Finding Love in the Lord of the Rings

****Chapter Eleven****

Chapter Eleven

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The next day dawned bright and clear, the air was warm and there was not a cloud in sight. The camp was full of bustling hobbits trying to prepare for the road ahead of them.

"Time to get up." Sam grumbled to Cody and nudged her with the edge of his foot.

Cody did not stir when he did this, she did not even mumble a reply or open her eyes. After a little while Merry saw that she was still asleep and went over to wake her.

"Cody, it's time to get up." he gently shook her shoulder but when nothing happened he said again, "Cody get up." She did not respond to his vigorous shaking and soon Merry began to get worried. "Cody? Cody?!" He screamed. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched Merry try and wake her. Frodo ran over to them and knelt down on the other side of her.

"Cody wake up! Strider, something is wrong with Cody!" Merry called over his shoulder.

Strider dropped the pans he was cleaning and jogged over to the unconscious form of Cody. He got down on his knees and placed his hand on her forehead.

"Some sort of spell has been placed on her. Possibly while we were all sleeping."

"Can you cure her?" Merry looked up at Strider with watery eyes.

"I'm afraid not." he said shaking his head.

"Cody." Merry cried.

Frodo walked over to his friend's side and helped him up. Strider untied her hands and gently carried her over to Bill.

"We're going to have to carry more things so we can make room for her." he said.

For almost ten minutes they pulled things off of Bill's back and stuffed it into their packs. Merry insisted on carrying the most but Strider persuaded him that that was not necessary. Soon, there was enough room for them to drape Cody's limp form over Bill's bare back. They used the rope, that had been used to bind her wrists, to tie her down on Bill's back so she did not slip off. Merry and Frodo stood on either side of her and helped keep her on the pony.

They traveled all day, Frodo and Merry refused to leave her side as they traveled. They kept this up for several days until, finally, Strider announced that they had made it to Weathertop. They made camp and gently laid Cody down on a pile of blankets and cloaks.

Merry and Frodo sat side by side in the dark and faced Cody so they could keep an eye on her. An hour passed and her body still laid dormant. Strider draped a warm, wet rag over her forehead and let the water warm her frigid face. When the rag went cold he peeled it off of her face and was about to warm it up again when she moved. Her eyes flew open and she gave a giant gasp of air as if she had been submerged in water for the past few days. Her body was then rocked in tremors that passed through her whole body. Frodo and Merry tried to hold her still but she was shaking so badly that they could not control her.

Strider strode over to her and placed his hand on her chest and said, "Daro."

Instantly the constant shaking of her body stopped, sweat beaded her brow and her breathing was very shallow. Slowly, she turned her head so she was facing Aragorn and barely managed to say, "They're here. They're coming for both of us."

Aragorn's eyes became wide as he understood what she was saying.

"We need to get to the top, now!" he shouted. With no effort he slung Cody over his shoulder and they climbed up to the top of the tower. When they made it to the top he set Cody down in a dark corner and then left, he didn't say anything to the hobbits. Cody took in her surroundings and then realization hit.