Ch. 36: The Gathering of the Clouds

Gandalf the Grey smiled down at the girl, who could not contain herself and gave the old wizard a crushing hug.

"Hello there my dear, you seem much better than when we parted!"

"You have no idea Gandalf…."

He ushered her to a small campfire and sat down on the empty benches. "Do they know?" he inquired.

"Who know what?"

"The dwarves. Have you told them of your history."

"Oh… yup. That went over like a lead balloon." After the wizard stared at her with a blank expression on his face, she clarified: "It didn't go so well. Some of them stopped trusting me for a while… actually some of them still don't."

Gandalf nodded. "Yes, I imagined such a thing would happen. Lucky for you, you are among Durin's folk. While they are dwarves with their many… unique attributes… they are decent enough."

"As in…?"

"Another company of dwarves may have killed you."

Kylie nodded. "Well that's good to know."

Gandalf smiled lightly and took out his pipe, taking a few puffs. But Kylie could tell something was on his mind. He was tense, and she could tell that he was using this very light conversation to calm her down. "Tell me more of your dreams."

Kylie shifted in her seat. "What about them?"

"Did they continue? Are they continuing?"

"Yes and no. I mean I've had a few odd dreams recently, but nothing nearly as bad. No… Witch-King."

Gandalf nodded. "How long did they continue?"

"They continued until around Lake Town."

"Yet they intensified in Mirkwood."

"Yeah, they got really… wait, how on earth did you know that?"

Gandalf actually smiled a little. "I held a lengthy conversation with a certain elf prince the moment I arrived."

"Legolas?"

The wizard actually chuckled. "Quite an impression you made on him, my dear."

"It's not like I meant to!"

But Gandalf continued to laugh quietly. "Really, if you are going to reveal to yourself to your companions in any way…. I suppose I can only speak for myself, but I would have chosen something a little more dignified."

"In my defense, I forgot that he wouldn't know me."

Gandalf sighed. "I know. I know my dear, but rest assured he believes your story now. Although I think he may have believed you without my help. While I cannot say that speaking elvish while amongst dwarves is the best way to prove yourself, it told him you could be trusted. Perhaps someday soon you can ask him about that. But there is a reason I need to know about your dreams. Kylie, there is a darkness in the world that I am not yet sure how to combat."

Kylie nodded. "I'll help any way I can, but if it helps you've done it before."

"Unfortunately at this point in time I have not. Perhaps you have not heard, but I… traversed through Dol Guldur. I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt who the Necromancer is."

"Is it Saur…?"

"Don't speak his name! Not now, not at night. But yes, it was him. With the aid of Galadriel and the White Counsel he has been driven from the fortress, but the evil presence in Mirkwood has never been stronger. Surely you have noticed."

Kylie shook her head. "Noticed what? I definitely knew… some evil was in Mirkwood… but that would be before you drove out the Necromancer, right?"

"True, but what of now? Look around and remember. Who went before Thorin Oakenshield to negotiate at the mountain?"

"Legolas and Bard."

"Yes. Legolas. Now tell me, who ought to go negotiate for something as important as Erebor?"

"Important? I guess Thranduil?"

"Correct. Now, where is the Elf King?"

Kylie shrugged. "I haven't seen him since Mirkwood."

Gandalf leaned in. "The reason for this very disturbing. He never wished to believe the evil in his forest was as powerful, but recent events have forced him to take an initiative. The elves in Mirkwood report a constant fear and dread, and sometimes sightings of a shadow in passing. They are under siege, Kylie. The King only sent a small contingent to secure gold because that is all he could afford to send."

"He cares that much about gold?"

"Oh, he cares much more than he would like to admit. But these developments are disturbing. Kylie. He moves quickly. I know the world you remember grew darker before there was victory, but I do not believe the Dark Lord would move at such a pace unless there was a good reason. So I shall ask you: did either you enter Dol Guldur?"

Kylie sat silently, fiddling with her fingers. She did not want to admit it to Gandalf… she really did not want to tell Gandalf.

But her silence spoke loud enough. Gandalf grew very sharp. "Did I not specifically warn you…?"

"I didn't mean to!" She proceeded to tell Gandalf about how they fled the path, were attacked by spiders, and Kylie ran and attempted to take shelter in the only fortress seemingly available. "It was… it was horrible Gandalf. My head hurt so bad, and I was reliving things… it was like I was in two places at one time! But then it stopped, so I ran. And then I ran into Bilbo and we had to save the company Gandalf; spiders had them! He used the ring. I begged him not to, but he did. Then he used it inside Mirkwood too!"

Gandalf put his hands in his lap and Kylie was afraid. If the Grey Wizard noticed Kylie's slip-up about the ring, he gave her no sign. They sat in silence for an unbearable amount of time, her not daring to speak and him thinking so hard that it looked like his head might burst. Finally, eyes weary, he looked up at Kylie.

"What do you understand about the nature of time?"

"Umm… like minutes and seconds?"

"No. Timelines. In the time you came from, eighty years in the future, all of this has already happened. And I am correct to assume you were not a part of it?"

Kylie shrugged. "I guess not."

"Did I already know you? Or Elrond? Or Bilbo? Or anybody else you met in your journey?"

"No."

"Then all of this, the slaying of the dragon and the reclaiming of Erebor, happened without your help. Do you understand that?" When Kylie nodded, Gandalf continued. "This means that there are some things that may have happened and others that didn't. For instance, the company could have been kidnapped by goblins. Or could have been captured by elves. Yet, some things did not happen. You were not there to shoot Azog's warg. You were not there to tell young Kili about the future and influence him to come and speak with Bard – yes I know you had some hand in that. Also, however, you were not there to run into Dol Guldur."

Kylie swallowed hard and could not meet the wizard in the eyes. "So… you're saying that this darkness in Mirkwood… it's because of me?"

"I do not know, Kylie. But from your account, it sounds like the Dark Lord encountered you and caught a glimpse into your mind."

"He actually has that power? Like for real?"

"Yes, and Kylie, did he see any memories of the future?"

Kylie rubbed her temples, trying to remember every memory that flew by during that torturous time. "When I was in Dol Guldur, I remembered the fight at the Black Gate. It was our final battle for freedom."

"What parts of that battle did you remember?"

Kylie paled. "I think… I don't remember what else… but I think I saw Saur… him fall."

Gandalf muttered something in elvish. "You truly are most fortunate."

"What?"

"The Dark Lord was busy with other things – namely building an army and detaining me – at the time. You only caught his attention for a brief time, and too brief for him to have reacted." When Kylie stared at him blankly, Gandalf continued. "He could have captured you, very easily too, and pressed you for information. Kylie, please promise me you will be careful."

"Why? What do you think he'll do?"

"He saw himself fall in your mind! If you were he, would you not want to know how this came about so it may be prevented? As for his next move, I do not know Kylie. But you must be careful. Keep care of yourself. And Thorin. I have reason to believe he doesn't want a King to return to the dwarven people. Our mutual friend will need you much the coming days."

"Wait, aren't you coming with us?"

"You will see me again," promised Gandalf, "but for now I cannot come." Gandalf continued so lightly that Kylie almost could not hear. "There was a massive army of orcs in Dol Guldur led by none other than Azog, the Defiler. I cannot say if they are coming here, but if they are…."

"Wait, what? An army?"

Gandalf nodded urgently. "I await word from an acquaintance, but I cannot move until I know for sure. If I am wrong about this I shall lose all credibility. As one of the wise, that is something I cannot be without. In the meantime, you must counsel Thorin. Urge him to do the right thing."

"But Gandalf, I can't counsel Thorin! He's gone crazy with the treasure… and he won't listen to me! It's not like he listened before, but now he really, really won't!"

"Kylie, please. Remember in Rivendell how you were convinced you had a mission, and that was why you were brought here? Remember how determined you were? Perhaps your mission is not what you thought it was. Perhaps it is here, now, in this moment."

Kylie felt her eyes tear up. "But I can't do it."

Gandalf squeezed her shoulder. "I am sure Mr. Baggins had similar reservations when he came on this quest. And similarly before he faced the dragon. You fear you are not big or powerful enough to gain Thorin's attention? You do not need to be big, or to be powerful. Oftentimes, it is the little person who will make the biggest impact."

Kylie quickly wiped a tear. If she thought she was overwhelmed with the idea of taking the ring to Mt. Doom, now she felt crushed. That was all a hypothetical plan for the future; this was here and now. Right now, she had something important to do, if Gandalf was to be believed.

"I do not know what your part shall be, but I know your heart is true. It should help you decide."

Kylie nodded. "It's just so much."

"Ah, but remember, you are not alone."

As if on cue, Kili walked out of Bard's tent. "Kylie, where… Gandalf!" The young dwarf's face grew jubilant at the sight of the wizard. "Where have you been?"

"Oh here and there. A little bit of everywhere. Remember what I said young Master Kili, I am a wizard. I often have business all around Middle Earth."

"Gandalf, we need you now! Thorin… he… you have experience in all forms of madness, do you not?"

Gandalf sighed. "What Thorin is suffering from cannot be cured by a simple incantation. He has to be reminded of his priorities on such a deep level that it offsets the gold. But do not lose heart, Kili. All you can do is play your part and everything will turn out."

Kili nodded, but still looked up at Gandalf. He looked a little like a lost puppy that did not know where to go, but he couldn't put it into words. Or his developing sense of dwarvish pride prevented him from doing so.

"Don't look so glum. I believe we shall see each other soon enough if your negotiations went well. For now, if I am not mistaken, you only have a short time before watch changes."

"How did you know?"

"I did not; I merely guessed and you confirmed. It is amazing what one can do when one listens carefully."

Kili snorted.

A/N: Feedback is always appreciated! I've got the next chapter written, but I've been revising it non-stop for months now. Here's hoping I can get it to where I want it soon!