The Ring of Power

Chapter 4

A knock sounded on the soggy wooden door of the Prancing Pony. The gatekeeper grumbled and opened the slide to see who was there. No one. He grumbled again as he looked out the lower one. Four small men, he thought of as dwarves if not for the absentee of the long gruff beard, stood shivering in thin cloaks. Hobbits, maybe? "What do you want?"

"We're heading for the Prancing Pony." What looked like the leader said. As was everyone else, the man thought. The old man opened the door with a lantern. "Hobbits! Four hobbits! What's more, out of the Shire by your talk. What business brings you here to Bree?" Samwise was bout to say what hey were doing but Frodo luckily interrupted him from spilling the secrets.

"Our business is our own!" the gatekeeper jumped slightly. "All right, youngster, I meant no offense." He welcomed them in. The four hobbits looked terribly out of place it was humorous. They walked through the rainy village until seeing the sign of their destination. The innkeeper was just as surprised as the gatekeeper was to see four hobbits out from the shire.

"If your looking for accommodation, we got some cozy hobbit sized rooms available." Pippin took offense to that. Just because they were small doesn't men they can fit into small spaces. "Always proud to cater to the Little Folk, Mister...?"

"Underhill. My name's Underhill." Frodo lied easily. Gandalf said to abandon the name Baggins. "We're friends of Gandalf the Grey." The innkeeper thought for a minute. Had he not seen Gandalf. Wasn't Gandalf supposed to be here waiting for them?

"Oh, yes, I remember! Elderly chap?" Frodo nodded. "Big grey beard, pointy hat?" Frodo nodded again, hope rising within him. "Not seen him for six months."

Four hobbits took a seat at one of the tables with cups of ale. The men above and around them looked at the hobbits like they were a disease. Sam pointed to the far corner where a dim light shone upon to people, a man and a woman.

"Those people have done nothing but stare at you since we've arrived." Frodo glanced at them. They were indeed staring. He couldn't see the woman's face but he could barely see the blue eyes and small brown beard of the man's. The innkeeper walked by Frodo with a mug of ale. "Excuse me." He bent down. Frodo nodded off to the man and woman. "Who are they."

"The man, people call him Strider. He's one of them Rangers. Dangerous folk." Frodo nodded. What about his companion? "The woman?" the innkeeper grinned. "Half elf half human. Elysium." With that the innkeeper shuffled off. "Strider. Elysium."

Frodo muttered fiddling with the Ring beneath the table. It tempted Frodo. It tempted him so much. All he had to do was put it on. Baggins. Baggins. It whispered. Baggins.

"Baggins? Sure, I know a Baggins!" Pippins chirped. Frodo widened his eyes and looked at Pippin who was sitting at the bar pointing right at him. "He's over there Frodo Baggins." The men surrounded by Pippin turned toward him. "He's my second cousin, once removed on his mother's side, and my third cousin twice removed..." Frodo moved through the crowd of men.

He was trying to get to Pippin to stop him from spilling everything. Sam, out of the corner of his eye, saw Elysium get up and Strider put down his pipe. Frodo grabbed Pippin's arm, spilling some of the ale. "Pippin!"

"Steady on, Frodo!" Pippin, in his movement, knocked Frodo back. Frodo fell to the ground, dropping the Ring. He watched as the Ring fell down and onto his finger. One moment the young Baggins was there, and then he was gone. In Frodo's eyes winds whipped his clothes and hair. Wind? He was inside! Everything looked dark and time felt slow. He stood up. Frodo was snot at the Prancing Pony now.

'You cannot hide.' Sauron's voice spoke to him. It was cool and smooth like a whisper. 'I see you!' Frodo saw the eye. The wretched Great Eye. Tendrils of flame wrapped around a black slit. Heat bore off of it and felt like it was melting Frodo's skin. He tried to cover his eyes, to shield Sauron's view. 'There's no life...in the void. Only...death.' he didn't let Sauron finish. Frodo with great haste pulled off the Ring. He appeared back at the Prancing Pony.