A.N/ Happy new year everyone! I'd just like to say a quick thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, it means a lot :) On with the first chapter of 2013!
Disclaimer... We own nothing, as usual...
Chapter Sixteen - Mushrooms
Kels' POV
We had been trekking for a fair amount of time when Sam stopped. The sun was high above us in the sky and we were entering a wheat field.
"This is it." I raised an eyebrow. He could be so melodramatic if he wanted to.
"This is what?" asked Frodo, turning back after realising that Sam had indeed stopped.
"If I take one more step it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been."
"Come on Sam," Seph coaxed, a sisterly smile on her face, and took his hand. "We'll take the step together. On the count of three. One... two... three!" and they both took a step forward.
"See! Wasn't that hard was it." Sam smiled and we continued on through the field.
After a couple of hours we set up camp. Well Seph and I set up camp while Sam cooked and Frodo lounged in a tree being ever so helpful.
"Do I smell sausages? And perhaps bacon?" asked Seph, wandering her way over to Sam.
"Aye, that ya do." A grin spread across my face.
"Man I love your cooking Sam." Sam of course turned beet red and the sausages in the pan suddenly looked really interesting.
"Can you hear that Kels?" I turned to Seph. Her ears were twitching slightly as she listened. A sweet, melancholy song danced through the air.
"Aye, I do."
"Wood elves!" exclaimed Frodo, leaping from his perch in the tree closely followed by Sam. We ran up a small hill and bent down behind a log to watch. The ethereal glow of the elves lit up the forest and I watched sadly as they made their way to the grey havens and onto the undying lands.
"They are going to the harbour, beyond the white tower, to the grey havens," Frodo whispered. Frodo and Sam continued their talk but I paid little heed. My eyes were transfixed on the sad figures of the elves before me.
"Kels." I spun around, snapping out of my stupor. Seph crouched in front of me with a small smile.
"We are heading back to camp," she whispered, gesturing over her shoulder. "Come on."
"Everywhere I lie there's a dirty great root stickin' into my back," muttered Sam from his place on the ground.
"And that Samwise is why it is called the great outdoors," exclaimed Seph from the other side of Frodo earning a snicker from me.
"Well it's alright for you two elves. You spent most o' your time outside anyways. Slept three nights a week in the garden or forest, you did Seph."
"Just shut your eyes and imagine you're back in your own bed, with a soft mattress and a lovely feather pillow." Sam finally stopped wriggling around and closed his eyes. After about five seconds he reopened them.
"It's not working Mr Frodo. I'm never gonna be able to sleep out here."
"Me neither Sam," whispered Frodo.
"Well you two suit yourselves! I'm getting some shut eye." Seph curled up next to me and grinned.
"If you two don't learn to sleep out here you're both going to drop dead on your feet by the weeks end."
Opening my eyes the next morning I saw Seph already up and packing all of our belongings away, the hobbits were asleep.
"I'm never going to be able to sleep out here!" squealed Seph in a high voice, flashing me a Cheshire cat grin.
"Me neither Sam!" I replied in a high and squeaky voice.
"Yeah, yeah guys we get it," muttered Frodo, sitting up. "Up you get Sam." Sam however ignored this and continued his snooze. I watched as Seph wandered off and returned with a bucket of water from the stream.
"Seph we have enough water." commented the dark haired hobbit who passed Seph and me an apple each.
"Not enough for what I am about to do." At which she turned and chucked the frigid water over the still sleeping form of Samwise Gamgee.
"Agh!" yelled Sam jolting upright.
"Look who's decided to join the world. Come on we were just having breakfast."
Walking through a cornfield I lazily whistled the theme to the Wizard of Oz and laughed at the priceless look on Sam's face when Seph made a random comment upon hearing my music.
"Follow the yellow brick road!" Sam began to turn around in circles, searching for the yellow brick road until Frodo explained what she had been talking about. I like the wizard of Oz. It's my favourite musical. We continued walking through the tall corn, tall enough to be above our heads.
"Mr Frodo," Came a shout.
"Sam's got lost!" I whispered, a hint of a smile on my lips.
"FRODO!" He yelled like the black riders were behind him, which I dearly hoped they were not.
"I thought I'd lost you!" He said, breathing hard. Frodo and Sam continued talking and I began to look around. If my calculations were correct there should be an incoming in three... two... one, and suddenly we were knocked flat on our backs by a pair of hobbits carrying vegetables.
"You two are total idiots!" exclaimed Seph. "Now we have Maggot after us! Not just some unseen and incredibly dangerous force! Just great!"
Just then the sound of dogs barking and Maggot's shouting floated over to us. I grabbed Merry and Sam, dragging into the corn behind Seph and the other two.
"You'd better run, run, run, run, run because there's gonna be some hell to pay," sang Seph.
"Not appropriate right now Seph! It is more important to get away from this guy!" I threw my mind back to my first meeting with the man and hoped that I would never have to repeat the experience. The small hobbit had scared me half to death until Seph stepped in and kindly pointed out that Pippin was stealing his mushrooms.
"I don't know why he's so upset!" yelled Merry as we bolted through the corn. "It's only a couple of carrots."
"And some cabbages!" added Pippin. "And those three bags of potatoes we left him last week. And then the mushrooms the week before!"
"Yes Pippin! My point is he is clearly overreacting.
"Damn, I just remembered something!" I yelled.
"You left your makeup at home?" called Seph.
"No! We are heading for the edge of a goddamn cliff!" I stopped along with Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Seph with a jolt. Sam who had not heard my warning barrelled straight into us.
As we rolled and skidded down the hill/cliff I mentally cursed my elvish balance for not helping in the slightest. Tumbling over a drop at the bottom we all landed in a pile on the forest floor, all except Seph who had skidded down on her bum, pushed herself off at the last moment and landed neatly on her feet a few yards from us.
"Oh. that was close." said Pippin and Seph rolled her eyes and dragged him from the bottom of the pile.
"You, little brother, need to stop stealing his crops!" Seph exclaimed and dusted him off before cuffing him lightly around the back of the head. "That is for getting us into this mess!"
"And this is for scaring us yesterday!" said Pip, punching her lightly on the arm. They laughed as any close friends or siblings do before helping us up. Sam had grass in his mouth and I had leaves in my hair.
"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took!" exclaimed Sam.
"What?" asked Merry "That was just a detour, a shortcut."
"Yeah right." I muttered, brushing myself down and checking that my sword was not damaged.
"A shortcut to what?" mumbled Sam, in the same frame of mind as me.
"Mushrooms!" stated Pippin. The hobbits, except Frodo leapt towards the pile of fungi.
"I don't think the road is safe," whispered Seph glancing around. Frodo began to pace.
"I think we should get off the road." Seph and I nodded, finding places to hide. Seph scaled an old horse chestnut tree with so many branches that her figure became lost in the leaves. I climbed under the root from the film. A strangled shrill scream echoed around us and I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Get off the road! Quick!" exclaimed Frodo and they all came and hid beside me. The sound of a horse above us made us freeze. I felt myself stop breathing and the air became visibly colder. The hobbits looked around, frightened and Pippin gripped my tunic tightly. A thud sounded as the rider dismounted. I did not have to look to know what was there. It leant down, over the ridge and I could see its metal gloved hand, menacing in the half light. Bugs began to crawl over us and I almost threw up as a centipede climbed over my shoulder. Frodo gasped slightly and his eyes widened, not focusing. His eyes closed and he subconsciously took the ring from his pocket and slowly, dramatically, went to put it on. The ringwraith above us turned and the horse gave a growling sound. I grabbed Frodo's hand and he shot back to consciousness, nodding to me. Suddenly, a loud sound came from Merry's side and the wraith screamed before riding off to investigate. Looking over I could see that the hobbits still had the mushrooms.
Seph dropped from the tree, into a crouch in front of us.
"I took it upon myself to throw a sack of conkers since you lot were too busy," she stood, brushing herself off. "However, now I think we should run." Without another word said we shot down the hill and through the undergrowth, over rocks and under branches.
"What was that?" asked Merry, falling to the ground.
"I know," I whispered. "But it is for neither Seph nor I to tell you." They nodded and got up and we continued on. The forest became increasingly dark and spooky. The trees looked like dark hands, reaching out to grab you. The wail of the nazgul split the air and we ran from tree to tree, staying out of sight.
"Anything?" called Sam.
"Nothing!" replied the blue eyed hobbit next to me.
"What is going on?" asked Pip, leaning against Seph with a sigh. "I wish I was back home." Looking down at Pippin Seph sighed.
"Be careful what you wish, you don't always get what you bargained for. And the worst part? you can never take it back." I knew what she was referring to and smiled sadly.
"That black rider was looking for something," pointed out Merry. "Or someone." He took a few steps forward and turned.
"Frodo?"
Frodo stared back apologetically.
"Get down!" I exclaimed in unison with Sam. We all dropped to the ground and looked up. The black rider was framed in the moonlight. It turned and went away.
"I have to leave the Shire." whispered Frodo. Merry looked at him and nodded. "Sam and I must get to Bree but we must take an unexpected path."
"Right..." Merry whispered in thought. His eyes snapped up. "Buckleberry ferry!" Seph chuckled.
"That rhymes!" I said.
"Not right now Kels!"
"Humour in a dark time is good for the soul!" She rolled her eyes as we ran for the ferry. We sprinted as fast as our legs would carry us. The black rider suddenly burst out of a tree and started in pursuit. Picking up Sam who was lagging behind, Seph led us to the ferry. We reached a fence which we hurdled and continued down, the river came into sight. We ran down and leapt onto the ferry. I turned and noticed that Frodo was lagging behind.
"Frodo!" I screamed. The black rider was on his tail and gaining ground fast. The hobbits untied the boat as Frodo neared. We were all screaming for him.
"Go!" he yelled and Sam pushed off.
"Jump Frodo I'll catch you!" yelled Seph. He leapt and very nearly missed but Seph's strong arms grabbed him and pulled him aboard before he hit the water. The rider stopped at the edge of the gangway and the horse rose up on its hind legs growling and the wraith wailed once again before turning back and heading into the mist.
"How far to the nearest crossing?" choked Frodo painfully as he tried to regain his breath.
"Brandywine bridge," answered Merry, rowing. "Twenty miles!" We watched in horror as the silhouettes of two more black riders joined that of our attacker.
"We need to head through the old forest," Pippin said, looking up at the others. "It's the quickest route to Bree and they won't follow us in there.
"Agreed!" said Sam. "We head through the old forest!"
"But mind Withywindle Valley," added Merry. I nodded knowing that 'trying to avoid it' would do no good but decided to keep my mouth shut.
"Then it is decided," said Frodo. "We take the path of the old forest."
A.N/ Thanks for reading, please leave a review :)