The Darkness Bearer

++Chapter Thirteen++

Chapter Thirteen

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"Mr. Frodo!" Sam's excited voice cut through his dreams, splintering his refuge.

"Sam," Frodo moaned, "Quiet down and let me sleep."

"I think you'll want to see this." he kept persisting, but did speak softer this time.

With groans of tiredness and sore muscles, Frodo pushed himself off the ground and walked several feet to where his gardner stood. When he reached Sam's side he looked down and almost crumpled when he saw what the gardner had discovered; four water skins set side by side in a perfect line and the ropes had been tied to one other. Underneath them, however, were scratch marks in the dirt that vaguely resembled words.

"This is my sign to you, showing you that I am alive.

It's still too dangerous to see you, if I ever will see you again.

Please, dont come looking for me, you'll endanger us both.

These are for you my love.

C P-B"

"My love," Frodo murmured softly, kneeling down her sign, "What have you done to deserve this. Have I really drove you so far that you think we won't meet again?"

"I guess I was wrong about her." Sam finally said as he grabbed the water skins, making sure not to walk on the message.

"Everyone was," Frodo murmured mournfully, "Everyone was."

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

'You idiot!' She screeched inside of Cody's mind, jolting her awake.

'What are you talking about?' she asked groggily.

'You didn't think I would find out? You could have at least put a barrier up!'

'You would have gotten past it even if I had done that.' Cody replied, annoyed.

'Are you stupid though? Going out to see Frodo while I was asleep! Do you want him dead?'

'That's the thing, you were asleep.'

'It doesn't matter! If the Dark Lord found out about your little visit I would be gone! There would be no one left to protect you! In my place would be a true monster.'

'Protecting me? Is that what you've been doing this whole time? Protecting me?' Cody demanded.

'Why do you think you are still alive? Because I've been in here serving as your protector against the men and beasts we've met in Mordor. If I was not in you, you would be rotting in a ditch miles back from where we've come.'

'And I've protected you! You would be nothing without me!' Cody countered, tired of her constant bickering.

'That's not true.' She said softly.

Suddenly, Cody's vision went black and her knees gave out from underneath her. In place of her sight came brightly colored visions that flashed from one image to another. The first one was of a green field with a curved pebble path that led several hills in the distant. Then it flashed again and the hills were closer now, but now she could see that they were dotted with round doors with gardens around them. Cody watched as an image of a girl with long, bouncy hair came bounding up the pebble path, a basket in the crook of her elbow. Her childish giggles seemed to echo through Cody's mind as she ran from the boy behind her.

Then, the vision was over, Cody's sight returned and she found herself panting on the ground.

You were a hobbit once.' she managed to gasp out.

'His name was Griffo Whitfoot and mine was not Ystävä, but Rowan Overhill. We were to be married soon for I was with child, his child. We had even picked out a name for it, Folco after his father or Angelica after my mother.

'Fifty years ago, the day before our wedding, the Riders in Black came to the Shire. I can still here the echo of their screams as they barged into our home. They came for Griffo first, torchering him before he finally went unconscious from pain. Then they turned to me, I have learned to block out these memories for so long I remember nothing of my torcher except that if you look at my body you can still see the ugly scars they left me with.

'They took us to Mordor, no one questioned them as they passed through the land, not even Gondor paid heed. They took us to the deepest, darkest room, the most cruelest of places it seemed unreal. There, they began their teadious work; cutting and slicing and chanting and foul smelling drinks. They worked on us for years, training us, or rather creating us, to become monsters. They taught us how to leave our home body and infect another.

'Griffo was meant to take over Frodo, but the Dark Lords plan failed and turned to me. I was placed into you and that's where our story together began. Now, Griffo was not forgotten, he was placed into Merry for a short period before he gained control and tried to awaken me. He was removed immediately and is now somewhere in Mordor being retaught all that we have learned.'

'Are you saying,' Cody asked in a quavering voice, 'That Merry was under the influence of Griffo the whole time?'

'Only in Lórien, don't worry, Merry never felt a thing, I promise.'

'And did his plan work? To awaken you I mean?'

'No, not until I became more comfortable in your body. Well, actually when the Witch King gave you a visit, that is when I truly began to awaken. I was not meant to speak, just to influence and control. By speaking I began to regain my thoughts and when you took control that's when I finally became Rowan once again.'

'I'm so sorry,' Cody sobbed, 'I wish I had known!'

'Hush child, there is nothing to apologize for.'

'What will become of you when the war is over?'

'I like your positive thinking.' Rowan replied before continuing, 'Not even I know the answer to that question. I hope I will die.'

'Don't say such things!'

'Codalia, my body is broken, it's somewhere in the fort of Mordor rotting while I'm here with you. You are the reason I am still able to live.'

'Will the same go to Griffo?'

'I hope so.' Rowan whispered before she settled into the corners of Cody's mind.

'Rowan?' Cody asked nervously, not knowing whether she wanted the answer or not.

'Yes Codalia?' she replied as if she already knew the question.

'What happened to your child?'

Rowan took a deep breathe, knowing that she needed to tell someone, someone who would care, 'The torchering I mentioned earlier, that was one of them. I was still small, not yet big enough to tell I was pregnant. They killed my baby, that was the reason I blocked out those memories. The scars left on my body were from where they cut me, killing the baby instantly without killing me. The pain wasn't nearly as great as the grief. I was to be a mother Codalia!'

'I wish not to hear anymore of this!'

'This is why I'm protecting you! I want you to know what it feels like to be a mother. To hold a child in your arms and look into Frodo's eyes as a father. All of this, was not meant to be your destiny, you were meant to be Lady Baggins of Bag End with your husband and children.'

'All of those dreams are gone now, I wont be able to have children.'

'Yes you will, I've seen what's to come, though I wont tell for I dont give spoilers.'

'Rowan, those were your dreams, I dont wish to have children in fear that they will grow up to go on adventures like this.'

'As you wish.' Rowan whispered mournfully, having finally given up, and hid in the most remote place of Cody's mind.