Chapter 8

Aica was awoken one morning, three days after they had split from the rest of the Fellowship, by Frodo's cry. The trio had been sleeping under their Lothlórien cloaks. Frodo told Sam not to worry; that he had just been dreaming. The three settled back down to sleep, the moon shining through a gap in the clouds. Aica listened as both Frodo and Sam's grew steadier and they drifted off to sleep. She rolled onto her back, gazing up at the moon, wondering where all the others were and what they were doing, especially Legolas.

Leagues away Legolas glanced up at the same moon as he jogged behind Aragorn as they chased after the Uruks who had captured Merry and Pippin. He felt some sort of connection to Aica through the moon; he guessed that she too could be watching it.

The next morning Aica, Frodo and Sam awoke and packed up their camp in silence, before setting off once more. Before long they reached a cliff face. 'Hang on; I've got just the thing.' Sam said, before producing the rope he had received in Lothlórien. He tied it around a rock, before Frodo set off down the rope. Sam was the next down, followed by Aica. 'Can you see the bottom?' Sam called down to Frodo.
'No!' Frodo called back. 'Don't look down Sam! Just keep going.'
Suddenly Sam slipped and a box fell free from his bag. 'Catch it! Grab it Mr Frodo!'
Frodo reached out and managed to grab the box, but in the process managed to lose his footing in the process. 'Mr Frodo?' Sam yelled as Frodo fell.
'I think I've found the bottom!' Frodo called back up.
Aica breathed a sigh of relief as she and Sam descended the last few meters of rope. 'Bogs and rope and goodness knows what. It's not natural. None of it.' Sam sighed.
Frodo looked at the little box in his hands. 'What's in this?' he asked.
'Nothing.' Sam replied quickly. 'Just a bit of seasoning.' He continued. 'I thought maybe if we was having a roast chicken one night or something.'
'Roast chicken?' Frodo asked with a smile on his face.
'You never know.'
'Sam, my dear Sam.'
'It's very special, that. It's the best salt in all the Shire.'
'It is special. It's a little bit of home.'

Aica clapped Sam on the shoulder as Frodo stepped up to the bottom of the rope. 'We can't leave this here for someone to follow us down.'
'Who's gonna follow us down here, Mr Frodo?' Aica and Frodo exchanged a look. 'It's a shame really. Lady Galadriel gave me that. Real Elvish rope. Well there's nothing for it. It's one of my knots. Won't come free in a hurry.' He yanked on the end of the rope and suddenly it did come free, winding itself into a coil at his feet.
'Real Elvish rope.' Frodo commented. 'What do you think Aica?'
'That's real Elvish rope alright. Can't leave it anywhere.' Aica replied.
Frodo smiled at her. 'It's nice to see you making jokes Aica.'
Aica ruffled his hair. 'Fear not young hobbit, I have not yet lost all my fierceness. Besides I have never ventured the cliffs of Emyn Muil before, so do not count on me to guide us through.'
'You're joking?' Aica shook her head sadly. 'Come on.' Frodo jerked his head along the path they were following. 'Let's keep going.'

They climbed through the rocks of Emyn Muil, choosing their footing carefully. When they reached the top of one of these rocks they saw Mordor far off in the distance. 'Mordor. The one place in Middle-Earth we don't want to see any closer is the one place we're trying to get to, and just where we can't get.' He turned back to look at the other two. 'Let's face it, Mr Frodo, Miss Aica. We're lost. I don't think Gandalf meant for us to come this way.'
'He didn't mean for a lot of things to happen, Sam. But they did.'
'Don't lose hope now, either of you. We can do this.'
Suddenly Frodo fell to the ground. Aica crouched in front of him, concern in her eyes. 'Mr Frodo?' Sam asked. 'It's the Ring, isn't it?'
'It's getting heavier.' Frodo admitted. He closed a hand around where the Ring was situated on his chest. Aica patted his shoulder, as he took a drink of water and Sam sat down and took off his pack. 'What food do we have left?' Frodo asked.
Sam began to rummage in his pack. 'Well let me see. Oh, yes. Lovely. Lembas bread. And look! More Lembas bread.' Sam broke off a piece for Frodo and threw it to him. He then offered some to Aica, who shook her head. 'You haven't eaten in days.'
'I can manage Sam, I'm an elf. You need it more than I do. Please, don't push it.'

They were quiet for a moment, before Sam spoke up again. 'I don't usually hold with foreign food, but this Elvish stuff, it's not bad.'
'Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it, Sam?'
'Those rain clouds might.' Sam nodded to the thick black clouds that covered the sky.
'With luck there will be some sort of shelter further in.' Frodo said.
Aica glanced around. 'I wouldn't count on it.'
Frodo rose to his feet. 'come on, we need to keep going.'
Sam also got to his feet and shouldered his pack. 'Well then we'd better not keep anyone important waiting.' He said. Aica laughed slightly as they set off again.

The rain began little more than an hour later, driving down upon the trio as they made their way through the rocks. The hobbits pulled their cloaks tightly around their bodies. 'I can't go any further!' Sam groaned several hours later.
Aica nodded. 'We're not going to find any shelter. We'll have to tuck up against the cliff.'
Frodo and Sam tucked up against one cliff, Aica opposite them. The hobbits shivered as the rain pounded down. Strands of Aica's hair stuck to her face, soaking her clothes.

The sun peeked through the clouds the next morning. Sam, Frodo and Aica continued on their journey, or so they thought. 'This looks familiar.' Sam said about an hour after they began walking that day.
'It's because we've been here before.' Frodo replied, exasperatedly. 'We're going in circles.'
Sam walked forward a little. 'What's that horrid stink? I warrant there's a nasty bog nearby. Can you smell it?'
Aica wrinkled her nose as the smell hit her nose too. 'Yes, I can smell it.' Frodo replied. He turned to
look at Sam. 'We're not alone.'
'What?' Sam asked.
'Gollum.' Aica cut in. 'he's following us, and he won't give up.'
'Wonderful.' Sam muttered.
'We can trap him.' Aica said. 'Catch him off guard when he least expects it.'

Aica went to scout ahead that night, leaving Frodo and Sam to settle down for the night. She also needed time to think, to be alone. Away from the hobbits she slumped down on a rock, her head in her hands. She had never been so confused in her life. Ever since they had split from the rest of the Fellowship Aica had felt like her heart had been torn in two. Duty was driving her forward with the hobbits, but something else wanted to send her running to the arms of Legolas.
Suddenly yelling from where the hobbits slept jerked her to her feet, sending her running to them. Frodo and Sam were rolling around on the ground, wrestling with the creature Gollum. Gollum had his limbs wrapped around Sam. Frodo drew his sword and pointed it at Gollum, who froze. 'This is Sting. You've seen it before, haven't you ... Gollum?' Frodo growled. 'Release him or I'll cut your throat!'
Gollum slowly released Sam and stumbled back, squealing. 'Shut up!' Aica demanded. Sam pulled out his Elvish rope and quickly tied it around Gollum's neck.

Sam tied Gollum up that night. The next morning Sam dragged the creature behind them as they trekked onwards. Gollum's screams echoed off the rocks. 'It burns! It burns us! It freezes! Nasty Elves twisted it. Take it off us!'
Aica rolled her eyes; of course he would despise elves. 'Quiet you!' Sam demanded. He then turned to Frodo and Aica who were ahead of him. 'It's hopeless. Every Orc in Mordor's going to hear this racket. Let's just tie him up and leave him.'
'No! That would kill us! Kill us!' Gollum protested.
'It's no more than you deserve!' Sam yelled back.
Gollum fell to the ground and began to writhe, as if in pain. 'Maybe he does deserve to die.' Frodo said. 'But now that I see him, I do pity him.'
'Don't trust him Frodo.' Aica urged.
Gollum interrupted her. 'We be nice to them if they be nice to us. Take it off us. We swears to do what you wants. We swears. '
'There's no promise you can make that I can trust.' Frodo replied.
Gollum scrabbled towards Frodo's feet. 'We swears to serve the master of the precious. We will swear on the...on the precious.' He then began to make an odd choking noise.
'The Ring is treacherous. It will hold you to your word.' Frodo sounded very sure.
'Yes, on the precious. On the precious.' Gollum confirmed.
'I don't believe you.' Sam lunged for Gollum.
'Neither do I.' Aica backed him up.

Gollum struggled again. 'Get down! I said, down!' Sam ordered. He pulled Gollum to the ground.
'Sam!' Frodo protested.
'He's trying to trick us! If we let him go he'll throttle us in our sleep.' Sam argued.
'Sam's right, we cannot trust him.' Aica said.
Frodo ignored them, stepping towards Gollum. 'You know the way to Mordor?'
'Yes.' Came the hissing reply.
'You've been there before?'
'Yes.' Frodo took a deep breath, before removing Gollum's bond. Gollum was surprised. Aica and Sam exchanged a disapproving glance. 'You will lead us to the Black Gate.' Frodo demanded of Gollum.

And so Gollum led the hobbits and Aica on. While Frodo and Sam struggled to keep up with the pace Gollum set, Aica leapt from rock to rock, always keeping him in her sights. She quickly discovered that the strange creature had a split personality. 'And Orcses, thousands of Orcses. And always the Great Eye watching, watching.' He was saying as Frodo and Sam caught up to them.
Suddenly he ran off. 'Hey! Come back now! Come back!' Sam yelled after him, before turning to Frodo. 'There! What did I tell you? He's run off, the old villain. So much for his promises.'
'Good riddance I say.' Aica dropped in.
Gollum then popped up behind a rock. 'This way, hobbits, elfsy. Follow me!' The trio hurried after Gollum.

That evening as they rested Aica moved to sit next to Frodo. 'Frodo.' She began. 'I beg of you, do not trust that creature. He will lead us only to death.'
'We do not have a choice.' Frodo argued.
'Once we get out Emyn Muil I can lead us to Mordor, we do not need him.'
'I'm sorry Aica, but Gandalf told me that Gollum would have some part to play in this quest, and I think that this is it; him leading us to Mordor.'
'Then I do not know how far I can travel with you.'

The next morning the two hobbits, Aica and Gollum continued on. Around noon they passed through a narrow path. Gollum, up ahead, leapt atop a rock. Before him was the end of Emyn Muil. 'See? See? We have led you out. Hurry, Hobbitses. Hurry!' The trio caught up to him. 'Very lucky we find you.'
'Luck had nothing to do with it.' Aica muttered to herself.
As they passed Gollum Sam gave him a glare. 'Nice hobbit.' The creature hurried after Frodo.
Aica and Sam followed them. Aica squeezed Sam's shoulder. 'Just keep an eye on him' She whispered.


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