A Risk And What It Brings

A New Guide

Frodo's pace slowed. He felt progressively weaker. It was the Ring. It was weighing him down. It was finally beginning to take a toll on him. It felt heavier with each step he took.
Samwise, ever his loyal companion, tried his best to cheer him up.
Nothing worked.
Frodo missed everything.
He missed the Shire. He missed his cousins, Merry and Pippin. He missed Bilbo. He missed Gandalf's fireworks. He wasn't as cut out for adventures as he believed he was when he was just a young halfling.
The two tried to rest, when night came. The plain grasslands were suitable sleeping areas, albeit somewhat uncomfortable.
Frodo's last thought, before sleep got the best of him, was that Middle Earth was in good hands. If he died, he knew Gandalf's wisdom and power would guide everyone to victory.
As the duo slept, a small, decrepit figure approached them.
"Do it, we must! We must gets the Precious! We must takes it back... it's ours."
The creature was unaware of its own volume.
Sam awoke, and heard.
"But how does we get it, my Precious?"
The voice because harsh, and more raspy.
"We kills them Precious, and we does it now while they sleep!"
He looked at the hobbits with his pale, luminous eyes.
"Gollum, gollum!" it choked, and ran at them.
Sam yelled and quickly got up, tackling the deformed creature, and kicked him in the gut.
Gollum was clever. He had fought his prey many times. He knew various methods of fighting.
He quickly got down, and bit Sam on the ankle. He had no shame in putting up an unfair fight.
Sam yelled in agony, causing Frodo to wake up.
Gollum saw Frodo, and Frodo saw Gollum.
The beady eyes glanced at the Ring in Frodo's hand, and he charged.
Frodo had the distance. He knew the Ring was possibly safe.
Frodo drew his sword, Sting, and pointed it at Gollum's throat.
Gollum was caught off guard. The blade touched his throat softly, not puncturing him.
"This is Sting! You've seen it before, haven't you, Gollum?"
Gollum moaned in displeasure, and wailed.

The Rohirrim assembled. Led by Gandalf, Theoden, Aragorn and Legolas, the began their march to Minas Tirith, sure that they would counter Sauron, were he to act.
Little did they know, Sauron was not so ignorant.
Saruman still had his Palantír, and he told Sauron what had happened. His stubbornness gave in, and rather than telling Sauron that his prize was in the hands of a Halfling coming his way, he merely said that a Halfling was in possession of it, and intended to destroy it. He confirmed Aragorn was indeed in need of help, and going to Minas Tirith. This news scared Sauron. He knew that if Aragorn was to sit upon the throne of Gondor, his plan would surely fail. Sauron knew also from Saruman that a small army of Ents were in his allegiance, and Sauron had a plan.
Sauron gathered all his forces to him, and had them craft weapons of superior destruction and size. Weapons that would burn down the Ents, and the world of Men alongside them.

Morning had risen.
Gollum screamed and yelled all morning, with Sam's spare bits of rope holding him down.
"Oh, quiet, you!" shouted Sam.
Gollum ignored him and bawled.
"Oh, there's no use! Every Orc and Uruk in the cracks and creaks of this world will hear this racket! We should kill him here and now while we can."
"Kill us? No! Doesn't kill us! We means no harm!"
Gollum continued to yell and cry out.
Frodo finally broke the yells.
"Enough! We will let you live, but we have to ensure you won't kill us."
Gollum nodded in agreement.
"Yes! Yes, nice hobbitses, it's kind to us!"
Frodo sighed.
"We won't kills them, we swears!"
"There's no promise you can make that I can trust," said Frodo.
"But we swears! We swears to serve the master of the Precious! We swears on uh... on the Precious!"
"The Ring is powerful. It will bind you to your promise," said Frodo.
"Oh, what use is he to us?" asked Sam.
"We knows where you're going! We's been there before, to Mordor! Nasty place! Full of Orcses. Full of enemies!"
"You know the way to Mordor? You must take us there."
Frodo untied Gollum from his binds.
He immediately leapt off, prompting them to follow.