Chapter Two:: Unlikely Travelers
"How much farther have we got to go?" groaned a small male with curly brown hair. "It isn't much farther Merry now please stop you're whining," replied the tall gray haired driver of the van. Merry slouched back down in his seat and remained quiet. The small darker haired boy next to him poked Merry in the arm. "Gandalf said we're going to Disney world," Pippin said to his cousin with a childish grin. Merry looked at Pippin with disbelief. The naivety of that poor young Hobbit was frightful sometimes. "Uh… Pippin… we aren't…" Merry began before the hand of a blonde elf covering his mouth cut him off. "We've told him that to so as to put him in a good enough mood that he won't pester anybody with so many questions" Legolas whispered to Merry. Merry again slouched back in his seat and remained silent the rest of the trip, Pippin on the other hand wasn't quite so silent. "Disney world! Disney world! We're gonna go to Disney world!" Pippin said over and over in singsong voice as he bounced in his seat. At one point Pippin had become so excited that he was falling over the rest of the people in the middle of the van.
As the van approached their destination Pippin looked out the window with wide eyes. "We're here," said Gandalf. Pippin eyes widened as he cried out, "This isn't Disney world! You guys all lied to me!" Pippin burrowed into his seat as far as he could and started to pout and sulk. "This is going to be a very long day," said a stocky man with dark red hair. Legolas elbowed him in the gut, which wasn't a very hard shot to take. "We can't go making comment like that Gim, it will just make the day longer," Legolas told his friend. A tall dark haired man stepped out of the passenger seat of the van. "Come on Legolas, you're going to help me get Pippin out of the van." He said. "Oh but Aragorn, what if we hurt him, then he'll just be miserable all day and you'll all expect me to baby-sit him," Legolas complained. Aragorn shot him a very angry look. Legolas went to help immediately after swallowing the lump in his throat. After much pulling and coaxing Legolas and Aragorn got Pippin out of the van. Finally two males stepped out of the back, one was thin and had a dark mess of curls atop his head and the other had more of a sandy blonde colored hair, but just as curly if not more than the other, and he had a more chunky build. "Frodo!" cried Pippin, "Why did they lie to me? They told me we were going to Disney world!" Pippin clutched on to the darker haired Hobbit's waist. "They told you that because we knew that we'd never get you back here without tricking you some how," said the sandy blonde haired hobbit. "Sam!" Gandalf scolded. "Now Pippin won't ever trust anything we tell him," Merry stated matter-of- factly.
The group walked through the run down city they had arrived in until they reached a trashy inn near the center of the city. Gandalf knocked on the door in a special pattern as to tell the innkeeper he was a friend. The door open slowly and a head poked out cautiously. "It's me, Gandalf. I have brought my friends with me," Gandalf said quietly, almost in a whisper to the innkeeper. The door opened wide enough for one person to go in at a time. Once all were in, the innkeeper shut and bolted the door tightly. The innkeeper turned to Gandalf. "You know the price now pay up," the innkeeper told Gandalf as he held out his grubby hand waiting for Gandalf to pay up. Gandalf took the money out of his pocket and handed it over to the innkeeper. "Alright, third floor, fifth suite on the left. I ain't got housekeep so you better make sure you keep it clean."
Once up in their suite the group gathered in the 'living room' of the suite. Pippin looked at everybody wide eyed. Merry sat back and smoked some pipe weed. Gimli went through his bag to make sure he had everything he was going to need. Legolas pranced around the room gaily, just like any elf would, for indeed Legolas was happy to be sleeping in a bed rather than the back of the van. Aragorn paced back and forth in front of the TV making it very hard for Sam to watch the golf tourney. Frodo was over by the kitchenette talking with Gandalf. Suddenly Gandalf walked to the center of the room. "Alright everyone, I know that all but Pippin were aware we were coming back here, but none but me, Frodo and Aragorn were aware as to why, so I am going to tell you," Gandalf said in his same commanding voice. "There has been a gathering of Vampires in the area. Nobody who has noticed can figure out why. Now this place has always been a sanctuary for those vile creatures but now it is more so than ever. I have consulted with Elrond and not even he can say for sure. I'm not sure even Saruman would be able to say if any were to know his whereabouts, track him, and ask him." Gandalf said looking at everybody one by one. Aragorn walked next to Gandalf. "Gandalf and I have traveled to the hiding place of Galadriel and Celeborn. Galadriel has told us the most horrific thing ever to cross her mirror in over a Millennium. Galadriel saw the re-forging of the ring of power." Aragorn told everybody. "What does that 'ave to do with us?" Gimli demanded. "It has everything to do with us!" Frodo exclaimed. "Galadriel held counsel with Gandalf, Aragorn, Elrond and myself and we have all agreed that we should at the very least find out what is actually happening. If it is indeed the re-forging of the ring then we must be at hand to stop it." Frodo said to his companions. Pippin and Merry sat wide- eyed and mouths agape. Gimli's face went from slightly annoyed to a very horrified expression. Legolas ceased prancing about. The remote control dropped from Sam's hand. "Someone is… is… re-fo…fo… forging the ri…ri… ring? Mr Frodo?" Sam stuttered. "Now we aren't sure about that Sam… you remember what Galadriel tells you every time she lets you have a look. The events you see may have already happened, may be happening, or may happen in the future…" Frodo started before Sam cut in with "And some things may never come to be unless you go off your path to stop them." Sam hung his head, blushed a little at the thought of Galadriel and sighed. "Exactly right Samwise. That is why we are not going to interfere just yet, but merely watch and wait for a sign." Gandalf said, an air of caution in his voice, "Now we shan't stay here long. As trustworthy as this innkeeper has been in the past, we can't be sure he still is so. We are in this inn one night and one night only. Tomorrow we look for a place to set up base."
"How much farther have we got to go?" groaned a small male with curly brown hair. "It isn't much farther Merry now please stop you're whining," replied the tall gray haired driver of the van. Merry slouched back down in his seat and remained quiet. The small darker haired boy next to him poked Merry in the arm. "Gandalf said we're going to Disney world," Pippin said to his cousin with a childish grin. Merry looked at Pippin with disbelief. The naivety of that poor young Hobbit was frightful sometimes. "Uh… Pippin… we aren't…" Merry began before the hand of a blonde elf covering his mouth cut him off. "We've told him that to so as to put him in a good enough mood that he won't pester anybody with so many questions" Legolas whispered to Merry. Merry again slouched back in his seat and remained silent the rest of the trip, Pippin on the other hand wasn't quite so silent. "Disney world! Disney world! We're gonna go to Disney world!" Pippin said over and over in singsong voice as he bounced in his seat. At one point Pippin had become so excited that he was falling over the rest of the people in the middle of the van.
As the van approached their destination Pippin looked out the window with wide eyes. "We're here," said Gandalf. Pippin eyes widened as he cried out, "This isn't Disney world! You guys all lied to me!" Pippin burrowed into his seat as far as he could and started to pout and sulk. "This is going to be a very long day," said a stocky man with dark red hair. Legolas elbowed him in the gut, which wasn't a very hard shot to take. "We can't go making comment like that Gim, it will just make the day longer," Legolas told his friend. A tall dark haired man stepped out of the passenger seat of the van. "Come on Legolas, you're going to help me get Pippin out of the van." He said. "Oh but Aragorn, what if we hurt him, then he'll just be miserable all day and you'll all expect me to baby-sit him," Legolas complained. Aragorn shot him a very angry look. Legolas went to help immediately after swallowing the lump in his throat. After much pulling and coaxing Legolas and Aragorn got Pippin out of the van. Finally two males stepped out of the back, one was thin and had a dark mess of curls atop his head and the other had more of a sandy blonde colored hair, but just as curly if not more than the other, and he had a more chunky build. "Frodo!" cried Pippin, "Why did they lie to me? They told me we were going to Disney world!" Pippin clutched on to the darker haired Hobbit's waist. "They told you that because we knew that we'd never get you back here without tricking you some how," said the sandy blonde haired hobbit. "Sam!" Gandalf scolded. "Now Pippin won't ever trust anything we tell him," Merry stated matter-of- factly.
The group walked through the run down city they had arrived in until they reached a trashy inn near the center of the city. Gandalf knocked on the door in a special pattern as to tell the innkeeper he was a friend. The door open slowly and a head poked out cautiously. "It's me, Gandalf. I have brought my friends with me," Gandalf said quietly, almost in a whisper to the innkeeper. The door opened wide enough for one person to go in at a time. Once all were in, the innkeeper shut and bolted the door tightly. The innkeeper turned to Gandalf. "You know the price now pay up," the innkeeper told Gandalf as he held out his grubby hand waiting for Gandalf to pay up. Gandalf took the money out of his pocket and handed it over to the innkeeper. "Alright, third floor, fifth suite on the left. I ain't got housekeep so you better make sure you keep it clean."
Once up in their suite the group gathered in the 'living room' of the suite. Pippin looked at everybody wide eyed. Merry sat back and smoked some pipe weed. Gimli went through his bag to make sure he had everything he was going to need. Legolas pranced around the room gaily, just like any elf would, for indeed Legolas was happy to be sleeping in a bed rather than the back of the van. Aragorn paced back and forth in front of the TV making it very hard for Sam to watch the golf tourney. Frodo was over by the kitchenette talking with Gandalf. Suddenly Gandalf walked to the center of the room. "Alright everyone, I know that all but Pippin were aware we were coming back here, but none but me, Frodo and Aragorn were aware as to why, so I am going to tell you," Gandalf said in his same commanding voice. "There has been a gathering of Vampires in the area. Nobody who has noticed can figure out why. Now this place has always been a sanctuary for those vile creatures but now it is more so than ever. I have consulted with Elrond and not even he can say for sure. I'm not sure even Saruman would be able to say if any were to know his whereabouts, track him, and ask him." Gandalf said looking at everybody one by one. Aragorn walked next to Gandalf. "Gandalf and I have traveled to the hiding place of Galadriel and Celeborn. Galadriel has told us the most horrific thing ever to cross her mirror in over a Millennium. Galadriel saw the re-forging of the ring of power." Aragorn told everybody. "What does that 'ave to do with us?" Gimli demanded. "It has everything to do with us!" Frodo exclaimed. "Galadriel held counsel with Gandalf, Aragorn, Elrond and myself and we have all agreed that we should at the very least find out what is actually happening. If it is indeed the re-forging of the ring then we must be at hand to stop it." Frodo said to his companions. Pippin and Merry sat wide- eyed and mouths agape. Gimli's face went from slightly annoyed to a very horrified expression. Legolas ceased prancing about. The remote control dropped from Sam's hand. "Someone is… is… re-fo…fo… forging the ri…ri… ring? Mr Frodo?" Sam stuttered. "Now we aren't sure about that Sam… you remember what Galadriel tells you every time she lets you have a look. The events you see may have already happened, may be happening, or may happen in the future…" Frodo started before Sam cut in with "And some things may never come to be unless you go off your path to stop them." Sam hung his head, blushed a little at the thought of Galadriel and sighed. "Exactly right Samwise. That is why we are not going to interfere just yet, but merely watch and wait for a sign." Gandalf said, an air of caution in his voice, "Now we shan't stay here long. As trustworthy as this innkeeper has been in the past, we can't be sure he still is so. We are in this inn one night and one night only. Tomorrow we look for a place to set up base."