Chapter Three

Farmer Cotton led Frodo, Sam, Pippin, Merry, and Estella out of the house and Farmer Cotton gathered up a group of about two dozen hobbits to go with them to Bag End. They walked there on foot.

They walked down the road, past ugly little houses and piles of rubble. There was a new mill that was built, and it was polluting the area. Estella stared at it in disgust. They walked over to the hill where Bag End was located and gaped in surprise.

The field below the hill was dead and had no grass. The large Party Tree had been cut down and Sam's eyes filled with tears as he looked at the forlorn stump that was left. Sam's own home had been dug up and was now a quarry. There were all sorts of ugly little huts in front of Bag End, blocking the view of it and making the hill look as if the ruffians had conquered it.

They went up to Bag End and slunk through the crowd of huts. The front door was all scratched up and Frodo knocked on it. Nobody answered. Frodo knocked again, louder this time. Still no answer. He pushed on the door and it opened up. Leaving Farmer Cotton and the others behind, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Estella went slowly inside.

The smell was horrible and Estella covered her nose with a sleeve of her dress. Everything was in shambles and the whole place spoke of neglect.

"Estella, you really should go and wait outside," Frodo said.

"No," she hissed, keeping her voice down. "You all get to stay here, so I should get to stay too."

Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry all looked hopelessly at one another. Estella looked at them defiantly. "I'm going on with you."

"We've got to find Lotho," Frodo murmured. His relative, Lotho Sackville-Baggins was apparently the "Chief". They went through the house, looking in every room. There was no sign of life anywhere. It was as if the house had been abandoned.

Estella crept into the kitchen and something ran over her foot. She shrieked aloud and jumped backwards, knocking over a chair. It was only a rat.

"So this place is too scary for you, after all," said Merry. He had appeared out of nowhere and had a wicked smile on his face.

"It is not!" Estella said hotly. "It was just a rat. I'll get a knife and hunt it down myself just to prove to you that I can handle this place." She wished he would just go away. Sometimes she really hated him.

"No, that won't be necessary," he said. "Now come on. There's no time to be playing with the rats. Lotho isn't here so we're getting out of this place." He grabbed her roughly by the arm and gave her a push out of the kitchen.

"I could have exited the kitchen myself," she told him. He didn't reply and started walking ahead of her, and she followed. They soon met up with Frodo, Pippin, and Sam.

"No Lotho then?" Pippin asked.

Merry shook his head. "No, we might as well leave."

They headed for the doorway, but discovered someone standing there. Someone dressed in white robes with an evilly amused look in his dark eyes.

"Sharkey!" Frodo cried.

"Yes," the white-robed man said with a laugh. "I was called that in Isengard and that has become my affectionate nickname here as well." He looked around at them all, looking into Estella's face last. She shuddered. She didn't like the look of his eyes. He was evil, she could tell. He frightened her.

"Who is he?" she whispered to Pippin, so softly that she was barely heard.

"Saruman the White," he replied just as softly. "A wizard."

A wizard? Like old Gandalf who used to visit the Shire occasionally? Estella braved another look at Saruman. This wizard was certainly nothing like Gandalf. Saruman and Frodo spoke to each other for a few minutes, and then a crowd of hobbits swarmed over to the doorway of Bag End.

"Kill him! Kill him!" they shouted. Estella thought it strange and horrifying to hear hobbits behaving so hostilely. Things had changed a lot since the coming of the ruffians.

Saruman simply laughed at them. "Worm!" he called. "Come along, Worm!" A little man with a very pale face and eyes that were heavily lidded came scurrying over to the wizard. "We are leaving now, Wormtongue," Saruman repeated. "Come along."

Saruman and his servant Wormtongue turned around to leave, but just as Saruman passed Frodo, he pulled out a knife and stabbed the hobbit. Estella cried out but muffled the sound with her sleeve. Sam was furious and drew out his sword. Frodo was all right, though. In fact, he hadn't been harmed at all. The knife had snapped when it struck him. Estella took the sleeve of her dress away from her mouth and felt immense relief.

The hobbits surrounding Bag End were livid with anger, even though Frodo was unharmed. They seemed about ready to kill Saruman.

Somebody grabbed Estella by the shoulders and hauled her off through the house. She squirmed and tried to kick the person who had grabbed her and was shoved into a closet. "Just what do you think you're doing, Merry? Let go of me and let me out of this closet!"

"I don't want you to see what might happen," Merry replied. His tone was serious and there was none of his usual sarcasm and mockery that he always spoke to her with. "Just stay here."

"But I saw the battle of Bywater," she said. "What could possibly happen that would be worse than that?"

"For the first time in your life, just do as you're told, Estella," he said. He shut the door and locked it. Estella wondered whose horrible idea it was to have that door lock from the outside. It was completely dark in the closet and she couldn't see or hear a thing. "I hate you, Merry," she muttered.

She waited in there for what felt like hours. Her feet were aching from standing so long and she felt around to see if there was anything to sit on. She felt a box beneath her hands and gratefully sat down upon it.

Finally, she heard the turning of a lock and instantly leapt to her feet. The door opened up and her eyes had to adjust to the light. She could see again. The only downside was that the very first thing she saw was Merry. "It's about time you let me out," she said. "Can we get my brother now?"

"Yes. Come on." He turned around and walked away, and she followed. He could have at least offered me his hand, she thought indignantly. When they were almost at the front of the house, where the doorway would be, Merry suddenly covered her eyes with his hand. "What are you doing now?" she demanded. She tried to remove his hand but his grip was strong.

"I don't want you to see," he replied.

"See what?"

"It's nothing."

"Well if it's nothing, then why can't I see it?"

"Just cooperate!" he said harshly. He marched her forward, his hand still covering her sight, and then suddenly picked her up.

"Put me down!" she squealed. "I'm not a cripple, you know! I can walk!"

He didn't reply though, and he didn't put her down. He walked several steps and she felt the warmth of the sun on her face. They must be outside now. Merry walked several more paces and then set her down. He removed his hand from her face and she could see.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"It was nothing!" he said. "Nothing you need to see!"

Frodo, Sam, and Pippin joined them outside. Farmer Cotton walked up the pathway, along with several other hobbits that had been watching what went on in the house. "Is he... taken care of?" Farmer Cotton asked.

Frodo nodded his head. "Yes," he said, with just a trace of sadness in his voice. "The last stroke."

"Where is he?" the farmer asked.

Frodo pointed. "In the doorway, where he fell. We'll have to dispose of him, though the thought of doing that sickens me."

Who are they talking about? Estella wondered. It was no use asking what had happened. They wouldn't tell her. Merry was now busy talking to Farmer Cotton and wasn't watching her. She slipped away and crept over to the doorway of Bag End. There was something on the floor, in the doorway. Something that was completely covered with a cloak. A body. Someone had died. But who? The body was all crumpled in a heap and she couldn't tell if it was a hobbit or not.

She stared down at it, unable to move. That was why Merry had covered her eyes and had carried her when he walked over the body. She wished she hadn't gone to look at it.

"Estella! Get away from there!"

Speak of the demon, she thought. Merry had appeared. "Estella, I told you not to look at what's over here! Now you get away from there."

She pointed at the cloak-covered body, trying not to look at it. "Who is it?"

"Saruman," he said bitterly. "And good riddance. Now come." He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind him. Estella thought it couldn't take that much effort for him to be more gentle. It was no way to treat a young lady. She couldn't believe he had actually grabbed her and pushed her into a closet. What was the matter with him?

They were with Frodo and the others once more. Frodo looked at Estella. "Well, Estella, it's time we've fetched your brother."

"It's about time," was all she could say.