The Red Rose of Gondor
Chapter 5: The White Wizard
"Belamir, hurry up!" Gandalf said as he tied the last of the bags onto the saddle of a large gray-colored stallion. "If you want to get even a fifth of the way to Isengard by nightfall, you need to leave soon and move quickly."
"Oh, alright!" an irritable female voice called out, and Belamir wandered into the clearing. "Why do I have to go see this Saruman guy anyway?"
Gandalf rolled his eyes. "This 'Saruman guy' is the head of my order, as well as yours. You would do well to show him more respect when you arrive." the old wizard reprimanded. "It will do you god to study with him for a time. You've gone on enough adventures with me, and are falling behind in your studies. It wouldn't be a good idea to bring you on another right now."
"I still don't see why I can't go to Rivendell with you." she said, reaching into one of the saddle bags and starting to pull out an apple. "You can't come because you need to go to Isengard and study." smacked her hand away and closed the bag. "Those are for later. Now you'd best be on your way."
Belamir sighed and hugged Gandalf. He laughed and patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Lady. You'll be all right. Saruman is wise and powerful. He shall take care of you. You can show me what you've learned when I come to Orthanc."
She pulled herself into the saddle. "When will you be back?"
He thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Whenever I arrive, I suppose."
"Very funny, Gandalf." she said sarcastically, taking the reigns. "Farewell!"
"Farewell, Belamir." he said, and she rode off in the direction on Isengard quickly.
~*~
"I trust that you haven't tried to poison me again, girl." Saruman said, not taking his eyes off of the scroll he was reading. "Set it on the table."
"One should not be too quick to trust." the servant girl said coldly, pushing a lock of red hair out of her face. "You of all people should know that."
"Oh?" he asked nonchalantly. "And why is that?"
"You were once wise, and people still believe that you are. They trust you upon a look, and you decieve them." she said coldly, setting the tray of food on a small table in the back of the study.
"Yes, that is quite an advantageous quality, don't you agree?" he said, and turned around when there was no answer. He surveyed her as she glared. "Although you seem to have certain...advantages...yourself."
She shot an icy lok at him. "I know what you did to Zalenia when you captured her here." she said, and turned to leave. "You won't do the same to me."
"You have a pretty face when you don't scowl so." she rolled her eyes in disgust, and Saruman continued.
"And take a bite up to that gray friend of yours on the roof. I'd like to keep him alive. He may yet be useful to our cause."
"Your cause. Never mine." she said, walking out.
~*~
Zalenia tended to the fire in the kitchen alone when Belamir arrived in the kitchens again. She watched as the girl walked in and smiled. "Bela!"
She smiled weakly and began preparing a meal for Gandalf. She put a few loaves of bread in a basket, some fresh fruit, and as an afterthough, a pipe and a pouch of pipe weed. The she set about to making a stew.
Zalenia grinned. "Finally going to eat, are you?"
She shook her head while chopping up vegatables. "For Gandalf."
"You need to eat, Bela. You can't go on forever without food. You look like death walking!" she said, and shrugged. "Although I probably shouldn't talk. I haven't seen the sun in the 5 I've been here."
"I haven't been outside since I was sixteen years old!" Belamir yelled, her hand shaking and a tear rolling down her cheek. She accidentally cut herself with the knife and a bit of blood ran down her finger and onto the counter. She ignored it and continued making the stew.
"I'm sorry, I-" Zalenia started, but Belamir cut her off.
"No, don't be. I get angry easily...I've always had a bad temper..." she said, and then smiled a bit. "Besides, someone very wise once told me that you shouldn't be sorry about things you can't change."
zalenia smiled and pushed a lock of Sandy blonde hair out of her face. "Gandalf?"
"No...someone else....A hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins."
She laughed and smelled the stew. "A hobbit?" she asked. "It smells delicious by the way."
"Thank you, Zal. You can have some if you want. And yes, a hobbit. Is that so hard to believe?" Belamir said.
"No, it's not that hard to believe, it's just...not many people consider halflings to be all that wise." Zalenia said, shrugging.
"Not many are..." Belamir said with a small laugh. "But Frodo was. He was kind, too. And his eyes..."
She laughed at her friend's dreamy smile. "Someone's in love..."
Belamir blushed scarlet. "No I am NOT! It was just a silly little crush. I was only 16 when I met him."
~*~
Belamir sighed and took a bite of an apple. Gandalf laughed as she stared up at the full moon with amazement.
"I don't remember you having a fascination with the sky, Lady." he said, and she shrugged.
"This is the most time I';ve spent outside in 16 years. I'm enjoying it." She took another bite from the apple and Gandalf laughed.
"You're nearly 32 years old, and you still remind me of the 16 year old I knew so long ago." he said, and she shrugged.
"I'm not." she said dully. "I never will be again. I'll never get out of this hell-hole. I can't believe they cut all the trees down."
Gandalf shook his head. "That is why I hoped you would find me, Lady. There is something I need to talk to you about."
Belamir turned back to him, tering her eyes away form the glowing caverns so far below. She hated heights. "About the orcs tearing out the trees?"
"No." he said impatiently. "About you. You need to escape, Bela. And you need to go find Frodo."
A/N: Hehehe. Cliff Hanger! I'll try to get the nextn chapter up ASAP.
Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR. Duh..
Chapter 5: The White Wizard
"Belamir, hurry up!" Gandalf said as he tied the last of the bags onto the saddle of a large gray-colored stallion. "If you want to get even a fifth of the way to Isengard by nightfall, you need to leave soon and move quickly."
"Oh, alright!" an irritable female voice called out, and Belamir wandered into the clearing. "Why do I have to go see this Saruman guy anyway?"
Gandalf rolled his eyes. "This 'Saruman guy' is the head of my order, as well as yours. You would do well to show him more respect when you arrive." the old wizard reprimanded. "It will do you god to study with him for a time. You've gone on enough adventures with me, and are falling behind in your studies. It wouldn't be a good idea to bring you on another right now."
"I still don't see why I can't go to Rivendell with you." she said, reaching into one of the saddle bags and starting to pull out an apple. "You can't come because you need to go to Isengard and study." smacked her hand away and closed the bag. "Those are for later. Now you'd best be on your way."
Belamir sighed and hugged Gandalf. He laughed and patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Lady. You'll be all right. Saruman is wise and powerful. He shall take care of you. You can show me what you've learned when I come to Orthanc."
She pulled herself into the saddle. "When will you be back?"
He thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Whenever I arrive, I suppose."
"Very funny, Gandalf." she said sarcastically, taking the reigns. "Farewell!"
"Farewell, Belamir." he said, and she rode off in the direction on Isengard quickly.
~*~
"I trust that you haven't tried to poison me again, girl." Saruman said, not taking his eyes off of the scroll he was reading. "Set it on the table."
"One should not be too quick to trust." the servant girl said coldly, pushing a lock of red hair out of her face. "You of all people should know that."
"Oh?" he asked nonchalantly. "And why is that?"
"You were once wise, and people still believe that you are. They trust you upon a look, and you decieve them." she said coldly, setting the tray of food on a small table in the back of the study.
"Yes, that is quite an advantageous quality, don't you agree?" he said, and turned around when there was no answer. He surveyed her as she glared. "Although you seem to have certain...advantages...yourself."
She shot an icy lok at him. "I know what you did to Zalenia when you captured her here." she said, and turned to leave. "You won't do the same to me."
"You have a pretty face when you don't scowl so." she rolled her eyes in disgust, and Saruman continued.
"And take a bite up to that gray friend of yours on the roof. I'd like to keep him alive. He may yet be useful to our cause."
"Your cause. Never mine." she said, walking out.
~*~
Zalenia tended to the fire in the kitchen alone when Belamir arrived in the kitchens again. She watched as the girl walked in and smiled. "Bela!"
She smiled weakly and began preparing a meal for Gandalf. She put a few loaves of bread in a basket, some fresh fruit, and as an afterthough, a pipe and a pouch of pipe weed. The she set about to making a stew.
Zalenia grinned. "Finally going to eat, are you?"
She shook her head while chopping up vegatables. "For Gandalf."
"You need to eat, Bela. You can't go on forever without food. You look like death walking!" she said, and shrugged. "Although I probably shouldn't talk. I haven't seen the sun in the 5 I've been here."
"I haven't been outside since I was sixteen years old!" Belamir yelled, her hand shaking and a tear rolling down her cheek. She accidentally cut herself with the knife and a bit of blood ran down her finger and onto the counter. She ignored it and continued making the stew.
"I'm sorry, I-" Zalenia started, but Belamir cut her off.
"No, don't be. I get angry easily...I've always had a bad temper..." she said, and then smiled a bit. "Besides, someone very wise once told me that you shouldn't be sorry about things you can't change."
zalenia smiled and pushed a lock of Sandy blonde hair out of her face. "Gandalf?"
"No...someone else....A hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins."
She laughed and smelled the stew. "A hobbit?" she asked. "It smells delicious by the way."
"Thank you, Zal. You can have some if you want. And yes, a hobbit. Is that so hard to believe?" Belamir said.
"No, it's not that hard to believe, it's just...not many people consider halflings to be all that wise." Zalenia said, shrugging.
"Not many are..." Belamir said with a small laugh. "But Frodo was. He was kind, too. And his eyes..."
She laughed at her friend's dreamy smile. "Someone's in love..."
Belamir blushed scarlet. "No I am NOT! It was just a silly little crush. I was only 16 when I met him."
~*~
Belamir sighed and took a bite of an apple. Gandalf laughed as she stared up at the full moon with amazement.
"I don't remember you having a fascination with the sky, Lady." he said, and she shrugged.
"This is the most time I';ve spent outside in 16 years. I'm enjoying it." She took another bite from the apple and Gandalf laughed.
"You're nearly 32 years old, and you still remind me of the 16 year old I knew so long ago." he said, and she shrugged.
"I'm not." she said dully. "I never will be again. I'll never get out of this hell-hole. I can't believe they cut all the trees down."
Gandalf shook his head. "That is why I hoped you would find me, Lady. There is something I need to talk to you about."
Belamir turned back to him, tering her eyes away form the glowing caverns so far below. She hated heights. "About the orcs tearing out the trees?"
"No." he said impatiently. "About you. You need to escape, Bela. And you need to go find Frodo."
A/N: Hehehe. Cliff Hanger! I'll try to get the nextn chapter up ASAP.
Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR. Duh..