Merry and Pippin were deep down underneath Orthanc in a cell. The orcs had searched them and had found nothing. No Ring like Saruman had been hoping. The Hobbits were mostly okay, they just had gained a couple scratches and small wounds, but they were both still alive and well. On the other hand, Saruman was furious and decided he wanted the Hobbits to be dead by the morning, which wasn't too far away.

Merry and Pippin sat next to each other together in silence for a long while. They didn't know how to react to what had happened that day and what was to come. Suddenly Pippin spoke up,

"Whatever happens tonight... just know that you were always a great friend,"

Merry looked up to him in surprise at what he had just said. He really thought they were going to die. Merry still couldn't grasp that horrible thought of leaving Middle Earth dying in Isengard. But then again, how could they get out of this mess. They were most likely going to die here.

"You too Pip," Merry whispered, "You too," he nodded.

They smiled weakly at each other until the both jumped as they heard their cell door opening. The keys jingled and the door swung open. Two orcs stepped in with huge grins spread across their faces. They sure did love to kill things and this was their moment to.

Each orc lifted a Hobbit without a word and brought them into a different room up lots of stairs. Saruman was in the room and so were two metal table structures that looked scary to the Hobbits. Merry and Pippin started struggling once they were set down on the metal tables, but as weak as they were, they were no match for the orcs or the wizard. After a while, the Hobbits wrists and ankles were chained to the tables and they could hardly move.

"Kill them," Saruman ordered.

It was all happening too fast and Merry and Pippin were scared to death. Both orcs pulled out their knives and thrust them upward above their heads.

"We shall put maggot holes right in your bellies!" they growled.

Merry and Pippin stole one last look at each other and then shut their eyes tight waiting for the knives to pierce through them. As if in slow motion the knives came down, but suddenly before it hit Merry and Pippin's bodies the orcs halted as somebody yelled,

"Stop!!!"

Merry and Pippin opened their eyes and looked to the doorway. They had never been so happy or confused in all their lives. Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee stood in the doorway with withdrawn swords at their sides. Saruman looked in shock at the two new intruders. He was about to speak when Frodo cut him off and said,

"Let them go and I will give you what you seek,"

"No!" cried Merry.

The orc next to Merry grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him up off the table. The chains rattled as he got close to his face and snarled,

"Speak again, and you will regret it," he let go off Merry, and kept his knife close at his side.

"Please," Frodo pleaded, "Let them go and I will give it to you,"

Saruman still stood there in shock taking this all in.

"Frodo, N..." Merry began, but was cut off.

The orc that had told him to be quiet suddenly brought the knife down on his upper leg. Merry screamed out of surprise and pain. He hadn't thought the orc would have actually done something like that. The orc smiled and dug the blade deeper into his leg and twisted it. Merry tried holding back tears, but they came out of the pain he felt. He stared moving frantically as best he could and started half crying and half screaming at the same time.

"Merry!" Pippin gasped, "Stop! Don't hurt him!"

"Shut your mouth. Do you want a nice hole in your leg too?" the orc next to him grumbled.

The orc brought up his knife, but Pippin shook his head frantically.

"Enough!" Saruman shouted. The orc lifted the blade from Merry's leg and he let out a sigh of relief and gasped at the same time. He had never encountered something that painful before.

He took his staff and pointed it at Merry and Pippin. The chains that had been holding them in place suddenly snapped off and they were free. Pippin jumped off immediately before anybody could grab him and went to Merry's side on his table. He was still laying helplessly on the table in complete shock. Tear marks were covering his face and with every breath he breathed out was hard and jolty. Pippin had never seen him like this.

"Give it to me," Saruman said stepping closer to Frodo and Sam.

Frodo and Sam stepped back a little and Frodo said,

"Not until you let my friends go,"

"Deal," Saruman said, but smiled. Why was he smiling? Thought Frodo, "Get them outside. Now!" Saruman yelled at the orcs.

Saruman ushered Frodo and Sam out into the hallway and started leading them out of Orthanc. Back in the other room, Pippin was trying to help Merry. Merry's leg was bleeding like crazy and he was trying to stop it, but only managed to get it all over himself instead.

"Stay with me, please?" Pippin whispered into Merry's ear.

"Hurry up, or I'll throw you both out!" said one of the orcs.

Without thinking Pippin said,

"Stop it! Please don't hurt him,"

He regretted it when he realized it was only the orcs, Merry, and himself in the room. The orcs could do whatever they pleased to them now that Saruman was gone. Suddenly he was seized from behind.

"Nobody tells me what to do!"

Then the orc threw Pippin out into the hallway out of the room. Merry came flying out into the hallway a moment later and landed on top of Pippin. He was moaning and making strange noises. Pippin placed one of Merry's arms around his neck and stood up slowly.

"Move it!" the orcs insisted and kicked at their legs.

Merry put all his weight on Pippin since he was unable to stand at the moment. Both his legs were basically dragging on the ground as his arms where around Pippin. After limping all the way down some stairs and out of Orthanc, they made it outside where Frodo, Sam, and Saruman were already. The orcs pushed Merry and Pippin out of the two main black gates at the entrance of Isengard. They both toppled over and Merry made some more awkward yelping noises. Pippin crawled to his side and propped his head onto his lap.

"Give it to me," Saruman said again to Frodo.

Frodo glanced at Sam and then took off his necklace that contained the Ring. He looked at the Ring for what seemed like forever. He watched it sparkle in the moon light and dangle around. There was a full moon and it made the Ring look even more magical looking. The sun was coming up slowly too and the moon was going down. Finally he held it out to the wizard.

Two orcs pushed Sam out of Isengard as well, leaving Frodo the only Hobbit inside of Isengard.

"Hey, wait!" Sam cried and tried to push past the orcs, but they were holding him back from getting back inside. Sam knew at that moment the mistake he had just made and he knew exactly what was going to happen. He should have stayed at Frodo's side.

Saruman took the Ring by the chain and stared at it smiling an evil smile. Frodo turned quickly around to leave, but ran face first into an orc. The orc grabbed him by the arm and wouldn't let go. Sam ran forward, but with a flick of Saruman's staff the gates closed in Sam's face. This left Frodo separated from the other Hobbits. Saruman got close to Frodo and said,

"Sauron will want to have a word with you,"

A/N: Merry and Pippin are safe, yah! Happy dance! But Frodo is not... bad situation with Boromir still on the move!