Chapter 4: Mr. Needles

The morning arrived full of new things. Aunie was the first to awake. She jumped out of the bed and crept to one of the windows. She decided not to open the shade quite yet. Let the others sleep. Instead, she crawled under the long draping curtains. Standing on the small cushioned bench that stood hidden behind the curtains, the leaned against the windowsill and looked out. The island was beyond beautiful in the morning light. Directly below the window were gardens. But they were more than gardens. They were huge, twisting structures built out of plants. Sam would be pleased. Aunie smiled to herself and pressed her nose against the glass. To her surprise, the window creaked open under the slightest strain. She pushed the glass further, making the window swing the rest of the way open. Aunie took a deep breath. The day smelled new, like sea air and newborn flowers. This part of The House was not facing the sea, but Aunie could hear the even heartbeat of the waves pulsing against the sunburned sand almost as if it were a part of her.
She decided to risk opening the curtains. After a moment of exploration, she discovered that they could be opened by pulling on a rope hanging from the ceiling. Grinning, Aunie took hold of the rope and climbed up the curtains clutching it in her jaws. When she got to the top, she took it in her paws and swung out, pulling the shades open.
Golden island light spilled into the room, mingling with the sound of Aunie's soft laughter. Still attempting to be quiet enough to let them sleep, she scampered to their luggage and began sorting and re-packing for the day's journey.
It was not long until Pulin was awakened by Aunie's bustling and muttering, no matter how much she tried to whisper and keep from giggling. He sat up, yawning, and said, 'I would expect you to be up first.'
Aunie laughed and walked over to his bed. 'Well, why not? It's a new day, full of promise and adventure!'
'And danger,' said Pulin. 'Don't you forget, my brother is dangerous. We're not playing adventure games any more, Aunie.'
Aunie shrugged. 'I didn't know we ever were playing. It's not as if there's anything to go back to, though. Just think, Pulin: This is our new life. This is where we're going to call home now. Lothlorien won't ever disappear from our hearts, but it can disappear from Middle-earth right enough.' She crossed her arms, looking at Pulin. Pulin looked back, surprised at the young one's understanding of the situation. He began to wonder exactly what she did know.
But he didn't have much time to wonder. As soon as Aunie found that his mind was elsewhere, she leaped onto his bed and attacked his feet. Growling and laughing, Pulin jumped back. Soon they were lost in an endless tangle of bedding, each trying to tie the other up in a net of sheets. It wasn't long before they both rolled right off the bed. It took them a moment to fond their way out of the sheets, but when they did, they realized that a third voice had joined in their laughter.
Sam, as always a light sleeper, was sitting on his bed watching them. Pulin looked at Aunie and winked. Aunie grinned back in response, then they both grabbed Sam's hands and pulled him down onto the floor as well. The wrestling game was begun again, this time ending with Sam having captured both Aunie and Pulin in a net of sheets.
Their game was ended entirely when a knock was heard at the door. Aunie ran off to answer it while Sam and Pulin got the bedding up off of the floor.
'Good morning!' A cheery voice said as Aunie pulled the door open. It was Stargrass again. He bounded in and jumped right back onto the back of the chair he had been on the night before. 'Are you ready?' he said.
'For what?' asked Pulin.
'Why, to go find you hobbit, of course!'
Aunie answered for them. 'We're packed, but I think those two need to get themselves dressed.' She pointed at Sam and Pulin, who stood looking at Aunie and Stargrass with a pile of sheets in their arms.
'Good! Very good! When you're ready, ring the bell. Breakfast is on the main floor. See you there!' Again, the little rosy-nosed elf was gone.
Aunie immediately took hold of the situation. 'You two get dressed,' she said, 'While I get the bags to the door. And please, put those sheets down!' Pulin was trying to get back at Sam for the sheet net capture by simply burying him in sheets. Reluctantly, the did put the sheets down. Both elf and hobbit scampered off to get dressed while Aunie worked on dragging Sam's over-stuffed sack to the door.
Ten minutes later they were all dressed in their traveling gear and on their way down to the main floor. The result of Stargrass's instructions to "ring the bell" resulted in a band of other young elves who rushed up, grabbed their bags, and rushed away again. None of the three companions could say where their bags had been taken, but then they were too busy sliding down the railing to worry about bags.
Aunie, Sam, and Pulin laughed and joked over breakfast. For Sam's followers, the elf food was a welcome switch from their limited cuisine of salted jerky and dried fish in the ship. For Sam, it was just pleasant to be off the boat and on sturdy land again, and near real growing plants. Elves, it seems, are really not bad gardeners. Sam would, of course, spend endless hours educating them, but for the time being, the mushrooms really weren't bad. They never are, of course. At least not to Aunie, who somehow managed to have an even stronger taste for mushrooms even than Frodo.
When they were through with breakfast, Stargrass re-appeared and led them outside. In the back of the house, their bags had been tied to the back of a powerful horse and a smaller pony. Sam was fast friends with both animals, but preferred riding the pony. Pulin jumped onto the horse without giving the matter a second thought, while Sam mounted the pony. After a moment's consideration, Aunie decided she'd rather not risk a full-grown horse either. She scrambled onto the pony with Sam.
When they were mounted and ready, Stargrass rode forward on Lakeshine's back. In the light of the morning, Aunie was glad to see that the wolf appeared well-fed and, for the time being, was not giving her odd looks.
They rode on through the forest behind the house. Unlike the woods leading up from the beach, the trees here were not dense. Instead they were tall, majestic, easy to see through. The ground was on a slope, the base of the mountain. They rode for a half hour in silence, talking in their new surroundings. But a half hour was as long as Sam could bear without asking the question that had been gnawing at his mind for a long time.
'Mr. Stargrass, how long will it take us to get to Frodo?'
'Not long,' Stargrass called over his shoulder. 'You'll see, right up this way a bit is a tunnel entrance, and from there it's only an hour's ride through the mountain. Don't you worry, Sam, he's all right. You don't honestly think we would let him live out there alone, no matter how much he wanted us to?' Stargrass laughed. 'Of course not! We never leave anyone unprotected on this island, safe or no. There's always a chance.'
Sam was slightly reassured by these words. He was glad his master had been looked after at least.
The company fell into silence once more. They arrived at the tunnel sooner than expected. Lakeshine trotted right in without hesitating, but Sam and Pulin weren't too sure. They entered slower, without so much carelessness.
'Come on, you fellows!' said Stargrass. 'My, but you're a boring lot! Don't you know any songs? This tunnel isn't quite as scenic as the woods.'
'Sam knows one!' Aunie said. 'Sam, sing Mr. Bilbo's traveling song!'
There really wasn't anything else to do. Sam shrugged and began, making up most of it as he went along, and adding a few old rhymes here and there.

The road goes ever on and on,
To the lands beyond the sea.
On a white ship will I sail,
Watching shadows part for me.
Here in paradise I'll stay,
Till the day comes to an end.
And then I'll find another way
To get back to a waiting friend.

The road goes ever on and on,
Down from my door, and past the wood.
There's sure to be another path
That I would follow if I could.
Yet I'll continue through the year,
In every season, warm and cold.
I'll come across both joy and fear,
And then at last when I am old…


Pulin took up the verse then, continuing where Sam left off.

The road will still go ever on.
You can't get lost or veer away,
Though you may travel left or right,
The time will come when you shall stay.
The road is long, it goes too far
To ever reach the end until
You've taken every step with care.
Then who shall follow it? I will.

The road goes ever on and on.
You cannot stray, you cannot rest.
The world goes by when idle feet
Find weary places in the dust.
Whether we stop, whether we go,
There is a world there to explore!
It's there for taking, if you dare.
Now who will step from your front door?


Aunie's turn came, and she answered Pulin's singing with her own bits of poetry.

I'll step before I learn to walk,
Then run before I learn to stand.
I'll loose myself in garden walls,
And end up in a foreign land.
Be brave and never turn your head
To look back at the setting sun.
Do not recall the life you led.
Instead lay claim on spoils you've won.


Lakeshine interrupted their song with a long, loud howl that echoed through the tunnel and came rushing back even louder than the first time. Stargrass grinned. 'We're near the end. Lakeshine knows it. Listen, you can hear the waterfall.'
They did listen, and indeed they could hear the sound of falling water somewhere just beyond the next turn.
It was difficult for Sam to resist the temptation to rush forward, keep running until he and Frodo were together again. But Stargrass warned that the way ahead was slippery and the tunnels twisted so that the echoes of the waterfall were deceiving and impossible to follow. So Sam followed behind, but every step seemed to be slower, smaller.
The lamps lining the tunnel walls gradually grew to be fewer. The tunnel got wider. Finally, a brilliant light shone through from the outside. At first, all four were blinded by the glow, their eyes being used to the dim tunnel light. But as they stepped to the mouth of the cave…
'It's beautiful,' whispered Aunie.
'Never in all my travels have I seen such a place,' Pulin said.
They stood in silence for a moment, each frozen in their tracks from amazement at what they saw. It was Lorien, but it was more than even that. The trees there grew taller than any trees ever seen. The leaves were varying shades of the richest gold to the brightest red. Autumn had come to the valley, but it was like spring in a fancy gown.
Stargrass finally turned to the stone stairs that led down the edge of the cliff they stood on. The stairs had been carved out of the rock itself. They were covered by a roof of smooth black stone. Like the tunnel, it was impossible to look down and see the end, for the stairs also twisted along the mountain's side.
Sam, Pulin, and Stargrass climbed off their mounts to make it easier for the animals to climb down the stairs. They began walking, the sound of the waterfall growing louder with each step. As they got further down, they could feel a mist rising from below. It was a pleasant, cooling feeling. Soon, drops of water began to appear from the roof of the stair, growing quicker and closer together with each step they took until they were walking behind the waterfall itself.
The party slowed its steps in order to take in the feeling. With each new place came a new feeling, one unique to itself. There, standing behind the waterfall with the sun just shining through, they felt what it was like to be travelers once more. They were reminded of the mystery of each step on a long journey, the excitement of not knowing what will happen next, the calm of simply walking with a friend. They viewed once more in their heart's eye fleeting moments of what it had been like to feel the sun rising on a dew-covered field, the uncertainty of simply walking on, wondering if it would really be all right at last, the final burst of hope that comes with the moments just before the quest is completed.
All this they felt flowing from the sunlight and the waterfall. They trembled as they walked on, for although they could not put to words what they were feeling, they knew well what it was. They were feeling their own re-birth into a new and glorious world.
At the bottom of the stairway was the beginning of a bridge. The waterfall continued in a thin yet constant stream all around the travelers. Through the wavy transparent water, they could just make out a bridge going across a larger body of water. Stargrass went first onto the bridge. He placed his hands in the falling water, then slowly parted them. The water followed Stargrass's hands, making a misty doorway into the valley. Stargrass looked back, then walked forward onto the bridge. Pulin followed, leading his horse by the reins. Sam went after. The pony, with Aunie perched on it's back, followed Sam.
'It's not really a matter of security,' Stargrass was explaining to Pulin, 'As it's just something that adds to the magic of this place. This is an island of All Magic. Every magic that has ever existed exists now, either in use or written down in Galadriel's Books.'
'But what of the evil magic?' asked Sam.
'Magic is not good or evil,' Stargrass laughed. 'It's a matter of usage. Just like words. You can use words to comfort, to make someone laugh, or you can kill them with words.'
At the end of the bridge was a small clearing in the trees. The grass was a shade of perfect green, and softer than even Aunie's featherlike fur. It was nice to feel earth underfoot again, especially for Sam, who was none too fond of feeling cold rocks in the morning.
Pulin climbed back onto his horse, but Sam and Stargrass preferred walking. Stargrass set his wolfmount loose to run for a while and walked beside Sam.
'Frodo's house is just a little ways up this path,' said Stargrass. 'We ought to be there before long. It's not a quarter hour's walk from here, I'd say.'
Sam was silent. He had no reply to give in words. Instead, he set his eyes to the path ahead, willing them to see through trees to his master.
With each step closer to Frodo, Sam clasped the reigns of his pony tighter. He was anxious to see his master, his friend. Anxious to assure himself that Alesu, the wielder of Evil, had not arrived yet.
'Just over this next hill,' Stargrass said. Without giving it a second thought, Sam let go of the pony and broke into a run. Aunie looked at Stargrass from her perch on the pony's back, then, with a few gentle words to the pony, sped off after him.
Not since the Quest to the Mountain had Sam run with such determination. He heard nothing, saw nothing except the hidden shady house up ahead that would be the end of his wandering in the world. Aunie followed close behind, clinging to the pony's long mane.
Suddenly, as if he had run into some kind of force field, Sam stopped not five yards from the house. Hidden in the foliage of the forest floor, he slowly crept nearer, his eyes narrowed. Something was amiss. He sensed it. Aunie sensed it too. She whispered to the pony again and jumped off, scampering over to Sam. They crouched in the leaves for a moment, looking at the darkened hobbit-like dwelling. It was an elven-built house that had been piled over with dirt to look like a hobbit hole. But there was something wrong. The front door stood open, though there was no strangeness in that. However, there was a feeling of silence. It was too quiet.
Sam and Aunie went forward and looked into the door of the house. The inside was a mess. It had apparently been ransacked, and looked like nobody had been there for a day at least.
A look of rage spread across the face of Samwise. He knelt in the scattered leaves at the front door and stared into the dark hallway. Aunie stepped forward, inspecting every scent and footprint she could find. Magic had been used here. She, who was so near to the elves, had learned to feel that.
Sam's hand brushed against a dried leaf. The leaf, and others beside it, crackled and floated away, almost shunning the touch. Sam looked down. Instead of feeling the rug, he felt paper. It was an envelope. Quickly he picked it up and looked at it. Aunie turned and went back to Sam, having heard the sudden motion.
The envelope had no address on it. Sam opened it and took out the thin bit of parchment inside. He unfolded it and looked at it. It was what he had feared. The letter read:
Hobbit Samwise,
Frodo sends his apologies for not being there to greet you. It seems there was a slight change in the plans. By the time you read this, I will have full control over him, and growing power over your elf friends. Too bad. Life's not fair, is it?

Signed,
Alesu Needles

'Curse him!' cried Sam. Just then, Stargrass and Pulin came running in. They were out of breath from running. Pulin had his sword drawn.
'Quickly,' said Pulin, 'We must get out of here.'
'We must save Frodo!' Aunie said.
'Of course, but we have to find him first,' said Stargrass. 'This island is big. There's no telling where Frodo's been spirited off to.'
'Yes there is!' said Aunie. 'Follow me, I know the way!'
There seemed to be no choice in the matter. Aunie ran out, and the others followed. The three mounts stood waiting nervously near the house. The horse and pony would have bolted had Lakeshine not stopped them.
Stargrass, Sam, and Pulin climbed onto their mounts. Aunie kept running, her eyes traveling from the ground to the mountain. Even Stargrass, on the back of his mighty wolf Lakeshine could barely keep up with the otter. She was possessed with a kind of elven magic, asleep in her for years, now awakened by the need to help the hero who once had saved all of Middle-earth.
They ran on tirelessly. Up the mountain they went, climbing higher and higher. The day wore on with the sound of the chase echoing through the rocks. Hooves against stone, paws on grass, nothing was silent in this mountain.
As twilight reddened the stones with its blood red glare, Aunie and the riders pulled themselves onto the top of the mountain with their last remaining strength. They were greeted by a low, creaking voice, worn by years of toil in unfamiliar places.
'You were faster than I expected.'
Fur bristled, eyes narrowed, claws extended. The small mutated elven figure stood before them with a leash in his hand. On the other end of the leash was Frodo, his eyes wide and glazed, his head tilted slightly, back bent for lack of effort even to stand.
Alesu, Mr. Needles, laughed. 'Did you really think you could simply come up here and beat me in my own game, you fools? Never! Here stands my prize, and you four shall be my trophies when the hunt is up. Fool, hunt!' Alesu shouted at the body that once was Frodo, tied to the leash. At the sound of Alesu's commanding voice, Frodo straightened up. A red glint came into his eyes. He drew his sword and ran towards Pulin.
'Stop!' called Aunie. She leaped up and ran at Alesu. Even as his maniacal laughter rang through her ears, she jumped onto him, knocking him down easily. Working by instinct now, she moved with the speed of a striking snake, holding Alesu's hands down here, tackling his head there. She grabbed the hand that held the leash and bit down with all her might.
Alesu screamed in pain. Blood dripped form his hand as he let go of the leash. Frodo, who had been fighting a mindless sword battle with Pulin and Stargrass, stopped suddenly, hesitating. Aunie grabbed the ring from Alesu's hand and pulled until it was off. As soon as the ring lost contact with Alesu, Frodo collapsed.
'FOOL OTTER!' Alesu shouted. He staggered to his feet, his bleeding hand hanging at his side. Aunie ran behind Pulin, Stargrass, and Sam, who stood with their swords pointed at Alesu/Mr. Needles.
'Let her go.' Sam commanded. He stepped forward with the sword in his hand. 'Leave this island, or you shall be killed.'
Alesu growled in rage. His hand slipped into his pocket. Clutching another magic talisman, he charged at the three sword wielders, shouting some obscure magic language.
Stargrass leaped onto Alesu, but not before Alesu had a chance to draw his sword and do some damage of his own. He cut Sam along the arm, and Pulin along the leg. But Stargrass was too quick to allow any serious harm to be done. Tugging Alesu by the back of his hair, he tossed him onto the ground. Stargrass held him down with his foot while Pulin tended to half-conscious Sam. Aunie stood nearby, holding the ring.
'You silly ass,' said Stargrass. 'Did you really think you could do this, really beat us with your silly trinkets and hypnotizing spells? Curse you! You filthy slime. I should kill you here and now just for setting foot on my home.'
Pulin interrupted, pulling Alesu up. 'I never thought you would stoop this low.' His voice was sad as he looked at his brother. 'Leave. Leave now and we will let you live.'
'Never.' Alesu's voice was hard and cold, unrepentant, unforgiving. He raised his arm and hurled his sword at Aunie, even as Stargrass moved to stop him. As Alesu's sword traveled towards its mark, so did Stargrass's. But as Aunie leaped aside to avoid the flying metal, Alesu was trapped.
In the end, it was the Ringwizard who lied dead on the mountain.