"Laurelin, the amusing one carries great evil," Gildor whispered to his
beloved sister. He, Laurelin and his group were going to the Undying Lands,
it was their time. But for Laurelin, named after the great tree
Laurelindórenan for her uniqueness, her time on Middle Earth had not quite
ended.
She replied, "Yes the Dark Lord shines within him, but he is not evil."
"I have looked into the hearts of him and his companions. They have not known fear. Laurel, my good sister, the Nazgûl will destroy our little Elf Friend if he is left unattended," Gildor continued, they both knew what she must do. She would have to look after the hobbits, especially Frodo. The Dark Riders, according to the little company, have harassed them twice already, the last one halted only by the elf's presences. They could not count on another chance meeting such as that. Laurelin sighed as put a blanket on Sam. What a silly hobbit. "Did he think we did not notice that he was still awake? I am surprised that Frodo did not realize this fact as well," Laurelin thought. Gildor looked at his sister one more time because he would not see her again for a long while. He gave his sister one last hug and whispered in the ancient tongue something that roughly translated to something like this, "Oh Laurelin I fear that we may never meet again. May all of Valor bless you. Farewell Laurel; I love you." Then Gildor rode off to catch up with the others.
Laurelin put out the fire and laid out provisions that would last a human a week, but for three hobbits, she did not know. She walked over to Frodo. He was sound asleep. There was something that pulled at her, something she had to look at and feel. Laurelin reached out her hand to touch Frodo's neck. There was something about his neck that called to her; it was so compelling. Just then, Frodo rolled onto his side and something fell out of his tunic, a ring.
The elf maiden gasped. This was the source of the evil that they had sensed earlier. This was The Ring of Power! Laurelin snatched her hand back. "Oh Elentári," she prayed to the Queen of the Stars.
Laurelin climbed up a nearby tree and sat on one of its tall branches. Tears sprang from her eyes, tears that never fall. She wanted to go home. All of her kingdom had already departed and she longed to see her family again. To help her to stop tearing up, she sang, softly, a song about the Star Queen and it sounded like this:
A Elebereth Gilthoniel,
Silivren penna míriel
O menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-diriel
O galadhremmin ennorath,
Nef arearon, sí nef arearon!
Fanuilos, le linnathon
The next morning Pippin woke up and Sam shortly after to find the provisions Laurelin had laid out for them. It was amusing to watch these dull, furry footed creatures argue over eating. "Pippin, you can't eat now; Mr. Frodo isn't up yet!" argued Sam.
"Ah but Sam, I'm hungry!" Pippin argued back.
"Well you're just going to have to wait UNTIL Mr. Frodo wakes up!" Sam stamped his foot on the grassy ground with his hands on his hips. Laurelin almost laughed because her elf ears picked up that Sam's stomach was growling as well.
"Fine, I'll get some wood while we wait for Frodo to wake up," Pippin said with a piece of lembas bread behind his back.
"Peregrin Took! You get back here with that bread that's behind your back!" Sam chastised, "I'll get the fire wood if you'll be stealing a snack before Mr. Frodo wakes up." He walked away with Pippin mot realizing that Sam guiltily took a piece of bread with him, though it wasn't as big of a portion as Pippin tried to take. A few minutes later Sam was back carrying a few sticks for the fire, the bread he had left with was gone of course. "Fine, we can have a little snack."
A few minutes later Frodo woke up to find his companions already up with a fire. Pippin, seeing Frodo was awake said, "They left us fruit and drink, and bread. Come and have your breakfast. The bread almost tastes as good as it did last night. I did not want to leave you any, but Sam insisted." When Frodo sat down, he saw, and to Laurelin's astonishment as well, that there were only three peaches, one bottle of mead, and half of a loaf of bread. Two hobbits ate six days worth of food for breakfast. Frodo bit into one of the peaches and Pippin asked, "What is the plan for today?"
"To walk to Bucklebury as quickly as possible," Frodo said right before he gave his undivided attention to a sparse hobbit portion breakfast.
The morning sun shone through the clearing. But like Laurelin, the sun deceptively hides many things. Unfortunately, the cheerful sun hid danger from poor Pippin. He cheerfully asked, "Do you think we shall see anything of those Riders?"
"Yes probably. But I would like to get across the river without their seeing us," Frodo responded a little crestfallen. He was starting to lose his appetite.
"Did you find out anything about them from Gildor?"
"Not much- only hints and riddles," Frodo replied dodging the subject.
"Did you ask about the sniffing?"
Laurelin raised her eyebrows. "Sniffing? The Nazgûls sniff for the ring? A millennia and a half years old and you still learn new things," she thought.
Frodo took a bite out of his peach, which was getting down to the core, and said, "We didn't discuss it."
"You should have. I am sure it is very important."
"In that case I am sure Gildor would have refused to explain it. And now leave me in peace for a bit! I don't want to answer a string of questions while I am eating. I want to think!" Frodo snapped.
"Good heavens! At breakfast?" Pippin said, trying to lighten the mood.
"How ungrateful. We are wiser and do not need or want to meddle in these dark time and he complains about our lack of advice?" Laurelin grumbled to herself.
Pippin stood up and gaily ran and sang around the clearing.
Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!
Frodo watched Pippin for a while and pondered. "No! I could not! It is one thing to take my young friends walking over the Shire with me, until we are hungry and weary, and food and bed are sweet. To take them into exile, where hunger and weariness may have no cure, is quite another – even if they are willing to come. The inheritance is mine alone. I don't think I ought even to take Sam." Frodo noticed Sam was watching him, so he asked Sam, "Well, Sam! What about it? I am leaving the Shire as soon as ever I can – in fact I have made up my mind now not to even wait a day at Crickhollow, if it can be help."
"Very good, sir!"
"You still mean to come with me?"
"I do."
"It is going to be dangerous, Sam. It is already dangerous. Most likely neither of us will come back."
flashback
"Don't you leave him!" Lindor said.
"Yes, you mustn't leave. Your master will need you more than ever," Laurelin continued.
"You must have courage, Sam, to stay with him. For the trials you will face are going to test it to the brink of insanity," said Gildor.
"Leave him! I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon, and if any of those Black Riders try to stop him, they'll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with," proclaimed Sam.
The elves laughed at that. For they knew that when the time came little Samwise would not be so fearless.
flashback stops
"They seem a bit above my likes and dislikes, so to speak. It don't seem to matter what I think about them. They are quite different from what I expected – so old and young, and so gay and sad, as it were," Sam said, answering Frodo's question of what Sam expected of the elves.
"How wise the hobbit's words sound. Maybe they are not dull as is expected of a race so young," Laurelin observed. She stood up and jumped, silently out of the tree she was sitting in. she had heard a noise.
She replied, "Yes the Dark Lord shines within him, but he is not evil."
"I have looked into the hearts of him and his companions. They have not known fear. Laurel, my good sister, the Nazgûl will destroy our little Elf Friend if he is left unattended," Gildor continued, they both knew what she must do. She would have to look after the hobbits, especially Frodo. The Dark Riders, according to the little company, have harassed them twice already, the last one halted only by the elf's presences. They could not count on another chance meeting such as that. Laurelin sighed as put a blanket on Sam. What a silly hobbit. "Did he think we did not notice that he was still awake? I am surprised that Frodo did not realize this fact as well," Laurelin thought. Gildor looked at his sister one more time because he would not see her again for a long while. He gave his sister one last hug and whispered in the ancient tongue something that roughly translated to something like this, "Oh Laurelin I fear that we may never meet again. May all of Valor bless you. Farewell Laurel; I love you." Then Gildor rode off to catch up with the others.
Laurelin put out the fire and laid out provisions that would last a human a week, but for three hobbits, she did not know. She walked over to Frodo. He was sound asleep. There was something that pulled at her, something she had to look at and feel. Laurelin reached out her hand to touch Frodo's neck. There was something about his neck that called to her; it was so compelling. Just then, Frodo rolled onto his side and something fell out of his tunic, a ring.
The elf maiden gasped. This was the source of the evil that they had sensed earlier. This was The Ring of Power! Laurelin snatched her hand back. "Oh Elentári," she prayed to the Queen of the Stars.
Laurelin climbed up a nearby tree and sat on one of its tall branches. Tears sprang from her eyes, tears that never fall. She wanted to go home. All of her kingdom had already departed and she longed to see her family again. To help her to stop tearing up, she sang, softly, a song about the Star Queen and it sounded like this:
A Elebereth Gilthoniel,
Silivren penna míriel
O menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-diriel
O galadhremmin ennorath,
Nef arearon, sí nef arearon!
Fanuilos, le linnathon
The next morning Pippin woke up and Sam shortly after to find the provisions Laurelin had laid out for them. It was amusing to watch these dull, furry footed creatures argue over eating. "Pippin, you can't eat now; Mr. Frodo isn't up yet!" argued Sam.
"Ah but Sam, I'm hungry!" Pippin argued back.
"Well you're just going to have to wait UNTIL Mr. Frodo wakes up!" Sam stamped his foot on the grassy ground with his hands on his hips. Laurelin almost laughed because her elf ears picked up that Sam's stomach was growling as well.
"Fine, I'll get some wood while we wait for Frodo to wake up," Pippin said with a piece of lembas bread behind his back.
"Peregrin Took! You get back here with that bread that's behind your back!" Sam chastised, "I'll get the fire wood if you'll be stealing a snack before Mr. Frodo wakes up." He walked away with Pippin mot realizing that Sam guiltily took a piece of bread with him, though it wasn't as big of a portion as Pippin tried to take. A few minutes later Sam was back carrying a few sticks for the fire, the bread he had left with was gone of course. "Fine, we can have a little snack."
A few minutes later Frodo woke up to find his companions already up with a fire. Pippin, seeing Frodo was awake said, "They left us fruit and drink, and bread. Come and have your breakfast. The bread almost tastes as good as it did last night. I did not want to leave you any, but Sam insisted." When Frodo sat down, he saw, and to Laurelin's astonishment as well, that there were only three peaches, one bottle of mead, and half of a loaf of bread. Two hobbits ate six days worth of food for breakfast. Frodo bit into one of the peaches and Pippin asked, "What is the plan for today?"
"To walk to Bucklebury as quickly as possible," Frodo said right before he gave his undivided attention to a sparse hobbit portion breakfast.
The morning sun shone through the clearing. But like Laurelin, the sun deceptively hides many things. Unfortunately, the cheerful sun hid danger from poor Pippin. He cheerfully asked, "Do you think we shall see anything of those Riders?"
"Yes probably. But I would like to get across the river without their seeing us," Frodo responded a little crestfallen. He was starting to lose his appetite.
"Did you find out anything about them from Gildor?"
"Not much- only hints and riddles," Frodo replied dodging the subject.
"Did you ask about the sniffing?"
Laurelin raised her eyebrows. "Sniffing? The Nazgûls sniff for the ring? A millennia and a half years old and you still learn new things," she thought.
Frodo took a bite out of his peach, which was getting down to the core, and said, "We didn't discuss it."
"You should have. I am sure it is very important."
"In that case I am sure Gildor would have refused to explain it. And now leave me in peace for a bit! I don't want to answer a string of questions while I am eating. I want to think!" Frodo snapped.
"Good heavens! At breakfast?" Pippin said, trying to lighten the mood.
"How ungrateful. We are wiser and do not need or want to meddle in these dark time and he complains about our lack of advice?" Laurelin grumbled to herself.
Pippin stood up and gaily ran and sang around the clearing.
Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!
Frodo watched Pippin for a while and pondered. "No! I could not! It is one thing to take my young friends walking over the Shire with me, until we are hungry and weary, and food and bed are sweet. To take them into exile, where hunger and weariness may have no cure, is quite another – even if they are willing to come. The inheritance is mine alone. I don't think I ought even to take Sam." Frodo noticed Sam was watching him, so he asked Sam, "Well, Sam! What about it? I am leaving the Shire as soon as ever I can – in fact I have made up my mind now not to even wait a day at Crickhollow, if it can be help."
"Very good, sir!"
"You still mean to come with me?"
"I do."
"It is going to be dangerous, Sam. It is already dangerous. Most likely neither of us will come back."
flashback
"Don't you leave him!" Lindor said.
"Yes, you mustn't leave. Your master will need you more than ever," Laurelin continued.
"You must have courage, Sam, to stay with him. For the trials you will face are going to test it to the brink of insanity," said Gildor.
"Leave him! I never mean to. I am going with him, if he climbs to the Moon, and if any of those Black Riders try to stop him, they'll have Sam Gamgee to reckon with," proclaimed Sam.
The elves laughed at that. For they knew that when the time came little Samwise would not be so fearless.
flashback stops
"They seem a bit above my likes and dislikes, so to speak. It don't seem to matter what I think about them. They are quite different from what I expected – so old and young, and so gay and sad, as it were," Sam said, answering Frodo's question of what Sam expected of the elves.
"How wise the hobbit's words sound. Maybe they are not dull as is expected of a race so young," Laurelin observed. She stood up and jumped, silently out of the tree she was sitting in. she had heard a noise.