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Sam and the children waited, terrified, as the Orcs had passed. The singing, banging column went on and on for what seemed like hours.
Rose started to cry quietly, her sobs muffled in Elanor's cloak. Elanor patted her comfortingly, but shared Sam's worry that the Orcs would hear them. They could notice any second, and if they did… Elanor did not want to think about that.
But the Orcs didn't hear Rosie's crying or Elanor's heart pounding. They passed, and the Hobbits heard their chants and yells fading away.
When they could barely hear them, Elanor started to steer her pony back to the road, but Sam grabbed her arm.
"Wait," he hissed. "They are still near."
Elanor waited impatiently for a while until the Orcs were far enough away that they couldn't hear them. She caught Sam's eye, but he shook his head. Elanor sighed, but obeyed her father.
Finally, Sam gave his pony's sides a little squeeze and the pony, still trembling with fright, walked onto the road. Sam gave him a reassuring pat.
Elanor looked happy to be back on the road but Frodo was still pale and shaken and Rosie was still near tears.
Sam was a bit worried himself. Seeing Uruks that close to the Shire couldn't be a good thing. Wherever they were, there was fighting and killing and Sam wanted no part of that, especially when his children were there.
He soon saw that Rosie and Frodo were too tired and distressed to go on any longer, so he called a rest break. No sooner had they tumbled off the ponies and curled up than the two younger children were asleep.
Elanor and Sam moved a few feet away so as not to wake the little ones and then made a fire to cook dinner. Some of the meat they had brought from Hobbiton was in the pot cooking when Elanor spoke:
"Dad?" she asked hesitantly.
Sam looked at her to show that he was listening.
"What were those Orcs doing here? I thought that they were all gone since you and Uncle Frodo destroyed Him, but now they're just outside the Shire. And even when He was around, there weren't Orcs here, were there?"
Sam shook his head.
"Elanor," he said slowly. "I don't know what to tell you. Except while we were trying to get the Ring out, to my knowledge there have never been Dark creatures this near the Shire. I certainly hope that the Orcs don't have a new Dark Lord to rule them and that they're just wandering around making trouble, but I don't know."
"Oh," Elanor whispered.
Sam could see that Elanor knew how worried he was and was deciding not to talk about it. He was going to try to have a cheerful conversation, but suddenly, he felt so tired that he could barely lie down and pull a blanket around himself before he fell asleep. As his eyes closed, he saw the little ones sleeping and Elanor curling up next to him.
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