Chapter 16 - Master Peregrin's Plan
Melilot - Well, apparently you find the updates without my telling you, so I'm sure you'll be fine without my heads up from now on. ;-) Also, the Ent Draft scene happens before the Entmoot scene, so I've kind of. . .skipped over it. Sorry.
Lotrfan4ever - Nope, didn't use any lines from the Extended version. That scene didn't have any extensions anyhow, so that would have been very difficult to accomplish lol. I'll check back on your story soon.
PrincessEvenstar - Happy belated Thanksgiving to you too! Hope you had a good one! I'll have more on Frodo soon, maybe after this chapter. I'm trying to think of things I could do with him. . .
Legolas-lvr - I'm glad you like the story so much. Keep reading!
Arwen undomiel3 - Hey. Thanks a lot, I really appreciate all the feedback. I think Lex made the right choice too (and I'd do the same as well ;-) ). I decided to update so you wouldn't be searching anxiously for too long without any results!
LilWhiteCatOnTheSea - Hey, thanks for your review! Hope you'll continue to read, despite my rather long lack of update-age.
Now for a shameful plug (don't hurt me!): Check out my good friend Carie Valentine and our collaborated screen play "Sno-Kone Shenanigans"! Please review it, I'm sure you'll like it! 'Tis quite funny, or so I've been told.
Warnings: AU
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Although I wish I coulda been in it. The actors looked like they were having a blast at the RotK World Premiere!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Frodo trudged along the narrow banks of the marshes, trailing behind Sam and the gangly creature Gollum, who now served as their guide to Mordor. All around them, small flames flickered in the breeze, creating a sort of trail through the marshes, but according to Gollum, it was false. "Don't follow the lights," he had warned. But Frodo found it more easily said than done.
He glanced over to one of the flames briefly, and became transfixed. He couldn't look away, even though he knew in the back of his mind that he had to. His steps became aimed in the direction of this flame, and after he had passed by that one, on to the next. Finally, he arrived at the edge of a bank, peering down into the water. A pale, gruesome face of a long-since dead warrior lay before him. Frodo gazed down at it for long moments, as if waiting for something. Suddenly, the eyelids of the face opened, revealing white eyes beneath that bore into Frodo like a knife. His body went limp, and he fell forward. . . . .
* * *
With a loud gasp, Lexi started awake. Steadying herself quickly on Treebeard's branches, she looked around. She was back in Fangorn, seated beside Pippin, on their way to go back to the Shire. Pippin's arm was around her shoulders, and he was looking at her with mild concern.
"Lex?"
She smiled at him reassuringly. "It's alright. Just a dream."
"I will leave you at the western borders of the forest," Treebeard told them. "You can make your way north to your homeland from there."
Pip looked down to where Merry and Meridol sat. "Merry looks miserable, Lexi. I know the last thing he wants to do right now is go home."
"There's nothing we can do, Pip," Lexi said. "How are you going to convince Treebeard to change his mind? Because we definitely can't travel on our own outside of Fangorn. It's far too dangerous."
Pippin didn't reply, simply sat thinking for a long moment. Suddenly, he started. "Wait! Stop! Stop!" he cried down to Treebeard. The Ent did. "Turn around! Turn around, take us South!"
"South?" Treebeard repeated, puzzled. "But that. . .would lead you past Isengard."
"Yes, exactly," said Pippin. "If we go South, we can slip past Saruman, unnoticed! The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm! It's the last thing he'll expect."
Treebeard considered this a moment. "That doesn't make sense to me. But then. . .you are very small. Perhaps you're right. South it is, then! Hold on, little Shirelings!" Treebeard turned and began to trek back in the direction they had just come from. "I always like going South. Somehow, it feels like going downhill. . ."
Merry turned, looking up at Pip incredulously. "Are you mad? We'll be caught!"
"No we won't," Pip insisted, grinning slightly. "Not this time."
Meridol grinned. "Pip's gotten smarter, Merry," she said, rather impressed.
Merry rolled his eyes. "Either that, or he's gone completely out of his mind. It would have been easier for four hobbits to walk past Isengard without a notice, but a giant walking tree? I don't think Saruman is going to wave that aside, do you?"
Meridol shrugged. "I suppose anything can happen. Just have some faith in him. It's not every day he comes up with a plan like this one. . .or any plan at all."
* * *
". . .and a little family of field mice that climb up sometimes and they tickle me awfully," Treebeard drawled to the hobbits as they approached the edge of the forest. "They're always trying to get somewhere where they - " He stopped short.
Lying before them, bleak and dismal, was Isengard. But that wasn't what made Treebeard stop. An entire patch of the forest was gone, brutally cut down by Saruman's Orcs. Treebeard peered around at the sight before him, almost as if he could hardly believe it were real.
"Oh. . ." he said in disbelief, "many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn. . ."
"I'm sorry, Treebeard," Meridol said, looking around desolately.
"They had voices of their own," Treebeard continued. Suddenly, he looked up at the tower of Orthanc. "Saruman. A wizard should know better!" He shook with rage, and then raised his head and released a loud, powerful call that could be heard throughout the entire forest. "There is no curse in Entish, Elvish or the tongues of Men for this treachery. My business is with Isengard tonight. With rock and stone."
The forest behind them stirred. Turning around, the hobbits found themselves watching as Ent after Ent came marching out from between the trees, heading toward Isengard in a most angry fashion. Merry grinned. "Yes!"
"Come my friends," Treebeard said to them as they passed. "The Ents are going to war." He joined them, marching down the hillside towards Saruman's establishment. "It is likely that we go to our doom. The last march of the Ents."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Hey, hey, hey! I'm back! Sorry for the delay, I know I said I'd update by Christmas, but it just wasn't there for me! However, I finally sat myself down and forced a chapter out. I hope it's to everyone's liking! Please review and let me know! Merci!
Melilot - Well, apparently you find the updates without my telling you, so I'm sure you'll be fine without my heads up from now on. ;-) Also, the Ent Draft scene happens before the Entmoot scene, so I've kind of. . .skipped over it. Sorry.
Lotrfan4ever - Nope, didn't use any lines from the Extended version. That scene didn't have any extensions anyhow, so that would have been very difficult to accomplish lol. I'll check back on your story soon.
PrincessEvenstar - Happy belated Thanksgiving to you too! Hope you had a good one! I'll have more on Frodo soon, maybe after this chapter. I'm trying to think of things I could do with him. . .
Legolas-lvr - I'm glad you like the story so much. Keep reading!
Arwen undomiel3 - Hey. Thanks a lot, I really appreciate all the feedback. I think Lex made the right choice too (and I'd do the same as well ;-) ). I decided to update so you wouldn't be searching anxiously for too long without any results!
LilWhiteCatOnTheSea - Hey, thanks for your review! Hope you'll continue to read, despite my rather long lack of update-age.
Now for a shameful plug (don't hurt me!): Check out my good friend Carie Valentine and our collaborated screen play "Sno-Kone Shenanigans"! Please review it, I'm sure you'll like it! 'Tis quite funny, or so I've been told.
Warnings: AU
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. Although I wish I coulda been in it. The actors looked like they were having a blast at the RotK World Premiere!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~
Frodo trudged along the narrow banks of the marshes, trailing behind Sam and the gangly creature Gollum, who now served as their guide to Mordor. All around them, small flames flickered in the breeze, creating a sort of trail through the marshes, but according to Gollum, it was false. "Don't follow the lights," he had warned. But Frodo found it more easily said than done.
He glanced over to one of the flames briefly, and became transfixed. He couldn't look away, even though he knew in the back of his mind that he had to. His steps became aimed in the direction of this flame, and after he had passed by that one, on to the next. Finally, he arrived at the edge of a bank, peering down into the water. A pale, gruesome face of a long-since dead warrior lay before him. Frodo gazed down at it for long moments, as if waiting for something. Suddenly, the eyelids of the face opened, revealing white eyes beneath that bore into Frodo like a knife. His body went limp, and he fell forward. . . . .
* * *
With a loud gasp, Lexi started awake. Steadying herself quickly on Treebeard's branches, she looked around. She was back in Fangorn, seated beside Pippin, on their way to go back to the Shire. Pippin's arm was around her shoulders, and he was looking at her with mild concern.
"Lex?"
She smiled at him reassuringly. "It's alright. Just a dream."
"I will leave you at the western borders of the forest," Treebeard told them. "You can make your way north to your homeland from there."
Pip looked down to where Merry and Meridol sat. "Merry looks miserable, Lexi. I know the last thing he wants to do right now is go home."
"There's nothing we can do, Pip," Lexi said. "How are you going to convince Treebeard to change his mind? Because we definitely can't travel on our own outside of Fangorn. It's far too dangerous."
Pippin didn't reply, simply sat thinking for a long moment. Suddenly, he started. "Wait! Stop! Stop!" he cried down to Treebeard. The Ent did. "Turn around! Turn around, take us South!"
"South?" Treebeard repeated, puzzled. "But that. . .would lead you past Isengard."
"Yes, exactly," said Pippin. "If we go South, we can slip past Saruman, unnoticed! The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm! It's the last thing he'll expect."
Treebeard considered this a moment. "That doesn't make sense to me. But then. . .you are very small. Perhaps you're right. South it is, then! Hold on, little Shirelings!" Treebeard turned and began to trek back in the direction they had just come from. "I always like going South. Somehow, it feels like going downhill. . ."
Merry turned, looking up at Pip incredulously. "Are you mad? We'll be caught!"
"No we won't," Pip insisted, grinning slightly. "Not this time."
Meridol grinned. "Pip's gotten smarter, Merry," she said, rather impressed.
Merry rolled his eyes. "Either that, or he's gone completely out of his mind. It would have been easier for four hobbits to walk past Isengard without a notice, but a giant walking tree? I don't think Saruman is going to wave that aside, do you?"
Meridol shrugged. "I suppose anything can happen. Just have some faith in him. It's not every day he comes up with a plan like this one. . .or any plan at all."
* * *
". . .and a little family of field mice that climb up sometimes and they tickle me awfully," Treebeard drawled to the hobbits as they approached the edge of the forest. "They're always trying to get somewhere where they - " He stopped short.
Lying before them, bleak and dismal, was Isengard. But that wasn't what made Treebeard stop. An entire patch of the forest was gone, brutally cut down by Saruman's Orcs. Treebeard peered around at the sight before him, almost as if he could hardly believe it were real.
"Oh. . ." he said in disbelief, "many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn. . ."
"I'm sorry, Treebeard," Meridol said, looking around desolately.
"They had voices of their own," Treebeard continued. Suddenly, he looked up at the tower of Orthanc. "Saruman. A wizard should know better!" He shook with rage, and then raised his head and released a loud, powerful call that could be heard throughout the entire forest. "There is no curse in Entish, Elvish or the tongues of Men for this treachery. My business is with Isengard tonight. With rock and stone."
The forest behind them stirred. Turning around, the hobbits found themselves watching as Ent after Ent came marching out from between the trees, heading toward Isengard in a most angry fashion. Merry grinned. "Yes!"
"Come my friends," Treebeard said to them as they passed. "The Ents are going to war." He joined them, marching down the hillside towards Saruman's establishment. "It is likely that we go to our doom. The last march of the Ents."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Hey, hey, hey! I'm back! Sorry for the delay, I know I said I'd update by Christmas, but it just wasn't there for me! However, I finally sat myself down and forced a chapter out. I hope it's to everyone's liking! Please review and let me know! Merci!
