The time passed swiftly and it was not long before Aragorn's sharp eyes
found more signs of their friends, but they were only light footprints, and
not much could be discerned.
As they plunged in deeper, the forest floor became dry and was littered with dead leaves. Thinking that the fugitives would have stayed near water, they kept close to the river Entwash and soon enough they came across where Merry and Pippin had rested. There, plain for everyone to see, were the footprints of two hobbits, one somewhat smaller then the other.
"This is good tidings!" said Aragorn. "Yet the marks are two days old. And it seems that at this point the hobbits left the water-side." He brushed the ground with his fingertips, a frown on his face. He knew now the dilemma they faced.
"Then what shall we do now?" said Gimli. "We cannot pursue them through the thickness of Fangorn. We have come ill supplied and unless they spring out of the ground sometime soon, we shall be of no use to them, except to sit down beside them and show our friendship by starving together."
"If that is indeed all we can do, then we must do that," said Aragorn. "Let us go on." Siawyn did not think it was a particularly good idea, but decided to keep her views to herself. There was no doubt that they were not needed. Besides, she thought bitterly, she was a woman. She rolled her eyes and stared at the back of Legolas who had ignored her and continued behind his comrades. Sighing heavily she followed them, although she did so with great reluctance.
They came to a dead end. With weariness settling about them they dismally looked up at a rock wall with its steps leading to a high shelf. The suns rays shone on it, making the forest look a little less gloomy. Legolas was looking about himself, a pensive look on his fair features.
"This forest is indeed old, so old that it almost makes me feel young," said Legolas. "So old and full of memory."
Siawyn did not know what to make of that particular sentence and sarcastically raised an eyebrow, though she still held her tongue. It did not take a wizard or an Elf to guess that the forest was old. Anyone who entered it would have felt that straight away.
"Let us go up and look around," Siawyn suggested. Aragorn nodded and they started climbing. He had noticed strange marks that were alongside that of their hobbit friends, and was quite sure they had been this way too, but with someone else.
Legolas stood up from where he was kneeling and looked of the heads of the trees to the plains from where they had come.
"We have journeyed a long way round," said he said with an almost undetectable edge of irritation. "We could have come here safe together if we had left the great river on the second or third day we struck West. Few can foresee whither their road will lead them, till they come to its end."
"That is true Legolas, but we would never have met Siawyn then. Would we," said Aragorn stirring up his friend. Siawyn smiled at Legolas, feigning innocence; Legolas did not react, except to clench his fists in frustration. If only they had come that way.
"But we did not wish to come to Fangorn," Gimli said, melting the ice.
"Yet we are here---," Siawyn began, but was cut off by Legolas.
"--- and nicely caught in the net," he said. "Look."
"At what?" asked Siawyn. Legolas looked at her with annoyance.
"As if you did not know already," he whispered angrily, only loud enough for her to hear. "There among the trees!"
"Where, I have not Elf eyes!" exclaimed Gimli.
"Hush, speak more softly! Look!" said Legolas pointing for the Dwarf to see. "Down in the wood, back the way we have just come. It is he! Cannot you see him, passing from tree to tree?"
"I see now!" hissed Gimli. "Look Aragorn! Did I not warn you? There is the man. In dirty grey rags, that is why I could not see him before, he was camouflaged."
Siawyn looked down at where Legolas was pointing. Sure enough, there was an old beggar man, walking wearily and leaning on his an old staff. Siawyn gazed wide eyed at the figure. No, it could not be Saruman, could it?
Gimli could no longer bare the suspense and burst out, "Quick Legolas, bend your bow! It is Saruman! Do not let him speak he will put a spell on us!"
Siawyn shook her head, as the figure neared; she did not think it resembled the figure of Saruman, but could not tell yet.Legolas bent his bow, but held the arrow loosely not fitting it to the string.
"Wait!" hissed Siawyn. Legolas just grew ever more suspicious.
"You would like that, would you not Siawyn?" he replied dryly. Aragorn frowned at his friend's unkind words. To speak candidly, he thought his friend's judgement was unfair.
"No, she is right, we must define whether it is or is not a beggar man first before we make assumptions. Watch." Siawyn gripped her staff in case.
Suddenly the old man picked up his pace and came with surprising speed to the base of the cliff. For some time he stood there, silently observing those who were looking down at him in suspicion. A hood shadowed his face, and above the hood was a wide brimmed hat. Only his grey beard was visible to those above.
At last the old man spoke. "Well met indeed my friends, I wish to speak with you," he paused. "Will you come down, or shall I come up?" Without stopping for an answer the man began to climb up the rough cliff face.
"Now! Stop him Legolas!" cried Gimli with urgency.
"Did I not say I wished to speak with you?" said the man hearing Gimli's hastened words. "Put down your bow master Elf." With that Legolas' bow and arrow fell from his hands, and his arms hung loose at his sides.
"And you master Dwarf, pray take your hand from your axe till I am up! You will not need such arguments." The old man carried on climbing up the tree. "Well met, I say again!" said the old man who now stood only a few feet away. Once he had climbed up the ledge he stopped, leaning on his staff as if to gather his breath, though it did not seem like he was breathing heavily. Siawyn narrowed her eyes, anyone who had climbed a cliff face as fast as he would surely be panting. The old man thrust his head forwards, peering at them from under his hood. His keen eyes glinting from beneath it.
"And what may you be doing in these parts? An Elf, a Man, a dwarf all clad in Elvish fashion," his eyes rested on Siawyn for a moment with surprise. "And a woman? I have no doubt there is a tale worth hearing about! It is not often that such things are seen here."
Aragorn looked the old man up and down suspiciously. "You speak as if you know Fangorn well. Is that so?"
"Not well, that would be the study of many lives," said the old man. "But I come here now and again."
"Might we know your name? The morning passes and we have an errand that cannot be delayed." Aragorn questioned.
"As for what I wished to say; I have said it! What may you be doing, and what tale do you have to tell. As for my name!" The old man broke off, laughing softly and for a long time. Siawyn shivered, to her Aragorn also looked uncomfortable. As for Gimli, he was running his finger over his axe- haft impatiently, and Legolas, well, quite frankly, Siawyn did not care."My name," the man started again. "Have you not guessed it already! There is no doubt that you have heard it before! Come tell me of your tale."
The company of four stood silent, not uttering a word let alone an answer.
"There are some who would doubt that your tale is fit to tell," the man continued. "But I do know something of it. You are on the trail of two hobbits, I believe. Yes hobbits. Do not stare as if you have not heard that word before! You have, and so have I! Well, they climbed up here the day before yesterday; and they met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" Still the company stayed silent. Siawyn was not sure about the others; but it certainly did not comfort her. "Now I have no doubt that you want to know where they have been taken? I can give you news of that. But," the man looked around. "Why are we still standing? Your errand is no longer as urgent as you thought. Let us sit down and be more at ease." In Gimli's mind it seemed the errand became even more urgent then before.
The old man turned, and began making his way towards a heap of rocks at the bottom of the cliff face behind. Suddenly the others began to stir, as if a spell had been broken. Aragorn drew his sword, Gimli's hand that had been held just above his axe-haft lifted it, and Legolas picked up his bow. Siawyn's strange weapon was already grasped firmly in her hands and aimed at the old man. The man took no notice of them, but stooped and sat himself on a low flat stone. Then his grey cloak drew apart, and beneath was a garment shinning a brilliant white.
"Saruman!" cried Siawyn. Anger pulsed through her body, as if it were replacing her blood. She sprung towards him with her staff aimed at his chest. The others behind her stood still with the shock of Siawyn's rush as she ran forward with an attack of frenzied heat. Legolas knew she must have been angry, common sense told him that, but he could not sense it. If she had been angry before with him, then she must be double that and more now! The group of three left behind by Siawyn, jumped into action.
Amazingly the old man was too quick for her. He leapt to his feet and onto a large mossy rock. There the man stood, tall and towering above them. His hood and grey robes flung away by a sudden wind, and now his pure white garments gleamed in the sunlight, he no longer looking bent and frail, power radiated from him. He lifted his staff and Siawyn's staff leaped from her hands and fell ringing to the ground, she stopped with surprise. Aragorn's sword blazed red with a sudden fire in his motionless hand and he let go in surprised, rubbing his slightly burnt palm. To their surprise Legolas gave a great shout and shot an arrow high into the air: it vanished in a flash of flame.
"Mithrandir!" he cried. "Mithrandir!"
Mithra what? Thought Siawyn; that Elf was weirder then she thought. All stood gazing at him at a loss for words. He stood dressed totally from head to toe in white, he had a white beard, and beneath his deep brows, his eyes shone brighter then rays of sunlight. Siawyn could feel a great power emitting from him; this did not change her suspicions. Did men not say that Saruman was Saruman the white?
She glanced at the others who were standing stock still, with a mixture of joy and fear on their faces. It looked like they were spellbound! It was up to her to take her revenge. Siawyn jumped forwards again towards her staff, but quick as a flash of lightning, Legolas' arms were back around her waist; restraining her. He was in between her and sweet revenge, and most probably under the influence of Saruman! She kicked him hard in the shin, Legolas winced with pain, and then Siawyn twisted out of his grip. Once she was free from him she jumped forwards and pulled her staff off the ground, aiming it at the wizard's chest and running forwards, dodging the large stones as she flew across the ground. Suddenly she ran into a clear barrier, unable to reach her destination of embedding her staff in the foul chest of the being she despised most in the whole of Middle Earth.
Siawyn ran with such speed and force that as soon as the knife on her staff touched the barrier, it rammed back into her chest. She fell to the floor clutching the area where she had been hit, and breathing heavily. Maybe she should have left the group when she had the chance. The base of her staff had not broken the skin properly, only grazed it, some blood was seeping out, but it was not much. The staff base was not particularly thin, but her chest would be bruised heavily by it, and an inch higher it would most likely have broken her neck. Tears welled up in her eyes, she closed them; her collarbone was probably broken! Do not cry! Do not cry! She thought to herself. There was no way she could show any sign of weakness.
The man stepped off the rock and bent down to take a good look at the young girl in front of him. The place where her staff had rammed into her was bright red beneath her now torn dress, and it was most likely like the bruise there would turn from red to black. He had not meant to inflict that much damage onto her. Aragorn ran to her side, his joy diminished, as he pulled the torn and slightly blood stained part of her dress apart more so he could get a good look at the wound. Siawyn, though in pain, made sure the hole was not so big as to reveal herself to the world. Gimli was peering over the two heads, looking distressed, and Legolas stood behind with a small smile on his face. Served her right for charging on a wizard! Aragorn noted Legolas' amused _expression and ignored it as much as he could.
Siawyn opened her eyes, the wizard moved closer to touch her wound but she wriggled back with fear. Moaning when she did so, as it hurt so much when she moved.
"I am not Saruman, young lady," said the wizard. Siawyn was not totally convinced by his answer, her eyes shifted from his face to that of Aragorn's.
"This is Gandalf," Aragorn said softly to her.
"Gandalf," the old man repeated the name as if it had long not been used. "Yes, that was my name." He stood up and walked back to the rock, picking up his grey cloak and hat. That name did not mean anything to Siawyn. Aragorn looked back up at Legolas.
"Legolas and I should tend to your wounds. Stay here," said Aragorn. Before Siawyn could turn down the help, mostly Legolas', Aragorn got up to leave taking Legolas by the arm with him.
"We shall return soon Gandalf, take care of Siawyn while we are getting the herbs that are needed. We shall talk later, for I fear this matter presses harder then the later," he added, not only thinking about the herbs for Siawyn's wound but something entirely different. They climbed back down the cliff into the forest.
Gandalf smiled at Siawyn, and Gimli sat down on the floor next to her. "So Siawyn, you thought I was Saruman, did you not?" Gandalf said quietly to her. Gimli's shock of Siawyn's rush was now gone and the dwarf looked extremely happy to have this old man with him. Siawyn paused for a second before answering.
"Yes, that is what I thought," she said slowly. "Does Saruman not walk these woods, dressed in white, like yourself?" Gandalf smiled at her answer.
"Yes he does, or used to. Some could say that I am Saruman now; but that will be explained later, when Aragorn returns with Legolas. For now you must trust me." Siawyn found it hard to trust people at their first meeting, especially if the meeting had been as dramatic as theirs had; Siawyn had only just began trusting Aragorn and Gimli. But something in Gandalf's voice reassured her that he would not break that trust. Gandalf smiled as her face relaxed, he saw her staff and picked it up handing it back to her. The blade was not scratched, or damaged in anyway, and neither was the pole.
"Here is your Zanbatou," he said, using the correct name for the dangerous staff. He noticed the designs on it, and the metal...mithril.
As they plunged in deeper, the forest floor became dry and was littered with dead leaves. Thinking that the fugitives would have stayed near water, they kept close to the river Entwash and soon enough they came across where Merry and Pippin had rested. There, plain for everyone to see, were the footprints of two hobbits, one somewhat smaller then the other.
"This is good tidings!" said Aragorn. "Yet the marks are two days old. And it seems that at this point the hobbits left the water-side." He brushed the ground with his fingertips, a frown on his face. He knew now the dilemma they faced.
"Then what shall we do now?" said Gimli. "We cannot pursue them through the thickness of Fangorn. We have come ill supplied and unless they spring out of the ground sometime soon, we shall be of no use to them, except to sit down beside them and show our friendship by starving together."
"If that is indeed all we can do, then we must do that," said Aragorn. "Let us go on." Siawyn did not think it was a particularly good idea, but decided to keep her views to herself. There was no doubt that they were not needed. Besides, she thought bitterly, she was a woman. She rolled her eyes and stared at the back of Legolas who had ignored her and continued behind his comrades. Sighing heavily she followed them, although she did so with great reluctance.
They came to a dead end. With weariness settling about them they dismally looked up at a rock wall with its steps leading to a high shelf. The suns rays shone on it, making the forest look a little less gloomy. Legolas was looking about himself, a pensive look on his fair features.
"This forest is indeed old, so old that it almost makes me feel young," said Legolas. "So old and full of memory."
Siawyn did not know what to make of that particular sentence and sarcastically raised an eyebrow, though she still held her tongue. It did not take a wizard or an Elf to guess that the forest was old. Anyone who entered it would have felt that straight away.
"Let us go up and look around," Siawyn suggested. Aragorn nodded and they started climbing. He had noticed strange marks that were alongside that of their hobbit friends, and was quite sure they had been this way too, but with someone else.
Legolas stood up from where he was kneeling and looked of the heads of the trees to the plains from where they had come.
"We have journeyed a long way round," said he said with an almost undetectable edge of irritation. "We could have come here safe together if we had left the great river on the second or third day we struck West. Few can foresee whither their road will lead them, till they come to its end."
"That is true Legolas, but we would never have met Siawyn then. Would we," said Aragorn stirring up his friend. Siawyn smiled at Legolas, feigning innocence; Legolas did not react, except to clench his fists in frustration. If only they had come that way.
"But we did not wish to come to Fangorn," Gimli said, melting the ice.
"Yet we are here---," Siawyn began, but was cut off by Legolas.
"--- and nicely caught in the net," he said. "Look."
"At what?" asked Siawyn. Legolas looked at her with annoyance.
"As if you did not know already," he whispered angrily, only loud enough for her to hear. "There among the trees!"
"Where, I have not Elf eyes!" exclaimed Gimli.
"Hush, speak more softly! Look!" said Legolas pointing for the Dwarf to see. "Down in the wood, back the way we have just come. It is he! Cannot you see him, passing from tree to tree?"
"I see now!" hissed Gimli. "Look Aragorn! Did I not warn you? There is the man. In dirty grey rags, that is why I could not see him before, he was camouflaged."
Siawyn looked down at where Legolas was pointing. Sure enough, there was an old beggar man, walking wearily and leaning on his an old staff. Siawyn gazed wide eyed at the figure. No, it could not be Saruman, could it?
Gimli could no longer bare the suspense and burst out, "Quick Legolas, bend your bow! It is Saruman! Do not let him speak he will put a spell on us!"
Siawyn shook her head, as the figure neared; she did not think it resembled the figure of Saruman, but could not tell yet.Legolas bent his bow, but held the arrow loosely not fitting it to the string.
"Wait!" hissed Siawyn. Legolas just grew ever more suspicious.
"You would like that, would you not Siawyn?" he replied dryly. Aragorn frowned at his friend's unkind words. To speak candidly, he thought his friend's judgement was unfair.
"No, she is right, we must define whether it is or is not a beggar man first before we make assumptions. Watch." Siawyn gripped her staff in case.
Suddenly the old man picked up his pace and came with surprising speed to the base of the cliff. For some time he stood there, silently observing those who were looking down at him in suspicion. A hood shadowed his face, and above the hood was a wide brimmed hat. Only his grey beard was visible to those above.
At last the old man spoke. "Well met indeed my friends, I wish to speak with you," he paused. "Will you come down, or shall I come up?" Without stopping for an answer the man began to climb up the rough cliff face.
"Now! Stop him Legolas!" cried Gimli with urgency.
"Did I not say I wished to speak with you?" said the man hearing Gimli's hastened words. "Put down your bow master Elf." With that Legolas' bow and arrow fell from his hands, and his arms hung loose at his sides.
"And you master Dwarf, pray take your hand from your axe till I am up! You will not need such arguments." The old man carried on climbing up the tree. "Well met, I say again!" said the old man who now stood only a few feet away. Once he had climbed up the ledge he stopped, leaning on his staff as if to gather his breath, though it did not seem like he was breathing heavily. Siawyn narrowed her eyes, anyone who had climbed a cliff face as fast as he would surely be panting. The old man thrust his head forwards, peering at them from under his hood. His keen eyes glinting from beneath it.
"And what may you be doing in these parts? An Elf, a Man, a dwarf all clad in Elvish fashion," his eyes rested on Siawyn for a moment with surprise. "And a woman? I have no doubt there is a tale worth hearing about! It is not often that such things are seen here."
Aragorn looked the old man up and down suspiciously. "You speak as if you know Fangorn well. Is that so?"
"Not well, that would be the study of many lives," said the old man. "But I come here now and again."
"Might we know your name? The morning passes and we have an errand that cannot be delayed." Aragorn questioned.
"As for what I wished to say; I have said it! What may you be doing, and what tale do you have to tell. As for my name!" The old man broke off, laughing softly and for a long time. Siawyn shivered, to her Aragorn also looked uncomfortable. As for Gimli, he was running his finger over his axe- haft impatiently, and Legolas, well, quite frankly, Siawyn did not care."My name," the man started again. "Have you not guessed it already! There is no doubt that you have heard it before! Come tell me of your tale."
The company of four stood silent, not uttering a word let alone an answer.
"There are some who would doubt that your tale is fit to tell," the man continued. "But I do know something of it. You are on the trail of two hobbits, I believe. Yes hobbits. Do not stare as if you have not heard that word before! You have, and so have I! Well, they climbed up here the day before yesterday; and they met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" Still the company stayed silent. Siawyn was not sure about the others; but it certainly did not comfort her. "Now I have no doubt that you want to know where they have been taken? I can give you news of that. But," the man looked around. "Why are we still standing? Your errand is no longer as urgent as you thought. Let us sit down and be more at ease." In Gimli's mind it seemed the errand became even more urgent then before.
The old man turned, and began making his way towards a heap of rocks at the bottom of the cliff face behind. Suddenly the others began to stir, as if a spell had been broken. Aragorn drew his sword, Gimli's hand that had been held just above his axe-haft lifted it, and Legolas picked up his bow. Siawyn's strange weapon was already grasped firmly in her hands and aimed at the old man. The man took no notice of them, but stooped and sat himself on a low flat stone. Then his grey cloak drew apart, and beneath was a garment shinning a brilliant white.
"Saruman!" cried Siawyn. Anger pulsed through her body, as if it were replacing her blood. She sprung towards him with her staff aimed at his chest. The others behind her stood still with the shock of Siawyn's rush as she ran forward with an attack of frenzied heat. Legolas knew she must have been angry, common sense told him that, but he could not sense it. If she had been angry before with him, then she must be double that and more now! The group of three left behind by Siawyn, jumped into action.
Amazingly the old man was too quick for her. He leapt to his feet and onto a large mossy rock. There the man stood, tall and towering above them. His hood and grey robes flung away by a sudden wind, and now his pure white garments gleamed in the sunlight, he no longer looking bent and frail, power radiated from him. He lifted his staff and Siawyn's staff leaped from her hands and fell ringing to the ground, she stopped with surprise. Aragorn's sword blazed red with a sudden fire in his motionless hand and he let go in surprised, rubbing his slightly burnt palm. To their surprise Legolas gave a great shout and shot an arrow high into the air: it vanished in a flash of flame.
"Mithrandir!" he cried. "Mithrandir!"
Mithra what? Thought Siawyn; that Elf was weirder then she thought. All stood gazing at him at a loss for words. He stood dressed totally from head to toe in white, he had a white beard, and beneath his deep brows, his eyes shone brighter then rays of sunlight. Siawyn could feel a great power emitting from him; this did not change her suspicions. Did men not say that Saruman was Saruman the white?
She glanced at the others who were standing stock still, with a mixture of joy and fear on their faces. It looked like they were spellbound! It was up to her to take her revenge. Siawyn jumped forwards again towards her staff, but quick as a flash of lightning, Legolas' arms were back around her waist; restraining her. He was in between her and sweet revenge, and most probably under the influence of Saruman! She kicked him hard in the shin, Legolas winced with pain, and then Siawyn twisted out of his grip. Once she was free from him she jumped forwards and pulled her staff off the ground, aiming it at the wizard's chest and running forwards, dodging the large stones as she flew across the ground. Suddenly she ran into a clear barrier, unable to reach her destination of embedding her staff in the foul chest of the being she despised most in the whole of Middle Earth.
Siawyn ran with such speed and force that as soon as the knife on her staff touched the barrier, it rammed back into her chest. She fell to the floor clutching the area where she had been hit, and breathing heavily. Maybe she should have left the group when she had the chance. The base of her staff had not broken the skin properly, only grazed it, some blood was seeping out, but it was not much. The staff base was not particularly thin, but her chest would be bruised heavily by it, and an inch higher it would most likely have broken her neck. Tears welled up in her eyes, she closed them; her collarbone was probably broken! Do not cry! Do not cry! She thought to herself. There was no way she could show any sign of weakness.
The man stepped off the rock and bent down to take a good look at the young girl in front of him. The place where her staff had rammed into her was bright red beneath her now torn dress, and it was most likely like the bruise there would turn from red to black. He had not meant to inflict that much damage onto her. Aragorn ran to her side, his joy diminished, as he pulled the torn and slightly blood stained part of her dress apart more so he could get a good look at the wound. Siawyn, though in pain, made sure the hole was not so big as to reveal herself to the world. Gimli was peering over the two heads, looking distressed, and Legolas stood behind with a small smile on his face. Served her right for charging on a wizard! Aragorn noted Legolas' amused _expression and ignored it as much as he could.
Siawyn opened her eyes, the wizard moved closer to touch her wound but she wriggled back with fear. Moaning when she did so, as it hurt so much when she moved.
"I am not Saruman, young lady," said the wizard. Siawyn was not totally convinced by his answer, her eyes shifted from his face to that of Aragorn's.
"This is Gandalf," Aragorn said softly to her.
"Gandalf," the old man repeated the name as if it had long not been used. "Yes, that was my name." He stood up and walked back to the rock, picking up his grey cloak and hat. That name did not mean anything to Siawyn. Aragorn looked back up at Legolas.
"Legolas and I should tend to your wounds. Stay here," said Aragorn. Before Siawyn could turn down the help, mostly Legolas', Aragorn got up to leave taking Legolas by the arm with him.
"We shall return soon Gandalf, take care of Siawyn while we are getting the herbs that are needed. We shall talk later, for I fear this matter presses harder then the later," he added, not only thinking about the herbs for Siawyn's wound but something entirely different. They climbed back down the cliff into the forest.
Gandalf smiled at Siawyn, and Gimli sat down on the floor next to her. "So Siawyn, you thought I was Saruman, did you not?" Gandalf said quietly to her. Gimli's shock of Siawyn's rush was now gone and the dwarf looked extremely happy to have this old man with him. Siawyn paused for a second before answering.
"Yes, that is what I thought," she said slowly. "Does Saruman not walk these woods, dressed in white, like yourself?" Gandalf smiled at her answer.
"Yes he does, or used to. Some could say that I am Saruman now; but that will be explained later, when Aragorn returns with Legolas. For now you must trust me." Siawyn found it hard to trust people at their first meeting, especially if the meeting had been as dramatic as theirs had; Siawyn had only just began trusting Aragorn and Gimli. But something in Gandalf's voice reassured her that he would not break that trust. Gandalf smiled as her face relaxed, he saw her staff and picked it up handing it back to her. The blade was not scratched, or damaged in anyway, and neither was the pole.
"Here is your Zanbatou," he said, using the correct name for the dangerous staff. He noticed the designs on it, and the metal...mithril.