I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my story so far, you have no idea how much reviews make my crappy day not so crappy. I don't know when I'll be back on this story since my muse has moved onto something else, but as soon as I can lasso it in, I will be providing another chapter. Thank you ahead of time for your patients
Chapter 4: The Ring is Found
After the abrupt departure of Gandalf, life in the Shire went back to normal, or as normal as it could be with me there. For the first few months the hobbits were hesitant of me. They would shy away when I went into the center of town, and send suspicious glances at me, no doubt they trusted me little. As time progressed their hesitation turned to fascination after they learned the odd jobs I could do. They were amazed that I could reach higher into the apple trees and cut the wheat faster and farther then they could. I soon became one to hire for odd jobs that needed my "advantage." Mostly I worked in the Green Dragon, but the other jobs helped me to get out during the day.
Living in the Shire was pretty boring actually, now that I think back on it all. In books, we, the readers, were always able to read past the boring parts and skip to the action. I unfortunately had to live it. My life became a constant routine day after day. I'd wake up, usually around dawn (I had an east facing window with crappy curtains), then I would get up and dress in breeches and a tunic that was especially made for me. I didn't like to wear the clothes I came in, since they were one of the only pieces of home I had left. I had told Frodo of my being "lost" and he gladly contributed to help me as much as he could. He soon became a dear friend of mine, as did Sam.
The rest of my day was spent helping Frodo or some of the other hobbit around town. Sam especially liked me to help him when he found I had love of gardening. I also took time during the day to read up on the history of Middle-Earth or whatever book I could get my hands on. As I said before I had read a few of the Lord of the Rings books, but never intensely studied them. My peaceful existence in the Shire allowed me to do that.
Night would more often than not find me helping Rosie; you know the hobbit that Sam was all twitterpatted for, at the Green Dragon. Rambunctious/drunk hobbits are pretty funny creatures. They're all happy drunks too, which made my life easier.
I found myself one night humming to one of Merry's and Pippin's drinking songs as I stood behind the bar, cleaning and refilling the mugs of ale. Their voices echoed off the walls of the lively tavern as other hobbits joined into their singing;
"Hey oh to the Pub I go, to heal my heart and down my woe. Rain may fall and wind may blow, but there still be many miles to go. Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain and the stream that flows from hill to plain. Better than rain or rippling brook . . . ."
"Is mug of beer in side this Took!" Pippin ended triumphantly as cheers erupted all around him. I laughed along with everyone else then continued working until Rosie let me off as Sam and Frodo were heading home.
"Mind who your sweet talking," Sam grumbled as an overly drunk hobbit decided to play Romeo to Rosie as we were all leaving. I just chuckled and skipped ahead of the boys thinking that this event seemed very familiar but I couldn't quite place where.
The three of us meandered our way home. Frodo and I said good-bye to Sam at his hobbit hole and continued on up to Bag End in comfortable silence. Frodo entered into the house first, but stopped in the entryway, looking around at the darkened house. I entered after, stooping down under the doorway. The house had this eerie feel to it with the papers blowing about and the deadly silence, like some kind of horror film. I'm surprised creepy organ music hadn't begun to filter through.
I brushed past Frodo and walked over to start a fire in the hearth, hoping to dispel the frightening darkness that had us both on edge. Frodo started walking toward the back of the house when a hand reached out from the shadows, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around. He let out a cry and I screamed when Gandalf's head appeared in the light. I quickly got down and lit the fire; bring its glow and warmth into the house as Frodo walked over to the chest in the corner, pulling the envelope that contained the Ring from its depths.
Gandalf was a wee bit jumpy during this time, flinching and spinning around at the smallest noise. I walked over and plopped down in a chair as he snatched the envelope from Frodo's outstretched hands, throwing it into the fire. Frodo went to protest, but I just shushed him, advising him to trust in Gandalf. He nodded his head reluctantly and watched when Gandalf took a pair of thongs and brought the Ring from the fire.
"Hold out your hand, Frodo," Gandalf asked the bewildered hobbit. "It's quite cool."
Frodo did as he was told. He recoiled his hand slightly as the gold band touched his flesh, but was confused, I could see that the Ring was as Gandalf said.
I sat back in the chair, trying to ease the tension from between my shoulder blades from Gandalf popping out of the shadows like the monkey wizard he is. I glanced out of the window my chair was by and noticed a certain gardening hobbit sneaking over to the window. I smirked and turned back to the conversation at hand. Frodo was turning the Ring over and over, examining it.
"Nothing, there's nothing," He said to the back of Gandalf, who was currently watching the night. Gandalf relaxed briefly until Frodo muttered, "Wait. There are markings. It's some form of Elvish, I can't read it."
"That's because it isn't Elvish, it's Mordorian," I muttered. Gandalf glanced down to me then turned to Frodo.
"There are few that can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here."
Didn't I just say that?
"Mordor?!" Frodo exclaimed.
"In common tongue it says. . ."
" 'One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them and in the darkness bind them.'" I interrupted, sitting forward in my chair. The two of them had spun and looked at me as I gave the translation. Neither knew of the knowledge that I had, and I was planning to keep it that way. . . .sort of.
"How do you know that?" Frodo asked.
I shrugged, and then pushed myself out of the chair, "Lucky guess?" They didn't believe me.
"How much do you know?" Gandalf asked.
"Enough. Look this is the One Ring," I reasoned, gesturing to Frodo's hand. Both he and Gandalf looked down upon it in wonderment. Rolling my eyes I took Frodo by the shoulders and led him into the kitchen, forcing him to plop down in a seat while I went about making tea. Gandalf followed us and saw the lapse of time as a good moment to continue what I started.
"As Stephanie said, this is the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom."
"Name is very apropos." I shuttered thinking of the movie's image of it.
Gandalf continued on, ignoring me. "Take by Isildur from the hand of Sauron himself."
I nodded as I poured the hot water into the kettle. "Bilbo found it, in Gollum's cave when he went adventuring."
"Yes, you are quite right," Gandalf remarked. Frodo was shocked that the One Ring was right here on the table. "For 60 years the Ring lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping, prolonging his life, delaying old age, but no longer. Evil is stirring in Mordor. The Ring has heard its master's call."
We all looked to the Ring as strange muttering was heard from it.
"Why didn't you tell me if you knew?" Frodo asked me. He seemed almost hurt by my lack of information.
"It wasn't my place. Fate works in a certain way, I wasn't going to intervene. I'm sorry but I just couldn't," I added sincerely. "This isn't good, is it Gandalf?"
"No, I'm afraid it's not."
"But he was destroyed. Sauron was destroyed," Frodo insisted.
"He wasn't completely." Both hobbit and wizard turned to me. "Sauron's life is connected to the fate of the Ring. As long as it exists, he will never be completely gone. Kind of like the Energizer Bunny. Just keeps going and going and going and. . . ." They just blinked at me. "Never mind," I sighed.
"I think what Stephanie is trying to say," Gandalf went on. "Is that the Spirit of Sauron endured. His life force is bound to the Ring, and the Ring survived."
Do I hear an echo?
"Sauron has returned. His orcs have multiplied. His fortress at Barad-dur is rebuilt in the lands of Mordor. Sauron needs only this Ring to cover all the lands in a second darkness. He is seeking it. All of his thoughts are bent on it, for the Ring yearns above all else to return to the hand of its master."
"They are one, the Ring and the Dark Lord . . . . Like Voldemort and Harry and the horcrux . . . . . but you have no idea what I'm talking about so I'm going to shut up now." I added when I was met with blank looks . . . again. Ok, I need to watch my references. "Let's just say that we don't want Sauron to find it."
"Alright," Frodo said, picking the Ring off of the table and hurrying out of the kitchen. "We'll put it away. We keep it hidden. We will never speak of it again. No one knows that it is here, do they?" He was met with silence. Frodo turned around and almost desperately asked, "Do they Gandalf?"
Um . . . I'll take that as a no.
"There was one other that knew Bilbo had the Ring. I look everywhere for the creature Gollum, but the enemy found him first. I don't know how long they tortured him, but amidst the endless screams and inane babble, they discerned two words. . ."
"Shire and Baggins!" I exclaimed, remembering what was coming after us. An image of the wraiths entered my head and I shuttered involuntarily.
"But that would lead them here!" Frodo shouted using the same tone as me. My eyes widened at the knowledge of the threat and my heart started to thud painfully in my chest. I rushed past the hobbit and wizard, down the hallway to my room. Last I heard Frodo was trying to offer the Ring to Gandalf.
As I threw the door open I dropped to my knees and reached under the bed, pulling my backpack from its depths. Racing around the room I hurled my clothes, books, and other possessions I had gathered throughout my time on to the bed, then began stuffing the objects into the bag. Zipping it shut, I snatched my cloak off of the hook on the back of the door and dashed out of the room, turning back only briefly to make sure I got everything. I knew I wasn't coming back.
I entered the parlor, fastening my cloak as I went, and watched as Gandalf hurled in a very frightened Samwise Gamgee.
"Confound it all, Samwise Gamgee! Have you been eavesdropping?" Gandalf shouted.
"I haven't been dropping no eaves, sir. Honest. I was cutting the grass under the window there, if you follow me," a startled Sam squeaked out. I almost felt sorry for him.
"A little late for trimming the verge, don't you think?" Gandalf asked, placing his hands on his hips. I walked up behind Frodo, who gave me a sympathetic smile.
"I heard raised voices," Sam continued.
"What did you hear? Speak!" Gandalf demanded.
"N-nothing important," He stuttered. "That is I heard a great deal about a ring, a Dark Lord, and something about the end of the world, but please Mr. Gandalf, sir. Don't hurt me. Don't turn me into anything . . . . unnatural." Sam ended weakly, frightened for his hobbitness.
I snorted at Sam's statement. For some reason an image of him as a frog, hopping around, popped into my mind.
"No?" Gandalf glanced up at Frodo and me, amusement evident in his crystal eyes. "Perhaps not. I've thought of a better use for you."
Sam swallowed visibly, fearing what Gandalf had in store for him. I stepped up quickly, brushing past Frodo, and stood in front of Gandalf.
"I'm coming too," I insisted quickly.
"What? Stephanie, I don't believe . . ." Gandalf began, looking down at me.
"I'm coming," I persisted firmly. I glared up at him, matching my stubbornness to his own.
"Yes, Gandalf let her come. She may be able to help."
Thank you, Frodo! Gandalf, however, didn't look too convinced.
"Besides, the servants of Sauron are coming. We cannot allow her to face them alone or at all. Who knows what they would do to her to find out where the Ring is."
Wow, never thought of that. I just wanted to go on the adventure, like I had always dreamed about. Meeting Mr. Dementors hadn't even crossed my mind. Smart hobbit.
Gandalf took a hard look at me and nodded in agreement. "No, you're right. It would not do to let Stephanie face those creatures. You will come with us, as will you Mr. Gamgee. Now, let us go."
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