I'm always here

31. Concentration

The next day, Pippin was at a ceremony, Denethor was making Pippin an honorary servant. You went walking through the city, looking for a place that was a little more elf-like. It was a long shot, but you approached a kind-looking woman and called to her,

“Excuse me?”

The woman looked over at you and you noticed that you were a good foot taller than her, her back was slouched and she moved slowly, “Can I help you?”

“I was wondering if you could show me somewhere in the city that might be a little more peaceful, some place with trees, or grass, or flowers, a garden perhaps.”

“Of course, young lady. Follow me.” She smiled.

“Thank you very much.”

The woman led you around the city, along paths and you watched carefully, making sure you knew how to get there and back. After a few minutes of silence, the woman asked you,

“Are you that elf maiden who came in with that White Rider yesterday?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Why are you’s here?”

“Well…”

“And don’t worry; you need not worry about spilling something. We all know that war is coming.”

“Yes, I’m afraid it is.”

“I could sense it.”

“How?”

“Well, I’m not quite sure what it is, but sometimes I can see things, in my mind.”

“Yes, I know what you mean.”

The woman finally showed you to a small garden, with beautiful flowers of every color, and green grass, with a small apple tree sitting in a corner.

“Thank you so very much.” You said to the woman.

“It was no problem. This world needs more people helping people.”

“Yes, it does.”

The woman walked away, humming to herself, slowly going back up the paths to her little house. It was amazing how someone with so little could be so happy.

Banishing the woman from you mind for a while, you sat underneath the tree, crossing you legs. You thought of what Sauron might be thinking of doing. How could you hold him back? After a while of sitting and thinking, you remembered what Pippin had asked you last night, about being able to see Frodo, and Sam. You decided that now was a perfect time to try. Hopefully it could strengthen your mind.

As you sat on the ground, you closed your eyes, feeling all your senses heighten. The feel of the grass was softer underneath you, the wind caressed your face, and the sun warmed your skin. You thought strongly on all the times you’d spent with Frodo and Sam. You remembered the first night you ever met Sam, it was at the feast. He was so anxious, and delighted to be accompanied by so many Elves. You remember the way Frodo looked when he first saw Bilbo. So happy, and joyful, yet sad at the same time. You remember the rosiness in the Hobbits’ cheeks, how they smiled and laughed. Slowly you began to see images of Frodo and Sam, but whether they were happening at the moment, you weren’t sure. Frodo and Sam were spattered with dirt, and both of them looked much skinnier, and exhausted than when you last saw them. A grovelling creature was leading them up a great stair, on the side of a rock wall. The creature was about the same size, and he seemed almost transparent. He moved like a frog, and always had an evil flicker in his eye. This must be the Gollum creature Gandalf talks about. The last time you saw him, he was following you in the River Anduin and you hadn’t gotten a very good look at him. As they came to the top of the stair, they stood outside a dark cave. A sense of danger came out of it. Slowly, the Hobbits followed Gollum into the cave and the image went black.