Rise (Lord of the Rings)

8 - We Get a Heading

8 - We Get a Heading

The Wraiths' awful screeching stuck in my head the rest of the night.

I couldn't tell what time it was when Strider made us all get up the next morning. All I knew was that I didn't want to hang around in Bree much longer, even if the Wraiths were gone and had moved on. After last night's close call, I was ready to be far away from this place.

We five Hobbits kept almost hidden in Bree while Strider left us to get a few things supposedly. I still didn't trust the Man. We didn't know a thing about him. I was sure that Sam, Pippin, and Merry shared the same side as me. Frodo would be the only one opposing.

Still, I guess I did have to give credit to Strider for saving us last night.

When leaving Bree, we managed to gain a pony, and Strider managed to gain something rolled in some fabric. I considered asking what he obtained, but I didn't bother.

We left the safety of Bree and headed for no man's land. Strider kept lead, with the pony tagging along closely behind him. Out of our little group, I was the paranoid one. With the Wraiths' screeching still ringing in my ears, I constantly thought they were right behind us.

My body ached early on in the day, having not recovered from the hike Sam, Frodo, and I had had not too long ago. Our breakfast was only a piece of fruit, and it was on the go. We didn't bother to stop.

We were far into a huge patch of forest. Under different circumstances, I would've thought the area we were in was a beautiful sight. I wished I was only here taking a stroll, admiring nature.

After an almost unbearable silence, I had to break it.

"Where are you taking us?" I groaned, my knees threatening to buckle at any moment. Strider had only told us he was getting us out of Bree. He never said where he was taking us—that part had me worried.

"Into the Wild," Strider replied.

"I think we're already in it," I retorted.

Nobody seemed to be in a good mood, the air around us was really apprehensive and sort of tense. Everybody seemed tired, except for Strider of course.

After a while, Strider gave the pony off to Sam so he could scout ahead for danger. Sam ended up in the back of the pack while the rest of us kept ahead. I hugged myself, trying to think positive. We were alive, the Wraiths weren't anywhere near us, though my paranoia would suggest differently.

"How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?" Merry asked lowly after a while. Strider was ahead of us, but not by much.

"I don't think anybody knows," I sighed, forcing myself to keep trudging along. "If it were up to me, we wouldn't be following him. But since Frodo has the Ring, we have no choice."

"You asked me," Frodo reminded me. "And like I said before, we have no choice but to trust him. He's the reason we're alive."

"I'll give you that," I admitted grudgingly.

"But where is he leading us?" Sam pressed.

"We're heading for Rivendell," Strider called. "To the house of Elrond." He must've overheard us, the nosy Man.

"Did you hear that?" Sam asked, excited. "Rivendell. We're going to see the Elves."

The Elves...