Rehab
As the company rode on, they noticed large deep pools of water, threatening the knees of the horses. The sound of their hooves was drowned out by the splashing of water as they pushed their way through following the wizard.
"Does this remind you of something?" Rhia asked Demi with a mischievous smirk on her face. Demi thought carefully for a moment then smirked also.
"Actually I can think of a few occasions we have been in a mess like this, but mainly the time when we flooded your laundry when we were 10, trying to race the washer and dryer." Demi laughed.
"I know, it's probably just as bad here as the mess we made." Rhia said, holding her side laughing.
"Honey, that's an understatement." Demi said. She pulled Brytta to a halt behind Gandalf who had stopped.
The company came into line with him and gazed upon the sight in the noon hour. The doors of Isengard now lay twisted and broken on the ground from their regal and ominous state. Debris littered the ground around them, but the arch still stood tall and strong, withholding the yet the tide that had befallen Isengard. All now lay in ruin.
"Ok, so maybe we weren't this bad." Demi said, taking a look.
The water ahead was steaming and bearing floating wreckage. Pillars and towers leaned to one side, threatening to fall, and still the hight of the water got deeper the closer to the tower they got. All sat still, staring in horror at the sight, no matter if it were the defeat of their enemy.
Demi stared at the gate again, letting her eyes run along it. Next to the wall, Demi saw to small figures wearing grey clothes lying down lazily on a rubble heap, looking quite comfortable. Around them she saw empty plates and bottles, too much for what someone of their size could or should eat. One she could tell was asleep as he was lying on his back, but the other was sitting up, leaning against the wall, his legs crossed. He was smoking a pipe, blue wisps emitting from his mouth.
Legolas caught Demi's gaze and soon after so had most of the company. The sight was indeed strange and before any could gather their wits, the smoking form came over to them as if only first noticing them. He was only short and looked like a young man of 18 or 19. He then bowed to the company.
"Welcome to Isengard, my lords. I am Meraidoc, son of Saradoc, and over there sleeping is my companion Peregrin, son of Paladin from the house of Took." The short man said. He shook his head to himself at his companion. "We are the doorwardens. If you have come about Master Saruman, he is within the Orthanc with one Wormtongue, or doubtless he would be here to welcome such honourable guests."
Demi smiled when she saw her friend long lost. Merry caught her eye and winked smiling, while keeping a business like façade about him.
"Doubtless he would! Was it Saruman whom ordered you to guard his broken doors, and watch for the arrival of guests when your attention could be spared from your meals?" Gandalf laughed.
"No sir, our orders are from Treebeard who is now in management of Isengard and from him were our orders to greet the Lord of Rohan with fitting words. I have done my duties to date." Merry said.
"And what of your long lost companions? Aragorn, Legolas, the girls, Boromir and I, eh?" Gimli cried. "A fine hunt you have led us! Over some two hundred leagues, through almost certain death, battles, hunger, sore feet, and forests all to rescue you! Yet here we see you sitting and feasting to your hearts content. And smoking! Where, my little villains did you come across that weed? Torn am I between rage and joy that I fear I will burst!"
The girls could not help but laugh madly at the word 'weed'.
"As am I Gimli, but I would sooner learn how they came across such wine." Legolas laughed.
"Well it's good to see you again Merry, despite what the druggo and alcoholic say. And you too Pip." Demi said, noticing Pippin join the group.
"Yet while you were hunting master dwarf, you did not find brighter wits, for then would you see that you now stand on a field of victory, yet still you wonder how we came across such well-earned comforts!" Pippin said.
"Well-earned! Such a thing I will not believe, so long as it is from your mouth Peregrin Took." Gimli retorted. The riders of Rohan were in an uproar. They laughed hard at the fray going on.
"It cannot be doubted that this be the reunion of friends." Théoden said. "Yet here again I come across a marvel that in all my years I would never think to encounter. Are you not the Halflings, or the Holbytlan?"
"Hobbits, if you please my lord." Pippin said.
"Hobbits? Yet the name is not unfitting." Théoden said.
The hobbits bowed to the king and for a time they talked until the topic of smoking weed was aroused again.
"It was a Tobold Hornblower, of Longbottom. He first grew the true pipe weed in his gardens around 1070 according to our reckoning..." Merry explained until he was interrupted by Gandalf.
"Théoden, you know not the danger of speaking with hobbits about the small doings of their fathers. They would do so on the edge of doom and discuss such table pleasures all the way back to their most remote cousins if encouraged. Some other time than this would be more appropriate. Now Merry, where is Treebeard?"
Pippin frowned. "He is away on the north side to my believing, taking a drink with most of the other Ents." Merry said. "Quickbeam and the remaining Ents watch over the Orthanc, but Saruman is trapped by the water in the least anyway. He left you a message. I do believe it was for the lord of the Mark and Gandalf to ride to the northern wall and there they will find Treebeard. There he will welcome them and also food selected by your humble servants." He bowed and Gandalf laughed.
"Well, Théoden let us ride to meet Treebeard, or Fangorn as he is known, chief of the Ents." Gandalf said.
"Farewell my hobbits, let us meet again in my house where you can tell me all of your kind to your hearts desire." The king said. The hobbits bowed and the king and the wizard set off to find Treebeard, the kings men followed in suit.
"The King of Rohan. Nice chap, very polite." Pippin said.
The fellowship long separated were now partly rejoined. Boromir embraced the hobbits he had lost while they reassured him that they did not blame him and the girls in the least for their capture. They left their horses to graze where they could while they sat with the hobbits.
"Let us learn of your tale my friends so that we can have the answers to the riddles that long plagued us." Legolas said.
"And we too want to know what became of you after we were parted." said Merry.
"All in good time my small friends, but let us here of yours first. We hunted you for many leagues so let us hear fruits of our efforts." Boromir said smiling.
"Yet it would go better after a meal. That would pay off some of my score against you." Gimli said. "Pipe weed would make it all the better."
"Your food and drink you may have, but alas! For pipe weed is yet another story that must wait." Merry said.
"Well then my friends...to lunch!" Gimli said.
Merry and Pip led them all away under the arch, where they came across a wide door on their left which opened into a chamber.
"I will not enter the house of an orc!" Gimli said.
"Saruman did not jut employ orcs in his service. He did not trust them too well, for he had men to guard his gates." Merry explained to ease his friends. He then led them in and they sat around a long wooden table.
Pippin prepared for them a meal, at which the two hobbits joined the five for a second round, while small talk was issued around the table. The hobbits informed them about drinking the Ent draught, which they believed was responsible for the hobbit's added growth.
Merry and Pippin told them of the Ents until Gimli wished to know their story from the beginning. Yet again, they got distracted by the topic of Pipe weed.
"If you have finished eating, then let us fill our pipes and relax, May hap we can pretend we are again in Rivendell." Merry said, taking a leather pouch from his pocket.
"What's that?" Rhia asked.
"Why, only the best pipe weed in the southfarthing!" Pippin said as though she should have already known this.
"And better yet, we have plenty more." Merry said, smiling boldly. "We had found two barrels full so feel free to take as much as you like."
"I'll pass. Do you know that smoking weed is both harmful to your health and addictive, whether or not chemicals have been added, right?" Demi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That is nonsense! I have been smoking weed since I was twenty and it never did me any harm." Pippin said.
"Well that's debateable." Rhia mumbled. Aragorn caught what she said and coughed, trying to hide a laugh.
"You started before you were of age?" Merry asked with wide eyes, astonished that his cousin could be so bold.
"Oh, don't make such a fuss Merry. I could tell our friends here a few tales about you that could make the table blush!" Pippin countered. They all burst out laughing, but Merry who glared at Pippin.
"Now let's calm down a bit here." Demi said. "We've only just finished eating and I for one would prefer to keep my meal where it is."
Gimli meanwhile who had been examining Merry's stash of weed spoke at last.
"This leaf is good. I find myself for once believing you Master Took. But alas! I have no pipe to smoke it with."
"Half a moment!" Pippin said, digging through his pocket, brandishing a pipe. "I always keep a spare. You can borrow it if you wish Gimli."
"Then my dearest hobbit you are no longer square with me, rather I am in your debt." Gimli said.
"And I suppose you have a bong in there too pip?" Demi asked, frowning upon them smoking. She was strongly against it.
"A bong?" Boromir asked. "What pray tell is that?"
The girls sniggered.
"It is a smoking device used to get high, using drugs like weed with." Rhia explained.
"High? Do you mean grow?" Merry asked.
"No, she used the right word. It's when the drugs you smoke or consume affect your brain causing you to see and feel things that aren't there. It's very dangerous and can kill you." Demi explained. Pippin looked at his pipe queerly.
"Is there a way to heal those who do such things?" Merry asked worriedly.
"They can go into rehab. Rehabilitation..." Rhia said, looking at the blank faces around the room. "It's a place set away in nature away from the main world, at like a lodge or something. When they're there they can't touch the stuff until eventually they don't want to do it anymore. Usually it doesn't work because the people leave and get right back on the drugs. Sad really."
The faces around the room were downcast at their own thoughts of how bleak Earth seemed.
"Maybe you lot should try it." Rhia said, trying to lighten the mood.
"We do not need it, pipe weed has caused us no problems." Pippin said.
"Maybe you should try it Pippin." Legolas said.
"Hey you can't talk Legsie, you're fascinated by booze. You should go to an AA meeting." Said Rhia.
Legolas raised an eyebrow and looked to Demi for an explanation.
"Alcoholics Anonymous." She said and Legolas looked enraged.
"I am not an alcoholic!" he yelled.
They sat outside for a time, lounging around, enjoying the day. The sun was out and shinning brightly. Legolas lay still on the ground watching the sky and singing to himself. Rhia taught Merry and Pipping to play rock, paper, scissors; Aragorn was stretched out, smoking his pipe with Gimli. Boromir and Demi rather sat alone off to the side talking quietly.
"Do you miss your homelands?" asked Boromir, patching up his shield.
"In a way." Said Demi. "I guess I miss the convenience of technology and my adoptive parents a little, but apart from that I don't miss anything. I never really felt like I was home anyway. I guess I was right, I wasn't home."
Boromir nodded understandingly.
"What about you, do you miss Minas Tirith?" asked Demi.
"I do. I miss it very much, but my place has always been away in one battle or another. From that I grew used to being away. I have my brother. We are very close, but it was not like I had a maiden to return home to." He said, starring away into the sky, a wistful look on his face.
"You will one day, don't worry about that, I mean, come on...a good looking warrior type like you...I'm surprised that your not already with two kids and one on the way."
Boromir laughed. "I am afraid you are wrong dear Vaira."
"Oi! Boris! Dizzy! Come over here! Merry and Pip are going to tell us what happened now!" Rhia called.
"Ok!" Demi called back, getting up off the ground. "Coming?" she asked Boromir who remained seated.
"Just a moment." He replied. Demi shrugged and made her way over to the larger group. "Don't worry spell weaver. I have found her." He said to himself...
AE: How ya'll doing? I hope you're all well n good as you could be. Yes, so who do you think Boromir has found? leprechauns? Galadriel? Arwen? Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see!
Levanna: Wow, thanks a heap for your comment. The river scene was pretty cool, I'll admit that, but...yeah...thank you! Yes the pee thing is totally a girl thing, but very funny. You'll just have to wait and see with Rhia, she's a funny one that girl! Have a good one.
Thank you to those who take the time to tell me what you think. I appreciate it very much. Stay tuned for chapter twelve, but I don't know how much longer away it will be, just bare with me. (lol, Kittie lyrics in my head) Its just school is finishing soon and I'm kinda freaking out a bit. I'm just trying to work around things and trying to get the story out and stuff to all my loyal readers. Catch you all soon!