The next morning, Sam came rushing into Frodo's room. "Sam! What is it? Is something wrong?" Frodo hadn't had any sleep the past night, and he was worried about everything. "No, Mr. Frodo! It's wonderful! Luthiar said that we were going to a garden hall today!" "A garden hall, Sam? What's that?" "You know, its like in Rivendell where all the buildings had giant halls with carvings and great designs. Well it's like a garden here. Luthiar says we're to spend the day there! Isn't it wonderful, Mr. Frodo?" "Yes, Sam. I'll be ready in a few minutes." Sam left the room and Frodo emerged shortly. Together they walked to where the rest of the fellowship was gathered. Luthiar was there, along with a few of her servants. Horses were given out, all of them almost equal to the quality of Luthiar's horse. They rode following Luthiar until at last they were in a great circle. Pine trees outlined the circle as if it were a great meeting place. It reminded Sam of the Council of Elrond, where they all sat in a place like this. 'Do all elves have a hall like this?' he wondered to himself. "Yes, Master Gamgee. All elves have a great meeting place where all important matters are discussed. We are here now to discuss an important matter. The fate of your quest lies, at this very moment, in our hands. Yes, yours and mine. For if you do not pass the perils of our land and reach Lothlorien, the quest will fail and Sauron will find the ring. Yes, I know about the ring. I can see it in your eyes, every one of you. Iluvatar himself gave my people the gift of seeing. We see beyond what you want us to see. Do not fear, you are safe in the keeping of my people." "Our land is not as large as it seems. We only live at the heart of the wood, and all around evil things lurk." The speaker was a tall elf. Her shining gold hair flowed down her back and her eyes had a strange look to them. "You came to us by the power of our people. Evil things cannot harm you when you are on the Paths of the Free. Our people won a great battle there and regained our freedom from the clutch of evil hands. We have dwelt here ever since. In order to leave this land, which you must very soon, you will have to pass through the evil on our borders. I am Meliara, daughter of Luthiar, and I will guide you to the borders of our wood, and the borders of the evil lands. I must leave you before you reach Lothlorien, however." The next morning, the fellowship and Meliara set out from the great Elf City. Meliara was as skilled a tracker as Aragorn, and had equal aim with a bow as Legolas. They passed through the Elf lands easily enough, then they reached the dark lands. "Keep your weapons ready." Meliara clutched the handle of a knife at her side. Legolas had an arrow fitted to the string of his bow, Aragorn had drawn his sword, and Gimli's ax was ever at the ready. Aragorn noticed large tracks in the mud, and Meliara knew them to be those of a troll. "Keep quiet and no sudden moves." She whispered. Aragorn nodded silently and they kept on. A deep roar from behind told them that they weren't alone. Legolas and Meliara shot arrows at the troll. It winced and grunted everything it was shot, but the troll moved so fast that most of the shafts missed. Aragorn wounded it with his sword and Gimli with his ax. All four hobbits drew daggers and charged, only to run back again when the troll charged at them too. The troll picked up a fallen knife and wounded Merry's shoulder badly. All of the fellowship and Meliara had wounds and it seemed as if all was lost, when from behind them a high, shrill war-cry rang out. Merry's eyes were closed as he tried to staunch the pain in his shoulder, and he didn't see his rescuer. Sam, however, was wide-awake with only small injuries, and saw the entire thing. It was as if a giant tree had sprung to life and was fighting the troll. The evil beast finally fell backwards, dead. The tree picked the fellowship and Meliara up in her branches, and carried them away. When Sam awoke, he was lying on what seemed to be a straw mattress, but what he later realized was that it was a large, stone table covered in straw as a giant bed for the fellowship. He looked up, and there was the tree, standing by the opening in (what Sam discovered he was in) the cave. "S'cuse me, but I don't mean to be impolite or anything, but, er, what-I mean who are you?"