An Experiment Gone Wrong

Chapter 3: Arch-mage

Rain pounded hard against the ground as the company made their way slowly through the dense forest. The Hobbit, Bilbo, had offered her his pony but she politely declined opting to walk instead. She didn't really need the kindness of the company, once she remembered something she was going to leave anyway, but so far she was having no luck. Mara relished in the sound of the rain pounding against the Earth, until one of the dwarves broke the silence, annoying her. 

"Mister Gandalf," he said, barely heard over the consistent rain sound, "can't you do something about this deluge?" 

Mara, looked up into the sky, whispers of something she had forgotten, yet feels as though she should not have forgotten on the tip of her tongue. 'Why would you stop this rain, it's peaceful,' she thought. 

Gandalf looked over his shoulder to respond to the dwarf that called out the question, "it is raining master dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done!" Mara snickered under her breath gaining a look from the dwarf she now knows as Kili. She paid him no mind as Gandalf continued, "if you wish to change the weather of the world, find yourself another wizard!" 

Bilbo, who was soaked to the bone considering he did not have any sort of cloak to shield him from the torrent downpour, asked, "are there any? Anymore wizards?" 

Mara, who had tuned out the conversation for the most part found herself tuning into what the wizard had to say. She walked a little faster so she could hear Gandalf better. 

"There are five total. The greatest of the five, and the leader of our order, is Saruman the White. There are two other blue wizards who..." he trailed off in a short bit of thought before shrugging it off and continuing, "... who I have quite forgotten there names, and then there is one other. Radagast the Brown." 

"Is he a great wizard," Bilbo asked out of pure curiosity, nothing more, nothing less, "or is he more like you?" 

Mara let out a small giggle which caused Gandalf to look back with a sort of look that said 'I'm going to ignore that comment' before continuing, "I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way." He turned back to keep looking forward, "he's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals over others, and he keeps a watchful eye on the vast forests of the East. Good thing too, evil will always look to find a foothold in this land." 

Gandalf trailed off, and everything went silent for a good bit, until Mara heard a loud CRT TV sound ringing out from everywhere around her, causing her to grip her ears and fall to the ground and curl up in a tight little ball. 

Mara no longer saw the dwarves, the rain no longer poured but instead snow fell in abundance upon the ground which had turned into a blanket of snow. Looking up, Mara saw a blur as if the world moved around her as she stayed in place. 

"Ancano, stop this madness!" Mara heard an older man with white hair call out. He was so familiar. She watched as he turned to her, why was he turning to her? "Mara, you must get in there! Use the Eye of Magnus and save this college!" 

Another blur went by until all she saw was the dead body of a darker elf she recognized. Looking up she heard the words 'Arch-mage' being whispered by the image of a woman she remembered but only vaguely, as if she was from a dream long gone. 

After what felt like hours, the snow under her feet turned to muddy puddles and dark green grass, and the gentle snowfall turned into a light rain soaking her short hair. She looked up with exhausted eyes and scanned the companions. Most were confused and a couple were annoyed, but no one said anything, not even when Gandalf motioned for everyone to continue on. Bilbo was the only one to help Mara up and offer to lend an ear to her if she so chose. Thanking him quietly, she followed.