They had been riding for some time, and Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn and, yes, even Rocky were all about ready to knock Gandalf off of his pompous little pedestal he seemed to have placed himself on.

'Really, Gimli, don't you know it's immature to talk to rocks. That was just SO third grade.'

'Yeah, well MAYBE it's just so old that it's in again.' Aragorn said, more to argue with Gandalf than to stand up for Gimli.

'Psha! Yeah, right, and the moon is made of cheese.'

'Good, I'm glad you agree.' Gandalf gave Aragorn a funny look. Legolas and Gimli probably would have, but they'd wandered a little ways ahead.

'Boromir's up ahead.' Rocky suddenly muttered.

'Oh, good, maybe he'll know what to do with Gandalf.' Gimli replied.

'Doubt it. He's hugging a building.'

'WHAT?!'

'I said he's hugging a building. Meduseld, I believe.'

Sure enough, it wasn't long (Rocks, apparently, had better eyesight than dwarfs, though Gimli never stopped to consider the strangeness of this fact) before Gimli spotted a bright gold mansion sitting atop a small rise just ahead. 'The Golden Hall...' Gimli breathed. 'Long have I desired to lay my eyes on such a sight- an entire building made completely of gold, with windows of the purest yellow tint...'

'Don't get too excited there, Gim, or the elf will make you ride with Gandalf.' Rocky was always very good at predicting things that Legolas was about to do, so the dwarf forced himself to calm down.

`

'Arf, Arf, Arf!' Gollum yelled into the empty air. 'We've led you out, we've led you out, Brock! Gollum want a fishy!'

Frodo looked around at the strange sight that now surrounded them. The large, misty bog was quite a change from the endless rocks and boulders they'd just left behind.

'You're such a good guide!' Sam cooed. 'Yes, yes you are! Here's a fishy, you good boy, you.'

'Oh, give me a break,' Frodo muttered under his breath.

It was some while later, as Gollum was leading them through the swamp, that Frodo's keen sence of hearing picked up on something he was desperately hoping he'd never hear again.

'Angels we have heard on high, Sweetly singing 'or the plains,'

'AHHHHHHHHHHHhh' Frodo yelled, and tried to hide, but the memories of his ordeal on weathertop were pounding through his mind. His ears felt like they were going to explode.

'And the mountains in reply,'

'Wreaths!' Gollum yelled, abandoning all strange animal personalities. 'Wreaths on Wings!'

'I think it's a partrige...' Sam muttered before he noticed Frodo cowering among the swamp grass.

'Glooooooooooooo, oooooo, oooooooo, ooooooooo, ria,'

'They want the christmas ring...' Gollum muttered.

'No, Frodo, don't let them take it!' Sam urged.

'De, ea, eao.'

And the singing slowly drifted farther and farther away.

'Wow, that was close.' Sam commented.

`

So, the white light hadn't really been Sarumon, but something much, much worse. Merry and Pippin had been very nearly scared for life as Gandalf had given them speach after speach about how nice it was for him to finally be 'mature-er'.

Now, free of his obsessive parenting, the two Hobbits were chowing down on some strange sort of ale Treebeard had given them.

It was making them taller, and they were very happy about it.

`

Bookwoorm ~ yeah, I love Oxymorons- like that poem, have you heard it? One bright day in the middle of the night... yeah, anyway, hope you liked the update!

Evenstar ~ Sorry I didn't update for so long, been rather busy lately. Glad you liked the hair bit.

I'll try to get another chapter up by next Saterday- and if I don't then I will... I don't know, but I'll think of a really horrible punishment for myself, okay?