The White Wheel
Haldir watched in amusement as his two hobbit guests went at each other with their swords, the clash of steel against steel echoing clearly beneath the high treetops. The Elf paused in polishing his bow when he witnessed a particularly intricate and intense exchange of blows, which Allie ended up winning with the edge of her sword pointed at Frodo's chest.
Frodo was heaving heavily and Allie wiped off a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face.
Haldir thought their swordsmanship was impressive considering they were hobbits. He was particularly impressed with Frodo when Allie told him he had only started learning it in recent months.
"How come you still cannot disarm me?" Allie teased with her sword at the ready again.
Frodo stretched the fingers of his sword hand and then grabbed the hilt again. He didn't say anything, but a glimmer of challenge lit up in his eyes.
"This time I will," he assured her.
Allie made a dubious sound with her tongue.
Her eyes surveyed him, foreseeing his attack by the tensing of his calves. His blade rang as it met hers. Allie dug under their crossed blades and tried to hit him with her fist. Frodo had learned from her that using their hands was fair play when battling it out with the enemy. Anything was fair play, actually.
A month ago, Frodo would probably have received the blow straight in the stomach, but this time his hand flashed out and blocked hers. Allie drew back and crouched low to swing her sword at his legs.
Frodo jumped back to avoid it, not missing the expression of approval on her face. She had always complained about his footwork, so he now paid extra attention to his feet.
Tired of defending himself, he passed to the offensive, dashing toward her and slashing his sword down. Allie intercepted it and pressed forward, forcing Frodo's blade back.
"How come you have so much strength for a lass?" he hissed through clenched teeth as he seized his own hilt with both hands.
Allie smirked through the effort. "No talking. I thought you were going to disarm me this time."
Frodo stopped pressing forward and stepped back. Allie's blade fell forward when it didn't encounter any more resistance. Taking advantage of this momentary breach, Frodo lunged toward her.
Allie lifted her sword again with a frown. Did he really think this would work? She paused when she noted Frodo had not raised his sword but held it at his side as he charged. Silly hobbit! Did he forget everything she had taught him? He was completely open right now!
She hesitated.
That moment of hesitation was all Frodo needed to seize her sword hand and push it aside. He wrapped his other arm around her and pressed Sting against her back. Allie froze in his embrace.
"And you are dead," Frodo whispered victoriously in her ear.
Allie slowly released her breath. "Frodo Baggins." The calmness in her voice belied the storm brewing in her eyes. "Do not play the vulnerable card on me ever again!"
Frodo pushed away from her with a mischievous glint to his eye and sheathed Sting quite proudly. "Well, no matter the method, I managed to disarm you just like I told you I would."
Allie sighed. He really was her weakness, and he knew it.
"It's time to find you another teacher," she groaned, also sheathing her sword.
Haldir jumped down from the branch upon which he was perched, laughing.
"All is fair in battle," he said when his laughter died down. "You have to use your enemy's weakness against him. It seems the Ring-bearer has already learned this important concept."
Frodo gave a solemn nod, winking at Allie. Allie pouted with her arms crossed.
"Nonetheless, your swordsmanship is impressive, Glor Bereth," the Elf added in her direction.
"I was taught by Glorfindel."
"Ah, I know that name. He has taught you well. What about archery then?"
The Elf took off the bow always hanging at his back and let his dexterous fingers dance across the string.
"I know how to use one in an emergency, but I cannot speak for my aim," she answered.
Frodo sat on the ground cross-legged and picked up an apple to eat as he followed their exchange. Haldir's eyes set on the fruit, and he loaded his bow with an arrow. "Frodo, throw the apple in mid air."
Frodo understood what he meant to do, and he complied with a playful smirk. He twirled the apple in his fingers, but instead of throwing it upwards, he threw it straight towards Haldir with all his strength. Hobbits were known to have good aim, and rocks could become deadly weapons in their hands.
Haldir's eyes widened briefly upon seeing the apple fly straight toward his face, but then his finger released the string and the arrow shot across the air to slice the apple in half. Both halves of the fruit landed at his feet with a thud.
Allie and Frodo laughed, clapping.
"I'm sorry it wasn't as challenging as you thought it would be," Haldir said with a trace of smugness.
Frodo shrugged. "I saw your surprised face for a second. That was enough for me."
Haldir laughed, the sound like bell chimes falling on still water. "Why don't you throw me another one? This time you will not get a reaction out of me."
Frodo gladly accepted the challenge, and took hold of several more apples.
Allie leaned against a tree, watching them with a smile on her lips. It was quite a sight; a Hobbit and an Elf having fun together, challenging each other, their differences and concerns forgotten for the time being. She knew Haldir was supposed to be on guard along with his brothers, but here he was, merrily wasting away his arrows on a handful of apples.
Frodo looked happier than she had seen him in a long time. As he ran around the grass, trying to find Haldir's blind spot, he looked so much like the hobbit lad she used to know, with dimples in his cheeks when he smiled, and bright blue eyes full of life and innocence. She remembered his concerns on the platform the night before. She was going to make sure he returned home from the Quest, no matter what it took.
Pippin's alarmed voice suddenly arose in her head, "Allie, I have bad news. Gandalf has fallen!"
She turned her back sharply to the other two.
"What? Where are you now?"
"We… we just came out of Moria. But Allie! Gandalf… Gandalf is lost!" His voice was thick with sorrow.
She felt her own heart knocking against her throat. Gandalf… dead? No, the Wizard would never die so easily.
"Pippin, calm down, and tell me everything."
Instead of words, images started to invade her mind.
Gandalf standing alone on a thin bridge, facing an enormous monster made of shadow and flames.
The bridge breaking under Gandalf's spell, dragging the foul creature in its crumbling fall.
The whip of fire catching the Wizard's ankle and pulling him off the bridge.
"Fly, you fools!" Gandalf's voice resounded in her spirit with the same intensity that had overtaken Pippin when he had witnessed the scene.
She pressed a hand against her chest, trying to contain her shock and grief. "No… this cannot be…"
She turned towards Frodo, who was still throwing apples at Haldir, unaware of what had just happened. The thought of telling the news to him abhorred her. She knew how deeply he cared for the Wizard.
"Can the Valars not grant him one moment of peace?" she whispered to herself.
Frodo caught her expression out of the corner of his eye, and he lowered the apple he was about to throw.
"Allie, is everything all right?"
He ran to her when she didn't reply.
"I just received news from Pippin," she managed to say. "He is out of Moria."
Frodo's concern melted into glee. "Finally! That is good news. Why the long face then?"
Allie grabbed his hand. "Frodo… listen to me and try to keep your calm." She swallowed the ball in her throat. "Gandalf… did not make it. He fell into darkness after fighting with a demon of the mines."
The apple dropped from Frodo's other hand as horror invaded his blue eyes. "What?"
Allie squeezed his hand tighter and returned his gaze with a painful nod.
Frodo shook his head. "No… No. There must be a mistake. I mean… he is Gandalf! He is… he cannot die!"
Haldir approached them. "What is wrong?"
"Gandalf did not come out of Moria," Allie informed him with a shake of her head.
Anguish washed over the Elf's smooth features. "The Wizard? Mithrandir? What terrible tidings! Lady Galadriel will be gravely affected by the news. I must send a messenger to her at once. Excuse me."
He quickly disappeared among the trees.
Frodo felt grief wash over him in waves, but his eyes remained dry and haunted. "The last words he spoke to me were about not losing hope. But without him here, hope is lost, isn't it? How can we do this without Gandalf?"
She didn't know the answer to that. She wished she could tell him there was still hope, but Gandalf was the wisest and the most powerful of their allies. He was the one who was supposed to guide them to Mordor. Without him, she didn't know either what they should do. They were now like a pack of wolves without a Queen, with its members left to their own devices, lost and aimless.
"We will save the discussion of future plans for later" she replied. "Aragorn is leading them now. They will come here at nightfall."
Frodo shut his eyes to block the pain of loss. When he had set out on the Quest, he knew it would be dangerous; he knew they might not make it out alive. But dealing with his first loss was more poignant and tearing than he ever thought it possible. Death had become a realistic shadow looming above each of their heads, and not even the sun of Lorien could block its growing claws.
As though in response to his thoughts, rain clouds masked the sky and a small drizzle began to fall upon the woods, casting everything in tones of melancholy.
"It looks like the Lady has received the news," Allie whispered as she looked up at the skies.
The rest of the Fellowship arrived in Lothlorien a little before nightfall. Both their limbs and hearts were heavy, and traces of deep grief still lingered upon their features. Their worries lifted somewhat upon setting eyes on the trees of Lorien with their golden leaves and the beauty of the woods.
Frodo and Allie sprung up to their feet upon seeing them arrive behind Haldir.
All the members of the Fellowship brightened up when they saw the two hobbits safe and sound. They came to surround Frodo and touched him with comforting hands, expressing their joy upon seeing him in such good health. Frodo was touched by their concern, and thanked them as best he could.
Legolas came to Allie. "Are you hurt?" he inquired.
Allie touched her scalp wound and knew the Elf's keen eyes were able to see the half healed scar. "Nothing major, but I appreciate your concern."
The Elf nodded. "Aragorn has told me what he knows of your kin. Be careful of the Ring."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"When the Crebains from Dunland flew over us, a darkness came over us, but not from the birds."
That was when the Ring had forced her to transform. "I know," she said.
Legolas said no more, and left her to ponder the meaning of his words.
"Allie!" Pippin exclaimed upon appearing at the back of the group.
She went to him and they shared a long hug. "I'm glad you are all right!" he murmured against her ear. "I was afraid something would happen to you while I was not by your side."
"It looks like the road you took was way more dangerous than mine. I'm glad you are safe and sound, Pippin. I wouldn't know what to do without my Protector."
Pippin smiled as he cupped her face. They bumped their foreheads together. Her eyes met those, weary, of Aragorn, as he walked into the meadow behind the others.
She went to him and sighed in sympathy. He was the leader of this group now, whether he liked it or not. "Haldir already told us he cannot allow us access to the heart of Lothlorien because of the Ring that Frodo carries. He said he would only discuss that matter further with you. I know how tired you must be, but you have to convince him to let us pass through the woods."
Aragorn nodded, and then motioned to Frodo who was now conversing with Sam and Merry. "How is he?"
"He is heartbroken, but he knows he has to keep going."
Boromir came to join them. He looked tired, but smiled nonetheless upon seeing her. "I don't know many grown Men who would have survived a fall like that. Pippin kept telling me you and Ring-bearer were both safe, but my heart could not believe it until now."
Allie smiled at his concern. "As I was saying to Aragorn, perhaps falling over the pass has been a blessing in disguise. We got to avoid the darkness of Moria."
Boromir's smile faltered. "I do not know what hope there is left without Gandalf."
"I will lead you now," Aragorn asserted. A new glint had come into his piercing eyes. "Gandalf and I both pored over maps of Middle-earth for many hours, back in Rivendell. I know which way he intended to go, and I will guide you from now on."
"But first, we need to cross the Lorien," Allie reminded them. "Let us all hope the Lady will grant us passage."
"Where is Haldir?" Aragorn inquired. "I wish to speak to him now."
He saw Haldir conversing with Legolas and walked over to them.
Allie noticed Boromir glancing at Frodo's back with troubled eyes. His gloved hands were fiddling with the hilt of his sword, betraying his nerves. She had seen him eyeing Frodo like that, and she knew the reason for it. "Boromir."
Her voice made him startle.
"What is it?" he answered.
"Have you ever seen a moth getting burned by the flame of a candle?"
The Man of Gondor found himself dumbfounded at the unexpected question. "Well… certainly I have, yes." Her eyes questioned where she was going with this.
"Do you know why they do that?"
"Well… it seems to me they are attracted to flames, or at least bright sources of light. I am afraid I'm not much of a naturalist. My brother Faramir would probably be able to give you a more detailed answer."
"They are not attracted to it. Moths navigate in a straight line by using light references such as moonlight or starlight. However, when they encounter a light as bright as that of a candle, it confuses them and makes them correct their path, leading them to fly into the flame instead of continuing straight."
"Why are you telling me this?"
She looked at him piercingly. "Moths fly to their demise because they don't know any better, but you do."
Boromir tensed. "What does this have to do with me?"
"I know the Ring seems like an incredible and alluring light right now, an answer to all your problems, the weapon of salvation. But it is none of that. Don't stray from your path, Boromir. Don't go into the flame. You know better."
"I never thought of using it! We have already decided that destroying it was the only way, and I shall abide by that decision to the end!"
"I really hope you will. But just in case you start thinking differently, remember that the Ring is not the answer!"
"I am a man of my word!" Boromir said, offended, and marched off.
Allie watched him go with a pounding heart. She really hoped he meant it.
Pippin came to her side. "What was that all about?"
"Keep an eye on Boromir, Pippin." Her Protector understood. "The Ring?"
Allie nodded with a sigh. Why did there seem to be so many problems, all of a sudden? The time of light playfulness was over. With the coming of the rest of the Fellowship, the idyllic illusion of peacefulness shattered, and coming back to reality had never seemed so hard.
Night had fallen over the woods, and the figures of the companions became engulfed by stretching shadows. In one corner, she could hear the whispered words passing between Aragorn and Haldir. Haldir looked torn; he wanted to help them, but the laws of his land forbid him from granting them entrance.
Frodo sat against the bark of a large tree, in retreat from the others. Allie crouched down beside him with her chin on her knees.
"I knew of the concept of death," Frodo spoke up in the dark. "But I always naively thought it was something that only happened to others. I never thought it could hit us personally… so soon."
"Gandalf was extraordinary. I owe him my life. He saved me back when the villagers chased after me. A wolf never forgets to repay a debt. Alas, I couldn't do anything for him in this lifetime."
She raised her head from her knees when she felt him leaning against her side. "I'm so sorry, Frodo. I know how fond you were of Gandalf."
Aragorn's voice reached them from the evening gloom. "Let's keep moving. Lady Galadriel wishes to see us."
Allie brightened up. "We will be able to pass through the woods! I knew Aragorn would be able to convince the Elves!"
Frodo couldn't find any joy in that. "Well, let's get going then."
The Company walked through the dark woods, following Haldir and two other Elves. They crossed a stream and walked some more among the trees before they came upon the Elven city of Caras Galadhon.
Even in the dark, the city gleamed in a white-blue light that seemed to emanate from the trees themselves. The city was built around the biggest tree the Fellowship had ever set eyes upon. Its ancient trunk was white, measuring several meters in diameter. A winding silver staircase snaked around it, climbing up in a spiral until it disappeared into the thick foliage further up.
When the Fellowship was done admiring its structure, they started climbing one after the other. The ascension was long, but somehow not tiring. The light bathed them in a mysterious aura, softening their features and conferring a dream-like dimension to their surroundings.
They reached the end of the stairs and came to stand upon a big wooden talan, almost ten times the size of the one upon which Allie and Frodo had spent the night.
Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel came to meet them. He was kingly, and she was stunning, all clad in white, with hair as golden as sunlight, just like in the legends they had heard.
Celeborn greeted them one by one by name as the Lady remained silent but watchful. Aragorn talked about Gandalf's fall into Moria, and Celeborn's traits fell.
"I had hoped it would be false news," he declared gravely.
Aragorn started informing the Elf Lord of the events that had unfolded under the Misty Mountains. Allie was focusing on their conversation, when suddenly a voice filled up her mind, gentle and yet hard at the same time. Ancient.
Glor Bereth, leader of wolves.
She looked up sharply and dived into the bottomless gaze of Galadriel, feeling as though she were falling through blue waters. The Lady's voice continued inside her head. Your eyes are earnest and your heart is valiant, but unbeknownst to you, a darkness resides within you, one my eyes cannot identify but my spirit can strongly feel.
Allie's pulse accelerated. She kept her eyes strained to those of Galadriel, perhaps in spite of herself.
You do not understand it clearly, but you know what I speak of. This darkness, it is a part of you and yet it is separate from you. If you continue on this Quest, you might pose a bigger threat to the Company than the weapon of the Enemy.
I would never hurt anyone from the Fellowship, she replied in her mind.
Galadriel's eyes narrowed a slight. Rare were the people who could manage to focus their thoughts enough to converse back with her.
No, she admitted. But it might.
The words chilled her, and she meant to ask for their meaning, but Galadriel's gaze moved past her.
One by one, she looked into the eyes of the rest of the Fellowship, and one by one, they all lowered their gazes. Boromir, in particular, seemed especially affected by her. Galadriel freed them from her gaze and now fixed a distant point ahead. "The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains, while the Company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil."
She turned her eyes onto Frodo, and Allie felt the power and presence of her consciousness blowing past her and to project itself on Frodo. As fast it came, it was then gone.
Allie looked over at Frodo, worried, but he did not return her gaze.
Later, when they were sitting on their temporary beds set in the hollow parts of a tree trunk, Allie turned to him. "What did the Lady say to you?"
Frodo frowned. "She bid me welcome, but inside my head. I had never experienced anything like it. Her voice was so strong it disoriented me."
"Is that all? Did she not… say anything else? Tempt you?"
"Tempt me? No. If you must know the whole truth, she actually warned me."
He looked around him and approached his head to hers. "She told me to beware of the danger arising from within the Fellowship." His eyes fell on Boromir sitting a few yards away with his back to them. "But I have known this for a while already."
After what Galadriel told her, she had a feeling the Elf Queen was warning Frodo against her as well. But that was ridiculous. She would die before she brought him to harm.
"Why are you talking of temptation? Did she tempt you with anything?"
Frodo's voice snapped her back to the present. "No. I asked because I know she has tempted Boromir and Aragorn… and even Pippin. He told me about it." She didn't linger on that part and instead pursued, "But she has warned me too. She warned me against it. I don't know exactly what she was referring to, but I think it's something related to my wolf self."
Frodo scrambled until he sat facing her, and Allie was startled at the concern brimming in his eyes. "What do you mean? Will the wolf constitute a danger to you?"
Allie rubbed tired circles on her forehead. "You are talking as though the wolf and I are separate entities, but the wolf is me, and I am it. It cannot hurt me, just as you would not hurt yourself."
"But… you said that not transforming into a wolf can be painful."
A light of understanding appeared in her eyes. "Yes, that's right. Because I can feel the Blood ripping through my flesh. The Blood is what makes me transform, after all. Could Galadriel be referring to that, I wonder?"
A moment of thoughtful silence fell in which neither said a word. Around them arose the sweet laments of Elves, singing their last goodbyes to Gandalf. Legolas joined them for a while, before grief overtook him and made him seek solace in solitude.
Allie snapped out of the trance she was sliding into when she felt a weight on her legs. Looking down, she saw Frodo resting his head on her lap, and gave him a small smile. "Really?"
Frodo glanced up at her. "Do you want me to get up?"
She brushed soft fingers against his forehead. "No. Stay as long as you need."
They listened to the Elves sing of their heartache as to Gandalf's passing. Frodo's hand seized a strand of her blonde curls and twisted it in between his fingers. In spite of the peacefulness of this moment, the face of Gandalf as Frodo had seen him last, intruded in his mind. He thought back to the Wizard's soothing smile, the crinkle in his eyes, and felt sorrow creep up on him.
"Stop thinking and go to sleep," Allie said upon seeing the troubled lines on his forehead.
She traced warm fingers across his brow to smooth them out, and then slid her fingers inside his mass of dark curls, gently massaging his scalp. Frodo let out a small sigh and closed his eyes again.
She was right; some things were better left to the light of morning.
Frodo didn't know when he had dozed off, but something suddenly pulled him awake. His eyes snapped open as sleep receded like a tidal wave. He looked around, wondering what light or sound had awakened him, but everything was quiet.
He was still resting his head on Allie's lap, and she was fast asleep against the trunk. Strands of hair, shining golden under the moonlight, fell over one of her eyes. Frodo sat without disturbing her slumber and gently pinned the wayward strand behind her ear. Allie stirred but did not wake up.
Frodo allowed himself to gaze at her face, crouched on the balls of his feet. She looked fragile in her sleep, with no barriers or walls erected around her. In spite of all the fights she had endured as a wolf throughout the years, in spite of all the responsibilities she carried as the Queen of a large pack, she was still just a hobbit lass at heart. He saw it in the way she spoke to him, in her playfulness and kind gestures. He wanted to bring her back to the Shire, to bring her back home, before it was too late.
A rustling sound arose behind him. He turned in time to see Galadriel passing through sleeping figures of the Fellowship without a sound, like a whisper of wind through the trees. The edges of her white dress trailed on the moss of the talan as she walked past him barefoot.
As though pulled by an invisible force, Frodo rose and followed her.
She led him along a winding stone staircase going down to the roots of the giant tree. He followed her down, the stone steps cold under his feet. The sound of cascading waters reached his ears, crystal clear in the quiet of the night.
Galadriel stopped beside a small source spurting out from a crack in the wood. Frodo had never heard water sound quite like that; it was deafening and yet subtle at the same time, as though each drop were a musical note in the melody of the whole.
He advanced towards the Queen Elf until only a stone pedestal separated them. Galadriel probed him with one piercing blue eye, and then dipped a silver jug inside the water in a fluid motion. She took it out again, and some water quietly splashed back into the pond. She gazed upon him, her face a mask of mystery.
"Will you look in the mirror?"
His eyes darted to the pedestal. "What will I see?"
Galadriel smiled from the corner of her mouth and poured the contents of the jug inside the silver basin resting on top of the pedestal.
"Even the wisest cannot tell," she answered over the sound of pouring water. "For the mirror shows many things. Things that were… things that are… and some things… that have not yet come to pass."
A glance into the future, Frodo thought. It was tempting, so tempting to know what would await him at the end of his journey.
Whatever he saw, would he be able to deal with it? He was the one who gave Allie the speech about living in the present; if he looked at his future now, he could ruin it all.
Galadriel seemed to guess at his inner turmoil, and said, "Not all things the mirror shows come to pass. Sometimes the choices one makes can change the once determined trajectory of fate."
Frodo found himself approaching the pedestal in spite of himself.
He peered over it and looked at the still waters. At first he saw only the starlit night reflected in its depth, along with his own apprehensive face. Just when he thought he would not see anything more, circles came to disturb the surface of the mirror, as though he had just dropped a pebble in the center of it. The circles grew, and when the largest one touched the sides of the basin, images started to appear.
There were faces in the water, looking up at him. Frodo realized they belonged to the members of the Fellowship. One by one, their faces flashed by; Sam, Merry, Legolas, Pippin, Aragorn, Gimli… everyone except Boromir. He knew what that meant.
The vision shifted.
There was now a lone figure walking in the wasteland, clad in white. Frodo frowned. Was that Saruman? The figure walked and walked, seeming to come closer and closer to the surface of the mirror. Then, it paused and lifted its head. Before Frodo could see its face, the image faded to white.
And then it cleared again. His heart constricted when he set eyes upon a familiar scene. It was Allie sitting with her back to him on the high pile of boulders of Rivendell. He still remembered that scene vividly. The Allie in the mirror turned around and beamed in happiness upon meeting his gaze. Her smile took his breath away, and he began to smile back as he leaned down closer to the surface of the water. What was it? An alternate version of how things could have unfolded?
The succession of images that followed wiped the smile off his face. He saw the golden wolf enclosed in a small iron cage, snarling and thrusting against the bars with blood-streaked fur. Orcs sat around her, laughing at her, taunting her. He saw the flash of a ripped off half-moon pendant amongst fallen bodies. He didn't know whether it belonged to him or her.
He saw himself being tossed forward as he landed at the foot of a dark throne.
All then faded to black, but the mirror seemed to be growing, with the darkness engulfing him as it swept past his head. Suddenly, out of the dark abyss, a single Eye grew until it filled the entire surface of the basin.
Frodo froze, unable to either move or cry out. The Ring dangled out of his shirt, inches above the water. It was heavy… so heavy. Frodo found himself leaning lower and lower. The Eye of Sauron constricted with greed, staring right at him. With a yell, Frodo clasped the Ring and pushed back from the basin with all his strength.
He felt the exact moment the magnetic pull between him and the mirror ruptured, and a second later found him on his back at the foot of the pedestal, panting for breath.
He propped himself up on one elbow. Galadriel was still staring at him out of the corner of one eye, unmoving like a statue, and unaffected by the horror. "I know what it is you saw. For it is also in my mind. You saw glimpses of the future, glimpses of what might come to pass should you fail."
Frodo rose on shaky legs. "How likely will this future come to pass?"
Galadriel treaded toward him. "I cannot tell you that. But I can advise you on how to avoid it. The Fellowship is breaking, Frodo. It has already begun. He will try to take the Ring. You know of whom I speak. One by one, it will destroy them all."
Frodo couldn't get the image of the wolf in the cage out of his mind. Was he leading her to that fate? His confidence drained. "I can't do this alone. This is beyond me."
"You are a Ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a Ring of power is to be alone."
Galadriel lifted her hand, revealing a Ring shining on one of her fingers. "This is Nenya, the Ring of Adamant. And I am its keeper."
Frodo looked up at her face, torn and frightened. A real and sympathetic smile stretched across Galadriel's lips, softening her features. "This task was appointed to you, Frodo Baggins. And if you do not find a way, no one will."
Frodo clasped the Ring tight and inhaled deeply. "I know what I must do then. It's just… I'm afraid to do it."
Galadriel knelt down to look at him in the eye. "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."
With these words, she left him, climbing back up the stone steps. Like a fairy, she then faded into the moonlight. Deep in thought, Frodo took the stairs and walked back to where his companions lay, still asleep.
He stopped beside Allie's sleeping form. She was still breathing evenly with her eyes closed. He slid down the trunk beside her and clasped his head in his hands, unable to even conceive of sleeping now. He startled when Allie leaned against him and draped an arm around his chest. She mumbled something that may or may not have been his name. Frodo rested his head against hers and took in the pleasant warmth of her body.
He could no longer bring her with him, not if he led her to the future he'd glimpsed in the mirror.
The next day marked their departure from Lorien. As the company got their things ready, Allie looked around for Frodo but did not find him.
She set out into the golden woods, wondering whether he had strayed off to take a walk. As she treaded upon the soft green grass, she came upon Sam instead.
Sam halted in his steps, and she nodded once in greeting before pursuing her way. The sound of running footsteps approached and then Sam appeared by her side, his cheeks flushed from the dash.
"Allie…"
She was pleasantly surprised he wanted to talk to her. "Yes?"
Sam shuffled from one foot to the other. "I haven't had a chance to tell you this yet, but I just wanted to say… thank you for saving Mr. Frodo's life back on the mountain. If you hadn't jumped off that cliff after him, he would have met his end for certain. It was my fault for not holding on to him tight enough."
Allie acknowledged his thanks with a nod of her head. "I only did what I had to do. Get your things ready for departure, Sam. Once we leave Lorien, there will be no more safe havens."
Sam pulled at his hair and muttered under his breath as she turned away to leave.
"Allie!" he called out again.
She turned a second time with wide eyes.
"I… I know I have said some terrible things to you before, and I sincerely regret all of it. If I'm allowed to be frank, I often felt you did not have a place among us, and that surely nothing good would come out of Mr. Frodo's love for you. But I now realize it was not my place to meddle."
He bowed his head. "I'm truly sorry, I am. I care for him deeply, but I'm not sure if I would have been able to jump off a cliff for him. And yet you did, without a second thought."
"Sam…"
"My sister will be truly sad, for her love for Mr. Frodo was real, but it is not my place to fight her battle. You have always been nothing but nice to me ever since I met you again in Rivendell, and I ask you to forgive me for my harsh words."
She was overwhelmed by the repentance in his eyes. "Sam…" she started again. "Since the very beginning, I have never held anything against you. A part of me has always agreed with you. A part of me always thought it would be better if I didn't allow myself to fall more in love with Frodo. But I can't do it, Sam. I wish I could, but I can't."
Sam gave her a slight smile. "That is a feeling I can empathize with."
She blinked. "Do you have someone in your heart as well?"
Sam's cheeks turned pink and he muttered something unintelligible. Allie did not press it further, but she was happy for him. "She must be in the Shire, waiting for you. You will see her again once this journey is over."
Sam's eyes turned nostalgic. "I surely hope so. In any case, all I wanted to say is that I'm glad Mr. Frodo has someone like you by his side. It makes me feel more at ease going forward."
"I'm also glad he has such a good and reliable friend by his side. You haven't changed, Sam. You've always had his best interest at heart."
Sam blushed, pleased by her words. A barrier seemed to fall between them. She smiled, and Sam smiled back.
"This place is wonderful!" the gardener said as he took in the golden roof of trees above their heads. "I wish the Gaffer could see this. He'd have a thing or two to say, that's for sure. I wish we had trees like these in the Shire."
"Yes, I suppose. I wonder if I can climb them."
Sam threw her a glance. "And you, Allie, you have not changed from your wayward ways."
"You should try it! It gives you a feeling unlike any other. Frodo agrees with me on that."
"He'd agree with you on anything," Sam couldn't help adding with an eye roll.
She chuckled. "I wish that were the case. More often than not, he is quite stubborn about everything. Speaking of him, where is he? He's been missing since this morning."
Sam looked around the woods as though he could catch Frodo walking by if he just searched hard enough, but his gaze met only grass and moss and tree trunks. He shrugged. "I'm not worried. I heard Strider say that this place is protected by Elven magic."
"Yes, some sort of barrier."
Sam's eyes were gleaming in excitement. "Wouldn't you love to see some Elven magic? All I keep hearing is how powerful it is, but so far I have not seen anything tangible."
"The Elves' magic is not like Gandalf's. They work in more subtle ways."
Sam's face fell at the mention of the Wizard. "Gandalf… I shall never see his fireworks again."
"Perhaps witnessing a bit of magic, like you call it, will make up for the sorrow Gandalf has left in all your hearts."
Allie and Sam both twirled in surprise at the sound of Galadriel's voice. She had walked up to them silently like a shadow, unbeknownst even to Allie's sharp senses.
Sam's eyes widened. "Really? Will you show me?"
A mysterious smile came upon her face, and she asked them to follow her. Allie and Sam exchanged a look and marched forth. Galadriel led them to the silver basin on the pedestal, and Allie and Sam found themselves in the same spot where Frodo stood the night before.
Galadriel lifted the silver jug and poured water into the basin, forming the mirror.
"What is this?" Sam asked, already entranced.
"A mirror."
Sam eagerly stepped forward without any trace of apprehension, and stared into the water. He looked inside for long minutes, at first smiling and making appreciative sounds, enchanted by what he was seeing. Then, a shadow fell over his face as he gasped and frowned. He pulled back from the pedestal with fear in his eyes.
"I saw the Shire!" he cried out. "It was burning! There were bodies… bodies of hobbits strewn about, and Orcs patrolling the streets, looting and destroying everything in their passage. It was… such a terrible sight! And… and the Party Tree was hacked down, and Bag End was billowing in flames! And there are factories everywhere, giving off dark smoke. Is this what is happening back home? I need to check on my old Gaffer!"
Sam was so distraught he meant to fly up the stairs and get back to the Shire right away, but Allie seized his arm. "Calm down, Sam. It's all right. Just breathe."
"But… but the Shire is in danger!"
"Sam, look at me in the eyes! Sam!"
Sam finally complied, focusing on her eyes with difficulty.
"Even if you leave now, it will take you several months to go back to the Shire," she articulated. "And whatever you saw might not even have happened yet, but if you stray from the path you were supposed to tread, then they just might."
Those words finally managed to strike some sense back into him, and he relaxed in her grip. "Yes… yes… I suppose you are right."
He took a deep breath, trying to block the images he had seen.
Allie eyed Galadriel, and the Elf nodded once in approval.
"You have a deep understanding of the way fate works, in spite of your young age," the Elf spoke. "Will you not look into the mirror as well?"
"I will pass. I do not wish to know in advance what the future has in store for me. I will deal with it when the time comes." She paused. "I do have some questions for you, however. When we first met, you said there is a darkness inside of me that will pose a threat to others. What are you referring to? Are you talking about what the wolves call the Blood?"
Galadriel replied in an even voice, "Elves have not had dealings with your kin since the ancient times. On the rare instances we did, all dealings were kept secret. We have no records of them, except for elusive whispers passed down from one Age to the next. I do not know why that is, but… the mirror might give you the answer."
"Stop tempting me with it," Allie said, frustrated at the lack of tangible answers, and at herself, for being tempted to look into the mirror in spite of her words.
Galadriel made a step toward her and seemed to increase in size as her eyes glistened like an angry sea. "How did wolves come to be?" she asked in a powerful voice that rang through Allie's very bones. "Why can they communicate in a way that even us Elves cannot? Why is there such a potent hierarchy among them? What is this thing you call Blood? If you cannot answer any of these questions, Glor Bereth, how can you pretend to be a Queen of your kin?"
Allie was shaking and could not come up with a ready answer. After long seconds of staring at one another, the hobbit asked through gritted teeth, "Will the mirror show me the answers to those questions?"
Galadriel was no longer looking at her. "It might. No one knows what it might reveal."
Allie gathered up her determination and leaned over the surface of the water with her heart in her throat. She only wished the mirror would not show her things about Frodo and herself; she already knew the outcome of their love, and did not need to see it reinforced by the mirror.
But maybe, just maybe, the mirror might show her that everything would turn out all right in spite of all.
That was a fool's hope, wasn't it?
Her thoughts quieted when the water stirred. And then, the first image revealed itself to her.
It showed her a dark place where light did not reach… a sort of cave, an underground place. A shape crouched in the corner. A door opened, allowing grey rays of light to pour into the darkness. The light revealed the huddled shape of a thin hobbit in the corner of a dirt-paved room. The hobbit slowly turned his head toward the source of light, and Allie gasped in horror upon recognizing her father.
Was he being let out of the prison holes?
She had not thought of him in so long. She didn't even know what he looked like anymore, but seeing him again now from across the mirror chilled her to the bone and made an irrational fear bud at the edge of her mind.
The image faded, being replaced by that of an old wolf chained to the floor of a rusty damp cellar. Its fur had been ripped in places and one of its ears was missing. Lice crawled on its fur, and a tense cloud of flies swirled around its head. However, the pitiful animal was not dead. It opened its eyes a slight when an Orc threw another Orc in front of it. The wolf lifted its head with difficulty and sank its fangs into the Orc's arm.
In the next image, she saw herself staring back with a vacant and yet ruthless look in her eyes. A large Orc stood behind her, and yet she did not turn to fight him. Did she not know he was there? The Orc held something shiny in his dirty hand… the object seemed to be a ring of some sort, because the Orc slid it on his finger and mouthed silent words. The Allie in the mirror smiled a smile so terrible it seemed to disfigure her face.
Allie had to reel back from the sight of it, feeling sick to her stomach. Was that really her? She did not recognize herself.
The next scene was that of a great battle. She spotted Legolas and Aragorn fighting against hordes and hordes of Orcs with no hope left on their faces. She saw the golden wolf writhing on a dark tiled ground beside huge boots of steel. Blood oozed out of her eyes, her muzzle, her ears…
She started trembling as her hands clenched the edge of the pedestal. Was she witnessing her own death? How terrible… she could not bear to watch this any longer. She should not have looked!
Inside the mirror, her blood pooled to form a viscous red pond. The whole mirror turned red, as though the water had become blood. It started leaking down both sides of the silver basin. From far away, Allie heard Galadriel gasp, but her eyes were kept riveted to the red vision in the mirror. Something floated to the surface from beneath the blood-tainted water.
Allie narrowed her eyes to make out what it was.
It was an image, though blurry.
The red color of the water faded, replaced by sheer whiteness. The image floated to the surface, but it was as though a thin veil of air stood between it and the water surface. In spite of the bad quality of the image, Allie managed to make out some of it.
She recognized Frodo and herself. They were standing facing each other. In the background, a big white wheel, bigger than both of them, bigger than anything else around them, slowly turned. She had never seen anything of the sort before. The sight of it gave her goose bumps.
And then the unthinkable happened.
The pedestal on which the silver basin rested cracked in half. The basin tilted and the water poured out, trickling to the grass. The image washed away with the falling water. At the same time, Galadriel let out a cry and crumbled to her knees.
Allie blinked to get rid of the horror of what she had just witnessed, and then rushed to the Elf's side. "What has just happened?" she asked in a voice that sounded foreign to her own ears.
Galadriel was panting with a hand to her chest.
"Lady Galadriel?" Sam also inquired with concern from behind them.
Galadriel mustered her forces and looked up at Allie with a strange glint in her blue eyes. "The mirror… is broken."
"The mirror? Broken? How did this happen? What is it I saw? I don't understand any of it. I still don't know how wolves came to be… and… I should not have looked!"
Galadriel did not contradict her. Perhaps she was regretting it too. She stood back up on her feet, looking feeble and diminished. "I need to rest now."
"Lady Galadriel," Allie stopped her. "If you cannot answer anything else, please answer this: what was that white wheel? It gave me such a strange feeling."
"The last vision is what caused the mirror to break," the Elf answered wearily with her eyes closed. "The mirror can only show things that are of this world, but it seems your path might lead you somewhere beyond."
Fear struck Allie's heart. "What… are you saying? Where is that place?"
"I do not have any more answers," Galadriel whispered. "There are many things that even I do not understand."
Her intense blue eyes settled on the hobbit, and Allie seemed to detect a trace of pity in them. "There is still time to turn back."
She saw herself lying in a pool of blood and shut her eyes tight. "I will not let the things I saw in the mirror come to pass," she whispered more to herself than to the Lady. "But even if they do come to pass, I am a Queen of wolves, and if such is my end, then I will make sure it will have been for something worthwhile."
Galadriel's traits softened. She murmured in a comforting voice, "The mirror does not show death. Whatever it is that you saw, it was not your end. But I admire your courage and your determination nonetheless. May our stars lighten the paths ahead."
Allie didn't reply, but simply stared gravely into Galadriel's back as she disappeared among the trees.
Sam and she walked up the stairs in heavy silence.
"I wish I hadn't asked to see Elven magic," Sam whispered in a small voice. "I thought it would be beautiful, but my heart has never felt heavier."
Allie silently agreed with him. She should not have looked.