Sam's Thoughts

Elvish translations

Galadriel in Sam's head

Last chapter

"Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore." Legolas said, starting to push one of the boats into the water. When Aragorn didn't move to the water he stopped and looked at him, "You mean not to follow them?"

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands." Aragorn replied.

"Then it has all been in vain! The Fellowship has failed." Gimli stated glumly.

"Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let's hunt some orc!"

"Yes!!! Ha ha" Gimli laughed.

Aragorn disappeared into the tree, followed by Legolas and Gimli. Sam grabbed her pack which was very light but had some food it. She knew that they would need it later and she was use to running long distances with a pack on so it wouldn't slow her and then she followed them into the bush.

For three days they ran without rest but because of the Lembas bread that Sam brought they had a meal each day. Aragorn had been a bit upset at her for bringing her pack but she hadn't slowed them down so he stopped complaining, especially when she told him that she had though to bring food, which he had forgotten in the stress of Merry and Pippin being taken.

On the fourth day however things changed.

"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night." Legolas commented.

Not long after he said this they heard the sound of horses running towards them. They hid behind a nearby rock and waited for the horses to ride passed. Then Aragorn walked out and called to the riders.

"Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" Then horsed wheeled around and formed a circle around them.

"What business does an elf, a man, a dwarf and a woman have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" the leader ordered.

Great another sexist man

"Give me your name, horse master, and I shall give ya' mine." Gimli said confidently.

Go Gimli

The leader handed his spear to the man next to him and got off his horse, approaching Gimli.

"I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground.

Faster than the eye could see, Legolas drew, nocked and aims an arrow at the man. The Riders react by drawing closer with their spears.

"You would die before your stroke fell." He said.

Although it was nice to see the man being put in his place, Sam knew that it was a very stupid thing for Legolas to do with so many on the other mans' side. Sam put a calming hand on the elf's shoulder as Aragorn pushed his bow down.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland Realm and Samantha Carter. We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden your king."

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin." The man said pulling off his helmet. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that we are banished. The white wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

"We are no spies. We track a pack of Uruk-Hai westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive." Aragorn said.

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."

Gimli took a small step forward, "But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?"

"They would be small, only children to your eyes." Aragorn informed Eomer.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." Eomer said nodding towards a cloud of smoke that was rising in the distance.

"Dead?" Gimli said disbelievingly. (A/N is that a word???)

"I am sorry." He apologised then whistled, "Hasufel, Arod. May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." He said as two horses walked towards them. He then mounted his own horse, "Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. We ride north!"

The riders left leaving the foursome alone. Legolas helped Gimli onto Arod then climbed on, while Aragorn and Sam got onto the other horse with Sam behind holding Aragorn's waist. They rode off to the smouldering pile of Uruk-Hai.

Gimli started to go through the pile with his axe while the other three looked around at the area. Gimli can over when he found something.

"It's one of their wee belts." He said.

"Hiro hyn hidh ab 'wanath."  May they find peace after death. Legolas said sadly.

Aragorn kicked a stray helmet and fell to his knees with a scream of rage and grief.

"We've failed them." Gimli said.

Sam sat down next to Aragorn and put her head in her hands. But saw something different about the ground in front of her.

"A hobbit lay here." She said

"And the other," said Aragorn also noticing the disturbance on the ground. "They crawled." He continued, both of them standing.

"Their hands were bound." Sam said.

Aragorn moved forward then picked up a cut piece of rope.

"Their bonds were cut. They ran over here. They were followed. The tracks lead away from the battle... into Fangorn Forest."

"Fangorn. What madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked to no one inparticular.

(A/N yes I know that Aragorn was meant to do the tracking but Sam would be trained in that kind of thing too and she has to be involved somewhere.)

They walked slowly through the forest looking for signs of the Hobbits in the undergrowth.

Gimli found a dark substance on a leaf and tasted it, Sam cringed as she thought of all the diseases that could be in the liquid. Gimli spat out the substance saying what it was,

"Orc blood."

They continued through the forest still searching the ground.

"These are strange tracks." Aragorn commented at the marks on the ground.

"The air is so close in here." Gimli complained.

"This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory... and anger." Legolas said, looking around them at the tree. Just then the trees started groaning, making Gimli raise his axe in alarm.

"The trees are speaking to each other." Legolas said, making Sam snort in amusement.

"Gimli! Lower your axe." When he did the trees quieted, this made Sam more uncomfortable about their surroundings.

"Aragorn, Nad no ennas!" Something is out there. Legolas said

"Man cenich"? What do you see. Came the reply from Aragorn, neither Sam or Gimli having any idea what they were saying.

"The White Wizard approaches." Legolas said once again talking in the language everyone understood.

"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us." Aragorn said. This confused Sam but she drew her bow anyway.

"We must be quick." He said then span around pulling his sword and yelling a war cry. Sam turned to see a bright white light which she shot at as Gimli threw an axe and Legolas also shot an arrow. When all were deflected and Aragorn dropped his sword, Sam dropped her bow and grabbed her gun from under her tunic to shot at the light but the bullet stopped dead and the gun heated up till she had to drop it.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits." A voice said from behind the light.

"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded.

"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?"

"Who are you? Show yourself."

The light faded to reveal an elderly man dressed in white holding a staff.

"It cannot be." Aragorn gasped, as Legolas knelt and Gimli bowed, shocking Sam who would never have imagined these reactions from any of the three males.

"You fell." Aragorn continued.

"Through fire and water from the lowest dungeon to the highest peak I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountain side. Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time. The stars wheeled overhead and every day was as long as a life age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back, until my task is done." The old man said.

"Gandalf?" Aragorn asked.

"Gandalf? Yes. That was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name."

Great his senile, can't even remember his own name.

"Gandalf." Gimli said grinning broadly.

"I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide."

The man then turned to Sam.

"And who is this for I am sure that there were no women in the Fellowship last time I was with you."

"Samantha Carter." She said.

The man nodded before starting off into the forest. Followed by the rest of them.

"One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan. We must travel to Edoras with all speed." Gandalf said.

"Edoras? That is no short distance!" Gimli said

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king." Aragorn said ignoring Gimli.

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured." Gandalf told him.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank tree-infested-?" Gimli said but stopped when the trees started to groan, "I mean charming, quite charming forest." Sam giggled at him.

"It was more than mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains." The man said.

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend." Aragorn said

Gandalf leaned in to listen to what Aragorn was saying.

"You still speak in riddles." This man both Gandalf and Aragorn start laughing.

"A thing is about to happen here that has not happened since the Elder Days. The Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong." Gandalf said

"Strong? Oh, that's good." Gimli said sarcastically.

"So stop your fretting Master Dwarf. Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be." Gandalf snapped.

"This new Gandalf's grumpier than the old one." Gimli said to himself.

As they walked Sam asked Legolas what an Ent was and he explained that they were the tree herders of the forest.

They walked out of Fangorn and Gandalf whistled. A large white horse appeared over a nearby hill and galloped towards them.

"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas stated obviously amazed.

"Shadowfax. He is the lord of all horses..." Gandalf said as the horse stopped in front of him and he started to pat it. "...and has been my friend through many dangers"

Gandalf climbed onto the horse and before she could protest he pull Sam on in front of him. Then others mounted their horses and they rode off to Edoras.