Once again, thank you for your reviews. It means a lot to me that people actually read my story, since I do not think that highly of my writing. I have changed some of the format of the book, so please don't flame me for changes that were made. Please continue to read and review, it is greatly appreciated. Sorry this took so long!
Chapter 8. An Old Friend
Legolas was in a wrathful mood as the company rode onward. In his sky-blue eyes, a fire blazed and he stared straight ahead, not seeing a thing. Gimli had tried to make conversation with him as they rode, but it was no use, for the elf would not reply. Who did Éomer think he was? Surely the horse lord did not stand a chance with Aníron, but Legolas could not help wondering. Could Éomer be considered a worthy rival for the attentions of the fair Aníron? Legolas did not want to think of it, the very thought of Aníron with that, man, was enough to make him want to turn back and slice the horse lord limb from limb with his knives.
'Legolas?' Aníron's voice spoke next to him, and he was pulled out of his daydreams by her melodic voice. 'Are you alright?' Her voice was coated with concern, and he pulled himself to look at her. Her golden-green eyes glinted in the sunlight, and he noticed that they were turning more green than gold. 'Your eyes,' he said quietly, 'they are changing color,' not answering her question, but causing her to laugh in pleasure. 'Yes, they change color with the leaves of Lórien,' she replied, 'In the spring, my eyes are light green, in the summer, a darker green, and in the fall and winter, they are golden.' The first real smile since Boromir had died crossed Legolas' lips, and he forgot his murderous urges against Éomer, for a short time.
Aragorn had dismounted and was surveying the ground, searching for a trail, walking back and forth. He returned with little to report, 'The main trail is confused with that of the riders, we must ride slower, to see if any trail branches off from the main trail.' The company rode on, finding no branching trails, only the occasional orc body pierced with grey-shafted arrows. By nightfall, no trace of the young hobbits could be found, and the spirits of the company were low. Gimli could find no way that the hobbits could be alive, and announced this to the group. 'We can do no more,' he said sadly, 'I would guess that the burned boned pf the hobbits are now mingled in with those of the orcs.'
Aníron cast her head down sadly at this statement, deep down agreeing with Gimli. The company made camp under and old chestnut, not far from the river. Gimli made a fire from the dried remnants of wood used in the burning of the orcs by the Riders of Rohan, for Aragorn would not allow him to harm any of the trees on the border of the Forest of Fangorn. 'Why is it that Celeborn warned us not to go far into Fangorn?' Legolas asked Aragorn, looking into the forest. 'I have heard only tales, but did not heed them until Celeborn's warning,' Aragorn replied, leaning back against the chestnut, 'but surely our lady elf may know more than we do.'
Aníron looked at Aragorn in surprise. Surely he did not expect her to know the reason that the Lord of the Wood recommended that the company steer clear of the forest? 'I know only tales of the Onodrim, that men call Ents, that are said to have roamed this forest long ago,' she answered timidly. The company sat in silence for a short time, until it was time to allot watch times. Aníron drew the first time slot, and after her Legolas, then Gimli, and finally Aragorn. The rest of the company sat or lay down, and almost immediately fell into slumber.
Aníron stood, bow drawn, with her hood over her head to keep out the night wind. She was gazing out into the night, when suddenly an old man appeared at the edge of the firelight. She gasped and stepped backwards, quickly awaking the rest of the company with her sudden movement. The old man did not move or speak, and a hat was pulled over his head, hiding his facial features. Aragorn strode forward saying, 'Come over to the fire and warm yourself if you are cold, father,' but before he could take another step, the old man had disappeared into the night.
The entire company was quite shocked by this sudden disappearance, walking away from the camp to try and find a trace of the old man. Suddenly, Legolas' voice sounded in shock, 'The horses! The horses!' Aníron ran to where the horses had been tethered, finding no trace of the three horses that had once stood there. The company returned to their camp, and Aníron took her place as first watch. Her watch passed by uneventfully, and she awoke Legolas an hour before midnight so that he could begin his watch.
Legolas' watch passed by uneventfully as well. Near to the end of his watch he turned, expecting to see all of the company sleeping peacefully, but Aníron was nowhere to be seen. Trying not to panic, he strained his ears to try and hear if she was anywhere close by, and caught a soft voice floating on the air. Legolas awoke Gimli, who groggily took his post muttering something about elves, and then ran on light feet, following the sound of the voice to the river.
When he reached the river, he ducked behind a boulder, trying not to be seen. Aníron was sitting upon a boulder on the water's edge, singing softly to herself in elvish. She was unlacing her soft leather boots and tying her hair back so that it would not get in her face. Legolas watched, entranced, as she removed her cloak, vest, and leggings until she was clad only in a short black skirt and a silver corselet. She then stepped barefooted into the river, continuing to walk until she was up to her shoulders in the slowly moving water. She dipped her head underwater, and came up a few seconds later, all trace of dirt and blood gone from her face.
Legolas watched her swim, forgetting how much time was passing by, until he heard a voice behind him, 'So, do you regularly spy on bathing women?' Legolas whirled around in shock to find Gimli smirking at him. Aragorn was standing some ten feet behind them leaning on a tree, a look of amusement on his face from Legolas' reaction. 'We noticed that neither you nor Aníron were at the camp and decided to come investigate,' Aragorn explained, still smiling. Gimli grabbed the back of Legolas' cloak and dragged him away from the river, like a criminal.
When Aníron returned to camp, she was surprised to find the remainder of her company awake, for it was nowhere near dawn. 'What are you all doing awa...' she started to say, but then realized she had been missing for several hours without telling the others where she had gone. Before she could explain where she had gone, Aragorn spoke, 'I awoke to find you and Legolas missing, and Gimli half-asleep at his post,' his voice was calm, but fire was in his eyes. 'Gimli and I proceeded to follow Legolas' path through the woods until we reached the river, there we found Legolas perched upon a rock watching you, bathing in the river.'
Aníron's expression changed from embarrassment to anger and shock in about two seconds. 'You all were watching me bathe?!' she shrieked. Legolas buried his face in his hands, Aragorn's face turned a lovely shade of crimson, and Gimli cringed behind a tree trunk at the elf lady's rage. The night passed slowly, but smoothly after everything had been explained, but Aníron would not speak to any of the company for several hours afterward, so enraged was she.
Daylight came at last and as the company prepared breakfast, the incident at the river surfaced once more. Legolas walked up to a fuming Aníron and softly spoke in her ear, 'I apologize for following you, I did not mean to spy on you. I was worried that something had happened, so I followed.' Aníron looked into his stunning blue eyes, which shone with sincerity, and instantly forgave him.
The company's mood was considerably lighter than it had been the preceding night, now that Aníron was on speaking terms with them once more. They continued their search for clues to Merry and Pippin's fate, searching the land around the forest and the river. Suddenly, Aragorn called to the company and they ran over to the ranger, who was holding something in his hand. He held it up for all to see, it was leaf with a golden hue, slowly turning brown. 'A mellyrn leaf, but how did it come here?' Aníron asked. 'That is not all,' Gimli added, 'look at this!' He held up a jagged knife that he had found near to where the leaf was found, and also several pieces of cut cord.
'Here is a strange riddle without a doubt,' Legolas said, 'A bound prisoner escapes both orcs and horsemen, and stops to cut his bonds, and then eats elvish waybread. But how and why?' The men discussed the possibilities of what could have happened for quite a long time as Aníron searched for more clues, finding nothing. She walked up to them, listening to the remainder of the conversation. 'It is my suggestion,' she added after they had stopped speaking, 'that we go into the forest and search for our friends there.' Gimli was not happy with this suggestion, but was less happy at the thought of walking to Edoras empty-handed, so he consented to follow.
Aníron and Legolas were the first to step under the eaves of the wood, and they instantly noticed the tenseness and the age of the wood. 'I almost feel young again,' Aníron breathed softly, and Legolas nodded his agreement, standing at her side. The group walked onward, their footsteps the only sound in the silent wood, until they reached the stream that ran through the forest, where two small sets of footprints were found. 'This is good tidings indeed!' Aragorn said examining the prints, 'though they are two days old. Let us go onward, in hope that we may find our friends.'
The company continued on through the forest, eventually coming to a large hill that rose somewhat out of the forest. They reached the top and gazed around them looking at the forest when Legolas' voice rang out. 'Look!' Aníron whirled around and followed his gaze, immediately noticing the old man wandering in the trees. Gimli did not see the man at first, but when he did, his immediate reaction was for the company to attack the man. 'Legolas, Aníron, draw your bows! Can you not see that it is Saruman, following our track in the woods?' Gimli whispered hastily. Aníron and Legolas drew their bows, but did not bring an arrow to the string as to shoot the man, they watched him carefully, making his way through the woods.
The old man spoke first, 'Well met my friends, I wish to speak with you, but shall you come down here, or shall I come up there?' Gimli was now in a panicked state, begging the elves to do something, but they would not do anything but watch the man's approach. The old man spoke again, this time in a commanding voice, 'Drop your bows master and lady elf, you will need them not.' Aníron's bow slipped from her hand and clattered on the stone, but she could not tell whether it was in shock, or from the command. Seconds later, Legolas' bow dropped as well.
The old man made his way up the hill on the stone steps that adorned its side, the company did not speak. 'Well met again, I say to you friends. Surely there is a tale worth hearing behind your group,' the man had now begun to speak again, and there was something familiar in his voice that Aníron could not place. The man continued talking, 'A man, a dwarf, and two elves, one of which a woman! Your tale must be strange indeed.' Aragorn was standing silently behind the elves and Gimli, so it surprised them all when he spoke, 'What is your name, and why do you wish to speak to us?' he said in a tone that sounded weary and yet strong.
'My name?' The old man said with a smile, 'Have you not already guessed it? You have heard it before. But come now, what of your tale?' He had not answered the question, but Aníron did not care, there was something about this man that she recognized, yet she could not place what it was. The old man turned away from the company to sit upon a pile of rocks and moss near the hill's edge. Gimli's hand went to his axe shaft, Aragorn drew his sword, and Legolas and picked up their bows as soon as the man's back was turned. Gimli leapt forward crying, 'Saruman! What have you done with our friends? Speak quickly or I will make a dent in your hat that even a wizard would find hard to deal with!' But the old man was too fast for Gimli, he stood up and his grey rags and tattered hat were thrown away, leaving shining white garments. He raised his staff and Gimli's axe clattered to the ground, and Aragorn's sword blazed with fire. Aníron and Legolas shot arrows into the air, against their will, which burst into flame shortly after leaving the bow.
'Mithrandir!' Aníron cried in surprise and recognition. 'Well met I say again to you all, though I did not expect to find the lady here' Gandalf replied with a smile. Aragorn was in shock beyond belief, as was the rest of the company, and could barely speak. ' Gandalf! You have returned to us, unlooked for, in our hour of greatest need,' Aragorn said, 'how is it that you came here?' Gandalf looked at them all, 'I would prefer to hear your story,' he said, his eyes resting on Aníron, 'and how this lady came to be in your company, for she should be in Lothlórien, among her people. They have great need of her in the Golden Wood.'