A/N: I am incredibly sorry about the wait! I had some technical issues with my computer and it was hard for me to update. But here it is, and I hope you enjoy! Please review!
Chapter
4
Trouble
Clang.
Clang.
Clang-SHING-clang.
Arrell wiped the sweat off her face, then went back at the piece of red-hot metal she was working on with a vengeance. Her brother had caught her sneaking out to go to the forest last night after their less-than-friendly goodnight, and he had brought it up again this morning. They had exchanged words that they both regretted, and when they had parted for their respective jobs, they had resolved nothing. She shook her head, trying to forget about it, but banging an axe head with a hammer was fairly mindless work, and she continued talking to herself.
"It's not fair."
Clang.
"He thinks he's so perfect."
Clang.
"Why can't he see that I'm trying…"
Clang-SHING"
She stopped abruptly when she saw someone at the door of the small forge. It was Eredor, the torment of her childhood. Since those ten-year-old days, they hadn't come very far, but at least now they pretty much left each other alone. She groaned. If he had heard her whining to herself, she knew he would never let her hear the end of it, and her brother wasn't here to hold her back. Still, she reminded herself that she was on the job, so she kept her attitude professional, and she looked him square in the face. "Can I help you?" she asked in a tone that resembled polite.
"Mare needs shoeing," he replied curtly. She nodded and followed him outside. As she was working on the horse, she started to make small talk. "Sure is sunny today."
He nodded.
"I wonder how much longer it'll last before winter comes."
This time he grunted in response.
"I hear it's going to be a hard one."
He didn't even acknowledge his comment this time. She was getting annoying!
She sighed. As hard as she was trying to be professional and mature, she couldn't resist. "Somebody's in a bad mood."
He glared at her.
By this time he had officially gotten under her skin. "Look, I'm sorry for trying to be polite! You could at least make an effort!" Her sarcastic tone did little to encourage him to be civil.
"You should know about being polite," he said under his breath.
She looked him up and down, wishing she were still a child, so she could knock the living daylights out of him. But now, she knew at least that she was too old for that sort of thing. No doubt he would end up on top anyway. At sixteen, he was hardly a scrawny little boy anymore, and well over six feet tall with a muscular build. She rolled her eyes and went to work on the shoe again. Though her back was to him, she felt his eyes on her, watching her every move. She shook her head and ignored the feeling. She didn't expect him to speak again, so she jumped when he did.
"You've been going to the forest a lot lately." It sounded more like an accusation than an observation.
She whirled around to face him. "How do you know?"
"I've seen you. After you're done here, sometimes you'll take your horse and ride as fast as you can across the plain.
She shrugged, trying to mask her alarm. "So?"
"I've even seen you sneak out at night."
Her eyes widened.
"Or, at least, I assume you're sneaking, since you crawl out of the window."
"You've been spying! I could have you arrested for that"
"Oh, I haven't been spying," he interrupted. "just observing. If you don't want anyone to know, you should be more careful." He shrugged. "Anyway, why should I care how much time you spend in the forest? I was just making conversation."
She relaxed then, until he laughed. "You were always the one that wasn't afraid of the forest, even when the rest of us were," he said. "What's in there that the rest of us don't see?"
"Oh, I guess I just get tired of the plain sometimes. It's nice to have a change," she lied as she finished the shoe. "She's done."
"Oh. Thanks," he said, then led the mare away.
She went back to work on the axe head, but kept thinking about their conversation, which had been the closest thing to civil they had had as long as they had known each other. About an hour after Eredor left, she looked up to see she had another visitor.
It was Estor. "Hey."
"Hey."
He walked on into the forge. "Arrell?"
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry about this morning."
Her expression softened. "Me too."
He walked over to her and hugged his sister, their earlier argument reconciled.
Later that afternoon, she went straight from the forge to the forest. She would be able to stay a little longer than usual, since her mother was going to wait a while to fix dinner. Both her father and Estor would be at the town hall in a meeting with all the men and wouldn't be back till well after dinner.
The minute she arrived at the wood's edge and tied up her horse, she knew something was wrong. "Weatherroot?" she called. "Quickbeam? Leaflock?" None of her friends answered. Then she turned suddenly as she heard a rumbling behind her that could only be one of her friends. "Quickbeam! Is something wrong?"
"You must forgive us. We were, mmm, talking." The young ent sighed and shook his huge, tree-like head. "I'm afraid a terrible threat is upon the forest of Fangorn. The other ents and I, we were calling together the, mmm, Entmoot."
She had heard her friends talk about the gathering before, but never in the five years she'd known the ents had she seen them actually have it before. "Well, what's wrong, my friend? Is there something I can do?"
"It seems that there is one among the wizards who is corrupt, Dilamanthir I believe he is called." He then proceeded to tell her of the wizard's intentions. Apparently he, to the oblivion of the other wizards, intended to build a fortress, a sentient one, and to do this he needed the strength of will of the ents. "He plans to harvest us like wheat, burarum!" He then rambled on angrily in the language of the tree-herders, until she interrupted.
She took a minute to digest what he had said. It sickened her to think of it. "Well, whatever's to be done? Surely we can do something to stop him!" She made to continue, but he stopped her.
"That is what we called the Entmoot for! Here, come with me." With that, suddenly, he picked her up in a giant branchy hand, and before she could even respond, he whirled around, ever hasty (for an ent, at least), and with long strides proceeded deeper into the forest.
When they arrived, he set Arrell down right in front of the "leader" of the ents, Treebeard. She had heard them speak of the great ent, but had never actually met him. Now she was more than a little intimidated, but she refused to let that stop her. Before Treebeard could say anything, she had an idea. "What if I persuaded my people to help?"
To her surprise, Treebeard laughed. "You are more hasty than they said you were! Hm, hoom. We thank you for your intentions, but…mmm…I do not believe those who don't even know about us will so hastily come to our aid, burarum. I"
"But I can get them to, if you'll just let me! We could slip up behind the single wizard, and put an end to this before he even knew what hit him! Just let me try!"
He stood perfectly still, and for a moment, she wondered if he had even heard her. Just then, Weatherroot spoke up for her. "We would do well to trust her. My friends, are we just to sit and await our doom, when there may be something she could do?" A great roar welled up as other ents murmured their agreement.
Treebeard sighed. "Go, hasty man-child. We will--" But before he could even finish, she was already darting towards the edge of the woods to her horse, leaving the ents laughing and shaking their heads despite the threat that loomed over them like a cloud.
