Chapter 9
Aica was the first to notice where they were going. The Dead Marshes stretched before them as far as the eye could see. Aica had always avoided the Dead Marshes, few knew the safe paths through the swamps, and her jobs never required her to travel through the swamps. Sam's foot slipped into a puddle, it was then that he realised where they were. 'It's a bog. He's led us into a swamp.'
'A swamp, yes, yes. Come, master. We will take you on safe paths through the mist.' Gollum said. He began to walk down a path that only he could see. 'Come, Hobbits, come. We go quickly.'
Aica adjusted the straps of her quiver as she brought up the rear of their unlikely group. 'I found it, I did. The way through the marshes. Orcs don't use it. Orcs don't know it. They go around for miles and miles. Come quickly. Soft and quick as shadows we must be.' Gollum muttered.
As they walked the hobbits and Aica shared around a water canteen. They had to be careful, though; the marshes would not yield any fresh water.
Two days into their journey through the marshes found them resting. 'I hate this place. It's too quiet. There's been no sight or sound of a bird for two days.' Sam was saying.
'No, no birdses to eat. No crunchable birdses.' Sam passed out Lembas bread to his companions, before breaking some off for himself. 'We are famished! Yes! Famished we are, precious!' he lunged to the ground, producing a worm, which he slurped down.
Sam grimaced, Aica shook her head and Frodo broke off a piece of Lembas and tossed it towards Gollum. 'Here.' He said.
'What does it eats?' He hissed, as he crawled towards the Lembas. 'Is it tasty?' He took a bite out of it, but immediately spat it out, choking dramatically. 'It tries to chokes us! We can't eats Hobbit food! We must starve!' He fell onto his back, wailing.
'Well, starve, then. And good riddance!' Sam yelled.
Gollum crawled towards Sam. 'Oh, cruel Hobbit. It does not care if we be hungry. Does not care if we should die.'
'I can't blame him really.' Aica put in.
Gollum turned to Frodo. 'Not like master.' Frodo ignored Gollum. 'Master cares. Master knows. Yes. Precious.'
Frodo?' Aica warned, but he ignored her, Gollum mimicking his actions as he gripped the ring beneath his shirt.
'Once it takes hold of us, it never lets go.' Gollum reached for Frodo and the Ring.
Frodo suddenly came to his senses and slapped Gollum's hand away. 'Don't touch me!' Gollum quickly backed away from Frodo.
'Get some sleep boys.' Aica said. 'You'll need all your strength.'
Frodo and Sam got as comfortable as they could on the marshy ground, wrapped in their cloaks. Aica sat herself down to keep watch, keeping one eye on Gollum at all times.
The next morning they continued on through the marshes. Sam spotted dead faces in the waters. It was these that gave the marshes their name. 'There are dead things! Dead faces in the water.'
'All dead. All rotten. Elves and Men and Orcses. A great battle long ago.' Gollum hissed. 'Dead Marshes. Yes. Yes, that is their name. This way. Don't follow the lights.' Sam slipped and one of his feet landed in the swamp. Aica grabbed his arm to steady him. 'Careful now! Or Hobbits go down to join the dead ones and light little candles of their own.'
'Just ignore him.' Aica muttered to Sam, just as Frodo stepped towards the water.
'Frodo!' Sam yelled, as Frodo fell forwards into the water. Hobbit and elf raced to where he was last stood. Aica began to unbuckle her weapons to dive into the war, when, to their surprise, Gollum dove into the water.
After a few moments Gollum surfaced, dragging a spluttering Frodo with him. Frodo stared at Gollum in disbelief. 'Gollum?' he asked.
'Don't follow the lights.' Gollum replied, before crawling away.
Aica and Sam hurried to Frodo's side. 'Mr Frodo! Are you alright?' Sam asked anxiously. Frodo nodded slowly, watching Gollum.
Aica slept that night, Frodo had said he would watch that night. They were all exhausted from the days in the marshes. A shrieking cry jerked Sam and Aica awake. Gollum and Frodo had been talking by the marsh. 'Black Riders!' Sam yelled.
'Hide! Hide!' The hobbits and Aica scrabbled around, gathering up their belongings. Frodo froze, grasping his shoulder as Aica and Sam followed Gollum under a bush.
'Come on, Frodo! Come on!' Sam called. He rushed out to help Frodo into their hiding place.
'Quick! They will see us! They will see us!' Gollum called.
'I thought they were dead.' Sam said.
Aica shook her head as Gollum spoke up. 'Dead? No, you cannot kill them. No.'
'Not by normal means anyway.' Aica said.
The ringwraith soared over their hiding place, causing Gollum to cover his head with his hands. 'Wraiths! Wraiths on wings!' Frodo began groaning, clutching his chest, and the Ring. 'They are calling for it. They are calling for the precious.'
Sam grabbed Frodo's hand and held it tight, as Aica rested a hand on each of their shoulders. 'Mr Frodo! It's alright. I'm here.' Sam reassured the other hobbit.
Finally the ringwraith circled once more, before flying off towards Mordor. 'Hurry, hobbits, elfsy. The Black Gate is very close.'
The trio gathered up their belongings, strapped on weapons and ready themselves to continue on their journey.
'Frodo.' Aica said. 'The Black Gate is not the bed option; there are other ways into Mordor.'
Frodo swung around to face Aica. 'We have little choice; you said that you are no longer welcome there, so how do you expect to get us in other than the Black Gate?' Aica was surprised at his tone; she could tell that the Ring was starting to affect him, badly. She paused, before walking away from Frodo, Sam watching them both.
Aica was silent for the rest of their journey. She was a little affected by what Frodo had said. She had trusted him with her past, and he had turned that upon her. 'what did Frodo mean?' Sam asked her.
'What, about me not being welcome in Mordor?' Sam nodded. 'I don't want to talk about it.' She said. 'It's not something that's easy to talk about. I only told Frodo because I needed to give him a reason to let me come with you.'
'Does anyone else know?' Sam questioned.
'Only Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel.' She glanced around at their surroundings. 'The Black Gate is just over this rise.'
With Gollum ahead of them Frodo, Sam and Aica ascended the cliff. 'The Black Gate of Mordor.' Gollum announced.
The group crouched behind the rocks. 'Oh, save us.' Sam said. 'My old Gaffer would have a thing or two to say if he could see us now.'
'Master says to show him the way into Mordor. So good Sméagol does, master says so.' Gollum said for his position on a rock behind them.
'I did.' Frodo replied.
They stared at the Black Gate as it dawned upon the hobbits just how well guarded the main entrance to Mordor was. 'that's it then.' Sam said. 'we can't get past that.'
Aica turned her head as the sound of marching feet reached her keen ears. An army of Easterlings was marching towards the Black Gate. They ducked down as the army passed beneath them. Gollum began to cower as horns were sounded. Slowly the gate opened. 'Look! The gate. It's opening!' Sam spoke up. He crawled to a rock at the edge of the cliff. 'I can see a way down.'
Suddenly the rock gave way, sending him hurtling down the cliff. Frodo cried Sam's name, and hurried after him.
From the top of the cliff Aica watched Frodo try to free Sam. Two Easterlings had broken away from the army and were approaching the location of the two hobbits. Frodo quickly flung his Elvish cloak over himself and Sam. The Easterlings approached them, but Frodo's cloak did the trick, the soldiers could not see anything except what looked like a large rock. Aica held her breath as the Easterlings examined the ground in front of them, before shrugging and re-joining the army.
Frodo removed his cloak and quickly pulled Sam out. Once out the pair scrambled behind a nearby boulder. Frodo's voice carried up to Aica. 'I do not ask you to come with me, Sam.'
'I know, Mr. Frodo. I doubt even these Elvish cloaks will hide us in there.'
Aica quickly made her way down towards the hobbits.
Just before the two made a run for the gate Gollum wrenched them back. 'No! No! No master! They catch you! They catch you!' Frodo tried to make for the gate again, but Gollum pulled him back again. 'Don't take it to him.' They all looked at the creature. 'He wants the precious. Always he is looking for it. And the precious is wanting to go back to him. But we mustn't let him have it.'
The Easterlings proceeded through the gate which began to close. 'No! There's another way. There's another way. More secret. A dark way.'
Sam turned on Gollum. 'Why haven't you spoken of this before?!'
'Because Master did not ask.'
Sam turned to Frodo. 'He's up to something.'
Frodo ignored him. 'You know of a way into Mordor that we have not spoken of before.'
'Yes. There's a path...and some stairs... and then...a tunnel.' Gollum continued.
'No, I know the way you speak of.' Aica spoke up. 'we cannot go that way.'
Frodo and Sam exchanged a glance. 'He's led us this far Sam, Aica.'
'Mr Frodo, no.' Sam protested.
'He's right, it's too dangerous.' Aica backed him up.
'He's been true to his word.'
'No.' Sam shook his head.
'Lead the way, Sméagol.' Frodo turned to Gollum.
'Good Sméagol always helps.' Gollum leapt away. Sam stared at Frodo in disbelief, before they continued on.
Two days later they were hiking along a river bank, alongside a woodland. 'I'll catch you up.' Aica said to the hobbits, before disappearing into the tree line. Stepping silently through the woods, the she-elf drew her bow, nocking an arrow. She crouched at the base of a tree, examining the plants there. After a moment she continued on, every now and then examining a plant or bush. Finally she found what she was looking for. A group of bushes yielded berries that were fit for eating. Aica knew that the hobbits were getting tired of eating Lembas all the time, so she was determined to find them something else to eat.
After finding some fruit as well Aica made her way back to the hobbits. As she emerged from the trees she heard Sam and Frodo arguing. 'It's the Ring. You can't take your eyes off it! I've seen you. You're not eating. You barely sleep. It's taken hold of you, Mr. Frodo. You have to fight it.' Sam was saying. 'Aica's noticed too.'
'I know what I have to do Sam. The Ring was entrusted to me. It's my task. Mine! My own! And Aica has no idea, no matter what she's been through.' He began to walk away from Sam.
'Can't you hear yourself? Don't you know who you sound like?' Sam called after Frodo, who ignored him.
Aica approached Sam. 'It's not going to help Sam. He can't see what's happening to him.' She handed him some fruit. 'I thought you might like something else to eat.' She patted his shoulder and followed Frodo onwards.
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