THE DAYSTAR
BY: GABRIELLA THE FAIR
Chapter 32
THE TREASON OF ISENGARD
"What was she like, how would you explain her?" With a faraway smile, he looked up to the sky and answered, "She was the Daystar, lighting up the day during our darkest hour, warming the earth with her love." "She is as clear as the moon, as fair as the sun, and as glorious as an army under one banner"
To most she was a loving friend, her fairness lighting up the world, no matter what the weather. To some a companion, and one a lover and dream. Yet, many feared her dignity in her footsteps, power in her stride, and authority in her eyes. This is her story.
Thankies and kudos to Isilme` Rayune or Kitty Kat Blanc or wateva ya wanna be called for the border. Gracias!
/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~\
"So, what do you wish to hear first?"
"Everything! I want to know everything from the bridge to now." Gandalf said. The others looked at Aragorn and elected him as their speaker.
"Well." Aragorn said as he tried to find the right words, "First I ask that you give us news of the hobbits. Did you find them?"
"No, I had no such luck as to that, Emyn Muil was covered in darkness and I did not know of their captivity until the eagle told me."
"The eagle!" Legolas said, "Three days ago I saw an eagle, high above Emyn Muil. What was he doing?"
"That was Gwaihir the Windlord. He rescued me from Orthanc." Gandalf recalled the memory and paused for a moment, "I sent him ahead of me so that he may gather tidings of the river. His sight is sharp, though he cannot see everything that passes on this earth. Some I have seen myself. What I do know is that the Ring has passed out of our reach; there is nothing more that we can do for Frodo. The enemy very nearly found the Ring, but that was kept from happening. Part of that was my own doing. I sat in a high place and fought with the Black Tower, using the last of my energy. With that he left, yet, Alas! I was so very weary, so weak. I walked long in thought, fighting the darkness."
"So, you were there?" Raquel said as she stared at him with a look of utter astonishment, "You were there and did not help us or even let us know of your presence?!" she jumped up and glared at him.
"No, calm down child! Sit down for heaven's sake!" he said while he chuckled, "I did not say I was there, I said I sat in a high place."
"Oh." she sat down and felt slightly stupid.
"So, you do know about Frodo. How is he?" Gimli said.
"I do not know. All I know is that he was saved from a great risk, but much still lies before him. He resolved to go to Mordor alone."
"Alone?" Legolas asked, "We think Sam may have gone with him."
"Oh, really?!" the wizard said with a smile on his lips, "That does not surprise me! This is news to me and you lighten my heart with it. Come, sit by me and tell me of your journey now."
They sat at his feet and Aragorn once again selected himself to speak for the others. He spoke and told everything from the bridge to now, leaving out nothing known to him. Everything, but Raquel and Legolas. Gandalf sat on the rock and he closed his eyes as he concentrated. His hands were laying upon his knees and he made no movement nor spoke any words. He only began to move again when Aragorn got to the part of Boromir's death. He heaved a great sigh, scaring them all as he opened his eyes.
"Alas! Aragorn, you do not speak your full mind to me." he looked to the Elves, "Much more has happened since our last meeting. There may come a time to test its meaning." there was a relative amount of silence amongst them all. Gandalf spoke again, "Raquel, bring me that treasure that Boromir entrusted to you."
Raquel reached into a pocket and pulled it the tree and handed it to him. Gandalf took it and ran a finger over it. The line he traced turned white and contrasted greatly with the greenish-blue hue of the tree.
"How did you do that?" Raquel asked, watching as he drew another line. It turned white again.
He handed it back to her, "Here, you try."
"Try what?" she asked as she took the gem back.
"Do just as I did. Run your finger along it." he instructed.
She did as she was told, amazed that a silver line appeared as she traced, overlapping part of the wizard's own lines.
"What is this thing?" she questioned and her eyes lit up at the next thought "Is it magical?"
"No, nothing of the sort. It is just a stone that reveals the mind." Gandalf said.
"What do you mean? Do you say I can read their thoughts?" Raquel made a face, "I am not sure I would want to do that."
"No, it reveals the character, the." he paused, "emotions of someone, you might put it that way."
"Really." she looked as the lines began to fade, "So what does silver mean?"
"It doesn't mean a thing." Gandalf said briefly.
"But." Raquel smiled and shook her head, "I am very confused."
"You will learn to understand it eventually." Gandalf turned to Aragorn. "So, did you say that Boromir was slaughtered by the hands of the Orcs?"
"Yes, by the Orcs of Isengard." Aragorn said sadly.
"Poor Boromir! Such an honourable man he was." Gandalf shook his head, pity and distress deepened in his face, "Galadriel told me he was in peril, but I did not comprehend this as her meaning. At least he escaped in the end. It was not in unfruitful that the young hobbits had come with us, if only it be for Boromir's sake. They have an even incomparable role in this quest. They came to the Fangorn Forest, and their arrival was as little stones that fall to cause the avalanche. Saruman is the only one to blame when the dam breaks!" his eyes blazed slightly.
"There is still one thing the same about you Gandalf." Aragorn smiled, "You still speak in riddles."
"Do I?!" he said, looking to Raquel. She nodded, laughing. "I was just talking aloud to myself." he laughed and it sounded sweet to their ears.
"Well, can you speak more clearly so that I may understand your mind?" Aragorn asked.
"Well, then," said Gandalf, "where shall I begin? Here is what I know, in brief. The Enemy has known for a very long time of the Ring and of the hobbit that bears it. Though, he knows not that the hobbit be Frodo, only that it is a hobbit of some kind. He now knows the number of our Company that set out from Rivendell and the kind of each of us. He knows not each of us clearly, only one." he looked at Raquel, she held Nimnármîr "And he searches for you far, never let him know." Gandalf closed his eyes, "He almost found you at Amon Hen, when you used its power," he looked down at the necklace she held in her hand "though I also protected you as I did Frodo."
"I will use it with more caution next time" she felt it as it hummed softly, "I will not let him win. Thank you."
"Yes, as I was saying," Gandalf continued, "Though he may know who we are, he did not perceive our purpose. Just as he doesn't know that Frodo carries the Ring, he did not know what we were doing. He was somewhat puzzled, yet interested I'm sure. We were such a sight, Men, Elves, Dwarves, and even a Lady!" he chuckled, "Who wouldn't be? He is especially puzzled about you Raquel, with your necklace and coming with the Company, but he will soon find out why." Raquel smiled wickedly, letting her hand drop down to Sunstone. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas looked at her and felt slightly frightened. She looked perfectly unrelenting.
"If you use that anger and power in the right way, you could make even Sauron quake." Gandalf smiled and winked at her. She smiled again and removed one of her knives from it's sheath and busied herself with inspecting the blade.
"I will continue, Raquel, are you still listening?"
"Yes."
"Good, well, from what I know, he thinks we shall all go to Minas Tirith, for that is what he himself would have done in our place. And, to him, this would have been a mighty defeat against his power. He is in fear, he is very intimidated by the thought that one might appear and conquer him, taking his place in Mordor."
Raquel looked up, "A fearful enemy is one that is already defeated."
"Right," Gandalf's eyes lit up, "That is exactly what is happening. He is becoming more anxious by the minute. He is preparing for full war. He does not realize the thought of us wanting to cast him down and have no one take his spot has never occurred in his thoughts. That we should try to destroy the ring has not even entered his darkest dreams. He believes he has no time to waste, so he is striking as hard as possible. Wise fool!" Gandalf shook his head, "If he had used all his power to guard Mordor, he would have easily seized the Ring and the one who bears it. Even if he bent all his thought on the hunting of the Ring, he would have found it effortlessly. But, now his eye is fixed on Minas Tirith. Very soon now we will hear the first rumble from the tempest that is to come!"
Gandalf stopped and let the others fully contemplate what he was saying. He then continued, "He already knows the messengers he sent to hinder the Company have failed. They have not found the Ring. Neither have they brought any hobbits back to their master. If they had, it may have been a fatal blow against us."
"Say no more," Gimli said, "I hate to imagine the trail those little courageous souls would have to carry out in the Dark Tower."
"Yes, well let us hope that will not happen. Remember, the Enemy has failed so far. Thanks to Saruman."
"Saruman?" Legolas said.
"Yes, he has proved to do more good than bad for this Company." Gandalf said.
"So Saruman is not a traitor." Gimli said, "Is that what you are trying to say?"
"No, he is doubly our enemy at the moment. Nothing seems more grievous than the treason of Isengard. There is a Union now between the Two Towers, Orthanc, and Barad-dûr." Raquel shivered as an image passed through her mind. It was one of a dark tower, surrounded by lava and fire. "Because of this, Saruman wants to capture the Ring himself."
"Gandalf, how do you know all of this?" Raquel asked and absentmindedly replaced the knife in its sheath.
"From many long years of knowing Saruman. I know his mind. I looked into it earlier and I see his doubt. He is scared. As is Sauron."
"Why, what else does the Dark Lord have to fear?" Aragorn asked as he shocked the others. Before this, he had been very quiet.
"He knows of the hobbits being carried off to Isengard and that his own servants are letting Saruman take what he thinks should be his. He now fears that Saruman may turn on him, or worse yet, take the Ring and overrule him. With that he also has Minas Tirith to fear."
"What a pity that our friends lie always in between." Legolas said.
"Yes, but the victor will emerge stronger and without doubt. Saruman cannot make war with Mordor unless first he should obtain the Ring." Gandalf said, "That will never happen now. Saruman does not yet fully know his peril. He was too impatient to wait for his messengers, so he went ahead and spied out on the spot where the Riders and burned everything. Yet, there was doubt in his mind as he looked on. He did not know if the Orcs had brought back hobbits or not. Nor does he know about the quarrel between his Orcs or the Winged Messenger."
"The Winged Messenger!" Legolas cried, "Raquel and I shot at it with the bows of the Galadrim above Sarn Gebir. We fell him, but he filled us with such a cold fear. He called to Raquel, what new terror is this?"
"Is this true?!" Gandalf asked as he turned suddenly to Raquel, "Did he call to you?"
"Yes." she said as she recalled the night.
"What did you say to him?"
"That I did not fear him." she said.
"That's the girl I remember!" Gandalf laughed, "Only Ithildin would say such a foolish thing, and with so much courage!" he shook his head, "You always seem to amaze me, every single day." he turned back to the others.
"The only dilemma with this creature, Legolas, is that you only killed his steed. It is only one of the Nine, except he was given a new mount, this time it turned out to be a bird. Saruman knows not of the new Nazgûl, for they have not been allowed to cross the river Isen yet. Even if they did, I am not sure he would care. His mind is ever upon the Ring. Was it present during the battle? What would happen if Théoden, King of the Mark, should come to know of it's power?" he shook his head, "He has also forgotten about Treebeard."
"Treebeard?!" Raquel smiled, "Alas! I know of the name, yet I have drawn a blank to its meaning."
"Yet again you have lost me." said Aragorn, "This Treebeard you speak of is not known to me. And I have speculated part of Saruman's sedition
"Wait, before you speak any more, I need to know something!" Gimli jumped in.
"Yes?" Gandalf turned to him as did the others.
"Was it you that came to us last night? Or maybe, perhaps, it may have been Saruman." Gimli leaned forward anxiously.
"Well, it was not I that you saw." Gandalf's brow came together, "I assume it was Saruman. Evidently, we look very much alike now."
"It is good then, for I did not like the feeling I got from that old man, rather I should say, Saruman if it was him."
"Wait! It had to be Saruman!" Raquel said.
"How do you know?" Legolas asked.
"Think of it, you said he went ahead and spied out the spot where the Riders had burned everything, right Gandalf?" Raquel looked to him.
"Well, yes. Yes I did." Gandalf looked to her curiously.
"Well, that is where we were last night! He came to us, saw us, and fled." Raquel waited as the others nodded in understanding, "You said you saw doubt in his mind, well, he obviously was doubting something when he saw us, for he ran away at the first movement of Aragorn." The others murmured their approval of her supposition.
"That makes sense." Gimli said.
"Entirely." Gandalf nodded, "That answers many questions. I am just glad that I am not mistaken in every aspect. Maybe someday you all will be fortunate enough to see us together and then distinguish the difference."
"But the hobbits!" Legolas cried, "Tell us where they are! We have come far to find them. The suspense is killing me, tell me where they are!"
Gandalf gave a little laugh, "Killing you?! Well, since it is killing you, they are safe and sound with Treebeard and the Ents."
"The Ents!" exclaimed Aragorn, "So there are such things that still live in this dark age? The legends are true of the giant trees that live deep in the forest. I thought there were jut but a memory of the old days, a legend passed down by the Rohan."
"A legend!" Legolas shook his head, "Nay that is where you are wrong! Every Elf in Wilderland sings of the Onodrim and their long sorrow." A smile crept onto his face, "Even among us they are only a memory, if there is such a thing. I should feel young again if I was to meet one of the Onodrim!" he stopped with uncertainty, "But Treebeard: that is only a translation of Fangorn in Common Speech, right?"
"Yes." Raquel said, "Fangorn, Treebeard, it is the same thing."
"It?" Legolas said, "I doubt that, Gandalf, you speak as though this Treebeard is a person. Who is Treebeard?"
"This cannot be happening." Raquel looked to Gandalf, "Everything you ever told me.no, this cannot be!" Raquel laughed despite the weird looks she got from Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. "He's real then?"
"Yes." Gandalf smiled.
"Everything? Everything you have told me about him is true?"
"Everything."
"Oh my word." Raquel laughed, "I cannot believe it!" she regained herself, only letting a smile remain on her face. She just shook her head as she drew Sunstone and occupied herself with the sword.
"Are you well?" Gimli asked slowly, scared at this new side of Raquel.
"I am fine." Raquel just sat and shook her head. "You are a very sneaky wizard, you know that, right Gandalf?"
"Yes, I know that, but to answer Legolas' question," Gandalf said, "he is Fangorn. Treebeard is the guardian of the forest. It is a long tale, but he is the oldest living thing under the Sun. I hope indeed that both you and Raquel should meet him, Legolas. He came to this very spot not long ago and found Merry and Pippin. I saw him about four days ago, running in the woods. I think he may have seen me, but we both did not call, for both of us were burdened with heavy thoughts."
"Well, he may have thought you to be Saruman as we did." said Gimli "Fangorn seems very dangerous."
"Dangerous!" Gandalf cried, "Open your eyes, Gimli son of Glóin! You are surrounded by dangers! I am very dangerous, more than you can imagine. And so is Aragorn, and Legolas, even Raquel. They may not look it, but they are each perilous in their own ways." He looked at each, seeming to sink into their thoughts, "Even you are dangerous Gimli! Fangorn is terrifying in his own ways, but kindly and wise. Even so, the Ents are going to awaken and find that they are strong. They are going to punish Isengard and it's axes."
"What?" Raquel looked up, "You are speaking in riddles again!"
"What are they going to do?" Legolas asked in quiet astonishment.
"I am not sure," Gandalf spoke, "but I know what ever they do will be a surprise to them also."
"The morning is almost gone." Aragorn said.
"Yes, we must leave!" Gandalf looked up at the others, "Remember, I have only spoken words of hope, do not rely on these. War is upon this whole world, a war which depends upon the use on one Ring. It scares me to think of this as the deciding factor of everything, yet it is only the truth. Much may be destroyed and all together lost. I am Gandalf, Gandalf the White, but Black is mightier still."
He rose and shaded his eyes with his hand, "It has gone beyond our reach. That is yet further hope that we have, we can now not be tempted by the Ring." He turned and faced the others, "Come Aragorn, Son of Arathorn! You must now seek Théoden in his kingdom. You are needed there. There is war upon Rohan, and much goes ill with Théoden."
"Then we are not to see the hobbits again?" Raquel said. "Was our search that unsuccessful?"
"Have patience!" Gandalf said, "Go where you must and hope. I shall go there also."
"That is a very long way for someone to walk." Gimli mumbled.
"This is will say to you Gandalf," Aragorn stood and met him eye to eye "you are our captain and our banner. The Dark Lord has Nine. But we have One, mightier than they are: The White Rider. He has passed through fire and the abyss, and they shall fear him. We will go where he leads!"
"Yes, we will follow you to unknown perils." Raquel said, "They were wrong Gandalf, you did not lead us into the net of Moria carelessly."
"Yes, all is well." Legolas said, "Yet, Gandalf, please tell us how you fared with the darkness of Moria. It would ease my heart to know."
"Yes!" Gimli said, "How did you defeat the Balrog?"
"Do not name him!" Gandalf cried, pain crossing through him. "There is not time to tell it. Even if there were a year's time I would not tell you everything." He moved away, "There is not time, I wish not to speak of it."
They were silent for a moment.
"Gandalf." Raquel looked at him, "I am sorry."
He nodded, "There was nothing you could have done, Ithildin, or any of you. That was my fate, and I wish to forget it momentarily. Maybe another day." They all nodded. "But I will tell you this, I came to Lothlórien. I stayed there and found healing and was clothed in white. Counsel I was given and counsel I gave. I was bidden to send these words to each. First, to Aragorn:"
Where now are the Dúnedain, Elessar, Elessar? Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar? Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth, And the Grey Company ride form North. But dark is the path appointed for thee: The Dead watch the read that leads to the Sea.
And to Legolas she says this:
Legolas Greenleaf long under the tree In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea! If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore, Then thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more.
Gandalf fell quiet and shut his eyes painfully. "I am sorry for these words."
"Then she sends me no message for me or Raquel? Does she not wish to give guidance to her own flesh and blood?"
"No, she has sent word." Raquel said, "Though, she wishes only for I to hear." Gandalf nodded.
"Why would you want word from her, for dark are the words." Legolas said quietly.
"That is no comfort." Gimli muttered.
"What then?!" Legolas cried. "Do you wish for her to speak openly of your death?"
"Yes, if she had nothing else to say."
"Wait, my pardon Gimli, she did send word for thee!" Gandalf opened his eyes.
To Gimli, Son of Glóin:
Give this Lady's greeting. Lockbearer, wherever thou goest my thoughts are with thee. But have a care to lay thine axe to the right tree!
"I am truly grateful for these words, thank you Gandalf." The Dwarf started to chatter on in his own tongue, "Come now that we have heard the words from of which is fairest, let us go and fight!" he grabbed his axe and jumped up with new strength.
"Yes, Gimli is right, the morning has passed and we need to hasten on." Gandalf got up, "Come, follow me!" he wrapped his cloak around him and started to descend down the steep steps.
"Here, child, carry this for me." Gandalf handed Raquel his staff, "It is burdening me." Raquel took it and watched as the old wizard quickened his pace. After they had ended their descent down the stairs they made their way to the forest. They spoke no words until they reached the bank of the Entwash. The horses had not returned.
"It will be a long and weary walk without the horses." Legolas said.
"I shall not walk, time is much to short." Gandalf said, "Raquel, try calling Artemis."
"But Gandalf."
"Don't argue child!" he said while he shook his head, "Must you always have a reason?"
Raquel didn't answer and whistled and Gandalf joined her. He whistled long and sharp, stopping and making Raquel want to cover her ears.
"Ouch!" she covered her ear, "Gandalf that hurt!"
They sat for awhile and waited in wonder. Soon, they heard the sound of hoofs on the grass. At first, it was barely perceivable, but it steadily grew as they drew closer.
"There is more than one horse." Aragorn said.
"Yes, we would be too much for one horse to carry.
"There are four!" Legolas announced, "There is Hasufel, and behind him is my friend Arod." he paused, "Is that Artemis Raquel?"
She gazed across the plain as he did, "Yes, she is striding in front of the others, yet next to one. A very great horse like one I have never seen before."
"That is Shadowfax. He is the chief of the Mearas, the lords of horses. Even Théoden, King of Rohan, has never seen one so fine. Does he not shine like a silver streak across the plain?"
"He is beautiful." Raquel whispered as he drew near. She was captivated by his very presence.
"He is coming for me: the horse of the White Rider. We will go into battle together."
As Gandalf spoke the horses came up the slope to meet them. Shadowfax appeared, leaving the others far behind. Artemis struggled to keep up with the great horse, though ended up falling behind. As they neared, both whinnied. They came stampeding to the others and Shadowfax reached Gandalf as Artemis came into sight.
"It is a long way from Rivendell, my friend. But you are wise and swift in your ways." Gandalf stroked the horse. Artemis came galloping up behind the horse and slowly began to stop. She was wet with sweat.
"Artemis." Raquel hugged the horse's neck. Artemis snorted at Shadowfax. Raquel turned her attention back to Gandalf.
"All the way from Rivendell you say?!" Raquel stared at the horse and then smiled, "Well of course, you are the lord of horses. Is all well in Imladris?" she asked Shadowfax as Artemis nudged her. "What is it, my goodness!"
The horse softly shoved her toward Shadowfax. She ended up not being less than an inch away from his head.
"She wants you to meet Shadowfax." Gandalf said.
"Oh." she stared at the horse straight on. "You are so very stunning." She said as she reached a shaky hand to him, "Thank you for taking care of my friend." The horse gave a soft whinny and accepted her outstretched hand. She stroked him tenderly, feeling his silky coat.
"Come, we must go." Gandalf said, "Legolas will ride Arod and Aragorn will be on. Raquel will ride Artemis, and Gimli will sit in front of me, if Shadowfax would permit it."
They mounted and Raquel noticed Artemis stayed near Shadowfax.
"I think she has a fondness of Shadowfax." Aragorn said as he pulled Hasufel up beside Artemis.
"That is not what really shocks me." Raquel said, "She seems to regard him as a leader, which generally surprises me."
"Yes, that is true." Aragorn said, "Artemis has never really given her loyalty to anyone, or anything, even you have trouble getting her to obey you commands."
"That is what worries me." Raquel said. She watched and laughed as Gandalf helped Gimli in the saddle.
"Why must I ride these confounded beasts?!" he murmured.
"Because without them, you would be left to walk the rest of the way!" Aragorn shouted over his shoulder. "This morning you would have been glad to get off your feet, and now you wish to be back on them!"
Gimli grumbled a response, though Gandalf gave him a quick glare.
"Come, all now is prepared to ride forth!" Gandalf leaned and spoke quiet words to Shadowfax who in return started to gallop at an easy pace. It was a moderate pace so that the other horses could keep up.
~~~~~~~~~
They traveled on for many, many hours. Even Aragorn felt the pain from being in the saddle for that long. They rode and followed Shadowfax through what seemed to be a sea of rolling green grass. The height of it would sometimes reach high above their knees.
"How does he know where he is going? All I see is green grass for miles." Gimli asked Gandalf.
"I am not sure how he knows, but trust him. He is heading straight for the Gap of Rohan."
The horses went on, and little discussion went on. As the sun began to sink into the sky, a blood red wave seemed to spread over the sea of grass. The sun had almost totally disappeared when the others heard Gandalf shout from the front.
"Look, the Gap of Rohan!" Gandalf waved, "Beyond that lies Isengard."
"I see smoke rising." Legolas said, "What is it?"
"War!" Gandalf said, "Ride on!"
They followed his command and rode on for so many hours that Raquel lost track of the time.
"We will rest here for the night." Gandalf said. They made camp and stayed there until predawn. They then had a bite of food and gathered their belongings as quickly and remounted. They rode on and many times Gimli fell asleep in the saddle. Gandalf saved him from falling out many a time by shaking him out of his slumber.
"Raquel, Legolas what do you see?" Gimli rubbed his eyes as Gandalf shook him to wake again.
"Green grass I suppose." Gimli muttered tiredly.
"No, look Gimli!" Gandalf pointed upwards. Far ahead he saw a silver stream that came down from the mountains. At its feet there sat a green hill. On the hill sat a city.
"Behold!" Gandalf said, "These fair halls are called Edoras. And the golden on is Meduseld, where Théoden, King of the Mark dwells."
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ §§§§§§§§§§§§§§
I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I really am guys! I feel SO SO SO bad to keep you guys waitin this long!! I mean, I practically lost sleep over it! (ok, maybe not that much, but its pretty close!) Hope ya'll liked this chapter! thanx to everyone that reviewed. Yes, I did get the x-tended version of the dvd. Actually, I got it the day it came out. I forced my Mum to go out and get it before the stores were swamped. (kudos to Mum!) Wednesday, December 18....*huge sigh from Gabi* I CANNOT WAIT! I absolutely cannot contain myself. The Two Towers (TTT) is gonna be so sweet! My dad's taken my best friend and me to go see it at midnight on Tuesday! YAY! (now kudos to Dad!) We're gonna go to it, see it at midnight and then go with another group of LOTR fanatics on Wednesday night. Hope ya'll can get out and see it sometime! its gonna be absolutely awesome! Well, I got to go! cya!
*~*~*Gabi*~*~*
p.s. To anyone that would like to know (I found this pretty interesting) that whole thing with the old man is not made up. In the book they never state who the old man was that appeared to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. I've wondered who he was and I finally figured it out as I was rereading for writing this chapter. I explained it best I could through Raquel, and it is a guess, though I am pretty sure it is right. If you've read the books, reread that part again and tell me what you think.
Daphne- Thanx for reading! but, to to respond to ur comment on Raquel, here's what I think. Tolkien (the genius that he is) created the Fellowship as a whole. They all had their different personalities, races, characteristics, ect.The way he made the Fellowship was with total balance, and if you think about it, there really is no place for an extra character. So, in adding Raquel (or any other extra character) you need to take away some of the roles of other characters, unless you make your own. (but we won't get into that). So, I really do regret depriving the characters of that, but in adding Raquel it was necessary to do so. Hope you read this and take it into consideration, anywho, have an awesome day!
dani (who is too lazy to login)- lol, yes, I think the talk gave Raquel a hard slap in the face, yet gently uncovered her eyes to reality. She was/is blinding herself to the reality of her own feelings. (what I'm really trying to say is, she knows her feelings and will say some of most of them, but she decides to ignore certain ones.) I can't say too much about that *smiles maliciously* Yeah, the reunion was remodeled after Gandalf forgetting his name in the book. So I thought maybe he should forget Raquel too. It kinda illustrates how close they really were. And yes, part of the song was from Moulin Rouge, which is a very VERY good (and touching) movie. thanx for the review and encouragement! have a great day!
Lady Arabian Knight- Thanx, I'm glad you luv it, because it luves u! I'll update as soon as possible! *cringes* but school and other stuff get in the way a lot, but I'm doin my best! Hope you keep readin and enjoy it! Asta luego!
Leigha- I luv Moulin Rouge too! My dad likes it, so we both watch it a lot. (I always get so teary-eyed at the end Ü) You're so lucky you live in California, I might go there for college. (which unfortunately isn't exactly in the near future) I most likely will be doing more little Moulin Rouge tidbits here and there in this story, so look closely! I might even put some Lord of the Rings things in it! *gasps* I can only imagine what that would be like! lol, ill catch ya latta, have a good day!
Isilme` Rayune (a.k.a. Kitty Kat Blanc)- Yes, I did get he extended version of FOTR. (refer to my AN) thanx for the border! I used it at the top! its really nifty, lol! Ü well, hope u enjoy readin The Daystar! Have a great day!
*~*~*GaBi*~*~*
"What was she like, how would you explain her?" With a faraway smile, he looked up to the sky and answered, "She was the Daystar, lighting up the day during our darkest hour, warming the earth with her love." "She is as clear as the moon, as fair as the sun, and as glorious as an army under one banner"
To most she was a loving friend, her fairness lighting up the world, no matter what the weather. To some a companion, and one a lover and dream. Yet, many feared her dignity in her footsteps, power in her stride, and authority in her eyes. This is her story.
Thankies and kudos to Isilme` Rayune or Kitty Kat Blanc or wateva ya wanna be called for the border. Gracias!
/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~\
"So, what do you wish to hear first?"
"Everything! I want to know everything from the bridge to now." Gandalf said. The others looked at Aragorn and elected him as their speaker.
"Well." Aragorn said as he tried to find the right words, "First I ask that you give us news of the hobbits. Did you find them?"
"No, I had no such luck as to that, Emyn Muil was covered in darkness and I did not know of their captivity until the eagle told me."
"The eagle!" Legolas said, "Three days ago I saw an eagle, high above Emyn Muil. What was he doing?"
"That was Gwaihir the Windlord. He rescued me from Orthanc." Gandalf recalled the memory and paused for a moment, "I sent him ahead of me so that he may gather tidings of the river. His sight is sharp, though he cannot see everything that passes on this earth. Some I have seen myself. What I do know is that the Ring has passed out of our reach; there is nothing more that we can do for Frodo. The enemy very nearly found the Ring, but that was kept from happening. Part of that was my own doing. I sat in a high place and fought with the Black Tower, using the last of my energy. With that he left, yet, Alas! I was so very weary, so weak. I walked long in thought, fighting the darkness."
"So, you were there?" Raquel said as she stared at him with a look of utter astonishment, "You were there and did not help us or even let us know of your presence?!" she jumped up and glared at him.
"No, calm down child! Sit down for heaven's sake!" he said while he chuckled, "I did not say I was there, I said I sat in a high place."
"Oh." she sat down and felt slightly stupid.
"So, you do know about Frodo. How is he?" Gimli said.
"I do not know. All I know is that he was saved from a great risk, but much still lies before him. He resolved to go to Mordor alone."
"Alone?" Legolas asked, "We think Sam may have gone with him."
"Oh, really?!" the wizard said with a smile on his lips, "That does not surprise me! This is news to me and you lighten my heart with it. Come, sit by me and tell me of your journey now."
They sat at his feet and Aragorn once again selected himself to speak for the others. He spoke and told everything from the bridge to now, leaving out nothing known to him. Everything, but Raquel and Legolas. Gandalf sat on the rock and he closed his eyes as he concentrated. His hands were laying upon his knees and he made no movement nor spoke any words. He only began to move again when Aragorn got to the part of Boromir's death. He heaved a great sigh, scaring them all as he opened his eyes.
"Alas! Aragorn, you do not speak your full mind to me." he looked to the Elves, "Much more has happened since our last meeting. There may come a time to test its meaning." there was a relative amount of silence amongst them all. Gandalf spoke again, "Raquel, bring me that treasure that Boromir entrusted to you."
Raquel reached into a pocket and pulled it the tree and handed it to him. Gandalf took it and ran a finger over it. The line he traced turned white and contrasted greatly with the greenish-blue hue of the tree.
"How did you do that?" Raquel asked, watching as he drew another line. It turned white again.
He handed it back to her, "Here, you try."
"Try what?" she asked as she took the gem back.
"Do just as I did. Run your finger along it." he instructed.
She did as she was told, amazed that a silver line appeared as she traced, overlapping part of the wizard's own lines.
"What is this thing?" she questioned and her eyes lit up at the next thought "Is it magical?"
"No, nothing of the sort. It is just a stone that reveals the mind." Gandalf said.
"What do you mean? Do you say I can read their thoughts?" Raquel made a face, "I am not sure I would want to do that."
"No, it reveals the character, the." he paused, "emotions of someone, you might put it that way."
"Really." she looked as the lines began to fade, "So what does silver mean?"
"It doesn't mean a thing." Gandalf said briefly.
"But." Raquel smiled and shook her head, "I am very confused."
"You will learn to understand it eventually." Gandalf turned to Aragorn. "So, did you say that Boromir was slaughtered by the hands of the Orcs?"
"Yes, by the Orcs of Isengard." Aragorn said sadly.
"Poor Boromir! Such an honourable man he was." Gandalf shook his head, pity and distress deepened in his face, "Galadriel told me he was in peril, but I did not comprehend this as her meaning. At least he escaped in the end. It was not in unfruitful that the young hobbits had come with us, if only it be for Boromir's sake. They have an even incomparable role in this quest. They came to the Fangorn Forest, and their arrival was as little stones that fall to cause the avalanche. Saruman is the only one to blame when the dam breaks!" his eyes blazed slightly.
"There is still one thing the same about you Gandalf." Aragorn smiled, "You still speak in riddles."
"Do I?!" he said, looking to Raquel. She nodded, laughing. "I was just talking aloud to myself." he laughed and it sounded sweet to their ears.
"Well, can you speak more clearly so that I may understand your mind?" Aragorn asked.
"Well, then," said Gandalf, "where shall I begin? Here is what I know, in brief. The Enemy has known for a very long time of the Ring and of the hobbit that bears it. Though, he knows not that the hobbit be Frodo, only that it is a hobbit of some kind. He now knows the number of our Company that set out from Rivendell and the kind of each of us. He knows not each of us clearly, only one." he looked at Raquel, she held Nimnármîr "And he searches for you far, never let him know." Gandalf closed his eyes, "He almost found you at Amon Hen, when you used its power," he looked down at the necklace she held in her hand "though I also protected you as I did Frodo."
"I will use it with more caution next time" she felt it as it hummed softly, "I will not let him win. Thank you."
"Yes, as I was saying," Gandalf continued, "Though he may know who we are, he did not perceive our purpose. Just as he doesn't know that Frodo carries the Ring, he did not know what we were doing. He was somewhat puzzled, yet interested I'm sure. We were such a sight, Men, Elves, Dwarves, and even a Lady!" he chuckled, "Who wouldn't be? He is especially puzzled about you Raquel, with your necklace and coming with the Company, but he will soon find out why." Raquel smiled wickedly, letting her hand drop down to Sunstone. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas looked at her and felt slightly frightened. She looked perfectly unrelenting.
"If you use that anger and power in the right way, you could make even Sauron quake." Gandalf smiled and winked at her. She smiled again and removed one of her knives from it's sheath and busied herself with inspecting the blade.
"I will continue, Raquel, are you still listening?"
"Yes."
"Good, well, from what I know, he thinks we shall all go to Minas Tirith, for that is what he himself would have done in our place. And, to him, this would have been a mighty defeat against his power. He is in fear, he is very intimidated by the thought that one might appear and conquer him, taking his place in Mordor."
Raquel looked up, "A fearful enemy is one that is already defeated."
"Right," Gandalf's eyes lit up, "That is exactly what is happening. He is becoming more anxious by the minute. He is preparing for full war. He does not realize the thought of us wanting to cast him down and have no one take his spot has never occurred in his thoughts. That we should try to destroy the ring has not even entered his darkest dreams. He believes he has no time to waste, so he is striking as hard as possible. Wise fool!" Gandalf shook his head, "If he had used all his power to guard Mordor, he would have easily seized the Ring and the one who bears it. Even if he bent all his thought on the hunting of the Ring, he would have found it effortlessly. But, now his eye is fixed on Minas Tirith. Very soon now we will hear the first rumble from the tempest that is to come!"
Gandalf stopped and let the others fully contemplate what he was saying. He then continued, "He already knows the messengers he sent to hinder the Company have failed. They have not found the Ring. Neither have they brought any hobbits back to their master. If they had, it may have been a fatal blow against us."
"Say no more," Gimli said, "I hate to imagine the trail those little courageous souls would have to carry out in the Dark Tower."
"Yes, well let us hope that will not happen. Remember, the Enemy has failed so far. Thanks to Saruman."
"Saruman?" Legolas said.
"Yes, he has proved to do more good than bad for this Company." Gandalf said.
"So Saruman is not a traitor." Gimli said, "Is that what you are trying to say?"
"No, he is doubly our enemy at the moment. Nothing seems more grievous than the treason of Isengard. There is a Union now between the Two Towers, Orthanc, and Barad-dûr." Raquel shivered as an image passed through her mind. It was one of a dark tower, surrounded by lava and fire. "Because of this, Saruman wants to capture the Ring himself."
"Gandalf, how do you know all of this?" Raquel asked and absentmindedly replaced the knife in its sheath.
"From many long years of knowing Saruman. I know his mind. I looked into it earlier and I see his doubt. He is scared. As is Sauron."
"Why, what else does the Dark Lord have to fear?" Aragorn asked as he shocked the others. Before this, he had been very quiet.
"He knows of the hobbits being carried off to Isengard and that his own servants are letting Saruman take what he thinks should be his. He now fears that Saruman may turn on him, or worse yet, take the Ring and overrule him. With that he also has Minas Tirith to fear."
"What a pity that our friends lie always in between." Legolas said.
"Yes, but the victor will emerge stronger and without doubt. Saruman cannot make war with Mordor unless first he should obtain the Ring." Gandalf said, "That will never happen now. Saruman does not yet fully know his peril. He was too impatient to wait for his messengers, so he went ahead and spied out on the spot where the Riders and burned everything. Yet, there was doubt in his mind as he looked on. He did not know if the Orcs had brought back hobbits or not. Nor does he know about the quarrel between his Orcs or the Winged Messenger."
"The Winged Messenger!" Legolas cried, "Raquel and I shot at it with the bows of the Galadrim above Sarn Gebir. We fell him, but he filled us with such a cold fear. He called to Raquel, what new terror is this?"
"Is this true?!" Gandalf asked as he turned suddenly to Raquel, "Did he call to you?"
"Yes." she said as she recalled the night.
"What did you say to him?"
"That I did not fear him." she said.
"That's the girl I remember!" Gandalf laughed, "Only Ithildin would say such a foolish thing, and with so much courage!" he shook his head, "You always seem to amaze me, every single day." he turned back to the others.
"The only dilemma with this creature, Legolas, is that you only killed his steed. It is only one of the Nine, except he was given a new mount, this time it turned out to be a bird. Saruman knows not of the new Nazgûl, for they have not been allowed to cross the river Isen yet. Even if they did, I am not sure he would care. His mind is ever upon the Ring. Was it present during the battle? What would happen if Théoden, King of the Mark, should come to know of it's power?" he shook his head, "He has also forgotten about Treebeard."
"Treebeard?!" Raquel smiled, "Alas! I know of the name, yet I have drawn a blank to its meaning."
"Yet again you have lost me." said Aragorn, "This Treebeard you speak of is not known to me. And I have speculated part of Saruman's sedition
"Wait, before you speak any more, I need to know something!" Gimli jumped in.
"Yes?" Gandalf turned to him as did the others.
"Was it you that came to us last night? Or maybe, perhaps, it may have been Saruman." Gimli leaned forward anxiously.
"Well, it was not I that you saw." Gandalf's brow came together, "I assume it was Saruman. Evidently, we look very much alike now."
"It is good then, for I did not like the feeling I got from that old man, rather I should say, Saruman if it was him."
"Wait! It had to be Saruman!" Raquel said.
"How do you know?" Legolas asked.
"Think of it, you said he went ahead and spied out the spot where the Riders had burned everything, right Gandalf?" Raquel looked to him.
"Well, yes. Yes I did." Gandalf looked to her curiously.
"Well, that is where we were last night! He came to us, saw us, and fled." Raquel waited as the others nodded in understanding, "You said you saw doubt in his mind, well, he obviously was doubting something when he saw us, for he ran away at the first movement of Aragorn." The others murmured their approval of her supposition.
"That makes sense." Gimli said.
"Entirely." Gandalf nodded, "That answers many questions. I am just glad that I am not mistaken in every aspect. Maybe someday you all will be fortunate enough to see us together and then distinguish the difference."
"But the hobbits!" Legolas cried, "Tell us where they are! We have come far to find them. The suspense is killing me, tell me where they are!"
Gandalf gave a little laugh, "Killing you?! Well, since it is killing you, they are safe and sound with Treebeard and the Ents."
"The Ents!" exclaimed Aragorn, "So there are such things that still live in this dark age? The legends are true of the giant trees that live deep in the forest. I thought there were jut but a memory of the old days, a legend passed down by the Rohan."
"A legend!" Legolas shook his head, "Nay that is where you are wrong! Every Elf in Wilderland sings of the Onodrim and their long sorrow." A smile crept onto his face, "Even among us they are only a memory, if there is such a thing. I should feel young again if I was to meet one of the Onodrim!" he stopped with uncertainty, "But Treebeard: that is only a translation of Fangorn in Common Speech, right?"
"Yes." Raquel said, "Fangorn, Treebeard, it is the same thing."
"It?" Legolas said, "I doubt that, Gandalf, you speak as though this Treebeard is a person. Who is Treebeard?"
"This cannot be happening." Raquel looked to Gandalf, "Everything you ever told me.no, this cannot be!" Raquel laughed despite the weird looks she got from Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. "He's real then?"
"Yes." Gandalf smiled.
"Everything? Everything you have told me about him is true?"
"Everything."
"Oh my word." Raquel laughed, "I cannot believe it!" she regained herself, only letting a smile remain on her face. She just shook her head as she drew Sunstone and occupied herself with the sword.
"Are you well?" Gimli asked slowly, scared at this new side of Raquel.
"I am fine." Raquel just sat and shook her head. "You are a very sneaky wizard, you know that, right Gandalf?"
"Yes, I know that, but to answer Legolas' question," Gandalf said, "he is Fangorn. Treebeard is the guardian of the forest. It is a long tale, but he is the oldest living thing under the Sun. I hope indeed that both you and Raquel should meet him, Legolas. He came to this very spot not long ago and found Merry and Pippin. I saw him about four days ago, running in the woods. I think he may have seen me, but we both did not call, for both of us were burdened with heavy thoughts."
"Well, he may have thought you to be Saruman as we did." said Gimli "Fangorn seems very dangerous."
"Dangerous!" Gandalf cried, "Open your eyes, Gimli son of Glóin! You are surrounded by dangers! I am very dangerous, more than you can imagine. And so is Aragorn, and Legolas, even Raquel. They may not look it, but they are each perilous in their own ways." He looked at each, seeming to sink into their thoughts, "Even you are dangerous Gimli! Fangorn is terrifying in his own ways, but kindly and wise. Even so, the Ents are going to awaken and find that they are strong. They are going to punish Isengard and it's axes."
"What?" Raquel looked up, "You are speaking in riddles again!"
"What are they going to do?" Legolas asked in quiet astonishment.
"I am not sure," Gandalf spoke, "but I know what ever they do will be a surprise to them also."
"The morning is almost gone." Aragorn said.
"Yes, we must leave!" Gandalf looked up at the others, "Remember, I have only spoken words of hope, do not rely on these. War is upon this whole world, a war which depends upon the use on one Ring. It scares me to think of this as the deciding factor of everything, yet it is only the truth. Much may be destroyed and all together lost. I am Gandalf, Gandalf the White, but Black is mightier still."
He rose and shaded his eyes with his hand, "It has gone beyond our reach. That is yet further hope that we have, we can now not be tempted by the Ring." He turned and faced the others, "Come Aragorn, Son of Arathorn! You must now seek Théoden in his kingdom. You are needed there. There is war upon Rohan, and much goes ill with Théoden."
"Then we are not to see the hobbits again?" Raquel said. "Was our search that unsuccessful?"
"Have patience!" Gandalf said, "Go where you must and hope. I shall go there also."
"That is a very long way for someone to walk." Gimli mumbled.
"This is will say to you Gandalf," Aragorn stood and met him eye to eye "you are our captain and our banner. The Dark Lord has Nine. But we have One, mightier than they are: The White Rider. He has passed through fire and the abyss, and they shall fear him. We will go where he leads!"
"Yes, we will follow you to unknown perils." Raquel said, "They were wrong Gandalf, you did not lead us into the net of Moria carelessly."
"Yes, all is well." Legolas said, "Yet, Gandalf, please tell us how you fared with the darkness of Moria. It would ease my heart to know."
"Yes!" Gimli said, "How did you defeat the Balrog?"
"Do not name him!" Gandalf cried, pain crossing through him. "There is not time to tell it. Even if there were a year's time I would not tell you everything." He moved away, "There is not time, I wish not to speak of it."
They were silent for a moment.
"Gandalf." Raquel looked at him, "I am sorry."
He nodded, "There was nothing you could have done, Ithildin, or any of you. That was my fate, and I wish to forget it momentarily. Maybe another day." They all nodded. "But I will tell you this, I came to Lothlórien. I stayed there and found healing and was clothed in white. Counsel I was given and counsel I gave. I was bidden to send these words to each. First, to Aragorn:"
Where now are the Dúnedain, Elessar, Elessar? Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar? Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth, And the Grey Company ride form North. But dark is the path appointed for thee: The Dead watch the read that leads to the Sea.
And to Legolas she says this:
Legolas Greenleaf long under the tree In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea! If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore, Then thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more.
Gandalf fell quiet and shut his eyes painfully. "I am sorry for these words."
"Then she sends me no message for me or Raquel? Does she not wish to give guidance to her own flesh and blood?"
"No, she has sent word." Raquel said, "Though, she wishes only for I to hear." Gandalf nodded.
"Why would you want word from her, for dark are the words." Legolas said quietly.
"That is no comfort." Gimli muttered.
"What then?!" Legolas cried. "Do you wish for her to speak openly of your death?"
"Yes, if she had nothing else to say."
"Wait, my pardon Gimli, she did send word for thee!" Gandalf opened his eyes.
To Gimli, Son of Glóin:
Give this Lady's greeting. Lockbearer, wherever thou goest my thoughts are with thee. But have a care to lay thine axe to the right tree!
"I am truly grateful for these words, thank you Gandalf." The Dwarf started to chatter on in his own tongue, "Come now that we have heard the words from of which is fairest, let us go and fight!" he grabbed his axe and jumped up with new strength.
"Yes, Gimli is right, the morning has passed and we need to hasten on." Gandalf got up, "Come, follow me!" he wrapped his cloak around him and started to descend down the steep steps.
"Here, child, carry this for me." Gandalf handed Raquel his staff, "It is burdening me." Raquel took it and watched as the old wizard quickened his pace. After they had ended their descent down the stairs they made their way to the forest. They spoke no words until they reached the bank of the Entwash. The horses had not returned.
"It will be a long and weary walk without the horses." Legolas said.
"I shall not walk, time is much to short." Gandalf said, "Raquel, try calling Artemis."
"But Gandalf."
"Don't argue child!" he said while he shook his head, "Must you always have a reason?"
Raquel didn't answer and whistled and Gandalf joined her. He whistled long and sharp, stopping and making Raquel want to cover her ears.
"Ouch!" she covered her ear, "Gandalf that hurt!"
They sat for awhile and waited in wonder. Soon, they heard the sound of hoofs on the grass. At first, it was barely perceivable, but it steadily grew as they drew closer.
"There is more than one horse." Aragorn said.
"Yes, we would be too much for one horse to carry.
"There are four!" Legolas announced, "There is Hasufel, and behind him is my friend Arod." he paused, "Is that Artemis Raquel?"
She gazed across the plain as he did, "Yes, she is striding in front of the others, yet next to one. A very great horse like one I have never seen before."
"That is Shadowfax. He is the chief of the Mearas, the lords of horses. Even Théoden, King of Rohan, has never seen one so fine. Does he not shine like a silver streak across the plain?"
"He is beautiful." Raquel whispered as he drew near. She was captivated by his very presence.
"He is coming for me: the horse of the White Rider. We will go into battle together."
As Gandalf spoke the horses came up the slope to meet them. Shadowfax appeared, leaving the others far behind. Artemis struggled to keep up with the great horse, though ended up falling behind. As they neared, both whinnied. They came stampeding to the others and Shadowfax reached Gandalf as Artemis came into sight.
"It is a long way from Rivendell, my friend. But you are wise and swift in your ways." Gandalf stroked the horse. Artemis came galloping up behind the horse and slowly began to stop. She was wet with sweat.
"Artemis." Raquel hugged the horse's neck. Artemis snorted at Shadowfax. Raquel turned her attention back to Gandalf.
"All the way from Rivendell you say?!" Raquel stared at the horse and then smiled, "Well of course, you are the lord of horses. Is all well in Imladris?" she asked Shadowfax as Artemis nudged her. "What is it, my goodness!"
The horse softly shoved her toward Shadowfax. She ended up not being less than an inch away from his head.
"She wants you to meet Shadowfax." Gandalf said.
"Oh." she stared at the horse straight on. "You are so very stunning." She said as she reached a shaky hand to him, "Thank you for taking care of my friend." The horse gave a soft whinny and accepted her outstretched hand. She stroked him tenderly, feeling his silky coat.
"Come, we must go." Gandalf said, "Legolas will ride Arod and Aragorn will be on. Raquel will ride Artemis, and Gimli will sit in front of me, if Shadowfax would permit it."
They mounted and Raquel noticed Artemis stayed near Shadowfax.
"I think she has a fondness of Shadowfax." Aragorn said as he pulled Hasufel up beside Artemis.
"That is not what really shocks me." Raquel said, "She seems to regard him as a leader, which generally surprises me."
"Yes, that is true." Aragorn said, "Artemis has never really given her loyalty to anyone, or anything, even you have trouble getting her to obey you commands."
"That is what worries me." Raquel said. She watched and laughed as Gandalf helped Gimli in the saddle.
"Why must I ride these confounded beasts?!" he murmured.
"Because without them, you would be left to walk the rest of the way!" Aragorn shouted over his shoulder. "This morning you would have been glad to get off your feet, and now you wish to be back on them!"
Gimli grumbled a response, though Gandalf gave him a quick glare.
"Come, all now is prepared to ride forth!" Gandalf leaned and spoke quiet words to Shadowfax who in return started to gallop at an easy pace. It was a moderate pace so that the other horses could keep up.
~~~~~~~~~
They traveled on for many, many hours. Even Aragorn felt the pain from being in the saddle for that long. They rode and followed Shadowfax through what seemed to be a sea of rolling green grass. The height of it would sometimes reach high above their knees.
"How does he know where he is going? All I see is green grass for miles." Gimli asked Gandalf.
"I am not sure how he knows, but trust him. He is heading straight for the Gap of Rohan."
The horses went on, and little discussion went on. As the sun began to sink into the sky, a blood red wave seemed to spread over the sea of grass. The sun had almost totally disappeared when the others heard Gandalf shout from the front.
"Look, the Gap of Rohan!" Gandalf waved, "Beyond that lies Isengard."
"I see smoke rising." Legolas said, "What is it?"
"War!" Gandalf said, "Ride on!"
They followed his command and rode on for so many hours that Raquel lost track of the time.
"We will rest here for the night." Gandalf said. They made camp and stayed there until predawn. They then had a bite of food and gathered their belongings as quickly and remounted. They rode on and many times Gimli fell asleep in the saddle. Gandalf saved him from falling out many a time by shaking him out of his slumber.
"Raquel, Legolas what do you see?" Gimli rubbed his eyes as Gandalf shook him to wake again.
"Green grass I suppose." Gimli muttered tiredly.
"No, look Gimli!" Gandalf pointed upwards. Far ahead he saw a silver stream that came down from the mountains. At its feet there sat a green hill. On the hill sat a city.
"Behold!" Gandalf said, "These fair halls are called Edoras. And the golden on is Meduseld, where Théoden, King of the Mark dwells."
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ §§§§§§§§§§§§§§
I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I really am guys! I feel SO SO SO bad to keep you guys waitin this long!! I mean, I practically lost sleep over it! (ok, maybe not that much, but its pretty close!) Hope ya'll liked this chapter! thanx to everyone that reviewed. Yes, I did get the x-tended version of the dvd. Actually, I got it the day it came out. I forced my Mum to go out and get it before the stores were swamped. (kudos to Mum!) Wednesday, December 18....*huge sigh from Gabi* I CANNOT WAIT! I absolutely cannot contain myself. The Two Towers (TTT) is gonna be so sweet! My dad's taken my best friend and me to go see it at midnight on Tuesday! YAY! (now kudos to Dad!) We're gonna go to it, see it at midnight and then go with another group of LOTR fanatics on Wednesday night. Hope ya'll can get out and see it sometime! its gonna be absolutely awesome! Well, I got to go! cya!
*~*~*Gabi*~*~*
p.s. To anyone that would like to know (I found this pretty interesting) that whole thing with the old man is not made up. In the book they never state who the old man was that appeared to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. I've wondered who he was and I finally figured it out as I was rereading for writing this chapter. I explained it best I could through Raquel, and it is a guess, though I am pretty sure it is right. If you've read the books, reread that part again and tell me what you think.
Daphne- Thanx for reading! but, to to respond to ur comment on Raquel, here's what I think. Tolkien (the genius that he is) created the Fellowship as a whole. They all had their different personalities, races, characteristics, ect.The way he made the Fellowship was with total balance, and if you think about it, there really is no place for an extra character. So, in adding Raquel (or any other extra character) you need to take away some of the roles of other characters, unless you make your own. (but we won't get into that). So, I really do regret depriving the characters of that, but in adding Raquel it was necessary to do so. Hope you read this and take it into consideration, anywho, have an awesome day!
dani (who is too lazy to login)- lol, yes, I think the talk gave Raquel a hard slap in the face, yet gently uncovered her eyes to reality. She was/is blinding herself to the reality of her own feelings. (what I'm really trying to say is, she knows her feelings and will say some of most of them, but she decides to ignore certain ones.) I can't say too much about that *smiles maliciously* Yeah, the reunion was remodeled after Gandalf forgetting his name in the book. So I thought maybe he should forget Raquel too. It kinda illustrates how close they really were. And yes, part of the song was from Moulin Rouge, which is a very VERY good (and touching) movie. thanx for the review and encouragement! have a great day!
Lady Arabian Knight- Thanx, I'm glad you luv it, because it luves u! I'll update as soon as possible! *cringes* but school and other stuff get in the way a lot, but I'm doin my best! Hope you keep readin and enjoy it! Asta luego!
Leigha- I luv Moulin Rouge too! My dad likes it, so we both watch it a lot. (I always get so teary-eyed at the end Ü) You're so lucky you live in California, I might go there for college. (which unfortunately isn't exactly in the near future) I most likely will be doing more little Moulin Rouge tidbits here and there in this story, so look closely! I might even put some Lord of the Rings things in it! *gasps* I can only imagine what that would be like! lol, ill catch ya latta, have a good day!
Isilme` Rayune (a.k.a. Kitty Kat Blanc)- Yes, I did get he extended version of FOTR. (refer to my AN) thanx for the border! I used it at the top! its really nifty, lol! Ü well, hope u enjoy readin The Daystar! Have a great day!
*~*~*GaBi*~*~*