The Gathering of Free Folk
The golden wolf sat very still in the darkness of the cellar cage, scanning the room in which she used to be imprisoned. The thick iron bars of her cage, eaten by rust, bore the marks of her teeth when she had struggled to escape. Directly in front of her, a few damp steps led up to the door and the freedom beyond.
In her wolf body, clearer memories of the time the Blood had stolen from her were starting to come back in force. They drifted back as whole memories of events instead of the unpredictable bits and pieces from before.
She remembered Frodo coming to see her. He would often sit in front of her cage with his back against that wall. She remembered Aragorn visiting as well, his mouth forming words that she couldn't hear across the fog in her mind.
She had a clear memory now of dragging Grima Wormtongue into the water and ripping his leg to pieces, keeping his body anchored in the depths until he had drowned. Try as she might, she could not remember killing Saruman. That whole episode after the Blood and the Spell had both taken over her remained as obscure as a bottomless pit.
Two shadows detached themselves from the corner of the cellar and advanced into the feeble light.
She rested clear silver eyes on them: Pippin and Councillor.
Pippin was watching her with evident concern. He had one paw slightly raised off the ground as his ears pointed in her direction. Councillor showed more countenance, but his usually placid brown eyes shone eerily in the dark, betraying his unease.
"Allie, how do you feel?" Pippin asked.
"Like myself," she answered. "I don't sense the presence of the Blood."
Although that wasn't entirely true. She could sense something within her, a presence stronger than ever before, like an invisible guff of wind behind a curtain, making it swell and billow. Just like the wind, it could not be seen, only felt. However, that presence was not strong to enough to speak up or to take over her. Perhaps it was just laying in wait for now.
"If you want something, show yourself to me!"
Only inner silence answered her thoughts.
"Last time you caught me off guard, but it will not happen again!"
Silence again in the face of her defiance.
Councillor rubbed his silky fur against the bars of the cage as he paced along the edge of it. Allie rubbed her flank against his from the other side, sighing in content at this contact with another wolf body.
"You cannot stay down here forever," his soft voice echoed within her.
"I know that well, but King Theoden will not be satisfied with this outcome. And he would be right in his fears. If I lose myself again when I'm out there, who can tell what damage I might inflict upon all of you?"
Councillor shook his head. "Your pack will not let that happen."
She shook her big wolf head. "The wolves cannot contain me. If I unleash the Blood on you, you will be crushed! Don't you remember what I did to Pippin in Mordor?"
The auburn wolf wagged his tail in memory of the event.
"And in Isengard," she continued, "I turned into an abomination that none of you could stop. It took Gandalf's magic to neutralize me."
"Queen!" Councillor protested, very agitated. "You were not yourself!"
"But I was still a monster," she replied. "It is the truth, a truth we might come to face again."
Councillor did not back off. "It was only my unit and I back in Isengard, but now your entire pack will be reunited. It will take a lot of power, even for the Blood, to subjugate them all."
"The wolves are coming?" Allie whispered.
The brown wolf nodded. "They are very close now, can you not feel them?"
Allie remained silent for a moment, then said, "I have not opened myself to them yet."
Pippin's green eye peeked at her between two bars. "Why?"
When she didn't answer, he licked her fur in reassurance. "I missed talking to you, Allie. We all did. It felt empty without your consciousness linked to ours."
She licked her muzzle. "I missed you all as well. Very much. But I'm holding back because re-establishing all connection means giving myself entirely to the flow of the Blood. Though perhaps it's past time now."
Taking in a deep breath, she opened herself up to her pack for the first time since the darkness had taken hold of her. She felt the Blood links to her wolves sizzling as one by one, the channels linking her heart to those of her pack opened. The multitude of voices that assaulted made her reel on her legs.
"It's the Queen!"
"She's well!"
"Where have you been?"
"Are you hurt?"
"We killed all the Goblins and Uruk-hai, just like you ordered!"
"I can feel her! She's in Meduseld!"
"So close!"
Warmth filled her chest at the joy and excitement in their voices. In spite of her happiness, she tried making out that other voice, that inner voice, but it never appeared.
With her eyes shining silver in the gloom of her cage, she projected her joy and love to her wolves. "I am well now. I thank you for your concern. I will not make you worry nor go silent for such a long time ever again. I thank you for holding the fort in my absence."
She felt her wolves' pride through the vibrations in the Blood link.
A voice she knew well reached her from the multitude, "Queen, I knew you would be back!"
She felt her heart swell. "Hunter, how glad I am to hear your voice! Thank you for taking care of Frodo and Sam when they were in Minas Tirith."
"So you have met with the little ones? After all the trouble they have caused me, it's good they survived." In spite of his grumble, he sounded pleased.
"Are you well?" she inquired softly.
"Never better!" he boasted. "I have a few more battle scars to display!"
"Queen," Informant cut in. "We have just arrived in Edoras."
"Informant! They told me of your quest to the South. Have you found what you were looking for?"
"See for yourself," he answered with glee.
Informant projected an image to her. Miles away, the Rohirrim on the field raised a loud clamor at the approach of the nine Corsair ships with their black sails billowing in the wind. The banner of the black wolf flew proudly from the center mast of the mother ship.
The ships were gliding down the Snowbourn River, a small tributary passing through Edoras itself after its junction with the larger Entwash. Not far from Meduseld stood a small and unused port on the west side of the Snowbourn, and that is where the ships came to a rocking halt.
Errol, the second-in-command of the Corsair ships, served as Urithor's voice to give orders for decking.
Eomer and several Rohirrim riders carrying the white horse banner of Rohan came to greet them, the hooves of their horses like thunder on earth as the group approached. The riders stayed at a respectful distance from the port as the dark pirates sauntered down their ships and started tethering them to the wooden posts with thick wet ropes that they threw to one another over the ships.
The horses whinnied uncomfortably when packs of wolves jumped out of the belly of the ships to scatter away into the plains, relieved to feel firm ground under their paws once more.
Dragut emerged from the pack of wolves and approached the Rohirrim riders with his battle axe anchored to his back.
The Rohirrim riders gaped at his giant form and at the scars on his face, but did not back down when he came strolling straight toward them.
After sizing the group of riders from their golden helmets to their brown boots, he extended one big hand in front of him. "Dragut, sword master," he announced roughly.
Eomer left his horse behind and took off his golden helmet. He shook the pirate's hand briefly. "Eomer, son of Eomund, Marshall of the Riddermark." His keen eyes scanned the ships and the activities surrounding them. "Where is your King?"
Dragut shrugged. "Away on other business."
Eomer quirked one eyebrow. "Away? Did he not come with you?"
"He did, but now he's away," Dragut replied curtly.
Eomer looked up at the giant and scowled at the dark look on the pirate's face. It would not be easy for them to communicate, it seemed.
A smaller pirate, older in age and with unassuming features, approached from behind Dragut and introduced himself as Errol, the second-in-command. He stepped in front of the taller pirate and explained in a clear voice, "Our leader, Prince Urithor, is of the wolf-kin. He has gone to visit his pack leader in Meduseld."
Eomer could not conceal his expression of surprise. Allie had explained that the pirates had joined their cause only because one of her wolves had become their leader, but hearing the facts from the pirate's mouth now consolidated it as truth.
"Enough of that," Dragut groaned with an impatient wave of his hand. "We have two injured men who need to be tended to immediately. Do you have healers in your city?"
Eomer put his helmet back on and returned on top of his horse. "Yes, the very best. Where are your men? We will carry them back to the Golden Hall."
"No," Dragut retorted with a scowl. "Make them come to the ships."
At the storm quickly brewing on Eomer's face, Errol added, "Please. They are in no shape to be moved. Also, I hear Aragorn, son of Arathorn, is here. We need him to bring the healing herbs."
Eomer had no idea what those herbs were, but he agreed to carry the message.
A few miles from there, Informant and Hunter looked down on the exchange from atop a hill overlooking the port.
"Well, Queen, what do you think?" Informant asked Allie with a grin.
Back in her cage, Allie used the Blood to gauge the number of wolves the ships had carried to Edoras. Informant and Hunter's units had come together on this day. Pippin's unit had joined them the day before, when Pippin himself had arrived. Councillor's unit had been here with them all along ever since the Elf had come to Meduseld. Finally, the Wargs she had acquired after killing the mother of wolves were at the outskirts of the plains, eating corpses of dead animals and hesitating to come close.
She felt her heart sink with grief. "How many?" she asked quietly, even though she knew the answer.
Informant and Hunter, Pippin and Councillor, all remained silent, for they knew what she was really asking.
At last, Hunter answered in his deep voice, "I lost close to seventy wolves in the battle at Minas Tirith."
"Sixteen in Umbar," Informant reported, no longer grinning.
"Fourty-three at the battle of Minas Tirith," Pippin said sadly.
"None," Councillor finished. However, he had the smallest unit and the good fortune of not being involved in any battle so far.
Allie paced in her cage, her eyes glinting like silver blades. Pippin and Councillor backed away at the waves of anger emanating from her prowling shape.
"One hundred and twenty-nine wolves dead," she finally said in a voice that made them shiver. "One third of my pack."
"This is the nature of war," Councillor interjected softly.
"And I was not here to feel their deaths, to read their last thoughts, to offer some last comfort," she continued as she paced faster and faster.
"So what if you could?" Informant retorted. "It would not have made any difference."
"Yes, it would have," she snarled.
"Dead is dead," Informant announced coldly. "At least you saved yourself the trouble of sharing in their suffering."
"I never shied away from sharing in the suffering of my own, Informant. I know how it feels to die thinking everyone has forsaken you and you are alone in the world. Every living creature comes into this world alone and dies alone, except for wolves. We have the privilege of dying knowing we are connected to our loved ones until our last breath. That is a blessing that no other race can partake in. Will you even take that away from us, Informant?"
The black wolf growled but remained silent.
"Enough of this!" Hunter interjected.
"Yes, enough of this," Allie agreed. "Come to me. We need to speak of several matters face to face."
The door of the cellar creaked open, letting in sunlight from outside. Allie cut all communication with her wolves and focused on the physical world around her. Footsteps were descending down the stairs, and in spite of the heavy conversation she had just entertained with the core of the pack, her heart leapt joyfully when she recognized Frodo's gait pattern.
A second later, the blue-eyed hobbit appeared in front of her cage, carrying a bucket of fresh horse meat.
Pippin and Councillor sniffed the air hungrily and circled around Frodo with eager looks on their faces.
The hobbit smiled at them. "Your part is waiting outside."
He came to Allie and deposited the bucket outside her cage. "How are you feeling, Allie? Any changes?"
He reached a hand in between the bars and Allie brushed her wolf head against his palm. He scratched the thick fur of her neck, and then opened the door to the cage.
Before he could bring the meat bucket in, she stepped out beside him.
"Allie?" Frodo questioned with a frown.
Allie looked at Pippin and Councillor. "It is time. I know the Blood has not spoken to me, but I cannot afford to waste any more time here."
Councillor agreed immediately. "I also think it is the right decision."
"We will watch out for you," Pippin added.
Allie nodded and then turned to look at Frodo. The hobbit might not have heard their exchange, but he understood the look in her eyes.
"So is it time?" he asked.
She nodded.
Frodo let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad. I never liked the thought of you being held down here."
Allie started climbing up the steps toward the rectangle of sunlight that led to the outside. "Come," she said, "let's go meet with Hunter and Informant."
After the Corsair ships arrived with their charge of a thousand five hundred pirates, more allies of the Free Folk started to gather in Rohan over the next couple of days. Rohirrim Riders came from the Houses allied with King Theoden, bringing up the number of Rohirrim to eight thousand. The biggest surprise had been the garrison from Snowbourn, which had initially failed to respond to Theoden's convocation. However, today the Marshall of Snowbourn had come with two thousand men.
On the morning of the third day, an army of three thousand Elves from Rivendell and Lorien arrived on horse. It was the last contingency of Elven warriors who had not yet left for the Undying Lands. Leading them were Elrond's own twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir.
In their midst, much to Aragorn's joy, rode the Grey company made up of thirty-one Dunedain Rangers of the North, with Halbarad as their leader. Aragorn and Halbarad reunited with a warm clasp of hands, and spent the day conversing quietly in a corner of the great Hall of Meduseld.
Elladan and Elrohir also brought a gift for Aragorn from Lord Elrond himself. It was Narsil, the blade of Elendil, reforged and reborn from the ashes, as per Arwen's request.
Aragorn stared at it for long seconds as the fire from the hearth reflected on the sharp blade danced in his eyes. "Narsil," he murmured. "Named as such for it shines with the light of the moon and of the sun."
"May it fill your enemies with fear," Elladan said.
Aragorn nodded solemnly to Elrond's sons, wanting to inquire about Arwen, but fearing to know at the same time. The light of the Evenstar had been dimming as of late.
As for the hobbits, Frodo, Merry and Sam watched what everyone was now calling the Gathering of Free Folk with eyes full of wonder.
"I have never seen so many different races assembled together!" Merry exclaimed with an ecstatic beam.
"They have gathered in this last hour with the goal of fighting one common Enemy," Gandalf voice rose behind them.
The hobbits turned to look up at the Wizard, whose eyes were sweeping over the sea of battle tents erected across the fields of Rohan for as far as the eye could see. "Let us hope it is enough to conquer the darkness," he added.
"Do you think we can win, Gandalf?" Frodo asked.
The Wizard watched the gathering army for a while longer before reporting his sharp blue eyes onto Frodo. "Not with our numbers. But we have something the Dark Lord has long forsaken."
"And what is that?"
Gandalf smiled. "Hope. Albeit a fool's hope."
The Wizard grasped his staff a little tighter. "Also, just as Sauron has his one Ring, we have our own weapon."
"An unpredictable weapon, if you are referring to Allie's Blood," Sam interjected.
Gandalf considered them. "Come, I want to show you something."
He led them to his quarters in the cool halls of Meduseld. There, inside a dusty closet set against the wall, he revealed two objects draped in white clothes. He pulled the cloth off one of them, revealing the jar with the puddle of Blood he had taken from Allie's wrist. The Blood was coiling lazily onto itself, glinting red like a dimmed ruby.
"This is the true core of the Blood, I believe. It is no longer inside of Allie," Gandalf announced, careful not to touch the surface of the flask.
Frodo watched it with a mixture of fascination and horror. "It is hard to believe this is a part of Sauron."
"I wonder if Sauron himself has forgotten this part of himself," the Wizard muttered more to himself than to the hobbits.
"Has Allie seen it?" Merry asked.
The Wizard shook his head. "No, and I don't advise you to show it to her. There is an attraction between her and the Blood. If they come too close one to the other, something unpredictable might happen again." To Frodo alone, he added, "When the time comes, you will have to carry it to the battlefield, hidden from the eyes of allies and enemies alike. The fewer people know about this, the better."
Frodo nodded with a knot in his throat.
When the hobbits were leaving, Gandalf held Frodo back.
"How is your sleep, young hobbit?" he asked as he took support on his staff.
Frodo shrugged. "Fine."
"No dreams?"
The hobbit looked away for a second. "None."
Gandalf studied him for a moment more. "Good. Keep it that way."
As Frodo walked away from the Hall, he thought back to his dreams about the One Ring. It was always the same dream. He pulled the Ring off Sauron's finger and put it back on his own, dooming them to fail again.
He shook his head. He would die before he let the Ring take over. The dreams were not precognitions; at least he refused to think of them as such. They were simply a manifestation of the leash the Ring kept around his neck, one that refused to fade even after being separated from it for so long.
When Frodo came out into the Great Hall, he saw the Lady Eowyn heading out the double doors. He caught up to her.
"Frodo," she saluted.
Frodo greeted her back and couldn't help noticing the dark circles under her eyes. She seemed diminished somewhat, as though a light inside of her had gone off.
"Where are you heading, my Lady?"
"To the ships," she answered. She was holding a basket of clean clothes and towels. Frodo had heard the pirates had a skirmish with a fraction of Orcs on their way upriver, and people had gotten injured.
"I will go with you," he decided.
They went to the stables, and she took out a horse and he a pony. They rode through the tents and campfires in the field. Everywhere on the crowded fields, men dueled with swords, cooked food over campfires, played card games or sharpened their weapons. The smell of horses was almost overwhelming.
In an outside circle, a bit farther from the Men, the Elves had set their camp made of larger tents. Elven insignia adorned the outer surface of the flapping doors.
And in their periphery, the small circle of Dunedains sat around their campfire, wrapped in their capes and silently smoking their pipes, almost merging with the scenery. Frodo had to concentrate hard to keep his focus on their group, otherwise they would have become invisible to the eye.
Eowyn and Frodo navigated their horses amidst them all, not exchanging many words. When they finally left the bulk of the tents behind and came upon a bit of open space, they saw a pack of wolves on a faraway hill.
Frodo's pony whinnied nervously when he steered it in their direction. Eowyn followed after him. The wolves looked up upon sensing their arrival; their gleaming eyes appraised the horse-riders for a moment before they returned to what they were doing.
Frodo smelled more than saw what they were up to. The small pack of wolves had apprehended a herd of sheep, and now were ripping through their intestines and eating their meat. Sheep blood tainted the grass of the plains a vibrant red.
Frodo looked for Allie or any of the other wolf leaders, but they were not here. The wolves continued their meal noisily as Frodo and Eowyn passed them by to continue on their way to the Snowbourn River and the black ships they could now see anchored to the port.
Eowyn galloped up to Frodo's level. "Have you seen your companion?"
"Not since she left the cage with the others."
Eowyn rode for a moment in silence, her pale green eyes pensive. "If I had come upon that pack of wolves before all of this happened, I would have shot them dead. In fact, I have done so in the past. Now I wonder if those I killed were real wolves or people."
Frodo also wondered if there were still normal wolves out there, those who were mere animals. "I don't blame you. I would have done the same thing; or in my case, most likely I would have run away from them." He smiled slightly. "I still remember the first time I saw a wolf. I was only a child back then, and Allie was with me. Two wolves attacked us in the woods. One of them was a Queen. On that day, Allie's fate changed."
Eowyn said nothing.
"As for me," Frodo continued. "I suppose my fate changed when my Uncle Bilbo left me that Ring. Or perhaps, yes, perhaps even on the day when he picked it up inside Gollum's cave before I was even born."
Eowyn chanced a look his way. "I am envious of you both."
Frodo was stunned out of his thoughts. "It is the first time I hear those words spoken about us. Truly, our situation is nothing desirable."
Eowyn's smile was a bit melancholic. "It just seems this world has given you a role to play since the very beginning. And on top of that, you have found each other and vowed to stay together even though the odds are not in your favor, even though you are so different. Some people cannot even find that with others of the same kin."
Frodo stayed silent at that, pondering.
Errol saw them coming from the ships with a hand cast over his eyes against the glare of the sun. As Eowyn and Frodo stopped their horses and jumped down to tether them to wooden posts, the old pirate threw down a ladder from atop the mother ship.
Eowyn climbed up with practiced ease with her basket under one arm, and Frodo followed more slowly, for it was his first time boarding such a large ship. The wood of the deck was old-looking but polished and clean. The center mast was a thick rod of solid wood covered with cracking red paint; the flag of a black wolf billowed at the very top, soaring above the folded black sails.
Some of the pirates were on board, but most of them had gone exploring the fields nearby while others were fishing in the river.
"How are they?" Eowyn asked Errol.
She had come to take care of the two injured men quite often ever since the ships had docked. The first time, she had come with Aragorn and had watched as the Ranger had cleaned with Kingsfoil the wounds of the adult man.
Aragorn had seemed to recognize the injured man, and when she had asked him who he was, Aragorn had told her he was Faramir, son of Denethor. His father and elder brother were now dead, which made him the one officially in charge of the destroyed citadel.
Faramir had been in dire shape. He had been burning with fever, for his arrow wounds to the chest had become infested. Aragorn had to cut away at the infection before he could clean the wounds with Kingsfoil. He did not know whether Faramir would survive the infection.
However, on the third day, Eowyn was relieved to see his fever had broken. His sleep became less restless as he lay wrapped under two layers of blankets.
Frodo peered from behind her as she wet a towel in clear water and wiped the sweat off his forehead. When he recognized the man's face, he bolted to the side of the bunk. "Lord Faramir!" he cried out.
"You know him?"
"Yes!" Frodo exclaimed frantically. "He was the one who told us to get his people into the mountain tunnels! I thought he had perished along with the others!"
The hobbit placed his small hand over the man's bigger one resting by his side. Faramir's skin was still warm with a light fever and his breathing had a raspy quality, but Eowyn reassured him the worst had passed.
"I can't believe he's alive!" Frodo exclaimed with unbidden emotion. "I dared not hope to see him again."
He silently thanked the Valar for sparing his life.
Eowyn went back to wiping his face and neck. Thick white bandages were wrapped around his torso and arms. She changed those with deft fingers after cleaning them with fresh water.
"How did he come to be here?" Frodo asked Eowyn without taking his eyes off Faramir.
To his astonishment, it was a young boy's voice that answered from behind. "I was the one who saved him."
Frodo whirled around and saw a young teenage boy with black hair and jade eyes leaning against the door of the cabin. One of his arms was held up against his chest. In place of a hand, he saw a stump wrapped in thick white bandages.
"Gritt!" Eowyn exclaimed. "What are you doing out of bed? You are not allowed to move yet!"
Gritt shrugged with a rebellious frown. "I lost a hand, but my legs are fine." As an afterthought, he added, "Lady Eowyn."
Eowyn sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"
"That Man with the herbs didn't say not to get out of bed."
Eowyn stood with her hands on her waist. "Lord Aragorn might not have said so, but I am telling you so. The last time you went up on deck without permission, you almost fainted. You lost a lot of blood from that injury, Gritt."
Gritt rolled his eyes and reported his attention onto Frodo, sizing him up and down. "Who are you?"
Frodo smiled. "My name is Frodo Baggins. Nice to meet you."
He extended his right hand, which Gritt looked down upon with a sardonic smile as he waved his right stump in front of Frodo. The hobbit's face flashed pink and he extended his left hand instead.
Gritt gripped it for a second. "You can just call me Gritt."
He reported his green eyes to Eowyn. "I need to speak with Prince Urithor. Have you seen him? Is he on board?"
Eowyn finished cleaning up Faramir, and spoke without turning around, "I don't think he's on board. The pirates say he has been away ever since the ships docked."
Gritt's traits fell. "I see." He turned to leave.
Frodo looked after him pensively and then followed him. In spite of Eowyn's warnings, Gritt went up the stairs to the deck and squinted at the hot afternoon sun. He walked to the railing and looked at the plains of Rohan extending to the horizon. "It's like a sea, but made of grass," he mumbled.
"Yes, that's a quite accurate description," Frodo's voice reached him from behind.
Gritt glanced back sharply. "Well, it won't stay like this for much longer. Sauron's army is coming and I've seen his numbers with my own eyes. We will probably all be dead very soon."
Frodo leaned against the railing. "I've seen his numbers too and I've experienced fighting him directly, but trust me Gritt, he will not kill us that easily. No one here will go down without a fight."
Gritt frowned as he eyed the hobbit standing shorter than he, and he found himself unable to believe in the veracity of his words. This little man had fought against the Dark Lord himself?
Frodo smiled at the disbelief brimming in his eyes. "I know I don't look the part of a warrior, but once, someone told me even the smallest person can change the course of the future."
Something in his blue eyes convinced Gritt he was telling the truth. "Well," the boy conceded, "I guess I won't go down without a fight either. It's not like I have much choice if this is the last stand of Men."
He thought about fighting the Orcs with his father, and a brief rush of excitement coursed through him.
"Is Prince Urithor the leader of the pirates?" Frodo asked.
Gritt gave a curt nod.
It dawned on Frodo that this Prince Urithor must in fact be Informant, the black wolf. No wonder he had been absent. He must be with Allie and the others at this moment. He studied the boy again and remembered his look of disappointment at Urithor's absence.
"What's your relationship with the Prince?"
"He's my father," Gritt grumbled after awhile.
Frodo was taken aback. Informant had a son?
"Although he probably doesn't see me as worthy of being his progeny," Gritt continued with a shrug he wanted nonchalant. "It seems all I have done so far is to disappoint him. He probably doesn't care if I live or die."
"I don't think that's true," Frodo replied.
"It is true, trust me. You don't know him. You don't know what he's like."
"Well, actually, I do," Frodo disputed with gentleness.
"What? How?!"
The hobbit turned away as a guff of wind blew smoke from the campfire into their eyes. "Well, I don't know him as the leader of pirates, but I have met the wolf side of him."
"How is he like?" Gritt asked him, eager to glean any information about his father.
Frodo debated whether he should tell the boy the truth. "He is a proud and cunning wolf. He never hesitates to make a kill, and he is feared by his enemies."
Gritt thought that described his father rather accurately. "How do you know all this? Can you talk to the wolves?" he asked as he began eyeing Frodo in a new light.
"No, I cannot, but the Queen of the pack told me all I know of her wolves. If your father is not here, it's probably because he is with the others from the pack. You should not take it personally. He left you because he knew you would be in good hands."
Gritt didn't hear anything beyond 'Queen of the pack'. "What? My father is not the leader of the wolves?"
Frodo was surprised Informant had not explained much about wolves to his son. "No, the Queen is. But your father occupies an important position. Much like a citadel's Steward, I suppose."
Gritt stared off thoughtfully into the plains.
From the corner of his eye, Frodo glimpsed Eowyn conversing heatedly with Errol. She was trying to convince him to let her bring Faramir back to Meduseld, where he could be cared for more thoroughly. Errol finally relented and allowed her to call a horse cart over to transport Faramir back.
"I want to talk to her," Gritt's firm voice reclaimed his attention.
Frodo met the boy's determined gaze. "I want to speak to this Queen of the pack. If you know her, can you arrange a meeting?"
Frodo did not see a problem with that. "Yes, I'll arrange it if time permits."
"Thank you," Gritt threw at him curtly before heading down toward his cabin.
Frodo watched him leave and wondered what Allie would make of Informant's boy.
Allie climbed to the summit of a rocky hill and looked back at the golden glare of Meduseld in the distance. Pippin and Councillor followed after her, oftentimes sniffing the air when the scent of wild game reached their nostrils.
Allie was happy to be under the skies again. She lifted her head and stared at the clouds floating past, losing herself in the sight of their ephemeral quality. Suddenly, the earth vibrated under her paws. She turned just in time to see Hunter's giant shape charging up the hill toward her.
"Queen!" his voice rumbled inside of her like thunder. His unique eye shone bright blue as he stared down at her figure.
Allie went to him and rubbed her head against his with affection. "Hunter! It's so good to see you!"
He pulled back and appraised her again in appreciation. "You have grown in size."
Allie arched her head back, oozing pride.
Informant trudged up the hill behind Hunter, his black fur glistening under the sun and his yellow eyes as fierce as ever. The usual glint of coldness was absent from his pupils as he dipped his head in greeting. "You have managed to worry us again."
"I didn't know you could feel worry," Allie retorted with a grin.
"I always worry about you," Informant said with a roll of his eyes. "You should be more careful in your actions."
Allie prowled forth and gave him a head rub as well. "Yes, it's good to see you too, Informant."
Pippin bounced happily onto Informant's back and nibbled at his ear. "When was the last time we've been together like this? And by this, I mean physically."
"Years, at least," Councillor pondered.
Informant tried to shake Pippin off, but Pippin held on firmly with his teeth and refused to let go, a playful glint in his green eyes. "That hurts, you little bastard!" the black wolf growled.
Pippin's eyes flashed as he let go with a wolf smile. "That's for acting stubborn in front of the Black Gate and making us hate you for a while."
Informant showed him the back of his head. "I did go back for that last waterskin of Ent water, so shut your mouth, will you?"
"Yes, you did. It was a brave choice, Informant," Councillor praised.
Hunter emitted a loud howling laughter. "Brave? I suppose in your case that insignificant act would be considered bravery amidst the actions of your life history."
Informant bared his teeth in warning. "Do you want to hold on to your remaining ear, Hunter?"
Allie followed the exchange with growing amusement. Finally, she jumped in between them. "Enough fighting, you two. Can't you get along for once?"
Hunter's head peeked above her frame to taunt Informant. "This is us getting along, isn't it, my brave brother?"
Informant's eyes narrowed. In the next second, he jumped over Allie's body and landed onto Hunter's back. Hunter fell on his side and pawed Informant's head several times. Then, the giant grey wolf and the black wolf tried to bite at each other's muzzles as they wrestled on the grass.
"Get him!" Pippin exclaimed to no one in particular as he prowled around the fighting wolves.
Allie followed the fight as well with a growing glint in her eyes. Finally, she let go of all dignified pretense. "It is my job as Queen to break down any discord among my own ranks," she declared with barely suppressed glee as she jumped in their midst.
She closed her fangs around Informant's hind leg and pulled him away. The black wolf growled in indignation and snapped at her face.
"How dare you show your fangs to your Queen?" Hunter roared as he crushed Informant under his weight and closed his jaw around the fur of his neck.
Pippin was running around the three of them, looking for an opening. "And my role as Protector of the Queen is telling me I must shield her from harm! Informant, you are being careless!"
He slid under Informant's belly and bit at the soft skin.
Informant howled. "Three against one? Fine! I will show you what it means to mess with me!"
"You stole the words out of my mouth!" Allie growled as she took leverage on Hunter's back and charged down toward Informant. They both rolled on the ground and then bit at each other, teeth clashing against teeth, their wagging tails making small pebbles fly. Hunter and Pippin crashed into them from either side, and soon nothing distinctive could be seen except a blur of grey, auburn, black and gold as the four wolves growled and snarled and bit at each other, uprooting grass and lifting dust off the ground.
Councillor watched the four of them from his curled up position on the grass. He yawned widely as he rested his head on his forepaws.
Finally, the four wolves broke off, panting, as tiredness gained over playfulness. They all had scratches in their fur from the skirmish, and rested on the grass with their tongues hanging out.
Pippin reached out one last time and pawed Hunter on the head. "You made my leg bleed, you barbaric Haradrim!"
Hunter snapped back at him, though his offensive lacked conviction.
"I've missed this," Allie said happily as she rolled on her back and curled against Pippin's side.
"Me too!" Pippin declared as he licked his leg. "It is not often that I get to bite Informant to my heart's content."
Hunter snorted. "It's as good a way as any to relieve stress."
"I would rather make a kill or two to relieve stress," Informant retorted as he stretched under the sun.
Councillor perked up at that. "Shall we go hunting? I am famished and I smell fresh prey nearby."
Allie and the core of the pack openly welcomed that suggestion. They hunted all afternoon, preying on unsuspecting sheep, wild boars and squirrels that had long forgotten the fear of wolves. As the sun began to set, the five wolves settled under the shade of a patch of trees with their bellies full and slumber edging ever closer to their appeased minds.
Allie was grooming herself under the dying rays of the setting sun when Pippin came to sit by her side. He started licking her neck, a spot she couldn't reach, and she relaxed, letting him work his raspy tongue on her fur.
As she lay there half asleep, she let her consciousness carry her to the rest of the pack and was satisfied to note that most of her wolves were in a similar state of bliss as they napped after eating to their heart's content. Rohan's farmers were probably despairing at this very instant over the rapid demise of their cattle, but Allie was too happy and comfortable to feel guilty.
They slumbered until the sun set behind the hills and the moon slowly climbed up into the sky. As it happened, it was a night of full moon.
Allie was first to awake. She stared at the sleeping forms of the others for long moments, before she walked toward the edge of the hill to look up at the moon from underneath the sparse boughs of the patch of trees growing behind her.
Without warning, a long and haunting howl erupted out of her throat, echoing in the night.
One by one, Hunter, Pippin, Informant and Councillor opened their gleaming eyes. They sat upon their hindquarters, arched their heads back, exposed their hearts to the night and joined their voices to hers. Soon enough, other howls arose all over Rohan in response as the wolves all came awake and started singing up to the full moon.
That night, King Theoden had organized a banquet to welcome all the free folk who had joined their cause. The Great Hall had been abuzz with song and conversation as Rohirrims, Gondorians, Elves, Dunedains, Hobbits and Corsairs sat together to share meal and mead.
At the haunting howl of the wolves, they fell silent and listened, some in awe, others in unease. The howls were never-ending; as one wave seemed to die off, another arose in the distance and carried the song. Sometimes their voices seemed far, as though from miles away, and other times they echoed so close it seemed the wolves were outside their very windows.
In Gandalf's room, the Blood inside the flask pulsed in response.
The moon shone down brightly over the plains, a giant disc shredding silver light onto every blade of grass, rock and leaf. After long minutes of howling, Allie fell silent to enjoy the peace, togetherness and warmth that the night brought.
As the last howl died away, she turned toward the core of her pack, her eyes so silver as though having absorbed the moonlight itself. Her voice was no longer playful or easy-going when she said, "We have much to discuss and to do."
The four wolves leaders also knew the time for games had come to an end.
"I want a full report of our time apart," Allie started. "I will start with what happened to me."
For long minutes, the wolves listened as she recounted once more her trials from Mordor to Isengard, and finally to the safety of Rohan. The wolves exchanged perplexed and shocked glaces when she told them about the mother of wolves and Sauron's soul.
"Bloody business," was all Hunter said when she was done.
Councillor nodded. "I have known for a long time the Blood was some other entity, but I never imagined it was to this degree. This can only mean one thing: we have to kill Sauron. It does not seem like he knows much about this part of himself, but if he wins the war against humanity and learns of our secret, he will chase us down until the last one of us lies in the ground."
"We cannot allow Sauron to live. It is him or us," Allie said.
Informant started grinning. "Well, I'm glad we have a personal reason for fighting him now!"
Pippin eyed him. "So we didn't have a personal reason before? After what he did to Allie and Frodo in Barad-Dur?"
Informant rolled his eyes. "The Queen got herself into that mess all because of her Halfling mate. She was fighting for him, for his life, for his world."
The black wolf turned toward her squarely. "You were never fighting for us, for the wolves. Because you decided to fight, we had to join in as well, but it was all charity work for this cursed world. However, now things change. Now, we fight for our own sake, our own survival."
"As selfish as always," Allie said. "But well, I have grown accustomed to your views, so I'm glad you will put your all into the upcoming war."
She turned toward Hunter, and the grey wolf stepped forward for his report. "After I saw Frodo and Sam safely into the tunnels, I told my unit to engage the Orcs from outside the citadel as I fought the Orcs from the top the tower housing the tombs of the Kings to the throne room below. The Hall of Kings was filled with corpses both of allies and enemies alike. I managed to kill a giant troll and made my way to the doors, but what I saw after I went outside…" He paused for a second. "I have never seen so much carnage in my entire life. The whole city was on fire and the screams of people dying arose from every corner. The air itself smelled of charred meat and death. And more Orcs were pouring in from the broken gates. Those cursed black beasts were also flying in the skies, sometimes diving down to take humans and wolves alike to drop them into the void. I should have never ordered my unit to implicate themselves. I knew it was going to be one-sided, but I did not expect such rapid destruction. Minas Tirith is built against the mountains. I found a path that was not as steep and climbed into the mountainside, thus escaping the oncoming wave of Orcs by a hair. However, by the time I told my wolves to pull back, it was already too late for most of them. It was a lack in judgment, and I apologize for the lives lost as a consequence."
He fell silent. Allie shook her head. "It was not your fault, Hunter. You were only doing what you had to. I should have been there to tell you to pull back. I knew Sauron's numbers and the cruelty he is capable of inflicting."
Before Hunter could protest, she turned to Pippin.
The auburn wolf stepped forward. "I also asked my unit to engage the Orcs outside the citadel, trying to join with Hunter's unit, but the enemy was too overwhelming. We were lucky that one of the walls of Minas Tirith broke under the assault and cut off our path, or otherwise we might have engaged further and lost even more recruits. In any case, by then Hunter was also telling me to pull back and so I did." His green eyes gained a sparkle as he continued, "But the thing I want to bring to this meeting the most is that I met with the Queen of Rhovanion outside Mordor."
Allie sat straighter at that. "What?"
"She was a Wizard before she became a wolf, can you believe that?"
"A woman Wizard?" Informant cackled.
"My thoughts exactly."
"We do not know much about her," Councillor pondered. "We do not know where she stands in all of this."
"I offered her to join our cause," Pippin said, "but she disappeared without answering me. The only help she offered was information that you were being brought to Isengard."
Allie nodded. So that was how Councillor knew where to find her. All the pieces of the puzzle were starting to assemble. "How many in her pack?"
Pippin shook his head. "I saw a hundred wolves perhaps, but I can't be sure it was her full force. She has this strange ability to conjure mist, and all her wolves were veiled by it when she came to me."
Informant grunted in displeasure. "She must be the only remaining Queen in Middle-earth other than you. I'm sure you have killed all the ones West of the Misty Mountains."
Allie was thoughtful. Another Queen. Another potential enemy. Or perhaps ally?
"She did not seem hostile," Pippin added. "She only wants to stay out of the upcoming war."
"A cowardly move," Hunter commented in disdain.
"Perhaps it is because she doesn't know the true nature of the Blood," Allie pondered. "If she did, I wonder if she would be able to stay idle." Her eyes scanned the others. "We have lost too many wolves this time. We could use an ally. Is it possible to find this Queen of Rhovanion?"
"She is unpredictable," Councillor said. "Up until now, we did not even know for sure her existence to be real."
"Queens don't become allies with other Queens," Informant reprimanded. "It is kill or be killed when you meet one. Haven't you learned this by now?"
"We can kill each other all we want after we defeat Sauron. I think we should be able to make peace against this common enemy."
"It does not always work like that." Councillor this time took Informant's side. "You might approach her with honorable intentions, but she might betray you in the end."
Allie sighed. They had a point.
"She did not seem like that to me," Pippin protested. "She did not seem to be the dishonorable type. If her intentions were not pure, why did she tell me where to find Allie?"
"Who knows what games she might be playing?" Hunter shook his head. "It is too risky to make contact with another Queen, especially in these dark hours."
"And she used to be a Wizard," Councillor pondered. "I have respect for Mithrandir because he is allied to our cause, but we do not know on which side this woman Wizard is truly on. She might be a minion of Sauron. And what worries me the most is precisely the fact that she knew where to find you, Queen. Her powers are a mystery."
Allie was not convinced. They needed every possible ally right now. Desperate times called for desperate measures. However, finding this Queen was going to be difficult, and they probably would have no time to spare for such an enterprise.
Relenting the argument, Allie turned toward Councillor. The brown wolf stepped forward. "I have nothing much to report. I stayed behind in Fangorn, trying to find out more about the Ent water, but all Treebeard knew is that it is used to put the old trees back to sleep. When the Ents drink it, it gives them nourishment and makes them strong. Other than that, he could not tell me how or why it affects the Blood. The Halfling Merry then convinced the Ents to lay destruction to Orthanc, and it was in the aftermath of that battle that King Theoden's company found you in the tower."
At last, Allie turned toward Informant.
"I'm afraid I have not much to contribute," the black wolf said. "I went south for personal reasons. I killed the King of the Corsairs and claimed his title for myself. I found my son and am now training him for succession. It worries me that he is so weak, but during our skirmish with the Orcs, I saw a glimpse of a pirate in him. Perhaps there's hope in him yet."
"So Sauron knows the pirates have betrayed him?" Allie asked.
Informant's yellow eyes were disdainful. "Yes. Not like it matters. He's coming to kill us all one way or the other."
"Was his army moving when you passed by Minas Tirith?"
"Not back then. Though now, no one knows."
"So we don't know when he will strike Rohan?" Allie sighed.
"No, we do not," Councillor conceded. "And so we have to start enacting a plan of counterattack as soon as possible."
"King Theoden has started one already," Allie announced. "At the last meeting, he said to dig trenches in the plains across the path Sauron's army is likely to take. They will camouflage the holes in the hopes the Orcs will fall in."
"Stupid!" Hunter exclaimed. "No Orc will fall for that."
"They will if it is dark and they are distracted," Allie retorted. "There will be an army posted nearby in the mountains. The only flaw with that plan is that it will not stop the Orcs for long. They are too many."
"It will only be one part of the plan," Councillor announced. He also had been privy to King Theoden's council and knew they already had several strategies in place.
Hunter looked at Informant, and the black wolf looked back with the same glint of disapproval. Allie pawed the ground with impatience. "I see you are both finally agreeing on something, but what Theoden does is of secondary importance. We will have our own plan of attack depending on how things go. For now, there is one more question I want to ask you, Informant." She paused under his penetrating gaze. "You have been drinking the Ent water continuously while you were on your ship, correct?"
"Yes,"
"Is the Ent water useless on you now?"
Informant swiveled his ears. "The amount of time in which I stay human shortens by half every time I drink the water. I managed to remain human thirteen days in total while I traveled by ship. If I drink it now, it will most likely last me one day. After that, I can't say."
"How many times have each of you had it?" Allie asked her wolves.
"Once," Hunter growled.
"Twice," Pippin said.
"Twice," Councillor said.
Informant shrugged. "Three times."
"Three times and you are already running out of time?" Pippin asked with some alarm.
Informant started pacing. "Count for yourself, Protector. The first time it is seven days, after that four, after that two."
Pippin eyed Allie, but his Queen's eyes did not betray any emotion.
At last, she said, "Fine, that is useful to know. One last thing, what about the Wargs?"
Her core of the pack looked at each other uncomfortably.
"Under whose command do they operate?" she asked again with an edge of coldness to her voice.
Councillor was the one to answer. "Well... the trees of Fangorn did not give them permission to pass when my unit and I headed to Isengard."
The golden wolf narrowed her eyes. "And then?"
Councillor continued reluctantly, "The Wargs made a detour to bypass Fangorn from the North, and now they are north of here, in Rohan."
"My Queen," Hunter pleaded. "They are Wargs. They used to be Orcs before their transformation."
"And so you would abandon them, Hunter? Need I remind you that they helped the Men during the battle at Helm's Deep? They are part of our family now. Who they used to be in the past does not matter!"
"It is true," Pippin relented. "They might look hideous and smell terrible, but they are a part of our pack now, for better or for worse."
The golden wolf left her spot on top of their hill and started running down the gentle slope, heading north.
"Queen, where are you going?" Informant snapped after her.
"Where else?" Pippin answered for her as he ran after her. "She is going to meet the Wargs."
Informant rolled his eyes. "Of all the calamities…"
"She has a point, I suppose," Councillor conceded. "Wolves do not discriminate against other wolves, or have you forgotten that after living thirteen days as a Man?"
Hunter followed after Councillor in silence and Informant closed the group with a resigned growl.
They ran tirelessly for an hour or so when they first smelled the stench coming off the Wargs. There were thirty of them or so, huddled together in a circle of rocks not far from a small stream. Allie stopped a few paces away from them and pity took hold of her as she beheld their ragged and dirty fur, and sad glowing eyes. They were larger in size than most of the normal wolves, although Hunter still towered over them.
One of the Wargs extricated himself from the group and trotted toward them, limping a little. "Queen?" he asked in a small and nasal voice.
Informant was eyeing them with open disgust. "I'm not taking charge of them and that is final."
Hunter was also visibly repressing the urge to bare his fangs. "After years of killing each other, it will not be easy to accept them as part of our pack."
The golden wolf ignored them both and approached the Warg on silent paws.
"Queen?" the Warg repeated with his head hung low as a shiver coursed through him, whether from fear or cold she could not tell.
His ribcage was showing as he breathed in and out, and Allie knew game must not have been as easy to find this far North. Furthermore, most of the Wargs were still injured from the battle at Helm's Deep.
Other Wargs joined the first as they hovered in front of her on trembling legs, their muzzle close to the ground in a sign of submission. They looked disoriented, and Allie could not blame them. After years of being forced into servitude by the mother of wolves, after years of obeying the Orcs and Uruk-hai, they were now suddenly freed from all outside influence and cast away into this new world. Few of them even remembered they used to be Orcs.
"Raise your heads," Allie intimated in a strong voice.
The Wargs looked at each other, and slowly, they lifted their heads up inch by inch, as though they were made of rocks instead of flesh.
"What are you?" she asked them.
The Wargs looked at each other with their tails tracing uncertain waves against the grass.
"Wargs," one of them answered in a small voice.
"And what are Wargs?" Allie asked again.
None of them answered. A glint of fury entered her silver eyes. "I said, what are Wargs?" she howled at them with fangs bared.
They recoiled at this onslaught.
"They might be a lost cause," Councillor articulated slowly.
Allie ignored him. "What are Wargs?" she asked again, softer but with the same intent.
"Wargs are… wolves?" one of them answered.
The golden wolf's eyes zeroed in on him. "That is right. Wargs are wolves. And wolves are predators, fierce and proud and strong creatures who bow to no one." Allie started pacing in front of the huddled Wargs. "You are wolves, all of you. So why do you cower like lost puppies with your tails in between your legs? Why do you shiver and tremble in fear? Why do you look like rabid dogs and smell like the Dead Marshes?"
She nudged one with her muzzle. "I know you used to have your food handed to you by those who rode you and tamed you like beasts, but you are tamed beasts no longer! You are free predators now! You are the top of the food chain. When you are hungry, you hunt for prey. When your territory is threatened, you fight to the death with your fangs and claws. When you are lonely, you sing to the moon and have your brothers answer you!"
She stopped her pace and bore her silver eyes into theirs. "That is how it is done in my pack, and whether you like it or not, you are part of my pack now, so start acting like true wolves!"
As she spoke, little by little all the Wargs stood taller. A firm glint, which had not been present before, started to appear in their sad glowing eyes. Adrenaline began to rush through their veins as they seemed to come awake into the world around them.
One Warg looked up at the moon and let out a hesitant howl; a short, broken thing that ended in a whimper. Another Warg soon followed suit and carried the first Warg's voice. Allie sat back and let her long, haunting and musical howls join those of the Wargs, lifting their broken voices and letting the wind carry them far.
By the end of it, the core of her pack had joined in as well, for that was the power of a wolf's song to the moon. It held an irresistible spark to those animals of the night.
When at last their second song of the night ended, the Wargs stood straight and tall as the golden wolf paced amongst them. She stopped in front of the first Warg to answer her question and gently rubbed her head against his. "Now that we have sung together, we are truly one family. Take pride in yourself, become strong again, groom your fur and follow my lead. If you do so, I will never forsake you."
The Warg let his rough head rest against hers. "Yes, Queen!" he swore.
"Yes, Queen," the other Wargs repeated with a solemn expression in their eye.
Pippin stepped up beside her. "Come," he beckoned them. "I will teach you how to hunt again. The game here can be plentiful if you know where to look."
Hunter studied them as well with his only eye. "I will hunt with you as well."
The Wargs looked over at Allie. She nodded to them all. "Go."
As the Wargs left after Hunter and Pippin, the golden wolf turned away from the scene and walked beside Informant back toward Edoras. She glanced back at Councillor, but the brown wolf remained on his hindquarters, looking at the moon.
Alli left him to it and hurried to keep pace with Informant. For once, the black wolf was silent.
When they arrived in sight of the Corsair ships, he studied her with an indecipherable expression in his eye. "You will have to teach me how to do that."
Allie tried to detect the usual sarcasm in his voice, but it was nowhere to be found. She bit back her own sarcastic remark and came to face him.
"How to do what?"
Informant looked toward the dormant ships. "How to make others follow your orders. How to gain their loyalty." He looked back at her. "The only way I know is fear."
Her eyes softened. "Are you thinking of your son?"
A sullen look filled his eyes. "And you have to tell me how you read my thoughts like that, too."
She sat beside him. "It is clear to me from the look in your eyes. Don't you know that a wolf's true feelings always show in his eyes?" She sighed. "I can see you care for your son. If you want him to trust you, you have to trust him first. You have to tell him what is really in your heart."
She could see he was struggling to hold back on one of his usual cynical remarks. "That is a vague answer," he opted to let out with a grumpy flare of his nostrils.
"Not everything is as clean-cut as a kill. What are you really afraid of, Informant?"
"Nothing!" he retorted at once.
"I think I know what it is," she pursued as though he had not spoken. She planted her frank gaze in his. "You loved another with all your heart once, but you lost her. I can only imagine how painful that must have been. You swore to yourself you would never care for another person again so as to shield yourself from that kind of pain."
Informant's eyes were shaking with resentment, but he said nothing.
"In a way, you remind me of my own father."
The anger in his eyes lifted up somewhat, replaced by curiosity. "Your father?"
"He lost my mother when I was born. He never recovered from it. He probably shielded his heart away, just like you did, and it made him a bitter person. But you are different from him," she added firmly. "You are willing to reach out to your child, to make him strong, to teach him how this world works. That is something my father was never willing to do for me."
"Are you trying to say your past is more terrible than mine?" he commented with his usual grin.
It faded when she rested her head against his shoulder. "I am saying we all have something in our past we wish we could eradicate, but we should not let it ruin our present. You were the one who taught me that wolves live in the present."
"Yes, I suppose I have forgotten it for a while," he answered.
She pushed away from him. "Show your son that you care, Informant. We don't have much time left." She left him by the docks and trotted away.
Informant watched her disappear amidst the shadowy sea of Rohirrim tents, and then reported his gaze to the sleeping ships, wondering where Gritt was tonight.
Allie found Frodo asleep by a dying campfire, with Tania huddled close to him. Sam and Merry were by his side, rolled in their respective blankets, also deep in slumber. In fact, Sam was snoring away like a seal.
She looked around at the dormant camp; there seemed to have been some kind of festivity out here and inside the Great Hall. She could smell the scent of ale in the air, as well as the remnants of roasted beef, lamb and horse.
She watched them sleep for a moment with growing tenderness before she quietly made her way to Frodo's side. She gently nudged his face with her nose, until he shifted and lifted one hand to weakly shove her muzzle away.
"No, no more," he muttered.
She poked at him again, slightly amused. Frodo frowned and suddenly buried his hand deep in her fur, pulling at it with all his strength. "Stop!" he yelled in his sleep.
Allie let out an involuntary yelp and Frodo's eyes snapped open as he lay panting with his hand still in her fur.
His eyes fell on the wolf's stunned eyes, and he hurried to let go of her when recognition set in. He looked down at his palm and his eyes widened in remorse when he noted the strands of golden fur he'd pulled off her. "Allie," he breathed, "I… I'm sorry."
He looked around, but no one seemed to have been stirred by his outburst. The golden wolf nudged his face again with concern, her nose cold against his cheek. Frodo sat with a hand to his brow as he brushed the place where he had pulled at her fur. "It was just a dream. Don't worry."
Allie hunched low in front of him, inviting him to climb on her back. Frodo took her up on her invitation, and soon enough they had left the camp behind to come to a relatively quiet area of the plains. Frodo slid down from her flank and went to sit on top of a flat rock. He was looking up at the starry skies when Allie settled down all around him with her body wound around his legs. Her back rose and fell steadily with each breath as she gazed up at him with a wide grin.
Frodo smiled back and ran a hand through the silky fur of her flank. "I had a dream about the Ring," he confessed, his smile fading. "It's been happening quite often as of late."
Her clear silver eyes looked upon him.
Frodo sighed. "I think Sauron is on the move. The image of the Ring is growing larger in my mind."
Allie watched his pale face for a moment more before she pushed up on her hindquarters to let her weight fall on his chest. Frodo groaned in surprise as he tumbled back with her on top of him. "What are you doing that for?" he exclaimed.
She started licking ferociously at his face, making him laugh. He blinked away wolf saliva and tried to push her muzzle away. "Oh, stop it, will you? I will smell like wolf again!"
Allie went on licking him quite happily and obliviously until Frodo closed his arms around her like a vise and rolled her over until he was lying on her belly.
"Stop it!" he repeated with a chuckle. "First you disturb my sleep, and now this? It must be the full moon tonight."
He lifted his head and managed to make out the full moon lower down the sky. "I knew it!"
Allie hugged him with her four legs, her snout stretched back into a large smile. Frodo rested the side of his face against her soft chest, listening to the loud thumping of her heart. Its beat was slightly faster than that of humans, resonating in his ears like a giant drum. The sound was oddly comfortingly, submerging his senses, chasing away thoughts of the Ring and the upcoming war.
Frodo let her cradle him for a few more minutes, before he rolled off to the side and looked up at her with a smile in his eyes. He lifted a hand and she rested her paw against it, her eyes swimming with moonlight.
"Allie, you look radiant tonight," he said.
The golden wolf twirled on the ground, letting out a joyous bark.
He laughed. "You are much easier to please in this form, you know?"
She eyed him in petulance with her muzzle close to the ground. When Frodo took a seat, she coiled on her legs, ready to pounce on him again.
Frodo lifted a hand to stop her. "Shh… settle down, Allie."
She stopped her antics and lay quiet on the ground, her eyes bright and attentive. Frodo bit back another chuckle and caressed her behind the ears. "Good lass." He then scratched her belly as she kicked her legs up in the air, closing her eyes in content.
He shook his head. Even if Allie denied it, some of her wolf behavior did make her much easier to please. "I heard you singing. You must have enjoyed your time with the wolves."
She perked up a bit and rolled over to rest her head on his lap. She opened her eyes again and Frodo found himself sinking into those mystifying pools of silver. He bent over and deposited a light kiss on top of her head, in between her two small ears. Allie let out a happy whine and snuggled closer.
Frodo continued scratching her behind the ears as he leaned back against the rock and let his gaze wander up to the stars once more.
He was about to drift off to sleep when Allie's fur bristled under his fingers as a low growl escaped her throat.
Frodo was immediately alert, his heart pounding. His first thought was that Sauron was here. He was here and he had caught them completely off guard!
Then he saw it; a strange white mist was materializing over their camp, eating away at the tents, the sleepers, the golden castle on its hill, and the night sky itself. Tongues of fog rose from the earth, swirling around their feet like immaterial waves.
Frodo climbed up on Allie's back, swearing when his hand did not encounter Sting, which he had left back around the campfire.
"What is this, Allie?" he pressed the wolf.
Allie sniffed at the quickly incoming wave of mist; it did not smell damp like usual fogs did. In fact, this mist had no smell at all, as though it was not there. Nonetheless, her eyes were telling her that it was enveloping them like a cloud. He felt Frodo pressing himself against her back with mounting anxiety.
"Pippin! Where are you? Are you seeing this?" she called out through the Blood.
"See what?" Pippin replied from a few miles away.
"Look towards Edoras!" she urged him. "There is a strange mist enveloping the entire city!"
Pippin's green eyes scanned the plains to the south, but the night was clear and he could even see the small dark dot of Meduseld castle on top of the hill.
"There is no mist, Allie!"
"Impossible!" she snarled back. "It's all around me! I can't see more than a few feet ahead, and I can't smell anything. This is not natural." She enlarged the conversation to reach every wolf of the pack. "Come to me!"
"Allie, look!" Frodo whispered in her ear and pointed.
The golden wolf followed his finger and saw four legged animals approaching in the mist. Were her wolves coming to her already? No, it was too soon to be them.
Her conversation with Pippin concerning the Queen of Rhovanion flashed through her mind and cold dread enveloped her entire being. Was this the Queen? Why had she come?
She backed away, one paw after the other. She could have sworn she would eventually meet the rock against which Frodo and she had been resting moments before, but her paws kept encountering empty ground in the mist.
The terrible feeling that she was backing away into the void overwhelmed her. She forced herself to stand firm. On her back, Frodo pressed his knees against her flanks, ready to jump off if she needed to fight.
"Who are you to come thus uninvited?" she barked into the mist. "Reveal yourself!"
"Glor Bereth," a musical voice resounded, seemingly from everywhere at once.
She looked around with a harsh glint in her eyes. "Queen of the Rhovanion," she called out. "Reveal yourself."
The tongues of mist seemed to thin and recede, until they all concentrated in the same spot and became a wolf with snow-white fur.
Allie's eyes narrowed at the sight of the smaller she-wolf and struggled to keep her fur from bristling in challenge. How many years had it been since she had come face to face with another Queen?
Kill her, her instincts told her. Or perhaps was it the voice of the Blood?
She scanned the surroundings for the presence of other wolves, but the Queen seemed to be alone.
"I hear you met with my Protector," Allie said with guarded eyes.
"Indeed," the white wolf answered in a pleasantly rich voice. "He is a gentle soul." Her blue eyes rested upon Frodo still perched on her back. "Could that be the Ring-bearer I have heard so much about?"
"Where have you heard that? No, never mind. Just tell me what business you have with me tonight," Allie demanded without detours, refusing to let herself be pulled into the Queen's pace.
The white wolf prowled in gentle circles around them. "Such a careful one you are, Glor Bereth. Well, did your Protector tell you he offered me to join forces with you against the darkness that is coming?"
"Are you telling me you are taking him up on his offer?"
"If I did, what would you say?"
"I would not decline your help, for these are desperate times. But why did you suddenly decide to involve yourself?"
The Queen of Rhovanion planted her sky-blue eyes in Allie's. Her voice was no longer gentle, but cutting as a blade as she proclaimed, "Sauron has split his army in three. One will come straight at you from the Great West Road, one will strike Dunharrow, and from there, close in on Edoras from behind. And the last army, shrouded in treachery, will cross the Snowbourn and come at you from the North, where they expect to catch you off guard. They not only have Orcs, goblins and giant trolls, but the Southrons allied with the Dark Lord will bring an army of Oliphants. The Nazgul will attack from the skies. War engines and catapults are heading your way by the hundreds. They have been designed to split the earth open and devour the world in flames. And Sauron, in addition to the One Ring, has acquired a large beast, a beast of shadow and fire. They have but one single thought: to crush the world of Men and Elves and yes, even wolves."
She was very close now, her blue eyes hypnotizing. "If I had not given you this information, your allies would have been caught between the anvil and the hammer. Sauron is more cunning than you think."
Frodo tugged fiercely at her neck and she blinked to snatch herself out of her trance. All the information had her mind reeling; so much power and destruction heading their way? Would they really be able to weather this storm? She retreated out of the white wolf's reach and asked, "And Sauron himself? Where will he be? And what is this beast he's acquired?"
The other Queen licked her muzzle. "That is all I foresaw. Around Sauron, the shadows deepen. There are certain things even I cannot see."
Frodo carefully glided off Allie's back and stood stiff next to her. "Is everything all right?" he asked in her ear.
She gave his shoulder a reassuring nudge.
"What do you fear?" the Queen asked curiously. "Do you fear that I am lying to you, and that I am on Sauron's side?"
The golden wolf's eyes narrowed. "You would suspect the same thing if you were in my stead. You told my Protector you would not involve yourself, yet here you are, offering this information. What has changed?"
"Nothing but my mind. You will have to accept my words as the truth if you want to receive my help and that of my pack."
When her words died down, several glinting eyes appeared in the night around them.
Allie scanned their surroundings, counting perhaps ten pairs of gleaming eyes. Was this a threat?
"No need to stand so stiff, Glor Bereth. Here, as a token of my good faith, I shall leave in your care something of great value to me."
The snow-white wolf lifted her head, exposing her throat and the steel necklace buried in the fur of her neck. The metal clasps shone silver even in the dark, and a white gemstone encrusted in the middle of that complicated collar sparkled like a star.
"This stone pertained to my Wizard staff in the young days before my transformation. It is the source of my power."
Allie did not hide her astonishment. "And you will give it to me?"
"For safe-keeping, until we can reach a common agreement."
"Fine, take it off."
The white wolf shook her head. "I cannot. Human hands put it there and human hands must take it away."
Her blue eyes rested upon Frodo. "Why don't you send forth the Ring-bearer? The mechanism is easy to handle."
Allie stood in front of Frodo protectively, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "That will never happen!"
"You still do not trust me," the Queen remarked, all melody gone from her voice.
"I do not trust any Queen," Allie bit back.
Frodo looked at the hostile posture of both wolves with growing apprehension. He had witnessed a Queen fight when he was young, and even though back then he had been very sick, he still vividly remembered how their blood had stained the snow bright red. He didn't want Allie to get hurt like that again.
"There is a simpler way for you to show your good faith," Allie said, taking a step back.
The Queen's eyes sparkled in interest. "Oh?"
The golden wolf looked over her shoulder and a small brown recruit appeared from the shadows. The white Queen's eyes narrowed at the sight of him.
"Surely you did not think my wolves would have left me alone with you?" Allie asked, not hiding the drop of sarcasm. "Contrary to your wolves showing off their presence, mine have been hiding up wind from here, where you cannot smell them."
The brown recruit dropped a waterskin on the ground in front of the golden wolf.
"You know what this is, don't you, Queen of Rhovanion? Show me your good faith and drink it."
This time, it was her turn to prowl around the white wolf, her silver eyes bearing down on her. "If you are truly a Queen, you know how dangerous it is for us to stay together in our wolf forms. If a Death Match is initiated between us by the Blood, one of us will die. We shall both drink this and talk in our other shapes." She stopped in front of her equal. "If you truly mean well, then drink!"
The white wolf let out a bark of laughter. "Very well, young Queen, I shall do as you say."
She punctured the waterskin with her paw and let the clear water spurt into her jaw. After Allie made sure she had indeed swallowed it, she bent down and lapped up the last few drops.
After that, they both sat and waited in silence.
When the horizon was turning red with the imminent rise of the sun, Allie was first to resume her hobbit shape.
Frodo fetched a blanket from a nearby tent in which Rohirrim riders still lay asleep. He crouched beside her naked form and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. She smiled at him briefly before reporting her attention back to the Queen. The white wolf let out a growl as its shape seemed to waver. Her fur receded as well, and her shape blurred for a moment before the Queen of Rhovanion appeared before them in her human form.
She was on her hands and knees. Long silver hair cascaded down her small and wrinkled frame.
When she looked up, Frodo and Allie found themselves staring into the face of an old woman. Only her blue eyes seemed young, with a light that seemed almost child-like in contrast with the rest of her body.
Another white wolf appeared next to her with a grey blanket in his jaw. The old woman took it and slowly wrapped it around herself. Her wolf collar now hung loosely around her thin neck. She closed her hands on its cold surface and passed it around her head with difficulty.
"I am not used to move in this strange body," she announced with a touch of marvel in her ageless voice. "I have heard of this water, but a part of me never truly believed in its power until now."
She stared down at her wrinkled hands. "This body has aged much. I do not even recognize it."
The morning light started eating away at the shadows of the night. The campers a few miles away from them started to stir awake, unaware of what had just transpired in their vicinity.
"Come, we should go to the castle," Allie told the other Queen. "There, you can tell King Theoden and his Council what you have just told me."
The old woman rose with some difficulty, and the white wolf immediately offered his back as a crutch on which she could take support. She handed the collar with the white gemstone to Allie, and the latter took it from her hands with unhidden reverence. The collar weighed heavier than it looked.
"I did not know she was this old," Frodo whispered to Allie on their way to Meduseld.
"Neither did I," Allie confessed. "But at least she will not be a threat for the next seven days. She told me Sauron's army is four days away, so if she is planning some mischief, she will not be able to carry through with it with her full power. But Sauron is so close, Frodo!"
Frodo returned her worried gaze, but his hand was firm when he squeezed hers. "We will be ready by then, Allie. We must."
Gandalf greeted them at the entrance to Meduseld, having felt the arrival of the Queen of Rhovanion.
"Mithrandir," the woman Wizard greeted him with a knowing smile and a sparkle in her eye.
Gandalf's eyes widened in astonishment. "Atariel!" he greeted, unable to hide his awe.
The old woman let go of the white wolf and gave her hand to Gandalf. A soft light entered her eyes. "Yes," she whispered. "Atariel, that used to be my name."
"You two know each other?" Frodo inquired.
Gandalf nodded. "We met a long time ago. I did not know she was still of this world."
"Probably because she became a Queen of wolves. She has information for us," Allie explained. "You should take her to see King Theoden, Gandalf."
From the corner of her eye, she spotted a silhouette hovering near the entrance to the Grand Hall, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Gandalf noticed as well, but paid no heed to the intruder. Instead, he took Atariel's frail arm and they started walking together toward the King's quarters. Frodo was about to follow them when the silhouette detached itself from the shadows and walked into the light. Frodo's eyes brightened at the sight of the young pirate boy.
"Gritt!" he exclaimed.
Allie looked at him curiously. He had a line between his jade eyes and a frown that seemed to be permanently etched onto his eyebrows. His hair was dark and slightly wavy.
"Frodo," Gritt acknowledged, and then he set his eyes on her again.
Frodo remembered his promise to introduce him to the Queen of Informant's pack. He placed a hand on Allie's shoulder. "Gritt, I want you to meet Allie, the Queen of wolves."
Gritt's jaw dropped. For a moment, he sized her up and down, taking in her wild hair, placid eyes and the blanket that served as only garment for her small stature. "You must be joking!" he finally exclaimed in disbelief. "This is but a child!"
"I am fairly certain I am older than you," Allie replied after sharing a look with Frodo.
Frodo waved his hands in a sign of peace. "We are Halflings, Gritt. We are older than we look."
Gritt was still frowning when Frodo caught sight of Gandalf and Atariel disappearing at a bend of the Hall. In fact, he was very much interested to hear what she had to say, since he had missed her wolf exchange with Allie.
He drew close to her and whispered in her ear, "He is Informant's son. He wishes to speak to you. Be good to the boy."
Allie rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to eat him, if that's what you fear."
Frodo smiled against her cheek. "That is good to know. I will go with Gandalf and that other Queen. I'm interested in what King Theoden will make of her information."
Allie nodded and reported her gaze back to Gritt as Frodo sprinted away to catch up with Gandalf.
An awkward silence stretched between the boy and the hobbit as they both stood there while the sun started to rise in the east, casting a slit of white light through the castle door left ajar.
Allie studied the boy with some degree of curiosity. "So you are Informant's son. I thought you would still be with the ships."
"I moved to the castle last night when Lady Eowyn brought that injured Gondorian Man."
Allie had no idea who he was talking about, so she just nodded.
"Why do you call my father informant?" Gritt asked. "His name is Prince Urithor."
Allie started walking along the main hallway of the castle, and Gritt quickly followed in her steps.
"You can think of Informant as his wolf name," she said without looking back. "It is the only name I know him by, for it is the only name he has ever given me. I have known him for twenty years, but not once did he talk about his past. I didn't even know he had a son, until now."
"It sounds like my father," Gritt grunted. And then, "Where are you going?"
They passed by the Great Hall, where remnants of the banquet from the night before still lay scattered around. Amongst those remnants were Gimli and Eomer, both snoring loudly with pints of half finished beer on the table in front of them.
Allie paused and looked at the scene with a slight smile on her lips. "Did you enjoy the festivities last night?"
Gritt was taken aback at the change in topic. He shuffled on his feet. "Not really. It was all a little forced."
One grey eye peeked at him. "Forced?"
Gritt crossed his arms. "Yes, well, all the folk were forcing themselves to get to know each other and to act cheerful, but deep down everyone was well aware this was probably the last time we'd get to eat and celebrate."
It made sense for the atmosphere to have been like that. She suspected Merry probably did his best to entertain everyone with songs from the Shire, but even his heart must have been heavy, too.
The way Gritt spat out the truth without thinking twice about it reminded her of Informant. He was definitely the black wolf's progeny. "So what is it you really want to ask me, Gritt?" she let out as she leaned against the door to the Great Hall.
Gritt met her eyes and found heat rising to his cheeks in spite of himself. "So it is true that you are my father's leader?"
"Yes and no. The hierarchy of wolves is a complicated system, one I have no time to explain to you in detail. All packs need a leader in title, and I am it. But I regard your father and the others as my equals. I value their opinion and I consult them regarding all the important decisions. Your father and three others are leaders themselves amidst the pack."
"But you have the last word," the boy's jade eyes were riveted to her face.
"Yes."
Gritt snatched his gaze away. "I have a hard time imagining my father complying with anyone else's orders. I have not known him for long, but I can see that at least."
Allie knew then what was really on the boy's mind. Somewhere deep in his heart, he was aware his time with his father was starting to trickle away, like sand in an hourglass.
Gritt startled when he felt her hand on his shoulder. "Yes, you have seen right. In truth, your father rarely listens to me, and most of the time we are fighting because of our strong differences in opinion. He is strong-willed and full of his own convictions. He puts up such a thick façade that he seems cold and implacable to others, but he cares, in his own way."
Gritt bit his lip and thought back to all the interactions with his father on their ship ride here, but he couldn't remember a single instance in which his father seemed to care, other than when he had lost his hand. Though his eyes had been veiled by pain then. Perhaps he hadn't even seen right.
"Do you love the parents who raised you?" Allie's voice snatched him away from his thoughts.
"Yes… They are only fishermen, but they have always treated me right. My mother used to read me stories when I was little, and my father always saved the best parts of the fish he caught for me to eat. They were crying when the pirates took me away."
"And you wish Urithor would do the same as your other father," Allie concluded with a sigh.
Gritt turned away from her and from the sight of the spent banquet behind her. "I know he will never love me. I am only a stranger to him. He only wants me to take over his ships when he can no longer turn back to being human. Well, he can dream! I am going home after all this is over, and I will not spare a second look to his wrecked ships which stink of blood!" He finished his last word as a yell that echoed in the Great Hall.
A few feet away, Eomer groaned and turned his face the other way as he continued sleeping on the table.
"Your father cares for you in his own way…" Allie repeated.
"Enough of that!" Gritt shouted as he faced her. "In his own way that remains invisible to me? That is the same as him not caring at all."
Allie placed a strand of hair behind her ear, thinking of how she could explain things to this young boy.
Gritt protested when she took hold of his wrist, but she reaffirmed her hold and tugged at him until she led him to one of the windows giving down to the courtyard below.
Gritt watched as she looked out of the window. The furious words of protest at being brought here against his will died in his throat when he saw the tender smile that came onto her face. He looked in the same direction and saw a small pack of wolves down in the courtyard by the castle, lying on their bellies, basking in the dawn with their eyes closed.
With a tug to his heart, he recognized his father amongst them. His black fur shone brightly in the light of morning, and Gritt had never seen him look so peaceful and so small as he snuggled close to two other wolves with his eyes shut. As though feeling Gritt's eyes on him, the black wolf lifted his head and peered up at their window with yellow eyes.
Gritt drew back in a hurry behind the cover of the wall.
"There is a side of him you do not know," Allie started gently. "And of course, there is a side of you that he does not know either. He loved your mother with all his heart, Gritt, and when he lost her, a part of him died with her. When he became a wolf, he chose to throw away his past and all the memories that came with it. Can you blame him? He must have been in such pain. But by throwing away his past, he also closed off his heart to everything and everyone. While your adoptive mother read your stories and your adoptive father fed you, your father was on his own after he had lost everything. The only thing he had was being a wolf, and he devoted himself to that task with more passion than any other wolf I know."
Gritt's eyes were very deep as he listened to her. Allie slowly let go of his wrist when he was no longer making efforts to break free.
"The wolves share a link of consciousness, so I know how your father feels about you. I know you cannot partake in that same link, so you will have to take my word for it. But he does care about you, Gritt. Not just because he wants you to inherit the ships, but because he truly wants you to become a man strong enough to face anything that this world throws at you. And the only way he knows to how express that desire is through cynical words and harsh commands because he has forgotten how else to say what is in his heart."
Gently, she pushed Gritt until he was standing in front of the window again. The boy gripped the edge with both hands and forced himself to look down at the courtyard.
Informant was no longer lying down, but standing up with his muzzle lifted toward the castle window. When he saw Gritt reappear, he gave him a small nod.
Allie put a hand on his shoulder. "He does not have much time left as a Man. If he drinks the water again, he will go back to being human for one last day. Please be patient with him, Gritt. I know how consternating his actions can be, but still, do not be angry with him. Do not hate him. He's had enough of that all his life."
Gritt's chin quivered, and then he pressed his hands against his eyes as silent tears ran down his cheeks. Allie said nothing, but simply stood behind him with her hand on his heaving shoulder.
After awhile, Gritt recomposed himself and turned away from the window. The black wolf was no longer in the courtyard.
Without a word, he turned away from Allie and started down the hallway. Allie watched him leave as she clasped the blanket around her body and wondered whether she had been able to give him some comfort.
Just before he walked out of earshot, he paused and said without turning back. "Thank you for telling me about my father."
Allie smiled at his back. "You are welcome."
Allie turned away and walked back to Frodo's room, intending to go change into the new set of clothes she had purchased in Rohan. After all, she could not spend her day wrapped in only a blanket. As she walked along the hallways interspersed with windows from which the early morning sunlight pierced through as rectangles of light, she couldn't help but feel happy about the discussion she'd had with Gritt.
He was a good boy; he was passionate about the things he cared about, just like Informant. She could see the resemblance in character. If father and son could manage to understand each other, she would be ecstatic for them both.
As she skipped from one rectangle of light to the next, her thoughts turned toward her own father. Would she see him again? Would she even want to? What would she say to him if she did? Even if he remembered her, he would welcome her with nothing but hatred, she was sure.
The thought was not so disconsolate anymore. Besides, she had a feeling she would never again return to the Shire, no matter what the outcome of this war would be.
Suddenly, she stopped cold in her tracks. The fine hairs at the back of her neck stood on edge as her fingers turned cold.
She was standing in one of the rectangles of sunlight, but the warmth of the sun could no longer reach her. She didn't know how long she stood there, with one foot in front of the other, frozen in mid-step.
Birds were chirping right outside the window, and a spring breeze carried in the scent of firewood and the murmurs of conversation from the folk coming awake. However, she remained deaf and unfeeling to them all.
Slowly, very slowly, she turned hollow eyes onto the door at her right, standing like an ominous beacon opposite the hallway window.
The door hung ajar, and the darkness beyond beckoned.
Allie forced herself to swallow and staggered toward that door. She lifted a hand to push it all the way open, faintly registering the gooseflesh now covering her forearm.
The door slid open without a sound, giving way to an empty and ordinary room. Allie scanned it from corner to corner, but except for a bed, a night table and a closet, it was empty. The feeling of horror lodged deep inside her chest refused to fade.
The sheets looked used, as though someone had slept in them. She wanted to run away from that room, but instead her feet carried her forward and into the gloom.
She walked until she reached the closet at the far end. She held on to the latch with her heart galloping in her throat, and pulled on it. The creaking sound of the hinges seemed to go on forever in the empty room until the closet lay wide open like the gaping mouth of some monster.
Inside it stood a shelf.
On that shelf were two objects wrapped in white cloth. One was circular in shape, and the other irregular-looking, like a bottle.
"No," Allie whispered to herself.
Her hand seemed to rise by itself to reach for the bottle-shaped object. She took it off the shelf and unwrapped the cloth with fingers that felt rigid with frost. When the white sheet fell away at her feet, she suppressed the urge to scream.
She was holding the flask with a puddle of Blood inside.
She recognized it now.
How could she have even forgotten that Gandalf had pulled it out of her?
The Blood inside twirled lazily, layers upon layers of viscous and slimy red. At the back of her mind, someone was singing a song, which she recognized and remembered at once. That voice belonged to the minstrel who had kept her prisoner in her own mind.
The melody started fluctuating inside her mind, now fast, now slow.
Allie didn't know for how long she stood there in Gandalf's room, holding on to the bottle of Blood, until the melody inside her head morphed into words.
"Allie," it sang. "Allie. Allie. Allie."
"Blood," the word fell from Allie's lips like a stone.
"Put me back together, Allie."
The hobbit drew in a shuddering breath and forced clarity back to her mind. She had sworn she would not let it take over her again. She put the flask back on the shelf and wiped her hands on the blanket as though she had just touched a spider.
"To avoid death, you must put me back together."
"No," she murmured. "I am done listening to you!"
"Allie. Allie. Allie," it sang. "Frodo is going to die."
She covered her ears with both hands and glared at the flask of Blood. "Lies!" she shouted. "That is not going to happen!"
"Do not misunderstand me. I am on your side. I am warning you. None of the Ring-bearers will live. He will not let them live. You know whom I speak of."
"Lies and more lies," Allie snarled. "You are not on my side!"
"I know of your plans. What you wish for can only happen if you put me back together."
Allie dug her nails into her palm. "I will only do that as last resort. I only need to swallow you then, don't I?"
"Allie. Allie. Not just me. You know what you must do."
Horror and disgust sank her teeth into her. "No," she whimpered. "No, I will never do that! I cannot possibly do that!"
"What is wrong, Allie? You have been doing it all along."
For a long time, she stood silent in front of that shelf. Then, she lifted her head and closed her hand around the cold glass of the flask. Its touch made her shudder, but she did not take her hand away. "If I put you back together, you will leave the wolves?"
"Yes."
"What will become of us then?"
"You will forget me. Forget yourselves. Forget everything. You all died already the day you were bitten. I am the only power that anchors your consciousness to this earthly body. Without me as the anchor, you will go wherever souls go after death."
Allie's knees started buckling, but she held on to that flask and glared at the Blood. "And what of this wolf body?"
"The wolf body will go on existing as a wolf. But you, Allie, you will cease to exist. And so will all the others. Everything comes with a price, Allie."
When she remained silent, the Blood added, "You understand now?"
A stillness came over her. A wave of calm. Her eyes were very big as she studied the swirling Blood inside the flask. "Yes, you have made yourself clear," she answered in a stranger's voice. "I have only one request."
"What is it?"
Allie started speaking, and the Blood listened.
Allie stopped outside the door to Frodo's room and stood looking at a scratch in the wood for long seconds. Finally, she pushed it open and paused on the threshold looking in.
Frodo was already back from the meeting with Gandalf, Theoden and Atariel. He stood pensively at the window with his back to the door. The morning breeze made his dark curls tumble.
He startled and then smiled when he felt familiar arms wrap around his torso from behind. He placed his hand on top of hers.
"Did you just finish talking with Gritt?" he asked.
"Mmhm," she mumbled.
Frodo was surprised. "That was a long talk. What did you discuss with him?"
"His father," she answered into his back.
Frodo felt her shift behind him, and then her lips were against his neck. He couldn't help smiling as he turned around to face her.
Her grey eyes had a naked look to them that gave him pause.
"How did it go with King Theoden?" she asked before he could inquire further.
Frodo's eyes became serious again. "Atariel's information will prove valuable in planning our strategy. Theoden will finish the preparations and we will start moving the troops by tonight. Legolas was there as well, and he suggested an interesting idea. Did you know that Rohan has catapults? Well, he thinks…"
Allie suddenly drew him close and cut him off with a kiss. When Frodo recovered from his surprise, he cupped her chin and kissed her back with a small laugh.
"You little brat, why did you ask me how it went if you are not interested in the answer?"
However, Allie wasn't smiling. "Frodo," she started, and then bit her lip.
"What is it?" Frodo prompted, losing his smile as well.
"I am not going to turn you into a wolf," she dropped almost casually.
Frodo leaned back against the windowsill, his blue eyes guarded. "What is this all about?"
"I thought about it," she said. "And I just don't want to."
"Well, that is quite selfish, don't you think?" Frodo retorted. "I made my decision back then. If you are still worried about us losing our memories if the Blood leaves…"
"We were not thinking when we made that decision," Allie interrupted. "You are the Ring-bearer. You have a task assigned to you during this war, and that is to steal the Ring back. You can't do it as a wolf. The Ring will make you sick."
"Even if I drink the Ent water?" Frodo asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yes," she said, " do you remember how sick Pippin was when we rescued you from Barad-Dur?"
Frodo remained silent. It was true he had not thought it through. He turned away from her to look out the window.
Allie waited behind him for a long time, looking down at her feet, still wrapped in that rough blanket.
Frodo let out a sigh. When he faced her once more, he looked tired, almost haggard.
"Are you mad?" Allie asked in a small voice.
Frodo wiped at his face, and let out a bitter chuckle. "No, Allie. Strangely, I feel a bit relieved."
Allie stared up into his blue eyes once more. Frodo shrugged a little. "If I have to be honest with myself, I started having some second thoughts as well."
"You did?"
Frodo's gaze held hers. "I don't know the joys of a pack like you do, Allie. I know your true family is with the wolves, but I suppose that mine is not. I am a hobbit at heart and that is who I will be until the day I die. But the main reason why I hesitated is because I started realizing I don't want to risk losing all memories of me and you."
Frodo's eyes filled with aching love as he held her hand and pressed it to his lips. "If you are gone, it will hurt and I will be lonely, but I still want to remember you. I want to remember that night in the cabin with the lambskins, that time in Caradhras when you said you loved me for the first time." He caressed her trembling lip. "I want to remember the first time I saw you in that wild field of grass beside your smial in Buckland when I was ten. I even want to remember the times we fought or disagreed. I just want to remember I love someone like you."
She clenched her blanket a bit tighter. When she trusted her voice not to break, she said, "You always know what to say to me, don't you, Frodo Baggins?"
He rested his hand on the small of her back, feeling the curve of her body beneath the rough fabric. "It's the truth."
Allie let go of her blanket, cupped his face with both hands and kissed him. As Frodo held her, the blanket came loose and glided a few inches down her back.
When the kiss stopped, she was crying, but she was smiling too. And never did she look so beautiful to him than in that instant.
"All right," she whispered. "Let us make one more memory for you to remember, then."
Frodo nudged her nose with his as his heart started thumping a bit faster. "Really?"
"The best memory yet," she proclaimed with a smile full of promises.
He pressed his palms against the burning skin of her back beneath that wild hair as she let her blanket glide all the way down to the floor, falling in a heap around her feet.
As they made love to each other, Allie truly wished this could be the last memory of them she left him with. It was a perfect moment, except perhaps for the thoughts in her head. But the way she touched him and he touched her back, the way she kissed him and he kissed her back, the way she racked her hand through his hair and he held her waist, they were all perfect in that moment that seemed to stand still in time.
Allie wished she could shelter him from everything that was going to happen after, but knew such a way did not exist.
So she made love to him like it was their last time.
Afterwards, as they lay on his bed with their limbs tangled together and morning now well underway outside their window, Allie played with the half-moon pendant resting against his chest. "You said my true family is with the wolves and that is true. But my home is with you."
Frodo played with a strand of her hair with his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face. "What does that mean?"
She was pensive for a while, and then she was looking at him with those piercing grey eyes of hers. "I guess it means that I will always, always, return to you. Remember that as well, Frodo Baggins."
Hey guys!
Another long chapter. Well, since it takes me so long to update, I gotta make 'em long, right? XD If you are still reading this story, let me know you are still there! It means a lot of to me to hear from my readers, even if it's just to say hello :)
Uchiha no Kaori: Lol the fluff, yes the fluff! Thanks so much for loving the story! I think you are one of the few left who still follow it (at least, you're one of the few who still leaves comments), so for that, I'm really happy and grateful! Yes, I left the light of Earendil as a cliffhanger in the other chapter eh? It will come into play in the future, but maybe not in the way that you expect! ;) Or at least I think so, I don't know what you think is going to happen haha! Thanks for the comment! Take care!
DesolationDeath: Hi there! Thank you for your... 10 or so reviews! Wow, I was really amazed! Thanks for all the compliments and suggestions! Loved reading about them, especially those coming from earlier chapters, since I wrote those... years ago now, I guess! Wow, trip down memory lane at this point. I really have to go back to read some of my earlier chapters too haha. Anyway, I hope that you're still with me! Thank you!
