Three Ugly Statues
"But he's not Gandalf. And I don't like the looks of him," Sam warned.
She lowered her voice, as the Hobbits and their horse Bill walked steadily behind Strider. "To make it simple, there's two sides; good and evil. Now evil was the feeling we all got when we saw those Black Riders."
Sam shuddered hearing about it. "I certainly didn't get that same feeling from meeting him."
"Neither did I."
"I wonder where he's taking us?"
"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee. To the House of Elrond," Strider announced, some distance ahead of them.
Instead of being surprised that he'd overheard them, Sam seemed excited by this. "Rivendell? We're going to see the Elves!" he exclaimed.
Laura now wanted very badly to talk to this man. He had known her father? That alone was a very big deal. If her father was known on Middle- Earth, that meant that somebody had to have some information about him. Her father, Luke Skywalker, was the last remaining Jedi. She'd actually spent a small part of her life with Ben Kenobi, and during that time had met him. Only for some reason she couldn't understand at the time, she wasn't allowed to tell him she was his daughter. She now knew that it would have been a terrible risk to take if he'd been aware of her being another Jedi. But, she let the fact slip anyway and now wondered where he was. Could he be on Middle-Earth? Most likely not.
She was interrupted from her daze when Strider stopped. He looked up at what seemed to be a mountain top. She looked at him as his hair blew in the wind. He seemed depressed to her. A lone ranger. Again, she had a flash of a king. Only this time, they were standing in a white city. By his side stood a woman who looked like an older, much more beautiful version of her. Was she seeing the future? Was that woman her?
Again she snapped back to reality and shook her head. Strider looked at her. "This is the watchtower of Amon Sul. We shall stay here tonight," he informed all of them.
They climbed the tower, which seemed to be a bunch of rocks falling apart. Strider and the Hobbits were making a big fuss over something that had been carved in one of the rocks. He kept saying it might have been from Gandalf, whom they were following. She'd actually forgotten all about him. She looked down from the edge of the tower and sighed. Would she ever get home? Out here she was cold and uncomfortable.
Strider left the Hobbits each with their own sword and tapped Laura on the shoulder. "Come on," he said in a low voice. "We're going to have a look around."
She knew what that meant. She cautiously climbed down the tower after him. "Strider..." she began before they even got down the hill, "what does it mean by you knowing my father? Why was he on Middle-Earth?"
He did not stop walking, but stole a glance at her unsurely. "I'm not sure how to answer the questions you ask me, for the context of the answers is not mine to tell you."
Okay. Whatever that meant. "Okay...so what about my father? Is he here?"
"No, he is dead," he said solemnly.
"Huh. Well, I can't say I'm surprised," she said glumly.
"He was a good man. Very bold, very passionate. But towards the end of knowing him, it seemed that his heart was not in the right place," Strider explained to her.
She stopped in her tracks. "Strider, where am I? And what do you know that I don't? Please...tell me," she begged.
He slowly looked at her. "Then we must start at the beginning. How did you get here? Where did you come from?"
"A place called Earth. I...I woke up somewhere in the Shire and then met Gandalf. That's all I know."
He studied her quickly, thinking. Then he shook his head. "I do not know the reason you came to this place or how, but it seems to add the evergrowing darkness of these times. Did Gandalf tell you anything? I know he speaks in riddles."
"He acted like he remembered me. He said it had been 13 years since I'd left...um, he did tell me not to remain in the Shire."
"So it was his will for you to come with the Hobbits."
"I guess so. I don't know where we're going, though."
Aragorn took a breath. "He seems to know much more than I can begin to suspect about this. If it was his will for you to come with Frodo, than I shall protect you as I would them. But it seems odd that along with a group of young Hobbits, a child comes also. I fear for your very future."
She shrugged. "I'm the daughter of the most wanted man in the galaxy. It happens."
A shriek brought her and Strider to back to where there conversation was leading them away from. She looked at him, frightened. It was coming from the direction of the tower! Without his consent, she took off towards the tower. They had been so deep in conversation, she hadn't even noticed how far away they were.
Finally she caught sight of the tower. There was movement and yelling at the top. Strider quickly held her back. "Stay by my side," he commanded.
She grinned. She always took those words to mean "FIGHT!" She hurried to the top, where there were about four or five of those wretched black things running around the Hobbits, who looked deathly afraid. Strider was battling one with a torch he'd lit from the fire in the middle.
She quickly caught on and joined him in lighting Ringwraiths on fire. As she targeted her last one, she heard a gruesome cry behind her. It sounded like Frodo had been shot. Sam was already beside him as she hurried over. He'd been stabbed by one of the wraiths! She put his hand over the wound, causing him to cry out again in pain. With her other hand, she held his.
"Frodo, don't worry. You're going to be fine," she reassured him as Strider rushed over. He picked up the sword, but the blade turned to ash.
"He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade," Strider said with a touch of desperation in his voice. "He needs Elvish medicine." He picked up Frodo and they began exiting the tower, hurrying through the woods to where three large and hideous statues loomed. Frodo was set down just below the statues. He was covered with a cold sweat, and his eyes were fogging up.
"Sam!" Strider cried. "Do you know the Aphalas plant?"
"Aphalas?" Sam asked, confused.
"Kingsfoil."
"Kingsfoil, aye, it's a weed."
"Look for some, it may help to slow the poison."
He and Sam set off in different directions. Laura looked up at the three hideous stone statues. They were ugly creatures, and all three of them seemed to be arguing over something. Someone just carved ugly statues in the middle of forests? This was a strange place.
"But he's not Gandalf. And I don't like the looks of him," Sam warned.
She lowered her voice, as the Hobbits and their horse Bill walked steadily behind Strider. "To make it simple, there's two sides; good and evil. Now evil was the feeling we all got when we saw those Black Riders."
Sam shuddered hearing about it. "I certainly didn't get that same feeling from meeting him."
"Neither did I."
"I wonder where he's taking us?"
"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee. To the House of Elrond," Strider announced, some distance ahead of them.
Instead of being surprised that he'd overheard them, Sam seemed excited by this. "Rivendell? We're going to see the Elves!" he exclaimed.
Laura now wanted very badly to talk to this man. He had known her father? That alone was a very big deal. If her father was known on Middle- Earth, that meant that somebody had to have some information about him. Her father, Luke Skywalker, was the last remaining Jedi. She'd actually spent a small part of her life with Ben Kenobi, and during that time had met him. Only for some reason she couldn't understand at the time, she wasn't allowed to tell him she was his daughter. She now knew that it would have been a terrible risk to take if he'd been aware of her being another Jedi. But, she let the fact slip anyway and now wondered where he was. Could he be on Middle-Earth? Most likely not.
She was interrupted from her daze when Strider stopped. He looked up at what seemed to be a mountain top. She looked at him as his hair blew in the wind. He seemed depressed to her. A lone ranger. Again, she had a flash of a king. Only this time, they were standing in a white city. By his side stood a woman who looked like an older, much more beautiful version of her. Was she seeing the future? Was that woman her?
Again she snapped back to reality and shook her head. Strider looked at her. "This is the watchtower of Amon Sul. We shall stay here tonight," he informed all of them.
They climbed the tower, which seemed to be a bunch of rocks falling apart. Strider and the Hobbits were making a big fuss over something that had been carved in one of the rocks. He kept saying it might have been from Gandalf, whom they were following. She'd actually forgotten all about him. She looked down from the edge of the tower and sighed. Would she ever get home? Out here she was cold and uncomfortable.
Strider left the Hobbits each with their own sword and tapped Laura on the shoulder. "Come on," he said in a low voice. "We're going to have a look around."
She knew what that meant. She cautiously climbed down the tower after him. "Strider..." she began before they even got down the hill, "what does it mean by you knowing my father? Why was he on Middle-Earth?"
He did not stop walking, but stole a glance at her unsurely. "I'm not sure how to answer the questions you ask me, for the context of the answers is not mine to tell you."
Okay. Whatever that meant. "Okay...so what about my father? Is he here?"
"No, he is dead," he said solemnly.
"Huh. Well, I can't say I'm surprised," she said glumly.
"He was a good man. Very bold, very passionate. But towards the end of knowing him, it seemed that his heart was not in the right place," Strider explained to her.
She stopped in her tracks. "Strider, where am I? And what do you know that I don't? Please...tell me," she begged.
He slowly looked at her. "Then we must start at the beginning. How did you get here? Where did you come from?"
"A place called Earth. I...I woke up somewhere in the Shire and then met Gandalf. That's all I know."
He studied her quickly, thinking. Then he shook his head. "I do not know the reason you came to this place or how, but it seems to add the evergrowing darkness of these times. Did Gandalf tell you anything? I know he speaks in riddles."
"He acted like he remembered me. He said it had been 13 years since I'd left...um, he did tell me not to remain in the Shire."
"So it was his will for you to come with the Hobbits."
"I guess so. I don't know where we're going, though."
Aragorn took a breath. "He seems to know much more than I can begin to suspect about this. If it was his will for you to come with Frodo, than I shall protect you as I would them. But it seems odd that along with a group of young Hobbits, a child comes also. I fear for your very future."
She shrugged. "I'm the daughter of the most wanted man in the galaxy. It happens."
A shriek brought her and Strider to back to where there conversation was leading them away from. She looked at him, frightened. It was coming from the direction of the tower! Without his consent, she took off towards the tower. They had been so deep in conversation, she hadn't even noticed how far away they were.
Finally she caught sight of the tower. There was movement and yelling at the top. Strider quickly held her back. "Stay by my side," he commanded.
She grinned. She always took those words to mean "FIGHT!" She hurried to the top, where there were about four or five of those wretched black things running around the Hobbits, who looked deathly afraid. Strider was battling one with a torch he'd lit from the fire in the middle.
She quickly caught on and joined him in lighting Ringwraiths on fire. As she targeted her last one, she heard a gruesome cry behind her. It sounded like Frodo had been shot. Sam was already beside him as she hurried over. He'd been stabbed by one of the wraiths! She put his hand over the wound, causing him to cry out again in pain. With her other hand, she held his.
"Frodo, don't worry. You're going to be fine," she reassured him as Strider rushed over. He picked up the sword, but the blade turned to ash.
"He's been stabbed by a Morgul blade," Strider said with a touch of desperation in his voice. "He needs Elvish medicine." He picked up Frodo and they began exiting the tower, hurrying through the woods to where three large and hideous statues loomed. Frodo was set down just below the statues. He was covered with a cold sweat, and his eyes were fogging up.
"Sam!" Strider cried. "Do you know the Aphalas plant?"
"Aphalas?" Sam asked, confused.
"Kingsfoil."
"Kingsfoil, aye, it's a weed."
"Look for some, it may help to slow the poison."
He and Sam set off in different directions. Laura looked up at the three hideous stone statues. They were ugly creatures, and all three of them seemed to be arguing over something. Someone just carved ugly statues in the middle of forests? This was a strange place.