Return of the King Book 6, Chapter 2

Frodo and Sam struggle into the shadows and they hear the scream of a Nazgul. They wander to the main road of Mordor and fear capture unless they find another route. The Nazgul shrieks again and they hide underneath a bridge. Sam drops and Frodo follows. They both land in thorny bushes. They walk until they can go no further and rest without water. Frodo demands that he be allowed to take the orc armor off because it would do him no good and is just too heavy. Before long, he senses another Black Rider and they stare at it flying about the peaks of Mordor. Frodo feels hopeless as they sit down and share some lembas. As they walk on they can see the valley before looming Mount Doom. They take a frequently traveled path and soon they find a stream of murky water. The both drink thirstily and fill their water skin. They decide to rest for the night and search for an appropriate place until Frodo falls down from exhaustion.

They wake hand in hand but the sleep did not refresh Frodo. They wander the plain and look over. "Still far away, forty miles at least, they saw Mount Doom...." Book 6, Chapter 2, pg. 221. The sight of the land and the armies of tents set within it for Sauron's dark armies sicken them. Sam thinks it is all over, but then realizes that they might be able to steal food and water from the host. Frodo says that they must get across at all costs. They cannot make their way on the ridge around the valley, so they must go into the peril. They hear orc voices from the other side of the rock. The voices are arguing about whether they are searching for a man, elf or dwarf. They argue and talk about an odd creature who helped them but then ran off. Sam and Frodo realize that Gollum is still a real threat. They move into the darkness unsure if they are going the right way. Frodo thinks the mountain will take a week to reach. They begin to march again and look over the marred landscape. They come to a dead end and begin to understand that the only way they will make Mount Doom is by the main road. While Frodo rests, Sam finds some water that is good enough to drink. When he returns he sees the shadow of some creature running away and he knows it is Gollum. Frodo wakes and lets Sam sleep.

They begin their journey again in darkness. After twelve miles or so they hear the noise of marching behind them. They know that they are trapped, but they hide behind the closest boulder anyway. Soon they hear orcs marching in great haste with their captains whipping them from behind. One of the captains sees them in the shadows and yells for them to get into line and march. They are forced to run with the others and it is a very grueling trip for them. They go for miles and Frodo's strength begins to give out. Sam knows that he will fall at any moment and give them away. He prepares to fight when they come to a crossroad and almost collide with another band of orcs. There is a conflict and the hobbits use it as their opportunity to slip away. They crawl for some time and then collapse in a shallow pit.

Topic Tracking: Sacrifice 7
Topic Tracking: Love and Loyalty 8