DISCLAIMER: As much as I would like it to be, Lord of the Rings is not mine. But Gwen, Maedron, and Skeet are.
Gwen rode Skeet behind Aragorn. Gandalf was leading Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Maedron, and her to Isengard. Gwen looked about her. Trees surrounded them.
" The forest of Fangorn," whispered Legolas. Gwen nodded her head, the scene of trees killing the fleeing orcs invading her mind, causing her to look about warily. Isengard loomed up ahead. Gwen drew in her breath.
" It looks as if Saruman has installed a very large pond in the middle of his fortress," she remarked.
" Welcome to Isengard, mighty lords!" two young voices piped up. Gwen looked over and saw none other but Merry and Pippin! She laughed gaily.
" You hobbits, feasting! And smoking!" yelled Gimli with indignation. Gwen laughed again.
" Hobbits," muttered Gandalf under his breath.
" Gwen! Lovely to see you again!" yelled Pippin.
" Come, Pip, onto my horse with you!" she said as she reached up for him. He settled himself in front of her, still smoking his pipe. Aragorn pulled Merry onto his horse. Maedron looked at Gwen quizzically.
" Oh, excuse my manners! Merry, Pippin, this is Maedron," Gwen said, introducing the three. Maedron nodded at them. Gwen guided Skeet through the mucky water towards Orthanc. Much to her surprise, a giant walking tree came up to Gandalf. She gasped.
" Oh, don't worry Gwen. This is Treebeard. He won't hurt you unless you chop down a tree that he used to know. That was Saruman's mistake," remarked Pippin. Gwen stifled a laugh at the impudent hobbit. Gandalf approached Orthanc with Treebeard.
" Rock and stone, I can handle. But there is a wizard here," said Treebeard, very slowly.
" And here he must remain. That will be your job, Treebeard. Saruman's powers are no longer in him," said Gandalf. Gwen noticed Pippin looking at something in the water.
" What is it, Pip?" she asked softly. Pippin didn't respond as he slid off Skeet and into the water. He reached down and drew from the water a large, black orb. Gwen looked at it warily. Pippin stared into it.
" Pippin, bring that here!" Gandalf commanded sharply. Pippin handed the orb to him and he covered it with his robes.
" Come on, Pippin," Gwen said softly. She looked at Maedron out of the corner of her eye and noticed he was looking back with an equally disturbed expression. Gandalf began to lead them back to Edoras.
Gwen sat in a table in the Great Hall of Meadowseld. It was packed full of soldiers, all sitting at tables. Theoden raised his glass for a toast.
" To all our fallen comrades! May we never forget what they did!" he said. All agreed and sipped from their cups. Gwen sat with Legolas and Gimli, eating her food. She watched as the hobbits got up on a table and began dancing and singing a hobbit drinking song. She laughed richly at their antics.
" That is the first time you have laughed like that since we were going to Helms Deep!" remarked Gimli.
" When Aragorn had a taste of Eowyn's soup!" she remembered, causing all but Aragorn to laugh.
" My father would have been able to out drink any of these men," she sighed in memory. Gimli laughed, remembering some of the stories she had told him. She smiled and sipped at her wine. Maedron walked over and sat down next to her. She looked at him.
" So, Maedron, now that you are not pulling me out of a horde of orcs and I am not hauling you up onto my horse's back, tell me, where are you from?" she asked curiously,
" Rivendell," he answered simply. Gwen nodded her head.
" How about you?" he asked.
" The Angmar Mountains," she answered, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.
" I always thought the elves in those mountains were non existent!" he exclaimed, curiosity alight in his steel gray eyes.
" No, we were there, at one time, but that is a story for another day," she said as she got up to get another drink. Maedron made to follow her, but Legolas restrained him.
" Gwen has a very sad story to tell, do not push her. She will tell you when she is ready," he warned. Maedron nodded his head understandingly. Gwen appeared with more drinks.
" Here, drink up! It may be the last time we are able to sit down for one for a very long time," she said. Gimli took his cup and drained it, giving off a large belch.
" Gimli!" Gwen cried, swatting at him. He laughed and continued drinking. Gwen sat back and enjoyed the happy scene. It began to grow late and many began to stagger towards their beds.
" Gwen, you will stay with me tonight," said Eowyn.
" I'm coming!" she answered with a yawn, " Well, goodnight everybody," she continued as she rose to her feet to follow Eowyn. A chorus of goodnights bade her farewell. She began to walk down the hall.
" Goodnight, Gwen!" Maedron's voice called after her. She turned to him.
" Goodnight, Maedron!" she replied with a sleepy smile. Then she turned and walked down the hall. Once she reached Eowyn's room, she spread some blankets on the fur - covered floor and fell asleep.
Gwen was awakened to yelling from down the hall. She leapt to her feet and quickly wrapped a blanket around her shoulders before running down the hall. The scene she burst in upon chilled her to the bone. Pippin was standing with the Palantir in his hands. Yet at the moment, it was not black, but a glowed as if it were on fire. Merry was watching him with wide eyes. Gwen had no idea what to do.
" Merry, what did he do?" asked Gwen, her eyes wide with fear.
" He took it from Gandalf and looked at it again! Gwen, what do we do?" he asked. Gwen didn't know. She dare not take the Palantir herself. Running footsteps echoed down the hall. Gwen turned to see Legolas, Aragorn, and Maedron running towards her.
" In here!" she yelled. Aragorn ran in and took the Palantir from Pippin.
" Gandalf, wake up!" yelled Gwen as she shook him. Gandalf jumped up as Aragorn dropped the Palantir. It began to roll. Gandalf grabbed a rag and threw it over the seeing stone.
" Fool of a Took!" he stated in irritation. He then walked over and knelt over Pippin, who was lying prostrate on the ground. Gwen's body trembled as she clutched the blanket around her. Maedron gently put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Gwen's attention remained on Pippin, who Gandalf had succeeded in waking.
" What did you see?" asked Gandalf.
" I saw a white tree. It was burning," he answered, " I also saw him! He was speaking to me, asking questions!" Pippin continued, trembling with fear.
" What did he say?" asked Gandalf.
" He asked me what my name was. I didn't answer," Pippin responded.
" Did he ask you anything about Frodo and the Ring?" Gandalf questioned earnestly. Pippin shook his head. Gandalf then helped him to his feet and brought him before Theoden. Gwen, Maedron, Legolas, and Aragorn followed.
" Pippin is a fool, no doubt. But he is an honest fool. He didn't tell Sauron of Frodo and the Ring," stated Gandalf. Theoden listened.
" Sauron knows now that we have the heir of Elendil. This he fears. He would rather bring Minas Tirith to the ground than have the king take up the throne," Gandalf continued, " If Gondor calls for help, will you answer?"
" Gondor did not help us at Helms Deep, why should we help them?" asked the king. Gandalf looked at him.
" I will go to Gondor, and take a certain hobbit with me," he said, looking pointedly at Pippin. Gwen sighed and headed back to her room. So, Gandalf is leaving again. Why won't the king help? If we do not fight this evil together, we are sure to lose, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
Gandalf was gone in the morning. So was Pippin. Gwen washed up and dressed herself for breakfast. Eowyn had lent her one of her dresses while her's were being mended. Gwen stood in front of a mirror, fussing with her still short hair.
" Gwen, I have never seen you this agitated with your appearance before. What is it?" asked Eowyn.
" It is nothing," Gwen lied.
" Maybe it is a certain handsome, dark – haired elf," Eowyn said quietly with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face.
" Maybenot!" Gwen retorted. Yet she knew that there was some truth to Eowyn's remark. And Eowyn knew she was right. Gwen had not been the same since she had met Maedron. Something about her had softened, and her eyes always shone when he spoke to her. Gwen tried to fight the burning in her now - flushed face. Eowyn laughed at her.
" Come on, you can't go to breakfast looking like that! If you turn any redder, I fear your face will explode!" Eowyn laughed.
" Oh, go soak your head!" Gwen said as she threw a pillow at her. Eowyn squealed and swatted Gwen. Gwen leaped back and Eowyn missed.
" Hey, don't swat at the invalid! Do you want to reopen my side?" Gwen asked, referring to the wound she had gotten in Helms Deep.
" Sorry, I forgot about that. How is it?" Eowyn asked, concerned.
" It will be fine as long as certain friends of mine don't go around swatting it!" Gwen replied, looking at Eowyn through narrow eyes, " Now come on, before Gimli eats all the food!" The two women laughed as they walked towards the hall where the others were eating.
The day passed without event. Gwen and Eowyn wandered about, contemplating what was going to happen next. Soon, though, Theoden called for Eowyn and Gwen sought out Aragorn. He was sitting outside of a hut on the edge of Edoras. Gwen sat next to him.
" Aragorn, when will Gandalf be back?" she asked.
" I do not know, Gwen," he answered. Gwen nodded her head as she looked out over the beautiful mountains. Suddenly, a light caught her sensitive eyes.
" Aragorn, what is that?" she asked, standing to her feet. He looked out. Another light came up closer to them.
" It looks like a pillar of fire," Gwen remarked.
" The beacons of Gondor are lit!" he shouted as he sprinted off towards Meadowseld. Gwen followed him. The both burst into the hall.
" The beacons of Gondor are lit! We must go to their aid!" Aragorn said to the king. Theoden looked thoughtful, then called to Eomer.
" Muster the Rohirrim! We go to Gondor!"
Let me just say one thing: Return of the King is BRILLIANT! You will laugh, cheer, clap, despair, and cry. Especially when – wait, that would be ruining it for you, now, wouldn't it? It is the best of the three movies. I just can't believe it is all over! But whatever.
Most of my writing will be from the movie, but I will also pull some stuff from the book. So keep reading! AND REVIEWING! You fuel me to write!
Pandagrrl: Croissants! Yum! ; )