Disclaimers: I do not own The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis do. Thanks goes to REMdream for beta reading my story. It is much appreciated.
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I know. This is the third time I've crossed The Lord of the Rings with The Chronicles of Narnia. The thing is I really wanted to write this as a trilogy, too, and now it's going to go in that direction. Enjoy. :)
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Gandalf huffed. With each step he took, he was ever closer to the council chamber, where the White Council would soon gather. It was a mild step here and there; his grey robes shifted against the smooth marble surface. He sighed with relief. At last, he made it to his destination. At last, he was here in the presence of the council.
The chamber itself drew upon the sunlight, casting about the mid-morning sky in its arrayed pureness. A dome curved upwards yards above his head with arched walls made from white stone and decorated with the statues of the Valar and the Maiar standing at the pillars around the room. Well, he was not Gandalf the Grey for nothing and yet, here he was standing in the midst of the golden-haired Celeborn and his wife, Lady Galadriel. The Blue Wizards, Radagast the Brown, Lord Elrond, and Saruman were also among the council.
The wizard shook his head. No, I am not late. He thought to himself. A wizard is always early. As I am. Or is he on time? He rested his hand on his hip, sighing. When did he come about that answer? Oh, I shall never know.
"Gandalf," Saruman said in his deep, commanding voice. He was the head wizard, his robes as white as snow; he could not be denied his commandments. "Sit down. Please." he spoke softly.
Gandalf righted himself. "Right then. Yes. I am here."
"You did not give us time to assemble," Elrond spoke in turn, his mood calm but a bit frustrated.
"Whatever it is, we must wait until Gandalf himself speaks of this most opportune moment," Celeborn addressed his son-in-law.
"Yes, my lord," Elrond apologized. "I did not know we were meeting at the earliest hour."
"I'm with you, Gandalf!" Radagast pointed out, his brown robes quaking with his decision.
"Ah!" Gandalf cried, pleased to see him, walking over to greet his friend. "How goes your travels?"
"Much I have seen, Gandalf. And heard," Radagast added in turn. He whispered, a little louder than planned, "I heard rumors of a second Narnian wardrobe, attached to Arda."
"What is this second wardrobe?" Saruman asked, deliberately for an answer. "Come, come. No need to be shy. Out with it, before we all lose our tongues."
Gandalf's attention diverted fast from Radagast to Saruman. Clearly, the wizard in white knew something was up. Gandalf did his best to explain, "It is a magical wardrobe, forged by someone named Diggory Kirke, in a time not our own and yet is."
"You're speaking in riddles, Gandalf," Galadriel said, her eyes boring into his.
"Right." Gandalf said, apologizing with his eyes. "I meant, we are now caught up in three timelines, each intersected and connected in ways I have yet to understand. It seems this is Eru's doing. We must take ourselves seriously and do research on this wardrobe. It is likely to turn up..."
"Where Gandalf?" Saruman asked calmly, although, it was obvious to Gandalf that he was confused. Yet, Saruman continued to ask, "Where is it bound?"
"I do not know. But when it turns up, it will be visible and available to those with the bravest, most pure hearts," Gandalf answered in a serious tone. "I do not think we need to find it. The wardrobe will find us."
Galadriel opened her mouth to speak, "Yes, I wonder if…"
"We haven't the time for this," Saruman interrupting the Lady of Light, and ending the meeting, stood up. "I must seek out Eru's council. This meeting is finished." He turned to Gandalf with sympathy. "Gandalf, now I wish you well, but please seek reason. You are asking for a quest you hardly understand. Now might be the best time to consider other matters, like finding out what those pesky hobbits are up to. Good day."
Gandalf was befuddled. Never in his life had Saruman denied him the chance for any sort of venture… all right, sure. Fine. There were times when Saruman went against his reasons. The hobbits had just formed the Shire. He didn't want to miss this opportunity, and yet he felt obligated to find out all he could from them. Maybe the second wardrobe had some answers. He did not know, but that was his best guess.
"Do you want me to keep an eye on the hobbits for you, until you've returned?" Radagast suggested with such grace and devotion.
Gandalf perked up with a warm smile, "There's no need for that, my friend. But in time, we may yet discover the wardrobe's whereabouts."
"Then I wish you luck, Mithrandir." Galadriel said with ease.
"As do I," Celeborn said, smiling and clutching Gandalf's shoulder. "May you find the answers you seek."
"Farewell my friends." Gandalf said, "Until we meet again." With that, he last looked at his friends. Would he see them again? Would the hobbits know what was coming? He surely hoped they did, or else they wouldn't know what was going on with the connection between Middle-earth and Narnia. He only hoped he wasn't too late to stop what was about spread towards their path and engulf it in its tracks. For now, he resorted to leaving the council chambers, which he did in due time.
The hobbits would need him and he them. But when would that come? Surely, Eru knew what was about to happen and yet, he would not say. Not yet at least. For now, this would do. For now, Gandalf's goal remained: find the wardrobe and see to its connection between the two worlds.
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Thanks for reading. :) More chapters are coming.