Chapter 15 - Entmoot
Lotrfan4ever - Hey, I checked out your story! Keep going with it, I'm sure it will be really cool!
Butterfly - No, I don't think I'm ever going to give up on this story, I have too much of an attachment to it. However, I don't have a lot of free time to work on it, so you'll have to bear with me and my slow updates. Sorry! Yeah, Lex really does have quite the decision to make. Only time will tell I suppose!
Melilot - lol, I'm glad you find Pip so adorable. He is quite the cutie, I must say. But then, you already knew that. ;-)
Angelsflame265 - Yes, and Billy is mine! So who, then, does that leave Lexi with? Hmm. . . .
Warnings: AU, a bit of angst
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. I wish I did, because then Lexi and Meridol would really be in the story. Ech, Tolkien's probably turning over in his grave right now. . .
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It had not been long after Meridol and Merry's return that the large, talking tree (known to Merry and Pippin as Treebeard) arrived. He was a bit surprised by the sudden appearance of two more hobbits, but after a bit of explanation, the four hobbits were sitting up in his branches. Treebeard didn't say where he was taking them, but that he would keep them safe, as he had told Gandalf he would.
"Gandalf?" Meridol and Lexi had said in unison. Meridol continued from here on her own, "I thought he was dead. He fell, in Moria."
"I don't quite understand it myself," Merry had replied. "But we saw him, clear as day, and he was alive."
"It's not that surprising, really," said Lexi after some contemplation. "He is a wizard, after all. They're a very mysterious bunch."
And the topic had been left at that. They sat in silence for the remainder of the journey, and soon the trees opened into a large, circular grove. In the center, a jagged rock jutted up from the ground, pointing to the sky. Treebeard stopped just inside of the grove.
"The Ents have not troubled about the wars of men and wizards for a very long time," he said in his slow, breathy drawl. "But now, something is about to happen that has not happened for an age: Entmoot."
"What's that?" Merry asked.
"'Tis a gathering," Treebeard replied.
Merry lifted his head thoughtfully. "A gathering of what?" A loud creaking sound erupted from behind them. They turned and saw a most amazing sight. A parade, almost, of Ents of all different sizes and shapes came forth from the trees. Treebeard peered around at them.
"Beech, Oak, Chestnut, Ash," he counted off. "Good, good, good. Many have come. Now we must decide if the Ents will go to war."
At this, Merry grinned happily. Treebeard set the four hobbits on the ground, out of the way, to wait for the Ents to reach a decision. The Ents gathered in a circle around the rock in the center, swaying back and forth slightly as they began to drawl in their odd Treeish talk.
* * *
Night had fallen on the forest. The Ents had not yet reached a decision on whether or not they would partake in the war. All they had decided was that hobbits were not Orcs.
"Merry, you heard what Treebeard said," Lexi said, trying to get the anxious Brandybuck to sit down. "It takes a long time for them to say things in Entish. You just have to be patient."
"We don't have time to be patient," Merry retorted. "By the time they come a decision about anything, the war will be well over!"
As if on cue, Treebeard turned to face the hobbits. They instantly perked up, awaiting what he had to say.
"The Ents cannot hold back this storm," he announced. "We must weather such things as we have always done."
Merry's face became contorted in anger and disbelief. "How can that be your decision?!"
"This is not our war," Treebeard said.
"But you're part of this world!" Merry exploded, looking in desperation to the other Ents. "Aren't you? You must help! Please! You must do * something*."
Treebeard looked down at the young hobbit sternly. "You are young and brave, Master Merry. But your part in this tale is over. Go back to your home." And turned away.
Merry walked over to where he had hung his jacket and despondently put it back on his shoulders. Lexi and Meridol sat a few feet away, watching him sympathetically. They knew how disappointed he was.
Pippin appeared, looking Merry over for a moment before going to him. "Maybe Treebeard's right. We don't belong here, Merry."
Merry, with his back to Pippin, began to glare, as if he was going to turn and snap at Pip at any moment. Meridol cut in quickly. "It's too big for us."
"What can we do in the end?" Lexi asked him.
Pippin smiled at them. "We've got the Shire." He turned back to Merry. "Maybe. . .we should go home."
Merry's glare had faded into a blank, miserable stare. "The fires of Isengard will spread, and the woods of Tuckborough and Buckland will burn. And. . .all that was once green and good in this world will be gone." He turned now, placing a hand on Pippin's shoulder. "There won't be a Shire, Pippin." He went to leave, but Meridol jumped up.
"There will be a Shire, Merry!" she shouted after him. "You just can't see that. Why do you have so little faith in Frodo? Why don't you believe that he will destroy the Ring and that everything will turn out for the better? Strider and Gandalf and Gimli and Legolas, they can defeat Saruman! Just trust them. Why can't you trust them?"
Merry paused, then slowly turned back to her. "Because, Meridol. Frodo is just one hobbit against all of the armies of Mordor. We've already twice almost lost him, and that was when he had all of us with him. Now that he is on his own, how can he survive? We have to do something to help him, to give him a fighting chance. But without the Ents, there is nothing we can do. It's hopeless."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Ack. So movieverse. Please forgive me, but my creative cells are on a bit of a downside of late. Review please so that maybe I'll be inspired by something and write a much better chapter next time. Thanks!
Lotrfan4ever - Hey, I checked out your story! Keep going with it, I'm sure it will be really cool!
Butterfly - No, I don't think I'm ever going to give up on this story, I have too much of an attachment to it. However, I don't have a lot of free time to work on it, so you'll have to bear with me and my slow updates. Sorry! Yeah, Lex really does have quite the decision to make. Only time will tell I suppose!
Melilot - lol, I'm glad you find Pip so adorable. He is quite the cutie, I must say. But then, you already knew that. ;-)
Angelsflame265 - Yes, and Billy is mine! So who, then, does that leave Lexi with? Hmm. . . .
Warnings: AU, a bit of angst
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. I wish I did, because then Lexi and Meridol would really be in the story. Ech, Tolkien's probably turning over in his grave right now. . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It had not been long after Meridol and Merry's return that the large, talking tree (known to Merry and Pippin as Treebeard) arrived. He was a bit surprised by the sudden appearance of two more hobbits, but after a bit of explanation, the four hobbits were sitting up in his branches. Treebeard didn't say where he was taking them, but that he would keep them safe, as he had told Gandalf he would.
"Gandalf?" Meridol and Lexi had said in unison. Meridol continued from here on her own, "I thought he was dead. He fell, in Moria."
"I don't quite understand it myself," Merry had replied. "But we saw him, clear as day, and he was alive."
"It's not that surprising, really," said Lexi after some contemplation. "He is a wizard, after all. They're a very mysterious bunch."
And the topic had been left at that. They sat in silence for the remainder of the journey, and soon the trees opened into a large, circular grove. In the center, a jagged rock jutted up from the ground, pointing to the sky. Treebeard stopped just inside of the grove.
"The Ents have not troubled about the wars of men and wizards for a very long time," he said in his slow, breathy drawl. "But now, something is about to happen that has not happened for an age: Entmoot."
"What's that?" Merry asked.
"'Tis a gathering," Treebeard replied.
Merry lifted his head thoughtfully. "A gathering of what?" A loud creaking sound erupted from behind them. They turned and saw a most amazing sight. A parade, almost, of Ents of all different sizes and shapes came forth from the trees. Treebeard peered around at them.
"Beech, Oak, Chestnut, Ash," he counted off. "Good, good, good. Many have come. Now we must decide if the Ents will go to war."
At this, Merry grinned happily. Treebeard set the four hobbits on the ground, out of the way, to wait for the Ents to reach a decision. The Ents gathered in a circle around the rock in the center, swaying back and forth slightly as they began to drawl in their odd Treeish talk.
* * *
Night had fallen on the forest. The Ents had not yet reached a decision on whether or not they would partake in the war. All they had decided was that hobbits were not Orcs.
"Merry, you heard what Treebeard said," Lexi said, trying to get the anxious Brandybuck to sit down. "It takes a long time for them to say things in Entish. You just have to be patient."
"We don't have time to be patient," Merry retorted. "By the time they come a decision about anything, the war will be well over!"
As if on cue, Treebeard turned to face the hobbits. They instantly perked up, awaiting what he had to say.
"The Ents cannot hold back this storm," he announced. "We must weather such things as we have always done."
Merry's face became contorted in anger and disbelief. "How can that be your decision?!"
"This is not our war," Treebeard said.
"But you're part of this world!" Merry exploded, looking in desperation to the other Ents. "Aren't you? You must help! Please! You must do * something*."
Treebeard looked down at the young hobbit sternly. "You are young and brave, Master Merry. But your part in this tale is over. Go back to your home." And turned away.
Merry walked over to where he had hung his jacket and despondently put it back on his shoulders. Lexi and Meridol sat a few feet away, watching him sympathetically. They knew how disappointed he was.
Pippin appeared, looking Merry over for a moment before going to him. "Maybe Treebeard's right. We don't belong here, Merry."
Merry, with his back to Pippin, began to glare, as if he was going to turn and snap at Pip at any moment. Meridol cut in quickly. "It's too big for us."
"What can we do in the end?" Lexi asked him.
Pippin smiled at them. "We've got the Shire." He turned back to Merry. "Maybe. . .we should go home."
Merry's glare had faded into a blank, miserable stare. "The fires of Isengard will spread, and the woods of Tuckborough and Buckland will burn. And. . .all that was once green and good in this world will be gone." He turned now, placing a hand on Pippin's shoulder. "There won't be a Shire, Pippin." He went to leave, but Meridol jumped up.
"There will be a Shire, Merry!" she shouted after him. "You just can't see that. Why do you have so little faith in Frodo? Why don't you believe that he will destroy the Ring and that everything will turn out for the better? Strider and Gandalf and Gimli and Legolas, they can defeat Saruman! Just trust them. Why can't you trust them?"
Merry paused, then slowly turned back to her. "Because, Meridol. Frodo is just one hobbit against all of the armies of Mordor. We've already twice almost lost him, and that was when he had all of us with him. Now that he is on his own, how can he survive? We have to do something to help him, to give him a fighting chance. But without the Ents, there is nothing we can do. It's hopeless."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Ack. So movieverse. Please forgive me, but my creative cells are on a bit of a downside of late. Review please so that maybe I'll be inspired by something and write a much better chapter next time. Thanks!
