Mo Ghile Mear

Dead Marshes

***SERA'S POV***

Gollum led us to some sort of marsh.

"See?! See?!" he insisted as we approached the marshlands. "Told you we could make it out." We paused, catching our breath. I glanced sideways at Frodo, who seemed to be getting tired by the second. "Very lucky we find you," the vile creature added. Frodo stepped down with Sam following. I stayed behind and gave Gollum the meanest glare I could give him. I still did not trust that creature. Gollum shrank under my stare, looking very hesitant. "Nice hobbit," he added before he hopped away.

God, that little stinker! I didn't understand why Frodo had a sudden trust in him. I've already heard of his vile acts, him wanting the Ring and all. That's why I didn't trust him.

I gave a cry of shock as my foot accidentally slid into the water.

"It's a bog!" I yelped before glaring accusingly at the creature. "He's led us to a swamp!"

"A swamp, yes," Gollum replied. "A swamp. Orcs don't use it. Orcs don't know it. They go around for miles and miles! Come quickly!"

We walked further into the marshes. I was still skeptical of where Gollum was taking us. Gimli was right about one thing: the marshes go as far as the eye can see. There seemed to be no sign of relief anywhere.

Sam's voice first reached my mind, as I stared at our surroundings.

"There are faces," he announced. "Dead faces in the water!"

"Yes," Gollum replied. "Elves, and Men, and Orcses. A great battle long ago. The Dead Marshes. Yes, that is their name. Come quickly. And don't follow the lights!"

I did my best to not follow the lights. For once, I trusted Gollum with this. Those little lights did not look friendly at all. Although they seem harmless, even little lights can be dangerous.

I began to feel odd, and my instincts told me to turn around. And just in time, too. I could see Frodo at the edge of one of the marshes. My eyes widened when I realized what he was doing.

"FRODO!" I screamed. But it was too late. Frodo had already disappeared into the water with a loud splash. Sam, Gollum, and I raced after him. Luckily for us, Gollum, who was the fastest and quickest out of all of us, managed to pull Frodo to safety. Much to my relief.

"Gollum?" Frodo asked as he continued to splutter out the water from his mouth. He looked terrified. I didn't blame him.

"Don't follow the lights," Gollum hissed.

"Gollum!" Frodo pleaded once again. But Gollum just glared and hopped away. In the meanwhile, I was relieved to see that Frodo was okay and unharmed, despite the fact that his entire body was drenched with water. I held him close to me, refusing to let him go.

"You're okay, you're okay," I whispered repeatedly. His body shook against mine. Sam immediately went to go and make a fire to keep our friend warm. I didn't hesitate to give Frodo my extra cloak and my blanket.

"You're gonna freeze, Sera," Frodo argued as he eyed the cloak and blanket with uncertainty. His teeth chattered from the freezing water that he had collapsed into just moments ago. "You should have at least some warmth."

I rolled my eyes, smiling softly at him. I wrapped the cloak and blanket around him, making sure that the blanket was secure. He watched me, shocked and surprised. Once I had finished wrapping him up in a blanket, I put a gentle hand onto his cheek. He leaned into my touch, watching me with his big blue eyes.

"Your health is more important than mine, Frodo Baggins," I answered, smiling slightly. I bumped my nose gently against his, causing him to smile. God, I missed his smile! I hadn't seen him smile like that in a long while. Not since Gandalf's death.

Eventually, we decided to settle in for the night. Frodo and I were as close together as possible. I knew that Frodo wouldn't be able to go to sleep any time soon, and there was no point in trying to convince him. He'd just stay awake, anyways. But my peaceful slumber ended whenever a loud, all-too-familiar screech filled our ears, causing me to jump awake. I knew that sound at once. And apparently, so did everyone else.

"B-Black Riders!" I exclaimed. I immediately scrambled to my feet and grabbed my stuff. I also noticed that Frodo was on the ground again, his entire body tensed with pain. I noticed that he clutched at his wound, the one that he received on Weathertop. I immediately hurried towards him and grabbed his hand, bringing him to shelter. "C'mon, Frodo! C'mon!" We made it to the nearest shelter, which was underneath a dying willow tree. I kept Frodo close to my side, wanting to protect him with all costs. "I thought that they were dead whenever Athena got rid of them in the river!" I say, immediately full of disbelief.

Gollum turned to face me, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Dead?" He blew a raspberry in my direction. "No. You cannot kill them, no!"

Another shrieking sound caught our ears again, forcing us all to go quiet. The Ring Wraiths flew a little too close to the ground, causing us to hide.

"Wraiths!" Gollum wailed. "Wraiths on Wings!" We were silent again, trying to not make a sound. He then turned to face Frodo, speaking in a hushed voice. "They are calling for it. They are calling for the precious!"

At first, I thought that he was just joking. But whenever I turned around and saw that he wasn't lying, I immediately grabbed onto his hand to prevent him from getting to the Ring. I noticed that his face was incredibly pale. Much paler than usual.

"Mr. Frodo," I say in a firm voice. I began to trace small, comforting patterns on his knuckles. This seemed to have calmed him down a little bit. With my other free hand, I brushed the looser strands of dark-brown curls away from his forehead. His bright blue eyes were wide with fear. I bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to his cold forehead and whispered, "It's alright, love. I'm here. Everything is going to be okay."

I continued to speak soothing words to him. And eventually, his body relaxed. He still looked a little shaken by the time the Black Rider had flown away. I still held onto his hand, even though the Black Rider was no longer in sight.

"Come, Hobbitses," Gollum said in a quiet whisper. Even he seemed cautious. "The Black Gates are very close."

"Just give us a minute, alright?" I asked, my voice quavering.

"No time!" the creature replied in a frantic voice. "We must go!"

I rolled my eyes, ignoring Gollum's protest and I pulled Frodo gingerly to his feet and into a comforting hug. He still looked a bit shaken by what had just happened. His arms went gently around my waist, and he buried his face in the crook of my neck. This caused goosebumps to crawl all over my body, but in the best way. I held him gently in my arms, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"Are you okay?" I asked, keeping my voice soft and low.

"No," he admitted, mumbling against my neck. "That was scary, Sera."

"You still have me and Sam," I cooed softly. I ran my fingers through his curly hair. He seemed to relax into my touch. "We'll be here to protect you. Always."

Frodo chuckled. He seemed to be at least a bit happier now.

"Thanks for the words of encouragement, Sera."

***Welp, this chapter had a lot of Frodo & Sera cuteness and fluff. But I don't mind. I think that they're a cute couple!***