An Olympian's Daughter

Burummmm

Merry and Pippin are riding Treebeard. "The Ents have not troubled about the wars of men and wizards for a very long time. But now something is about to happen that has not happened for an age: Entmoot." "What's that?" Merry asks, "It is a gathering." "A gathering of what?" Ents come from the forest and surround them. "Beech, Oak, Chestnut, Ash. Good, good, good many have come. Now we must decide if the Ents will go to war." Treebeard announces, Merry grins.

At the Entmoot, Pippin awakes. "It's been going for hours." Merry tells Pippin "They must have decided something by now." Pippin pipes up "Decided? No, we've only just finished saying good morning." "But it's nighttime already! You can't take forever." "Don't be hasty." "We're running out of time!" Merry says in frustration.

The Ents hover, making low voices. Treebeard approaches the hobbits. "Merry." Pippin calls "We have just agreed." Treebeard starts to say, He seems to fall asleep.

Merry presses for an answer "Yes?" "I have told your names to the Entmoot and we have agreed: you are not orcs." Pippin grins up at Treebeard "Well that's good news." "And what about Saruman? Have you come to a decision about him." "Now don't be hasty, Master Meriadoc." Merry yells "Hasty?! Our friends are out there. They need our help! They cannot fight this war on their own."

Treebeard: "War, yes. It affects us all. But you must understand, young hobbit. It takes a long time to say anything in old Entish, and we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say."

Treebeard again approaches the hobbits. "The Ents cannot hold back this war. We must weather such things as we have always done." "How can that be your decision?!" "This is not our war." Merry keeps arguing with the trees "But your part of this world! Aren't you?" The Ents glance at each other, looking self-conscious. "You must help. Please. You must do something." "You are young and brave, master Merry. But your part in this tale is over. Go back to your home." Merry puts his coat back on.

Pippin speaks lowly to Merry "Maybe Treebeard's right. We don't belong here, Merry. It's too big for us. What can we do in the end? We've got the Shire. Maybe we should go home." "The fires of Isengard will spread. And the woods of Tuckburough and Buckland will burn. And all that was once green and good in this world will be gone." Merry grabs Pippin's shoulder. "There won't be a Shire, Pippin."

Merry and Pippin are riding Treebeard. "I will leave you at the western borders of the forest. You can make your way north to your homeland from there." "Wait! Stop! Stop! Turn around. Turn around. Take us south!" Pippin shouts for the Ent to turn around. "South? But that will lead you past - Isengard." "Yes. Exactly. If we go south we can slip past Saruman unnoticed. The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm. It's the last thing he'll expect." "Hmm. That doesn't make sense to me. But then, you are very small. Perhaps your right. South it is then."

Treebeard turns around. "Hold on, little Shirelings. I always like going south. Somehow it feels like going down hill." Merry whispers harshly to Pippin "Are you mad, we'll be caught." "No we won't. Not this time." Treebeard carries the hobbits near Isengard. "And a little family of field mice that climb up sometimes and it tickle me awfully. They're always trying to get somewhere -" Treebeard stops as he sees cut and burned trees. "Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn." Pippin apologizes tot the shepherd of the woods "I'm sorry, Treebeard." "They had voices of their own." Treebeard looks past the ruined forest to the furnaces of Isengard.

Treebeard roars in a fit of untamable rage "Saruman! A wizard should know better!" Treebeard's leaves ruffle in anger. Treebeard lets out a powerful cry that echoes through the forests. "There is no curse in elvish, entish or the tongues of men for this treachery."

Pippin looks back to the tree line "Look at the trees, they're moving!" "Where are they going?" Merry questions the ent, "They have business with the orcs. My business is with Isengard tonight. With a rock and stone." The hobbits look as Ents march out from the forest.]

Merry cheers "Yes!"
"Rárum-rum! Come my friends. The Ents are going to war. It is likely that we go to our doom. The last march of the Ents."

The Ents march towards Isengard.
Ents enter Isengard, throwing boulders and stomping down on the nasty beasts. Orcs try to defend the Isengard, but are squashed by the Ents. One of the Ents is pulled down, and orcs climb on to it, chopping it with their axes. Treebeard then throws a stone, saving his fellow Ent. The hobbits cheer. Saruman runs out to his balcony and watches. Merry and Pippin throw rocks on the orcs below. "A hit. A fine hit." One of the Ents is set on fire with lit arrows. Saruman watches at his balcony. "Break the dam! Release the river!" Treebeard shouts the command. An Ent pulls open the beams supporting the dam. The dam breaks and masses of water flow in. Merry shouts in the chaos "Pippin, hold on!" "Hold on, little hobbits!" The Ents stand still and resist the waters, as they flow down in to the fires of Isengard, flooding everything. The Ent on fire is saved by the water.

Merry and Pippin stand waist-deep in water. They look up at the balcony of Orthanc. "He doesn't look too happy, does he?" "Not too happy at all, Merry." Saruman and Wormtounge stalk along the balcony. "Still, I suppose the view would be quite nice form up there." Merry comments. "Oh yes, a quality establishment. I hear the staff are very good." Pippin quips with a cheeky smirk.

Merry surreptitiously tries to measure his height against Pippin's. Pippin looks back at him, and Merry pretends to be picking something out of his hair. "What are you doing?" Pippin asks, "Nothing. The world's back to normal, that's all." Merry answers "No it isn't. I'm starving." "Good luck trying to find something decent around here. Probably only dead rats and moldy bread." Merry says with a frown. Pippin finds an apple floating in the water. He looks up, then he smiles. More apples come floating down from somewhere else. He grabs them, then drops them to pick up a roast chicken, then finds a whole basket of apples. Merry finds a carafe of wine. They enter a storeroom filled with food. "Saruman's storeroom!" Merry shouts with joy. They see barrels marked 'Southfarthing'.

Pippin looks at the barrels amazed "I don't believe it." "It can't be." Merry's eye widen. "It is." They open a barrel. "Longbottom Leaf. The finest pipe-weed in South Farthing." Merry takes a deep inhale. "It's perfect. One barrel each. Wait. Do you think we should share it with Treebeard?" "Share it? No. No. Dead plant and all that. Don't think he'd understand. Could be a distant relative." "I get it. Don't be hasty." "Exactly. Bar-hrum." They both giggle in excitement.

Treebeard peeks into the storeroom as smoke begins to billow out, he gives a shake of his great big head before moving back to stand at the bottom of the tower.