Merry and Pippin where still riding on the backs of the orcs when they arrived at Isengard. They both looked wide eyed as they entered two black gates and taken to the tower, Orthanc. All the orcs seemed to be in a better mood now that they had arrived at Isengard. But not better as in happy good, but better as in happy evil.

"Merry?" Pippin whispered.

"What?" Merry whispered back and looked towards him.

"Do you think that will be the last sunset we will ever see?" Pippin looked up to the sky above with sad and far away eyes.

The sky was a beautiful purple dipped with orange and pink swirls as the sun was going behind some mountains in the distance. There were even some yellowish pink clouds over head. It was quite beautiful. Merry didn't know how to respond at first as he too looked up to the sky. He finally said,

"I don't know Pip. I don't know what is going to happen. But maybe that sunset was extra special tonight for a reason,"

Pippin knew what his friend was hinting at, so he stayed quiet and enjoyed the sunset.

The orcs slowed down and finally made it to the main doors into Orthanc. The leader pushed open the doors and all the orcs stormed into a room that was dark, black, and circular. In the center of the room was a pedestal with a dark redish black sphere ball on top. A little past that was Saruman sitting on his throne.

He smiled wickedly at the Hobbits. Merry and Pippin gulped and stared at the powerful wizard. It was definitely the scariest possession they had been put into in their life. Saruman lifted his left hand and the two orcs holding the Hobbits stepped forward in front of him.

"Cut their leg bonds and set them down," the wizard said to the two orcs.

His voice was a lot deeper and darker than what both Merry and Pippin had imagined. Another orc stepped forward and cut the ropes off of the Hobbits ankles. He also grazed a tiny part of their skin as well on purpose. Merry and Pippin could feel the blood from the new cut dripping down their legs. Then the orcs plopped Merry and Pippin down before Saruman's throne harshly. Pippin fell off balance and then decided his legs weren't strong enough to hold him yet, so he kneeled. Merry kept standing there bravely though looking right at the wizard.

"Kneel," growled an orc behind Merry.

Merry knew he couldn't win against a tough orc, but he shook his head to test his limits.

"Merry just do it," Pippin whispered looking up at him with worried eyes. He didn't want anything to happen to him.

Merry looked at Pippin and decided he would just kneel. He didn't mind if Pippin told him what to do because he knew he was doing it out of care and fear, but he would never let the orcs get their way. Merry shot a glance at the orc who had told him to kneel and gave an awkward grin. The orc growled. But it was Saruman's voice that reminded Merry where he was.

"Was this all of the Halflings?" he said speaking not to Merry and Pippin, but to the orcs.

None of the orcs wanted to answer in fear of what might happen to them, so there was a long silence that made the Hobbits even more fearful and feel awkward.

"Speak!" Saruman boomed louder making Merry and Pippin jump.

The leader of the orc pack finally stepped forward and spoke,

"Two of them Halflings escaped, but it was the doing of..."

But the orc got cut off as Sarumon stood abruptly and cried out,

"You fools!"

Then he lifted his staff and pointed it at the orc. A moment later, the orc exploded into thousands of pieces. Pippin stifled a scream and Merry looked behind him in wide eyes at the pile of flesh and bones of the now exploded orc that sat on the floor inches away from him.

"I have a choice for you to make," Saruman said suddenly a little calmer. It took Merry and Pippin a minute to realize that he was talking to them, "Would you like my orcs to search you for the Ring or would you like to give it to me now?"

Pippin was visibly shaking with fear now and knew it was the end for them at that moment. Merry however sat there bravely and shook his head and said,

"We don't have what you are looking for,"

Out of all the possible thing the white wizard could do, he laughed. Both Hobbits looked at him in shock. After his evil laughing faded, he said,

"You are friends of Gandalf the Grey aren't you?"

Merry and Pippin nodded trying not to think about the wizard they had lost in Moria.

"He was a fool and so are you,"

Last time Pippin had been called a 'fool' was by Gandalf himself in the Mines of Moria. That just made him feel even more alone and sad inside.

"Now tell me the truth and stop lying!" Sarumon said louder, clearly losing his patience. He waved off the orcs and all of them left except for two.

Merry and Pippin where silent and had given up on making eye contact with the wizard. They were both looking down at the black stone floor.

"Search them immediately!" Saruman shouted to the two orcs that remained in the room.

The orcs came up from behind the Hobbits and picked them up effortlessly.

"We don't have it!" Merry cried out, "Okay?"

"We will find that out soon enough Halfling," Saruman answered.

And with that the Hobbits were taken away into a different room.

-----

Hours later as the sun was coming up, Frodo awakened. His hand was clutching something strongly and his hand was sweating. Frodo looked down and opened his damp and clammy hand. All the memorize of him being the ring bearer snapped back into his brain as he looked down at the Ring. It was complete relief that the Ring was still there and not in the hands of an enemy... yet anyway. He let go of the Ring and tucked it safely in his shirt. All of a sudden the words from Galadriel came back to him.

My home, the Shire will burn, slaves, death... The world would change and everything good and green in this world will be gone... Middle Earth...gone, gone, gone...

He remembered that he and Sam had to hurry up and find Merry and Pippin before it was too late. Frodo kneeled down next to the still sleeping Sam and gently shook his shoulder and whispered his name. Sam was mumbling something about missing the Shire, the juiciness of freshly picked strawberries with cream, and Rosie Cotton Dancing in the fields. He had probably been dreaming about it.

"Good morning, Mister Frodo. Sleep well?" Sam asked as he sat up.

"Good morning, Sam yes I did actually. As soon as you are up, we best be going to Isengard," Frodo whispered.

Both Hobbits stood up and Sam put on his backpack, which he had been letting Frodo use as a pillow.

"Alright, I'm ready," Sam said adjusting the straps.

Frodo and Sam walked around the boulder they had been sleeping behind and saw the same sight they had seen yesterday. Isengard.

"Do you think we are too late?" Frodo asked. The fear was getting to him even worse now and Sam could tell by his shaky voice and worried eyes.

"We came all this way," Sam said comfortingly, "We can't back down now,"

Frodo accepted the answer and they kept walking. They were about a mile away from Isengard, but as they got closer and closer they could hear all types of booming and construction behind the tall black walls. As soon as they got to the big black gated entrance, they realized the gates were locked.

"Oh no," Sam breathed.

Frodo looked beyond the gates and saw no orcs to his surprise. There was none anywhere which was really strange. Something important had to be going on inside Orthanc. He thought about the situation more and then said with a smile,

"Sam... the rope,"

Sam returned the smile and grabbed the elvish rope that Galadriel had gifted to him. It was stuffed at the bottom of his backpack. The thought of using the rope had never once crossed his mind, but it seemed helpful now just like Frodo had said it would back in Lothlorien.

You never know. Maybe it will come in handy. Maybe there will be a high place we can't get to unless we use your gift.

"You must be learning some tricks from Mister Bilbo now aren't you?" Sam said and tied part of his rope into a circle.

Sam was right. Bilbo had taught him lots of things from his adventures and had told Frodo about his favorite parts many times. Sam threw up the rope and it landed onto a small pillar high above them. They would climb over the black wall.

"After you, Mister Frodo. I'll watch your back," Sam said and pulled on the rope to make sure it was strong enough to carry their weight.

And it was, so they climbed up and into the real territory of Isengard.

A/N: The Hobbits have made it to Isengard! Yikes!