Frodo Baggins woke with a scream, startling Sam and even Sméagol awake. He sighed sadly before muttering an apology to the Hobbit and whatever Sméagol was.
"The same dream Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked him, concern shining in his words as he put a comforting hand on his shoulder. All Frodo could do was nod, lying back down knowing that he would not be sleeping again tonight.
Every night since the Fellowship had split, any time his eyes closed he found himself watching Eleniel die, several orc arrows in her chest with her blood soaking her tunic. In his dreams she'd scream at him to help her but he never made it to her. This time she told him that it was all his fault that she had died. That if he had done something or had been better at protecting himself then the Fellowship wouldn't need to sacrifice themselves for him. Frodo never knew that that was their job. They were supposed to protect him. He was the Ring bearer but more importantly, he was their friend instead he wallowed in his self hatred. It was even more worst than when Gandalf had died.
The Ring continued to taunt him, telling him to take the ring for himself but he locked his mind away from the words the Ring spoke and instead focused his mind on everything and everyone he loved. He would never fall to the Ring.
"Merry, do you think the others are okay?" Pippin asked him, his concern for their friends written on his face as he thought of the Fellowship.
The two Hobbits were travelling with Treebeard towards Isengard after they had seen Gandalf. He had told them that Eleniel had died. The Hobbits still grieved for their friend as did Treebeard as she was just as old as he was so she had been a close friend of the Ents for many Ages. The pair of them now held onto the Noldorin daggers with a fervour, determined to never let something that reminded them of their friend go, ever.
"I'm sure they're fine Pip. Aragorn will look after them." Merry replied with a fake smile on his face. He sincerely hoped that their friends were okay. They liked Treebeard but they missed sleeping with the Fellowship around them.
Pippin only frowned. "Strider is probably being strong for the Fellowship but who's being strong for him? We know that him and Eleniel were close." Hearing his words put a frown on Merry's face, his mind deep in thought. After awhile, he only shrugged his shoulders as if to say that he'd never understand others.
"Merry, I miss the others." They both sighed sadly, silently agreeing with each other before leaning their backs against Treebeard's neck
"Now, now Hobbits, no need to be sad," Treebeard said in his slow, kind of grating voice. "You will be back in your Shire soon enough and can relax." The Hobbits discreetly looked at each other knowing that they had no intention of going back to the Shire and that as soon as Treebeard saw what Isengard had done then the Ents would join the fight for Middle Earth.
They didn't feel bad for manipulating their friend at all. Okay, maybe they did a little but they couldn't think of anything else that they could do. They were getting desperate.
"Hey Treebeard," Merry asked, leaning closer to his ear. "Can you tell us how you met Lee? It must have been a long time ago..."
The Ent nodded his head almost sadly. "Miss Eleniel has been a friend of the Ents for a long time. She use to visit us a lot when her people first arrived from the West but we have not seen her for many centuries now."
"You know, she is the one who taught many of us Ents left how to speak." Treebeard said fondly as if his mind was remembering better times. "Always wanted to talk to everything, the old Elves did."
The Hobbits smiled at their very old friend, hoping that they make it through this war and can go back to the Shire. They missed their home but their friends were out there fighting against Sauron and they did not want to be left behind.
They hurriedly walked amongst the trees of Fangorn Forest, searching for any signs of the Hobbits. Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas watched as Gimli reached his hand out to touch some liquid on the leaves of a tree before bringing it to his mouth to taste. He retched immediately before his face turned a slight green and he spat out the substance.
"Ach! Orc blood." Gimli exclaimed. Stupid trees and stupid orcs is all Gimli could think. Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas glanced at each other before laughing loudly, finding particular enjoyment in their friends displeasure. They laughed for several minutes, Gimli included, allowing the giddiness and mirth to fill them. They felt so much better afterwards, almost as if they were all relieved that they could still laugh and find humour in some things especially considering what had happened.
They kept walking around, still searching for signs of their Hobbits when they heard a low, groaning sound. All of them immediately raised their weapons except Legolas.
"The trees, they're speaking to each other." He said, his eyes looking around at the trees in awe. "Lower your weapons." Aragorn and Boromir sheathed their blades immediately while Gimli did so hesitantly.
Legolas walked up to one of the trees and pressed his forehead briefly to its trunk as if in greeting. "The Elves began it many years ago. Waking the trees and teaching them to speak." The Elf waltzed happily amongst the trees as if he was going to break out into a dance any second now when he suddenly tensed and his eyes focused on something to their right.
He immediately called for Aragorn who rushed over to him. "Nad no ennas!" (Something is out there!) The ranger was on guard immediately prompting Gimli and Boromir to draw their weapons again.
"Man cenich?," (What do you see?) Aragorn asked him, his eyes also straying to where he was looking so intensely but he could see nothing.
"The White Wizard approaches." Legolas replied loudly for all the group to hear. They became even more on guard as they waited for their target. Gimli tightened his hand on the hilt of his axe as does Boromir with his sword while Legolas fingered his arrows in his quiver. Aragorn simply gazed in the distance, wondering when the Wizard would make himself known.
When they turned to attack the White Wizard, they were blinded by a bright light emanating from the White Wizard. The arrows Legolas shot at him were deflected while the hilts of the swords and axe turned red and hot causing the Dwarf and Men to drop their weapons on the forest floor.
"You track two Hobbits, correct?" The White Wizard asked them causing grief to rise within the group for if the White Wizard knew of who they tracked them he surely already had them in his possession.
Although Aragorn already knew the answer, he still had to ask. "Where are they? What have you done with them?" He demanded from the traitorous Wizard.
"They passed this way, the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" The Wizard questioned them, confusing the group as they glared at him defiantly.
Boromir sneered at the traitor before goading him, saying, "Why do you hide, Saruman? Scared to show your traitorous, leeching self?"
The bright light immediately waned. They all immediately reached for their weapons, preparing for a fight, an arrow already in Legolas bow when the light dimmed enough to reveal Gandalf. The group froze in surprise. After Eleniel's death, the group had become lacklustre and for lack of better word, scared, they did not wish to lose another member of their Fellowship like Gandalf and Eleniel but Gandalf was in front of them and that brought them great joy especially Aragorn who had felt partly responsible for his death. The group rushed forward to hug their friend even Gimli, wishing to know if he was real and not just a figment of their imaginations. They asked what had happened to him and how he was here. Gandalf told them of how he had fought against the Balrog and won but it cost his life. Except it wasn't the end as he felt life return to him.
"I've been sent back until my task is done." The White Wizard said, smiling at each of them before leading them out of Fangorn Forest. "War is almost upon Rohan. We must make haste to Edoras." Gandalf told them, his now white staff in his right hand acting as his walking stick.
"The King is ill and must be cured, although it won't be easy." The group understood and picked up speed until they were finally out of the tense and closed off atmosphere of the forest. Once out in the open fields again, the group realised that they had no horses and would have to walk or run to get to Edoras fast. As they were gearing up for another run through the night, Gandalf let out a high pitched whistle like sound from his mouth. The Men, Elf and Dwarf watched in awe as their horses plus one extra came galloping towards them until the white horse that was at the front of the group stopped in front of Gandalf.
"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas told the awed group while his own eyes gazed upon the beautiful horse appraisingly. The horse in question neighed before greeting the group with what looked like a nod.
Shadowfax is the name that Gandalf had told them the horses name was. Once they were on their respective horses and ready to go, they rode for Edoras. Aragorn found his eyes glancing at Gandalf every few minutes as if in awe of seeing his once thought dead friend alive. That was one death that he no longer felt responsible for but there was still the death of another that weighed heavily on his mind.
Oh Eleniel, he thought, if only you were here meleth nin.
His eyes trailed to the pendant displayed proudly around his neck, his hand wrapped tightly around it before he sat up straighter and lifted his shoulders from their hunched position. His eyes connected with Gandalf's for a brief moment before he broke eye contact. Of course, he thought, his mind thinking of the sarnithil pendant, I guess you're actually always with me.
So yup, the chapter is a bit shorter than the others but honestly, the in between bits are mainly fillers. Anyways I hope you enjoyed the look into the Hobbits minds especially after what happened in the chapter before last. This is chapter ten and we haven't even made it to Edoras yet! Gosh I must really be stretching this story out but I actually want to touch onto each other characters and their point of views on what has happened. That's why I chose third person p.o.v instead of the usual first person blah blah blah. Also no Eleniel is this chapter or probably the next. She will be missing for awhile. By the way, how is everyone? Hope everything is good.
Anyways hope you enjoyed the chapter xx