Life passed in the Shire, much as it always did, full of its own comings and goings. The ring slipped from Frodo's mind as he went about his daily duties. The only person still thinking about the ring and it's presence in the Shire was Ivy. She could not forget the warning the plants had given her, it dwelt heavily on her mind. There was always something just on the edge of her consciousness teasing her, put it on, go on you know you want to.
Two full moons had come and gone when, on a balmy summer evening, Ivy and Frodo were enjoying their ale, out the front of the Green Dragon. Which was and always had been the best and only pub in Hobbiton. The last thing on their minds was the ring; even Ivy had found distraction with good company and fine ale. Ivy was listening to soft, soothing whispers of the Earth aware of Frodo talking animatedly to Sam about Bilbo's unexpected departure. For long had Sam yearned to travel to Rivendell meet the elves.
Once Sam's voice became slurred, Ivy suggested they retire lest the hobbits suffer illness the next morn, Ivy had never felt more than a slight tingling sensation in her fingers from ale consumption, and it amused her greatly to watch her little friends struggle to walk or sit successfully in a chair with out missing or falling off.
"Come on Frodo, we really must return home" said Ivy, standing up and smoothing her clothes.
Frodo and Sam stood, rather unsteadily and followed Ivy down the road to Bag End. Frodo and Ivy bid Sam farewell at the gate. Ivy noticed that a window was open, but thought nothing of it, thinking that Frodo must have opened it before they left to air the house after the long winter.
They entered the dark house, to find most of Bilbo's maps and notes strewn across the floor.
"I do not recall opening that window," said Frodo.
"Perhaps that is because you are intoxicated," said Ivy, laughing.
"Shhh…" whispered Frodo.
They heard a creak come from down the hallway.
The air went unusually still.
Frodo felt a hand on his shoulder and Gandalf's face appeared in front of him.
"Is it secret? Is it safe?" he asked urgently.
"Yes……"stammered Frodo, "I think so"
"Show it to me"
Frodo hurried over to the old chest in the corner of their living room and dug the envelope that contained the ring from the bottom of the chest. He held it out to Gandalf, who immediately snatched it and threw it into the fire that Ivy had lit to cook their second supper upon.
Frodo looked at Gandalf curiously, wondering what had possessed the wizard to such a change in demeanor and hasty actions. Gandalf waited until the paper had burned away and lifted the ring out of the fire with the fire tongs.
"Take it, it's quite cool" he assured Frodo.
Frodo held out his hand and felt the ring drop into his hand.
"What can you see?" asked Gandalf.
"Nothing" replied Frodo, examining the golden band.
Gandalf breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wait," Frodo exclaimed, "There are markings. It's some form of elvish. I cannot read it"
"There are few who can. It is the language of Mordor of which I will not utter here"
As the evil words glowed brighter, casting an eerie red hue over the room, Ivy felt the living things surround her home begin to cry out in fear and she covered her ears in a futile attempt to block their voices out. She reached out to them with her mind and begged them to be quiet for their sound was overpowering.
"It roughly reads," Gandalf continued, "In the common tongue, one ring to rule them all, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them"
"It is the one ring, forged by Sauron himself; he filled it with his malice and his hate,"
"Take it Gandalf, take it," Frodo insisted.
"No I can not, through me it would wield a power too great, although I would use it for a desire to do good,"
"But it can not stay here," Frodo pleaded, "It cannot stay in the shire"
"No it cannot, master Baggins,"
Ivy stood up.
"We must take it away from here Frodo,"
Gandalf closed his eyes for a moment; he had known this moment was coming for many years, yet he had hoped to avoid it. Now he must send two of his beloved friends into the very path of the evil he wished to shield them from.
There was a rustling in the plants outside of the open window. Gandalf motioned for Ivy and Frodo to get down. Quietly he went over to the window and poked his staff down into the thick shrubbery under the window sill. Gandalf lunged out and grabbed a very startled Sam by the collar and pulled him in through the window.
"Curse you Samwise Gamgee, what have you heard?" Gandalf said, lifting Sam onto the table.
"Nothing, I swear, that is, I heard a great deal about a ring and the dark lord. Please Mr. Gandalf sir; don't turn me into anything…unnatural" Sam stammered frightened by the flash of anger he saw in Gandalf's usually friendly eyes.
"No, perhaps not." Gandalf said, with a twinkle in his eye, his humor returned "I have something else in mind for you. You will accompany Frodo and Ivy on their journey."
Sam pulled himself together and rushed out of the front door, hurrying home to pack his traveling gear and his beloved cooking pots, before Gandalf could change his mind. Ivy and Frodo did the same, milling around the house stuffing clothes, food and drinking water into strong backpacks. When they were done and Sam had returned after bidding his Old Gaffer a rather tear-filled farewell, they started out of the front door.
"I must leave you for a time my friends," Gandalf said in a hushed tone as Frodo tucked the ring safely in his pocket. Sensing their panic Gandalf reassured them.
"I will meet you at the Prancing Pony Inn at Bree; I will be there when you arrive."
It was just after dawn, and the first pink rays of sun were cracking the cold, grey sky when Frodo, Sam and Ivy reached the edge of Farmer Maggots farm. They had been walking for two days straight, only stopping for sleep, which they did sparingly taking turns to keep watch huddling around in a small group, too afraid to light a fire. The trio undertook most of their journey in silence, thoughts bearing heavily on their minds and anxiety curling in their stomachs. Ivy occasionally broke out in song at spontaneous intervals, in an attempt to block out the desperate cries for help from the plants they passed by on their travels.
It also soothed Frodo and Sam, hearing her sweet earthy voice drift through the air, making them think of home and for short moments forget about their mission and the danger that was now present in their once simple and pleasant lives. They continued on through Farmer Maggot's farm until Sam stopped suddenly, just before they reached the cornfields.
"What is it Sam?" asked Frodo, turning to face him.
"If I take another step, it'll be the farthest I've ever been from home"
Ivy smiled at Sam. Good old Sam she thought, you could always count on him to think of the little things.
"Come on Sam" said Frodo, walking back to meet him.
Sam reluctantly took a step forward and Ivy fell into step behind him, to make sure he didn't immediately turn and run back home. They entered the fields, with Frodo in the lead. Before long they had lost sight of Frodo his height ensuring he disappeared among the tall corn.
"Mr. Frodo?" called Sam, glancing at Ivy anxiously. "Mr. Frodo? FRODO?"
Frodo who had hurried back towards Ivy and Sam upon hearing his name appeared from around the corner back into their sight a worried look on his face.
"What is it Sam?" asked Frodo, concern evident in his voice.
"Nothing, it's just something Gandalf said," said Sam nodding as if trying to reassure himself as well as Frodo.
"What did he say?" said Frodo, rather fondly, smiling at his old friend.
"'Don't you lose him Samwise Gamgee!' And I don't mean to."
"We're still in the Shire Sam. What could possibly happen?"
At that instant, both Ivy and Frodo were knocked over. Sam was torn between trying to help Frodo or Ivy, his loyalties and chivalry splitting him down the centre, while Sam was caught in hesitation a head popped up from the pile bodies.
"Frodo!" Yelled Pippin, excited to see his much adored, older cousin. "Merry! It's Frodo Baggins"
"Hello Frodo!" said Merry, brushing himself off and straightening his waist coat.
"And Ivy too!" said Pippin, going a gentle shade of pink. Ivy smiled at Pippin, causing him to go even redder, and her to giggle a little at his embarrassment.
"What are you two doing?" demanded Sam, looking at them and taking in their armfuls of vegetables. "You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!" he said accusingly.
They all heard distant cries and barking. Ivy turned and led the way through the corn, ignoring the pleas of caution from the plants, to not go that way. She was about to turn and see where the others were, when she suddenly stopped, before she fell over a cliff. Not a large cliff, but a cliff all the same.
Sam, Merry, Pippin and Frodo, who in their haste to escape Farmer Maggot's wrath had not been watching where they were running, smacked into Ivy, sending her tumbling down out of control tearing her dress slightly on a rough tree root and the hobbits fell after her.
The group landed in a heap right next to the main road and with much muttering and rubbing of sore joints they untangled themselves.
"I think I've broken something," said Merry, reaching beneath him and pulling out a broken carrot.
"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took," muttered Sam, helping Frodo to his feet.
"It was just a detour, a shortcut," said Merry.
"A shortcut to what?" said Ivy.
"Mushrooms!" said Pippin, in surprise.
Sam, Merry and Pippin ran over and began collecting mushrooms. Frodo stood in the middle of the road and Ivy was watching Frodo closely. She could feel the darkness creeping up the road and she could hear the sound of horse hooves.
"I think we should get off the road," said Ivy, not removing her eyes from Frodo.
"Get off the road!" yelled Frodo.
They all scrambled over a tree root and hid beneath it. Sam, Merry and Pippin still looking at their finds, quietly exclaiming over their good fortune. Ivy could hear nothing now, but the cries of the plants that surrounded them. She placed her hands over her ears to try and block out the sound. A horse's whinny sounded somewhere above them, and Frodo turned to look through the gnarled tree roots.
A foot stepped heavily onto the road, encased in metal. Frodo immediately turned back and leaned as far as he could into the tree, pushing himself back against its hard surface. The being sniffed the air, as though trying to smell the hobbits. Frodo's eyes rolled back into his head and his hand reached for the ring. He pulled it out and was about to put it on, when Sam reached over and put his hand over Frodo's, snapping him out of his trance like state. Frodo immediately came to his senses and put the ring safely away in his pocket once more, much to Sam's relief. Pippin threw a log away from them sending the being hunting off in the opposite direction. They all scrambled back over the log and away from the being and his steed.
They flew down the forest path towards the Brandywine ferry. Ivy let her hopes begin to rise as they saw its lanterns shining just ahead. The plants started screaming to her, terror was gripping them, and they were frantic. Ivy was just about to share the warning with the Hobbits when the Nazgul came galloping down the path behind them. They made a last effort to sprint for the ferry. Sam, Frodo and Merry jumped on but Pippin, who was a little shorter than the others, fell behind and in his terror tripped.
With no time for tact, Ivy roughly grabbed him up like a small child and roughly threw him on to the raft. She then called out to the trees, shrubs and grasses that began to reach out with long branches and tentacles, snagging the Nazgul and slowing his approach. She turned and leapt on to the ferry. The Hobbits, all shaking with fear, huddled close to her seeking comfort in her motherly aura.
Ivy drew the hobbits in close around her and whispered soothing words, cradling them in her skirts like a mother hen. As soon as the ferry landed on the far side of the bank she roused them out of there protective huddle and they silently followed her as she lead them to Bree. The trees on the far bank had witnessed the horrific scene and were probing Ivy's mind with questions regarding her wellbeing. She snapped at them telling them she was fine. The plants recoiled from her mind, wounded by her brashness. She sighed softly, feeling her way through the dark, she had offended them, something she did not have time to rectify, hopefully one day she would be given the opportunity to return and beg for forgiveness from her old friends, but right now she had to concentrate on getting four very cold, scared hobbits to Bree and into the care of Gandalf.