Chapter 10: Get off the Road! The relentless hunt of the Black Riders
Back in the shire, the hobbits, along with Raven, Pidge, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk, seem to have lost themselves in a farm field. Sam searches for Frodo, fearing that he has lost him.
"Mr. Frodo," Sam muttered with concern, as he ran, "Frodo, Frodo!" Frodo then appeared in front of him. Sam was relieved. "Oh, I thought I lost you."
"What are you talking about?"
"It's just," Sam stated, "something Gandalf said."
"What did he say?" inquired Frodo.
"'Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee'. And I don't mean to."
"Sam, we're still in the shire. What could possibly happen?"
"Well, speaking of which," said Sam," where are Miss Raven, Miss Pidge, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk?" Sam's question was answered when they were knocked over by two other hobbits, Meriadoc and Peregrin. Followed by the appearance of Hunk, Lance, Beast Boy, Pidge, and Raven.
"Aha!" exclaimed Raven, as she pointed at the two thieving hobbits, "give up! Return the food right now!"
"You two heard the lady!" exclaimed Pidge, as she demanded the thieving hobbits, "Return the food right now!""
Peregrin then looked to see what they bumped into, "Frodo, hey Merry, it's Frodo Baggins!"
"Hello Frodo," greeted Merry.
Sam then forced them off Frodo. "Get off of him!" Sam exclaimed and picked up Frodo, to brush him off, "are you alright?"
"What's the meaning of this?" asked Peregrin.
"Hey Frodo," said Raven, "do you know these two?"
"Frodo," said Pidge, "do you know them?"
Merry asked Raven and Pidge, "you're with Frodo, ladies?"
"Of course we are, you dope!" said Beast Boy.
"Yeah, of course we are, you fool!" said Lance.
"Yes, we are with them, you dumb!" said Hunk.
"In that case, I'm Meriadoc Brandybuck. My friends call me Merry."
"And Peregrin Took be my name. My friends call me Pippin!"
"Well, Raven be my name," introduced Raven.
"Pidge is my name," introduced Pidge.
"Beast Boy is my name," introduced Beast Boy.
"Lance McClain is my name," introduced Lance.
"And Hunk us my name too, got it?"
Hunk, Lance, Beast Boy, Pidge, and Raven all fumed at the troublemakers. Merry then handed Sam the farm food that he and Pippin stole.
"Hey Merry!" Raven still insisted, loudly, "return the food already!"
"You too Pippin!" Pidge also insisted, loudly, "return the food immediately!"
"You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!" exclaimed Sam.
Then…
Farmer Maggot himself was charging with a scythe in his hand. "Get out!" he exclaimed, "get out of my field!"
"Come on," said Merry. Everyone started to make a run for it.
"Wait a minute…" insisted Raven.
"Wait you guys..." insisted Pidge
"No time, Miss Raven and Miss Pidge. Run, Beast Boy! Lance! Hunk!" exclaimed Frodo as he hurried Raven, Pidge, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk. Sam stood there for a moment… then he dropped the farmer's food and ran also.
While they were running, Raven began to rant at Merry and Pippin, "this is all your fault you know!"
Pidge also rant at Merry and Pippin "Yeah, you two didn't return the food that we would have told you both.
"Miss Raven and Miss Pidge," said Merry, "would you two please calm down? I just don't understand why he's so upset, it's only a few carrots."
"And some cabbages," added Pippin, "and those three bags of potatoes we lifted last week. And then mushrooms the week before that."
'A few items huh, suuure' thought Beast Boy.
"A few carrots and cabbages," thought Lance.
"Three bags of potatoes," thought Hunk.
"Yes, Pippin," said Merry, "my point is, he's clearly overreacting. Run!" As they did…
They stumbled… and fell over a cliff and tumbled… and tumbled swiftly down the hill… and crashed in a heap, one by one, landing nearly on top of each other.
After crashing on the ground, the group groaned as they lay on top of each other. "Beast Boy, Lance, Hunk," said Raven, "are you guys alright?"
"Beast Boy! Hunk! Lance!" said Pidge, "are you three alright?"
"Yes, I think so," Beast Boy said.
"I'm alright," Lance said.
"Yes, we think so," Hunk said as he, Lance, Beast Boy, Pidge, and Raven picked themselves off the ground.
"Oh, that was close," said Pippin. He nearly landed on a pile of manure.
Merry then feels something under him, "I think I've broken something." He pulled a broken carrot from under his hip.
"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took," Sam said, picking himself up.
"What?" asked Merry, as he brushed himself off, "…that was just a detour, a short cut."
"A shortcut to what?" asked Sam.
"Mushrooms!" exclaimed Pippin as he spots a few mushrooms some feet away. He, Merry, and Sam rushed to the mushrooms.
'Boys will be boys,' Raven thought annoyed.
'Yeah right, Boys will be boys,' Pidge thought annoyed.
Frodo then feels a sudden chill coming over him. He realizes that he and his companions are on the road, something he was told to avoid. Raven notices Frodo's shock.
"I think we should get off the road," Frodo spoke to his fellow hobbits, who were still admiring the mushrooms and gathering them to put inside their bag. Raven, Pidge, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk were the only ones who were attentive. Suddenly…
A gust of wind came across Frodo, along with a horrifying screech…
"Get off the road, quick!" Frodo commanded his companions. The hobbits hid under the roots of a tree. They were barely able to squeeze in Raven, Pidge, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk, since they were a bit larger than the hobbits.
Merry and Pippin went through the bag of mushrooms to see how many they have. But Sam insisted as he whispered, "Be quiet!"
Moments later… a black rider comes, riding on his horse. It stopped by the tree in which the group hid. Frodo looked a little ways back through the roots. The rider then dismounted his horse with a loud thump… and settled just over the hiding place.
The rider sniffs as if it can smell that the ring is close. The rider's presence cause some bugs to crawl from the roots, and onto the hobbits. Suddenly… Frodo is overtaken by a strong force. It is the ring imposing on Frodo to put the ring on…
Raven notices the ring but…
…She really didn't do anything but look…
…Perhaps… somehow… maybe the ring was getting to her as well…
…Raven stares at the ring as the will of the ring gets stronger… and stronger…
Then Sam notices Frodo trying to put on the ring and…
Sam was able to stop Frodo by placing his hand on Frodo. Raven then snapped out of her trance as Frodo retracted from putting the ring on.
Merry then throws the bag of mushrooms, which distracts the rider. The group made their escape as they ran as far away from the rider as possible. When they felt that they were far enough away… they took a rest.
"What was that?" asked Merry.
"…Trouble," answered Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk, panting for breath.
"What trouble, Beast Boy! Lance! Hunk?" inquired Merry. Frodo then opened his hand and looks at the ring with despair, knowing that the ring's will is starting to control him a little…
In the many lands of Middle-Earth, there is always good and evil. But for one man named Kevin Levin…
Evil was to be extinguished… for he follows his own code…
"Slay evil immediately. This was the same code that follows as well.
Kevin, as well as twenty-five other people came to Middle-Earth by Radagast's portal. Unfortunately, they were scattered all across Middle-Earth. Kevin, however, ended up in a strange, mountainous terrain. He was a stranger in a foreign land. But… knowing Kevin, he has always ended up in these situations as he has repeatedly boasted.
Kevin continued to trek through this strange land. He remains vigilant to his sense of perception.
'Mountains…wonderful,' though Kevin, 'I find myself wound up in this rockface, expecting it to be a shining… glittering place called Rivendell… unless, of course, it is Rivendell. But by what that old man called Radagast said, Rivendell is supposed to be a peaceful place.
'However… I can't seem to find Robin and his friends anywhere. At the last minute, I saw a kid running into the old man. It must've been how I landed in this place. Kids today… they just can't respect their elders can they?'
Kevin passed over treacherous chasms, even great waterfalls, trying to find his way down. He sometimes had no luck in getting down the mountain. Kevin has seen nobody in sight. But… somehow… he has had the feeling that someone was watching him…
On one of the rocks above him… a small shape appeared. The shape spoke, "Who goes there? Who are you?"
Kevin responded, "…before I answer… why don't you tell me who you are?"
"I'll answer," said the shape, "with my axe in you! Argh!" The shape jumped at Kevin…
But Kevin immediately kneel down and placed his hand on the rock and his body became covered in solid and jumped up at the shape with his right strand turned into an axe attack. The attack only cut the shape's axe.
The stranger was short and wore armor. He had red-brown hair with a long beard. The stranger gasped to see his axe broken.
"You are truly amazing," said the stranger, "you managed to cut my axe."
"I am a man of many surprises," said Kevin.
"Indeed. I am a Dwarf of the Lonely Mountain, stranger. Who are you, laddie?" asked the long-bearded stranger roughly.
"I'm just an Osmosian, lost in a strange land."
"An Osmosian? Where is that prayer told?"
"You could say… it's a very far away place."
"You must forgive me, stranger, I don't trust anyone these days."
"Well, after what's happened to me, I must say that I'm not in the mood to trust anyone myself."
Just then… a group of other Dwarves came up and surrounded Kevin. Kevin wasn't impressed.
"Where are you from strangers?" asked one of the Dwarves, "what business do you have here?"
"No wait, my people," said the Dwarf with the brown hair, "…there is a Great Spirit in this one. Calls himself a wolf."
"But," interjected another Dwarf, "he looks more human than a wolf."
"Have you ever heard of a wolf in sheep's clothing before? Anyway, I've got better things to do than just wait around here with you pip-squeaks."
"Before you go off, why don't you stay awhile?" the brown-haired Dwarf proposed, "I am Gimli, son of Gloin, of the Lonely Mountain. What is yours sir?"
Kevin paused for a moment before answering, "…I may have many names, but you may call me Kevin Levin, of Bellwood."
Inside one of the dwellings of the mountain, Saito tells the dwarves of his dilemma.
"Hmm, so you come from a different world, eh," said Gimli, "and you say that Saruman the White, the chief of the wizard's order, has joined Sauron's quest for power?"
"Yeah," responded Kevin as he was smoking a cigarette.
"So you also know of the legendary one ring?"
"Yep, that's about it, only I haven't seen it yet."
"Indeed, Master Levin. Would you care for some beer?" Gimli proposed.
"No thank you. Whenever I drink something like that, I get a strong urge to kill."
"Its your loss, sir," Gimli said as he drank his beer.
Gimli went on, "There have been rumors that Mordor is now planning to overrun all of Middle-Earth and that the dark lord himself is now regaining power. As for Saruman… let's just say that I've never been the one to trust wizards. They're too cunning and clever for my tastes… dangerous to the very end. Long ago, my people were given seven rings of power. The One Ring itself controlled them. It is this reason alone that I have a paranoid nature. Many of my people are miners. They wish to go hide in the mountains to seek great wealth, like Mithril. The Dwarves don't even try to care about what goes on in the world. If no Dwarf will fight to preserve their lands, who can protect them?"
"You have a great point," Kevin agreed, "from where I come from, people with power don't wish to do anything and let someone else do all the work for them."
"Indeed. Then perhaps… we may have something in common, Master Levin."
In the middle of the conversation, more Dwarves come in to speak to Gimli.
"Gimli," said a Dwarf.
"What is it now?" Gimli asked, exasperated.
"We have just received a visit from the messengers of Mordor. They sought information about the One Ring."
"What did you tell them?"
"We told them," answered another Dwarf, "we didn't know where it was now. We've also received a message from Rivendell. A council is to be held that concerns the One Ring's fate."
"Very well," said Gimli, "we must prepare to leave at once."
"Hey," Kevin cuts in as he throws away his cigarette, "mind if I tag along? I'm supposed to be going to this Rivendell place anyhow."
Meanwhile, at the Shire, darkness fell. Frodo, Sam, Raven, Pidge, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk, accompanied by Merry and Pippin, continued running to avoid the riders as much as possible. They settled once more. Frodo was against a tree, full of despair. As Raven was resting… she suddenly finds out… that her mind can't take what just happened with her…
'Frodo… was compelled to put the ring on,' though Raven, with a confused mind, '…even when Gandalf told him not to. When I saw Frodo trying to put the ring on… I should've tried to stop him, so why… why couldn't I stop him… why couldn't I stop him from putting the ring on? Sam… was able to do it. So… why couldn't I… stop him?'
"Anything?" asked Merry.
"Nothing," answered Frodo.
Pippin didn't understand what was happening, "what's going on?"
"…It's a long story, Pippin," answered Raven, as she slowly tries to recover from her confusion.
"...It's a very long story," answered Pidge.
"Indeed," said Merry as he proceeded towards Frodo, "it would be, Miss Raven and Miss Pidge. That Black Rider was looking for something or someone… Frodo?" Frodo looked at his kinsman striving to answer his question.
Before Frodo could answer, Pippin sensed something coming, "get down!" he said.
The Black Rider appears at some distance from the group. They waited a few moments for the rider to move away from the area…
Frodo then requests Merry and Pippin's assistance. "I have to leave the shire," he stated, "Sam, the others, and I must get to Bree."
"Yeah, Merry," interjected Beast Boy, "Gandalf told us to meet him there, and to avoid any suspicious characters like that black rider. Will you help us, Merry."
"Yeah, he told us to meet him there." interjected Lance.
"He's going to meet us there, when he gets back from meeting the white wizard," interjected Hunk.
"…Right, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk," Merry nodded, "Buckleberry Ferry, follow me.
The group began to run toward the ferry…
But the rider came up behind them first.
"Run!" yelled Pippin.
"This way!" cried Merry, "follow me! Run!"
The group scattered. Frodo inadvertently gets separated from the rest.
"Beast Boy, go with them!" cried Raven, "I'll help Frodo."
"Lance, Hunk, go with Beast Boy and the hobbits!" cried Pidge, Raven and I go help Frodo."
"Right Raven!" called out Beast Boy.
"Right Pidge!" called out Lance.
"Let's go, Lance!" called out Hunk.
Raven and Pidge then assisted Frodo against the Black Rider, fending it off with her powers, Pidge fending it off with a stick. Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk continued to run with the others who were able to get to the ferry before Raven, Pidge, and Frodo. As they boarded the ferry, they began to untie the rope from the moorings…
"Untie the rope, Sam!" cried Merry.
Frodo, Raven, and Pidge started to come to the ferry as it slowly began to drift.
"Frodo!" yelled Sam.
"Run Frodo!" cried the hobbits.
"Hurry Raven!" cried Beast Boy.
"Hurry Pidge!" cried Lance.
"Hurry Girls!" Cried Hunk. They kept calling out to them as the rider rode right behind them.
"Go," hollered Raven, Pidge, and Frodo.
The ferry kept drifting away as they kept running.
"Jump!" yelled Pippin.
Frodo, Raven, and Pidge then jumped onto the ferry from the dock. The rider stopped in its tracks at the water's edge. It seemed to the travelers that the rider was afraid to go into the water. The rider then turned around and rode away in defeat, but it wasn't going to give up so easily…
"How far to the nearest crossing?" asked Frodo.
"The Brandywine Bridge," answered Merry, "…twenty miles."
The group then floated on the river making for the bridge. They saw that the three riders were heading in that direction as well…
The group finally arrived at Bree. It stormed and rained very hard.
"Come on," said Frodo. They went up to the gate and knocked on it. The gatekeeper answered as he opened the window and saw two ladies.
"Oh hello," greeted the gatekeeper, "are there anyone with you two?"
"Yes," answered Raven.
"Yes, we do," answered Pidge. He couldn't see anyone with them so he opened the lower window to get a better view. "What do you and the two young ladies want?" asked the gatekeeper.
"We're heading for the Prancing Pony," said Frodo. The gatekeeper opened the door and looked closely, "hobbits. Four hobbits, along with two young ladies and three young men! What business brings you to Bree?"
While the gatekeeper was asking, Merry looked behind to see if the Black Riders had caught up to them.
"We wish to stay at the inn," answered Frodo, "our business is our own."
"Alright, young sir, I meant no offense. It's my job to ask questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful," the gatekeeper said as he let the group in.
The travelers went straight for the inn, passing a barrage of people and run-down cattle.
The people cried out to the travelers, "Watch where you're going!"
The travelers were very uncomfortable with the treatment they were receiving, especially Raven, Pidge, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk. Frodo then looked up at a building with a sign that read, 'The Prancing Pony'.
Frodo and the others entered the inn. Sam closed the door behind them. The establishment was full of a diverse company of guests consisting of Dwarves, strange men from the south, even local Hobbits. They went to the front counter to ask for a room.
"Excuse me," said Frodo. The Innkeeper came up to them.
"Good evening, little masters," greeted the Innkeeper. He looked to see that Raven, Pidge, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk accompanied the hobbits.
"Are the two young ladies and three young men with you, by any chance?" asked the Innkeeper.
Frodo nodded.
"Well," continued the Innkeeper, "if you're all seeking nice accommodations, we've got some nice cozy hobbit size rooms available enough for you and your two other friends, Mr.…?"
Frodo knows that he can't actually speak his name, and answered with a different name, "…Underhill. My name's Underhill."
"Underhill, hmm."
"We're all friends of Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we've arrived?"
"Gandalf…? Gandalf… ohhh, yes! I remember. Elderly chap, big gray beard, pointy hat." Frodo nodded.
The Innkeeper then answered, "Not seen him for six weeks." They were shocked to hear this.
Frodo turned to face his companions. "What do we do now?" asked Sam.
"We'll just have to wait for him, Sam. He said something about seeing the head of his order… "
Raven gasped in great shock. She forgot to tell Gandalf about his leader, Saruman.
"What's wrong, Miss Raven?" asked Frodo, wondering what's happening with her.
A moment passed before Raven could answer Frodo; "…I just hope it's nothing. But Gandalf may have run into trouble with seeing the leader of his order."
"What do you mean Miss Raven?" Frodo asked with shock in his voice.
Raven just kept putting on her face of concern. She couldn't afford to tell Frodo of a traitor in the wizard's order because she knows that he's stressed out enough with the Black Riders after them. Pidge, Beast Boy, Lance, and Hunk couldn't answer either. They silently agreed with Raven in not telling Frodo the whole story.
"…Frodo," answered Raven, "…lets just hope… Gandalf will come here like he says he will, okay."
"...Yeah," answered Pidge, "...let's hope... he will come here, Okay."
Frodo slowly nodded in agreement.
