So, here we are again.

And yes, I do know that there is a Mary-Jane in Spiderman. I was unfortunately subjected to the movie after I decided on the name. Well, in truth, after my friend Jane decided on the name. I'm sorry to any Spiderman fans out there, but that movie really annoyed me, and MJ did too. This is only a personal opinion, and in not in any way shape or form, even in it's loosest description, defamation.

Now, where were we? Ah yes, Legolas was being annoying and saying things twice, he really should get out of that habit.

Chapter 10:

They slept fitfully for the rest of the night. Gimli was convinced that the old man was Saruman. Mary-Jane didn't know much of Saruman, albeit what Legolas had told her. She feared him perhaps more than the rest of the company only because she knew less, and was afraid of this ignorance.

The morning was clear, bright, and cold, it gladdened their hearts little. The thought of the old man was still in their minds. Gimli kept telling them that he knew that the old man was Sarumen, but Aragorn wasn't too sure.

'Éomer said that Saruman went around hooded and cloaked, this old man was cloaked, but only his hat stopped us from seeing his face.' Aragorn argued.

'Maybe he has a clone,' Mary-Jane suggested.

The dwarf, elf and man turned to look at her strangely. She felt her whole face go red.

'The horses haven't come back,' she tried to find something useful to say, and failed abysmally.

They continued to look at her strangely until Aragorn interrupted their stance:

'The horses! We all thought they had been scared away! Legolas, did you hear them? Did they sound like animals in distress?'

'Yes, I heard them,' he said pompously. 'Had it not been for the circumstances, and our own fear, I would have thought that they did not flee in fear, but were greeting an old friend.'

'So I thought,' said Aragorn, 'but I cannot read the riddle.'

With that they started searching for signs of the hobbits. They crawled around on the ground for a long while.

'Remind me again,' said Mary-Jane to Legolas, 'why are we crawling around in the long, dewy grass?'

'We are looking for signs of the two hobbits, Merry and Pippin.' He replied in his musical voice, garnished with a hint of frustration.

'Right,' she said thoughtfully. 'And what signs would hobbits make?'

Thankfully, for Mary-Jane, Aragorn called them over to where he was. Legolas was looking like he was going to explode, but in a very beautiful and graceful way of course. He looked over to Aragorn, who was stooping very low in the grass, his face almost touching the ground. They made their way over to him.

'Look!' Aragorn said triumphantly. They looked. At the ground. The grass on that particular patch of ground was green. Not any particular shade of green, but the same green as the rest of the landscape. There was also a leaf on the ground. It was a bit far from the forest, but it was possible that a strong wind could have blown it there.

'Here is a mallorn-leaf of Lórien!' Aragorn said in the same triumphant tone.

'And.' Mary-Jane prompted. She was cold and tired, and in no mood to guess at the meaning of leaves.

'That means that the hobbits were here!' Aragorn was getting frustrated. 'The lembas bread was wrapped in the leaves of Lórien.'

'And how do we know it is a leaf of Lórien, and not, by some strange coincidence, a leaf from Fangorn?' Mary-Jane was getting frustrated too.

'Look at Fangorn, look at the leaves,' Aragorn said slowly with feigned patience. 'Do the leaves from Fangorn look the same as this leaf?'

Mary-Jane stared at a convenient patch of green grass at her feet.

'On with the riddle,' Aragorn continued, 'there are crumbs of elvish waybread here, and that is a sure sign that hobbits have been here. And here are the ropes that bound them!'

'There's a flaw here, Aragorn,' Mary-Jane put in bravely. Aragorn glared at her, he was perfectly aware of the flaws.

'You see it too?' Legolas said. 'Here is a battle scene, the marauding orcs are being attacked by the Rohirrim. If the hobbits did run from the middle of the scene, how did they run, if their feet were bound, and how did they utilize a blade to cut their bounds? And then, pleased with their skill and workmanship, they sat down to enjoy a meal, in the midst of a battle!'

They all stood around looking thoughtful.

'And then their trail disappears,' said Aragorn pensively.

'One can only expect that they grew wings and flew away. It shall be easy to find them, we have only to grow wings ourselves,' said Legolas.

'Where would you go, if you were a prisoner of the orcs, and were in the middle of a battle that does not involve you, and were trying to flee from both the orcs and the Rohirrim, who both had the potential to kill you?' said Mary-Jane to herself quietly.

Legolas turned to look at her, a spark of realization in his eye. 'Namigaal is right,' he said.

'Namigaal? Namigaal hasn't said anything of use since she joined us,' said Gimli.

'You forget, Gimli, your ears are not as sharp as an elf's, he hears many things you do not.' Said Aragorn.

They all turned and looked at her expectantly.

'I was just thinking, what would I do if I was in their situation.' Said Mary-Jane. The company continued to look at her. 'So if I was fleeing from a battle scene, when both sides could kill you, then I would take cover, behind a stone, or cave, or a gully, or in a forest,' she said as her eyes came to rest on Fangorn.

They trooped over to where the stream flowed out of the forest. There they found tracks, made by hobbits. There was at least one, when they reached this point, which was a good sign.

'One hobbit at least stood here, before going into the forest,' stated Aragorn.

'Well, we had better follow them into the forest then,' said Gimli, 'though I do not like the feel of it.'

'I do not think the forest feels evil,' said Legolas, gazing intently into the gloom of the trees. 'It is old, very old, it almost makes me feel young again, which I haven't felt since I came on this journey with you children.'

Mary-Jane opened her mouth to dispute his statement. Who did he think he was, telling them that they were children? He himself only looked to be in his mid-twenties at the most, and Aragorn and Gimli looked much older than he did.

'It is watchful, and I feel the anger of the trees, but there is no evil, and if there is it is far away,' said Legolas in his musical voice, interrupting Mary-Jane's thoughts.

With that they plunged into the forest, staying always close to the river. The forest was gloomy, but Legolas was right, it was not evil, Mary-Jane caught herself thinking. Then she snapped quickly back into what we laughingly call reality: How could trees be evil? Perhaps there are dangerous creatures in it, but that did not make the forest evil. Why did she find it so easy to believe that the trees were watchful and angry? Did they throw apples or something?

They came abruptly to Treebeard's hill, and saw the rough stair leading up it's steep wall.

'Let us climb and see around us,' said Legolas. 'I would like to breathe some freer air for a while, before we continue.'

Mary-Jane wanted to through something at him, but did not want to upset the trees. She wondered where he got all his energy from, and was annoyed that he could still step lightly, while she trudged on wearily behind him.

Nevertheless they climbed the stair, and once at the top, looked about, and breathed the fresh air.

'Look,' Legolas cried.

'Look at what?' said Gimli and Mary-Jane in unison.

'We have not elf-eyes,' added Gimli.

'Hush,' he said, 'speak more softly. There, in the trees,' he pointed 'coming along the path we have just trod, do you not see him?'

'I see now!' said Gimli.

'The old man!' Mary-Jane said. 'Still in the gray rags, that is why I could not see him before.'

Aragorn looked down, a troubled expression came across his face. Mary-Jane felt it too. The approaching man brought a concealed power or menace with him.

Legolas took out his bow, and fitted an arrow to it. Gimli readied his axe.

Then the man was at the foot of the hill and looked up. His face was shadowed by his hat, so no feature could be seen, but Mary-Jane saw a gleam in his eye, a fire that she recognized. Aragorn saw it too.

'Well met indeed, my friends' the old man said. Mary-Jane felt suspicion creep into her heart. She never like people who said 'my friend', so perhaps the feeling was nothing more than prejudice.

'I wish to speak to you,' the man continued. 'Will you come down or will I come up?'

Then without waiting for a response he began to climb the rocky stair.

'Stop him Legolas,' said Gimli. 'Now!'

'I said I wanted to talk,' said the old man irritably. 'Master elf, please put down your bow.'

Legolas let the arrow fall to the ground, and his arms fell loosely by his sides.

The man alighted the top of the stair, and walked towards the company. A glimmer of white could be seen through a gap in his gray rags for a second. Gimli breathed in sharply.

'What are you doing in this part of the world, an Elf, a Dwarf, a Man, and, a girl, three clad in elvish fashion? It is strange, Fangorn has not seen this.'

'You speak as one who knows Fangorn well,' said Aragorn.

'Well? Oh no, that would take the study of many lives, but I occasionally drop by.'

'Might we learn your name, and hear what you have to say to us?' said Aragorn. 'Only we have a pressing errand, and can't be held up.'

'My name,' he said ponderously. 'As to what I wish to say, I have said it. I wish to know your story, and how you came to be here. My name!' he said again.

Mary-Jane was getting used to hearing things said more than once in this place. It would make life much simpler if people only said things once, and answered direct questions with direct answers.

'Come on,' she said impatiently, 'it's not a trick question.'

The old man looked at her with a strange expression, as if trying to work out who she was. Failing that, he said again:

'My name! Have you not guessed it already? I believe you know my name, you have heard it before, yes. But now, what of your tale?'

The four companions were not comfortable with the idea of telling their story to some old loon who strolled around forests. For that reason they stayed silent.

'Thankfully, I know something of your errand. I also know that the hobbits you are seeking, yes hobbits. Don't look at me as if you have never heard of them before. The hobbits, which you are currently searching for, came up here a few days ago; here they met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?'

'Is it supposed to?' Inquired Mary-Jane. The old man looked at her strangely again.

'Let us sit down, and be at ease.' The old man turned away.

As if awoken from a spell the others relaxed. Aragorn and Mary-Jane drew their swords, Gimli his axe, and Legolas fitted an arrow to his bow. The old man seemed not to notice, or indeed care. He sat down on a rock, his gray rags parted, showing dazzlingly white garments underneath.

'Speak, Saruman!' Gimli roared, astonishingly loud for his size. 'Where have you hidden our friends?'

The old man sprang to his feet. He flung away his gray rags, his white robes shone. He lifted his staff and Gimli's axe fell to the ground. Mary- Jane felt she could not move her arm, nor the sword that was in her hand. Aragorn seemed to be suffering from the same thing, as he stood motionless. Legolas gave a shout and shot an arrow into the air, and it vanished.

'Mithrandir!' Legolas shouted, then, in true custom of this land shouted again: 'Mithrandir!'

'Well met, I say again Legolas!' said the old man. The elf, dwarf and man gazed at him in wonder. Mary-Jane didn't know what to wonder about, but she didn't want to be left out, so gazed at him in wonder anyway.

'Gandalf,' Aragorn finally spoke. So this man was Gandalf, the wizard Legolas had told her about. She was beginning to understand.

'Yes,' said the old man. 'I seem to remember that being my name. Yes, I amGandalf.'

'Wait,' interrupted Mary-Jane, 'excuse me and all, but aren't you supposed to be dead? It's just, Legolas told me you fell into a bottomless pit with some fire-guy.'

'Yes I fell,' Gandalf said gravely. Then noticing Gimli on his knees, he said 'get up, good Gimli, it was an easy mistake to make.'

'But Gandalf,' said Gimli, 'you are white!'

'Yes I am, dear Dwarf,' said Gandalf, he was getting good at this alliteration stuff. 'But tell me, all that has happened to yousince I left you and your quest.'

So they launched into a long story of what happened since they came out of Moria. Aragorn did most of the talking, as Gandalf shut his eyes and listened intently. Mary-Jane sat apart from the group, looking into the distance. She had heard Legolas tell this tale before, and half-listened to Aragorn's account. Then Gandalf in his turn told all that he knew. He told of the winged messengers, and of Saruman's double-treachery.

'So, you mean this Saruman, he's a traitor to your side, but he's also a traitor to the other side, the side that he joined and therefore became a traitor in the first place?' Asked Mary-Jane.

'Yes,' said Gandalf. 'He wants the Ring for himself, and therefore is a traitor to both sides.'

'Last night, said Gimli, we saw an old man, and we assumed it was Saruman, was it you or he?'

'Well, you didn't see me, so it must have been Saruman.' Replied Gandalf.

'Enough of this chatter,' Gandalf said, standing up again. ' We have an errand. And we need all the speed we can get.'

'But the hobbits!' Legolas cried. 'We have journeyed far to see them safe.'

'Ah yes, the hobbits. They are safe, they are with Fangorn, Treebeard in the Common Tongue, he is an ent. Their destiny is not with ours at this time, but who knows? Perhaps we shall meet with them again.'

With that he started making his way down the stair. They followed him. Aragorn walked with Gandalf, talking softly, then Legolas and Gimli followed, then Mary-jane after them. She knew that Gandalf and Aragorn were discussing her, the feeling grew inside her, filling her with bitter discomfort.

They reached the edge of the forest. Gandalf turned to them 'We must journey to Edoras, to give council and support to Théoden, the king of Rohan.'

He turned and looked out into the distance, and whistled. Soon the company heard the galloping hoofs of horses, and four figures could soon be seen in the horizon. Leading them was a great horse they did not recognize.

'This is Shadowfax,' said Gandalf, greeting the horse fondly as it halted before him.

Mary-Jane looked at Lindon with joy. She thought she would never see her horse again. She climbed nimbly onto her back. Legolas jumped nimbly onto his horse's back, and help Gimli climb awkwardly behind him. Aragorn was already mounted, and Gandalf was whispering in Shadowfax's ear. He tossed his head in response to Gandalf's whisperings, and Gandalf was soon on his back.

'We ride to Edoras!' said Gandalf loudly. 'To the King of the Golden Hall!'

With that Shadowfax shot forward, like an arrow from Legolas' bow. Aragorn gave a shout and was off. Legolas and Gimli followed. Mary-Jane pushed Lindon on after them, faster and faster still, feeling once again the thrill of the ride.

*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~**~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That's it for chapter 10.

Need I remind you to review?

Oh, and I need your opinion: should Mary-Jane go off to Helm's Deep, or stay in Edoras with Éowyn? Or should the whole of Edoras journey to Helm's Deep, as they did in the movie? Decisions, decisions.