13 years later…

"Radagast? I have returned. I found the things you asked for…Radagast?" The soft melodious voice tailed off in question, and a figure stood in the doorway, closing the door softly behind her. She took off her boots and slid her feet into soft, velvety slippers before placing the basket she was carrying on the table in the middle of the room and walking through into the next room. Radagast was seated in front of the fireplace engrossed in a small, battered book. He did not notice her come in and it was only after she had lightly cleared her throat that he looked up, his face immediately breaking into a smile.

"Galwyn, my dear, I didn't notice you come in. I was rather involved in this book. Did you find the things I asked for?"

"Yes, I found most of the herbs nearby, but some of them were a little further away. But I think I remembered them all." She looked at him triumphantly and he laughed gently,

"Well done, I knew you would." He laid his book down on a small nearby table and got up, moving into the room Galwyn had just come through and bent to examine the contents of her basket.

"What are you going to do with them?" He turned to face her and smiled again,

"Many things. Never you mind though." He made as if to return to his room, but Galwyn moved to bar his path. She balled up her fists and stamped her foot.

"Its not fair, Radagast. You promised me when I was little that when I was older you would teach me what you know. I'm 13 now, isn't that old enough?" Radagast looked thoughtfully down at the young girl before him. Her face was flushed and her violet eyes were flashing. Her long, dead straight, jet-black hair hung in a river down her back, shining in the light of the fire. Maybe the time had come for her to be taught. He put a calming hand on her shoulder and put the herbs back on the table.

"Galwyn, it occurs to me that perhaps it is time you started to learn. But you must understand that it is not something you can undertake lightly. You must put your entire heart and soul into it, and it will certainly not be easy." He looked at her expectantly and she replied in an indignant tone,

"Radagast! When have you ever known me to undertake a task half-heartedly?" He laughed; that certainly was true.

 "Well, we will begin tomorrow. There are some tasks I must do tonight." He picked up the basket and went into his room.

That night Galwyn tossed and turned in her bed too excited to sleep. She wondered what the next day would hold. She had longed for the day when Radagast would teach her his arts; he was a wizard, one of the ancient Istari, and his skills lay with the birds and the beasts, with which he could communicate freely. She knew that he was certainly not the most powerful member of the White Council, but he was wise and learned in all the ancient lore. Thoughts of what was to come filled her mind but eventually, sleep overcame her and she awoke the next morning with the sunlight streaming through her window onto her face. She dressed quickly and went through to the main room where they ate their meals together which she usually prepared. But this morning, the food was already on the table; Radagast had obviously been up before her but he was not in sight. She ate her fill then went outside, pulling the door gently shut; it had no lock, there was no need for one. Radagast was waiting for her by the stream that ran close to the little house. Galwyn ran eagerly towards him and he turned as he heard her light footfalls on the dewy grass.

"Are you ready for your first lesson?" She nodded eagerly, and he sat down on a large rock on the bank of the stream, gesturing for her to do the same. He had with him the basket of herbs that Galwyn had collected the previous day. She was eager to learn and a good student and listened attentively as Radagast explained to her the powers and history of each herb. When they had finished he tested her and to his surprise she answered every question right. They walked through the woods and Radagast pointed out more plants, flowers and herbs and told her about them and her attention did not lapse once. When they returned to the house he gave her a book on herb lore to study while he himself carried out some tasks. When Galwyn retired to bed that night her mind was alive with all that she had learnt, still fresh in her memory.

That year passed quickly for Galwyn; her lessons had begun in the spring and now winter was falling. But Fangorn remained green and lush, most of the trees were evergreen and of types unseen anywhere else but there.

Even after almost a year of teaching, Galwyn was still a long way from knowing all that Radagast did, but she had not forgotten anything he had taught her and proved an excellent apprentice when he had involved her in his own tasks. She had lost track of the time that had passed and was surprised to realise that it was almost her fourteenth birthday. She rose as usual that morning ready for her lesson, but to her surprise and excitement, Radagast had said:

"Galwyn, my dear, you have now reached such a stage in which there is something important I must teach you," Her eyes had widened in excitement but he had held up a hand and silenced the reaction he knew she would give. "Let me continue. I cannot teach you to communicate with birds and beasts as I can, but it is important that you are able to enter a state of mind that will allow them to trust you. It is similar to a meditative state, and will enable you to be at one with your fellow creatures, and gives you protection from the environment and dangerous creatures as they have." He smiled at Galwyn's beaming expression, but again gave a warning gesture. "Galwyn, I cannot guarantee that you will be successful, it is not a skill everybody has. One must have a suitably clear conscience and the ability to relax the mind almost completely and free it of all other thought." Galwyn nodded thoughtfully. She had never tried it before, but she was not a loud person by nature, except when her temper was aroused, and she felt quite sure she would be able to do it. In fact, something told her she would be able to do it very well, but she had no idea where the thought came from. She pushed her hair behind her ears, a habit she had, and set her chin up.

"I am ready to try." Radagast went slowly through the thought processes with her, and explained how to clear the mind of all other thoughts. After having many short attempts throughout the morning, he decided she try properly.

"To be at one with, say, a pony, one must enter the state of mind and then try to commune with the pony, only then can you understand them and reach the highest level of communication that is possible for you as an individual. But don't expect too much, it is a rare gift." A small brown squirrel ran into view and stopped nearby to them. "There, the squirrel. Try the thought process and project your goodwill to it and it should come closer." Galwyn closed her eyes and concentrated on clearing her mind, and gradually felt the peace and tranquillity of the meditative state overcoming her mind, and the liberation of thought it gave her. She pictured the squirrel, centring it in her mind, imagining it, being it. She held the thought for several minutes, not registering the sharp intake of breath she had elicited from the wizard, before breaking the thought and looking to see where the squirrel was, and sure enough, it had come within a few feet of her. She looked up at Radagast, smiling, but her expression quickly changed to one of confusion as she saw the colour had drained from his face and the shocked expression he was wearing.

"What? What is it? Radagast?" The wizard appeared to come abruptly to his senses and he looked at her shrewdly as if trying to recall something from a distant memory. She knew from his expression that he was thinking, it was a face he wore often and one she was wholly familiar with. He nodded to himself and looked at her again.

"Galwyn, I want you to try again, but this time, think of…that rabbit over there." She followed his gaze to see the animal before carrying out the same process again. While she was still deep in the state, she heard Radagast's voice softly intruding on her thoughts.

"Do not drop your concentration, but open your eyes." She obeyed, then her immediate reaction was to cry out in shock, breaking her hold on her concentration.

"Radagast! Did you see that? I was…I was…a rabbit!" He nodded thoughtfully,

"Yes, yes I did notice. And I cannot understand it. All you did was as I instructed you?"

"Yes, of course, I don't know anything you haven't told me." Galwyn's mind was reeling; when she had opened her eyes she had looked down at her hands, only to realise, she didn't have any hands! And it wasn't her body, but that of the rabbit she had been concentrating on. She found she was trembling from shock, fear, yet also from a sort of exhilaration. She came out of her thoughts to find the wizard was looking at her expectantly.

"I think it is time we made a journey to Lòrien. I must consult with the Lord and Lady of the wood, for they are wise and may be able to explain. I suspect Master Elrond may have more to say on the matter, but it is too far for you to travel to Rivendell, but we must set out at once. Go into the house Galwyn, and gather all your possessions together while I saddle the horses. Do not try anything like that again until we have consulted with the Lord and Lady, it could be dangerous. Go now." Something in his tone unsettled Galwyn, obviously what she had just done was not an everyday occurrence, and it was not even something she had ever seen Radagast do. She felt slightly afraid at the prospect of going to Lòrien to meet Galadriel and Celeborn; she knew about them of course, but she had never even seen another person, other than Radagast, let alone an elf. But the prospect was also exciting and she felt herself alive with anticipation as she packed all her possessions together into a saddlebag.