Pallando and Alatar
By Cathelm
Chapter 3
Pallando and Alatar walk along the edge of a great mountain. They have been walking for over a month. As darkness falls, they look for a place to settle for the night.
"Alatar, do you remember what happened at Cirdan's home?" Pallando asked, his eyes wandering around their rocky new surroundings.
"Of course. How could I forget?" retorted Alatar. "It was strange. What do you think it meant?"
Pallando thought for a moment, eyes now at the darkening horizon. "I'm not sure. Whatever it was, we confused him, and maybe scared him a bit. But why? Maybe this Galadriel will help us."
"Scared him? I'd hardly think that. That elf has been alive for many times longer than we have, and I'm sure he's seen far more frightening things than us."
"You're probably right." Sighing, Pallando sat down on one of the nearby boulders, throwing his staff to the side. "Let's spend the night here. I have a feeling it's as good a place as we're going to find, and at least we can use this dead tree for firewood if we need it."
"Firewood? You really are out of it!" Alatar grinned. "We're wizards! We can do anything, let alone use our powers to start a little fire."
"True." Pallando sighed again as he began to lay out his blanket for the night. "Come on, we'd better get to sleep. If we ever plan to find Lothlorien, we must start early tomorrow- Alatar?"
The other wizard stood in his blue robe, framed against the rising moon, his mouth gaping open. "Pallando, I think we've found something," he whispered.
Whipping around, Pallando gasped at the magical sight. It was obviously a door, but the glowing lines on it were both new and exiting to the two wizards.
"I wonder what it opens to," said Alatar, still frozen with awe.
Pallando jumped up to stand beside his friend, examining the door. "The letters are not those of which we have learned. It does seem to resemble the elvish writing that Gandalf tried to teach us."
"But it glows."
"Yes. I recall Gandalf also saying a bit about writing that only shows up in full moonlight."
Both glanced behind them at the large white sphere, which had continued to rise as the night grew.
"I do believe that is what we're seeing," Alatar commented, "But what does it mean? And where does it lead.oomph!"
The door flew open as a short, stocky man with a long beard came hurtling out of the dark cave inside, taking Alatar with him. He was followed by another small, long-bearded man, who seemed to be quite angry.
"Farin! This is the last time!" the second man roared. "No more of that sneaking around and listening in on other people's conversations! This'll teach you to keep your ears to yourself!"
Whirling around, the angry man stormed inside and slammed the door, leaving the blue wizards alone with the other. Alatar shoved him off of his stomach and quickly recovered his momentarily lost dignity.
"Do you know that it is rude to knock people over, stranger?" Alatar inquired of the bearded man.
"Why don't you go tell Groror the Horror that," he replied, dusting himself off. "Oh, I'm going to have so many bruises!"
"Stop complaining and explain yourself," Alatar snapped. "We have places to go, and it would be most kind of you if we had some assistance."
"Oh yes, of course. I am Farin the Young, currently of Moria. The Horror might get me kicked out soon."
"Please, just get to the point," Pallando said.
"Okay, okay. Groror caught me spyin' on his conversation with this lady and. oh, you don't want to hear about that. Anyway."
"Get on with it!" Alatar's patience was running low.
"Well, to make a long story short, I ended up here. With you. Who are you, by the way?"
"I am Pallando, and this is my friend Alatar," the wizard politely replied. "We are trying to reach Lothlorien. Do you know how to get there?"
"Of course I do! I'm not so young that I don't know the way around my own home!" Farin retorted, putting on a hurt look. "Right this way, sirs!"
The two wizards glanced at each other, shrugged, picked up their staffs, and followed the now dignified man into the dark tunnel where the door had once been.
"Curses, the door-men didn't leave the torches lit," their guide muttered under his breath.
"No problem." Waving his hand over the top of his staff, Alatar filled the entrance with a bright light.
"You might have warned him," Pallando commented, nodding at the wide-eyed Farin. "We have some explaining to do."
"H-h-how did you d-do that?"
"Do not be afraid," Pallando said gently. "We are wizards. We have the power to do what you call magic. But don't worry; all we want is to pass through here. Now, if you would be so kind as to continue leading us. You were doing a fine job beforehand."
Farin hesitated for a moment. "Oh yes, your great, uh, wizardships. Follow me."
"Do call us by our names, Farin."
"Oh, come on, Pallando." Alatar gave the other wizard a friendly nudge. "Can't we have the fun of being treated like kings, just for a bit?"
"I'm sure our friend here has had more than enough fun today. Isn't that right, Farin?"
The short man's face quickly changed from that of fear and respect to a dark anger. "If that Groror throws me out one more time."
The wizards laughed at Farin's consistency. "We've only just met you and we already know what you're going to think next!" joked Alatar, giving his new friend a cheerful slap on the back.
Whatever skin showed through Farin's bushy beard turned bright red. "Well, I don't think the Horror would approve of the likes of you, either! I remember the time when a worm (ahem) "magically" appeared in his stew. You should've seen it! He got so mad."
The time they walked down the passageway by the light of Alatar's staff flew by. The three finally stopped, doubled over in laughter at Farin's tales of Groror.
"Oh my! Oh my.oh."
The last of their laughs echoed back at them from across the vast space. The wizards once again stood in awe, eyes taking in the massive pillars of the grand room, which was so wide they could hardly see the far wall.
And it was packed with hundreds of short, stocky, long-bearded men.
"Oh dear, late for supper again. Just what I need," Farin muttered.
"There he is!" A harsh voice boomed. "You little goblin! Come here and pay for what you did!" The one the wizards recognized as Groror came storming up to them, but stopped as he saw his nemesis's company. "Beg your pardon, but."
"Excuse us for intruding in on your meal, but we were a bit confused as to where we were going," Alatar briskly stated. "Our greatest thanks to you for sending out this wonderful guide."
"Oh. Oh yes! That! It was no trouble, really," Groror said, eagerly sucking in the praise. "Would our honored guests like to stay for the night? I'm certain we can prepare a room for you."
"You are most kind, sir, but I am afraid we must be on our way," Pallando replied.
Two bright eyes pleaded up at him from below Farin's hopeful eyebrows. The wizard smiled knowingly at the young dwarf. He turned again to Groror.
"Actually, there's been a change in plans. We will be spending the rest of the week here. If it's no trouble, that is." A stifled yelp of glee floated up to Pallando's ears.
"Oh no, of course it's not," Groror quickly said. "I shall take you to our lord. He needs to know that you are here."
"I'm sure our young friend is capable of doing that," Alatar butted in. "Aren't you, Farin?"
The young man stood in shock. He, one of the lowliest in all Moria, would get to introduce his two magical friends to the king! "Oh yes yes, I can take care of everything, Groror sir, promise!"
"Very well then." Turning his attention back to his meal, he walked away. The room returned to its previous hubbub. Following Farin down the main aisle, Alatar flicked his staff-light out, attracting many stares from the already curious onlookers.
"Alatar, I don't think these people are men," Pallando whispered.
"Then what are they? Pallando?"
"I'm trying to remember something Cirdan said," he replied, deep in thought. "Moria, Moria."
"What is it?" Alatar questioned.
"The dwarf city! That's what it is! These people are dwarves," he realized. "Silly me. Gandalf would've known that right away."
"Gandalf." A distant look filled Alatar's eyes. "Do you think we'll ever see him again?"
"None can tell what the future holds." The two walked with their thoughts for a while.
"Right this way, sirs," Farin said, breaking the silence. "This way to King Oin." He held the door open, adding a bow for emphasis.
The two wizards walked into the room, each privately thanking Cirdan for their flowing blue robes. A solemn dwarf at on a stone chair, which was obviously a throne, his beard graying with age. Knowledge and wisdom glowed in his still bright eyes as he took in the two guests.
"Greetings, lord of Moria." Pallando bowed, and Alatar quickly followed suit. "We are Pallando and Alatar, the two blue wizards. We are honored to be of service to you."
"They wish to spend the week here, my lord," Farin piped up from the doorway. A glance from King Oin sent him shrinking back into the shadows.
"Very well then," the king replied. The two wizards thought they saw a hint of amusement in his eyes as he turned from Farin to them. "You may have our finest guest room. I trust your friend back there knows the way." The young dwarf shrunk even more towards the door. "Do enjoy your stay. Farin will tell you who to go to if you have any trouble."
Pallando and Alatar took this as a clue to leave. Politely bowing again, they turned to follow Farin as he jumped out into the hall.
"Did you hear that? He knew my name! The king of the dwarves knows my name!" the excited Farin exclaimed as soon as they were out of Lord Oin's earshot.
"Yes, we heard," the wizards chorused, exchanging grins.
"You know, the moment I saw you, I knew good things would be happening to me," the young dwarf began.
They continued down the hall, the wizards listening to Farin's ecstatic ramblings. They let their thoughts wander at will, still politely listening to their small friend.
"And then I'll become the king's second-in-command, all because I made friends with two all-powerful wizards. Oh, here is your room."
Ducking under the doorway, they looked around a small yet cozy cave. "This'll do fine," Pallando assured the dwarf. "Now go and dream about what you'll do after Lord Oin gives you rule over the kingdom."
Blushing again, Farin nodded. "Trust me, I will. If you need me, take the hall to your right and follow the large crack in the wall. My room's the third on your left. Goodnight." He turned to leave. "Oh, and thanks for everything. Friends."
They smiled at him. "Goodnight, Farin." They sat up and listened as the dwarf's footsteps disappeared down the hall.
Tired from more than just their new friend's incessant talk, they immediately fell asleep. Little did they know of how much longer they would be sleeping in such a safe place.
Pallando and Alatar walk along the edge of a great mountain. They have been walking for over a month. As darkness falls, they look for a place to settle for the night.
"Alatar, do you remember what happened at Cirdan's home?" Pallando asked, his eyes wandering around their rocky new surroundings.
"Of course. How could I forget?" retorted Alatar. "It was strange. What do you think it meant?"
Pallando thought for a moment, eyes now at the darkening horizon. "I'm not sure. Whatever it was, we confused him, and maybe scared him a bit. But why? Maybe this Galadriel will help us."
"Scared him? I'd hardly think that. That elf has been alive for many times longer than we have, and I'm sure he's seen far more frightening things than us."
"You're probably right." Sighing, Pallando sat down on one of the nearby boulders, throwing his staff to the side. "Let's spend the night here. I have a feeling it's as good a place as we're going to find, and at least we can use this dead tree for firewood if we need it."
"Firewood? You really are out of it!" Alatar grinned. "We're wizards! We can do anything, let alone use our powers to start a little fire."
"True." Pallando sighed again as he began to lay out his blanket for the night. "Come on, we'd better get to sleep. If we ever plan to find Lothlorien, we must start early tomorrow- Alatar?"
The other wizard stood in his blue robe, framed against the rising moon, his mouth gaping open. "Pallando, I think we've found something," he whispered.
Whipping around, Pallando gasped at the magical sight. It was obviously a door, but the glowing lines on it were both new and exiting to the two wizards.
"I wonder what it opens to," said Alatar, still frozen with awe.
Pallando jumped up to stand beside his friend, examining the door. "The letters are not those of which we have learned. It does seem to resemble the elvish writing that Gandalf tried to teach us."
"But it glows."
"Yes. I recall Gandalf also saying a bit about writing that only shows up in full moonlight."
Both glanced behind them at the large white sphere, which had continued to rise as the night grew.
"I do believe that is what we're seeing," Alatar commented, "But what does it mean? And where does it lead.oomph!"
The door flew open as a short, stocky man with a long beard came hurtling out of the dark cave inside, taking Alatar with him. He was followed by another small, long-bearded man, who seemed to be quite angry.
"Farin! This is the last time!" the second man roared. "No more of that sneaking around and listening in on other people's conversations! This'll teach you to keep your ears to yourself!"
Whirling around, the angry man stormed inside and slammed the door, leaving the blue wizards alone with the other. Alatar shoved him off of his stomach and quickly recovered his momentarily lost dignity.
"Do you know that it is rude to knock people over, stranger?" Alatar inquired of the bearded man.
"Why don't you go tell Groror the Horror that," he replied, dusting himself off. "Oh, I'm going to have so many bruises!"
"Stop complaining and explain yourself," Alatar snapped. "We have places to go, and it would be most kind of you if we had some assistance."
"Oh yes, of course. I am Farin the Young, currently of Moria. The Horror might get me kicked out soon."
"Please, just get to the point," Pallando said.
"Okay, okay. Groror caught me spyin' on his conversation with this lady and. oh, you don't want to hear about that. Anyway."
"Get on with it!" Alatar's patience was running low.
"Well, to make a long story short, I ended up here. With you. Who are you, by the way?"
"I am Pallando, and this is my friend Alatar," the wizard politely replied. "We are trying to reach Lothlorien. Do you know how to get there?"
"Of course I do! I'm not so young that I don't know the way around my own home!" Farin retorted, putting on a hurt look. "Right this way, sirs!"
The two wizards glanced at each other, shrugged, picked up their staffs, and followed the now dignified man into the dark tunnel where the door had once been.
"Curses, the door-men didn't leave the torches lit," their guide muttered under his breath.
"No problem." Waving his hand over the top of his staff, Alatar filled the entrance with a bright light.
"You might have warned him," Pallando commented, nodding at the wide-eyed Farin. "We have some explaining to do."
"H-h-how did you d-do that?"
"Do not be afraid," Pallando said gently. "We are wizards. We have the power to do what you call magic. But don't worry; all we want is to pass through here. Now, if you would be so kind as to continue leading us. You were doing a fine job beforehand."
Farin hesitated for a moment. "Oh yes, your great, uh, wizardships. Follow me."
"Do call us by our names, Farin."
"Oh, come on, Pallando." Alatar gave the other wizard a friendly nudge. "Can't we have the fun of being treated like kings, just for a bit?"
"I'm sure our friend here has had more than enough fun today. Isn't that right, Farin?"
The short man's face quickly changed from that of fear and respect to a dark anger. "If that Groror throws me out one more time."
The wizards laughed at Farin's consistency. "We've only just met you and we already know what you're going to think next!" joked Alatar, giving his new friend a cheerful slap on the back.
Whatever skin showed through Farin's bushy beard turned bright red. "Well, I don't think the Horror would approve of the likes of you, either! I remember the time when a worm (ahem) "magically" appeared in his stew. You should've seen it! He got so mad."
The time they walked down the passageway by the light of Alatar's staff flew by. The three finally stopped, doubled over in laughter at Farin's tales of Groror.
"Oh my! Oh my.oh."
The last of their laughs echoed back at them from across the vast space. The wizards once again stood in awe, eyes taking in the massive pillars of the grand room, which was so wide they could hardly see the far wall.
And it was packed with hundreds of short, stocky, long-bearded men.
"Oh dear, late for supper again. Just what I need," Farin muttered.
"There he is!" A harsh voice boomed. "You little goblin! Come here and pay for what you did!" The one the wizards recognized as Groror came storming up to them, but stopped as he saw his nemesis's company. "Beg your pardon, but."
"Excuse us for intruding in on your meal, but we were a bit confused as to where we were going," Alatar briskly stated. "Our greatest thanks to you for sending out this wonderful guide."
"Oh. Oh yes! That! It was no trouble, really," Groror said, eagerly sucking in the praise. "Would our honored guests like to stay for the night? I'm certain we can prepare a room for you."
"You are most kind, sir, but I am afraid we must be on our way," Pallando replied.
Two bright eyes pleaded up at him from below Farin's hopeful eyebrows. The wizard smiled knowingly at the young dwarf. He turned again to Groror.
"Actually, there's been a change in plans. We will be spending the rest of the week here. If it's no trouble, that is." A stifled yelp of glee floated up to Pallando's ears.
"Oh no, of course it's not," Groror quickly said. "I shall take you to our lord. He needs to know that you are here."
"I'm sure our young friend is capable of doing that," Alatar butted in. "Aren't you, Farin?"
The young man stood in shock. He, one of the lowliest in all Moria, would get to introduce his two magical friends to the king! "Oh yes yes, I can take care of everything, Groror sir, promise!"
"Very well then." Turning his attention back to his meal, he walked away. The room returned to its previous hubbub. Following Farin down the main aisle, Alatar flicked his staff-light out, attracting many stares from the already curious onlookers.
"Alatar, I don't think these people are men," Pallando whispered.
"Then what are they? Pallando?"
"I'm trying to remember something Cirdan said," he replied, deep in thought. "Moria, Moria."
"What is it?" Alatar questioned.
"The dwarf city! That's what it is! These people are dwarves," he realized. "Silly me. Gandalf would've known that right away."
"Gandalf." A distant look filled Alatar's eyes. "Do you think we'll ever see him again?"
"None can tell what the future holds." The two walked with their thoughts for a while.
"Right this way, sirs," Farin said, breaking the silence. "This way to King Oin." He held the door open, adding a bow for emphasis.
The two wizards walked into the room, each privately thanking Cirdan for their flowing blue robes. A solemn dwarf at on a stone chair, which was obviously a throne, his beard graying with age. Knowledge and wisdom glowed in his still bright eyes as he took in the two guests.
"Greetings, lord of Moria." Pallando bowed, and Alatar quickly followed suit. "We are Pallando and Alatar, the two blue wizards. We are honored to be of service to you."
"They wish to spend the week here, my lord," Farin piped up from the doorway. A glance from King Oin sent him shrinking back into the shadows.
"Very well then," the king replied. The two wizards thought they saw a hint of amusement in his eyes as he turned from Farin to them. "You may have our finest guest room. I trust your friend back there knows the way." The young dwarf shrunk even more towards the door. "Do enjoy your stay. Farin will tell you who to go to if you have any trouble."
Pallando and Alatar took this as a clue to leave. Politely bowing again, they turned to follow Farin as he jumped out into the hall.
"Did you hear that? He knew my name! The king of the dwarves knows my name!" the excited Farin exclaimed as soon as they were out of Lord Oin's earshot.
"Yes, we heard," the wizards chorused, exchanging grins.
"You know, the moment I saw you, I knew good things would be happening to me," the young dwarf began.
They continued down the hall, the wizards listening to Farin's ecstatic ramblings. They let their thoughts wander at will, still politely listening to their small friend.
"And then I'll become the king's second-in-command, all because I made friends with two all-powerful wizards. Oh, here is your room."
Ducking under the doorway, they looked around a small yet cozy cave. "This'll do fine," Pallando assured the dwarf. "Now go and dream about what you'll do after Lord Oin gives you rule over the kingdom."
Blushing again, Farin nodded. "Trust me, I will. If you need me, take the hall to your right and follow the large crack in the wall. My room's the third on your left. Goodnight." He turned to leave. "Oh, and thanks for everything. Friends."
They smiled at him. "Goodnight, Farin." They sat up and listened as the dwarf's footsteps disappeared down the hall.
Tired from more than just their new friend's incessant talk, they immediately fell asleep. Little did they know of how much longer they would be sleeping in such a safe place.
