Deagol was sitting at his kitchen table, reading when Smeagol burst in on him. He glanced over and opened his mouth to say hello, but stopped when he saw the look on Smeagol's face. Smeagol marched up to him and threw the axe down so it landed in the table, and Deagol jumped up and away from his seat, part of him wondering if Smeagol had been trying to hit him.
"Smeagol!" he exclaimed. "What are you-"
"Hope's gone," Smeagol cut in. Deagol opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again, forgetting what he was going to say anyway. "We got separated in the woods... I heard her screaming, and I found that-" he gestured to the axe. "It's got blood on it."
Deagol, still slightly confused as to what was going on turned his head and looked over at the axe head. Sure enough there was blood on it. Not a lot, but it enough to be noticed. "Is it her blood?" asked Deagol, looking back at him.
"I don't know," said Smeagol, his voice sounding flustered. "I looked for her, but I couldn't find her." He paced around, then looked at Deagol. "I think... I think he got her."
"Matteus?" asked Deagol. "That strange hobbit that lives in the woods? What would he have against Hope?"
"He attacked her the other night," said Smeagol. "Why wouldn't he get her now?"
"That was him?" asked Deagol. "No one told me who had done it..."
"Yes, it was him," snapped Smeagol, now becoming impatient. "I can't find her. Not alone."
"I'll go with you," said Deagol. "Let's go now! We can't just leave her there..." He jumped up, grabbing a cloak. "Should we bring anyone else?"
"Who would believe us?" asked Smeagol. "And if they did who would help? We shouldn't even bother. Hurry!"
Deagol threw on the cloak and the two of them burst out into the rain.
----
Hope wiped tears from her face, looking down at the bandages around her ankle. It felt like it was still throbbing, though the pain had died down. Behind her Matteus was finally taking care of himself, washing out the wound and covering it in bandages. He cursed a few times, and she looked over at the blood flowing all over his hands. She shuddered, then looked away, waiting for him to be done.
"Who was that hobbit?" she asked, her back still facing him. She didn't expect him to tell her, considering he had been fighting her for the last hour, but when he grunted her hope rose.
"His name is Richard Fetter," answered Matteus. "And he was trying ter kill you because he's still angry about what you've done with his daughter."
"His daughter?" asked Hope, trying to remember. "Samara?" she asked. "Samara's his daughter?"
"Yes," answered Matteus. "He's been after you for a few weeks now. You and yer little friend... Smeagol, or whatever his name was..."
"What!" cried Hope. "How did you know? And why were you following me?"
"I was not following you," he answered looking up at her. "I was following him." Hope turned herself to face him better, ready for an explanation.
"A few days before he was shunned, the bloake shows up at my doorstep all in a panic. Says someone in the village suspects him of hurting his daughter. Asks me to help him prove himself innocent."
"He was a friend of yours?" Hope interrupted.
"He was," answered Matteus with a nod. "But there was something not quite right about him. He was rather... twitchy if you catch my meaning. And you can always tell when someone's not bein' all together honesty with you." He shook his head and finished up with the bandage, taking a seat in a green chair beside the fireplace, his eyes not leaving the flames. "So I says to him I would keep an eye on things. Of course he thought I meant I would help him, but I really meant I would be keepin' a watchful eye on him. The next day I came to his house but he wasn't home, and neither was his wife or daughter. That's when I knew something was amiss. I tracked them down by that well and saw them dump her in, but I didn't stick around long enough to see you get thrown in as well." Hope shuddered at the memory. It had been so cold and dark down there...
"I went home and waited then. Sure enough the two of 'em came runnin' to my door, tellin' me they's in some sort of trouble. I told them, 'You bet you're in trouble' and I caught 'em both, tying their hands together and I took them to the matriarch to let her deal with them there. Sometimes I wish I'd had just killed 'em." Hope nodded, able to understand that. "Last week I walked by and saw you and that Smeagol chap by the lake, talking and laughing. Behing you two was a figure in the bushes, watching you closely, but never moving much ter avoid being caught. It didn't take long for me ter realize it was him. And that's when I knew he was up ter no good." He paused for a moment then gave her a wary look.
"He's been following you closely. He knows where you live, who your friends are, where you usually go during the day, he even knows about that secret love connection you have with that Smeagol. He knows almost everything." The color drained from Hope's face. "You're no longer safe here."
"Why haven't you stopped him?" she asked. "If you've seen him, why haven't you done anything?"
"I've tried, but he's gotten crafty. I almost had him the other night when you were sleep walking. If you hadn't woken up I probably would have had him."
"And today?"
"I heard you screaming and knew he was up ter something. I didn't get him, but I came close. He's been hurt bad. He won't be able ter do much for a while. He's probly got a funny gimp now," he smiled to himself, proud of that thought.
"There's something I still don't understand," muttered Hope. He looked at her, ready to answer he question. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because it never sat well with me what he did ter that child," he said with a sigh. "Never sat well at all. The way I see it, I wanna put that sorry bastard through as much pain as he put that little girl through."
Hope smiled a little and sat back. Then something dawned on her that hadn't for a while and she sat up again. "Oh no," she muttered. "Smeagol!" Matteus looked at her confused. "He had been with me and we got seperated... he may still be out there looking for me! I gotta find him!" She tried to get up, but suddenly remembered her ankle.
"I'll give you one of my ponies to ride," said Matteus, standing up and walking over to her to pick her up again. "Get yourself home quickly, and don't go wandering until I tell you personally that it's safe."
"But what about-"
"I'll find him," cut in Matteus. "Right now you need ter get home. You're not safe here either." He picked her up into his arms and took her out back where he sat her on the back of a pony. Hope rode off without asking another question, but it didn't occur to her until she was a good distance away that she didn't remember the way back.
----