The Two Worlds

††Chapter Twelve††

Chapter Twelve

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"Ah, my faithful servant is at my feet once again." he said sarcastically. "Kneel before me and present your weapon."

"Yes my lord." she said in her own voice. She knelt down on one knee and held out her black sword to the Nazgūl. She bowed her head and tears fell onto the already soggy ground. She tried to stay strong, for Frodo, when she heard him call out to her.

"Cody!" he cried. He repeated her name over and over but Sam held him back. "Cody, don't do this, fight him!"

"I can't." she whispered.

"Rise." the Nazgūl ordered as he lifted his hand to motion for her to do so. As if she was under some spell she rose with the speed of his hand and didn't have to think about standing. "Who is it that you truly love?" he asked with a smirk. He was playing with her now for he knew she would answer. "Do you love that pitiful boy over there, hiding in a bush, not doing anything to save you? Or do you love him?"

An image appeared next to the Nazgūl of a blond haired hobbit with dark brown eyes. The image zoomed out and showed that he was bound with rough ropes and had horrible cuts on his once flawless face. His eyes were dim and no longer held the playful and joking gleam that once shone in them. His smile was gone and it seemed as if he would never smile again by the pain that was etched onto his face. His hair was matted and leaves and grass were stuck into it.

"Merry." she whimpered.

"Oh, so you do have feelings for this hobbit." the Nazgūl said as if he was shocked to hear that.

"What are you doing to him?" she growled at him.

"What you meant to ask was, 'What are they doing to him.'"

The image zoomed out even more to show Merry's surroundings. Orcs and another unknown creature swarmed everywhere, Pippin laid by his aside and looked just as horrible as Merry did.

"If you submit yourself to me their suffering can end in the blink of an eye."

"And what will become of me and the others?" she asked. She noticed that a small breeze was blowing through the swamp and was blowing the Nazgūl's cloak around him. Where the sides met, the flaps separated revealing the darkness within him.

"They will be free as well! But you, you will become like my brethren; cloaked in black, riding on a black mount and passing from shadow to shadow in the dead of night. Your one choice will effect you all, choose wisely."

"Cody! It's not worth it!" Frodo cried out.

"I choose," she said, "Freedom!" she shouted. In a flash she lunged her sword into the black hole, catching the lord off guard. When the tip of her sword made it past the cloak everything seemed to go into slow motion. Her sword slowed down, her thoughts slowed down, even the dark lord did not react.

When the blade was half way in it would go no farther. An unforeseen force tried to drive it out but she pushed even harder. After what seemed like hours the force was too strong and in a giant shock wave her sword was thrown out of him and sent them both flying backwards.

Both of them landed several feet away from where they had stood and neither of them stood up right away. Cody was disoriented and didn't know which way was up or which way was down. The noises she heard sounded muffled and she couldn't make out what they were saying.

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"Cody! It's not worth it!" Frodo cried out. Even from where he and Sam were hiding he could see the image of Merry and Pippin. 'Merry wouldn't want you to do this to yourself either!' he wanted to shout but it was too late.

"I choose, freedom!" she shouted.

He watched in amazement as she thrust her sword into the Black Lord. He expected it to be deflected off like any other blade but she knew where to hit and the blade pierced right through him. When it was only half way in she was thrown backwards, along with the Nazgūl, and she did not get back up.

"Cody!" he yelled and ran over to her side, ignoring Sam. Her eyes were unblinking and she stared blankly up at the sky. She laid perfectly still and her mouth was slightly opened as if she wanted to say something.

"Frodo?" she asked uncertain as if she couldn't hear her own voice.

"I'm here." he soothed. Her face scrunched up in confusion like she had not heard him correctly. 'Oh my goodness," he thought to himself, "Has she gone deaf?'

With a loud grunt the Nazgūl stood up and dusted himself off. He walked over to the two defenseless hobbits with his sword in hand. "Fools," he said, "How does your race still live?" and with that he swung.

Frodo bent over Cody like a shield and waited for the final blow, but none came. A dull thud could be heard and the Nazgūl stumbled back as his sword ricochet off of nothing. He tried once more but the same thing happened and he almost lost his sword. He growled in frustration and threw his sword into his sheath.

"You have become lucky hobbits. The fates will not be in your favor next time we meet." he said trying to intimidate them and wheeled around to his mount. In a cloud of dust and water particles he was gone and nothing remained of him except a piece of his cloak that had been shoren off.

"Cody, he's gone." Frodo whispered. The hobbit girl had clung onto him as if her life depended on him but as he said this she did not let go. "Cody?" he asked a little louder; still, she hung onto him. "Cody?" he almost yelled.

At that she let go of him and looked at him with that same confused look. "Did you say something?" she asked, her voice wavered and was softer than it usually was.

"Oh gods." he cried and wrapped her up in a hug. Tears rolled down his face and fell into her hair like rain droplets. 'She cant be deaf, she cant!' he thought.

"Why aren't you saying anything Frodo?" she asked, a little scared. Frodo pulled her away from him and made her look at his face.

"I love you Cody." he said in his normal voice. Horror flashed on her face as she understood what was going on.

"Why must all things happen to us?" she asked.

Frodo had no answer to that and he knew if he did she would not hear him. "I don't know," he finally whispered, "I don't know."