Burárum are stirring in the West!

[alvelon]

Alvelon awoke slowly, his deep slumber constantly interrupted by nightmares. No, they were visions. He saw orcs, thousands of them, led by dark figures. Armies combined to make a terrible force. But it did not wake him, it only angered him. He stretched and sat up straight, looking forward. His eyes took a moment to get used to the bright morning light. He looked around and his grove, a mere piece of forest, blessed by himself and protected by himself lay quiet. Outside of it he could hear birds whistle. The morning was quiet, but the storm was coming.

"Golvalon bless this morning."

He stood up and slided his naked body into his brown and green outfit. He put his belt on and as a part of his daily ritual he grabbed his sword and as soon as he noticed he grabbed his sword he put it under his belt. He curses to himself and the orcs, for giving him this need for securing himself and his safety. Then he started talking, but to no-one. Maybe he is talking to himself, maybe to the forest.

"I didn't touch my sword for ages, until these burárum, these morimaite-sincahond came."

In his anger he turned to the Entish language again. He loved it; he was used to have long conversations with Ents in their own language. He once had a conversation with Treebeard, the most ancient of its kind, which lasted years upon years. He smiled at the thought of it. He looked at the plate next to the leaf bed in which he was sleeping and took a swig of the water on it. He sighed happily and chose a rather juicy looking fruit and walked towards the west borders of his domain, his grove.

The walk was long, but he enjoyed the vapours of the morning in the woods. The dew cooling his bare feet, the early birds making the forest into a festivity. That thought soon faded as he got to the west borders. Five orcs were there, not alive no, dead. Their chests have been ripped apart by feral claws and now they hung entangled in vines, bleeding. He made a hand gesture and the vines let the orcs go and the vines crawled up. Alvelon walked up to them and looked down on them with disgust. He had to do something or the forest was doomed. And with that, him as well. He strode away quickly, towards the border of Fangorn were it combined with the fields of Rohan to make a great view of anyone with good eyes and plenty of distance.

[Lady Arwen]

Making the journey from Rivendell to Gondor was a long one. I had only a few aides with me, to care for the things I was carrying and me, though I felt I need no protections. There was too much pain in the world as it was, though mostly of my own choice. I had refused to make the voyage to the West, and therefore was doomed to live a mortal life. I would not die but would merely fade away, into nothingness, as my purpose for existance would fade.

All of this I thought as I traveled, for I had to pass through the Gap of Rohan to get to Gondor. I was moving with haste, because Aragorn needed me and the support of his people, and the banner of Rohan, for which he fought. Already I could tell he was weary with battle, day after day after day his life dealt with killing and protecting, and there was only so much that he could physically take. I knew he was near the end of that limit. I could feel it in my heart, as my heart felt like it was breaking.

As I passed into the land of the Fangorn, I paused, giving my horse a time to rest. There had been hard riding the day before, through the land of Saruman and his Orcs, and now, at the entrance to the sacred forest, I wished to give rest and thanks to the spirits within.

After a while, as the day broke, I noticed a man coming into my vision. He was dressed so neatly that had I not been an Elf I would not have seen him, as he blended into the trees. I mounted my ride, as my aides slept, and crossed the distance into the trees.

[alvelon]

And there was the border. He stood before it and looked over the lands of Rohan. He had almost never left his grove, and mostly for visits, not because the need arose itself. And leaving Fangorn was even harder. But, it was not like he was leaving Fangorn. He and Fangorn went on a journey together.

When those thoughts past his mind he saw a rider coming towards him. It was a woman and if he was saw it well it was a slender Elven woman. He pointed forward and a hawk appeared from the darkness of the woods and with a squawk it flew forward, crossing the distance between the hawk and the Elven woman quickly and returned with the same speed. It landed on Alvelon's shoulder, digging his claws in the flesh and Alvelon nodded contently. It was the great Elven noble known as Arwen. He wondered why she would come here. Was she visiting him, asking for his help, his advice or was she merely passing by. As soon as the thought left his mind the horse and therefore his rider was in speaking distance. Alvelon noticed his mind and actions were slowing, making him more of an Ent every day. He bowed short and looked straight into Arwens eyes.

"Why do you pleasure me with your arrival, milady?"

[Lady Arwen]

"Greetings, I am Lady Arwen, of Rivendell," I called. "I am traveling into Gondor to bring the banner of the king to the people, to give them strength while they battle to destroy the ring."

I had come close enough to the edge of the forest to dismount, and I did so, gathering the rein in my grasp so I could walk my horse into the dark trees. I kneeled at the tree line, offering a silent prayer to the trees that they protect me as I travel amoung them, because I needed to pass safely and quickly. I looked up from where I was kneeled, up at the man in the forest, who blended so naturally with the branches.

"I have also come to ask the forest for protection as I pass," I added. "These are dangerous times, filled with terror and hate that need not be. And who, sir, might you be?"

[alvelon]

Alvelon watched quietly and with a pleasant smile on his face as Arwen introduced herself. His smile grew bigger as he saw her offering a silent prayer to Fangorn. Then he slowly began to speak, with a loud, melodical voice.

"I already knew who you were, Lady of Rivendell. But I am surprised even the Elves forgot my name. The Humans never knew me, save a few. The Dwarves knew me, but had other bussiness to attend to. Of all the creations on Middle-Earth the Elves have always been my friends, my companions."

The hawk let go off his shoulders and with a squawk in disappeared between the dark trees of Fangorn. Alvelons head turned to view his flight, but it quickly returned to his original position to look straight into the eyes of his guest. His smile faded.

"My name is Alvelon, Maiar bound to this particular forest. This forest is me and I am this forest. Nothing passes through this forest without me knowing what it is and why it is here."

Alvelon then made his way towards Arwen, the short distance between them being covered in a few large steps. He softly touched her forehead with the tops of his fingers from his right hand. Then he removed his hand and looked at her.

"I know you have a just cause. Your help is greatly needed in Gondor. The small jewelry has unlocked a series of unfortunate events. You have the favor of the forest, you may pass. Do not kill what you don't have to. Do not destroy what has no need to be destroyed. Maybe......." He looks studious towards you and continues. "Maybe you could accept this offer. You need a guide in here, and I need a guide for the outside world. I will travel with you through this forest, making sure you and your companions will not be harmed. You, on the other hand, can give me information about the outside world. What is happening right now. I know we are on the brink of war. But what are we fighting for, if this ring is to be destroyed? Is it not better to toss the ring into the mountain it was made, then to defend ourselves? Or is this plan already being brought to an end?"

[Lady Arwen]

I waited patiently fo him to finish his long speech, and I could tell that he had spent much time with the Ents. It all made sense to me now, and I recognized him for his namesake. As he let go of my head, I rose and bowed my head.

"Thank you, great Alvelon. I have heard of you and my people have heard of you, but we have not seen depictions of you, therefore I did not know you by sight alone."

I nodded slowly, and raised my face to look into his eyes. There was the old wisdom there, the very wisdom my grandmother had whenever she looked at me with affection. His knowledge of the world was not up to date, but I knew that the trees must have told him what they could see and hear. The war.... the war was such a terrible thing for the land, and for the people. Death was natural, but war was inhumane. Aragorn knew that....Aragorn...

My mind snapped back to the reality and I smiled at Alvelon. "Yes, I will tell you all about the war. Much has happened, so much that is dark and terrible. If you would care to dine with me this morrow, I would be glad to divulge all the information you request. My guards are not even awake yet, so I could not leave without them."

[alvelon]

(Forgive me for the long wait, Hannah. I'll make it up to you.....just say the word)

Alvelon looked at her with anticipation as she began to speak about the war. The war was greatly unknown to him. He knew Sauron was the cause of all of this, he always was. He also knew that the hand of evil stretched outwards to Rohan and reached it, bringing vile thought and actions to even the great wizard Saruman, one of the Maiar. And now there would be someone to tell him of the War, finally. He bowed his head in respect to her and smiled.

"No need to bow to me, Lady. You might be far more important then me in this raging War. But for now, I accept your offer, I would gladly dine with you. Let us do this outside of the forest, to enjoy the sun for now and keep an eye on your guards."

He looked over at her aides who were sleeping more peacefully then even he could in those days. Guards weren't meant to be sleeping while escorting an important person. But still, they couldn't be awake during the entire trip. He looked over at the lands of Rohan, they had changed somehow, since the last time he saw them. He recalled the event, four years ago perhaps. Everything seemed peacefull then, in contradiction to now. The land was already tainted and it would took decades to be cleansed. If it had the chance that is. The worried look on his face quickly faded into a smile, just to comfort his guest.

"Did you bring your own goods, Lady? The fruits that these forests bear are available for you if you wish to."

Not really knowing how common folks eat these days he just sits down on the grass, laying his curved sword next to him. The Falchion shone in the morning light like it was never touched throughout the ages.

[Lady Arwen]

"I did not bring anything to sup on," I told him as I followed him down into the grass. My skirts pleated out around me as I sat, and the warmth from the sun suddenly felt so wonderful against my skin. It had been so long since I had taken the time to actually enjoy the world around me that I had quite forgotten the experience. My lungs filled with the sweet air and I closed my eyes, letting the sun wrap its arms around me.

Momentarily I opened my eyes and focused on the Elf next to me, who was eyeing my guards. There was a feeling of suspicion coming from him, as if my guards were wrong in taking a much needed rest. Perhaps I had not explained our situation fully to him, or in a manner that was condusive to our situation. I thought to our journey, the long ride that we had endured coming from Rivendell to this point, and how I had suffered a whole year in agony waiting for this moment to come. The war was nearly over, but yet, it had also just begun. The battle for good was constant, and the stuggle that evil put up in resistance was just as fervolous.

"I can arouse my guards if you would like some lambas," I told him gently. "We did not pack much in the way of food stuffs, but what we have is yours."

[alvelon]

"No no, there is no need for that. Come to think about it, I'm not particularly hungry this morning. Almost everything tastes vile during this time of war, but I couldn't decline such an invitation, for I still know that that is considered an insult. But if you aren't hungry yourselves, would you then like to join me on a walk? Inside or outside of Fangorn, that will completely be your choice."

Not really waiting on the answer he stands up and smiles at her. He waits if she would like to walk with him, and if so, he helps her up.

"Now, we have more important things to talk about then what we will eat or drink. There is a war out there, and I know who's fault it is. But the important parts of this war I do not know. What do your fair people do in this war, Lady Arwen? Are the dwarfs helping or is it totally up to the humans? If so, they will surely fall."

(Done! Finally! Whoopee! I'm so delighted! And not to mention sorry, for the long delay and the relatively short post. Will not happen again, madam.)

[Lady Arwen]

I rose, glad that I neededn't have to worry about food or preparations of such a cumbersome task. At hand, there was quite a great deal to talk about, and such news upset my stomach anyway. I knew that Elves were not the type to concern themselves with creatures other than themselves, according to Aragorn, at least, that is what he had heard from others. He had told me that I was different from other Elves, that my compassion for all living creatures and my desire to give them the best possible answer had set me aside from the others who had come before me. But then again, I supposed that I had the classic Elf complex, where I gave the negative as well as the positive.

"What do your fair people do in this war, Lady Arwen? Are the dwarfs helping or is it totally up to the humans? If so, they will surely fall."

"So you desire news of the war? The Elves of Mirkwood have offered one of their own to join the Fellowship, Legolas son of Thranduil. The dwarves also have sent Gimli son of Glóin, and have been supporting the Fellowship since the forging of the Blade. There are Hobbits as well... the Ringbearer is a hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins, nephew of Bilbo Baggins. The humans are not alone in this; this fight is for Middle Earth, so all of her inhabitants are fighting for her."

[alvelon]

Like a jigsaw puzzle the pieces of his mind fell into the right places. The races of Middle-Earth finally united, now to face a common threat. To think that whole races needed a disaster to think better of each other, to see past their differences and unite. And even now, it was probably for the time being. But even the Halflings, who he had never seen in his life, were helping in this war. He heard they were a resilient race, but never has he encountered one, nor heard tales of them ever being around here. But then again, there was still much he didn't know. The name Baggins rang a bell however, but he was uncertain which bell it was. But still, there were much questions unanswered. He looked at her with a hint of optimism in his voice.

"Legolas has been sent? That is wonderful, the Elves of Mirkwood finally understand the importance and sent the prince. Of Gimli, however, I have never heard. Glóin though, was one of the Dwarven kind who deserves a place between the stars. Hope still exists. But there are some things that confuse me.....how many Hobbits or Halflings are there in this 'Fellowship'? And the Blade? Has the Blade really been reforged? Who is carrying this? And does the Fellowship only involve a few Halflings, one Elf and one Dwarf?"

[Lady Arwen]

Talks of war had always been boring to me, but for the sake of my brothers and my father I had endured them. Myr mother, had she not faded, would have continued with the lovely things that she had been teaching me, mostly the songs and harp, but so long ago and yet only yesterday did it seem now that her mother had died. Of course, her manner of death had sparked my brother's keen interest in war, and so not wanting to be left behind I had naturally joined them in talks of war and battle, though I much preferred the light and strength of stars and song. But back to the matter at hand, the questions that never seemed to cease from Alvelon's mind, which did not bother me so much, as my mind was like his mind.

"There are four Halflings that travel with the Fellowship; as guides and allies also travel one elf, one dwarf, one man, one Ranger, and Gandalf the Grey, before he fell into Shadow and became Gandalf the White." I paused, thinking of the Ranger, Strider, but the man behind the Ranger, Aragorn. My heart froze in my chest, then began to beat again.

"The Blade known as Narsil has indeed been reforged by Rivendell elves, and is now known as Andúril. Elessar, also known as Estel and Aragorn, bears this blade."

[screwda]

Screwda ran over the plains once again. Within time these plains would become familiar to him. His homeland was already mostly erased from his mind. But the events from the last few months where of the kind none would ever forget.

Screwda had traveled far. From Mordor, crossing Rohan, he journeyed to Mirkwood. From there he took Chatadras to the elven homestead of Rivendell. There he met Arwen, Gandalf and even Elrond, master of Rivendell.

Screwda stayed here a few days but he didn't feel safe within the city walls of Rivendell. The elves feared him and he feared them. It was obvious that he owed his life to the white wizard who told the elves to not harm Screwda. The elves, loyal as they where and are, obeyed this command. Screwda stayed there a few days but he barely saw Arwen, the only elf there that seemed to trust him.

One day, Screwda heard that Arwen left Rivendell to travel to Gondor to aid Aragorn in the battle against Mordor. At least that was what Screwda had picked up. He didn't know what of this he could believe and what he couldn't. Anyway, a few days after Arwen left Rivendell, Screwda escaped.

Escaping wasn't easy and far from unseen but the troll managed to climb over the frontal wall and tumbled over. From then he traveled the fast he could and he followed Arwen, at least he hoped he did.

Now he was running over the endless plains of Rohan. He hadn't seen any tracks of Arwen's party for a few days. And with every day Screwda grow more frustrated, which caused him to travel even faster. He ran to a high spot and took a little pause to peer around. Screwda saw a forest in the far, a hawk which was scared by his presence and a few lonely buildings in the south. Screwda signed.

"Just move on, I'll find da nice elf."

A breeze put up as if the wind answered him and Srewda continued his journey in the direction of the forest.

[Lady Arwen]

I had been walking into the forest with Alvelon, when I heard a hawk scream from the north. I turned to look at it, and saw it flying far from the crest of a hill, to which my eyes traveled. There was a creature running down the slopes, toward the forest. Had I known less I would have despaired and called for my guards to take up their bows and aim straight and true, but as I gazed out I saw the familiar form of the troll who had been in the caves near Rivendell for months.

"Alvelon," I said quietly, reaching out to his arm but stopping short of actually touching him. My feet stopped moving and I stood still. "We are followed by a cave troll that has learned peace in its heart. It has stayed many nights in Rivendell, and asked for the aid of the elves to give it sanctuary. It would seem that it has left the protection of Rivendell to brave the outside world, though how it stays in the sunlight I do not know."

I turned back to look at Alvelon, and saw behind him the darkness of the trees, the stillness withing suffocating like a sweltering day out riding. I heard the voices speaking to one another, in whispers such as used in times of fear or sorrow. Most of the words I could not understand, as they were spoken in the language of the trees, but a few words, those that were Elvish, I could determine. There was talk of light coming into the darkness, something about a feeling of joy that had not been felt in many an age. I knew of Treebeard, Fangorn, who wandered those woods, though from the rumors emitted from my passing of Isengard. Fangrorn had passed out of the forests and into the river, bent on vengeance for the destruction of his kind. In my heart I felt for these trees, as they were older than even my father, and they could not leave these lands as we had the opportunity to do. I had already made the decision to stay in these lands for love, a choice that they probably envied me for.

[alvelon]

As the hawk fled, Alvelon reacted like he had seen through the eyes of the hawk itself. Just before Arwen spoke, Alvelon rose up to his full height and a green fire seemed to burn in his eyes. His muscles tensed and his eyes looked at the troll intensely. Then Arwen began to speak words that got through to him, but not entirely. His gaze did not go away from Screwda, but his words were directed at Arwen.

"What kind of an absurd world do we live in. Since when are one of those damned beasts allowed in the fair house of Elrond. They deserve no sanctuary, they deserve no pity. They might be nothing but pawns in a great game, but they are pawns nonetheless."

The curved sword he treasured was now firmly in his left hand and in the sunlight it shone like a thousand suns. Slowly Alvelons muscles loosened up and it was as if the sword didn't shine so fiercely anymore. Even the forest seemed slightly less dark and threatening. He loosened the grip on his sword, but still looked over at the troll.

"But if even the fair Arwen and her father, the wise Elrond can have trust in him, so can I. I give him one chance, and that is far more then I have given any other beast of the Dark Lord. One chance is all he gets..........."

The fire in his eyes died down and looked at Arwen for a second again, before looking over at the running troll. Instead of the fire there was no a sign of abscence in his eyes. He was talking more to himself then to Arwen and he seemed to recall facts he knew, but forgot.

"And even in these dark times there are spots of light. The Blade has been reforged and that is a mayor boon for us. And Gandalf is part of the Fellowship as well, there might be a slight hope. Gandalf is one with more knowledge then me and maybe even more power. He is a traveler at heart and so posseses the knowledge of the whole world, while my knowledge is limited to the forests back to the ages of old."

[screwda]

Screwda ran further and further, he nearly stumbled over a loose rock but he didn't slow down. He knew that it was far too important to reach Arwen as soon as possible. So he ran on and on until he stopped at the edge of the forest to search for the tracks he was following. He halted at a small hill and looked around. Just like the last two day he couldn't spot any signs of someone who recently passed by. Screwda looked nervously around. He knew that if he didn't find any tracks by now he had to return to Rivendell and would probably get killed by the local people who didn't like to be in the company of a Troll.

Screwda turned around and he hopeless tried to catch the sound of traveling. He focused on his natural instinct and located two small preys quite nearby. He looked toward the forest and heard soft breathing. A hawk landed in a tree in front of him like he told Screwda that he was not allowed to enter the forest. Screwda hated forests and mostly the Mirkwood forest with it's blocking branches and far too less space for a troll. He wished he'd never to return there since that forest seemed to hate him as well. Screwda slowly and carefully approached the forest. The breathing was strange. One was nervous, the other calm. As soon as Screwda passed the border of trees the hawk disappeared in the woods. Then he saw two figures standing, whom which one he recognized.

"Arwé! Luckaly me found you!"

Then Screwda noticed the frightening appearance of the guy next to her, recognizing him as a natural predator.

[Lady Arwen]

Arwen could only be concerned. It was rare, rarest, for a troll of all creatures to ally itself with the forces of good. She did not know Alvelon but she knew that he trusted the trees and creatures within, something she too was taught to trust in. While they bespoke of treachery and filth coming towards them her heart told her otherwise, and it was good of Alvelon to trust in the judgement of her father and herself. At Rivendell he had been most courteous and humble, trying his best not to get shot. Now he had followed her, something she had not wished for, merely because it would cause a great delay in her travels to Gondor. She should have left already, and the sun was growing hot. The few servants she bore with her had packed the horses and were on their way towards her, knowing that she wished them to leave. Now... now things were complicated.

"He is a traveler at heart and so posseses the knowledge of the whole world, while my knowledge is limited to the forests back to the ages of old."

"There is light in most things, oh wise one, it is simply a matter of watching them long enough to see such light break through. The Fellowship is lucky to have such a companion, for he is wisened in the world. You too possess such knowledge, but from a different point of view. Gandalf deals with the people, you deal with the creatures. That is a wisdom I can only dream of possessing."

At this point Screwda broke into a run, nearly falling, scaring her servants to flee before him and out of his path. He slowed as he neared them, and spoke in his loud, booming voice. She could not gauge the reaction from the sage beside her, but she knew that she was surprised to see him. Whether this was reflected in her face she knew not, though more than likely only her eyes spoke of such emotions. Her face was calm and steady, a trait that had only help earn her the title of Evenstar.

"Arwé! Luckaly me found you!"

She sighed softly before she spoke, "What could have caused you to run so far to find me, Screwda?"

[alvelon]

Alvelon was somewhat surprised by this whole scene, but nothing showed his concern. His body stood silent and his eyes looked like mirrors without any emotions in them. The 'guards' of Arwen finally seemed to be awake and they now moved quickly over to Arwen and himself. Behind them the Troll quickly ran towards Arwen, making the 'guards' jump aside. He dismissed the thought of striking the Troll down right away and instead listened to what Arwen had to say. She seemed to be comforting him, praising his wisdom.

"I know my own strengths and weaknesses, dear Lady, there is no need to remind me of any of them. It is thoughtfull of you, but still....."

Then he quickly looked over to the Troll who screamed the name Arwé. And again Alvelon had to restrain himself, because of the way he addressed the Lady Arwen. She, however, seemed to have no problem with this so he just stood there and listened, observing.

[screwda]

Screwda was surely very big but his frightened expression made him looks like a caught animal. He felt the density of the forest as a heavy weight on his back. There was almostno room to move. And with his big appearance, he was ignored by the two figures in front of him. The lady, she was kind of nervous but she spoke kindly to the man. The man however was calm, too calm. He was obviously not afraidf Screwda, an experiencehe never had before. This man didn't even point his attention toward Screwda. He just spoke to the lady who Screwda recognized as Arwé.

"What could have caused you to run so far to find me, Screwda?"

Finally, the attention of the elf had turned over to the hulking Troll. Screwda sighed and tried to catch his breath. He discovered pain allover his body, mostly at his feet.

"Me is... nearly finished by tha Rivendelves. They said me is monster and bowed at me with arrows. I fled as I wanted my smachback on the orcs. Grrrr, me smacks orcs and no want to wait."

Screwda looked at Avalon, who seemed to be in perfect harmony with the forest of Fangorn. His appearance felt like he was a perfect hidden predator which you notice but which you don't see. Screwda knew that one misstep would cost him his life.

"Whos forestman there. He feels like predator to Screwda. Man be danger like black-cloak human on flying and screeching bat-beast?

[Lady Arwen]

Eyes closed and stayed shut for a few moments, trying to think of what he said. His words were not clear to her, as they were a rough speech formed by a rough tongue. Arwen couldn't hold this against the troll, for he was trying, but nevertheless it took her a moment to fully understand what he was saying to her. He wanted revenge on the orcs, then? And her people shot at him, no wonder he ran. Alvelon was cooly standing by while she dealt with this beast, which she appreciated. He was calm, and that calm radiated about him like water from a spring.

"Screwda, this is Alvelon, a very ancient being who guards the forest. Alvelon, this is Screwda, a troll who begged my father for sanctuary. Apparently that did not last while I was around. My father does not bear the compassion that I do, it would seem. If you do not mind, Screwda, to wait for me while I discuss a few things with Alvelon."

It was not a request, it was more an order. There were things that had not been said, things that needed to be said, which were interrupted by the troll's sudden appearance. Arwen took a few steps towards Alvelon, and then after giving him a quiet look, stepped into the trees. The voices were all around her, whispering about her, whispering about things that had been and were coming. These voices were very strange to Arwen, but she endured them as she waited for Alvelon to follow her. Screwda would not enter the trees, she knew this, and used it to her advantage. It was not a time for games, but for talk.