Chapter Four: Gandalf the Grey
"So you're not telling me where it is," Katie said as they continued their journey.
"I'm telling you, I don't know what it's called. I was a prisoner there for a short time. But I can lead you there."
"How do we know you aren't lying?"
"Cause I'm not," Beth said simply. "You'll just have to believe me."
Katie was not enjoying this. She wanted to be the leader....to look strong and tough for Pippin...but she wasn't getting the chance. "Well, you showed him that last night," Katie thought to herself. Then again, maybe he didn't want a strong and tough person. Maybe he was so sick of following people around that he wanted to be the leader.
She walked over to him. "Pip," she said, stepping over a stray tree branch, "How are you today?"
"Never better," he replied, putting his arm around her shoulder, a peculiar sight with Katie being slightly taller than him.
"Where are you going when this is over?" Katie asked.
"Back to the Shire I suppose....what about you?"
"I don't know, I was thinking about building myself a little hobbit hole. Living in trees is beginning to bore me."
"That poses possibilities," Pip said with a smile.
Kayla looked at Katie oddly. "You wouldn't last five minutes in a hobbit hole, you stupid ho. You're afraid of being underground, just like you're afraid of bridges, butterflies...."
"Shut up. Stupid ho."
"That's me!"
Sam and Rosie were talking quietly to each other in the back of the group. Always eager to interrupt personal moments, Kayla bounded back there and began disturbing them.
"Hello, how are we today?" she asked.
"We were talking about the fact that if Torak uses sorcery, we're in trouble," Rosie replied.
Kayla thought a minute about that. "Indeed we are. Dryad sorcery is very limited...you know what this means?"
"What?" Sam asked.
"We need Gandalf."
"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize that," Katie said, coming back to join them. "Luckily, we will be meeting up with Gandalf. Beth used the sorcery she has from her half-elven heritage to contact him, and he will be meeting us at the place where Torak is now....which I still don't know where it is, Beth won't tell me...."
"HAHA! Stupid ho!" Kayla said gleefully.
"Shut up," Katie said absently.
They continued their journey, having no idea where they were going. But Beth obviously did, as she led them with speed and confidence. Merry was following her like a little puppy....you could almost see his tongue hanging out, but maybe that was for other reasons....
They stopped in a small grove of trees around nightfall and set up camp. Katie and Kayla looked for firewood while the hobbits and Beth tried to make some form of shelter. Katie and Kayla didn't plan on using their forms of shelter – they'd be more comfortable sleeping in the trees.
"This is pretty good," Pip said, after they had got a fire going and the food cooked. "What is it?"
"Human flesh," Katie replied smoothly.
Six blank faces stared up at her. Kayla just giggled in the background.
"I was joking," Katie said, "It's actually rabbit."
There was a collective sigh of relief.
"Dryads were once known for their cannibalistic nature," a voice said from the shadows. Everyone turned to look, and saw a tall old man tugging at his beard. "But that was back in the beginnings of Middle Earth, of course."
"Gandalf!" Frodo shouted, and all the hobbits except Rosie ran up and hugged him. "We were wondering if you'd be coming back."
"The Grey Havens aren't for me," Gandalf said, "I need to be roaming around Middle Earth somewhere to be happy....I was in the Shire last night."
"We were in Bree," Frodo said. "At the Prancing Pony."
"Well, doesn't that bring back memories," Gandalf chuckled. "Well, if I were you, I'd get some sleep. If today wasn't a long day for you, tomorrow will be, and I have lots of things to tell you."
"So you're not telling me where it is," Katie said as they continued their journey.
"I'm telling you, I don't know what it's called. I was a prisoner there for a short time. But I can lead you there."
"How do we know you aren't lying?"
"Cause I'm not," Beth said simply. "You'll just have to believe me."
Katie was not enjoying this. She wanted to be the leader....to look strong and tough for Pippin...but she wasn't getting the chance. "Well, you showed him that last night," Katie thought to herself. Then again, maybe he didn't want a strong and tough person. Maybe he was so sick of following people around that he wanted to be the leader.
She walked over to him. "Pip," she said, stepping over a stray tree branch, "How are you today?"
"Never better," he replied, putting his arm around her shoulder, a peculiar sight with Katie being slightly taller than him.
"Where are you going when this is over?" Katie asked.
"Back to the Shire I suppose....what about you?"
"I don't know, I was thinking about building myself a little hobbit hole. Living in trees is beginning to bore me."
"That poses possibilities," Pip said with a smile.
Kayla looked at Katie oddly. "You wouldn't last five minutes in a hobbit hole, you stupid ho. You're afraid of being underground, just like you're afraid of bridges, butterflies...."
"Shut up. Stupid ho."
"That's me!"
Sam and Rosie were talking quietly to each other in the back of the group. Always eager to interrupt personal moments, Kayla bounded back there and began disturbing them.
"Hello, how are we today?" she asked.
"We were talking about the fact that if Torak uses sorcery, we're in trouble," Rosie replied.
Kayla thought a minute about that. "Indeed we are. Dryad sorcery is very limited...you know what this means?"
"What?" Sam asked.
"We need Gandalf."
"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize that," Katie said, coming back to join them. "Luckily, we will be meeting up with Gandalf. Beth used the sorcery she has from her half-elven heritage to contact him, and he will be meeting us at the place where Torak is now....which I still don't know where it is, Beth won't tell me...."
"HAHA! Stupid ho!" Kayla said gleefully.
"Shut up," Katie said absently.
They continued their journey, having no idea where they were going. But Beth obviously did, as she led them with speed and confidence. Merry was following her like a little puppy....you could almost see his tongue hanging out, but maybe that was for other reasons....
They stopped in a small grove of trees around nightfall and set up camp. Katie and Kayla looked for firewood while the hobbits and Beth tried to make some form of shelter. Katie and Kayla didn't plan on using their forms of shelter – they'd be more comfortable sleeping in the trees.
"This is pretty good," Pip said, after they had got a fire going and the food cooked. "What is it?"
"Human flesh," Katie replied smoothly.
Six blank faces stared up at her. Kayla just giggled in the background.
"I was joking," Katie said, "It's actually rabbit."
There was a collective sigh of relief.
"Dryads were once known for their cannibalistic nature," a voice said from the shadows. Everyone turned to look, and saw a tall old man tugging at his beard. "But that was back in the beginnings of Middle Earth, of course."
"Gandalf!" Frodo shouted, and all the hobbits except Rosie ran up and hugged him. "We were wondering if you'd be coming back."
"The Grey Havens aren't for me," Gandalf said, "I need to be roaming around Middle Earth somewhere to be happy....I was in the Shire last night."
"We were in Bree," Frodo said. "At the Prancing Pony."
"Well, doesn't that bring back memories," Gandalf chuckled. "Well, if I were you, I'd get some sleep. If today wasn't a long day for you, tomorrow will be, and I have lots of things to tell you."