!" he cried out, but had he spoken aloud? Or were those words just an echo is his fading mind?
The last thing Sam saw was a dark shape rush past him, and then the world about him went dark.
***
Sam painfully roused himself. He did not have the strength to pull himself onto his feet, but he did manage to drag himself into a sitting position. After blinking a couple of times, the world came into focus, and to his surprise he saw his master standing before him, looking faintly concerned. Sam uttered a small cry and shuddered visibly. He was shocked.
"Do I repel you Samwise?" asked Frodo with a hurt expression.
Sam shook his head wearily and managed a weak smile. "No, no, of course not, master, dear. Don't you even think such a thing! You startled me, was all. The last I saw, you- well, you had..." The stout hobbit shuddered again. He did not want to think of it. The moment was past, and the world was back to the way it should be. Even in his pitiable state, Samwise had managed to notice that his master no longer wore the ring about his neck. The quest was over. Frodo had come through.
"See, you ninnyhammer?" he admonished himself, "There was naught to fear. How could you have doubted your master?"
Frodo managed to return the smile, and extended his hand, as to help his weak and shaking servant to his feet.
Sam took it gladly, but as he did, the young hobbit realized something was amiss. Where was Gollum? For he was sure that he was the dark figure whom he had seen running towards his master before he lost consciousness. And if his master had indeed destroyed the ring, why had the dark tower not fallen? Why weren't the fires issuing forth from the mountain? By all rights, they should have been dead.
"Master, why-" Sam began, but he stopped as he looked down at Mr. Frodo's hand. And there, upon his finger was the ring!
Sam cried out in fear as he pushed the hand away from him. How? HOW?! This was the only thing that echoed dimly through Sam's head. Why wasn't his master invisible? What was going on? How could he do this to him? The young hobbit once again backed up against the rock face, numb, and stared at his master with wide, fearful eyes.
Frodo attempted again to calm Samwise, resting his hand upon his servant's shoulder. "Sam..." he said, tears starting in his eyes, "please-"
But Sam cut him short. "D-don't touch m-me with that- that thing on your hand. It's prettier without it." Sam remember dimly that old Tom Bombadil had said that once. Back when... back when his master had cared for him. But that was long ago, an Age, it seemed. The fires and ash of Mordor contrasted sharply with the lush green of Tom's homely forest. No, Sam told himself, that was far away. Old Tom could not help him now.
Sam was snapped back to reality as Frodo shoved him roughly into the jagged stones. The poor hobbit smothered a cry as some sharp rocks tore through his skin. He could feel the warm blood trickling down his back... But that didn't matter. Physical pain was never something that would daunt Samwise Gamgee, but he was very vulnerable emotionally. No, no rocks could compare with the cold blade which was twisting, tearing through his heart... His master had never struck him before, not even in those brief moments when the Ring had taken him over. Sam gasped, trying frantically to master himself. But before he could control his trembling body and the frantic beating of his heart, Frodo grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him across the ground, and finally shoving him towards the edge of the cliff. Sam felt the heat on his face, so he rolled over and looked down, seeing the fires from what seemed like miles away. Crying out loudly, the young hobbit crawled away from the edge with all the strength he could muster. He only managed to go a couple of feet before he collapsed on the rock and lay there like a dead thing.
He stayed there, sprawled out on the rock, for some minutes, just gasping and gasping, his eyes closed tightly. Sam's master just stood over him silently, gazing at the pathetic creature at his feet. Finally, Sam summoned the strength to roll over and he looked up at his master with frightened brown eyes. "Frodo," he said, forgetting his master's proper title, "why... why don't you like me no more? Just tell me, sir, whatever I did wrong, and I'll make it up to you. Please..." Then he suddenly changed direction. Sitting up, the young hobbit pleaded, "O, Mr. Frodo... just throw the accursed thing away! It's hurt you so, so much. Why do you want to keep it, sir? Just throw it out and we can be done with it! Then we could just be ourselves and we won't have to get hurt no more. O, Frodo. I just want to go home!" With this, Sam burst into wild sobs again.
Frodo knelt down beside him and said, "Sam-lad, you must allow me to explain."
Sam just looked at his master with hurt eyes.
Looking away, Frodo continued, "Well, I..." But all his explanations seemed foolish when they had to be spoken to his sensible friend. Sam would never understand the way the Ring had shown him the truth; the true way to defeat the Dark Lord. The way the Ring's sweet voice had called to him, "Come now, Frodo... nothing to fear. I like you Frodo, you know... much more than any of the others. Don't you like me? Don't you trust me? I've trusted you, so why do you not return the favor? I want to help you, Frodo. Put me on... trust me... trust me..."
How could he have resisted that sweet voice?
Then Gollum had come. He must have heard the Ring's call as well. But Frodo was not going to allow this weak creature to take his prize. The struggle had only been brief. Now Gollum was dead; cast into the fire. Frodo shuddered, remembering Smeagol's last shrill cry. For a moment, the hobbit's stomach had lurched, and he had felt sadness well up in his heart. But the moment then passed, for he was faced with a new obstacle, this one far greater than the last. Sauron.
Frodo shook his head. He did not want to think about that. The way the Eye had stared down at him, seeming to read his mind, see in him and through him, making him feel so pathetic and utterly weak... Frodo could still hear His taunts echoing in his mind... His horrible laughter... the way his whole body seemed to have fiery blades piercing it and he was lost in an agony that would never end...
Once again, Frodo shook his curly head. He DIDN'T have to think about it. It was over. Sauron was gone, gone. Thanks to the help of the ring. The hobbit looked down at his precious treasure, smiling gently. Somehow, he had always known they were wrong. Gandalf, Elrond, Sam... what did they know about it, anyway? The Ring was precious, yes, precious. Why had he ever believed their foolish lies?
"Mr. Frodo..." said Sam, his voice urgent and full of grief.
Frodo turned swiftly and glared at his servant with violent hatred. "You little fool!" he yelled loudly, "Why do you not shut your mouth, and remember your place? Don't forget, servant, I am your master and you do not have the right to question me about my decisions. And you certainly cannot try to tell me that I am the fool! You haven't brains enough to fill a pea, and yet you expect me to listen to YOU! Samwise, you don't know anything about the ring at all, but I know plenty. Would you like me to share some of my wisdom with you, servant?"
Sam looked at the ground with teary eyes and said nothing.
"With the help of this object which you, in all your wisdom, have deemed to be evil beyond all comprehension, I have defeated Lord Sauron and rid the world of his menace. And I am now the Lord of the Rings!"
Sam stood up furiously and shouted, "But Mr. Frodo, that can't be right! Don't you see-"
But Frodo, slapping him hard across the face and forcing him to his knees, cut him off, saying, "On your knees, you dog! You should at least pretend to have some respect for your master."
Sam looked up again at his master, now sobbing hysterically. He could not understand why Mr. Frodo was torturing him so. Every one of his words was like a blade through Sam's heart. They pierced him deeply and left him helpless, helpless... "Master, master, please! I wasn't meanin' no harm, sir, and I certainly wasn't meanin' to disrespect you. I've always thought you were the wisest person alive, Mr. Frodo. But I'm only tryin' to make sure you don't get hurt, sir... 'Cause if you did... well it would just kill me sir!"
If Sam thought that his master was going to relent, he had made the most painful mistake of his short life. Frodo did the last thing that Sam had expected: he laughed; long and cruelly. With a smile still on his face, the older hobbit picked up Sting from the ground, wiping the dust and grime from its silver blade slowly and deliberately, watching the horrified look on his servant's face with amusement and relish.
"Please, please! Frodo, me dear, no! Don't you care for me no more? Don't you know me?!"
Frodo turned towards Sam and laughed again. "Fight me, Sam," he taunted.
Sam looked at his master, dumbfounded. "Fight you, sir? I couldn't! I wouldn't! Not even if I had a blade... I'd never want to hurt you, Mr. Frodo."
Frodo just continued smiling the same hollow smile. "Sam, you can fight well enough with your fists. You fought Ted back at home plenty of times. In my defense, if I remember correctly." He laughed. "But now you are going to fight me."
"I won't!" cried Sam, in a flurry of tears. "You can kill me, and I shan't care. But I'll never hurt you, Frodo!"
"Have it your way then, fool," said Frodo calmly. Then he attacked. He sprang at Sam, violently knocking him to the ground and slicing deeply in his left arm. Sam was in shock. He had never, never believed that his master would actually do this... actually kill him. The idea made him feel numb all over. But the poor hobbit was true to his word. He did not fight back against his dear friend. Instead, Sam curled up on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest and weeping feverishly.
The last thing he saw was Sting coming down towards his neck in a rush of silver.
***************
Hehe. That's all for now, folks! I know that the explanation for how Frodo defeated Sauron is sparse, at best, but I assure you that it is meant to be that way. Further details will come to light as the story progresses. Thanks for the reviews so far! But I'm greedy... I want more! Please, please, pleasepleaseplease give me your honest evaluation. I'll love you forever! Please and thank you!
~*Nymredil*~
Chapter 2: Giving In
Sam was on his knees, fighting the swoon which was about to overcome him. He tried to focus and make sense of the world around him, but it was swimming before his eyes. Poor Sam was dazed and confused. Why? Why? Why had his Mr. Frodo, his sweet master, do such a thing? Had Sam done something wrong? Didn't master care for him any more? The simple gardener, in his state of shock, could not see the simple answer: after all their struggles Frodo had succumbed to the will of the ring at the bitter end.
Sam moaned miserably. There was nothing he could do. Nothing! He ordered his limbs to move, but they would not obey. "Mr. Frodo, come back! Come back to your Sam!" he cried out, but had he spoken aloud? Or were those words just an echo is his fading mind?
The last thing Sam saw was a dark shape rush past him, and then the world about him went dark.
***
Sam painfully roused himself. He did not have the strength to pull himself onto his feet, but he did manage to drag himself into a sitting position. After blinking a couple of times, the world came into focus, and to his surprise he saw his master standing before him, looking faintly concerned. Sam uttered a small cry and shuddered visibly. He was shocked.
"Do I repel you Samwise?" asked Frodo with a hurt expression.
Sam shook his head wearily and managed a weak smile. "No, no, of course not, master, dear. Don't you even think such a thing! You startled me, was all. The last I saw, you- well, you had..." The stout hobbit shuddered again. He did not want to think of it. The moment was past, and the world was back to the way it should be. Even in his pitiable state, Samwise had managed to notice that his master no longer wore the ring about his neck. The quest was over. Frodo had come through.
"See, you ninnyhammer?" he admonished himself, "There was naught to fear. How could you have doubted your master?"
Frodo managed to return the smile, and extended his hand, as to help his weak and shaking servant to his feet.
Sam took it gladly, but as he did, the young hobbit realized something was amiss. Where was Gollum? For he was sure that he was the dark figure whom he had seen running towards his master before he lost consciousness. And if his master had indeed destroyed the ring, why had the dark tower not fallen? Why weren't the fires issuing forth from the mountain? By all rights, they should have been dead.
"Master, why-" Sam began, but he stopped as he looked down at Mr. Frodo's hand. And there, upon his finger was the ring!
Sam cried out in fear as he pushed the hand away from him. How? HOW?! This was the only thing that echoed dimly through Sam's head. Why wasn't his master invisible? What was going on? How could he do this to him? The young hobbit once again backed up against the rock face, numb, and stared at his master with wide, fearful eyes.
Frodo attempted again to calm Samwise, resting his hand upon his servant's shoulder. "Sam..." he said, tears starting in his eyes, "please-"
But Sam cut him short. "D-don't touch m-me with that- that thing on your hand. It's prettier without it." Sam remember dimly that old Tom Bombadil had said that once. Back when... back when his master had cared for him. But that was long ago, an Age, it seemed. The fires and ash of Mordor contrasted sharply with the lush green of Tom's homely forest. No, Sam told himself, that was far away. Old Tom could not help him now.
Sam was snapped back to reality as Frodo shoved him roughly into the jagged stones. The poor hobbit smothered a cry as some sharp rocks tore through his skin. He could feel the warm blood trickling down his back... But that didn't matter. Physical pain was never something that would daunt Samwise Gamgee, but he was very vulnerable emotionally. No, no rocks could compare with the cold blade which was twisting, tearing through his heart... His master had never struck him before, not even in those brief moments when the Ring had taken him over. Sam gasped, trying frantically to master himself. But before he could control his trembling body and the frantic beating of his heart, Frodo grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him across the ground, and finally shoving him towards the edge of the cliff. Sam felt the heat on his face, so he rolled over and looked down, seeing the fires from what seemed like miles away. Crying out loudly, the young hobbit crawled away from the edge with all the strength he could muster. He only managed to go a couple of feet before he collapsed on the rock and lay there like a dead thing.
He stayed there, sprawled out on the rock, for some minutes, just gasping and gasping, his eyes closed tightly. Sam's master just stood over him silently, gazing at the pathetic creature at his feet. Finally, Sam summoned the strength to roll over and he looked up at his master with frightened brown eyes. "Frodo," he said, forgetting his master's proper title, "why... why don't you like me no more? Just tell me, sir, whatever I did wrong, and I'll make it up to you. Please..." Then he suddenly changed direction. Sitting up, the young hobbit pleaded, "O, Mr. Frodo... just throw the accursed thing away! It's hurt you so, so much. Why do you want to keep it, sir? Just throw it out and we can be done with it! Then we could just be ourselves and we won't have to get hurt no more. O, Frodo. I just want to go home!" With this, Sam burst into wild sobs again.
Frodo knelt down beside him and said, "Sam-lad, you must allow me to explain."
Sam just looked at his master with hurt eyes.
Looking away, Frodo continued, "Well, I..." But all his explanations seemed foolish when they had to be spoken to his sensible friend. Sam would never understand the way the Ring had shown him the truth; the true way to defeat the Dark Lord. The way the Ring's sweet voice had called to him, "Come now, Frodo... nothing to fear. I like you Frodo, you know... much more than any of the others. Don't you like me? Don't you trust me? I've trusted you, so why do you not return the favor? I want to help you, Frodo. Put me on... trust me... trust me..."
How could he have resisted that sweet voice?
Then Gollum had come. He must have heard the Ring's call as well. But Frodo was not going to allow this weak creature to take his prize. The struggle had only been brief. Now Gollum was dead; cast into the fire. Frodo shuddered, remembering Smeagol's last shrill cry. For a moment, the hobbit's stomach had lurched, and he had felt sadness well up in his heart. But the moment then passed, for he was faced with a new obstacle, this one far greater than the last. Sauron.
Frodo shook his head. He did not want to think about that. The way the Eye had stared down at him, seeming to read his mind, see in him and through him, making him feel so pathetic and utterly weak... Frodo could still hear His taunts echoing in his mind... His horrible laughter... the way his whole body seemed to have fiery blades piercing it and he was lost in an agony that would never end...
Once again, Frodo shook his curly head. He DIDN'T have to think about it. It was over. Sauron was gone, gone. Thanks to the help of the ring. The hobbit looked down at his precious treasure, smiling gently. Somehow, he had always known they were wrong. Gandalf, Elrond, Sam... what did they know about it, anyway? The Ring was precious, yes, precious. Why had he ever believed their foolish lies?
"Mr. Frodo..." said Sam, his voice urgent and full of grief.
Frodo turned swiftly and glared at his servant with violent hatred. "You little fool!" he yelled loudly, "Why do you not shut your mouth, and remember your place? Don't forget, servant, I am your master and you do not have the right to question me about my decisions. And you certainly cannot try to tell me that I am the fool! You haven't brains enough to fill a pea, and yet you expect me to listen to YOU! Samwise, you don't know anything about the ring at all, but I know plenty. Would you like me to share some of my wisdom with you, servant?"
Sam looked at the ground with teary eyes and said nothing.
"With the help of this object which you, in all your wisdom, have deemed to be evil beyond all comprehension, I have defeated Lord Sauron and rid the world of his menace. And I am now the Lord of the Rings!"
Sam stood up furiously and shouted, "But Mr. Frodo, that can't be right! Don't you see-"
But Frodo, slapping him hard across the face and forcing him to his knees, cut him off, saying, "On your knees, you dog! You should at least pretend to have some respect for your master."
Sam looked up again at his master, now sobbing hysterically. He could not understand why Mr. Frodo was torturing him so. Every one of his words was like a blade through Sam's heart. They pierced him deeply and left him helpless, helpless... "Master, master, please! I wasn't meanin' no harm, sir, and I certainly wasn't meanin' to disrespect you. I've always thought you were the wisest person alive, Mr. Frodo. But I'm only tryin' to make sure you don't get hurt, sir... 'Cause if you did... well it would just kill me sir!"
If Sam thought that his master was going to relent, he had made the most painful mistake of his short life. Frodo did the last thing that Sam had expected: he laughed; long and cruelly. With a smile still on his face, the older hobbit picked up Sting from the ground, wiping the dust and grime from its silver blade slowly and deliberately, watching the horrified look on his servant's face with amusement and relish.
"Please, please! Frodo, me dear, no! Don't you care for me no more? Don't you know me?!"
Frodo turned towards Sam and laughed again. "Fight me, Sam," he taunted.
Sam looked at his master, dumbfounded. "Fight you, sir? I couldn't! I wouldn't! Not even if I had a blade... I'd never want to hurt you, Mr. Frodo."
Frodo just continued smiling the same hollow smile. "Sam, you can fight well enough with your fists. You fought Ted back at home plenty of times. In my defense, if I remember correctly." He laughed. "But now you are going to fight me."
"I won't!" cried Sam, in a flurry of tears. "You can kill me, and I shan't care. But I'll never hurt you, Frodo!"
"Have it your way then, fool," said Frodo calmly. Then he attacked. He sprang at Sam, violently knocking him to the ground and slicing deeply in his left arm. Sam was in shock. He had never, never believed that his master would actually do this... actually kill him. The idea made him feel numb all over. But the poor hobbit was true to his word. He did not fight back against his dear friend. Instead, Sam curled up on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest and weeping feverishly.
The last thing he saw was Sting coming down towards his neck in a rush of silver.
***************
Hehe. That's all for now, folks! I know that the explanation for how Frodo defeated Sauron is sparse, at best, but I assure you that it is meant to be that way. Further details will come to light as the story progresses. Thanks for the reviews so far! But I'm greedy... I want more! Please, please, pleasepleaseplease give me your honest evaluation. I'll love you forever! Please and thank you!
~*Nymredil*~
