Jail Break

The first thing Roborn noticed, other than the pounding headache, was that it was dark. The second thing he noticed was that he was lying face down in the dirt. He rolled over and sat up, slowly. It looked like he was in an improvised cell, in a bandit camp, somewhere in the Chetwood. He’d heard about bandits, but had never encountered them while hunting through the Chetwood, until yesterday. Looking around, he could see several people sprawled in the dirt. Nobody he knew, fortunately.

In a corner of the cell, crouching in the shadows, he noticed a man. Noticing his movement, the man beckoned him over. At least he was awake, and seemed to be more alert than Roborn. He stood up, and walked over, slowly.

"Good, you are awake. The Blackwolds gave you quite a knock on the head, and I feared you would not awaken soon enough. There is little time to talk, but I will tell you what I may.

"I am what some in Bree call a Ranger. I have come here to learn what connection these men have with a Black Rider I was tracking from the Shire. However, the situation has worsened. I learned from Jon Brackenbrook, a hunter in Archet, that a guard from his father’s garrison – Calder Cob by name – is working for the Blackwolds and captured two visiting hobbits. Indeed, I have seen them here. I will need your help if I am to free the hobbits.

First, I must free you from this pen, then when you are free, search the crate just outside the fence for a weapon. Quietly now, though. We must wait for the right moment…."

A Ranger. Roborn had heard tales of the Rangers, both good and bad. Right now, this Ranger seemed to be intensely focused on getting themselves out, and finding the Hobbits. And… Calder Cob, working for the bandits? The good folks of Archet would not be pleased to learn about that. Roborn stepped back in the shadows and watched the Ranger.

On the other side of the fence, he could hear the bandits speaking to each other. One, with a deep, gravelly voice, said, "The others are dealing with the hobbit. You take care of Roborn." Another, with a thin reedy voice replied, "Yes, sir!" Roborn could see that one heading toward the gate. The jingle of keys indicated that he was getting ready to unlock the gate, although the prospects of what would happen next weren’t that promising. "Guess your time ran out, Roborn", the bandit chuckled. The gate swung open, and the bandit started through.

"NOW!" shouted the Ranger, and he charged the bandit. Roborn could only watch, since he had no useful weapon. The hunting bow he carried had been damaged when the bandits captured him. The scuffle between the bandit and the Ranger was brief. In almost no time, the bandit was lying face down in the dirt, unconscious. The Ranger pointed to a wooden crate near the gate. "Search this crate for a weapon you can use. Be quick now".

Roborn lifted the lid of the crate and peered inside. Apparently, the crate was a hijacked shipment of weapons, as he could see various swords, daggers, and even a few bows. Picking one of the smaller bows to replace his damaged one, Roborn dropped the lid and turned back to the Ranger.

"I hope you found a weapon you can use, for now our paths must part for a time. While you see about freeing the Hobbits, Celandine Brandybuck and Mundo Sackville-Baggins, I will follow that Eogan fellow and see what I can learn of his plans with the Black Rider.

"Free Celandine first, for Eogan’s words tell me that she is in the greatest danger. It is Mundo they want alive. When you have both hobbits safe, seek me near the main gate. We will return the hobbits to Archet and expose Calder Cob’s treachery to Jon’s father."

The Ranger pointed to a gate across the courtyard. "You should find Celandine that way." Roborn nodded, and headed toward the gate. As he approached, he peered through the slats. He could see a bandit on the other side, apparently patrolling. When the bandit had turned away, Roborn opened the gate. Taking careful aim with his new bow, Roborn let loose. It wasn’t enough to disable the bandit, but it did get his attention. He drew his dagger and charged. Roborn drew his hunting knife. It wasn’t much, but it was better than trying to use the bow at close range. After a brief scuffle, Roborn managed to give the bandit a good clip at his temple, and the bandit went down without another sound.

Drawn by the sounds of the fight, another bandit looked around the corner, and found Roborn breathing heavily, recovering from the fight. "You think you can save them, do you?" he grunted. The bandit drew his dagger, and charged as well. Again, Roborn managed to defeat the bandit after only a brief fight. Apparently, the bandits weren’t prepared for armed resistance – they hadn’t planned on being attacked from within.

After dusting himself off, Roborn looked around. Off a little ways to the left, he could see another bandit, lounging in front of a small campfire, guarding a gate. That must be where the Hobbit named Celandine was being held, he thought. He fired off two quick shots from his bow. Unfortunately, they both missed. The missed shots did get the bandit’s attention, however, and he scrambled to his feet. Roborn managed to get one more shot off, nicking the bandit’s off-shoulder, and then the two foes closed to dagger distance. After a short and swift struggle, Roborn managed to knock this bandit unconscious as well.