Filius' POV

We've been traveling all night and most of the morning. So far we've run into no trouble. We are traveling light and I have my axe of course. I left the letter in Gwen's letter box when we passed her house. Frodo teased me for hours with Sam. Until I teased Sam about Rosie and they both shut up.

"Mister Filius! Mister Frodo? Frodo!" Sam shouts. I sigh in annoyance as Frodo and I turn to face him as he rounds the bend. "I thought I'd lost you both" he tells us.

"What are you talking about?" Frodo asks him.

"It's just something Gandalf said" Sam tells him.

"What did he say?" we ask curious. As I scan the area for danger.

"'Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee!' And I don't mean too" Sam tells us.

"Frodo is perfectly safe with me next to him" I assure him.

"Besides Sam, we're still in the Shire! What could possibly happen?" Frodo asks him. Suddenly, Pippin bursts from the cornfield and knocks over Frodo. Merry, close behind, knocks over Sam. Both have an armful of vegetables.

"Frodo? Merry! It's Frodo Baggins" Pipppin declares happily.

"Hello Frodo, Filius" Merry says merrily. I pull him and Pippin off of Sam & Frodo. Sam helps Frodo to his feet.

"Frodo? Are you all right?" Sam asks him concerned.

"What's the meaning of this?" Frodo asks the trouble makers.

"Hold this" Merry says giving Sam some vegetables.

"You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop again" I say annoyed. We hear a dog barking and an angry, yelling voice. Pippin grabs Frodo and runs, followed by Merry and I.

"Dunno why he is so upset. It's only a couple of carrots!" Merry tells us as we run.

"And some cabbages. And those few bags of potatoes that we lifted last week and, and the mushrooms the week before!" Pippin adds.

"And you wonder why he's mad?" I demand.

"My point is, he is clearly overreactin'. Run!" Merry tells us. We stop just before the edge of a gorge. "What now?" he asks. Before I can say anything. Sam slams into us and we all roll down the hill together. We land at the bottom unharmed.

"Ooh! That was close" Pippin says as I get up dusting myself off.

"Oowwww! I think I've broken something" Merry says and pulls out a broken carrot. I roll my eyes and check my axe. To see it's fine, though a little dirty.

"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took" Sam grumbles.

"What?! That was just a detour, a shortcut" Merry tells him.

"One that could of killed us" I tell him.

"A shortcut to what?" Sam asks Merry.

"Mushrooms" Merry says happily. He and Sam rush towards the mushrooms, followed by Pippin. I notice we're on the road.

"I think we should get off the road" Frodo states.

"Agreed" I say. I hear something coming up the road. "Get off the road! Quick!" I order the others and pull Frodo off of the road. We all hide under a large tree root together. We hear a horse. Someone dismounts it and I hear them approach us. I grip my axe tightly.

Merry throws a bag full of vegetables into the forest to distract the Rider, who whirls away and follows the sound. We make a break for it, running away. We soon stop to catch our breaths.

(Time skip)

We stay hidden and continue to make our way to Bree. But the black rider is still tracking us. "What is going on?" Pippin asks us.

"That Black Rider was looking for something... or someone" Merry says.

"Get down" Sam and I say. We all hide.

"I have to leave the Shire. Sam and I must get to Bree with Filius" Frodo tells Merry and Pippin.

"Right. Buckleberry Ferry. Follow me" Merry tells us.

"Stay in front of me Frodo" I tell him and he nods his head. We set off running. I soon hear the rider. "Keep running, don't look back! Keep running" I tell them. Soon they disappear from my sight. But I soon reach the dock to see them on the ferry moving away from the dock.

"Run Filius!" they shout at me. "Jump Filius!" they shout as I near the edge of the dock. I sprint faster and jump onto the ferry. The Rider stops short of the water and once again squeals in frustration. I look back to see it ride away followed by two others.

"How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo and I ask the others.

"Brandywine Bridge: twenty miles" Merry answers.

"Then we have to hurry if we want to reach Bree safely" I tell them. We paddle across the river and dock. Then run through the woods. Me leading the way to Bree.

A/N

Picture above of Sam and Frodo. Picture on the external link of the black rider.