୨⎯ Chapter 11⎯୧
"The White Wizard"

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"UGH, THATS DISGUSTING," I muttered, wrinkling my nose in repulsion as Gimli tasted the orc blood coating the hedge. The dwarf's actions never ceased to amaze me, and not always in a good way.

"These are strange tracks," Aragorn noted, crouching down to examine them closely.

Gimli grumbled in agreement, casting uneasy glances at the dense foliage surrounding us. "The air is so close in here."

Legolas, meanwhile, seemed lost in thought, his gaze drifting upwards to the towering canopy above. "This forest is old... very old. Full of memory... and anger," he murmured.

A low groaning sound echoed through the trees, causing me to instinctively clutch onto Legolas's arm. "The trees are speaking to each other," he observed.

As Legolas wandered off to investigate a suspicious sound, Aragorn approached me with a sense of urgency.

"What do you see?" he inquired in Elvish, his voice hushed with concern.

I scanned our surroundings, detecting a presence lurking nearby. Immediately I knew what it was. "The White Wizard approaches," I replied, my tone tinged with excitement.

Aragorn's hand instinctively went to his sword. "Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us," he cautioned.

We turned to face the blinding light that suddenly engulfed us. Weapons were raised and quickly rendered useless. As the figure emerged from the blinding radiance, revealing Gandalf, now transformed into the White Wizard, I tried to contain my excitement.

Gandalf recounted his epic battle with the Balrog and his return, concluding with, "I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide."

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Together, as we approached the gates of Edoras, Gandalf's cautionary words lingered in my mind, "Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here."

As we passed through the main gate, I couldn't help but notice the torn banner falling to the ground nearby. Gimli's comment about finding more cheer in a graveyard prompted me to quip, "Well, who needs cheer when you have the delightful ambiance of a graveyard, right? I hear it's the latest hotspot for social gatherings."

At the doors of the King's home, we were asked to surrender our weapons. When the guard approached me, I met his eyes with a serene expression. "I'm afraid I don't have any weapons to surrender," I explained calmly. "But rest assured, I mean no harm."

Inside the dimly lit hall, we faced Theoden, under the influence of Saruman, and his manipulative advisor Grima Wormtongue. Gandalf revealed himself as the White Wizard and broke Saruman's hold on Theoden.

The transformation of Theoden was awe-inspiring, life seemingly flowing back into him. As he recognized his niece Eowyn and Gandalf, I felt a surge of admiration for the resilience of the human spirit.

When Theoden moved to strike down Grima, I couldn't stand by and watch. Summoning my nature powers, I used nearby trees to restrain both Theoden and Grima. "No, my Lord!" I spoke firmly. "Let him go. Enough blood has been spilt on his account."

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Later, as we gathered in the hall for a meal, Eowyn and I found ourselves in conversation. Our chat turned to matters of the heart, with Eowyn's gaze occasionally drifting towards Aragorn.

"I know that look," I teased. "You fancy Aragorn."

Eowyn didn't deny it, admitting her admiration for him. She then turned the tables on me, inquiring about Legolas and me.

I couldn't resist the opportunity to jest, knowing Legolas would hear. "Oh, you know how it is," I replied with a smirk. "Just your typical arranged marriage between a Faerie and an elf. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Our lighthearted moment was interrupted by the arrival of two children from a village under attack. As we tended to them, the gravity of the situation became clear. Gandalf urged Theoden to take action against Saruman's forces, but the King was hesitant to risk open war.

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Later, a decision was made to evacuate to Helm's Deep, and I found myself agreeing with Aragorn's perspective on Theoden's choice. "He is right, Gimli," I added, "Theoden is acting in what he believes to be the best interest of his people. We must trust in his judgment, even when it seems difficult to do so."

Gandalf prepared to leave in search of Eomer and his riders, leaving us with a message of hope. As we watched him ride out, I couldn't help but inject a bit of levity into the moment. "We better pray to the Valar he succeeds," I muttered half-jokingly. "I do not feel like being part of the next tale of heroics. Besides, I've got too many adventures left to embark on to meet my end in some gloomy ravine."

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