EPIC: A Demigod's Tale by Frodo Baggins

Chapter 13

A full day passed uneventfully for Gandalf. Seriously, there was nothing to do on top of the tower other than worry about what kind of struggles Frodo was facing right now. What if Frodo and his fellow questors were confronted by the Nazgul? They'd be mauled by Madara, destroyed by Darth Vader, gored by Galbortorix, skewered by Salazar, obliterated by Ozai, and if they run into Voldemort...Well, I'm pretty sure they could handle Voldemort, actually. Especially with Luke on their team, Gandalf thought to himself. Still, he kept running through awful scenarios in his mind, mostly involving Frodo running into a Nazgul and falling asleep and subsequently being slaughtered by said Nazgul. At least he would die peacefully in his sleep, I guess, Gandalf thought. But that hardly made him feel any better. Gandalf spent the day from sunrise to sundown fretting over Frodo and the fate of the Ring. If Sauron acquired that great instrument of destruction, he feared what would happen to the galaxy. Things in the galaxy had been grim already, and if Sauron found the Ring, things would get even worse. 

Gandalf was ready to try taking a nap on the hard surface again. It wasn't comfortable, but Gandalf felt so exhausted he didn't think sleep would be a problem at this point. Of course, just when Gandalf felt semi-comfortable and was lapsing into a doze, Saruman just had to show up. Apparently, he had nothing better to do than to gloat and throw Gandalf around – literally. 

Using his magical abilities, Saruman cast a spell that allowed him to toss Gandalf's body from side to side as if he was a toy doll. Gandalf groaned as he was flopped about, knowing he would be covered in bruises tomorrow. 

"The friendship of Sauron is not lightly thrown aside," Saruman growled. 

A trickle of blood drizzled down Gandalf's face. "I never said I was his friend!" Gandalf protested angrily. 

Saruman snarled and used his magic to drag Gandalf across the top of the tower, until Gandalf was dangling over the edge of the tower with only his shoes touching the edge of the tower. If Saruman released his magic now, Gandalf would fall to his death. Gandalf gulped. 

"You must either embrace the power of the Ring or embrace your own destruction!" Saruman said. With a flick of his wand, Gandalf was flipped back onto the top of the tower. 

Gandalf spotted a giant hulking mass flying in the distance, low to the ground, keeping just over the tops of the trees. It looked like a ship, and it was moving toward the tower. Inwardly, he smiled. Perhaps the League of Heroes was able to send a rescue after all. 

He looked up at Saruman, hoping to keep him distracted, as the Minister of Magic had not noticed the approaching ship. "There is only one Lord of the Ring, only one who can bend it to his will, and he does not share power." Gandalf meant his speech to sound cool, but he couldn't help gaping like an idiot when he saw what the hulking mass heading towards him was.

"Floating whales?" he couldn't help uttering. 

Saruman glanced behind him and saw a pod of what looked like floating whales. "What the heck are those?" he growled, glaring back at Gandalf. 

"Purgill," Gandalf answered, before running off the top of the roof and landing on one. 

"Hey, you made it," greeted a figure riding on top of the purple-skinned Purgill. His hair was shaved close to his head in a buzzcut, and he wore clothing of a burnt orange color. A lightsaber hilt dangled from the belt on his waist. 

"Did you come to rescue me?" Gandalf gasped.

"Sure did," said Ezra Bridger, the man who had come to Gandalf's rescue.

Gandalf glanced back at Saruman, who was standing ominously at the edge of the tower, watching Gandalf and his young companion as they escaped. 

"So you have chosen death," Saruman whispered as he watched Gandalf escape, knowing full well that the gray wizard had doomed himself and sealed his demise. "Incendio!" he cried, firing a wave of flames at Gandalf.