Frodo awoke to the sound of clomping hoofbeats. The walls were dark and enclosed. Wooden, too. Wait.
NOOO! He was trapped inside a chest! How could that be? Oh, Thomas tricked him! That sniveling hobbit tricked him!
"Get me out of here! NOW!" Frodo said, not liking being locked in a chest. He kicked and banged against the lid, doing everything he could to get free.
Fortunately, the chest lid opened. He stood up, realizing he was back in Bree, with the white and brown buildings surrounding him. He was in the town square. And there was Merry and Pippin riding on horseback, coming to greet him. Sam followed too, also on horseback. And there, standing before Frodo was a tall man with a disdainful look on his face.
"Longshanks, meet your new servant," Thomas said, passing to the man gold coins.
"What?" Frodo said, charging towards Thomas and shoving him onto the cobbled stone ground.
"Mr. Frodo, we've been looking everywhere for you!" Sam called, grateful to see him.
"We searched everywhere in Bree for you! We feared the worse!" Merry said, hugging his cousin.
Pippin snatched the coins back from Longshanks, telling him, "Frodo is in our care, not yours. You won't need him anymore."
Thomas sniveled, not liking being caught. "What are you doing? You took my rights away when you learned of the Salvia plant! Now I intend to make you pay!"
"Then you know the reason why we caught you the first time!" Sam inquired, pulling out his sword.
Silvia ran, hoping for cover. She was caught by Pippin, who dragged her back to the town square. "What should I do with you? Throw you in the cells?" Pippin asked, smiling at her.
"The Mayor will take care of that," the current Mayor of Bree came out, nodding to the soldiers to take Silvia away. Thomas pulled out his sword, charging at Frodo without warning.
"Frodo, look out!" Pippin called in time, for Frodo dodged the blow. Pippin pulled out his second dagger, passing to his cousin. "Here. Use this!" He tossed the dagger on the ground, giving Frodo a chance to pick it up, pointing it at Thomas in retaliation.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do, boy. Why you side with them and not me?" Thomas asked, concerned.
"Oh please," Frodo said, curtly. "You nearly had me fooled. And to think that I trusted you. And you betrayed my trust more than once, kept me prisoner, and were about to sell me off to Longshanks. How many times must you have scoured throughout the Shire and Bree-land to get what you wanted." He shook his head. "Well, you're not getting that now. Not on my watch."
"I'll kill you—" Thomas gasped, collapsing on the ground, dead. Frodo looked up, astonished to see that Sam's sword had blood covered on it. Sam had killed Thomas.
"Why? Why would you do that?" Frodo asked, sheathing his weapon.
"He was about to kill you. I couldn't risk it," Sam said, nodding.
Frodo nodded in return. "Thank you."
"It was worth saving a friend for," Sam said with a small smirk.
"What shall we do with Longshanks?" Pippin asked, curiously.
"This isn't over! My time is not up yet! You'll see!" Longshanks ran off without another word.
"You've done a brave thing today, hobbits." The Mayor said, delighted to see the four hobbit musketeers alive and well. "I'm sure King Elessar will be pleased to hear your efforts were successful."
"As successful as they can be," Frodo said, facing Sam. "Sam, it's time to go home."
"Right," Sam said, following Frodo into the stables, where he found and mounted his pony. Sam did the same, regrouping with Merry and Pippin, before leaving Bree-town in good spirits!