Chapter 4: Over River and Through Wood

Chapter 4: Over River and Through Wood

Early the next day the eight of them set off. They carried several bags filled with provisions to last them a long time; while they only planned to go to Bree, there was no telling how long the road would be, and how many setbacks they would have. Gandalf traveled with them for a good part of the morning, but finally they came to the point where his road went south while theirs went east.

As the wizard mounted his horse, Will asked him, "Where do we go after this?"

"To avoid unfriendly eyes I would suggest going through the fields and on lesser-known forest paths to Bucklebury Ferry. Bree is northeast of the Ferry, and there is more than one path to the town. What path you choose you will have to decide on your own," he added, glancing at the rest of the group intently.

He then turned to Frodo. "Never put It on, for the agents of the Dark Lord will be drawn to It. Always remember that It is trying to get back to Him. It wants to be found." Without another word, Gandalf took off, quickly disappearing out of sight.

Will sighed. "Let's move on then to this ferry that he mentioned."

Sam glanced down at his feet, frowning. "I don't like water."

Completely flabbergasted, Jack swiftly turned to him. "Don't like water? How could you not?"

Sam mumbled, "I… I can't swim."

The man's eyebrows shot up. "Can't swim? You'll have to learn then, mate! I'll just toss you into a pond and we'll start from there!" Sam visibly paled at the suggestion and Jack only grinned. That frightened the hobbit even more.

"I'd- I'd rather not, Mr. Jack."

"You certainly won't be willing now, would you?" Will muttered, glancing at the pirate exasperatedly. "Let's keep moving."

They walked through many different fields and forests and walked for a good long time. They ultimately decided to eat lunch while on the go, and as noon turned into the afternoon they continued on some more. Finally Gibbs, feeling the strain of the many miles on his body, started to fall behind. When Will noticed and told the others to slow down, the older man only muttered something about "getting used to me land legs". Frodo, however, shook his head.

"We can stop here for now. We have walked for a long time and I think we all could use some rest." As it was, the place they stood in now was as good as any: they were currently in a large field, and the long stocks hid them from view from any spies that may be on the lookout for them.

They were just about to sit down when, as one, they heard something. Will glanced at his wife and by her startled look he knew he was not the only one hearing things. Something was coming towards them.

And something did. Two small figures ran straight into the group. Will accidentally tripped one of the figures over, and then was knocked over by another. The man fell into Gibbs, and then he into Anamaria, until the whole group ended up tangled on the ground. The only one who managed to escape was Jack. His eyebrows rose as he glanced at the unsightly heap of bodies, but soon a grin split his face.

"Hey! It's Merry and Pippin!" he cried gladly, helping them to their feet. "How're y' doing, mates?" Merry and Pippin only nodded in greeting, still attempting to catch their breaths. The others were soon up themselves, a couple sending the two hobbits unappreciative glances. There was no time for angry words, though, for suddenly they heard a livid voice accompanied by barking dogs coming their way. Anamaria turned to the hobbits and saw that they carried many different types of vegetables.

"Run!" Pippin cried, grabbing all of the cabbages and carrots that he dropped in the collision. Jack looked at the vegetables, grinned, and quickly snatched a carrot from the hobbit as they ran.

The group raced through the field for about a minute, Merry and Pippin giving frantic excuses about their presence to a peevish-looking Frodo. Jack, well learned in the art of running from pursuers, was in the front of the group. He suddenly stopped on the edge of a very steep hill, glad that he had noticed it in time. The others, though, were less graceful than he. Pippin ran into him, and then Merry into his cousin, followed by Gibbs, Will, Anamaria, Frodo, and Sam. Elizabeth finally came in last, collided into her companions, and before they realized what was happening they began to roll down the hill.

Their unexpected trip was short, but uncomfortable. At the end of the hill was a small drop that landed them onto a road. They groaned as one as they landed hard upon the dirt and it took them a moment to recover their senses. Merry let out another loud moan after the initial complaints and said, "I think I broke something." He pulled out a carrot from beneath his body, which was now in two parts.

Jack got up and dusted off his half-eaten carrot before finishing it. Anamaria was up right after him, muttering curses under her breath as she glanced at the other woman, while Gibbs was content to sit down for a while, catching his breath. Will picked himself off the earth and pulled Elizabeth up before brushing the dirt off his clothes.

Jack looked at Elizabeth mockingly. "Was that supposed to be an example of your ladylike grace?" She glared at him, but did not bother to retort and helped up Frodo instead.

Pippin suddenly gasped. "Look! Mushrooms!" Merry and Sam turned to where Pippin saw them, and with much struggle, each of them tried to get more mushrooms than the other two.

Will frowned. "How do you know those aren't poisonous?"

"Poisonous mushrooms? Whoever heard of such a thing!" Merry scoffed, filling his pockets with as many of them as he could.

Anamaria snorted. "What is it with hobbits n' mushrooms?" she asked Frodo; this was not the first time she had seen such weird behavior concerning hobbits and mushrooms during her time there.

Frodo, however, was not paying attention to them. He was staring down the road, and a strange look was in his eyes. "I think we should get off the road," he said suddenly.

Jack stared at him and then looked down the road. Like the others, he saw nothing that would indicate danger. "Why?"

Elizabeth, to her slight disbelief, found herself agreeing with the pirate. "I understand Gandalf said to stay off the road, but I don't see anything coming down it. It looks empty."

Frodo did not seem to hear them; indeed, he instead started to panic. "Get off the road! Quick!"

Elizabeth frowned as she observed the hobbit's strange mood, glanced at the others, and without a word they agreed to listen to Frodo, even if only to calm him. She alongside her husband pulled up the rest of the hobbits while the other three searched for a suitable hideout with Frodo. They quickly found a large hollow under a tree on the side of the road; several roots hid them effectively from the sight of anyone who traveled on the road slightly above the hollow.

How they all fit in there was nothing short of a miracle. The scene looked something like this: Jack, Will, and Gibbs sat as far into the hollow as possible. Elizabeth sat on Will while Anamaria, to her great displeasure, sat on top of Gibbs. Merry and Pippin sat together on Jack while Frodo sat on Elizabeth and Sam on Anamaria. In this rather uncomfortable position they crunched up together and waited, though no one was sure what it was they waited for.

Sooner than they expected their unspoken question was answered. They heard the galloping of a horse on the road they had just been on, and they found that the closer it came, the heavier the dread in their hearts became. To their chagrin, it stopped right above where they were hiding. Jack looked in a small crack between the roots and saw a black hoof covered in something that looked suspiciously like blood. Foreboding, to say the least. The hoof was suddenly blocked by a foot in armor- armor loud enough for each of them to hear clearly. Their unexplainable dread began to turn into outright terror as the figure approached.

The horseman bent down and the group could see that it was a cloaked man dressed in black. He started sniffing as if he were a beast and for some reason he could not see them. Even the more adventurous and brave among them dared not to breathe. Sam, who felt as if his heart had turned into ice, looked at Frodo to see how he was handling himself. The other hobbit took something out of his pocket and Sam quickly realized that it was the Ring. He grabbed Frodo's left hand so he could not slip the Ring on it. Frodo quickly came out of the trance he was in and shoved the Ring back into his pocket.

Suddenly Merry grabbed their bag filled with mushrooms and threw it over to his left. The hooded man shrieked at the noise and sudden movement and went for the bag, leaving them alone. As soon as he moved, the company stood as fast as they were able and started running down the hill away from the road.

Once they were at the bottom, Gibbs leaned against a tree, looking at Frodo with unmasked suspicion. "What the hell was that thing? It was sniffing us like some sort of dog! What sort of sick country is this?"

Frodo did not heed his words. Instead he looked at the Ring, astounded. Will quietly came over to him and stared at the piece of jewelry, remembering Gandalf's foreboding speech to Frodo just last night. "So that's what drew him here, to us? That ring?" Frodo slowly nodded and quickly put it back again into his pocket. Will eyed his pocket for a moment before hesitantly turning away.

Anamaria sat on the ground, hoping her scowl masked any terror that she felt. "Whatever that… thing was, it better not come here again! I haven't felt so cold in all my days!"

Gibbs shook his head. "Aye, I don't want to see him neither, but I have a strange feeling that he will be back. Aye, he will…"

Pippin, unlike the rest of them, was not thinking about the strange horseman. Instead he was yelling at Merry.

"The mushrooms! Why the mushrooms? We need those mushrooms!"

"Quiet, Pippin!" Sam scolded, turning his attention briefly from Frodo. "I'd like those mushrooms too, but better those than us!" Pippin glared at both Sam and Merry before stalking away.

Merry, who was hardly paying any attention to his cousin, shook himself out of shock. "We need to keep moving." He paused. "By the way, where are you all heading to? And where did Gandalf go?"

"We are going to the ferry. Where Gandalf is I do not know, but our business is none of your concern, Merry," Frodo stated. "Let's keep moving before that thing comes back."

Merry did not look pleased at the answer, but rather than leave them, continued with the group to the Ferry. Pippin, realizing he did not want to be left alone, followed quickly after them, his disappointment over the lost mushrooms soon forgotten.

O0O0O0O

It was a good hour past sunset and it was not too long ago that the company had changed their pace from a brisk walk to a run. The chill that came when the hooded black rider was nearby was strong.

They stopped near the road, taking refuge behind some tall brush. They sat down, all of them weary and gasping for breath. Merry glanced around nervously before crawling over to Frodo, a determined look upon his face. "Frodo, you owe me and Pip some explaining. We are going with you, whether you like it or not. We're your cousins and we love you, and us hobbits have to stick together as it is. So why don't you just tell us why you are leaving the Shire and heading to the ferry?"

Frodo looked at him with a frown, still breathing heavily. Finally he said, "We have enough people already; no more are needed, Merry."

Merry nodded slowly, as if he knew that that would be the answer. "It's about that ring, isn't it?"

Frodo looked at him, gaping. "How- how did you know?"

Merry grinned. "Me and Pip are known as the best eavesdroppers in the Shire; we once heard Bilbo talking about it. How it made you invisible and all. We do not know what else there is to this ring; there obviously is, since you are leaving the Shire because of it."

Frodo shot him a grim smile. "Very well then. We are now nine trying to escape one terrifying rider that turns your blood into ice with a ring that is more powerful than any other force in the world. The rider is likely after this ring, and with that knowledge we still try and flee to a ferry that will likely not hold all of us on it at once."

Will overheard Frodo, but rather than trying to appreciate his wry humor, he shook his head instead. "Not one rider- look!" He pointed cautiously over the bushes that hid them from the road. They saw two riders together.

Jack frowned. "Two of them. That is exactly what we needed." While the pirate had dealt with treasure that made the greed in him rise, he had never dealt with a creature that froze his blood and shadowed his soul. Frankly put, he did not like the feeling; it downright disturbed him.

Elizabeth shook her head. "There is a third!"

Pippin glanced at Frodo worriedly. "How many are there, Frodo?" Frodo shook his head, not knowing the answer himself.

The riders galloped off. Will stood up, brushing his leggings subconsciously. "We need to hurry. Does anyone here know exactly where this ferry is?"

"I do," said Merry, "And I shall lead the way." They nodded, and as one sprang out of the bushes, following the small figure.

Suddenly a rider blocked their path. They jumped and started screaming directions to each other as they evaded the hooves of the rider's horse. Jack pulled out his sword alongside Will, Gibbs, and Anamaria, and they tried warding off the riders as the others ran for the ferry. Elizabeth tried to stay with them, but unspoken words were sent between her and her husband, and she finally followed the hobbits instead. She vowed to herself to find a weapon as soon as possible.

Jack suddenly remembered that he had a pistol. Rolling his eyes, he quickly drew it, aimed for the rider, and pulled the trigger. To the disgust of them all, the man missed. The rider, however, was taken aback by the noise while the horse became terrified for a moment, completely unused to such a sound.

"I think it's time to go to the ferry," Will said, sheathing his sword and running away as he did. The others were quick to follow

Jack caught up with Will as they ran down the path, Anamaria and Gibbs close behind. They could now see the ferry right beyond a small wooden gate. The four jumped over the structure; three out of the four made it. To everyone's dismay, Jack's sleeve was caught on one of the rough edges of the wood. As he finally ripped his sleeve off it, he realized that the ferry (which was little more than a raft) was leaving without him. He glanced behind him and saw the rider and his horse had recovered from the gunshot noise and were heading straight towards him. His eyes widened and he ran to the river.

"Wait for me!" he yelled. He did not want to be left alone with this rider. There was something about him that reminded him of all those dead pirates, only much, much worse. Something much darker and much more deadly. He jumped off the dock to get to the ferry, flew over it instead, and landed in the river. Jack, unlike Sam, however, was a very good swimmer, and was able to stay afloat until Gibbs and Will helped him up onto the raft. The nine of them crunched up together on the small wooden flat, but despite their uncomfortable position they were very thankful for making it in one piece. The black rider stopped his horse on the dock and let out a piercing scream that had them covering their ears to lessen the impact of the sound. Finally the horseman rode off, a couple of his companions following him.

"How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo asked Merry.

"The Brandywine Bridge- twenty miles," he replied.

O0O0O0O

They abandoned the raft on the other side of the river. They were surprised, but thankful that it did not tip over or sink because of their combined weight.

Will stared at Jack disbelievingly as he got off the boat. "You missed! How could you possibly miss?"

Jack shrugged casually. "Even the best of us make mistakes, mate," he retorted. "At least I had a gun to scare him off with. Wouldn't have gotten far without it, would you?" Will just shook his head.

Once on shore the group headed due east, following the road from the ferry. After a while they came to a crossroad; one way led north, another east, and the last path went south. Anamaria sighed. "Bloody great; now where do we go?"

"Well, south is not where we want to go; Bree is northeast from here," Frodo said. "So, we either take the road North and follow it until we come to the Brandywine Bridge, and then we go East from there, or we go East into the forest and then cut a path northeast through it."

Merry shook his head. "Frodo, we can't go in there; that's the Old Forest. There are creatures in there that we don't want to deal with."

Frodo nodded. "Yes, but we have those black riders following us. By going through the forest, we can lose them."

"Why don't we vote?" asked Pippin. Frodo nodded, turning to all of them.

"Well, which way do you want to go? The road or the forest?"

Jack spoke first. "A smart man would go through the forest; last I saw, these riders had swords, while the trees are wonderfully bereft of such weaponry." Will and his wife nodded in agreement.

"I want to stay on the road; there is something in them woods that is just unnatural," Gibbs said, glancing at the trees with a frown. Anamaria and Merry agreed with him.

Sam voted for taking the forest, for he was just terrified of those riders, while Pippin wanted to take the road, for he had heard many tales that were not complimentary about the Old Forest. They were at an impasse: Jack, Will, Elizabeth, and Sam versus Gibbs, Anamaria, Merry, and Pippin. It was up to Frodo to decide which path to take.

"I am terrified of the forest," Frodo started, "but I am even more terrified of those riders. And I have a feeling they are after It. So we will go through the Old Forest." The hobbit sighed. "Let's get some rest on the borders of the forest, right by the hedge, and we will go in tomorrow morning." With the road chosen, the group walked for a couple more miles due east, came to the hedge about an hour later, set up a small camp, and quickly fell asleep after a long day.