Facing the Ranger's question, Gollum hesitated for a moment before tentatively replying, "Then we're going to... have meat?"
His voice was full of confusion and doubt. Clearly, the Ranger's actions had taken him by surprise, leaving him momentarily unable to understand. But soon, that no longer mattered.
A moment later, the Ranger brought a beautifully marbled piece of steak and a plump salmon.
Both were raw.
Gollum instinctively recoiled.
"Could it be poisoned?"
But on second thought, they didn't seem to have any reason to do that.
Besides, the legendary one had made a promise...
In the end, hunger triumphed over suspicion.
His large eyes rolled as he convinced himself, and then he couldn't hold back any longer. He immediately began tearing and gulping down the food, like a starving wretch, almost choking himself in the process.
"So delicious... cough, gollum..."
He had never eaten meat so clean, so fresh!
Beside him, the Ranger watched intently, stunned by Gollum's feral behavior. He didn't leave, mostly because he was afraid Gollum might get too excited and actually choke himself to death.
Still, this little creature was truly strange.
He seemed intelligent. Garrett had said he used to be a Hobbit, but he was unlike any ordinary Hobbit, with his fondness for raw, bloody food.
When given the choice between raw and cooked, he chose the former.
And that was peculiar, since Hobbits were famously particular about food. They'd never just grab a slab of bloody raw meat and start gnawing on it.
But that, too, had an explanation.
As the Ranger watched Gollum devour his meal, he recalled what Garrett had said earlier.
Gollum had been corrupted for far too long by an unnamed dark power, so deeply that even his habits and way of life had been twisted by it.
Burp.
The sound echoed from the cell.
"Looks like you're full," the Ranger said.
"Then let's go."
He opened the door, gesturing for Gollum to step out.
Gollum widened his eyes. "Where are we going?"
The Ranger could clearly sense the change in him. After eating, Gollum seemed like a different being altogether, his eyes clearer, calmer.
"To a safer place," he said simply.
And so they left.
Soon after, Garrett led Gollum and several Rangers westward, entering Rohan, crossing Eastemnet, and then over a great bridge.
Smoothly and swiftly, in less than ten days, they reached the fortress built in the South Undeep.
There, Gollum was given a room of his own, so comfortable that he began to wonder if he had unknowingly done something good, or if perhaps he was already dead.
"Is this... some kind of paradise?" he asked.
"No," one of the guards replied. "This is a prison."
"Prison? You mean this clean, tidy, bright room, without any disgusting smells, is a prison?"
Recalling the filth and stench of Mordor, Gollum clearly found it hard to believe.
The guard outside gave him a puzzled look.
"This is just a standard single cell."
This fellow thinks it's nice? He really must've never seen what a good place looks like.
"It's time to eat."
The professionally trained guard didn't say much to Gollum. On one hand, he didn't want to accidentally reveal any information. On the other, he simply wasn't interested in talking.
He quietly brought clean food and stood by as Gollum devoured it ravenously.
"Oh, to eat well, drink well, and live well, what a happy life this is," Gollum murmured contentedly.
At that moment, something in Gollum's mindset had begun to change.
That change was so noticeable that when Gandalf, who had arrived a little later than Garrett, came to question him, Gollum, for once, didn't try to dodge or play tricks. He answered honestly, saying everything he was supposed to say.
"There really is a strange kind of power at work here," Gandalf remarked in wonder after the interrogation, having noticed the change in Gollum himself.
"If he stays here long enough, perhaps he really might..."
"How did it go? Did you get the information you wanted?" Garrett asked.
"Pretty much everything," Gandalf nodded.
"What do you plan to do next?"
"Frodo. I intend to find him first and make sure the Ring is safe."
As he spoke, Gandalf stood up at once.
"And Aragorn, conveniently, he's on his way to visit an old friend in Mirkwood. I have a plan that requires his help. He'll be useful for this."
"And what about me?" Garrett asked from behind.
What, was he invisible or something?
"You?" Gandalf raised an eyebrow, looking a little helpless.
"Garrett, some matters are no longer ones you can be involved in."
"What do you mean by that?" Garrett protested, clearly displeased.
What did he mean, he couldn't participate?
Gandalf looked at him with innocent, wide eyes and said, "Ah... forgive me, I didn't mean that as an insult. What I mean is, your power is too great, your presence too conspicuous. You're not suited for missions that require subtlety or secrecy. I'd rather not have it so that when we reach the Shire, the enemy immediately shouts, 'Garrett and his companions have arrived in the Shire!' And when we reach Bree, they yell, 'Garrett and his companions are in Bree!' You understand what I mean, don't you?"
"...All right, I get it."
Garrett shrugged, also looking rather helpless.
Well, great. I've been benched.
Guess I've just earned the Glorfindel treatment.
That powerful Elf, who once slew a Balrog with a dagger, was often left out of covert missions too, simply because his very existence drew too much attention.
"How about this. Once you've settled things with Frodo, come find me at Wayfort. I'll be waiting there, then we can talk more in detail."
"That would be best," Gandalf agreed with a solemn nod. "With your help, I doubt anything could go wrong... or at least, I hope not."
After exchanging a few more words, he mounted his horse and rode away under Garrett's watchful gaze.
He was about to get busy.
As Gandalf departed and Garrett began thinking about what he should do next, something unexpected happened. The fortress at South Undeep, where Gollum was held, received a very unusual visitor.
An emissary.
"Lord of the Free Cities, Lord of the North, Garrett, I bring greetings from my master, the great Lord Sauron."
A messenger from Mordor.
"You have business with me?"
At the city gate, Garrett asked, his face expressionless, as he looked at the dark-cloaked emissary on a black horse.
Behind him, a squad of armed guards stood ready atop the wall, their eyes fixed on the visitor, wary of any sudden move.
Of course, Garrett's own safety was not in question.
The guards' main duty was to prevent the envoy from doing anything that might endanger the city's residents.
"I come bearing my master's goodwill," the emissary said, bowing deeply with a deferential tone, "Lord Sauron wishes to discuss... a proposal for friendly cooperation."