Lyrd of the Ryngs - Return of Good Architecture

[Grey_Wolf]

Faramir who had travelled with the funeral train to Rohan has asked Eowyn to marry him and she said yes.

"Thus is the friendship between the Bikers of the Mark and the Architects of Gondor bound with a new bond, and the more do i rejoice." said Eomer

When the feast was over, those who were to go took leave of General Eomer; Aragorn and his troopers, and the people of Lorien and of Rivendell, made ready drive off; but Faramir and Imrahil remained at Edoras; and Arwen remained also, and she said farewell to her brethren. None saw her last meeting with Elrond her father, for they went up to the hills and talked long together. And bitter was their parting that should endure beyond the ends of the world.

At the last before the guests set out Éomer and Éowyn came to Merry, and they said: "Farewell now, Meriadoc of the Shire and Holdwine of the Mark! Drive to good fortune, and come back soon to our welcome!"

And Éomer said: "Generals of old would have laden you with gifts that a truck could not bear for your deeds upon the fields of Mundburg; and yet you will take naught, you say, but the arms that were given to you. This I suffer, for indeed I have no gift that is worthy; but my sister begs you to receive this small thing, as a memorial of Dernhelm and of the horns of the Mark at the coming of the morning."

Then Éowyn gave to Merry an ancient loudhailer, small but cunningly wrought all of fair silver with a baldric of green; and wrights had engraven upon it swift horsemen riding in a line that wound about it from the tip to the mouth; and there were set runes of great virtue.
"This is an heirloom of our house," said Éowyn. "It was made by the Dwarves, and came from the hoard of Scatha the Worm. Eorl the Young brought it from the North. He that blows it at need shall set fear in the hearts of his enemies and joy in the hearts of his friends, and they shall hear him and come to him."

Then Merry took the device, for it could not be refused, and he kissed Éowyn's hand; and they embraced him, and so they parted for that time.

[Grey_Wolf]

Now the guests were ready, and they had drunk the one for the road and with great praise and friendship they got off, and came at length to Helm's Deep, and there they rested two days.

Then Legolas repaid his promise to Gimli and went with him to the Glittering Caves; and when he returned he was silent, and would say that Gimli alone could find fit words to speak of them.

"And never before has a Dwarf claimed victory over an Elf in a contest of words." he said."Now therefore let us go to Fangorn and set the score right!"

[Grey_Wolf]

From the Deeping-coomb they drove to Isengard, and saw how the ents have busied themselves.

All the stone-circle had been thrown down and removed, and the land within had been made into a garden with orchards and trees, and a stream ran through it; but in the midst of it all there was a lake of clear water, and out of it the Tower of Orthanc rose still, tall and impregnable, and it's black rock mirrored in the pool.

Outside the former stone-ring the great motorcade stopped and they observed two Jolly Green Giants standing guard by the entrance to the gardens. Nearby there was a great cornfield thru which another Jolly Green Giant approached. It was Treebeard.

[Grey_Wolf]

'Welcome to the Treegarth of Orthanc!' he said. 'I knew that you were coming. But you have not been idle either away in the south and the east, I hear; deeds, of which he seemed to have lull knowledge; and at last he stopped and looked long at Gandalf.

'Well, come now!' he said. 'You have proved mightiest, and all your labours have gone well. Where now would you be going? And why do you come here?'

'To see how your work goes, my friend.' said Gandalf.'And to thank you for your aid in all that has been achieved.'

[Grey_Wolf]

‘Hoom, that is fair enough’ said Treebeard.’ For to be sure Ents have played their part. And not only in dealing with that, hoom, that accursed tree-slayer that dwelt here. For there was a great inrush of those, burarum, those Heavy Metallers, evileyed-blackhanded-bowlegged-clawfingered-foulbellied-bloodthirsty, morimaitesincahonda, hoom, well, since you are hasty folk, and their full name is as long as years of torment, those vermin of Death Metal ORCers; and they came over the River and down from the North and all around the wood of Laurelindorenan, which they could not get into, thanks to the Great Ones who are here.’ He bowed to the Lord and the Lady of Lorien.

[Grey_Wolf]

"And these same foul creatures were more than surprised to meet us out on the Wold, for they had not heard of us before; though that might be said also of better folk. And not many will remember us, for not many escaped us alive, and the River had most of those. But it was well for you, for if they had not met us, then the king of the grassland would not have ridden far, and if he had there would have been no home to return to."
"We know it well," said Aragorn, "and never shall it be forgotten in Minas Tirith or in Edoras."
"Never is too long a word even for me," said Treebeard. "Not while your kingdoms last, you mean; but they will have to last long indeed to seem long to Ents."
"The New Age begins," said Gandalf, "and in this age it may well prove that the kingdoms of Men shall outlast you, Fangorn my friend. But now come tell me: what of the task that I set you? How is Saruman? Is he not weary of Orthanc yet? For I do not suppose that he will think you have improved the view from his windows."

Treebeard gave Gandalf a long look, a most cunning look, Merry thought. "Ah!" he said. "I thought you would come to that. Weary of Orthanc? Very weary at last; but not so weary of his tower as he was weary of my voice. Hoom! I gave him some long tales, or at least what might be thought long in your speech."
"Then why did he stay to listen? Did you go into Orthanc?" asked Gandalf.

'Hoom, no, not into Orthanc!" said Treebeard. "But he came to his window and listened, because he could not get news in any other way, and though he hated the news, he was greedy to have it; and I saw that he heard it all. But I added a great many things to the news that it was good for him to think of. He grew very weary. He always was hasty. That was his ruin."
"I observe, my good Fangorn," said Gandalf, "that with great care you say dwelt, was, grew. What about is? Is he dead?"
"No, not dead, so far as I know," said Treebeard. "But he is gone. Yes, he is gone seven days. I let him go. There was little left of him when he crawled out, and as for that worm-creature of his, he was like a pale shadow. Now do not tell me, Gandalf, that I promised to keep him safe; for I know it. But things have changed since then. And I kept him until he was safe, safe from doing any more harm. You should know that above all I hate the caging of live things, and I will not keep even such creatures as these caged beyond great need. A snake without fangs may crawl where he will."
"You may be right," said Gandalf; "but this snake had still one tooth left, I think. He had the poison of his voice, and I guess that he persuaded you, even you Treebeard, knowing the soft spot in your heart. Well, he is gone, and there is no more to be said. But the Tower of Orthanc now goes back to the King, to whom it belongs. Though maybe he will not need it."
"That will be seen later," said Aragorn. "But I will give to Ents all this valley to do with as they will, so long as they keep a watch upon Orthanc and see that none enter it without my leave."
"It is locked," said Treebeard. "I made Saruman lock it and give me the keys. Quickbeam has them."

[Grey_Wolf]

Quickbeam bowed like a tree bending in the wind and handed to Aragorn two great black rectangles with a whit hand, which hung in a aluminum ring. "Now I thank you once more," said Aragorn, "and I bid you farewell. May your forest grow again in peace. When this valley is filled there is room and to spare west of the mountains, where once you walked long ago."

Treebeard's face became sad. "Forests may grow," he said. "Woods may spread. But not Ents. There are no Entings."
"Yet maybe there is now more hope in your search," said Aragorn. "Lands will lie open to you eastward that have long been closed."

But Treebeard shook his head and said: "It is far to go. And there are too many Men there in these days. But I am forgetting my manners! Will you stay here and rest a while? And maybe there are some that would be pleased to pass through Fangorn Forest and so shorten their road home?" He looked at Celeborn and Galadriel.

But all save Legolas said that they must now take their leave and depart, either south or west. "Come, Gimli!" said Legolas. "Now by Fangorn's leave I will visit the deep places of the Entwood and see such trees as are nowhere else to be found in Middle-earth. You shall come with me and keep your word; and thus we will journey on together to our own lands in Mirkwood and beyond." To this Gimli agreed, though with no great delight, it seemed.
"Here then at last comes the ending of the Fellowship of the Ring," said Aragorn. "Yet I hope that ere long you will return to my land with the help that you promised."
"We will come, if our own lords allow it," said Gimli. "Well, farewell. my hobbits! You should come safe to your own homes now, and I shall not be kept awake for fear of your peril. We will send word when we may, and some of us may yet meet at times; but I fear that we shall not all be gathered together ever again."

Then Treebeard said farewell to each of them in turn, and he bowed three times slowly and with great reverence to Celeborn and Galadriel. "It is long, long since we met by stock or by stone, A vanimar, vanimálion nostari!' he said. "It is sad that we should meet only thus at the ending. For the world is changing: I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, and I smell it in the air. I do not think we shall meet again."

And Celeborn said: "I do not know, Eldest." But Galadriel said: "Not in Middle-earth, nor until the lands that lie under the wave are lifted up again. Then in the willow-meads of Tasarinan we may meet in the Spring. Farewell!"

[Grey_Wolf]

Last of all Merry and Pippin said good-bye to the old Ent, and he grew gayer as he looked at them. "Well, my merry folk," he said, "will you drink another draught with me before you go?"
"Indeed we will," they said, and he took them aside into the shade of one of the trees, and there they saw that a great stone jar had been set. And Treebeard filled three bowls, and they drank; and they saw his strange eyes looking at them over the rim of his bowl. "Take care take care!" he said. "For you have already grown since I saw you last." And they laughed and drained their bowls.
"Well, good-bye!" he said. "And don't forget that if you hear any news of the Entwives in your land, you will send word to me." Then he waved his great hands to all the company and went off into the trees.

[Grey_Wolf]

And the travellers drove on with with more speed. And they made their way towards the Gap of Rohan; and Aragorn took leave of them at last close to that very place where Pippin had looked into the Phone of Orthanc.

The Hobbits were grieved at this parting; for Aragorn had never failed them and he had been their guide through many perils.

"I wish we could have a Phone that we could see all our friends in," said Pippin, "and that we could speak to them from far away!"

"Only one now remains that you could use," answered Aragorn for you would not wish to see what the Phone of Minas Tirith would show you. But the PalantÃ*r of Orthanc the King will keep, to see what is passing in his realm, and what his servants are doing. For do not forget, Peregrin Took, that you are a knight of Gondor, and I do not release you from your service. You are going now on leave, but I may recall you. And remember, dear friends of the Shire, that my realm lies also in the North, and I shall come there one day."

[Grey_Wolf]

Then Aragorn took leave of Celeborn and Galadriel; and the Lady said to him: "Elfstone, through darkness you have come to your hope, and have now all your desire. Use well the days!"

But Celeborn said: "Kinsman, farewell! May your doom be other than mine, and your treasure remain with you to the end!"

With that they parted, and it was then the time of sunset; and when after a while they turned and looked back, they saw the King of the West sitting upon his green Kawasaki with his fellas around him; and the falling Sun shone upon them and made all their bodyarmour gleam like red gold, and the white jacket of Aragorn was turned to a flame. Then Aragorn took the green stone and held it up, and there came a green fire from his hand.

Soon the dwindling company, following the Isen, turned west and rode through the Gap into the waste lands beyond, and then they turned northwards, and passed over the borders of Dunland. The Dunlendings fled and hid themselves, for they were afraid of Elvish Folk, though few indeed ever came to their country; but the travellers did not heed them, for they were still a great company and were well provided with all that they needed; and they went on their way at their leisure, setting up their tents when they would.

[Grey_Wolf]

On the sixth day since their parting from the King they journeyed through a wood climbing down from the hills at the feet of the Misty Mountains that now marched on their right hand. As they came out again into the open country at sundown they overtook an old man leaning on a staff, and he was clothed in rags of grey or dirty white, and at his heels went another beggar, slouching and whining.
"Well Saruman!" said Gandalf. "Where are you going?"
"What is that to you?" he answered. "Will you still order my goings, and are you not content with my ruin?"
"You know the answers," said Gandalf: "no and no. But in any case the time of my labours now draws to an end. The King has taken on the burden. If you had waited at Orthanc, you would have seen him, and he would have shown you wisdom and mercy."
"Then all the more reason to have left sooner," said Saruman; "for I desire neither of him. Indeed if you wish for an answer to your first question, I am seeking a way out of his realm."
"Then once more you are going the wrong way," said Gandalf, "and I see no hope in your journey. But will you scorn our help? For we offer it to you."
"To me?" said Saruman. "Nay, pray do not smile at me! I prefer your frowns. And as for the Lady here, I do not trust her: she always hated me, and schemed for your part. I do not doubt that she has brought you this way to have the pleasure of gloating over my poverty. Had I been warned of your pursuit, I would have denied you the pleasure."
"Saruman," said Galadriel, "we have other errands and other cares that seem to us more urgent than hunting for you. Say rather that you are overtaken by good fortune; for now you have a last chance."
"If it be truly the last, I am glad," said Saruman; "for I shall be spared the trouble of refusing it again. All my hopes are ruined, but I would not share yours. If you have any."

For a moment his eyes kindled. "Go!" he said. "I did not spend long study on these matters for naught. You have doomed yourselves, and you know it. And it will afford me some comfort as I wander to think that you pulled down your own house when you destroyed mine. And now, what ship will bear you back across so wide a sea?" he mocked. "It will be a grey ship, and full of ghosts." He laughed, but his voice was cracked and hideous.
"Get up, you idiot!" he shouted to the other beggar, who had sat down on the ground; and he struck him with his staff. "Turn about! If these fine folk are going our way, then we will take another. Get on, or I'll give you no crust for your supper!"

The beggar turned and slouched past whimpering: "Poor old GrÃ*ma! Poor old GrÃ*ma! Always beaten and cursed. How I hate him! I wish I could leave him!"
"Then leave him!" said Gandalf.

But Wormtongue only shot a glance of his bleared eyes full of terror at Gandalf, and then shuffled quickly past behind Saruman. As the wretched pair passed by the company they came to the hobbits, and Saruman stopped and stared at them; but they looked at him with pity.
"So you have come to gloat too, have you, my urchins?" he said. "You don't care what a beggar lacks, do you? For you have all you want, food and fine clothes, and the best weed for your pipes. Oh yes, I know! I know where it comes from. You would not give a pipeful to a beggar, would you?"
"I would, if I had any," said Frodo.
"You can have what I have got left," said Merry, "if you will wait a moment." He got down and searched in the bag at his saddle. Then he handed to Saruman a leather pouch. "Take what there is," he said. "You are welcome to it; it came from the flotsam of Isengard."
"Mine, mine, yes and dearly bought!" cried Saruman, clutching at the pouch. "This is only a repayment in token; for you took more, I'll be bound. Still, a beggar must be grateful, if a thief returns him even a morsel of his own. Well, it will serve you right when you come home, if you find things less good in the Southfarthing than you would like. Long may your land be short of leaf!"
"Thank you!" said Merry. "In that case I will have my pouch back, which is not yours and has journeyed far with me. Wrap the weed in a rag of your own."
"One thief deserves another," said Saruman, and turned his back on Merry, and kicked Wormtongue, and went away towards the wood.
"Well, I like that!" said Pippin. "Thief indeed! What of our claim for waylaying, wounding, and orc-dragging us through Rohan?"
"Ah!" said Sam. "And bought he said. How, I wonder? And I didn't like the sound of what he said about the Southfarthing. It's time we got back."
"I'm sure it is," said Frodo. "But we can't go any quicker, if we are to see Bilbo. I am going to Rivendell first, whatever happens."
"Yes, I think you had better do that," said Gandalf. "But alas for Saruman! I fear nothing more can be made of him. He has withered altogether. All the same, I am not sure that Treebeard is right: I fancy he could do some mischief still in a small mean way."

[Grey_Wolf]

Next day they went on into northern Dunland, where no men now dwelt, though it was a green and pleasant country. September came in with golden days and silver nights, and they drove slowly along until they reached the Swanfleet river, and found the old ford, east of the falls where it went down suddenly into the lowlands. Far to the west in a haze lay the meres and eyots through which it wound its way to the Greyflood: there countless swans housed in a land of reeds.

[Grey_Wolf]

So they passed into Eregion, and at last a fair morning dawned, shimmering above gleaming mists; and looking from their camp on a low hill the travellers saw away in the east the Sun catching three peaks that thrust up into the sky through floating clouds: Caradhras, Celebdil, and Fanuidhol. They were near to the Gates of Moria.

Here now for seven days they tarried, for the time was at hand for another parting which they were loth to make.

Soon Celeborn and Galadriel and their folk would turn eastward, and so pass by the Redhorn Gate and down the Dimrill Stair to the Silverlode and to their own country. They had journeyed thus far by the west-ways, for they had much to speak of with Elrond and with Gandalf, and here they lingered still in converse with their friends. Often long after the hobbits were wrapped in sleep they would sit together under the stars, recalling the ages that were gone and all their joys and labours in the world, or holding council, concerning the days to come. If any wanderer had chanced to pass, little would he have seen or heard, and it would have seemed to him only that he saw grey figures, carved in stone, memorials of forgotten things now lost in unpeopled lands. For they did not move or speak with mouth, looking from mind to mind; and only their shining eyes stirred and kindled as their thoughts went to and fro.

[Grey_Wolf]

But at length all was said, and they parted again for a while, until it was time for the Three Rings to pass away. Quickly fading into the stones and the shadows the grey-cloaked people of Lórien drove towards the mountains; and those who were going to Rivendell sat on the hill and watched, until there came out of the gathering mist a flash; and then they saw no more. Frodo knew that Galadriel had held aloft her ring in token of farewell.

Sam turned away and sighed: "I wish I was going back to Lórien!"

[Grey_Wolf]

At last one evening they came over the high moors, suddenly as to travellers it always seemed, to the brink of the deep valley of Rivendell and saw far below the lights shining in The Last Homely Hospital. And they drove down the narrow road and across the bridge and came to the entrance of the ER and all the place was filled with light and merrymaking at Elrond's homecoming.

First of all, before they had eaten and showered or even hung up their jackets, the hobbits went in search of Bilbo. They found all alone in his little room. It was littered with print-outs and the computor (Bilbo having forgotten to set it on Energy Save) was on. And Bilbo was sitting in a chair beside the fireplace. He looked very old, but peaceful, and sleepy.

He opened his eyes and looked up as they came in.

"Hi there!" he said."So you've come back? And tomorrow's my birthday! How clever of you! I shall be one hundred and twenty-nine. And one year more, if I am spared, I shall equal the Old Took. I should like to beat him; but we shall see."

[Grey_Wolf]

After the celebration of Bilbo's birthday the four hobbits stayed in Rivendell for some days, and they sat much with their old friend, who spent most of his time now in his room, except at meals. For these he was still very punctual as a rule, and he seldom failed to wake up in time for them. Sitting round the fire they told him in turn all that they could remember of their journeys and adventures. At first he pretended to take some notes; but he often fell asleep; and when he woke he would say: "How splendid! How wonderful! But where were we?" Then they went on with the story from the point where he had begun to nod.

The only part that seemed really to rouse him and hold his attention was the account of the contract-signing and marriage of Aragorn. "I was invited to the wedding of course," he said. "And I have waited for it long enough. But somehow, when it came to it, I found I had so much to do here; and packing is such a bother."

[Grey_Wolf]

Two weeks later the time for departure had come. They left Bilbo to his printouts and typing of stories, and he again gave Frodo the mithril body armour, having forgotten that he had already done so.

On their borrowed quads they blazed to Bree and had a talk with Butterbur, who had some worrying news about the Shire being turned into a gated community.

And after this Gandalf said that it was time for him to go back his business and he left.

Thus they were back to just being the four of them.

[Grey_Wolf]

They travelled on through the night until they came to a huge gate in a brick wall. By its side was large shed bearing the legend Chief Sherriff House.

[Grey_Wolf]

They knocked on the door to the shed.
"All right, all right, who are u coming here disturbing the peace and such." shouted a hobbit, looking out from a window."The security guards will give you a hiding when they find out."

[Grey_Wolf]

"And for another matter, can't you read the sign, "ENTRY FOR AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. BREACH OF THIS WILL ENTAIL SEVERE PENALTIES".

"Well, if I saw the sign I would tear it down as the piece of crap it is. Since when did Hobbits of the Shire need persmission to enter their own land." Pippin replied.

At that moment a gang of blackklad hobbits exited the Shed and surrounded the four of them, pointing crossbows at them.

"If that's all you guys have to offer as weapons, I suggest you back off." said Merry and all four drew forth their M-16 assault rifles.

The gang of shirrifs blanched at the sight of four tough no-nonense hobbits in camouflage fatigues holding assault rifles.