Come Little Saplings:
By, Fantasyficcer:
Disclaimer:
I own nothing. J.R.R. Tolkien and his estate does. Us as greedy humans by nature, we always want more. In that, we miss you, Professor Tolkien! And, for so much more.
Chapter 1: A Walk In Fine Weather:
Frodo's Son and Nimbo, and his friends were walking through a rather peaceful stretch of flowered field. Suddenly, an odd scent met Nombo's nose. "Stop, he cautioned. They all did.
"What is it, Nimbo? That smell, it's...queer somehow." Sam's Son, Stew, whispered.
"I don't know..." Nimbo mumbled, shaking his head uncertainly. "It somells like it does when wood goes bad after it- after it..." Nimbo's voice tailed away, as he didn't want to say the dreaded word that had come to his young tongue. He was only fifteen, nearly a baby for a hobbit. Suddenly, he trembled. His feet carried him forward. Protesting, the others followed. Frodo had told Nimbo not to go anywhere that seemed dangerous. But, he was not the one controlling his hairy feet. No. It wasn't somebody else either. It was singing.
"Nimbo, I don't wanna be here. It's does give me quite the fright, it does." Gabbort Took whispered in a quivering voice, gazing about at the small party's surroundings. "Let us leave."
"The forest of the fallen." Stew gasped in awe.
"Oh...no..." Gabbort whined, letting his voice peeter away in high-pitched, soul numbing...terror.
A black hand seemed to grasp Nimbo's heart, and squeeze until it was reduced to a tiny walnut of disbar, and heartache. This is where orcs had taken the lives of each and ever ent standing in this forest, all ten million of them. It was said the forest was haunted by a vengeful phantom of sorts. It lulled interlopers of the ent's afterlife into their own.
"That does it. Lets go, Nombo, now." But Stew's stout command was becoming heavy with sleep. For he could hear the song Nimbo was hearing now also. A soothing,, lilting melody.
The legend was that the presence here would turn anybody into a young tree then, that tree would rot, and fester away. Nimbo only managed a, "Gurf." As the song continued.
Chapter 2: Melody Of Memory:
"Come, little saplings, I'll take thee away; into a land of displacement. Come, little sapling, the times come to lay; here in my garden, no shadows. Follow, sweet saplings, I'll show thee the way; through all the pain and sword blows. Weep not, poor siblings, for life ends this way; slaughter and, cruelty, and crashing. Hush now, dear sapling, it must end this way; The searing of life, a conflagration. Rest now, my saplings, For we will away, into the soul of quiet. Come, little saplings, I'll take thee away from this land of desolate entrapment. Come, little saplings, the time's come to pay; for the long treason...of heroes."
Chapter 3: The Plight Revealed:
Nombo found himself rooted to the spot. At first, he wondered what was happening. He tried to turn to ask Stew what was happening. However, he found both of his friends transformed into trees. Young trees. He gasped. They had been turned into saplings, the focus of the strange, entrancing, haunting melody. He felt his arms growing stiff. "Help-"
A dark grey clad woman made of mist and smog formed before the trio of saplings. "Too late, interlopers! Now, it is time for my meal." The figure shrieked happily. It pounced.
Ratagast's head came up from picking out a particularly succulent mushroom out of the stew. He sat at Tom Bombidill's table. Goldberry poured honey over some fluffy roll. "No!"
"What is the matter, Ratagast the brown? Why has your smile become a frown?" Tom sang in concern, responding to the wizard's sharp shout.
"We must away to the forest of the fallen!" Squeaked Ratagast. "There are beings there." Tom's eyes widened. After much singing, they traveled to the forest of the fallen, where the orcs massacred the ents. Ratagast knew that there was a form of malevolence there who lulled it's prey into an early grave. This by a song that placed on into a trance. It turned out that he did not have to do a thing. He stopped in amazement. A huge glowing golden green form of an ent. Ratagast knew this ent. "Treebeard." He gasped.
Tom smiled and began to sing to the spirit of the ents. He began to sing to him. "Oh, god of the ents, I beg thee please rest now, please let us sooth the wound still a-stinging."
Goldberry joined in. "Let us long a palm upon the injustice yet a-ringing."
"Do not be haisty. I am here to free these ill bond of this ilk." Treebeard said in his warm voice. The hobbits were freed soon after as the evil spirit freed.
Thank you." Nimbo bowed at the gathering of forest legends. Would that I could regrow the forest.
Treebeard bowed forward and slowly vanished as Tom began to sing. He and Goldberry restored the ents, the hobbits still visit Tom, Ratagast, and Goldberry. As do their parents.
Meanwhile, Gandolf smiled in another realm, as Bilbo laughed joyously. Treebeard appeared behind Gandolf and began to laugh as well. Forever was their bliss.
A shoutout:
All in the Oddwonk community. I love you all. Hugs, and blessed be! (: