To Destroy a Ring: Chapter 7

The next few days of travel were uneventful, save for a sighting of Elves passing in the night. They sang with clear, enchanting voices that rendered Lily and Sam speechless, and Frodo explained that they were traveling to the Grey Havens, where they would sail away to the Undying Lands, never to return.

“I don’t know why,” Sam had said at length. “It makes me sad.”

Lily did not understand why the Elves would leave Middle-earth. What was this mysterious place that lay beyond the western sea? Hours of walking and aching feet, however, soon drove these questions from her mind. Their path was at times difficult, for Frodo had said that they must travel through the countryside and not on the Road. When she inquired about it, all he would say was that the servants of the Enemy would be looking for them.

This was enough to cause her to glance suspiciously at their surroundings quite often, even though she had no idea what she was looking for.

They had come out of the woods now and were crossing well-tended fields, where sheaves of golden wheat enclosed them on all sides. The grain plants glowed brightly in the afternoon sun, waving gently back and forth in the breeze. Luckily, a narrow path had been cut through the crop that allowed the hobbits to pass through unimpeded. As they walked, Lily could not shake the feeling that something was jogging her memory.

“Frodo,” she began uncertainly, “is it just my imagination, or are we getting close to Farmer Maggot’s?”

“I think you’re right,” he replied uneasily.

She swallowed, dreading the sound of barking dogs, which she felt was inevitable. All of them started to walk more quickly, and the wheat soon transitioned into corn. Lily wasn’t sure, but she thought that she heard a noise rising above the rustling stalks—voices and crashing footsteps. At the same moment, Sam stopped and said, “Do you hear that?”

Suddenly, two figures burst out of the sea of crops and collided with Frodo and Sam, sending them sprawling. Lily sprang back with wide eyes.

“Frodo!” cried Pippin, delighted. “Merry, it’s Frodo Baggins!”

“Hello, Frodo!” said Merry, standing quickly and regathering his assortment of stolen vegetables.

“Get off him!” Sam growled, tossing Pippin aside and pulling Frodo to his feet.

“Lily!” Pippin exclaimed, noticing her for the first time. “Help us out, would you?”

Before she knew what was happening, he was dumping carrots into her arms. As he did, they became aware of the sound of barking dogs. They were getting louder.

“Run!” Merry cried, disappearing into the corn field.

Pippin and Frodo were right behind him. Lily and Sam shared a glance of complete terror before dropping the vegetables Merry and Pippin had piled into their arms and taking off after them. Frantically, they bolted through the maze of green stalks, hearts racing and feet flying.

“I don’t know why he’s so upset!” shouted Merry. "It’s only a couple of carrots!”

“And some cabbages!” Pippin yelled back at him. "And those three bags of potatoes we lifted last week! And then the mushrooms the week before!”

“Yes, Pippin! My point is, he’s clearly overreacting! Run!” Merry added urgently as they suddenly emerged from the corn field.

Pippin stopped first, having realized that there was a drop-off, and they were at the top of a frighteningly steep incline. But it was too late. Merry ran into him, then Frodo, then Lily, then Sam, and all of them soon found themselves tumbling head over foot down the hillside. There were grunts, thuds, and the clanging of pots and pans for several long seconds. Everything was spinning, and Lily was dizzy by the time she reached the bottom.

To her surprise, she did not make contact with solid ground but instead landed on top of one of the others. At first, she did not realize who. Out of breath, Lily pushed herself into a partially upright position and was startled to find herself staring down into Frodo’s wide blue eyes. His cheeks were rapidly turning red, and she quickly climbed off of him, mortified. She looked at the others, but they didn’t seem to have noticed and were still picking themselves up from the leaf-strewn ground.

“It was just a detour, a shortcut!” Merry was saying, brushing dirt and grass off his coat.

“A shortcut to what?” grumbled Sam.

“Mushrooms!” Pippin exclaimed, clambering to his feet.

As he, Merry, and Sam scurried over and began to inspect the small cluster growing by the roadside, Frodo stood. Dusting himself off, he cast a discreet glance in Lily’s direction, only to find that she was already looking at him. Red-faced, both of them turned away, she joining the others, and he wandering further onto the Road to survey their surroundings. As she peered down at the mushrooms, however, she was not listening to a single thing her friends were saying. Their words were faded and muffled, Lily’s heart pounding inside her chest.

There was a strange fluttering in her stomach, a warm feeling. It was different yet familiar. Unwilling to consider what it could possibly mean, she pushed it deep down and resolved to ignore it.

“I think we should get off the Road,” Frodo called over his shoulder, but beneath its casual surface, there was a hint of anxiety in his voice.

Lily glanced up, but the others either did not hear him or had chosen to ignore him. Returning his gaze to the deepening shadow in the distance, Frodo shivered as if a chill wind had swept over him.

“Get off the Road—quick!” he cried, more forcefully this time.

His urgency drove them into the surrounding woods, where they took shelter in the hollow of a large tree. Pressed tightly together, they waited in silence, a mass of tangled roots forming a makeshift roof over their heads. Lily was painfully aware that she had been squeezed in next to Frodo, and she scolded herself for the heat rising to her cheeks. She shouldn’t feel so embarrassed. It was only an accident, after all.

The sound of heavy footsteps thudding and crunching the leaves above them broke into her thoughts, and she held her breath. A horse snorted, pawing the earth, and there came a strange hissing, as if someone, or something, was sniffing for them. Color seemed to be sucked out of the world around them, and all thoughts of pleasant things were forgotten. The air became cold, and Lily shuddered as insects stirred and began to crawl around her feet.

Frightened, she looked over at the others, only to find that Frodo had taken the Ring out of his pocket and was resisting the urge to put it on his finger. She had never before laid eyes upon it, the simple band of brilliant gold, but her awe of its beauty was swiftly replaced by anger when she realized that it was forcing its own will upon Frodo. His eyes were shut, his jaw clenched, his finger drawing steadily closer to the Ring. Lily laid her hand firmly on his arm, and he snapped out of his trance. Quickly, Frodo snatched his finger away from the Ring and shoved it back into his coat pocket.

In that instant, Merry tossed his bag of vegetables onto the Road behind them, and there was a shriek as the Rider wheeled its horse around and trotted swiftly away. They bolted from the hollow and fled in the opposite direction, disappearing into the undergrowth. They ran for some distance before pausing for breath, finally skidding to a halt amongst the thick piles of fallen leaves.

“What was that?” said Merry.

They all looked expectantly at Frodo, but he did not answer, for his gaze was turned downward to the Ring that lay in the palm of his hand. He was clearly disturbed by the events that had just taken place, and he seemed changed, as one who had felt evil’s touch for the first time.