Sorry that this is so long. I shortened it, actually. I hope that you enjoy
it!! R/R
We neared the border of Gondor, or Lindir as least thought that we were close. We caught up to some villagers taking refuge in the mountains. They were very kind, and they didn't even as very many questions. They gave us a horse and some more food. We tried to repay them by offering them some lembas, the little that we had left. It seemed like hardly anything compared to what they had given us. They accepted it though and they divided it among themselves and their spirits seemed to rise even higher. We parted from the group on our horse, which Lindir named Gil-Estel, Star of Hope.
I rode behind Lindir at first, but it was hard for me to always stay upon the horse. I fell off once or twice. I ended up riding in front of Lindir who had more skill with horses than I did. He kept his right arm wrapped around my waist so that to be sure I wouldn't fall. We made much better progress than on foot and on the second day of riding on Gil-Estel, Lindir decided that we were about one day way from the White City.
The days were dark now, the dawn rising in a brown light. Shadows grew longer, colder and darker around us. A good many of the villages that we passed were either deserted or burned to the ground.
"We will ride in the night," whispered Lindir that evening. "I know that its dangerous, but camping out here would be even more dangerous and probably fatal."
I nodded and we rode deep into the night. In the dawn of the third day of riding, as we came over the top of a hill, we could see the City's lights gleaming in the darkness. As we rode closer we saw that the gates were closed and locked up tightly. Lindir sighed in defeat. I glanced back at him. He looked so broken and weary.
"Lindir, we could always climb in." I said.
Lindir looked at me. "Huh?"
"Well, the City is practically built into the side of the mountain, well, kinda, and we could use that to our advantage. Do you think that would work?"
Lindir thought about it. "How would we get Gil-Estel in?" We both thought but I couldn't think of how to get him in with us. Lindir murmured, "Well, Anodien, you could climb the wall and then knock out a few people, not kill, just knock out and then you could open the gate from the inside."
"M-me? Why can't you climb the wall and do that?" I stammered.
Lindir looked at the sky and sighed. "Because," he replied. "I thought of the idea.and, uh, Anodien! All that you have to do is sneak up behind someone and hit them on the head with your sword hilt! Please!?"
I glared at him, but I finally agreed to try it, at least. Choosing a part of the wall that no one was on, I tied some rope to an arrow and shot it at one of the towers on the wall. The arrow stuck fast and I looked at Lindir. We moved Gil-Estel over to the wall and I stood on his back. I turned before I climbed the wall and hugged Lindir.
"I'll come back," I whispered. "Or, at least, I'll try." Then turning back to the wall, I grabbed the rope and began to pull myself up. When I got the top of the wall, I was sweating and panting hard. My arms felt like jelly and my chest couldn't seem to get enough air. I sat there for a second, hidden from everyone's view and thought about how I should get to the gate. I rested my back upon the cold stone walls of the tower. I decided that I should just hope that no one saw me and I would sneak to the gate.
'Stupid plan,' I thought to myself. 'Oh, well, only my life depends on it.'
I got up and slowly opened the tower door. No one was on the on the stairs as far as I could see, so I started to descend. As I crept down the stairway, I passed one or two people, but they didn't even seem to notice me. I sighed a breath of relief when I got to the street level. I crept from alleyway to shadow. I saw some boys playing in the street and some men milling about. I smiled as the ball the boys were playing with got away from one of them. One of the tallest boys ran after the ball and nearly bumped right into a smaller boy. The tall boy looked at the curly haired boy in front of him and started talking to him.
'O,' I thought. 'How am I going to be able to get across the street with so many people watching? They probably know everyone on the bloody street!'
All of a sudden, I heard a familiar voice in the street say, "Which question shall I answer first? My father farms the lands round Whitwell near Tuckborough in the Shire. I am nearly 29, so I pass you there; though I am but four feet, and not likely to grow any more, save sideways."
I gawked at the Hobbit standing in the middle of the street, taking to the boy and some of his playmates. Pippin was talking to a son of one of the guards of the gate. Pippin and the boy walked away down the street and it was all that I could do, not to just get up and follow them. Then, I noticed that they were going to the gate. I smiled. "Thanks Pip," I whispered, knowing that he couldn't hear me. I followed them at a distance in the shadows. They turned right at the gate as to go into one of the towers. I went straight and ran to the gate. I smiled to myself. 'Mission complete,' I thought.
I pulled on the door handle of one of the strong wooden gates. The gate didn't even move an inch. I gritted my teeth, planted my feet and then, grabbing the handle again, pulled with all of my might. It maybe moved a centimeter. I broke down sobbing and I felt like pounding my head on the gate. As I sat in the shadows, four figures passed by. I quickly muffled my sobs so that they wouldn't hear me. A tall figure and a boy walked off towards the place where I had seen Pippin and the guard's son. The other tall figure nodded for a small boy next to him to move along. This boy headed toward the left of the gate and disappeared from sight. The tall figure was just standing there, starring after the boy.
"You really shouldn't be sitting right inside the gates at sunset," said an old, hard voice. "Its not safe." The man turned and looked at me, but I couldn't see his face. He nodded toward the gate. "Are you waiting for someone? Or are you trying to get someone in? Either way is not safe, the Gates are heavily protected."
I felt my throat go dry. I tried to stammer out an answer but nothing came out. The old man looked at the gate. "Your friend will be safe out there for one night, I think. You are going to come with me.now." The man turned and walking in the direction in which the boy had gone. I stood up and slowly followed the man. We passed four houses and the man turned right down a long dark alley. I followed, not knowing what else I could do. Halfway down the alley he stopped in front of a door that, if not looked for, wouldn't have been noticed by anyone. Nodding his head, I went inside. Stairs ran upwards to an old door with light shining through it. I pulled my hood tightly around my face and walked up the stairs, with the old man right behind me.
Stepping inside, I looked around at the small room. A fire was burning in the fireplace and there was a table with two chairs and a bed in the corner. The huddled figure of the boy sat on the bed, a bowl of soup in his hands. He just sat there though, not touching his food, just staring out of the small low window in front of him. He lifted his head when the old man entered the room. He looked in surprise at me and turned his inquisitive eyes on the man behind me. The man just shrugged and spooned out some soup. He looked sideways at me and then handed me the bowl. I nodded my thanks and then sat down in a dusty corner to eat it.
I gaze intently at the boy. He looked so familiar, but I just couldn't think of whom he reminded me of. He did look like a Hobbit, he had brown curly hair and was short.he kind of reminded me of Pippin. But Pippin had been smaller than this boy, I was sure, and well, this boy looked more mature than Pippin, more grown up or something. The boy kept on glancing at the old man who still had his head completely covered by his hooded cloak. Well, I still had mine on too, so I guess that they didn't mind that I had it on. I sat starring into my bowl of untouched soup, worrying about Lindir.
"Don't worry," said the voice. I looked up at the man. "Lindir is going to be just fine."
My mouth hung open and I stammered, "How.who.but.I-I don't, what.who are you?"
The old man chuckled and he replied, "You know who I am and I know that you are an Elf." I starred, wide eyed at him. He grinned, "Your eyes betrayed you there, my friend. So, have you not guessed who I am yet?"
I shook my head "no". The boy on the bed started to laugh but a look from the man sent him into a fit of fake coughs.
"Please," I said softly. "Who are you."
The man grinned again. "I already said that you knew me. Hum.you even know this Hobbit right here."
My eyes widen again. So the boy was a Hobbit. My voice shaking, I whispered, "Pippin?"
The boy look up startled at hearing his name. He squinted his eyes and cocked his head to one side. I laughed and said, "Pippin, it is you!" I ran over and hugged him. Pippin slipped out of my hug and stood beside the man.
"Uh, Gand." he started, but he never finished because I jumped towards the man as he removed his hood, smiling.
"Hello, Anodien." He said.
"Mirthandir?! But.you're dressed in White.what.why?"
Pippin stood there and starred. He was confused. "But, but, you're a he- Elf." I looked down at my clothes. I did look like a boy, kind of.
"But Pippin, its me." Pippin scratched his head. I laughed again and looked at Gandalf. "Where are the others?" I asked. Gandalf's face grew dark and grave. I glanced at Pippin, and he looked at me with big empty eyes.
"What happened?" I asked.
Gandalf sighed. "A lot has happened," he said.
We neared the border of Gondor, or Lindir as least thought that we were close. We caught up to some villagers taking refuge in the mountains. They were very kind, and they didn't even as very many questions. They gave us a horse and some more food. We tried to repay them by offering them some lembas, the little that we had left. It seemed like hardly anything compared to what they had given us. They accepted it though and they divided it among themselves and their spirits seemed to rise even higher. We parted from the group on our horse, which Lindir named Gil-Estel, Star of Hope.
I rode behind Lindir at first, but it was hard for me to always stay upon the horse. I fell off once or twice. I ended up riding in front of Lindir who had more skill with horses than I did. He kept his right arm wrapped around my waist so that to be sure I wouldn't fall. We made much better progress than on foot and on the second day of riding on Gil-Estel, Lindir decided that we were about one day way from the White City.
The days were dark now, the dawn rising in a brown light. Shadows grew longer, colder and darker around us. A good many of the villages that we passed were either deserted or burned to the ground.
"We will ride in the night," whispered Lindir that evening. "I know that its dangerous, but camping out here would be even more dangerous and probably fatal."
I nodded and we rode deep into the night. In the dawn of the third day of riding, as we came over the top of a hill, we could see the City's lights gleaming in the darkness. As we rode closer we saw that the gates were closed and locked up tightly. Lindir sighed in defeat. I glanced back at him. He looked so broken and weary.
"Lindir, we could always climb in." I said.
Lindir looked at me. "Huh?"
"Well, the City is practically built into the side of the mountain, well, kinda, and we could use that to our advantage. Do you think that would work?"
Lindir thought about it. "How would we get Gil-Estel in?" We both thought but I couldn't think of how to get him in with us. Lindir murmured, "Well, Anodien, you could climb the wall and then knock out a few people, not kill, just knock out and then you could open the gate from the inside."
"M-me? Why can't you climb the wall and do that?" I stammered.
Lindir looked at the sky and sighed. "Because," he replied. "I thought of the idea.and, uh, Anodien! All that you have to do is sneak up behind someone and hit them on the head with your sword hilt! Please!?"
I glared at him, but I finally agreed to try it, at least. Choosing a part of the wall that no one was on, I tied some rope to an arrow and shot it at one of the towers on the wall. The arrow stuck fast and I looked at Lindir. We moved Gil-Estel over to the wall and I stood on his back. I turned before I climbed the wall and hugged Lindir.
"I'll come back," I whispered. "Or, at least, I'll try." Then turning back to the wall, I grabbed the rope and began to pull myself up. When I got the top of the wall, I was sweating and panting hard. My arms felt like jelly and my chest couldn't seem to get enough air. I sat there for a second, hidden from everyone's view and thought about how I should get to the gate. I rested my back upon the cold stone walls of the tower. I decided that I should just hope that no one saw me and I would sneak to the gate.
'Stupid plan,' I thought to myself. 'Oh, well, only my life depends on it.'
I got up and slowly opened the tower door. No one was on the on the stairs as far as I could see, so I started to descend. As I crept down the stairway, I passed one or two people, but they didn't even seem to notice me. I sighed a breath of relief when I got to the street level. I crept from alleyway to shadow. I saw some boys playing in the street and some men milling about. I smiled as the ball the boys were playing with got away from one of them. One of the tallest boys ran after the ball and nearly bumped right into a smaller boy. The tall boy looked at the curly haired boy in front of him and started talking to him.
'O,' I thought. 'How am I going to be able to get across the street with so many people watching? They probably know everyone on the bloody street!'
All of a sudden, I heard a familiar voice in the street say, "Which question shall I answer first? My father farms the lands round Whitwell near Tuckborough in the Shire. I am nearly 29, so I pass you there; though I am but four feet, and not likely to grow any more, save sideways."
I gawked at the Hobbit standing in the middle of the street, taking to the boy and some of his playmates. Pippin was talking to a son of one of the guards of the gate. Pippin and the boy walked away down the street and it was all that I could do, not to just get up and follow them. Then, I noticed that they were going to the gate. I smiled. "Thanks Pip," I whispered, knowing that he couldn't hear me. I followed them at a distance in the shadows. They turned right at the gate as to go into one of the towers. I went straight and ran to the gate. I smiled to myself. 'Mission complete,' I thought.
I pulled on the door handle of one of the strong wooden gates. The gate didn't even move an inch. I gritted my teeth, planted my feet and then, grabbing the handle again, pulled with all of my might. It maybe moved a centimeter. I broke down sobbing and I felt like pounding my head on the gate. As I sat in the shadows, four figures passed by. I quickly muffled my sobs so that they wouldn't hear me. A tall figure and a boy walked off towards the place where I had seen Pippin and the guard's son. The other tall figure nodded for a small boy next to him to move along. This boy headed toward the left of the gate and disappeared from sight. The tall figure was just standing there, starring after the boy.
"You really shouldn't be sitting right inside the gates at sunset," said an old, hard voice. "Its not safe." The man turned and looked at me, but I couldn't see his face. He nodded toward the gate. "Are you waiting for someone? Or are you trying to get someone in? Either way is not safe, the Gates are heavily protected."
I felt my throat go dry. I tried to stammer out an answer but nothing came out. The old man looked at the gate. "Your friend will be safe out there for one night, I think. You are going to come with me.now." The man turned and walking in the direction in which the boy had gone. I stood up and slowly followed the man. We passed four houses and the man turned right down a long dark alley. I followed, not knowing what else I could do. Halfway down the alley he stopped in front of a door that, if not looked for, wouldn't have been noticed by anyone. Nodding his head, I went inside. Stairs ran upwards to an old door with light shining through it. I pulled my hood tightly around my face and walked up the stairs, with the old man right behind me.
Stepping inside, I looked around at the small room. A fire was burning in the fireplace and there was a table with two chairs and a bed in the corner. The huddled figure of the boy sat on the bed, a bowl of soup in his hands. He just sat there though, not touching his food, just staring out of the small low window in front of him. He lifted his head when the old man entered the room. He looked in surprise at me and turned his inquisitive eyes on the man behind me. The man just shrugged and spooned out some soup. He looked sideways at me and then handed me the bowl. I nodded my thanks and then sat down in a dusty corner to eat it.
I gaze intently at the boy. He looked so familiar, but I just couldn't think of whom he reminded me of. He did look like a Hobbit, he had brown curly hair and was short.he kind of reminded me of Pippin. But Pippin had been smaller than this boy, I was sure, and well, this boy looked more mature than Pippin, more grown up or something. The boy kept on glancing at the old man who still had his head completely covered by his hooded cloak. Well, I still had mine on too, so I guess that they didn't mind that I had it on. I sat starring into my bowl of untouched soup, worrying about Lindir.
"Don't worry," said the voice. I looked up at the man. "Lindir is going to be just fine."
My mouth hung open and I stammered, "How.who.but.I-I don't, what.who are you?"
The old man chuckled and he replied, "You know who I am and I know that you are an Elf." I starred, wide eyed at him. He grinned, "Your eyes betrayed you there, my friend. So, have you not guessed who I am yet?"
I shook my head "no". The boy on the bed started to laugh but a look from the man sent him into a fit of fake coughs.
"Please," I said softly. "Who are you."
The man grinned again. "I already said that you knew me. Hum.you even know this Hobbit right here."
My eyes widen again. So the boy was a Hobbit. My voice shaking, I whispered, "Pippin?"
The boy look up startled at hearing his name. He squinted his eyes and cocked his head to one side. I laughed and said, "Pippin, it is you!" I ran over and hugged him. Pippin slipped out of my hug and stood beside the man.
"Uh, Gand." he started, but he never finished because I jumped towards the man as he removed his hood, smiling.
"Hello, Anodien." He said.
"Mirthandir?! But.you're dressed in White.what.why?"
Pippin stood there and starred. He was confused. "But, but, you're a he- Elf." I looked down at my clothes. I did look like a boy, kind of.
"But Pippin, its me." Pippin scratched his head. I laughed again and looked at Gandalf. "Where are the others?" I asked. Gandalf's face grew dark and grave. I glanced at Pippin, and he looked at me with big empty eyes.
"What happened?" I asked.
Gandalf sighed. "A lot has happened," he said.