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The Letter  by Antane

Chapter Six: Watchfulness

Frodo slept late so Aragorn was able to use that time to ask Sam for an excuse that would not rouse the Ring-bearer’s suspicions that they be allowed to speak away from Bag End for a little bit.

The gardener looked up concerned. "Well, we could go and get some more meat and bread. I had some stored away, but we could always use more. I don’t hardly want to leave Mr. Frodo alone though."

"I will stay with him," Faramir said and Sam looked much relieved.

"Then it’s settled," Aragorn said.

"What is?" came a voice from the threshold of the kitchen. Frodo looked tired and they all ached for him.

"That we are all going to out and get more food," Pippin said. "We don’t have nearly enough."

"Sam just filled up the pantry and the cold room before you came, Pip dear."

"Exactly, before he came," Merry quipped. "But he’s here now and he’s right."

Pippin looked quite offended. "I’ll have you know that I am still a growing tween..."

"Yes, we can all see that," Frodo said with a trace of humor that they all latched onto with a desperation that surprised them. "You and Merry both. All right, then, I can see your point. But why do you all need to go?"

"Well, Strider’s going to show Lady Arwen around Hobbiton because she hasn’t seen it before and..."

"Well, let me eat first, and then I can join you."

"You can’t," Pippin blurted out before he could stop himself.

"And whyever not?"

"Because that would ruin all his fun," Merry said smoothly, rescuing their cousin from the suddenly panic that rose in him. "You would stop him from getting all the cakes and other sweets that he feels he absolutely must have or he will perish from the earth."

Pippin’s offended look deepened. "I need my sustenance! I’ve barely made back all the weight I lost tramping across Middle-earth, not to mention..."

"Go and enjoy yourself, then, dearest," Frodo said. "You’d best go walking and not by cart, so you can work off all the candies you are going to eat on the way back. And you better wash your sticky hands as soon as you get back before you leaves prints everywhere!"

"Of course I will!"

"Wash your hands or leave prints everywhere?"

"Humph!" was all Pippin replied in as injured a tone as he could manage but everyone else was smiling since Frodo was strong enough to tease and the tween was more than happy to take all his cousin wished to give.

"Well, I suspect very much you are keeping me out of this so you can overbuy, but do have a care! I really think I should go with you."

"I thought we could spend the time finishing our discussion from yesterday," Faramir said smoothly. "And there’s also the matter of having another snowball fight to see if I can regain my lost honor."

Merry wasn’t quite successful in choking back a snort of laughter that he tried to cover with a cough.

"I would very much like to do that, my lord Steward," Frodo said with a slight bow in his direction. "But someone should be with my cousins to make sure they don’t get into any mischief."

"Sam will make sure of that," Gandalf said with a dangerous twinkle in his eye. "As will I."

Frodo laughed a little which was a balm to all their hearts. "Then I suppose the stores are protected enough from starving hobbit lads."

"Quite protected."

"We won’t be gone long, master," Sam said and there was a look between them that spoke of the mutual need that the separation be as minimal as possible.

"I look forward to seeing all the treasures you are going to bring back then. And you better save me some!"

Frodo watched them all leave. Pippin didn’t breathe easier until they were past the gate and he dared to look back to make sure they weren’t being followed.

"I thought we’d never get out of there!" he said.

"It’s lucky you have such a hungry stomach," Merry said.

"It’s not my fault I wasn’t fed properly for months and months and have to regain my strength."

"But you have been feed properly the months and months that followed your starvation, so you can’t well complain."

"So what is this all about anyway, Strider?" Pippin asked.

"It is a very grave matter," the king began and guided them away from the main path. He looked around to see if there were any others about, but the snow-laden trees shielded them from sight.

"In brief, I can tell you that Frodo remains in peril from the dark lord he helped defeat. Sam and I woke last night to check on him and he was being reached by Sauron."

"But he’s gone!" Pippin and Merry said together.

"He is defeated, but not destroyed," Gandalf said quietly. "He cannot take part in the affairs of the world again as he would have had he regained the Ring or even had it remained in the world yet not in his possession, but he is not completely powerless."

"And he can still reach Frodo because he bore the Ring?" Merry hazarded.

"All Ring-bearers are reachable by thought and can be influenced that way," Arwen said. "That is why the Elves took theirs off the moment they perceived that Sauron had made a Ring that could rule theirs and rule them if he could overthrow their wills."

"So he’s trying still to reach Mr. Frodo?" Rose asked, struggling to understand.

"Yes, my lady," the king continued and Rose blushed to be addressed so. "Thought is the only way he can hope to harm the one who destroyed his last chance at power. He still has some hold over Frodo, but he is finding anew that hobbits are dangerous creatures to try to meddle with." Here Aragorn smiled at Sam who blushed. The man then continued to address them all. "And Frodo himself is resisting. But he is weakened by his trials and it is possible that if he is not strictly watched, he may try to harm himself while under Sauron’s influence, if the assault proves too strong for him."

"How terrible!" Rose cried.

"We won’t let our guard slip for an instant!" Pippin said and all the other hobbits nodded in agreement.

Sam looked especially fierce in his determination. Aragorn smiled again and Gandalf behind his beard as the thought occurred independently to them both that this was who Shelob must have seen and what could she thought?

"We should have been there the whole time with him!" Pippin said. "We should be there now."

"If you had been there, my Took," Gandalf said, "then Faramir couldn’t be with him now."

Pippin sighed at the truth of that.

"He is well protected by more eyes than you can see," the wizard assured.

"And under attack as well," Merry said darkly.

* * *

Frodo and Faramir had finished their talk and the Ring-bearer was dozing in his favorite chair in the study while the man was reading on the many books in the room. He looked over at his slumbering friend and saw his brow creased but not otherwise in distress. The Ring-bearer’s maimed hand was wrapped around the gem the queen had given. The man thought it would be safe to leave a moment to seek the privy.

He got up and at the same moment Frodo’s hand slipped from the gem and he crossed the threshold into a dark dream.





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