Lord of the Rings: Broken Promises

Chapter One: Second Chances
My
whole body ached with pain, the last time I had eaten was about three
days ago, and I did not have the slightest clue of were I was traveling
to.
But that was the least of the troubles that would become of me.
Three
days ago I left my home, and if I had a choice I would not call it
home, but I simply do not know what else to call it. Even though
dungeon, or Hell were perfect names for it.
If I were not to leave
my home, no one would of ever known I existed. My father thought
locking me away in the tower for a good seventeen years of me was the
best way to keep me away from harm, and life apparently.
Many fear
my father- believe he is pure evil, which I guess is correct. However,
once he was sane, until he changed. He heard of an opportunity to a
chance of greater power, or that was how he described it, but since that
day he slowly was becoming insane.
My father, I presume, had
always been coming to a point of crazy, since my mother died years
before of a unknown illness, but once he heard of this 'greater power',
he lost it.
I could not handle him anymore, for he was not the
father I once knew. He changed into a power-seeking, selfish, fool. I
prayed everyday for him to realize what has become of him; but he either
did not see it, or simply did not care.
So I decided to leave, to
live my life, and from the moment I left home I considered it my second
chance, and the start of my life.
The only things I took with me
was my mothers necklace, which is the only thing left of her, and my
dagger. Now don't get me wrong, I would prefer a sword, or at least a
bow, but that would of be even more questionable than to why a young
girl was traveling alone, and many lands away of her rightful home.
The
sun had disappeared and it was now to the point of complete darkness.
My body was still aching from the constant walking and climbing I was
doing, and I felt sickly from the lack of food and water.
So I slid down a tree, where as I would take a moment to rest, then I would get back up and continue my travels north.
xXx
I was awoken by my whole body shaking, and I felt a presence of two hands on my shoulders.
"Hello? Hello, are you alright, miss?" asked the burly figure in front of me.
"Is she breathing? Oh no, Merry, I believe she's dead!" stated another figure standing behind the one in front of me.
I
started to stretch and wipe my eyes with my hands, but as I tried to
get up my knees gave in because of how weak and a bit a exhausted I
still was
"She is not dead, you fool! Ill perhaps, but not dead.
Here, let me help you." he then gave me his hand to pull me up, which I
took.
When I got up I noticed that there were four of them, they
were too short to be men, too tall to be dwarfs, and resembled nothing
to an elf.
"Who are you?" when the words left my mouth I noticed how they did not sound like my own, but dull and scratchy.
"I am Sam, That is Merry and Pippin, and over here is Frodo. We are hobbits. And you are?"
Hobbits.
So that's what they were. I remember my mother telling me stories when I
was younger about hobbits, and I believed they were just apart of some
silly tale.
I cleared my throat before responding, "I am Cassaranda." I replied back to them, over looking each one.
The
hobbits named Merry and Pippin looked a lot alike; strawberry blonde
curls and blue eyes. As Sam had a darker blonde hair and brown eyes, and
Frodo had dark brown curls and light blue eyes that kept lingering into
the distance. As if he thought there was something missing.
"Well are you alright? You seem sickly." asked then stated Frodo once he was done looking around cauiously.
I nodded my head, "Yes, I am perfectly fine.
They
seemed to see threw the lie, because the hobbit named Merry then
wrapped his arm around me, to support me and started walking and said,
"Well, me and my friends here are going to the town of Bree, would you
like to join us?"
I nodded my head, after moments of pondering
about it. I needed a place to stay for the rest of the night till morn,
and something to fill my stomach, and it's not like the hobbits gave me
much of a choice.
xXx
It seems that I was not that far away
from Bree, we got there in good timing. What I noticed about these
hobbits is that they were not that happy looking, and seemed troubled.
In the tale my mother told me the hobbits were always laughing, and
always hungry. But something seemed to worry these hobbits. Always
looking behind each other, and carefully listening to the sounds of
nature like something would jump out at them.
We then reached the
wooden gate that surrounded the town of Bree, Frodo rapidly knocked on
the door, and I was shivering from the cold rain that drenched us, with
my curls falling into my face.
After a short time a man opened then wooden window, "What do you want?"
"We wish to stay at the Inn." Frodo responded quickly.
The
man opened the gate, to let us in, but instead stood in the gateway,
"Hobbits, four of em'.", then he titled his head slightly and looked at
me, "and a girl. What business brings you here?"
The man was
getting on my nerves by this point. I was still very tired, the hobbits
politely gave me some type of bread on the walk here.
Frodo responded harshly, "We wish to stay at the Prancing Pony, our business is our own."
"Alright no need to be offended! It's my job to ask questions..." and he kept mumbling on, not like any one was listening.
As
were we making our way threw Bree I noticed the town, and people were
quite filthy and depressing looking. Some even rude to the hobbits, but
they kept silent the whole way.
xXx
When we made it to the
Inn Frodo went to the man to get us a room, and I over looked the place.
It was more cheerful inside the Prancing Pony then outside, probably
because of the alcohol.
I then brought my attention back to Frodo's and the man's conversation, "I'm looking for Gandalf the Grey, have you seen him?"
Gandalf
the Grey... I was more then familiar with Gandalf, he would come and
visit my father every now and then. But we were never introduced, I just
saw him entering and leaving my home. Sometimes I would sneak past him
when my father and Gandalf were occupied, just to get a glimce of the
wizard.
The man gave Frodo an odd look before saying, "I haven't seen Gandalf in six months."
Frodo just stared at the man, shocked, and a maybe even hopeless.
They then assembled into a group, "What do we do now?", each of the hobbits then curiously looking around with their eyes.
xXx
We
decided to sit down for a bit, they all had cups of ale and Frodo and
Sam were whispering to each other, until Pippin discovered what a pint
was and decided to go get one.
"Would you like some?",Merry asked politely.
I rejected the offer, I was in no mood to drink, and by the looks of it, they weren't so much either.
Everyone
sat silently at the table for a while until Sam asked me, "So
Cassaranda, tell us a little about your self. Where did you come from?
And what brought you here?"
I alreadly knew my cover story, I
practiced it a couple times on the beginning of my travel. Just in case
something like this would happen; "I come from a small town, and lived a
pretty dull life- never did anything courageous, so I decided to take
an adventure. But then-well you know the rest.",wasn't really that much
of a lie I realized as I said it.
"How bout you? What brought you here?" I asked curiously, knowing that there was something troubling them.
Frodo was the one to reply after exchanging odd glances with Sam and Merry, "We came here to meet up with an old friend."
"This Gandalf you spoke of?", I asked and he just nodded his head.
After another moment of silence Sam whispered to Frodo, "That man has done nothing but stared at you since you arrived!"
I looked at the man threw the corner of my eye, he was sitting in the corner smoking, and surely enough, staring at Frodo.
I
didn't think much of it. Quite a few men would rudely glance our way
and start whispering something to one anther; I guess they weren't used
to having hobbits around.
Frodo then stopped a man walking by and
asked about him, "That man, who is he?", tilting his head turns the
corner which the man was.
The man eyes got big and said, "He's a
ranger, them dangerous folk..." he went on describing the man, and said
his name was Strider.
After the man left Frodo started to act
oddly, he was just staring straight forward and moving his arms a
little, like he was holding something under the table, he then got up-
to retrieve Pippin I suppose.
I turned my head and watched him leave. He seemed to find his friend, but he fell down or well tripped, and as I went up to get him he...disappeared.
I squinted my eyes, making sure I had not mistaken, but I hadn't.
No, no! That's foolish. No man can possibly disappear!
I
turned back to Sam to receive some answers that could explain what
happened, but he shouted at us, "Cassaranda, Merry! Follow me, hurry!"
Merry
and I started chasing after Sam, who then grabbed Pippin and started
pulling him away from the bar, where he stood looking shocked. Like some
of the other men who just witnessed what happen, however they just
blinked a couple times and must of believed it was the alcohol.
Pippin, with his mouth open in disbelief, "Did you see that?"
"Sam! What's going on?" I shouted, suddenly afraid of what just happened and how weirdly they were acting. Well, more weirdly then usual. They couldn't believe that he actually disapeared...
He ignored my question and commanded Merry, Pippin, and I, "Get a weapon! I think I know just where he might be."
Even though I very confused, and slightly afraid, I still did what he told, and so did the others.
We
grabbed anything we could take. I took out my dagger that was strapped
to my hip, and the others took candle stick stands, a chair, and a vase.
Then
we followed Sam and tip toed up the stairs, Sam motioned for us not to
speak, then he slammed open the door and shouted "Let him go!"
It was the Strider man, which I believed Sam already suspected such a thing, and Strider just backed off and gave a look to Sam.
However
he did not let us interfere his conversation with Frodo,"You shouldn't
be looking for the wizard, he won't be coming. But they will be coming Frodo." Strider warned Frodo.
At this point in time I was beyond confused, "What's going on!", I shouted.
I
knew it was late and people were probably already sleeping, but I cared
not, I did not like secrets held from me, and there was most definaitly
something going on here.
Frodo opened his mouth to speak but I
beat him to it, "And don't you dare lie to me." I said pointing my
dagger at him, not like I was going to harm him.
Strider was the
one to respond to this after he took his hand and lowered my dagger,
"Silence, child. You will draw too much attention, and there is no need
to threaten. You all must be exhausted. You shall get some sleep and in
the morn I will explain to you of the troubles."
I agreed to this,
because he was right. We all were exhausted. And I felt an erg to
remind him that I was no child, and that I was more then capable of
taking care of myself, but I felt no need to waste my breath.
xXx
That night I could not keep asleep.
I
was in a pleasant bed, and in complete silence, well besides some of
the snoring caused by the hobbits, but for some reason I did not sleep
at all.
I rolled over on my bed, and saw that Strider was awake
this whole time, just smoking and staring out the window, with his sword
beside him.
"You should really be getting some sleep, child.", Strider softly said to me without even moving a muscle.
I got up from the bed and quietly walked over to him, "I am no child. I will be coming to eighteen years of age soon."
He just sat there, with a slight smile, but didn't say anything.
"You can call me Cassaranda." I said after a moment of time, he still just sat there and looked out the window.
"Will you explain to me what troubles these hobbits?" I asked eagerly, wanting to know what is haunting them.
He
turned his head to me after a long moment of time, perhaps pondering
wether or not to tell me, and began to slowly speak, "What do you know
about the tale of the rings and Sauron?"
I remembered my mother
telling me about them, and how Sauron was a dark lord who wanted nothing
more then power, and to destroy the race of men and everything else
with it.
"Not much besides that Sauron wanted to destroy all life
and wanted much power. And that he created rings and gave them to the
dwarves, elves, and men, and kept one for himself. Also that he was
killed, and the ring he had was lost forever." I replied, honestly
having no idea where this was going.
Strider slowly nodded his
head, "You are correct Cassaranda, but Sauron is not dead, because the
ring is still here.", he said, exhaling smoke.
I just stood there staring at him, waiting for him to continue, but still stood in silence.
"I'm
grateful that your telling me this myth, but your not really helping me
solve anything here.", like telling me some foolish tale was really
going to help any.
He gave me an odd look, "Is it a myth, Cassaranda?"
Baffled, I responded to that odd question, "Well, yes I believed so."
"Well
you believed wrong. Evil still exist with the ring around, Cassaranda.
That is what Sauron is looking for, and that is what troubles the
hobbits."
Before I could respond screams echoed outside. Screams that no man, woman, or child could ever compose of.
The screams quickly woken the hobbits up, all of them breathing heavy, and waiting for an explication.
"What are they?", Frodo asked it, but he seemed to not want to know, to just leave the question linger there.
Strider
moved his gaze from the window, "They were once men, great kings of
men. Then Sauron, the deceiver, gave to them nine rings of power and
blinded by their greed they took them without question," he paused for a
split moment and continued, "one by one they fallen to darkness, now
there slaves to Sauron. They are the Nazgul...the Ringwraiths,
neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the
ring, drawn to the power of the one, and they will never stop hunting
you."
Finally I had gotten my answer, Frodo had the ring- the ring that belonged to Sauron, and Sauron wanted it back.
I stood there, for what seemed forever, letting it sink in.
The ring.
That is what my father wanted, all these years he had been talking
about, been effected by it. My father would isolate himself, speak to
himself, and forget about my existence. Just locking me in a room all
day, and of course reminding me that I was a waste of life every now and
then.
My father wanted the ring to have power, as did Sauron. I
sat there for most of my life watching it destroy my father, not knowing
what to do. Believing that he was just practicing some black magic, or
still haunted by my mothers death; but it was the ring.
If the
ring is what my father wants, and if the ring is what Sauron needs, I
will surely do everything in my power to keep it away from the two
people I now dreaded most.