Chapter XI

Bond of Brother and Sister

On the journey from Rivendell to Isengard, Saruman could think of nothing but how happy he was going to be to be able to see his sister after so many years, and how annoyed he was that Galadriel had wasted his time. At least Gandalf had something worth discussing.

When he at last came to Isengard, he immediately went up to the Palantír chamber where his nightingale waited and removed the cloth that covered the stone. He stood on the East side of the Orthanc stone and looked to the West. Though it strained his mind, he looked far across the hills and plains of Eriador, across the Blue Mountains, and across the sea. He beheld the island of Tol Eressea, with the continent of Aman just beyond it. On the island was the great Tower of Avallónë that signaled the gateway to the Undying Lands. His sight was drawn to the uppermost floor of the tower, and he could see that an immense Palantír larger than the chief stone at Osgiliath dominated the center of the chamber. Just past the Master stone on the West side stood a very familiar, very beautiful Maia, who looked no less like a mighty queen than when she had ruled Doriath, or when Saruman had departed from Valinor. The sight almost brought tears to the wizard's eyes.

Knowing that they both possessed skill of mind sufficient enough to hear sound through the Palantíri, Saruman spoke. "I couldn't do it to you," he said, choosing to skip the formalities.

"What do you mean?" asked Melian.

"When you left to go to Middle-earth, I was glad that you were happy with Thingol, but I admit that I felt jealous. For almost a thousand years Thingol enjoyed your company, and I waited alone for your return. It was painful to endure, and while I shared in your grief at the loss of your husband and daughter, I felt relieved to be with you again." Saruman's voice choked up a little, and his eyes started to water. "I will not do that to you. I know that you love me just as much as I love you, and so I will not leave you to be alone for however long this takes."

Melian was at a loss for words, and she felt tears sting her eyes. She had never realized how much her brother had missed her. Even after all that suffering, her brother still found it in his heart to forgive her and spare her the loneliness that he had experienced.

"It is for this reason," continued Saruman, "that I will seek no spouse. I have no such needs. I have no desire for a family of my own. I look to you for wisdom, and you give me all the love that I could need."

At last Melian found her voice. "I'm sorry," she said as she wiped away the tears that were starting to form. "I'm sorry that I left you alone for so long, and thank you for giving me such comfort when I returned to Valinor. You should know that I loved Thingol and Luthien with all my heart. I loved them, but you are my family as well. No matter what, you will always be my brother, and I am glad for that."

Saruman picked up the Palantír and sat down on his throne, holding the stone to his right so that he was still facing West. "All is forgiven. Even with the Great Sea between us, we need no longer be apart. Now I must tell you all that I have learned in Middle-earth, for I feel I am in need of your guidance."

"Do tell, Curumo," said Melian.

"No one calls me that anymore," said Saruman. "Due to the fact that my identity as a Maia must remain secret, I now go by a Sindarin name: Saruman."

"A fitting name," said Melian, knowing the word's meaning, for her kingdom had been of the Sindar Elves. "You are indeed marvelously skilled. Where are you? Have you found a place to live while you carry out your task?"

"I live in the northwestern part of Gondor, a mighty kingdom of men. My abode is the fortress of Isengard, which lies within a deep forest in a valley surrounded on three sides by the mountains. You would love it here. The forest is dense and dark, and the trees and flowers are so beautiful. The fortress consists of a vast, circular wall of stone. In the center lies the tower of Orthanc, which is where I live."

Melian gave a small laugh. "You live in a tower? After all that fuss over your robes and the stairs, and yet you choose to live in a tower?"

"I've gotten used to the stairs," said Saruman. "I hardly ever trip anymore. And Orthanc is such a grand place. It looks like four great black stone pillars welded together and opening up into four spires at the top. It is an ingenious work of architecture. Also, I must show you what I have done with the white stone that you gave me." He held up his staff so that Melian could see the crown.

"How clever! Adding my power to yours. And I see that it's modeled after Orthanc, judging by your description of the tower."

"Indeed," said Saruman. "A white stone atop a black staff for the White Wizard atop the black tower."

"Where are your companions?" Melian asked, wishing to further question Saruman.

"Olórin, now known as Gandalf, wanders about Arnor, another kingdom of men. Aiwendil, or Radagast, as he is now called, lives in the Greenwood. Alatar and Pallando have gone far away in the East to places that I know not. I have travelled across Gondor, and also to the Elven stronghold of Rivendell, where I was pleased to discover that the line of Melian still survives. Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, is one of your descendants. He is your great-great grandson, and he is a very fine person. He is very much like you in many ways. He posesses your grace and wisdom, the latter to such an extent that he was able to discern my identity."

"You said earlier that you need my guidance," said Melian. "What is it that you need help with?"

"What I need help with is something that utterly irks me. I just returned to Isengard mere minutes ago. I was at Rivendell at the request of Lord Elrond to partake in a meeting of what is called the White Council, which is a group of select members of the Wise who advise and persuade the kingdoms of the world to act against evil, and I was appointed the new head of the council. However, the meeting was called at the request of an Elven woman called Galadriel."

Melian stopped him before he could continue. "I know her. She spent many of her days in the First Age at my court in Doriath. She seemed to want knowledge of my power, but I knew that she had only come to Middle-earth in hopes of ruling a realm of her own, so I only gave her a small amount of information about protective enchantments. Please, go on."

"It was Galadriel who asked Elrond to summon Gandalf, Radagast, and I to the meeting. She claims to have felt a presence in the abandoned fortress of Dol Guldur near her home of Lothlorien, the presence of one called the Necromancer. For whatever reason, she is convinced that this entity is a servant of Sauron. There are many weilders of dark magic in the world, so I don't see why this particular sorcerer is so special. That woman simply let her paranoia get the better of her, and my valuable time, along with that of all the members of the White Council, was wasted."

"Don't be too harsh," said Melian. "I suspect that she is trying to atone for her support of the rebellion of the Ñoldor and her desire to rule the wills of others. I think that she simply wants to do good. I say that you should let her handle the Necromancer herself, since you said that Dol Guldur is close to her home. If this sorcerer proves to be a greater threat, then you should investigate further, and expel him from the area should the need arise."

"That's exactly what I suggested," said Saruman. "Although Elrond and Gandalf are on the same page as me, Galadriel and Radagast are dedicated to this wild goose chase. However, Gandalf did bring up a valid issue for discussion. He reports that the Kingdom of Angmar is continuing its conquest of Arnor. The Witch-king of Angmar is a powerful sorcerer with great skill of witchcraft, and he will destroy the Northern Kingdom if nothing is done. I am going to send word to the King of Gondor requesting to send an army to fight back against Angmar."

"Good," said Melian. "Surely a mighty nation such as Gondor can help. You might also want to see if Lord Elrond has any soldiers to spare."

"I already did," said Saruman. "His forces are few, for his army must replenish from the losses that they suffered in the War of the Last Alliance. He will not be able to help in the near future."

Saruman rubbed his head, feeling unusually fatigued. This was his first time having a conversation through the Palantír, and it was beginning to strain his mind. "I fear that I must go now and rest," he said. "Using the Palantír to speak with you is very tiring, and this body has its limits."

"I understand," said Melian. "I will stay here in the Tower of Avallónë whenever you want to talk to me."

"Thank you, my sweet sister. Together, we will hunt down Sauron and free the world from his evil."

Author's note: Much of the dialog at the beginning of this chapter reflects my feelings about my older sister. I felt that I could give Saruman more character by giving him traits that I am very familiar with. I'm not one hundred percent sure where the story is going to go from here. Maybe we'll see the destruction of Angmar. Maybe we'll see the civil war in Gondor. Who knows? Sorry if this story is moving a little slowly. Saruman is not going to be partaking in a lot of the action until near the end. Also, I really need you people to post more reviews, because otherwise I can't tell what I'm doing wrong. Who wants a pizza roll? Post a review for this story and I'll mail you a pizza roll.