This is going to be a short chapter, I have been really sick this week and I am happy I got this much done. The first perspective is Saruman's and the second is Radagast.
What does this Lion take us for? Fools? But of course, I was the only sensible person present. The Lady Galadriel, Lord Elrond, and Gandalf all thought it was a brilliant idea to meet an army from a forgotten land and trust them with the fate of our lands. I will not mention Radagast, that fellow had no sense to speak of. This is preposterous! The Lion had then instructed us to split up. Gandalf and Elrond were sent to reach that aggravating group of dwarves to prevent them from making very bad decisions. I knew they certainly did not have any hope in succeeding this even if those dwarves made it to their mountain.
While Gandalf and Lord Elrond play with dwarves, Radagast, Galadriel, and myself were instructed to meet the oncoming "Narnian" army a few days journey from the Iron Hills on the borders of the Easter lands of Rhun. Then, we were supposed to travel through the Iron Hills, which was populated by dwarves, kin of that Thorin Oakenshield and his company, and catch up with their leader, Dain Ironfoot, who would be on his way to the Lonely Mountain. We were meant to accompany the Narnian army to the mountain by this path. Once the Lion sent us off on our journey I attempted to show my companions some sense and convince them to stop this
unnecessary venture, but they stubbornly refused. They were convinced that the army of Orcs and eastern outlaws would actually create devastating effects to the rest of Middle Earth.
"My lady, how can you know we can trust this Aslan. Could he not simply be evil in disguise, trying to lead us astray? We should not let a foreign army come into our lands." I said to Galadriel, trying to convince her that this venture was no good.
"If I remember correctly, it was you, my lord, who claimed that Sauron could not rise again and yet we found that he was indeed gaining strength and rising. You must keep an open mind. Aslan aided us in casting out the darkness from Dol Guldur. Evil cannot cast out itself. As for the army, we all know that something is afoot. I saw into Aslan's heart, for it seemed he had nothing to hide. There was only concern for the welfare of all and light and love. We can trust him." Galadriel replied. I did not reply to this, lost in my own thoughts. The thought flickered across my mind that she was perhaps right, but I dismissed it. The others were just being paranoid.
If there was anyone else of sense I would try to persuade them but our only other immediate companion was Radagast, and he had no sense to speak of. I decided, since we were already on our way towards the Iron Hills, to go along with the plan. I will help them if they need it, and it may not be a complete waste of my time. I currently wanted to return to Isengard to study the lure of the Rings, but I supposed my research would have to wait.
"Saruman, what do you think these Narnians will be like? The Lion said there would be talking animals. Don't you find that a little interesting?" Radagast asked me as we were sitting in our small camp beside the River Running, also called Celduin. It had been a few days of hard travel since we left Dol Guldur. We had procured horses along the way to speed up our travels. We had to hurry to reach the Lonely Mountain with the Narnian army before the armies of Sauron arrived there.
"We shall see if I find these foreigners interesting. If anything the Aslan showed us in his brief visit is what his Narnians are like, the magic they would possess will intrigue me. I am sure you shall find those people very interesting." Was all I said to Radagast.
…
Just a few more days of travel, then we could see the Narnians! When I saw the Great Lion, I was amazed. He was the most magnificent creature I had seen. And he spoke! I can understand most animals, but that is different from having them actually speak. His form was that of a great beast but the power radiating from him suggested to me that he might have been even higher than the Valar. Oh how fascinating! I was truly honored to be in the presence of such a being.
He sent us off on a journey to meet his Narnians. Saruman and Galadriel bought some horses from a human settlement on the outskirts of the Greenwood (now called Mirkwood) while I chose to ride on my rabbit pulled sleigh. I felt more comfortable riding on it as I had done for many, many years. I have always loved traveling, seeing the beautiful lands that I was sent to. The darkness in Dol Guldur was very disconcerting, and it had spread to infect my beloved Greenwood. I was very relieved that some of the White Council decided to cast it out, and I was delighted to find a foreign power helping us.
My mind constantly wondered during our travels towards what the Narnians would be like. I imagined them all to be great beasts, something out of my imaginings. I briefly wondered if there would be any human or elf-like creatures. Oh! I could not wait!
As usual, the lady Galadriel was a delight to be around. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling with her though she was a little more quiet than she usually was in my experience. Saruman seemed to be troubled by something and was slightly more irritable than usual but I attributed that to the upcoming conflicts and possible battles. I tried to engage in conversation with him a few times but he seemed to want to be left alone in his own thoughts.
When we were camped by the banks of the River Running, Galadriel told us all to be silent. She seemed to be listening for something.
"It sounds like a large group is nearby. They are on the march." She said after hearing what she wanted to and saw our questioning looks. "Stay here, let me see if I can locate them. They sound like Orcs."
Saruman and I nodded as she silently left towards a small hill across from us that seemed to overlook some trees. After a few minutes of silently waiting, Saruman and I saw Galadriel approach.
"A pack of Orcs and some other creatures are marching north. These other creatures are dark beasts and other creatures I do not know how to describe." She reported.
"Could you hear anything of what they said to each other?" Saruman asked, knowing the wonders of elvish hearing.
"They were simply arguing amongst themselves. The creatures who they called mercenaries and foreigners felt undervalued while the Orcs were discussing what they would do to the dwarves in battle. They also spoke vaguely about Orcs from Gundabad, Mordor, and Goblins from the Misty Mountains as well as other packs across Middle Earth all joining to wipe out the keepers of the Lonely Mountain. The Wargs joined them long ago. They truly are marching to wage war upon the Mountain, I do hope Mithrandir and Elrond arrive to warn them in time." Galadriel replied.
War. The word repeated itself in my mind. So it was truly war that was brewing. This made our situation much more dire.
"Radagast, send a bird with this information to Gandalf and Elrond. They must know the gravity of the situation. We must also ride hard. Our timing with the army is key." Saruman ordered me.
I nodded and took my hat off my head to speak to the lovely birds that lived in my hair.
We spent the next few days riding fast towards the Iron Hills.
Ok, short chapter. I hope it was ok. I think this chapter is good.
Again, please review if you want. They are always helpful. If you want, please tell me if I got the points of view for the characters right. In my original draft I accidentally wrote Saruman as super sassy. I toned it down quite a bit. I think everyone is in character now. Radagast is so much fun!
Thanks for reading,
N.T.N.
