Disclaimer: I own no part of this anything recognizable belongs to the creators, producers, and author of Lord of the Rings. I do however own Agarchara; please do not use her without telling me. If I did own it I wouldn't be writing fan fiction for it, Agarchara would have been a character in the books, movies and videogames.

Chapter 2

Agarchara's PoV

The four of us rode towards the carcasses. I was riding behind Aragorn while Gimli was behind Legolas. We arrived shortly. Gimli jumped down and went through the pile. I would have laughed at the Uruk head on a spear if I didn't fear for my companions' lives. Gimli pulled out a charred belt.

"It's one of their little belts." Gimli told us. Legolas bowed his head, closed his eyes and said something about finding peace in death using elvish. It was too much, my knees gave out. Before I hit the ground, Legolas caught me. Tears poured down my face as I clung to him. Aragorn screamed making me think one of the Uruks came alive and stabbed him before a thud indicating that he dropped to his knees. I pulled myself together long enough to know that he had kicked a helmet.

"We failed them." Gimli mourned. As I gained more control of myself, Aragorn looked away from Gimli. Tracks caught his attention.

"A hobbit lay here, and the other one." He must have noticed more. "They crawled." He followed the tracks with us right behind him. "Their hands were bound." He went a little farther on his knees following the tracks. "Their bonds were cut." He held up a broken rope. "They ran over here, and were followed." Aragorn got to his feet following the tracks easily. "The tracks lead away from the battle!" He exclaimed.

"Into Fangorn Forest," we realized sadly. The four of us looked up into a too dense forest.

"Fangorn, what madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked. I looked at him with a hard look.

"That I can't tell you, but I can tell all of you that I'm going in there with or without you to find them." I pushed past them and entered the forest without hesitation. I heard their steps behind me. I smiled softly but didn't turn around.

We got a couple miles into the dense forest. We stopped momentarily. Gimli tasted a dark liquid on a leaf then spat it out.

"Orc blood," he told us. I looked at him wondering why he felt the urge to taste it. I then wondered how he knew what orc blood tasted like before realizing that all together I really didn't want to know.

"These are some strange tracks." Aragorn stated. I wasn't bad at reading tracks but I wasn't all that great at it.

"The air is so close here." Gimli commented.

"This forest is old, very old, full of memory," he paused, "and anger." I didn't want to think about why it was angry. Bass voices could be heard from the trees. "The trees are speaking to each other." Legolas stressed.

"Gimli," I scolded.

"Huh?" he looked at me confused. I made a lowering motion with my hands.

"Lower your ax," I told him.

"Oh," he exclaimed listening to me.

"They have feelings, my friend. The elves began it, waking up the trees, teaching them to speak." Legolas stated. I smiled he seemed relaxed.

"Talking trees, what do trees have to talk about, hmm? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings," Gimli asked. Legolas called for Aragorn telling him that there was something out there. Aragorn asked him something causing Legolas' light blue eyes to dart to the right.

"The White Wizard approaches." He responded causing me to respond.

"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us." Aragorn spoke with me wrapping his hand around his sword. Gimli tightened his hold on a throwing ax while Legolas and I fingered the arrows that were notched. "We must be quick." We spoke. At once we turned to attack but were blinded by a bright light emitted from the wizard. Legolas and I's arrows were deflected along with Gimli's ax. Aragorn was forced to drop his sword as it apparently grew hot.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits." The wizard told us.

"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded to know.

"They passed this way, the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" He asked.

"Who are you, show yourself?" I demanded, somehow I felt it could not be Saruman. The light dimmed revealing Gandalf. Legolas bowed with Gimli and I following. Aragorn was in total shock.

"It cannot be," he claimed.

"Forgive me. I mistook you for Saruman." Legolas asked. I was blown away at Gandalf's response.

"I am Saruman or rather Saruman as he should have been." He told us.

"You fell," I stated standing.

"Through fire and water," he admitted. "From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought him, the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time." I watched him as he was obviously reliving it. "Stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as the life age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt light in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done." I didn't have word for that.

"Gandalf," Aragorn drew his attention.

"Gandalf? Oh yes. That's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey that was my name," I smiled in surprise.

"Gandalf," Gimli cried obviously happy he was alive. Gimli and Legolas stood slightly behind Aragorn and I.

"I am Gandalf the White." He told us. "And I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide."

We walked through the forest until arriving back where we left our horses. Aragorn led one while Legolas led the other. "One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan. We must ride to Edoras with all speed." I blinked in surprise.

"Edoras? That is no short distance." Gimli exclaimed. I remembered what the horsemen had said.

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king." Aragorn informed him.

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured." Gandalf stated. I rolled my eyes.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested…" the trees rumbled in irritation. "I mean charming, quite charming forest." He quickly changed his tune.

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains." I looked at Gandalf in confusion. He was talking in riddles again, Aragorn decided to tell him as such.

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend." Aragorn stated. Gandalf hummed in encouragement. "You still speak in riddles." He told him. They laughed.

"A thing is about to happen here that has not happened since the Elder Days. The Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong." Gandalf assisted in our knowledge.

"Strong? Oh, that's good." Gimli stated.

"So stop your fretting Master Dwarf. Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be." Gandalf scolded.

"This new Gandalf's more grumpy than the old one." He retorted.

Having exited the forest Gandalf released a piercing whistle causing me to wince and cover my ears. A white horse appeared from the plain. I watched it in awe as my hands dropped.

"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas claimed. The horse stopped in front of Gandalf.

"Shadowfax, he is the lord of all horses and has been my friend through many dangers." Gandalf responded. The five of us rode off across the plains.

(A/N: 2 chapters in one day it's a sign of the apocalypse especially since it's been so long.)