Chapter 17

Mount Doom

It had been many hours as Sam carried poor Frodo up the mountain. Hazel was walking ahead, looking for any place (wherever and whatever that might have been) for them to go. Eventually, she saw a large crack in the side of the mountain.

The heart of Mount Doom.

She ran back to her friends. "Look," She yelled, pointed ahead. "There's a doorway! We're almost there!"

Sam's face seemed to lighten a little with relief, that is until they heard a strange breathing noise that sounded all too familiar. Hazel could hear her hair protest: Oh no! Not again!

Hazel looked above her. Slowly, and peering above from the rocks was Gollum.

"Clever hobbitses!" He growled furiously.

Before anyone could do anything, Gollum jumped over Hazel's head and landed on Frodo. The three seemed to be entangled until Gollum ripped Frodo off Sam's shoulders. Frodo and Gollum rolled on the ground. Frodo desperately tried to crawl away, but Gollum grabbed him, pinned him down, and wrapped both hands around his neck.

"Mustn't go that way!" Gollum hissed. "Mustn't hurt the Precious!"

"You swore!" Frodo told him. "You swore on the Precious!"

Gollum looked at him with fake pity.

"Sméagol promised!" Frodo insisted.

"Sméagol lied!" Gollum said before tightening his grip on Frodo's neck. Frodo felt pressure increase in his head, and his eyes felt they were about to burst. Sam quickly picked up a rock and threw it at Gollum's head. The stinking creature fell back a long distance before catching himself. Frodo coughed for a moment, gasping for air. Gollum sprinted back up to him, growling in his face. He had an ugly gash where Sam threw the rock.

Something arose inside of Hazel, something…she didn't know where it came from, nor did she understand. But she jumped at Gollum and tackled him. They rolled down the mountain and fought with hand and tooth. Gollum took a few nips at her arms while she scratched at his face. Eventually, when they both stood, Hazel head-butted Gollum, pulled old black hairs back, and sunk her teeth into his shoulder.

Frodo ran up the mountain, suddenly finding his strength again. Sam lingered and watched as Gollum threw Hazel off him. Sam stared in awe; for Hazel had bitten so hard she drew blood.

Gollum ran at Sam, but he took his blade and sliced at Gollum's stomach. The creature cried out and hugged himself before Hazel came behind and wrapped an arm around his throat, and both legs around his waist, and knocking him over. She still wasn't satisfied, even after giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Sam had started up the mountain. "Frodo!" He called. Frodo was far ahead of him, gripping at his chest.

Hazel and Gollum stared each other down after he tore from her grip. His piercing eyes seemed to gaze into her soul. But she stood tall, never feeling so powerful. She could honestly say she was quite surprised with herself. She was high-tempered and tough before but…where did that come from?

"You terrible, wicked old man!" She said boldly. "If you hurt him again, you will burn!"

Meanwhile, Sam ran into the heart of Mount Doom. As it erupted, the ground around him rumbled. He seemed to be walking on a pathway, suspended in the air. He looked around and it appeared all he could see was smoke.

"Frodo!" He cried out in fear. At this, the smoke settled slightly. He could see Frodo standing at the edge, standing still as if he were under some spell. But he turned and looked at Sam.

"I'm here Sam." He said reassuringly.

Sam took a step forward. "Destroy it!" He cried. Frodo slowly held out the ring and looked at it, ready to drop it into the fire.

"Go on, now!" Sam yelled impatiently. "Throw it in the fire!" Frodo looked around in confusion, unsure what to do.

"What are you waiting for, Hazel to push you in?" Sam demanded. (Let's face it, Hazel would do that.) "Just let it go!"

The world seemed to lose all sound, as Frodo looked at the ring, swaying in the wind as the fires continued around him. It looked so…

Frodo's eyes became fierce as he continued to look at it. It looked so…

Precious.

Slowly he turned around and looked at Sam, his eyes cross and his face with a strange shadow over it.

Who was he? Sam thought. This wasn't Frodo, this was someone else. The entire world seemed to crumble when Frodo declared:

"The ring is mine!"

Hazel continued to hold off Gollum until she felt something strange. It felt like someone had reached into her heart.

And squeezed.

Hazel felt to the ground and trying to let out a scream in agony, but her breath had been stolen completely. Gollum stared at her in surprise, until they heard Sam yelling out in pure terror. What had happened? Gollum ran up the mountain as fast as he could. Hazel stared after him. She wanted to give chase and tackle him again, but she could not move. The great eye turned at the noise and looked directly at her.

She could hear Sauron's voice inside her head. He was laughing maliciously.

I see you have fallen into my trap! He sneered. Now I have you!

Sam yelled out when Frodo placed the ring on his finger, turning Sauron's attention toward poor and helpless Hazel. Sam looked at the ground in fear as Frodo's foot prints appeared randomly on the ground.

"Where…what…why did you…?" Sam didn't have much time to think; for many things happened next. He felt the weight of a rock against the back of his head and was dazed for a very long moment. Gollum looked around and dropped the rock.

Where was the hobbit?

He looked at the ground and saw Frodo's footprints moving away from him. The creature did not hesitate for an instant. He ran and jumped onto Frodo shoulders, wrapping his legs around his chest. To Sam, it looked like Gollum was floating in mid-air. You could hear Frodo as he struggled to throw Gollum off him. Gollum seemed to have grabbed his finger and bit it off completely, with the ring still attached. Frodo suddenly reappeared and screamed in agony. He fell to the ground next to Sam, gripping his wrist and trying to ease the pain.

Gollum took the ring off the detached finger and looked at his prize. He jumped around, singing a victory song.

"Precious! Precious! Ooh, my Precious!" He cried. It was the first time the hobbits had seen Gollum stand upright like a man.

Hazel suddenly felt instant relief a few moments after Gollum had left her. She stood up and looked at the great eye. She looked at it with a bold and challenging smile.

"I escaped," Hazel declared, laughing mockingly at the great eye. "Yet again. I am too strong for your power! You are going to lose, I can promise you that!" She finished her speech with a wink and continued up the mountain. She ran through the doorway and was shocked to see what she found. Sam and Frodo, lying on the ground, Sam with an ugly gash in his head, and Frodo…missing a finger…

Hazel looked up and saw Gollum. He was dancing in victory as he held the ring in his clutches.

Okay! Hazel thought bitterly. I've had just enough! If it's a real fight you want, then a real fight you shall have! I promised he would lose!

"And I don't break promises!" Hazel finished aloud. She walked toward Gollum, who was still dancing joyfully.

Hazel was tired. She was tired of traveling like this. Tired of dirt all over her body. Tired of wearing the same outfit every day. Tired of battling the fear and evil that haunted her dreams for so long. Tired of being away from her home, her friends, and her family. Her throat was sore, her lips were dry, and she had no comfort from anyone. She didn't come all this way just to fail.

She punched Gollum's head. He looked at her in surprise as she grabbed at his hands. She yelled angrily as they pulled a tug-of-war for the ring. Her hair fell into her face and she lost all sight. She could not see where she was stepping. When a gust of wind rose from the mountain, it blew the hair out of her face, but it was too late to look where she was walking. She and Gollum both lost their footing and tumbled over the edge.

"No!" Frodo cried. He stood up and ran toward the edge. He sighed in relief as Hazel clung for dear life. Hazel looked and saw Gollum fall to his death. At first he didn't seem to even notice. He held the ring tightly to his chest and smiled, closing his eyes and taking the moment in. But his face changed when he landed in the lava and melted away. The ring seemed to still be making an attempt to save itself, floating upon Gollum's ashes. But the markings upon the band began to glow brightly.

Hazel looked up at Frodo; he was holding his hand out to her.

"Take my hand!" He cried. Hazel reached up and made an attempt, but the effort was in vain. Her hands seemed sweaty from being around the heat for so long. She gasped as she nearly slipped to her death.

"Hazel," Frodo cried. "Reach!" Hazel looked up at him in dismay. She couldn't do anything anymore. She was just too tired. Frodo read her eyes once again, it had been long sense he had done so. He could see the clear look of surrender in her eyes.

"Don't you let go!" He said to her crossly. "Don't let go!"

Hazel looked up into his pleading eyes. Oh, she just couldn't resist his blue eyes. They pierced her soul and she reached up and took Frodo's hand. He pulled her up and they ran, fast as lightening toward Sam. They lifted him up and dragged him out of the cave, just as the ring sunk into the lava and the mountain erupted. They jumped up onto a high rock and looked toward Barad-dur. The eye's pupil went wide with fear; it stared around in panic as the tower began to fall to the side.

Suddenly, in mid-fall, the eye exploded, and the whole tower crumbled. The mountain burst like a firework. The hobbits covered their heads as fires soared into the air.

"It's gone." Frodo said. "It's done." Hazel could honestly say that's how she felt after reading a book. It was a feeling of great relief and accomplishment. It was a hard feeling to describe in words, but I'm sure you can feel it now.

"Yes, Mr. Frodo." Sam agreed. "It's over now." Frodo leaned back on the rock and closed his eyes. He had a smile of relief on his face. It was a smile that Hazel was all too familiar with. She laughed and lay by his side.

"I can see the Shire!" Frodo sighed. "The Brandywine River…Bag End…our wedding…with Gandalf's fireworks…the lights…the Party Tree!" He told her. She leaned her head on his chest, envisioning herself wearing a simple white gown, carrying white roses with Ruby as her bridesmaid…she looked so beautiful. Hazel imagined herself with a necklace, marking their marriage. Hazel despised rings.

Suddenly, Sam spoke up. "Rosie Cotton dancing." He cried. "She had ribbons in her hair…If I were to ever marry someone…it would have been her…it would have been her."

Hazel and Frodo sat up, and all three hobbits put their heads together, with Hazel in the middle, and they shared a warm embrace.

"I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee," Frodo said. "Here at the end of all things." Sam lied down and fell asleep. It was very hard to breath with the strange poisonous fumes. Frodo wrapped both arms around Hazel and rocked her back and forth.

"What colors do you like?" Frodo said.

"I still like the color, violet." She said. "Though I have developed a liking for blue."

Frodo nodded. "I still love the color green." Frodo said. "I never told you this, but I'm in love with your eyes. I have never seen anything so perfect."

Hazel smiled and snuggled closer to him. "I could say the same to you." She said and took a deep breath to let out her secret.

"Frodo," Hazel said. "I love you."

Frodo hugged her tighter and whispered. "I love you too."

That was the last thing Hazel heard.

Wow…old writings. But I still think this story was a turning point in my writing. I know I'm so much better than I was then…But still. Love this story! Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review!