Chapter 5: Leaving the Shire
[[Some excerpts from the LoTR books/films In this chapter. They're not mine, of course. They're Tolkein's... Just a little disclaimer...]]
It took a few days for the shock of their discovery to fade, but Tidus and Wakka were soon back to normal. They soon discovered that Hobbits were nice creatures, and Wakka was thrilled to find they had the best pipe weed that could be asked for. Frodo kindly allowed them to stay at Bag End for several days.
On one night when the breeze had changed direction and became stiffer, a visitor graced them all with his presence. He was old and wore a grey cloak and a wide-brimmed hat. He had a beared that flowed almost to his belt, and carried a walking stick in his hand.
"Gandalf!" Frodo shouted. "I thought you'd never come!" he said, leading his friend inside. Gandalf said nothing at first, but then he noticed two new faces.
"Now, Now, Frodo... You knew I would return. But I'm saddened to say that it has taken much longer than I would have liked. Who are your friends?" Gandalf said, sitting in an empty chair across from the fire place.
"This is Wakka of Besaid, and Tidus of Zanarkand," Frodo said. Gandalf took out a pipe and lit it. He puffed it silently for a time before speaking again.
"Many generations I have lived among men," he said. "But never had I heard of such names or places." There was silence.
"It's... A long story," Tidus said, watching as Gandalf stared back and forth from him to Wakka.
"Perhaps you will share it with me later," Gandalf said. "But for now, I have urgent news for Frodo. So if you two will wait outside, I'm sure you'll both be able to tell me about it soon enough," Gandalf said with a smile. Tidus and Wakka looked to Frodo, hoping he would let them stay inside, but he simply shrugged.
They walked to the door and looked back, but when they saw the old man watching them as they went, they hurridly went out through the door.
"Who does he think he is?" Tidus asked, a little angry about being put outside like an animal, or a child who is being let out of a good secret.
"Obviously a friend of Frodo's, ya?" Wakka said, sitting down on a stone next to the dirt path they had walked up nearly a week ago.
"But WE'RE friends of Frodo, too!" Tidus shouted, kicking the rock next to Wakka. He yelped loudly and held his toe as Wakka laughed. Suddenly, they heard a rustle in the bushes under a nearby window. They turned, and saw a small plump Hobbit pretending to trim the hedges.
Tidus looked at Wakka and smiled, and the two crept over to the bush. The Hobbit looked up at them and nearly screamed with fear, but he controlled himself as Tidus put a finger up to his lips, telling him to be quiet. They could hear the entire conversation...
"How on earth did it come to me?" They heard Frodo ask.
"Ah!" said Gandalf. That is a very long story. The beginnings lie back in the Black years, which only the lore-masters now remember. If I were to tell you all that tale, we should still be sitting here when Spring had passed into Winter.
"Sauron the Great, the Dark Lord, has risen again and left his hold in Mirkwood. He has returned to his ancient fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor. The name even you hobbits have heard of, like a shadow on the borders of old stories. Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again," Gandalf said.
Tidus and Wakka looked at eachother. "What in Yevon is he talking about?" Wakka asked the hobbit knealing in front of them. He looked confused after hearing the word 'Yevon', but he shrugged.
"Sauron believed that the One had perished; that the Elves had destroyed it, as should have been done." Gandalf said. "But he know snow that it has not perished, that it has been found. So he is seeking it, seeking it, and all his thought is bent on it. It is his hope and our great fear."
"Why, why wasn't it destroyed?" cried Frodo. "And how did the Enemy ever come to lose it, if he was so strong, and it was so precious to him?"
"It was taken from him," Gandalf said, puffing his pipe. "The strength of the Elves to resist him was greater long ago; and not all Men were estranged from them."
"Let's destroy it now! We could do it!" Frodo said. Gandalf chuckled.
"Frodo, my dear, you couldn't destroy it if you wanted to. It can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom... In Mordor..." All was silent for several minutes.
"Frodo, the ring cannot stay in The Shire. The enemy has found this place, and he will be searching for it here," Gandalf said urgently.
"Then you take it! You are wise and powerful. Will you not take the ring?" Frodo asked, his voice rising a little.
"No!" cried Gandalf. Tidus, Wakka, and the hobbit at the window heard him get to his feet. "With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly. Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself." There was silence.
Suddenly, Wakka sneezed, shaking the flowers in front of them. There were quick footsteps, and Gandalf was soon looking out the window at them. He looked furious.
"What have you heard?" He asked in a sharp voice.
"N-Nothing, Mr. Gandalf, sir," said the hobbit.
"Now, now, Sam Gamgee... Tell the truth." Gandalf said, this time a bit calmer.
"We heard everything," Tidus said, looking at Gandalf in the face.
"Everything..." Gandalf mumbled. "Good. You can go with him," he said, dawning a sudden smile.
"Go with him where?" Wakka asked, a little nervous.
"Why, out of The Shire, of course! To Rivendell!" Gandalf said. Tidus and Wakka looked at eachother, not knowing if this was a good thing or a bad thing. "And you too, Sam."
"This just keeps getting better, ya?" Wakka said.
[[Some excerpts from the LoTR books/films In this chapter. They're not mine, of course. They're Tolkein's... Just a little disclaimer...]]
It took a few days for the shock of their discovery to fade, but Tidus and Wakka were soon back to normal. They soon discovered that Hobbits were nice creatures, and Wakka was thrilled to find they had the best pipe weed that could be asked for. Frodo kindly allowed them to stay at Bag End for several days.
On one night when the breeze had changed direction and became stiffer, a visitor graced them all with his presence. He was old and wore a grey cloak and a wide-brimmed hat. He had a beared that flowed almost to his belt, and carried a walking stick in his hand.
"Gandalf!" Frodo shouted. "I thought you'd never come!" he said, leading his friend inside. Gandalf said nothing at first, but then he noticed two new faces.
"Now, Now, Frodo... You knew I would return. But I'm saddened to say that it has taken much longer than I would have liked. Who are your friends?" Gandalf said, sitting in an empty chair across from the fire place.
"This is Wakka of Besaid, and Tidus of Zanarkand," Frodo said. Gandalf took out a pipe and lit it. He puffed it silently for a time before speaking again.
"Many generations I have lived among men," he said. "But never had I heard of such names or places." There was silence.
"It's... A long story," Tidus said, watching as Gandalf stared back and forth from him to Wakka.
"Perhaps you will share it with me later," Gandalf said. "But for now, I have urgent news for Frodo. So if you two will wait outside, I'm sure you'll both be able to tell me about it soon enough," Gandalf said with a smile. Tidus and Wakka looked to Frodo, hoping he would let them stay inside, but he simply shrugged.
They walked to the door and looked back, but when they saw the old man watching them as they went, they hurridly went out through the door.
"Who does he think he is?" Tidus asked, a little angry about being put outside like an animal, or a child who is being let out of a good secret.
"Obviously a friend of Frodo's, ya?" Wakka said, sitting down on a stone next to the dirt path they had walked up nearly a week ago.
"But WE'RE friends of Frodo, too!" Tidus shouted, kicking the rock next to Wakka. He yelped loudly and held his toe as Wakka laughed. Suddenly, they heard a rustle in the bushes under a nearby window. They turned, and saw a small plump Hobbit pretending to trim the hedges.
Tidus looked at Wakka and smiled, and the two crept over to the bush. The Hobbit looked up at them and nearly screamed with fear, but he controlled himself as Tidus put a finger up to his lips, telling him to be quiet. They could hear the entire conversation...
"How on earth did it come to me?" They heard Frodo ask.
"Ah!" said Gandalf. That is a very long story. The beginnings lie back in the Black years, which only the lore-masters now remember. If I were to tell you all that tale, we should still be sitting here when Spring had passed into Winter.
"Sauron the Great, the Dark Lord, has risen again and left his hold in Mirkwood. He has returned to his ancient fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor. The name even you hobbits have heard of, like a shadow on the borders of old stories. Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again," Gandalf said.
Tidus and Wakka looked at eachother. "What in Yevon is he talking about?" Wakka asked the hobbit knealing in front of them. He looked confused after hearing the word 'Yevon', but he shrugged.
"Sauron believed that the One had perished; that the Elves had destroyed it, as should have been done." Gandalf said. "But he know snow that it has not perished, that it has been found. So he is seeking it, seeking it, and all his thought is bent on it. It is his hope and our great fear."
"Why, why wasn't it destroyed?" cried Frodo. "And how did the Enemy ever come to lose it, if he was so strong, and it was so precious to him?"
"It was taken from him," Gandalf said, puffing his pipe. "The strength of the Elves to resist him was greater long ago; and not all Men were estranged from them."
"Let's destroy it now! We could do it!" Frodo said. Gandalf chuckled.
"Frodo, my dear, you couldn't destroy it if you wanted to. It can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom... In Mordor..." All was silent for several minutes.
"Frodo, the ring cannot stay in The Shire. The enemy has found this place, and he will be searching for it here," Gandalf said urgently.
"Then you take it! You are wise and powerful. Will you not take the ring?" Frodo asked, his voice rising a little.
"No!" cried Gandalf. Tidus, Wakka, and the hobbit at the window heard him get to his feet. "With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly. Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself." There was silence.
Suddenly, Wakka sneezed, shaking the flowers in front of them. There were quick footsteps, and Gandalf was soon looking out the window at them. He looked furious.
"What have you heard?" He asked in a sharp voice.
"N-Nothing, Mr. Gandalf, sir," said the hobbit.
"Now, now, Sam Gamgee... Tell the truth." Gandalf said, this time a bit calmer.
"We heard everything," Tidus said, looking at Gandalf in the face.
"Everything..." Gandalf mumbled. "Good. You can go with him," he said, dawning a sudden smile.
"Go with him where?" Wakka asked, a little nervous.
"Why, out of The Shire, of course! To Rivendell!" Gandalf said. Tidus and Wakka looked at eachother, not knowing if this was a good thing or a bad thing. "And you too, Sam."
"This just keeps getting better, ya?" Wakka said.