Frodo awake to an orc at his cell door jingling the keys around in the lock. He immediately was alert and stood up. Had a whole day and night already gone by? Where they leaving right now? Frodo thought.

"Are you going to behave or do I have to bind your filthy paws," the orc asked as he stepped into Frodo's cell.

"It depends," Frodo responded bravely.

The orc came from behind Frodo and pushed his hands behind his back and held them there tightly.

"Move," it growled.

Frodo walked out of the cell. He remembered the creature and stayed away from that cell.

"Don't leave us!" it cried as it gripped the cell door, "They are going to kill us! Kill us!"

"Quiet you!" the orc growled and kicked the bars of the cell door violently.

"Please let us go!" the creature called out one last time.

The orc ignored it and kept pushing Frodo forward. Soon they made it up the stairs and were now inside Saruman's throne room. Saruman sat on his throne and smiled down wickedly at Frodo as he walked it.

"Are you ready to go?" the wizard asked.

Frodo didn't answer.

"Kneel!" the orc snarled and made Frodo jump.

The orc pushed Frodo down into a kneel. He had full control to his hands again and put them to the front of his body so the orc wouldn't grab him again.

"This seems familiar," Saruman said, "Last time my orcs pushed somebody down was your friend. The one who got stabbed actually. He's probably dead by now,"

Frodo knew what the cunning wizard was trying to do. He was trying to make him feel sad and alone. So he tried not to show any emotion at all.

"Leave us," Saruman said to the orc and waved his hand.

"But his paws..." the orc started.

"Go," the wizard said more annoyed.

The orc left and it was just Frodo and Saruman in the room.

"Did you know that not too long ago your friend, Gandalf and I had a conversation together in this very room?" Saruman asked, "Strange how he is gone now. It was his own fault though,"

Frodo tried very hard to conceal his anger toward the wizard, but Saruman went on,

"Gandalf was a fool,"

Frodo couldn't take it anymore so he stood up and shouted loudly,

"You are the fool! I wish not to talk about my friends anymore. What do you want with me?"

"Is that so?" Saruman asked as he smiled. He knew he had succeeded at making Frodo upset.

Frodo just stood there staring partly at the floor and partly at the wizard.

"I wish to show you something," Saruman said with his deep voice and stood up.

He towered over Frodo and it was a little intimidating. Saruman motioned for Frodo to walk in front of him. Frodo did and as soon as he got close enough to him, he put his old hands on Frodo's shoulders.

"Don't touch me," Frodo snapped and pushed his hands away quickly.

Saruman took his hands off of him and pushed him forward instead. Frodo tripped on his own footing and the force of the push made him fall. He quickly got to his feet and balanced, then kept walking. They soon made it to a door. Saruman pushed it open and they both walked onto a balcony.

"Behold!" Saruman shouted for everybody to hear.

Frodo gasped at what he saw. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands of troops of orcs everywhere down below. They were all cheering and holding up their swords and other deadly looking weapons. Saruman started going on with a huge speech for all to hear, but it all suddenly was getting quieter and Frodo's mind went black and empty. At that moment, as he took his last glimpse of the orcs, and he fainted at the feet of Saruman.

                                                                                          -----

A/N: Picture I drew of Merry and Pippin sleeping at the foot of a tree in Fangorn.

Everybody woke up to Merry screaming on the top of his lungs. Pippin being the closest to him woke up first and was followed by everybody else. Pippin immediately jumped into action and took Merry's head into his lap and tried quieting him some. Aragorn and Boromir rushed over with Legolas and Gimli close behind.

"What's wrong with him?" asked a frantic Sam who was also panicking like Pippin.

Nobody answered. Aragorn put his hand to Merry's forehead. His hair and upper shirt was dripping in sweat.

"He has a bad fever," Aragorn said, "He's getting worse. I have to help him before he goes into a shock stage or has a seizure," Aragorn cautioned.

Aragorn wasted no time and pulled Merry up from Pippin's lap and took off his cape and green jacket. It was difficult since Merry was wet and mostly limp. He kept bobbing all over the place with every move Aragorn made.

"Legolas, get some water," Aragorn called, "Quick!"

"The horses have fled from the noise," Sam said as he looked around.

Legolas went off to get water fast. Aragorn unbuttoned Merry's yellow vest too and then handed everything to Sam in a pile. Sam folded everything and put it inside of his backpack. Merry was left wearing his thin white button up shirt which should cool him off quite a bit. He was still screaming, but a little less loudly. His voice was getting hoarse and sounded unlike his own.

"He's going to wake the whole forest!" Gimli panicked and looked around at Fangorn.

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Pippin chocking back a sob.

"I don't know, I'm doing the best I can," Aragorn replied.

Legolas came back a moment later with a canteen of water. Aragorn snatched it and put it to Merry's lips. It was almost like a pacifier as the screams stopped. Merry surprisingly drank the water. Aragorn held the jug in place for him like you would a baby. Aragorn took the jug away when it was about half way gone. Merry was silent after that, but made faces as he slept. Aragorn poured some water onto his hands and wiped it over Merry's face and neck.

"That should cool him off," he explained, "There's nothing much else we can do,"

Aragorn rolled up Merry's pant leg to were the wound was, but the elven cloth was still perfectly wrapped around it and there was no more blood.

"We should wake him... right?" asked Boromir.

"Yes, he's having a bad dream," Pippin said.

"How do you know?" asked Boromir.

"Because he always makes faces like that when he does," Pippin explained like it was nothing.

Aragorn shook Merry gently. Within seconds, Merry's eyes popped open and everybody watched as Merry slowly processed all the faces all around him. He stopped on Pippin's face and said,

"Who are all these people, Pip?"

Pippin was taken aback by that question, but responded with,

"These are our friends. How is your leg?"

"My leg? Is something wrong with it?"

"Merry?" Pippin asked as a tear rolled down his cheek, "Are you okay?"

Before he could answer Aragorn said,

"He's going into shock,"

"What does that mean?!" Pippin exclaimed tears rolling down his face now.

"No good, that's what," Gimli said.

Pippin started sobbing. Aragorn gave Gimli a grim look. Boromir sat next to Pippin to comfort him. It was the least he could do after all he had done. Pippin cried into Boromir's chest and Boromir accepted it strangely.

"It's Aragorn. Your friend," Aragorn explained to the clueless Merry, "We have to have his leg be level or rest above his heart. That way it will get his blood flowing normally," Aragorn explained to everybody else.

He lifted Merry off the ground and held him in his arms. Merry appeared to be in a daze and was fine with being held. At that moment, the ground started to rumble. Everybody looked to Isengard. The gates flung open and orcs started pouring out.