A/L are still ‚occupied' *smirk*, so this chapter is about some other
members of the fellowship. Now I feel there is a bit too much Methos in
this whole story. What do you think? More Methos, less Methos? (It's hard
to write about him, he has a tendency to sprawl over the whole story :-))
Something completely different: I will start a new story soon. (Mid / End of February ) and desperately need somebody who would read it and correct my English. (It is just not my first language!) So if you are interested please email me at kara_maertikka@yahoo.co.uk.
------------------
Gandalf walked towards the ward-house to meet the hobbits and the rest of the fellowship. The night was clear and the moon shone on the black rocks that once had been the walls of Saruman's castle, now only the black tower remained an unbreakable imitation of the black tower in Mordor. Isengard once had been a green valley, a place of wisdom and justice but this place had long been destroyed by the ambitions of Saruman. 'Did you really think that you can deceive your new friends as easily as your old ones?' In his heart the old wizard felt a pang of regret for his former leader, he had been a great man, one more whose will was not strong enough to resist the temptation of power. 'There will be many more...'
Suddenly he noticed a sole man sitting on one of the rocks, motionless and obviously in deep thought the man stared at the black tower and Gandalf felt a shiver running down his spine. Changing his course he walked towards the rock as silent as he could.
"This is a strange but beautiful world you live in." Methos said without turning towards the old wizard.
Gandalf sat next to him looking intently in his eyes.
"Why do you say that?"
"I've been sitting here watching the valley and the tower. Your world is so different from ours not just in its people."
"How is your world?" Gandalf was honestly interested, he knew that there were other dimensions, but had never been able to travel to another world.
"A couple of centuries ago it was like yours in terms of infrastructure and stuff like this. But..." he smiled. "... there were never elves or dwarfs or wizards. There are only men and us, the immortals."
"Has it changed a lot since you were born?"
"When I was born the wheel wasn't invented neither was steel. I have seen many changes in the ways people live, yet the people have not changed. They are still driven by the same passion that has driven them for 5000 years. The passion for power."
"The passion for power, yes men are weak for power as we all are. If they were not, we would not be here for the ring would have been destroyed long ago."
"See that's the difference between your world and mine. In mine there is no dark lord fighting for power, there is no ring that could be destroyed to free us all. In mine world the darkness is created by the men themselves in their greed and ambitions. There is no Sauron in my world yet many Sarumans men drawn away from their way by their longing for power."
Gandalf looked at the ancient man, surprised by the last comment.
"You make it sound as if you don't like mankind."
"I am not the one to judge people. I do not think that I have a right to do so, but what I am trying to say is that your world is black and white, somebody is either good or bad. There is no grey no 'in between'. In middle- earth one is either fighting for the light or for the darkness. While in my world hardly anything is just black or just white. It's hard to say what is good and what is bad and the decision is always clouded by your own beliefs.
Even with all the darkness looming in this world, I think it is easier to live here than in our world."
"You deny yourself the right to judge people because of your past. But one day the fate of many may hang on your judgement. Do you think you will be ready if that day comes?"
Methos froze in shock at those words.
"You know about my past, about..."
Yet before he could finish the sentence, he felt Gandalfs hand on his shoulder trying to reassure him.
"Yes, I do know about it. I will not judge you for what you have done, because I see that you judge yourself harsher than anyone could. But I must ask you this question again. Do you think you will be ready if that day comes?"
"I do not know. The darkness is calling me and I don't know if I can resist it. The person I was still lives in me, I could silence it but never erase completely from my soul."
"You are honest which gives me hope that you will succeed. But for this night I suggest that you try to forget what lays ahead. If the day comes, you will know whether or not you are ready."
With those words the mighty wizard got up, Methos was standing next to him and smiling. His dark mood seemed to have disappeared and Gandalf realized that he was a lot stronger than he looked and sounded. Before they reached the house where Duncan and the others slept, Methos reached out to stop Gandalf once again.
"I told you before that as long as love is in my heart, darkness will not succeed."
He hesitated for a minute staring out in the darkness towards the black mountains of Mordor. Searching for the right words he closed his eyes while Gandalf waited. Then he unsheathed his sword and put it into the wizard's hand. Moving the sharpe blade towards his throat he began to speak.
"Promise me one thing Gandalf. If Duncan falls, make sure that darkness does not succeed."
Something completely different: I will start a new story soon. (Mid / End of February ) and desperately need somebody who would read it and correct my English. (It is just not my first language!) So if you are interested please email me at kara_maertikka@yahoo.co.uk.
------------------
Gandalf walked towards the ward-house to meet the hobbits and the rest of the fellowship. The night was clear and the moon shone on the black rocks that once had been the walls of Saruman's castle, now only the black tower remained an unbreakable imitation of the black tower in Mordor. Isengard once had been a green valley, a place of wisdom and justice but this place had long been destroyed by the ambitions of Saruman. 'Did you really think that you can deceive your new friends as easily as your old ones?' In his heart the old wizard felt a pang of regret for his former leader, he had been a great man, one more whose will was not strong enough to resist the temptation of power. 'There will be many more...'
Suddenly he noticed a sole man sitting on one of the rocks, motionless and obviously in deep thought the man stared at the black tower and Gandalf felt a shiver running down his spine. Changing his course he walked towards the rock as silent as he could.
"This is a strange but beautiful world you live in." Methos said without turning towards the old wizard.
Gandalf sat next to him looking intently in his eyes.
"Why do you say that?"
"I've been sitting here watching the valley and the tower. Your world is so different from ours not just in its people."
"How is your world?" Gandalf was honestly interested, he knew that there were other dimensions, but had never been able to travel to another world.
"A couple of centuries ago it was like yours in terms of infrastructure and stuff like this. But..." he smiled. "... there were never elves or dwarfs or wizards. There are only men and us, the immortals."
"Has it changed a lot since you were born?"
"When I was born the wheel wasn't invented neither was steel. I have seen many changes in the ways people live, yet the people have not changed. They are still driven by the same passion that has driven them for 5000 years. The passion for power."
"The passion for power, yes men are weak for power as we all are. If they were not, we would not be here for the ring would have been destroyed long ago."
"See that's the difference between your world and mine. In mine there is no dark lord fighting for power, there is no ring that could be destroyed to free us all. In mine world the darkness is created by the men themselves in their greed and ambitions. There is no Sauron in my world yet many Sarumans men drawn away from their way by their longing for power."
Gandalf looked at the ancient man, surprised by the last comment.
"You make it sound as if you don't like mankind."
"I am not the one to judge people. I do not think that I have a right to do so, but what I am trying to say is that your world is black and white, somebody is either good or bad. There is no grey no 'in between'. In middle- earth one is either fighting for the light or for the darkness. While in my world hardly anything is just black or just white. It's hard to say what is good and what is bad and the decision is always clouded by your own beliefs.
Even with all the darkness looming in this world, I think it is easier to live here than in our world."
"You deny yourself the right to judge people because of your past. But one day the fate of many may hang on your judgement. Do you think you will be ready if that day comes?"
Methos froze in shock at those words.
"You know about my past, about..."
Yet before he could finish the sentence, he felt Gandalfs hand on his shoulder trying to reassure him.
"Yes, I do know about it. I will not judge you for what you have done, because I see that you judge yourself harsher than anyone could. But I must ask you this question again. Do you think you will be ready if that day comes?"
"I do not know. The darkness is calling me and I don't know if I can resist it. The person I was still lives in me, I could silence it but never erase completely from my soul."
"You are honest which gives me hope that you will succeed. But for this night I suggest that you try to forget what lays ahead. If the day comes, you will know whether or not you are ready."
With those words the mighty wizard got up, Methos was standing next to him and smiling. His dark mood seemed to have disappeared and Gandalf realized that he was a lot stronger than he looked and sounded. Before they reached the house where Duncan and the others slept, Methos reached out to stop Gandalf once again.
"I told you before that as long as love is in my heart, darkness will not succeed."
He hesitated for a minute staring out in the darkness towards the black mountains of Mordor. Searching for the right words he closed his eyes while Gandalf waited. Then he unsheathed his sword and put it into the wizard's hand. Moving the sharpe blade towards his throat he began to speak.
"Promise me one thing Gandalf. If Duncan falls, make sure that darkness does not succeed."