Chapter 5: The mirror of Galadriel
Gandalf halted the company and turned to face them. He had a serious look on his face and had been deep in thought for some time now. The others were expecting him to stop them sooner or later; they could tell his mind was struggling with something important, and so they had waited patiently for him to resolve his temporary inner conflict. At last he spoke. "There is a shortcut", he told them. "It will take us to the Gap of Rohan sooner than our current path". The others listened carefully, awaiting the bad news. "The bad news is…" continued Gandalf, "that the shortcut is through Moria". Gimli's eyes widened. "Moria!" he shouted. "Alas, the ancient home of my ancestors, the dwarves. For there we no longer dwell, forced out by…"
"Oh crap!" interrupted Boromir. "Gandalf, you should know better than to speak of Moria to a dwarf. Whether we take this shortcut or not, we'll be forced to listen to the history of dwarf civilisation for the rest of the journey!"
"Fear not", said Gandalf. Gimli was still talking about Moria, although noone was listening. Gandalf took out a small bag of herbs. "This is for you Gimli", he said, giving the bag to the dwarf. "Don't smoke it all at once". Gimli's eyes widened even more. "WEED!" he screamed and took out his skins, already rolling a joint before his mouth and eyes closed again. Legolas went to join him and soon they were both toking once more. Gimli didn't mention Moria in their presence ever again.
Later, when Legolas and Gimli were suitably stoned, Gandalf risked telling his plan to the company again. This time he asked them if they should take the shortcut or not. "None of you are being forced to go", he said. "You can chicken out if you want. I know I don't want to go, but I will if Frodo decides it is best".
"First tell us of Moria", said Boromir.
"Moria is…" interrupted Gimli. Aragorn smacked him and he shut up.
"Moria is a mine in the mountains", said Gandalf. "For many years dwarves dwelt in Moria, but it has since been abandoned".
"Why did they abandon it?" asked Sam.
"Um…I don't know", said Gandalf.
Aragorn took Gandalf aside, out of the hearing range of the others. "Gandalf", he said. "Whenever you don't know the answer to a question, you're supposed to make something up, or produce a string of random mythological or legendary tales combined with psychological tricks that will either make the listener forget what it was they asked, or not care anymore".
"Oh yes!" said Gandalf. "I knew there was something I forgot".
They re-joined the Fellowship. "In the second age, the ancient fire of Caradhras forced the orcs out of hiding", said Gandalf. "The dealing of the dwarves were of no regard to the Orcs, who wanted to simply to live in peace, fighting their way to freedom. So, in conclusion, it was Sauron who drove the dwarves from Moria".
"Aaahhhhh!" said the others, pretending to understand. Aragorn smiled at the wizard and they were all satisfied.
"So…", said Gandalf once more. "Who will go to Moria?"
"Not me", said Boromir. "It sounds scary".
"I won't go either", said Legolas.
"Nor me", said Gimli.
Gandalf looked at Strider. "Noble Aragorn", he said. "Will you join me one more time on a journey through the mines of Moria?"
"You must be joking!" replied Aragorn. "That place scares the hell out of me! Remember last time? I soiled myself three times just from the noises alone!"
"Okay, okay", said Gandalf. "No need for details. I only asked".
Despite his dislike for Moria, Gandalf still wanted to go; its dangers were far less than the danger of the open road where the enemy might find them at any time. He felt he had to convince them to go.
"Okay. Let's let the Ring-Bearer decide", he said at last. "Frodo, do you want to go to Moria?" he asked.
"Hell no!" said Frodo. "I'd rather give the ring to Sauron!" Gandalf needed a new approach. He racked his brain to come up with an idea. Presently, a good one came to him:
"If you all join me in Moria, I'll show you a great illusion when we get out the other side".
Boromir looked suspiciously at the wizard. "Is it really great?" he asked.
"Best you'll ever see", replied the wizard.
"Does it involve explosions?" asked Merry.
"Um…yeah, if you want", replied Gandalf.
"Is it really great?" asked Gimli.
"Boromir already asked that".
"Oh…hehehe".
"Okay", said Gandalf, feeling confident. "Who's with me?"
"ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!" they all shouted in unison.
"Then on we go to Moria!" he said, and they walked off smiling.
After leaving their friends, Goku and Piccolo looked at the dragon radar and flew off to find a dragonball. They had the shortest distance to fly, so it didn't make sense that they should take the radar, but not a lot of things in Dragonball Z make sense anyway now, do they?
"30 km in that direction", said Goku, pointing ahead. They both flew slowly at a constant speed, realising that since they had the shortest distance to go, they should take their time. Otherwise they would be back way before the others and be bored.
"Goku, I need to ask you something", said Piccolo.
"Sure Piccolo. Go right ahead", replied Goku.
"Why did you gather us all to search for the dragonballs? What exactly is it you want to wish for?"
"Haha. I'm sorry Piccolo, I can't tell you that. You'd laugh at me".
"Goku…I never laugh".
"Oh yeah. Well, I guess I can tell you then. I wanted to find the dragonballs so I could summon the dragon and wish for Vegeta to like me".
Piccolo stared blankly at him. "Goku, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard".
"But I also thought that maybe he'd grow to like me on the journey, so if he does then I'll let him use the wish so he'll keep liking me", said Goku, not listening to his friend.
"What about the other wish, Goku?"
"Oh, I promised that one to Goten and Trunks".
Piccolo thought of how to phrase his next comment carefully. "Goku, you know…I don't really think you should wish for the dragon to make Vegeta like you. I mean, he won't really like you. He'll be under a spell and will no longer be the Vegeta you know. True friendship has to form on its own. It takes work, but eventually you will gain a long lasting bond with another human being that will last forever".
"Piccolo, where do you get this stuff?"
Piccolo blushed. "Disney movies", he replied.
They kept quiet for most of the rest of the flight, having discovered more than they wanted to know about each other. It wasn't until they were within a kilometre of the ball that they resumed the conversation.
"We're almost there", said Goku, looking at the radar. "Hey Piccolo", he continued, "Isn't it weird how we're team-mates now? I mean years ago you were my arch nemesis."
"Goku, that was over 20 years ago. We've been friends since then. Why are you saying this now?"
"Well, I dunno. It's just funny how I almost killed you. That's all".
"Well, you did kill my father".
"No Piccolo. I am your father"
"whhhaaaattttt?????"
"Um…haven't you ever seen Star Wars, Piccolo?"
"No".
"Oh. Sorry then. I was just making a joke. I'm not actually your father".
Piccolo rolled his eyes and flew ahead.
At length, the radar started flashing wildly. Goku showed it to Piccolo and they began their descent over a large forest.
"Well, this is a needle in a haystack situation, Goku. I doubt we'll ever find the ball in amongst all these trees", said Piccolo.
"You're right", he said. "Hey, I know!"
He placed his hands together and powered up a kamehameha. Before Piccolo could tell him how dumb an idea this was, Goku was spraying the trees with his energy. He turned in a circle, keeping a constant supply of power to the kamehameha as he cleared all the surrounding trees in a mile radius.
"There. No trees now", he said, smiling.
"Goku, that was a really dumb idea. What if someone saw you? There could be powerful enemies around here".
As soon as he had said it, two elves approached them. "Oh look. Here they come now", said Piccolo sarcastically.
Neither of the two z fighters had ever seen an elf before. They were surprised by their kind appearance and fair features; Goku had heard differently from a dwarf once. He knew they were strong and agile fighters though and suddenly felt nervous. They approached him, seemingly ignoring Piccolo. Both had bows arrows on their backs and bows in hand. They did not look happy.
"You have destroyed the sacred trees of Lothlorien", said one of the two elves to Goku.
"I'm sorry", said Goku. "I didn't know anyone lived here".
"This is the home of the elves", said the other dwarf.
Piccolo spoke now. "I'm sorry to interrupt", he said sarcastically, "but hello! Are either of you going to acknowledge my existence?" This far surpassed his normal level of sarcasm.
"I am Halibar", said the second elf. "This is Camen. We belong to the forest of Lothlorien". Piccolo, satisfied that he was no longer being ignored, dropped the subject.
"Is there anything we can do make up for the trees?" asked Goku.
Halibar looked at Camen and nodded. "Come with us", he said. "We will take you to see Galadriel. She'll know what to do".
"And what if we don't want to see Galadriel?" asked Piccolo. "We're a lot stronger than you and you won't be able to take us by force".
"Galadriel is hot", said Camen.
"I'm game", said Goku suddenly, and he followed the elves. "Coming Piccolo?" he asked.
Piccolo rolled his eyes and followed.
As they walked through the forest, Goku noticed that they were getting closer to the dragonball. The radar pulsed, vibrating in his pocket, faster every minute. Goku began to wonder if Galadriel had the ball. As he looked around, more elves came into view. There were large structures made of wood attached to the trees. The deeper into the forest they travelled, the more of these structures he saw. Finally, Halibar stopped them at the largest tree in the forest. The radar pulsed wildly. Piccolo noticed the huge tree-house that had been built high up in the tree. Many steps led up to it and it seemed to glow with a light unlike any he had ever seen. It was as if the sun had penetrated this tree alone simply to shine on the beauty that lived on it. Two elves stood guard at the bottom. Halibar and Camen relived them of duty, taking their place. Suddenly, the light brightened. It was moving down the stairs, though Piccolo could not see from whence it came. He suddenly realised that coming here was a good idea, but he wasn't sure why. He just felt that this was right. The light blinded him and he looked at Goku who seemed to be able to look through it without any difficulty. From the light came two forms, a male and female elf. They held hands and walked slowly towards them. "I am Celeborn", said the male elf. "This is Galadriel, my wife. Welcome to Lothlorien".
After a brief introduction and a tour of Lothlorien, Celeborn invited the z fighters to feast with them. Goku insisted that they were too busy and had a very important task to complete, but Piccolo seemed to want to stay. He had been in a trance ever since Galadriel had walked down the stairs of the tree. And so they stayed and dined with the elves.
"I'm sorry (gulp) for blowing (buuuurp) up the (chomp) trees", said Goku in between huge mouthfuls of elven cuisine. "Wow! This stuff is delicious!" he exclaimed, seemingly forgetting his apology.
"It's okay", said Galadriel, taking the topic back to Goku's apology. "They'll grow back in a few days and be stronger than ever before". She smiled. Piccolo's eyes were locked on her. It was a kind smile and even though she was looking at Goku, she seemed to be staring deep into the namek's soul, or so he thought. They finished eating and talked some more. Goku told Galadriel of their quest and although she claimed to know nothing about the dragonballs, Goku suspected she was hiding something. Night came upon them and Galadriel asked them to stay the night. Again they obliged.
Piccolo was fast asleep along with the rest of the elves. They were sleeping on a wooden surface on a high branch of a tall tree. All the trees were connected by bridges and there were several paths to any one destination. Goku stayed awake and watched the shining lights of Lothlorien, wondering how they were formed. The elves were a fascinating people; so much history, so many questions gone unanswered for generations of man about the elvenfolk. As he looked around the many trees, watching the elves who were still awake, he spied Galadriel walking down a long stairway. Curious, he got up and followed her. The stairs went on for a while, and seemed to take Goku under the normal ground level, although the light was just as bright as it was above ground. Galadriel was in a small room surrounded by the roots of the trees. She stood by a large hollowed out rock. As Goku descended further, he could see it was filled with water. Galadriel noticed him. She had meant for him to follow her.
"Come forth Goku", she said. Goku entered the room and approached her.
"Why did you bring me here?" he asked, realising that this had been planned.
"I have information for you", she replied. "It concerns the dragonball".
"Oh. Do you know where it is?"
"We shall discuss that dragonball at a more appropriate time Goku. For now, I want you to look into my mirror".
"What will I see?" he asked.
"The mirror shows many things", she replied. "Things that have already occurred, things that are occurring now and things that might occur".
"Okay, this sounds good. Where is it?"
"Right here", she said, pointing at the water.
Goku gave her a confused look. "That's not a mirror", he said. "It's a pool of water!"
"No it's not", argued the elf. "It's a mirror!"
"I know a mirror when I see one", said Goku, "And that's a pool of water!"
"No it bloody well isn't!" shouted Galadriel.
"Yes it bloody well is!" shouted Goku.
"Look, do you want to see into the future or don't you?"
"Yes!"
"Then look in the mirror".
"It's…a…pool…of…water".
"Fine, it's a pool of water then. Just look in the bloody thing".
Goku went to the mirror and looked in. At first all he could see was water. But then suddenly, images formed. He gasped in shock.
"Told you it was a mirror", smiled Galadriel, seeing that Goku was impressed.
The saiyan looked up and gave her a stern look. "Mirrors show your reflection", he stated. "This is more like a television". Galadriel sighed and gave up.
Goku was being bombarded with hundreds of images at once. Only by focussing could he make clear the relevant ones. He saw his friends flying. He saw Vegeta dancing with Tom Bombadil; He saw Goten and Trunks chasing Gollum; He saw Gohan, his son, and Krillan trapped in Isengard. They all had dragonballs. Three images came to him at once of his friends with the dragonballs. Some of these events had not yet happened though. Then the mood changed. Destruction filled the mirror. Scenes of devastating carnage and chaos across Middle Earth. Entire cities lay in ruin under a dark, red sky. Flashes of lightning accompanied loud explosions and people fled in terror. Goku struggled to keep his eyes open. He witnessed a black, evil power causing as much pain and death as possible. The black riders were under its command, though its form was unknown. Goku jumped at the next image; Krillan, his best friend, was running fast, and in an instant, he was dead. Near him lay Gohan, unconscious but still alive. A shadow filled the air and another blast was fired. The image was so powerful that Goku could feel the blast vibrate through him. His son was dead.
Goku took a step back and tried to stop himself from falling, as he suddenly felt very faint. "No! No, it can't be!" he cried. "They're…dead! How can this be?"
Galadriel looked at him calmly. "They are not dead", she said. "I know what it was you saw Goku. You saw some things that have already happened, and also some that may happen, and will happen, should you fail in your quest".
"My quest?" he asked. "The dragonballs?"
"Yes", replied Galadriel. "You must find the dragonballs as soon as possible Goku. But remember to be careful what you wish for".
"Who…who was that evil power coming from?" he asked.
"You don't need to ask me that Goku", replied the elf queen. "You already know. You have faced this enemy before".
"But I don't recognise him. I can't sense his power".
"It is an illusion Goku. You can't sense a power level that might never be. However, even if you could, you still would not recognise the power; it is fused with a far greater power".
"What do you mean it's fused? Have two of my old enemies fused to become one person?"
"No Goku. You will find out soon enough".
"I have to know now! I need to be prepared for this!"
"Find all seven dragonballs and you will be prepared. For now, all I can do to help you is give you this gift".
She moved behind a rock to the right of her and took out a small object. It was the five star dragonball. Goku had known she was hiding this from the start, He didn't know that she would just hand it over to him though.
"Take this and find the other dragonballs", she said. "If you don't, a new age of darkness will fall upon us all".
"Right", said Goku. He took the dragonball and ascended the stairs. He found Piccolo and woke him up to tell him the news.
"What?" asked the namek. "Is this enemy really that powerful?"
"I don't know Piccolo. I just have a bad feeling about it. I saw Gohan and Krillan dead in the image".
"And you weren't dreaming?"
"No. I was awake".
"Well, I can understand Krillan being dead; a fly could crush him, but Gohan? That makes no sense. And what did Galadriel mean when she said you know the enemy?"
"I don't know Piccolo. All my past enemies are dead I think".
"We'd better be careful then Goku. If we don't know who we're up against he could take us by surprise".
"I think we should go back to the meeting point Piccolo".
"I agree. Let's go tell the elves we're leaving".
They went to find Galadriel. She was on her throne will Celeborn by her side. When they heard that Goku and Piccolo were leaving they understood and bid them farewell.
"Good luck on your quest elf friends", said Celeborn. "The fate of Middle Earth lies in your hands", he added. Galadriel smiled at Piccolo who smiled back. He was infatuated by her. Taking one last look at the beautiful elf, he turned with Goku and they left. The elves gathered and watched their heroes as they went off to battle and Lothlorien was illuminated with their energy. It was the most beautiful sight the two z fighters would ever see and leaving the elven haven wasn't easy, but it had to be done. As the elves fell out of sight, they both wondered if they would ever return to this paradise. They wouldn't.
The Z-Fighters agreed to split into teams and find one dragonball each. Having completed their tasks, they must rendezvous at the meeting point in the small town where they found the first dragonball. They will search for the next two balls as planned, but who is this dark power Goku has seen in the mirror and how does he know it? Is it Friesa? Cell? Buu? Find out in Chapter 6.