Nasty Hobbitsess

Chapter 9

Merry stormed out of the cellar. He gave a last angry glance back at
the isolated old barn where Frodo was held, before marching through
the woods and back toward the inn. Pippin jumped as Merry burst in
their room.

"Sweet Elbereth! What is the matter with you?!" Pip yelled.

"He won't tell me! He WON'T tell me!"

"Tell you what, cousin Merry?"

Merry took the ring out of his pocket and showed it to Pippin. "He
won't tell me the use of it. He even laughed at me saying that I was
fool to ask about it. Worst of all, I DID feel foolish."

"Well, he was wrong, cousin! Of course you weren't being stupid, and
you'll never be! Asking is perfectly normal if one doesn't know
something."

Merry looked at Pippin intensely. Was Pippin just trying to cheer him
up or was he an absolute fool? Sometimes Merry couldn't stand
Pippin's complete innocence. He always seemed to be able to see the
positive side of everything. Suddenly Pip stretched out his hand,
palm up.

"Can I touch it, Merry?" his voice was as clear as that of the elves.
But the request surprised Merry.

"You may NOT touch it, Pip!" Merry snarled. "You know that. I got it
and it is mine now,"

Pippin recoiled. "I just want to know if there is some way I can find
out about its function," he said slowly. "Why are you so angry?"

Merry was still glaring at him. "You are not to ask anything about it
again, Pip! End of discussion. If you want to help me find out about
it, go ask Frodo. Make sure he gives you the answer this time,
Pippin, or he will see the consequence!"

***

Frodo had fallen into such a deep, long, slumber that he did not
realize that someone had entered the room bringing water. Was it
Merry?

***

(flashback)

It wasn't Merry. It was a Bree woman paid by Merry to bring Frodo
water – but nothing else. The woman carefully entered the room.
Lifting her lantern she searched for the hobbit thief she'd been
told was being kept here. Her light revealed a bedraggled looking
figure sprawled on the ground, motionless. There he was, lying on his
stomach in a corner with his right side of his face turned up. Only
the undamaged side of his face was visible under the pale light.


"This is not a hobbit! This is an elf, " she thought as she marveled
at his unearthly beauty. "He is too beautiful." She noted his angular
features and fair face. This creature did not show the broad, tanned
features usual to the halfling race.


But looking more closely, the woman noticed Frodo's knotted brow and
ragged breath. He seemed to be in the midst of a nightmare or in deep
pain. The woman cringed. She had a boy. And since she was one of the
big folk, she could tell that Frodo was more or less as big as her
boy was. The woman's maternal instinct surged through her. All of
the sudden she felt that she wanted to take the little one in her
arms and bring him away from this foul place. She had been told why
the hobbit was kept here, but now was sure it was due to an evil deed
of someone else. This pretty little creature had to be innocent.


***

Frodo reached around and eventually found the bottle. He put the
mouth of it on his lips and lifted it. When he realized, beyond hope,
that there was still water in it, his heart leapt with joy. He took
one sip and another and another. He wanted to gulp down every last
drop, but them thought the better of it. He shouldn't finish the
water right away, not with out knowing when he was going to be
released or when he might manage to free himself.

Frodo slumped back against the wall behind him. Desperate and
frightened, he started to sob. He wept softly for a moment. He felt
completely overwhelmed by everything that happhappened to him in the
last couple of days. And being in the basement was the worst for him.
He started to feel claustrophobic; feeling the air was too tight for
him to breathe. Once he hopelessly tried to loosen whatever
restricted his throat: his shirt and waistcoat. But it was useless.
Even after everything was loosened, he still felt choked. The hunger
that was purposely inflicted on him was successfully weakening him as
well. He was so frail now that he couldn't move without feeling dizzy
and nauseated.

"Mama," he whimpered softly, and tears ran down his cheeks once
more. "Let me die. Let me just die to come and be with you." Frodo
was so, so lonely and miserable. He curled up, trying to forget his
empty stomach, dizziness, and the pains all over his body. Slowly he
faded into shadow.

***

"What's the matter with you, woman?" snapped the man who happened to
be the owner of the Black Stallion Inn. "Don't you make a face like
that in front of the guests. People might think you've just lost a
relative. Cheer up!"

"Sorry," she mumbled. "But I couldn't put him out of my mind. Not
with the tortured expressions on his lovely face."

"What do you mean?!"

"You know of whom I speak. The prisoner Mr. Meriadoc asked me to take
care of. His condition is very bad. He was unconscious when I brought
his water. But you know; he looks so innocent. I have a feeling he's
not a thief at all!"

"Stay out of it, woman! That's not your business. Mr. Meriadoc said
he had stolen something from his own uncle. Can you imagine that? His
own uncle! We don't need to have pity to people who have the heart to
steal from their own kinsmen."

The woman didn't reply.

But then they didn't realize there were three pairs of eyes watching
and listening to their loud conversation. Those Isengard spies knew
exactly whom they were discussing. It had been days since they lost
track of the beautiful little hobbit. They knew he had been at the
Inn, but then disappeared. Recently, the only hobbit-sightings were
of the other two. And now when the word "beautiful" was mentioned,
they knew they had found the fablueblue-eyed hobbit - their prey.

TBC