Chapter 10: Get off the Road! The relentless hunt of the Black Riders

Back in the shire, the hobbits, along with Kaoru and Yahiko, seem to have lost themselves in a farm field. Sam searches for Frodo, fearing that he has lost him.

"Mr. Frodo," Sam muttered with concern, as he ran, "Frodo, Frodo!" Frodo then appeared in front of him. Sam was relieved. "Oh, I thought I lost you."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's just," Sam stated, "something Gandalf said."

"What did he say?" inquired Frodo.

"'Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee'. And I don't mean to."

"Sam, we're still in the shire. What could possibly happen?"

"Well, speaking of which," said Sam," where are Miss Kaoru and Yahiko?" Sam's question was answered when they were knocked over by two other hobbits, Meriadoc and Peregrin. Followed by the appearance of Yahiko and Kaoru.

"Aha!" exclaimed Kaoru, as she pointed at the two thieving hobbits, "give up! Return the food right now!"

Peregrin then looked to see what they bumped into, "Frodo, hey Merry, its Frodo Baggins!"

"Hello Frodo," greeted Merry.

Sam then forced them off Frodo. "Get off of him!" Sam exclaimed and picked up Frodo, to brush him off, "are you alright?"

"What's the meaning of this?" asked Peregrin.

"Hey Frodo," said Kaoru, "do you know these two?"

Merry asked Kaoru, "you're with Frodo, ma'am?"

"Of course we are, you dope!" said Yahiko.

"In that case, I'm Meriadoc Brandybuck. My friends call me Merry."

"And Peregrin Took be my name. My friends call me Pippin!"

"Well, Kaoru be my name," introduced Kaoru.

"And Yahiko be my name too, got it?"

Yahiko and Kaoru both fumed at the troublemakers. Merry then handed Sam the farm food that he and Pippin stole.

"Hey Merry!" Kaoru still insisted, loudly, "return the food already!!!"

"You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!" exclaimed Sam.

Then…

Farmer Maggot himself was charging with a scythe in his hand. "Get out!" he exclaimed, "get out of my field!"

"Come on," said Merry. Everyone started to make a run for it.

"Wait a minute…" insisted Kaoru.

"No time, Miss Kaoru. Run, Yahiko!" exclaimed Frodo as he hurried her and Yahiko. Sam stood there for a moment… then he dropped the farmer's food and ran also.

While they were running, Kaoru began to rant at Merry and Pippin, "this is all your fault you know!"

"Miss Kaoru," said Merry, "would you please calm down? I just don't understand why he's so upset, it's only a few carrots."

"And some cabbages," added Pippin, "and those three bags of potatoes we lifted last week. And then mushrooms the week before that."

A few items huh, suuure, thought Yahiko.

"Yes, Pippin," said Merry, "my point is, he's clearly overreacting. Run!" As they did…

They stumbled… and fell over a cliff and tumbled… and tumbled swiftly down the hill… and crashed in a heap, one by one, landing nearly on top of each other.

After crashing on the ground, the group groaned as they lay on top of each other. "Yahiko," said Kaoru, "are you alright?"

"Yes, I think so," Yahiko said as he and Kaoru picked themselves off the ground.

"Oh, that was close," said Pippin. He nearly landed on a pile of manure.

Merry then feels something under him, "I think I've broken something." He pulled a broken carrot from under his hip.

"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took," Sam said, picking himself up.

"What?" asked Merry, as he brushed himself off, "…that was just a detour, a short cut."

"A shortcut to what?" asked Sam.

"Mushrooms!" exclaimed Pippin as he spots a few mushrooms some feet away. He, Merry, and Sam rushed to the mushrooms.

'Boys will be boys,' Kaoru thought annoyed.

Frodo then feels a sudden chill coming over him. He realizes that he and his companions are on the road, something he was told to avoid. Kaoru notices Frodo's shock.

"I think we should get off the road," Frodo spoke to his fellow hobbits, who were still admiring the mushrooms and gathering them to put inside their bag. Kaoru and Yahiko were the only ones who were attentive. Suddenly…

A gust of wind came across Frodo, along with a horrifying screech…

"Get off the road, quick!" Frodo commanded to his companions. The hobbits hid under the roots of a tree. They were barely able to squeeze in Kaoru and Yahiko, since they were a bit larger than the hobbits.

Merry and Pippin went through the bag of mushrooms to see how many they have. But Sam insisted as he whispered, "be quiet!"

Moments later… a black rider comes, riding on his horse. It stopped by the tree in which the group hid. Frodo looked a little ways back through the roots. The rider then dismounted his horse with a loud thump… and settles just over the hiding place.

The rider sniffs as if it can smell that the ring is close. The rider's presence cause some bugs to crawl from the roots, and onto the hobbits. Suddenly… Frodo is overtaken by a strong force. It is the ring imposing on Frodo to put the ring on…

Kaoru notices the ring but…

…She really didn't do anything but look…

…Perhaps… somehow… maybe the ring was getting to her as well…

…Kaoru stares at the ring as the will of the ring gets stronger… and stronger…

Then Sam notices Frodo trying to put on the ring and…

Sam was able to stop Frodo by placing his hand on Frodo. Kaoru then snapped out of her trance as Frodo retracted from putting the ring on.

Merry then throws the bag of mushrooms, which distracts the rider. The group made their escape as they ran as far away from the rider as possible. When they felt that they were far enough away… they took a rest.

"What was that?" asked Merry.

"…Trouble," answered Yahiko, panting for breath.

"What trouble, Yahiko?" inquired Merry. Frodo then opened his hand and looks at the ring with despair, knowing that the ring's will is starting to control him a little…

In the many lands of Middle-Earth, there is always good and evil. But for one man named Hajime Saito…

Evil was to be extinguished… for he follows his own code…

…Aku… Soku… Zan, slay evil immediately. This was the same code that the Shinsengumi follow as well.

Saito, as well as six other people came to Middle-Earth by Radagast's portal. Unfortunately, they were scattered all across Middle-Earth. Saito, however, ended up in a strange, mountainous terrain. He was a stranger in a foreign land. But… knowing Saito, he has always ended up in these situations as he has repeatedly boasted.

Saito continued to trek through this strange land. He remains vigilant to his sense of perception.

'Mountains…wonderful,' though Saito, 'I find myself wound up in this rockface, expecting it to be a shining… glittering place called Rivendell… unless, of course, it is Rivendell. But by what that old man called Radagast said, Rivendell is supposed to be a peaceful place.

'However… I can't seem to find the Battousai and his friends anywhere. At the last minute, I saw a kid running into the old man. It must've been how I landed in this place. Kids today… they just can't respect their elders can they?'

Saito passed over treacherous chasms, even great waterfalls, trying to find his way down. He sometimes had no luck in getting down the mountain. Saito has seen nobody in sight. But… somehow… he has had the feeling that someone was watching him…

On one of the rocks above him… a small shape appeared. The shape spoke, "who goes there? Who are you?"

Saito responded, "…before I answer… why don't you tell me who you are?"

"I'll answer," said the shape, "with my axe in you! Argh!" The shape jumped at Saito…

But Saito immediately drew his sword and jumped up at the shape with a Gatotsu attack. The attack only cut the shape's axe.

The stranger was short and wore armor. He had red-brown hair with a long beard. The stranger gasped to see his axe broken.

"You are truly amazing," said the stranger, "you managed to cut my axe."

"I am a man of many surprises stranger," said Saito.

"Indeed. I am a Dwarf of the Lonely Mountain, stranger. Who are you, laddie?" asked the long-bearded stranger roughly.

"I'm just a wolf from Mibu, lost in a strange land."

"A wolf from Mibu? Where is that pray tell?"

"You could say… it’s a very far away place."

"You must forgive me, stranger, I don't trust anyone these days."

"Well, after what's happened to me, I must say that I'm not in the mood to trust anyone myself."

Just then… a group of other Dwarves came up and surrounded Saito. Saito wasn't impressed.

"Where are you from stranger?" asked one of the Dwarves, "what business do you have here?"

"No wait, my people," said the Dwarf with the brown hair, "…there is a Great Spirit in this one. Calls himself a wolf."

"But," interjected another Dwarf, "he looks more human than a wolf."

"Have you ever heard of a wolf in sheep's clothing before? Anyway, I've got better things to do than just wait around here with you pip-squeaks."

"Before you go off, why don't you stay awhile?" the brown-haired Dwarf proposed, "I am Gimli, son of Gloin, of the Lonely Mountain. What is yours sir?"

Saito paused for a moment before answering, "…I may have many names, but you may call me Hajime Saito, of the Shinsengumi."

Inside one of the dwellings of the mountain, Saito tells the dwarves of his dilemma.

"Hmm, so you come from a different world, eh," said Gimli, "and you say that Saruman the White, the chief of the wizard's order, has joined Sauron's quest for power?"

"Yeah," responded Saito as he was smoking a cigarette.

"So you also know of the legendary one ring?"

"Yep, that's about it, only I haven't seen it yet."

"Indeed, Master Saito. Would you care for some beer?" Gimli proposed.

"No thank you. Whenever I drink something like that, I get a strong urge to kill."

"Its your loss, sir," Gimli said as he drank his beer.

Gimli went on, "There have been rumors that Mordor is now planning to overrun all of Middle-Earth and that the dark lord himself is now regaining power. As for Saruman… let's just say that I've never been the one to trust wizards. They're too cunning and clever for my tastes… dangerous to the very end. Long ago, my people were given seven rings of power. The One Ring itself controlled them. It is this reason alone that I have a paranoid nature. Many of my people are miners. They wish to go hide in the mountains to seek great wealth, like Mithril. The Dwarves don't even try to care about what goes on in the world. If no Dwarf will fight to preserve their lands, who can protect them?"

"You have a great point," Saito agreed, "from where I come from, people with power don't wish to do anything and let someone else do all the work for them."

"Indeed. Then perhaps… we may have something in common, Master Saito."

In the middle of the conversation, more Dwarves come in to speak to Gimli.

"Gimli," said a Dwarf.

"What is it now?" Gimli asked, exasperated.

"We have just received a visit from messengers of Mordor. They sought information about the One Ring."

"What did you tell them?"

"We told them," answered another Dwarf, "we didn't know where it was now. We've also received a message from Rivendell. A council is to be held that concerns the One Ring's fate."

"Very well," said Gimli, "we must prepare to leave at once."

"Hey," Saito cuts in as he throws away his cigarette, "mind if I tag along? I'm suppose to be going to this Rivendell place anyhow."

Meanwhile, at the Shire, darkness fell. Frodo, Sam, Kaoru, and Yahiko, accompanied by Merry and Pippin, continued running to avoid the riders as much as possible. They settled once more. Frodo was against a tree, full of despair. As Kaoru was resting… she suddenly finds out… that her mind can't take what just happened with her…

'Frodo… was compelled to put the ring on,' though Kaoru, with a confused mind, '…even when Gandalf told him not to. When I saw Frodo trying to put the ring on… I should've tried to stop him, so why… why couldn't I stop him… why couldn't I stop him from putting the ring on? Sam… was able to do it. So… why couldn't I… stop him?'

"Anything?" asked Merry.

"Nothing," answered Frodo.

Pippin didn't understand what was happening, "what's going on?"

"…It's a long story, Pippin," answered Kaoru, as she slowly tries to recover from her confusion.

"Indeed," said Merry as he proceeded towards Frodo, "it would be, Miss Kaoru. That Black Rider was looking for something or someone… Frodo?" Frodo looked at his kinsman striving to answer his question.

Before Frodo could answer, Pippin senses something coming, "get down!" he said.

The Black Rider appears at some distance from the group. They waited a few moments for the rider to move away from the area…

Frodo then requests Merry and Pippin's assistance. "I have to leave the shire," he stated, "Sam, the others, and I must get to Bree."

"Yeah, Merry," interjected Yahiko, "Gandalf told us to meet him there, and to avoid any suspicious characters like that black rider. Will you help us, Merry."

"…Right, Yahiko," Merry nodded, "Buckleberry Ferry, follow me.

The group began to run toward the ferry…

But the rider came up behind them first.

"Run!" yelled Pippin.

"This way!" cried Merry, "follow me! Run!"

The group scattered. Frodo inadvertently gets separated from the rest.

"Yahiko, go with them!" cried Kaoru, "I'll help Frodo."

"Right Kaoru!" called out Yahiko.

Kaoru then assisted Frodo against the Black Rider, fending it off with her wooden sword. Yahiko continued to run with the others who were able to get to the ferry before Kaoru and Frodo. As they boarded the ferry, they began to untie the rope from the moorings…

"Untie the rope, Sam!" cried Merry.

Frodo and Kaoru started to come to the ferry as it slowly began to drift.

"Frodo!" yelled Sam.

"Run Frodo!" cried the hobbits.

"Hurry Kaoru!" cried Yahiko. They kept calling out to them as the rider rode right behind them.

"Go," hollered Kaoru and Frodo.

The ferry kept drifting away as they kept running.

"Jump!" yelled Pippin.

Frodo and Kaoru then jumped onto the ferry from the dock. The rider stopped in its tracks at the water's edge. It seemed to the travelers that the rider was afraid to go into the water. The rider then turned around and rode away in defeat, but it wasn't going to give up so easily…

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

"The Brandywine Bridge," answered Merry, "…twenty miles."

The group then floated on the river making for the bridge. They saw that the three riders were heading in that direction as well…

The group finally arrived at Bree. It stormed and rained very hard.

"Come on," said Frodo. They went up to the gate and knocked on it. The gatekeeper answered as he opened the window and saw a young lady.

"Oh hello," greeted the gatekeeper, "there anyone with you?"

"Yes," answered Kaoru. He couldn't see anyone with her so he opened the lower window to get a better view. "What do you and the young lady want?" asked the gatekeeper.

"We're heading for the Prancing Pony," said Frodo. The gatekeeper opened the door and looked closely, "hobbits. Four hobbits, along with a young lady and child! What business brings you to Bree?"

While the gatekeeper was asking, Merry looked behind to see if the Black Riders have caught up to them.

"We wish to stay at the inn," answered Frodo, "our business is our own."

"Alright, young sir, I meant no offense. It's my job to ask questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful," the gatekeeper said as he let the group in.

The travelers went straight for the inn, passing a barrage of people and run-down cattle.

The people cried out to the travelers, "watch where you're going!"

The travelers were very uncomfortable with the treatment they were receiving, especially Kaoru and Yahiko. Frodo then looked up at a building with a sign that read, 'The Prancing Pony'.

Frodo and the others entered the inn. Sam closed the door behind them. The establishment was full of a diverse company of guests consisting of Dwarves, strange men from the south, even local Hobbits. They went to the front counter to ask for a room.

"Excuse me," said Frodo. The Innkeeper came up to them.

"Good evening, little masters," greeted the Innkeeper. He looked to see that Kaoru and Yahiko accompanied the hobbits.

"Are the young lady and child with you, by any chance?" asked the Innkeeper.

Frodo nodded.

"Well," continued the Innkeeper, "if you're all seeking nice accommodations, we've got some nice cozy hobbit size rooms available enough for you and your two other friends, Mr.…?"

Frodo knows that he can't actually speak his name, and answered with a different name, "…Underhill. My name's Underhill."

"Underhill, hmm."

"We're all friends of Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we've arrived?"

"Gandalf…? Gandalf… ohhh, yes! I remember. Elderly chap, big gray beard, pointy hat." Frodo nodded.

The Innkeeper then answered, "not seen him for six weeks." They were shocked to hear this.

Frodo turned to face his companions. "What do we do now?" asked Sam.

"We'll just have to wait for him, Sam. He said something about seeing the head of his order… "

Kaoru gasped in great shock. She forgot to tell Gandalf about his leader, Saruman.

"What's wrong, Miss Kaoru?" asked Frodo, wondering what's happening with her.

A moment passed before Kaoru could answer Frodo; "…I just hope its nothing. But Gandalf may have run into trouble with seeing the leader of his order."

"What do you mean Miss Kaoru?" Frodo asked with shock in his voice.

Kaoru just kept putting on her face of concern. She couldn't afford to tell Frodo of a traitor in the wizard's order because she knows that he's stressed out enough with the Black Riders after them. Yahiko couldn't answer either. He silently agreed with Kaoru in not telling Frodo the whole story.

"…Frodo," answered Kaoru, "…lets just hope… Gandalf will come here like he says he will, okay."

Frodo slowly nodded in agreement.