Isengard and Saruman had suffered for their actions. The Ents laid siege to the Tower, decimating the Wizards land and his orc servants. The water from the dam now covered every piece of land in sight, washing the filth of Isengard away as Treebeard said.
The Hobbits were currently raiding Saruman's pantry, finding more food than they have had since leaving the Shire. They sat along the outskirts of Isengard, smoking their pipes and munching on fruit and meat. They were talking when Treebeard came to them with the other Ents, a passive expression on their faces.
"Come Little Hobbits," He said to them. "It is time to do what Miss Eleniel has asked of you both." The Hobbits stood immediately, anxiousness written clearly on both of their faces. The two of them stepped onto Treebeard's hand as he lifted them and placed them neatly upon his shoulder. The Hobbits sat immediately, their sides pressed against Treebeard's neck.
The Hobbits watched fascinated as the Ents formed almost a protective circle around them, their eyes forever on their surroundings. They soon set off, to where, the Hobbits did not know but they trusted Lee and the Ents so they sat prettily next to each other pointing at the various things they could see from on the Ents shoulder and laughing amongst themselves.
Their energy however could not last forever and after about an hour or two, they fell asleep cuddled up to Treebeard and each other. They startled awake when they heard the deep, groaning voice of Treebeard trying to wake them. "Time to get up Hobbits," the tree said as they rubbed the sleep from their eyes. "We have arrived."
Looking around, the Hobbits found themselves in a beautiful clearing in what they thought was Fangorn Forest but they were not sure as the trees looked different. The grass seemed greener and the flowers actually looked like they were alive. In the middle of the clearing sat a single tree, its trunk thick, with roots that looked as if it reached deep into the very core of Middle Earth. The light of the sun filtered through the clearing, making the area seem almost ethereal and picturesque.
"Wow!" Pippin exclaimed, looking around with awe filled eyes and a bright smile on his face, Merry was pretty much the same. The Ents had proud looks on their faces as they saw the awe and amazement on the Hobbits faces. "What is this place Treebeard?"
The Ent looked at them with a bright before looking around the clearing. "This is the Alandil." He announces to them with a bright smile.
"Alandil? Lover of Trees or Tree-friend?" Merry roughly translated with a sceptical look on his face as if he thought he was wrong. The Ents looked at him with bright smiles on their faces before nodding their agreement.
"Yes. Named in honour of the great friend that Miss Eleniel has been to us Ents for many years and also named for the ones who protect the Alandil." Treebeard smiled widely as he looked around at the trees surrounding the beautiful clearing.
The Hobbits looked confused when Pippin turned to Merry and asked, "What do you suppose that means?" Merry shrugged his shoulders to show he didn't understand what the Ent was on about either.
"This place is guarded by those most precious to all Ents; the Entwives." Treebeard told them, an almost tearful smile upon his face. Merry was confused, so was Pippin it seemed. "But that cant be right. You said that you didn't know where the Entwives went?" Pippin demanded to know from the Ent, not understanding anything at all. Treebeard nodded his head in thought before telling them that he'd lied to them to protect the Alandil. No one in all of Middle Earth has known where the Entwives had gone except for the remaining Ents and Eleniel.
Merry and Pippin gasped before dramatically clinging to each other exclaiming about how their friendship with Treebeard was over. "Friends don't lie to friends, Treebeard." Pippin said while wiping the fake tears that were running down his cheeks while Merry clutched his right hand, exclaiming how he didn't know how he could go on. The Ent just thought about how dramatic they were.
If the Ent could roll his eyes then he would be seeing the inside of his head. "You both may cry to me later but we are here to retrieve something for Miss Eleniel."
Treebeard lowered the two Shirelings to the forest floor just outside the border of the clearing. They moved to cross into the clearing when they were stopped by Treebeard. He shook his head at them before telling them that they had to stay out of the clearing for now. The Hobbits were confused but nonetheless listened to the Ents.
"What do you think is so important about that tree, Merry?" Pippin asked his friend as they both looked at the huge tree in the middle of the clearing. It looked like any regular tree, granted it was the biggest tree the Hobbits had ever seen but still it was a tree. It had a trunk. It had branches. It had leaves. And that's it yet, the Ents were looking at it like it was blessed by the Valar or something. Although considering this place was connected to Lee, they wouldn't be surprised if it actually was blessed by the Valar.
They watched as the Ents formed an almost protective circle around the tree, their backs to the Hobbits and their arms held out in front of them towards the tree. Soon a peaceful, almost whimsical like chant was heard throughout the Alandil. The Hobbits felt the tension in their bodies fade and their bodies began swaying of its own accord as the sound and unique language of the Ents washed over them. Soon a bright, white glow filled the clearing and Merry and Pippin gasped when their eyes found the tree again. They watched in awe as the trunk of the tree almost seemed to unravel on its own as the wood of the trunk seemed to open up and break away revealing a small space within its trunk. Their eyes couldn't see what was in the tree as they were too far away but anything that was hidden especially in a place as inconspicuous as a tree must be majestic.
"Come young Hobbits. Only you two may be able to retrieve the object." Treebeard said to them as they stood immediately, making their way slowly over to the gathered Ents.
They gasped when their eyes found a certain sword sat within the trunk of the tree. Merry glanced at Pippin for a second before hesitantly moving to grab it. He faltered a bit, wondering if the sword would suddenly shock him or something but he strengthened his resolve and grasped the ornately designed hilt that was filled with gems like that of Lee's pendant and several others. Drawing the too long for his arm sword from the tree, he released the breath that he hadn't even known he was holding. The sword flashed a white colour and suddenly it was just the right size for the Hobbits. Treebeard laughed joyously, a bright smile adorned his usually stiff face.
Merry stood there holding the powerful sword for what felt like hours, his mind and body unsure of what to do at this moment. Everyone could feel the power emanating from the weapon although the Hobbits were confused as to what made it so special that it had to be hidden away from enemies and potential allies alike. "Come Hobbits," Treebeard bent down and lifted them back onto his shoulder. "Time to return to Isengard. I imagine that your companions shall be coming for you both soon enough." The Ent said, a touch of sadness heard in his voice. He did not think that he would miss the Hobbits but he would.
They were his friends after all.
The group looked warily around them as they heard the low, lumbering sounds coming from the trees around them. Éomer looked particularly frightened especially after seeing the trees of Fangorn killing the Uruk soldiers that had retreated into its forest. Soon the oppressive atmosphere formed by the trees disappeared as Isengard appeared in front of them followed by the loud and familiar Hobbit laughter, followed by loud exclamations.
"No Merry! Those are Treebeard's cousins!" Pippin yelled at the other Hobbit, slapping the pipe weed out of his hand. There was a little scuffle between the pair of them, Merry shouting about how if Longbottom Leaf was Treebeard's cousins then they'd have to give up pipe weed for the rest of their lives. The group rode in on Merry and Pippin fighting on the borders of Isengard and shouting about Treebeard's cousins. The Ent himself sat watching them, an exasperated expression on his face although anyone could see the fondness he held for the Hobbits as he looked at them.
The Hobbits didn't notice the group until Treebeard greeted Gandalf. "Young master Gandalf, I'm glad you've come. Wood and water, stock and stone I can master, but there's a Wizard to manage here, locked in his tower." Merry and Pippin smiled brightly at the group before running to embrace the two Men, Dwarf and Elf enthusiastically.
"Aragorn! Boromir! Gimli! Legolas!," The Hobbits shouted before running into the open arms of the group. The King and his men looked away from the tender moment, allowing the reunited group of friends a moment to rejoice at being with each other again.
The Ent smiled at them, happy that his Hobbit friends had been reunited with their family, when his eyes caught sight of a familiar jewel pendant around one of the Men's neck. "You wear Miss Eleniel's pendant?" Treebeard asked the man curiously almost as if he didn't know how that could be possible. The Ent was also trying to place who he was from the descriptions he received from the little Hobbits. "You are the Dúnedain. The Heir of Isildur."
The man looked reverently upon the Ent before bowing to him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Treebeard." The Ent laughed boisterously before smiling brightly at the man. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn." He introduced himself.
"There is no need to bow to me, young one," Treebeard replied before sadly looking at the pendant that hung around his neck, thinking of his long lost friend. "She must have loved you very much if she gave you such a gift. She would have sooner died before parting with it," he said before looking at the Ranger seriously. "You shall always be able to call upon us Ents, my Lord and you and yours will always be welcome here in Fangorn."
The Fellowship besides the Hobbits gaped at this show of such devotion especially to someone that the Ents did not know. The other Ents also voiced their agreement with Treebeard before marching away. "I-ah-wait, what?," The Ranger stuttered out as he looked at Treebeard in shock, the others following his example.
Merry and Pippin only laughed at the expressions on their friends faces before speaking, "Lee is the reason why many of the Ents are able to speak. She has been a friend to the Ents for many Ages and is very highly thought of and cherished by them," they said to Aragorn and the others. "It is no surprise to us that the Ents will do something like this. They trust Lee and she definitely must of seen something inside you..."
"Very, very, very deep inside you." Pippin said jokingly, the group laughed at Aragorn's expression as he glared at the Hobbit. He started laughing with them soon enough although anyone with eyes could still see the deep grief he still held.
"Show yourself!" Aragorn shouted, hoping to get the Wizard locked in his towers attention, only for Gandalf to tell him to be quiet.
"Be careful; even in defeat Saruman is dangerous." He said to the clearly outraged group, Pippin sitting in front of Aragorn while Merry sat in front of Boromir.
The group began to argue. The King and his men wanted Saruman dead while Gandalf said that they needed him alive. The rest of the Fellowship merely stood on the side, not bothering with trying to speak during their argument. They were interrupted when a weak voice spoke from above them, "You have fought many wars and slain many men Théoden king, and made peace afterwards." Saruman said, trying to weasel his way out of the situation no doubt. "Can we not take council together, as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace, you and I?"
"We shall have peace." King Théoden said softly, shocking the rest of the group into silence. "We shall have peace... when you answer for the burning of the westfold, and the children that lie dead there. We shall have peace, when the lives of the soldiers, whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg, are avenged! When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows... we shall have peace."
"Your treachary has already cost many lives. Thousands more are now at risk, but you could save them Saruman. You were deep in the enemy's council." Realizing what it was that Gandalf was going for, the Fellowship couldn't help looking disgustedly at Gandalf, wondering if dying had somehow made him lose his mind but also knowing that there was no way in any life that they would ever work with Saruman.
Saruman grinned evilly at the other Wizard, realizing that he now had something that he could bargain with. "So you have come here for information. I have some for you," The ugly old Wizard said, pulling a glowing Palantír out into the open as he looked upon it adoringly. "Something festers in the heart of Middle-Earth. Something that you have failed to see. But the Great Eye has seen it. Even now he presses his advantage. His attack will come soon."
The Wizard cackled loudly, the sound ominous and evil, sending shivers through all that were there. "You will all die." He said gleefully before he looked at Aragorn, sneering. "You cannot think that this Ranger will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor. This exile, crept from the shadows, will never be crowned king, this one who is responsible for the death of his only One."
To say Aragorn was pissed would be an understatement. Aragorn straightened his shoulders as he glared hotly at the Wizard. The group watched as the man seemed to transform from a Ranger to a King right in front of them. "Who are you to speak in such a manner to me except a disgraced and traitorous Wizard?," Aragorn said to the now fuming Wizard.
Saruman glared at Aragorn, trying to glare him into submission no doubt. "And don't you dare talk about Eleniel especially when it is your servants, your Uruk-hai that took her away from me," he shouted at the Wizard. "I'm sick of this. He's not going to talk. Shoot him Legolas."
The Elven Prince smirked at the Ranger before nodding and reaching for an arrow from his quiver. Gandalf stopped him with an indignant no to the group. The members of the Fellowship all looked saddened that Legolas wasn't able to stick an arrow in him. Gandalf continued to plead with the Wizard, getting absolutely nowhere when Saruman shot a fireball from his staff at the other Wizard. The flames engulfed Gandalf but soon disappeared to reveal a still alive and healthy Gandalf and Shadowfax.
The group watched as Saruman's staff shattered in his hands. Gríma appeared behind the man, a forlorn look on his face before it turned fierce as he looked at Saruman as if he blamed the Wizard-well he's not a Wizard now-for everything bad that has happened to him. They watched as he took a dagger out from his robes and stabbed the Wizard in the back. Legolas let loose an arrow at Gríma, killing him instantly. They both from their tower. Gríma landed in the water dead while Saruman is impaled on a spike of a large wheel.
The Fellowship looked on impassively. They did not feel bad for either man. Saruman was responsible for one of their owns death and those of the people of Rohan. While Gríma simply made his bed which he now laid in.
While the rest of the group was thinking of what to do now, Pippin found himself looking down at the murky water. His eyes saw a glowing orb in the water and being the inquisitive Hobbit that he was, he jumped off Brego and grabbed onto the orb. No, the Palantir is what Saruman called it. He couldn't help but find himself fascinated with the object.
"Peregrin Took, I'll take that, my lad. Quickly now!" Gandalf's shouts broke him from the haze he had entered. He reluctantly moved and gave the Palantir to Gandalf before letting himself be lifted back in front of Aragorn.
The Hobbits farewelled their Ent friends, promising to return and that they hoped to see them all again. They were off to Edoras.
So I've been gone the whole week. Sorry? I just started more shifts at work so I don't have as much time as I use to lol. Anyways, I just realized as I was writing this that this story is going to be much longer than was my intention lol. 25 chapters was my max number and we're at chapter 21 with no end in sight lol. I know some of you really want a reunion to happen but that also may take some time so sorry again haha. I honestly am shocked at how long this story is? I did not think it would take me this long lol. What did you think of the Entwives thing? I know that it seems like Eleniel gets on with everyone and has so many friend everywhere but I felt like that with how long she has lived then she would be very proficient with charming others lol. Although I might put in some drama or not haha.
Anyways hope you enjoyed xx