Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of The Rings, or I would have Legolas locked in a closet somewhere so I could have him all to myself. Cause I love him! ;O)
"Oh bother," Marin Arrowway grumbled. She was standing on the top rung of a tall ladder, stretching her arm out towards the book shelf. Her fingertips were brushing against the spine of the leather-bound book but she could not exactly grasp it. Time and time again it slipped underneath her fingers.
Marin gave a frustrated huff and brushed her hair back out of her face. She was becoming highly annoyed at this stubborn piece of literature. She needed it to finish the treatise she was working on: "Hobbits and Ale: An Unlikely Divorce." Gandalf had insisted that she finish it before the sun set this evening and by the look of the long shadows on the dirt floor of their cottage, that time was coming soon.
She wrinkled her button-shaped nose and climbed down the ladder. Oh well, Gandalf really didn't need to read her writing tonight anyways. All she had to do was flash him a bright smile and ask for an extension and he wouldn't be able to resist her baby blues. In fact, she had that effect on a lot of people. Maybe it was her overall appearance. Marin was a petite girl, like a doll made out of the finest French white porcelain. A light blush was always playing across her thin, high cheek bones. Small, cute dimples appeared every time she smiled. A smattering of light brown freckles, not too much but just enough, were scattered over her little nose. Her chin was a gentle curve that lead up a straight jawline to a pair of slightly pointed ears. Before Gandalf had rescued her from her village, people had always picked on her for the shape of her ears. The little points had always made her different than other children. Her neck was slender and graceful, akin to that of a swan. Deep auburn hair cascaded down her shoulders and her back, the tips resting around her waist.
The dress she was wearing today was a light sage color with gold trim. A gold belt, fashioned by Elvin smiths, was draped about her slender waistline, the end trailing on the floor. Gandalf insisted that she look her best at all times; all wizard apprentices needed to look ship shape.
"With great power comes great responsibility…"
Marin frowned in annoyance as Gandalf's usual saying entered her head; she didn't think writing little essays counted as either great power or great responsibility. Gandalf really didn't make sense sometimes. If he'd only allow her to show how much she'd learned in these past years, then maybe he'd see that it was time to let her on her work on her own. She wanted to go out and help all the poor children who were being mistreated like she had been, but instead, she was stuck here, wrestling with stubborn books and accomplishing absolutely nothing.
"Marin, have you finished?"
Marin turned, eyes brimming over with tears, "Oh Gandalf! I want to do good in the world like you. How will this help anyone?" She sat down on a stool and cried, weeks of frustration finally overwhelming her. She'd been holding up bravely, but she simply couldn't anymore.
Gandalf smiled kindly, understanding the girl completely. "Marin, you're right. Why don't you come with me to Rivendell for the next council, and be a co-advisor. There always needs to be a wizard representative at the council, and it's my turn for this one. Do you want to come?"
"Id love to!" Marin threw her arms around Gandalf and hugged the grandfatherly old man. "How long do I have to pack?" she asked anxiously. Rivendell was the center of fashion; she had to make sure she looked her best.
"You can spend today packing, I need to pack too," he said with a smile. Marin beamed happily at him, then hurried out the door, her long hair blowing slightly as a breeze entered the library through an open window. She stopped in the corridor outside her room and smiled happily as she looked at the peaceful country scene. She loved this little dell so much, but it was wonderful to finally have an adventure. Her blue eyes glowed with the light of the mid-morning sun. She smiled as a small bird chirped at her. Birds and animals had always liked her, they seemed to have a natural liking for her company. She had no idea why, but she liked them and they made wonderful friends. Gandalf was a good teacher, but he didn't allow time for meeting local people. Therefore, her animals were her only companions in the world.
"Soon I shall be leaving you, but I wont forget you, dear robin," she promised the lovely bird. Then she turned and went into her room, small but tastefully decorated, and commenced to pack. If Gandalf had needed her to look nice before, he'd certainly need it now that she was his co-advisor!
