Diem Kieu: Yay angst and torture! *happy/sad/upset-and-wicked-chuckle sob* Oh, you ain't a kiddin' . . . Delamarth's not going anywhere. Psychologically speaking; alas, physically she can't quit moving. XD But I don't blame her at all. -cough-hence tragedy genre-cough
*flourishing bow* And thank you for your wonderful input! Makes Sev a happy-sadistic author.
:D Just so much material to be obsessed with . . . and Frodo is the most AMAZING protagonist in the world. Three years! I don't know if any of my obsessions have lasted that long-and, well, LOTR is lasting plenty long. :) I hope it keeps going; it feels great!
The seniors in my "nerd" class (that's what everybody calls it; it's the ACT on steroids + international competition for seven hours a weekend) were not pleased that my parents had never seen Lord of the Rings, so they convinced my parents, my older sister, and me to come watch it on two separate days. They said we weren't strong enough for a marathon, and boy, were they right. That was emotionally exhausting! But worth it. And I went and read the books in three days (I read, that's just what I do), freaked out about the Grey Havens, because I don't like goodbyes and I especially don't like how Frodo's life ended up-ja. And here I am . . . writing romances. XD
Sorry; done ranting. On to the angst!

The Nazgul came for her. Frodo could feel them . . . and under her subconscious power he answered to their call. Delamarth resisted, tried to transform and drag Frodo away from there, only for a hissing, high frequency to pierce her ears. Delamarth trembled as a voice crackled like static through the sound, and she fell hypnotized to it.

Come to me, my Precious. Come back to me; I rule you.

Frodo could not resist either. He felt drawn to the Ringwraith, stepping methodically and monotonously through the raging war between orcs and men. Sam cried out to him, but Frodo's ears were numb; he could not hear, nor would he care to. He stepped slowly onto a high stone balcony, and the Nazgul's dragon met him there, anticipatorily eyeing the Ring. Frodo and Delamarth attempted to protest as he lifted her into the air as far as the chain would stretch. The Nazgul reached down . . .

And Frodo fell away to Sam's grasp. The two hobbits rolled down the hill, and Delamarth's initial blackness caused her to scream with rage. She drove Frodo's furiosity; he yanked Sting from its sheath, throwing Sam from on top of him. He leaped over his friend and cried out with angered pain. He held the tip of the sword to Sam's throat, nearly running him through.

Sam stared up at his master, shocked and horrified. "It's your Sam," he managed. Delamarth began to regain consciousness when she heard Sam's voice, and she slowly relaxed her livid influence from over Frodo. "Don't you know your Sam?"

Soon Frodo's gaze widened with horror at the realization of what he had just about done. He fell away from Sam, and Sting clattered away from him on the stony ground.

"I'm so sorry," he breathed. "I can't do this, Sam."

As Sam did his best to reassure his hopeless friend, Delamarth grew sorrowful and hard. She had to fight herself, had to fight her very nature to be there for Frodo. She never wanted to see him like this again . . . but what if he couldn't recover from her influence?

Faramir led Frodo and Sam out of Osgiliath, and as he did so Delamarth turned on herself with sorrow as she had never done before. She felt like she'd ruined Frodo. She didn't regret anything she had done to Isildur, Smeagol, Sauron, or Bilbo, strangely enough. But hurting this bright little hobbit had turned her world around. She felt like a monster, like she didn't deserve to be anymore. Resignation trickled inside of her; perhaps if Frodo destroyed her he would no longer be in such pain.

As they moved forward towards Mordor, Delamarth lightened her load on his neck, almost purely out of guilt she had never felt before. Frodo actaully laughed that day as he spoke with Sam, something he had never done in front of her. She grinned to herself. Perhaps he could be healed, and perhaps she could be with him in circumstances of such.

But regardless of how it ended, any effort would be worth it if Frodo ever learned to care for her.