I'm sorry this chapter really keep switching around but none of the bits are really long enough to be full chapters I don't think. It will all fit into place as the story progresses and it will all fit into place. I don't like the chapter really. It seems a bit rushed. It's half term now so I can write some chapters. So on with the story…
Chapter 3: Meetings and plans.
"Merry lad!" the hobbit groaned and his eyelids twitched.
"Meriadoc, wake up?" The voice was somewhat calming though Merry could not put his finger on who it exactly was. He opened his eyes slowly, the sunlight above him was blinding, a figure bent over him. The hobbit's eyes where so blurred he could hardly make out shapes.
"How are you feeling?" the voice said again.
"Huh?" Merry gave a small spasm. "Gandalf?
"Yes, it is Gandalf!" A faint smile came to the hobbits lips. His eyes came into focus suddenly. The wizard smiled back.
"Pippin?" Merry's smiled faded and worry edged across his face. Gandalf mirrored the hobbits look. Merry struggled to sit up but collapsed back down as agonising pain overtook him. "Where is Pippin, and Frodo?" he cried, his voice was stammering now. Gandalf shook his head and Merry's eyes blurred with tears. He closed his eyes and fell back into darkness.
At Edoras:"My Lord" Eomer bowed infront of the King, "I have found a stranger in captured by Uruk-Hai, I have brought him to be questioned" A rider set Frodo infront of Eomer.
"He is exhausted my Lord, I beg you let him rest till he is fit to talk properly for he is malnourished. He says his name is Frodo Baggins from the Shire." The King suddenly looked up with interest, his old haggard look uneased Frodo.
"Frodo Baggins of the Shire?" Frodo nodded a little still very uneasy about the way the King was eyeing him up. "Leave me!" the King looked at Eomer "thank you, you shall be rewarded greatly for your deed."
Eomer looked strangely at his uncle, he bowed and left. "Grima!" the King shouted as soon as Eomer had left the great hall. A small man appeared from the shadows walking with a stoop. "Grima bring this hobbit to me!"
"What do you want my Lord?" Grima whispered in the Kings ear still keeping his eye on Frodo.
"Bring him to me!" the King shouted "I want that hobbit, bring him to Orthanc, he carries something of great value!" Frodo turned to run. "Be still!" The King shouted and Frodo felt himself freeze on the spot and unable to move. "Bring him to the tower, I don't care how you get him here but make sure he is alive!"
Grima grabbed Frodo like a sack of potatoes, the hobbit struggled wildly and shouted but a hand was clamped tightly over the halflings mouth. He was dragged to a nearby room where the hobbit's arms and legs where bound and he was gagged. Frodo knew for well the Ring had been discovered, but where was he going, what was the King talking about. What tower? This Grima seemed to treat him worse than the Uruk-Hai did. Frodo was dragged out the back of the building and to a nearby stable area where Grima grabbed a horse. The animal seemed rather distressed at it's manhandling but soon Grima was mounted and Frodo was layed over the horses flank. The hobbit was helpless; he could even talk let alone move much. Wherever they where going Frodo could tell I wasn't good, and wherever it was Grima was in a rush. The horse was jolting Frodo up and down making the hobbit's ribs quiet sore.
"Soon Sharky will have his halfling!" Grima muttered to himself as Frodo listened "and I shall be rewarded." He chuckled evilly
With Aragorn and Boromir:
The two men reached the edge of Fangorn as the Sun rose, the black shapes of Uruk- Hai corpses appeared around them.
"Looks like the Rohirrim have been here then!" Boromir bent down to an Orc and picked out one of the arrows. He stood up and went towards Aragorn who was bent to the ground.
"And not just Uruk-Hai have been injured?" the ranger sighed looking at a large patch of grass covered in red blood. He shook his head and picked up Merry's elven blade, still stained with the black of Uruk-Hai blood. Boromir searched the dead.
"I can't find any hobbits!" he cried bending down next to Aragorn.
"I fear the worst!" said Aragorn "there are tracks leading into the forest and a hobbit has been injured. It seems one of them put up a fight, Merry or Pippin this is one of their blades" Aragorn handed it to Boromir. "I say we follow the tracks into the forest, we may find one of them!"
The pair entered the forest, it was dark and dank and both men really didn't understand how a hobbit would run into such a place, except in the most desperate situation. The two men hadn't been walking above 10 minutes when they came into a clearing a blinding light met their view.
"Who's there!" shouted Aragorn "show yourself!" the light faded quickly to reveal an old friend.
"Gandalf!" Boromir went to speak more but the wizard cut him off.
"No time for questions!" he said quickly "there is much to be done!" Aragorn hurried to him.
"But the hobbits?"
"Follow me!" Gandalf led the two to the side of a clearing and into some thick grass. There, Merry lay peacefully sleeping. "He has been stabbed!" cried Gandalf, "to be honest I don't know how he has survived, the wound is deep and he has lost a lot of blood." Aragorn bent down to look at his companion.
"I had trouble saving him, but he is fine now"
"You fell?" said Boromir, looking at the wizard with ewe, "you fell in Moria!" Gandalf nodded.
"Yes that is a long story. There are too many tales to tell, with little time, for there is much to be done!"
"Do you know anything of the other hobbits?" asked Aragorn looking closely at Merry's blooded side that was bandaged neatly.
"Yes, Meriadoc has been awake a little, he said that Frodo was trapped under a fallen Uruk – Hai and that Pippin has been taken by Ugluk, the leader of the group of Orc."
"This is lesser good news than I wish to hear!" Boromir tried his best not to let his emotions show "I did not find Frodo on the battlefield, has he also been taken to Orthanc?" The wizard shook his head.
"I don't know!" he sighed and looked to Aragorn who replaced Merry's bloodstained shirt.
"He needs rest and lots of sleep." he said looking up "he was very lucky. Lucky to find you!"
"What is to be done next?" Boromir's brow was furrowed, "we can't just leave him hear, or abandon, Pippin and Frodo"
"We can leave him hear!" Gandalf said "I have spoken with Treebeard, one of the Ents, he has promised to look after Meriadoc and once the hobbit is up on his feet, I'm sure he will do more good here than with us."
"What do you mean?"
"Merry will do that Ent a lot of good!" the wizard chucked "trust me!"
"So what do we do?"
"We shall leave him here and ride to Orthanc." Cried Gandalf.
"But we have no horses!" Boromir butted in.
"Oh, I think we can cure that one!" said Gandalf, "come!" he cried, heading out of the clearing and back towards the battlefield.
"Sweet dreams Merry!" whispered Boromir as he turned and followed the others. "We'll find the others!"