Chap. 23 - Fangorn and Shadowfax

I fell asleep on the soldier's back, and woke up. My hands were bound again, and I had a gag tied around my mouth. I sat up, embarrassed that I had fallen asleep on his back. We rode in silence, and the sun was almost up. We past some rocks, and a voice sounded, "Riders of Rohan! What news from the mark!"

The rider in front raised his hand, and the riders turned around. 3 figures stood in the grass. The horses circled them, and stopped. Their spears were pointed at the mysterious travelers. The horse and rider I sat with stood in the very back, so I could not see the three horseless men.

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

An elf, a man, and a dwarf. I knew an elf, a man, and a dwarf! Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli!

I recognized Gimli's voice, "Your real name, horse master and I shall give you mine."

I almost laughed with happiness. They had found me!

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

"You would die before your stroke fell," Legolas said, and I pictured him raising his bow.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, this is Gimli son of Gloin, and Legolas of the woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden your King," Aragorn said.

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin," the leader said, "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed lordship over his 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 party of Uruk-Hai westward across the plain. They have taken three of our friends captive," Aragorn said.

"The Uruks are destroyed, we slaughtered them during the night," the leader said.

"But there were two hobbits. And a woman! Did you see two hobbits and a woman with them?" Gimli asked.

"There was a woman. She is with us. She may be a friend of yours. But the hobbits, we left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," the man said. The leader called a name, and the horses in front of us made a small path. The man I was sitting with walked forward, and stopped in front of my friends. "Dead?" Gimli asked.

"Is this her?" the leader asked, and looked at Gimli, "I am sorry."

Aragorn nodded, and seemed relieved, "Alex!"

He lifted me off of the horse. I hugged him, and looked up at the man. I wasn't able to tell them about the hobbits until my gag was untied. I looked at Aragorn's hands. He was holding my sword.

The man whistled, and two horses trotted forward, "Hasufel, Arod. May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell. Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It is forsaken in these lands." He looked at his riders, "We ride north!"

The riders galloped away, leaving us standing with a white horse, and a brown one. Legolas cut my binds, and Aragorn untied my gag. I stretched my jaw out, and muttered thank you. "The hobbits aren't dead! I made sure they ran into the forest. But an orc came after them. I tried to kill it, but I was captured by the riders."

Gimli's eyes lit up, "Let's not waste time standing here!"

Legolas and Gimli got onto the white horse, and Aragorn turned to me and handed me my sword. I sheathed it, and smiled. "I thought I lost you," I murmured, and he helped me get onto the brown horse. "And I found you," Aragorn eased the horse into a gallop, "I promised your mother I would protect you."

I sniffed, and smelled burning flesh. The carcass pile was on top of a hill, near the forest border. We slowed to a stop, and dismounted. I led them to the forest border, "Here. They went in here."

Aragorn led the brown horse towards the border, "Fangorn forest."

I looked into the forest. It was dark. "We'd best be off," Aragorn said, and walked into the forest's canopy. I followed, and looked around. After awhile, we came upon an orc. The orc was squashed, and his broken bones were jetting out of it's skin. Bugs buzzed around it. It was the same orc that I had tried to kill. The hobbits were alive!

"Those are strange tracks," Aragorn said, and looked at the ground. They were indeed strange tracks. I couldn't even distinguish toes or anything. We kept moving, and Legolas piped up, "This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory and anger."

Gimli picks up his axe, and the trees groan. "The trees are speaking to eachother," Legolas said.

I looked up at the trees. Talking trees. That's something you don't see everyday. "Gimli, lower your axe," Aragorn said, and kept walking.

"Oh," Gimli said.

"They have feelings my friend. The Elves began it. Waking up the trees, teaching them to speak," Legolas said, and looked around.

"Talking trees. What do trees have to talk about? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings?" Gimli asked. I laughed. We kept walking, and Legolas suddenly became alert.

"Aragorn, nad no ennas! (Something's out there)," Legolas said urgently.

"Man cenich? (What do you see?)," Aragorn quickly asked him.

"The White Wizard approaches," Legolas murmured.

"Do not let him speak, he will put a spell on us. We must be quick," Aragorn said, and drew his sword.

I looked around a tree, and sure enough, Legolas was right. I let go of an arrow, as did Legolas. Somehow, the arrows dodged him. Gimli yelled, and threw his axe, which was knocked aside. Aragorn's sword turns orange with heat, and he drops it. I shielded my eyes from the bright light.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young Hobbits," Saruman said.

"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded.

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

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Aragorn yelled. The bright light faded, and Gandalf stood smiling.

"It cannot be," Aragorn muttered.

"Forgive me!" Legolas said, and bowed. Gimli and I did the same. "I mistook you for Saruman."

"I am Saruman. Or rather, Saruman as he should have been."

"But you fell!" I said. Gandalf looked at me, "Through fire, and water. On the lowest dungeon, on the highest peak I fought him, the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me and I strayed out of thought and time. The stars field of end, and everyday was as long as a life age on the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done."

"Gandalf," Aragorn said.

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

"Gandalf," Gimli repeated.

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

We started to walk, and followed Gandalf, "One stage of your journey is over, another begins. War has come to Rohan, we must ride to Edoras with all speed."

"Edoras? That is no short distance!" Gimli said, surprised.

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

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured."

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor Hobbits here in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested -" Angry tree groans sound in the forest "- I mean, charming, quite charming forest," Gimli said sheepishly.

"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. A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days. The ents are going to wake up ... and find that they are strong. 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 said, and we emerged back into the plains.

I looked at Gimli, who seemed quite grumpy. Gandalf whistled two sharp tones, and a white horse galloped elegantly to us.

"That is one of the mearas unless my eyes are cheated by some spell," Legolas said in wonder. I looked at the beautiful horse. It stopped next to Gandalf.

"Shadowfax. He's the lord of all horses and has been my friend through many dangers," Gandalf said. He got up onto Shadowfax's back. "We ride to Edoras."

We mounted the horses, and galloped towards Edoras.