Hi everyone! A squillion apologies for the late update. I won't always be this unorganised, I promise. Anyway, this chapter's quite interesting, as it introduces a few new characters, so enjoy! By the way, my favourite thing in the world (aside from LotR, chocolate, Orlando Bloom, etc.) is reviews. So a sqillion thankyous to all who did. You are my heroes. To the rest of you, a sqillion pleas. If you do I'll hand out half my Easter eggs. Only three weeks away!
The light in the clearing started to dim, until it formed a tall, indistinct shape roughly the size of a man. Sam's wariness deepened and he moved around so that he was standing in front of Merry and Pippin. Merry had stumbled upon entering the clearing and seemed to have hurt his ankle. He was in a crumpled heap on the ground, one hand clutching his ankle, the other on Pippin, willing the young Took to stay alive.
The glowing spectre seemed to survey the three of them for a moment, then did something Sam was not quite expecting. It spoke. " I see you fear me, little hobbit. You are wise. Many fear me, and some respect me and some don't know whether they fear or respect me. Some are even known to fear and respect me. There is often a little fear in every respect and a little respect in every fear."
Sam tried following these few sentences and got nowhere, so instead asked, "Who are you?"
"Me?" the figure asked. "I am many things. Some call me the Powerful one, others call me the Thunderstorm, and to some I am known as the Nomad. To most, though, I am known as Origald the Powerful. I came to Middle Earth with four of my own kind thousands of years ago.
"You are an Istari!" Merry piqued up suddenly. One of the wizards who came here with Gandalf." His voice took on and unpleasant tone as he spoke the next name. "And Saruman."
Origald smiled. "Yes, I did know Gandalf well. We were good friends. And you still don't trust me. What can I do to overcome that?"
"Can you help our friend?" Merry asked. He saw Sam stiffen, but stared his companion down. They would have to take this risk, if Pippin was to survive. Origald gave another sly smile, then threw up his head and gave a very loud, very realistic wolf howl. It was returned by another, and Merry looked around, startled, afraid that the wolf pack might have returned.
"No I can not. But I'm sure my friend here will be able to help you out." Origald spread his arms out wide. There was another flash of light, and suddenly, a beautiful elf maiden appeared standing next to him. For a moment she just stood there, looking puzzled and rather annoyed.
"Origald, what…?" Then she spotted the three hobbits on the ground and sighed. "Been making friends have we? What have you done to them this time?" Without waiting for an answer, she strode over to Pippin and knelt down beside him. Merry and Sam didn't raise any objections as she examined him, and watched with interest as she took some type of plant out of a pouch hanging around her waist. Rubbing it between her hands until it was fine powder, the elf sprinkled it over Pippin's face then laid her hand on his forehead, apparently concentrating hard.
Gradually Pippin stopped coughing and gasping then slowly opened his eyes. When he saw the beautiful elf leaning over him, he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. But to his disappointment, she backed away instead of coming closer, and he was being helped to sit up Sam and Merry. "Are you alright?" They asked anxiously.
"Er, I guess so. What happened?" Sam proceeded to tell him the story in brief, while Merry turned back to the elf. Throughout the whole healing process, he had found himself more interested in her than what she was doing. Looking now, he saw that she appeared much younger then what she had first seemed but no less beautiful. She had deep gold hair that was emphasized by her tanned skin, a lean figure that was shorter then most elves he had met, and somehow not as fully developed. But her eyes captivated him the most. Deep aqua in colour, it was like staring into two identical oceans full of feeling and wonder. He couldn't stop staring at her.
The elf turned around and looked at Merry. "I see you are also hurt. Show me your ankle." She commanded. Merry obliged. "Hmmm, looks like a sprain. This won't take long." She took the waterbag that was at her waist and sprinkled some water over his ankle. Immediately the pain went.
Merry stared at her in wonder. "You're a remarkable healer. Where did you learn all that?"
The elf smiled. "My people are healers. It was been our greatest skill for thousands of years."
"And who are your people?" Sam asked. He had finished explaining everything to Pippin and had stood up to talk to the elf.
She looked at him, smiled and stood up as well. "I am Princess Turaiaqualis Falma of Coralie. My people are a race of elves that most of Middle earth has forgotten. We live south of Gondor on the island of Coralie and don't interact much with the rest of the world. We have spent pretty much the last 20,000 or so years practicing healing and such."
"Er, I'm Samwise Gamgee, from the Shire. This is..."
"Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took at your service, Your Highness." He said with a small bow. Merry and Sam stared at him.
Turaiaqualis blanched. "Please don't call me that. Just Turaia's fine." Then she smiled. "You certinly know how to talk to royalty well, Master Took, for one born in the Shire. Where did you learn?"
"I served in Gondor as a guard a few years ago, during the war of the ring," he said, and procceded to tell the young princess all about Frodo and the ring, a subject which she seemed to find most interesting.
Sam and Merry were gaping with their mouths wide open. Pippin, non-important Pippin of the Shire, was chatting up an elf as confident and easily as though he had been doing it for years, which they knew he had most certainly had not been doing. Had he?
"Good, isn't she?" a voice said behind them. They both jumped. Origald had completely left their minds in the presence of Turaia and he was now looking down at them amusedly. "Princess Turaia is rather well known for her flightiness, but then, most elves her age often are. She is, after all, only 321 years old."
"Only?" Merry said weakly, his heart sinking slightly. He mentally shook himself. As Origald had said, Turaia was probably used to people taking a lot of interest in her. She probably wasn't actually interested in Pippin at all, just in his story and definitely wouldn't be interested in him.
"Anyway," Origald said, bringing him out of these cheerful thoughts. "What are three hobbits doing wandering around in this part of the country anyway?"
Sam and Merry exchanged glances. "Well, we aren't really sure. You see, the sickness that Pippin had before Turaia healed him, it's all over the Shire. Hundreds of hobbits are dying every week. No cure can be found in the Shire so we set out hoping that we could find one somewhere else." Sam explained.
Origald looked thoughtful for a moment. "I see. Well the young princess and I are staying in Rivendell at the moment. We came north because of...ah..."
"We havn't been to Rivendell yet, Origald, remember?" Turaia had broken off her conversation with Pippin and just caught the thread of theirs. She looked at them and winked. "We are still on our way there."
Sam looked confused. "But if you live south of Gondor, shouldn't you be there by now?"
Turaia and Origald exchanged glances. "Well, we would be there, had we gone that way. But due to the massive war Gondor's having at the moment, we had to skirt around on another road. It's longer but safer. I mean, I can fight," she added hurriedly. "But neither of us can actually take on an army of orcs that big by ourselves."
Sam listened gravely, then turned to Merry and Pippin. "So there is a war on."
Merry and Pippin both looked thunderstruck by this news. "It wasn't in the letter, I swear!" Merry said.
Sam sighed. "Well, I suppose that rules out Gondor as our list of healing options." Then he brightened. "But we don't need to search anymore! We've already found a healer!"
He turned to Turaia. My lady, would you be able to tell us exactly how you healed Pippin? Or maybe even come back to the Shire with us and..."
But the elf was shaking her head sadly. "Look, I'm realy sorry, but even if I could come to the Shire with you, I'm afraid I would be of no use. I used the last plant for that sickness on your friend here. There are no more."
Sam was crestfallen. "No more? None at all?" He was close to tears again and Turaia's continuous head shaking stopped. "Weeeeell," she said cautiously. "There is more, but it's kind of inaccessable."
"Where is it? Tell me!" Sam demended desperatly.
Turaia hesitated. "It's on an island near Coralie. The island is deserted, because it is inhabited by a monster. The Krovic. None have ever been able to defeat it."
Although her words sent shivers down Sam's spine, he wasn't to be put off. "You don't understand. My daughter has this sickness. She's going to die if we don't do something." By now his eyes were bright with unshed tears, but he was oblivious to them.
Turaia was obviously moved by his determination. After exchanging one more glance with her wizard escort, she smiled at Sam. "Well, I'll see what I can do. The elders of Coralie aren't especially partial to strangers. And the Krovic definitely isn't. But how about you accompany us to Rivendell and we'll talk about it there."
Sam sighed. "Alright. Thankyou, my lady. Is that all right with you two?" he asked, turning to his two companions. Merry and Pippin nodded their heads vigorously, obviously not having any objections to travelling with the elven princess.
"Right, well now that's settled, I'm ready to go back to bed," Turaia said, stiffling a yawn. "Our camp is only... how far Origald?"
"Only about half a mile away. You see, I have the power to transport myself and others short distances once in a while, but it is tiring. Meaning-" he turned to the now very indignant princess. "- I won't be up to transporting you back. My apologies, but we'll have to walk."
"And so you should be!" Turaia said, clearly irritated that her escort had transported her half a mile away from her bed in the middle of the night and was making her walk back. "Stupid wizard, interrupting a princess's beauty sleep..." she mumbled, starting to walk away in a general south-western direction.
"Wrong way, princess," Origald called out after her. She threw him a poisonous look and tossed her golden tresses back to them as she changed direction.
Origald smiled and started after her. The hobbits followed suit. Sam was feeling especially happy as they marched through the dark forest, the only light being the silvery whiteness of the moon as it stuggled through the leafy ceiling above. At last they knew what to do about the fatal situation in which thay were plunged into. Sam strengthened his resolve to get this special plant to help his kin - or die trying.
O.K, by 4 now, and remember, REVIEW! er, please?