Power of the Amulet
Lauren gasped at the sight. There was a large tree with two large branches shooting upwards and caught in between the two branches was a pepper-gray griffin, softly and breathlessly cawing.
"What happened?" Lauren asked.
The great bird just looked at her for a moment.
"I said what happened?"
"Why does it matter to you? Whether you know or not, I will die here," it said. Lauren just stood there, unsure of what to do. "OKAY! I'll tell you," said the griffin. "I was being chased by a dragon and he started breathing fire! So I flew as fast as I could, so fast that I could hardly see where I was going...then I ran in between these two tight branches!"
Lauren's mouth was wide open by then. "Wow, really?"
"No!" he said, laughing. "You humans are so gullible. I always had so much fun with you humans."
Lauren crossed her hands over her chest. "You can't be serious even when you're stuck in between to branches, must likely to die?"
"Thanks for reminding me," he grumbled.
"Well, I wonder if I can help you," Lauren said.
"Help me?" he scoffed. "Maybe if I was much smaller, but there is nothing you can do. You most likely can't find your way to GET help."
"Of course I can get help!" Lauren said. "I know the way back."
"There is no way back, except up, child. The trees move so you are forever going in circles. They do not let you out! You must go up into the sky and unless you fly, you are stuck too. Didn't anyone tell you to stay on the road?"
Lauren paused to think. Then she remembered Legolas's words before she climbed the mountain. "Well, yes, I was told to stay on the road!"
"There you go. We'll both die here," he sighed.
Lauren started to climb the tree. "No, I will get you out of here if I have to gnaw the tree to bits with my front teeth!" she said.
"If you can get me out I will fly you to the ends of Middle Earth!" he said. "But of course, we will die here."
Lauren sighed. "Don't be so negative!" She climbed up to where the griffin was and paused. "Okay, what should I do?"
The griffin rolled her eyes and then looked at her. "You can do nothing..." he paused and his eyes flashed. He looked at Lauren's neck with amazement. "The gold amulet of Orodmir! Where did you get that?"
"What?" Lauren looked down at her neck. "Oh this? Orodmir gave it to me as a token of friendship or something. Why?"
"I've heard about that amulet! It might help us out of here! Put your thumb and forefinger on it. That's it. Then put it to your lips and blow!"
Lauren was confused. What would blowing on a gold ball do to save the griffin? Well, she wanted to save him and it wouldn't hurt to try, so she blew on the ball. A stingy sensation covered her body and her fingers began to glow. She held them up and looked at them with awe.
"Don't point them towards me!" the griffin yelled. "Point them at the tree!"
Lauren pointed her forefinger and thumb towards the tree and a small spark flew from her forefinger and seemed to sink into the tree's trunk.
There was a silence. "That was it?" She asked.
The griffin sighed. "I guess it was."
Then Lauren noticed a gold circle on the tree and it's own little gold roots were sprouting on the trees surface. "Look! It is eating the tree away!" Lauren gasped.
The little roots seemed to cover the tree, going faster and faster. "Watch out!" yelled the old griffin. Lauren fell on the ground, hiding her face and the gold roots disappeared, leaving holes all in the tree where they had been. The tree crumbled to the ground and the griffin fell. He extended his wings out and the woodchips flew.
Lauren stood. "Wow, that was amazing! Are you okay? Anything hurt?"
The griffin took a few steps. "My right leg aches, but that won't affect my flying!" he said. "Now, I promised I would take you to the ends of Middle Earth if you could save me...where do you need to go child?"
"I need to go to the home of Thranduil!" Lauren said.
He growled and kept silent for a moment while Lauren patiently waited for him to answer. "I know not where the elves live! No one does!"
"Oh," Lauren said. "Well, can you take me along the Old Forest Road? My elf friends are there, I think."
"As you wish, though I don't understand why a respectable girl would want to befriend such awful things. I will take you to your elf friends."
Legolas started packing up the stuff. "I hate to say there is no hope. She can't come out of the forest, I'm afraid. No use waiting any longer."
"But those noises we heard! The caws and that blast...what could it have been?"
"Who knows, but it could have nothing to do with Lauren," Legolas said. "Let's go."
Demrem nodded. "Yes, I guess you're right."
So the two elves rode along the old road, Legolas also leading Morthalion, Lauren's horse. They were silent, just frowning and looking down as they went.
"She must not have been Brilaglar. Tales told she would live long and marry the prince," Demrem said.
Legolas sighed. "And when Brilaglar comes, then I shall know. She will make it through many perils. Still, I wish not Lauren's life would end this way, even if she was just a lost, young girl."
A shadow fell over the road and the two elves looked up. Demrem gasped. "I don't believe it! It is she!"
Legolas was just as surprised. "She's alive!"
An old gray griffin landed just in front of them and Lauren jumped off. "I am back," she said.
"You made it out of the forest!" Legolas said. "I can not believe it."
"Some have no faith in me," she said, rolling her eyes. She turned to the griffin. "Thank you. Without you, I would have never made it out."
"Same for you, young lady. You are the one who saved me first. Now I shall be off to see the Griffin Lord. He will hear of your great deed and it shall go in the Griffin chronicles."
"You still haven't told me your name!" she said.
He laughed. "I am Valruin, and you are?"
"Lauren," she answered.
"Farewell, Lauren. May you find favor in all who look upon you, you fair thing, you!" he said as he flew into the sky. He seemed to be smiling in his own griffin-way.
She laughed. "Farewell!"
He flew out of sight and Lauren got on her horse. "Shall we be off?"
Legolas nodded, still staring in awe, and they were off again. "I still can't believe you made it," he said.
Lauren smiled. "I might have some tricks up my sleeves that may surprise you, Legolas. You might learn not to be so eager to judge!" she said, looking down at her gold amulet.
"You any bit curious that she could be Brilaglar?" Demrem whispered to Legolas.
Legolas shook his head, but still wondered... had he been wrong all this time? He looked back at her. She sure looked like Brilaglar as he had seen her in the painting. Was that just a coincidence?
Demrem studied his map. "We shall be back at the palace tomorrow night."
Valruin bowed his head. "Lord Orodmir, I am finally back."
"What took you? I only sent you out to get some roots!"
"I brought the roots, Lord," he said, dropping the green roots out of his clawed paw. "But before I found them, I flew into a moving tree! It went in my way and I got stuck."
"But trees never move for the griffins! Only men, sometimes elves, and beasts," Orodmir said.
"But there was a girl in the forest. The trees were moving their paths for her, I suppose. But anyways, I was stuck and a young maid found me. I saw the amulet and she set me free with the blowing method. I flew her back to her friends, Lord."
"She saved you, Valruin!" the elf Lord said.
"Rightly, sir," Valruin answered gruffly. "Should anything else be done?
"I have changed my mind," Orodmir said, his eyes flashing. "Make ready for a great war against the goblins and their steeds!"
What will happen next? Check back and find out! Please? Oh yes, and review! I could use some feedback. I live off reviews. Don't let me die. You don't want the story to just end, do you?
Legolas: "Yes, PLEASE review. For me?"
Author: "AND ME!"
Lauren gasped at the sight. There was a large tree with two large branches shooting upwards and caught in between the two branches was a pepper-gray griffin, softly and breathlessly cawing.
"What happened?" Lauren asked.
The great bird just looked at her for a moment.
"I said what happened?"
"Why does it matter to you? Whether you know or not, I will die here," it said. Lauren just stood there, unsure of what to do. "OKAY! I'll tell you," said the griffin. "I was being chased by a dragon and he started breathing fire! So I flew as fast as I could, so fast that I could hardly see where I was going...then I ran in between these two tight branches!"
Lauren's mouth was wide open by then. "Wow, really?"
"No!" he said, laughing. "You humans are so gullible. I always had so much fun with you humans."
Lauren crossed her hands over her chest. "You can't be serious even when you're stuck in between to branches, must likely to die?"
"Thanks for reminding me," he grumbled.
"Well, I wonder if I can help you," Lauren said.
"Help me?" he scoffed. "Maybe if I was much smaller, but there is nothing you can do. You most likely can't find your way to GET help."
"Of course I can get help!" Lauren said. "I know the way back."
"There is no way back, except up, child. The trees move so you are forever going in circles. They do not let you out! You must go up into the sky and unless you fly, you are stuck too. Didn't anyone tell you to stay on the road?"
Lauren paused to think. Then she remembered Legolas's words before she climbed the mountain. "Well, yes, I was told to stay on the road!"
"There you go. We'll both die here," he sighed.
Lauren started to climb the tree. "No, I will get you out of here if I have to gnaw the tree to bits with my front teeth!" she said.
"If you can get me out I will fly you to the ends of Middle Earth!" he said. "But of course, we will die here."
Lauren sighed. "Don't be so negative!" She climbed up to where the griffin was and paused. "Okay, what should I do?"
The griffin rolled her eyes and then looked at her. "You can do nothing..." he paused and his eyes flashed. He looked at Lauren's neck with amazement. "The gold amulet of Orodmir! Where did you get that?"
"What?" Lauren looked down at her neck. "Oh this? Orodmir gave it to me as a token of friendship or something. Why?"
"I've heard about that amulet! It might help us out of here! Put your thumb and forefinger on it. That's it. Then put it to your lips and blow!"
Lauren was confused. What would blowing on a gold ball do to save the griffin? Well, she wanted to save him and it wouldn't hurt to try, so she blew on the ball. A stingy sensation covered her body and her fingers began to glow. She held them up and looked at them with awe.
"Don't point them towards me!" the griffin yelled. "Point them at the tree!"
Lauren pointed her forefinger and thumb towards the tree and a small spark flew from her forefinger and seemed to sink into the tree's trunk.
There was a silence. "That was it?" She asked.
The griffin sighed. "I guess it was."
Then Lauren noticed a gold circle on the tree and it's own little gold roots were sprouting on the trees surface. "Look! It is eating the tree away!" Lauren gasped.
The little roots seemed to cover the tree, going faster and faster. "Watch out!" yelled the old griffin. Lauren fell on the ground, hiding her face and the gold roots disappeared, leaving holes all in the tree where they had been. The tree crumbled to the ground and the griffin fell. He extended his wings out and the woodchips flew.
Lauren stood. "Wow, that was amazing! Are you okay? Anything hurt?"
The griffin took a few steps. "My right leg aches, but that won't affect my flying!" he said. "Now, I promised I would take you to the ends of Middle Earth if you could save me...where do you need to go child?"
"I need to go to the home of Thranduil!" Lauren said.
He growled and kept silent for a moment while Lauren patiently waited for him to answer. "I know not where the elves live! No one does!"
"Oh," Lauren said. "Well, can you take me along the Old Forest Road? My elf friends are there, I think."
"As you wish, though I don't understand why a respectable girl would want to befriend such awful things. I will take you to your elf friends."
Legolas started packing up the stuff. "I hate to say there is no hope. She can't come out of the forest, I'm afraid. No use waiting any longer."
"But those noises we heard! The caws and that blast...what could it have been?"
"Who knows, but it could have nothing to do with Lauren," Legolas said. "Let's go."
Demrem nodded. "Yes, I guess you're right."
So the two elves rode along the old road, Legolas also leading Morthalion, Lauren's horse. They were silent, just frowning and looking down as they went.
"She must not have been Brilaglar. Tales told she would live long and marry the prince," Demrem said.
Legolas sighed. "And when Brilaglar comes, then I shall know. She will make it through many perils. Still, I wish not Lauren's life would end this way, even if she was just a lost, young girl."
A shadow fell over the road and the two elves looked up. Demrem gasped. "I don't believe it! It is she!"
Legolas was just as surprised. "She's alive!"
An old gray griffin landed just in front of them and Lauren jumped off. "I am back," she said.
"You made it out of the forest!" Legolas said. "I can not believe it."
"Some have no faith in me," she said, rolling her eyes. She turned to the griffin. "Thank you. Without you, I would have never made it out."
"Same for you, young lady. You are the one who saved me first. Now I shall be off to see the Griffin Lord. He will hear of your great deed and it shall go in the Griffin chronicles."
"You still haven't told me your name!" she said.
He laughed. "I am Valruin, and you are?"
"Lauren," she answered.
"Farewell, Lauren. May you find favor in all who look upon you, you fair thing, you!" he said as he flew into the sky. He seemed to be smiling in his own griffin-way.
She laughed. "Farewell!"
He flew out of sight and Lauren got on her horse. "Shall we be off?"
Legolas nodded, still staring in awe, and they were off again. "I still can't believe you made it," he said.
Lauren smiled. "I might have some tricks up my sleeves that may surprise you, Legolas. You might learn not to be so eager to judge!" she said, looking down at her gold amulet.
"You any bit curious that she could be Brilaglar?" Demrem whispered to Legolas.
Legolas shook his head, but still wondered... had he been wrong all this time? He looked back at her. She sure looked like Brilaglar as he had seen her in the painting. Was that just a coincidence?
Demrem studied his map. "We shall be back at the palace tomorrow night."
Valruin bowed his head. "Lord Orodmir, I am finally back."
"What took you? I only sent you out to get some roots!"
"I brought the roots, Lord," he said, dropping the green roots out of his clawed paw. "But before I found them, I flew into a moving tree! It went in my way and I got stuck."
"But trees never move for the griffins! Only men, sometimes elves, and beasts," Orodmir said.
"But there was a girl in the forest. The trees were moving their paths for her, I suppose. But anyways, I was stuck and a young maid found me. I saw the amulet and she set me free with the blowing method. I flew her back to her friends, Lord."
"She saved you, Valruin!" the elf Lord said.
"Rightly, sir," Valruin answered gruffly. "Should anything else be done?
"I have changed my mind," Orodmir said, his eyes flashing. "Make ready for a great war against the goblins and their steeds!"
What will happen next? Check back and find out! Please? Oh yes, and review! I could use some feedback. I live off reviews. Don't let me die. You don't want the story to just end, do you?
Legolas: "Yes, PLEASE review. For me?"
Author: "AND ME!"