Ereht woke up to a cold chill blowing across the clearing that Legolas had
found earlier that night for the elves to rest. He was leaning against a
tree and Relaen was curled up beside him with her head resting on his
chest, shivering from the wet, night air. Legolas and Liera were across
from him, curled up together. It had been a week since they left Weather
Top and they were now close to Hobbiton, where they would head north to
their journey's end.
Ereht looked up and surveyed the sky. Dark, foreboding clouds kept the stars and moon hidden. He leaned forward, unhooked his cloak and draped it over Relaen. He pushed a strand of hair from her face before falling back asleep.
The next time Ereht opened his eyes, the sun was out, but was blocked by dark clouds. He woke Relaen and then stood and woke the others. Everyone yawned, each still wanting to sleep longer.
"A storm will be upon us by nightfall, if now sooner. We should hurry so we can find shelter for the night." Ereht said as he began walking west.
Liera sighed and began following him. "I hate it when he's right." She mumbled.
Ereht heard her remark and laughed to himself. He slowed his pace for the sake of the White Elves. It took them half a day to reach the borders of the Old Forest, just outside of Hobbiton.
Relaen looked at the forest and a shiver ran down her back. She edged closer to Ereht. "I do not like the feel of this place.something's not right here." She said.
Liera nodded her agreement. "We need to be extrodinarilly careful." She said, her voice quiet.
As they entered the forest, Relaen and Liera pulled out their swords while Ereht and Legolas put an arrow on their bows. The four elves walked cautiously, trying not to make a sound. They successfully made it to the middle of the forest before Legolas tripped over an uprooted tree root.
"Smooth move, bro" Relaen said as she rolled her eyes.
Liera helped Legolas up as an arrow hit the spot where his head just was. Ereht cursed under his breath as he looked around, trying to see the owner of the arrow, but he couldn't. The trees were clumped together and were blocking the view of everything, and the clouds covering the sun didn't help.
"Do you guys see anything?" he asked, his eyes still searching.
"It's like the trees don't want us to see our attackers." Liera mumbled.
"Well, the Hobbits always said there was something odd in the forest." Legolas said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, but I never took them this seriously." Relaen said quietly.
Legolas let an arrow fly from his bow and a scream could be heard as it hit its target. "That make up for giving away our position?" he asked with a victorious smirk.
Liera pushed him into a tree as another arrow went towards him. "No, no it doesn't." she answered.
Ereht shot an arrow into the dense woods and another scream was heard. He put another arrow on the string and jumped out of the way as another arrow flew towards him.
"I wish these guys would move in." Relaen mumbled.
"Tell me about it." Ereht answered.
"It wouldn't even be that bad if we could see." Liera replied. As the words came out of her mouth, a strange tune could be heard. It started off very quietly and slowly got louder.
"Hey dol! Merry dol! Ring a dong dillo! "Ring a dong! Hop along! Fal lal the willow! "Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!"
The dark clouds overhead began to break up and the sun could be seen through the tops of the trees.
"Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, "Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow. "None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the master: "His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster."
As the song echoed off of the trunks of the trees, the woods became less dense. Slowly, the forest floor could be seen, and with that, the enemies of the elves. Orcs were surrounding them. They were hanging from the trees, all of them armed with swords, axes, and arrows.
As soon as they could see their foes, Liera, Legolas, Relaen, and Ereht lunged towards them, Legolas and Ereht sending their arrows and Liera and Relaen charging them with their swords.
Orc after orc went down with Ereht and Legolas's arrows and the orc's poorly aimed shots were easily dodged. Relaen and Liera ran into the circle of orcs, killing them as they went, trusting in Ereht and Legolas to cover them if need be. As the fight went on, the orcs began running from the four elves. As if some great warning were put on them, all of the orcs fled the forest, heading in all directions.
Relaen and Liera shrugged, to tired to chase after them, and returned to where the other two were standing. When they reached the clearing, they found that Ereht and Legolas were not alone. A short Man with red cheeks, yellow boots, and a blue feather coming from his pointed hat, stood in the middle of the area, water lilies in his arms and a large smile on his face.
Liera and Ereht exchanged glances and Relaen and Legolas rolled their eyes slightly. "Do we know him?" Liera whispered to Ereht.
Ereht shrugged. "Who are you?" he asked, figuring it was the only way he would get an explanation.
"This is Tom Bombadil." Legolas answered.
Ereht leaned over to Liera. "Who is Tom Bombadil?" he asked in a whisper.
"Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow. Bright blue his jacket is and his boots are yellow." Relaen said, quoting the song that she had heard earlier. She turned to Liera and Ereht. "He is the Master of this area. He is master over all the animals and trees, over all that come here." She explained.
Tom began walking out of the forest on a path that the elves had not seen before. "Come come my Elvin friends! Follow good old Tom! Come to the home of Goldberry, the water lily lady!" he sang as he skipped along the path. "Come, come my silly friends, follow Tom Bom! Follow the song of good old Tom, Tom Bombadillo!"
Legolas and Relaen began following the new path, but waited for their companions to join them. "Do we have to?" Ereht asked, he was already annoyed with the little Man.
"Follow the song of good old Tom, Tom Bombadillo!" Relaen and Legolas sang at the same time while laughing.
Liera rolled her eyes. "I can handle weirdness and craziness, but people who are that happy? This is going to be a long day." She said before following Legolas and Relaen. Ereht reluctantly followed.
They walked the path until it led to a small cottage. Standing outside the door was a tall woman. She had golden hair and fair skin. She looked as though she could be akin to the elves. When they walked up, the woman showed them into the house.
"Welcome to my home. I am Goldberry. Will you be joining us for dinner?" the woman, Goldberry, asked.
"I'm afraid we must hurry on our way." Liera said politely, wanting to get away from the all to happy man.
"Stay the night, do not leave to soon." Tom said. "Remain here you can, to tend to your wounds."
"Our wounds aren't that bad." Ereht said as he looked over everyone. He had a cut on his side from an orc attack. Legolas had a wound on his bicep from a dagger being thrown at him. Liera had a large mark on her leg from where an orc's sword hit its mark. Relaen had a large cut across her stomach from a sword. Some of wounds were still oozing blood.
Goldberry laughed. "We cannot let you leave in such conditions. Please, stay for the night. You can set off early tomorrow morning."
Ereht looked at the faces of his companions, each hiding the pain they were feeling, himself included, and let out a sigh of defeat. "Very well, my lady. We will remain for the night."
Goldberry smiled happily. "Good. Now you must rest. We will wake you for the evening meal."
She led the four to a room in the back of the house that had four mattresses on the floor. The four friends chose a mattress and fell quickly asleep. Each slept soundly and dreamlessly. When they opened their eyes, their wounds were dressed and the pain, gone.
All four of them woke up at the same time. The moon was shining through a window, surrounding them. The two boys each had a crown of water lilies on their heads and the girls had crowns and necklaces of lilies. The friends stretched and exited the room. In the main room of the house, a large table was set with every kind of food known to the elves.
For the rest of the evening, Relaen, Legolas, Tom Bombadil, and Goldberry talked and laughed and sang while Ereht and Liera tried to be pleasant and hide their utter annoyance for the far-to-happy couple. They stayed until dawn.
"Safe journey to you all." Goldberry said as she waved. The four elves bowed and then returned to their journey, heading west to Hobbiton.
Ereht looked up and surveyed the sky. Dark, foreboding clouds kept the stars and moon hidden. He leaned forward, unhooked his cloak and draped it over Relaen. He pushed a strand of hair from her face before falling back asleep.
The next time Ereht opened his eyes, the sun was out, but was blocked by dark clouds. He woke Relaen and then stood and woke the others. Everyone yawned, each still wanting to sleep longer.
"A storm will be upon us by nightfall, if now sooner. We should hurry so we can find shelter for the night." Ereht said as he began walking west.
Liera sighed and began following him. "I hate it when he's right." She mumbled.
Ereht heard her remark and laughed to himself. He slowed his pace for the sake of the White Elves. It took them half a day to reach the borders of the Old Forest, just outside of Hobbiton.
Relaen looked at the forest and a shiver ran down her back. She edged closer to Ereht. "I do not like the feel of this place.something's not right here." She said.
Liera nodded her agreement. "We need to be extrodinarilly careful." She said, her voice quiet.
As they entered the forest, Relaen and Liera pulled out their swords while Ereht and Legolas put an arrow on their bows. The four elves walked cautiously, trying not to make a sound. They successfully made it to the middle of the forest before Legolas tripped over an uprooted tree root.
"Smooth move, bro" Relaen said as she rolled her eyes.
Liera helped Legolas up as an arrow hit the spot where his head just was. Ereht cursed under his breath as he looked around, trying to see the owner of the arrow, but he couldn't. The trees were clumped together and were blocking the view of everything, and the clouds covering the sun didn't help.
"Do you guys see anything?" he asked, his eyes still searching.
"It's like the trees don't want us to see our attackers." Liera mumbled.
"Well, the Hobbits always said there was something odd in the forest." Legolas said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, but I never took them this seriously." Relaen said quietly.
Legolas let an arrow fly from his bow and a scream could be heard as it hit its target. "That make up for giving away our position?" he asked with a victorious smirk.
Liera pushed him into a tree as another arrow went towards him. "No, no it doesn't." she answered.
Ereht shot an arrow into the dense woods and another scream was heard. He put another arrow on the string and jumped out of the way as another arrow flew towards him.
"I wish these guys would move in." Relaen mumbled.
"Tell me about it." Ereht answered.
"It wouldn't even be that bad if we could see." Liera replied. As the words came out of her mouth, a strange tune could be heard. It started off very quietly and slowly got louder.
"Hey dol! Merry dol! Ring a dong dillo! "Ring a dong! Hop along! Fal lal the willow! "Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!"
The dark clouds overhead began to break up and the sun could be seen through the tops of the trees.
"Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow, "Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow. "None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the master: "His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster."
As the song echoed off of the trunks of the trees, the woods became less dense. Slowly, the forest floor could be seen, and with that, the enemies of the elves. Orcs were surrounding them. They were hanging from the trees, all of them armed with swords, axes, and arrows.
As soon as they could see their foes, Liera, Legolas, Relaen, and Ereht lunged towards them, Legolas and Ereht sending their arrows and Liera and Relaen charging them with their swords.
Orc after orc went down with Ereht and Legolas's arrows and the orc's poorly aimed shots were easily dodged. Relaen and Liera ran into the circle of orcs, killing them as they went, trusting in Ereht and Legolas to cover them if need be. As the fight went on, the orcs began running from the four elves. As if some great warning were put on them, all of the orcs fled the forest, heading in all directions.
Relaen and Liera shrugged, to tired to chase after them, and returned to where the other two were standing. When they reached the clearing, they found that Ereht and Legolas were not alone. A short Man with red cheeks, yellow boots, and a blue feather coming from his pointed hat, stood in the middle of the area, water lilies in his arms and a large smile on his face.
Liera and Ereht exchanged glances and Relaen and Legolas rolled their eyes slightly. "Do we know him?" Liera whispered to Ereht.
Ereht shrugged. "Who are you?" he asked, figuring it was the only way he would get an explanation.
"This is Tom Bombadil." Legolas answered.
Ereht leaned over to Liera. "Who is Tom Bombadil?" he asked in a whisper.
"Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow. Bright blue his jacket is and his boots are yellow." Relaen said, quoting the song that she had heard earlier. She turned to Liera and Ereht. "He is the Master of this area. He is master over all the animals and trees, over all that come here." She explained.
Tom began walking out of the forest on a path that the elves had not seen before. "Come come my Elvin friends! Follow good old Tom! Come to the home of Goldberry, the water lily lady!" he sang as he skipped along the path. "Come, come my silly friends, follow Tom Bom! Follow the song of good old Tom, Tom Bombadillo!"
Legolas and Relaen began following the new path, but waited for their companions to join them. "Do we have to?" Ereht asked, he was already annoyed with the little Man.
"Follow the song of good old Tom, Tom Bombadillo!" Relaen and Legolas sang at the same time while laughing.
Liera rolled her eyes. "I can handle weirdness and craziness, but people who are that happy? This is going to be a long day." She said before following Legolas and Relaen. Ereht reluctantly followed.
They walked the path until it led to a small cottage. Standing outside the door was a tall woman. She had golden hair and fair skin. She looked as though she could be akin to the elves. When they walked up, the woman showed them into the house.
"Welcome to my home. I am Goldberry. Will you be joining us for dinner?" the woman, Goldberry, asked.
"I'm afraid we must hurry on our way." Liera said politely, wanting to get away from the all to happy man.
"Stay the night, do not leave to soon." Tom said. "Remain here you can, to tend to your wounds."
"Our wounds aren't that bad." Ereht said as he looked over everyone. He had a cut on his side from an orc attack. Legolas had a wound on his bicep from a dagger being thrown at him. Liera had a large mark on her leg from where an orc's sword hit its mark. Relaen had a large cut across her stomach from a sword. Some of wounds were still oozing blood.
Goldberry laughed. "We cannot let you leave in such conditions. Please, stay for the night. You can set off early tomorrow morning."
Ereht looked at the faces of his companions, each hiding the pain they were feeling, himself included, and let out a sigh of defeat. "Very well, my lady. We will remain for the night."
Goldberry smiled happily. "Good. Now you must rest. We will wake you for the evening meal."
She led the four to a room in the back of the house that had four mattresses on the floor. The four friends chose a mattress and fell quickly asleep. Each slept soundly and dreamlessly. When they opened their eyes, their wounds were dressed and the pain, gone.
All four of them woke up at the same time. The moon was shining through a window, surrounding them. The two boys each had a crown of water lilies on their heads and the girls had crowns and necklaces of lilies. The friends stretched and exited the room. In the main room of the house, a large table was set with every kind of food known to the elves.
For the rest of the evening, Relaen, Legolas, Tom Bombadil, and Goldberry talked and laughed and sang while Ereht and Liera tried to be pleasant and hide their utter annoyance for the far-to-happy couple. They stayed until dawn.
"Safe journey to you all." Goldberry said as she waved. The four elves bowed and then returned to their journey, heading west to Hobbiton.