The next morning, we made our way out of Bree and to the countryside.

"Where are you taking us?" Frodo demanded.

"Into the Wild," Strider answered. We had to walk quickly to catch up with him.

"How do we know if this "Strider" is a friend of Gandalf's?" Merry growled under his breath.

"I think that the Enemy would be fairer, but more fouler," Frodo answered.

"He's foul enough," Merry growled under his breath.

"Merry!" I hissed, slapping him in the shoulder to get him to shut up. He just glowered at me.

"But where is he leading us?" Sam asked desperately.

"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee," Strider replied. "To the House of Elrond."

Sam immediately sounded excited. I smiled slightly at his reaction. I, myself, have travelled to Rivendell on my own, on a few occasions. The Elves always treated me with respect, despite my height.

"Did you hear that?!" said Sam, who sounded giddy with excitement. "Rivendell! We're going to see the Elves!"

We soon came across some marshes. Flies were everywhere, buzzing and trying to get on us. We slapped them away from our face, keeping them off as much as possible.

"What can they eat, when they can't get a Hobbit?" Merry grunted.

When we settled down for the night in the marshes, it was hard to sleep. But at least the flies were getting less. There were no longer any flies who were trying to gnaw at your face. I could hear Strider singing softly as we tried to sleep. I felt Frodo shifting around, telling me clearly that he was awake too.

"Who is she?" Frodo asked in a soft voice. Strider stopped singing. "This woman you sing of?"

"'Tis the Lady Tinùviel, princess of Luthièn," he answered.

"What happened to her?"

Strider took a moment to answer.

"She died." He turned to look at Frodo with tears in eyes. "Get some sleep Frodo."

Frodo nodded and got himself settled down again, snuggling into my side, his head resting softly on my chest. I kept a protective arm around his torso, keeping him close to me, making sure that he knew that he had someone who could protect him. He nuzzled himself further into me.

A few days later, we came across the once-great watchtower of Amon Sûl. "This was once the great watch-tower of Amon-Sûl," Strider announced. He turned to face us. "We shall rest here tonight."

Once we reached our resting place for the night, we sat down on the floor, immediately relieved. Frodo immediately sat down next to me and rested his head on my shoulder out of exhaustion.

"These are for you," Strider announced as he tossed my friends some short swords. "Keep them close. I'm going to have a look around." He then turned to face me. "I suppose that you have weapons of your own, Eirina?" I nodded, unsure of what to say. "Good. Stay here, and protect the Hobbits while I'm gone."

And with that, he left, leaving us there in the dust. And as he said, we refused to go anywhere outside of our comfort zone. Dusk soon fell quickly, and Frodo had taken a nap on my legs, curled naturally against me. I had an arm wrapped protectively around his waist, bringing him closer to me. I began to doze off as well. But that was soon interrupted when I heard Frodo's frantic voice.

"What are you doing?!"

"Tomatoes, sausages, and nice, crispy bacon," Merry immediately answered. He had a hint of relish in his voice.

"We saved some for you, Mr. Frodo. Miss Eirina," Sam added in a hesitant voice as he held up two plates for us. Frodo immediately got to his feet and went to stamp out the fire.

"Put it out, you fools! Put it out!" he said in a desperate voice.

Pippin was not too happy about that.

"Oh, that's nice, mate! You got ash on my tomatoes!"

"Oh, shut up! Does that really matter at the moment?!" I hissed at him.

"Yes, it does!" Pippin fumed, looking annoyed. "Because I was about to eat them!"

On cue, the shrieking of the Nazgûl was heard. We all ran over to the edge, watching in fear as the Black Riders began to slowly mount the slope of our hideout.

"GO!" Frodo shouted, and we all made our way up the slope, panicking as we did.

A loud thump was heard, and we all turned around to face the Nazgûls who were advancing from behind us. They continued to intimidate me and my friends before Sam finally spoke.

"Back, you devils!"

Sam fought against them, but he ultimately lost, being thrown to the side. Merry and Pippin were also tossed to the side. I fought my hardest against them, but I, too, was thrown aside. I would have fallen to my death, if a slab of stone behind me had not stopped my fall. In an instant, I blacked out.

When I came to, my head throbbed with pain, making it nearly impossible for me to move around. But the only thing that caught my attention was when a scream of pain ripped through the air, causing my insides to grow cold. And I realized who that scream belonged to. Soon, he reappeared, clutching the Ring and screaming in pain.

"NO!" I shrieked, clearly horrified.

I scrambled to my feet and sprinted as fast as I could to his side. I managed to avoid the Black Riders, who were currently battling Strider at the moment. I knelt at Frodo's side and took his hand. He clutched at it, hard. When his eyes blinked open, there were tears of pain in them, and he clearly struggled to breathe, as his chest rose and fell sharply, stuttering, as he struggled to catch his breath. He looked up at me with pain-filled eyes.

"Oh, Eira!" he managed to choke out.

He gripped my hand more tightly, digging his nails into my skin. But at that moment, I didn't care. I just wanted to make sure that he would live. I hated to see him be in so much pain.

I couldn't find any words. I just allowed him to grip my hand. With my free hand, I ran my fingers through his hair in a failed attempt to comfort him.

Frodo cried out in pain again, his body tensing and his back arching. By now, Merry, Pippin, and Sam had arrived at their injured friend's side. I could tell that they were terrified for their friend's life. My eyes strayed towards the stab wound. I noticed the blood began to soak through his shirt, causing me to panic silently.

"Shhh," I murmured softly as I shakily ran my fingers through his hair. I tried to keep him calm and trying to not make him panic. His breathing was starting to become a little uneven, and he gripped my hand tightly. His blue eyes were wide with fear. I'd do anything to distract him from the pain he was enduring. "Just focus on me. Just focus on my voice. I'm right here. I promise."

I continued to speak soothingly, doing everything I could to comfort the poor thing. Finally, Sam broke, his voice filled with panic.

"Strider!"

Strider hurried over, looking stunned. Frodo gripped my hand tightly again, crying out. More tears of pain came to his eyes, and I noticed that he had a thin sheen of sweat forming on face. He winced, clearly in agony.

"Help him, Strider," Sam pleaded.

Strider found the knife that had stabbed Frodo and glared at it, gripping the hilt tightly to show his fury.

"He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade," he announced in a low voice.

I watched in awe as the metal of the sword began to evaporate, and he dropped the hilt in anger. As it did, Frodo let out another cry of pain, gripping my hand tightly again.

"This is beyond my skill to heal. He needs Elvish medicine. And he needs it fast. Elysia! Do you think you can carry him for me?"

A little startled, I nodded. I glanced down at Frodo and my heart clenched painfully for him. He looked like he was in so much pain. It made my heart hurt for him, and I could feel it shattering.

"O-Of course," I stuttered, surprised by his suggestion. "It's going to be okay, Frodo," I said softly as I scooped the injured Hobbit in my arms, still allowing him to hold his hand in mine, gripping it as tightly as he needed to. I allowed him to rest his head gently on my shoulder as I continued to cradle him in my arms. "I won't let anything else hurt you. I promise."

I turned to the small throng of Hobbits, who were watching their injured friend fearfully.

"Can one of you please get me my stuff, and that heavy wool blanket?" I asked as I clutched Frodo more tightly to me. His body was beginning to turn cold, and he cried out in pain again.

Pippin looked very annoyed, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Can't you do it yourself, Elysia?"

I glared at him. Didn't he understand what Frodo was going through? He could barely get up on his own, and he was in so much pain. I couldn't leave him. Not in the state he's in. Not even for a moment.

"Just do it, Peregrine Took!" I said in a shrill voice which sounded unlike my own. Frodo let out another cry of pain and I held him more protectively to my body. I did my best to be gentle with him. He managed to choke out my name again. "I cannot leave his side! Can't you see how much pain he's in?! Please, Pippin. He needs us. He needs our help."

Pippin seemed to have softened. He nodded and finally got up to grab a blanket to keep Frodo's shivering body warm, and my stuff.

I kept my focus on Frodo the entire time, doing my best to reassure him. As Pippin had left to grab my stuff and a wool blanket to keep Frodo warm, I noticed that he began to shiver more harshly than before in my arms.

Finally, Pippin came back with a heavy wool blanket, and handed it to me. I thanked him and gratefully took it. I gently wrapped Frodo's freezing body with it. I picked up my pack and slung it over my back before carefully lifting the injured Hobbit back into my arms, cradling him gently, trying to not hurt him.

"Hurry!" Strider insisted.

"It's six days until we reach Rivendell!" said Sam in a desperate voice as Frodo shivered uncontrollably in my arms, gripping the back of my purple dress in agony. The poison from the wound was starting to affect him more than it had before. I noticed that his temperature began to drop drastically, and I held him close to me, in a desperate attempt to keep him warm. "He'll never make it!"

"Don't say that, Sam!" I insisted firmly. "He must make it! He must!"

"Gandalf," Frodo whimpered. He gripped the back of my dress tightly as another flash of undeniable pain and another piercing wave of ice-cold shot through his body. I couldn't help but feel very protective of him.

"Hold on, Frodo," I whispered encouragingly to him as I pressed a gentle kiss to his temple, and wrapped my arms more tightly around him. He shivered violently, whimpering in pain. "Please hold on."

"GANDALF!"

***

We travelled for three days, almost non-stop. We took a few breaks in between, but that was when we really needed to. During that time, Frodo only got worse. He no longer screamed in pain, but he let out painful gasps that shattered my heart.

On our fourth day of escaping to Rivendell, Frodo had gotten so much worse. He continued to shiver violently in my arms as we fled, and I knew that he wasn't getting any better. Finally, we knew that a break was in order. I set Frodo down gently on the forest floor and shrugged off my own travelling cloak before wrapping it around Frodo's freezing body. I then proceeded to take him in my arms and hold him gently, trying my best to not hurt him. I ran my fingers shakily through his damp hair.

I heard footsteps near me and saw that Sam was trying to smile. But I could tell that he was just as scared as the rest of us were. We were terrified that he might die.

"Look, Frodo!" he said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "It's Mr. Bilbo's trolls!"

I glanced down at Frodo again, and my heart sank when I saw that his face had become twice as pale as it had been a second ago.

"Frodo?" I gasped.

I pressed the back of my hand to his forehead and then his cheek, and my heart sank. His temperature dropped quite drastically. Was this sweet Hobbit that I was in love with going to die?

"He's going cold!" I announced to the group. I continued to run my fingers gently through his soaked hair, and my heart clenched painfully for him.

"Is he going to die?!" said Pippin in a terrified voice.

I glared at Pippin, silently cursing him. Why did he have to ask that question?

"He's passing on to the Shadow World," Strider spat furiously, "he'll soon become a Wraith like them."

I bit on my lower lip, trying hard to not break down. Seeing Frodo in this state made me feel very emotional. I did not want him to die. Especially not now.

"Oh, Frodo," I said. My voice was barely above a whisper. "Please stay strong. For me."

I bent forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead as he let out another pained gasp. My eyes widened and I glanced up when I heard the Ring Wraiths answering him, and my insides went cold with dread and fear.

"They're close," Merry breathed. He sounded terrified. I didn't blame him. We were in a very dangerous situation.

"Sam," said Strider in an urgent voice. Sam immediately came over, eager to help his best friend. "Do you know that Athelas plant?"

"Athelas?" Sam echoed.

"Kingsfoil?"

"Kingsfoil? Aye, sir! That's a weed!"

"Yes. And it may help to slow the poisoning." He turned to face our tiny group. "Sam and I are going to find some Athelas to help heal Frodo's wound. Everyone, stay with Elysia. Hurry, Sam!"

And with that, the two of them took off. The rest of us stayed where we were. I put all of my focus on Frodo, and cradled the back of his head gently, desperately trying to get him to look at me with those distant, clouded eyes of his. 

"Frodo, look at me," I whispered in a soft voice as I gently turned his head to face mine.

I brushed my fingers gently through his damp hair. I think he realized that I was with him because his blue eyes seemed to have softened a little bit. The pain seemed to have left him momentarily when his eyes landed on mine.

"It's going to be okay. You'll be okay. I'm right here. I'm not going to leave you. I promise."

I pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. I continued to speak sweet nothings to him, brushing away the damp hair from his face. I took out a handkerchief that I kept with me and began to dab his sweaty forehead with it.

And before I knew it, a female elf came along. I realized that it was my cousin, Arwen. Though I loved Arwen, I still felt the need to be very protective of Frodo. I held him closer to my chest, getting extremely protective of him, until Strider came and gave me a reassuring look. That Arwen was trustworthy and gentle. Finally, I allowed her to touch him, though I was reluctant to let her touch him.

"Frodo," said Arwen. She then began to proceed to speak in Elvish. "My name is Arwen, and I have come to help you. Hear my voice and turn back to the light."

Frodo eventually turned away, struggling to breathe again. I watched Frodo anxiously as he turned his face away from my cousin. He let out another struggling, pained gasp that seemed to be growing weaker with each painful breath that he took. 

"Frodo?" she said in an anxious voice as she gently brushed the curls from his forehead before dabbing it with a handkerchief. I tried hard to not get too jealous as she wiped the cold sweat that continued to gush profusely from his forehead. "He's fading. He's not going to last."

Frodo let out an awful gasp of pain as Strider gently placed the Athelas plant on his wound. And without my consent, Strider gathered Frodo in his arms and gently placed him on the pony. I scrambled to my feet and followed them, ready to do anything that would save Frodo's life, even if that meant bringing him to Rivendell myself. Arwen continued to speak. "There are five Wraiths behind you. Where the other four are, I do not know."

The duo began to speak in Elvish. As they did, I reached up and held Frodo's hand tightly in mine, absentmindedly rubbing my thumb against his freezing knuckles. I listened with rapt attention, my eyes moving from Strider, to Arwen, and back to Strider again as they argued over who would be the one to take Frodo to Rivendell. Finally, I made up my mind and I spoke up, my voice filled with determination.

"I will take him."

Both of them looked down at me with great surprise.

"Elyse, what are you doing?! You can't do this!" Sam objected.

"The Road is too dangerous, Elysia," Strider insisted in Elvish.

I only rolled my eyes in response, ignoring both of their comments.

"Frodo's dying," I spoke in Elvish. My grip on Frodo's cold hand tightened. "I know my way to Rivendell. I've been there more times than I can count. Aragorn," I added pleadingly, catching his attention. "Please. He needs me. I promise I can get him to safety. I know that I'm small, but I'm fast. Faster than you might think."

There was a small second of silence. I held in the breath I did not realize I had been holding. All I could hear were Frodo's faint gasps of breath as he struggled to not give in to the darkness. Finally, Strider spoke again.

"As you wish," he finally agreed.

I gave him a small smile of relief and he gave me a leg-up onto Arwen's horse. I took the reins and held Frodo's weak body protectively against mine, protecting him with the best of my abilities.

"Elysia?" said Strider in a firm voice. His voice caused me to glance back over at him. "Ride hard. Don't look back."

I nodded, reassuring him that I would do my best before taking off.

"What are you doing?!" said Sam in horror as I took off. "Those Wraiths are still out there!"

I was aware of that, but we had no other choice but to take off.

We rode fast for another day and a half. So far, there were no signs of the Black Riders, much to my relief, until we were almost to the Ford. The Nazgûls began to chase us, but I managed to outsmart them, crossing the river as they gave shrieks of anger. I clutched Frodo tightly to my chest, protecting him with my ability.

"Give up the Ring-bearer, Elfling!" the Witch-King snarled threateningly.

I drew out my sword to challenge them. It was the only choice I had in order to get rid of them the way I wanted them to. "If you want him, come and claim him!"

The Nazgûls drew out their swords as well. With my eyes on the Bruinen River, I began to think of some sort of spell that could send the Nazgûls flying back. Once I had the spell in my head, I began to chant it aloud, my voice strong and unwavering. I concentrated on the water horses until finally, one appeared, pushing back the Nazgûls until they had drowned in the water.

I continued to hold out my sword over my head in triumph, until Frodo finally went limp in my arms, gasping weakly for air. My eyes widened when I realized what was happening. I immediately jumped off my horse, still holding Frodo gently in my arms, and I carefully set him down on the rocky bank of the river, encouraging him to stay strong as he struggled to breathe.

"Frodo, no!" I pleaded desperately as he continued struggling to breathe. I shook his shoulder, trying to get him to respond, or at least, to react. "Please don't give in! Not now!"

When his body went still, I thought that it was over.

"Oh!" I whimpered once I realized what had happened.

The Nazgûls seemed to have succeeded with their plan, after all.

I sat down in shock and disbelief before pulling his limp body towards my chest. Tears began to stream down my face as I hugged him to my chest, being incredibly gentle with him and cradling the back of his neck with my free hand. Frodo had been strong the last few days. He didn't deserve to die, now!

What grace has given me, let it pass to him. Let him be spared. Save him! I pleaded desperately.

After a while, I sighed and lifted my eyes to look at the road that led to Rivendell. I didn't have far left to go. Maybe I could carry Frodo there, by foot, as I had done for the past few days before my cousin came.

So, wiping the remaining tears on my cheeks, I managed to scoop him in my arms once again. I gently covered his face with the hood of his cloak before getting him comfortable in my arms. Then, I continued my way to Rivendell by foot.