She wasn't sure she liked this. The stranger hadn't said a word the whole journey, yet followed them like a duckling would follow its mother. Who is she? she wondered, sticking close to Frodo and Sam as they followed behind Gollum. What is her story? What does she want?

At the woman's question, Arabella faltered, glancing back. "We journey to Mordor," she said quietly, "but our purpose is not for me to tell. It is Frodo's mission, and we merely accompany him." As Calio spoke further, Arabella's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" she asked quickly. "Do you mean you've really been there?"

By the time they reached the Black Gate, Arabella was so weary she could barely stand. She watched in horror as the Easterling soldiers assembled. "Sauron is gathering his forces to him," she murmured. "I fear for our friends..." She blinked back tears.

Arabella bit back a scream as they watched Sam fall, and lunged forward too late to stop Frodo from tumbling after him. She grabbed Calio by the arm, cautioning her from following as well. "Wait," she whispered. "Wait til the danger has passed." Her heart raced in her chest. She longed to follow Frodo, but she knew that she could not. Her presence could jeopardize their safety even more.

Following Gollum again, the two girls carefully made their way down the slope of rock, arriving just in time for Gollum to pull Frodo and Sam back before they rushed the Gates of Mordor. Arabella rushed to Frodo's side, feeling hurt. Had he honestly been about to go into the Black Gate without her?

Alarm flared within Arabella as Gollum revealed there had been another way all along. Why would he hide such a thing? She longed to ask, but she wasn't sure. In her heart, she knew she wanted to trust the creature, or at least attempt to, but he made it so difficult sometimes.

As the plan was made to take the "secret way" that Gollum mentioned, Arabella looked back at Sam and gave a reassuring smile. "It'll be all right, Sam," she told him.

In truth, though, she wasn't sure.

She took Frodo's hand, stopping to brush some dirt and dust out of his thick curly hair as they walked along. "You frightened me, going after him like that," she admitted. She gave an angry little sigh. "I'm frightened all the time now," she told him. "Gandalf would be ashamed of me, I'm sure. I told myself I would be brave, that I wouldn't hide and wait to be rescued like a princess in some silly bedtime story. But just look at what happened when I fell in the Marshes, and when I healed Amara that first time...that's exactly what I have been doing." She sighed again, looking at him. "Look at me, so caught up in my own problems I forgot to ask. How are you feeling today?"

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Frodo walked along with the Hobbits, the creature and the woman in tow. He held onto Arabella's hand tightly, as she started cleaning rubble out of his hair; but he stared ahead. He heard what she said about being scared for him to follow after Sam. "I had to... He's my friend." He said to her softly and then listened to everything else that she had to say. He bit her lip, having her mention Gandalf. He missed his old friend terribly and it made his heart ache to even speak of him. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he looked over to Arabella for a moment and then heard what she asked him. He smiled weakly and nodded to her. "I'm doing alright... Just... Tired." He said softly and then looked ahead again.

Once they made it out of the marshes, they arrived in Ithilien finally. Gollum was trying to catch a fish in the river. But, he slipped and fell, grasping at a slippery fish as he went. Frodo, Arabella and the others followed behind. "Hey Stinker! Don’t go getting too far ahead!" Sam shouted to Gollum and then Frodo looked to his best friend. "Why do you do that?" He asked, looking a bit hurt. Sam looked back to him and raised an eyebrow. "What?" He asked curiously. "Call him names; run him down all the time." Frodo answered softly, shaking his head a bit. "Because… because that's what he is, Mr. Frodo. There's naught left in 'im but lies and deceit. It's the Ring he wants. It's all he cares about." He explained to Frodo and then saw the look that his best friend gave him. A glare. "You have no idea what it did to him. What it’s still doing to him." Frodo snapped to Sam. He walked past Sam and stopped. "I want to help him, Sam..." He added softly, looking to Gollum. "Why?" Sam asked, being completely dumbfounded about the whole situation. "Because I have to believe he can come back." He said and then sighed. Sam shook his head to what Frodo said and then crossed his arms over his chest. "You can’t save him, Mr. Frodo." Sam told Frodo sadly, hoping that he would get the message across sometime soon.

Frodo quickly looked back to Sam and glared at him again. "What do you know about it? Nothing!" Frodo snapped to Sam once more. Sam stared at him and then walked away slowly. Frodo then looked after his best friend with remorse. "I'm sorry, Sam. I don't know why I said that." He said softly and then looked after Sam's figure. Sam looked back at Frodo with tears in his eyes. "I do. It's the Ring. You can't take your eyes off it. I've seen you. You're not eating. You barely sleep. It's taken a hold of you, Mr Frodo. You have to fight it!" Sam shouted to Frodo, wanting his best friend back. Frodo then grew angry again. "I know what I have to do Sam. The Ring was entrusted to me! It's my task! Mine! My own!" He yelled to Sam and then started walking away, angrily. Sam watched after Frodo, not knowing what to do anymore. "Can’t you hear yourself? Don’t you know who you sound like?" He said sadly and continued watching, as
Frodo walked away without looking back. Sam looked over to Arabella and Calio and then down to the ground, feeling more tears reach his eyes.

Nighttime had arrived and all of the company were asleep. Except for one. Gollum was crouching in a corner by himself. "We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precioussss. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitsesss. Wicked, trickssssy, falssse!" Gollum said to Smeagol upsettingly. Smeagol then quickly shook his head. "No! Not Master." He quickly explained, letting Gollum know that Frodo wouldn't do that to him. "Yes, precious. False. They will cheat you, hurt you, lie." Gollum said back to Smeagol. "Master’s my friend." Smeagol said a little sadly. "You don’t have any friends. Nobody likes YOU..." Gollum said tauntingly to Smeagol with a smirk. Smeagol then quickly covered his ears. "Not listening. I’m not listening." Smeagol said and closed his eyes, while rocking back and forth a bit. "You’re a liar and a thief." Gollum accused and Smeagol shook his head. "Nope." He said softly and then Gollum narrowed his eyes to Smeagol. "Mur…derer…!" He hissed to poor Smeagol. Smeagol then started to weep and whimper. "Go away." He whispered sadly, covering his face. Gollum then started to cackle. "Go away! HAHAHAHA!!" Smeagol was now weeping and said in a small voice. "I hate you. I hate you!" Gollum then glared at Smeagol. "Where would you be without me? *Gollum, gollum*. I saved us. It was me. We survived because of me!" He said fiercely to Smeagol. Smeagol just put on a calm exterior. "Not anymore." He said, resolutely. Gollum was taken aback and raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?" He asked, sounding startled. Smeagol crossed his arms across his chest. "Master looks after us now. We don’t need you." He said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone. Gollum stared more at Smeagol. "What?" He asked again, getting even more mad. Smeagol swallowed hard and then looked down. "Leave now and never come back." He spoke softly. Gollum's eyes widened. "No!!" He yelled a bit. Smeagol then got the courage to go a little louder. "Leave now and never come back!" He continued. Gollum started getting really mad and bared his teeth a little. "Arrrgh!!!" He yelled. Smeagol noticed Gollum's reaction and smirked a little. "LEAVE. NOW. AND. NEVER. COME. BACK!" He yelled one final time.

Smeagol panted and then looked around. "We... we told him to go away! And away he goes, preciousss." He said happily. He hopped around in joy and did a little dance. "Gone, gone, gone! Sméagol is free!" He said happily.

The next day, while the Hobbits were resting, Sméagol came back with two rabbits and dropped them onto Frodo’s lap. "Look! Look! See what Sméagol finds! Hehehe! Hahaha!" He said excitedly. Frodo looked up to him with bloodshot eyes. He smiled at Sméagol and looked at Sam. Sméagol raised a fist in self-congratulation and danced around. He then picked up one of the rabbits and snaped the rabbit's back in front of Frodo. "They are young. They are tender. They are nice. Yes they are! Eat them! Eat them!" He added quickly and then he bit and teared into the raw meat. Sam rushed over and snatched the rabbit out of Smeagol’s hands. "You’ll make him sick, you will, behaving like that!" He said, before holding up the two rabbits. "There’s only one way to eat a brace of coneys." He added, before starting a pot of stew and letting it simmer over a fire. Smeagol looked into the pot and got upset. "Argh!! What’s it doing?! Stupid fat Hobbit! It ruins it!" He asked everyone loudly. Sam glared a bit. "What’s to ruin? There’s hardly any meat on ‘em." He explained.

Suddenly, a faint calling sound catched the attention of Frodo. "What we need is a few good taters." Sam said softly, nodding his head a bit. Smeagol looked to Sam with a weird expression on his face. "What’s taters, preciousss? What’s taters uh?" He asked, out of curiousity. Sam looked at Smeagol like he was stupid. "PO-TAY-TOES! Boil ‘em. Mash ‘em. Stick ‘em in a stew. Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish...." Sam said, his mouth starting to water a bit. Smeagol then stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Pbbbttt!!" He said, scrunching his face up. "Even you couldn’t say no to that." He said softly, before taking a sip of the stew. "Oh yes we could! Spoil nice fish..." Smeagol begged to differ. He then scrambled up close to Sam. "Give it to usss rrraw... and wrrriggling! You keep nasty chips." Smeagol added to Sam and then looked over to Arabella, making a sickeningly happy face. He then hopped away. Sam shook his head, with a disgusted look on his face, while stirring the stew. "You’re hopeless." He mumbled.

Frodo decided that he would follow the source of the sound. Sam suddenly noticed that Frodo was no longer in his sight. "Mr. Frodo?" He called out a bit. He looked to Arabella and Calio nervously, before going in search of his best friend. He found him lying down near some bushes, looking at a Haradrim army marching across the land. He moved to lie down low beside Frodo. Sméagol also moved in beside Frodo. "Who are they?" Sam asked softly. "Wicked men. Servants of Sauron. They are called to Mordor. The Dark One is gathering all armies to him. It won’t be long now. He will soon be ready." Smeagol said to Sam and Frodo. "Ready to do what?" Sam asked Smeagol curiously. "To make his war. The last war that will cover all the world in shadow." Smeagol said, all-knowingly. "We’ve got to get moving. Come on, Sam." Frodo said softly, before starting to stand up. Sam then grabbed Frodo’s arm. "Mr. Frodo! Look! It’s an Oliphaunt!" He said quickly and pointed. Gigantic Oliphaunts started to appear, carrying soldiers and supplies on their backs. "No one at home will believe this..." Sam said softly to Frodo.

It was then that Sméagol slipped away unnoticed...

Frodo started to look around. "Sméagol?" He asked softly, raising an eyebrow. Suddenly, pandemonium broke out from below; the soldiers were being ambushed. Cloaked rangers were firing deadly arrows at the soldiers and Oliphaunts from behind bushes. One of the Oliphaunts started trumpeting and stomping toward Frodo and Sam, swinging his huge trunk and tusks. Faramir took aim and shot a soldier. He fell from the Oliphaunt and landed right behind Frodo and Sam, dead. Frodo looked at Sam with wide eyes. "We’ve lingered here too long. Come on, Sam!" He said quickly. Frodo ended up running right into a Gondorian Ranger, who grabbed hold of him and threw him onto his back. Sam saw Frodo in danger and grappled for his sword. "Ah!" He shouted. He charged at Faramir, but was grabbed by another ranger and thrown down. A sword appeared at his throat. Faramir appeared. "Bind their hands."

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[wait, how is Calio suppose to answer Arabella's question when its already been hours RP time since she asked it? O.o sigh. I've never really role-played much before, so this is kind of awkward for me. xD Also am I allowed to change the story-line a little? I've noticed that we've been quoting the movie word-for-word and I'm not sure if it's against the rules to, you know, make a few adjustments to the story. ]

(Don't worry, ∂ я є α м! You can always back-track in your post, have Calio--who I might just call Callie from now on in my head, XD--answer Arabella's question, and then progress on to what Amara described in her post. RPing gets easier as you get more used to it, I promise! And yes, we can deviate from the story, but we're keeping major plot points the same, and as you can see, some of the dialogue. Just don't be afraid to ask questions if you're unsure of something!)

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(I'm sorry if I freaked you out, ∂ я є α м! Arabella pretty much summed up what we've been doing. Haha!)

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[Oh okay, thanks for clearing that up for me! Lol and don't worry Amara, I wasn't freaked out, I was just painfully confused.]


Callio glanced up at Arabella. Her piercing amber eyes flashed. She felt a flash of anger for talking so foolishly. "Yes, I have been there. Not by my own will. I have just recently escaped, hence why I am so pathetically weak. I don't have any business with the lot of you, not truly. But if you four are going to travel to Mordor"-her voice spat out the words like poison-"I may as well help you. I have more hope of surviving with you anyway than on my own." She stayed silent for a long time then.


****

When the rangers came to bind there hands, she had not been caught with the rest of them. Instead she had slipped away silently, much like Gollum had a few moments before. Quiet as a mouse, she followed the footprints of the mysterious rangers who held her only hope of survival captive. She just hoped she wound't lose them.

(XD I promise it gets less confusing!)

Arabella couldn't help but shrink back from the girl, who still hadn't revealed her name, as she glared at her. She had never felt so small in her life. "I--I'm sorry," she said softly, gripping Frodo's hand tighter. "I didn't mean to upset you..." An uncomfortable silence fell over the group then, and they walked along--Gollum leading, slinking along and murmuring to himself; Frodo, Sam, and Arabella following, sticking close together; and finally the strange girl bringing up the rear.

Later on, Arabella felt her heart break as she watched Frodo yell at Sam, going on ahead by himself. He was changing from the inside out, she could see that now. Slowly, the Ring was chipping away at the Hobbit he had been, leaving behind someone that Arabella was finding harder to recognize with each passing day. She put a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder, but found herself unable to speak through the tears that threatened to choke her.

The next day, she looked on with barely concealed delight as Sam prepared rabbit stew, what was to be their first meal of anything besides Lembas bread in at least a week. Her stomach growled loudly as the delicious aromas wafted through the air. When she and Sam noticed Frodo's absence, though, they abandoned the food in search of him, finding him watching the assembling army. Arabella watched the Oliphaunts in amazement--she had never even heard of such a thing, much less seen one herself.

The tiny moment of peace was shattered by the outbreak of battle, and Arabella jumped in alarm when the dead soldier fell near them. She stared at his limp body in horror, hardly hearing Frodo's suggestion that they keep moving. Finally, she followed.

She let out a cry when the ranger threw Frodo to the gound. "Hey!" she cried, unsheathing her own sword and running forward. She, too, was grabbed and thrown to the ground, gasping for breath as the wind was knocked out of her once again. At the captain's words, a leering man grabbed her by her cloak and hauled her upright. "No!" she yelled, twisting to try to get away. She had the advantage of size, being over two feet shorter than the man, but he was too strong for her, even when she kicked and punched at him wildly. "No!"

"Feisty little thing, this one is!" the man remarked as he tightened his grip on her. For one fleeting moment, Arabella thought about doing a Shield spell, using her magic to help her and her friends get away. 'No,' came an urgent voice in her head--that voice that sounded so much like Gandalf, as if he was speaking to her. 'Do not reveal your powers to them yet. You do not know what they will do if they know.'

She didn't stop trying to get away, however, until the man who held her held up his hand as if to hit her. Only then did she allow her hands to be roughly tied together. "Over there!" the man ordered, pushing her towards Frodo and Sam, whose hands were similarly bound. She bumped into Frodo but kept her footing, giving him one last longing look before a rough cloth was tied over her face, blocking out all light.

"We'll be all right," she whispered, as she heard Frodo and Sam being blindfolded as well. She stood close to Frodo, her shoulder brushing against his, to let him know she was there. "Just stay close to me if you can."

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As Frodo was being blind-folded, alongside Arabella and Sam, he heard what Arabella spoke to him. He swallowed hard and then slowly nodded to her. "I'll try." He said softly. He then felt himself being pushed forward slightly, so that they could started walking to their destination.

After what seemed like long hours of walking, Frodo, Sam and Arabella arrived finally to Henneth Annûn, where they entered into a cave. Sadly, Frodo didn't know the exact whereabouts due to having a blindfold over his eyes the whole time. He heard Faramir conferring with his men a good distance away. He made a face and then after a bit, they all had their blindfolds and bounds taken off at the same time, by one of Faramir's men. Faramir came up to them and sat down, looking over all three of them.

"My men tell me that you are Orc spies." Faramir said softly to the three Hobbits in front of him. Sam gave a shocked expression to the man. "Spies?! Now wait just a minute!" He exclaimed angrily. "Well if you’re not spies, then who are you?" Faramir said, somewhat calmly. Frodo and Sam remained silent for a few moments. Faramir's patience was starting to grow thin and it was evident. "Speak." He said forcefully. "We are Hobbits of the Shire. Frodo Baggins is my name, this is Arabella Granger and this is Samwise Gamgee." He said softly, not really wanting to have shared their names with a stranger. Faramir looked over them. "Your bodyguards?" He asked Frodo about Sam and Arabella. "His gardener." Sam said, with a glare. "And where is your skulking friend? That gangrel creature. He had an ill-favoured look." Faramir spoke of Gollum to them. Frodo swallowed hard and said with the merest hesitation, "There was no other." Sam looked around, shifty-eyed and uncomfortable. "We set out from Rivendell with eleven companions. One we lost in Mória. Two were my kin. A Dwarf there was also, and two Elves. And also two men, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and Boromir of Gondor." He said softly, deeply missing his friends.

Faramir stared at Frodo intently. "You’re a friend of Boromir?" He asked. Frodo nodded a bit and looked over Faramir's face. "Yes... for my part." He mumbled slightly. Faramir stood up and then took a deep breath ."It will grieve you then to learn that he is dead." He said simply. Frodo gasped and looked at him with a shocked expression on his face. "Dead? How? When?" He asked, saddened. "As one of his companions, I’d hoped you would tell me." He said softly and then paused for a moment before adding, "He was my brother."

After a couple of hours had passed, Faramir was sitting alone, deep in thought. Suddenly someone had come up to him. It was a Gondorian Ranger. "Captain Faramir," He whispered, "We found the fourth one." At this time, Frodo, Sam and Arabella had been sleeping in the cave. But, Frodo awakened as Faramir stood before him. "You must come with me. Now." He said softly to Frodo, so as to not wake up the others. So, Frodo got up and followed Faramir slowly. They came to the edge of the waterfall, overlooking the Forbidden Pool. Faramir stopped Frodo from walking and then pointed down to the Forbidden Pool. "Down there." He whispered. Frodo looked down and saw Gollum diving into the water. "To enter the forbidden pool bears the penalty of death." He spoke softly to Frodo and then gestured to archers that were hidden in the bushes. "They wait for my command." He added softly. The Rangers then notched their arrows, as Faramir's hand went higher up into the air, slowly. "Shall I shoot?" He asked softly. Frodo looked completely stricken. Gollum emerged from the pool onto a rock. He held a fish in his hand and started singing, slapping the fish on the rock as he went. Faramir finally had his hand fully raised, to order his men to shoot. At the last moment, Frodo called out. "Wait!" He exclaimed. Faramir then stopped. "This creature is bound to me. And I to him. He is our guide. Please, let me go down to him." Frodo begged to Faramir. Faramir nodded to the Hobbit.

Frodo descended down to the Forbidden Pool and approached Gollum who was gorging on the raw fish. "Sméagol." Frodo said softly to Gollum and Gollum turned around at Frodo’s voice. "Master is here. Come, Sméagol. Trust master. Come!" He said softly. Frodo gestured for Gollum to follow him. "We must go now?" He asked Frodo softly, raising an eyebrow and looking over Frodo's face. "Sméagol, you must trust master. Follow me, come on. Come. Come, Sméagol. Nice Sméagol. That’s it. Come on." He said to Gollum, continuing to motion for him to follow. With the fish between his teeth, Gollum followed Frodo warily. Suddenly, he looked up in alarm and was caught by Rangers. "Don’t hurt him! Sméagol don’t struggle! Sméagol listen to me!" He yelled. "Master!!" Gollum wailed. A black cloth was brought over Gollum's head. Frodo stared after them with a stricken expression as Faramir led Gollum and his men away.

Back in the cave, Gollum was thrown down to the ground. Crying, he crawled into a corner and curled up into ball. "No! No!" He sobbed sadly. Faramir walked to him and glared. "Where are you leading them? Answer me!" He yelled angrily. Cooing, Gollum's hand started to stroke his own shoulder. "Sméa…gol... Why does it cry, Sméagol?" Gollum spoke to his self softly. He started sobbing again. "Cruel men hurts us. Master trickst us." Smeagol cried to Gollum. "Of course he did. I told you he was tricksy. I told you he was false." Gollum hissed. Smeagol was still sobbing at this point. "Master is our friend... our friend." He cried out. Gollum shook his head. "Master betrayed us." He explained to Smeagol. Faramir looked on in utter confusion, as the creature talked back and forth to itself. "No, not its business. Leave us alone!" Smeagol said upsettingly to Gollum. Gollum then hit his fist against the wall. "Filthy little hobbitses. They stole it from us." He said in complete anger. Smeagol then started to whimper. "No... No!" Faramir raised an eyebrow a bit and then took a step forward. "What did they steal?" He asked Gollum softly, not entirely sure what he was talking about. Gollum then turned to Faramir with a ferocious expression. "Myyy… PRECIOUSSS!!" He yelled loudly and then bared his teeth and growled.

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Calio slipped in silently where the others where being captive. Her eyes glittering, she stepped forward into the darkness. "Hello?" she called. "Is anyone here?" She saw Sam and Frodo and stepped lightly towards them, trying not to make a sound. "Hello," she said again in a ore controlled voice. "I followed you to Faramir's cave. I was prepared to attack if they wronged you." She smiled mischievously. Her eyes widened when she saw the bruises.

Her sleep that night was troubled. Her hands and wrists still ached after being tied for so long, the stubborn pins-and-needles feeling refusing to leave her limbs. The fact that the Captain who had ordered their capture was Boromir's brother weighed heavily on her heart also. Who could have forseen something like this? And to have to hear of Boromir's death in such a manner...Arabella didn't know what to think. She knew that the Ring had corrupted him and that he had tried to take it from Frodo, but she would never wish death on him for doing so. So why then had she felt a sort of grim satisfaction when she had heard the news, before the grief had begun to set in?

She couldn't understand her own feelings anymore, and that was far more terrifiying than anything else they had encountered. Many that die deserve life, as Gandalf had told Frodo in Moria. Surely Boromir was one of these. Arabella knew this in her heart to be true. So why did she somehow feel that even so, justice had been served?

When she heard Faramir beckon Frodo out of the room they were confined in, she got up too, slipping quickly through the shadows to follow them. She didn't trust the Captain of Gondor. She stayed out of sight until she heard Faramir mention that the water was forbidden.

"That's not fair!" she cried before she could stop herself, dashing forward to stand next to Frodo before Faramir. "He didn't know any better!"

Faramir just arched an eyebrow at her, saying nothing. Arabella watched in horror as the men prepared to shoot at Gollum, before Frodo stopped them. Before Frodo went down to the creature, Arabella stopped him, holding onto his arm. "Promise me no harm will come to him," she said to Faramir, glaring fiercely. "Promise me you will not punish him for this."

Faramir gave the slightest of nods, and Arabella and Frodo made their way down to the water. There, she watched in horror as Faramir broke his promise, capturing Gollum and taking him away. She whirled around, finding him there looking at her and Frodo. "You promised!" she yelled. "You gave your word that no harm would come to him! You lied! You're a liar and a coward! You--"

Smack.

Arabella's head was thrown to the side by the force of Faramir's backhanded blow to her face, and she staggered backwards, falling to the ground. Her head hit the rocky ground hard, and she knew no more.

"Take them back," Faramir ordered one of the guards. One came and scooped the unconscious Arabella into his arms, while another came and grabbed Frodo roughly by the shoulders. The two guards brought the two of them back to where Sam was, throwing Frodo to the ground and dropping Arabella next to him before leaving. Arabella let out a painful moan as she came to, her eyelids flickering. The voices of Frodo and Sam sounded tinny and far away, almost as if she was hearing them from underwater. When Faramir entered the room and Frodo shouted, though, the sound came through clear as day, and she opened her eyes, sitting upright far too quickly.

She longed to go to Frodo, but Faramir's presence stopped her, and she shrunk back away from him. The sight of the man who had struck her filled her with fear now, even as the more rational part of her mind scolded her for not being brave. "Please," she whispered, hardly audible. "Please, see reason. The Ring cannot save your people..."

But Faramir ignored her, of course. Arabella leapt to her feet, fighting the feeling of wooziness, and hurried to Frodo's side. "What happened?" she asked, worry evident in her face. "What did he do to you?"

She whirled around as the girl appeared, the girl who had somehow managed to evade capture by the Gondorians. "How did you get in here?" Arabella demanded. "What have you been doing all this time?"

(I must say that I do not dislike Faramir. I actually like him quite a bit and was worried that this was an OOC action for him, as this is taken almost directly from my fanfic. However, I realized that Ari calling him a coward would probably anger him and make him think of his father and cause him to act...rashly. If I have offended any Faramir fans, I'm sorry!)

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Legolas walked side by side with Amara as the refugees of Edoras made their way to Helm's Deep. Estel and Gimli were behind them, and he could hear Gimli telling Lady Eowyn some ridiculous story or other. He laughed a bit, shaking his head. "Dwarves," he said softly, as if that explained everything. "Come, let us go towards the front."

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Amara walked alongside Legolas toward Helms Deep and heard Aragorn, Gimli and Eowyn speaking. She smiled to what they were saying and then heard Legolas speak. She nodded in agreement to him and then walked a little faster, making it to the front with him. She looked over to him and took a deep breath, feeling her heart overflow with love for him. "What will happen after this is done? What will happen to the Fellowship? To... Us?" She asked Legolas in their native tongue. She didn't fear. She was merely just curious. She didn't want to lose the love of her life. Not now, not ever.

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Frodo watched in horror as Faramir knocked Arabella unconscience. His eyes widened and he gasped a bit, before being pulled away from the scene while yelling. "ARABELLA!" He was beyond upset at this point. Back in their holding area, Sam and Frodo were alone, with an unconscience Arabella on the floor. He slowly sat beside her and cradled her motionless body in his arms. "We have to get out of here. You go. Go, now! You can do it. Use the Ring, Mr. Frodo. Just this once. Put it on. Disappear." Sam said to Frodo quietly and then urgently, being scared about everything. Frodo sighed deeply and shook his head to what his best friend had said, while running his fingers through Arabella's hair slowly. "I can’t. You were right, Sam. You tried to tell me, but… I’m sorry. The Ring’s taking me Sam. If I put it on, he’ll find me. He’ll see." He spoke softly and sadly. "Mr. Frodo..." He said sadly as well, before Faramir entered the room. Sam quickly looked to him and Frodo managed to get up from his spot, leaving his cloak underneath Arabella's head.

Faramir reached for the hilt of his sword and then unsheathed it. "So... this is the answer to all the riddles. Here in the wild I have you. Three halflings and a host of men at my call. The Ring of power within my grasp." He said a bit upset and then lifted the Ring from Frodo's neck with the tip of his sword. "A chance for Faramir, captain of Gondor, to show his quality." He added, starting to feel a bit proud about his future accomplishment; to finally be able to be good enough for his father. Faramir narrowed his eyes and then backed up a fearful Frodo against the wall. The Ring whispered and Frodo fell into a trance. Suddenly, he grabbed the Ring in his hand and jerked himself away. "No!!" He shouted and then ran away from Faramir. "Stop it! Leave him alone! Don’t you understand? He’s got to destroy it. That’s where we’re going. Into Mordor. To the mountain of fire." He said sadly and stood in front of Frodo, protectively. Faramir then stared at Frodo for a few moments.

Just then, Damrod entered. "Osgiliath is under attack. They call for reinforcements." He said urgently to Faramir, his Captain. "Please. It’s such a burden. Will you not help him?" Sam asked softly and swallowed hard, looking over Faramir's face to find any ounce of compassion. "Captain?" Damrod asked, urging to get an answer out of Faramir. "Prepare to leave. The Ring will go to Gondor." Faramir said and then turned to leave. Sam just looked after Faramir sadly.

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BumP!

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After they had left, Calio sighed and turned towards her companions. She knew they probably wouldn't listen to her, but her suggestion was worth a try.

"Come on, " she whispered urgently. "Let's go. There's no reason to stay here. Let's escape while we can." Sighing, she hoped they would listen. She turned to find some food and some healing herbs to help them later on. After all, the rangers weren't aware she was there. She slipped out and crossed down the waterfall, carefully going step by step. She hated being alone; whenever she was alone she would remember. Things she didn't to remember....

***

She returned swiftly with more herbs and nutrients and had also been lucky enough to find some small potatoes and fresh water, which she carried in a hollow rock. She set them down. "Where's Sméagol?" she asked.

(Oops! Totally didn't realize it was my turn! Sorry, my bad!)

Arabella cast Calio a skeptical look at the girl's words. "How?" she asked. "I'm sure they're keeping us well-guarded. How do you expect us to slip away unnoticed? We're not as skilled at--" she narrowed her eyes, "--sneaking around as you and Sméagol are, you know. You still haven't told us where you went, or how you were able to get away."

The girl snuck away again, and Arabella sighed, sinking down until she was sitting with her back against the cold, damp stone wall. She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, her small shoulders shaking as the sobs she had been so good at keeping locked inside of her burst loose like a dam. "Frodo..." she whispered weakly, but found herself unable to say more. Her emotions were being set free with so much intensity that she couldn't voice them--her hatred and fear of the Captain of Gondor after he had hit her and threatened her love, her uncertainty for the future, and the one fear above them all that she could not voice, for it was too painful--the fear that she was losing Frodo, that he was slipping away from her day by day.

When she had finally calmed down, she dried her eyes and looked up to see the girl returned. "They took him," she answered Calio's question sadly. "He entered a Forbidden Pool of some sort--he didn't know it was forbidden--and they took him away. We don't know where they're keeping him, or even what's become of him. And even if we could leave, we can't leave him behind." Arabella paused as Sam gave her a confused look. "We won't get very far without him at the very least," she ammended her words.

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Legolas remained silent for a few moments after Amara's question. What would become of the Fellowship after their task was done had in truth never crossed his mind. "I don't know," he admitted. "I suppose Estel will make his way to Minas Tirith to take his rightful place as king, of course--at least, that's what he should do." He shook his head a bit, knowing only too well of his friend's reluctance to claim kingship over the White City. "The Hobbits will doubtless make their way back to their homeland, their beloved Shire..." If they survive, a voice in his head said grimly. He tried to shake off the despair and smiled a bit. "Perhaps Frodo and Arabella will even have a wedding to celebrate before we all part ways for good." He winked a bit, smiling jokingly at her. He wasn't sure whether the two Hobbits had had the courage to admit their feelings for each other as he and Amara had.

"And us..." he said, speaking more gently now. "I should return to my home, the woods and paths of Mirkwood, and I would be honored if you would join me there. But only if you wish."

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[Alright guys, I just want to warn you that the writing here is horrible. And I thought of Calio's history on the spot, so it's not very complex. xD ]

Calio narrowed her eyes back at Arabella. The girl was kind, but she was obviously suspicious of Calio.

"Alright," she breathed. "I'll tell you everything. Seems I have no other choice. Besides, you need a story to take your mind off things..." Her voice grew gentler as she spoke. She sat beside the girl, hoping she wouldn't try to inch away. The silence settled in, as Calio gathered her thoughts. There was a dripping of water nearby, and Calio could tell Arabella was crying.

"I used to be a girl of Gondor, you know," she spoke. She let out a harsh laugh. "Not a lady, by no means! No, I was nothing but an ignorant child, with father and no mother. We were wanderers, dressed in rags. Gondor is gradually declined as the Third Age progresses, as you probably know. It still is. Nothing has gotten better."

"We lived in Ithilien. For a few years my life was almost perfect; fair and beautiful." She clenched her jaw. "And then they came. After the fall of Minas Ithil, it was all over. My mother murdered, me and my father had nothing to do but wait. Wait and survive. We wandered. One time we fell asleep, and I fell into a deep one. When I woke, my father was gone"-she paused-"but his arm was still wrapped around me. I figured a hound must have taken him off. Why he didn't take me as well, I'll never know. Some cruel fate of Eru perhaps. I'd rather have died there that night. I was terrified. I was but a child, and I had no way of getting care or food. "

"I began to climb trees to get away from orcs. It was tough work, but how else was to survive? I wanted to find cilvilaztion, but it was hopeless. I was nowhere. But I still survived, somehow." She hesitated, then continued; "And then one day my self-taught, and therefore often flimsy skills failed. I fell, right into the middle of the orc's pact. They wasted no time. They tortured me, and took no time to whip me. I walked with the rest with them, under great pain."

"When we arrived to Mordor, they took me to the Dark Lord. It was far too terrible to look into his face. And It was weak, so weak."

"I thought that was the worst of it. But it was only the start. The Dark Lord decided I would be a toy for his children. The orcs took me away, and did what they wanted with me. Oh, they did. They had no limits. Some would hang me, some would whip me, some would rape me. Some did all three at once."

"I tried to escape. Don't think I didn't. Every night I tried, and every night I failed. Every time they caught me, It would be one more scar to the back."

She pulled down the back of her ruddy shirt to show Arabella. Massive red scars streaked across her back. "There are more than that," she said, almost hysterically. "There are some on my back, my legs, all over. I'm surprised there are none on my face. Maybe there are. I haven't looked at myself in years." She smiled madly.

"And that was how I grew up. Finally, just a few days ago, the orcs decided they were tired of me. They threw me out, literally. And then I found you." She eyed Arabella. "You, who is always so suspicious." Then she smiled. "Although I don't blame you. I don't exactly have the grace of an elf."

Amara listened to all that Legolas had spoken to her, as they continued to walk in front of the rest. She knew all too well that some of the Elves would be leaving Middle Earth to venture to the Grey Havens. It made her sad, but she realized that their lives would be much better there. She giggled a bit to what he said about Frodo and Arabella and smiled widely, nodding. "Those two have more love for each other than us..." She said to him softly in their Elvish tongue and then looked over to him, giving him her best smile. She had fallen deeply in love with him over the course of their journey so far and she knew that there was no going back now.

So, when he mentioned that he wanted her to travel back to Mirkwood with him, it almost took her by surprise. She looked into his eyes, with her own wide ones. "You... You want me to go with you?" She asked. It was an immense honor to have a Prince invite you back to his homeland. Although, she was a bit nervous to meet King Thranduil, as she had heard rumors of his mean ways.

Suddenly, she heard a lot of laughing behind them coming from Lady Eowyn. She looked over her shoulder slightly and saw that Gimli had fallen off his horse and it was galloping away quickly. Eowyn then hurried over toward Gimli, as he was struggling to get up. "It’s alright, it’s alright. Nobody panic. That was deliberate. It was deliberate." He said slightly embarrassed, but reassuringly. Éowyn helped Gimli get up and laughed as she brushed him off and looked back at Aragorn with the sun behind her and the wind in her hair. At that particular moment, Aragorn seemed enchanted by Éowyn’s light-hearted image and Amara noticed. She raised an eyebrow and then looked back to Legolas, trying not to pay any attention.

A couple of hours later, they set up camp and rested for the night there. There was still a ways to go.

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Frodo looked over to Arabella sadly and then swallowed hard, listening to Calio's story. He took a shaky breath and then wrapped his arms around himself, while looking down to his feet. He didn't know what he was going to do now. They were getting nowhere by just staying in this cave and with the way that Faramir was acting, he wasn't that much better than his late brother.

Looking back up to Arabella, he held her close to him and then kissed the top of her head. "Promise me... Promise me that if anything happens to me, that you'll destroy the Ring. And please have Sam help you." He whispered softly into her ear. He was exhausted and felt defeated. The Ring was wearing him down slowly, but surely. It had definitely taken its toll on him and it was showing quite a bit.

A long amount of time later, Frodo, his company and Faramir and his company drew close to Osgiliath. One ranger looked ahead and pointed. "Look! Osgiliath burns!" He shouted and then another ranger stood beside Faramir. "Mordor has come." He added softly, but solemnly. Frodo quickly looked to Faramir with tears in his eyes. "The Ring will not save Gondor. It has only the power to destroy. Please, let me go." He begged to the torn soldier. He saw that Faramir hesitated for a moment. "Hurry." He said to all of them and pressed them on. "Faramir, you must let me go!" Frodo shouted to Faramir, but as a reply, they were all pushed on towards Osgiliath.

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