"Gollum has been caught."
Right at the start, this skilled Ranger brought Garrett a piece of explosive news.
"Tell me the details."
"It was that lame Uruk leader who delivered him personally. He caught Gollum at a pass near Minas Morgul. Also, he said that spies from Mordor have been following Gollum. It seems they want him to lead them to something."
Garrett nodded slightly. "Where is Gollum now?"
"He's being held at the outpost by the Crossroads. Plenty of men are watching him."
"Good. I understand."
The Ranger reported all his information, exchanged a few quiet words about other trivial matters with Garrett, then left with new instructions.
---
"We have new work to do, Gandalf."
Back on the city wall, Garrett relayed the Ranger's intelligence.
"Good, very good," Gandalf nodded repeatedly. "We should go find Gollum at once. He must know many useful things. And if what your man says is true, that he was released from Mordor, then our enemy must have learned something as well. We can't afford to fall behind."
"Agreed. Let's go."
Garrett waved his hand and mounted his horse first. He said to Gandalf, "The Crossroads isn't exactly a safe place. I'll go ahead and move Gollum somewhere else, to the South Riverlands. Meet me at the fortress there."
"In such a hurry," Gandalf muttered, but followed Garrett toward Wayfort.
Setting out from there, Garrett took the Nether portal to reach the Crossroads, while Gandalf took the Sky Road, a longer route toward the South Riverlands.
Before Gandalf had covered even a third of his journey, Garrett had already arrived at the Crossroads outpost.
Creak.
A Ranger stationed there opened an iron door for him.
Inside, a small, crouching creature slowly lifted its head. A harsh, throaty gurgle escaped from it, filled with fear.
"Gollum..."
Garrett called his name.
"This isn't our first meeting. You must remember that. I know who you are. You were once a Hobbit of sturdy build, only twisted into this form by an evil power beyond your control."
Old memories surged up. Gollum stared wide-eyed, uncertain what this man's words meant.
"And that's not all I know," Garrett continued. "I know you killed your best friend. Then, overcome by guilt, you fled, becoming a wretched thief, a robber, hurting others wherever you went..."
"No!"
Gollum's eyes bulged as he shrieked, "That's not true! We're not thieves, it was stolen from us!"
"Watch your tone."
A Ranger at the side couldn't stand it any longer. He grabbed Gollum by the throat to silence him.
Kh, khh... urgh...
Gollum struggled weakly, nearly suffocating.
Garrett waved his hand, and the Ranger let go, throwing Gollum to the ground.
Gollum...
He writhed on the floor, finally realizing his position and no longer willing to shout.
"There's no need to argue with me. I told you, I know what you've done. Even your family couldn't stand your wickedness. If your grandmother hadn't driven you away, your only fate would have been death at the hands of an angry crowd."
After those stern words, Garrett leaned closer and crouched down. Under Gollum's wide, pitiful eyes, his voice softened.
"I know there's still a trace of goodness in you. You regret what you've done, don't you?"
Gollum said nothing. He just lowered his head, the familiar gurgling sound echoing from his throat. Garrett could hear a note of sadness in it.
If it had been anyone else talking to Gollum like this, he probably wouldn't have bothered to listen. He would've just turned and left. But here, he had no choice but to listen carefully and think about every word. Otherwise, neither Garrett nor the Ranger beside him were people he could afford to anger.
Even though one looked fierce and the other seemed a bit gentler. Under such circumstances, with all those pressures and limits, Gollum finally showed a flicker of genuine emotion. But it was all forced out of him.
"You still have a chance to change," Garrett said.
It couldn't really be said that Gollum had never contributed to the Free Peoples' cause. After all, he had been a Hobbit once. Even when he got the One Ring, the worst he did was petty theft or trickery. Had it fallen into the hands of any other race, the damage would have been far worse. In a way, Gollum hiding with the One Ring in a cave for over five hundred years, without coming out to harm anyone, was, ironically, a contribution to peace.
Five hundred years...
The One Ring had been stuck in darkness for five centuries. If it weren't just an emotionless evil artifact, it would probably have gone mad before Gollum did.
"Change...?" He was drawn to Garrett's words.
"That's right, change. But first, you must atone for your past crimes. Once your sins are repaid, you'll be free."
"We were always free before they caught us!" Gollum growled suddenly, his face twisting.
But then, his expression softened, eyes turning fearful as he muttered to himself, "But... we were never truly free..."
"Shut up, shut up..."
"He said he'd give us a chance..."
Gollum clutched his head, struggling, his voice shifting from vicious and defiant to timid and trembling.
Garrett stood up, glanced at the Ranger beside him, and gave a quiet signal.
"Give him something to eat. When he's full, we'll set out."
"Set out? Where to?" Gollum's attention snapped toward Garrett again. He lifted his head and asked, "You're looking for the Precious too, aren't you? We can take you there, just don't hurt us..."
"Not interested," Garrett shook his head. "There's someone else who wants to see you. Wait here. Be honest and behave yourself, and no one will hurt you."
Gollum instinctively glanced at the Ranger beside him.
The Ranger barked, "Lord Garrett's word is law. You have no reason to doubt his promise."
"Y-yes, yes, we won't move, won't move... we'll stay here quietly..."
The door closed. Garrett and the Ranger left together.
Just as Gollum sighed in relief, the Ranger suddenly came back.
Gollum's entire body went tense at once. He knew this scene too well. In Mordor, every time an interrogation ended, the orcs would come back to torment him again, whipping, kicking, beating him bloody...
"I knew it... they'll torture us again... no trust, no trust for poor Gollum..."
"What're you muttering about?"
The Ranger frowned, then asked, while Gollum stared at him in confusion, "What do you eat? Meat or vegetables? Do you like it raw or cooked?"