Chapter 9: A Story in the Dark
Not much happened in the days following the speech. Gandalf had left the early morning as he had said. Both the girls practiced morning, noon, and night. Zayn had showed promise with her broadsword, and had mastered the dagger given to her. Vywien had mastered the broadsword, and was close to doing like wise with the bow and arrow. The mid-day practice both were going through, were located in the same field from which Gandalf had appointed them.
Pippin and Merry were sitting around the campfire starving yet again, though they had all eaten less that four hours earlier. Pippin looks over to his long time friend, "Hey Merry?" "Yes, Pip?" Pippin then takes a large sticks and pokes at the fire, "You know those two girls that we all are training?" Merry turns his head and looks at Pippin, "Yah." "I ... I think I like Zayn." Merry opens his eyes wide, and smiles. "I think I like Vywien! We should figure out a way to see if they like us." A large smile spreads across Pippin's face, "I like the way you think Merry."
Meanwhile in the secluded clearing a little away from the campsite Aragorn and Zayn were practicing. "Okay, we're going to try something different. I want you to attack me, this is going to be a freestyle sword fighting. See if you can defeat me." Zayn, having grown in confidence for herself, merely nodded knowing her ability to fight with the sword had reached new heights. "Begin!" Zayn ran as fast as she could at the ranger holding the sword up near her right shoulder, but just as she was about to cross-swords with him she turned a little to her right and surprised him for a split second. He naturally guarded with a swift upward stroke of his own sword.
"Good." Zayn, trying to out muscle him smirks, "I'm not done." The girl does a three sixty with her body and stands where she would have in the beginning, and prepares to strike. She's force to guard as the ranger pulls the same trick but a bit faster. For several hours this training goes on, neither willing to cry defeat.
In another clearing, Legolas is practicing the sword with Vywien. They had spent half the day working on the bow and he felt the need to switch weapons to avoid over familiarity. Vywien had her hair braided many times and pulled back on top of her head, light sweat beaded her brow. Legolas mildly sweating looked back at the blue eyed elf with a smile, "You've come a long way. Even for an elf." Hearing such compliments the female elf turns a light shade of read. Legolas chuckles at her uneasiness, then prepares for another attack, "Lets try that again...." Vywien lifted her sword, ready to strike, when she saw him move slightly. Automatically she blocked up downward crescent with an upward sweep of her own. Taking one step back she prepared a side cut for his midsection and attacked. Legolas, having known many battles, had prepared for the strike quickly moves around her re-sheathed his sword and ended up giving her a bear hug. Vywien blinked and looked over shoulder her face turning red as she saw the predicament they were in, "How...how did you move that fast?"
Legolas smiles, and releases her. "Here, I'll show you."
* * *
That evening the small group gathered around the campfire for warmth. It was expectionally cool that night. The stars in the dark night sky looked to be frozen where they hovered in the night sky. Gandalf had left them a few conies, and some vegetables from his previous departure. They silently ate their supper, feeling weird that Gandalf wasn't there. The group was finally formed as a whole. As they curled up in their leather blankets, it was still quiet except for the occasional howl of a wolf, or twitter of a distant bird.
"Man...I can't wait to tell my friends back home that I saw a living, breathing, walking, talking tree!!!" Zayn exclaimed excitedly. Everyone looked toward her with questioning glances.
"Are you going to include the part where you ran away screaming?" Aragorn asked her, a deep smirk teases the corner of his lips as he continues to puff on his pipe. "Then swooned into Pippin's arms?"
"Hey, be nice!" Zayn elbowed him in the ribs, he grunted in response. She was smiling brightly, then she paused and stared into the fire. "Wait a second, I guess I don't really have a 'back home'." She said thoughtfully. "And no friends to speak of, that would think highly of me." She added quietly feeling depressed.
"Wait a second, Zy." Pippin exclaimed sitting on her right side, using the nickname he had made up earier in the day. He pointed an accusing finger at her as he talked. "Are you trying to tell us that we aren't your friends? After Aragorn labored for hours to teach you how to use a sword that Gandalf gave to you, and you have practically lived with a big group of people sitting around a campfire together...and you don't claim us as friends?!" He gaped at her.
Zayn looked toward him, then to Aragorn who was smiling at her. Then she locked eyes with everyone around her. The thought had never occured to her...she actually had friends. Her eyes shimmered for a second, before she brightened. "You know...you're right...." She paused. "Everyone! You'll never guess what I saw today! I actually saw a living, breathing, walking, talking tree!" She exclaimed, half joking, half serious.
Vwyien sat quietly on the opposite side of the fire, she had much to think about. Legolas sat on her left, and Merry sat on her right. She wasn't completely possitive, but she thought that the young hobbit had a crush on her. She glanced up as Zayn gave her speech, and smiled thoughtfully knowing she was in the same position as the young human. Vywien hadn't been around anyone but Treebeard for centuries, now had one of the greatest things she could ask for...friends. She glanced at Legolas out of the corner of her eye and wondered how he felt.
"Alright everyone!" Gimli's deep gruff voice surrounded the woods. "I know what this mood calls for!"
"More ale?" Pippin asked excitedly.
"No! A ghost story that I heard in my youth." Gimli grinned which boarderlined pure evil. "Do you guys like ghost stories?" Everyone murmered their various responses as Gimli setteled down into a more comfortable position. "Pay close attention, this story is true! This happened to my late cousin Balin."
Gimli grabbed a stick and began to poke the fire as he talked. Everyone, but the two elves, leaned in a bit closer to hear better and get their minds of their current troubles.
"This ought to be good." Merry piped up, also smoking some pipe weed.
"Many, many years ago..." Gimli began. "dwarves weren't very reknown creatures, as they still aren't today. This was a time before Sauron's evil forces had taken control of Middle Earth, before the elves had left the woods, before Isildur recieved the ring of power. This was when Middle Earth was the most peaceful place anywhere. Everyplace you went was more beautiful then the last place you came from." The group closed their eyes imagining this peaceful environment without war or surffering. Vywien and Pippin lay back on their leather blankets to stare up at the stars as Gimli continued.
"There was a dwarf that went by the name as Galash. He was one of the bravest, most stalwart dwarfs to ever be found. One day he walked into this very forest of Fangorn. He walked in the beautiful woods for many days without running into another soul. Finally as he camped beneath the stars, he awoke in the dead of night to find an elf and two men standing with bows and arrows pointed at his chest. 'who are you?' Galash had asked. 'we are the guardians of Fangorn' one of the men replied, 'and you are trespassing'. 'I meant no harm, I only wanted to see the wonders of the world' Galash replied. 'my feet have led me here'. The elf being a very good people reader slowly lowered his bow at what seemed to be truthful words. The two men also lowered their bows and arrows at the elf's command. 'go to sleep' the elf commanded Galash. Galash had no thoughts of sleeping, he wanted to learn more about these strange creatures, for he had never seen an elf or a man before. 'I am no longer tired.' 'Sleep!' A man commanded, and he pointed his hand at Galash and a lightening bolt flew from it. Galash slumped to the ground out cold.
"The next morning Galash woke from the deepest sleep he had ever encountered in his whole life. He looked around and the area in a twenty feet circle around him was burned to a crisp, except the area where he laid. Galash scratched his head thoughtfully, wondering what had happened around him. He then noticed a large tree that hadn't been there the night before, directly in front of him. He craned his neck looking up toward the huge tree, and two big brown eyes that belonged to the tree were looking down at him. 'my, my you are a lucky lad' the tree bellowed out loudly. 'what has happened to the forest?' Galash asked, looking around, thinking he was dreaming. 'where did the two men and the elf go?' The large tree paused before answering, 'they were found dead early this morning. one was found beheaded, the other his ears cut off, and the last hung in a tree' 'but why?!' Galash cried out, remorse overtaking him for the unknown creatures. 'a great evil has incompassed these woods,' the tree replied. 'it has tried to burn the forest and killed the guardians. the elf tried to call to you in the night to warn you to leave' the tree said sadly. 'his ears were cut off for his rebellion' Galash was getting an uneasy feeling by this point. 'I have the ears...' the tree said softly. 'would you like to see them?' Galash bolted to his feet as the tree opened up his big branch hands that contained two elven ears, and the head of one of the guardian men.' Galash started to run back the way he had come, but as most creatures now know, dwarves are not well known for their great speeds, the tree grabbed him and chanted three magical words: estala curduim bedalla, and Galash suddenly grew stiff. His arms flew outward and suddenly he seemed to grow in height. He grew and grew until he was almost as tall as the talking tree. His feet rooted to the ground, and there he stood for all eternity. The only thing Galash still controlled was his eyes."
Gimli looked around at the small group surrounding the fire. "It tis said that the evil tree is still roaming Fangorn. Galash was not his first victim and will certainly not be the last. Sometimes on cold nights such as tonight, around such times as now, the time when he was transformed, you can still hear him moaning in the night. His spirit alive for all eternity, to watch other travelers such as ourselves to suffer the same fate." Gimli looked around and poked the fire, it popped loudly and everyone but the elves jumped. Pippin yelped in fear, Aragorn and Legolas' eyes were wide, both of them having heard similar versions of the story. Zayn and Merry were literally cowering under their leather blankets, suddenly very afraid of the trees of Fangorn. The two elves, not being afraid of ghosts, blink at the dwarf, not liking the idea of elf ears being chopped off.
"Well, I'm spent." Gimli said to the frightened group. "Time to sleep." He laid down and fell fast asleep.
Everyone else kept their eyes on the campfire, afraid to look at the dark forest...afraid they'd see the earless elf, or the decaptiated man...even the hanged man swinging from a tree. After many hours the rest of them fell into a fitfull sleep.