Chapter 3

Gandalf wasn't happy. At all. The unsettling feeling of unease and restlessness continued to slowly gnaw away at his piece of mind. He knew, deep down in his heart, that what had happened at Erebor months ago, was just the beginning. There was no denying it. The Dark Lord had returned and with him the forces of evil. He had been beaten at the battle of Dol Guldur but he certainly wasn't vanquished yet. Of this he was certain.

Still, what irritated him most was the difficulty he had found in imparting this news and convincing the others. It wasn't as if they hadn't witnessed with their own eyes the evil forces that Sauron could summon! It had taken hundreds of years for him to breed such an army at Gundabad! Right under their noses! They wouldn't have stood a chance if they hadn't joined forces against him. But even though Gundabad lies deserted now, it is most likely that he has sought refuge somewhere else. He's in hiding and lying low at the moment but he is most definitely not destroyed.

Oh true! Lady Galadriel had banished him from Dol Guldur, bringing him to his knees. Yet Gandalf knew that there was one thing that could really destroy the master of darkness. The one ring. But where was it? Saruman was convinced that it has been lost forever but he was not so sure…

My Lady Galadriel. The Lady of Light. Gandalf smiled to himself whenever he pictured the lovely Lady of Lorien in his mind. Despite the fact that she has made significant progress, she was still recovering from what she had gone through at Dol Guldur. For, although immensely powerful, it did not mean that she was invincible. Her energy had been drained by the end of the battle and this in itself showed the power that Sauron had regained unaware to them all.

They needed to take action, and not just be on their guard. But he knew far too well the nature of elves. They were calculating and deadly in battle but, by the moon and stars, it took them a long time to act. This was probably due to their immortality. His long time friend Elrond was a great warrior in battle yet, as a powerful healer, he also tended to be tranquil and avoid getting involved as much as possible. This irritated Gandalf at times for even though Imladris was farther to the west, it didn't mean that it was at all safe from the forces of darkness.

Then there were Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. His inner thoughts were an open book to the Lady of Light. Here at Lorien they have had many a long walk together in its beautiful gardens, all the time discussing what had happened at Dol Guldur and immediately afterwards. He was always fascinated by what she had to say. They both had come to the conclusion that Sauron wasn't an imminent peril yet the danger remained and Gandalf knew it wouldn't be long before groups of orcs started regaining strength and attacking once again.

"One must also not forget the nine wraiths," he reminded the Lady, although he was sure that Galadriel didn't need any 'reminding' of what she had seen. But he didn't want to put pressure on her more than was necessary. Not for the time being.

This left him with the Elvenking Thranduil. Letting out a long deep sigh, Gandalf sat slowly on a bench in one of the beautiful gardens of Lorien. Putting his pipe into his mouth, he stared thoughtfully ahead of him. Well, he couldn't quite grasp this elvish lord completely yet. Before the battle of the five armies he would have dismissed him as proud and arrogant. Of course he had all the reason to be, being both an admirable warrior and the King of Mirkwood. Age and experience had made him wise and very protective towards his people yet this had also made him secluded and cut off from what was happening outside his kingdom.

At first the wizard's attempts at making him see this were met by disdain and sarcasm, yet Gandalf realised that, by the end of the battle, Thranduil had changed somehow. Well, arrogant he remained still, yet now he was visibly more open to discussions as to what must be done to counter attack the evil forces, not just in his own realm.

As Gandalf sat there, quietly brooding on all of this, he couldn't help but notice the beauty of the nature around him. The lush and abundant greenery of Lothlorien was a magnificent sight to behold at this time of year. The colours of the leaves on the trees were so brilliant and vibrant, reflecting the variety of flowers that adorned the paths all around. Almost as if sensing the wizard's close affinity towards nature, a butterfly came slowly to rest on his staff. Gandalf gingerly protected it with one hand and, as soon as it stepped on his finger, he slowly moved closer to it before it flapped its wings and flew away over some flower.

Soft steps coming their way had disturbed its private conversation with the wizard. Gandalf looked up to see who was approaching and smiled. "Have you been sent to look for me, my lady? Do not worry. I knew it was time for the council to begin, and I wasn't going to miss it!"

Tauriel smiled, "I have no doubts about that Master Gandalf. I have been present to some councils now and I am certain that it is not quite the same without you! You have a particular way how to make it…how shall I put it… interesting?"

Then her expression became more serious. "But we had better hurry now because I am afraid that it has already started."

Gandalf stood up, put away his pipe and waited for Tauriel to lead the way up flights of stairs and long corridors to the council room. At long last she stopped in front of a great wooden door carved in beautiful designs of trees and foliage. As she opened the doors for him to walk through she whispered a barely audible "Good fortune!" as he passed by her to step inside. He nodded and thanked her before she closed the door silently behind him.

The room he was in was enormous. The high arched glass doors all around the chamber led to a balcony which overlooked the breathtaking city of Caras Galadhon. In the centre of the room there was a great oak table around which the most powerful elves in Middle-earth were sitting discussing the events that had been going on recently.

No sooner had he stepped inside then Lady Galadriel turned her face slowly in his direction. "We were waiting for you Mithrandir," came the voice in his head. The corners of her mouth were turned slightly up, a hint of amusement reflected in her eyes. He moved forward to find his place at the table. Since Saruman the White had sent word that he was unable to attend this meeting, it had been up to Gandalf the Grey to take his place and represent the great Order of the Wizards.

Gandalf promptly excused himself for being late, to which King Thranduil merely smirked and raised an eyebrow. He was annoyed at being interrupted, especially by this particular wizard who tended to come up with the most incredible stories and outrageous demands. But what really bothered the Elvenking was that through experience he had learned that most of the time the Grey Wizard was right in his at first incredulous assumptions and forewarnings of impending doom.

"No, I don't believe that Imladris is in any imminent danger at the moment," continued Thranduil, turning his attention once again back to Lord Elrond, "its location being further away to the west. But, I'm afraid that the same cannot be said of my kingdom after what we have seen unfolding before our eyes these years, culminating in the great battle just a few months ago."

"The enemy was vanquished," he resumed, slowly looking at them one by one, "yet my heart is not at peace. I fear for the safety of my people and it is for this very reason that I cannot step aside anymore. We shall no longer stay enclosed within our walls. If the enemy grows too great and strong, this could be our downfall. We are preparing ourselves for what may come…we shall fight until our last if it is the only way to protect our kingdom."

They all knew that it pained him to talk like that. It went against all he had stood for until now. His father, along with a great number of his people, had died in war and this had made the Elvenking enclose himself and his people inside his kingdom. Still, this had never been enough to protect the ones he loved from the evil that lurked outside. Thranduil let his thoughts stray for a brief moment to a lovely face with blue grey eyes and a smile that had the power to make his heart leap with joy. It was a fleeting moment of happiness which went away as quickly as it had come, leaving in its place an immense void deep within his heart.

Lord Elrond looked gravely at him. "I agree with what you are saying my friend and, as you very well know, our people will be with you when the need shall arise."

"And those words are true for Caras Galadhon as well." It was Lord Celeborn who spoke now, his tone grave and resilient. "We will stand together against this evil that threatens our peace."

"What is on your mind, Mithrandir?" Gandalf looked up and saw Lady Galadriel looking at him, her eyes full of concern. "My Lady," he said out loud, never taking his eyes off hers, "The Dark Lord has been banished to the south yet I fear he is so powerful that his allies are gathering forces, even now at this very moment we speak. It is essential for all to be prepared and if I may add, pay attention to every sign, as small as it may seem, which could show us if something is amiss."

To these words everybody agreed and it seemed as if the meeting was coming to an end. "So tell us, Gandalf, what are your plans now?" grinned Elrond.

"Oh! I'm afraid I also have some urgent business which I have to attend to, my lord Elrond," replied the wizard in his usual mysterious manner of one who's hiding something up his sleeve. "Yet before that, my intention is to pay a visit to my friend Bard back in Dale and see how things are going on with the rebuilding of the city."

Barely had he finished the sentence then King Thranduil spoke. "In that case, you shall travel back through Mirkwood with me and we will provide you with guards to escort you to the city," he announced while standing up from the table.

Elrond half smiled as he stood up as well. Gandalf pursed his lips. Thranduil's manner baffled him at times. He couldn't help but wonder whether the Elvenking's words had been an offer as a sign of friendship or a downright order which should not be discussed.