Abigail Edis6
Chapter 1: No EscapeFrodo opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the bright sun setting, only then he realised that he was moving and opened his eyes more. He was surrounded by Uruk-hai. The monstrous creatures where running at a frightening pace and Frodo realised he was being carried by one. His face squashed up next to its filthy black neck and hands and legs tied. He craned his neck around and frowned, the Uruk-hai beside him was carrying non other than his cousin Merry. His face was pale. Frodo grieved to see the large gash above his eyebrow, he wasn't conscious. The Uruk-hai behind Merry was carrying Sam, though his face was still paled like Merry's he was awake. He noticed Frodo and smiled grimly and Frodo smiled back. He looked on behind Sam and although he couldn't see very well he could make out another pare of hands tied infront of an Uruk-hai's neck and the sight of brown curls over it's shoulder. So, thought Frodo, seems like we've all come on this little excursion then, he turned back around. The danger hadn't really hit him until the Ring flashed across his mind. He struggled a little in his bounds and felt best he could for the trinket, he sighed as he felt it around his neck.
"Ah, we've woken up have we!" the Uruk-hai carrying Frodo slowed to a stop and the others also did. "Ugluk, the little runts woken!" A taller and much larger built Orc came striding from the front; he looked at Frodo and then Sam.
" I'll give the two awake some liquor!" he growled at another who produced a small flask.
"Can't have you lot dieing on us can we now!" Ugluk snatched the flask and opened it and poured the drink down Frodo's throat, it was boiling hot to the young one's throat and seemed to burn, but Frodo let Ugluk pour it down with no complaints. He turned to Sam who turned his head as the Orc was about to pour the liquid down. Ugluk growled and grabbed his head roughly and forced the flask in Sam's mouth, pouring the liquor.
"I haven't got time for you runts!" bellowed Ugluk, "master wants you alive and unspoiled, what else does he want?" The Uruk-hai mumbled under his breath. "I can't be bothered to wait for the other two to wake, give them some too!" he handed the flask into the hand of a nearby Orc who turned to Merry and lifting his head up. He poured the burning liquid into his mouth. Merry choked and gained almost full consciousness, the Uruk-hai removed the flask and Merry coughed violently, the thick drink now soiling his cloak. The Uruk-hai went down the line to the final hobbit and did the same. Seconds later Pippin's smaller cough joined in with Merry's though Frodo could not see him he could tell he was probably in the same kind of state to him.
"Frodo?" Merry managed to splutter out after a long coughing fit, "what the?"
"Well!" Frodo whispered discreetly as the Uruk-hai began to move off again, "seems like all four of use have come on this little trip out!" Frodo tried to joke but knew for well the great danger they where in, especially he, being the Ring bearer.
"Where exactly are they taking us?" Sam joined the conversation as all three of their Uriki came into line with each other. "We have to get you out of here Mr Frodo!"
Frodo shook his head as much as it let him, "No," he cried, "we are in this together, what difference should it make that I'm carrying something!"
"I would put my life on the line for you Mr Frodo, and no matter what. Wherever these Orc's are taking us we can't let them take you!"
"Where's Pippin!" Merry suddenly butted in.
"I'm fine Merry!" a weak voice came from behind, "there's no need to worry about me!" Merry craned his head around to glance at his cousin. Pippin smiled, Merry was used to this, he would always do it to cover his true feelings.
"I'm sorry Pip!" Cried Merry a little two loud.
"NO talking you imps!" an Uruk-hai heard Merry's voice loud and clear, "split them up!" he shouted. Almost immediately all four of the hobbits where completely split away from each other. None of the hobbits got to speak after that.
Night came but still the Uruk-hai showed no signs of tiring until Ugluk called for a stop. It was now by Sam's study of the stars at least three hours passed midnight. The group veered off the road and down a small dip into a hidden dale, they slowed to a stop and one by one the hobbits where dumped on the damp grass next to each other.
"Well that's a well earned rest and no mistake!" Sam moved closer to Frodo, Frodo himself was trying to wake Pippin who was either unconscious or asleep.
"What!" Pippin jumped after a large nudge from Frodo, "huh?" He rolled onto his side to face the other two, feeling quite sick. Frodo smiled gently.
"Merry?" Pippin questioned and then turned over to the other side to find Merry's unconscious form lying next to him. "Merry!" he pushed him gently and then more frantically, "Merry wake up please!"
"Shut up you rat!" a large Uruk-hai bent over the small hobbit and put his claw like hand over his mouth and lifted his head a little off the ground. "Feel lucky your alive imp, if I had my way you'd be dead by now." He squeezed his hand tighter and drew one claw across Pippin's cheek drawing blood. Pippin stared into the Orc's face and shivered. "Now are you going to stay silent?" he breathed in his face. Pippin didn't answer. "Well!" bellowed the Uruk-hai digging his claw in further, the hobbit shook his head and was finally dropped roughly. The Uruk-hai stormed off and anger. Pippin lay still on the floor until someone nudged him. It was Merry.
"If I could get my hands on that Orc I!
"Shhh Sam!" Frodo silenced his friend, "There's no need for being like that. We're all stuck in the same position as each other."
"Yer but that gives no right!" Merry cried leaning on his cousin for comfort. Frodo sighed; he could see that no matter what he said either Sam or Merry would answer back.
"What we should be doing is planning an escape out of here for Mr Frodo!" whispered Sam "you out of all of us shouldn't be in this position."
"Yes!" Pippin; trying to hide the tears and streak of blood on his cheek. "Frodo of all is the most important of us because he's carrying the Ring!"
"Not so loud Pippin, you don't know who's listening!" Frodo cried as loud as he could without the Uriki hearing, "will you stop trying to help me, none of you are in the greatest of conditions at the moment!"
"Why do you think we joined the fellowship Frodo?" Merry cut in.
"To help you Mr Frodo!" Sam answered the question as Pippin added more. "We told you back at Crickhollow, we would do whatever it takes you to aid you on this quest!"
"So whats the plan?" Frodo eventually gave in.
"Get these bonds off!" cried Sam struggling quite helplessly against them; the Uruk-Hai nearby laughed wildly.
"What are you laughing at?" Sam shouted in anger.
"At your weakness!" shouted one, "soon you will be at the hands of Saruman, and then you'll be fighting to get free!" Sam stopped wriggling.
"Saruman?" Merry questioned.
"Gandalf's superior!" Frodo choked on the name of his fallen friend, "he obversely knows a hobbit carries the Ring and ordered the Orc's to capture all hobbits for questioning!"
All four hobbits fell silent and the prospect of making a plan went out of their heads.
"It's my fault!" Pippin broke the silence after a long while.
"Why is it?"
"Well if I hadn't touched that skeleton the Balrog wouldn't have been woken and Gandalf would still be here and Frodo wouldn't have been capture and!"
"Stop it!" cried Merry, he felt angered by his cousin's idea that it was his fault, "don't be a silly Took, nothing could have stopped Gandalf from falling in Moria. I've said that enough times Pip!"
"Well" cried Sam "I don't think Gandalf meant for this to happen anyhow!" No one spoke anymore after that, nor did any of the hobbits manage to sleep. The thought of Gandalf had made their hearts heavy, was there any hope left, it was a long night for all.
Dawn was breaking in the east before there was any movement in the camp, the fires from hours before had burned down and the Uruk-hai put them finally out. All the camp where soon on their feet, their huge iron studs stomping into the cold damp grass. Four measly pieces of bread where thrown at the hobbit's. Pippin began to eat his but almost gagged as he started chewing on it.
"What the hell is it!" he choked "That's disgusting" he left the rest.
"I don't think any of us want to know what it is!" declared Sam discarding his ration as best he could with his bound hands. Ugluk then came back to them and produced a familiar looking flask.
"I'm not taking your poison!" Sam shouted seeing the bottle.
"So we want to be first do we!" the Uruk-hai grabbed Sam by his hair and lifted him onto his feet, he then brought out a small knife. Sam froze at the sight of it. Ugluk sliced through the bonds on the hobbits legs and then holding Sam's head back with his hair forced the drink into his mouth. Sam didn't struggle, he felt quite helpless bound infront of an Uruk-hai that was at least twice if not more times his height. On top of that he had a knife.
Ugluk finished with Sam and then turned to the others who had huddled together on the grass. One by one he sliced through their bonds on their legs and picked them up by the hair and each where given a long draught of liquor.
"My lads are tired of hauling you about!" he growled "you must use your own legs now and run!" he growled at each in their faces. "I trust I will not need this?" he produced a large thong, "Now leg it!"
All four hobbits ran, finding it hard to keep up with the Uruk-hai ahead, a reminder from the whip came every now and then but for a while the hobbit's managed to keep up. Then they began to tire, Sam and Merry where first, Sam had never been a fit hobbit. Merry was absolutely shattered; the gash on his head was throbbing and making him feel sick and dizzy. He could feel the liquid in his stomach sloshing about making him feel nauseous he couldn't go on mush longer like this. Minuets later he fell; gasping for breath he lost consciousness.
"Merry!" Pippin ran back in the line towards his cousin but was grabbed by clawed hands and tossed to the ground, he stared at Merry too exhausted himself to move again.
"Carry him!" Ugluk shouted above the babble of Orc voices, "carry him and make the others run you fools!" Merry's limp form was picked up and slung onto a nearby Uruk's back and they began to run again. Pippin ran along side Frodo tears trickling down his cheeks, how could they treat Merry like that? He noticed Sam a few feet behind him; he was struggling loosing his breath and his tiered legs where stumbling every other stride. He couldn't go on any longer, Pippin slowed to run beside him, at that moment Sam nearly fell but stopped himself. Pippin had to get the group to slow down, Sam needed a breather. None of them could go on like this much longer. He slowed, even slower than Sam, the Uruk-hai behind him almost tripped over him.
"Move along!" shouted another cracking the whip above his head as a warning, "move or I'll make you move!" At this Pippin stopped and the next Uriki along did hit him and he landed on the mud a few metres ahead. Lots of voices where now shouting, whether by the hobbits actions or the Orc that had sent him flying Pippin couldn't tell but he closed his eyes and curled in a tight ball.
Ugluk pushed his way through the group and kicked the hobbit in the side; he jumped at the touch.
"Get up you runt!" Pippin rolled over and looked up at the large Uruk-hai, he kicked him again this time in the ribs, "get up!" he shouted louder. The hobbit got to his feet and stumbled a few metres ahead to find that Sam had now fallen into and exhausted sleep, Frodo was stood by him. So Sam, like Merry was then carried only leaving Pippin and Frodo running.
None of the hobbits remembered much more of their journey until one by one all four woke up and where being carried. There seemed to be much confusion among the group of Uruk-hai and many where shouting about white skins. Merry noticed first what they where shouting about, away to the south there was a good number of mounted men galloping towards them. As the Uruk-hai sped on the group of riders came level with them, Merry was amazed to see them ride with no hands and draw out bows, they shot into the group, a couple of orc fell but many returned shots, one horse fell and disappeared from view. Suddenly the Uruk-hai put a huge spurt of speed on and the riders slowed but they still shot arrows. Just in front of Frodo, Sam's Uruk-hai fell but he did not get up, Pippin managed to crane his neck far enough around to see the beast struck by two more arrows after he fell.
"NO!" Pippin struggled, he wanted the Uruk-hai's to stop. They had to fetch Sam, they couldn't just leave him there.
"Cut it out!" the large Uruk-hai carrying him swung his arm round and struck him on the side of the face. Pippin fell silent, and watched as the riders dropped behind but didn't retreat, night was drawing in and the setting sun was reflecting off their spears and swords. Pippin had never really studied the maps in Rivendell, he now wish he had. Frodo was much better at distinguishing the different lands. All three hobbits where now silenced by pure shock, what had happened to Sam, was he ok, would the riders find him, was he hurt? The same questions seemed to go over their minds. Night came quickly and the group finally stopped at the edge of a forest and the hobbit's where left together again.
"Gone!" was the only word Pippin managed to splutter out before succumbing to grieve.
"Do you think he's hurt?" Merry moved over to comfort his bewildered cousin, "I didn't see him get shot?" Frodo stared into the black distance, unfallen tears gathering in his eyes. He then noticed the riders where close, he could here the sound of hooves close by.
"Merry!" he whispered urgently, "I riders are close!" he paused and looked around "if we're going to make any attempt at escaping I say soon is our best chance!"
The two looked up, Frodo was right and the bunch of Uruk-hai seemed very on edge, their jagged edged swords drawn, but funnily enough none where close by.
"Well how are we going to get free?" Merry shrugged, but Pippin had already worked it out, grabbing with his bound hands he drew Merry's elven knife from his belt.
"The Uruk-hai never took these!" he smiled through his tears, "Frodo, give me your hands!" Frodo obeyed and held his hands out so that Pippin could slice neatly through the cords, he then did handed the knife to Frodo to do the rest, within a few minutes all three hobbit's where free and Frodo gave him back Merry's knife. Just as Merry sheathed it a number of Uruk-hai shouted out, they looked up. The riders had attacked and silhouettes of galloping horses appeared out of the shadows towards them.
"Now!" shouted Frodo "it's now or never!" they all stood up "head for the forest!" shouted Frodo but I was too late.
He was grabbed by rough hands and lifted up, "You thought you where getting away did you!" growled a voice in his ear.
"Run!" shouted Frodo, "Save yourselves!" Both Merry and Pippin hand the same thought at the same time, they grabbed their elven blades and ran to the Uruk-hai both attacking a leg each. The Uruk-hai screamed and threw Frodo at terrible force to the ground, his head slammed onto a nearby rock he fell unconscious. The wounded Uruk-hai grabbed both Merry and Pippin and threw them off, Merry withdrew his knife but Pippin's was still wedged in the creature's leg, just as he was about to grab them again a spear passed through him as a rider galloped by. His heavy corpse fell on top of Frodo's still form.
More Uruk-hai ran towards them Merry ducked down to avoided himself being seen, he pulled Pippin down next to him. One Uruk-hai fell beside them, his head sliced clean off another fell not far away an arrow protruding out of his back. Merry stood up.
"We need to get this filthy Orc off Frodo!" he cried trying to shift the creature, Pippin stood up and helped.
"Escaping are we!" they both stopped as a voice bellowed above the sound of battle, it was Ugluk; he stood over them.
"Run!" Merry broke into a run for the forest pulling Pippin behind him. He had almost reached the forest when Pippin was swept up by the Uruk-hai. He struggled wildly but Ugluk held him tightly under the arm.
"Run Merry!" Pippin shouted, realising he was not going to escape this time, "run while you have the chance!"
"Silence!" Ugluk shouted clouting Pippin on the head with force, the hobbit fell limp under his arms. Merry turned and ran to the Uruk-hai with his knife, Ugluk stabbed out with his own sword and caught Merry in the stomach. He withdrew it with a smug grin showing his yellow rotten teeth. Merry stumbled backward and dropped his knife putting his hand over his wound. He could feel blood trickling through the gaps between his fingers. Ugluk laughed cruelly and lunged again, Merry stepped backward avoiding the sword. He turned his back on the carnage and ran, his vision beginning to blur he didn't know how far he ran into the forest before collapsing to the ground. He lay their half conscious, until finally he fell into dark dreams.