Authors note: Yay! A review! thank you Nienna! Oh yeah, and you wanted to
know whether this was a Legolas romance fic? Well, it's NOT! Nope! Just
thought I'd add in everybody's favorite elf for a little flavorisme in
Rivendell. Ya know what I mean. Anyway, thats all I gotta say right now, so
plz enjoy!
Disclaimer: Nobody. Not the last time I checked, anyway. Oh yeah, my WITCH- CHICK!!! YAY!!! Ha, try getting me NOW, lawyers!!! Muhahahahaha!!!!!! And anyway, you won't get anything out of me, just my weekly allowance. Ha ^_^
-Abandoned Memories-
Chapter 4, in which Gandalf is welcomed in Hobbiton, the Shire goes into an uproar, and Rai has a fevering dream of the past and future.
The country side became more and more beautiful as Gandalf and Rai rode on Westward. The flat wetland became lush rolling hills, the thick, ugly dark firs of Trollshaw became wispy, leafy and green. The wind here was fair and the air fresh and untouched.
Finally, Rai summoned up the courage to talk to Gandalf. "What is this place?" she asked.
To her surprise, Gandalf smiled. "Of course, you do not remember. I brought you here when you were just a lass. We are very near to Chetwood, and moving towards Bree. We are nearly in the Shire."
Rai's face lit up with excitement, and it showed considerably. "You mean the home of the Halflings?" she asked eagerly.
Gandalf nodded.
Rai was so ecstatic she held on to the reigns to tightly her knuckles went white. She had only been to the Shire once or twice before, and she didn't know much about it, let alone this area of the world, since she came from so far East. As a child the folk of her village would often tell her tales of the mysterious west beyond Mirkwood an the gray empty valleys and ruined, abandoned towers that had once belonged to great kings of men; and even of their foolish ancestors who had ventured away from they homes in search of adventure.
Rai had always been eager to hear the tales of the strange lands, but she didn't really believe that it was empty. She had always thought that their was *something* there, something or someone, ghost or mortal.
Her beliefs had been confirmed when Gandalf had taken her there for the first time. She had been but a child, a lass of eight summers. They had gone deep into the heart of the Shire and met some small, curious folk with pointy ears and big feet. Gandalf had told her it was to see a friend of his. It was before the war of the ring.
Presently, as she thought of the now-famous Halflings, she began to remember names. She had indeed heard the songs sung under the light of the sunset in Gondor after Elessar had been made King, and she knew it was thanks to one of the creatures who called themselves hobbits, that the ring was destroyed.
Gandalf watched her as she went over this in her mind. "No worries," he said cheerfully, "You will see them again soon enough."
Rai snapped out of her thoughts and laughed softly. Gandalf knew her well; he could practically read her mind. She began to feel more relaxed, her worries already far away and her mind on the green fields and the queer folk of the land.
It took them several days to pass Bree and get to the Brandywine; Bree was bustling busy as usual. Gandalf had insisted they drop by an inn called the Prancing Pony to see a few old acquaintances. He greeted the innkeeper merrily and re-introduced himself carefully, but it still took the memory- less barman a few tries till he remembered the old wizard.
They had left Bree in a cheery mood and arrived at the Brandywine bridge. Before crossing, Gandalf decided to lead Rai south a bit, just to the edge of the Old Forest to get a glimpse of beautiful Brandy Hall.
Rai had loved it, and the hobbits outside had given Gandalf warm welcomes, but had given Rai curious glances. Still, they were not curious by nature, and left her peace. The wizard even stopped to talk to them, and as Rai eavesdropped on their conversation (a great talent of hers, eavesdropping) she repeatedly heard the word "Hobbiton" mentioned. She assumed they were on their way there.
The two riders moved back Northward and returned to the Brandywine Bridge. They crossed over and found a road that seemed to lead forever on through the empty fields.
The three day journey along what Gandalf called the "East Road" was pleasant but tiring. Rai was longing to get to ... wherever Gandalf needed to get and see the Halflings.
By noon the following day the reached the little town of Bywater and began to move Northwest up towards Bywater Pool. At the Pool, Rai insisted they stop, and she dismounted her horse and began to add to the Pool, and tree here, a meadow there, until finally she was satisfied. Then she mounted her horse once again and they were off to Hobbiton.
When they finally entered he Hobbiton area, they were met by an excited crowd of hobbits. Apparently Gandalf had been expected.
They may have been excited to see Gandalf, but they looked at Rai almost nervously. It was starting to get unbearable until finally Gandalf brought up the subject and explained to them that this was the young lass they had seen so many years ago. Most of them were astonished and began to be a little more at ease in her company. She finally decided it was time to show them what she could really do.
It was evening, and she and Gandalf had stopped by along the road before proceeding to Bag Eng. Rai gathered a group of young-looking hobbits around her.
"I'm going to show you all something," she whispered to them, looking at the little children. They looked back at her eagerly.
She knelt down on the ground in front of her and placed her two hands on a brown patch of grass, a rare finding in the Shire. The sun was almost down but she could still grab some stardust before it completely vanished. Using spells without the presence of sunlight greatly drained her power.
She spread her hands wide over the patch of dry vegetation, much in the same fashion as she had done in Lothlorien. The ground under her hands began to glow gold.
Some of the older hobbits were alarmed and began to pull the children behind them, but Rai signaled for them to stop. They watched her hesitantly.
She closed her eyes and focused for a moment, then , pleased with her spell, she lifted her hands, and a beautiful gold and white flower rose and began to bloom before their very eyes.
The hobbits gasped and the children squealed with delight. Rai rose and brushed herself off. As began to back away into the crowd, a hobbit pushed forward to face her.
"That was marvelous," the hobbit said with a gasp. "What an eye opener."
"Thank you," Rai said.
"I'm Sam Gamgee." The hobbit held out a hand. "I do the gardening over at Bag End."
Rai, recognizing the name, took the hobbit's hand. "Pleased to meet you," she said merrily.
"Actually," Sam said, "We've met before. Not that you remember or anything, but I saw you that time Mister Gandalf broughtch'ya here."
Rai smiled. "Really?"
Sam nodded and his cheeks flushed red from excitement.
"I could take ya over to the Green Dragon if you'd like and get something refreshing."
Rai, relieved and grateful to have met such a wonderful hobbit who apparently suggested the right things at the right time, nodded and followed him eagerly up the road.
It took them about five minutes or so to get to the Green Dragon, a bright little structure of oak and mahogany, designed with the classical hobbit love for anything round. It was a fair amount bigger than the hobbit holes and housed an excited crowd inside.
Sam held the door open for her and, bowing her head slightly to avoid banging on the door frame, entered. The room fell almost completely quiet but Sam signaled for the hobbits to continue their conversation.
He brought her over to the counter and the settled themselves onto stools next to two other hobbits Sam seemed to know them and had a word before turning to introduce them.
"Miss," he said a little shyly. "I'd like to introduce two of my friends here." He turned to the older-looking one of the two. "This here'd be Merry Brandybuck of Buckland."
The hobbit with the hazel eyes and dirty-blonde hair leaned over and greeted Rai merrily. She smiled back, charmed.
Sam turned to the other one who looked fairly younger and slimmer than the other. He had rosy cheeks and a head of brown curls and turquoisy eyes. Rai could sense a mischievous air to him.
"And this is Pippin Took." The hobbit named Pippin stared curiously at Rai and seemed to deduce her in some sort of way. He finally seemed to be satisfied that she was no threat and they were introduced.
The night passed on merrily and they hung around outside for a while until the two hobbits retired for the night and finally Sam left her. Rai waited a while, then went back down to the road where she had left Silpion. She saddles him and went to meet Gandalf.
* * *
The next day, Gandalf proceeded to go to Bag End and Rai was introduced once again to Frodo, the hobbit they sang of so much in the white city. She didn't stay for long though, but decided to go down to see Sam and the other hobbits from the previous night.
She wandered down into an area heavy with vegetation and such and strolled about until she was confident she'd gotten herself lost.
She was just about to turn around and go the other way when a voice called: "Oi, Rai! Over here!"
She spun around and almost ran into a tree. She made her way around until she stumbled into a clearing where, in plain sunshine, the three hobbits sat, relaxed and happy.
"So this is where you've been," Rai said, gazing at them and then to the shade. As much as she loved the sun, it was starting to get hot. So, feeling suddenly quite light-headed and tired, she plopped herself under a tree and drifted away, fast asleep.
*Noises, coming from everywhere. Sounds. Screams. Cries. What were they? She couldn't recognize them, couldn't make sense, couldn't think straight. The red light - what was happening?
She ran. Kept running, feet pounding tirelessly. She wanted to go back, but .. What was it again? Oh yes, he had said, he had said she had to go. She didn't want to, had protested, but what could she do against him? He would only get mad and she didn't like that. It made her cry.
She felt something stinging her eyes. Was it the gray, thick mist that had taken them, taken everyone, taken them so that they couldn't find the fresh air, that the gray fog consumed everything, that blocked out the moon. That stung. It stung her eyes and her nose and her throat. She tried not to breath, but she was gasping for breath now.
Where was she going? She couldn't see ahead; but it didn't really matter. There was nothing ahead, only the mist, the mist and that horrible dancing red light, light as hot as the sand on a summer day. That horrible light, why wouldn't it go away? It had taken the others, taken them away, filling the air with terrifying screams of anguish that made her blood run cold.
Then she saw it: that pretty tree, the tree she had planted all by herself last year. It had grown so big and beautiful, and mother had been so proud, and she had sat under it or in its branches everyday, resting in the cool shade.
But now, that beautiful tree that glowed so lovely was surrounded, surrounded by the dancing lights.
She stopped in her tracks and stood frozen, looking at the tree. She cried out to it; and it cried back. Help me, it said desperately, reaching out for her. She tried to touch it, but the dancing flames leaped out at her. They moved closer to the tree, mocking her, laughing at her helplessness. She stood there, unable to move, and watched as the flames slowly crawled up the trunk, then consumed the tree entirely, and the night sky was broken by the screams of pain that were eventually lost in the roar of the light, their souls lost.
She felt the stinging come back to her eyes now, and she saw the gray mist began to thicken and rise. She fell to her knees and tried to move, but she couldn't. She couldn't stand up or run or breathe. Everything had stopped. It didn't matter anymore.
Then she saw the faces. "What is it?" she asked. These faces, they were never there. Why were they here now? Reliving this the same way every moon; why was it different now?
The faces; she recognized them. She knew them from somewhere. Where? She asked. Why? So many questions. So many empty answers. So much silence.
The dancing light grew now, grew and took a form. A massive beast with a hooked beak and talons made of light and darkness and everything of nightmares.
The beast descended on these people, these faces that she knew. She tried to call out to them; tried to warn them, but they couldn't hear. The tree could. The tree always heard and listened. Why didn't they?
As the beast descended, the figures realized the peril and moved away. All but one. It couldn't move. Like her, it was frozen in fear.
The shadow reached the ghost or whatever it was, and it began to fall away. There was no scream this time; jut whispers, whispers of wind and images that began to fill her head, flash in front of her eyes so fast they were nothing but a blur of motion and color. But there was no color now. Red was not a color. It was a nightmare.
The stinging in her eyes came back now, and she realized why her eyes stung. And why they reflected only red. The nightmares. She saw them with her scarlet eyes. They were forever. But the tears, they were not.
"Why do you cry inside?" the voices asked.
"Because. Because I cannot cry anymore; because all my tears are spent on the nightmares of long ago. There are no more tears. None left. But the nightmares, the crimson nightmares.
They are forever."
She woke with a start, her brow hot and wet, her cloak soaked. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, trying to make the images go away. It was no use. Those images were burned into her mind. Always had been, always would be.
She laid back and looked up at the sky. The moon was up, crystal clear in the indigo sky. No gray fog. No dancing red light.
She looked around the clearing and could only barely make out the dark outlines of the hobbits. They were still there. They too had fallen asleep, a calm and serene look on their faces. No shadow creature.
Rai took a shaky breath and tried to relax. She closed her eyes reluctantly, and her field of vision was suddenly flooded with red. But the river slowly subsided, leaving room only for a dark and dreamless sleep.
Disclaimer: Nobody. Not the last time I checked, anyway. Oh yeah, my WITCH- CHICK!!! YAY!!! Ha, try getting me NOW, lawyers!!! Muhahahahaha!!!!!! And anyway, you won't get anything out of me, just my weekly allowance. Ha ^_^
-Abandoned Memories-
Chapter 4, in which Gandalf is welcomed in Hobbiton, the Shire goes into an uproar, and Rai has a fevering dream of the past and future.
The country side became more and more beautiful as Gandalf and Rai rode on Westward. The flat wetland became lush rolling hills, the thick, ugly dark firs of Trollshaw became wispy, leafy and green. The wind here was fair and the air fresh and untouched.
Finally, Rai summoned up the courage to talk to Gandalf. "What is this place?" she asked.
To her surprise, Gandalf smiled. "Of course, you do not remember. I brought you here when you were just a lass. We are very near to Chetwood, and moving towards Bree. We are nearly in the Shire."
Rai's face lit up with excitement, and it showed considerably. "You mean the home of the Halflings?" she asked eagerly.
Gandalf nodded.
Rai was so ecstatic she held on to the reigns to tightly her knuckles went white. She had only been to the Shire once or twice before, and she didn't know much about it, let alone this area of the world, since she came from so far East. As a child the folk of her village would often tell her tales of the mysterious west beyond Mirkwood an the gray empty valleys and ruined, abandoned towers that had once belonged to great kings of men; and even of their foolish ancestors who had ventured away from they homes in search of adventure.
Rai had always been eager to hear the tales of the strange lands, but she didn't really believe that it was empty. She had always thought that their was *something* there, something or someone, ghost or mortal.
Her beliefs had been confirmed when Gandalf had taken her there for the first time. She had been but a child, a lass of eight summers. They had gone deep into the heart of the Shire and met some small, curious folk with pointy ears and big feet. Gandalf had told her it was to see a friend of his. It was before the war of the ring.
Presently, as she thought of the now-famous Halflings, she began to remember names. She had indeed heard the songs sung under the light of the sunset in Gondor after Elessar had been made King, and she knew it was thanks to one of the creatures who called themselves hobbits, that the ring was destroyed.
Gandalf watched her as she went over this in her mind. "No worries," he said cheerfully, "You will see them again soon enough."
Rai snapped out of her thoughts and laughed softly. Gandalf knew her well; he could practically read her mind. She began to feel more relaxed, her worries already far away and her mind on the green fields and the queer folk of the land.
It took them several days to pass Bree and get to the Brandywine; Bree was bustling busy as usual. Gandalf had insisted they drop by an inn called the Prancing Pony to see a few old acquaintances. He greeted the innkeeper merrily and re-introduced himself carefully, but it still took the memory- less barman a few tries till he remembered the old wizard.
They had left Bree in a cheery mood and arrived at the Brandywine bridge. Before crossing, Gandalf decided to lead Rai south a bit, just to the edge of the Old Forest to get a glimpse of beautiful Brandy Hall.
Rai had loved it, and the hobbits outside had given Gandalf warm welcomes, but had given Rai curious glances. Still, they were not curious by nature, and left her peace. The wizard even stopped to talk to them, and as Rai eavesdropped on their conversation (a great talent of hers, eavesdropping) she repeatedly heard the word "Hobbiton" mentioned. She assumed they were on their way there.
The two riders moved back Northward and returned to the Brandywine Bridge. They crossed over and found a road that seemed to lead forever on through the empty fields.
The three day journey along what Gandalf called the "East Road" was pleasant but tiring. Rai was longing to get to ... wherever Gandalf needed to get and see the Halflings.
By noon the following day the reached the little town of Bywater and began to move Northwest up towards Bywater Pool. At the Pool, Rai insisted they stop, and she dismounted her horse and began to add to the Pool, and tree here, a meadow there, until finally she was satisfied. Then she mounted her horse once again and they were off to Hobbiton.
When they finally entered he Hobbiton area, they were met by an excited crowd of hobbits. Apparently Gandalf had been expected.
They may have been excited to see Gandalf, but they looked at Rai almost nervously. It was starting to get unbearable until finally Gandalf brought up the subject and explained to them that this was the young lass they had seen so many years ago. Most of them were astonished and began to be a little more at ease in her company. She finally decided it was time to show them what she could really do.
It was evening, and she and Gandalf had stopped by along the road before proceeding to Bag Eng. Rai gathered a group of young-looking hobbits around her.
"I'm going to show you all something," she whispered to them, looking at the little children. They looked back at her eagerly.
She knelt down on the ground in front of her and placed her two hands on a brown patch of grass, a rare finding in the Shire. The sun was almost down but she could still grab some stardust before it completely vanished. Using spells without the presence of sunlight greatly drained her power.
She spread her hands wide over the patch of dry vegetation, much in the same fashion as she had done in Lothlorien. The ground under her hands began to glow gold.
Some of the older hobbits were alarmed and began to pull the children behind them, but Rai signaled for them to stop. They watched her hesitantly.
She closed her eyes and focused for a moment, then , pleased with her spell, she lifted her hands, and a beautiful gold and white flower rose and began to bloom before their very eyes.
The hobbits gasped and the children squealed with delight. Rai rose and brushed herself off. As began to back away into the crowd, a hobbit pushed forward to face her.
"That was marvelous," the hobbit said with a gasp. "What an eye opener."
"Thank you," Rai said.
"I'm Sam Gamgee." The hobbit held out a hand. "I do the gardening over at Bag End."
Rai, recognizing the name, took the hobbit's hand. "Pleased to meet you," she said merrily.
"Actually," Sam said, "We've met before. Not that you remember or anything, but I saw you that time Mister Gandalf broughtch'ya here."
Rai smiled. "Really?"
Sam nodded and his cheeks flushed red from excitement.
"I could take ya over to the Green Dragon if you'd like and get something refreshing."
Rai, relieved and grateful to have met such a wonderful hobbit who apparently suggested the right things at the right time, nodded and followed him eagerly up the road.
It took them about five minutes or so to get to the Green Dragon, a bright little structure of oak and mahogany, designed with the classical hobbit love for anything round. It was a fair amount bigger than the hobbit holes and housed an excited crowd inside.
Sam held the door open for her and, bowing her head slightly to avoid banging on the door frame, entered. The room fell almost completely quiet but Sam signaled for the hobbits to continue their conversation.
He brought her over to the counter and the settled themselves onto stools next to two other hobbits Sam seemed to know them and had a word before turning to introduce them.
"Miss," he said a little shyly. "I'd like to introduce two of my friends here." He turned to the older-looking one of the two. "This here'd be Merry Brandybuck of Buckland."
The hobbit with the hazel eyes and dirty-blonde hair leaned over and greeted Rai merrily. She smiled back, charmed.
Sam turned to the other one who looked fairly younger and slimmer than the other. He had rosy cheeks and a head of brown curls and turquoisy eyes. Rai could sense a mischievous air to him.
"And this is Pippin Took." The hobbit named Pippin stared curiously at Rai and seemed to deduce her in some sort of way. He finally seemed to be satisfied that she was no threat and they were introduced.
The night passed on merrily and they hung around outside for a while until the two hobbits retired for the night and finally Sam left her. Rai waited a while, then went back down to the road where she had left Silpion. She saddles him and went to meet Gandalf.
* * *
The next day, Gandalf proceeded to go to Bag End and Rai was introduced once again to Frodo, the hobbit they sang of so much in the white city. She didn't stay for long though, but decided to go down to see Sam and the other hobbits from the previous night.
She wandered down into an area heavy with vegetation and such and strolled about until she was confident she'd gotten herself lost.
She was just about to turn around and go the other way when a voice called: "Oi, Rai! Over here!"
She spun around and almost ran into a tree. She made her way around until she stumbled into a clearing where, in plain sunshine, the three hobbits sat, relaxed and happy.
"So this is where you've been," Rai said, gazing at them and then to the shade. As much as she loved the sun, it was starting to get hot. So, feeling suddenly quite light-headed and tired, she plopped herself under a tree and drifted away, fast asleep.
*Noises, coming from everywhere. Sounds. Screams. Cries. What were they? She couldn't recognize them, couldn't make sense, couldn't think straight. The red light - what was happening?
She ran. Kept running, feet pounding tirelessly. She wanted to go back, but .. What was it again? Oh yes, he had said, he had said she had to go. She didn't want to, had protested, but what could she do against him? He would only get mad and she didn't like that. It made her cry.
She felt something stinging her eyes. Was it the gray, thick mist that had taken them, taken everyone, taken them so that they couldn't find the fresh air, that the gray fog consumed everything, that blocked out the moon. That stung. It stung her eyes and her nose and her throat. She tried not to breath, but she was gasping for breath now.
Where was she going? She couldn't see ahead; but it didn't really matter. There was nothing ahead, only the mist, the mist and that horrible dancing red light, light as hot as the sand on a summer day. That horrible light, why wouldn't it go away? It had taken the others, taken them away, filling the air with terrifying screams of anguish that made her blood run cold.
Then she saw it: that pretty tree, the tree she had planted all by herself last year. It had grown so big and beautiful, and mother had been so proud, and she had sat under it or in its branches everyday, resting in the cool shade.
But now, that beautiful tree that glowed so lovely was surrounded, surrounded by the dancing lights.
She stopped in her tracks and stood frozen, looking at the tree. She cried out to it; and it cried back. Help me, it said desperately, reaching out for her. She tried to touch it, but the dancing flames leaped out at her. They moved closer to the tree, mocking her, laughing at her helplessness. She stood there, unable to move, and watched as the flames slowly crawled up the trunk, then consumed the tree entirely, and the night sky was broken by the screams of pain that were eventually lost in the roar of the light, their souls lost.
She felt the stinging come back to her eyes now, and she saw the gray mist began to thicken and rise. She fell to her knees and tried to move, but she couldn't. She couldn't stand up or run or breathe. Everything had stopped. It didn't matter anymore.
Then she saw the faces. "What is it?" she asked. These faces, they were never there. Why were they here now? Reliving this the same way every moon; why was it different now?
The faces; she recognized them. She knew them from somewhere. Where? She asked. Why? So many questions. So many empty answers. So much silence.
The dancing light grew now, grew and took a form. A massive beast with a hooked beak and talons made of light and darkness and everything of nightmares.
The beast descended on these people, these faces that she knew. She tried to call out to them; tried to warn them, but they couldn't hear. The tree could. The tree always heard and listened. Why didn't they?
As the beast descended, the figures realized the peril and moved away. All but one. It couldn't move. Like her, it was frozen in fear.
The shadow reached the ghost or whatever it was, and it began to fall away. There was no scream this time; jut whispers, whispers of wind and images that began to fill her head, flash in front of her eyes so fast they were nothing but a blur of motion and color. But there was no color now. Red was not a color. It was a nightmare.
The stinging in her eyes came back now, and she realized why her eyes stung. And why they reflected only red. The nightmares. She saw them with her scarlet eyes. They were forever. But the tears, they were not.
"Why do you cry inside?" the voices asked.
"Because. Because I cannot cry anymore; because all my tears are spent on the nightmares of long ago. There are no more tears. None left. But the nightmares, the crimson nightmares.
They are forever."
She woke with a start, her brow hot and wet, her cloak soaked. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, trying to make the images go away. It was no use. Those images were burned into her mind. Always had been, always would be.
She laid back and looked up at the sky. The moon was up, crystal clear in the indigo sky. No gray fog. No dancing red light.
She looked around the clearing and could only barely make out the dark outlines of the hobbits. They were still there. They too had fallen asleep, a calm and serene look on their faces. No shadow creature.
Rai took a shaky breath and tried to relax. She closed her eyes reluctantly, and her field of vision was suddenly flooded with red. But the river slowly subsided, leaving room only for a dark and dreamless sleep.