Author's Note: I have wanted to write this story for a long time ad not the least reason is my love for Hobbits. Ever since I heard of them I was fascinated by their strangeness and yet similarity to us, their love for food and drink, song, and warm bed at night. I also thought that the Ents should eventually find their Entwives, and one night I put it all together, and decided to substitute Gandalf's wizard-place with Radagast, who is more of an animal-creature type. For all copyright reasons, I do not own Lord of the Rings and all of these characters are from that series. Any similarity to real life events, names or places is completely coincidental and unintentional, unless you are comparing the events in this story to those in LOTR.
For those of you who have been following along, I wrote this story last year (8th grade) and everything was going great. Then my computer crashed and this story, along with all my other works, was gone. I then abandoned this story and finished 8th grade, keeping it in the back of my mind to finish someday. Well, that someday is today! I have uploaded all four chapters onto my computer (they were saved on Fanfiction!) and discovered a written version of Chapter 5 in my old Spanish notebook! So, Merry and Pippin, my favorite dynamic duo, are back in action! Here is the story with some editing and changing. May I present to you...
The Forgotten Quest
Meriadoc Brandybuck awoke one bright April morning to the sound of birds upon his windowsill. They chirped happily and loudly, as if glad that he had finally arisen. For a moment, Merry was reminded of Faramir and his ability to control both men and beast. Merry's mind raced as he remembered his old quest with the Ring…from the council in Rivendell to the Houses of Healing and kind King Théoden. His heart sunk at this thought, remembering the death of the wise King of Rohan. He saw the battle flash before his eyes: the Rohirrim fighting the orcs and Southern men, the arrival of the Captain of the Black Riders…Merry shuddered, but he remembered the rest as if it was yesterday--Snowmane, the King's horse, fell upon poor King Théoden, crushing him while the Rider stood over him laughing…then the Lady Éowyn revealed herself. Merry's arm went cold suddenly, recalling how he had thrust his sword at the closest part of the Rider: the back of his knee. Éowyn had then stabbed him between ghostly crown and headless cloak. Merry gulped at the memory and got out of bed.
The Houses of Healing, he remembered, had worked wonders for him. And it had been marvelous to see Pippin again…speaking of whom, where was that Took? They had been through much together, practically the whole Quest of the Ring. They had even gone through Fangorn Forest together, and had met Treebeard.
"I should dearly like to see old Treebeard again. I wonder if he's found the Entwives?" Merry said aloud to himself. "He did say that they would've liked the Shire…and I can't blame them; I love it too." At this, he looked fondly out his window again. The Shire was a fair country, and Buckland not the least of it. Maybe not all hobbits appreciated the Brandywine River, but the Brandybucks did; and even the Tooks had not truly hated the water. "Yes," Merry sighed sadly, "the Entwives would have liked the Shire. I wonder where they are, and if they are indeed here? Wouldn't that be a strange adventure: searching for the Entwives!" He laughed softly, and decided to pay a visit on Pippin; they hadn't seen each other for two days at least, and he missed him almost as he might have missed his own brother.
"Pippin!" a voice called from behind the door. "Pippin, my lad, come let me in! It's Merry!"
Peregrin Took looked instantly where Merry's voice came from. "Coming, Merry!" He hurried over to the door and hastily opened it for his dearest friend. "I'm terribly sorry…I've got the tea going in here and you won't believe who's arrived!"
Merry looked at his friend and laughed. "You said that when you invited Frodo Baggins and Bilbo and all his Dwarf friends over for tea! I was surprised then, but I most likely shan't be surprised now!"
Pippin smiled knowingly. "Of course, yes, but this is different." He led Merry into the living room where Gandalf the White sat at the table smoking his long pipe. Merry instantly recognized his old friend and cried aloud: "Gandalf!"
Running to the Wizard, he embraced him and smiled happily. Gandalf laughed and hugged him, ruffling his curly brown hair. "Ah, Merry, my dear hobbit! It has been long since we've met. Three years at least!" He released Merry, who pulled over a chair and sat down. Pippin sat down on the other side of the Wizard.
"He arrived not ten minutes ago. Wouldn't you know Gandalf well enough to arrive at a hobbit's hole just in time for tea!" Pippin exclaimed, laughing merrily.
"So, Gandalf, what news from Gondor? And Rohan? I want to know how Éomer is doing!" Merry asked eagerly.
"And Strider! Or King Strider I should say! How is he doing?" Pippin added.
"My, my, hobbits are never rid of their thirst for knowledge! Where to begin?" Gandalf laughed. "If I did not know better I might have thought hobbits were an adventurous folk, always wanting to know about far-off places! But few hobbits have seen the sights you have, and few ever will. Now, then, where to begin?
"Life in the West goes on much as it has this past age. Éomer is doing well in Rohan, and may perhaps have another King of the Mearas, for Shadowfax may give him a son; also I hear he has an eye for the daughter of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. Éowyn is to be wedded to the Lord Faramir, Steward of Gondor, and they shall reside in fair Ithilien. Aragorn, or Strider as you know him, is now accepting his responsibilites as King with his wife, Arwen Undómiel. He has many things to organize and bring back, such as territories and landmarks--Minas Morgul is to become Minas Ithil, Tower of the Moon, once again.
"Legolas was there with his father Thranduil to negotiate treaties and such with the King Elessar, as he is now known. Legolas rode back to Mirkwood with his father; after which he plans to return to Minas Tirith and meet Gimli. I hear that they plan to visit Fangorn and the Glittering Caves beneath Helm's Deep.
"Gimli has returned to the mountains to finish his…creation. He has made something to hold the Lady Galadriel's gift to him: three strands of her hair. He still treasures it as the fairer than all the jewels beneath the earth, although I know not if the other dwarves agree.
"And you know what has become of Frodo and Sam here in the Shire better than I have." Gandalf was interrupted by the teapot whistling. "Tea!" Pippin cried with a start, falling off his chair.
As Pippin poured tea for Gandalf, Merry, and himself, Merry summarized what had been happening in the Shire since Gandalf last visited. The wizard was very interested in Frodo's doings, (which were not many) perhaps because Frodo had handled the Ring for so long. He laughed when he heard that Sam had not changed at all, although his wife Rosie had born him several children. Pippin's and Merry's lives were still cheerful, still colorful, and still full of memories from their adventures. Gandalf was not surprised.
"Have you spoken with Treebeard?" Merry asked. "What has he been up to?"
At the mention of Treebeard, Pippin started and exclaimed: "Old Treebeard! I had clear forgotten about him! Yes, yes, what has he been doing?"
Gandalf laughed at Pippin's surprise and replied, "No, my dear lads, I have not seen the old fellow since our adventure with the Ring. I have not heard any news of him, save rare tidings from Radagast."
"Radagast?" the hobbits inquired.
"Ah yes, you have not met him. He is a wizard much like myself, save he has a different Color and appearance. His order is Brown, not White as I am nor Grey as I was. Radagast has more dealings with birds and beasts than of hobbits or history, although he does know of the Halfling people." Gandalf drank some of his tea. "He at one time dwelt at Rhosgobel, near the borders of Mirkwood, and I often do not see him for many years at a time." Merry and Pippin listened politely, but were disappointed that nothing had been heard from Treebeard.
Gandalf, Pippin, and Merry discussed and debated for several hours. It was near evening when Gandalf stood up.
"I am afraid, my dear hobbits, that I must depart now. I must return to Gondor and be sure King Elessar does not let the city fall ere my return," Gandalf laughed. "Shadowfax will take me there swiftly enough; nevertheless, I must depart now to have time to visit Frodo and Sam and still arrive before too much time has passed. Farewell, Meriadoc and Peregrin! I hope to return to the Shire soon." With that, Gandalf bid them good-bye and strode out the door. He whistled, and a powerful horse, strong and swift, galloped to him. It was pure white, and stopped before the wizard and allowed him onto his back. "On, Shadowfax!" Gandalf cried, and the snowy stallion sped away faster than the wind.
"I wish there was a Shadowfax we hobbits could ride!" Merry said. "Although he'd need to be shorter!"
"I don't!" Pippin replied, remembering his long, uncomfortable journey with Gandalf upon Shadowfax as they rode to Minas Tirith. "Horses are not for me!"
I awoke to the sound of a blackbird singing. It was not yet morning, but in that tense silence before the Sun rises. I turned east to the Sun. We turned more often to the East now that the Shadow over the morning was passed. The Sea was a beautiful sight, but it was full of salt and we did not like it. There were plenty more rivers that are better for drinking.
The others awoke soon after I; they often knew exactly when the Sun rose. Perhaps it was something to do with being connected with nature, but I did not know. There was often a sad air that hung around us all like some kind of thick fog or forest drapery. It was full of memory and sorrow; for we all knew what we lost. We all had been there. But no matter how we thrust ourselves through the fog, or pushed at the drapery, it would not let us pass and continued to hang over our heads and shoulders, keeping us from happiness and return to our homeland.
As I stood facing East, I thought of the others. Some were beginning to fade; they moved less and talked less and thought more. If we all think more, I thought, we will soon all fade and there will be none left to return, if ever we do.
For our story is a sad one. We were happy in the forest, but the Orcs came; they came with fire, they came with axes: gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning! Traitors and usurpers, curse them! And we fled. Three of us succumbed to the fire. We fled West, for they came from the East and we are not fools to flee to more fire and danger. We traveled many long days, and past many creatures that paid us no heed as long as we hid with the trees. Finally, we found a river much like to our old one, and we followed it to a large forest, also much like our old one. Indeed, it had many similar trees found nowhere else but in our forest. It made me wonder if maybe they were not connected at one point.
We have been in the New Forest for many long years; ever since we fled from the Orcs. We left our families, our gardens, and our homes behind. But since we left behind our husbands, there can be no young ones. We have been doomed to live in the New Forest, and eventually wither and die like the many trees that have done so before us.
Our tale is a sad one, but as I stood facing East and the Sun rose, filling my vision with colors of red, gold, and orange, it filled me also with hope: a hope that had not filled my heart ever before. And I thought: perhaps our tale has not ended. Perhaps our tale will have a happy ending.
For those of you who have been following along, I wrote this story last year (8th grade) and everything was going great. Then my computer crashed and this story, along with all my other works, was gone. I then abandoned this story and finished 8th grade, keeping it in the back of my mind to finish someday. Well, that someday is today! I have uploaded all four chapters onto my computer (they were saved on Fanfiction!) and discovered a written version of Chapter 5 in my old Spanish notebook! So, Merry and Pippin, my favorite dynamic duo, are back in action! Here is the story with some editing and changing. May I present to you...
The Forgotten Quest
Meriadoc Brandybuck awoke one bright April morning to the sound of birds upon his windowsill. They chirped happily and loudly, as if glad that he had finally arisen. For a moment, Merry was reminded of Faramir and his ability to control both men and beast. Merry's mind raced as he remembered his old quest with the Ring…from the council in Rivendell to the Houses of Healing and kind King Théoden. His heart sunk at this thought, remembering the death of the wise King of Rohan. He saw the battle flash before his eyes: the Rohirrim fighting the orcs and Southern men, the arrival of the Captain of the Black Riders…Merry shuddered, but he remembered the rest as if it was yesterday--Snowmane, the King's horse, fell upon poor King Théoden, crushing him while the Rider stood over him laughing…then the Lady Éowyn revealed herself. Merry's arm went cold suddenly, recalling how he had thrust his sword at the closest part of the Rider: the back of his knee. Éowyn had then stabbed him between ghostly crown and headless cloak. Merry gulped at the memory and got out of bed.
The Houses of Healing, he remembered, had worked wonders for him. And it had been marvelous to see Pippin again…speaking of whom, where was that Took? They had been through much together, practically the whole Quest of the Ring. They had even gone through Fangorn Forest together, and had met Treebeard.
"I should dearly like to see old Treebeard again. I wonder if he's found the Entwives?" Merry said aloud to himself. "He did say that they would've liked the Shire…and I can't blame them; I love it too." At this, he looked fondly out his window again. The Shire was a fair country, and Buckland not the least of it. Maybe not all hobbits appreciated the Brandywine River, but the Brandybucks did; and even the Tooks had not truly hated the water. "Yes," Merry sighed sadly, "the Entwives would have liked the Shire. I wonder where they are, and if they are indeed here? Wouldn't that be a strange adventure: searching for the Entwives!" He laughed softly, and decided to pay a visit on Pippin; they hadn't seen each other for two days at least, and he missed him almost as he might have missed his own brother.
"Pippin!" a voice called from behind the door. "Pippin, my lad, come let me in! It's Merry!"
Peregrin Took looked instantly where Merry's voice came from. "Coming, Merry!" He hurried over to the door and hastily opened it for his dearest friend. "I'm terribly sorry…I've got the tea going in here and you won't believe who's arrived!"
Merry looked at his friend and laughed. "You said that when you invited Frodo Baggins and Bilbo and all his Dwarf friends over for tea! I was surprised then, but I most likely shan't be surprised now!"
Pippin smiled knowingly. "Of course, yes, but this is different." He led Merry into the living room where Gandalf the White sat at the table smoking his long pipe. Merry instantly recognized his old friend and cried aloud: "Gandalf!"
Running to the Wizard, he embraced him and smiled happily. Gandalf laughed and hugged him, ruffling his curly brown hair. "Ah, Merry, my dear hobbit! It has been long since we've met. Three years at least!" He released Merry, who pulled over a chair and sat down. Pippin sat down on the other side of the Wizard.
"He arrived not ten minutes ago. Wouldn't you know Gandalf well enough to arrive at a hobbit's hole just in time for tea!" Pippin exclaimed, laughing merrily.
"So, Gandalf, what news from Gondor? And Rohan? I want to know how Éomer is doing!" Merry asked eagerly.
"And Strider! Or King Strider I should say! How is he doing?" Pippin added.
"My, my, hobbits are never rid of their thirst for knowledge! Where to begin?" Gandalf laughed. "If I did not know better I might have thought hobbits were an adventurous folk, always wanting to know about far-off places! But few hobbits have seen the sights you have, and few ever will. Now, then, where to begin?
"Life in the West goes on much as it has this past age. Éomer is doing well in Rohan, and may perhaps have another King of the Mearas, for Shadowfax may give him a son; also I hear he has an eye for the daughter of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. Éowyn is to be wedded to the Lord Faramir, Steward of Gondor, and they shall reside in fair Ithilien. Aragorn, or Strider as you know him, is now accepting his responsibilites as King with his wife, Arwen Undómiel. He has many things to organize and bring back, such as territories and landmarks--Minas Morgul is to become Minas Ithil, Tower of the Moon, once again.
"Legolas was there with his father Thranduil to negotiate treaties and such with the King Elessar, as he is now known. Legolas rode back to Mirkwood with his father; after which he plans to return to Minas Tirith and meet Gimli. I hear that they plan to visit Fangorn and the Glittering Caves beneath Helm's Deep.
"Gimli has returned to the mountains to finish his…creation. He has made something to hold the Lady Galadriel's gift to him: three strands of her hair. He still treasures it as the fairer than all the jewels beneath the earth, although I know not if the other dwarves agree.
"And you know what has become of Frodo and Sam here in the Shire better than I have." Gandalf was interrupted by the teapot whistling. "Tea!" Pippin cried with a start, falling off his chair.
As Pippin poured tea for Gandalf, Merry, and himself, Merry summarized what had been happening in the Shire since Gandalf last visited. The wizard was very interested in Frodo's doings, (which were not many) perhaps because Frodo had handled the Ring for so long. He laughed when he heard that Sam had not changed at all, although his wife Rosie had born him several children. Pippin's and Merry's lives were still cheerful, still colorful, and still full of memories from their adventures. Gandalf was not surprised.
"Have you spoken with Treebeard?" Merry asked. "What has he been up to?"
At the mention of Treebeard, Pippin started and exclaimed: "Old Treebeard! I had clear forgotten about him! Yes, yes, what has he been doing?"
Gandalf laughed at Pippin's surprise and replied, "No, my dear lads, I have not seen the old fellow since our adventure with the Ring. I have not heard any news of him, save rare tidings from Radagast."
"Radagast?" the hobbits inquired.
"Ah yes, you have not met him. He is a wizard much like myself, save he has a different Color and appearance. His order is Brown, not White as I am nor Grey as I was. Radagast has more dealings with birds and beasts than of hobbits or history, although he does know of the Halfling people." Gandalf drank some of his tea. "He at one time dwelt at Rhosgobel, near the borders of Mirkwood, and I often do not see him for many years at a time." Merry and Pippin listened politely, but were disappointed that nothing had been heard from Treebeard.
Gandalf, Pippin, and Merry discussed and debated for several hours. It was near evening when Gandalf stood up.
"I am afraid, my dear hobbits, that I must depart now. I must return to Gondor and be sure King Elessar does not let the city fall ere my return," Gandalf laughed. "Shadowfax will take me there swiftly enough; nevertheless, I must depart now to have time to visit Frodo and Sam and still arrive before too much time has passed. Farewell, Meriadoc and Peregrin! I hope to return to the Shire soon." With that, Gandalf bid them good-bye and strode out the door. He whistled, and a powerful horse, strong and swift, galloped to him. It was pure white, and stopped before the wizard and allowed him onto his back. "On, Shadowfax!" Gandalf cried, and the snowy stallion sped away faster than the wind.
"I wish there was a Shadowfax we hobbits could ride!" Merry said. "Although he'd need to be shorter!"
"I don't!" Pippin replied, remembering his long, uncomfortable journey with Gandalf upon Shadowfax as they rode to Minas Tirith. "Horses are not for me!"
I awoke to the sound of a blackbird singing. It was not yet morning, but in that tense silence before the Sun rises. I turned east to the Sun. We turned more often to the East now that the Shadow over the morning was passed. The Sea was a beautiful sight, but it was full of salt and we did not like it. There were plenty more rivers that are better for drinking.
The others awoke soon after I; they often knew exactly when the Sun rose. Perhaps it was something to do with being connected with nature, but I did not know. There was often a sad air that hung around us all like some kind of thick fog or forest drapery. It was full of memory and sorrow; for we all knew what we lost. We all had been there. But no matter how we thrust ourselves through the fog, or pushed at the drapery, it would not let us pass and continued to hang over our heads and shoulders, keeping us from happiness and return to our homeland.
As I stood facing East, I thought of the others. Some were beginning to fade; they moved less and talked less and thought more. If we all think more, I thought, we will soon all fade and there will be none left to return, if ever we do.
For our story is a sad one. We were happy in the forest, but the Orcs came; they came with fire, they came with axes: gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning! Traitors and usurpers, curse them! And we fled. Three of us succumbed to the fire. We fled West, for they came from the East and we are not fools to flee to more fire and danger. We traveled many long days, and past many creatures that paid us no heed as long as we hid with the trees. Finally, we found a river much like to our old one, and we followed it to a large forest, also much like our old one. Indeed, it had many similar trees found nowhere else but in our forest. It made me wonder if maybe they were not connected at one point.
We have been in the New Forest for many long years; ever since we fled from the Orcs. We left our families, our gardens, and our homes behind. But since we left behind our husbands, there can be no young ones. We have been doomed to live in the New Forest, and eventually wither and die like the many trees that have done so before us.
Our tale is a sad one, but as I stood facing East and the Sun rose, filling my vision with colors of red, gold, and orange, it filled me also with hope: a hope that had not filled my heart ever before. And I thought: perhaps our tale has not ended. Perhaps our tale will have a happy ending.