Not Forsaken

Chapter 3

Gandalf suddenly froze. "Quickly! To the trees!" He hissed at Luliana in a harsh whisper. "Go! Now!"

She quickly obeyed, confused by his sudden harshness. Luliana darted off the Greenway quickly, behind a large, rotting stump, wondering what was going on. She stared in panic at the scene that was unfolding before her. Two dark figures suddenly came running at Gandalf. She stared helplessly, unable to help her old friend. Her only friend! Oh, what would she do? She wondered frantically, trying to come up with a plan. Obviously these were not friendly individuals, and Gandalf was so old, so...

There was a brilliant flash of light, and suddenly all was quiet. There stood Gandalf, quite unharmed, with the two figures lifeless in front of him. Luliana paused only a moment before darting back out onto the greenway.

"Gandalf!" She half croaked, half screamed. "Are you well, my friend? What in the world just happened?"

He chuckled, quite amused by the look on the frightened girls face, which only seemed to confuse her. What. Happened? Why was he laughing? Was he crazy? Did he not just see the light and realize that these two intruders were dead as door nails in front of him?

"Why are you laughing?" She cried again, quite bewildered. Gandalf simply looked at her, the same old twinkle in his eye.

"You have much to learn about your old companion," he stated simply. "I would not let harm come to you, nor to myself, our task being yet unfinished." Gandalf quickly searched the corpses, for what, Luliana had no idea. It disgusted her, and she quickly turned away.

"Ah. Promise of payment." She turned to look as he spoke. He held a tattered piece of leather in his hand, with what seemed to be letters of some sort, written in black upon it. "Let us move on." Gandalf spoke quickly, stuffing the disgusting thing into his cloak. He seemed to be annoyed and troubled now, something she had not sensed before.

"Gandalf, what is wrong?" She was beginning to feel troubled, and more anxious than earlier. "What is it?" Gandalf remained silent for a moment. Luliana noticed that the twinkle that had been in his eye moments before had been replaced with worry, and that he suddenly seemed to carry a heavy weight upon his old shoulders.

"It is nothing." He replied, almost impatiently.

As if on cue, thunder rumbled in the distance. Luliana looked up to see clouds gathering in the distance. The wind was beginning to pick up, cooler now. She could tell that it would rain soon.

"Gandalf," she started again, but then thought better of it. He was clearly not in the mood now for idle chatter. He must have been frightened, she thought to herself. She glanced over at her old friend. He suddenly seemed much older. Troubled. He looked over at Luliana and gave a warm smile. Such a good-natured friend he was, she thought. She wasn't sure if he could tell that she saw how unsettled he was, but she quietly walked beside him, not mentioning it.

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They stopped to make camp that night, in the pouring rain. As luck would have it, they found a dry spot under a massive outcropping of rock. Luliana quickly lit a fire, and after quickly dressing a rabbit she had killed earlier, started it roasting.

"Gandalf," she began slowly, "who and what were those two creatures we encountered earlier?"

Gandalf remained quiet for several minutes, simply puffing his long pipe. Luliana began to think he had not heard her. "Gandalf?" She looked at him, questioningly.

"My dear, those were orcs." Gandalf finally said, looking. At Luliana with sadness and pity. He knew what had happened to her parents.

"What?" Luliana breathed. She felt as if there was no air left in the world to breathe. Her head began to swim, and she suddenly felt as if she would begin retching any moment. "Those filthy creatures. That is what amad and da
saw in their last moments." Tears silently rolled down her cheeks. Those filthy creatures. She had only heard them, never laid eyes on them. Now she wished her eyes had never seen them. Even dead they were disgusting to behold.

Luliana got up, and just stood in the pouring rain. "What was it they wanted here?"

She had spoken out loud, to herself, but Gandalf answered. "They are hunting someone, my dear. Their master is seeking revenge, to destroy the line of Durin."

"Durin?" She asked. "I have heard that name before."

Luliana sat back down next to to the fire. Where had she heard that name before?

"Well, child," he looked at her, eyes twinkling once again, "your mother may have mentioned it to you. It is the line of the kings of Erebor, of Durin the deathless. Durin the Deathless was the eldest of the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves. Durin was created by Aulë the Vala during the Years of the Trees.* The line of Durin remains unbroken to this very day, with the kings of Erebor."

"Erebor?" She looked at Gandalf. "That is where my mother was born. She spoke little of it, but it is the land of her people."

"Indeed it is. And therefore it is the land of your ancestors as well. For as your mother was of Erebor, your father's ancestors were from the city of Dale. Both were destroyed by the dragon Smaug." The old wizard looked at her, knowing she would have questions.

"But how can that be? Da never told me such things! What would you know of it?" Luliana was growing angry. Although she did not know why.

"My child, there are many things I know of you and your heritage. Your mother and father felt they needed to protect you, and as such, asked me at your birth to always watch out for you. You were born for a purpose, although you may not have realized it until late." Gandalf gazed at the young woman, gauging her reaction.

"I do not understand." She looked into the fire, their supper long past having burnt to a crisp. "What purpose? What worth could I ever be to anyone?"

She simply stared, not knowing what to think. Why had her parents kept so much from her? How did this kind, old man know so much? She simply tugged on her braid, confused. Angry. The tears once again slid silently down her face. She curled up, back to her old friend, and cried herself to sleep.

* source: Wikipedia