Of Geongü and His Search for Entmaidens
It was in the middle of a cold winter when the idea first came to Geongü. The snow was swirling wildly and he could feel the cold on every inch of his long branches. He warmed himself by being deep in thought of better things. Geongü longed for someone to share his feelings with. He wished he could find one to tell everything to and confide in when no one else cared. Many years passed after the idea first came to him, but he thought long and hard about where to search. Season after season he planned his route and imagined where the Entwives might be.
Geongü was the youngest Enting of all the Ents and because of that was thought of as being different. He was the last Ent born while the Entwives were still present in Fangorn Forest. He always felt alienated and was thought of as being hasty by the other Ents. He couldn't understand why the other Ents had grown so sleepy and tree-ish and they didn't understand him. No matter how many centuries old Geongü was he never was thought of the same by the other Ents. The despair he felt from this led him to dreaming long and hard of the Entmaiden that would be his best friend and dependant.
On the 5th of March Geongü made the decision to start his search. It was almost spring and his leaves had begun to grow back. The snow had melted and the rivers moved fast. The birds had returned back to Fangorn and everything around him had begun to grow again. Before Geongü left he took a great drink of Entwash, laid down, and thought even more about his journey. Finally, he left the forest without telling a single Ent and headed West.
The days passed into weeks as Geongü slowly made his way West – he had a hunch that's where the Entwives were. One day as he walked through a large field of grass he saw a small creature trotting through the long grass. As the figure got closer and closer it began to look like a man. Geongü paused in the middle of the field and waited for his moment. Being the hasty Ent he was, he picked up the creature as soon as it walked under his large branches.
The frightened creature yelled, "Help! Let me go!" Geongü thought for a long time about how to speak to the small thing, figuring that it would not understand the Entish language. "I am Geongü, an Ent. That is what I believe you would call me. And who might you be?" The small creature began to calm down and cautiously spoke, "My name is Trotter. I am a Hobbit from the Shire. I don't mean you any harm – honest!"
"A Hobbit?" questioned Geongü. "I have never heard of your kind before. Where are you heading?" Trotter answered, "I am trying to escape the Shire. I have been treated as an outcast my whole life and wish to find a new place to live where I can be happy. I was born with deformed feet and had to wear these ridiculous shoes my whole life." Just then Geongü looked down and saw a pair of wooden shoes.
Trotter and Geongü talked for a long time about how they both felt they had been mistreated. They consoled each other by talking about how great their lives could be if they found what they were looking for. It was decided that they would travel together to try and find an Entmaiden for Geongü and a new home for Trotter where people would like him. Trotter told Geongü about the Old Forest in the Shire and how he had heard of a tree that moved in there. Trotter agreed to backtrack to the Shire, provided that after Geongü found his Entmaiden they would search for his new home.
Geongü walked for many days with Trotter fifteen feet high on his shoulders. They would talk for long periods of time about everything you can imagine. Geongü would often ask Trotter about what the Shire was like. Trotter was happy to tell him everything he could remember, and while doing so felt slightly homesick. Trotter would often tell stories of how he was mistreated, including the names he was called by other Hobbits: "Treefeet, Clunker, Willowboots." Geongü told Trotter all about how he felt the other Ents disliked him and didn't understand what he was thinking. Geongü talked longer and quicker than any Ent that ever existed in Middle Earth. He didn't know his mother or father but he was told that his mother was very hasty. Her name was Hwætimb, the quickfooted.
The two companions reached the Old South Road, and started following it because it would lead to the Shire. They stayed off The Road, fearing that Geongü would attract too much attention and bring unwanted trouble. The trip actually took longer with Trotter because of his constant hunger. Often Geongü would have to stop and wait while Trotter searched everywhere for something to eat. Earlier in the trip Trotter had been lucky with catching rabbits, but the farther north they went the fewer the rabbits. Trotter was also an orphan and spent much of his youth hunting for food. Geongü still had no needs because of the large amount of Entwash he drank before he left Fangorn. Finally, Trotter found some tomatoes to eat. Unfortunately, his appetite had not completely departed.
On the 25th of May Geongü and Trotter were walking outside the town of Bree. They decided to travel that night because of the high traffic on the road earlier. In the distance they could see a fire off in the woods. "What's that Geongü?" said Trotter. Geongü looked hard with his deep, green eyes and saw Orcs sitting around a campfire. "Burárum", he muttered to himself. "What's that?" called Trotter. Just then, the Orcs spotted the Ent. There were five Orcs and they had only heard stories of Ents and feared them. Before they could do anything a younger Orc, named Gorbag, spotted Trotter. "Looks like we have food tonight boys!" screamed Gorbag.
The Orcs shot arrows at Geongü and Trotter and ran towards them with their swords. This enraged Geongü. He took one of his long legs and crushed an Orc. The other Orcs were relentless, believing that the Ent would soon fall. Trotter quickly pointed out a small tree that had been cut down by the Orcs, but not yet used for firewood. Geongü took the fallen tree and swung with great force. It fatally wounded two Orcs as Geongü swung. Trotter then took his hunting knife and threw it at one of the Orcs. Gorbag and his partner took off running into the woods.
After the battle with the Orcs, Trotter and Geongü never ran into anymore problems. They took the long way around Bree and continued northwest to the Shire. On the 15th of June they came to the outskirts of the Old Forest. It was night when they arrived and they decided to start a fire and explore the forest in the morning. As Trotter sat around the fire and Geongü stood over him they talked about their adventure. They talked long and hard about all the beautiful things they had seen along the Road. Trotter liked to bring up the skirmish with the Orcs often and boast about his importance in the battle. This made Geongü laugh along with many things Trotter would say. Both companions had become good friends on the trip and laughed long into the night.
The next week Geongü and Trotter searched the whole Old Forest looking for an Entmaiden. All they found was a grumpy tree called Old Man Willow. Finally, on the seventh day Geongü yelled out a cry that could be heard in all corners of the Shire. He then lay on ground while Trotter tried to cheer him up. Then, a beautiful woman stepped out of the river and began to sing. Both of the companions were in awe. She said, "My name is Goldberry, the River-daughter. I have been watching you ever since you came to our Forest".
Trotter said, "Can you please help us? Both of us have traveled so far and not found what we were looking for." Goldberry smiled and looked at both of them. "You both have found what you were looking for. Geongü has found someone who he can depend on and tell his thoughts to. You are his best friend. And you, Trotter, have found someone who doesn't care about what you look like and enjoys your company." Realizing what Goldberry said was true, the two companions felt very joyful and decided to live in the Old Forest for some time.
When March came around the next year Geongü and Trotter decided they had spent too long in one place and desired for adventure again. This time they would travel southwest of the Shire – Geongü had a hunch the Entwives were there.