"Poor elf, doesn't know Sarah well enough to tell she only acts crazy," Ariel whispered to Kaysie and Ley.
"But we know her well and we still think she is crazy," Kaysie said.
"Oh yeah," Ariel replied.
The three of them grinned as a very giddy Sarah walked off with her new "friend". Then, Ley and Kaysie noticed each other, and glared. Little thunderbolts shot from their eyes.
"Maybe it's time to skedaddle," Ariel said to Frodo.
"What?"
"Uh…go, leave, save ourselves from this little war," she explained.
"Oh," he said.
They looked up at the two elven girls, and then they noticed Negolas and Legolas showing some hostility towards each other. After a short, tense moment the elves parted to opposite sides of the room.
"…or maybe not…" she said, blinking.
"Whatever conflicts they have, I hope they will be able to resolve them," Frodo said.
"So what exactly happened? I mean, why am I seeing two Legolases?"
"Rather and odd story actually," he began. "You see, one day when Gandalf came for a visit he left his staff carelessly in another room, other than the one he was in."
"Yikes… and I assume someone messed with it."
"Yes, I'm afraid Pippin is quite fond of discovering new things. Discovering how to use Gandalf's staff really would have made his day, but alas, he would not listen to any of us. So, he accidentally knocked over the staff, releasing a ray of magic, which so happened to hit Legolas.
"When the light disappeared, we then saw an exact copy of him standing to his right…or was it his left? Well anyway, they think so much alike, but for some reason, they dislike each other. You'd suppose Negolas and Legolas would act like brothers."
"That's right," Ariel said. "You've never had any siblings. Well, if you did experience having one then you would understand why they act the way they do. But, I think, deep down inside, they really care for each other."
"Then, perhaps you are right," Frodo replied.
"Of course I am! Hey… weren't Merry and Pippin upstairs just a few minutes ago?" Ariel asked.
"They were…" Frodo sighed.
He walked towards them and Ariel followed. Merry and Pippin grinned as they approached.
"Ah, Frodo-" Merry began.
"Nice show you put on this evening. Anything else to top your performance tonight?" he said sarcastically.
"Ouch, Frodo. Ouch," Pippin said.
"Have you ever considered cutting back on drinking?" Ariel asked as Pippin sipped from the glass he was holding.
"Are you mad?" Merry asked.
"Shhh…you'll hurt its feelings!" Pippin said, caressing the glass.
"The drink talks to you?" Ariel asked.
"Alright, you've both had enough!" Frodo said. "Now, hand me that…" He grabbed the glass from Pippin and set it on a nearby table.
"…Man… I've got a terrible headache…" Merry complained.
"I can't feel my head," Pippin said.
"You mean just now?" Or have you never realized your head is constantly numb," Merry said.
"See, this is a perfect example of 'brotherly love'," Ariel explained to Frodo.
"But we're not brothers," Pippin said.
"Thank goodness for that," Merry sighed.
"I think I understand now," Frodo laughed.
Both hobbits just stood there, holding their heads, and looking nauseated.
Hobbits with hangovers, Ariel said to herself.
"Pippin!" Ley called out.
Pippin and the others looked over and saw Ley running over to them.
"Oh my God! Pippin, you're such a little genius," she said, kneeling down.
"Really?" he said, shocked at her words. "What did I do?"
"Ley, please don't freak Pippin out," Ariel said.
Ignoring Ariel, she continued, "You cloned Legolas!"
"Oh! I'msosorryIcouldn'thelpbutitwasjustsittinghteresoshinybutIdin'tmeantodo-anythingtohim!" he said very fast.
"What did he say?" Merry asked.
Frodo shrugged.
"If you are ever in danger, I promise to do everything possible to protect you!" Ley said.
"Uh…" was his reply.
Kaysie walked over and noticed Pippin.
"Pippin! What did you do to Legolas?!"
"Uh-oh…" Ariel said.
"Hey! Leave Pippin alone," Ley said.
"Not until I find out why he did it!"
"Even if he told you, you wouldn't understand him," Merry said.
"What's going on?" Sam asked as he walked over.
"How could he do that to Legolas?!" Kaysie said.
"Oh…they found out then," Sam said.
"Perhaps it would be best if Merry and Pippin retire for the evening," Frodo suggested.
"Come on you two," Sam said, escorting the two hobbits upstairs.
Kaysie and Ley noticed that they were standing next to each other, and then stormed off.
"Good move," Ariel said to Frodo.
"Thanks," he said.
Later on that evening, a group of dwarves arrived, along with a very familiar character. When Gimli spotted Legolas and Negolas, his first reply was, "So now I have two of you to compete with!"
Aragorn had begun to worry.
"The night is almost over, and yet Gandalf still has not arrived."
Ariel had overheard this and asked Frodo, "Where do you think Gandalf is?"
Frodo did not respond right away. Then he said, "I…do not know… h-he comes and goes when he pleases."
"Oh…okay…" Ariel blinked.
"Never mind Gandalf," Frodo began. "No doubt he will arrive soon."
Is it just me, or did Frodo not answer that very well, Ariel thought.
"Ariel, I'm terribly sorry, but I must go speak with Aragorn."
"That's alright," she lied. I don't want to be by myself. Must go find the others…
Ariel began her little quest, and started scanning through the crowds. She first spotted Negolas talking to Gimli.
Ley or Kaysie must be close by, she thought as she walked up to them.
"Why have you arrived so early, Master Dwarf? They said that you were not expected until next week," Ariel heard Negolas say.
"I had met up with Gandalf along the way. He urged my company to make haste on our journey so that we would be in time for-" Gimli noticed Ariel walking in their direction.
"Excuse me, uh," she looked up, trying to figure out if it was Legolas standing there or Negolas, "…sirs…do you know where either Kaysie, Ley, or Sarah are?"
"Well, little one, the quiet maiden with the light hair is currently searching for you," Gimli said.
"And Ley is with the Lady Sarah. Ley had wanted to know her way around the castle also," Negolas said.
"Okay, thanks!" she said, and began searching again. Kaysie must have heard something too…
But, to her dismay, Kaysie was nowhere to be found.
I hate my luck…well, if I keep moving around and Kaysie keeps moving around, we'll never find each other, Ariel reasoned to herself.
She had given up on her search and decided it would be best to share this information with the others when she knew more about what she heard. Ariel had begun to feel very tired and wanted to go to bed. She left the room without a trace (for hobbits are known well to do so) and headed upstairs.
She recalled the path she had memorized to her room: up one flight of stairs, head to the right, and then eleven doors down on the left. When she reached the top of the stairs and walked a few feet down the hall, she saw a large window, which gave her the view from the side of the castle.
Not once could she remember herself wanting to explore anything so badly. Tomorrow, she thought, will be the day then…
She walked closer to the window. Her head barely made it past the ledge. She turned around and sat down in front of it, and placed her head on her knees.
Wonder how everyone at home is doing? Mom, dad, my brother, my dog, my cat, my fish…well, I'm sure my fish are fine… Aron, Brittany, Amber, wonder what they're up to? Do they even know I'm gone…
Sleep had begun to settle in, but a voice was heard, as if it was far away.
"Ariel…"
She lifted her head and blinked her vision to normal.
"Hi Frodo," she said.
"Are you alright?" he asked, sitting next to her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm homesick. This is the longest I've ever been from home and my family."
They sat in silence for a moment. Ariel leaned over and placed her head on Frodo's shoulder.
"Do you really think Gandalf found a way for us to get home?" she asked as she fell asleep.
Frodo sighed and simply said, "You are home."
***
Ariel woke up and scratched her head. She somehow ended up in the room in which she had been staying. She looked around, and remembered what happened the night before. A smile appeared on her face.
She hopped out of bed and yawned. The sun had not fully risen. When staying at new places, she would always have trouble sleeping, even when she was little.
Ariel opened up her door and looked up and down the hallway. The place was eerily quiet, as if all the noise from last night had been sucked into a vacuum. She headed down stairs, in search for another living person.
Kaysie, Ley, and Sarah must have not awakened yet, she figured.
Ariel walked to the hall on the ground floor and saw Aragorn talking quickly, and quietly, to some of his men. She thought it would be best if she went back into her room and waited for everyone else to wake up.
Back in her room, she had come up with a plan.
The sun is almost out and everyone will be up soon. I should sneak out now so that no one will see me.
Ariel opened up her window and looked down.
I must be at least twenty, or more, feet up from the ground, she thought. There's no way I can climb all the way down there.
She left her room once more, this time looking for a storage room of some sort. One, three, five, twelve, rooms she looked into. Nothing…just empty rooms.
Man, they can open up a bed and breakfast or something with all these rooms…
One last room… It was the last one she decided to look in. Slowly, the door opened to reveal: a room full of bedding materials! Sheets! Yes, she would tie sheets together and use it as a rope. She gathered as many as she could carry and walked down the hallway.
"May I ask where are you going with all those sheets?"
Ariel shifted the sheets from in front of her face. She saw that it was Sam.
"Uh…I got cold?"
"And you need all those sheets?"
"Maybe…"
"Other people may need those, mind you."
"It's not like I'm going to burn them or anything. I-"
"Sam! Ariel! What are you doing out here?" Frodo asked, walking up to them.
Sam turned around. "I caught her stealing sheets."
"Stealing?! No! I was not! I was just going to barrow them!" She set them down.
"And what were you going to barrow them for?" Frodo asked.
"Well, okay. Here's the truth, the truth is… I was going to use them as rope so I could sneak out of the castle," she said.
"But why?" Sam asked.
"Call me crazy but… this life, staying in such a large place… fancy banquets, being proper, and all… it's not who I am. And I need to see more than just these stone walls. Do you see what I'm saying?" Ariel reasoned.
"You're not a prisoner here. You could have said something," Frodo said.
"And anyway, sheets hardly pass as rope! I've brought real rope with me," Sam said.
"Huh? So… you're letting me go?" Ariel asked. Her confusion was obvious.
Frodo and Sam looked at each other, and then to Ariel, with smiles on their faces.
"And we're coming with you, of course," Frodo said, nodding.
"Do you honestly think we'd let you travel all alone?" Sam asked.
"Go put these back and we'll go get our things," Frodo said.
"Okay," Ariel blinked. That was not what I expected…
They met up again shortly, but with two more.
"Merry and Pippin refuse to be left behind," Frodo told her.
"Us hobbits have to stick together!" Merry said.
"Are you sure you're up to traveling?" Ariel asked, referring to last night's little episode.
"Oh, yes! We're fine. I can feel my head again," Pippin laughed.
"Well, we should get going now," Sam said.
The hobbits headed into Ariel's room, and Sam tied the rope securely to the bed and let it fall down the side of the castle. One by one they climbed down the rope. Ariel, who went first, noticed after each one came down, they had swords around their waist.
"Are those really necessary?" she asked them.
"You never know. WE might run into some orcs along the way," Merry said.
Ariel gulped. "Really?"
"But if we stay within the borders of Gondor, then we should be fine," Frodo reassured her. He turned to Merry and said, "Why did you tell her that?"
"It was only a joke, Frodo," he replied.
They traveled for some distance, talking of many things. The sun was shining, and the atmosphere would put a smile on any troll's face. Around eleven, Pippin began to complain of hunger, but silently the others wanted to stop and rest too. Ariel didn't eat, mostly because she wasn't hungry and unaccustomed to the hobbit meal times.
The hobbits stopped in a clearing surrounded by thriving trees. They pulled out some pans and put together a little fire.
"Are you not going to eat?" Frodo asked her as the rest of the hobbits began munching away, in their little circle.
"I'm not that hungry," she said to him.
"Then more for us!" Pippin grinned.
Ariel got up to look around for a bit. "I'll be right back," she told them.
"Frodo, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Merry said after awhile.
"Yes?" Frodo said after making sure Ariel didn't go too far off.
"Well… seems you've been spending a lot of time with her," he said, lowering his voice.
"What do you mean?" Frodo asked, half laughing.
Sam and Pippin leaned in, showing more of their attention.
"What I mean is… what do you really think of her?" Merry explained.
"That's really none of your concern, dear cousin," he replied.
The three of them smirked broadly at this remark.
"So then Mr. Frodo, if you don't mind me asking, you deny having any sort of feelings for her?" Sam asked.
"Well, no, but…"
"Which is it? Yes or no?" Pippin asked.
Ariel, who had been listening to their conversation this whole time, smiled to herself. Then, she heard a noise in the distance…getting closer.
"Ah… do you guys hear that?" she said aloud.
They paused and listened for a moment.
"Sounds like… hoof beats…. A horse and a rider, perhaps," Sam said.
Frodo didn't like the sound of this situation and said, "We should hide."
Sam hid behind a nearby tree after putting out the fire. Merry and Pippin each found their own tree to hide behind. Frodo ran over to Ariel, grabbed her by the wrist, and led her to a hiding place behind another tree.
The figure came into the clearing after some time. He was cloaked in all white, and had a white pointed hat.
"Since when do four hobbits willingly travel so far away from the Shire out of pure enjoyment?" he asked.
"Gandalf!" Frodo cried, coming out of hiding.
The others did the same, and came forth.
"You have miscounted, though," Frodo said to him.
"Oh?" Gandalf said briskly.
"There are five of us now," he finished.
"So I see! A young, hobbit-lass, forgive me. What, may I ask, are you doing way out here?" Gandalf asked. "I thought you had already reached the castle by now."
"It was my idea, actually," Ariel said, finding the courage to speak up.
"Wanted a bit of an outing, then? Well, don't worry, my dear, there will be plenty of time for that later. But now you are needed back at the castle. Come, we must make haste!" he said.
"Why do we have to go back so quickly?" Ariel asked. It seemed she was the only one who didn't understand fully.
"There's no time to explain now. I will clarify everything to you, and to everyone else," Gandalf replied with an authority.
They began to walk back to the castle. Gandalf, along the way, asked Ariel many questions. Some, for example, were: where did she come from, and what she knew of this world. When they arrived back at the castle, it seemed as if everyone was waiting for them.
Gandalf led them, as if he had been here many times, to a room that looked as if it had never been occupied. No windows, and not one coat of paint. Many torches that circled around the room lighted it. Kaysie, Legolas, Ley, Negolas, Sarah, Edro, Gimli, Arwen, and Aragorn were already waiting inside. Ariel could tell they waned to know where she and the other hobbits went. But with Gandalf in the room, all that seemed less important.
"Now that mostly everyone who should be here is, let us go ahead and get this started."