Chapter Eleven

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The next day dawned bright and clear, the air was warm and there was not a cloud in sight. The camp was full of bustling hobbits trying to prepare for the road ahead of them.

"Time to get up." Sam grumbled to Cody and nudged her with the edge of his foot.

Cody did not stir when he did this, she did not even mumble a reply or open her eyes. After a little while Merry saw that she was still asleep and went over to wake her.

"Cody, it's time to get up." he gently shook her shoulder but when nothing happened he said again, "Cody get up." She did not respond to his vigorous shaking and soon Merry began to get worried. "Cody? Cody?!" He screamed. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched Merry try and wake her. Frodo ran over to them and knelt down on the other side of her.

"Cody wake up! Strider, something is wrong with Cody!" Merry called over his shoulder.

Strider dropped the pans he was cleaning and jogged over to the unconscious form of Cody. He got down on his knees and placed his hand on her forehead.

"Some sort of spell has been placed on her. Possibly while we were all sleeping."

"Can you cure her?" Merry looked up at Strider with watery eyes.

"I'm afraid not." he said shaking his head.

"Cody." Merry cried.

Frodo walked over to his friend's side and helped him up. Strider untied her hands and gently carried her over to Bill.

"We're going to have to carry more things so we can make room for her." he said.

For almost ten minutes they pulled things off of Bill's back and stuffed it into their packs. Merry insisted on carrying the most but Strider persuaded him that that was not necessary. Soon, there was enough room for them to drape Cody's limp form over Bill's bare back. They used the rope, that had been used to bind her wrists, to tie her down on Bill's back so she did not slip off. Merry and Frodo stood on either side of her and helped keep her on the pony.

They traveled all day, Frodo and Merry refused to leave her side as they traveled. They kept this up for several days until, finally, Strider announced that they had made it to Weathertop. They made camp and gently laid Cody down on a pile of blankets and cloaks.

Merry and Frodo sat side by side in the dark and faced Cody so they could keep an eye on her. An hour passed and her body still laid dormant. Strider draped a warm, wet rag over her forehead and let the water warm her frigid face. When the rag went cold he peeled it off of her face and was about to warm it up again when she moved. Her eyes flew open and she gave a giant gasp of air as if she had been submerged in water for the past few days. Her body was then rocked in tremors that passed through her whole body. Frodo and Merry tried to hold her still but she was shaking so badly that they could not control her.

Strider strode over to her and placed his hand on her chest and said, "Daro."

Instantly the constant shaking of her body stopped, sweat beaded her brow and her breathing was very shallow. Slowly, she turned her head so she was facing Aragorn and barely managed to say, "They're here. They're coming for both of us."

Aragorn's eyes became wide as he understood what she was saying.

"We need to get to the top, now!" he shouted. With no effort he slung Cody over his shoulder and they climbed up to the top of the tower. When they made it to the top he set Cody down in a dark corner and then left, he didn't say anything to the hobbits. Cody took in her surroundings and then realization hit.

"Oh no." she cried. None of the hobbits heard her for they watched in horror as they saw five shadows move noiselessly through the night.

"There's only five of them? Where are the other four?" Pippin asked. No one had an answer for that question and they all drew their swords.

"Where's my sword?" Cody shouted. She had reached down to draw out her own but her hand grasped the empty air where it should have been. Her blood ran cold when she remembered that Strider had put it on Bill's saddle bags. The night was as silent as death itself and every second that passed by felt like a lifetime for the scared hobbits.

Suddenly, a dark form walked through one of the doorways and was slowly followed by four more Nazgūls. The hobbits stood still as stone at the sight of the Black Riders and none of them moved. The first person to make a move was the lead Nazgūl. He swung his sword at Frodo's head and he ducked just in time to avoid the death blow that would have ended it all. At this the tower broke out into chaos. Hobbits yelled out battle cries and attacked the Nazgūls.

Cody lost sight of Frodo for a few moments but her vision suddenly changed and she saw his smokey body. He was laying on the ground with the Ring on his finger and a horrified expression was on his face. The dark lord that visited Cody was standing over him with his wicked dagger at his side. As quick as lighting his hand shot out and the dagger met its mark. Frodo let out a scream as the dagger dug deeper and deeper into his chest. Cody saw the Nazgūl's face light up with delight. Her muscles were, for the most part, still useless and she had to crawl over to Frodo. When the Rider removed the dagger the very tip of it was missing and Cody feared that it was still embedded in Frodo's chest.

Just then she heard a mighty battle cry and she saw Strider charge in with his sword raised above his head. The Nazgūls fled in terror and the dark lord dropped his dagger in the process of running. Cody reached Frodo's side just as he was removing the Ring.

"Frodo!" she cried.

He didn't reply but just laid his head back and let out a strained groan. She looked down at where the Nazgūl had stabbed him and saw that his shirt was stained a deep red. She ripped open his shirt and she let out a small shriek when she saw the damage. There was a gaping hole in his chest that was torn and bloody. She cried out when she saw that the punctured flesh rested right above his heart.

She ripped off her cloak and pressed it firmly against his wound to try and stop the bleeding. His face was turning a ghastly white color and his eyes had a hazy film over them. She felt a firm hand come to rest on her shoulder and in a blink of an eye she had grabbed Frodo's sword, whirled and around and pointed it at the person who had touched her. The person she saw was Strider and he had his hands up in a surrendering pose. The fear that had clouded her eyes slowly left her and she dropped the sword and turned her attention back to Frodo.

"We need to get him to Rivendell, quickly." Strider said as he examined Frodo's wound.

"Will he live?" Cody managed to croak.

It took Strider a while to answer her question but eventually he said, "Yes the dagger barely missed his heart but he still needs medical attention immediately."

It took only twenty minutes for them to carry Frodo down the hill and up onto Bill's back. Every bump they hit he let out a feeble groan of pain. Cody led Bill so she knew where to take the pony and led him on the smoothest path. Sam walked next to Frodo and talked to him in a hushed voice.

A few days had passed and he wasn't getting any better. His face remained deathly pail and his hands were freezing cold to the touch. One day they were walking through a dense forest when they heard the sound of an approaching horse, it was moving fast in their direction by the sound of it. When the rider approach he was riding on a pure white horse with sleek muscles that rippled under its pelt. The rider was unnaturally beautiful, he had long, silky golden hair that billowed behind him as his horse cantered up to the group.

"An elf." Sam whispered under his breath.

"Glorfindel!" Strider called out.

"Aragorn!" the elf called back. He dismounted his horse and embraced Strider in a hug.

"It's so good to see you old friend." Glorfindel said.

"Yes and the same to you. I need your help with something."

Strider led the elf over to the unconscious Frodo and they talked for several minutes in the elf language.

"Asfaloth will take him to Rivendell and we can then meet him there."

"Sounds good."

"Strider," Cody butted in, "I will go with Frodo as well to Rivendell."

"Cody I don't think-" Strider began.

"Yes, she will go with the hobbit as well." Glorfindel agreed.

"As you wish."

Strider lifted Frodo onto Asfaloth while Glordindel did the same with Cody. Frodo moaned as his head lolled back when he was placed onto the mighty horse.

"Run Asfaloth. These hobbits need you." Glorfindel told his horse in elvish. With that his horse took off at a canter through the trees and soon the company was out of sight.

"Hush now, my baby, be still love don't cry

Sleep like you're rocked by the stream

Sleep and remember, my lullaby

And I'll be with you when you dream."

They were galloping through the forest, wind whipped through their hair and stung her eyes. Here voice began to grow louder and louder as she sang.

"Drift on a river that flows through my arms

Drift as I'm singing to you

I see you smiling so peaceful and calm

Holding you, I'm smiling, too."

The trees flew past them in a blur of color as Asfaloth picked up speed. Frodo was silent and Cody couldn't see his face to see if he was conscious or not. They left the forest behind them and were now racing through an open field. Out of no where nine Black Riders flanked behind Asfaloth.

"Here in my arms

Safe from all harm

Holding you

I'm smiling too.

Hush now my baby, be still love don't cry

Sleep like you're rocked by the stream

Sleep and remember this river lullaby

And I'll be with you when you dream."

The field had ended and they entered another forest. Cody could here the gurgling of water up ahead.

"Here in my arms

Safe from all harm

Holding you

I'm smiling too."

Cody saw the water's edge and as they crossed the creek she finished her song.

"Sleep and remember this river lullaby

And I'll be with you when you dream

Sleep and remember this river lullaby

And I'll be with you when you dream

I'll be with you when you dream."

Asfaloth turned around and on the other side of the creek stood the nine Black Riders. Their horses paced up and down the bank and would occasionally rear up in frustration. Cody felt something enter her head, something much more dark and painful than the splinter. The pain was unbearable and soon Cody's eyes began to dim and she fainted on the horse. She slumped forward onto Frodo's back just as he yelled at the Black Riders and the waves engulfed them, sending them down the now full creek.

-------------River Lullaby by Amy Grant. Check it out on youtube if you would like to know the tune and how Cody sang the song.------------